reflections on evangelism...

I, David just finished, yesterday, another book. For some that is an accomplishment that is as normal as apple pie, but for me I get this feeling of Gladiator-like accomplishment. I, Kara, am still in the middle of a book I started on our honeymoon. Finishing a book for me is more like a painful run where the finish line never seems to come and the light at the end of the tunnel seems more like a distant fade.

The book was Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer. Which, as a side note, I think that if I ever become an author I am going to use my initials as well. There is something quite awesome about the initials (for example, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.H. Spurgeon, and the like). Anyway, this book was a challenging book for me. Not in the respect of the words used, but rather in the content. The premise of this book is since God is sovereign over all things, including salvation, what role does the Christian play in evangelism. And the answer is, a huge role.

As Christians, our lives should be devoted to the vocation of sharing with others the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to be people who share the death of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all sins, the burial, and the resurrection. However, many times, I fail to do so. Not because of the intense persecution that I face, but rather just that fear of not knowing every question that comes my way, the fear of man, the doubt of the power behind the gospel, and just the sheer discouragement of feeling ineffective in my sharing. And that is where God's sovereignty is so sweet. The Apostle Paul states that it was he who planted, Apollos who watered, and God who grew the people who heard the gospel. In the same way, when we plant the seed, God is the one who does the growing. It is nothing that we can do, but it is all on God, and HE ALWAYS COMES THROUGH.

Therefore, be encouraged that when you evangelize, it is never done in vain. Even when you feel discouraged or frustrated, God is always there and His word doesn't return void. I definitely recommend this book to anyone! God Bless!

engagement...

As I reflect upon the best time in my life, marriage, I couldn't help but remember that glorious day when my bride said, "yes". So, me being the "youtuber" that I am, remembered that Ben Potter, who made our engagement video, had posted it on youtube. And upon seeing it, the memories filled my mind, and flooded my soul. I praise the Lord for how blessed I am to have found such a beautiful and wonderful bride. It says in the Bible, "he who finds a wife, finds a good thing". And I have found the best!

...baby humor

This is probably the funniest video that I have ever seen. You may ask yourself, "Isn't it just a baby laughing?" And my reply would be, "Yes!" It is just a baby laughing, but in the most joyous way. You can just feel the utter joy that this child has and the sheer satisfaction he gets in just laughing. I think that it is a lesson we all should learn. Laughing is good, make sure it is part of your day today! God Bless!

ONE TRUTH...RIP

Well, with deep sorrow in my heart, I am moved to inform you about the closing of one of my most highly esteemed and greatly loved clothing companies, ONE TRUTH. Now, I know what you are thinking, "What? That is ridiculous. You need to suck it up." Well, my response is this, "I am trying." You see, for you hard of heart, this clothing company means more than just sweet SWAG, it means that there is a discontinuing of "clothing with a cause". And their cause was, "the gospel". Being a Christian, it is extremely hard to represent for the Savior when your clothing spells out "nerd alert". You see, ONE TRUTH, with their ingenious designers, were able to produce clothing that screamed, "Redemption, Salvation, Mercy, Love, Grace, and ultimately Jesus" without screaming, "Nerd, Awkward, Rip-off, and ultimately Un-intriguing." But more than the awesome rep that you were able to establish, the message of the clothing was at the center of it all. Many times Iwould leave people stunned and curious after wearing one of my favorite articles of clothing. So I want to express my deepest sorrow, and yet my hardiest blessings to the fellows of ONE TRUTH, and say thanks for showing us that it is okay to not only be a Christian, but to dress the part as well.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There is a ONE TRUTH "Pillage my Village" sale this weekend, March 15 in SLO. It is at their warehouse, and it will be awesome. I am not able to go, so please go for me! God Bless!

an ode to mustaches...

Oh mustache, oh mustache,

how delicate art thee.

Although

 your presence

is very much annoying.

You look so dapper upon thy upper lip,

but be careful or else the razor will slip.

So, to you oh mustache, the fairest of them all,

keep right on marching beautiful and tall.

For those who are either uninformed or have enough intelligence to pass this trend by, it is Mustache March and I have been faithful to uphold the long tradition. And since the beginning of time all men, from around the world, have joined in this tradition of growing out the hairs on their upper lip despite the repulsion of their immediate families, friends, co-workers, barbers, grocers, and basically everyone else they come in contact with. So, I salute you, oh mustache grower in the face of the negative stereotypes and all, keep on growing, keep on growing, keep on growing. The mustache lives!

(P.S. There is no "official" tradition, just something we do for fun.)

...slo town

Kara, myself, and our good friend from Germany, Tobias Grunick, all trekked to San Luis Obispo a couple of weekends ago. The reasons for this journey were two fold. First, and in Kara's eyes most important, was the haircut appointment. Since there was "no one" in Santa Barbara who could wield scissors like "her girl" 

in SLO, she made the appointment

 and went. Now, to me, this seems quite odd, considering the amount of talented hairstylists in the area of Santa Barbara, BUT the more I think about it, it probably sounds odd toher that I would travel to Ventura for surf when there are waves just over the mountain. Anyways, those will be mysteries, yet in each of our minds they make sense.

The second reason was to see family, sister Lindsay, and friends. And what a blessing they are to our lives. One of the hardest things, among others, about leaving SLO was leaving behind friends who are near and dear to our hearts. And being there brings back those memories of going to Sunshine Donuts at 12 am, hanging downtown at Linea's Coffee Shop, indulging in the best, best, best Tri-Tip Sandwich in

 the world (Firestone's, oh yeah!). 

SLO is near to our hearts and maybe someday (maybe not, I don't know, it is totally hypothetical) we will be back, living the SLO life. You never know what the Lord is doing! Peace!