What a great week around Emmanuel. I love receiving e mails and hearing about God at work in the lives of families. I love knowing that our families are experiencing the Word together and the Word is SO alive and it is shaping and changing families.

You should meet Hailey... She is so stinkin' cute and her mom sent me the greatest e mail about her. The fam is memorizing Colossians together, and Hailey was stepping up to the plate on the first two verses. Here is the e-mail that I received: wanted to share a conversation from our dinner table. Hailey, our 5 year old, was quoting Colossians 1:1-2. I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an opossum of Jesus just like God said. Our brother Timothy helps me write. We are sending this letter to our brothers and sisters in Orlando. At which point I said, “he’s writing to a church in Colosse. That’s why it’s called “Colossians”. Hailey said, “I know but I like Orlando. That’s where Disney World is and where Miss Danielle lives! You belong to Christ : ) This ranks as one of my favorite e mails of all time!

What a thrill to celebrate 6 people baptized as a symbol of their abandon and immersion in the Christ-life. I love LOVE baptism! We will celebrate this weekend with another dozen or so people being baptized. I love life-change and Christ and His radical revolution of our lives! I love the image and truth of the baptism celebration.

From the teaching Sunday, I am not surprised that I am decaying. (2 Cor 4.16) My hair grows in places its not supposed to and doesn't grow where needed.... my knees hurt... my daughter thinks that I'm too 'gray'.... my hands are wrinkly....... On a more serious note, as I make my way through this journey called life, it is so painfully clear to me that our outer bodies are decaying. I am disturbed by the decay of sickness and poverty and struggle and disease and pain and death. I love that there is an inner part of me that is being renewed every day and that will never stop growing and becoming and changing and, ultimately, being revolutionized by Christ in me! As I decay on the outside, I have the thrill of knowing that my inner core is exploding with more of Christ and more of life and more passion and purpose. I will never stop growing in my core. That is beautiful!

I am praying that we are a group of people who are well known for sharing an interior beauty. Our outside is such a small portion of our story, because our inner core is becoming more and more like Christ and that there is this sense of awe by the love and hope and passion that emanates in and through us. I love and long to be a part of a movement like that. May we invest more time on the strength of our inner core than we do on maintaining that which is decaying.

I hope that you guys have a massively great week. Enjoy Christ.

By Grace... For Glory,

Mark