These are going to seem trite, I know. They are slightly tongue-in-cheek and in no particular order. Also notice I didn’t say they were the “top 5″ signs Western Civilization is dying. They are not likely in the top 50,000, I imagine – but they are signs none the less!
Stranded shopping carts. – I cannot go to the grocery store these days without being astonished by just how many people simply leave their cart in the middle of the parking lot. This reveals a lack of respect for others who must dodge, move, retrieve and return the carts. One day while my wife ran into Safeway for a few items I noted from my drivers seat that every person leaving the store with a cart over that 25 minute period stranded it – some within 7 feet of the plentiful and strategically placed buggy roundups.
The cell phone culture. – First of all, the businessman in the airport making a “deal” over the phone is not a big shot. He may think he is a big shot, but everyone knows the real high rollers do business face to face. Nice try, guy in a cheap suit. Also, I know people think constant fidgeting with an iPhone or Blackberry makes them look busy and important, but it does not. It is more likely a sign of simple rudeness and potential addiction.
The say/do imbalance. – If a celebrity beats someone up and threatens to kill them, they are likely to get a lot of bad press. If they say something that could be construed as potentially (even mildly) racist or intolerant, their careers could be ruined forever. No one should ever excuse or overlook language that tears people down. That being said, serious and repeated criminal acts should carry far heavier civil and professional penalties.
Facebook profile pictures. – There is something very disturbing about people (especially men) having dozens or even hundreds of posed pictures of themselves displayed within their account. “Here is a picture of me driving; here I am in a new shirt; this is me eating a sandwich; check me out doing…” Those who don’t see this as a warning sign for potential or probable narcissism should likely think again.
The “lots of kids” look/remark. – My wife and I are expecting our fourth child. We have been married six years. More people have a problem with this than you may know. If you would have told me this four years ago when Elisabeth was born, I would not have believed you. The Bible says children are a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 127:3), but modern culture often finds them distracting, expensive and inconvenient. Those having and desiring many should prepare for criticism.
I could probably go on a little further if I tried. Yes, I do believe Western culture is in a dramatic and startling state of decline, although these are not the most serious proofs of that hypothesis. Do you have any “signs” to add?
Many of you will know that our daughters were born on the same day one year apart. Elisabeth turned four and Hannah three on Monday night. In celebration, we enjoyed an evening of cake, opening presents and playing games. Here are a few of the pictures we captured:
Be sure to check our Photo Blog for some follow-up photos later in the week.
“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” Many people want to ignore this verse. Modern Christian philosophers call it arcane and persuade parents to instead embrace worldly methods. Some will even tell us we don’t understand what the verse means, calling the rod “figurative”. This method of viewing scripture is dishonest, as any man of clear conscience can understand this simple English. Passages like these have been on my mind lately. I have been praying that we stop explaining away the obvious and begin just reading the scripture as it is written. Doing this will help our children and allow us to stand before God knowing we have not been negligent. Families can use all the Godly advice they can muster these days and it would be wise to start right here. Let’s not allow the misguided and incorrect Bible teachers of today persuade us to dismiss observable reality.
“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” I can fully endorse the reality of this verse. My wife has not only been a great blessing to me herself, but has also provoked me to actions that have brought blessing. Simply put; she causes me to be a better man and a better servant of Christ. While some verses in Proverbs note the terrible atmosphere an ungodly wife causes in the home, we see exactly the opposite of a faithful wife. God said that it was not good for a man to dwell alone and therefore set up a system of mutual blessing for husband and wife. If you ask me, I think the husband is the greater recipient of reward. A faithful wife can make a man soar to great heights. She builds him up and shows by her Godliness (not necessarily words) where he must work to do better. It is her meek and quiet spirit that often prompts him to choose actions that bring blessing to the entire family.
Most of you know that our family has been praying that God will open an opportunity for me to serve in Pastoral ministry. Recently our hearts have been moved to pursue work in a church of significant need. To be specific, a congregation that is small, just starting out, or would perhaps even have difficulty supporting a pastor and his family full-time. Typically these churches have trouble finding men willing to consider them. Our desire is to place ourselves in a position to undertake any work of ministry around the country, without regard to the financial constraints that may discourage others.
With this in mind we have considered which avenues of business God would allow us to pursue that could provide freedom to enter such circumstances. After many careful hours of deliberation we believe He has lead us to begin Abounding Media, a freelance internet and media services effort that will focus on assisting churches, christian ministries and wholesome business projects worldwide. Sounds big doesn’t it? Well, it’s really little more than the expansion of a freelance career I have been urged to undertake by friends and colleagues for years.
As the burden to help a truly needy church has grown, so too has my level of knowledge and skill in the field internet technology. Factor in a decade of experience in professional and ministry broadcasting, missionary service and photography, and I believe it is now possible for me to credibly offer these services without hesitation.
It’s awkward now to think that during a time in which I so eagerly anticipated being in full-time ministry, the Lord was actually equipping me for a future I didn’t imangine. God is wonderful in this way, as He sees the big picture, leading us by the hand into paths we know not!
We also want to be clear on a few additional points in this regard: first, we would not continue this effort in any way unless it was both permissible and beneficial to a future church family. Second, we do not intend Abounding Media to be a part of our lives forever. While we are certain my previously-mentioned skills will be put to good use in future ministry, our primary desire is to serve a church, not advance a freelance internet media career.
While the final launch of alwaysabounding.org, the Abounding Media homepage is not ready yet, we would encourage you to visit and see what we have done so far. We’d also like you to read about the philosophies that lead us to think this was a worthy effort. There will be many more details upcoming on how we plan to organize and undertake this work. Suffice it to say we are excited about some of the ideas God has given us for getting it off the ground.
This is our most recent newsletter to family, friends, our church, and other long-time supporters in the ministry.
Many will remember from our last correspondence that we were considering a potential opportunity for service with Baptist Mid-Missions in England. It has been well over a year since we took the first steps in a serious examination. You can imagine a lot has happened since then, and we have neither time nor words to express it all.
We can say that we have spent many hours in prayer, had many discussions with friends and family, as well as the BMM-England Field Council and BMM Administration. Unable to move forward with an arrangement for service there, and believing God may have a different path, we resigned from Baptist Mid-Missions effective February 23, 2009.
Thank you for praying and waiting for this decision to be made. It has been a long road, but we are blessed to have clear direction from the Lord, and are thankful to Baptist Mid-Missions for allowing us to travel it. We are also looking forward with excitement to what the future holds.
It has been our desire for several years now to be serving in a full-time preaching ministry. Therefore today we are seeking a pastoral position somewhere within the United States. While we are open to anything the Lord may provide, we would prefer a situation in which I could serve under a more experienced Pastor, or within a context that would allow me to obtain further theological education.
Our Pastor and church family have been wonderfully supportive over the past several years. They have encouraged us in our desire to serve the Lord and provided every possible support and help. We are grateful for every kindness they have shared.
We are also thankful for your support. You have been prayerful and patient companions as we have sought the Lord’s will, providing for us financially and in many other ways in the past nine years. Yes…it’s been that long!
If you know of potential opportunities in Pastoral ministry that you would like to pass along, please contact us and we would be happy to receive them. Thank you again for all you have done and been in our lives.
If you would like to speak with us about anything mentioned here, just leave a comment or send an e-mail. We will have more on this subject soon.
In an effort to share photos in a more timely and efficient manner with friends and family, we set up a Harper photo blog back in August. For a while we were publishing a new image every day; that is until we moved, experienced a phone company mix-up and were without an internet connection for almost a month. Now we are back in regular-posting mode, although with three small children and a busy church and work life we can’t promise anything.
In the same tradition as our daily devotions, the photos will come at as steady a pace as we can manage. Simply click the next or previous buttons at the bottom right to peruse the entire collection. Posts are also tagged rather clearly, so you can visit entries featuring specific subjects or members of the family. If you’d rather have each new photo sent via e-mail, just type your address in this form and click the confirm link that shows up in your inbox.
By the way, even when we are not posting new photos or blog articles on a regular basis, we are always active on FriendFeed. Click to Latest tab at the top right of this site to see what’s happening on an almost hour by hour basis.
After a few stressful months at the office with little opportunity for time off, we decided to take a break last week and drive two and a half hours down the Parks Highway to Denali National Park and Preserve. Deborah and I have enjoyed several previous visits, but realized recently we hadn’t made the trip in nearly five years. The girls had a great time, and were especially interested in seeing “da wiver” (the river; see below). They had three opportunities on the way, as we crossed the Tanana and Nenana rivers and concluded our trip on the banks of the Savage River. They were very impressed with each sighting and kept asking for more.
Our Denali 2008 photos are now posted in the Gallery so you can take a look at some of the scenery we enjoyed. There are also a few pictures of Deborah, Hannah and Elisabeth taken along the way. Wind and rain kept Stephen mostly bundled in his stroller, but if you look closely you’ll likely see him (his blanket) in the background on one shot near the Savage River. Let us know what you think!
A particular passage of scripture is examined around our house more than any other these days; Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” With three children under the age of three, we find ourselves quoting/teaching it nearly every day of the week. During a recent family devotion time we captured the following audio. Click play or download below to hear how well-acquainted our girls are with this topic.
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But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. — Isaiah 53:5
Editorials | Chris | 
December 1, 2009 3:18 am | 
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