Dan Gould

  • 2 Samuel 5:1-12

    “And David realized that the LORD had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.” v.12
    David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king. . .Although the pagan kingdoms based their greatness on conques, power, armies, and wealth, David knew that his greatness came only from God. To be great means keeping a close relationship with God personally and nationally. To do this, David had to keep his ambition under control. Although he was famous, successful, and well liked, he gave God first place in his life, and served the people according to Gods purposes.

    Questions:Do I seek greatness from God or from people? In the drive for success, I need to remember to keep my ambitiojn under God’s control.

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • New Bunk Bed


    Our Friends gave us a set of Bunk Beds tonight!! They even gave us a night stand also!!! Josiah is so excited and Stephanie and I are so grateful and appreciative. They look brand new even though they say they are 10 years old. Right now I am laying on the bottom so Josiah (3) will be brave enough to sleep on the top bunk. He is so excited and scared at the same time. We’ll see how he does! Pray that he makes it through the night . . . it means we will somewhat have our room back! SWEET!

  • The Best and Worst of the Super Bowl

    For years now, the NFL has been bedazzling the Super Bowl with busloads of Hollywood stars and singers in an attempt to distract viewers from the fact that the game is usually a snooze-worthy blowout. But thanks to the New York Giants’ historic last-minute victory Sunday night over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, as well as an arena-rock-worthy halftime show from American icon Tom Petty, the people behind the big game finally got the mix of music and smash mouth right. (Except for the moments when it got things so, so wrong, which were also kind of great.) And so, we give you the first-annual Super Bowl Musical Monday Morning Quarterback Report.

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  • 1 Samuel 28

    “The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. He asked the LORD what he should do, but the LORD refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. Saul then said to his advisers, ‘Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.’
    His advisers replied, ‘There is a medium at Endor.’” v.4-7
    Saul was overwhelmed at the sight of the Philistine army, and so he turned to the occult. Regard life’s difficulties and obstacles as reminders to turn you in God’s direction and make you depend on Him.

    God did not answer his appeals because Saul because Saul had not followed Gods previous direction. Sometimes we wonder why our prayers aren’t answered. But if we don’t fulfill the responsibilities God has already given us, we should not be surprised when he does not give us further guidance. As we see from Saul’s story, turning to anything or anyone else leads to disaster.

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • Hangin Tough

    That’s right, looks like the New Kids are back!

    Can’t Hardly Wait

  • Living in a “Porn is the Norm” culture

    The title of this article presupposes two things: first, your teens are being exposed to pornography, and second, you are already responding—even if you are doing nothing. Maybe you are tempted to toss this article aside with a shrug, “Well, my kids haven’t been exposed and I am careful to protect them. I don’t need to read this.” But, watch an hour of prime-time television and you have seen pornography. Drive past any number of billboards while on a trip and you have seen pornography. Look at the fashion posters in the clothing stores at the mall and you have seen it—in some form.

    Part of our problem is that we have either no clear definition, or a very limited definition, of pornography. Most of us think of it as something you find in some rundown bookstore, or maybe in a convenience store. Most of us realize the Internet has a reputation of being filled with it. But do we realize we are surrounded by it, like a hapless adventurer sinking in quicksand?

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  • Wrestling with Community

    There is a lot of talk in the circles I run in of what it really means to live “in community” with other Christians. To most people, I think community means getting together for Sunday school, maybe having lunch at O’Charleys after church, or sitting in the same pew around the same people on Wednesday nights. There is nothing wrong with all of that, but I think living “in community” might require a bit more.

    I believe when we begin to wrestle with what it means to live in community, we are wrestling with what it would look like to be honest, vulnerable and transparent with other believers. To be really forthcoming, as much as I hope for that type of community and work toward it in my own life, sometimes the idea scares the heck out of me. I think it is there, in the tension of my own struggle, that I recognize the real issue: If the Church is going to stay relevant and engaged in our culture, we need to figure this community thing out.

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  • 1 Samuel 25:1-42

    “There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time. This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.” v.2-3
    Nabal rudely refused David’s request to feed his 600 men. If we sympathize with Nabal, it is because customs are so different today. First, simple hospitality demanded that travelers – any number of them – be fed. Nabal was very rich and could have easily afforded to meet David’s request. Second, David wasn’t asking for a handout. He and his men had been protecting Nabal’s workforce, and part of Nabal’s prosperity was due to David’s vigilance. We should be generous with those who protect us and help us prosper, even if we are not obligated to do so by law or custom.

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • Our 1st Guys Night

    Last night was our 1st Guys Night. Josiah (3) and I blew up an air mattress, watched a movie, ate puppy chow, and slept in the office/gameroom. Heres a pic from this morning!

    It was exciting for me just to share in his excitement. It doesn’t matter what we do it just the simple fact that we do it together. This will be something he remembers for ever. Creating Memories together is so important and something we need to be mindful of. Can’t wait till Jackson can join us!!!

    Air mattress – Donated by Pa Pa
    Movie Rental – $3.50
    Memories – Priceless

  • LOST

    It’s Back!!!! My family and I enjoyed watching the beginning of the 4th season of LOST. A show we got addicted too the summer of 06. Yes we watched seasons 1-2 before season 3 started. Last night was good. But what is up with this video?

    Does it have anything to do with the show or is it just to keep us guessing???