I used Reflection AND an embedded resource in a class this evening.
Maybe writing compiled code isn’t that bad after all…

Tara had her baby! Originally due June 23rd, Kevin and Tara had a baby girl, who looks a lot like her mom, born apparently yesterday. I have no details, only pictures on Facebook. Congrats Tara!
My old friend and mentor, who’s career I have chased for the past decade, has accepted a new job in a direction different from my own. This marks the fork in the road where my path turns away from his. I will always owe who I am and what I have, in no small way, to my old Sunday School teacher, boss and friend. Good luck on your next adventure, John!
Last night was the final VPT meeting — at least in the shape its been for the past 8 months. We love you guys! You rock, and we’ve had an amazing year teaching you and learning from you. I can’t wait to see what God has for us all next!
Tomorrow we start the first missions team meeting at church! This, among many other challenges, will be a big focus of our summer, as we help a team of students get ready for the biggest adventure of their young lives. I am honored to be a part of the leadership of this group, and I know that this is going to be a life-changing experience for everyone who comes.
Randy is out of jail, again, and hopefully for the last time. This time he has a baby boy to look out for, and some real and tangible support from professionals who have way more experience than Nic or I. It’s my sincerest prayer that my one-time teenage son, and life-long friend can make it work this time.

I don’t usually just post whole articles from my devotional. Usually I try to wrap some of my own thoughts around them. But today’s devotional just resounded so perfectly, that I figured I’d post it pretty much without change…
Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? We tend to say, “Yes, but— suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about . . . ?” Or we say, “Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn’t go against my common sense, but don’t ask me to take a step in the dark.”
Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.
By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ’s statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis— only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God.