Whew, What a Day!

Dave woke up this morning, looked at the weather conditions and said, "What do you think about going skiing this morning!??!?" We had already planned on taking our California, never-been-sledding nieces sledding this afternoon, so why not head up the hill early? We were so glad we did - lovely day, great fresh, light snow. Then off to sledding adventures...the girls did great and had lots of fun sledding (and flipping), eating snow, and exploring the snowy woods. And, to top the day off, we headed to my folks house for dinner and a sports-ball hunt (similar to an egg hunt). Whew, what a day! 

 

love this picture - can you see why we enjoy skiing :)
 

 

 

 

 

We've All Been Called

We had another enjoyable day today. My mom has been looking forward to taking all the girls to tea, and today was the day. As always, Ruth at Huckleberry Haven did a tremendous job...you should give it a try if you live in the Wenatchee area. 

I've been slowly working my way through Radical and came across a great, and challenging, section on how we often relegate missions to "those who've been called." Platt legitimately argues that by thinking/saying that, we have missed the whole point of the command of the great commission. From pages 74-75...

Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell. We owe Christ to the world - to the least person and to the greatest person, to the richest person and to the poorest person, to the best person and to the worst person. We are in debt to the nations. Encompassed with this debt, though, in our contemporary approach to missions, we have subtly taken ourselves out from under the weight of a lost and dying world, wrung our hand in pious concern, and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just not called to that." 

The result is tragic. A majority of individuals supposedly saved from eternal damnation by the gospel are now sitting back and making excuses for not sharing that gospel with the rest of the world.

But what if we don't need to sit back and wait for a call to foreign missions? What if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for a global mission? And what if anything less than passionate involvement in global mission is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which He called us? 

some pics from Chinatown in Seattle

 

 

 

 

Spring Festival

The commercialism of holidays drives me a little crazy sometimes. Each year on Easter particularly (not Christmas so much) I cringe that we focus very little on the resurrection and too much on chocolate, bunnies, and eggs. My desire this year is to spend more time during the Easter season appreciating what Christ has done for us- realizing His great sacrifice, the magnificent triumph of conquering death, and the hope we have because of it. 

Honestly, however, I love coloring eggs and Easter egg hunts so I didn't want to just completely skip those fun aspects of this time of year. So, enter Spring Festival...rather than doing those activities on Easter, we did them today - the first day of spring. :) James had never colored eggs before and so was introduced to that interesting, and rather odd when you think about it, tradition. It was great fun to have the cousins here to participate with us as well. Hannah tried a new technique today of wrapping rubber bands around the egg to keep the dye from hitting those areas; it gave a neat effect. And, just in case you've never thought about this, we mostly always color raw eggs - that allows us to color more without then having to eat two dozen hard boiled eggs. 

We also had a rousing egg hunt...all the more exciting with five hunters rather than two. Last year a friend tipped me on to the greatest idea for egg contents - Legos. So, out with tons of unneeded candy and in with some manageable Legos. In order to keep everything straight, the Legos were placed in color-coded eggs to ensure all the parts stayed with the right set. Then once all the eggs were found, there was a prize (Peeps) for the one who found the most eggs (Josh), and the eggs were sorted and given to the right recipient. There was also a batch of candy filled eggs so don't be concerned that my children were completely deprived in that department. :) 

 

 

 

waiting to begin
 

the hunt
 

the sorting
 

the loot
 

Weekend Recap

Busy, but pleasant, weekend around here. On Sat, my mom did her first public speaking in thirty years or so. Her church had a women's tea and she prepared the devotional. She chose the topic of "Christ, our true husband" and used the section about the woman at the well for her text. Here are two pics of the tea girls, plus dolls, and at the tea. 

 

 

On Sunday, we visited my parents church, Calvary Crossroads. My dad has been teaching Sunday School in the book of Matthew so it was fun to hear him. The sermon was good on 2 Thes 3, and the service was followed by a yummy potluck. Everyone was very pleasant and welcoming, and it was easy to see why it has been a good fit for my parents. 

Since it turned into a sunshiny day, and we were itching to get outside for a while, most of the crew headed up to Saddlerock for a hike. As we parked at Appleatchee, we saw there was some horse-thing going on so we went over to check it out. 

 

Here are some pics from the hike...as you can see it's quite a trek upwards! 

 

view from the top
 

 

Gifts 243-259

As I was writing out my gifts from this last week or so, I once again saw how even though I enjoy the big, exciting things in life (like going to Seattle), it's the small, daily things that are the most delightful to me. 

243 sweetie girl setting up Easter decorations

244 knowing you made a difference to someone

245 having easy-going friends over for dinner

246 sending-off prayers

247 being brought from death to life 

248 sharing a palindrome with my level 4 student - "A man, a plan, a canal - Panama!"

249 a bit of sunshine in Seattle

250 buying Chinese "tea-eggs"

251 eating at a "real" Chinese restaurant

252 swimming in March

253 kids willing to sleep together

254 beautiful (and safe) late night drive home

255 having two happy little munchkins in the house

256 5 year-old cracking eggs on the counter

257 lots of cousin laughter

258 seeing rainbows in the valley

259 working with others

 

 

 

 

 

Great Wolf Lodge

We had the fun opportunity to get over to Seattle Tues and Wed...somehow we always have the foresight to choose the worst times to travel over the passes. :) Anyways, we've wanted to get to Great Wolf Lodge over the years, and this was finally the week. My sis and her two kiddos were flying in, and we thought we might as well pick them up and spend some time in Seattle while we were at it. On Tues we stopped in Chinatown Seattle for a couple of hours and had a yummy Chinese lunch there. It was great to be able to have the kids see a smidge into a different culture. James seemed to like it pretty well, but wasn't quite as excited as I thought he would be. 

Then, down to Great Wolf we went. We were pleasantly surprised at how nice the hotel itself was - I think we were expecting something kind of mediocre with a water park emphasis. Our room was well appointed and spacious, even for the lowest level room they have. Interestingly enough, when we went to check in they asked if we wanted to upgrade for $25-50. So, if you are thinking about the higher priced room, you might just want to wait till check in although I'm not sure if they always do that. The water park was very well done with lots of very vigilant life guards. They had a great little kids area, a couple of middle sized slides, two tube slides, and two large slides. All the slides seemed to be quite fast which we really enjoy. They also had a huge wave pool with three different types of water - smooth, traditional waves, and wild and crazy waves. Another option was a regular pool area with a special part of water basketball and the other section for playing on water toys and such. Lastly, they had two hot tubs - one inside and one out.

The kids enjoyed the slides a lot although they did get a bit burned out on the second day. Great Wolf allows you to use their facilities from 1 p.m. on the first day through 9 p.m. on the second day. Since we were picking up my sis at 9 p.m. we spent most of the second day at the water park. For Dave and I it was a bit too much, too long. We don't really enjoy constant action and craziness. But, for the purpose, Great Wolf does a good job. 

Another thing to mention is that the whole hotel is very geared around entertaining the kids to death and spending as much money as possible - although not in a pressure sort of sense. There is a large arcade, lots of snack areas, spas, and also a MagicQuest option. We didn't do that, but it seemed like about half the kids there were involved in that (extra cost) which did take quite a bit of people away from the slide area. 

There's probably more that could be said, but I need to get to bed for BSF tomorrow. :) All in all, it was a fun couple days, but we aren't planning to go again. Also, since my sis will be here the next week, my posting may be a bit sparse... 

 

 

good quad workout with all the stairs
 

How Deep the Father's Love

As I was working on our BSF lesson for tonight (Eph 2-3), the theme of our unworthiness and God's amazing love to us came through loud and clear. And, that brought to mind this lovely hymn...just thought I'd share it with you...

How Deep the Father's Love 

Stuart Townend

How deep the Father's love for us 

How vast beyond all measure 

That He would give His only Son 

To make a wretch His treasure 

How great the pain of searing loss 

The Father turns His face away 

As wounds which mar the chosen One 

Bring many sons to glory 

Behold the Man upon a cross 

My guilt upon His shoulders 

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice 

Call out among the scoffers 

It was my sin that held Him there 

Until it was accomplished 

His dying breath has brought me life 

I know that it is finished 

I will not boast in anything 

No gifts, no powr's, no wisdom 

But I will boast in Jesus Christ 

His death and resurrection 

Why should I gain from His reward? 

I cannot give an answer 

But this I know with all my heart 

His wounds have paid my ransom

As I was looking up a question regarding tonight's text online...I happened across a question that I thought was very interesting. Basically, "If all a church knew about the Lord was from the music they sang, how deep would their knowledge be?" I really liked that question as a lot of more current music has been dumbed down compared to the incredible depth in some of the old, well-loved hymns (although this hymn was written in just 1995). But, thankfully, there is also some good contemporary music. :)

Closing a Chapter

It's been a tough week for us around here...today was our last day at our church where we have been loved, encouraged, and blessed...also the church where we have served, given, and ministered. God is leading us into the next chapter. On one hand we have a measure of excitement as we step out of our comfort zone and into the unknown, on the other hand a great sadness at leaving, but Lord willing this decision will allow the bearing of greater fruit for the kingdom. The congregation and eldership have been more than wonderful during this transition, and we've received numerous words, written and spoken, filled with love and grace towards us. We especially appreciated their final expression of love towards us as all gathered and prayed over us at the end of the service today. What a joy it is to know that we will continue to be family as the years go by.

As I've written from time to time on the blog, we've been so challenged these last couple years to be purposeful, focused, and productive...to not be content with the status quo. It's so easy to get lulled to sleep and stuck in the comfort rut (that's why I appreciate people like Platt, Chan, and Piper). Although Dave and I feel we have done a decent job at building up the body, we have also felt that we have done very poorly at spreading the good news. Our hope and prayer during these next months and years is that we will be more diligent in that pursuit allowing both growth for eternity and greater growth in our personal lives.

we recently had church directory pics done by my lovely friend Heather

David Platt

I'm not sure if you all are familiar with David Platt, but he is a pastor with a great heart for living out the gospel. He is extremely challenging and real about what the gospel means and how we need to be living in light of what the Bible says. Dave and I have listened to a number of sermons of his over the last year or two, and this past week I began his book, Radical. The subtitle is "Taking back your faith from the American dream." I've realized I really enjoy books that challenge you...I don't do real well with touchy-feely kind of books. Here's a quote from the first chapter as he reflects on the differences between his new mega-church and the time fellowshipping with an underground house church in Asia:

But as a new pastor comparing the images around me that day (his 1st Sunday as pastor) with the pictures still fresh in my mind of brothers and sisters on the other side of the world, I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable. We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves. 

We took James up skiing for the first time today...
I thought I had more pics, but all the rest were videos

Serving Together

I can't remember if I wrote about this last month, and I'm too tired to go looking right now, but yesterday we had our second service day for the ladies at church. And, it was just super! There is such a wonderful connection and delight in serving for a common goal...especially if that goal is to bless someone everyone knows. Yesterday, we went and cleaned an office building - about 8 people showed up and a half dozen kids. We all went briskly to work in our respective areas chatting with those close by. By the time two hours was done, the building looked 100% better. So, I encourage you to find a buddy or two and a project to bless someone with and just do it! :)

some pics of Evans - taken from Susan's phone so not the best
 

 

Evans

We had the great pleasure of meeting Evans tonight. Dave's brother's family adopted a little boy from Ghana and finally brought him home this past Monday. They began the process just over a year ago, hit a few bumps here and there, but thankfully nothing major. He is a great little guy - very happy, pleasant, easy going, jumped right in with our kids, and seemed to be adjusting well. We've been praying for them through this whole process and it was such a delight to see this new blessing in their life. I didn't take any pics, but will post some when I get some.

Gifts 217-242

I've wanted to get back into counting God's gifts to me (a discipline encouraged by One Thousand Gifts) that has gone by the wayside these last many months. Our passage from Mon BSF was Eph 1 on the incredible spiritual gifts God has lavished on His children. Take a moment to read it if you haven't for a while. Otherwise, here are some of my recent gifts:

217 frost crunching underfoot

218 the smell of toast toasting

219 morning light peeking over the hills

220 setting the alarm a half hour later

221 little heads resting against my shoulders

222 voices strongly singing hymns

223 finishing another good book

224 a beautiful hydrangea brought by my hubby

225 friends that delight in serving

226 a fire crackling merrily

227 deer on the driveway

228 cutie toodle slipping her hand into mine

229 little kiddos dressing up in high heels

230 laying in bed thinking

231 fresh dry erase markers

232 listening to scripture in Chinese

233 snuggling up looking through an American Girl magazine

234 seeing the latest Lego creations

235 talking about what to name play horses

236 airline tix for my sis to come visit

237 an unexpected trip to the movies with gramma

238 a quiet cup of coffee with my dad

239 phone conversations that go better than expected

240 a multitude of eager hands for a service day

241 steaks that aren't overcooked

242 sending a text through gmail

a couple more pics from Disney

The Tanglewoods' Secret

We worked our way through another book by Patricia St. John, The Tanglewoods' Secret. True to form, it was another real life book that pointed to Christ. This story surrounds the adventures of a brother and sister who are staying with their aunt and uncle while their parents are away. The sister, Ruth, struggles a lot with her temper and attitude while the older brother is easy going. They enjoy their free time away in the woods studying nature, birds particularly, and exploring. After a particularly miserable encounter with her aunt, Ruth runs away and finds herself sleeping the night in a church. The following morning, she meets the pastor and her life is changed as she gives herself to The Shepherd. The story continues with their relationship to a poor boy who makes a bad decision which ultimately ends up leading to his death (may be a hard subject for particularly sensitive kiddos). Throughout, St. John weaves the gospel and shows how Ruth tells others about Jesus and how her life is changed. As with all her books, many children may not stick with the book totally on their own, but it works well as a read aloud, and my kids always enjoy them. Good book...realistic story line...good challenge to know Christ and become more like Him.

Message in a Bottle

I don't think I ever ended up posting about Hannah's message in a bottle...last summer Hannah had read in a magazine about how someone had put a note in a bottle, dropped it into the ocean, and how it was found later on. She, of course, thought that was both amazing and exciting and promptly went and wrote up a note for herself. Since we don't live by the ocean, it was a number of months before she could cast it off. In Aug, Dave Sr. and Susan took the grandkids out to Seattle and on a ferry ride. Hannah dropped her bottle - she had put her note into a plastic water bottle with marks to open all over it. :) Then, back in early Dec. she received two letters in the mail. One, from the lovely lady that had found the bottle and was so excited, and the other from a sleigh ride company with four tickets from the lady to take a sleigh ride.  The lady was extremely sweet, has four daughters of her own, and just loved the idea of sending out messages in a bottle. Hannah was beyond thrilled to have her message turn out so well. 

So, finally in mid Feb, we took our tickets and Hannah's best friend and went off for our sleigh ride...here are some pics:

it was a neat morning in Leavenworth that day

Take Every Thought Captive

This past week in BSF I taught through 2 Cor 8-13. In that section is the little part "take every thought captive to obey Christ." That concept has been a significant help in my Christian walk. Even though that is a somewhat familiar concept, I hadn't quite appreciated the value of it until a couple of years ago. The idea that unwanted, undesired thoughts will creep into our minds is a given, and that, in itself, is not sinful. However, as we continue to entertain those wrong thoughts and then move on to acting upon them, that becomes sin (see James 1:14-15). The battle really begins in the mind. So, in this short section of how to wage spiritual warfare, we see that we are able to conquer, through Christ, our thoughts.

So, how does that practically work itself out? For me, it starts with knowing God's word...we must know what is right and pleasing to God and what is wrong and sinful. Thankfully, we've been given the Holy Spirit to help us in that discerning process. We need to discipline our minds to think only on things listed in Phil 4:8. Then as a wrong thought enters my mind, I basically think this isn't pleasing to God so I need to replace it with something else. The replacing part is also key. Here are a couple of examples:

Doesn't he/she see I could use some help - replace with - Lord, help me be willing to serve.
Boy, I could do that job a lot better - replace with - Lord, please help me to remember all my abilities come from you and not be proud.
Won't these kids ever learn? - replace with - Lord, help me be patient and willing to train them for You.
He/She doesn't really care about me - replace with - Lord, help me overlook their unkindness/inconsideration/etc. and show them love anyways.
I'd really like to follow that (bad) link - replace with - Lord, help me not to give into that temptation and only look on things that are pure.
I deserve such and such, or I don't deserve this - replace with - Lord, you know what is best for me, help me to be content in my current circumstances.

Notice all the "help me's" - it's so important to understand that we need to have the right mindset even if the other person could/should do things better. It's not at all wrong to pray for the other person to change or bring up an issue if needed, but even if nothing changes, we are called to think rightly. Also, please note, I in no way do this really great, but some of the struggles I used to have are no longer popping into my head quite as steadily. What a blessing that God gives us the tools to overcome the temptations that we face.

Today we went up to Mission Ridge and it was a most gorgeous day

I brought the camera and was excited to get some good pics, but the battery died after just a couple

So, here's a video from just off of Chair 1