Ryan's preaching & surgery

Well, in the next two days we will be having quite a bit going on in the life of the Bebees. The first and most important though, is that tonight, YES TONIGHT, Ryan will be preaching at the evening service at Dayspring Fellowship. I will let you guys know if they record it and if it will be available on their website.

Please keep Ryan in prayer if you read this before tonight. He is preaching on 1 Peter 4:1-6. It has been late nights and lots of studying, but praise the Lord that He gives great joy in the reading and studying of His word! We have already had some great conversations, and I have been blessed by the preparation that Ryan has done already!

I am currently reading a book called "Acquainted with Grief". It is a biography of Wang Mingdao, who was a leading Christian pastor in China in the past centure. I'm not sure that we would all agree with all of his doctrinal stances, however, I have been so amazingly encouraged by his boldness to uphold truth, to not compromise when it comes to the gospel, to speak boldly when needed and yet seek to live a quiet life in the midst of the turmoil and dissention of communist china (1 Thes 4:11-12). I read this quote to Ryan and i wanted to share it with you all b/c it is the prayer that we have for our church and pastor, and for any church that Ryan and I have the blessing of joining!

"I have no desire to do something great. It is simply my hope, in this world where truth is beclouded and where teh lusts of men have broken their banks, to be able to testify to God's truth and to live out His life. I wanted to be faithful unto death; in my own particular sphere I want to glorify God; and I want to spread the fragrance of Christ wherever I go. It is not so much a large church that I want to build; it is rather to build up a church according to the mind of God. Two needs stand out in the world today. One is for model believers; the other is for the model churches. My prayer accordingly, is that we may be model believers, and that ours may be a model church." -- Wang Mingdao

And one more quote that I thought was so precious to our view of the gospel:

"What is the greatest need of manking? It is extravagant clothes? Is it lavish food? Is it a congenial occupation? Is it adequate medical provision? Is it upright politics? Is it a comprehensive system of law? Is it a higher level of society? Is it harmony among the nations? Is it the reform of our habits? Is it the establishment of virtue? All these are the needs of mankind. But the greatest need of all is not among them. Mankind's greatest need is to come to God for forgiveness of sin in order to have eternal life. Whether people acknowledge it or not, their greatest need is to be brought into touch with God. For God is the source of all happiness. But they have been cut off from God by sin and they themselves are unable to bridge the gap. What else can people do but endure pain and await the onset of death?" -- Wang Mingdao

I pray that we will be as passion and have the zeal that Wang has for the church, and the gospel. May we also fight the onset of a "Social Gospel" that seeks to meet people's NEEDS, but NOT THEIR GREATEST NEED!

ALSO -- tomorrow, Ryan goes into surgery for his shoulder. You can check out what happened if you return to the post from last year. He will be in surgery for an hour and a half, and they will reconnect an existing ligament to help support the shoulder and connect it to the clavicle. They will clean up some things in there, and will shorten his clavicle so that there is less possibility for arthritis and to aid in the reconstruction. We have to be in Fredricksburg at 11:00 and he will go into surgery at 1:00. You're prayers will be greatly appreciated, and I will keep you all updated when I get back to a computer! Thank you again for your support of Ryan and I!!!

New Attitude Conference & Mohler's blog

New Attitude
Registration Opens: Theme -- HUMBLE ORTHODOXY
The New Attitude conference for singles and young married couples returns to Louisville, Kentucky, May 26–29, 2007. Registration is now open, so join us as we gather to rediscover God's truth and recommit to living it humbly. They want to examine our lives in light of God's Word, because humble orthodoxy takes discernment. Joshua Harris, Eric Simmons, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, Albert Mohler, and John Piper will teach main sessions.If your church or organization would like to help them spread the word about New Attitude, send them an email. (For those of you in Louisville -- this would be REALLY GREAT!)

Also -- many of our friend bloggers check out Mohler's blog often, but let me TELL you...his blog yesturday was inspiring! I absolutely LOVE to read, and it was encouraging to see how important reading is to our Christian community, and how we NEED to encourage it in our children, student, friends, ect. Check it out! (PS -- it was Jan 24th post) And praise the Lord for God's healing hand on Al Mohler as well!!!

Do Not Love the World (Part 2)

I couldn't pass this up. I listened to part 2 of the sermon today...and MAN was it good! Here's some more:

Two Possibilities If You Don't Feel Much Love for God
Perhaps even as I say this, some of you are saying, "I don't feel very much love for God right now." There are two possible reasons for that.

1) You are not born of God...

2) The other possibility is that you have indeed been born again, but that your love for God has simply grown cool and weak. You've tasted what it means to have a heart for God. You can recall how once you felt that to know him was better than anything the world could offer. But this morning the wick is smoldering and the reed is bruised.
The prescription for your ailment is not much different than the prescription for seeking new birth in the first place. The same Spirit that begets life, also nourishes life. The same Word that ignites the fire of love, also rekindles love. The same Christ who once brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light, can take away the long dark night of your soul. So yield yourself to the Holy Spirit. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. Cry out to Christ for a new vision of the glory of his grace. Don't be content with lukewarmness. Pursue a new passion for Christ.
......

St. Augustine captured the heart of our text when he prayed to the Father and said,

"He loves thee too little

who loves anything together with thee

which he loves not for thy sake."

Do Not Love the World

Ryan and I had a great weekend! We worked up at camp as weekend directors. It was the last weekend of spike and doe season (as some of you may or may not know)...and Ryan was in his deer stand despite the misting and hazy conditions. It proved to be successful!! Ryan shot a spike on Sunday morning! I good ending to the deer season, when the last weekend is always a little sorrowful for Ryan..as the end of a joyous past-time goes by another year.

This morning I have been enjoying a little bit more of some BIRTHDAY POSTCARDS! (No shudders please...). This has become one of my favorite duties of my job, b/c it gives me the time and attention to listen to some good sermons. Today's was from Mr. John Piper...Do Not Love the World. It was definantly to the point, and bold, and convicting, and encouraging all together. I encourage all of you if you have time to listen to this, and be reminded as I was, that our desire should be upmost to LOVE God, and this will be our motivator to turn away from teh things of the world. Here's a great quote:

In other words it is our love for God that overcomes the obstacles of disobedience and makes the commandments of God a joy rather than a burden. "Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her" (Genesis 29:20). Love for God makes his service a joy and overcomes the forces of disobedience. -- Piper

The Lightlings

I forgot to talk about the
best part of our trip! While spending time with the Moore family we had some Great conversations about the gospel. Ryan and I both had some one on one time with Aundera and Jonah to talk about Christ, baptism, and some essentials of the Christian faith. We talked about my dad, and blessing of knowing that he was a believer. I told them about the funeral, and how it was a time to really celebrate by dad, and his character, and how much we loved him. But even more than that, it was a time to talk about how much my dad loved Christ, and the truth of the gospel!! It was so neat to see how the Lord has already begun to soften their hearts. Aundera was baptized this past year, so we have been really continuing to talk about the gospel. While in the car with Jonah, we listened to this children's book, narrated by R.C. Sproul, called the Lightlings. It is a GREAT children's book about our state as humans, and the story of Christ! Love it! Jonah asked all kinds of good questions afterwards, and then said, can we listen to it again!!! So definantly check it out! We downloaded it on our ipod for free...so share with your young friends and family!!!

Baby FEVER

Little updating from the Bebees.

Baby FEVER!! Ok, for all of you dieing and hopeing that this will read...
WE ARE PREGNANT...it will be rather disappointing. However, Ryan and I have had some serious baby fever (def: the distinct desire to immediately have your own child or steal someone elses -- I mean adoption of some sort -- but you need a baby NOW). We spent the past weekend in New Mexico skiing with my sister and her family!!! Great snow, great weather, and man can my niece and nephew tear up the mountain. Aundera is parrallel sking blues like an ace, and she's even brave enough to go down some blacks!! Jonah is loving sking for the first time in his life -- (small run down of Jonah's life in skiing)

Year 1 -- Jonah is 1 year or so...spends all day at a daycare
Year 2 -- Jonah is roughly 2-3. spends the day at the daycare/ski school/spend a day in skis but just throw snowballs
Year 3 -- Jonah is extremely sick, and is unable to participate in the Stephens' family most beloved past-time sport
Year 4 -- Jonah now 4 tries skiing again...while his aunt Sarah is holding him and skiing down, close to the lift line -- projectile vomit begins from his mouth...yes, all over the ski run.
Year 5 -- well the past year, I think he did better, but he still was definantly not thrilled with skiing...
Year 6 -- THE BEST. Jonah learns to ski BY HIMSELF down the mountain. Greens are NOTHING for this kid. And his beloved response: "Sking is fun when you can do it. I can even ski around someone Aunt Sarah".

So back to baby fever. Ryan, with the seperated shoulder, offered to keep our 6 month old nephew Micheal while we hit the slopes. Yes, you heard right, Ryan babysat for two days, our little beautiful nephew. Diapers and all. It was like Daddy Daycare (although don't stress, I'm not ABOUT To ask Ryan to quite HIS job so we can have kids -- although we did discuss it...). And Ryan did an AWESOME job. Micheal LOVED him, and it was a huge blessing of a trip to spend time with the Moore family. I'll include pictures soon!

Other than that, you people in Kentucky probably can't believe that they closed Austin/Marble Falls/Llano schools for two days for icy conditions down here...and there were even reports of snow. Ryan and I spent two WHOLE days sealed into our little apartment..and loved every minute of it! -- although we began to run out of food!

Update on my Aunt Deborah. Many of you know that my dear Aunt Deborah has had hepatitis C for many years, and it has slowly completely demolished her liver. A few weeks ago she had reached the point where she was put on a recipient list in Baylor. This weekend, she was called in to recieve her new liver. It is a very hard and at times, risky procedure for the patient. But the Lord has been so gracious to work out all the many details, schedules, family flights/departures, weather, and in his goodness, my Aunt Deborah is in a recovery wing walking and talking, and her new liver is already working in her body! I am amazed at the ingeniousness that the Lord has given man to bring such blessings into our lives!!

So keep Ryan and I in your prayers as we continue to make plans for the upcoming year. Ryan has his shoulder surgery on February 5th in Fredricksburg, and we will keep you updated on that as well!

Reunion 2007

So for those of you that are not in the all consuming, and rather enjoyable Buckner circle...WE JUST HAD CAMP BUCKNER REUNION. (No, not a cult meeting!)

Ryan and I were able to spend time with his family for Christmas, then head north to spend a week with my family. It was exhausting, and yet one of our best Christmas ever! Christmas day was actually spent with my sister's husbands entire family...hehe! We are a weird group. Ryan and I even did the gift exchange and everything. It was great! I am sure many of you had as many Christmas days as we did, but I counted about six (including the one where we weren't family).

Ryan and I made it back into Kingsland in time to celebrate our SECOND anniversary! PF Changs treated us right!! Congrats to all of those that with us celebrated during this time -- Riedls (Happy TWO!), Polittes (Happy SIX -- I think), Franklins (Ashley and Ryan!!! TWO TWO!), Jones (Teesh and Stepho -- THREE!), and my sweet friends the Gossetts (Three!)!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARIES to them all!

Reunion went GREAT! We had roughly over 80 people come through our gates for the infamous get together...even as oldschool as the Dawson, Bethany Howe, the Cates!! Ryan's Bible studies were great. We were all challenged and definantly encouraged. Let us know if you want the notes, and we would be glad to share. I look forward to lots of great conversations with you Kentuckians about these subjects.

Some memorable moments from 2007 reunion:

1) Yes Brent, the sick-out game of twister. Cliff, Ryan, Brent and K-Chap spinning the wheel.

2) As Mindy stated on Jamies blog...tons, and tons, and TONS of games.

3) We set up the back kitchen area for those looking for their significant other. We had thirty minute conversation slot times open (although I think you guys talked WAY more in 06), and then you could exchange e-mail and phone numbers if you desired...in honor of none other than my best friends the Butts.

4) And just plain fellowship. I was SO amazingly encouraged by all of the counselors and friends I was able to catch up with, share life events, and search out wisdom in life's decisions! Can't wait for camp!!

--I hear there are some great pictures on facebook...although I can't see them yet. HOpefully soon!

For those of you that couldn't make it...sad day...but know you were missed, AND you missed out!

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