I love surprises. In fact, one of the things I love about my husband is his enthusiasm for staging a good surprise. But lately I’ve been contemplating the idea that maybe there are some surprises that I should be “outgrowing.” How does the concept of surprise figure into growing spiritual maturity? Often I am astounded at the grace of God, mercifully protecting, teaching and blessing me beyond my wildest expectations. I could, in fact, say that His grace comes by...
Read More“Being a Dad Who Leads” Book Review
I am now officially a father of a sweet little boy and my wife and I are loving it. He is so precious to us. We have been so blessed by the generosity of others. Normally at baby showers, you get great stuff for the baby or for the mommy, but a couple of friends gave me, the daddy, a thoughtful gift. They gave me a book entitled, “Being a Dad Who Leads” by John MacArthur. I was somewhat familiar with the author and pastor and so I was excited to dig into it, even...
Read MoreHorn Creek Creation Adventure Report
Mary Jo & I recently enjoyed conducting a family camp at Horn Creek Camp near Westcliffe, Colorado. It was our first year doing a Creation Adventure at this camp and everything went great. Families enjoyed the facilities including their lodge rooms, excellent meals, and the meeting room for our presentations. The activities were as intense or as laid back as each family desired. From the comments we received, everyone benefitted from, and enjoyed, the Creation...
Read MoreOur New Baby!
We have been anxiously awaiting the birth of our first baby. We did everything we thought that we could do to prepare for him or her (we didn’t know), as well as trying desperately to think through every decision so we could make the best and most God-glorifying decision. And we were doing good…we thought, but even with the best intentions, there is a fuzzy-line between trusting God and wanting it to go our way. We even developed our “birth plan” to be as natural,...
Read MoreControl and Provision
Just recently, we were blessed by a wonderful gift of money from a family member. We were excited as it added a buffer, some breathing room, as we look towards added expenses with our baby on the way. The next day, we had to go to the DMV to register our cars in Colorado for the first time since moving here. The DMV, for many, is known for long wait times and over-complicated “simple” transactions. We got there, took our number and waited. We only had to wait for a...
Read MoreLearn Through Experience
There is something spectacular about getting to live what you are learning. I didn’t think much about that until the years I spent working at a Christian Living History Camp in California. Each day as my fellow guides and I stepped into costume and into character, we experienced both history and ministry from a firsthand perspective. And that experience wasn’t limited to ourselves – we were privileged to provide countless 4th grade campers and their parents...
Read MoreWhat I learned on Father’s Day!
So Father’s Day has now come and gone and we haven’t had our baby yet (due in about a week and a half). At church, as well as from friends and family, I received comments saying “happy father’s day…almost” or “happy almost father’s day” and then some not even acknowledging me as a father. I have to admit, I think I may have said that to people in the past who were at that time just expecting. Now it is natural to think that since we don’t have a baby yet, that we...
Read MorePlanet Earth: A Great Place to Be
If you think a full moon rising over the horizon is beautiful, just imagine being on the moon and seeing your planet overhead in the sky! Now for you couples, that would be romantic! NASA recently came out with a remarkable “Earth Day” satellite photo of our planet. Besides being breath-taking, one of the things it shows is the circulation in the atmosphere as noticed in the partial cloud cover. That is so important for us to have a home where we can breathe and thrive. Do...
Read MoreWork …a Blessing or Curse?
WORK. What thoughts come to mind when you hear this word? Are they in a positive or a negative light? Do you like to work? I have been thinking about work and its value for the past few weeks. Since my cancer surgery four months ago, I basically had the “privilege” of being served by others. This was primarily my dear husband and my family, who provided almost everything I needed. They brought me many meals in bed, washed many dishes, and served me in...
Read More75 Years of Commitment
My parents, Irwin and Barbara Nutting, just celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. First of all, that is hardly heard of because of the age attainments necessary. Secondly, many people are amazed at 75 years because of the fact that people these days seem to drift in and out of relationships with little commitment to each other long-term. I realize that circumstances can make a marriage seem unbearable, but so many trials that cause many people to split apart,...
Read MoreHow Ungrateful We Can Be
As most of you know, I had a Whipple surgery on November 25th, because of cancer in the duodenum. As the months after my surgery pass, and as I try to adjust to my “new” (but certainly not improved!) redesigned digestive system, I have found myself having some troubling thoughts. I have often looked with envy at other people who can eat anything they want, anytime they want, and feel good afterwards. No pills, no pain, no restrictions, and I think,...
Read MoreGod’s Timing is Impeccable!
A couple of weeks ago, I called a friend of our ministry, Don Holmes, to see if he would help spread the word regarding AOI’s family camps as well as our Creation Action Boot Camps. These are camps which we are offering this coming summer for teens and families with teens. I knew that Don helped in connecting a lot of churches and youth groups, both in Texas and in other states, with appropriate mission and camp opportunities. I also anticipated that those youth...
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Friends - Richard's Life was Changed!! - And this is why he is leading AOI's Colorado Family Camp! Join us July 30 - Aug 4 - conta.cc/3X4JroB pic.twitter.com/u8j1AP1Pmu
