New Attitude

The New Attitude conference is going on this weekend in Louisville. NA is Sovereign Grace's "next generation" conference, designed primarily for singles and young couples -- but there is no hard and fast rule. The oldest member of our church is there along with 44 others! There's a photostream and a liveblog, and the messages are being made available for download very quickly. I've not listened to them, but have begun downloading them. Check it out.

Pictures

Last week I put a bunch of pictures on the photo blog. Enjoy!

Hanging Out This Morning

Still Here

Just a quick post to indicate that the blog (and I) live!

Life has been busy, but of course everyone is busy. I've begun a new job selling health insurance with my dad, so have been busy trying to get up to speed in that endeavor. (So if you need health insurance/HSA or term life insurance...) I'm also still leading our care group at church, which also takes up time but is a lot of fun. The boys are very challenging and/or lots of fun, depending on the moment. Asa spends most of his time moving at full-throttle and talking our ears off. Eli's favorite hobby is kicking his legs up and down. If you missed it, he's six months old now.

One of these days I'll get some pictures up here... maybe this weekend? We'll see.

2007 Year in Review

2007 was a pretty good year for the Forrest family. Here are some highlights off the top of my head (I may revise this later or add photos...):

* The most significant event of the year was, obviously, Eli's birth on August 30th. We announced the pregnancy as 2007 began, and the pregnancy proved to be more difficult for Keri as the year got underway. Most people (esp Keri) were shocked to learn that #2 was another boy, but we were and remain delighted by that news. We were blessed with a healthy baby boy (even though the cord was wrapped around his neck) and Keri was blessed with a quick delivery. I'll post a picture soon - its hard to believe he's 4 months old now.

* Asa began walking this year, among other new adventures for a very energetic, curious, gregarious little guy who has clearly moved out of baby and into toddler (big boy) phase. He's a sensitive and affectionate little guy, and we are often amazed at his sharp, quick mind. He keeps us on our toes and keeps us laughing.

* We moved into our house in February (though we actually closed in the last business day of 2006). Our care group served us mightily as we painted and made a lot of other changes/enhancements to the house.

* There wasn't as much time on the road as there used to be, the happy fruit of living closer to home. There was a trip to Gulf Shores (AL) in the spring to visit my family, a long weekend at the beach (near Charleston) with Keri's family in the summer, and a long weekend with her family in Gatlinburg in the fall. In between there were occasional visits to Atlanta.

* I had the opportunity to preach on two occasions at our church, which were really the first time I preached for more than thirty people or so. I enjoyed the challenge and learned a lot too. I also began leading a care group this fall, an experience that is challenging and rewarding. We are very grateful to be a part of Sovereign Grace Church.
* Some of you may be surprised to learn that I actually graduated again (in absentia, fortunately), for what I expect to be the final time. I cashed in my chips, so to speak, applying my PhD work to a lesser degree called a ThM, finally bringing closure to my long academic career.

That's all for now... I can't keep reflecting on the year that was because I have to go pick up the first dinner of 2008, as I await the Sugar Bowl. I may write more later...

Happy Thanksgiving from Asa and Eli

On the Ground in San Diego, Prophecy, etc.

3 links for you today, in order of decreasing importance.

1. Mark Lauterbach is the senior pastor of Grace Church, the Sovereign Grace Church in San Diego. He is providing updates on the wildfires that are ravaging that area and are affecting many in his church.

2. Bob Kauflin (also of Sovereign Grace) presents a very helpful and interesting discussion on the use of the gift of prophecy in corporate worship.

Asa and the Firetruck

If you're keeping score at home, Asa turned two on September 19th. A couple of weeks ago a local park hosted an event called "Touch a Truck," which allowed kids the opportunity to see and get inside all kinds of trucks, tractors, bulldozers, and even a helicopter. Unfortunately, some of the older kids discovered the unbelievably loud horns in the dump truck and cement truck, and the resultant din bothered Asa tremendously. So we didn't make it to all of the assembled vehicles, including his much-loved bulldozers (his favorite thing in the world). He did, however, enjoy the fire truck and helicopter.

This 'n' That

A few odds and ends for your reading pleasure:

• Life is still a bit crazy and we're more than a bit tired, but all in all we are grateful for how well things have gone thus far since adding Eli to the mix. He is quickly gaining weight (a pound and a half in less than two weeks) and we think he has acquired another chin. Asa likes him, though he had a harrowing experience the first or second time he held his little brother. As we settled Eli onto Asa's lap, the little guy had a substantial blowout in the nether regions - you know, the kind that sound like you sat on a half-empty juice box. Asa certainly heard it and probably felt it and it freaked him out. Funny, funny stuff... if only the video camera had been rolling.

• I'm still in the middle of posting pictures to the photoblog – not as much time to do that kind of thing lately, for some reason or other. Some are there, more will certainly follow.

• Our church, Sovereign Grace Church, has begun to build a more robust website. I think it looks good.

• Tim Challies has a nice (and helpful) post up today called Ten Tips to Read More and Read Better.

• I've added a few new links in the sidebar recently. They include Stephen Altrogge, the new CBMW (Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood) blog, the New Attitude blog, and Of First Importance. All of these are helpful and interesting blogs that I obviously commend to you.

1 Week

Eli's one week old and doing well. Asa is adjusting and now enjoys his little brother. We look forward to sleeping more as the baby gradually realizes that he has days and nights mixed up. I hope to post more photos on the other blog over the weekend. But for now we gotta get some sleep!