Isabel

I feel the need to clarify that Isabel was not stillborn, she died because she didn't have the ability to breath and sustain a heartbeat. She went a very long time without oxygen and attempts to revive her did not work. I was in the room at the end and had the privilege of holding her while she passed Kimberly got to hold her as well. We have a lot of unanswered questions about the cause of death right now which will hopefully all be answered after we get the results of the autopsy within 6-8 weeks. We were able to donate her heart valves and tissue so that she may impact the lives of other families. We all feel a great sense of peace about all of this. We appreciate everybody's prayers and support. Please come to the memorial, we want to celebrate Isabel with you all. The memorial will be 3pm this Friday @ 5821 nw expressway Oklahoma City, OK 73003. We love you all!

Strengthsfinder Letdown

Stregthsfinder 2.0 says these are my top five strengths - I've included my thoughts on each.

Harmony - Both a girl's name and the most feminine of all the strengths. Feels more like a hindrance than a strength to me.

Consistency - Not always a good trait. Sometimes I feel consistently inadequate.

Input - Just because I have input to give doesn't mean it's good input or that anybody is listening to me.

Communication - I got my name on the board at elementary school a lot for communicating with my neighbor.

Positivity - Great. I'm a positive harmonious person, where do I apply for the cheerleading position.

It makes me uncomfortable to focus on my personal strengths because I feel this line of thought can lead to pride. A verse that sums this up is 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10

"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I have awesome weaknesses. I'm so glad that I have an even awesomer God that is able to work through my faults and turn my refuse into awesomeness. Isn't that awesome?

Seeker Unfriendly

I had the pleasure of touring a couple churches in Tennessee today and left with a few thoughts on the seeker friendly church model. First of all, I don't see how you could call yourself a church and not want to attract non-Christians it seems like a no-brainer to me...


If a first time attender can't find the main entrance to your church then you're probably catering to a crowd of regulars.

If you name your seeker friendly service a fancy greek name then you are literally and figuratively not even speaking the same language as the non-believers unless you are in Greece.

If you don't let your seekers into the main auditorium and have a special smaller room set aside for them then you're sending the message that the un-churched aren't as important as us church types.

Outbid Again?

Life is like an ebay auction. Sometimes you win and sometimes you forfeit. That's right. There's no losing in auctions unless you give up. If you want something bad enough you'll keep bidding until you win it. Unless it's a buy it now auction.