America Vomitted

We went to Jordan's furniture for Father's Day, and it was a real cultural experience. My friend Slick charmingly described it as 'America Vomitted'. It's basically a huge furniture store with other amusements under the same roof to keep the kids and Dad entertained whilst the Mom goes about the business of furniture trying and buying.



The Taj Mahal shaped building in the background is a 'jelly bean' shop with it's pillars and roof made of jelly beans, as are other enormous fixtures around this section.

Next to an ice cream store is a seating area where you can enjoy the water fireworks display.




The furniture store itself is a huge labyrinth of different designed rooms showcasing all the merchandise. In the kids' bedrooms the rooms are intermittently decorated with stuffed dogs, which Jessie delighted in congregating together in one big pack.
They're at it again.

Have you seen the new Spike Lee film? Sienna in Da Hood

Jessie taking a picture of how French she looks. How on earth did I manage to produce a daughter this beautiful. God was clearly mericful in not handing out my big features.

Lunchtime, haircut, acrobatics and kisses.

Here is what lunchtime looks like in the Doyle household. Thankfully Jessie has kept her lunchtime nap from 1-3pm which keeps us all sane, and Shelley uses the time to rest for the 45 minutes that Sienna sleeps in this period too.

Jessie is now sporting a Bobbed haircut, having taken her scissors to her bunches two weeks ago. Shelley was mortified as she really enjoys styling Jessie's hair each morning, but she managed to rescue the situation by giving Jessie a great cut, even though she's had no training. Speaking of barnets, tomorrow I am hoping to get my hair cut into the begins of a mohawk again, like it was before I got married. I doubt it'll look quite as cool with the hearing aid I now wear, but it will help me deny the onset of age.

Sienna sporting a onesie with a very appropriate message, just in case you hadn't guessed!

Two weeks ago this was Jessie's favorite trick until she bloodied her mouth. Obviously that didn't happen on this video which was one of her first attempts.

Our friends Matt and Pam have moved into our apartment block which is a real blessing, and have two adorable boys, Connor 3 and Ty 1. Here is Sienna being on the receiving end of the affections of a 'not so shy Ty'.

Retreat at Rockport

On Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon, our lovely wives, gave Derek (my good friend and neighbour) a retreat to the nearby town of Rockport. This was a chance to re-charge our batteries off campus, minus parental responsibilities, and to spend time with God.

We stayed at The Tuck Inn in the centre of Rockport, and spent the first 3 hours horsing around in the swimming pool, have various competitions (such as diving, swimming, water running, and float battles) all the time indulging in puerile jokes. It was great fun. The following hour was spent in devotions, which I fell asleep in the middle of, and then we went out for an Italian in a nearby restaurant. It was a great opportunity to talk about our marriages and future plans in a safe and trusting environment, and to share the common experiences of being a father and full-time student at seminary.

I was asleep by 10pm and didn't wake up 'til 8:30. It was absolute bliss, not only in terms of length of sleep, but also because it was disturbance free. After a leisurely breakfast, we visited the nearby Halibut Point, which jutts out into the Ocean, where we were able to spend an hour and a half seeking the Lord in our lives.

I am so grateful to Shelley for allowing me this time, and feel completely rejuvinated because of it. Derek and I had given our wives a similar retreat last year, and so in the future we hope to be able to let each couple have a day and night at Rockport, whilst the couple remaining looks after both sets of kids.

One of the beautiful rock formations at Halibut Point.

Walking through the woods to get to the rocky outcrop.
The pool in a more peaceful moment, before we got in.

Andy and Shelley, I mean Derek. The lithe Derek runs marathons, and is a keen runner as the logo on his shirt shows. It would have been good if my shirt had 'wrestling' on the front.
The quarry just before the headland.
The picture below is the rock which I sat on to do my devotions. I was a little nervous as the rocks were slippery leading up to it, but I felt God was inviting me to spend my time with Him there. It was a little object lesson on life, as although it was a little uncomfortable and scary to get to, but once there it offered a vantage point to see God's glory much more clearly. Rather than read and journal when I got there, I just sat and listened to God in my thoughts, and was able to contemplate life. It was very refreshing to see how the power and proximity of the waves spoke of God's qualities, as did the rest of creation all around me. Rather than feeling an insignificant spec in the great cosmos, I was able to feel a significant spec in God's plans and creation. I was reminded of God's omnipresence and omnipotence, and felt God tell me that I should see his beauty more in Shelley's servant-heartedness, Sienna's shy smiles, and Jessie's complete joy of life and sense of adventure.



From the rock I was able to watch many seabirds fly close by, and also watched a comorant diving for food and catching fish amongst the breaking waves. How wonderful it was to have the space and opportunity to see the majesty of creation in this setting.

Thank you God for Shelley, and thank you Shelley. I love you xxx

Sleeping, Sisters, Seasides, and Scratching

The result of reading at bed-time.

Dancing round Diego with friends at the 'Music Man'.

Here are some photos of Jessie and Sienna that were taken last week. Sienna hasn't quite managed the skill of sitting un-aided.

Although they looked very much alike in their first week, our daughters look quite different now. Jessie has brown hair, green eyes, pronounced eyebrows, and olive skin, and Sienna has sienna color hair, blue eyes, light eyebrows and pale skin. A lot of people have commented how much she looks like Pop Patterson from the eyes-up, and she also has the little dimple/ cleft that he has on his chin. Lets hope she doesn't develop his moustache as she gets older.

Seeing as we live only a couple of miles from the coast, lots of our outings this summer have been to the Ocean. Here is Jessie enjoying one of the more shallow parts of the Atlantic.

Making sandcastles is serious business.

Playing in the sea, without getting wet.

Here is Jessie trying out her new funky dance to the Music Man, before realizing that it gives her knickers a wedgie, and then subtley adjusting things.

Brokenness

Here is a poignant reminder of our need to be Christ-like in all we do. I have underlined the key part, and have included the rest as context. It is taken from "Liberating the Laity" by Paul Stevens. Page 158.

Brokenness, then, is not simply recognizing our psychological or spiritual weakness and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Brokenness is not simply keeping short accounts with our brothers and sisters, repenting, confessing and walking in the light. Brokenness is what must happen if we are ever to be unconditionally committed to the church as it is.

F. Kefa Sempangi, who was formed spiritually during the Ugandan revival, put the matter incisively:

Hardly any of us can go to his own Christian community and say “This is my body which is broken for you. I am laying all my professional skills, abilities, and economic resources at your disposal. Take them and use them as you see fit.” We cannot say this because we are not broken. We are too proud to give our lives away to people who are not perfect. We don’t want to lose ourselves for sinners. We want to find the perfect person and the perfect community, but we never find them. So, like Judas, we make only a partial commitment to the body of believers to which we belong, and we find our identity in our rebellion from them.

Daddy's Stinky

As part of her bed-time ritual, after her bath, and before she gets in her pajamas, Jess loves to jump up and down on our bed, shouting "Daddy's stinky". This is the cue for me to wrestle her.

Here she is with her dear friend Avery, teaching her the technique. I'm not sure what Avery's dad Todd will think of it, when she re-creates it in her apartment.

Come down to Earth

Here is a useful insight from Abbe Michonneau's Revolution in a City Parish.

"Our seminary training in the classics, philosophy and theology has put us a class apart.... Usually it means that we feel compelled to surround ourselves with those who will understand our thought and speech, and who have tastes like our own... We are living in another world, a tidy clerical and philosophical world. It is time to come down to earth!"

Important prayer request

Dear friends,

Whilst at a park in Beverly yesterday, I met a guy called John. From our conversation it was clear that he has had a lot of pain and suffering in his life. We talked for a couple of hours whilst watching our daughters play. When it was time to go I asked if I could pray with him.
I prayed that Jesus would show him how real he is, just as he showed me 5 years ago. Afterwards, he took my phone number. Tonight he phoned from hospital, where he was at the bedside of his girlfriend who has severe depression and the pure obsession form of OCD. He asked if I could pray with her on the phone, praise the Lord, which I did. I told Shelley about it when she came in, and she phoned John back and was able to offer hope and the assurance of healing and deliverance from this illness to his girlfriend Dina. Those of you that know us intimately know of our experience with this illness, and of the gift of healing prayer that Jesus has given me, even though John knew of neither of these. There are no accidents with God, and my meeting and conversation with the atheist John was no coincidence.
Please pray for deliverance from this illness for his girlfriend Dina, for a complete healing in the name of Jesus. Please pray that Jesus would show his love to her and free her from this terrible torment, as he can so easily do, and that Shelley and I can walk alongside or serve this couple in any way we can. I will be praying for Dina every day, and if you read this, please pray for her too, as the Holy Spirit leads you.
This is really important to us.

Thank you.

Jehovah's Witnesses and Emergency Dentists

While reading my Bible in the dentist's waiting room this Wednesday (nothing serious, just to have a temporary filling) I was asked what religion I was by a lady sat next to me. Returning the question I found out that she was a Jehovah's Witness, and so developed an hour long theological conversation. I patiently listened as she told me why all the world religions were corrupt, and how we should not celebrate 'secular holidays', before I gently asked a few pointed questions.

Before I go any further in outlining the conversation I would like to state that the lady , Jodi, seemed a very kind-hearted and sincere lady who also holds the Bible in the highest regard. However, those that know anything about the JW's also know that their religion produces a lot of monthly literature for their followers to read, which is basically a 'pastiche' of 'cherry picked' bible quotes to back up their arguments, 80% of which may from the original context, but the remaining 20% are dangerously out of context. This high volume of literature pretty much substitutes reading the Bible, and whether this is intentional or not, it serves to keep followers away from basic biblical truths common through out the New Testament, and fed on a diet of JW 'bubblegum' theology (lacking any substance, and prone to the sensational). Some of the JW beliefs/ teachings which are in stark contrast to the Bible are; that Jesus was just a man and not God; you are saved by faith and works, not faith alone, and so have no assurance of salvation in this life as you do not know if you have been good enough; and that the Last Days started in 1914 with the invisible 2nd coming of Christ. They have held many other dubious views, such as numerous specific predictions as to when the world will end, but seeing as these have all passed by with no event in the last 100 years, these are no longer mentioned to new recruits.

In light of this I wanted to ask her about some of these beliefs, get her response, and then ask where it was in the Bible before showing that the Bible actually said something in complete contrast.
In asking about the Last Days I was able to show that the Bible teaches that they started when Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 2.14-41), and that the Bible clearly teaches that the 2nd Coming of Jesus would be clearly visible (Acts 1.7-11; Matt 24.27,30; Luke 21.27). She seemed at a loss to explain this, but said she wished she had her literature to point out that Jesus had come again.

In asking about what we must do to be saved, I walked her through Ephesians 2.1-10 which shows we are saved by faith alone, and not by works, and I also explained that James 2.14-26 is not about being saved by faith and works, but that works are evidence of saving faith, not the means. This point really didn't stick though.

I then asked her if she knew she was saved, which she said she didn't, and much to her shock I replied that I knew I was. I then showed her Romans 10.9-10 as proof. I did not get round to showing her 1 John 5.11-12 as she looked a bit shocked. I asked her if I could pray with her in light of Matthew 7.7-8 and ask Jesus to reveal himself in all his truth to either of us, but she declined. The poor lady had been looking for a convert, and had unwittingly started a conversation with a seminary student. It was a very uneven debate in terms of Bible knowledge, and so I picked and delivered my responses carefully. When we went our separate ways, she asked if she could have my phone number so I could share my queries with an elder from their kingdom hall. I said I'd be delighted to have the opportunity. Truth is sharper than any two-edged sword and can cut through bone and marrow, and so one must be really careful whenever ministering with it. I had tried as hard as I could to be gentle with it, in performing a precise surgery in love, rather than seeking victims and hacking with the sword. However, she still looked like her belief system had been rocked when I said 'God bless you' as I left.

If anyone is inclined to pray, please pray that this conversation would have sown seeds for Jodi to compare her religions beliefs to the Bible, and for God to reveal himself in all his glory to her, so that the truth will set her free. Free from thinking 'have I been good enough' to knowing that one is saved as 'Jesus has been good enough'. It will also mean she is free to truely love as her loving actions will not have been for her own salvation, but given freely out of genuine love for others, with no self-interest. She would have moved from cupidity to the freedom of charity.
Please also pray that I may get the opportunity to meet with other JW's in the future and be able to open up the Bible for them.

Andy

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

This prayer is very special to me as it was read at my Mum and Dad's wedding, and was also given to me from my parents once we moved over to Boston. Few prayers compare to it in terms of beauty, and completeness for the Christian walk.

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace,
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.