Simple Addition

22 Oct

Most people would think that addition is a simple task of taking objects and grouping them together and determining their sum. However, when talking about adding love and lives a messy process can ensue.

We are so happy to welcome our Little E. He is observing our every move and learning to interact with siblings. His siblings are also learning to interact with him.

This weekend my mom and dad came for a visit and they embraced Little E with open arms and hearts. It is so wonderful to see all of our family embracing him as their newest addition. Both sides of the family have made E feel like he joined us from birth at the hospital. Truly a sweet working of God.

Transitioning from two to three kids has been as difficult as from one to two. Anyone who says that the jump from two to three is easier than one to two is either too far removed from that point in life or had a nanny! Seriously, God is working in some patience and revealing our need for prayerful surrender.

One area that is triple the work is the cleaning of objects and kids. There is never a break! I know this is a point in my character that reaches borderline OCD but everything has a place and everything should be in its place…at least that is what my philosophy is.

With this in mind I know there is selfishness being worked out of me or at least being brought to the surface for repentance and redirection.

Through this first two weeks into foster care, I can truly say that the Body of Christ has reached out to us in tangible ways. Prayer support, texts of encouragement, and gifts to help in caring for E have poured in. We are so thankful for all of the support and know that it is God’s way of saying “I love you” to us.  Thank you to each of you who have prayed and reached out in kindness towards our family.

The greatest hurdle so far has been health. Our E came in a sick little dude and has been on medication the entire duration of his time with us. Last week Joshua was diagnosed with pneumonia (this came out of nowhere) and we have all three kids on breathing treatments. At least 9 times a day a nebulizer machine is running in our home. We may need to pass a clean air act!

Thankfully, Emily’s treatment is more preventative and Ron and I have remained in good health. Both boys appear to be on the upswing. However, any prayers for the runny noses and coughing to cease would be much appreciated.

Addition, therefore, looks simple on paper, but in real life it can be beautifully messy. Addition with the foreknowledge of possible subtraction is even messier…so is the way of foster care.

I am hopeful that our family and His will use this as a means to earnestly seek Him.

 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1

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Tomorrow’s Race

22 Aug

Each child is a gift from God. No matter how children come to us, they are made in His image and were created to bring Him glory. Ron and I are blessed with two such children. We are seeking to adopt to make it one more.

As we have considered adoption we are now pursuing a license to foster as well. People will caution that you shouldn’t foster to adopt. However, this scenario happens and we are hoping that it does so for us.

Two nights ago Joshua was pushing his over-sized dump-truck outside and went down hard after he raced his truck bobsled style down a small slope in our court. He incurred two pretty nice knee scrapes that kept him awakening multiple times in the night. With little sleep from frequent calls for mom and dad, I came back to bed muttering, “And I want to foster only newborns?” Oh my!

Yesterday on the very few hours of sleep that I did manage to get, I kept asking, “Is foster care really going to work for us?”

The truth is, I really don’t know.

With another night of minimal hours of sleep, I awoke early this morning to some much needed quiet time to read.  I need that early morning time alone to be with my Father…and uninterrupted silence is golden. In my study I came upon these verses that spoke directly into my worried heart concerning tomorrow.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

~Matthew 6:33, 34 ESV

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

~Hebrews 13:20, 21 ESV

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

~James 1:5-8 ESV

God promises grace for today and hope for tomorrow. I cannot rely on today’s grace for tomorrow’s race.

What worries do you need to give God today that require tomorrow’s graces?

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Looking for Beauty in Tough Places 2

10 Aug

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

~Galations 5:22-23

On Wednesday we ended our time saying, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We are people who seek beauty, we know that, but often times our behaviors do not exemplify the beautiful life we seek.

Asking Christ to fill us with His Holy Spirit opens the door to answers, holiness, and God-honoring power thereby unleashing beauty in the tough places.

This weekend I pray for more of the Holy Spirit to reign in our lives. Before we enter situations or conversations, let us pause to seek God’s will in all of our interactions.

Prepare us oh Lord to do thy will.

 You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.

~John Bunyan

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Looking for Beauty in Tough Places

8 Aug

The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.

~Psam 115:16

Some days it is easy to see the beauty. Other days, amidst our clinched fists or tear soaked tissues, our psyches cry out for places of quiet beauty.

 

On Ron’s journey to Paris, Normandy, Oxford, and London, man and God’s beauty were on display. Brilliant architecture, sculpture, and art captured in his lens while the sacrifices of human life one for another were caught in his heart.

Today, are you in a tough place looking for beauty? Have you, like I, failed one to many times, or so it seems, at living life in obedience to God’s commands? Or, are you face to face with tragedy and heartache asking why?

I have to tell you that in writing this blog, I aim to create scribblings of beauty to bring glory to God and edification to His Body, but often-times at the point of my sin I question my authority to even write. I long to make this a beautiful life but I know my everyday ugly. I know my failings  and my utter ineptness to live out a perfect life. Further still,to an extent, I know what reality is out there confronting mankind everyday.

We live among people in tough places. Sometimes we are them. Being in a tough place is a spectrum term, because for all purposes my points of difficulty are someone else’s points of perceived blessing.

Perhaps we who are looking for beauty in tough places should ask as the disciples did in Luke 11:1, “Lord teach us to pray.” (See Luke 11:10-13)

In certain tough places we have not beauty because we ask not. If we were to ask, the Father would give us more of the Holy Spirit who supplies love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… all of which lead to a beautiful life. Or, in the very least, a life lived beautifully.

Asking Christ opens the door to answers unleashing beauty in the tough places. Perhaps not answered in the way we imagined nor in the timing we hoped but with the One who is faithful and true.

Lord, teach us to pray…

*All photos were taken by my husband, Ron, on his journey with Student Leadership University 301.

friday favorite things | finding joy

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The Desire for Holiness

20 Jun

Red velvet cake…perfection on a plate.

For two days I gazed at the red layers tempted by their sugary goodness-like no other to my taste buds I might add- and desired to eat more and more until it was gone. However, I had resolved not to eat anymore of this type food for a set amount of days.  As I studied the red and white layers, knowing the richness that awaited in one bite, I thought, “This is a perfect picture of temptation.”

Josh and Emily-0049

I could have silently eaten of a sliver but God would have known that I was breaking my vow. What good is a vow that is broken? Aren’t the sins we commit in the hidden places the ones that haunt our psyches the most?

I will not eat of you but I will look at you, imagine eating you, and smell you once or twice.

That which tempts us promises a quick return but a length of days to undo…that is if redemption is an option. Some disobedience ends in a final verdict: an unwanted or terminated pregnancy, killing a person while driving intoxicated, loss of property you have gambled away.

I addressed this temptation the only way that I know how to with 100% success: I took it to my husband’s workplace for others to eat!

This post said it so well, our sin affects more than a party of one. It snowballs to all who follow us, depend on us, and look to us with some degree of respect. If so, then the counter must be true as well:

Our holiness not only protects the direction of our lives, it also extends to the lives of our family, friends, community and therefore the world.

How holy do we truly desire to be? Holy enough, or to the standard of God’s word? Will we obey all His commands or will we obey… enough?

The apostle John said, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin” (1 John 2:1). The whole purpose of John’s letter, he says, is that we not sin. One day as I was studying this chapter I realized that my personal life’s objective regarding holiness was less than that of John’s. He was saying, in effect, “Make it your aim not to sin.” As I thought about this, I realized that deep within my heart my real aim was not to sin very much. I found it difficult to say, “Yes, Lord, from here on I will make it my aim not to sin.”

Yet if we have not made a commitment to holiness without exception, we are like a soldier going into battle with the aim of not getting hit very much. We can be sure if that is our aim, we will be hit — not with bullets, but with temptation over and over again.

~Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness (emphasis mine)

If I am being honest with myself, there is a limit to the level of holiness that I presently pursue… that I desire.  How to rectify this? Well, sending “it” to my husband’s workplace is not always an option! Here are some others to employ:

  1. Prayer. Pray that the Holy Spirit would give you the desire to seek holiness and the power to live a holy life.
  2. Scripture memory. Dr. Walp taught us about making memories which are set apart. (Read his post here.) We must have God’s word in our heart so that the Holy Spirit will call scriptures to mind in order for us to make wise and holy choices.
  3. Practice discipline and self-control. This requires 1. and 2.
By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.  ~ 1 John 2 5b-6

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Pursuing the Holiness of Christ

13 Jun

John Owen said that sin carries on its war by entangling our affections (desires) and drawing them away. Hence, said Owen, denying sin must be chiefly directed on the affections. We must make sure our desires are directed toward glorifying God, he said, and not on satisfying the lusts of our bodies.

~The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges (emphasis mine)

In everything Christ did he acted with the mind of glorifying His Father in heaven. How very different would our lives look if every motive behind our actions was fueled with pursuing glory for the name of Jesus Christ? That each morning as our feet hit the floor our prayer would be, “Father show me how to most glorify you today. Let my thoughts and actions align with Your will. Let the glory that I would seek for myself quickly be repented of and pursue instead the glory for Your name.”

In fact, the more we grow in holiness, the more we need assurance that the perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to us. This is true because a part of growing in holiness is the Holy Spirit’s making us aware of our need of holiness.

The Holy Spirit makes us more aware of our lack of holiness to stimulate us to deeper yearning and striving for holiness. But Satan will attempt to use the Holy Spirit’s work to discourage us.

~The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges (emphasis mine)

The desire to pursue holiness arises from an awareness of our sin and its ultimate act against the holy God. Our sin is most offensive to God yet its ramifications reaches beyond mere acquaintances.

This is why marriage, the picture of Christ and His bride, the church, is more important than our present culture would have us believe.

julie wedding

In Pursuing the Pearl: The Quest for a Pure, Passionate Marriage by Dannah Gresh she proposes that the purpose of our marriage is not to make us happy but to make us holy.

Don’t miss this.

The purpose of my marriage is to make me holy.

Know this, my friend. Satan knows all too well that the most powerful portrait of Christ’s passion is a pure and holy marriage. As Christians continue to misuse sex and succumb to divorce, the whole world comes to understand less of who God is because we understand less of His love as it was meant for us to know it within a faithful, loving, passionate marriage.

~Pursuing the Pearl: The Quest for a Pure, Passionate Marriage

In the pursuit of holiness we must not look at our brothers and sisters, those of this world or of the family of God, as the enemy. This most definitely includes our spouses. The true enemy of our holiness and of Christ Jesus is Satan.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

~Ephesians 6:12-13

The sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ on the cross covers our sins and makes us holy before God. His part is completed our portion is left to pursue.

That is what I am reading this Wednesday. What about you?

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Putting Our Minds on Things Above

11 Jun

Many songs take us to the throne of Christ reminding us that heaven is our real home. Last week three beautiful young ladies from our student ministry danced to one such song by Travis Cottrell, We Will Dance. Here is the video of that portion of our worship service.

If you are like me you need constant reminding that earth is a temporary home. Today I propose a playlist that will set our minds to the heavens and our real home. I hope that you enjoy these songs that transport us to His throne. I cannot wait to burn my CD and listen to it in the car! Join me?
I am having some minor Internet and computer issues that started on Friday last week. In fact, I am sitting in Panera as I type. Therefore, I cannot directly link these to iTunes for you…if there is a way to do that. Suffice it to say that you can find each of these songs there. Warm up those vocal cords and prepare to worship! 
 
1. Jesus, Son of God from  Passion White Flag 
2. Where I Belong from Building 429
3.  Long Way Home from Steven Curtis Chapman
4. When the Stars Burn Down from Philips Craig and Dean
5. Overcome from Jeremy Camp
6. Jesus, Friend of Sinners from Casting Crowns
7. 10,000 Reasons from Matt Redman
8. Between Heaven and Earth from Matt Maher
 
What songs remind you that heaven is our home? I welcome your suggestions!
 
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Expectations of Perfection

28 May

Hannah's Flower Photo 3
“Have I mislead them?” The question resonated in my mind shortly after posting Looking Back Over a Decade. In this post I wrote, “Perfection is a lie and a snare. ‘Be holy as I am holy.’ Not, ‘Be perfect as I am perfect.’” However, in Matthew 5:48 Jesus instructs his disciples, “You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.” Leviticus 19:2, Deuteronomy 18:13, and 1Peter 1:16 say, “Be holy as I am holy” and “You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.”

Are being perfect and holy the same thing?

From studying these scriptures I would answer, “Yes.” In Matthew the word perfect aligns with complete or mature, blameless. The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible teaches that Jesus is not speaking on “degrees of excellence, but of the kind of excellence which was to distinguish His disciples and characterize His kingdom.”

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for  the prize of the upward  call of God in Christ Jesus. Let  those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything  you think otherwise,  God will reveal that also to you. Only  let us hold true to what we have attained. ~Philippians 3:12-16 (emphasis mine)

We may be tempted to reason, “Why should I work for something I cannot obtain?” First, Christ commanded it. Secondly, our idea of perfect is misconstrued.

Today in the western world perfection looks contrary to living a perfect and holy life. Perfection exudes an image that we have it all, can do it all, and can be the best while doing it. I am a frustrated perfectionist on so many levels. I know the exhausting disappointment that striving for perfection brings. The truth is that the mark for me is unattainable and my attempts silly. I am willing to wager it is the same for you.

Being perfect, holy, complete is a working out of obedience and a working in of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Striving ceases at the cross. Obedient abiding (John 15:5) is the road that leads to a blameless, holy, mature life. That is what our Father calls… perfect.

For the times when our inner landscape is less than our outward appearances and attitudes of holiness His blood covers our sins and His Spirit is waiting to work steadfastness into our souls.

God Himself truly is the “standard” of righteousness. If these individuals are to be righteous, they must be as God is, “perfect,” that is, mature (teleioi) or holy. Murder, lust, hate, deception, and retaliation obviously do not characterize God. He did not lower His standard to accommodate humans; instead He set forth His absolute holiness as the standard. Though this standard can never be perfectly met by man himself, a person who by faith trusts in God enjoys His righteousness being reproduced in his life.~ The Bible Knowledge Commentary

Shall we take a walk to His cross?

Click here to view this video in your reader.

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Good Friday Not Good People

6 Apr

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

~ Matthew 27:24-26

Many people believe that they are “good people.” Failing to compare ourselves to God, we can always find someone worse than us.  One elderly lady I witnessed to last year said that she doesn’t do bad things “like those politicians.”

Like Pilate, we wash our hands of Jesus blood when our pride says, “I have not sinned, I am a good person.”

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

~Romans 3:23-24

Jesus did not drink the cup of God’s wrath for good people. Rather, when sin entered the world through Eve and Adam eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, good people ceased to exist. All people thereafter became fallen, sinful, lost people separated from their Creator by our sin nature. Christ drank the cup of God’s wrath against sin so that fellowship between God and man could be restored for eternity.

Christ’s sacrifice is not a blanket forgiveness for all people. His blood sacrifice provides forgiveness of sins for those who repent, turn from their sin in confession and action, and believe on Christ Jesus for salvation.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ~Romans 10:9-10

We continually strive to teach the children scriptural truths. A few weeks ago Ron talked to Emily about her sin nature. He explained that we all have a sin nature that is contrary to God. Since that time we have used teachable moments when Emily wants to disobey to reinforce this teaching on the sin nature versus following in obedience to God’s commands.

Earlier this week Emily asked if we would cry in heaven. I told her God will wipe away every tear. At this point I do not know if there will be ongoing wiping of the tears for eternity or a one time event. Next she asked what would happen if she disobeyed in heaven. Insightful questions indeed! I said those who believe on Jesus as their savior will live in heaven and upon earthly death will loose their sin nature. In heaven we will not have a sin nature at all. Praise Jesus! Emily’s face lit up and her mouth and eyes widened in surprise. She replied, “How will He take it out? How will He get it out of our stomachs?”

The priests and onlookers shouted out that Christ’s blood be on them and on their children. However, His blood is on each of our hands as we have all sinned against God.

Praise the Lord Jesus Sunday comes after Good Friday. Let us ponder today the cross and crucifixion of Christ and praise Him for His substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf.

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Restoration Projects

19 Mar

When winds howl at 95 mph and storms rage, damage is inevitable. Lucky people may escape with mere brush to pick up. Others are left with gaping holes in their homes’ infrastructure or worse, no home at all.

Imagine if your hometown is declared a national disaster zone by the President of the United States.

News teams swarm in donned in their galoshes, rain-gear, and microphones in hand.  Everyone makes the assumption that the President will make a speech empathizing with the community, promising to send aid to restore what the hurricane destroyed, and recognizing with understanding some valuables cannot be replaced. “National aid is sure to come,” think all watching.

Consider their surprise when the President walks by the cameras and outstretched microphones and boards Air Force One with a wave and a smile. He leans over to his press secretary instructing him to tell the people they can attend his next press conference. “I want to put this disaster behind us and forget it ever happened.”

IMG_0489

What? Forget 95 mph winds blew through and crushed everything in their path? “Come on”, you think, “I am not the President, but even I know it is impossible to act as though this hurricane never happened.”

It is the same way in our lives when families have a blow up of any size. Regardless of who started or finished the argument. It is impossible to merely sweep hurts and memories under the rug and avoid restorative reconciliation.

Yes, forgiveness on our part, even unsought forgiveness, is necessary. However, merely pretending a hurricane never happened is impossible.

While denial may be the best option for our pride, it is not the way of our Father and it does not restore health to the relationship.

Matthew 5:21-26 and Matthew 18:15-35 have much to say regarding anger, repentance, and forgiveness among brothers and believers. I am still sorting them out.

Consider with me that every good and even questionable mother teaches her young children to say “I’m sorry.” Our children are instructed to say, “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?” To which the other should reply, “Yes, I forgive you.”

If children can kiss and make up, why not grown adults?

How can we ask our children to do what we are not willing to do ourselves?

I know what it feels to be an angry bird. I have a black belt buried in my back yard as a coercion ninja. Yet, I also recall this:

Put on then, as  God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,  compassionate hearts,  kindness,  humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and,  if one has a complaint against another,  forgiving each other;  as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on  love, which  binds everything together in  perfect harmony. ~Colossians 3:12-14

God is in the restoration business. He takes our failures, our sins, and when laid at the foot of the forgiving cross of Christ turns them into something redeemed. Something profitable. What needs restoration in your life? I am praying for restoration in mine.

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