SWSBS 2008-2009

Here is our latest picture of the students and faculty at SWSBS

What is Truth?

Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) Have you ever asked this same question?
Below is a short devotional I presented on the subject at Southwest church of Christ on Sept. 10, 2008.

Discipleship University was a success!

What a GREAT weekend! Many young people descended on Dripping Springs church of Christ this past weekend for "Discipleship University."
It was a weekend of spiritual strengthening for our youth before they went back to school.
There were many great classes taught and Brother Montgomery (pictured) brought several outstanding lessons about what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.
We had over 50 students attending all the classes with many of them coming from several miles away.
God was glorified, His Son exalted, and young lives were spiritually edified. Does it get any better than that?

Stepping back in time

My grandfather used to tell me stories about how he would ride his horse to church and to work everyday when he was younger. I was always fascinated by his stories and wondered what that world must have been like. Well, I saw a place recently where one can get a taste of that era in time. As you can see in this picture, horses are still a common mode of transportation in places like Panama. There is no air-conditioning in the church building, food is cooked over an open fire, and people work from sun up to sun down. I am sure my grand father would have been able to identify with the people in Panama very easily.

The church in the Darien Jungle of Panama

I find it simply amazing that the Lord's church can be found anywhere. When I say anywhere I really mean anywhere. Take the church that is deep in the heart of the Darien Jungle of Panama. There is only one road (partially paved) that dead ends about 50 miles from Colombia. Along this route, one can find several congregations meeting in the various towns along the way.
This picture is of the congregation (and some missionaries) meeting in Sanson.
It is really heart warming to worship with brethren that believe the same thing as you, even though they speak a different language. I can't help but think about how excited Paul must have felt when he would meet various brethren throughout the regions that he traveled.

Youth Group Road Trip

This past weekend we had the privilege of taking the Dripping Springs Youth Group on a road trip to Glen Rose, TX where we checked out dinosaur tracks and fossils. We all had such a great time getting to know each other and many new friendships were made. We worshiped at the Poolville church of Christ and developed more friendships there. The weekend came to a close with one of the young ladies being baptized. God was glorified this past weekend and the spiritual lives of many young (and older) people were lifted. We are truly blessed.............

"That Old Time Religion"

I love old church buildings. I have been in and around church buildings my whole life. But, the really old ones fascinate me. I often imagine all the families pulling up in a horse and buggy or even in Model T's. All the ladies would have on their big hats and the men in their three piece suits (or their best farmin' clothes). I picture the preacher shouting and wiping his brow from sweating while the church goers fan themselves with the bulletin pages.
Sometimes I wonder what excitement there might have been when a couple of the old time preachers would debate each other some late summer night.
Religion was more important to Americans back in those days. I would like to have seen some of that history with my own eyes. But, at least for now, I can look at the old church buildings.

Andrea gets all the good shots

Look at this great picture! Andrea snapped this as we were driving through a state park. The deer just stood there posing while Andrea looked through her viewfinder! Why won't they do that when I am looking through my viewfinder (scope)?

Keep Andrea in your prayers, please

Andrea is my best friend. She has been my best friend for many years now. You would think after all these years I would finally figure out why she still has anything to do with me, but I haven't.
That's what truly makes a friend - when someone knows all your secrets and quirks, but still likes you anyway!
Andrea helped save my soul. She was patient with me as I slowly built my faith in God by following her example. I will be eternally grateful to her for that (literally)!
Everyone who knows her knows how special she is. Right now, she needs our prayers. Please keep her in your thoughts.
(This picture is at the County Line BBQ - Andrea is a "foodie" and loves to try out new foods and places to eat!)

An Exhausting Week at Camp

Well, I just completed my first youth camp experience. Whew! Am I tired! We had a great week with about 160+ kids in attendance and it wasn't too hot during the day. No one got hurt, but there were some hearts pricked. There are now 5 more precious souls added to the Book of Life. Many great lessons were presented and the spirit of the camp was a very uplifting one.
Please pray for the new babes in Christ and all those that attended that they will take the things they learned and apply them to their lives.

Wait for meeeee!!!

What a photograph! This was snapped by the professional photographer at the Prom Alternative. He took it when he was set up to take a picture of the Dripping Springs church of Christ youth group. Apparently, Josh Moore wanted in the picture too!

Youth Prom Alternative

Last weekend we helped host a "Prom Alternative" for the youth of Dripping Springs, Southwest, Buda/Kyle, and University churches of Christ. We started out with a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant, then went to the church building for dessert and entertainment. It was a great success thanks to the help of many people. It was a lot of fun and the young people told us they had a good time!

Gone fishing

When Andrea and I went back home last month, I got to spend some time fishing with my buddies. Josh caught this nice size large mouth bass while we were out in the woods.

Josh and I enjoy each other's company and we're both looking forward to fishing together when we get to Paraguay - as fishers of men.



"And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." Mark 1:17

A Wealth of Knowledge

A few weeks ago, Josh, Cara, Andrea, and I all met in Atlanta, GA so we could sit down with Robert and Mary Martin. The Martins are missionaries to the South Pacific and have been involved in that work for more than thirty years. They agreed to answer some questions we had in regards to being new missionaries. We received advice and encouragement that was full of wisdom from their many years of experience. Several of the things which they shared with us gave us confirmation about things we had been thinking of. It also opened our eyes to some things we had not considered. We were truly blessed to have this opportunity and to be able to spend time with them. We pray we can apply the knowledge we gained from them as we progress with our plans. Please continue to pray for us! God bless.

Wildflowers everywhere!

I cannot remember the last time I have seen SO many wildflowers! I am amazed at how many there are. I've always known that Texas had lots of bluebonnets (the state flower) but I didn't realize there were so many others. Andrea and I have enjoyed seeing all the different varieties everywhere we drive. As this picture shows, you can see how far they cover. We also pulled over while we were in Florida and snapped these pictures below of Josiah and Vivian picking flowers.