A freind of mine posted a photo of a Lion Fish on her Facebook site. These fish are very harmful to the Carribean reefs and are not indigenous to the area. They have been introduced by people buying them for their aquariums then releasing them, either in the Gulf of Mexico or the Carribean. Either way, they end up in the warm waters of the Carribean and on the reefs there. They eat the roe and fry of the reef fish and they have no natural preditors on the Carribean reefs. Dive masters in Cozumel have received instructions to capture and kill all that they find. An effort is underway in the US to outlaw the possession and/or sale of these distructive fish. Guess where my friend took her photo. You guessed it, in a local pet shop aquarium!

Here are a couple of photos of Lion Fish I took in Cozumel this summer.

This first one is of a lion fish hiding under a small shelf of coral.

These next two photos are of our dive master, Julio, holding a captured Lion Fish. It has been bagged to be taken to the surface and disposed of .

Day #2 in the life of Drew Pellerin

Actually, this first photo was taken on day one, but Grandpa was relucant to share it before now. The sign on the window of the Nursery says "Do Not Take Photos Through The Window". When my sister was born two and a half years ago, Grandpa almost got kicked out of the hospital for breaking the rules. Can you believe he's a preacher? Anyway, he accidently tripped while walking up to the window to see me and as he fell the camera went off and Poof, this picture was taken.

This is mommy showing off a pretty handmade quilt Ms. Barbara Engelman made for me. It matches my room which is a monkey motif. Thank you Ms. Barbara, we love the quilt!
This is how I spend most of my time. Snoozing!

He I am with my Gram and big sister, Ashtyn.
Here's my proud grandparents, Gram and Grandpa with Ashtyn and me.

This is my cousin Thatcher and Double A (Aunt Angela).

Grandpa brought me my first fishing rod and I can't wait to try it out.

Yesterday afternoon at 3:16, our daughter Laura Pellerin, gave birth to Andrew Charles Pellerin, 7lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long. He and mommy are doing wonderfully well. His daddy, Bobby, and big sister, Ashtyn are also doing well and very excited. Here are a few photos of Drew, our third grandchild (second grandson). I guess you could say Gram and Grandpa are pretty proud, also. Enjoy the photos!

Mr. Drew Pellerin

Mommy and Drew

Big Sister, Ashtyn, and Baby Drew

Daddy, Big Sister and Drew

Gram and Drew

Nana and Drew

Grandmother and Drew

Grandpa and Drew

Whimpy Parents

There was a time, not too many years ago, when schools and other organizations designed to meet the needs of children never considered having activities which conflicted with church attendance. Not so anymore! Why, you ask? Well, I think the answer is simple: We have a bunch of whimpy parents who, though they profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, are afraid to stand up to the Satanic influences of society. I thank God that a long time before I became a pastor, my wife stood up in meetings of the Seguin Youth Basketball Association and the Seguin Youth Soccer Association and said "NO!" to playing or practicing on Sunday's. It was interesting that all it took was one person of conviction to stand and say "no" to see many others join in. As the wave of support for no Sunday practice or games grew, both organizations backed down and Sunday was protected as "the Lord's day".

Not all churches met on Sunday evenings, and many do not today, but Christians of many faiths banded together with an understanding that Sunday belonged to the Lord.
Even those who did not meet on Sunday evenings remembered that God said, "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." Why? Because they respected one another.

Today, whimpy parents have forgotten how to say "no", both to the organizations and to their own children. Today, schools and organizations never think twice about having events on Sunday. It's no longer the Lord's day, but "family day", or "fun day." I'm pretty sure the Bible hasn't changed and that God still sees it as His day.

Whimpy parents, learn to say "no" again. Dave Ramsey gives some great instructions: "Place your tongue just behind your upper front teeth. With a nasal "n" sound, exhale slowly while moving your tongue down and your lips into a circular shape. Keep doing this until you hear it...'.......Nnnnnoooooooo."

By the way, once you catch on, you can stop being a whimp toward your own children as well. You can begin to say it to them too. "Nnnnnooooooooo."

Got it? Now try it!

Missions - My Take On It All

There is rarely a week that goes by that I do not receive at least one request for assistance from some well meaning, biblically based missions ministry. They run the gambit in personality and style. They focus their ministries on building churches, assisting in disaster relief efforts, starting and maintaining orphanages, sending medical teams to combat AIDS, or any one of a thousand other missions. All are good and well-meaning missions. I have no doubt that most people involved in these ministries have a divine calling and real passion for their particular ministries, but I generally choose not to support them financially. I have been criticized for this on many occasions and some believe I am uncaring or lack sympathy for those who are hurting in our world. In fact, I am offended by those nay sayers. They generally insinuate that my position is founded upon little thought or prayer. That could not be farther from the truth. So, today I am sharing my reasoning for supporting Southern Baptist ministries and missions. I share from my heart to yours.

Long before I was ever born, the church began to realize that the Great Commission was given not just to the eleven apostles, but to the entire church. The importance of missions and evangelism began to grow in importance. In May 1845 two hundred ninety-three Baptists met together in Augusta, Georgia and formed the Southern Baptist Convention. Since then, Southern Baptists have had their fair share of squabbles, disagreements and even some downright failures, but to be where they are today, they must have done something right as well, I won’t go into a lengthy history of the Southern Baptist Convention here, but I believe God has had His hand on Southern Baptists down through the years.

In the early days of the Convention, and even before, each ministry segment of the convention was pretty much on its own, particularly when it came to funding. The Foreign Mission Board, the Home Mission Board, the publishing arm, and others all were self funded. All of these entities were called “Societies” and each society was busy raising funds for their own work, even at the expense of the others. It seemed as if they were often working against one another, rather than with one another. As the work of God’s kingdom grew, this societal method for funding became ambiguous, cumbersome and less effective in carrying out the total ministry of the church. In 1925 the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a simple but profound change in the way it funds ministries, both at home and around the world. They called it the Cooperative Program. Simply stated, churches and agencies would begin to cooperate with one another in their funding strategies. Local churches would send funds to their respective state conventions, who in turn would retain a percentage for state missions and ministry funding, then send the rest on to the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC would then divide the money among all of its ministry and mission agencies in accordance with directions received from its executive committee. This committee was, and still is, made up of members from every state convention. No longer were individual ministry or missions agencies allowed to solicit direct funding from the churches. For these last eighty-four years the Cooperative Program has worked magnificently well, and it is a major reason that I have elected to be a Southern Baptist.

I believe in the way we, as Southern Baptist’s do missions and ministry. I believe that when we cooperate together to carry out the great commission, we can accomplish far more than any of us could alone. Southern Baptists’ have, over the past eighty-four years led the way in evangelism and missions. Our missionaries, both at home and abroad, never have to worry about how they will be funded. They do not have to return home every few months to beg for more money. They never have to fret over health or life insurance. They can sleep in peace knowing that their children will be educated. When there is a problem, they know that there is a strong agency behind them with a competent, trustworthy team to support them. They can spend their time, all of it, doing the ministry they were called to, without worrying about their personal needs. They know that when Bibles are needed, they’ll be there. If an automobile, or boat, or even and an airplane is needed to accomplish their mission, it will be made available. The Cooperative Program isn’t perfect, but it is the best financial strategy God has ever given. Why, because it’s Biblical. God has instructed each of us to “bring the tithe into the storehouse.” That is, we are to bring a portion of what He has given to us (10 percent of our growth) to His church, so that it can do the ministry He has called it to do. The same principle has been applied to the conventions ministry and mission, and it works better than any thing else because it is a Biblical principle.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church, but as an adult I can choose to be a part of any denomination I desire, or none at all. I choose to be a Southern Baptist because I like the way we do missions! We have our faults, but mission support is not one of them. I support our missionaries for two major reasons. First, because they are depending on me. As a Southern Baptist, I have made a commitment to them and I plan to remain true to that commitment. This is also a major reason I rarely support other mission sending agencies or independent missionaries.

The second is equally important: Southern Baptist missionaries are held highly accountable. There is a structured system in place to both select the most highly qualified applicants for missionary service, and to monitor their activity once on the mission field. Southern Baptist missionaries are held accountable in their personal lives, their financial lives and in their ministries. I know that the money I, or my church gives to Southern Baptist work will be used in a manner that is uplifting to the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that our missionaries are held to a higher standard than many other agency missionaries are, and I appreciate that. While the Southern Baptist Convention is a huge organization, my church and I still have a voice and a vote in what takes place. Southern Baptist missionaries are OUR missionaries and they are accountable to US, and I like that. So, I will continue to support Southern Baptist mission and ministry causes above and before all others.

There are an abundance of wonderful ministries out there, but if you are a Southern Baptist, I would encourage you to support your own first. Give your tithe through your local church and celebrate the Cooperative Program. It’s our lifeline to world missions.

Kid's and Grandkid's, A Whirlwind Trip

Well, we made one of our famous 32 hour trips to see our family in the Ft. Worth area. We all met in Keller, including my mom, and had a great time! Here are a few photos I wanted to share.

A couple of quick slides before the rain began.

Grandma C gave baby Drew a new monkey blanket for his bed.

Gram made this beautiful crocheted blanket for baby Drew. She made one for Thatcher and Ashtyn when they were born, so now all three have a special keepsake.Gram gets one of many double hugs that made the trip all worth while.Gram made Ashtyn a special blanket for her baby doll. It matches the one Gram made for her when she was born.Grandmother is helping Thatcher open his special gift, a new bull dozer.After lunch on Saturday, Gram and mommies went shopping so Grandpa, daddies and kids went to Cabela's. We got to see some very big fish!Thatch and Ash enjoyed looking at the stuffed animals.Wow! Look at the size of those trout. There almost as big as the ones Grandmother caught a couple of weeks ago!Ashtyn isn't sure if she's a princess or Tinker Bell, or what, but she said she didn't like this dress. I think she'd rather wear a basketball uniform.

9-11 Remembering The Day

9-11-01 It's a day we'll always remember. Where were you when you first heard the news that day? You remember exactly, don't you? It impacted your life. It's burned into you memory. Now, the big question. Where were you when you met Jesus Christ and invited Him into your life? Don't remember? Must not have happened.

When you meet the King of kings, you'll know it, and never forget. On this day of remembrance, remember the attacks on America. Remember those who gave their lives in the attacks. Remember the men and women serving in our armed forces. But, also make this a day when you remember the most impacting death ever: the death of Jesus Christ. America has risen from the ashes of 9-11-01, but even more dramatically Jesus Christ has risen from the dead!

So, as you remember 9-11-01 also remember the day of your salvation. Give God thanks today that even in your sin, He loved you and gave himself for you. If you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, take a moment and pray. Ask God to forgive you of your sin. Turn from your sinful ways and turn to His word, the Bible, for His divine direction. As God moves in your life, it will be a day you will never forget. It will be a day that impacts not only your life here on earth, but for all eternity.