On Monday Alicia had her first ultrasound appointment to see the baby. She is just over 11 weeks along. At that appointment we were told that we needed to go to Portland to have a specialist do an ultrasound. We weren't told much, only that there was a possible 'extra membrane'. We didn't know what that meant.
Today we had our ultrasound appointment in Portland. We found out that the baby has Cystic Hygroma. That means that there is fluid build up developing under the baby's skin. It is caused by developmental problems in the lymphatic system. This is a condition that is believed to develop in less than 1% of all pregnancies.
We were told that sometimes this clears up on its own and a baby is born healthy. However, it is more likely that there are underlying problems with the baby's development. We were told today that our baby has less than a 20% chance of being carried full-term and if the baby does survive the pregnancy, there will most likely be developmental defects.
I'm asking you to pray with us for a miracle. Our God is great and He is able to perform a miracle for our baby. It is our prayer that Alicia would be able to carry the baby full-term and that the baby would be born. Please pray with us. We want the Lord's will to be done, not ours, but we are asking that a miraculous birth would be a part of His plan.
Thank you for praying with us.
-Mark
Friday, August 9, 2013
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Wisdom That Spans Generations
"Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding; for I give you good doctrine; do not forsake my law. When I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and life. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth." -Proverbs 4:1-5
Solomon was the wisest man that ever walked the earth. You remember the story don't you? One night, God came to Solomon and told him to ask for whatever he wanted and God would give it to him. Solomon asked for wisdom that night. God was pleased with Solomon's request, so He gave Solomon wisdom and everything else that Solomon could have asked for.
Reading Proverbs this morning, for the first time I realized that Solomon's request for wisdom is not something that originated in Solomon's mind. He had been taught by his father, David. Look at Proverbs 4:3-5 again. Here are words spoken by King David and recorded by Solomon. David instructed Solomon to get wisdom and to get understanding. Solomon listened to his father and he knew the truth of his words. Interestingly enough, Solomon is here teaching his own children these same words that David had taught to him.
We must teach our children the wisdom and good doctrine of Scripture. Follow the example of David and Solomon. Solomon asked for wisdom because he had been taught by his father. Solomon sought to teach his children good doctrine because he had been taught by his father. David's teaching lasted at least two generations beyond him because what he taught was good doctrine. Our children can be faithful and godly because of what we teach them. What a great privilege and responsibility!
Solomon was the wisest man that ever walked the earth. You remember the story don't you? One night, God came to Solomon and told him to ask for whatever he wanted and God would give it to him. Solomon asked for wisdom that night. God was pleased with Solomon's request, so He gave Solomon wisdom and everything else that Solomon could have asked for.
Reading Proverbs this morning, for the first time I realized that Solomon's request for wisdom is not something that originated in Solomon's mind. He had been taught by his father, David. Look at Proverbs 4:3-5 again. Here are words spoken by King David and recorded by Solomon. David instructed Solomon to get wisdom and to get understanding. Solomon listened to his father and he knew the truth of his words. Interestingly enough, Solomon is here teaching his own children these same words that David had taught to him.
We must teach our children the wisdom and good doctrine of Scripture. Follow the example of David and Solomon. Solomon asked for wisdom because he had been taught by his father. Solomon sought to teach his children good doctrine because he had been taught by his father. David's teaching lasted at least two generations beyond him because what he taught was good doctrine. Our children can be faithful and godly because of what we teach them. What a great privilege and responsibility!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Of Sin and Consequence
"As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one...and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:10, 17-18
All men are sinners. There is no one who is righteous--that is there is no one who does righteous things or who is righteous in nature. Mankind, at its very core is corrupt. Sure, people can do apparently moral acts and people can affirm that something is good, but Scripture teaches that even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags when we see them as God sees them. By our own standards we deserve heaven. But by God's standards we deserve hell.
L. S. Chafer says in his Systematic Theology that "sin is exceedingly sinful." How true this statement is. Sin, in its very nature is sinful. It is offensive to the righteousness and holiness of God. Sin will always produce sinfulness and never produce righteousness.
As I was reading my Bible this morning, I came across this note in the margin: "Sin is theological in nature, but sociological in consequences." When we sin, it is always offensive to God and it always has consequences for us and the people around us. We must understand what sin is like if we are to understand who we are as sinners. As sinners, we have offended God and there are consequences for those who live in proximity to us. Let us confess our sin to God and trust that He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
All men are sinners. There is no one who is righteous--that is there is no one who does righteous things or who is righteous in nature. Mankind, at its very core is corrupt. Sure, people can do apparently moral acts and people can affirm that something is good, but Scripture teaches that even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags when we see them as God sees them. By our own standards we deserve heaven. But by God's standards we deserve hell.
L. S. Chafer says in his Systematic Theology that "sin is exceedingly sinful." How true this statement is. Sin, in its very nature is sinful. It is offensive to the righteousness and holiness of God. Sin will always produce sinfulness and never produce righteousness.
As I was reading my Bible this morning, I came across this note in the margin: "Sin is theological in nature, but sociological in consequences." When we sin, it is always offensive to God and it always has consequences for us and the people around us. We must understand what sin is like if we are to understand who we are as sinners. As sinners, we have offended God and there are consequences for those who live in proximity to us. Let us confess our sin to God and trust that He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
The Blessed Man
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not whither; and whatever he does shall prosper." -Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is an interesting word. Most of the time we use it to describe the state of life we are in when we have many material things or when things are going well for us. This first Psalm doesn't describe the man who is blessed in this way.
The man who is blessed is the man who, first of all, does not do wicked things. He doesn't walk through his life in the 'wisdom' of the ungodly'. He doesn't stand (abide, dwell) in the path of sinners and he doesn't sit in the dwelling of the scornful. This man steers clear of all things that are contrary to the Word of God.
The man who is blessed is the man that delights in the law of God. He thinks about it and ponders its meaning day and night. This man is totally stable. He is rooted and grounded in what he believes (Colossians 2:6-7). He is like a tree planted close to the rivers. This summer, my dad, my brother, and I took a trip to Boston to watch the Redsox play the Yankees. On the way back from the game, we walked through a park in Boston. In this park there was a small river (or large stream, whichever you prefer). Along the banks of the river were some very large trees. The base of the trunks of these trees were so healthy that the roots literally began two feet above ground and grew down into the ground from there. I'm sure that those roots extended deep into the soil.
The blessed man is a fruitful man. As he delights in the law of God, he sees the effects of it in his life. The righteousness that he reads in the Word is lived out in his life. God makes this man prosper in whatever he does.
Are you a blessed man? Do you measure your blessedness by what you have or by how much you delight in God's law. Read the Word and you will be blessed.
Blessed is an interesting word. Most of the time we use it to describe the state of life we are in when we have many material things or when things are going well for us. This first Psalm doesn't describe the man who is blessed in this way.
The man who is blessed is the man who, first of all, does not do wicked things. He doesn't walk through his life in the 'wisdom' of the ungodly'. He doesn't stand (abide, dwell) in the path of sinners and he doesn't sit in the dwelling of the scornful. This man steers clear of all things that are contrary to the Word of God.
The man who is blessed is the man that delights in the law of God. He thinks about it and ponders its meaning day and night. This man is totally stable. He is rooted and grounded in what he believes (Colossians 2:6-7). He is like a tree planted close to the rivers. This summer, my dad, my brother, and I took a trip to Boston to watch the Redsox play the Yankees. On the way back from the game, we walked through a park in Boston. In this park there was a small river (or large stream, whichever you prefer). Along the banks of the river were some very large trees. The base of the trunks of these trees were so healthy that the roots literally began two feet above ground and grew down into the ground from there. I'm sure that those roots extended deep into the soil.
The blessed man is a fruitful man. As he delights in the law of God, he sees the effects of it in his life. The righteousness that he reads in the Word is lived out in his life. God makes this man prosper in whatever he does.
Are you a blessed man? Do you measure your blessedness by what you have or by how much you delight in God's law. Read the Word and you will be blessed.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Financial Oppression of Interest
Read Nehemiah 5:1-13
Nehemiah and the people of Israel that have returned from the land of Babylon to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem are in the midst of the massive building project. In Nehemiah 4 we read of oppression from outside sources. Now Nehemiah and company will face oppression from inside the camp.
The stage is set by the explanation of the financial situation of the Jewish people. First of all, there were a lot of people and they were hungry (v. 2). Feeding these people was not necessarily a problem, but it became a problem because the people tried to solve the matter on their own without Nehemiah's counsel. Some had mortgaged their land in order to buy grain (v. 3). Some had borrowed money to pay their taxes (v. 4). Some had even gone so far as to sell their children as slaves (v. 5) and they didn't have the necessary funds to redeem their children from the slave market.
When Nehemiah hears of the circumstances, he is not a happy camper. Scripture tells us (v. 6) that he became 'very angry.' I imagine that this is possibly an understatement. If Nehemiah were anything like me, he would have been totally furious. However, even though he was very angry, verse 7 tells us that Nehemiah still took the time for some serious thought.
Then Nehemiah rebuked the nobles and rulers (the money lenders) for charging interest on money loaned to their Jewish brethren. Nehemiah exposes the wickedness of what they were doing. They were, in essence, forcing their own people to become slaves without the possibility of being redeemed. After hearing Nehemiah's rebuke, the nobles and rulers had nothing to say. So Nehemiah continued with his solution to the problem.
The nobles and rulers were to stop charging interest and restore the lands, vineyards, houses, and a hundredth of the money and goods that they had charged the people. Interestingly enough, Nehemiah contrasts the charging of interest with walking in the fear of God. The nobles and rulers responded well. They vowed before the priests and people that they would restore what was taken and require nothing from the people. They did as Nehemiah said.
What does this mean for us? Is it wrong to charge interest ? Is it wrong to mortgage your land or borrow money? What does it mean for our building projects? What does it mean for church finances?
At the very least, it means that Christians ought not to charge each other interest and we ought to seriously weigh the cost of borrowing money or mortgaging our land. The people in Nehemiah 5 made foolish financial and family decisions just because they were hungry and needed to pay their taxes. Just because you can borrow money doesn't mean that you should.
Secondly, there is a need for personal financial planning. These people put themselves in the position of borrowing to pay taxes. This is not a good spot to be in. Essentially, the people locked themselves into paying interest on something that happened in the past. This causes financial enslavement to the past. We ought to always be looking ahead with our finances. That is why it involves planning.
When it comes to building projects, I can't help but think that the only option ought to be saving until you can pay for the project up front. That ensures financial freedom at the beginning, middle, and end of a project. Churches that take out mortgages in order to fund building projects trap themselves into paying for a project years after it is completed. The whole of church finance ought to be operated on a cash basis.
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