No Argument For God - Book Review

I once heard a quote: A God that can be proven is not much of a God at all. I am not sure who said it but I like it. We spend much of our time searching for proof of faith. At some point, we have to stop and think - if it could be proven, would it be called faith? Even further down that line of thought, we might come to realize that the fact that it cannot be proven means it must have come from the mind of a devine thinker. A friend and co-worker has written a book - "No Argument For God" in which he explores these questions and discusses the idea that finding no argument in support of the existence of the God of the Bible, may actually be the best evidence to support his existence. The book comes out next week. I've had the privilege of reading some of it - it's good. Like, really good. Be sure to pick up a copy. The link below will take you to the facebook page with all the info. Check it out!


http://www.facebook.com/l/41f9fnhIPPlh2Xo0O7Xgp2Xqqug;www.noargumentforgod.blogspot.com

Tomorrow Is Your Birthday

Hey Cole,

    Tomorrow is your birthday. You will be five. I can't believe it. It seems like only a week or two ago that I first met you. When you came out of your mommy's belly, my whole life changed. Everything that I had been working for, everything that I thought was important began to change. My reasons for following my own pursuits began to unravel. My selfishness was highly fashionable in my own mind. I thought that I had created an identity that ensured my place as an influencer of cultural coolness.
     But then you were born. You. A little tiny baby. Totally helpless and totally trusting. You looked up at me and your mommy and in one second, my heart broke. My heart broke for humanity. You embodied all of our human weakness and helplessness - and capacity to trust and love. As the years have progressed I've been learning to keep your interests as more important than mine. I love your brothers just as much, but your entrance into the world and my life had the effect of changing the direction of my heart. I wanted to know God better - because of you. I wanted to be a better husband - because of you. I wanted to write better songs - because of you. I hope that the changes that have come about in my life will serve to show you how you can change the way you live as you grow up.
     Tomorrow is your birthday and I will be remembering who you are and all of the ways you've changed my life - without you even knowing it.
Happy Birthday Cole. Love, Daddy.

Listen To Me, Son

Listen to me, Son.

Sometimes you’ll think it, but you’re not the only one.

Sometimes you’ll feel like you just can’t escape the heat of the sun.

And if you ever think nobody understands,

Just open your hands

Lift them up to the sky

It’s ok to ask why

It’s ok to cry

But when you’re at the end of the rope,

It’s not ok to lose hope.

But, if you do,

I’ll be there for you.

Campbell Robert Ferrari

Here he is! Campbell Robert Ferrari, born January 6, 2011. He was 9 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 inches long. His birth process went very smoothly, even though he was 7 days past due. He's a happy healthy little guy so far. Thanks to all our friends and family who have been so supportive with gifts, meals and prayers. Check out the pictures!

Merry Christmas from TheMichaelFerrari and Family!

Unicorn. A single corn.

Here is a Scripture study from our rehearsal this past Wednesday. Thought you might like to see what we talked about.

Big Idea:
God is not ignorant of our loneliness. He is warmly personal.

Scriptural Anchor:
Romans 15: 1-7 (MSG)

1 Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status.2 Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”3 That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it.4 Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next.5 May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all.6 Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!7 So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!

This is an amazing passage!

Often times, when we feel lonely, excluded, used, forgotten or on the outside, we feel that we are the only one who understands our situation. The assumption that no one understands is the vehicle that we ride in, allowing us to comfort ourselves in our own misery. But here we see that God is a deeply understanding and warmly personal God who sets the example for those of us who are Christ followers. This is how we are to act and behave toward others around us who may be in need or even in crisis. We can become part of the solution just by extending the same personal character traits of Jesus to others. We may even overcome some of our own issues with loneliness in the process!

Questions:

- Do we view God as “Warmly Personal” and “Understanding”?
- How has our view of God impacted the way we’ve treated others who may be in need – positively or negatively?
- Can a solution for our problem be found in helping others find a solution for theirs – by living as an extension of a “warmly personal” Christ?

Finally. Somebody Gets It.

I've spent the last several years hating Christmas. Four years ago, when my son Cole was born, I thought I would begin to get excited about this time of year. But it still didn't happen. Whenever Christmas rolled around, I immediately began thinking about buying gifts, how I never had enough money for all the people I needed to buy for, and how even if I had enough money, the gifts would probably be disappointing anyway. Depressing. This year though, something is different. I am so excited to spend Christmas with my awesome family. Here is something else, I am starting to see other people who are getting it too. Check this out. As Susan, Cole, Cohen and I were driving the other night, I saw a house set off to the right that was absolutely covered in Christmas lights. I decided it would be fun to drive through the little neighborhood to find that house. After a few minutes and a few turns, I found it. Up close, it was even more incredible than we thought. Check out the pictures.

 


But the most amazing thing happened when we got closer to the driveway. There was a sign posted by the homeowner explaining why they decided to go to such incredible lengths to decorate their home. Check out this picture.

Yeah. As I read the sign out loud to my family, I began to cry. Finally, somebody gets it. Me.

You can support the "Meter Buster Christmas Display" on facebook and donate to the cause here:
http://www.facebook.com/TheMichaelFerrari#!/pages/Lancaster-PA/Meter-Buster-Christmas-Display/190756176605?v=wall