Challenging

We did something different with the boys last week. In an attempt to help them stay sharp for school we asked them to write a paper. However, in an attempt to challenge them spiritually as well as to give us a better handle on their perception of spiritual things, we made the topic of the paper be their personal testimony.

Yes, we had to explain what a testimony is and what it should contain. And yes, there were a few groans about "homework".  We gave them two days to think about it and write it. (Yes, Emma had homework too. Her's was simply to write the alphabet, upper and lower case. She did this very well.)

Well, it was due Sunday night. And they were all turned in on time. Let's just say we may have to work on some more school sharpening skills but the content gave us a glimpse into our children's beliefs. And that left us challenged. Challenged to help them, pray for them, and create an better environment for them to grow in their relationship with God.

Often we wonder if our kids "get it" when it comes to God. Yes, they are kids, but as Christ-followers there should still be evidence of God. And honestly, lately there has been a bit of concern as to who our kids are serving; by all external evidences it seems to be themselves. (But it also begs the question: what do people think of my life and who I choose to serve? I hope they see Jesus, but all too often they would probably see a selfish and self serving person.)

We had a time of discussion before bed on Sunday night and it started with the questions: "Do you need Jesus?", "Do I need Jesus?", "Since mommy and daddy have good jobs, we have a house, we have two cars, we have video games, clothes, food, then why do we need Jesus?" WOW!!! My husband sure brought the conviction! Jesus is more than our ticket to Heaven, He desires a relationship with us and is calling us to be like Him. We can't do that on our own. We need Jesus.

If we really believe that Jesus is who He says He is and if we believe the Bible is Truth, then our lives should look different. We should be transformed. We should be set apart. We should be in this world but not of this world.

We are challenging our kids to develop their relationship with God now and not when they are older. But honestly, we are finding ourselves challenged as well. "Why do I need Jesus?" In this culture it is easy to slip into self sustaining and self serving mindsets. This question, if seriously considered, should be life changing.

So...Why do you need Jesus?

Come

Lately, I don't just feel tired, I feel weary. It's not just physical; it is mental, emotional, and even spiritual. Some of it is the result of having had a crazy schedule from January thru June and still feeling like I need to catch my breathe, all while looking toward a busy fall. Some of it is the result of living in a "keep busy" world. (Though thankfully to look at our calendar right now it's not that full.) And then some of it is the spiritual battle of ministry and the pressure that can create.

As I was talking to a friend the other day about just feeling so weary and that in truth it isn't always a bad weary, I realized I was actually complaining. This led to the knowledge that I need to address this issue and work to not complain. So I began to pray about my attitude.

The next day as I was watching my coffee brew, I was again talking to God about the weariness I felt at the beginning of my day and that I wasn't sure I could (or wanted to) make it through work. And then I very clearly heard Him speak to me...

"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28)

"Come to me"

"I will give you rest"



Ah, the release and peace that we are given when we "come". But I was reminded in that moment that it starts with a choice of my own to come to Him. He won't take the burdens and supply the rest until I come.

I was reminded that Jesus took time to go to His Father to be refreshed and renewed. He often went off to pray and be away from the crowds. I believe He found rest in those times with His Father.

So I am working to make the choice to "come to Him" each time the weariness begins to affect my attitude. This means taking some quiet time, alone time with Him. Finding rest and quiet away from the busyness and crowds. This is rest for my soul, which in turn provides rest to my whole being.

Do you feel weary or burdened? Have you come to Jesus with it? The next verse says to "Take His yoke upon you and learn from Him."  You have to set down your "stuff" first. Let's work to lay down our busyness and pick up what matters to Him. I think it will give our souls a much needed rest.

13

13 years ago today, we said "I do!"

I don't think that either of us really had any idea what that meant.

We have four children.

We have moved 6 times, including a 600 mile move.

We have made mistakes.

We have seen God work in amazing ways.

We have worked hard on making our relationship a priority.

We strive to keep God at the center of our home.

(above picture was taken for our 10th anniversary)

13 years ago, we said "I do!"

And we would do it all over again.

May God continue to grow us and mold us into the couple that He desires us to be. To Him be all the glory!

New Toy

Well, we got a new camera. This is not to replace my current one, but in addition to it. This new camera is waterproof. It has been fun to play with it as you can take pictures while in the water and even under the water. Here are a few pictures and then a video we took as well...

Latest update (written a week ago...)

(So apparently I am getting really good at writing a post and then failing to publish it. Life is a bit crazy right now as we have Family VBS this week. Most of my extra time has been spent planning, purchasing, meeting, etc... but enough about all that, here's some of what we have been up to.)

Soccer season has ended for both Jack and Stephen. Our evenings, while still busy, have less to contend with as practices are no longer an issue. Last Saturday, Stephen's team finished their season with a tournament. I think that this may be the only still picture I have from his season. (That's what happens when the main family photographer is a coach.)

 Here are some fun pictures from the pool. The kids are in it almost daily now and loving it. The last item is a video of Emma, who went from barely moving off the steps three weeks ago to jumping in and having a great time. She is getting braver and braver and her swimming skills have greatly improved as well.

Jeremiah-Part 3

It has been awhile since I did a Jeremiah post. I have continued to study and read this book, but finding time to type out a post has been difficult. And this post...well, it might offend some people. Remember these are my thoughts and feelings.

I want to look at one verse and really challenge you and myself to consider how far our American Christian culture has fallen.

"A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophecy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?" Jeremiah 5:30-31

As the American culture has transitioned into a postmodern world view (basically that each person defines truth for themselves and they would rather question than accept absolute truth), the American church too has chosen to become more like the world rather than set apart in many ways. Now please understand that I do believe that there are churches that are taking stands to be all that God has called them to be and they are wrestling with how to reach this culture but not become part of it. However, I do also believe that the majority of the churches in American have been swayed to accept in even the smallest of areas part of the postmodern worldview.

When I read Jeremiah 5, I actually wrote in my Bible right next to these verses, "This could be speaking of the church in America."  We have been speaking less and less absolute Truth from the pulpits. We work hard to keep everyone comfortable and desire that they walk away in awe of the show, rather than the power of God. 

Now of course this begs the question, "If I simply keep my mouth shut about something that I know to be true, am I then lying?"  I believe that when pastors and church leaders fail to speak about the absolute truths in God's Word that they are liars, false teachers, and ruling by their own authority. They have in essence decided to "play God" as they determine what is necessary to speak on and what is not. The entire Word of God is necessary for the believer. We cannot pick out the nice fuzzy stuff and dismiss the hard and difficult.

I think, even though I am in ministry (and I have been challenging myself in the area of Truth telling) it was actually the phrase "and my people love it this way" that really struck me. We in America are all about comfort and pleasure. We don't want to be challenged to think deeply about things. We want someone to hand us our spiritual food in the "happy meal package".  I call it the "happy meal syndrome" in the church. We want it hot, fast and with a toy. We don't want to be inconvenienced if the service goes over by even just a few minutes. We don't want to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we would rather just be affirmed that we are good because we are at church for one hour. And we want to be entertained in the process.

One thing that bugs me is when people become upset over a style of preaching or worship. Yes, we all have preferences in these areas, however if we are in tune with God and His Spirit then He can speak to us and grow us and change us no matter if the style is not "our style".  God is not bound by style. He wants our hearts to be open and submitted to Him.

Consider your church. Oh, the preacher may indeed be preaching from the Bible, but is he challenging you to live radically different from this world and to be transformed more and more into a fully devoted follower of Christ? Maybe you are in ministry, are you challenging people to be changed by and through the power of God or are you making it easy for them to get by with a "good" life? Honestly, this hits home to me as a person in leadership within a church. I continue to wrestle with how this looks in our church.

Disclaimer: I am NOT speaking about using the Bible to promote an agenda for political gain. The Bible speaks to the sanctity of life and to same sex relationships and those types of topics; however it again becomes a "priests" own authority when they use those topics to further a personal/political agenda.

Memorial Day

Below are some pictures from last weekend. I actually had these pictures uploaded a few days ago (along with another post that I started last week) but I am just now getting around to posting. Better late than never I suppose. Enjoy!!

Over the weekend our house looked like a beach house with all of the towels hanging out to dry after a day in the pool. To me, this is the look of summer!

This is my new friend "Red". He is beautiful.