Thursday, June 21, 2012
...plans formed long ago....
Today is a very special, and very exciting day in the life of our family.
Today holds events that are the culmination of many, many prayers and the faithfulness of our God to answer them.
Today Jason and I will be going on a mission trip together.
Today 8 young couples from our church will be uniting in 1 purpose...to GO.
You see, 7 years ago, shortly after Jason and I were married I began to pray. I began to pray that there would be a place for me, a place for us, a place for young couples like us, in our church to serve God. I prayed for friends. I prayed for a feeling of belonging to something greater than myself.
Today represents, in a way bigger than I imagined, an answer to those prayers. Over the last 4 years God has been working in the heart of our Pastor to encourage growth and involvement in our church from our peer group. He's supported us, and challenged us. There have also been countless hours spent planning and praying and planning some more to create a "niche" for young couples. Beginning with Nathan and Miriam Jones...Dino and Marsha...Craig and Carey and us...and now Brian and Tamara and Trent and Elissa have joined in! What a privilege it has been to actually be a part of the answer to my prayers! We now have 2 young couples classes...and we are determined to bring glory to His name- together! The amount of growth and work that the Lord has done in our lives through small groups, Radical and all of our discussion about God's Word encourages my heart, and blows me away! We are praying that as our name says, we will truly be a catalyst for His glory...starting in our marriages, our homes, our church and to the uttermost parts...and now we are going, 16 of us are going! 7 years ago, I prayed for a Sunday School class, and now we are going- together!
Not only now do we have a place of ministry where we belong and are priviledged to serve, the Lord has surrounded me with the most amazing group of women! We are all young mommies in the "trenches" of toddlerhood trying to make our mark on our children, our homes, and the world around us. What an answer to prayer all of you are in my life!
Praising God today for all this day will hold...Detroit here we come!...but also for all that it shows that God has done! He is so faithful...He is alive and working in our midst, and for that I am so humbly thankful.
O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
-Isaiah 25:1
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Smelly Church
A week ago today, I celebrated Easter Sunday in San Francisco with my sister, brother-in-law and their sweet babies at the church they have been serving at while in seminary. This experience, tied in with a book I've been reading, and a lot that God has been teaching me, has taken me all week to process. There is just so much there, I need to get it out in writing, share it, and pray that it encourages you and spurs you on to follow His calling more closely.
We walked into the sanctuary of a beautiful, old building (actually, the oldest Baptist church in California)...it was bright, and warm and filled with many faces, vibrant. Worship music was playing through the sanctuary and you could tell there was a celebration that was about to get underway! We found our seats and a few minutes later, after the service started and we were worshiping I smelled something...something that I am not accustomed to smelling at church...it was the strong, very strong, stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke, and body odor. I immediately wrinkled my nose, and undoubtedly look down it at the same time. As I stood there celebrating my risen Lord, He spoke to my heart... "This is how I want my church to smell..." for, while it smelled of sin and a rough life lived on the streets of the man sitting behind me, the Lord reminded me that His house, and most importantly His Son whose redemption we were celebrating was for this man too. Tears began to flow down my face as this soaked into my soul. God has called us, the Church, to be His hands and feet to these people. People who we often don't understand, look down upon, and definitely don't accept. His blood was shed for them too. It broke my heart that my initial reaction was disgust and condemnation. Throughout this past week I've thought a lot about what this means for me, where I am...and honestly, I don't exactly know the specific answer to that, other than change...change in how I look at His people, created in His image, change in how I treat others that are different than me, change in the way that I serve others, change in how I "do" church...
It so encouraged my heart to see such a diverse body of believers celebrating our risen Lord. The presentation that was given of the Gospel was in the context of what the people of this culture could relate to and understand (this involved very different "verb-age" than what you would hear in a church in the south). It so challenged me to question whether I meet people where they are, or just with what I am familiar with. I was blown away, and convicted, as people clapped and cheered, not for a home run or a touch down (although it was a similar response), but as new brothers and sisters (some of whom were homeless members of the community) were baptized. This so humbled me to think about the stale and jaded "golf clap" that baptisms often receive from me. Someone's life being transformed and redeemed is worth cheering for! This reaction posed such a unified front of His Church to anyone, from any walk of life that would have come into this house of worship. All of these different pieces of the puzzle of this experience, however, were all brought together with what I knew to be the "glue" behind this church. I knew that in months previous this church has not been such an exciting place. I knew of the sacrifice that was involved. The sacrifices were given by several young families, with young children (one of them being a family that is very special, and dear to my heart) that answered a calling. A call to leave their family. Leave the comforts of home and friends and grandparents and church in the "Bible Belt"... to come to San Francisco where God had great and mighty plans to use them for His glory. He needed them to begin restoring and rebuilding His Church. They came to a city so dark and far from knowing their great need...to show them the love of a Savior. A Savior who lived and walked and ministered among those who seemed unlovable and unlikely and, to many, unworthy.
This beautiful Easter morning God revealed to me that He would want His Church to be "smelly"...for this is evidence that we are truly His hands and feet...showing His pure and selfless love, and extending His precious grace to those who need Him most.
Thank you First Baptist San Francisco for showing me a fresh and new glimpse of Christ’s love for His people.
We walked into the sanctuary of a beautiful, old building (actually, the oldest Baptist church in California)...it was bright, and warm and filled with many faces, vibrant. Worship music was playing through the sanctuary and you could tell there was a celebration that was about to get underway! We found our seats and a few minutes later, after the service started and we were worshiping I smelled something...something that I am not accustomed to smelling at church...it was the strong, very strong, stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke, and body odor. I immediately wrinkled my nose, and undoubtedly look down it at the same time. As I stood there celebrating my risen Lord, He spoke to my heart... "This is how I want my church to smell..." for, while it smelled of sin and a rough life lived on the streets of the man sitting behind me, the Lord reminded me that His house, and most importantly His Son whose redemption we were celebrating was for this man too. Tears began to flow down my face as this soaked into my soul. God has called us, the Church, to be His hands and feet to these people. People who we often don't understand, look down upon, and definitely don't accept. His blood was shed for them too. It broke my heart that my initial reaction was disgust and condemnation. Throughout this past week I've thought a lot about what this means for me, where I am...and honestly, I don't exactly know the specific answer to that, other than change...change in how I look at His people, created in His image, change in how I treat others that are different than me, change in the way that I serve others, change in how I "do" church...
It so encouraged my heart to see such a diverse body of believers celebrating our risen Lord. The presentation that was given of the Gospel was in the context of what the people of this culture could relate to and understand (this involved very different "verb-age" than what you would hear in a church in the south). It so challenged me to question whether I meet people where they are, or just with what I am familiar with. I was blown away, and convicted, as people clapped and cheered, not for a home run or a touch down (although it was a similar response), but as new brothers and sisters (some of whom were homeless members of the community) were baptized. This so humbled me to think about the stale and jaded "golf clap" that baptisms often receive from me. Someone's life being transformed and redeemed is worth cheering for! This reaction posed such a unified front of His Church to anyone, from any walk of life that would have come into this house of worship. All of these different pieces of the puzzle of this experience, however, were all brought together with what I knew to be the "glue" behind this church. I knew that in months previous this church has not been such an exciting place. I knew of the sacrifice that was involved. The sacrifices were given by several young families, with young children (one of them being a family that is very special, and dear to my heart) that answered a calling. A call to leave their family. Leave the comforts of home and friends and grandparents and church in the "Bible Belt"... to come to San Francisco where God had great and mighty plans to use them for His glory. He needed them to begin restoring and rebuilding His Church. They came to a city so dark and far from knowing their great need...to show them the love of a Savior. A Savior who lived and walked and ministered among those who seemed unlovable and unlikely and, to many, unworthy.
This beautiful Easter morning God revealed to me that He would want His Church to be "smelly"...for this is evidence that we are truly His hands and feet...showing His pure and selfless love, and extending His precious grace to those who need Him most.
Thank you First Baptist San Francisco for showing me a fresh and new glimpse of Christ’s love for His people.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
our happy ever after...
So, at the end of reading my mom's morning challenge blog from a group I'm in with some of my favorite girls....she posed a challenge to blog about your love story on this special day of luuuvvv! So, that is just what I am going to do! I think that reliving those early days of being oh so oblivious to the outside world, and even sometimes the not so glamorous days you spend together can be such a healthy thing to do! I find that it can bring an attitude of gratefulness to my heart for how the Lord numbered my steps, and then our steps together! So, here goes...
Our story started at Toccoa Falls College in the fall of 2001...there was this guy with exceptionally broad shoulders that I passed on my way to class in the Woerner missions building everyday. He would always smile at me and say, "Hey Liz!"...there were 2 things that were really weird about this..1- I had NO CLUE who he was, what his name was or how he knew me..and 2- NObody called me "Liz" except for very close friends from home and my family....really weirded me out! I told my room mate about it and from then on we coined him (whoever he was) "stalker boy". Poor guy! Come to find out he and his buddy had a bet going to see how long it would take for me to stop and ask him what his name was...well, sorry, I never did- oops! :-)
Several months later, I returned back to campus after Christmas. Sarah (my closest friend from high school who also went to Toccoa) had returned for the mini-semester they offered in January, but I stayed home to work. While I was gone she just made herself a whole new big group of friends, and wouldn't you just know stalker boy was in it! :-) Turns out his name was Jason, but everyone called him "JD". He was one of those kind of guys that was just so super nice to everyone, friends with everyone, but just friends with everyone. As I got to know him a little more I realized that he was funny, really goofy, but also very generous- always helping anyone out who needed it.
At the end of March Spring break was upon us... Sarah and I were having this conversation in the dining hall one night about how we just HAD to go to the beach...just kinda dreaming. Jd and his roommate Joel were sitting with us and they said, well, let's just go! So, 2 days later, we did! Looking back this was really not the best looking of situations- 2 guys, 2 girls, 2 tents...oops! Just goes to show how innocent it really was! We actually, looking back in hind sight, could've most definitely been "excused" from TFC for our little camping excursion! Oh, well, in the words of Mr.B..."Some things are worth getting gratis for!" Anyway, I got to really know JD on this camping trip. From the moment we got to our camp site he just took care of things- pitching the tent, making the fire, cooking dinner, etc...We had SO much fun! I remember telling Sarah one night, "He's going to make a really good husband to someone one day." Not having any idea or interest in it being me he would be a good husband to! Anyway, in the weeks following spring break the 4 of us were together all the time- along with a few other stragglers!- Sarah and Joel declared their love and intentions for one another (awww...). But, we were still just friends. Around May, however, my feelings began to grow a little deeper for this friend who I had come to know so well! There was one night when a bunch of us went to Lake Hartwell and spent the day swimming and just hanging out, then had a big bon fire that night. We after flirting relentlessly all day, JD put his arm around me at the campfire...and the next day came DTR #1 (for those of you who didn't go to Bible college where people are actively on the hunt for a spouse, that stands for "Define The Relationship". He proceeded to tell me that he thought I was great, but didn't want to go out with me just because he knew I liked him, like he had so many other girls. Wow, that was one I'd never heard before! Ouch! Well, fast forward about 2 more months...leaving college to go home in May I realized I was in love with this friend of mine...and a few days later boarded a plane for China. The whole time I was in China I thought all about him and missed him terribly, well, I missed everything USA related terribly! When I flew into Atlanta at 5:30 a.m....there he was! So, let's face it, 5:30 a.m. kinda seals the deal! We've been together ever since!
Looking back over the past 10 years since we became "JD & Liz" it is so encouraging to see how we have changed each other, challenged each other and learned to love each other so much more! I am so thankful for the man God has given me, and feel honored to be his bride. It's such a blessing to go through life not just living and loving someone, but also serving by their side. I have a sneaking suspicion that the next 10 years of our lives are going to be even more action packed than these first 10. I'm so excited to share them together for His glory!
Friday, January 27, 2012
freedom...
After a really amazing and timely sermon at our church this past Sunday morning, I have been contemplating the act of forgiveness. We all have bumps, bruises and scrapes on our lives from others who have hurt us. But, some of us have deep, deep wounds that are woven into the make up of who we are. We have a choice of what to do with these wounds...will we let them fester and continue to bleed into our everyday lives, how we live and the person we will become? or will we let go of the hurt that has been forced into our lives and live a life of freedom in Christ, the One who painted to perfect picture of forgiveness for us?
As I’ve talked with a friend about the need for forgiveness in her life, it’s brought one of my greatest scars to mind...it’s made me think about the process I went through to get to the point that I am at in my life. The Lord has brought healing, but it has not come easily...and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that a little “band-aid” is needed from time to time. I found as I was praying over and reflecting through what I had found forgiveness to be, that the easiest way to define it was just listing things out. I pray that if you are at a point in your life where you are dealing with a broken or damaged relationship, that you would take these words to heart. It may seem easiest to move on with your life without that person or issue being resolved, but there are chains and bondage that come along with that choice. It's been in my experience that those things can greatly hinder your walk with the Lord, and your ability to serve others in His name. Seek the freedom we have through Christ's forgiveness for us in the relationships in your own life...
Forgiveness is...
-An on going process, sometime weekly, daily, hourly...
-A commandment from the God we serve.
-Inviting peace into our lives
-Freedom from the captivity that other’s actions can have on our lives
-We are given the perfect example of what it should look like through Christ’s death.
-It’s limitless, boundless, unending and full of grace....all these things can only take place when we ourselves have accepted forgiveness from Him.- Then, and only then, we can rely on Him to help up in forgiving others.
-Oftentimes a one-sided “transaction”- It cannot be dependent on whether or not an apology or forgiveness is asked in return.
-It must be a decision and an attitude that you purpose in your heart, regardless of the response, or lack of response, it may elicit.
-Forgiveness is an attitude, it’s a way of life.
-Forgiveness is getting to a place where you can let go. Yes, it is an ongoing process, but when you truly forgive you get to the point where it no longer dictates how you live your life, how you feel about life, and how you serve others.
-Forgiveness is a choice to love- without condition.
-We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete.
On of the most influential women of God in my life once said this, after surviving years in a Nazi Concentration Camp..
"Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you." – Corrie Ten Boom
...just let go...let Him steady your heart, as you strive to live after His perfect example!
Here's a new song by Kari Jobe that was a great encouragement to my heart as I thought about all I wanted to share with this special friend through this post...hope that it's a blessing to you too!
"We are to forgive so that we may enjoy God's goodness without feeling the weight of anger burning deep within our hearts. Forgiveness does not mean we recant the fact that what happened to us was wrong. Instead, we roll our burdens onto the Lord and allow Him to carry them for us." -- Charles Stanley, Landmines in the Path of the Believer
As I’ve talked with a friend about the need for forgiveness in her life, it’s brought one of my greatest scars to mind...it’s made me think about the process I went through to get to the point that I am at in my life. The Lord has brought healing, but it has not come easily...and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that a little “band-aid” is needed from time to time. I found as I was praying over and reflecting through what I had found forgiveness to be, that the easiest way to define it was just listing things out. I pray that if you are at a point in your life where you are dealing with a broken or damaged relationship, that you would take these words to heart. It may seem easiest to move on with your life without that person or issue being resolved, but there are chains and bondage that come along with that choice. It's been in my experience that those things can greatly hinder your walk with the Lord, and your ability to serve others in His name. Seek the freedom we have through Christ's forgiveness for us in the relationships in your own life...
Forgiveness is...
-An on going process, sometime weekly, daily, hourly...
-A commandment from the God we serve.
-Inviting peace into our lives
-Freedom from the captivity that other’s actions can have on our lives
-We are given the perfect example of what it should look like through Christ’s death.
-It’s limitless, boundless, unending and full of grace....all these things can only take place when we ourselves have accepted forgiveness from Him.- Then, and only then, we can rely on Him to help up in forgiving others.
-Oftentimes a one-sided “transaction”- It cannot be dependent on whether or not an apology or forgiveness is asked in return.
-It must be a decision and an attitude that you purpose in your heart, regardless of the response, or lack of response, it may elicit.
-Forgiveness is an attitude, it’s a way of life.
-Forgiveness is getting to a place where you can let go. Yes, it is an ongoing process, but when you truly forgive you get to the point where it no longer dictates how you live your life, how you feel about life, and how you serve others.
-Forgiveness is a choice to love- without condition.
-We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete.
On of the most influential women of God in my life once said this, after surviving years in a Nazi Concentration Camp..
"Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you." – Corrie Ten Boom
...just let go...let Him steady your heart, as you strive to live after His perfect example!
Here's a new song by Kari Jobe that was a great encouragement to my heart as I thought about all I wanted to share with this special friend through this post...hope that it's a blessing to you too!
"We are to forgive so that we may enjoy God's goodness without feeling the weight of anger burning deep within our hearts. Forgiveness does not mean we recant the fact that what happened to us was wrong. Instead, we roll our burdens onto the Lord and allow Him to carry them for us." -- Charles Stanley, Landmines in the Path of the Believer
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tap dancing...
I am the mother of a tap dancer. Chances are, if your child is 3, you are too. We spend most of our days dancing around on the line between obedience and disobedience, and it is not fun! After our “Dream Come True #2” was born in February I half way expected some changes in behavior, jealousy...and all those wonderful things that come along with having to share the throne when you are used to being Prince. But, we are now almost 7 months out from our little brother’s birth-day and we are still just dancing away! I have been coasting along at my very wits end of weeks now, not really knowing what to do- and having such a hard time feeling like a failure as a Mama.
Enter, God.
I had a very heartbreaking “aha” moment about a week ago. The Lord spoke to my heart (because I took a break from my miserable pity party to listen!) and I realized that I had not been praying in a very specific way for these needs in the life of my family. During this time I was reading chapter 3 in the book Radical, by David Platt. This chapter focuses on coming to the end of ourselves and relying on His power and His Spirit to accomplish what He would have in our lives- then He receives the glory. I realized that all along there had been a life source right in my own heart that I had failed to tap into. The reason that nothing was proving effective was because I was relying on my own wonderful ideas and strategies- and well, that was not working so well! I have begun to just specifically pray throughout the day for my brown eyed boy. Asking God to just give me a window into his little mind, the ability to understand his heart, and truth to speak into His life. I have come to realize that no matter how many parenting books I read (although I think these are helpful), no matter how much advice I can glean from others- the power of God is the only thing in this world that can change hearts- beginning with mine.
As I write this, I’m coming to the realization that we tap dance with God too- back and forth on the line between doing things on our own and relying on His perfect power.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5
There’s no denying the message in this verse of scripture. We can do nothing without Him! So, as I continue this journey of retraining my dance steps as well as those of my little boy- I am trusting in Him for it all.....and thankful for the opportunity for God, as Platt puts it, “to exalt my inability” in order to come to a place of reliance on Him and the power only He can provide.
PS- If you know the Mama of a 3 year old...take a minute to pray for her!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Crying Rocks
"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out." - Luke 19:40
So....it's been such a long time since I blogged and let me just tell you that God has been doing some good stuff in the life of my family that I have failed to share! The passage above is a quote from Jesus- he tells the Pharisee's this as the Disciples are shouting and praising Him as He entered Jerusalem for all the amazing things that they had seen Him do in His ministry. As Christians part of our witness and ministry here on Earth comes from the sharing of all the good things He has done in our lives. To me, this is especially important when it is an answered prayer or the continuation of Him revealing His perfect plan for our lives. In our case, there were many people who prayed for us during the times that I have previously posted about on my blog- wading through the loss of another sweet baby and trying my best to make lemonade out of the lemons of heartache and loss. In other cases, some of you were in the thick of it yourselves after a similar loss. We drew encouragement from one another- we shared our stories with one another, and the Lord used that as a tremendous blessing in my life.
Shame on me for taking so long to share with you what God has done in an answer to many of yours and our prayers...the rocks must have been crying out for sure on our behalf for not proclaiming His goodness in our lives! So, here's the good news!....I am 22 weeks pregnant with another sweet little man that is due to arrive on February 10th! We are so excited and so thankful that once again God has shown His goodness in our lives, not only through pain and loss but, also through tremendous blessing! A lot of you reading this probably already know about Anderson, but I just felt compelled to put in writing that the God we serve is so good, so sovereign, and always right on time! If you are in a valley right now, know He is with you- as He was with me during those dark days this spring. But, take comfort in the fact that joy comes with the morning!- and He will be there too! (so don't forget to recognize Him in those times as well!) As I laid looking at my sweet little boy dancing and wiggling around on the ultrasound screen yesterday I for a moment remembered those sad times when all there was on the screen was stillness- I was overcome with gratefulness to the God I serve, for He knew exactly what He was doing all along...
Thank you Lord for our 2 little boys, for your faithfulness, and all of us always having a reason to give you praise!
So....it's been such a long time since I blogged and let me just tell you that God has been doing some good stuff in the life of my family that I have failed to share! The passage above is a quote from Jesus- he tells the Pharisee's this as the Disciples are shouting and praising Him as He entered Jerusalem for all the amazing things that they had seen Him do in His ministry. As Christians part of our witness and ministry here on Earth comes from the sharing of all the good things He has done in our lives. To me, this is especially important when it is an answered prayer or the continuation of Him revealing His perfect plan for our lives. In our case, there were many people who prayed for us during the times that I have previously posted about on my blog- wading through the loss of another sweet baby and trying my best to make lemonade out of the lemons of heartache and loss. In other cases, some of you were in the thick of it yourselves after a similar loss. We drew encouragement from one another- we shared our stories with one another, and the Lord used that as a tremendous blessing in my life.
Shame on me for taking so long to share with you what God has done in an answer to many of yours and our prayers...the rocks must have been crying out for sure on our behalf for not proclaiming His goodness in our lives! So, here's the good news!....I am 22 weeks pregnant with another sweet little man that is due to arrive on February 10th! We are so excited and so thankful that once again God has shown His goodness in our lives, not only through pain and loss but, also through tremendous blessing! A lot of you reading this probably already know about Anderson, but I just felt compelled to put in writing that the God we serve is so good, so sovereign, and always right on time! If you are in a valley right now, know He is with you- as He was with me during those dark days this spring. But, take comfort in the fact that joy comes with the morning!- and He will be there too! (so don't forget to recognize Him in those times as well!) As I laid looking at my sweet little boy dancing and wiggling around on the ultrasound screen yesterday I for a moment remembered those sad times when all there was on the screen was stillness- I was overcome with gratefulness to the God I serve, for He knew exactly what He was doing all along...
Thank you Lord for our 2 little boys, for your faithfulness, and all of us always having a reason to give you praise!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Raising Bubble-wrapped Christians
So...it's been forever since I sat down and "blogged"- so sorry, May in the teacher world is CRAZY! But, alas, summer has arrived! And for this Kindergarten teacher, summer is here indefinitely! I turned in my "teaching hat" and have decided after lots of praying and letting go to be a stay at home Mommy to my brown eyed boy! I had the choice to return to teaching full-time, and to be honest, I was not willing to give up time with my favorite little guy...they're only little once- and teaching will always be there! We've had a great summer so far- vacation with out best friends in St. Simons for the 2nd year was a blast!
...And we are just in awe of all God is doing in our lives and the lives of our family! We are learning that sometimes the waiting on God for what the future will hold can be quite a challenge, you know that He's brought you through the past, and the right now is, well pretty darn good...so, we are just hangin' on to His hand and trying to enjoy the ride! There's lots more I could say here- but, that will come later! The thing I really wanted to share (and what I titled my post about) is a chapter I read in my devo. this a.m. I'm reading "Out of the Spin Cycle- Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load", by Jen Hatmaker. AMAZING applications, with some pretty entertaining stories and humor- would highly recommend it to all you Momma's out there! Anyway, the chapter that I read today was call "Nacho Average Bunny". Hatmaker tells a story of a little Hispanic boy in a street VBS program that draws a picture of a cuddly bunny rabbit holding a knife- go figure! She paralleled this to a passage in Matthew 10:16...
"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be
as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Jesus said this to his disciples while He was commissioning them to go out into the world. Hatmaker goes on to say that "shrewd" in the original Greek meant "wise and prudent"- constant awareness, discernment, saying the right thing at the right time. She goes on to compare and apply that to how we should be as Mommy's ....
"It's the opposite of clueless. It's the mom who sizes up a situation and watches for social cues and red flags...It's the Mom who realizes she's parenting in an ever-changing world full of landmines and trapdoors. Shrewd parenting is ever diligent, never allowing apathy or naivete' to blind us while the enemy claims our children."
Wow! That was so powerful to me- I've been learning a lot about specifically praying for William, for his future plans, his health, growth and protection. But this made is very black/white to me that even the smallest of our children are a target of the enemy! Hatmaker then addressed the next part of the verse that refers to "being as innocent as doves". The meaning of this passage can be misconstrued and used in making the decision to, "avoid the landmines, raise their children in innocence and choose to be "shrewd" by simply sequestering them from the world. If we create a Utopian environment, bubble-wrapped in Christian sub-culture, then perhaps our kids will emerge as Jesus Juniors."
Ouch! Isn't this often times what a lot of us try to do with our children, only socializing with our safe church friends, at church pre-school, church play groups...This seems like the right thing to do, right? This paragraph caused me to look back over relationships I've had in the past- some of these were "bubble wrapped" children, and unfortuately, because they were not exposed to what Jesus intended for the rest of this commissioning purposed, when they tore off their bubble wrap and entered in to the real world, they became everything but "Jesus Juniors". They were devoured by the enemy through things that were unfamiliar and interesting to them. The innocence mentioned in this passage refers not to all the things we as Christians do or do not do, but that we are "inoffensive".
As the devotion reads on the author points to the very first passage of scripture that very explicitly states that He is sending the disciples OUT! Not to the church next door, or to a different Christian school (although there are definite needs there). He was sending His disciples (which we now have the privilege of being) out into the places were He went. She goes on to say, "Jesus sent us into this broken world not to defend him, but to represent him. We are to talked to those he talked to, say the kinds of things he said, and love those he loved- without polluting our message with judgment and offensiveness. We have missed the point if our worldview involves fighting against culture as our enemy; we imitate our Savior when we fight for culture as loved people who have yet come to know their Creator."...that statement got to me big time. It's just so much easier to live our separate lives away from things we don't understand or agree with. But, Jesus sees these people as broken and lonely and desperate for Him.
Okay, so I realize I have not actually written the majority of this post myself, but just felt led to put it out there! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and reactions to it- I will close with the most impacting part of the chapter for me- this is the kind of Mama I want to be, so that William with be a man of God that sees the "God-shaped" hole in the hearts of people, before the differences in the way they choose to live.
"We do our children a tragic disservice to raise them in a seclusion, falsely detaching them from the world they've been sent to help redeem (that's why our kids are here!). What kind of disciples are we making when our children enter the real world as shocked and clueless young adults, ill-equipped to connect with the spiritually disoriented and unable to make sense of their environment? In an effort to protect their innocence, we send them out naive and unprepared: bunnies without knives, vulnerable, defenseless. Your kids should be praying regularly for the kids in the school and neighborhood. They should learn to befriend the loner, the loser, the lost. They need to hear from you, "we don't judge. We love." Be the happy home where people apart from God feel welcomed. They will learn innocent shrewdness-or not- from you. It is not your responsibility to raise perfect prototypes of holiness, fir to set on a pedestal and admire. Your job is to send your children into this world as disciples who understand their mission and who will contend for God's glory!"
Whew! Can I get am amen!
...And we are just in awe of all God is doing in our lives and the lives of our family! We are learning that sometimes the waiting on God for what the future will hold can be quite a challenge, you know that He's brought you through the past, and the right now is, well pretty darn good...so, we are just hangin' on to His hand and trying to enjoy the ride! There's lots more I could say here- but, that will come later! The thing I really wanted to share (and what I titled my post about) is a chapter I read in my devo. this a.m. I'm reading "Out of the Spin Cycle- Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load", by Jen Hatmaker. AMAZING applications, with some pretty entertaining stories and humor- would highly recommend it to all you Momma's out there! Anyway, the chapter that I read today was call "Nacho Average Bunny". Hatmaker tells a story of a little Hispanic boy in a street VBS program that draws a picture of a cuddly bunny rabbit holding a knife- go figure! She paralleled this to a passage in Matthew 10:16...
"I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be
as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Jesus said this to his disciples while He was commissioning them to go out into the world. Hatmaker goes on to say that "shrewd" in the original Greek meant "wise and prudent"- constant awareness, discernment, saying the right thing at the right time. She goes on to compare and apply that to how we should be as Mommy's ....
"It's the opposite of clueless. It's the mom who sizes up a situation and watches for social cues and red flags...It's the Mom who realizes she's parenting in an ever-changing world full of landmines and trapdoors. Shrewd parenting is ever diligent, never allowing apathy or naivete' to blind us while the enemy claims our children."
Wow! That was so powerful to me- I've been learning a lot about specifically praying for William, for his future plans, his health, growth and protection. But this made is very black/white to me that even the smallest of our children are a target of the enemy! Hatmaker then addressed the next part of the verse that refers to "being as innocent as doves". The meaning of this passage can be misconstrued and used in making the decision to, "avoid the landmines, raise their children in innocence and choose to be "shrewd" by simply sequestering them from the world. If we create a Utopian environment, bubble-wrapped in Christian sub-culture, then perhaps our kids will emerge as Jesus Juniors."
Ouch! Isn't this often times what a lot of us try to do with our children, only socializing with our safe church friends, at church pre-school, church play groups...This seems like the right thing to do, right? This paragraph caused me to look back over relationships I've had in the past- some of these were "bubble wrapped" children, and unfortuately, because they were not exposed to what Jesus intended for the rest of this commissioning purposed, when they tore off their bubble wrap and entered in to the real world, they became everything but "Jesus Juniors". They were devoured by the enemy through things that were unfamiliar and interesting to them. The innocence mentioned in this passage refers not to all the things we as Christians do or do not do, but that we are "inoffensive".
As the devotion reads on the author points to the very first passage of scripture that very explicitly states that He is sending the disciples OUT! Not to the church next door, or to a different Christian school (although there are definite needs there). He was sending His disciples (which we now have the privilege of being) out into the places were He went. She goes on to say, "Jesus sent us into this broken world not to defend him, but to represent him. We are to talked to those he talked to, say the kinds of things he said, and love those he loved- without polluting our message with judgment and offensiveness. We have missed the point if our worldview involves fighting against culture as our enemy; we imitate our Savior when we fight for culture as loved people who have yet come to know their Creator."...that statement got to me big time. It's just so much easier to live our separate lives away from things we don't understand or agree with. But, Jesus sees these people as broken and lonely and desperate for Him.
Okay, so I realize I have not actually written the majority of this post myself, but just felt led to put it out there! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and reactions to it- I will close with the most impacting part of the chapter for me- this is the kind of Mama I want to be, so that William with be a man of God that sees the "God-shaped" hole in the hearts of people, before the differences in the way they choose to live.
"We do our children a tragic disservice to raise them in a seclusion, falsely detaching them from the world they've been sent to help redeem (that's why our kids are here!). What kind of disciples are we making when our children enter the real world as shocked and clueless young adults, ill-equipped to connect with the spiritually disoriented and unable to make sense of their environment? In an effort to protect their innocence, we send them out naive and unprepared: bunnies without knives, vulnerable, defenseless. Your kids should be praying regularly for the kids in the school and neighborhood. They should learn to befriend the loner, the loser, the lost. They need to hear from you, "we don't judge. We love." Be the happy home where people apart from God feel welcomed. They will learn innocent shrewdness-or not- from you. It is not your responsibility to raise perfect prototypes of holiness, fir to set on a pedestal and admire. Your job is to send your children into this world as disciples who understand their mission and who will contend for God's glory!"
Whew! Can I get am amen!
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