http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog A Window Into the Work of the Gospel on a Soul Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:11:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Baby Lo - 2 months Originally uploaded by cultivatethesoul In usual fashion, I've postponed my thankyou notes because I wanted them to be handmade and include a photo. Most of the time my desire for something special to demonstrate my true appreciation translates into delay... which translates sometimes into denial.. until occasionally ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=0 So, as the last days of 2006 approached, Erin and I decided to take some time to pray and think about what we wanted to accomplish in 2007 and what things in our life we wanted to work on...and we decided to pick 2 words that would define our year. ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=97 I've been gone for a month or two...have you missed me? http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=95 Jude - May the LORD be your counselor all the days of your life. Even in the night, may the LORD instruct your heart. May you always set the LORD before you. May the Lord always be at your right hand, so that you will never be shaken. May your heart be glad, your tongue ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=94 If there is anyone who is still bothering to check this blog, please forgive me for my absence. I have thought of you many times and prayed for some of you by name. Many people have let me now through email or comments that the sharing of our struggle has ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=93 I was recently asked to put some of my sermons on a site called sermon cloud. Sounds weird, I know. But here's a description from their site: Sermon Cloud is a website for a community to interact with sermons. What are the powerful sermons people are listening to? Who are the ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=92 Nags Head Originally uploaded by cultivatethesoul There's nothing like a early morning dip in the icy ocean...a quick nap outside with the warm salt water air...and then a jelly sandwich to kick off a good day at the beach. Here is a forgotten photo from Nags Head. (give it a click for a better ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=91 As we pass the 1 month mark of Owens birth, death, and burial...questions remain, hurts remain, memories remain, and hopes remain deferred. What are we to make of all this? Pious platitudes seem quite hollow, even if they are constructed upon eternal truth. My heart craves real, honest reality...real hope...real ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=87 I came across this in my reading today: Difficulty does this, it changes your perspective. In ways that are subtle and not so subtle, it alters the way you see your world. Perhaps it causes you to look at your world through the lens of fear and dread. Or maybe it ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=86 I suspect that for decades, there will be days of the year that we celebrate and days that we mourn. It's hard to do both in the same day. Like Mother's Day, we'll always celebrate God's gift to Erin in motherhood and remember the time she did get to share with ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=85 On Mondays, I had been posting blessings that I was giving my sons every night...but for a series of weeks I stopped posting them. No real reason, forgetfulness maybe. But it is a habit that I wish to continue again. But, before I post this weeks blessing for Jude, I ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=84 Bracelet 1Originally uploaded by cultivatethesoul. Davids servants asked him, "what is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for this child while he was alive; but when the child died,you arose and ate food." David said, "while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=83 I'll wrap this 5 parter up with this...The Comfort of Friends. Like I said earlier, I wanted people to see the comfort of God's hand in the midst of such daunting circumstances and the two ways that are most visible are through Scripture and through Friends. These kinds of circumstances really ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=79 The glory of a young man is his strength, right? A while ago I talked about being the daddy of a dude, well....my son has again proved himself "dude" worthy. Let me explain. Monday night we arrived in Nags Head around 8 p.m. We were waiting for the other families to get ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=77 Sunday afternoon, a good friend asked us to join his family and 5 other families in the OBX for a few days. It is a major blessing. We needed this and didn't even know it, I'm so glad that God used them to help us. Good friends, good weather, good conversation...this ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=73 http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=67 IMG_5740 Originally uploaded by cultivatethesoul. I though we'd start this tradition off with a photo that was taken by a friend and then displayed at the memorial service. I'm still working on how to do this stuff, so I'll put the others up when I can. But if you click on this one, ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=63 The Comfort of Scripture. "My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!" (Ps. 119:25) In the midst of pain, especially the pain of losing your child...it is hard to see and especially feel the comfort of God in His word. Words seem so small...words seem so distant. Though ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=61 Structure. It had to be right...the service had to allow us to grieve and to worship, to cry and to hope, to love and to let go. I wanted the service to have a rhythm, to carry us. In this time our souls were downcast and there was turmoil within us...yet we ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=60 Memorial Service or a Funeral? It may seem odd to have a memorial service for a child who lived 8 months to the day in his momma's belly and 8 hours to the hour here on this earth...what is there to remember that would bring any comfort? As I wrestled through this ... http://www.cultivatethesoul.com/blog/?p=59