choosing to remember...birthday blessings

i've heard before that forgetfulness is one of the chief enemies of the heart. amazing how much i tend to forget things. my memory becomes more selective with age.

but tomorrow, august 8, is a special day that i will choose to do much remembering.

melody's birthday is august 8. this will be a day to celebrate her and her beauty. so, in the spirit of remembering which spurs gratitude, let me celebrate my bride...

*her outer beauty only reflects the inner glory of her heart
*she is pregnant with our 3rd child and looks amazing and beautiful
*she holds the key to my heart
*she loves me in a way that humbles me
*i admire her courage and strength
*i love the way she leans on me and trusts me
*together, i think we make a great team
*she nurtures and tenderly guides our boys
*she puts up with a lot of my weird qualities (not that there are many)
*she boldly shares her story of brokenness and God's redeeming power
*she makes me want to love God more

Happy Birthday Mel...i love you deeply and always!!!

brennan manning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQi_IDV2bgM

could not figure out how to upload this video to my blog...it is a 3 minute jewel of teaching from brennan manning. Encounter is bringing Brennan to birmingham in february of 2009. can't wait for this time with him.

this video would be well worth the 3 minutes and hours of digesting what is shared...

pastors versus professors

"...out of that recognition a conviction grew: that my primary educational task as pastor was to teach people to pray. I did not abandon, and will not abandon, the task of teaching about the faith, teaching the content of the gospel, the historical backgrounds of biblical writings, the history of God's people. I have no patience with and will not knowingly give comfort to obscurantist or anti-intellectual tendencies in the church. But there is an educational task entrusted to pastors that is very different from that assigned to professors. The educational approaches in all the schools I attended conspired to ignore the wisdom of the ancient spiritual leaders who trained people in the disciplines of attending to God, forming the inner life so that it was adequate to the reception of truth, not just the acquisition of facts. The more I worked with people at or near the centers of their lives where God and the human, faith and the absurd, love and indifference were tangled in daily traffic jams, the less it seemed that the way I had been going about teaching made much difference, and the more that teaching them to pray did."
--Eugene Peterson in The Contemplative Pastor

update on publishing journey

still continuing on the publishing journey with the Psalms devotional book. we sent the book proposal to 15 publishers back in early june. i have heard form about half of them so far. so still waiting to hear from the others.

had a interesting phone call with one publisher a few weeks back. the lady was with a publisher and, though they had no need for the book right now, she wanted to talk with me about it. pretty cool phone call. she had a few thoughts on book title and some content suggestions. she thought that we were "on to something" with the book and the layout. so, this was a very encouraging call. she also gave my name to a guy who runs a publishing company that specializes in first-time authors and self-publishing.

the guy with that c0mpany called and we talked for a while. it sounds like a great setup. you can actually get your book published, though you maintain full rights to the book. they help with design, setup, and marketing of the book. so, it is kind of a middle ground between self-publishing and publishing. the route would involve about $4000 in upfront money. in the long run, this would be worth the money, because of the exposure and professional touch that comes to your book. needless to say, we don't have the money to do that.

so, for now, i feel led to do 2 things. continue to wait on God's timing and how He wants to do this. and second, i am going to pursue self-publishing on a smaller scale. so, that's the latest.

friday night at the movies

every friday night in the Hemphill home is "movie night". the kids have come to love it and anticipate our time together. they love it so much because we eat popcorn and lay on the bed together while watching a movie. i have to admit...Dad loves it too.

tonight, we watched a preview DVD of The pirates who don't do anything...a veggietales movie. it has lots of songs to dance and sing to. so, we had a great time together.

sidenote: due to brennan (our 3 year old) eating popcorn on our bed...we now have a comforter filled with little white specs of corn and a few kernels. i guess if i get hungry while sleeping tonight...i can just grab a snack in bed. or we could have breakfast in bed...nothing like some popcorn to wake up to.

brennan...thanks for reminding me that, at the end of the day, who gives a rip if you get a little popcorn on the bed, as long as you enjoy the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (that has some spiritual parallel...i think!!)

the beauty of community

tonight, our small group met in a home for supper, fellowship, and hanging out. had a good time shooting hoops with the guys and watching the kids play together. the ladies gathered like hens, in the kitchen, to share stories and "women-stuff" (what exactly do women talk about when they get together??? makes you wonder...)

anyway, at the end of the night, we had a quick, informal "check-in" to see how everyone was doing. melody and i were able to share honestly about some challenges we were facing. instead of having to carry the mantle of "leaders", this group/family allows us to be a real couple with real struggles. they encourage us to share and be ourselves. they listened, shared encouraging words, and prayed for us.

as they prayed, i sensed the sure presence of God and i felt a wave of relief come over me. my pride almost kept me from sharing...but i am so glad i did. God ministered to me through my brothers and sisters. i saw the body of Christ at work tonight.

i am coming to see how rare of a gift this truly is. honestly, few ministers have this type of community. most ministers have to be "on" and always there for somebody. few ministers experience a group where they are allowed/encouraged to be honest and share struggles. this feeds the isolation and loneliness that most of us ministers deal with regularly.

so, i am learning to lean. learning to trust. learning to entrust myself to others and let them fight for my heart.

thank you, God my Father, for allowing me to experience the beauty of community.

Refuge

*shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc.: to take refuge from a storm.
*a place of shelter, protection, or safety.
*anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape.

2 Samuel 22:3my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent men you save me.

Psalm 9:9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 18:2The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 59:16But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 118:8It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

Nahum 1:7The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,


So, this morning, I asked God to give me a word...speak to me. I woke up feeling overwhelmed by circumstances and things out of my control. I was starting to focus on so much junk that gets me down and oppressed. Over the last year, finances tends to be a "standard" thing the enemy uses to defeat and oppress us. Wondering how in the world we will make it and how to pay the bills. I know, in my head, that God will provide and that He honors obedience. I know that God does not direct and then abandon...that is not His heart.

But, my crazy feelings and emotions get in the way. But what if He doesn't? What if we go under and lose it all? What if we fall flat on our face?

So, I asked God to give me a word today...something I could hold on to and gather strength from...Refuge. Came across this word several times in a study I'm doing and in scripture. And the call was to worship God as my Refuge. Worship Him and praise Him for being my very present Help in time of trouble.

Worship? today? are you serious? When circumstances look grim...when finances are empty...when I am oppressed and feel defeated...worship? I guess this is where the faith/worship thing is so counter-human. It runs against everything that I want to do...I have to choose it.

So, this is my plan for today...worship God as my Refuge. This is the heart of my God. He will shelter and protect me. I must trust Him.

I think I will also memorize this verse...
Psalm 118:8: It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.