Buckner Reunion

In obedience to Bethany, I will post something new. Sarah and I are in the middle of a Camp Buckner Reunion. I cannot tell you how fun this is. I love seeing all these camp people come in during their Christmas break and go crazy during reunion. There are lots of games being played, plenty of snacks consumed (in fact, I suffered from a "hooch hangover" this morning. It's when you feel like your stomach is one solid chunk of junk food because you ate so much the night before. It is not enticing to say the least and it will greatly influence what I eat tonight between 8 o'clock and the time I go to bed), tons of catching up with old friends and the occasional Bible study. Well, three to be exact. I was blessed with the responsibility to do all three so I thought I would let you know what I have been teaching on. The studies are on the imputation of Christ's Righteousness and they are broken down as follows.

1) Our Need for the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness
- This deals with mankind's representatives, Adam and Christ, as well as inherited or original sin. We need Christ's righteousness because God demands righteousness and we cannot provide it due to the effects of sin. I also portray why this doctrine is important and the need to understand it and apply it to your life.

2) The Imputation of Christ's Righteousness -- The Basis of our Justification
- The title pretty much says it all. I go into the specifics of Justification and Christ's righteousness: His perfect obedience (both active and passive), justification being a legal or forensic declaration by God, Christ's righteousness being an alien righteousness totally outside of ourselves. God can declare us just on the basis if Christ's righteousness alone being credited to us.

3) How This Righteousness Becomes Ours and the Benefits of Possessing it
- This is pretty straightforward. It comes as a gift, through the instrument of faith (which is NOT a work). I will spend quite a bit of time reviewing the previous Bible studies during this time as well as explaining in greater detail the practical application of understanding our position in Christ.

Those are the three studies and I will come back later and fill you in a little on each one. But for now, that's all you get because I am supposed to be putting together the last one right now. I will leave you with a few quotes that I ran across during my study that are quite a bit encouraging. Eron and Kari, if you two are in Burnet while I am giving these Bible studies I will feel really bad. I would have loved to have had Eron staring at me from the audience insuring that I am speaking the truth.

Take it easy and boast only in the righteousness that Christ provides.

John Bunyan “Our righteousness is both imperfect and short of continuance. But Christ’s righteousness will abide forever, it is a garment that will never wear out, or wax old, it is a righteousness that will last our lives, be of service at death, appear fresh at judgment, and will answer for us in a time to come, and give us an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

John Murray “Regeneration is an act of God in us; justification is a judgment of God with respect to us. The distinction is like that of a distinction between the act of a surgeon and the act of a judge. The surgeon, when he removes an inward cancer, does something in us. That is not what a judge does—he gives a verdict regarding our judicial status. If we are innocent, he declares accordingly.
The purity of the gospel is bound up with the recognition of this distinction. If justification is confused with regeneration or sanctification, then the door is opened for the perversion of the gospel at it’s center. Justification is still the article of the standing or falling of the church.”

Christmas Lights

Well, most of you know that I will dearly miss Texas when I move to good ole' Looeeville to go to seminary. I just wanted to give you guys a tast of what I will miss. Three things have really caught my eye this year as I have been driving around the Kingsland/Granite Shoals area (which is where we live for those that don't know) admiring the beautiful Christmas decorations. Let me remind you that this area is made up of Jeff Foxworthy's favorite kind of people. REDNECKS!!

 

#1 - Yesterday I was driving home from my deer blind when I saw a partial nativity scene in a front yard. I saw Mary and Joseph admiring their beautiful baby boy who was lying in a manger. Each figure lit up and it was really great. At first glance I thought their were two animals gathered around but upon a closer inspection I found that not to be true. Guess who was present at Jesus' birth! Rudolph and one other reindeer!! Yep, according to one family in Kingsland, Rudolph and a fellow reindeer were present at Jesus' birth.

 

#2 - This one just makes me laugh. Jason and I were heading home from a football game and we examined a decorated yard near my house. Jason made the comment that he didn't think that it looked very good and I have to agree. This family took the approach to Christmas decor that requires no order or planning. It looked like the house threw up Christmas lights and the trees in the fron yard caught them. Come on, take some pride in your lighting.

 

#3 - My personal favorite. Some people put figures in their yard that are outlined in Christmas lights. A very common figure is the classic white deer with white lights along every contour and curve to bring the animal to life. There are many other figures such as Santa, Christmas trees, crosses, reindeer, stars, bells and holly. One individual in Granite Shoals has really put to shame any Christmas figure this side of the Mississippi. I laugh every time I drive home and see the CEMENT TRUCK lit up in his front yard with the MIXING BUCKET spinning and CEMENT pouring out the back!! All done with red and white lights. Whos decorates their yard with a Christmas Light CEMENT TRUCK? (rednecks)

 

So anyway, I will miss Texas...but I'll be alright.

SNOWPEOPLES!

This is in honor of Kari Plevan! Thanks for the link, I LOVED making my snowman. Check her out HERE!!! And make sure to click "make her move"!!! Thanks Kari for the holiday links...I think I"m going to hang out at Better Home and Gardens TONS!

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God -- a Good Christmas present

I know, I know, you missed me!! Well, I'm back!!

First, let me just tell you, Ryan and I had the most wonderful thanksgiving ever! We had all the goodies to eat, we had a house full of Ryan's family for four nights straight, and two kiddos (Jacob and the Ty-man) ready to play at the first signs of life in the morning. I absolutely LOVE Thanksgiving. And I love the Bebee family that is now my own. We had a time of really just sharing what we were thankful for, and praying for one another. It was encouraging!!

FRIDAY! And for those of you girls that love to shop, Friday was IT! Shea, Cara and I woke up a little before 3:00, and were shopping at the Roundrock outlet mall directly after. There were SWEET deals, and for those of you saying "is it REALLY worth it"??? I have to respond with a resounding YES!!! I am almost completely done with my Christmas shopping, and man, there were some great gifts.

Other than that, Ryan and I have been super busy with school and camp. I'm in the middle of Junior Counselor applications/interviews which has been a blessing to me. And Ryan has been jumping in the deer blind every opportunity he can (PS. my sister and her husband are coming down next weekend to hunt -- boys hunting, girls shopping and well, being girls!! LOVE IT).

For those of you looking for a good book to give for Christmas, I ran across a Piper book on his website. When my dad died, I read almost everything I could get my hands on regarding this subject, but as I went through some of the pages online again this morning, it was so heart warming and comforting to see GOD for the sovereign ruler that He is. So check out, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, by John Piper. It's only 7.00 bucks on his website. And here's a little snippit of the good stuff.

"The impetus for this books comes from the ultimate reality of God as the supreme value in and above the universe. God is absolute and eternal and infinite. Everything else and everybody else is dependent and finite and contingent. God himself is the great supreme value. Everything else that has any value has it by connection to God. God is supreme in all things. He has all authority, all power, all wisdom -- and he is all good "to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him" (Lam. 3:25). And his name, as Creator and Redeemer and Ruler of all, is Jesus Christ." (Chapter 1, pg. 17)

"And what I mean in this chapter when I say that God is sovereign is not merely that God has the power and right to govern all things, but that he does govern all things, for his own wise and holy purposes." (Piper, 19)

We all of those people in our lives, or ourselves, who are going through hard times, suffering, or have experienced great loss. May we point them to Christ. And may we know that "our comfort is abundant through Christ." (2 Cor 1:5).

Ohh yeaaaah, I have a blog...

Well, I guess I should post something every now and then.

 

-- Sarah and I met with our pastor last week to discuss the call to ministry. We had a wonderful time discussing the hardships that a pastor faces and the calling that the Lord has placed on mine and Sarah's life. It was extrememly encouraging as well as enlightening to the daily life of a pastor. There is a lot more to it than studying and preaching the word! The first thing that he wanted me to do was read chapter 6 of Preaching and Preachers by Martin Loyd Jones (sound familiar Eron?). I did, wow, and it too was encouraging and confirming of the call to the pastoral ministry. I will be preaching at Dayspring (our church) on a Sunday night sometime in January.

-- I got to explain The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to about 6 teachers today in the teachers lounge. It really paint a great picture of the gospel and sharing it was easy. I think that tomorrow I will explain the Lord's redemptive work using some other movie. How about Bull Durham.

-- My shoulder is getting much better, I don't think I am going to have surgery until I let it heal and see what I can and can't do. It feels pretty good, and although Sarah might not be to thrilled to hear this, I might even hunt with my bow during the Thanksgiving break.

Note: Sarah and I will discuss this long before it ever happens. I am not encouraging that husbands do anything that their wives wouldn't encourage them in (especially in non-spiritual matters such as bow-hunting).

-- Life is good. I don't have any crazy stories to tell you about school (at least none come to mind), but if anything happens I will let you know.

-- Sarah is still the most wonderful girl in the whole world. She is recruiting in Abilene today (HSU) and will be back late tonight. This also means that I will be hunting this afternoon (always a good time).

-- I still get sick to my stomach when I think about the Texas - K-State game.

 

I hope that you all have a great thanksgiving.

 

Sola Deo Gratia,

   Ryan

AC Joints Part II

Update on Ryan: Our first orthopedic guy, Dr. Hurt saw Ryan on Tuesday. He did some extras, and did some measurements. Turns out Ryan is officially a Grade Five AC joint injury. Meaning, the separation between the clavicle and the scapula is larger than 200% of the other side. Pretty major, and it also means that he has torn all of the ligaments in between. The surgery for reparing this is rather major, so we were advised to let it heal for 4 weeks and come back and see the progress. Then we will do physical therapy if needed for 4 weeks, and then will look at surgery as the last result. Most AC injuries heal on their own, but the shoulder will not pull back up to the clavicle, but he would gain all motor and physical skills back. We are going to another guy in Fredericksburg on Wednesday (the best in the area we hear) to get a second opinion, and make sure we can't do anything else to help the healing. We may even travel down to San ANtonio due to the Patyraks (some best friends of mine, who are also in the medical field) recommendation. We love you guys and thank you for the prayers.

Other than injuries ect...we have been having a great time reading! Ryan is obsessed with some real documentary style hunting books about Africa, and he has had a lot more time to delve into his theology books, and I've been reading some classics!

For those of you in the area too...we are still looking at the Jingle Bell 5K in Zilker Park on Dec. 17th (Sunday night). We'd love for you to join us! :o)

Flag Football Injury

Last night the thundercats lost their last game of the pre-tournament season. However, they put up a good fight, taking the team into overtime. They now, I believe are fourth in the tournament. Unfortunately, one of the first plays of the game injured Mr. Ryan Bebee. Ryan laid out to catch a low pass and landed on his left shoulder as his arms were extended out. Ryan finished out the drive (even scoring on the two point conversion), and then came out of the game. A trip to the ER, some MAJOR pain killers through and IV, and a few hours later we were headed home with X-rays and a name of an orthopedic surgeon. Ryan has separated his shoulder, (not to be confused with dislocating a shoulder, which can be realigned into place). It is where your acromioclavical joint is seperated -- the joint between your acromion (the little nob off of your scapula) and your clavical (collarbone). He has a bump on his shoulder where the clavical is not aligned correctly, and the injury causes some immense pain. Ryan is a grade III of IV. Not the worst, but we have to see the orthopedic next week to see if he might need surgery, or if it will heal on its own. (Just for your amusement, the doctor we have an appointment with is appropriately name Dr. Hurt. We found this rather comical last night!)

Here's a healthy shoulder:



Here is what is going on in Ryan's shoulder (x-ray and then a picture):



and...



Please be in prayer that the Lord will heal Ryan quickly, and that he will be able to return to physical activity (and hunting) soon. We are not sure how much or what is torn in the joints, but this could determine the invasiveness of the procedure. Thank you for your prayers, and we will keep you updated!

Animal Kingdom

A little late, but here is a slide show mostly of our safari ride. So if you want to go to the zoo today, jump on board! By far our favorite ride at Animal Kingdom was Mount Everest. If you ever visit, it is a must!!! (Click on the Animal Kingdom to go to the slide show.)

Happy Belated Haloween/Reformation Day to all of you as well!

This ought to make you laugh...maybe...

The Evolution in Teaching Math Since the 1950's:

1. Teaching Math In 1950

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for  $100. His cost of production is
4/5 of the price. What is his  profit?
------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Teaching Math In 1960

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for  $100. His cost of production is
4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his  profit?

------------------------------------------------------------------- 
3. Teaching Math In 1970

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for  $100. His cost of production is
$80. Did he make a  profit?

-------------------------------------------------------------------
4.  Teaching Math In 1980

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His  cost of production is
$80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline  the number  20.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Teaching Math In 1990

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest  because he is selfish and
inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of  animals or the
preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a  profit of
$20. What do you think of this way of making a living?    Topic for class
participation after answering the question: How did the birds  and
squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no  wrong
answers.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
6.  Teaching Math In 2005

Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100.  El costo de la
producciones es $80.

 

Adios mi Amigos,

   Ryan

God First, Then Extras -- some spurgeon

"But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"(Matthew 6:33).

See how the Bible opens: "In the beginning God." Let your life open in the same way. Seek with your whole soul, first and foremost, the kingdom of God, as the place of your citizenship, and His righteousness as the character of your life. As for the rest, it will come from the LORD Himself without your being anxious concerning it. All that is needful for this life and godliness "shall be added unto you."

What a promise this is! Food, raiment, home, and so forth, God undertakes to add to you while you seek Him. You mind His business, and He will mind yours. If you want paper and string, you get them given in when you buy more important goods; and just so all that we need of earthly things we shall have thrown in with the kingdom. He who is an heir of salvation shall not die of starvation; and he who clothes his soul with the righteousness of God cannot be left of the LORD with a naked body. Away with carping care. Set all your mind upon seeking the LORD. Covetousness is poverty, and anxiety is misery: trust in God is an estate, and likeness of God is a heavenly inheritance. LORD, I seek Thee; be found of me.


C.H. Spurgeon

~this was WAY encouraging to me this morning, and I had to share!

Pictures, pictures, pictures

For those of you that are DIEING to see pictures of Orlando, Disney World, and the Wedding...look to your hearts content! (Click on picture above to see album!)

Key actors in the pictures:
My mom --> Ginger Stephens (the cutest mom EVER!)
My sister, Victoria (Bambi), and her husband Wes --> Aundera, Jonah and baby Michael.
My brother Larry and the bride Amanda!

Enjoy! PS --> I offically became "cool" by joining facebook yesturday! I'm learning to relate to those I work with...

Alligator Hunting

Little update about Orlando! The trip was WONDERFUL! We visited Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We ate alligator bites. We were able to walk along some of the lakes, and visited Mount Dora (a cute little town outside of Orlando). My brother's wedding was beautiful, and it was such a huge blessing getting to meet Amanda (my now sister-in-law), her family, and many of my brother's friends we had never met before. I LOVE WEDDINGS!!

A few funnies for those of you that didn't hear in person:
1) instead of bringing my dress for the wedding, my mother brought me a very long sash -- but granted it did look like a strapless dress with sequins, just isn't quite the same thing when you go to put it on....(don't worry, I didn't have to wear the sash -- Thanks Aunt Bambi)

2) my mom, in the course of being nervous for the wedding, and making sure she was doing her part, accidently lit her candle (representative of Larry's family), and then proceeded to light the middle unity candle as well....eeek! The wedding planner had to inconspicously go and blow it out...Mom handled the whole wedding extremely well!

3) Lilo and Stitch, for those of you who have gone, are planning on going, or never in their wildest dream of going to Disney --> I DO NOT recommend the Stitch ride. If you do go to this ride --> clear and simple, hold your breathe and nose when Stich eats the chili...or you might have the same reaction I did...nausea!!



I'll post some pictures later on this week. For now, those of you that are interested can check out these two videos of my brother and his wife in Maui, and one of them scubadiving! Pretty awesome!

And Happy Birthday Miss Cara Bebee yesturday!! Whoo-hooo!!!

God's Word in the 4th Grade

   Well, I have a kid in my class that memorizes scripture for church. Whenever he has to memorize a scripture, I have him tell it to me and we memorize it together. This week he has memorized Heb. 1:1-2 and I have to say, it takes him less time than me to memorize scripture (To those with kids, get them started early, their minds are much more absorbant than ours). Well, my buddy wanted to read today but he didn't have a book handy. I asked him if he wanted to read the bible and he said yes. He went to his desk and began reading and what I am about to tell you really knocked my socks off. No lie, this is exactly what happened.

   My buddy comes to my desk and has the bible (a camo Camp Buckner Bible) opened to Zechariah. He had cross referenced the word "forefathers" (one of the words in Heb. 1:1-2 is "forefathers") and had wound up at Zechariah 1:2. He was a little confused about who was speaking and I explained that God used to speak through prophets (Heb. 1:1-2) but now He has spoken to us in Christ. He understood this immediately (because he had already memorized the Hebrews verse) and made a comment about God being mad at the forefathers. I encouraged him to keep reading and he left my desk and I continued to grade papers. Not 5 minutes later my buddy (a name I frequently call the boys in my class) comes up to me and says, "I know why God was mad at the forefathers, (by the way, he is not reading this out of the bible, he is telling me what he read without looking) they wouldn't pay attention to the Lord and turn from their evil ways and their evil practices. So God was mad at them for not turning to Him and hearing His word." That's a better explanation than one you might hear from a pulpit!!! How encouraging it is to see the Lord at work in the lives of 10 year olds.

 

"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight." Lk. 10:21

 

Praise the Lord for His infinite goodness and mercy and for crowning us with lovingkindess and tender mercies, including kids in my class!!!

 

Sola Christus,

   Ryan

Florida Here We COME!!!

How many time have you heard...
"You've won the world series", "you have an olympic medal", "you've climbed Mt. Everest", "you've won the Boston marathon"...."
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW???"

GO TO DISNEY WORLD!

And guess what, we didn't have to do ANY of those things, and we still get to GO TO DISNEY WORLD! We are headed this afternoon to Orlando Florida, for days in the sun, rides at Disney, and the best of all, the marriage of my brother to Miss Amanda Hitchcock!! What a huge answer to prayer, and what a huge blessing the Lord has poured out on my family! We can't WAIT!!!!!

Last Week's Itinerary

Ok -- so maybe we've been a little busy!! :o) But we still want you guys to be involved in our lives, so here's some updates!

Last week (the nitty-gritty):

TUESDAY -- big double header for the THUNDERCATS!!
**the Thundercats are a flag football team that Chris Gomez from Camp Balcones Springs has put together. They play in a league in Burnet. The team has all kinds of camp people from Balcones, Peniel, and now Ryan and Jason Shaw from Buckner! Lots of fun to watch, and I think more fun to play for the guys**
--the Thundercats pretty much killed the first team, and then ran a VERY close second game to an undefeated team, but lost.
--the Thundercats are 2-2, and I'll keep you posted. We haven't started the official bracket yet, this is all just for placement in the tournament!!

FRIDAY -- CABELAS!!

Ryan's birthday gift (a little combination of his family, my family, and me) was a new compound bow. We headed to Cabelas Friday to pick it out, and get it all set up. They fix everything in the store!! You shoot in all of your sights in their shooting range, and they shave down your arrows, and pretty much set you up for hunting.

Saturday -- Ryan practices on his bow...and I get some much needed rest time at Don and Debbie's! Love those kids!! :o)

Sunday -- Ryan wakes up at 5:45 and goes to his blind on the treeline. By 7:15, he has shot his first buck with a bow/arrow!!!! His arrow went right through the lungs. I'd show you a picture, but our digital camera doesn't hook up to the Buckner computers! It was an eight inch spike for those of you that know your bucks. He was the outcast buck that was bugging all of the does. You would have thought it was Christmas all over! CONGRATS RYAN!
--Ryan and Don cleaned up the buck, then we headed to church! All in a day's work!

So on Wednesday this week we are headed to ORLANDO FLORIDA for some vacation time with the family, and for my brother's wedding on Saturday! I'll keep you posted on the events if I can!!

Southern?

Well, since Sept. 21st was the day that prospective Southern Seminary students make their announcement of attendance official and public, I guess that I will have to wait until Sept 22 of next year to tell you guys that Sarah and I are planning to attend seminary at Southern in the fall of 2007! Sorry, you'll have to wait until then to get the news.

 

By the way, my fourth graders really frustrated me today so I took them to PE early and challenged them in basketball. Dude, they were nothing. I smoked them like Billy Madison playing dodgeball. It felt great. Here's the best part, everyone thinks I am just being a good teacher!!!

 

Adios,

   Ryan

Self Control: Chapter 3

I had to share some of this with you! Chapter 3 in Feminine Apeal is SO stinkin' good. I'm only a few pages into it. Here are some of the highlights and some points that hit me HARD.

1. self control is hard; is it thought of poorly in our society; not taught often, even in churches

2. TITUS 2 -- SELF CONTROL IS ESSENTIAL!
--it is inferred/directed to EVERY group mentioned in Titus 2. "We cannot afford to ignore it."
--if REQUIRED, it is ATTAINABLE through God's grace!

3. Self control requires effort, but it is based on the strength God provides
--"For this I TOIL, struggling with all HIS energy that HE powerfully works within me." Col 1:29
--Charles Bridges..."effective self control is divine grace"..."Have not repeated defeats taught us the need of calling in a better strength than our own?"

4.


What a huge need we have for self-control. How extremely important it is to learn self-control, practice self-control, and be disciplined in this area!!!

RYAN BEBEE TURNS 25

Congratulations Ryan for officially being a quarter of a century old!!

Some important facts about the day Ryan was born and this 25 years of joy:

1. Your car insurance could drop almost 20%!!
2. September 21 The Declaration of the Republic of Armenia State Independence Day.
3. September 21 is the 264th day of the year.
4. TODAY - SEPTEMBER 21 - Is The International Day of Peace HAPPY PEACE DAY!
5. 1827 - Joseph Smith, Jr., claims that the angel Moroni gave him a record of gold plates, one-third of which is "translated" into The Book of Mormon. (on this day!)
6. 1921 - Oppau explosion, a storage silo at a fertilizer producing plant exploded in Oppau, Germany, 500—600 killed.
7. 1937 - J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is published.
8. 1970 - Monday Night Football premieres. (VERY IMPORTANT!)
9. Ryan has the same birthday as Luke Wilson, Faith Hill, Liam Gallagher (oasis), Nicole Richie, Rickie Lake, and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (1411)
10. Sept 21, 1986 Prince Charles admits on TV that he talks to his plants

And there is much more I am sure, but most importantly, Ryan James Bebee was born on this day!!!!!!! And I love him, and I am so thankful the Lord has blessed me with such an amazing husband!!

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

Encouragement

    Do you ever wonder why at times it is so hard to receive encouragement, or maybe a compliment? I'm sure you have friends who always counter an encouraging word with some kind of self-demotion; as if they are trying to keep themselves from seeing God's work in their lives (which is what encouragement is meant to do, point others to see God's gracious activity in their lives).

    I'm not really sure why we respond this way, but my initial thought is that we are not used to encouragement. Maybe we aren't encouraging one another enough so we aren't accustomed to respond in the proper manner? I blame this on everyone else. You guys just simply don't encourage me enough, so please step up to the plate and dish out some encouragement so that I will learn to respond biblically. Please, do this for me (that sounds like a modern book on Christianity. I bet it would sell!). Not really, but I have been thinking about this a lot lately.

 

"...and let us consider how to stimulate (spur) one another to love and good deeds..."

 

    A couple of things strike me in this verse. One of which changed my entire approach to encouragement.

 

-- First thing is the phrase, "let us consider." For too long I have been waiting for opportunities to pop up for encouragement. This verse tells us to consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds. That word consider means "to fix ones mind on" or "to give all attention to." This is an all out cognitive effort on our part towards encouraging others before we are ever even around them; although considering ways to encourage people while you are with them is a perfect time as well. This kind pf encouragement prescribed by the Lord takes diligence, thought, intentional planning and on top of that, the ability to carry it out, to deliver the premeditated encouraging words or actions.

 

-- The other thing that stands out to me about this verse is the desired goal of spurring one another on; love and good deeds. These are godly things we are talking about here. You want to zone in on the work of God in the lives of people, and spur them on to continue growing in godliness. My good friend Jason is a great basketball player, he smokes me every time we play. If all my encouragement towards Jason is towards his athletic ability I am not spurring him on to love and good deeds. If I see Jason handle a situation at school with a child with the love and compassion that the Lord has for us, I need to draw His attention to the fact that he dealt graciously with the child, demonstrating the love of Christ, and encourage him to continue doing so. True encouragement is locked in on drawing attention to the Lord's work in others lives and spurring them on in their God glorifying activity.

 

The easy thing to do is compliment people in areas of little or no significance because that's the first thing that comes to mind. Train yourself to see the Lord at work in others lives. Think about ways to encourage people. Many believers struggle in their faith because they don't feel like the Lord is using them at all (I know I do). Be faithful to the Lord in drawing others attention to God's gracious activity in their lives.

 

Last but not least, remember the context of this verse. We have a great High Priest who has inaugurated a way for us to enter the holy place, where our hearts our sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Or how about this one, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore let us encourage one another and build up one another, just as also you are doing." 1 Thess. 5:9-11. If your struggling to see the Lord at work in others lives, just point them to the Gospel, the good news of Christ absorbing God's wrath in our place. You will find no greater encouragement than what you find in the gospel. Thanks be to God, who delivered us from darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, and the forgiveness of sins.

 

Thought, comments? Let me know what you think. I told you I would post something spiritual soon, but I didn't even think it would be this long.

 

Sola Deo Gloria,

   Ryan

My mistake

Just copy the link and paste it in your URL box (or whatever that thing is called).

Humble Pie!!

 Ok, I know I talk about teaching a whole lot, but this is pretty cool. Click on this link http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf, it will take you about 4 minutes to complete, and see if you could pass 3rd grade geography. Just grab the state name and drag it to it's state. Go ahead, let me know how you do. By the way, it took me 4 tries to finish. If you're at all like me, it will serve you a dish of humble pie; eat it and enjoy!

 

Ryan

Happy Birthday Ty!

A SHOUT OUT TO.....Ty Politte today for turning TWO!!

Happy Birthday my Ty-man from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Sarah!!!!!!

Here's a big thumbs up and "good job" from your "Bubba"!

4th grade stuff again

Well, today was a good day. A mouse was loose (a pet mouse) in class today and it ran up a girls pants; then something frightened it and it peed, on her undergarments. Gross huh?

We are having a bookfair at school this week and a student bought me a book. The name of the book is The Truth About Poop, by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by Elwood H. Smith. This book is a hit in the 4th grade so I am glad that I have it. I thought I would share with you some of the things that I have learned from my new book. This is gross, but rather funny.
-- One jokester in the 1920's made a toilet seat that played the national anthem everytime someone sat down, forcing them to stand up again.
-- In the ancient city of Ephesus, rich citizens sent their slaves to the public bathrooms to warm up the cold marble toilet seats for them.
-- Geese poop once every 12 minutes.
-- Scienctists recently found a fossilized chunk of T-Rex dung that weighed 16 pounds. (don't ask me how they know it's t-rex dung)
-- Mole rats use the smell of each other's poop to distinguish between family groups (by rolling in it).
--Sloths are so slow that they devote one day a week to making their way down a tree to the ground where they poop. They make the most of the trip though and poop out 2 lbs, over 1/4 their body weight.

Many people say that whatever grade you teach, you start to sound and act like them. I hope this isn't true about me, although I know that it is.

Well, someday I'll post something spiritual, but today you get poop.

Mark of Divine Approval

Our church sends out an e-mail each day with encouraging articles. Always included is a small word from Spurgeon. I found this extremely encouraging today, and I pray that you do as well.

Mark of Divine Approval
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the Crown Of Life, which the LORD hath promised to them that love Him"
(James 1:12).

Yes, he is blessed while he is enduring the trial. No eye can see this till he has been anointed with heavenly eye salve. But he must endure it and neither rebel against God nor turn aside from his integrity. He is blessed who has gone through the fire and has not been consumed as a counterfeit.

When the test is over, then comes the hallmark of divine approval -- "the crown of life." As if the LORD said, "Let him live; he has been weighed in the balances, and he is not found wanting." Life is the reward: not mere being, but holy, happy, true existence, the realization of the divine purpose concerning us. Already a higher form of spiritual life and enjoyment crowns those who have safely passed through fiercest trials of faith and love.

The LORD hath promised the crown of life to those who love Him. Only lovers of the LORD will hold out in the hour of trial; the rest will either sink or sulk, or slink back to the world. Come, my heart, dost thou love thy LORD? Truly? Deeply? Wholly? Then that love will be tried; but many waters will not quench it, neither will the floods drown it. LORD, let Thy love nourish mine to the end.

C.H. Spurgeon

Prayer

I LOVE MY JOB! This morning I was decorating birthday postcards (yes all you past counselors cringe just a little...but it's not that bad) and I was listening to John MacArthur!! Love it! I encourage you to check out Prayer and the God Who Hears You: Luke 11. It was so amazingly encouraging to seek our God in prayer, for HE hears, to pray according to His will, pray to exalt HIS NAME, pray that our lives might exalt His name, and prayer that the promises of God will be be real in our lives (sustaining bread, forgiveness..ect.). So convicting to PRAY more. Here's some good little quotes:

God is NOT a celestial vending machine;

Jim Packer -- The Christian prayer is "not an attempt to force God's hand, but a humble acknowledgment of helplessness and dependence."

Jamie Moore posted yesturday about journaling, and I too desire to journal more, b/c it draws out my mind to PRAY, to realize as she said, God's faithfulness!

UT Football

To borrow a line from Eron Plevon, "Texas is still #1 in my heart." The game was incredible. I have never seen or heard anything like it in my life (and I will probably never again). The noise level even exceeded the cheers on a sunday afternoon at Sovereign Grace Baptist church when Randy would hit home a point in his sermon. Wow, I was amazed. My voice was left at Royal Memorial Field and now my 4th graders have to listen very carefully to hear their instructions. One thing that was really cool; buckeye fans are true sportsmen. They were very respectful and said only good things about Texas. I was in Austin all day saturday and never heard cross words exchanged about the two teams (except playful joking at times). All in all it was a good day Saturday. Texas has a lot to learn this year and I am looking forward to it. Well, one thing I can say for sure, had Tarell Brown used his head last week the ballgame would have been completely different. It's rediculous that one player would jeapordize his teams season because of foolishness. Well, they need Jesus just like I did.

 

Hook Em,

    Ryan

4th grade activities!!

A girl peed in her pants today while sitting in class. I called on her to give me an answer and she immediately started crying and said, "I had to pee really bad and I peed in my pants." I sent her to the nurse where we have extra clothes. It was crazy, especially the trail she left while leaving the room, as well as the aroma that followed! I just thought I would keep you posted on life in the fourth grade!!!

 

Ryan

Feminine Appeal

Ok ladies! All of you wives out there HAVE to read this book! Shea Politte and I have started Feminine Appeal by Carolyn (CJ's wife) Mahaney. Let me just tell you, we are on the second chapter, and it is both encouraging, and convicting, and such a huge blessing all in one.

It focuses on the principles in Titus 2, and expands on them. This week was the Delight of Loving My Husband. I'm not sure about some of you, but in my life, I missed out on many mentoring opportunities from older women. And now, I'm not surrounded by very many...so I have loved hearing such sound and practical advice from this godly woman, and then having Shea keep me accountable to put into practice these principles. (PS for San Angelo folk, you may be jealous at this, but on Wednesday I visited none other than the beloved Bakerstreet and went to the Phi Lamb rush to meet with the officers...lots of fun! Then went to Eldo to see the Polittes!)

So let me just tell you: I LOVE MY HUSBAND RYAN BEBEE!
And I know many of you love your husbands as well, but we have to CONTINUE to LEARN how to love them (that's what it says in the verse -- teach them how to love). So convicting. B/c sometimes I think I already KNOW how...so if you have the time...pick it up (and maybe even get a partner) and get going!

There are some GREAT Spurgeon quotes in the book that I will have to share with you after the weekend.

Weekend agenda??
--Strawn vs. Abbott tonight at 7:00; we'll update you on the results. It's a Dawson brother show down
--UT vs. Ohio tomorrow at 7:00; Ryan is excited about actually GOING to the game tomorrow!
--Sarah will be swimming and hanging out tomorrow...and watching the game in the air conditioning and a comfy chair...can't wait!

Something New

I learned something new today. When you type something in Microsoft word, and then cut and paste it into your e-mail and post it on the blog, all the apostrophes will turn out to be little boxes. Cool huh?

 

Sola Gratia -- Ryan

Encouragement

As I endeavor into the world of blogging, I think of the one thing that happens almost every time I read another’s blog; I am encouraged. Often times when we read about our brothers and sisters in Christ we find great encouragement from the Lord’s work in their lives. For example, Eron Plevan’s blog always encourages me towards greater understanding of God’s word as well as fleshing out previous thoughts or conversations that I have had. Dustin Butts has great poetry that I truly enjoy. Since I am new at this blogging thing, that’s all I’ve got right now, but there will be more I am sure. It is my desire to encourage with this blog and be encouraged from your comments and blogs. 

 

On a side note, we practiced skip counting today in fourth grade. Since I only teach math, that means that I practice skip counting with 80 kids. For those of you who don't know what skip counting is (i hope you do), it is a tool to help kids with their math facts. Example: To remember their 7's, we chant as a class: 7,14,21,28... until we get to 84 (7x12). That being said, if the Lord ever chooses to bless me with a flock that requires three services every sunday morning (with the doctrine that I believe and preach, that's not likely), I don't think that it will ever be as straining on my voice as today was. Praise the Lord for using 80 fourth graders to prepare me for His greater calling on my life! Thanks for reading this.

 

Sola Deo Gloria,

Ryan

The Beginning of something GOOD

After a long debate, and an extremely long discussion in the car on the way to work this morning, Ryan and I officially decided......

(if you are guessing right now...hold your breath--it was a hard decision, and many people will be affected by this decision...the ramifications are hard to determine even at this time)





...to start our own blog! Yeah! So check us out! We'll keep you posted on the Camp Buckner life, the Bebees in general, Tales of the 4th Grade Nothing (the Mr. Bebee classroom), and all other important events in the Hill Country.

1st off -- for those of you who dont know, you can officially shoot the white winged dove (with a proper hunting license of course).

More posts to come soon!