Month: May 2010

Zero Regrets

Reminiscing can sometimes be a very discouraging thing.  One can look back into past years, and think of bad decisions, mistakes, and utter regrets.  However, as a born-again Christian, I can honestly say from experience that the only regrets I have are when I could have done more for Christ. I have never regretted obeying Him!  Never have I thought that life would be better if I had lived for myself instead of my Savior!  When I am in His will, life is simply perfect.  Yes, there are trials and tests, but we have strength from God to overcome them.

Why am I reminiscing?  Because I am overjoyed with the life God has given me.  I do not deserve any of it.  I am married to the very love of my life, I am in a wonderful church, with a beautiful home, no debt, and a whole life of serving Christ to look forward to, until He returns or God takes me to heaven.

Over the past several months, I have heard of some friends that I grew up with or went to college with.  Thankfully, many are serving God with there lives.  Unfortunately though, a large number have thrown away so much of their lives.  Some that seemed to be godly young people are now no longer  darkening even any church door.  The flesh and the devil have won the battle in many lives, ruining all sense of a biblical testimony, and making a large number all but disband from the Army of the Lord.

I took this picture behind our church last Sunday night. PA is very scenic!
  • I have never regretted my salvation.  Not once.  There is no greater joy in my life than to be redeemed from sin and hell.  I have a Comforter in times of struggle, a Father Who supplies every need, and a Savior Who died in my place.
  • I have never regretted marrying the most godly, intelligent, tender-hearted, and beautiful woman ever created.  Nor do I regret being completely pure at the altar; never having even touched her, let alone holding her hand, kissing, etc.  That day was, after salvation, the greatest day of my life.
  • I have never regretted one biblical standard that God has given my wife and I; from modest dress, to separation from this world, to abstaining from all alcohol, to conservative music,  and to faithfulness to my church.
  • I have never regretted choosing to give my life completely to God; taking my ideals and goals off of the table, and letting Him fill in the blanks instead.
  • I have never regretted giving one minute of my time to God: whether it be in prayer, Bible meditation and study, or witnessing.
  • I have never regretted choosing, attending, and graduating from my alma mater.  What I learned there was spiritually reviving, uncompromising, and altogether priceless.

I say this again: I have never regretted any decision I have made for Christ–any step of obedience–any standard.  My life is overfilled with heavenly joy!

I love these Bible verses…no explanation needed:

Psalms 119:97, 101-104 “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day…I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. “

Psalms 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

Colossians 1:10 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

One Year

It is hard to believe that we have been married for a whole year.  Trust us though, we are still newlyweds–and plan on being so for a very long time!

The graphic is a modified version of the cover of the anniversary card that I gave Andrea.  The background picture is from Mexico (edited with a few masks, and I think 8 layers total).  The foreground is from our wedding, along with the Webdings font heart (just type the letter ‘y’).

Giving Up

I despise giving up on anything.  Yet, I must admit that it has to be done sometimes.  Contrary to popular belief, Andrea and I are not professional food connoisseurs.  However, we both have a little idea about what exactly we like.  Several times we have tasted something superb at someone’s home or at a good restaurant, then gone home to imitate it.  I think that all of the times we have been able to get it pretty close.

Then came la Nave Pizzeria in Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico.  We ate there twice during our Mexico vacation, and fell in love with their brick-oven pizza.  I thought to myself, “I can imitate this.  It’s just thin crust pizza cooked at a high temperature.”  Not.  For the last few months, I have tried at least a half-dozen times.  Each time has been slightly closer, but still not there.  I don’t have a clue what it is.  So I gave up trying at home in our oven.  I thought maybe we just didn’t have the right kind of oven.  “Ahhh!  I can just find something at another pizzeria somewhere here in the states.”  Not.  Nowhere I have tried here is anywhere close.  la Nave was just so unique that it cannot be imitated easily.

Here are my observations of the uniqueness of their pizza:

  • The crust was extremely light.  It was crispy, but not like a cracker.  It was also extremely thin, but also flaky–almost the consistency of phyllo dough, but still different.  My wife and I thought the closest thing to the taste of the crust is the bread that is partaken of during the Lord’s Supper.  Go figure…
  • The pepperoni (or spicy salami, as they called it at la Nave) was the best I have ever tasted.  It seemed far less processed than any other, and much more spicy than what we have in America.
  • I think that the cheese was real, fresh mozzarella.  The kind that comes from Italian Water Buffalo milk.
  • The sauce was spiced with something…possibly fresh cayenne pepper.

Nonetheless, I have given up trying to find something or making something like it.  Alas, La Nave Pizza Napoletana is only at the place on the main avenue in Tulum, owned by a real Italian from Rome itself.  I greatly look forward to going there again someday!  Until then, though, all other pizza will just be normal…normal…not quite there.

The Simple Things in Life

Two married kids!

Getting Dum dum lollipops when we go to the bank to deposit a check…

Just going out for a drive together…

Scrounging for an after-church snack when we already ran out of snack food…and inventing our own, which was actually very tasty!

A cool breezes blowing in the window when you don’t expect it…

A phone call from a friend, and all the “catching up”…

The ability and opportunity to work, and the good feeling you get after putting several good hours in…

Remembering phrases Mom used to say like, “If the job’s worth doing, what?”  (We meekly and solemnly answer) “It’s worth doing right.”  And, “If we had macaroni, we’d have Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese, if we had cheese!”

Reading God’s Word, and knowing it is powerful, and has all my answers (Wow!)…

Seeing the words, MOM and (upside down) WOW!

Taking walks with my husband (minus the five ticks from the most recent walk!)…

Hearing the doorbell whenever someone walks in pizza shop next door…

I am so thankful for the simple things in life.  God is so good to us!

I Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

…And so I thank God even for the ticks!