Contest of the Week

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to:http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

This Christmas season feels different to me.

I'm usually slightly irritated all month because of the disruption to precious routine that the Christmas season is. It makes a mess, rearranges rooms and costs us money we shouldn't spend. But, every year, my husband's generosity and calm attitude has infected me a little more. The big shift this year has a lot to do with the reality that our next 2 Christmases will be spent in a foreign land where they don't have snow and don't celebrate Christmas as a nation. I realize that all these fun and heartwarming "disruptions" will be events I'll miss dearly while overseas.

So I'm finally relishing all the little things this year. The gift wrapping, the advent calendar, the decorating of the Christmas tree, and the lights on the house. But most all I'm relishing the reminders we have of it being all about His glory and grace since His declaration of Christ's coming in Genesis 3.

The reminder of Christ and His mercy are my wish for my family this year as we gear up to walk away from all we are familiar with in our culture. I want this Christmas to give my children confidence in the larger realities of why we celebrate Christmas. I want them to understand that it's not a mere cultural duty, but a deeply rooted example of all that we've received as sinners saved by His gracious hand.

So, pray for me that I not become a grinch, but at the same time, that I continue to be awed by the deep meaning of this month. May you see Him as most glorious!

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?

We go to the Christmas Eve service.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

I would ask for a working car with 10 years of free repairs.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

We play in the snow and bake together.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

We loved Scrabble, Pictionary and Monopoly.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

I've carried on the traditions of driving around to look at Christmas lights and opening one gift on Christmas Eve.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?

Billings, Montana

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

Super Mario Bros for Wii

Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii

Lego Harry Potter yrs. 1-4 for Wii

Quote of the Week

"The old idea was to treat adults as adults. They could do anything; if they did something wrong they were punished. Children were treated as children-to be protected from what is harmful and reared and reformed in what is right. They modern idea is to reverse this. We treat adults as children and reform them.

We treat children as adults and let them see and do anything and everything. If we say someone's background and education is responsible for his present need of reform, it is inconsistent to let children taste and see everything good or bad."

-John Wenham "The Goodness of God"

Nice To Meat You

No, that's not a typo...that is a little view into my fall.

Both my husband and I are Montanans by birth and spent much of our childhood fall hunting with our dads. I have fond memories of singing along to the oldies with my dad in the garage. A dead deer hanging to the side and we companionably trimming the fat off each piece of meat. This background has blessed my husband because I'm thrilled to be a part of him bringing home the yearly meat supply.

For this reason, I am fervently hooked on wild meat. As an adult I've realized how healthy and economic it is. My kids love elk burgers, and balk at the taste of, ahem, beef. They are now at the point where they enjoy helping in the butchering process.

So, we've butchered one elk...deer season is in a week and a half. Then we have one more round of elk to go. Whew!

In other news, both the kids are playing soccer and I'm loving it. Granted, I hope they're enjoying it too, but I love the whole atmosphere: the crazy parents, the kiddy personalities, the goofy adolescent refs, and the ever different fall weather. My desire is that the kids will learn perseverance through playing out there. I also love them getting fun exercise.

Struggling with myself over whether it would be beneficial for me to try and get a part time job. I know it would be financially helpful, but is it eternally and family-wise helpful? Not sure yet.

Quote of the Evening

"Love is helping people toward the greatest beauty and the highest value and the deepest satisfaction and the most lasting joy and the biggest reward and the most wonderful friendship and most overwhelming worship- love is helping people toward God. We do this by pointing to the greatness of God. And God does it by pointing to the greatness of God."

-John Piper "Let the Nations Be Glad

This very eloquently and succinctly sums up what I've been learning the true definition of love to be over the last year. Beholding in bigger and broader ways the amazing sovereign glory of all that God does.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things! Romans 11:36

Foreign Living Anyone?

Yes, the rumblings you've been hearing are true.

God willing, we will be moving to a foreign country in the next 6 or so months. We were accepted to a company that does a couple of different things in the region. Our tasks will include: learning the language, leading a short term foreign group around the country in the summer, and my hubby may be teaching in a K-12 school for foreigners.

We're all extremely excited, me mostly about learning another language and putting used TP in a trash instead of the toilet (kidding about the 2nd part). The kids are looking forward to the strangeness of it all, though I know that will wear off fast. The hubby is looking forward to doing something that will stimulate his soul instead of killing it (and his vertebrae) like the airport is.

Don't Be A Vacationary!

This article in the Wall Street Journal is so good. It addresses the state of missions in America in a very comprehensive way.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704895204575321101671590716.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h#articleTabs%3Darticle

Good Ending

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the World Cup Final with our friends which included a Thai and a Nicaraguan. There's no other sports event that unites the world so heartily for a month than this game of futbol.

I'm in awe of God causing there to be such a sport to display the amazing ways He has spheres move. He's made bodies to endure 90 minutes of running exhaustion and gives men this venue to display to the world their emotions and character.

In our short married time we've seen the power of this sport in giving camaraderie between us and whatever culture we're visiting. When my husband gets on the field (or street) with Nicaraguans, Thais , Turks, or Chinese they all speak the same language with their feet.

I can't wait to watch again in four years.

Agh!!!

After a miracle win last round the US soccer team decided it wasn't important to show up for 2/3 of the game against Ghana today.

Very frustrating to watch.

On the upside, go Argentina and Spain! Woot!

World Cup Month

I love the World Cup. Every year I understand the game a little better and that makes it so much more enjoyable. Plus, it's something that Jason and I love to watch together and this year the kids are even getting interested.

Best game so far: Brazil and N. Korea...the first goal Brazil scored the ball curved, curved I tell you! I didn't even know it could do that!

Disappointing moments: While I'm glad the US is still in, they got lucky. So there win is disappointing. Also, Spain's loss to the Swiss today was just sad.

I know I still haven't shared the possible big change. The reason being the people we are talking to on the other side of this change are still gathering info on us and no decision has been made.

I will keep you posted though.

Update

Much in the realm of good books, profound thoughts and God moving have happened recently.

I resolve I will blog about it soon.

Hint: It may involve another part of the world.

Reforming Marriage

The title of this post is the title of a very good book that I read last week.
I say toss most of your silly marriage self-help books and get more marriage books with the Scriptures as its base!
With that in mind, here are some quotes from the book:

"John Bunyan once exhorted husbands to be 'such a believing husband to your believing wife that she may say, "God has not only given me a husband, but such a husband as preaches to me every day the way of Christ to His church."'" pg. 10

"God will not patch His grace onto some humanistic psychological nonsense-even if that nonsense is couched and buried in Christian terminology. It proceeds from an obedient heart, and the greatest desire of an obedient heart is the glory of God, not the happiness of the household. If we might paraphrase the words of the catechism, the chief end of marriage is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The reaon we are miserable in our marriages is because we have idolized them. But the glory of God is more important that our domestic happiness." pg. 11-12

"In the verses (he's speaking of Ephesians 5) following we find a very basic imperative indeed-husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church. But nowhere is the husband commanded to be a head to his wife. This is because he already is the head of his wife, by the very nature of marriage. If he does not love her, he is a poor head, but a head nonetheless." pg. 24

"A man may not be a vocational theologian, but in his home he must be the resident theologian." pg. 40

"Romantic love, as it is commonly understood, is a modern idol of the mind, emotions, and heart...Idolatry occurs whenever we look to a created thing with the expectation that it be and do what only the living God can be and do. " pg. 63

All quotes from "Reforming Marriage" by Douglas Wilson

Quotes of the Week

I'm reading an amazing book "The Protestant Reformation" by Lewis Spitz...it's a compilation of writings during the time of the Reformation. Here are some that really struck me.

"Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake. This kind of confidence in God's grace, this sort of knowledge of it, makes us joyful, high-spirited and eager in our relations with God and with all mankind." -Martin Luther "Preface to Romans"

-I desire so much that faith would cause this high-spiritedness in God to be seen in me.

"To repress these very sharp arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to ridicule of their enemies and to make Christians unhappy.
If, therefore, indulgences were preached according to the spirit and intention of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not exist.
Away then with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, 'Peace, peace,' and there is no peace! [Jer.6:14]
Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, 'Cross, cross' and there is no cross!
Christians should be exhorted to be diligent in following Christ their Head through penalties, death, hell;
And thus be confident of entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the false security of peace. [Acts 14:22]"
Theses 90-95 of Martin Luther's 95 Theses


"Let us then consider it certain and firmly established that the soul can do without anything except the Word of God and that where the Word of God is missing there is no help at all for the soul. If it has the Word of God it is rich and lacks nothing since it is the Word of life, truth, light peace righteousness, salvation, joy, liberty, wisdom, power, grace, glory, and of every incalculable blessing. This is why the prophet in the entire Psalm 119 and in many other places yearns and sighs for the Word of God and uses so many names to describe it."
Martin Luther "Treatise on Christian Liberty"

There's more than just Luther in the book and I'll save other quotes for a future post.

Thoughts on Luther's interpretation of the Word?

Hopefully these encourage and exhort your week.

Happy Birthday to Me, Have Some Snow

We had a massive snow storm Tuesday night, which caused my birthday (yesterday) to be an enjoyable Snow Day for the kids and I. I really couldn't have thought of a more fun way to play than Just Dance on the Wii, building Snow Forts and sledding!

All the extra exertion has me once again (though not in a melancholy way) considering the frailty and impermanence of our physical beings. This seems to be something that Christ, Peter and especially Paul understood to its fullest degree.

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparision, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

My outer woman is wasting away and yet I cling to the hope that my desire to taste and see the glory of God will be renewed day by day.

Oh God, may this be the thing that this temporal body strives for above all seen pleasures!

Cold for Cold, Ache for Ache

I got the pleasure this week of catching my sons cold, which came with all the fun aches, sore throat, fatigue and itchy nose that one could want....

"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?'
Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.' The Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.'
Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.'
So the Lord said to Satan, ' Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.'
Then Satan went out fromt he presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his food to the crown of his head." Job 2:1-7 (all excerpts from the NASB, italics added for emphasis)

In my current state of desiring to live a life that conforms to 1 Corinthians 10:31, I really thought that I would be fasting and dealing with more the food side of understanding doing everything for His glory.

But in the last couple of weeks, He continues to remind me of the obvious frailty and decline of my 27 year old body. Between chronic minor ailments (vision loss, hearing loss, issues of the female system) and now this cold I'm wrestling with my flesh which would like to go the non-glorifying route. By that I mean with my achiness and fatigue I chose the path of least resistance by laying on the couch and bed and completely checking out of reality by movies and TV. I could have spent that time reveling in an expository sermon or reading the Word, but I justified it to myself by saying my brain couldn't focus well.

Really? That little cold took your focus afield?

Yes, yes it did and that brought home to me the reality that I have to continue to fight to revel in Him above all these minor worldly escapes. My goodness, if a cold can derail my brain in my late 20s, I'm in big trouble the older I get!!

"Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!'
But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?' In all this, Job did not sin with his lips." Job 2:9-10

So, should I accept good and not the adversity (minor as it is) which will bring about more of His savoriness to me? May it never be to my life, and dear sister, may it never be in yours.

Quote of the Week

"People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa...Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us (Romans 8:18). I never made a sacrifice."

David Livingstone December 4, 1857
Speech to students at Cambridge University

So hard to keep this reality at the fore of my brain in light of the daily "conveniences and charities" here in my land and my home. I'm catching glimpses of the absolute savoriness of His Words above all else and I envy people like Livingstone who seem to hold this truth so much tighter than I can currently.

May You continue to cause me to taste and see that You, and only You, are good!

Winter Camping

This is me at the end of our winter camping trip thawing the corners so we could take our tent down.

The glorious warming stove that didn't work the second night due to operator error.

The cooking stove that kept us warm the second morning when above stove couldn't be turned on.

Our home sweet home for three days and two nights...is it possible to fall in love with a tent?

On the ice and loving our family time!

In the OT

Saw this on http://www.desiringgod.org and it struck me as a good quote as I'm currently mining the OT in a Wednesday group (go Deuteronomy!) and in my reading through the Bible program:

"It's a quote from J. G. Millar about our need to know the Old Testament in order to know the gospel. He mentions Deuteronomy in particular, but what he says applies to the whole Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible):

'Much of the theological framework needed to understand the significance of Jesus' coming, life and death was put in place by Moses in his writing, and perhaps above all in Deuteronomy. For it is here that the theology of blessing and curse which lies at the heart of Jesus' sin-bearing work is first articulated. It is here that the hopelessness of humanity trapped in sin, even when chosen by God, is exposed. It is here that the prospect of a divine intervention so radical that it changes people at the very core of their being first appears. (New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, pp. 164-165)' " -Tyler Kenney

When In Rome

February 6th will be our 9th anniversary. It seems when you start out that you'll never reach a number like 9, but it's truly been a blink of an eye.

I've had special cause this year to think over our last 9 years, since we've spent considerable time talking to and counseling a couple in their first year of marriage.

I look back at the first four years and marvel that God caused things to turn around. Between being pregnant twice, being seriously post-partum, Jason going to school and all the normal adjustments from self focus to focusing God's glorious design for marriage it was a little rough. Granted, we were spared so much serious heart ache that we see in those around. Regardless of the size of the martial issues, it was God causing us to dwell more fully on Him that caused us to revel in our married state.

Let me say, I've enjoyed Jason from the very first time we met at church camp. What's blossomed in me toward him has been a deep respect and trust in the way God leads us through Jason. Jason's driving passion to glorify God in all that he does has made this marriage something that seems to glorify God to those around us. Jason's constancy and commitment level to both his friends and his family is a character trait that I admire much. He's been wounded by friends and family and yet still is committed these individuals. I, by nature, am a more reticent person, so this character trait has been one that has been such an example to me.

The reason I wanted to write this today is because of how much I miss him. He left to encourage a friend in Turkey on Tuesday and was due to be home late tonight. By God's design, Jason wasn't able to be on that plane and won't be home until Monday night. Not a big deal really, but in our communication we both miss the other so much that we're aching to see the other. This aching abiding love is what I thank God for giving me in my husband. Love you honey, can't wait to see your face!

Untitled and Unglued

If wishes were fishes, mine would be a sturgeon!

The hubby flew off to Antakya, Turkey yesterday to visit a Turkish friend (Best is his name) who stayed with us 2 summers ago.

So far, things are trucking along here smoothly...so far.

Question

What is the priesthood of all believers or the "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9)?

After you explain what it is, what is its function?

And So...

...another shoe has dropped. I was asked to not to be a part of children's Sunday School anymore at our church. It hurts, I was really enjoying my time with the kids.

Also, in the same meeting, we were told it would be best if we left.
What if what they (the elders) think is best (or what would be so much less painful for us) isn't what God has us to do?

What happened to being a church family and working things out?

What about holding leadership to the same accountability as the congregation?

What about, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction."?????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why can you partner with other denominations and the city and yet ask us to go away????

We're not staying because we hate you or are out to get you or want to make you look bad (don't we all look awful when held up against Him??)
We're staying there because we love you and truly desire the glory of God to be the thing that causes your hearts to be joyful and that He would be the center of all that you do!

If any of you dear blog readers would like a more eloquent and God-centered update, you can read my hubby's post here: http://jsbolt.wordpress.com/about/life-and-ministry/

I'd also love to hear your thoughts...there's not been a person out there so far who has thought it a "good idea" we stay.

Wii Sore

My parents blessed us with a Wii this year for Christmas and I am so excited! The hubby and I are enjoying going 10 rounds of boxing a day with each other. I'm the kind of women who loves it when her hubby got her a PSP for Christmas 2 years ago, so this kind of behavior shouldn't surprise you.
I got Wii Fit Plus for myself purely because it looked like fun...not realizing how much work it actually would be! I've exercised every day since we've gotten it and I'm sore in muscles I didn't even know I had! The kids are even enjoying it. I'm hoping they don't get obsessed with the calorie counting side of it...I hope I don't either.
In other news, how do you encourage a fellow wife to follow the Word despite all that her culture deems right? I continue to reiterate, "He's sovereign, He put you together. It won't be easy, but marriage is for both your goods. Obey your husband as long as he lines up with Scripture." How counter-cultural I'm learning that last statement is! That's not what feminist tendencies will tell us and I hate being a product of that movement! I have to fight my learned cultural behaviors!
Just a side note:
Does anyone else realize how insulting it is to the generations of women before us AND the women in other cultures to say that feminism is the system that makes women strong and self-aware?!

All Satisfying Joy

In the last 8 months I've thoroughly enjoyed podcasts on my Ipod. I've heard the most profound sermons by Spurgeon, Tozer, MacArthur, Washer, Piper, Luther, Chandler and Edwards.

What continues to shine through in their preaching is the all-satisfying joy they have in God. I've been in this place of marveling at His majesty for the last year and really grasping how to see that joy on a daily basis.

It's so simple...yet so contrary to what we want to do. Here it is: preach the gospel of the Glory of God to yourself on at least a daily (if not hourly) basis! Here I was trying to find that lasting joy in methods and encouraging nice words and "me" time and service acts when the whole time it was in front of me!

May you find this eternal satisfying joy in this most blessed month!

This post was written for a contest on a great blog, Barking Mad . Click the link to head to her blog and enter this fabulous and encouraging contest!

Thanks Martin

Just finished reading the history of Martin Luther...all I can say is WOW!!!

What a strong man, who feared God utterly, who valued the Word above the church, who slapped the Catholic church down when it was the only game around, who was often in danger and yet translated the Word into German, who reformed the very way church functioned, who married a woman, who supported him well.

I'm amazed and heartened by all these saints who've gone in front of me.

Makes my own sadness and pain seem so light in comparision.

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do all to the GLORY of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31

The Role of the Holy Spirit

I don't know about you, but I feel like the Holy Spirit is the least understood aspect of the Trinity. I've been doing some reading and here are some quotes that I came across that helped me out:

"The testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For as God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit therefore who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets must penetrate into our hearts to persuade us that they faithfully proclaimed what had been divinely commanded...because until he illumines their minds, they ever waver among many doubts."
-John Calvin "The Institutes"

(In reference to 1 John 5:6-11) "In other words, 'The testimony of God' that is, the inward witness of the Spirit, is greater than any human witness-including, I think the apostle would say in this context, the witness of our own judgement. And what is that testimony of God? It is not merely a word delivered to our judgement for reflection, for then our conviction would rely on our own reflection. What is it then? Verse 11 is the key, 'This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life.' I take that to mean that God testifies to us of his reality and the reality of his Son and of the gospel by giving us life from the dead, so that we come alive to his self-authenticating glory in the gospel. In that instant we do not reason from premises to conclusions; rather we see that we are awake, and there is not even a prior human judgement about it to lean on. When Lazarus wakened in the tomb by the call or the 'testimony' of Christ, he knew without reasoning that he was alive and that this call awakened him."
-John Piper "God is the Gospel"

"Calvin affirms Scripture to be self-authenticating through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. What is this 'inner witness'? Not a special quality of experience, nor a new, private revelation, nor an existential 'decision', but a work of enlightenment whereby, through the medium of verbal testimony, the blind eyes of the spirit are opened, and divine realities come to be recognized and embraced for what they are. This recognition is as immediate and unanalyzable as perceiving of a color, or a taste, by physical sense-and even about which no more can be said than that when appropriate stimuli were present it happened, and when it happened we know it happened."
-J.I. Packer "Calvin the Theologian"

This last quote I just loved, so I'm adding it:

"A pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the church. As if the eternal and inviolable truth of God depended upon the decision of men! ...Yet, if this is so, what will happen to the miserable consciences seeking firm assurance of eternal life if all promises of it consist in and depend solely upon the judgment of men?"
-John Calvin "The Institutes"

Any thoughts?

Contest of the Day

I've read 5 Minutes for Mom for a couple of years now. They have great content and great contests! Check out their Christmas giveaways here: http://www.5minutesformom.com/10606/christmas-giveaway-2009/

Science Stinks

My sweet 2nd grader is tackling the Science Fair this year with the question: "Does a plant grow better if you add sugar to the water?" All in all, a very benign project...my main concern has been how the plants will fare on the kitchen table with it being so cold outside.

That's not my main concern anymore...let me explain.

Both kids were sick all weekend with the flu and I did a lot of laundry. Midway through the weekend, I felt like all I could smell was barf. Then today hit and I could still smell it!!

The smell would surprise me in odd places in my kitchen and living room. Needless to say I was completely grossed out and starting to wonder if I somehow smelled like barf.

Turns out sugar water smells like upchuck.

Let that be a reminder to all you scientists out there...ugh.

Finally Able to Talk About...

...what has been going on for the last 5 weeks. The reason why we desperately needed a vacation and the reason for my silence and withdrawal from many arenas.

On August 20th our pastors informed my husband and I that we were removed from our job of Missions Coordinator. The reason given in that meeting was cited as "philosophical differences" which they did not expound on at the time.

So, this is the letter we e-mailed to everyone that after the announcement was made to the church on September 13th:

Beloved Friends and Family, I begin this letter by calling you all beloved because that is what you have been to us. All of you in some way have supported us over the last four or more years. You have fed us when we were hungry and housed us when we were homeless. Many of you have prayed for us earnestly. Some of you have helped us with monthly needs, and others have helped us travel to more than 10 countries (some of them numerous times). In one way or another, all of you have walked with us as we have sought help Hillside Community Church fulfill its vision by meeting the needs of the congregation at home and missionaries abroad. Through it all, you have provided us with an example of the body of Christ functioning with all of its different parts. For this, we are eternally grateful. While our gratitude will last forever, we have always known that our time at Hillside wouldn’t. I used to wonder what would take us away from our role at Hillside as it was the best job I could have imagined. There is nothing quite like getting paid to do what you love to do. Throughout all of my time at Hillside, I never wanted to be anywhere else. This is one reason why my heart aches as I write this letter. Our time of serving at Hillside in an official capacity has come to an end, yet I still cannot think of anywhere else I would rather be. While this decision was quite sudden and painful, we nonetheless keep our trust in the sovereign Lord who indeed knows for what it is that He draws us away. While we do not know what our future holds, we rest in Him and exult in His ever felt company. We realize that this letter provides you with very little information about our situation. We hope to communicate more with you in the future especially as we begin to turn the page and continue on to the next chapter in our life. In the meantime, please receive our sincere thank you and know that Christ is continuing to make our joy complete even in the most difficult of times. By

His Grace and for His Fame, Jason, Sara, Ruth, and Caedmon

If you've made it this far you may be wondering, "What are those perspectives and philosophical differences?"

Good question.

We are still committed to our church.

We are hurt and confused.

We ask for prayers of wisdom on our part and that we will continue to proclaim His glory until He comes.

Questions?

Burning Calories Is A Vacation

I haven't said anything on my blog (or really anywhere else for that matter), but life has hit a hug downer in the last month. It's one of those scenarios where the struggle is happening to your family from an outside source, which has the bonus of making your family stronger.

As a result of said struggles we felt the need to get the heck outta town for a couple of days. Thank God that someone gave us a little money and that we can fly for free. We got a hotel 2 blocks from the Strip in Vegas for 3 nights...$80!!!! It's a suite w/ a kitchenette and a great pool. Vegas' financial struggles are to our advantage. If you haven't taken a family vacation to Vegas, I highly recommend it because there's soooo many cool free things to do. Here's a run down of what we've done:

-swam a ton

-visited the lion habitat @ MGM Grand

-gone to M&M World (twice) to see their 3D movie

-watching the fountains @ the Bellaggio

-volcano @ the Mirage

-flamingo habitat @ the Flamingo

-pirate show @ Treasure Island

The exercise has come in through walking to all of these places with the kids in tow. They've been troopers, next to no whining. Also, the awe on their faces at all the bigger than life sites is fun.

I got extra exercise yesterday when I walked 6 1/2 blocks to Albertson's for food...it's paid off though. We've only eaten out 2 meals the whole trip. Sadly we have to head home tomorrow, but it's been nice to get life off of our minds and relax.

Oh yeah, if you're wondering, "Did you gamble??"

Yes, I played $1 in a slot machine (such a stupid invention) and entered a cheap poker tourney. I was out in 30 minutes...mix of crappy cards and nerves.

Falling Short of the Glory of God

For the last three days I have been chewing over a message I heard on Romans 3: 23-26. It is mindboggling to me how many times I can read/hear a portion of word and miss the deep meaning behind the words.

That's how I feel about verse 23, "for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (NASB)

This is the very message that I am realizing that I need to convey in a deep way to my children and my friends.

Sin isn't just "doing something wrong against God"

At its core "doing something wrong against God" is not glorifying Him in my thoughts actions and attitudes!!

This view is why our American culture can hold God so lightly and consider themselves saved!!!

My words are very simplistic on the subject, but if you click the link below you can hear John Piper say it in such a way that it can weigh you and cause you to cry at your lack and His true grace.

The God of Worship

The First School Year Cold...

...and it was ME who got it. The kids stayed healthy and had a blast at their first week in school.

I'm already realizing that the hours are going to fly by and I might not be nearly as productive as I hoped. But I'm looking at the small things this week and am happy:

-cleaning the living room, uninterrupted

-talking for an hour to Jason, uninterrupted

-eating an ADULT (read veggies) lunch, uninterrupted

-taking a hike on the mesa, for 1 1/2 hours, uninterrupted

If there seems to be a theme to this, there is. A glorious theme of being able to do things 5 days a week like I haven't been able to for the last 7 years.

UNINTERRUPTED!!!!!

And Yet They Cuddle In My Bed

So, I bug bombed the house approximately two weeks ago and was thrilled to see many a dead spider in the aftermath airing and cleaning session. I did it then KNOWING that late August to mid-September is prime wolf spider time around our house.

In that last we I've squished
-2 in my tub
-3 in the kitchen
-1 in the living room
-STEPPED on a large one next to my bed
-AND had one trying to crawl into the crack between the wall and the mattress while I was laying right there

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

Really, I handle most insects fine, maybe it's because of the word "wolf" (my nightmare animal since childhood), but these big, leggy beasts of bite invading my room make me want to flip!

Sigh....

Maybe I'll try to bomb again in a week...get 'em when they're big.

His Influence

My daughter came home from the neighbor's house yesterday upset because her friend had yelled at her. She felt as though the whole world hated her and I assured her it was going to be fine.

"I guess it's for God's glory somehow," she sniffled.

Did my kid just say that? I continue to be touched at how much He is influencing her thoughts. Despite my parenting faux pas and my hormonal swings, despite my rantings and bad examples, He continues to work all of it for His good.

Amazing.

It Hurtles On

In case YOU didn't notice...it's the last day of July, agh!

Yes, my mommy and college student buddies, school is about to leap upon you like moldy bread when you're craving PB & J. I for one am having a mixed bag of feelings about the whole thing. I'm excited for my kiddos to get some awesome book learnin' and to be able to interact with their school friends. I'm personally giddy to get back to cleaning houses (and the church next month) so that I can have glorious seminary lecture listening on my Ipod.

But, between me and the start of school I get to have some days to myself next week, take a 2 day family vacation to the beach and bug bomb the house.

Anyone ever bug bombed before?

Any advice?

Is It So Much To Ask?

I'm not obsessed with keeping my diet sugar-free because I eat fairly well and don't worry about it.
But I admit that I've tried all of the sugar substitutes...that's because of my addiction to coffee and tea. With that many cups of caffeinated heaven I know I'm consuming more sugar than I want to be in my drinks.
I'm searching for that elusive calorie-free non-sugar that tastes EXACTLY like sugar. You'd think that we'd be advanced enough to have gotten this right by now people! I know some people swear by Splenda and stevia, but both have this funkadelic aftertaste I can't escape. Aspertame is controversial and gives me a stomache ache.
So, I decided to try Truvia (which to me seems to be stevia w/ a different name. Is that true??). I was once again mightily disappointed. Oh yeah, and I'm cranky because of the drawdown in my sugar intake. Blah!

Any thoughts or suggestions? Do you think honey, brown sugar or demerrera sugar is better than the straight white goodness? Anyone else curse the bitterness of the substitutes?

There Is Nothing New Under The Sun

Do you ever look at joys and trials and think, "Hmm, kinda seems like a wheel."
I see both come and go and come back around again. The set of circumstances shift slightly, but they center on the same core issues. I'm having a week where things are circling around again. I'm amazed, looking back, on how much we've learned and thanking Him that He's prepared and sat with us through every turn.

"Two things I asked of You,
Do not refuse me before I die.
Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, 'Who is Lord?'
Or that I not be in want and steal and profane the name of my God.
Do not slander a slave to his master, or he will curse you and you will be found guilty."

Proverbs 30:7-10

RIP

We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of some very important members of our family. To the front tree/bush (Stumpy) you provided many a play club and I know you are much happier to not be a confused bush/stump anymore.
To the back dead tree (aka Hammock Holder), thank you for leaving enough of you left so that we can keep enjoying the hammock.
They are survived by Big Boy who continues to keep our A/C costs down and the Black Sheep (a tree that's attacking our telephone pole and serves no purpose other than oxygen production).

Know you will remembered fondly by those little children who counted you shady and useful.

Rest in...wood chips.

Lectures are Fun!

This last week has been hands-down what I look for in a summer...I've done nothing! The kids and I have barely left the house. What have we been doing?
Well...

-I've been reading outdoors and indoors and anywhere in between.
-listened to a plethora of podcasts and lectures (I'm listening to lectures from Reformed Theological Seminary)
-I've played guitar.
-The kids have played with their friends in our yard, our house, the neighbors yard and the neighbor's house.

They've had their moments of being bored, but it doesn't take too long (if I ignore the whining) for them to figure it out.

It's a good thing I've had time to read and listen since I'm teaching my Wednesday group on the subject of canonization of the scriptures. It's an infinately fascinating subject. Amazing how God planned the Word out and has kept it as He wants it for the last 1900 years!

FIFA Baby!

I don't know if any of you watch soccer...but I came to enjoy it beause of my husband who played soccer through his college years. I still don't understand a lot of the rules or formations, but I can now appreciate a clean, skilled match.

All that to say, did you watch the US vs Brazil today?! What a game! Why can't we play like this all the time?!

DCLA 2009

If your teens are in LA this week for the DCLA conference tell them to wave at the security team. My hubby's the serious looking one with the beard!

Terminology Overdrive

Is it just me or do we seem to be moving hyperquick through definative words these days? I was struck by this with some religious terminology today. In the early 2000s there was a lot of talk about the seeker-friendly movement and now it seems that this term may be applied to a movement called the emergent church...not sure what the term was before seeker friendly, but it seems like a good applicable word ought to be a part of the common vernacular for more than a decade.

We seem to have national word fads on a yearly basis and I for one cannot keep up...how in the world are you supposed to be conversant and educated if you have to research a new term for a movement every year. Though, I guess in reality, when it comes to philosophy and theology, many of the movements could be called by any number of terms since the time of Christ.

I recommend researching this term "emergent" church. There's also the "emerging" church which is somewhat different...but if you want to be up on the conversation it may behoove you to do the legwork.

Anyone have thoughts on the emergent or emerging movements? I'd love to hear them.

Your Average Ho-Hum Day?

The first part of my day today was highly unusual and enjoyable. My friend Jess (whom I first met when we were babies in the church nursery) was in town with her hubby. They stayed at our house last night and we spent this morning catching up on life. I haven't seen her much since I moved here after high school. I love her steady and deep character and her sense of humor that reminds me so much of my husband.

The latter part of my day had an all-too-familiar hectic hour in it.

It's rent day.

We're short again.

This means I need to try and turn in the rent check in just before the office closes so that hopefully they won't try to cash it until Monday...at which time we'll (God willing) have it covered.

The added white knuckle aspect to driving the 20 minutes to the office today was that the car I was driving had an indecipherable amount of gas...all I could tell is that it was close to empty.

But, God's hand was on us and we made back into Golden before the low fuel light turned on.

That latter part...that's typical. So, I wait with hope to see how God displays Himself in providing for our needs this week.

Quotes of the Day

" I fear there are some who preach with the view of amusing men, and as long as people can be gathered in crowds, and their ears can be tickled, and they can retire pleased with what they have heard, the orator is content, and folds his hands, and goes back self-satisfied. But Paul did not lay himself out to please the public and collect the crowd. If he did not save them he felt that it was of no avail to interest them. Unless the truth had pierced their hearts, affected their lives, and made new men of them, Paul would have gone home crying, 'Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?'...
Now observe, brethren, if I, or you, or any of us, or all of us, shall have spent our lives merely in amusing men, educating men, or moralizing men, when we shall come to give our account at the last great day we shall be in a very sorry condition, and we shall have but a very sorry record to render; for of what avail will it be to a man to be educated when he comes to be damned? Of what service will it be to him to have been amused when the trumpet sounds, and heaven and earth are shaking, and the pit opens wide her jaws of fire and swallows up the soul unsaved? Of what avail even to have moralized a man if still he is on the left hand of the judge, and if still, 'Depart, ye cursed,' shall be his portion?'
-C.H. Spurgeon (great preacher of the nineteenth century)

"The pragmatic philosophy...asks no embarrassing questions about the wisdom of what we are doing or even about the morality of it. It accepts our chosen ends as right and good and casts about for efficient means and ways to get them accomplished. When it discovers something that works it soon finds a text to justify it, 'consecrates' it to the Lord and plunges ahead. Next a magazine article is written about it, then a book, and finally the inventor is granted an honorary degree. After that any question about the scripturalness of things or even the moral validity of them is completely swept away. You cannot argue with success. The method works; ergo, it must be good."
-quoted in John MacArthur's "Ashamed of the Gospel"

What's Love Got To Do With It?

I'm a nerdy type person and LOVE to study...so funny that I haven't gone to college yet huh? Yeah, I think it's strange too, but He has His timing. (hopefully His answer won't be "Never" to me)

I've been listening to a lot of theological material recently ( sermons, lectures {go Reformed Theological Seminary Online!} and conversations with various church-related small groups) and I'm coming to the realization that defining your terms is VERY important.

Here's a couple examples of what I mean:

Food-kids think candy, anorexics shudder, addicts salivate, I think of my food favs

Sad- some think pathetic, pet lovers think dead kitten, refugees think of their dead family members and war-torn country

Love- kids think parents always saying "yes", teenagers think constant togetherness or maybe sex, males think sex, females think emotional needs met. 

That last word is one that I've been considering lately. We toss around the phrase "God's Love" often without defining what that means. Why do we do this??? Why do we give people something so profound as the infinite truth of His glorious love with no context and no Biblical definition. 

This was brought to my attention in the passage 1 John 4:7-21. I have always taken the word love in this passage to mean kindness to those around me. But, if you read the passage carefully the love he's talking about is only given to those who are believers (know God). So, it can't be kindness. 

If you look at verse 9 I believe it holds the answer of what Love means. In this passage love refers to God saving those He's written in the Book of Life from deserved death! That realization caused me read the whole passage in a new light. Whew! I would love to go on and on about how cool this passage is, but this post would get very rambly.

I fly home from Nicaragua tomorrow...I've been here visiting Dawn since Sunday. Ah, nothing like flying standby.

This was brought to my attention in my own reading of Scripture a couple of weeks ago. 1 John 4:7-8 is often quoted without context and I've often heard it implied that it means: 

Gone But Hopefully Not Forgotten?

Hey all,

Life keeps getting in the way of me posting. I have so much life that blogging about it would take too much time away from it right now.
Highlights:

-I found out my son get FREE all day kindergarten next year! He's psyched and I'm mixed since I was planning on having him home half day...but, God knew this would happen when He put Caedmon in that school, so I trust it's the right choice.
-This means I could clean more houses (again mixed feelings) and I could stop being a lazy parent and maybe start volunteering around my kid's awesome school.
-Might be going to Nicaragua next Sunday-Thursday to see our one missionary that's still down there.
-I finally got our clothesline up! (woo hoo!) But the posts aren't in solidly enough yet to hang many clothes on it. (boo!)


That's all for now...how are you? I miss hearing from you my lurkers!

Thoughts

Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be please with it and be glorified," says the Lord. "You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?" declares the Lord of hosts, "Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house.
-Haggai 1:7-9 (great book of the Bible, BTW)

Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote. Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."
-Isaiah 29:13-14 (also quoted partially in Matthew 15:8-9)

Mrs. Clean

I'm a funny cleaner...not like I make people chuckle when I clean, but I'm quirky. I attribute this to getting married and having kids. When I was a kid I spent hours organizing my room...a place for everything and everything in its place. But my kids and husband don't seem to be wired that way...and since I love them more than I do a perfect house I've fallen into some interesting middle ground. That means I love it when the house is clean, but it may take 2 weeks to get that way if other family/life things take priority.



This gets even weirder because I clean houses as a side job. I'm really good at it and I think it's a good outlet for my neat side. Hmm, maybe my house would be cleaner if I didn't get my jollies cleaning other houses??



Anyway, my system is simple: start on the highest surface and work my way down to the floor. I also do tile floors before carpet so that I can vacuum while the tile's drying. I'm the worst at windows and mirrors...why can't they come with built in wipers?!



My cleaning advice is this: clean when you can, but make sure it doesn't own you!



This post was written for the weekly Blog Blast for the Parent Bloggers Network who is teaming up with Pledge this week to ask bloggers how they deal with cleaning! Go check it out and write your own post for a chance to win a prize!

A Castle Without Its King

Two days...two days until my husband ought to be back in Colorado. I'm tired...this trip has been hard for me.
I want him here with me.
I don't like single parenting.
I don't like him not being near the internet and phone.
How in the world did missionary wives manage when their spouse would leave on a boat for a year with a sporadic letter?! Argh!
My son is going through a phase of lying and I hate being the stern one. Jason is much better at it than I am.
I do get extra lovings from both kids though since they only have one parent to dole it out to.
You know you love your husband when a friend describes an argument she had with her hubby and you wish your hubby were hear to fight with!

Where's the Snow???

Greetings from quasi-snowy Denver. Just once I'd like the weather people to get it right. They predicted a couple of feet of snow by today. BUT they didn't account for the wetness of said snow. It's been raining for half the 2 day snow and the accumulation is disappointing and soaking. Good for the ground, bad for playing.
I can't complain too much because my hubby was able to fly out for Uganda today since the weather wasn't back. I'm a little nervous about this trip because the area he'll be in will be so remote. I won't hear from him much (if at all) between now and next Friday.
Pray for my sanity this week...I expect it go well though since I have the church Women's Retreat to look forward to next weekend.

How are you??

Home, A Day Late & a Couple Hundred Dollars Short

Sorry I haven't updated you on our travels...lots of laundry and catching up on life has kept me hopping. The title of this post sums up the end of our trip.

The flights into Denver were full, so we bid the team a fond goodbye in Atlanta and flew to my in-law's house in Nashville. This actually made for a very enjoyable detour and we made it home the next day with no incidence... hence, the day late part of the post.

And now, the part where God displays His infinite wisdom and ability to be over all. We mailed the rent check in hoping they wouldn't deposit it before we got home because we weren't even close to having enough to cover it. When we stopped at my in-laws I checked the account and they'd deposited it! Thanks be to the Author, the bank took the check!!! We owed the bank a small overdraw fee, but it was an answer to not getting evicted. God also provided all the money we needed for rent this week and to be back on the positive side of our bank balance.

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about yourl life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink: nor for your body as to what you will put on. Is not life more that food, and the body more than clothing? ... for your heavenly Father knows that you need all of these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matt. 6:25, 32b-33

Update

We are 3 days into being with our friends in Nicaragua...my kids are learning a lot:

-how to make sure a high boy doesn't invade their bubble

-how to still love said high boys and let him get hugs sometimes

-how to walk all day and still have energy for running around in the evening.

-how to (ever so slightly) expand their eating horizons

-how to sleep in the same twin bed and enjoy cold showers. 

It's been great to be able to give our friend's 4 kids some playmates. I truly think that may be the predominant reason that I'm here. Also, I feel pretty cool because this is the only language that I have kicked butt in. It's nice to see my hubby be the one to smile and nod while I translate. hee hee! Gracias Senora P y Senora from Brazil who taught me everything I know.

Now to update you on what God's doing for provision. The project will continue to run as long as there's funds and it's looking like the church might pull through on that front. We called my sis and told her to mail in the rent check...we still don't have it, but the worst that can happen is that we'll be evicted. I'm prepared for whatever may come. I admittedly panicked for an hour today before my brain convinced my emotions of the truth: I have no control over what happens, my job is simply to lean into the one who lifts up mountains and causes countries to diminish.