Anniversary Gift to My Husband

Our anniversary was nearly two months ago, but a gift I gave is still bringing joy and tears to my beloved.

I asked my son Jordan to help me make this, and he did a great job. I chose most of the pictures, but he did everything else--including changing it dozens of times to please his mother. :-)

He also put the surprise Anniversary greeting on the end.

The song was one we had sung at our wedding--it was almost brand new at the time. I had no idea it would become a common wedding song.

By the way, the photo of me in my wedding dress near the end of the video was taken on this 20th anniversary. :-)

Thought others might enjoy a quick chronological trip through the first 20 years of our marriage. May God receive all the glory for His goodness to us.

~Jill

Happy Mother's Day, My Dear Wife!!

Mother's Day is a special day to honor the blessing and nobility of the high calling of motherhood! It is with warm affection that I wish my dearly beloved wife a very Happy Mother's Day today!

Jill, I love you very much and I am so grateful to have you as the mother to our dear and precious children! I appreciate your deep Christian commitment and your desire to help me in raising up a godly seed for the honor and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ! I am blessed to be sharing visions and making plans with you for our family in the future - all of which we both understand are entirely dependent on God's sovereign will. May you be filled with joy as a mother and may you always know how grateful I am to be laboring together in this noble work of training the next generation of godly Christian warriors to engage the culture and gain victory for our Lord. I thank you, Jill, for everything that you do to care for our family and I pray that you will know the joy of the Lord as you serve Him in being a mother! Happy Mother's Day, Jill!

Photographic Definition of "Happy"

Says it all, does it not? Tirzah is 8 1/2 months old in this pic. She is nearly 10 mos. now.

J

:-)

The 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Sainte-Foy

The Chevalier de Levis gives the signal to charge the British

Please accept my congratulations upon your splendid victory, my dear general. I am the more delighted with it because it affords an instance of cleverly-executed movements in the field, incredible diligence on the march, and noteworthy intrepidity-- Colonel Louis Antoine de Bougainville, writing to the Chevalier de Levis

On this day, two hundred and fifty years ago, the French troops in Canada gained their last great victory at the Battle of Sainte-Foy. This battle, through a French victory, has been used to tarnish the reputation of the Chevalier de Levis, new commander-in-chief after the death of Montcalm. But was Levis foolhardy? Was this battle unsound and unwise?

Levis made a risky decision to attack Quebec before the British army came out of winter quarters. His famished troops slogged their way through the snow and ice from Montreal to Quebec.

On the British side, Brigadier General James Murray commanded the starving and shivering British garrison of Quebec.

When Levis and his army appeared on the horizon, Murray decided to attack. He dragged heavy artillery through the slush onto the Plains of Abraham, while his soldiers followed. The British were outnumbered, but Murray decided to catch and crush Levis with a swift attack. He formed up in line of battle, and his cannons opened fire. The French were taking heavy casualties from the bombardment, which began to equalize the numbers of combatants. On one flank of the armies was a blockhouse, on the other, a windmill.

Bitter fighting raged in the windmill. It was taken and retaken by British light infantry, French grenadiers, His Britannic Majesty George II’s 35th Regiment, and His Most Christian Majesty Louis XV’s Bearn Regiment, all in turn. On the other flank, Rangers manned the blockhouse, but the French wiped them out.

The French held both strong positions on the flanks, and Levis launched attacks on the British flanks. By now the Royal Artillery was out of commission, due to a lack of ammunition transport through the slush. General Murray realized the disaster, and sent his reserves into the flanks, but it was too late. The French regiments charged into the British with bayonets, and the English officers could not rally their men. In the words of Levis’ aide-de-camp, the Chevalier de Johnstone, “The enemy fled so precipitately, and in such confusion that the officers could not rally a single man.”

The British and General Murray escaped through the gates into Quebec, and both armies anxiously waited for a ship of their own nation. If one French or British frigate could arrive in the River St. Lawrence, the possession of Quebec would be sealed. At last, a British frigate arrived in the river, followed a few days later by two more. The French retreated to Montreal, where the last vestiges of Louis XV’s colony in North America were lost on September 8th with the surrender of Montreal.

This battle is seen as unwise because Levis did not retake Quebec (for more information, see the post on Battle of Quebec). But it is clear that had one French ship arrived, the Battle of Sainte-Foy might have been more decisive even than Wolfe’s victory on the Plains of Abraham. And had the French frigate arrived, the independence of America might have been delayed, or even prevented all together. For without a British victory in the Seven Years’ War, there would have been no pretext to tax the American colonies. And without the taxation without representation of the British Parliament, there would have been no reason to revolt against the tyranny of England. But God in His Providence was using a battle in the snow in a little-known hamlet called Sainte-Foy, and the speedy voyage of the Royal Navy to the relief of the British garrison, ultimately, to bring America her freedom that she might shine forth the light of His Word. May we shine forth God’s light in this now-darkened country in which we live.

~Jordan

Well Done, Thou Good and Faithful Servant - Ye Olde Essay Contest Entry

Here is the final entry that our family submitted to "Ye Olde Essay Contest", written by yours truly (David). This essay is titled "Well Done, Thou Good and Faithful Servant". I would like to extend a very special thank you to Vision Forum for seeing the importance of the pen and for coming up with an avenue to assist writers in having a God-honoring outlet for their work. May this contest have served as inspiration for many in the body of Christ to sharpen their written communication skills and to dedicate their gifts and talents to the Lord to use for His purposes!

The sovereign ruler of a vast kingdom addressed the victorious warrior with the following words:

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Thy commitment to this kingdom that thou didst show through thy valor and bravery is admirable and thou art indeed worthy of the honor that I as king of this land bestow upon thee this day. Thou hast restored peace in this country by thy protection of the citizenry of this realm. We are all indebted to thou for thy act of heroism in defeating the dragon that hast been threatening the health and safety of my loyal subjects for many a day. Wouldst thou please recount how thou didst slay such a powerful and formidable foe?”

The one who had slain the fire-breathing menace replied to the king by saying:

“It is indeed my great privilege, O gracious king, to chronicle for thou the events that resulted in this victory for thy kingdom. As thou shalt clearly discern by this description, I cannot accept the praise for the triumph that was gained for thy empire since it was not the ability of thy servant that resulted in this successful conquest, but instead was due to the providential hand of Almighty God. It is He that is sovereign over all, governing in the affairs of men, and it is He that hast allowed me as His humble servant to be victorious for His good pleasure. My father trained me diligently to rest in the omnipotent hand of Jehovah by consistently extolling His holiness and perfection.

“My father had a vision of multi-generational family faithfulness which I deem as a sacred trust. This vision has served to inspire me to perpetuate this legacy by dedicating my life to serve my blessed Savior wholeheartedly and to raise my future family according to the precepts, patterns, and principles of Holy Scripture. One of the important lessons that both my father and my grandfather taught me through their words and their actions was not to trust in chariots and horses, but to remember that our strength is in the Lord. The oft-quoted words of my father still echo in my ears: ‘Every battle is the Lord’s, for it is He alone that can give thee victory over thine enemy.’ In addition to the consistent modeling of dependence on the King of Kings, my father trained me to be faithful in whatever my hand finds to do by performing each task as unto the Lord for the purpose of honoring His Name and not to seek after the praise of men, which is ever so fleeting. This truth from my father had the effect of instilling in me a sense of duty and, thus, when I was made aware of the danger that was before this kingdom, I knew that I had to go into battle out of a sense of responsibility to my Lord, a heart of thankfulness to my ancestors, a recognition of commitment to my descendants, and an awareness of my need to show loyalty to this country.

“I have profound gratitude for the diligent instruction of my father who not only taught me important principles to ensure that I had the proper spiritual, intellectual, and philosophical foundation, but also taught me practical skills that would be useful in order to live a life that would advance the crown rights of Christ. Since being able to properly defend home and country was always important to my father, one of the skills in which he ably trained me was the proper handling of a sword. My father himself was very accomplished with his own rapier, being knighted at the age of fourteen by thine own father, O king. The commitment that my father had in teaching me to be disciplined with the blade was invaluable and the mastery that he had with the sword along with abilities that were given to me by my loving Creator helped me in gaining an adeptness with this weapon. While under the tutelage of my father, I made a commitment to the One who bought me with a price that I would only ever employ the use of the sword when necessary to protect my family, my fellow man, or my country.

“In the battle that was secured this day, the Lord led me even when I knew not where to step. It was He that directed me to the place that would be close enough to see the movement of the menacing dragon, while still being well hidden from his sight based on the terrain of the land, my concealment being particularly aided by those rocks just over yonder. Throughout this whole encounter, I was praying to my Heavenly Father to honor and glorify His Name through me as His humble servant. One of the specific requests for which I beseeched the Holy One of Israel was that He would make known to me when I should proceed with my attack. The dragon was unwittingly moving toward me as I was bowing before God’s throne and when the beast was only thirty yards away from me, he suddenly stopped and then turned his back toward me. It was at that time that I sensed that the Lord was directing me to make my charge, which I did with utmost haste. As I was moving toward the dragon, he heard me coming upon him and turned toward me breathing fire. After narrowly escaping the flames, I lunged toward the fierce beast with my sword. Praise be to God that the blow on this fearsome foe was fatal and resulted in the victory for which I am standing before you now.”

The grateful monarch responded to the man of bravery with the following pronouncement:

“Thou hast shown thyself to be a humble and faithful servant to the God of heaven, hast strongly upheld the vision of thy ancestors, and hast demonstrated an admirable loyalty to thy country. To commend thy valiant acts of faithful service, I hereby officially ordain thee into the order of the Majesty’s Chivalrous Knights. I grant thee all the rights and privileges of thy incorporation into this prestigious order including lifetime exemption from all taxes and ownership of a parcel of property in the best portion of this land, which floweth with milk and honey. Additionally, I present thee with this fair maiden who is my dear and precious daughter to be thy beloved bride. I consider that my responsibility as father to raise this young lady to be full of virtue surpasses all of my obligations as the ruler of this vast kingdom. Based on thy acts of courage and thy words of honor, I discern that thou art an upright man and the one for whom I have been praying to wed my daughter.”

The newly ordained Sir Providence humbly responded to the king’s proclamation as follows:

“I am honored by your gracious and generous inclusion of thy servant into thy royal family and I pledge my sacred honor that I wilt rigorously strive to always be worthy of the kind words that thou hast ascribed to me today! Long live the king!”

Happy 20th Anniversary, My Beloved!!

It is with great joy and gratitude that I (David) wish my precious bride a very happy 20th anniversary!!

Jill, I not only am grateful for the growth in godly womanhood that I have seen in you since we took our vows before the Lord in 1990, but I have heart-filled thanksgiving for how you have helped me grow in my roles of provider, protector, prophet, and priest of our dear family!! You are my dear help-meet and I am so very blessed to have you as my cherished wife!! May the Lord grant us a very fruitful and productive life in every area as we seek to honor and glorify His Name in our dominion work!!

I love you, Jill!!

Dominion and Dragons - Ye Olde Essay Contest Entry

This entry to the Vision Forum essay contest is from Jordan (age 15) and is titled "Dominion and Dragons".

My father diligently trained me in many things, but most especially in sword fighting and taking dominion.

“I am raising you differently from this world for a reason. You must learn to take dominion,” he would often say. “Find the area where you can do the most good for Christ’s Kingdom. When you have found it, put your whole heart into it. And remember, Christ has assured the victory!”

When I came of age, my family commissioned me for battle. I was given a full suit of armor and a sword.

“Remember,” my father said, as he presented me with the sword, “to always use this weapon on the side of righteousness. Never use this sword to suppress the truth or oppress the poor and widowed. God sees all, my son, and one day He will judge you.”

Several years before, someone let a dragon into the village. It began as a small, harmless-looking animal, but appearances were deceiving. The dragon rapidly grew into an evil, fire-breathing, tyrannical monster. A few of the villagers were concerned about the dragon’s presence, but most did not seem to care. One fact was certain, however: no one was willing to fight the dragon. In fact, several influential knights, who could have driven the dragon from the village, condoned or supported it. One even went so far as to say, “The dragon is harmless. We can be knights and have a dragon in our midst, as long as we control it.”

The only problem being, of course, that a dragon cannot be controlled.

The villagers who were inclined to fight the beast were silenced by these comments coming from their leaders. The dragon was allowed to continue destroying homes and farms. Whenever another house was burned to cinders, the villagers would either pretend nothing had happened or blame it on anything-- except the dragon.

My father had told me of this dragon. “One day, God will use a faithful warrior to slay this beast.”

This saying from my father was in my mind as I walked through the town. I halted in the village square.

“People of this village, listen!” I shouted above the tumult of the market. “We must band together and slay this dragon!”

“I like this dragon! And who are you to be telling me what to do?” a young fool scoffed.

“Get out of here!” demanded a shopkeeper, waving a stick threateningly.

“I speak the truth! The dragon will destroy your families!”

I have not found out who threw the first pebble, but it is certain that the crowd began to pelt me with them. I turned and ran, hotly pursued by the villagers’ rocks.

“Foolish peasants,” I muttered, when I was safely outside the village. “I should leave them to be justly devoured by that dragon. They do not merit any help from me.”

As I said this, some of my father’s sayings flooded into my mind.

“Son, we did not deserve Christ’s sacrifice for us. We must reach out to those whom we might consider undeserving.”

“We should not let our notions towards someone bar us from helping them.”

I knelt as tears flooded into my hands.

“Father in heaven,” I prayed, “give to me the courage to forgive those people in yonder village, even as Thou hast forgiven me. Amen.”

With this prayer, I felt a sense of peace wash over my troubled soul.

“Come and help us,” pleaded a princess dressed in blue.

“You must fight this dragon! If you do not, we will die,” said a regal-looking figure with a crown.

I awoke with a start.

“Lord, do you want me to do battle against this beast? He is fierce, and I am neither strong, nor rich, nor experienced.”

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect through weakness,” came into my mind. I donned my helmet, and went to meet the dragon.

“Prepare thyself to die!” I shouted into the dragon’s lair. “The Lord Sabaoth has sent me for the express purpose to kill thee!”

“Fool!” the dragon spat contemptuously. “I have killed many a better knight than you.”

“If I die,” I proclaimed, “be assured that another more powerful than I will arise and destroy you.”

He rushed out of his lair and charged at me. His sharp talons cleaved downward to cut me in pieces, but my sword blocked them. He let out a hideous roar, and a jet of fire blazed from his mouth. I ducked as the flames flew past my head. From my kneeling position, I lunged at the dragon’s chest, but his bony scales guarded him from my thrust.

His claws slashed at me again.

We both thrust and sliced at each other, but with no clear result. At last, I saw an opening in his defense. I set my teeth and thrust at his chest. When I had attempted this before, his scales had protected him, but now my sword seemed sharper. Is it not odd? Swords usually dull with usage. The scales offered no resistance, and my sword penetrated. The beast let out a hideous roar, and flames came again from its mouth, but it was mortally wounded. The dragon sank down on the grass and staggered near a lake, but finally became still. I took off my helmet, jabbed my sword into the earth, and poured out a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord of Hosts, who had seen fit to use me to advance His kingdom by killing this beast.

When I had finished, I looked up to see two people in front of me. One looked like a king. He was a nobleman not only in attire, but also in bearing and in manner. His daughter (or so I presumed she was) had clearly taken after her father in this regard. They looked vaguely familiar. Finally, it burst upon my memory. They were the people I had seen in my dream, pleading for someone to slay the dragon. The king at length broke the silence.

“For many years I have watched this dragon. I fought against him several times, but to no avail. Now may the Lord of Hosts be praised in that He has raised up a deliverer.” He drew his regal sword.

“Now,” he said, “by the authority given me by the Lord God, I admit you into the Order of the Knights of Divine Providence. May you teach men to observe all that we have been commanded in Holy Scripture.”

As we watched, the river bank crumbled under the prodigious weight, and the dragon plunged into the lake.

Here my tale ends. I tell it with reserve, for I would not appear to be boasting of my own exploits. There was no earthly means by which I could have prevailed. To God alone be all the glory for this victory! And to thee, dear reader, I address a word before I close. May this story of how God used a young knight to slay a terrible dragon inspire you to fight against the powers of evil. God is not concerned with our results, only that we obey him faithfully.