Saturday, November 29, 2008

Abigail Lillian Plumer


O Lord , our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens, out of the mouth of babes and infants…”
Psalm 8:2


God has given us a glimpse of His majestic glory and grace in allowing our daughter, Abigail, to be born on November 25, 2008. By His mercy, both Stacy and Abbie, are healthy and doing well. We are undeserving of such compassion and blessing and do appreciate what our Father has done for us.


Below I have written a chronological order of what transpired that day. I have also included some stats and why we named her Abigail. I have tried to conjure up some of my thoughts and feelings of the day. However, I am speechless. I marvel inexpressibly at how God brings a life into this world. It is almost incomprehensible; much like he is. So instead of trying to piece together everything I was thinking and feeling at the time, I have spared you and kept it brief. Feel free to comment on the blog if you like. At the very end is a slide show of baby pictures of Abbie and the kids loving on her. Please enjoy.

Chronological Order of Events


Stacy went her weekly doctors appointment on Monday November 24, 2008. At the appointment, after considering her previous history of rapid birthing and the convenience of me being home for the week from work, Dr. Jones decided to induce her the next day. We arrived at the hospital at 6:30am. We were put in a birthing room and Stacy was given a once over by the nurses. At 7:30am Stacy was given pitocin to begin inducing labor. At 8:15am Dr. Jones broke her water. After an hour and nine minutes labor, baby Abigail was born at 9:24am.

Stats


Abigail Lillian Plumer weighed 7.45 pounds and was 19 ½ inches long.

Why the Name?


Stacy and I both believe in the value of a strong name. The bible says that “a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1) Following this piece of wisdom, Stacy and I set out to pray and consider strong names for all of our children. Naomi was named after Ruth’s mother in-law in the book of Ruth. Her name means “pleasant one” in Hebrew. Her middle name, Susanne, was a combination of a family name on Stacy’s side and my mothers name. Ethan was a music leader in the book of Chronicles and his name means “strong or bold” in Hebrew. His middle name is Matthew, named after Stacy’s younger brother who passed away at the age of 23 from a rare form of cancer. As you can see, the first name finds its significance from God’s word and the middle name carries the tribute of someone in our family. Abigail’s name is no different.


Abigail means “a fathers joy” in Hebrew, and is found in the book of 1 Samuel. Abigail was a bold woman who did what was right by honoring king David when her husband failed to do so. Our Abigail’s middle name is Lillian. Lillian was my grandmothers name on my mothers side. I wanted to honor her because I believe she is one of the most influential people in my faith. Because of her prayers and her forthrightness in her commitment to Christ, I personally know my redeemer lives.


Saturday, November 15, 2008

Five Blessings To Restore The Joy of Your Salvation

A few weeks ago, my pastor inspired my soul with a wonderful message. He spoke out of Ephesians 1 and told of five blessings that the Father gives us through Christ. His hope was to show us the supremacy of Christ in the bible and in our own lives. For me he succeeded. I want to share them with you. I hope they feed your mind with thoughts as sweet as French Silk Pie and as satisfying as Prime Rib steak.

Ephesians 1:4-14

1. The Father chose us before the foundation of the world and set us apart for holiness through Christ.

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

The Father chose to set his love upon me before I ever existed. He does not love me for my own goodness or my own moral righteousness. I was born dead in my trespasses (Eph 2:1-3) and wicked at heart (Romans 8:7-8). I did not seek God on my own, and apart from His grace, I would not seek Him now. I was running as hard and as fast as I could towards the gates of hell. My Father in heaven reached out his hands of mercy and embraced my heart, whispering softly in my ear; “I will not let you go. You are mine.”

2. The Father predestined us for adoption as sons through Christ.

5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will

This was a predetermined act. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, chose to elect some to be saved for the glory of the Father’s praise. They did not do this out of a foreknowledge that some would later choose God. The Greek text does not allow for that interpretation and it does not fit with the context of the bible. First of all we do not have the moral ability to choose a righteous God (Romans 8:7-8; Romans 9). Our hearts are abundantly wicked and our minds are set on our flesh (Romans 1 & 8). Secondly, God would not receive the glory that is do Him. If we could choose Him, we could boast in our salvation. We would not be saved by grace, but by our own doing (Phil 2:8).

3. The Father redeemed us through Christ.

“7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,(U) according to the riches of his grace

The Son willingly submitted Himself to the Father’s will in saving sinners. Christ, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross for the redemption of sinners. On the cross, Jesus nailed our sin so that the out debt would be wiped away. The enmity between the Father and me would be settled and peace would reign in my heart.

4. The Father made known the mystery of His will in according to His purpose in Christ.

9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

It is no small thing for the supreme God of the universe to reveal to us His will to save sinners for His glory and our joy. He is not obligated to share what His desires are for His world. Consider it a double portion of grace in knowing that your heart has been spoken to by God. He has made known His good and pleasing and perfect will for your life; magnify Christ in life and death.

5. The Father has sealed us in Christ with Holy Spirit.

13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”

The word sealed refers to a believers salvation. Paul refers to a mark that is given to a letter to identify and authenticate the document. The document is thereby officially under the authority of the one who sent it. Every believer is given the Holy Spirit to identify us as Christ’s possession,. Just as a man gives a woman an engagement ring, promising to marry her, so does Christ give us the Holy Spirit. John MacArthur says this about the text:

The Holy Spirit is given by God as His pledge of the believers’ future inheritance in glory.”

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

My New President

There have been many thoughts racing through my mind since the outcome of the election. Some are dissappointing and nerv-racking; while others are hopful and envision opportunity. Yet, the thought that reigns the most in my mind is Daniel 2:20-21; "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings (and presidents) and raises kings up." The Amercian people are not the one who put Senator Obama in office; our sovereign God did. We only played an ordained role in the process.

Overall I am pleased with the outcome because God has spoken. He answered my prayers. I asked for his will to be done. Though it is not the desired outcome that I wanted, it is the best for us, no matter the consequences. Already it has forced me to pray. I pray that God will protect and sustain our new president's family. I pray that God will give him wisdom. I pray that God will give him a sincere since of value for life; not only in war, but in the womb as well. I pray that God will show him the magnificance of marriage by opeing his eyes to see the beauty of the relationship between Christ and His church; and that President elect Obama will protect the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.

I would like to encourage you to read Albert Mohlers posting on todays blog. He wrote a very thoughtful and insightful response to Senator Obama's election to office. His words capture the magnitude of the day, tempured with a touch of concern. He is a wonderful writer and will force you to think in 3D.

America Has Chosen A President