1. I woke up in the morning to about 5-6 inches of snow (in Dallas, in March, on the first day of spring!). We had a white Christmas this year and now a white birthday! Hoping that I don’t get any white hairs though.

2. My kids all gave me cards and each of them had money in it. That’s a big deal because my kids love MONEY. Kailey gave me $20! Emily gave me $20 too! Nathan gave me $1.27.

3. But, not only was today Sunday, in which I get the privilege of sharing God’s Word with a congregation that I love, but they threw me a surprise birthday party after our second service. It was just fun to share that moment with the congregation and I didn’t see it coming.

4. Then I was scheduled to have a birthday dinner at a pastor’s house but they told me they changed the venue and it was at another house. To my surprise again, they had more people, including pastors, staff and leadership. They all cooked some great food and dessert and we all were so stuffed!

5. Then they brought out another surprise … a huge framed poster of a mosaic picture of our family that was compiled by all the picture of the events in our church for the past 3 years. Wow. And the whole church signed it … without me even knowing about it! It’s got to be one of the best gifts I’ve received. The only problem with this gift is that I have a huge dilema of whether to hang it in my home office or my church office. Can I have another? =)

6. I have been waiting all year for my birthday, as I have been looking forward to giving my annual one days wage to an incredible non-profit organization called OneDaysWages. They partner with some great organizations to fight extreme global poverty. I know giving 0.4% of my annual salary (one days wage) is not that much, but I want to share and be a blessing to others, as I have been so blessed. I would challenge you to consider doing the same on your birthday.

God, thank you for my family and my church. I am so blessed. May I be a blessing to others.

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Yesterday, there was a school open house night where we go and visit the teachers and classrooms. We went to all of our kid’s classrooms. On each of their desks, they all had projects and drawings that we flipped through. I took a picture of one that caught my eye on Emily’s desk.

Someone who encourages me: Mom

My role model: Dad

Very cool. Except, when I asked Emily, “What a role model?” she said, “I don’t know.” Great.

Anyway, also on each of their desks were journals that they were to write in each day. As I started looking through them and saw what things they were writing in it, I kinda got caught off-guard. They wrote the things that they did at home and what mommy and daddy did or didn’t let them do. And I was thinking, man, they remember EVERYTHING! And they are writing everything down! I better be careful or else they might write something bad about me!

Then it hit me … that’s what God was telling the Israelites to do. To impress on their children the ways of God and write them on the tablet of their hearts. I really need to be that role model for my children by living out God’s ways in me so that it impresses upon their hearts … because they remember EVERYTHING. And so, when they are writing in their journals, that they would write what has been written on their hearts.

God, teach me to be a godly parent to my children as you model perfect Fatherhood for me.

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We have the gift of choice: Freedom to choose on any given day what clothes we will wear, what work we will do, what food we will eat and what we will drink. In nearly a third of the world injustice threatens to take away these basic kinds of choices that we take for granted. In these places a woman can choose to drink the unclean river water or the unclean puddle water. She can choose to walk once for four hours to get water or walk twice for eight hours to get more water. She can choose to give her children something to drink that she knows may make them sick or she can give them nothing at all. She can persist or give up. You can help give her a real choice.

We challenge you to make Water your ONLY beverage for 40 DAYS starting MARCH 1 and ending APRIL 9 in conjunction with the Lenten Season and World Water Day (Mar. 22). Gather your friends and join in solidarity with our African brothers and sisters in an effort to provide clean water for communities in need. As you do so, we ask that you keep track of what money you would have typically spent on other drinks throughout the day and save that money. At the end of 40 days donate what you saved to Blood:Water. Imagine, if you saved $5 a day just by cutting out a visit to your local bar or barista, then you’d save $200 in 40 days. That’s enough to provide clean water for 200 people for an entire year!

So ditch the morning coffee and o.j., leave out the lunchtime soda, and cancel the evening beverage. You won’t need an ark for this 40 Days of Water, but you will need a little self-discipline. But we know you can do it, because you know who you’re doing it for. Make the choice. Visit bloodwatermission.com/40days to find out more, download materials, and get started.

Leave a comment if you are gonna join me and others … let’s make a difference!

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Traditionally, churches have a service on Ash Wednesday and the participants are “imposed” with ashes marked on their forehead (in the form of a cross). Usually a Scripture is used from Ecclesiastes 3:20: “You’ve come from dust, and to dust you will return.” It’s a day that we remember that we are mortal. That we are nothing without the breath of God. We are just dust and we’re going to die. And yet, it’s a day that we remember and eagerly anticipate the resurrection of Easter, the good news that because we are in need of a Savior, Christ is risen. The ash represents mortality, the cross represents hope.

On this day, and for the next 40 days, remember your mortality and your need for God … so, that when Easter comes, you will celebrate what God has done for you.

I’m reminded of an incredible song:

Come Walk Among Us by Michael Hansen

Come walk among us
Come walk among us, Jesus
You know that we need You
You know that we need You, Jesus

You see our hearts, you know that we’re but dust
It’s You who made us, Lord it’s in You we choose to trust
Come Lord, come Lord

Copyright © 1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

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I’m sure that YouVersion.com will do a blog post about their stats next year, and when they do, I hope that it will not be as drastic of a drop after January. The most helpful tip that has helped me through the years is to not get discouraged when you skip a day and feel like you have to “catch up.” Cause one day will turn into two days and before you know it, you’ll have to read like 10-20 chapters just to catch up. That makes anyone want to give up. So, here’s the tip: Just start fresh and read that day’s reading. The goal is not to finish the Bible … the goal is to spend time in God’s Word daily.

Press on and keep reading!

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Steve Fee just posted a video of a new song on his website and we instantly fell in love with it that we had to share it with you all. I was familiar with the chorus of this song but never knew the verses or the bridge (first time in public). We learned it very quickly and recorded ourselves. His version sounds much better, but we enjoyed singing, worshipping and bringing “Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God, forever!”

If you want to sing it at your church, you can download the chord sheet and lyrics.

Let us know what you think of the song by leaving a comment below and try using Facebook connect.

Enjoy!

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Father in heaven, as we approach this election on Tuesday, I pray

1) that your people will vote,

2) and that they will vote with a sense of thankfulness for a democratic system that at least partially holds in check the folly and evil in all our hearts so that power which corrupts so readily is not given to one group or person too easily;

3) that we would know and live the meaning of

being in the world, but not of it,
doing politics as though not doing them,
being on the earth, yet having our lives hidden with Christ in God,
rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God’s;

4) that we would discern what truths and values should advance by being made law and which should advance only by the leavening of honest influence;

5) that your people would see what love and justice and far-seeing wisdom demand in regard to the issues of education, business and industry, health care, marriage and family, abortion, welfare, energy, government and taxes, military, terrorism, international relations, and every challenge that we will face in the years to come;

6) and above all, that we will treasure Jesus Christ, and tell everyone of his sovereignty and supremacy over all nations, and that long after America is a footnote to the future world, he will reign with his people from every tribe and tongue and nation.

Keep us faithful to Christ’s all important Word, and may we turn to it every day for light in these dark times.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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On Friday night, as our family was watching the Beijing Olympic opening ceremonies, I was reminded of God’s global heart. Besides the fact that it was one of the most incredible display of technology and humanity that I have seen in my lifetime, the kids and I were looking forward to seeing the different countries enter the stadium with their respective flags. And just like we are all conditioned to do, the first thing you do is you want to see the country that represents you. Kailey was looking for Korea and Emily was looking for USA. But Nathan, well, he was looking for Texas. We tried to teach him that Texas wasn’t a country, but I guess I would have a tough time trying to teach that to some of you Texans about that fact. Just when he finally understood, the country of Georgia comes on, and all my kids are now confused. So, anyway, as they sat there, country after country, trying to pronounce these country names, they were getting restless. They were looking for their countries. I’m sure you did the same.

The other thing I noticed on TV is that there were Chinese women dressed in white that were dancing and cheering for every country to welcome them to the games, and by the end, I could see that they were getting tired and their smiles were more like fake smiles. This was made obvious when, of course, China was announced.

Well, after both USA and South Korea had passed, I told the kids to go to bed, but Kailey insisted to go to bed right after seeing the country of Mongolia. You see, her two best friends moved to Mongolia about 7-8 months ago because their parents became missionaries there. And since then, she has been emailing with them, choosing to do school reports on Mongolia, and praying for them every night. And when we were talking about the possibility of USA playing against Korea, who they would cheer for, they were torn but used the reason that they live in US to cheer for USA. But, when I asked what they would do if they played against Mongolia, Kailey blurted out that she would cheer for Mongolia.

I took away something that night. Because my daughter’s heart was becoming more like God’s heart … a global heart. Not looking out for and cheering for her own country, but for another. I wondered as I was watching the Chinese women cheerleaders getting tired with fake smiles, if God got tired that night. Or I wondered if He had a genuine smile on His face for each and every country.

We need to have that global heart of God.

To watch the whole sermon, check it out here.

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When I see this interview with his family (that just aired yesterday), I am inspired by how he has raised his family in His ways, because in the midst of tragedy is when true faith comes out. I love the authenticity of Mary Beth and the maturity of faith in Steven. I want to be the spiritual leader in my house, as a husband to my wife and father to my children, that would bear much fruit and inspire others to live a life that would follow Jesus. Thanks Steven for your encouragement to my faith and my family.

Update: Another interview of the Chapman family by Larry King on CNN yesterday

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