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Hurricane Helene came through and did some damage to our area, but absolutely nothing compared to other areas of the country. At first, our kids were pretty upset about no power and no tv/internet. But once they learned that that other people were losing their entire homes and communites, that was no longer important. They needed some perspective. 

I think we all do. We can be so entitled, ungrateful, and complain about everything. But if we just gained some perspective, we would learn rather than complain, to be lights, we ought to be grateful. 

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When you become a parent, it's easy to get overstimulated by the end of the day. Constantly being asked questions, touched, etc. Same goes for teachers, btw. I saw a video where a kindergarten teacher was asked a question or had her name said by students to get her attention 627 times! What keeps them from burnout? Why do they do it? Because they love their kids, and love their students. 

It makes you wonder...does God get overstimulated? The short answer is no. Even though his name is envoked millions of times a day, nothing is impossible for God - nor is anything too exhausting. But why does God do it? For the same reasons a parent or teacher would: because he loves his children. So don't be afraid to go to him. Ask. Seek. Knock. 

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This past week, everyone in my family came down with Covid one by one. Everyone, that is, except me. We seemed to be on the upswing, and I prided myself in thinking I had some kind of super immune system to not get sick. I spoke a little too soon, because by the time everyone else had recovered, I was sick. 

Pride comes before a fall. Often we can pride ourselves in thinking we are above some kind of temptation or sin, but that is when we will fall prey to the very things we never thought possible in our lives. Pride is a mocker, first from our heart to others, but then back upon our own heads as we fall headlong into the same traps. Let us have humility, and know that there is no temptation that is not common to humanity. In other words - we are not above anything, if we're not careful, it can happen to us too. 

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Mumuration is an amazing spectacle where birds move in what to the naked eye looks like complete unity. They are capable of doing this because of keen senses that allow them to anticipate the movements of the rest of the flock, and they do not merely look to the bird next to them for cues - but they are in tune with a great number of others all at the same time. 

The body of Christ, if it is to have unity, must work in the same way. We must be in tune with the needs, wants, and work of others. When we are, then we will be able to work and move together as one. 

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We are creatures of habit aren't we? I found myself mindlessly doing a few things this week that made no sense - but I did them anyways simply because I was in the habit of doing them. It was monotonous - harmless, but clearly old habits die hard. 

Well, while these are harmless - if our worship becomes so routine that it is mindless and monotonous - that is dangerous. We must not only be engaged in worship, but have a mind, heart, and will that is equally engaged in worship as well. 

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Welcome back after an extended break from the podcast! It is crazy to think that in just a few short weeks our oldest two kids will be going to school for the first time. It's a big change. But bigger ones will come in the future, because it is our goal to prepare them to leave. While they will always be welcome in our home, we know that one day they will go off to make their own. 

The exact opposite is the case with our walk with our eternal Father. Rather than the goal to be his children leaving, the goal is to bring his children home with him forever. It took a lot of preparation, but through Jesus, we now all have the opportunity to go home. 

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I know I've been gone for quite a while, and I will have an explination soon Lord willing. But in the meantime, my intern for the summer has jumped in to give you some content in the meantime! Welcome to the podcast Daniel Schoenholz. 

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I took my young intern over to the Forks on Friday to help my uncle Kerry out on his property for just a little while, and in the meantime he got a tour of the land. The tour took us to the creek bed, where we found agate, coral, and my personal favorite - geodes. Geodes look like big potato rocks, but when you crack them open, there is a beutiful treasure on the inside. 

If anyone is in Christ, they are a potato rock. Outside not much has changed necessarily, but internally Christ has shone his light on our hearts and is transforming us from the inside out. No matter what happens to these bodies, or as Paul calls them these jars of clay, we have this beatiful treasure contained within us through the work of the Holy Spirit. 

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Our summer intern Daniel was teaching the very young children last night, and they needed to get their wiggles out. So, he decided to start up a brief game of Simon Says in order to accomplish that. The kids enjoyed playing along, trying not to get tripped up and only moving when "Simon Said" to. 

The name of the game in our Christian walk is not Simon Says, but the Lord Says. Just as Israel only moved when the Lord directed them through a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, so we are still directed by God through his Word. We must not go beyond what the Lord has said or take away from what he has said either. When he speaks, we listen and act. 

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We were all outside eating when a wasp flew into our sons rainboots that we leave outside.  When I went to hose it out and take care of the wasp, I was shocked to be met with not just one wasp but several more as well as a nest. I'm so glad we caught it when we did, otherwise my son would have run outside to play one of these rainy days and stepped right into an incredible amount of pain and potentially significant harm. 

This is exactly the way Satan works in our lives. If we are not alert and careful, Satan will come and make his home in our hearts or in our homes. As a result, we can get hurt and our children can get hurt, as we walk right into his trap. We must be alert so as to keep Satan from taking up residence. But after we evict him, we must do all we can to keep him out again - because like the wasps, he will be back. 

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