A little bit of this...a little bit of that.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Gifts 838 - 855

To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. --Merton

838 - flowers pushing up

839 - little boy songs in the shower

840 - kisses from Toodle

841 - sitting close with a friend

842 - adventurers down the hill

843 - wiggly worms

844 - sparkly eye liner

845 - strumming of the guitar

846 - quick trips to the store

847 - a list of new book reccomendations

848 - annual cookie decorating with friends

849 - seeing people know freedom in Christ

850 - unity with others found in Christ

851 - people who respond back to you

852 - hope

853 - soft sugar cookies

854 - being forgiven

855 - a dishwasher

here's more from our spring festivities...
egg hunt

in the eggs were some candies and clues

there were 7 separate sets

the clues led to bags with Trailblazer Books in them and an
assortment of letters on the bags spelled a word...do you know what it is?

Toodle guessed it first try and the "grand prize" was a set of
beautifully illustrated books - Wizard of Oz, Heidi, Pinocchio

Monday, March 25, 2013

Hidden in Plain Sight

I had forgotten that I have never gotten around to reviewing this book. It was one by an author I saw recommended on a blog, and I happened upon it at Goodwill in one of my book hunts. :) I had a bit of a concern with it containing a recommendation by an emergent church author on the back, but picked it up and read it anyways. It's definitely not a heavy read and, overall, I quite enjoyed it. Basically the book works through the person of Peter and the section of verses found in 2nd Peter chapter 1. He speaks about faith, the Holy Spirit, and then the virtues found in that chapter. His style is conversational and practical, pleasant and easy to read. Following each of the chapters, there is a snapshot of Peter as he exhibits the previous trait.

I've been thinking quite a bit about self-striving vs. dependence on the Spirit lately, so this following excerpt jumped out at me while I read:

"There is no excellence without discipline." I believe that. But more and more I believe that there can be no discipline in any sustained way without the Spirit Discipline can created impressive, even dazzling, results in the short term. But it always needs a Coach Carter around to prod it and drive it, and after a while that grows wearisome too. No, the only power on earth that can enliven a whole lifetime of disciplined attentiveness and obedience to God is the Holy Spirit. If virtues groundwork is faith, its lifeblood is the Spirit.

I think of two men I know, both men of faith and virtue But one seeks the Spirit and the other doesn't. One invites, daily, the Spirit to meet him and fill him and guide him and empower him. And the other is his own Coach Carter, haranguing himself to work harder, chastening himself when he falls short. In some ways, the second man is more impressive: he is lean and sharp and focused. He gets more done, has fewer mess-ups, can quote, with flawless accuracy, more Scripture. He just lacks joy. His faith and virtue sour more with each passing year. He struggles with judging others and hating himself, the twin offspring of self-striving. He nurses, I suspect, bitterness toward God. His children are mostly silent, but have watchful, distrustful eyes.

The other man garbles Scripture and can never remember what passage comes from where. He bumbles and ambles at times. He is earthy in a way some people find shocking. He could lose a few pounds, and sometimes forgets, mid sentence, what he's talking about. But he abounds with joy. He gets sweeter by the day. He is one of the few people I know who truly loves sinners and hates sin, and people instantly sense it, sense they are safe with him. His love for God is as inviting as a blue lagoon and contagious as laughter. He is his children's hero.

Some difference between these two men is simply owing to temperament But only some. The one man, the man with joy, was not always like this. There was a time he was angry and self-absorbed, and he nearly divorced his wife. He was a lover of money and a lover of self. But he changed. And what changed him was the Holy Spirit...

Two men, both with faith and virtue. But one of them seeks the Spirit, in season and out. And the other just tries harder. It's the first one I want to be like.

---from pages 60-62

We had our 2nd annual Spring party on the 1st day of Spring - as I mentioned last year
I've been trying to change Easter Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, but I still love the
traditional Easter activities...so now we do them on the 1st day of spring

We did some egg balancing, although when I looked into it,
it can happen any day of the year...sorry AR :(

we always color uncooked eggs :)

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Loving Littles

I don't write about littles very much, well, because Josh is 9 and it just really seems so long ago and somewhat like a fog. :) But, we have quite a few littles in our GC group, and yesterday a couple of them were hanging out at our house (20 mos and 4 years). It's made me think a bit about life with littles and some of the things that help keep you sane in those years.

Slow down - yes, I know we're Americans, and Americans have sooooo much to do. But, in our doing, we miss the being...we miss the small delights around us. You can't rush with littles...I think they can be a way God forces us to slow down and look at the horses on the hill or listen to the sounds a vacuum makes. You just have to remember in those years that you can't do everything, you can't be in every ministry, and you can't have a night life (I still dislike going out at night generally). :) That's okay because what you are trading those things for is the opportunity to form a soul...to make a disciple...to, Lord willing, be an example that points them to Christ.

Involve them - one practice I tried to stick to was "don't do anything while the kiddos are asleep that you can't do while they're awake." That meant I didn't clean the house after they went to bed or folded laundry while they napped. I included them as much as possible even though it takes 10 times as long. Doing that accomplished two things...one, it taught them to work when they actually wanted to work rather than wanting them to work once they are actually old enough to really help and they would now rather play...two, it left me some actual "free" time to just sit and read, or sleep, or catch up on whatever was needed.

Enjoy the moments - I didn't do this all that well many times, but now that my kiddos are more than halfway out of the house! I am thankful for the times I did. "The days are long, but the years are short" is so true. You'll never get the moments back so take a deep breath and read another story or stop the dusting and join in their play.

Well, that's all for now...I need to get to bed...another busy day tomorrow. :)

isn't that a great smile!

my little dishwasher helper

sweet older sister climbing under the table

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Love

Most you probably remember me writing about Redemption Groups back in the fall. Well, our church has decided to offer them as a ministry, and after quite a bit back and forth mentally (and still feeling inadequate and some other personal struggles) decided to commit to going forward with them. Anyways, we had our first meeting last week where we went through the specific chapters on Love in Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands. I tell you, that book is great...go out and buy a copy for yourself, read it, and start applying it. :) So, I figured, I'd bring all of you along a bit of this path with me...so tonight here are some of the concepts in the Love chapters (7-8).

People aren't in the way of the plan, they're the focus of it.

We would prefer to lob grenades of truth into people's lives rather than lay down our lives for them.

We are relationship thieves. People do not belong to us...they belong to God. Relationships are not primarily about our fulfillment. Our relationships should be loving and redemptive.

To truly love, we must Enter the Person's World...that is done by truly seeing where people are at, not where we believe they are at. When people talk, there will be indicators of needs in their lives often shown by emotional words, interpretive words, self-talk, or God-talk. By asking questions about those things, we can get an honest understanding of the struggles people are facing.

Another element is that we Incarnate Christ...we're not just God's spokesperson, we're His example. We must be a picture of Who Christ is and a living example of what He's done. We can't "fix" a person, only God truly can...so we can't base our counsel on human wisdom, but on Spirit-led, bible-based, Christ-exalting truths.

The third piece is Identifying with Suffering...it is a great equalizer as we've all experienced it to one degree or another. It creates in us a humility, an understanding that we're walking the road together, and that we don't have it all together - it's only Christ's work in us.

Lastly, we need to Accept with Agenda. God's grace leads to change. We don't condemn the person, but we also don't condone their sinful choices. True love keeps God's greater agenda in mind...transformation.

Good stuff...

just thought I'd share a pic of a recent math game we played
I draw this game board on the dry erase board and put "prizes" along the path
then I write out a math problem that if solved correctly gives them a roll of the dice
whatever they land on, they win: computer minutes, watching a show, a little treat, etc.
sometimes when I'm mean, I put "do a chore" on one of the spaces :)
I also have things like "kiss the momma", +2, -3, etc to add some spice

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Kids and Blogging

For any of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you know that my kiddos created a blog a while back. However, after they did two posts, they quit. :) So, this past week, I put "write a blog post" as one of their school assignments...and, voila! their blog is back in action. They've actually been going crazy with it, writing up information about their ninja ideas, taking videos (which I can't seem to get to post), and thinking up new stuff. I realized what a great learning tool it is: typing, writing, creativity, punctuation, photography, videography, etc. Plus, they are loving it right now. Part of why I think it has gone better this time around is because they are better typers and their ability to make coherent sentences has improved dramatically. :) So, if you get a chance, check it out: http://kidkreation1.blogspot.com/

And, let me know if any of your kids have blogs. :)

Comment made by Hannah as I was tucking her into bed, "I like to sleep with my sword...just in case." :)

Josh set up this lego scene the other day

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Robin Hood

I happened across another great book the other day at Goodwill (Salvation Army really)...Robin Hood. We had already read stories of Robin Hood a number of years ago which we really enjoyed, but the stand out quality of this book is the amazing illustrations by Greg Hildebrandt...they are really magnificent. I did a little more searching and saw that Unicorn Publishing did a whole series of books, many illustrated by Hildebrandt (I actually purchased a couple others for the kids, but don't tell them! :) ). For some reason, the stories of Robin Hood have always been a particular delight...I think we all have some level of interest in the freedom of the greenwood that these "outlaws" enjoyed...their simple life, yet adventurous...their honing of skills with the bow and quarterstaff. This collection had 24 stories, a number of them we hadn't read in the past. It also gives an introductory story about how Robin Hood came to be an outlaw. I must admit, anytime I read about Robin Hood, I have a small concern about the glorification of men who go against the law...however, King Richard does visit their band and accords them pardon so I guess that makes them okay??? I do wonder a bit about the moral aspects of this story. Apart from that, we thoroughly enjoyed these stories and were sad when the book ended (with Robin's death which kind of ended it on a depressing note). Another nice feature was that it was written partially in an old English type of way...that lent it a greater air of authenticity, but needed a bit of explaining at points. Each chapter also began with a couple lines of poetry which was great fun.

This is an easy to recommend classic. I also saw that it is free for Kindle (at least right now) although I don't think that version contains any of Hildebrandt's lovely illustrations. In the interest of full disclosure, some people do die in this book and, I think, there was one instance of questionable name calling.

Listen and hearken, gentlemen,

That be of free-born blood,

I shall you tell of a good yeoman,

His name was Robin Hood.

Robin was a proud outlaw,

While as he walked on the ground:

So courteous an outlaw as he was one

Was never none else found.

a typical evening around here...always a lot of reading

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Gifts 822 - 837

Thankful for the little things in the day to day...

822 - that God uses imperfect people

823 - blanket art by a little friend - he made a flower for me :)

824 - celebrating birthdays with friends

825 - a full night of sleep

826 - the simple excitement for pancakes

827 - working together in the kitchen

828 - planting first flowers of the year

829 - Cutie oranges - we eat tons of these!

830 - delicious mangoes

831 - avocado sandwiches

832 - that scripture never gets old

833 - the adventures of Robin Hood

834 - accepting the imperfect

835 - picture books - we read so few of these anymore

836 - little friends that are excited to see you

837 - finding enough volunteers

my kiddos have a frequent obsession with ninjas
today they made some cool shields

I think Josh's leaping frog picture is so funny

Josh does a "ninja training course" for Hannah

Monday, March 11, 2013

Idols of the Heart

This is the first book I've read by Elyse Fitzpatrick although I know a number of my friends have enjoyed her books and her ministry (I guess that's not true as I just saw she also wrote Give Them Grace which I have read...hmmm, forgot about that). It's actually a book I grabbed off the shelf at Goodwill and then my friend chose it as the next book to go through in our discipleship time. As the title suggests, this book is about understanding what your heart is worshiping and replacing that wrong worship with right worship of God. Fitzpatrick does well at explaining her main focus of each chapter both scripturally and through concrete examples. I also appreciated how she didn't just leave her concepts at the theory stage, but sought to apply them practically to our lives. Each chapter is followed by a handful of questions that make it particularly useful for a discussion. If the concept of heart idolatry is new to you, this would be a good book to pick up. However, if you are familiar with this idea, there may not be a whole lot of fresh material in the book although the subject is always relevant as rooting out idols is a life long process ("man's nature...is a perpetual factory of idols" Calvin).

Her last chapter was on Delighting in God so I thought I'd include an excerpt from there (pgs 192-3):

Have you ever been so moved by God's glory--His goodness, holiness kindness, or mercy--that your heart just exploded with praise? Could you imagine being so taken up with God's majesty that you felt like dancing? David knew what it was to "skip about life a calf from the stall."

How long has it been since your heart "overflow(ed) with gratitude" (Col 2:7)? That word overflow in Colossians means to superabound or excel with gratitude! What would it be like to burst forth with passionate praise...and why don't we? In answer to that question A.W. Tozer writes,

Orthodox Christianity has fallen to its present low estate from lack of spiritual desire. Among the many who profess the Christian faith scarcely one in a thousand reveals any passionate thirst for God...We fear extremes and shy away from too much ardor in religion as if it were possible to have too much love or too much faith or too much holiness...(If you don't) refuse to surrender to the chill of your spiritual environment...you will reach at last (and unknown to you) the bone yard of orthodoxy and be doomed to live out your days in a spiritual state which can be best described as 'the dead level and quintessence of every mediocrity.'"

----we're set to begin What Did You Expect by Tripp tomorrow...very excited about that!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Who I Am in Christ

I came across this file the other day that had been used during my mentoring with Setting Captives Free. It's a great resource to take some time and think, pray, and praise God about. One area I am weak in is being assured of my position through Christ...I am much more prone to being hard on myself for not living up to my personal expectations rather than resting in Christ's finished work on my behalf. So the last couple days I've been taking some time to dwell on these scriptures. These things are also true of you if you have surrendered your life to Christ. They are particularly meaningful if you place your name in the blanks. (You can actually cut and paste this into a Word document then find and replace to include your name ...find 5 underscores "_____" and replace with your name...If it doesn't work write a comment with your email, and I'll do it for you. :) )

Who I am in Christ

_____ Is Valuable $C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery\Image7.gif$
John 1:12 _____ is God's daughter.
But _____ received Him, and to _____ He gave the right to become God's daughter, because _____ believes in His name.

John 15:5 _____ is a part of the true vine, and a channel of Christ's life.
I am the vine. _____ is a branch. If _____ remains in Me, and I in her, she will bear much fruit, for apart from Me, _____ can do nothing.

John 15:15 _____ is a friend of Christ.
No longer do I call _____ a servant, for a servant doesn't know what her lord does. But I have called _____ a friend, for everything that I heard from My Father, I have made known to _____

Rom. 8:17 _____ is a joint heir with Christ, she shares Christ's inheritance with Him.
And if a daughter, then an heir; an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ; if indeed _____ suffers with Him, that _____ may also be glorified with Him.

I Cor. 3:9 _____ is God's co-worker.
For _____ is one of God's fellow workers. _____ is God's field, God's building.

I Cor. 3:16 _____ is God's temple.
Don't you know that _____ is a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in her

Eph. 1:5-6 _____ has been adopted by God as His daughter.
Having predestined _____ for adoption as a daughter through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desire, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He freely bestowed favor on _____ in the Beloved.

Eph. 1:11 _____ has an inheritance in Christ.
In Him also _____ was assigned an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His will.

Eph. 2:5-6 _____ has been made alive with Christ and she is seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
Even when _____ was dead in her trespasses, God made her alive together with Christ (by grace _____ has been saved), and raised _____ up with Him and made _____ to sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 2:10 _____ is God's workmanship, His handiwork.
For _____ is His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that _____ should walk in them.

Col. 1:27 Christ Himself is in _____
To whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in _____ the hope of glory.

Col. 3:3 _____’s life is hidden with Christ in God.
For _____ died, and her life is hidden with Christ in God.

_____ Is Loved $C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery\Image7.gif$
John 3:15-16 _____ has eternal life in Christ.
_____ believing in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved _____, that He gave His one and only Son, that _____ believing in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:18 _____ is not judged by God, because she is in Christ.
If _____ believes in Him, she is not judged. But if _____ doesn't believe, she has been judged already, because she has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God.

John 15:9 _____ remains in Christ's love.
Even as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved _____. _____ must remain in My love. If _____ keeps My commandments, she will remain in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and remain in His love.

Rom. 8:14-15 _____ is a daughter of God.
For if _____ is led by the Spirit of God, she is a daughter of God. For _____ didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but _____ received the Spirit of adoption, by whom she cries, "Abba! Father!"

Rom. 8:35-37,39 _____ cannot be separated from the love of God.
Who shall separate _____ from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter." For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate _____ from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, _____’s Lord.

Eph. 3:12 _____ may approach God with boldness and confidence.
In whom _____ has boldness and confident access through her faith in Him.

Col. 1:13-14 _____ has been rescued from the domain of Satan's rule and transferred to the kingdom of Christ.
The Father delivered _____ out of the power of darkness, and translated her into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

Heb. 4:16 _____ may come boldly before the throne of grace through Jesus Christ to receive mercy.
Let _____ therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that she may receive mercy, and may find grace in time of need.

_____ Is Victorious $C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery\Image7.gif$
John 8:31-32 _____ has been set free.
If _____ remains in My word, then she is truly My disciple. _____ will know the truth, and the truth will make her free.

Rom. 6:1-4 _____ died with Christ and she died to the power of sin's rule over her life.
What shall we say then? Shall _____ continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! If _____ died to sin, how could she live in it any longer? Or don't you know that when _____ was baptized into Christ Jesus, she was baptized into His death? _____ was buried with Him through baptism to death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so _____ also might walk in newness of life.

Rom. 8:37 _____ is more than a conqueror in Christ.
No, in all these things, _____ is more than a conqueror through Him who loved her.

II Cor. 2:14 _____ is led triumphantly by Christ.
But thanks be to God, who always leads _____ in triumph in Christ, and reveals through _____ the sweet aroma of His knowledge in every place.

Gal. 2:20 _____ was crucified with Christ.
_____ has been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer _____ who lives, but Christ living in her. That life which _____ now lives in the flesh, she lives by faith in the Son of God, who loved _____ and gave Himself up for her.

Phil. 4:13 _____ can do all things through Christ.
_____ can do all things through Christ, who strengthens her.

II Tim. 1:7 _____ has been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline.
For God didn't give _____ a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline.

I John 5:4-5 _____ has overcome the world.
For _____ is born of God and overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: _____’s faith. _____ overcomes the world because she believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

_____ Is Complete $C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery\Image7.gif$
I Cor. 6:17 _____ is joined with Christ, and she is one spirit with Him.
But if _____ is joined to the Lord, she is one spirit with the Lord.

II Cor. 5:17 _____ is a new creation.
Therefore if _____ is in Christ, she is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

II Cor. 5:21 _____ is the righteousness of God in Christ.
For Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on _____’s behalf; so that in Him _____ might become the righteousness of God.

Eph. 1:3 _____ has been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
Blessed be the God and Father of _____’s Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed _____ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Phil. 2:5-7 _____ has Christ's mind.
Have this in your mind, _____, which also was in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, didn't consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

Col. 2:6-7 _____ is firmly rooted in Christ and she is being built up and established in Him.
As _____ received Christ Jesus, her Lord, she must walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, even as _____ was taught, abounding in it in thanksgiving.

Col. 2:10 _____ has been made complete in Christ.
And in Him, _____ is made complete, who is the head of all principality and power.

_____ Is Chosen $C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery\Image7.gif$
John 15:16 _____ has been chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit.
_____ didn't choose Me, but I chose _____ and appointed her, that she should go and bear fruit, and that her fruit should remain; that whatever _____ will ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to her.

II Cor. 1:21-22_____ has been established, anointed, and sealed in Christ.
Now He who establishes _____ in Christ, and anointed _____ , is God; who also sealed _____ and gave her the down payment of the Spirit in her heart.

II Cor. 5:18-19 _____ has been reconciled to God and she is a minister of reconciliation.
But all things are of God, who reconciled _____ to Himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to _____ the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God was in Christ reconciling _____ to Himself, not reckoning to _____ her trespasses, and having committed to _____ the word of reconciliation.

Eph. 1:4 _____ has been chosen by God to be holy.
Even as He chose _____ in Him before the foundation of the world, that _____ would be holy and without blemish before Him in love.

II Tim. 1:9 _____ has been given a holy calling.
God saved _____ and called her with a holy calling, not according to _____’s works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to _____ in Christ Jesus before times eternal.

Titus 3:5 _____ is washed and renewed by the Holy Spirit.
Not by works of righteousness, which _____ did herself, but according to His mercy, He saved _____ through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

I Peter 2:9 _____ is a member of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession.
_____ is a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that _____ may show forth the excellencies of Him who called her out of darkness into His marvelous light.

I John 2:28 _____ has boldness and is not ashamed.
Now, _____ should remain in Him, that when He appears, _____ may have boldness, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

_____ Is Forgiven $C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery\Image7.gif$
John 5:24 _____ has passed from death to life in Christ.
Most assuredly I tell you, if _____ hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, _____ has eternal life, and doesn't come into judgment, but she has passed out of death into life.

Rom. 3:24 _____ has been justified through grace.
_____ is justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Rom. 5:1 _____ has been justified, completely forgiven, made righteous, and has peace.
Being therefore justified by faith, _____ has peace with God through her Lord, Jesus Christ.

Rom. 8:1-2 _____ is forever free from condemnation.
There is therefore now no condemnation for _____ because she is in Christ Jesus, because _____ doesn't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made _____ free from the law of sin and death.

Rom. 8:31-34 _____ is free from any condemning charges against her.
What then shall we say about these things? If God is for _____ who can be against her? He who didn't spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for _____, how would He not also with Him freely give _____ all things? Who could bring a charge against _____ because she is one of God's elect? It is God who justifies _____. Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died, and more than that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God and makes intercession for _____.

Eph. 1:7-8 _____ has been redeemed and forgiven and _____ is a recipient of His rich grace.
In Him _____ has her redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of _____’s trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward _____ in all wisdom and prudence.

Eph. 4:32 _____ has been forgiven in Christ.
And _____ is to be kind to others, tenderhearted, forgiving others, just as God also in Christ forgave _____.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Active for Christ

What a lovely, sunshiny Saturday morning it is here. We have had unseasonably warm weather here the last couple weeks so much so that we headed out to the park yesterday for some outdoor fun. I'm sorry to see winter apparently leaving so soon, but springtime is absolutely amazing in Wenatchee.

Anyways, a thought has been going through my head a bit lately...be more active for Christ than a cause. In the world today, at least in America, there are unlimited amount of causes. Everything from save the whales to upcycling to pro-life to only eat organic to homeschooling. Of course, I'm not saying that many of these causes are bad (some should be important to us as Christians), but I think we should have some measure of concern if we are known more for our commitment to a cause rather than our love for Christ. If I'm known more for being a home-schooler than a Christ-follower, my talk is obviously skewed in that direction. That is a challenge for me as it is much more politically correct to talk about our causes than Christ, but has a cause ever done for me what Christ has done? A cause doesn't bring me from spiritual death to spiritual life or give me a right standing before God. Nor can a cause meet the fundamental need of all people...being made right with God, acknowledging our sinfulness and need for a Savior.

As I get older and eternity looms larger, God has been impressing on me to be more bold for Him...to more frequently and consistently declare the depth of His grace and love in my life.

who knew I had such a rockin' daughter?!?!?!?!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Recent Quotes

Just a handful of quotes this morning that have challenged me lately.

These are ones from listening to some of Tripp's sermons...

If you understand that we are marching towards eternity, you then get what the agenda is for the here and now. (perspective, perspective, perspective...we must keep our minds fixed in the right place.)

Maybe trials are so hard because they are challenging the replacement identities we are already carrying. (this may not make tons of sense if you haven't thought about your identity in Christ (redeemed, sons, etc.) rather than the identities we often label ourselves by (good parent, hard worker, etc.), but his point is that God often uses trials to knock our identities back into their right place. It's great to be a good parent and a hard worker, but if you're having a bad day/some form of criticism comes/something unexpected happens and your identity is in those things, you crash and burn rather than remind yourself that you are redeemed, loved, and forgiven even when you mess up/people don't seem to appreciate you/you don't understand what went wrong.)

If situations can rob you of your peace or other people can rob you of peace, you're probably not resting in the God of glory. (once again, perspective...when we can look at our world as ultimately under God's control, no matter the circumstances, we can have peace...it's when our view of God isn't as glorious or as great as He really is that we become anxious.)

And, this was one found on a handwriting sheet of Hannah's:

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. --Benjamin Franklin (the more I think about this, the more true I find it to be...it is very hard to hold your tongue in certain situations.)

last of the Hawaii pics :)