A good look at the character of God is in the knitting of the most exalted of His creation, mankind. Today I had the priviledge and great joy of viewing my wife's ultra-sound. It is magnificent how intricate this tiny creation inside of my her is. I was awestricken by the beautiful child developing, only the size of my hand, about a pound, wiggling and moving. Truly a moment when overwhelming joy and awe for the Father came upon me. So often we take for granted the simple gift and mystery of everyday life. ... more

Since moving to Montana the idea of the Christian aesthetic has pressed on my mind. Maybe it was the fact that the landscape surrounding is an obvious indicator that our Lord is concerned with beauty. The Creator's craftsmanship is to such a grand scale that forces one to dwell on creation, creating, and creativity. Being inundated in a beautiful scape causes a desire to create beauty. The other possibility is that joining a church that meets in an old stonework building with quartersawn oak pews and fabulous stained glass has revealed the once prevalent value of Christian aesthetic. In fact, it might be that I myself have endeavored in building furniture and am making a livelyhood building pleasing things. Whatever it is, my yearning for a Christian aesthetic has been hightened. ... more

An age old plague in the Church is that of making un-natural, un-scriptural dichotemies and either treating them as dogmas or assigning unnecessary hierarchies to them.  A more famous one of these would be the odd distinction of a  ministry versus a job/occupation.  This model is damaging and useless, yet still persists and permeates many minds of Christian people.  Out of this mindset has come a further breakdown that is equally destructive to serving the community that is the Church.  This is the dichotemy of ministry not from other jobs, but from family

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Aside: I began and titled this post nearly a month ago, and this was not a defense of camping in response to Jesus Camp but instead an expression of cumulative thought that I believe is worth conveying.

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Please welcome one of our new contributors, Brent, who is Thomas's brother.  Brent and his wife are currently involved with the daily ins and outs of Camp Forest Springs in Wisconsin as they pursue opportunities in camping and outdoor ministry.

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