Update on my 2010 resolutions

As far as reading my Bible every day, I have not succeeded in that endeavor. However, I have read it quite a bit and am learning not to feel guilty if I miss a day or 4. Usually I just rest in the cross if I start worrying that I haven't read my Bible and get concerned that God is not going to like me if I don't read it. What has been good is that I have been reading large portions of Scripture when I do sit down to read. I am reading 15-20 chapters from 4 different books in the Bible so there is a larger amount of intake and this has been a blessing to me. I think the only way I will be more consistent is to ensure that I read the Bible as soon as I wake up. It's not that the time of day is more spiritual; it's just that mornings are usually the slowest part of my day and are relatively free of distractions.

I have been speaking more kindly to my wife, as of late. It seems that in the last month or so things that bothered me greatly in the past are now not so much of a big deal. I realize that it is best not to "react to her response" as it applies to any number of situations. In the past, when we failed to communicate clearly and got offended, I would flip out and that only caused the situation to compound, resulting in hours, if not days, of not "getting along". God has given me grace lately to not react to offense as I used to. I still need to improve alot in this area. One other thing I have realized is that my wife just needs to get out sometimes alone...without me. I've been trying to make sure she gets these times of solitary refreshment.

As far as reading to Owen, I have done pretty well. I have read to him most every night that we have been home and gone through our normal "getting ready for bed" routine. One thing that I have started doing besides simply reading to him is using the K-4 curriculum that we own from aBeka and teaching him how to read using the series of Little Owl books that is part of this curriculum. He loves them and really is excited to be able to read simple words and 2 word sentences. I have seen fruit from my efforts as we go about our day as he points out various words that he has seen or is curious about.

As far as finding a church, I am still in the process. We have been going to a really good church lately and are very encouraged by the work of God in our life as a result of being joined to this body of believers. I am very hopeful for the future and what it may hold for us here at this new church.

I am almost done with the first song for my worship album. It will probably take all year for me to record it all. I'm aiming for 10 or 11 songs and it will up on my Facebook page as I finish each song. I'll post the first one in the near future.

One of the best Christian worship albums ever.

Those of you who have known me for any length of time know that I have an affinity for good music, specifically worship music. I have been involved in leading worship in churches for over 20 years and have spent alot of that time reading and thinking and discussing what makes a good song for worship. I recently began to attend a different church in the Santa Clarita Valley named Crossroads Community Church. I had lunch with Paul Hoover, the guy who leads worship there, and as we were dialoguing about various things I brought up the point that there are few songs written nowadays for Christian worship that have Heaven as the theme of the song. It just seems like the average christian in the modern church does not think much about the joy of the eternal state; the joy of being with Jesus; the joy of seeing His face and no longer being afraid, guilty, sick, or sad. Theology proper refers to this as the Beatific Vision. In Christian theology, the beatific vision is the eternal and direct visual perception of God enjoyed by those who are in Heaven, imparting supreme happiness or blessedness. (Wiki) It is the event that contains all of the essence of all of our hope as christians, namely, that we will see the face of God and not be afraid! As we discussed this topic, Paul mentioned an album by a band called Enfield. Their first album is all about Heaven and the final rest of Christians. My first listen to it was stirring. Subsequent listening has confirmed for me that this is one of the most musically diverse and theologically sound worship albums I've ever heard. This album has changed me in that I long for heaven even more now; I long to be with Jesus more as a result of being reminded of the great truths presented in the songs of this album.

I heartily recommend it to you.

I purchased 15 of them from Grace Community's book store as gifts and/or "tracts" to those I might meet who are not Christians.

I encourage you to buy the album, sit down, get out the lyric sheet, and listen to all the songs in a row. You will be encouraged and you will look forward to Heaven and seeing Jesus for the first time. Enjoy!