Hello,
It's been a while since I posted just a wassup post on here. Here are some things that are going on in the Hinton world these days.
Sondra and I sold our house about 6 weeks ago and we are living with her parents right now in in Southaven about 5 miles from our old house. We are looking around for lots and hope to have a house started within a couple months, but we're still not completely sure where we are going to move. We will most likely stay pretty close to where we are and hopefully in the same county, but we may move to a neighboring county.
The big hold up is that we're still not sure where God is leading us to worship and we want that to be the biggest deciding factor in where we relocate. We have a few options on the table and one of them is a possible staff position at a church up in TN, so we're keeping our cards close to our chests and praying that God will speak soon.
In the meantime, we are enjoying the company of Sondra's parents. They have a great home and we have the upstairs (about 600 sq ft) to ourselves complete with sleeping areas for both kids, a bath room, and a small sitting area (not that we ever use it). The rent is cheap and the food is always great. The kids absolutely love being here. There's a nice lake in the back yard that occupies nearly all of Jay's time. If he's not fishing, he's talking about fishing, and he's becoming quite the angler (hey JC).
My business is doing pretty good right now in spite of a BAD market for housing. We just picked up another builder that we will be installing floors for, so things are looking good for the coming weeks and months. I am still looking forward to the next ministry assignment because I know that God has gifted me and given me a passion for it, but He is also granting me contentment in the place where I am.
Please pray for us to find the right church home, the right property, and that we would be diligent about serving God in this area.
Have a great day!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Diversity
Every morning when I get Jay up for school, we go down to the lake and feed the fish. We really have a great time talking about the fish and all the blessings in nature that God has created for his glory and our enjoyment. It's a great setting to talk about this.
It's really neat to see all the different kinds of fish, all the different kinds of trees with different shapes and colors of leaves, etc... Our God is a diverse and complex God and this diversity is so evident in His creation.
This made me think... The "great philosopher" Bono says... "I believe in the kingdom come when all the colors will bleed into one, bleed into one." I'm not sure where he gets this idea from, and I'm not sure I think it would even be a good thing if it were true.
I personally love the diversity in all of God's creation, including the diversity that exists among human beings. I think that Heaven will have many of the same wonderful diversities that we enjoy here. I can only imagine what the sushi in heaven might taste like:)
It seems to me, and I could be wrong about this, that the push for unity among diversities that has been around for a while is slowly giving way to a push for an irradication of diversities. I'm not sure how to feel about this.
Is it wrong for me to love that I am a WASP from the country-fried south? Is it wrong for me to teach my children to love being a WASP from the country-fried south? I love other cultures, but not as well as I like mine. There is great value that exists in other cultures and I'm certainly not making an evaluation of cultures here, even though I think it is possible to do so. Just that I like mine the best for me and mine. It is, after all, the way God created me and where he created me.
I expect others to love and perpetuate their cultures as well and think that we should only change our cultures as they conflict with God's word. Otherwise, eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy the diversity.
It's really neat to see all the different kinds of fish, all the different kinds of trees with different shapes and colors of leaves, etc... Our God is a diverse and complex God and this diversity is so evident in His creation.
This made me think... The "great philosopher" Bono says... "I believe in the kingdom come when all the colors will bleed into one, bleed into one." I'm not sure where he gets this idea from, and I'm not sure I think it would even be a good thing if it were true.
I personally love the diversity in all of God's creation, including the diversity that exists among human beings. I think that Heaven will have many of the same wonderful diversities that we enjoy here. I can only imagine what the sushi in heaven might taste like:)
It seems to me, and I could be wrong about this, that the push for unity among diversities that has been around for a while is slowly giving way to a push for an irradication of diversities. I'm not sure how to feel about this.
Is it wrong for me to love that I am a WASP from the country-fried south? Is it wrong for me to teach my children to love being a WASP from the country-fried south? I love other cultures, but not as well as I like mine. There is great value that exists in other cultures and I'm certainly not making an evaluation of cultures here, even though I think it is possible to do so. Just that I like mine the best for me and mine. It is, after all, the way God created me and where he created me.
I expect others to love and perpetuate their cultures as well and think that we should only change our cultures as they conflict with God's word. Otherwise, eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy the diversity.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Truth... RIP
I've been thinking a lot the past couple of weeks about the horrible state of affairs we live in as it relates to the truth. It's certainly no secret that post-modern relativistic thinking has completely infected our culture, and it's becoming less a secret that post-modern relativism has infected the church, so my question is... Where is the crusade for truth.
For the past three decades that I've been a believer and have been active in the church, I have watched crusades ebb and flow and come and go. Crusades for prayer in school and public events. Crusades against the rock music. Crusades against abortion. Crusades for abstinence before marriage. Crusades for adoption. Crusades, Crusades, and more Crusades.
While most of these crusades have some merit and many are battles well-worth fighting, if TRUTH is lost, it will be impossible to win any of these battles. On the other hand, when a crusade for TRUTH is victorious, things will fall into place and Justice will prevail.
The relativisation of truth within the church has made this cry for absolute truth a difficult crusade to champion. The current crusades within the church (even though they are good crusades) are so similar to the secular crusades that it's difficult to tell the difference between the benevolent efforts of the church and the activities of Brangelina and the rest of the politically correct crowd. It's a real eerie harmony for me, because the church has also adopted the "can't we all just get along" mentality of the PC movement along with its other causes. As a result, it's not nice to label lies as what they are and attack heresy and the purveyors of heresies. Those who do this are labeled as mean-spirited, but this must be done in order for Christianity to once again champion the cause of truth.
In the scriptures, as we see God dealing with His people (us) through our ebbs and flows toward him, he always starts by cleaning house and he always uses his people to do the house cleaning. Judgment begins with the house of God. While I sometimes cringe to hear the clarion call for truth and the warnings against heresy that exists in the church, I also rejoice because it gives me great hope and it reminds me that TRUTH WILL PREVAIL. Jesus Christ is the TRUTH. He reigns supreme and he will bring all things into submission. He will use his body, the church, to accomplish this.
If the church will champion the cause for truth first of all and foremost, all these other crusades will be cake-walks. If this generation loses it, then all other efforts are for nothing. It would be neat to look back on this life when it comes to a close and see a great victory for truth. While I will always have hope because of the impending victory, it would be sad to look back on a life lived if the truth appears to be lost.
May God ignite within us all a passion for truth so that we may turn the tides.
For the past three decades that I've been a believer and have been active in the church, I have watched crusades ebb and flow and come and go. Crusades for prayer in school and public events. Crusades against the rock music. Crusades against abortion. Crusades for abstinence before marriage. Crusades for adoption. Crusades, Crusades, and more Crusades.
While most of these crusades have some merit and many are battles well-worth fighting, if TRUTH is lost, it will be impossible to win any of these battles. On the other hand, when a crusade for TRUTH is victorious, things will fall into place and Justice will prevail.
The relativisation of truth within the church has made this cry for absolute truth a difficult crusade to champion. The current crusades within the church (even though they are good crusades) are so similar to the secular crusades that it's difficult to tell the difference between the benevolent efforts of the church and the activities of Brangelina and the rest of the politically correct crowd. It's a real eerie harmony for me, because the church has also adopted the "can't we all just get along" mentality of the PC movement along with its other causes. As a result, it's not nice to label lies as what they are and attack heresy and the purveyors of heresies. Those who do this are labeled as mean-spirited, but this must be done in order for Christianity to once again champion the cause of truth.
In the scriptures, as we see God dealing with His people (us) through our ebbs and flows toward him, he always starts by cleaning house and he always uses his people to do the house cleaning. Judgment begins with the house of God. While I sometimes cringe to hear the clarion call for truth and the warnings against heresy that exists in the church, I also rejoice because it gives me great hope and it reminds me that TRUTH WILL PREVAIL. Jesus Christ is the TRUTH. He reigns supreme and he will bring all things into submission. He will use his body, the church, to accomplish this.
If the church will champion the cause for truth first of all and foremost, all these other crusades will be cake-walks. If this generation loses it, then all other efforts are for nothing. It would be neat to look back on this life when it comes to a close and see a great victory for truth. While I will always have hope because of the impending victory, it would be sad to look back on a life lived if the truth appears to be lost.
May God ignite within us all a passion for truth so that we may turn the tides.
My baby boy...
Well, Jay starts Kindergarten tomorrow. I can't believe that it's here already. If I could turn back time right now, I certainly would.
It just seems like yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time, fed him for the first time, bathed him for the first time, watched him laugh for the first time, take his first steps, say his first words, catch his first fish, etc.. Now, he's going to school...
I think my greatest fear is whether or not I have properly prepared him for what he is going to experience. Does he have a good foundation and a Christian Theistic World View in a culture that is HORRIBLY hostile toward the CTWV? I can only hope because ready or not, it's here.
God help us to prepare our children to be salt and light in a dark world where it is becoming increasingly more difficult to tell the difference.
It just seems like yesterday that I held him in my arms for the first time, fed him for the first time, bathed him for the first time, watched him laugh for the first time, take his first steps, say his first words, catch his first fish, etc.. Now, he's going to school...
I think my greatest fear is whether or not I have properly prepared him for what he is going to experience. Does he have a good foundation and a Christian Theistic World View in a culture that is HORRIBLY hostile toward the CTWV? I can only hope because ready or not, it's here.
God help us to prepare our children to be salt and light in a dark world where it is becoming increasingly more difficult to tell the difference.
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