“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags”
Apart from the Love of the Father we are nothing. Our burnt offerings and deeds are nothing but “filthy rags,” and only by his grace are our rags made holy.
“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
We were made to love and be loved, so we share our knowledge of the Father by loving Him first and others second. It’s not about what we do, but about who we love; the greatest evangelist is Love!
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Why we are grateful this week:
1) Last Tuesday night the students invited us to their talent show. It was hosted by the English Association. We didn’t realize how big this event was going to be! About 500-600 students attended, and Jess Shamblee was asked to be a judge. It was run a little like the final round of an American Idol contest, and we were exited that we knew about half of the final contestants. It was a great evening.
2) Our final English Club of the Fall semester was on Friday night at the Western Campus. Again it was exciting to see the energy that they bring every time we hold an English Club for them. Jess spoke again about the “Four Loves,” and this time she did not have to fight though nausea during her talk; it was only before and after Club.
3) Saturday we visited the hospital for another baby appointment. They said that even though Jessie has been feeling awful lately, the baby is completely healthy at this point. In fact, they said the baby was about three days ahead of schedule. It’s amazing to me that they can be that specific!
4) We also did some Christmas shopping on Saturday and then visited Texas Pete’s for the best Burger and Milkshake in Beijing.
Please continue to “think” about us:
1) Please keep our future plans in your thoughts. We are still trying to sort out where the Father is leading us for the upcoming year. There are some opportunities in the States that we are investigating, and we have not ruled out returning to China for a third year. Most of all, we want to follow the Father’s blessing.
2) The upcoming week will bring the end of classes for the fall semester for Jessie and me. While my week looks relaxed, Jessie week is packed with about 24 credit hours.
3) We are still concerned about next semester’s schedule. We will be telling the College about our pregnancy by the end of December so that we can start to organize our spring schedules. The biggest problem will be that Jessie will need to return to the United States at the end of May, and our classes will continue for about another two weeks.
Following His Blessing,
Brad
Apart from the Love of the Father we are nothing. Our burnt offerings and deeds are nothing but “filthy rags,” and only by his grace are our rags made holy.
“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
We were made to love and be loved, so we share our knowledge of the Father by loving Him first and others second. It’s not about what we do, but about who we love; the greatest evangelist is Love!
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Why we are grateful this week:
1) Last Tuesday night the students invited us to their talent show. It was hosted by the English Association. We didn’t realize how big this event was going to be! About 500-600 students attended, and Jess Shamblee was asked to be a judge. It was run a little like the final round of an American Idol contest, and we were exited that we knew about half of the final contestants. It was a great evening.
2) Our final English Club of the Fall semester was on Friday night at the Western Campus. Again it was exciting to see the energy that they bring every time we hold an English Club for them. Jess spoke again about the “Four Loves,” and this time she did not have to fight though nausea during her talk; it was only before and after Club.
3) Saturday we visited the hospital for another baby appointment. They said that even though Jessie has been feeling awful lately, the baby is completely healthy at this point. In fact, they said the baby was about three days ahead of schedule. It’s amazing to me that they can be that specific!
4) We also did some Christmas shopping on Saturday and then visited Texas Pete’s for the best Burger and Milkshake in Beijing.
Please continue to “think” about us:
1) Please keep our future plans in your thoughts. We are still trying to sort out where the Father is leading us for the upcoming year. There are some opportunities in the States that we are investigating, and we have not ruled out returning to China for a third year. Most of all, we want to follow the Father’s blessing.
2) The upcoming week will bring the end of classes for the fall semester for Jessie and me. While my week looks relaxed, Jessie week is packed with about 24 credit hours.
3) We are still concerned about next semester’s schedule. We will be telling the College about our pregnancy by the end of December so that we can start to organize our spring schedules. The biggest problem will be that Jessie will need to return to the United States at the end of May, and our classes will continue for about another two weeks.
Following His Blessing,
Brad
