Vanity of Self Improvement: Session 2

Yesterday I was listening to a John Macarthur sermon on principles for giving.  He pointed out many valid, biblical reason we are to want to give as Christians.  As always, he went through a lot of scripture, but 2 Corinthians 2:9 stood out to me in light of the way I was treated this weekend.  "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."  I think that was the kind of giving that the people I was with this weekend practiced.  No grudges, no guilt trips, no future expectations.  Money was given, time was given, acts of kindness were given quickly and simply because God laid it on their heart.

Session 2: Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

• Wisdom is better than foolishness, but wisdom is not the best.  Even wisdom can become an idol. 
• Madness: people get so tired of dealing with pressure of the world and they revert to complete madness
• Folly: lacking biblical sense; doing morally wrong and thinking nothing of it; rude, crude, obstinate (knowing the truth and refusing to do it). 
• Wisdom not his pursuit - Proverbs 17:24
• Wisdom not his passion - Proverbs 17:16
• No delight in wisdom - Proverbs 18:2, 1:22
• Not protected by it - Proverbs 1:32
• Even wisdom, as good as it is, cannot be ultimate priority because one event happens to all: death. 
• Only in death can we reach everything we were ever intended to be.  
• There are three types of remembering: 
• Metal understanding
• Active remembering
• audible speaking (verbal) 
• Solomon's "remembering" is the verbal.  
• God remembers you.  He pays attention to you forever.  That is the wisdom that escapes Solomon.  
• Hate for life: this is not a genuine depression or intense dislike. Just a stark contrast to love.  He is not fulfilled by it.  It failed to bring him meaning, so he is dissapointed.  This is a confession of failure.  
• Conclusion: 
• Wisdom will make you happier than foolishness.  
• "It is better" are different than the words "It is best."
• The wise die just like the fool, but see that even though all men die alike, not all men live alike.  Live in wisdom and joy rather than as a fool. 

Gabe's Iwo Jima

Gabriel Isaac Bueno.....Age 5

Favorite Things: building things, reading, soccer, and mud

Vanity of Self Indulgence: Session 1

This weekend, I had the privilege of going on a retreat with my new bible study Foundation.  I was blessed by all the people who put out and served me.  Honestly, I have never experienced such true, genuine, Christ-centered love from so many people at the same time.  It was quite the experience.  On the way back last night, we were talking in the car about why in the world the weekend had been such a blessing.  The conclusion was that it was because this genuine, selfless fellowship of believers for the sake of Christ is a very good earthly picture of what heaven will be like.

I was thinking about putting everything in one post, but I think it would be too long.  So I'll just mention a couple of things now and a couple of things later.

Johnathan Rourke was the main speaker and I loved hearing from him again.  He left GCC a little over a year ago and I have missed his passionate love of the word.  He reminds me in some peculiar way of CJ Mahaney.  Just a little anyway.

Ecclesiastes 2 was the passage of the retreat and John spoke for three sessions.

The title of these sermons was Disappointing Discoveries.

Session 1: Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

• Holy Scriptures give divine examples that we can look up to and learn wisdom from.  
• Solomon is the great example.  
• He was wise enough to enjoy some things to their peak and then stop.  He guarded himself with wisdom.  
• "The quicker we come to the reality that we will die and be forgotten, then the quicker we will have an eternal perspective and have the mindset we're supposed to." 

Just 3 Cowgirls

We had fun this summer when our friend Sam (Samantha) visited us for a week. One of the highlights was going to the rodeo and donning our cowgirl attire. Two years ago Sam lived with us for the summer and worked in Blanco. It was a time of growth for all of us. Sam was growing up. We were getting used to living in Texas. Sam became part of our family that summer. We laughed, cried, argued (just a bit), and learned from each other. Sam is heading into new ventures in life. The kind of ventures almost every young lady wants out of life. We love you Sam. We're thankful for your part in our home.