Bleed Bible Like John Bunyan (by Matthew DelValle)

(John Bunyan)

 As I thought about the goals I wanted to pursue this year, I found it helpful to break my goals up into categories. This explains the different headings in this article. In addition, I tried to set specific, concrete, achievable goals. It is not helpful to say, “I will pray more often.” That’s abstract and undefined. It is much better to say, for example, “I will spend 15 uninterrupted minutes talking to God each day.” That’s specific, concrete, and achievable. However, I did not completely abandon general goals; I simply attached specific, concrete, achievable outworkings to those general goals. You will see what I mean as you continue reading.

So with that brief word of introduction, here are my goals for 2011:

Spiritual

• Bleed Bible like John Bunyan. Charles Spurgeon once remarked about John Bunyan, “Why, this man is a living Bible! Prick him anywhere; his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God.”
   
  Last fall I began a Bible reading plan that involves reading 10 chapters a day from various sections of Scripture. It is called “Grant Horner’s ’10 chapters a day’ Bible Reading Program.”  The aim is to get a lot of Bible in so that a lot of Bible will come out. I hope to continue working through this system (which never ends!) and hopefully obtain some measure of “Bibline blood.”
   
• Pray like I’m in a war—because I am. In the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6, we get one weapon for offense—the Word. Everything else is used for defense. Prayer is one of those defenses. It is our wartime walkie-talkie by which we communicate with our King from the front lines of battle. We are to consistently communicate with our Leader about the battle against Satan’s armies. If we don’t devote ourselves to prayer, we become susceptible to Satan’s attacks. We will let down our defense.
   
  I believe that much failure to pray happens because we don’t plan to pray. We could accomplish much more prayer if we simply planned to pray. So, I drafted a weekly prayer plan to help me achieve consistent, Christ-exalting prayer. The aim is to follow this plan and spend 30 uninterrupted minutes each day talking to God. I may split this up into two 15-minute sessions, depending on the day’s tasks. But my aim is 30 total minutes each day of the week, praising God for who He is, confessing personal sin, thanking Him for His numerous blessings, and presenting my requests before Him.

Educational

• Continue my formal education. As of today, I am seeking to attend the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, beginning this fall. So my goals are simply to 1) get accepted into the seminary, and 2) beginmy Master of Divinity degree. Flowing out of this, I also wish to…
   
• Avoid school debt for the fall semester. I hope to have enough money saved up when I make the move to seminary so that I don’t have to take out any loans right away. Of course, I would prefer not to have to take out any loans period, but since this is simply a goals list for 2011, I will restrict this goal to the fall semester.

  
Ministry

• Finish off my time serving the college group faithfully exalting Christ through God’s Word. I had the privilege of doing the bulk of the teaching on Wednesday nights in 2010. By God’s grace, I hope to continue serving my brothers and sisters, who are also my dear friends, by faithfully exalting Christ with the remaining  opportunities to teach. Faithfulness isn’t measured by results; the results are in God’s hands. My goal is simply to rightly divide the Word, pray for my friends, and leave the rest to God. After this summer is over and I (hopefully) head to seminary, my goal is to…
   
• Faithfully transfer my Wednesday night teaching privilege. When Samuel transferred his leadership of Israel over to Saul, he made this promise to the people: "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you" (1 Sam. 12:23). Goal for 2011: to not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for my church, especially the college group. I believe the other men in the group can faithfully lead Wednesday nights after I’m gone; I am not worried about that. What I must watch for is prayerlessness on my part.

  
Personal

• Learn practical skills from my father. My dad has always been a handyman for as long as I can remember. He knows how to do car maintenance, do electrical work, fix things, etc. In other words, he’s good at man stuff.
   
  I am not like my father in this sense. I am the kind of guy who will play the piano, compose a poem, sit and think—those are things I am naturally inclined to do. It is not my nature to tinker with cars or install outlets. But these are practical skills that I need to learn if I ever want to get married one day. So in these next months I want to spend time with my father learning how to do these nitty-gritty tasks.
   
• Learn to cook several dishes from my mother. Yes, I need to learn how to handyman skills, but I also need to learn to cook. I have been blessed with a mother who is an excellent cook. I don’t want to lose her amazing food when I’m gone. So, the only way to keep the cooking is to learn how to do it myself. Already I have learned how to make one dish from my mom; I want to learn several more. I figure if I know how to make 6-8 dishes really well, I’ll be set.
   
• Read 12 classics. I have never put much effort into reading what society generally considers “the classics.” Not anymore! I joined a book club along with many of my Faith friends, and we are going to work our way through a massive book list over the next decade—one classic per month. So my goal for 2011 is to read the 12 classics for this year. With diligence, I believe I can do it.
   
  My aim in reading these classics is not so that I can say, “I’ve read the classics.” My main purpose in reading these books is to sharpen my literary sensibilities for the purpose of preaching and teaching God’s Word. The classics, like the Bible, span various genres. Their authors employ different styles. By reading classics, I hope to improve my ability to read well and cultivate my command of the English language. I want to develop my literary sensibilities so as to better express God’s truth when preaching and teaching.  (See here for an excellent book that addresses the relationship between reading literary texts and preaching God's Word.) I can think of no better way to attain these skills than to read the best literature available. That is why I am reading classics.

  
These are my goals for 2011. It will take hard work to accomplish them. But by God’s grace, I know I can do it. My prayer is that God will be honored in all of these goals and that the ripple effect of God’s work in my life would spill over into the lives of others for their good. May it be so. To God be the glory.

Other Posts in our "Goals" Series:

• Set Goals for the Coming Year (by Stephen Simpson)
• My Goals for 2011 (by Jonita Barram)
• Resolutions (by Lou Gentry)
• My Goals for this New Year (by Lee Dusing)
• Here's What I Hope to Accomplish in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)
• From Florida to Niger to Florida to Brazil and back to Florida (by Jared Malcolm) 
• How About Goals for 2011? (by Gerry Hill)
• Bleed Bible Like John Bunyan (by Matthew DelValle)

5 Reflections on 5 Years of Marriage (by Stephen Simpson)

Today is my 5th wedding anniversary.  It seems like only yesterday I was at the church getting ready to say my vows.  Our wedding reception was the first event held in the post-hurricane renovated fellowship hall.  January 21st, 2006 is definitely a day that I will remember for the rest of my life.  In honor of this special occasion, I would like to share with you 5 reflections on the first 5 years of my marriage. 

My first 5 years of marriage have been:
 

1. Beautiful.  I am married to a beautiful wife.  Her beauty shines forth externally as well as internally.  Marriage has also brought me two beautiful daughters.  Their beauty makes me smile all the time.
    
2. Easy.  My wife and children love me and serve me in so many ways.  They are genuinely excited to see me when I come home from work.  Knowing that my family loves me unconditionally makes being married seem so easy. 
    
3. Hard.  God often brings hard times into marriages.  For us, He has chosen to bring hard times with every pregnancy.  Every one of our pregnancies has been very hard.  The hardest moment was during our last pregnancy when God chose to take our son.  Holding his tiny breathless body in my hands was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.  Sometimes, marriage is very hard.
    
4. Good.  God brought me and Nicki together.  He has made us one.  He has blessed us with children.  What He has done is very good!  It is so good for my children to see a Mom and Dad that love each other and seek to serve each other.
    
5. Unpredictable.  For us, this has been best demonstrated in our pregnancies.  Before we were married, I thought that having children was a pretty automatic process.  Five years later, I realize how fragile life is.  I better understand that every child is a miracle.  The unpredictability of marriage reminds me of my need to trust God.  God's plans are infinitely better than my plans.  

Tragically, marriages that last even 5 years are becoming increasingly rare.  I praise God for the 5 years of marriage that He has given to us.  I pray that God will continue to bless our marriage that will grant Nicki and me many more years of marriage.
 ______________________________________________________
   

 

How About Goals for 2011? (by Gerry Hill)

The definition:  An object or end that one strives to attain or that which a person aims to achieve.

I ask myself this question.  Why do we want goals?  Is it a part of human competition to satisfy self ego?  Making a goal successfully, does that make me better than another person.  Does getting to the top of anything make me superior in feeling or achievement.  According to Webster's definition, only first place claims the attainment.  However, is there not God honoring achievements for which to strive?  What of the themes of our songs that pursue this goal (i.e. Give of Your Best to the Master)?  The Bible also demands that believers strive for one God, one faith, one hope.

When I look at a new year ahead, what achievements do I set out to attain?  First, I need and want to look inside myself.  Where am I as a child of the Eternal, Everlasting, Almighty God?  Introspection is one important goal.  I also want to set some humanly attainable, heavenly targets.  Study the Bible, seek the Holy Spirit's direction in simple things, obey God's words, and speedily seek forgiveness.

Pointing myself to this year (2011) with these goals in mind sounds like a full year of objectives for which to be accountable.  But isn't that what Jesus meant by, "denying self and pick up your cross and follow Him."

I hope you will think and apply goals that will pile up crowns for Christ this year.

Other Posts in our "Goals" Series:

• Set Goals for the Coming Year (by Stephen Simpson)
• My Goals for 2011 (by Jonita Barram)
• Resolutions (by Lou Gentry)
• My Goals for this New Year (by Lee Dusing)
• Here's What I Hope to Accomplish in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)
• From Florida to Niger to Florida to Brazil and back to Florida (by Jared Malcolm) 
• How About Goals for 2011? (by Gerry Hill)
• Bleed Bible Like John Bunyan (by Matthew DelValle)

From Florida to Niger to Florida to Brazil and back to Florida (by Jared Macolm)

(Holding the Ropes at Jared's Commissioning service)

Another year has now passed, and I begin to look forward to what is ahead for the new year. 2010 was very interesting for me. I began the year in Florida then found my self in Niger. I then returned to Florida. Six months in Brazil and then back to Florida once again. I would have never dreamed that I would be doing all this traveling. As I look to this new year, My main goal is to be useful wherever God puts me. I have learned that I might not always end up where I wish to be, but God has a plan for me wherever God has for me to go. The other goal for me is to get throught this whole visa process for my permanent visa for Brazil. This has been a long process and it will be great to finally have all this behind me.


Other Posts in our "Goals" Series:

• Set Goals for the Coming Year (by Stephen Simpson)
• My Goals for 2011 (by Jonita Barram)
• Resolutions (by Lou Gentry)
• My Goals for this New Year (by Lee Dusing)
• Here's What I Hope to Accomplish in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)
• From Florida to Niger to Florida to Brazil and back to Florida (by Jared Malcolm) 
• How About Goals for 2011? (by Gerry Hill)
• Bleed Bible Like John Bunyan (by Matthew DelValle)

Bible Reading, Frozen Baptisms, & eJournals

Here are this month's 'headlines' - things from cyberspace that have recently caught our attention.  Enjoy!

• Bible Reading Plans ~ If you are still looking for a Bible reading plan for 2011, check out this post from Justin Taylor.
• Baptisms Alaska Style ~ Here is yet another good reason to live in Florida!
• Pastoral Moves ~ The latest 9marks ejournal is now available.  I've read about half of it and this issue is one of their better ones.  It deals with the topic of Pastors moving to other churches.  There are some interesting articles on the topic of 'pulpit committees.' 
• Themelios ~ The latest edition of Themelios is also currently available.  This journal is more scholarly than the 9marks journal but it still contains some good stuff.

Related Posts:

• Headlines - December's Links
• Headlines - November's Links
• Headlines - October's Links

Here's What I Hope to Accomplish in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)

Here are some of the things I hope to accomplish in 2011.  Check back with me on December 31st, 2011 and ask me how I've done!

1. Finish 12 books - I am very good at starting books and then leaving them unfinished.  In 2010, I set a goal of finishing 12 books and finished 14!  So, I figure I'd set the same goal again.  Maybe one of these days I'll write a post about the books I read in 2010...
2. Recruit 4 new students for the Fine Arts Academy - We currently have 16 students.  I would like to see us grow to teach at least 20 on a weekly basis.
3. Recruit 2 new regularly contributing authors for the blog - We are blessed with several excellent authors who contribute to the blog.  I also know that there are many others in our church who could contribute.  In 2011, I hope to find 2 more authors. 
4. Write a Series on The Beatitudes for the Blog - Several months ago, I preached two Wednesday night messages on The Beatitudes.  Since that time, I have thought about writing a series of blog posts drawn from that passage of Scripture.  It is my goal to accomplish (or at least begin it) this in 2011.
5. Begin some sort of printed version of the Blog - One of the biggest drawbacks to the Blog is that people without a computer or internet access never get to read any of the articles.  At one time I was going to print all of the articles each month and distribute them.  But, it was going to require too much paper/printing.  So, I'm hoping to come up with another idea to put at least some of the blog articles into a printed format.  Any suggestions??
6. Clean, Purge, & Organize my office - It is long overdue.  I need to do a 'Master Cleanse' on my office!
7. Grow The Window mailing list to 300 - We are currently at 254.  Want to sign up?
8. Thoroughly review every page of our website - Some pages need to be deleted.  Some just need to be updated.  Others need to be added.  This is a big goal.

Other Posts in our "Goals" Series:

• Set Goals for the Coming Year (by Stephen Simpson)
• My Goals for 2011 (by Jonita Barram)
• Resolutions (by Lou Gentry)
• My Goals for this New Year (by Lee Dusing)
• Here's What I Hope to Accomplish in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)
• From Florida to Niger to Florida to Brazil and back to Florida (by Jared Malcolm) 
• How About Goals for 2011? (by Gerry Hill)
• Bleed Bible Like John Bunyan (by Matthew DelValle)

  

My Goals for this New Year (by Lee Dusing)

Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. (Isaiah 42:9 KJV)

As most of us here at Faith desire to serve the Lord more effectively in 2011, I also desire that goal. Putting the Lord first in my life has been a goal for many years and as time goes on, it does get a "little" easier. But there are always "bumps" along the way. Also, being the best wife I can be is also an ongoing goal.

Some of my other goals include continuing to lose weight. Last year when I became one of the Rookie Women's Coordinators, I set a goal of losing 40 pounds by the end of my 3 year term. Praise the Lord, I have lost 20 lb. so far. Pastor keeps reminding us to pray "BIG PRAYERS" and losing my weight is one of those. 40 is only the small goal within the larger goal of losing down to where I should be. Thanks for your prayers through this year to stay on track.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher by Dan at Circle B

Praise to the Lord, my blog, "Lee's Birdwatching Adventures" has been more successful than I ever imagined, and thanks to Stephen for even suggesting writing articles for a blog. My goals for the blog is to continue to improve it and honor the Lord through what is published in 2011. There are so many interesting birds that the Lord has created that I pray that I can find many wonders about them to tell you about. I have a goal of finding at least 2 new birds to add to my USA lifelist.

A new goal is to pursue an idea of presenting my Birds of the Bible Powerpoint presentations to students in Christian Schools or maybe Homeschool groups. Even to adult groups like Young at Heart or whatever. Last year I was able to show it to our Young at Heart and an Adult Sunday School class in Indiana. It is another of those "Big Prayers or Ideas" that is on my heart. Again, your prayers about this will be welcomed.

Let's all serve the Lord together here at Faith. (Woodstorks at Circle B)

Another goal is to be as faithful and serving as possible to our church here at Faith Baptist. I truly love this church and all of you. We have the best pastor, staff, and members. Thanks for reading the goals of the "Bird Lady."

Other Posts in our "Goals" Series:

• Set Goals for the Coming Year (by Stephen Simpson)
• My Goals for 2011 (by Jonita Barram)
• Resolutions (by Lou Gentry)
• My Goals for this New Year (by Lee Dusing)
• Here's What I Hope to Accomplish in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)
• From Florida to Niger to Florida to Brazil and back to Florida (by Jared Malcolm) 
• How About Goals for 2011? (by Gerry Hill)
• Bleed Bible Like John Bunyan (by Matthew DelValle)

Formed By Him: Sword-billed Hummingbird (by Lee Dusing)

Sword-billed Hummingbird by Michael Woodruff

He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. (Psalms 33:5 NKJV)

The Lord has graciously outfitted a small, but unique hummingbird. The Sword-billed Hummingbird has an unusually long bill.

I came across this bird while checking out photographs of the newest photographer to give permission to use his fantastic photos. Michael Woodruff's Photostream has some shots that have just taken my breath away. Thanks, Michael, for the permission to use the great images that you have captured through your lenses.

When I first saw the Sword-billed Hummingbird, my first thought was why did God make it like that. There has to be a reason for that beak being so long. After investigating some, here are a few facts about this bird:

What is so unique about the Sword-billed Hummer is that it is noted as the only species of bird to have a bill longer than the rest of its body. This beak is used to feed on flowers with long corollas such as Passiflora mixta. The tongue is therefore also unusually long. God had a long flower that needed pollination and so He created a long billed hummingbird to get in that long tube. The bird gets the nectar, carries away pollen and the bird and flower both have their needs provided.

Passiflora mixta galupa - Suncrest Nurseries

(From Suncrest Nurserises) "Passiflora mixta - A cool growing species with long tubed flowers that face outward and upward at a 45 degree angle. The color is a vibrant pink with white highlights. It is a large and vigorous grower and puts on an amazing show. The variety 'Galupa' has flowers that face outward and downward at a 45 degree angle and are a bit larger in overall aspect. A very beautiful species"

Because it's beak is so long, it has to groom itself with it's feet. The Sword-billed Hummingbird was created by an Omniscient Creator that knew it needed the long bill for the flowers, but also had to have a way to keep well groomed.

Keith Blomerley, one of our videographers, captured a Sword-billed Hummingbird perched on a tree and looking around. Another bird flies by.

Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is a species of hummingbird from South America and the sole member of the genus Ensifera. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Sword-billed Hummingbird©WikiC

The total length can be 15 cm (6 in) and the bird can weigh 12 grams, making it one of the largest hummingbirds.

What an amazing hummingbird. The Hummingbirds are in the Apodiformes Order which includes not only the hummers (Trochilidae), but also Owlet-nightjars (Aegothelidae), Treeswifts (Hemiprocnidae) and Swifts (Apodidae).

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16 NKJV)

___Just received this note from Michael Woodruff about this article and attached it.

The Sword-billed Hummingbird is quite a bird. We saw two or three of them at the Yanacocha Reserve in the Andes of Ecuador. They were crazy to watch as they knew right where the end of their beak was, feeding out of the hummingbird feeders. It looked like quite a feat to balance that bill, but they were good at it!

Glad you're enjoying the photos and it would be cool to hear which ones you end up using at some point. I think it's great how you're incorporating scripture verses on the pages. Awesome stuff.


Michael

Other Posts in this Series:

• Formed by Him - An Introduction
• Sword-Billed Hummingbirds
• Copper Birds
• Oxpeckers

Resolutions (by Lou Gentry)

Are you one who makes New Year's resolutions? If so, allow me to offer five resolutions, based on Proverbs 3:1-10, that can contribute to an excellent year, perhaps even to a successful life.

1. Keep God's commands for a long and happy life.
2. Live by mercy and truth for popularity and a good reputation.
3. Trust in and acknowledge the Lord for direction and guidance.
4. Fear the Lord, and forsake evil for good health.
5. Honor and give to the Lord your possessions for financial well-being.

Note that if you follow each of these "resolutions" (i.e., commands of God), you should receive a  corresponding reward; however, keep in mind these are general principles, not guarantees. Probably all of us know people who live good and godly lives, but do not experience all five rewards.

While making resolutions has some value, I believe it is more important to ask God to show us: (1) what goals He has for us this year; and, (2) how we can achieve those goals through His help. If we humbly submit ourselves to Him and purpose to love Him in all that we do, then we will most definitely have a happy and spiritually prosperous year.

Other Posts in our "Goals" Series:

• Set Goals for the Coming Year (by Stephen Simpson)
• My Goals for 2011 (by Jonita Barram)
• Resolutions (by Lou Gentry)
• My Goals for this New Year (by Lee Dusing)
• Here's What I Hope to Accomplish in 2011 (by Stephen Simpson)
• From Florida to Niger to Florida to Brazil and back to Florida (by Jared Malcolm) 
• How About Goals for 2011? (by Gerry Hill)
• Bleed Bible Like John Bunyan (by Matthew DelValle)