True North Finances Weekly Finance Numbers and Random Thoughts

When we see Him

Revelation 1
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me, saying, "Don't be afraid."

Revelation was written by the Disciple John in obedience of a vision he had while imprisoned on the Island of Patmos near the end of his life. In the preceding scripture, John describes the beginning of his encounter with Jesus.

Live well, live wisely, live humbly

One thing I've consistently prayed for is wisdom. As a child, I remember being told the story of young King Solomon. God was pleased with Solomon for asking for wisdom above all else. That story stuck with me and wisdom is my prayer. I believe that wisdom is the root of all trees that bare fruit.

Do we have the courage to ask?

Psalm 139 (NIV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

ABC Class Update

The ABC Class was held yesterday morning. As a result, 6 young men accepted Jesus into their lives! Congratulations go out to Connor, Gabe, Alex, Brett, Andrew and Nick. Sounds like a baptism party will be coming up soon!

New Jersey Man Killed by Flying Cocktail Glass

NEWARK, N.J. — Authorities say an 80-year-old New Jersey man died from injuries suffered when his wife hurled a cocktail glass and struck him in the head.

Secrets of the Heart

Yesterday, I taught in our elementary class. The lessons over the summer have related scientific experiments with Bible verses. This lesson's experiment used a UV light to expose Quinine in tonic water and related it to a passage in the book of Hebrews.

Speed Stacking

I watched a 10 year old kid the other day stack and unstack cups so fast it looked like a magic trick. You may have seen him on a recent McDonald's commercial.

kiDZ – ABC Class

This Sunday morning at 10am in the theater lobby, elementary and middle school aged kids are encouraged to attend a class that discusses Jesus, forgiveness, faith and baptism. A lot of things in the world are complicated but God has made Salvation as easy as ABC.

• Admit
• Believe
• Confess

Your child will learn this simple lesson.

Romans 10:13
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Wiccan’s Luck Runs Out, No Pun Intended

A Lebanon Ind. woman accidentally stabbed herself in the foot with a 3-foot-long sword while performing a Wiccan good luck ritual at a central Indiana cemetery.

Feed Me: RSS

Whether you are a wiz or new to reading blogs, you have probably seen some of the images to the left. Most likely, you have seen the orange image which is the standard for RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

An RSS feed is a way for you to aggregate web sites that you normally browse. Articles or podcasts are automatically sent to you through email, news readers or a web site.

From Vampires to Jesus

I’m reading the latest book by Anne Rice . After focusing most of her writing career on vampires, Rice has ventured into a series called Christ the Lord. The first book in the series was Out of Egypt which focused on Yeshua bar Joseph as a child. The Road to Cana begins with Yeshua as a 30 year old carpenter living in Nazareth.

Verbal jousting of the imaginary kind

Imaginary conversations. Do you have these? You know, where you have conversations in your head with your boss, in-law, or insert whomever .

It’s a lousy night to be an Atheist…

I hope that you watched the Home Run Derby Monday night. It was amazing to watch 2 things happen:

1. 71 year old Cary American Legion Coach Clay Council pitch to Josh Hamilton.
2. Hamilton crushing pitch after pitch (28 Home Runs) into areas of Yankee stadium that rarely see a batted ball.

There was a subplot that happened during the derby that I am not sure everyone heard.

Great Sunday

There isn't a better Sunday than to see somebody be baptized. If you give of your time and resources to True North, you can feel good about accepting some responsibility, no matter how small, when someone publicly declares their faith in Jesus Christ. Congratulations today go to two fine young men, Jordan and Hayden. May you follow the life God has planned for you.

Because God is love

I don't have much to say today after reading a couple passages. Instead, I'll just share them and let them speak to you.

Credit where credit is due

Early in our marriage, I let my wife Wendy know that one of my dream goals would be to walk into a car dealership one day and pay cash. In 2004, we purchased a new Pontiac Vibe with, you guessed it, cash. Walking out of the showroom, Wendy asked me "How do you feel?" My honest answer was "Not as great as I thought I would."

I’m just saying…

I think this phrase has been around for several years but it seems to be gaining more prominence, especially around my house...

I asked my friend Wendy who is a Technical Writer and a whiz at grammar to explain the phrase. She said, "I'm just saying" seems to be an effort to deflect anger generated by something you said. "I'm just giving you something to think about by what I've been saying."

People often questioned Jesus about things He said. What if Jesus used this phrase? It may have sound something like this...

Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity Knocks is a mobile game show that is literally played at the contestants' homes. And as soon as the host shows up at your door, the game begins. The game is played by asking family members trivia questions about each other, their home, and their lives. Questions, like what DVD is in your player? Who last loaded the dishwasher? What did Mom want to be when she grew up?

Josh Hamilton

When Josh Hamilton was picked first overall in the 1999 MLB draft, I thought it was really cool that he was a local kid that went to Athens Drive High School where my boys will eventually attend. I followed his rapid progress in the minor leagues and hoped to see him play with the Durham Bulls sometime soon. In 2001, Josh was in an automobile accident with his parents that was the beginning of a slide into alcohol and drugs. I was saddened when I heard the news that Josh was suspended by MLB for substance abuse. What a waste I thought. It was then that I regularly asked God to bring Josh back. I usually don't pray for things sports related, the exception being game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs of course. Something just told me to pray for this kid and I imagine that I was one of many people praying for Josh.

Tonight, Josh starts in his first MLB All Star game. What I love about this kid is after all he has been through, he gives God all the glory. His story is his podium to tell people of Jesus' love. I think you will here it tonight.

If you have a minute, here is a neat video concerning Monday night's home run derby.

Uh, Reverend, the microphone is on…

Last week, Jesse Jackson had what he thought was a private conversation with a Fox News analyst. Unfortunately for him, he was not aware the microphone was still on when he made some crude remarks concerning Barack Obama.

"For any harm or hurt that this hot-mike conversation may have caused, I apologize," Jackson said in a statement. What concerns me about this apology is that Rev. Jackson tries to deflect some of the blame for what he said on the fact that the microphone was on.