Remote Area Medical

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APPLES AND ORANGES

The last time I owned anything Apple was my first generation iPod, until it died on me a year ago. For a brief stint I used a Powerbook, and also some Macs for work. But overall I've been a pretty straight-laced PC man, devoted to IBM Thinkpads and four generations of Blackberry. Well I've been debating changing that by picking up an iPad, but it's been hard to look past all its limitations. And now, with HP's Slate coming to the fore, I might never be an Apple-man.

FACEBOOK VANISHED...

Hey all, I just realized that our Facebook page is not up anymore. I have no idea what happened, but I will find out soon. Sorry about the inconvenience! I'll let you guys know my findings :)

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SUSAN BOYLE IN A BOWL CUT?

I'm sure you all have seen this by now, but in case you haven't yet, enjoy!

Anyone want to geocache?

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GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

Don't forget all! We will be having a Good Friday service at church tomorrow night at 7pm. There will be a time of prayer, worship, and exhortation so we look forward to seeing you all there!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 6:7-14 ESV

7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff -- no bread, no bag, no money in their belts -- 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10 And he said to them, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. The Death of John the Baptist 14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him."

FORGET GOOGLE MAPS...

Wrap yourself with your own neighborhood with these quilts from HapticLab. Hand-made by award-winning architect and designer, Emily Fischer, each quilt can be customized with a street grid of your neighborhood. Whether you live in simi Valley or hail from Granada Hills, Emily can stitch out a street-by-street map on quilt for you. Size, scale, and location can all be customized. Each custom order takes about 200+ hours of handiwork, which translates to about a six to twelve week turnaround. So order early if it's for a gift. Cost will vary per order, but usually falls in the ballpark of $150-$200.

FISHER PRICE CREATES NEW iPHONE APP FOR KIDS

I've been a die-hard Blackberry user for five years and four generations, and I'd be very hard-pressed to promote anything for the Darkside, ahem iPhones. But considering I have many friends on the Darkside, especially those with family and kids, I wanted to share these cool new apps from Fisher Price. It's definitely something I would download had I made the mistake, excuse me I mean decision, of owning an iPhone.

Fisher Price has launched three new apps for iPhones aimed at children ages 2-5. I'm fairly certain they are not under the impression that this age demographic is a big user of the iPhone; more likely these apps are aimed at the parents of those kids. A great way to keep the little ones busy and learning, there's See'n Say, the one where your kid spins an arrow to identify animals; Little People Farm, with the three games and two songs; and Chatter Telephone, a virtual version of the old Fisher Price telephone toy, perfect to train any future Blackberry-user

Fisher Price is also launching a new Facebook app for social networking parents called "Moments to Share," which will let parents record photos, video, dates, captions and stories to records their kids' milestones and memorable moments.

3rd times a charm!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Oops, I still new at this posting thing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35878196&from=en-us_msnhp>1=43001

there you go

Nice Car Dude! Check out how it was made!

SEAWEED SOUP (mee-ook gook)

MeeOok Gook, more MeeOok Gook, and then some more MeeOok Gook. This is the ultimate, superlative reward for undergoing pains incomprehensible to even the world's strongest man (Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania). Hours and hours of pain upon pain turns into an endless bowl of meeook gook.

This is all the OH household will be eating for a while.

Grace was yet again extraordinary in delivering our second child...Grant TaeMin Oh. What seemed like the most casual labor and delivery, ended in the birth of our 7 lbs 5.5 oz and 19 3/4" tall bundle of baby joy.

Watching the birth of your child is probably the most amazing phenomenon any man can have the privilege of witnessing (makes you wonder what God feels like). The nine month process of development and growth culminating into an instant of absolute perfection. I have been blessed with the luxury of that pleasure twice now, and I must say it doesn't get old. I thank God with every fiber of my being.

While I sit there staring, wondering who he looks like, hoping he doesn't have my eyes (the ones that are too close together) or my dad's monstrous forehead, I catch Grant in a peaceful slumber that can bring you to your knees. How can such an innocent little thing be born a sinner? But then again...I retract that statement. I forgot about the crying, fidgeting, pooping, whining, fussing, kicking, screaming, and loss of sleep at night moments. Nevertheless, they are absolutely unspoiled, flawless, and out right pure.

Grace and I are unbelievably grateful for Grant in our lives. The fact that he is perfectly healthy thus far (especially the kidneys) is simply icing on the cake. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Roman is getting along with his brother just fine. He has his moments, but how can you get mad at the little guy when he does stuff like this. As a new family of four, I'm sure the road ahead of us in nothing but bumpy, but we will be grateful for every obstacle He challenges us with.

Thank you all for you support and God Bless.

SERMON TEXT: MARK 5:21-43 ESV

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live." 24 And he went with him. And a crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?" 31 And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

MARCUS TURNS TWO

This post is a little late. Our Marcus turned 2 on Feb 15th. We are so thankful for him. Marcus, I promise to improve on my rice krispy cake :)

SNOW PLAY

Here are some pictures of a recent day trip that a few of the families took together. We went up to wrightwood on President's Holiday. The kids had a lot of fun sledding. Poor Christina was so sick but was super mom that day just so her kids could have some fun. Jerry and Soo prepared kimbap for everyone which was awesome. The kids ate in the trunk of the The Oh's minivan and Jerry made some spicy Shin Ramen on the side of the road with his portable stove. What a memorable trip. Looking forward to more memorable CCC family trips together. Can't wait to go camping together!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:35-41 ESV

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already fillling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

2010 NEW CREDIT CARD ACT AND FHA RULES

Sweeping changes have been made to credit card regulations such as the elimination of mandatory over-limit fees and more stringent FHA Loan requirements. I guess depending on which side of the fence you're on some things can be good and some things not so good. Here's a quick list:

New Credit Regulations

SINGLES FROM THE SINGLES

As Valentine's Day fell on Sunday this year the Singles Ministry, well, the men from the Singles Ministry, were nice enough to put together a Valentine's mix CD for all the Covenant ladies. Apologies to husbands, but there was no intention to put you on blast :) For those who got the CD but maybe don't have iTunes, here is the tracklist:

1. By Your Side - Sade
2. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
3. Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine
4. The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra
5. First Day Of My Life - Bright Eyes
6. On Bended Knee - Boyz II Men
7. Wonderwall - Oasis
8. When You Walk In The Room - Fyfe Dangerfield
9. Unchained Melody - Gene Vincent
10. I Love Your Smile - Shanice
11. Daughters - John Mayer
12. Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
13. What A Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
14. You Are Beautiful - James Blunt
15. I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab For Cutie
16. Angel Of Mine - Monica
17. Hard To Say I'm Sorry - Chicago
18. Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
19. Nobody Knows - Tony Rich Project
20. You And Me - The Dave Matthews Band
21. In My Life - The Beatles

Enjoy!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:26-32 ESV

26 And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows now how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth. 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

COVENANT + FACEBOOK = COOL

That's right, Covenant is now officially cool, hip, and socially networked. Check out our new Facebook page:

Covenant Community Church's Official Facebook Page

If you have a Facebook account (who in this world doesn't besides Pastor Ben?) add yourself as a fan of the page, and suggest the page to ALL your friends. If you don't have a FB account (ahem, Pastor Ben) then come on and sign up.

This should be a good way for us to keep up with each other throughout the week, keep track of events, drive traffic here to our blog, and just have fun. And if anybody has any good pictures let me know. Also any suggestions or comments, please don't hesitate to bring it up :)

Have a good week!

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:21-25 ESV

21 And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? 22 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." 24 And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. 25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

SUPER BOWL XLIV

Date/Time:
Sunday February 7, 2010 @ 4:00pm

Location:
304 Medea Creek Lane
Oak Park, CA 91377


It's Super Bowl XLIV (Roman Numerals are confusing, is that 44?). Join the fellowship at Pastor Ben's place this Sunday. Of course there will be plenty of food, fun, and......kids. Even though the Vikings didn't make it, it should still be a good game. Indianapolis Colts versus New Orleans Something-or-other.

Oh yeah, be sure to RSVP to Hetty's Evite so she can get an accurate head count. See you all then!

ROCKS IN A JAR

Most motivational speakers give me the willies. Perhaps it's some inborn cynicism that compels me to imagine these high-horse "motivators" to actually be the most un-motivated people in the room when it comes to what's really important in life. Not that I've attended many seminars or read a plethora of self-help books, but I've definitely come across a fair share of them. And when they begin to speak or write, I always picture them holed up in a crummy no-bedroom apartment on the other side of the river, reflecting on what they should have, could have done to make their lives better, thanking the heavens that they met a PR agent or publisher crazy enough to promote their wacky ideas. I don't know why I think these things. But I'll admit that every once in a while a story or an anecdote will breakthrough my grudging resistance and stick in the back of my conscience somewhere.

The following is my rendition of a story I heard somewhere from someone whose name my subconscious has readily omitted from my memory bank. Perhaps some of you have heard it before.

So there's this professor teaching a group of college students a lesson on time management. He stands at the front of the class, and from behind his podium he pulls out a large, wide-mouth glass jar, and sets it on the table. He then carefully pulls out a score of fist-sized rocks and places them next to the glass jar.

"How many of these do you think we can fit in the jar?" the professor asks his students.

"Where is the old man going with this?" the class collectively thinks to themselves. But in the spirit of good sport the students go along with the presentation and begin to make random guesses. Five. Seven. Sixteen.

The professor begins to gently place the rocks, one by one, into the jar up to the lip of the brim.

"Is the jar full?" he asks. The class quickly agrees that it is full.

He then reaches behind the podium and pulls out a bucket of loose gravel and proceeds to pour it into the glass jar. The gravel fills up all the spaces between the large rocks and the glass. When the gravel has reached the brim and no empty space can be accounted for the professor slyly asks, "Is the jar full?"

At this point the class squints suspiciously. They can kind of see where the old man is going with this. This time they answer "Probably not."

The professor is impressed with his class. He reaches behind the podium once again and this time pulls out a bucket of sand. He again pours the sand into the jar until all the tiny crevices between the rocks, gravel, and glass are filled up. Again he asks "Is the jar full?"

Collectively the class shouts, "No!"

"Very good!" the professor replies. Finally he pulls out a pitcher of water from behind the podium (mind you this is an unusually large podium) and pours the water into the jar. He asks "So what's the point of all this?"

A student in front quickly answers, "No matter how full you think your schedule is, you can always make room for more things in your life."

The professor answers "No, that is not the point of this demonstration and I hope that is not the message you folks walk away with today. The point of all this is that you have to put the big rocks in first or else you will never get them in."

Now I guess it's up to each of us to determine what are the big rocks in our respective lives. I imagine family and God to be the two big ones. But I can also say, speaking for myself, I often forget to put the big rocks in first or even at all, and foolishly let all the gravel and sand take up my limited space. This year I plan to work on recognizing the big rocks (I'm not talking about the 2-karat kind ladies) and to cultivate them.

I guess wisdom takes a long time to gain. Oftentimes it is pride that stands in the way. Maybe that's why I don't like motivational speakers yet.

THANK YOU PASTOR FRANCIS

Pastor Francis,

We at Covenant Community Church would like to send to you our sincerest thanks for generously sharing your time, wisdom, and knowledge with us this past Sunday. Your visit was a true source of encouragement, not only in the words of advice you offered, but also in the fondness to see that our own pastor is blessedly amongst respectable, knowledgeable, and supportive peers. Although God continuously sprinkles our days with endless challenges, He also occasionally reminds us that none of them are wholly insurmountable under His guidance and providence. Because your church and congregation are planted on the east coast, we hope that you would drop by anytime you are on the west (warmer and better) coast again, as our doors are always open. We pray that you have a safe trip back home and we wish you, your family, and your congregation a wonderful new year!


Sincerely,

Covenant Community Church

SERMON TEXT: MALACHI 3:6-10 ESV (COURTESY OF PASTOR FRANCIS)

6 For I the LORD do not change, therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, "How shall we return?" 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, "How have we robbed you?" In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

*This week's sermon was generously provided by Pastor Francis Chang.

BLOGGING TIP #1

Hey All,

I forgot to mention before that there's an easy way to keep up with the blog. I know it's difficult to remind ourselves to check the blog on a regular basis, what with our tightly knit daily routines and all. Sometimes there's no time in our day, or we just simply forget. Well follow these steps and you can keep the blog right in front of you whenever you are online:

1. Open your Firefox browser (If you're still using the virtually obsolete Internet Explorer or Safari browsers you need a serious upgrade. Download Firefox here: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/)
2. Go to this blog (well I guess you're already here).
3. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.
4. Left of center you will see a link that reads "Subscribe (Atom)." Click that.
5. The next page will ask you to subscribe using "Live Bookmark." Do so.
6. Save in your Bookmark Menu.
7. A "Covenant Community Church" tab should appear at the top of your browser, just under the URL field. Voila!

From now on you can access any and all updates by clicking on this tab.

Contact Eric if you have any questions:

(310) 622.5903

eric.bong.nam@gmail.com

PUPPY NEEDS A HOME

We have a Blue-Nosed Pit Bull up for adoption. She's purebred and AKC certified with all her documentation. She has all her shots for the year. Her name is Lima and she's 2 and 1/2 months old. Super smart and super sweet. She's already fully potty-trained and can follow basic commands. These dogs are hard to come across, and grow up to be beautiful. Lima needs a good home, preferably someone with Pit experience, not because Pits are such a scary breed or anything. On the contrary, Pit Bulls are amazing and very intelligent animals that deserve a proud owner and good care. Let me know if you're interested.

RECIPE: "DANGEROUS" PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Lord knows I don't need anymore cheesecake, or any other form of cake for that matter. So in the spirit of "letting go" I want to share my cheesecake recipe with you all. Well it's not really mine, it's based off of Emeril's recipe with a few tweaks here and there. Play around with it and see what happens...

















Crust Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups of Honeymaid Graham Cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup of ground pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of regular unsalted butter

Filling Ingredients:

• 24 oz. of softened cream cheese (3 x 8oz. packages)
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream
• 14 oz. can of Libby's Pumpkin Puree

Kitchenware:

• Oven
• Mixing bowl
• 9-12 inch Springform pan
• Pestle and mortar AND/OR
• Electric chopper
• Shallow baking pan
• Wooden spoon

Steps:

1. Leave cream cheese out of refrigerator in order to bring it to room temperature. Trying to mix cold cheese is like churning asphalt.
   
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Start on crust by finely grinding graham crackers and pecans. It's a bit more work, but I like to use a pestle and mortar. You get more control over the fineness (or coarseness) of the ingredients, but you can always use an electric food chopper or coffee grinder if you want.
   
4. Mix the dry crumbs, pecans, and cinnamon in a bowl.
5. Melt butter in a microwave for about 1-1.5 minutes, depending on the power level of your microwave.
6. Stir butter into the bowl until the dry ingredients become evenly moist.
7. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and press down to an even thickness. The crust should climb up an inch or two up the side of the pan. I like to make a fist and push down with my knuckles and dorsal digits like a gorilla.
   
8. Put aside and work on filling.
9. In a large mixer bowl combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract. You can use an electric hand mixer or mix by hand. I burned out two hand mixers in a row making this cake so I now go with the latter method. It's harder on the elbows and you'll end up with small lumps of white unmixed cream cheese in the final product, but the taste is all the same. Mix and beat this until everything is combined and fluffy.
10. Now add the eggs and yolks all at once. Stir slowly until all combined.
    
11. Finally, fold in the heavy cream and pumpkin puree until evenly mixed (or you can mix halfway to make a sort of marbled effect).
12. Pour this mixture over the crust in pan until every last drop is out. I like to think that every little bit I can scrape out is another bite I can have later so I'm usually very thorough on this part. This mentality is also why I should be banned from eating cheesecake altogether.
13. Place the Springform pan onto the shallow baking pan or sheet and place in oven. This because the butter tends to seep through the Springform and can burn at the bottom of your oven. It also helps to evenly distribute the heat.
    
14. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center. Also do a shake test. The center of the cake should appear almost set when you shake the pan. I once had to cook a cake for over an hour, but this all this depends on how often you open the oven and let the heat out.
    
15. Cool for 15-20 minutes.
16. Loosen the snapped sides and cool for another 30 minutes.
17. Then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
18. Serve liberally.
19. Smile.
20. Stop nagging your husband.
    

SERMON TEXT: MARK 4:1-20 ESV

The Parable of the Sower

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. 9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."


The Purpose of the Parables

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that "they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven." 13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them 18 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And other are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Happy New Year! Want to encourage everyone to trust the Lord in 2010. May we not worry about our life here on earth for we have our Heavenly Father who loves us and takes care of us. This will be a big challenge but this will also bring us closer to our Father in heaven. Think how amazing it is...we were once sinners, the enemies of God but now in Christ, God the Father obliged himself unto us as our Heavenly Father...we are now his children...we are now his beloved. Therefore, we don't have to worry about what to eat, what to drink and what to wear for our Father in Heaven knows our needs and provides us. This is the reason why we can now seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Our Christian life has to be a relfection of this reality and must be a presentation of our identity in Christ. So let me challenge you...better yet, let me give you the glorious privilege...seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. May 2010 be served for His glory...God bless.

PB