Thankful!

We found out recently that one of our donors works for a company who will match their employee's charitable giving at 100%!  We are encouraged and thankful for awesome friends who not only support us and pray for us, but look for ways to help even more.  Also, how incredible that businesses do this sort of thing?  Praise the Lord!

Racing in the Kitchen

There are several doors in the kitchen that we try to keep Finn out of - the closet door, the refrigerator door, and the dishwasher door.  Finn has figured out that we have to open all of these from time to time, however, and that when we do, he has to act fast if he wants to get inside before we can close them again.  So tonight I was putting things on the table for dinner while Finn was playing on the floor in the kitchen and every time I opened one of those doors, Finn would drop what he was doing and make a dash for it.  Even if he was behind me I could hear his breathing begin to race and his little hands slapping against the tile floor as he raced toward whatever it was in attempt to stake his claim to it before I could get it shut.  It was absolutely hilarious.  He doesn't get upset if I pulled him away, but he tried again and again and again. 

Family Mentorship

I think that after a Christian couple is married, but before they start a family, they should spend a few days - or maybe a week - shadowing a family who they would like to emulate in their approach to living for God as a family.  Derek and I were so blessed to have the opportunity to do this and it was SO helpful and encouraging.  The family we spent time with was not perfect (obviously) but as a result we got to see not only how they prioritized activities and interactions as a family and with others, but how they confronted sin as a family. It helped us make decisions early on that I hope will lead to some of the same results we saw in this precious family.

I think there is such value to watching how the gospel affects the day-in day-out interactions of family life that can not be seen through simply observing other families in public settings, or for limited time spans (like going to their house for dinner).  When you live with a family, you see the bed-time routine, the wake-up routine, how discipline happens, how the family interacts with neighbors and other acquaintances, how the adults find time to worship individually, and how the family worships together.  You find out about sacrifices that are made for the sake of prioritizing things that are important to the family, and you find out what everyone in the family really thinks about it.

I think in ages past, before the days of vehicles and telephones, peoples lives just naturally intersected like this a lot more, but in today's busy society, we mostly see how other families operate when they are operating under an in public set of rules that differs from those that define their daily lives at home.  We form conclusions about other families based on what we see in public and never pick up on integral choices the family has made which lead to the outcomes we see and want (or don't want, as the case may be).

It's easy to form a set of ideals in your mind for how family life should go, but applying those ideals to the craziness of your own life can be an incredibly difficult task--especially after your multiple years and children into establishing your family's norms.  I think shadowing a gospel-driven family would help.  Obviously there are no perfect families and obviously this host family would need to be gracious enough to not only welcome you and your spouse into their family, but commit to a level of transparency before you during your visit.  As with any mentorship or discipling relationship, a deep level of humility would be required for both parties, but that's what we're called to anyway, right?

Fall Family Fun

Finn's first hiking trip was a blast!

Playing outside while dad rakes leaves.

Playing in leaves necessitates a bath.  Finn loves baths.

And thanks to our friend, Sarah Hawk, for these wonderful family photos!

The Battle in My Mind

Where does the battle of Ephesians 6 (that is not against flesh and blood) take place?  I think it takes place in my mind. 

Today I was reading Show Them Jesus by Jack Klumpenhower, and I was encouraged by his reminder on page 80 of the importance and significance of the armor of God, which we are commanded to put on -

·      Truth:  I must cling to facts that I absolutely know are true.  I allow myself to believe so many things that are not true (she doesn't like me, he doesn't understand me, I'm not making any difference, this choice will make life very difficult, etc.), but if I "put on" truth, and cling to that which is absolutely true, it will enable me to stand against the Devil's schemes.

·      Righteousness:  "Only Jesus gives the perfect righteousness I can't earn."  I am valuable only because of the righteousness Christ has earned for me.  Others may or may not value me for that reason, but their opinion does not affect my righteousness and my place in Christ.

·      Peace:  "Jesus has made peace with God by dying for my sins".  Ephesians 6:14 refers to "the gospel of peace."  Peace that I can put on is that peace which is between me and God, and it is not something I can accomplish.  It is offered as a gift resulting from Christ's work on the cross.  When I accept this peace, I will be ready for what God allows to come my way ("readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.")

·      Faith:  "Faith in Jesus will never fail me.  There's nothing better that I can put my faith in" (perfect planning and foresight, a large amount of savings in the bank, wonderful family members who always come through for me, etc.).  The evil one will send things my way that I can only get through successfully if I take up faith in God.

·      Salvation:  I must believe that Jesus has rescued me from sin.  I can no longer be controlled by any sin and I have no need to shoulder any guilt due to sin.  Jesus has already dealt with those things and I am saved from them.

·      Word of God: This goes back to the belt of truth.  The word of God is true, and I can stake my life on it.  "I can be sure that everything the Bible says is true and good for me."  "No power on earth is a match for the powerful word of God."  I must preach it to myself and use it actively against all evil that I encounter (including evil in my own mind like fear, doubt, worry, pride, selfishness, etc.)  The word of God is the fighting weapon that the Spirit of God Himself uses, and it is available for my use as well.

Mama

Finn's first word is officially, "Mama!"  I'm so proud.  :)  It melts my heart.

As it happens, he's also figured out that Mom can't resist coming to him when he calls her name at night.

Living Sacrifices

In Sunday School today, Matt was teaching from Romans 12:1, which says:

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."

While thinking about how we are living sacrifices, I was reminded of the things I've been learning in Leviticus, and of the things that I blogged about here regarding the commissioning of the priests, and it struck me that the symbolism of the tongues of fire which rested over the believers on the day of Pentecost went further than just to show that God dwelt in them now as He had dwelt in the tabernacle and the temple.  It also showed that they themselves were the sacrifices!

When God was commissioning the priests in the first tabernacle (Leviticus 9), they were instructed to offer several different offerings, and then God's glory appeared to all of the people, bringing fire fire out of the Holy place to where the alter was in front of the whole assembly, and burnt up the offering they had presented.  Then, when Solomon's temple was being dedicated (2 Chronicles 7:1-3), the same thing happened, God sent fire from heaven to burn up the offering they had presented to Him.  Then, at pentecost, when God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell His people, He sent fire to rest over each believer, because now, THEY were the offerings presented to God.  In the past, the people worshiped God through offering sacrifices at the altar, but now we worship, as Romans 12:1 says, through offering our very bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, and He confirmed His acceptance of our offering when He chose to dwell in us, just like He confirmed His acceptance of the tabernacle and the temple by choosing to dwell in them.

I LOVE how beautifully the imagery that God laid out in the Old Testament ties in with the reality of the gospel today!  I also love how the Spirit is using both my personal study of Leviticus and the things I learn in Sunday School to give me a bigger, clearer picture of Him.