Sweet Caroline

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. (Psalm 139:17,18)

Within my primary Bible is a list of verses used for daily meditation. How fitting that this is the verse that is listed on March 14th. When pondering God's thoughts for us, we count the blessings that He has bestowed upon us. On March 14th we were blessed with an addition to the Vandenburg clan with the birth of our daughter Caroline Elise Vandenburg.
Many times we take God's blessings for granted: a raise at work, a new job, a sunny day, a rainy day, or any variations on the good things that happen to us. The birth of a child tends to put everything into perspective. While all those other things are nice, nothing compares to holding your child for the first time. You look at their small faces and tiny bodies, the very image that was created by two people. (Thankfully, Caroline's image is closer to Jennifer than me, though we still see me, something about stubbornness, I don't understand that though, since I am not stubborn). Realizing that they will depend upon you for everything. They can accomplish nothing without your help.
It is very similar to how God views us. He sees our small faces and tiny bodies, created in His very own image. We are created to rely on Him for everything, and apart from Him, we can accomplish nothing. When we are fussy and worn out, God cradles us in His arms, sings us a lullaby and soon, we are at peace with Him. Whatever ails us, whatever troubles us, is gone. God brushes the hair out of our eyes, kisses our forehead, and tells us, “Everything will be all right, I am here.”
We have been given a magnificent and awesome responsibility. Nothing is greater than caring for a child from God, for God. We are basically renting her from God to be good stewards of His gifts. God looked down upon us and said, “Jennifer and Daniel, here is my most precious thought for you. Teach her well, and raise her with My guidance. There will be some heartache and pain, but there will be a lot more joy and happiness. You are blessed.”
“How precious to me are your thoughts.”
God bless
Daniel

Welcome Home, Roy

Tuesday, April 8th, I lost a spiritual mentor. Roy Irwin, went to be with the Lord that morning. I wrote an essay for the newspaper and this is it in it's entirety:


There are a few people that can have a profound and positive affect on many people without being in the “public” eye. Roy Irwin was one of those people.
I readily admit that I only knew Roy for that last fifteen years of his life (though he knew me when I was much younger) and even then it was primarily at the bowling alley. Yet, he left an indelible influence on my life. I learned from Roy how to approach life, with a Christ like attitude, using examples from our lives on the lanes. He taught me:
Diligence. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 NIV) Just because you throw the ball in the gutter, is no reason to quit. Continue to work out your struggles. No matter how hard life is at the moment, don't give up, continue on with perseverance until you reach the prize.
Teamwork. “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15 NIV) When one person on the team struggles, the whole team struggles. When one person on the team succeeds, the whole team succeeds. In the family of Christ, when one struggles, it is our responsibility to reach out to them and help them along. When one rejoices we are to rejoice in their happiness. The true testament to friendship is when one person has a good thing happen, and you are genuinely happy for them, not covetous of what they have.
Remain joyful. “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV) When you throw a split, there's no use cursing or kicking things; you look like an idiot, the pins can't hear you, and you might break your foot. Regardless of the struggles we go through, we should give thanks in all circumstances and consider it pure joy when we go through those trials. When we get through those trials, we will grow as a person in wisdom and in our spirit.
Love the children. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 NIV) Teach the children the proper procedures to bowling. When dealing with children, do not discourage them, but encourage them. Get involved in their lives and teach them in the way they should go, so that they will not depart from it when they get older.
Finally: When you can't see the pins, use binoculars. In the latter years of his bowling career, Roy used binoculars to see the pins. When you are faced with struggles, do your best to change your perception of the situation. No matter how distant or difficult a problem is, bring it closer to you to solve the problem.
While many remember Roy as a bowler who was a Christian, I remember him differently. I knew him as a Christian who bowled. He loved Jesus, he loved his family, and he loved children. He always had a positive outlook on life. He lived his life as an example of Jesus, so those who didn't know Jesus, could see Jesus. Though I mourn for the loss physically, I rejoice in my spirit. I can see Jesus with his outstretched arms, embracing Roy and saying, “Job well done good and faithful servant, welcome home Roy.”