Thankful for thankful children...

For thanksgiving, the Broome family sat down for a time of sharing. Lindsey, Joshua, Anna Bell and I read through I Thess. 5:16-18 together, sang some songs, and then shared what we were thankful for. These are the lists from the kiddos (in no particular order):
Joshua was thankful for:
- toys
- the color yellow
- the guitar
- Anna Bell
- Joshua (himself - he's a big fan of his)
- Daddy & Mommy
- the whole family
- Thomas and Friends

Anna Bell was thankful for:
- Sarah Hawkins (her friend from church)
- Cortney Jones (a friend of ours)
- bear (her favorite bear that smells like drool because she constantly chews his nose)
- Mommy & Daddy
- Joshua
- Baby Brother

Kids say the craziest things! I was so glad to sit down with them and discuss our thankfulness to God for all He has done in our little family. I am so thankful to have an amazing wife and two wonderful children. God truly has been gracious to me.

Evidence of the Fall...

I don't know about you, but my lawn is absolutely covered in fallen leaves. If you look closely, you may be able to see a blade of grass or two. Yesterday, I began blowing these leaves into a huge pile, and a thought occurred to me.

I wondered if leaves fell off trees before the fall. I would assume that before the fall, there was no sin, no death, no effects of fallenness. My conclusion, then, would be that leaves did not fall before the fall.

In fact, one of the consequences of sin was that Adam would labor on the earth. So yesterday as I raked, I thought about Adam, which led me to think about the Fall of man. Happy raking!

Surprised about the election?

Hello everyone -
Most people are weighing in today on the election - the presidential election, that is. I would like to remind you about the truth of the recent events.
While many of us were surprised, shocked, in horror and agony, there is One who was not so caught off guard. Imagine the scene in Heaven...as the news coverage revealed that Obama has been declared President...God saying to the angels, "Man, I never saw that coming!" Of course, this is not how things went down.
Today, I cling to hope that I serve a God who never sleeps or turns away. I serve a God who is intimately all-knowing and who wasn't caught off guard in the slightest. My friends (sorry for the McCain reference), we need only to look to Scripture for our guidance.
Can you remember when the Hebrews became slaves in Egypt? Why did that happen? Because there came a new king in Egypt who did not know about Joseph and what he had done (read Exodus 1). He enslaved the people of God. BUT - what did God do? He was behind the scenes orchestrating the Exodus - the freeing of His people and their deliverance from slavery. This was a foreshadowing of the great deliverance that was to come in the Messiah. Now, talk about God being in control!
Can you just imagine the reaction of the Hebrews when the news came that a new king arrived who didn't remember Joseph? Man, they must have been in terror.
Now, I am certainly not comparing Obama to Pharoah. Please do not misinterpret me here. What I am saying is that God is in control of our world. Look at Hebrews 1 - "He upholds the world...".
So today, my brothers and sisters, God is at work. He is in control. I slept well last night because I know that God is sovereign and that He will receive the glory in the midst of this development.

Weekend Getaway...

Lindsey and I were able to get away this past weekend. We went to Amelia Island, FL. It is as nice as it sounds!
We snuck away on Friday and got back to Macon on Sunday afternoon. Lindsey's Mom flew in from Nellyville (St. Louis) to take care of the kiddos. Lindsey and I spent the majority of the time relaxing. We went for a couple of walks on the beach, watched a movie, ate out, ate in, ate fudge...well, we did eat a lot. We read I Kings together and sat out on the balcony. We talked about our marriage and planned for the future.
Overall, it was a great weekend. I must say that I love my wife! Lindsey is an amazing woman of the Lord who encourages me and challenges me deeply. I am so blessed to have her as my wife and the mother of my children. I am so thankful for her, and I only pray that I can be as great to her as she is to me. I'm glad that God saw that it was good for man not to be alone! Thanks, God, for the helper and friend!

EPIC...

My buddy Josh Via recommended reading Epic, by John Eldredge. This was my first book from Eldredge. In just over 100 pages, the author paints the story of redemption. Here's one of the many great quotes from this book:

"The dilemma of the Story is this: we don't know if we want to be rescued. We are so enamored with our small stories and our false gods, we are so bound up in our addictions and our self-centeredness and take-it-for-granted unbelief that we don't even know how to cry out for help. And the Evil One has no intention of letting his captives walk away scot-free. He seduces us, deceives us, assaults us - whatever it takes to keep us in darkness." (62-63)

Throughout the work, Eldredge compares the story of redemption to the plots of epic movies - Braveheart, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, etc. Being a huge fan of movies, I really enjoyed this read. I would encourage you to read this book. I did feel, however, that the end seems to be lacking. It almost seems as if there was an impending deadline for the piece and it was quickly finished. All in all, it was an interesting read.

Understanding Your Teenager?

On Sunday night, we held a parenting seminar called "Understanding Your Teenager." This was a conference for parents of teens and preteens, and the speaker was Wayne Rice. It was an incredible seminar for everyone involved.

Wayne gave our parents great instruction on how to not only understand, but how to lead students in the home. We saw over 150 parents attend this evening, which just shows once again that parents are looking for ideas and encouragement in leading their families.

For me, it was a great day to hang out with Wayne Rice. Of all the books written on Junior High ministry, Wayne's is still the best. It was great to spend time with Mr. Rice during the day on Sunday. I was struck by a few things about him:

1. He was humble. You'd never know from speaking with him that he'd written tons of books, co-founded Youth Specialties, taught lots of seminars, etc.

2. He cared about us. He wasn't just another speaker that performs and then prances to the dressing room - away from people and ministry opportunities. He stayed after the seminar to answer each parent's questions.

3. He spoke highly of his pastor. He attends David Jeremiah's church in California. He spoke very highly of Jeremiah.

Overall, it was a great day in the lives of our ministry.

Broome Family Update...

Hello everyone. It seems that it is getting increasingly difficult to post on the blog. Please bear with me, I am a work in progress (usually). My family is continuing the John Newton Challenge this week (see previous blogs), and I must admit that it is a difficult calling to lead the family. On Monday, we sat down to breakfast and I read Matthew 5:33-48. As I read this passage, I wondered how Jesus was feeling as He spoke to the multitude. Surely there were 3 year olds and 2 year olds running about. I wonder if they stopped whatever they were doing to listen to His words. As you might imagine, that didn't happen in the Broome house.
Life with little ones is challenging. I long for the day in which we can have a deep, thoughtful discussion of such pericopes. I can't wait for the difficult questions and life applications that we can sort through together. Still, I do understand that we are laying a foundation for our children.
For example, this week we are teaching Joshua Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of God's glory." As we reviewed this verse, I couldn't help but think that someday my children would come to grips with this verse and realize their utter need for a Savior.
I have several friends who read the Bible with their children every day. To those friends - you are my heroes and I long to join you in your commitment. We definitely spend each night praying over our little ones - Joshua really likes to kneel and use his "praying hands" for these times. These are great times with the kiddos - but we know that God has an even greater calling for us - to impart His words to our children.
Here's a thought that helps drive us:
"Imagine your children reading the Bible each day because they've never known anything else. Imagine your grandchildren having time with God because your children have taught them." - Steve Wright
As I think about this, I can't help but be excited about the legacy we get to leave behind.