Last weekend our family went to Dubuque, IA to Emmaus Bible College for a conference called “Iron Sharpens Iron.” This year’s topic was “Quest for Holiness.” The speakers were great, and it was a really profitable time. I was encouraged and challenged!
The fellowship time in the dining hall was one of the highlights. Seeing old friends again and meeting new…here Sarah is talking with some new friends from the Dominican Republic.
We enjoyed meeting Alex Strauch and appreciated his great messages on Rom 6-8. We carry many of his books in our bookstore, including Biblical Eldership, a well-known book on church leadership which we feel is important. We are so grateful for the many ways he has strengthened the body of Christ.
Here are some tidbits from a session by Mark Stevenson on the sin of idolatry:
-The human heart is an idol-making factory, and anything we love more than God is an idol.
-Even good things, such as a clean house, can be an idol if we are placing it above the Lord in our affections.
-Your affections can be determined by what you do in your solitude — where your mind goes in your spare thoughts, what you delight to think about as you fall asleep.
-Just as in Romans 1 they “exchanged the truth of God for a lie,” so sin is exchanging the glory of God for lesser things.
-False gods lose their hold on our hearts only when we are captivated with Christ.
-It’s by beholding Jesus that we are changed. (2 Cor 3:18) We become like what we worship.
-When we fall at Jesus’ feet in surrender and worship, we gradually begin to understand what Paul meant when he spoke of how much he valued Christ: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…” (1 Cor 3:7-8)
-May we see how much we have been forgiven and how desperate we are for His mercy. And may we relish in Christ’s love, which is greater, stronger, deeper, and infinitely more satisfying than any earthly pursuit. May we give Him the worship He deserves!
Unlocking the front door.
Starting our first day with prayer 
First costumer receiving a free book
“Can you believe we are actually opening a store tomorrow?” Stephen asked me last night.
Last weekend, my dad and I went up to Rochester, Minnesota for the 25th anniversary of the Bible Quizzing league in Rochester, MN. (Bible Quizzing was actually started by Youth For Christ in 1947 but we were celebrating the league that started in Rochester in 1984.) We both really enjoyed the weekend and saw a lot of old friends.
Looking back, we wouldn’t trade the time we’ve given to 
Here’s a glimpse of how it works: The “quiz master” uses this box to detect which quizzer jumps first. Each quizzer sits on a pad which triggers a light on the quiz master’s box when he or she jumps. Whoever stands up first gets to answer the question. The competition can get pretty intense, and often once you’ve tried it, you’re stuck–memorizing God’s Word and coming back year after year to quiz. 🙂 If you’d like to learn more about Bible quizzing, see 
After dinner and a time of music, my dad shared with everyone the three major world-changing events of history. Can anyone guess what they are? I know, you’re probably wondering how he narrowed it down to “three”. It’s not a major war, not electricity, not the automobile, or anything like that.
One of our new friends had a good time trying the harp.
Yu Chen and Stephen
