We’ve got a picnic tomorrow at Mason Neck State Park! Meeting there after church, bring your own lunch and sports gear. Don’t forget cash for the entrance fee.

I won’t be there since I am still in Tennessee; Tony Rossell is in charge if you have any questions.

We’ll be at the same spot we were at a couple months ago. Directions:
Turn RIGHT onto 123. Go about 7 miles.
Turn LEFT onto Silverbrook Road. Go 4 mile.
Turn LEFT onto Lorton Road. Go about 1.3 miles.
Turn RIGHT onto US-1/Richmond Hwy.
Turn LEFT onto Gunston Road
Turn RIGHT onto High Point Road
Go through the entrance, look for the picnic area on the left.

Have a great picnic!

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My brothers-in-law and I were allowed a special honor today: we got to Guest Post on the Girl Talk Blog. We felt a little uncomfortable affixing our names to so feminine a medium, but we hope it serves.

You can check it out here.

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I’m writing this post from Dandridge, Tennessee, where I am on vacation with the family. Dandridge is the 2nd oldest town in Tennessee and (somewhat) famous for being the birthplace of Davy Crocket. We’re having a great time here. You’ll be interested to know that I’ve played a good bit of golf, but not any soccer.

I’ve spent time this week thinking about how amazing it is that we get to take vacations at all. Think about this: our sin against the holy God means that we deserve hell. Instead, we get to go on vacation! It seems trite to say it like that, but I don’t mean it to be. I’m amazed at the grace we enjoy through vacation: the opportunities to rest, recreate, fellowship, and make memories.

I’ve also noticed that some parts of vacation are hard. I find it difficult to remain diligent in my devotions, and to posture myself to serve others. I’ll explain more in posts in the near future.

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Not doing much this summer? Apparently you’re not the only one. World Magazine reports in the July 16 edition that a man named Akira Haraguchi has memorized pi.

You might be thinking: big deal! We all did that in math class: 3.14159. 22/7. The big deal is that Mr. Haraguchi “recited from memory the mathematical value of pi to 83,431 decimal places.

Naturally, he will make it in the Guiness Book of World Records, once his work has been verified.

We might laugh at how this guy spends his time, but we can agree that God has created humans with some impressive abilities. I can barely remember my own phone number, so I’m amazed when I hear about ways that the Lord blessed others with substantial mental capabilities. Even more impressive: while I have memorized pi to 5 digits, Mr. Haraguchi to some 83,000, God knows them all.

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This one is a favorite:

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A.W. Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy, page 1.

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I am at Panera Bread right now enjoying a Green Apple Soda by Jones Soda Co. It’s a drink! It’s a dessert! It’s… amazing.

I don’t know if there could be a more tasty beverage. It’s candy in a bottle. It’s liquid happy.

To be more specific, it is a pleasing not-found-in-nature green, with a sweet/tart flavor and a faint apple aftertaste. I highly recommend it.

An experience like this makes me thank God for tastebuds. It really does.

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Dads and Moms: in my quiet time yesterday morning, I read in Judges 2:10 the sad story of the beginning of Israel’s decline after the death of Joshua. It says:

“And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”

As I meditated on this verse, I thought: part of my job description as a parent is to do all that I can to keep this from happening to my kid. The work of raising our children to know and fear and love God has been delegated by God to us as parents. But parenting is all by the grace of God, and we must have his intervening grace, if we hope to succeed.

This reminds me of a quotation given to me by my brother-in-law, Brian:

“Fundamentally, children, like all people, ought to be considered spiritual individuals who are uniquely created by God and yet are fallen sinners, so that the task of parenting is not merely that of behavioral conditioning but spiritual nurture and training… In reality, only those children and young people who experience personal regeneration through faith in Christ and receive the indwelling Holy Spirit can truly and permanently live a life pleasing to God and benefit as their parents guide them toward greater wisdom. This, however, does not do away with parental disicipline and training prior to a child’s conversion. It does mean, though, that parental efforts can only go so far unless aided by the internal, supernatural enablement in the response of the child. Thus the child’s conversion is truly an important aspect of parental guidance.” From God, Marriage, and Family, by Andreas Kostenberger.

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The Bible and maps. Two great tastes that taste great together.

I am a map guy. I won’t deny it. I could happily sit and study a good map for a very long time. I like to know where stuff is. I like to know how to get places. Some will think it odd, but it is a pleasure to me.

So you can imagine my excitement when I learned on the ESV blog that they have created a way to overlay Google Maps with data about the life and ministry of Jesus. Very cool!

You know why I like this? It helps me remember that the stories I read in my Bible were real events happening to real people in real places. That helps me kind in mind how applicable the Bible is to me on a daily basis.

Check it out here. If you like Google Maps, check out Google Earth.

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I’m sorry that this is last minute, but we are going to cancel the King’s Dominion trip.

By now, you may have heard that LeAnn Brickey went to be with the Lord this morning. This is very sad for the Brickey family and for our church. But we can grieve with hope knowing that LeAnn has a Savior, and she is seeing Him face-to-face right now.

We’re canceling the King’s Dominion trip because we are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15). It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to continue on with the trip in light of these events; what we do, we do together, and it is right for our church to mourn together.

I want to encourage you to come to the funeral on Monday. Look for ways to serve.

Here is a little bit of Scripture for your consideration:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4.

“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
“O death, where is your victory?
“O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-57.

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We’ve done it. We’ve picked a name for our youth ministry!

Would you like to know what it is? I bet you would! Come to the youth retreat to find out what our new name is and who won the iPod Shuffle.

You’ll know in only 39 Days!

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