More Missions

As you already know, we are headed to Guatemala October 22-29 for our first missions trip together as the Dulins. We are also super excited because we were just connected and invited to go to Kenya in February for another missions trip. This one will be through our church here in Cary and its with the organization "Build The Village." They are having a soccer camp with an 1,800 Kenyans expected to participate. Needless to say, Danny Dulin did a soccer dance when he was invited to go. Perhaps I will be invited to hold a Fashion camp .....

Speaking of soccer, Danny has ordered and received 100 "Wordless Bible" soccer balls for our Guatemala trip. For those of you still interested in supporting our missions trip to Guatemala, there is still plenty of time! Since God has blessed Danny and I with the finances to fund our travel expenses, any support we raise goes directly to the dental/medical supplies and the Guatemalan partnering churches and people. So you are not funding the Dulins, you are giving directly to the Guatemalans we are serving. I pray that God leads you to much generousity.  THANK YOU to many of you who have already given!!

Here is where to write/send the checks to:
Barcroft Bible Church
c/o Andy Richardson
9401 Little River Turnpike
Fairfax, VA 22031

Memo line: "Guatemala Short-Term Missions"
Please do not write our name in the memo line.
So here's a fun fact about the trip for all of you old McLean Bible people out there. Brijet's oldest daughter Rachel will be going on this trip too. WEIRD, huh? Or actually, yikes! Feeling old! Its gonna be fun telling Brijet stories to Rachel. And yes, I've already gotten permission!

Student Dulin

Danny started  his Historical Theology class last Wednesday. It is an introduction to the history of the Christian church from the Apostolic Age through the Protestant Reformation. His textbooks include:

The Story of Christian Theology
by Roger E. Olson

Confessions
by Augustine
(I keep wanting to say "Augus-teen" instead of "Auguston").

Imitation of Christ
by Thomas a Kempis











Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life
by John Calvin










Since he got his syllabus early, he has been faithful in reading ahead and we have so far managed to be disciplined about blocks of time for him to read. He will tell you he is a slow reader and it takes a lot of effort for him to comprehend/retain what he reads. This is not because he is thick-headed, but mostly due to his ADD and being out of school for so long. Its too bad I don't have the desire to read like him and he doesn't have the ability to read as fast as I can. We'd make a wonderful combined seminary student!

One of the things Danny told me he heard at orientation for new students was that if you are married, never say "I'm going to seminary, but say 'we' are going to seminary. You will not be able to accomplish this without your spouse's support and sacrifice."

And although right now with just one class, the sacrifice of "together time" has been minimal. I have enjoyed hearing about everything from the Apostolic Fathers to Gnostics during our walks or whenever. I am enjoying falling asleep to him reading to me from his textbooks. I am enjoying learning from him as he learns. I am a wee bit jealous too!

I have seen an excitement and a hunger being fed in Danny that I have not seen in awhile. Although most the students in his class are young single dudes (there is the first international student from Sudan and an older woman), he is connecting with many other students who are his age. Men who have already been a tremendous encouragement and challenge to him.

Last Friday we got to "meet" the whole student body and faculty at the Convocation. It was a meaningful time where the speaker admonished the students to be about the business and habit of praying NOW before the "work" gets started and how if you don't learn to work hard at praying, its not going to happen when you start full time ministry. It was a convicting message about how we take for granted the privilege of approaching God and calling Him "Our Father" -- that this was a blood bought privilege and yet so many of us don't think twice about ignoring our prayer lives. It was some good and in your face stuff.

I am so utterly thrilled for my husband, who for so long has prayed and begged God to send him men to feed him, teach him, mentor him and be the "Paul" in his life as a "Timothy." And now he is in an environment of godly men passionate to do just that. I am praying that he not only retains the stuff he learns, but more importantly applies what he learns and is more equipped to live out the Gospel fully as he is called.

Good stuff. I'm giving him an A+ already :)

Superficial Cute Cuddly Puppy Pix

Yes, I've become one of those people who are constantly taking pictures of her dog. But my puppy is so cute! I can't stand it! In fact, he is such an easy puppy, if every puppy was this good and chill, I'd tell everyone to get a puppy!

He is 99.9% potty trained. Loves walks and we are now doing 2.5 miles twice daily (it is good for me to get back into exercising!), sleeps through the night, sleeps a lot during the day, terrorizes Bitty without fear, waits to receive permission to eat his food, 100% crate trained, 85% obedient, and still enjoys snuggling.

Jasper has not quite grown into his ears, but his coat is a gorgeous deep chocolate brown and he looks like a real chocolate lab!

Here is a pic from several weeks ago.

 

Now look how big he is!

 

 Clifford has no chance. He's already "lost" both ears.

Year Two

We treat Lauren to dinner the night before -- SUSHI!

Last Friday, Lauren returned to UNC for her 2nd year. It was with little fanfare (unlike last year) and the logistics all went so smoothly it felt pretty uneventful. In about two hours, we were able to unload, unpack and organize her stuff and we were gone.

Her "home" this year is a considerable upgrade from last year's dorm room -- same layout but newer: fully air-conditioned, nice bathrooms, great views from her window and balcony. Her new roomate Elizabeth was not there (but had already moved in). We continue to pray that Elizabeth might be a Christian; as of now her similar "lifestyle" to Lauren's is something we are very grateful for. We did notice a book she is reading titled: "God's Promises for the Graduate."

Lauren is also excited about her suitemates two of whom she knew and one she was pretty good friends with. From what we heard, its quite the "diverse" suite even with a Vietnamese girl too!! :)

After unpacking, we all held hands and Danny prayed over Lauren. There were sweet hugs and off we went. Danny and I were looking forward to our "empty nesting" again. It has been a challenging summer with Lauren. That's not to say she was always challenging. I have struggled in my methods of parenting for sure -- parenting adult children who are still dependent on you is by far the most difficult "phase" of parenting I have experienced. Thank God Danny is doing most of it for me!

I found myself surprisingly sad or bittersweet as we drove home. The idea that my impact, influence, and the need for me in Lauren's life continues to slip away and I know its suppose to be that way or rather those things "shift." I struggle with thinking, remembering all the ways I have failed my daughter, even as recent as this past summer.

Please pray for my Lauren. Pray for her to not only hear the truth regularly but to live it. Pray for her to live out the Gospel daily whether studying, hanging with friends, or whatever. It is a big, scary, ugly, mean, broken, destructive world out there and Satan would not have it any other way. Pray that I remember He who is in her is greater than he who is in the world......

Master packer Danny Dulin

Master organizer, Jacqueline Dulin

Master Put-Together-Weird-Dorm-Furniture-Man, Danny Dulin.

Sportin' the UNC Ram. Go TAR HEELS!

They grow up so tall and so fast.

God is FOR You

Another great Fresh Start from Andy Richardson:

God is for you today.  The Bible puts it this way, “a good man’s steps are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23).  You may not be where you want to be yet, but God is getting you where you need to be.  The temptation is to look at the things that are wrong in your life, rather than to magnify God and the things that are going right.  If you focus on the things you don’t have control over, or the things that aren’t fixed yet, you will lose sight of the One who is busy at work ordering your steps.

• Ask for a renewed perspective on what God is doing in your life today.

Joseph almost lost sight of the fact that God was at work in his life.  His brothers had betrayed him.  He was unjustly accused and thrown in jail where he waited for years.  He felt forgotten and was filled with despair.  But God was at work ordering the steps of his life even when the darkness of a jail cell was his constant circumstance.  Years later, after rising to the most powerful position in the land, he was able to say, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).  Don’t forget that God is for you too today.

Kill Anger Before It Kills You or Your Marriage

"In marriage, anger rivals lust as a killer. My guess is that anger is a worse enemy than lust. It also destroys other kinds of camaraderie. Some people have more anger than they think, because it has disguises....."

A friend recently sent me this excellent article about anger by John Piper. I have only included the "snippets" but it is well worth reading the full article.





 

1. Ponder the rights of Christ to be angry, but how he endured the cross, as an example of long-suffering.
   
2. Ponder how much you have been forgiven, and how much mercy you have been shown.
   
3. Ponder your own sinfulness and take the beam out of your own eye.
   
4. Think about how you do not want to give place to the devil, because harbored anger is the one thing the Bible explicitly says opens a door and invites him in.
   
5. Ponder the folly of your own self-immolation, that is, numerous detrimental effects of anger to the one who is angry - some spiritual, some mental, some physical, and some relational.
   
6. Confess your sin of anger to some trusted friend as well and as possible with the offender. This is a great healing act.
   
7. Let your anger be the key to unlock the dungeons of pride and self-pity in your heart and replace them with love.
   
8. Remember that God is going to work it all for your good as you trust in his future grace. Your offender is even doing you good, if you will respond with love.
   
9. Remember that God will vindicate your just cause and settle all accounts better than you could. Either your offender will pay in hell, or Christ has paid for him. Your payback would be double jeopardy or an offense to the cross.

READ the full article by John Piper here