Our Biggest Adventure Yet!

Introducing...

Baby Adcock!

We are so excited to share our news and can't wait until January to meet this beautiful little person! Please be praying for our family as we prepare for our most thrilling adventure yet!

But If Not...

At Prestonwood, we are continuing our summer series "Life Messages". The guest speakers are asked what is the one message you would preach if you had time to only preach one more lesson. Justin and I were both inspired by the simplicity and truth of Dr. Robert Sloan's message. He posed the following question: Can we be faithful to the Lord in an environment that isn't conducive? It seems like an easy answer, but when you are in the depths of a trial, the answer might not come so quickly. These guys in the book of Daniel knew a little bit about being in hot situation...

• "Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:13-18

If you read further in this chapter, God did rescue these men from the blazing furnace, but He won't always choose to do so. Sometimes we will be in the pit of flames and not be given an easy way out. Some believe that if you ask God in the right way, He must heal us. That isn't always true and that isn't what has been promised to us. The only healing and saving that Jesus has promised is being with Him for eternity in Heaven. God has infinite wisdom that we simply don't have. We won't always know why something happens, but He does. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood that fact. First, they had faith in God that He could rescue them if He chose. But the actual statement that was of the most importance in this passage was the words, "But even if he does not...." These three men were going to be faithful and continue to stand strong against Nebuchadnezzar even if God chose not to rescue them from that fiery furnace.

Dr. Sloan then told the congregation about the Battle of Dunkirk. This amazing battle occurred during WWII on the beaches of Dunkirk in France. The German army had completely flanked the Allied forces on 3 sides, with the water at their backs. These soldiers were stranded, no where to run and completely out of options. One of the generals sent a telegram to the British leaders and on it were three words. "But if not..." These three words taken from the book of Daniel were the same words that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said to Nebuchadnezzar long ago. The general was making a statement that yes, they needed help, but if help doesn't come, then they will stand and fight. In what Winston Churchill called a "miracle of deliverance", Hitler for some strange, unknown reason decided not to attack for 3 days and the Allied forces were rescued by a navy of 700 merchant marine boats, fishing boats, and personal boats along some of the ships of the British Navy.

What will we do when push comes to shove? Will we serve the Lord when the circumstances are not so fair? The pressure of the world is mounting and it would be easy to just give in. Can you be counted on to stand up for the Lord no matter the cost?

3 Years!

I want to wish my fabulous husband and best friend a very happy anniversary! It's been 3 years since we said "I do." and I love him more everyday! We have made it our priority to firmly fix our marriage in our Christian faith and it has made all the difference. Another thing I love about our relationship is how we laugh together. I hope we never outgrow finding humor in our surroundings and in each other. We do our best to make everyday joyful, even when it isn't always easy. And finally, we strive to make everyday an adventure. I pray we continue to view life as an exciting experience and hopefully we'll never be bored!

Jesus: The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

Jesus: Always the Same

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

What comforting words! In our ever-changing world, Jesus is our one constant. He is the great "I Am", without any limits, completely unchanging, always and forever. Let's look at Jesus yesterday, today, and forever.

Yesterday

• Yesterday speaks of the eternity of Jesus. Jesus has existed forever and He is totally self-existent. We can look into eternity past and Jesus has always been there. Jesus is God. They are one and the same.
• "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3
• Jesus also became a man. He was 100% God and 100% man. This verse tells us that Jesus has completed His job. He came, as a man, to die for our sins. He is our Redeemer and our Friend. He has accomplished all He set out to do.
• "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3

Today

• After Jesus completed His task, He ascended into Heaven and left disciples to spread His Word. Today, Jesus is Master and Ruler of everything.
• Now, Jesus mediates between us and God. He connects us to God and prays for us at the right hand of God.
• "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,..." 1 Timothy 2:5
• "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:25
• Jesus is also preparing a place for us in Heaven.
• "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." John 14:2
• Jesus is now ruling. But does He rule your heart? Jesus has a right to rule every aspect of our lives. We need to resemble Christ. It is our resemblance to Christ that makes our relationship with Christ credible. We need to put Him in our present life because He is the today Jesus.

Forever

• What's to come in the future with Jesus? Most importantly, the second coming and the revelation of Christ. Jesus is the Victor.
• "I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose ride is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16
• Jesus is coming in glory and victory. He is our Savior and our Warrior. We will see Him in all his glory and He is worthy of our worship. Jesus is forever God and forever King. As believers, we will share in the glory that Christ brings.
• What we can provide for ourselves will never be enough, but Jesus has more than enough to share. Share in the glory and grace with Him and be with Jesus forever!

This sermon was preached by Dr. Jack Graham on 7.10.2010 at Prestonwood Baptist Church. It is part of the series "Life Messages". Speakers are asked if they could only preach one message which would it be? For more information, go to www.prestonwood.org.

Meatball Subs

Meatball Subs. Delicious, but not quite the healthiest meal around. I have had the biggest craving lately for one of these subs from Subway. Let's face it though, how many of us really know what goes into those meatballs? Mine are made from venison meat, which has less fat than beef. You could also use ground chicken or turkey. They were tender and juicy and very, very tasty. Remember the seasoning amounts are just a guideline. Use what you've got and however much you desire of them. Putting the sandwiches together was easy. Just simmer your baked meatballs in your favorite pasta sauce until warm. Toast your bread with some olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Don't forget the mozzarella! You can make them as big or as small as you like. We were almost out of bread so we just had a small sandwich. But there's good news! I still have plenty of meatballs left for spaghetti tomorrow!

Meatballs

1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, venison all work)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t garlic powder

3/4 t dried oregano

3/4 t dried basil

1/2 t pepper

1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 c milk

1/2 c bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients until evenly blended and form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean up), and bake for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

Hello! Long lost blog! I have neglected you. Sorry. Forgive me. This post will be somewhat random as I attempt to bring you up to date on all of my adventures in the past month.

I hope your fourth of July was awesome. Justin and I had a great day yesterday. I cooked some bbq ribs (nothing is more American than bbq, right?). We hit up a couple of fireworks shows in the past couple of days. We've been getting a lot of rain here in Texas, so it was nice and cool at night. Here is a shot from the fireworks show last night. I might need some more practice taking pictures of fireworks though. They are a tricky subject. Anyway, once again hope your Independence Day was great!

Next on the agenda...I turned 25 in June! I have mixed feelings about birthdays these days. Presents are great! I love the texts, calls, and facebook messages from people I don't hear from frequently. But getting older? Not quite as fun. I know 25 isn't old at all, but I think it's more the promise of what is sure to come after 25. You know, 30, 35, 40, 50!! Those crazy years. Oh well, I guess a new year is here and I'll make the best of it! (Note to self: plan fun things to happen in your 25th year.)

On to the cooking portion of this super long post. I made some caramel apples and they were delicious. I haven't really been in the baking mood for the past 2 months. It's about 1000 degrees here everyday, and I don't want to add to the heat with my oven cranked up to 350. We have been eating quite a few ham sandwiches for dinner. Poor Justin. Luckily, caramel apples are his favorite, so I redeemed myself as a good wife! These were really simple. Just take 3 cups of sugar, 3/4 c of light corn syrup, and 1/2 c of evaporated milk and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Add in 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk and 2 tablespoons of butter and boil that all together until it gets to the soft ball stage (or 240 degrees F). Dip in your apples and let them cool. This amount will cover between 10-12 apples. Enjoy!

Final stop...crafts! I had some fun with some baby blankets this past month. There are 3 girls in my Bible Fellowship class that are pregnant and we had a baby shower for them recently. I decided to use my newly discovered sewing skills to whip something up and I found a great, simple baby blanket. The babies are all due to arrive in the fall, so I figured it would be perfect for them to cuddle up with on those fall and winter nights! I had a lot of fun picking out the fabric and making these. Justin was pretty impressed, then he asked me if I wanted to make our clothes. Um...no thanks, honey! Here are a few pictures of my baby blankets.

So that, in a nutshell, was my June. I am hoping and aspiring to be a better July blogger.

Why?

Why? This is a question many want to ask God. Why do bad things happen? Why is there tragedy in our lives? Why does God allow these awful things to occur? Why is there pain and suffering in the world? Some would say that God must not be a good God or a loving God to let these things happen. Some say that He isn't all powerful and He can't fix the situation. But as Christians, we know we serve a good, all powerful God. So, how do we reconcile pain and suffering with a loving God? How do they exist together?


First of all, the Bible tells us that all of creation is polluted by sin. There were no natural disasters or hardships in life before sin entered the picture. Romans 8:22-23 says, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." This passage tells us that even the Earth is groaning in pain as we wait for Jesus to come. Humans are "groaning inwardly" as we wait on our Lord.

Let's look at Paul's life. This passage comes from 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.

• "Are they servants of Christ? I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

These are tough words to read. Paul was an amazing apostle, but he faced trouble and pain and suffering like no other. The road is not easy and there will be hard times. Even those that Jesus loves will face hardships. Let's look a Lazarus in John 11:1-4.

• "Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When He heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."

Jesus loved Lazarus and yet still Lazarus ends up dying (at first, anyway). He doesn't get to escape pain and suffering. Some falsely preach that being a Christian or being saved will keep you from harm, and that simply isn't true. Jesus never promises us a perfect life here on this Earth and your faith can't keep you or make you healthy or wealthy.

The train of suffering and hardship runs on two tracks. These two items are of the most importance to God.

1. The Gospel and Glory of God. In all things, God must receive the glory.
2. The Purity and Refining of our Faith. Faith is purified and grown by the trials we face.

• "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7
• "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, no lacking anything." James 1:2-4

So, we will face tragedy and struggles, but we should turn to God and be honest with Him about our feelings. It is human nature to want to run the other way. But instead of running away from Jesus when tragedy strikes, we should run to Him and tell Him how we feel. Jesus can handle our heartache, anger, and questions. Let's look at some examples in the Bible of when men and women of great faith ran to God with questions.

• "When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him but Mary stayed at home. 'Lord,' Martha said to Jesus, 'if you had been here my brother would not have died." John 11:20-21
• "I say to God my Rock, 'Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in mourning, oppressed by the enemy?' My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'" Psalm 42:9-10
• "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'--which means, 'My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?'" Matthew 27:46

Here Martha, King David, and even Jesus ask God why. Why did this happen? But if we look at the next verse in the passage in Psalms, David gives us some inspirational words.

• "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:11

In times of hardship, remind yourself where hope comes from, as David did. Hope comes from Jesus. We won't always have an answer to our many questions or see the full picture. We only get to see a small slice of the big screen, but God sees the big beautiful picture. In the end, all things will be made right according to God's great design.

• "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

We've discovered that we often won't know why things happen, but what do we know for sure?

1. Our suffering is not a punishment. We are not being condemned, but our suffering is done so that God may have the glory in our lives or that our faith may be refined.

• "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
• "'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" John 9:3

2. Our suffering is temporary.

• "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18
• "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us and eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
• "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." 1 Peter 1:6
• "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast." 2 Peter 5:6-10

3. God's Spirit lives in us, comforts us, and prays for us. When we don't know what to say, the Spirit of God will pray what needs to be prayed.

• "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27

4. God will transfer evil, suffering, and pain into good.

• "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

5. God loves us! Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

• "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39

We will suffer in this life. Even Jesus suffered on Earth. But God has been the only one who has done anything about our pain. He gave us Jesus, who gives us hope. We should share that hope with others. Don't waste your pain, share it with other people. It may offer them some comfort and they can find hope in Jesus as well.

• "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3-7