The Ort Family

Our family watched Fireproof one night this week.  In our culture which does not understand true love as God ordained it, Fireproof shows that love is a choice.  It is the story of a collapsing marriage wherein one partner chooses to embark on a journey which will change his life.  He dares to love his wife, even through the fire.  I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.  Perhaps it will change your life.  Fireproof is much more than a good story.  It is a lesson in love, and is applicable to anyone's life, whether married or not.

By the way, there is something you should know about a certain scene in the movie.  It is refreshing to see such conviction boldly lived out.

It has come to my attention that many do not know that there is a very practical solution to avoid visiting all the blogs one is interested in only to find out that there is still no new post.  I had this problem once, but when I started subscribing to blogs, I no longer had to waste time visiting non-updated blogs.  Want to know how it works?  Please take the time to visit any of the following tutorials to find out how your use of time in keeping up with friends could be improved.

21st Century Time Saving

What is RSS Feed?

Find the Best RSS Feed Readers

Screencast that explains RSS and subscribing to blogs (understandable for those who don't comprehend technical speech…like me )

How to Get Started with Google Reader

Introduction to Google Reader (a video describing the service I use at the moment)

Disclaimer: I do not endorse all of the information contained in the above sites.  Please use discretion when browsing.

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;            
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.            
See if there be some wicked way in me;            
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.            
            
I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;            
Fulfill Thy word, and make me pure within.            
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;            
Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.            
            
Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;            
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine.            
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;            
I now surrender, Lord – in me abide.            
            
O Holy Ghost, Revival comes from Thee;            
Send a revival, Start the work in me.            
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;            
For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.           

Tune: Eventide  page 295, Abide with Me

The songs we sang at Sovereign Grace Teen Camp glorified God in lyrics and instrumentation.  Below is the first poem that can be sung to a common tune.

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An Exhortation to Gospel Preachers  by Daniel Parks

We have gathered in this chapel, having come from far and near;
We are weary from our travel; some good news we long to hear.
So to him who is our preacher we would make this one request:
Prove yourself to be the teacher of the One who'll give us rest.

Chorus
Tell us not of self-salvation through an act of man's free will
It will bring no consolation; having heard we're hungry still
O, we long to see the glory of our God in Jesus' face;
Tell us now that blessed story of His free and sovereign grace.

Tell us how we did inherit Adam's sin, depravity;
Neither virtue, good, nor merit is in our ability.
But the prophets and apostles have declared the blessed word
In the law and in the gospels:  "Salvation is of the LORD".

Tell us of the One in heaven Who, before the world began,
purposed that His grace be given to our race of fallen man.
Tell us of predestination:  How that God upon His throne
Made a sovereign free election of the souls He calls His own.

Tell us of the Christ Lord Jesus Who has died for God's elect;
His blood ransoms and releases them from sin and its effect.
Everyone for whom He suffered shall be saved and justified,
And at last they shall be ushered into heav'n to be His bride.

Tell us of the Holy Spirit, blessed gift of God to men;
God's elect are without merit, yet by Him are born again.
He will find them undeserving, but He'll cause them to believe,
And will make them persevering 'til the goal they all achieve.

Tune: Nettleton.  Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness, and purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

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Last Saturday, we attended the Do Hard Things conference in Dallas.  The Rebelution – A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations – is an organization started by two homeschooled brothers.  Alex and Brett Harris, 19-yr. old twins, proved to be excellent communicators during all the talks they presented.  Their father, Gregg Harris was an encouragement via cassettes and publications to my parents when they were learning about homeschooling in the 1980s, and gave an excellent presentation on our sin nature which culminated in attendees rejoicing that the Lord saved some people at the conference.  Below the photos is a list of notes from the conference.

Brett, Gregg, and Alex Harris during one of many book-giveaways during the conference.

 

Alex speaking

 

Gregg Harris speaking

 

Alex and Brett Harris spent the breaks speaking with conference attendees.

 

Browsing Book Tables

 

Do Hard Things for sale

 

Paul Stefan and Ana Marie speaking with a friend

 

Daddy reading in a new resource added to our library

 

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The first use of the term "teenager" was in 1941 in Reader's Digest.  

The current ceiling of expectation SHOULD be the floor. 

God has high expectations for ALL, regardless of age or any other factor. 

What is expected is accomplished.

Culture expects us to survive but not to thrive.

Have you reached your limits or just fulfilled the basics?

Until we get past our own strength, we won't need to rely on God's.

You don't get anything without effort.

Do Hard Things looks like:
1) getting serious about fighting sin in your own life
2) battling discouragement and complacency
    You will always face either of these temptations
    Do what's hard for you.
3) doing more than is expected
    Vikings had the strength to win their battles because they rowed themselves to battle                         
    Strength is built up, not inherited.
4) getting over fear of failure
    All effort, even failed, produces muscle.
    "When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud either." Leo Burnett
5) different for each person
    Men and women have different hard things to do.  
6) doing small things for the most part
    Obey Him in private because it's for Him.
7) your best life, which is not the same as easy
    "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult; and left untried." – G.K. Chesterton

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heart  = wanter

What we want in our heart defines who we are.We do have freedom of choice, but our choices are limited by our nature.  A sinful nature is only capable of choosing how to offend God next.

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Companions:

1) not just alone
    2 Tim. 2:22
    Eccl. 4:12
    Pro. 27:17

2) not just with peers
    Pro. 13:20
    1 Cor. 15:33
    Eph. 6:1-3
    Pro. 20:21-There can be a beneficial alliance between older and younger – strength + wisdom.

3) not just with people  
     books, movies, internet etc.   
     Choose wisely what you read, watch, and listen to.

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Practical applications:

1) have a hero  
    inspiration and assistance    
    gain their experience by reading their biographies

2) make friends with dead people (authors)
    read books that have stood the test of time 
    read great books, not just good ones

3) take advantage of the Rebelution
    visit the website
    find companions (ie. the Rebelution forum)

4) find the secret rebelutionaries by being an obvious rebelutionary
    spread the message by your life
    light a fire under others by your example

5) ask older Christians "What do you wish you had known when you were my age?"

6) seek God
    the ultimate Companion
    know Him to live for Him

7) change something
    just being excited doesn't change anything
    structural(real support), not behavioral(emotion) change
    sin and weight(not necessarily sin) both keep you from something
    you can't change something in your life until you change something

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You can do hard things because CHRIST did the ultimate hard thing. 

You owe Him your life.

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I read this biographical sketch while studying Discrete Mathematics and its Applications, Sixth Edition, by Kenneth H. Rosen (these paragraphs are on page 635 of the International Marketplace Edition of the text).

Leonhard Euler was the son of a Calvinist minister from the vicinity of Basel, Switzerland. At 13 he entered the University of Basel, pursuing a career in theology, as his father wished. At the university Euler was tutored by Johann Bernoulli of the famous Bernoulli family of mathematicians. His interest and skills led him to abandon his theological studies and take up mathematics. Euler obtained his master’s degree in philosophy at the age of 16. In 1727 Peter the Great invited him to join the Academy at St. Petersburg. In 1741 he moved to the Berlin Academy, where he stayed until 1766. He then returned to St. Petersburg, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Euler was incredibly prolific, contributing to many areas of mathematics, including number theory, combinatorics, and analysis, as well as its applications to such areas as music and naval architecture. He wrote over 1100 books and papers and left so much unpublished work that it took 47 years after he died for all his work to be published. During his life his papers accumulated so quickly that he kept a large pile of articles awaiting publication. The Berlin Academy published the papers on top of this pile so later results were often published before the results they depended on or superseded. Euler had 13 children and was able to continue his work while a child or two bounced on his knees. He was blind for the last 17 years of his life, but because of his fantastic memory this did not diminish his mathematical output. The project of publishing his collected works, undertaken by the Swiss Society of Natural Science, is ongoing and will require more than 75 volumes.

The accomplishments of Leonhard Euler were certainly impressive, ones that ought to encourage me to strive for greater accomplishment in all areas of learning that I am pursuing.

Years ago, our family reading project was On the Far Side of Liglig Mountain – The Adventures of an American Family in Nepal.  (more…)

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