Month: February 2007

Engagement pics




DSC_0822

Originally uploaded by Jonathan D. Blundell.

Laurie and I went to Las Colinas yesterday with Laurie’s best friend and future maid of honor, Jen Cedarburg to take our engagement pics. We had a lot of goofy ones, a lot with our eyes closed and probably a lot where it looks like we don’t really know what we were doing (which probably isn’t far off base) but we had fun and I think we got a number of good ones. Take a look see and let us know what you think/like.

Christ is the head

Brian had a another great message yesterday on community and how vital everyone’s role is to the church as a whole. We’re each vitally important and if one part is missing the entire body doesn’t function as it should. To illustrate the point, everyone in the room was given a piece of paper at the beginning of the service. We were told to color on it, draw on it or decorate it however we saw fit. Brian’s main point came from Col 1:15-18.

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. – Col. 1:15-18

He pointed out that if we as a church work together like we should, then Christ should be the first thing people see. Not a shoulder or an arm or a foot. The head should be exactly what they see first.
As he concluded his message we were all told to bring our pieces of paper to the front and stick them on a board that had a grid pre-printed on it.
As the pieces came together we started seeing the image of Christ appear — just as it’s supposed to happen in the church.
There were all sorts of colors and pictures drawn. Everyone was unique. But in the end it was Christ that shown through.
And while it was not planned, one piece ended up missing.
It was obvious that there was a gaping hole there. It challenged me to be sure I don’t leave a gaping hole in the church by my unwillingness to serve or my desire for myself.
I’ll post some pictures a little later as well as the podcast from the message but I wanted to be sure and share the lesson before I headed into the office this morning.

Verse for the day

I can’t think of a more fitting verse for today than this:
First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus. And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words. – 1 Thes. 4:13-18

Prayer request

Please be in prayer for the friends and family of Jerry Diffee. Jerry has been the associate pastor of Metropolitan Bible Church since 1964. It’s the church I grew up in and both he and his brother, Pastor Charles Diffee, made a major impact on my life, my Christian faith and walk.
Jerry collapsed Saturday afternoon while visiting one of his sons in Frisco Little Elm.
His heart stopped and (I believe) his son Jason performed CPR and was able to revive him before paramedics arrived.
But he has not regained his consciousness and an EEG last night showed very little brain activity.
The family decided that today at noon they would remove the life support systems that have been helping Jerry the last 36 hours or so.
Jerry is an amazing God and loved Him and His people.
In fact his brother Charles told me a story of his last three days that was just typical Jerry.
Thursday morning after a breakfast meeting Jerry spotted a disabled man in the parking lot.
He walked over and introduced himself and offered any assistance he could give. He also gave him his cart and told the man to call anytime he needed anything.
The next day, the man called.
He said he didn’t need anything other than someone to listen.
So Jerry did. At the end of their conversation Jerry offered to take the man to breakfast Saturday morning.
The two met and over breakfast Jerry led the man to Christ. My eyes water and I get chills just to type that.
Less than 12 hours later Jerry was in ICU at a Frisco Hospital.
The Church will likely lose a man after God’s own heart today. Please pray for God’s will to be done. Pray for comfort and peace for his family and his extended church family.
Pray for Pastor Charles Diffee as he will be losing a brother as well as his partner in ministry.
And pray that through it all God’s glory will be shown.