The Cross Eclipses Everything!

Hey folks,
I just received this great quote from Mr. Kettler by Mr. Octavius Winslow, and it is outstanding. Read it slowly...

"It is the cross which eclipses, in the view of the true believer, the glory and attraction of every other object. What is the weapon by which faith combats with and overcomes the world? What but the cross of Jesus! Just as the natural eye, gazing for a while upon the sun, is blinded for the moment, by its overpowering effulgence, to all other objects—so to the believer, concentrating his mind upon the glory of the crucified Savior, studying closely the wonders of grace and love and truth meeting in the, cross—the world with all its attraction fades into the full darkness of an eclipse. Are not Christ and His cross infinitely better than the world and its love? "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." -Octavius Winslow

Thanksgiving Family Vacation in Illinois!

Here are some pictures from our vacation to see family during Thanksgiving week! We drove to Illinois with my parents in their new mini-van. It was a wonderful time! Every time I come back 'home' I find myself so refreshed. It was a very relaxing and fun time visiting with my grandma and many other relatives. So hope you enjoy!

Here is a picture of my Mama's house. Christian, Vivian and I decorated her house for Christmas. Every time I go there I can't help but think of Psalm 23:2, 3 "He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul." It was such a refreshing time!

Above is a picture of us with Mama! What a godly woman!

My Aunt Cindy and Cousin Ashleigh (Above)

Janice, Aunt Janet and my dad's sister from Sitka, Alaska, Aunt Julia

Uncle Dee and Diane and Rick

Here we are with our cousin Sharon, and Aunt Opal (Mama's sister)

Here is where we spend a lot of time, especially Christian and I. This is what we have now unofficially called "Lake Happy" which is behind my grandma's home.

It was too cold to fish, but we spent many hours down here skipping rocks, shooting Christian's slingshot and just hanging out. You can see below that Christian caught a "baby frog" he wanted to keep it, but instead he wisely decided to let it go.

I am a blessed man!

And last but not least...an 11x14 picture of my big head hanging in my grandma's home. Vivian couldn't resist, she wanted to take a picture to post it on her blog...but I beat her to it! Check out that jean vest!

Bella - Great Date Night Movie

Anna and I really enjoy good movies, however, all too often there are so few good movies out there that one could really whole heartedly recommend. But here is one for you that Anna and I have seen recently that we really enjoyed - the movie, "Bella." The harshest word in the movie is "gosh" which is a real shocker coming out of Hollywood. Bella is a great story about friendship. Jose, one of the main characters puts on display for us what being being slow to speak, quick to listen and sacrificial to care for others really looks like. This is a story about two individuals Jose and Nina and these themes come up around the topic of abortion vs. adoption, as Nina has found herself pregnant out of wedlock by a nameless, faceless man. (So because of this, I can't completely recommended it as a 'family movie.') Throughout the story there are wonderful vignettes of family interactions and care for others. It is a beautiful story of friendship, care and compassion with no sexual scenes depicted, etc.

One thing though, that some might not care for, it is a low budget film, with a type of 'independant' look to it (concerning its cinemography). The picture though is very well done it doesn't have any of the flashy Hollywood flare to it (which we find actually refreshing). It also has some of the symbolism that might be more common to some independent "artsy" films, which does make it more of an intelligent story to watch. If you see it, we hope you enjoy it.

Here is a link for movies that we have found very helpful from Focus on the Family called, "Plugged In Online." They give movie reviews from a Christian perspective. ((I do have to warn you-they do seem to tell you "everything" in the movie in great detail so this would be for parents to preview before watching a movie or sending your kiddos to a movie. It is a great resource http://www.pluggedinonline.com/

I Love MONDAYS!

Most folks find a certain disdain for Mondays, because it often signals the beginning of another week of "the daily grind." However, for the Hoffman family, this is my day off and it is the day that I get to do what is most important to me in an uninterrupted way and that is to be a husband and a father...and for that reason, I have found a particular joy in Mondays. I also love Mondays because (as it has always been) it follows Sunday (I know that is profound) of where on Mondays my mind is freshly aware of being with God's people. The songs that we sing are still humming in my head and I get to have a day of rest and fellowship with my "first disciples" and "first mission field" my lovely wife and two kids. In this blog post, of 'random thoughts and musings' I wanted to just pass on a couple of pictures of a Monday we had a couple of weeks ago at the Overland Park Arboritum, where we took a family hike together. If you haven't be out there, I highly recommend planning a day of it, (or even a couple of hours) just to get lost on the trails and enjoying one another's company. We hiked about 3 miles together, had a stop for snack time, as well as stopping and observing the colors of all the leaves. It was a great time! And whatever your "day off" is, I would encourage you go and make those memories together. Have a great rest of the week!

Heroes Of The Faith @ Providence - Ron Goodman

Today I am starting a new series of blogs that will be coming up from time to time, called, "Heroes of the Faith @ Providence." Romans 13:7 says, "Pay to all what is owed to them...respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." And this last week, one great hero among us has served us so very, very well helping to mobilize us into areas of ministry to the poor and the needy - This hero would be Mr. Ron Goodman! Ron for the last couple of years has served the church so faithfully in organizing "Mercy ministry" to Prison Fellowship and then this year to Samaritan's Purse through Operation Christmas Child. As I have had the opportunity to walk with Ron, I see his heart, as I know many of you do as well, for those less fortunate. Ron, thank you so very, very much for how you have served us through the many hours of organization, attention to detail and your heart to serve. Last Saturday night was a wonderful time! Thank you for your sacrifice, your labors of love and your example! One day, I trust and know there will be many you will meet around the throne of Our Savior, that came to know Him through your obedient work, care and love for Christ. Thank you Ron for your example!

Likewise, folks if you would like to add your comments of thanks and appreciation to Ron, please feel free to do so in the comments section. Also, Ron is organizing a "work day" at the Operation Christmas Child distribution place in a couple of weeks, so be sure to contact him if you would like to serve that way. Thanks!

"The Roots Of Endurance" by John Piper

I cannot recommend this book more highly! Of course this is written by Dr. Piper, and what has this man written that can't be recommended? If you are looking for a great set of biographies, his "The Swans Are Not Silent" series is outstanding. I have only read a couple of excerpts from other books in this series, but through the recommendation of my dear friend, Ron Boomsma from the Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, I have found this to be true "medicine" for my soul. I personally love to read good biographies, (one of my favorites is on the life of Jonathan Edwards, written by Iain Murray, published by Banner of Truth) however, oftentimes one can find that some biographies can be somewhat long and burdensome for the average reader. Dr. Piper has done us a great service through these series of books, by giving us much shorter biographical stories, while putting them under particular headings, revealing what he personally has learned from their lives. As this particular one, which is book 3 in the the series on the topic of endurance and perseverance. Let me just the introduction is worth the price of the book, because in those few pages there is enough "cultural shattering" material to apply to one's own heart that would take a life time to walk out. Dr. Piper points out that we live in such a day when men can be so weak emotionally and in their character, that few can be given the title of "one who endures." These three men's testimonies of endurance and perseverance under much trial speaks volumes to us. If you are looking for some good Fall reading, please pick up a copy! Here is a quote from one review about this book:

"John Newton. Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce suffered lifelong opposition and endured for the causes of gospel truth, missionary zeal and political justice. They found, in solid doctrine and joy the roots for habitual tenderness in response to their adversaries-without doctrinal or moral flinching. They are examples of remarkable grace. Here are the lives of three great men and focuses on not only how they endured great opposition, but that they did so without bitterness."

May we all!

Together For The Gospel 2008 - Video

Back in 2006, Doug, Derek and I had the most wonderful opportunity and that was to go to "Together for the Gospel." This was a historic conference, where you had guys from our family of churches, "Sovereign Grace Ministries" fellowshipping together in one room with Baptists, Presbytrians, and many, many others around the glorious message of the gospel. Being able to be there hearing men such as Dr. Piper, Dr. Sproul & Dr. MacArthur, along with men such as Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever, Al Mohler and of course our very own Mr. C.J. Mahaney. This next April, we will have this opportunity again to be "Together for the Gospel." This morning, I came across this video of "the 4 friends" having a conversation about the conference, and our gospel-centrality together. I would highly recommend you watch it. It is not too often one is able to "just drop in" on a conversation with 4 such great leaders to hear their observations on the gospel and their friendship. http://www.t4g.org/08_video.html I found it very humbling to attend the conference two years ago, and likewise feel the same today. Looking forward to April!