True and Better

Listen to Tim Keller of Redeemer Church NYC

in this amazing short video!

Jesus is true and better....

Charlotte is Confirmed

Today was a special day in our family.  And in our church family.

Charlotte was confirmed.
 Mommy and daddy gave her a cross necklace to mark the special day!

She has participated in a class with Pastor Dave using this excellent curriculum 
over the past several months.

She has learned the tenants of the historical Christian faith and major doctrine as outlined in the Westminster Confession {the most concise tool expressing Biblical truths}, the meaning and purpose of the sacraments, the purposes of the church and the responsibilities of membership.  

At the end of the class, Charlotte had to prepare a written testimony of her own faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.  Her baptism as an infant made her a member of the Church of God by birthright and as such an heir of the covenant promises of God.  She was nurtured and loved and instructed by her family, and her church family until she was prepared to make her faith personal and public.  Now, through confirmation, she makes her own statement of faith, is approved by the session and assumes for herself the full privileges and responsibilities of her inheritance in the household of faith.

Here is Charlotte's written statement of faith:

In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he dies, so shall he live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe in me?”

Yes, I believe in Jesus! 

I grew up in a Christian family.  I went to Sunday School, I attended VBS, my parents read the Bible with me and I went to a Christian school with many good teachers.  So I have learned about God all my life.  It wasn’t until first grade, though, that I realized I wanted to have a real relationship with Jesus.  One day in Mrs. Frost’s Bible class, she was teaching and what she said about a spiritual relationship with Jesus really pricked my heart.  I wanted my heart to be cleaned from sin so that I could follow Jesus and have the promise of living forever with him.

Just like my brother and sister came into our family by being adopted, I know that I have been adopted into God’s family. Ephesians 1:5 says “And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.” I don't deserve it.  He just did it.  This makes me feel blessed and happy.

Before I trusted in Jesus there were some things I was afraid of, but now I know Jesus walks with me all the time.

Before I was in God’s family, I was very frustrated and sad that God made me with dyslexia, but now I know God made me in a special way and I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Phillipians 4:13).  Even though I still struggle with reading, I know God gave me problems so I could look up to him and glorify and adore him everyday. 

So today is a day of celebration.  A marking of our daughter's public declaration of faith. We rejoice that God has moved in her heart, brought her to faith in Himself and encouraged her to make her testimony of His saving grace public.

Dearest Charlotte, you are a treasured gift to us and we pray 

that you would walk your whole life 

knowing, loving, and serving God.  

You are precious to us.  You are precious to the Lord.

I have no greater joy than to know 

my children are walking in the truth 

{3 John 1:4}

Happy David Day!

A year ago today, our family was in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, The People's Republic of China to meet our beloved son and brother, Wu Yue He.  He was 2 1/2.

God, in His amazing providence, purposed David for our family and ordered each and every step to bring him safely home to us.  We praise Him for His wondeful works of redemption and the power of the gospel as witnessed in the adoption of an orphaned child.  For spiritually speaking, that is our condition without Christ!  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. (1 John 3:1)

It was Thanksgiving Day 2009 that this photograph captured my heart.
His reported long wait for a family on a special needs list broke my heart.  God is so good.

David's Gotcha Day was such a wonderful and most anticipated day.  And it was a spectacular blessing to be there as a whole family, with my father, too.  Little David was so brave.  So trusting.  So loving!

This video captures our first meeting and a bit of our time together in David's homeland.
NOTE:  It is best viewed as is and not full screen. It gets a bit blurry.

To God be the glory - great things He has done.

We love you sweet David Wu Achterkirch.
You are treasured and adored.
Loved by God and your family.
Now and forever!!!

My Happy Confession of Having No Merit

I stumbled upon this beautiful confession today
while meditating upon Christ's atonemnt in my devotions...

It is my heartfelt confession as well.

MY HAPPY CONFESSION OF HAVING NO MERIT
written by John Piper (August 2009)

This is my confession:

I was born into a believing family through no merit of my own at all.

I was given a mind to think and a heart to feel through no merit of my own at all.

I was brought into the hearing of the gospel through no merit of my own at all.

My rebellion was subdued, my hardness removed, my blindness overcome, and my deadness awakened through no merit of my own at all.

Thus I became a believer in Christ through no merit of my own at all.

And so I am an heir of God with Christ through no merit of my own at all.

Now when I put forward effort to please the Lord who bought me, this is to me no merit at all, because

...it is not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

...God is working in me that which is pleasing in his sight. (Hebrews 13:21)

...he fulfills every resolve for good by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

And therefore there is no ground for boasting in myself, but only in God’s mighty grace.

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

May you rest with great peace in God's soverign grace today!