Christmas Wish List

BIBLE BOOKS

FOOL MOON RISING

PUZZLE WITH KNOBS

TOWER

SIT AND SPIN

STACKER

SQUISHY BLOCKS

POUND A PEG

WOODEN TRAIN SET

Thoughts on Reading

How can we undo the media oversaturation that plagues us? I'm reading through Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God and I'm amazed at the manner and ways that these women went to the mission field. Gladys Aylward, a missionary in China, explains that she "read an article about China that made a terrific impression on me. To realize that millions of Chinese had never heard of Jesus Christ was to me a staggering thought, and I felt we ought to do something about it." This statement took me by surprise. The idea that a simple article about the unchurched in China would be the vehicle by which God would call this woman to serve in China does not fit into my modern framework. I cannot imagine being so impacted by a short piece of writing. The trouble is that writing (and reading for that matter) has sadly lost much of its power. We read more than we ever have before via the internet and texting; we have become so desensitized to the written word. I worry about the implications of what we are losing in relationship to God's Holy Word. Does it impact us the way that it did a generation ago? Are we reading it for all its worth?

the shaping of a christian family

I just finished this book and wanted to document some of the most meaningful portions to me:

Bring them up means much more than merely "allow them to grow."
Bringing up children is a task. It is a positive action... the father is
the priest in the home. This means standing in the presence of God for
others. It means making sacrifices on their behalf. In a deep
spiritual sense he stands in the place of God in the home--His represenative,
the visible sign of His presence, His love, His care. A little child wants
"somebody with skin on" ; he wants the father to be there in the dark, his
weight felt sitting on his bed, his hand on the child's hand, his voice
audible. His own father's arms are all he yet knows of the Everlasting
Arms. (137)

They did not think it a good thing to explain all of their reasons and actions to us when we were small. It is an unnecessary waste of time, for one thing, for the reasoning rarely satisfies the child anyway, but more importantly, it makes it difficult later on for the child to accept what God ways without explanation. He must learn to trust the person, to believe the word, and to let the matter rest there, even when reasons are hidden, a hard but vital lesson for the rest of his life. (142)

Are we ever tempted to think that because of fluctuating feelings and harassing doubts, we are no longer aceptable to God? Let us remember that it is never because of anything in us that we are accepted at all. The measure of our acceptance is what Christ is to God; and that remains ever the same. - Evan Hopkins (212)

A Great Day

Right now it is about 7am, and the boys are both still asleep. I have coffee brewing and a quiet time waiting, but I wanted to get down the activities of yesterday for a few minutes. Number one: I was successful in making a chai latte. Woohoo! Number two: I fixed a taco dinner for Trey, a big achievement when I've cooked full meals for him less than a dozen times since we've been married. It was so rewarding to see the smile on his face. Number three: I'm reading Elisabeth Elliot's Shaping of a Christian Family. It's been a real encouragement to me as a mommy and a Christian. It was a great reminder that God is good, and it also gave me simple and meaningful ideas to help share my faith with Owen Ray, like reciting Psalm 23 to him as I am laying him down for bed.

John 8

This morning Trey and I read over John 8. I've never realized how incredibly direct the claims of Christ were and are until now. You see, Trey and I came to the collective realization that we miss so much of the richness and clarity of the Bible when we read a few verses at a time without the proper context. I've read verses in John hundreds perhaps thousands of times. But now that Trey and I are reading it through chapter by chapter each morning, I'm really starting to see the whole picture. The face off with the pharisees and the claims of deity are all so poignant as we read through this way. When I read about them crowd literally beginning to pick up stones to kill Jesus for his "blasphemous statements" I can truly see how incredible and earth shattering His revelations were. These people were not prepared for His radical and "hard" teachings. Trey and I have pondered if we would have been ready had we been there. It is His grace alone that has saved us.

Update

Wow! The apartment had gotten out of control again. We had membership class at church Friday and all day Saturday, so we just stuck around for the Saturday night service. That left me all Sunday morning to get things back in order here, and I'm so glad to report that the laundry has been washed and the dishes have been cleaned.

The school year is definitely off to a roaring start. At first it was extremely difficult, but I think things are easing now.

In other exciting and nerdy news, I figured out how to work the InterLibrary Loan through the Fort Worth library system. Fairly soon I should be sitting down to read some amazing Noel Piper, the wife of a teaching pastor I highly respect. I'm stoked.

Tonka Aviation

Grandpa, this is for you. Ray has figured out that it is fun to make his Tonka plane travel throughout the apartment. He also like to sit in his plush little chair.

So far I really like living in Fort Worth. I have enjoyed getting acclimated to my school district, and I can't wait to get started and meet the kids. Owen Ray is getting to know the other Lil Elks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he gets to stay with his daddy on Monday, Friday, and half the day Wednesday. I wish there was a way that we didn't have to have him in any daycare like before, but I'm glad that he is so close by me throughout the school day. I'm looking forward to having my parents come with us to church again tomorrow. :) They leave on Wednesday to head back to California, so I'm excited that we'll see them a few more times before they leave.