4.25.2011
4.23.2011
going deeper
Keith and I had the opportunity to get away for a couple of days last week in order to attend the Gospel Coalition Conference in Chicago, IL. It was so refreshing - in many different ways. It's always fun to explore a city with my husband. I'm an experience junkie, so anything new (to me) is exciting :-) I need to pause and add a big THANK YOU to both my mom and Keith's mom for taking over my mama role while we were gone!
It was more than the new experiences that refreshed me though. Throughout the week, I kept sensing that God was calling me to go deeper. For those of you who are around me very much, you know I love God and His Word. My best days are days that begin with my Bible, journal and a cup of coffee. For awhile now, I have been using our church's study guide from the sermon as my main Bible study. And, it has been good. I have so enjoyed getting to reflect on the message throughout the week so that I have time to let God work in me and sometimes, out of me, those things in my life that the sermon addressed in helping to make me more Christ-like. But, I'm telling you, being around lots and lots of people who are passionately moved by God and His Word will mess you up! And that's what happened to me last week. But in a good way. There is just so much meat in God's Word. And, though I've been a Christian for almost 23 years, I still feel like I am being nourished by the most minimal amount of it.
I'm simply ready for more and just realized that though I'm very intimidated by the big commentaries and meaty theology books that my husband consumes on a regular basis to help give him insight as he studies the Bible, they are available to me too, and I don't want to shy away from being a student of God's Word anymore.
So, what's my game plan you might be asking (if you're still reading!)? Well, our church is kicking off a series on Galatians tomorrow - come join us if you live in Round Rock area and don't have a church home...Hill Country Bible Round Rock. With that in mind, I thought Galatians would be the perfect starting place in the Bible for me to experience a little bit of "going deeper." So far, I've read thru Galatians in the NIV translation and the HCSB translation. Very doable, even for a mama of four. The past couple of days, I have read through Martin Luther's Introduction to his thoughts on Galatians. OK - this has been wonderful. If you can get your hands on a copy of this, you must! His introduction really helps you to understand where Paul is coming from in writing this letter to the churches in Galatia. Now, my plan is to re-read Galatians again with Luther's introduction in mind.
I would really love for some of you ladies to join me in diving into Galatians...no formal Bible study, but wouldn't it be fun to have a community of ladies who are all soaking in a book of the Bible together? I'm thinking that we could all benefit and encourage each other as we grow in our knowledge of God together - who's with me? You know, women don't even like to go to the bathroom by themselves - it's always more fun in community :-) And, since I don't feel freedom right now in my schedule to lead an official Bible study, this is kind of my way around it!
I also wanted to give you the link to listen to the main sessions from the conference we attended. Here is the link: TGC 2011 Conference (definitely listen to Tim Keller and Matt Chandler if you have a chance!)
Post comments to let all of us know how you go about going deep into God's Word. I think that if you use Twitter at all, you can tweet @bariesue in your comments about studying Galatians and it will show up on the Twitter feed on the side of my blog so that we can all quickly see your thoughts/resources/books as we study God's Word together! Someone try it and let me know if it works or not ;-) If not, we'll figure something else out.
love ya'll and praying that all of us are moved by our love for God, especially tomorrow, as we celebrate our Risen Savior, who without Him, we would only know despair. I'm so thankful for joy that transcends my circumstances and grace-filled gospel that allows me to hold my head high even knowing I'm a sinner.
It was more than the new experiences that refreshed me though. Throughout the week, I kept sensing that God was calling me to go deeper. For those of you who are around me very much, you know I love God and His Word. My best days are days that begin with my Bible, journal and a cup of coffee. For awhile now, I have been using our church's study guide from the sermon as my main Bible study. And, it has been good. I have so enjoyed getting to reflect on the message throughout the week so that I have time to let God work in me and sometimes, out of me, those things in my life that the sermon addressed in helping to make me more Christ-like. But, I'm telling you, being around lots and lots of people who are passionately moved by God and His Word will mess you up! And that's what happened to me last week. But in a good way. There is just so much meat in God's Word. And, though I've been a Christian for almost 23 years, I still feel like I am being nourished by the most minimal amount of it.
I'm simply ready for more and just realized that though I'm very intimidated by the big commentaries and meaty theology books that my husband consumes on a regular basis to help give him insight as he studies the Bible, they are available to me too, and I don't want to shy away from being a student of God's Word anymore.
So, what's my game plan you might be asking (if you're still reading!)? Well, our church is kicking off a series on Galatians tomorrow - come join us if you live in Round Rock area and don't have a church home...Hill Country Bible Round Rock. With that in mind, I thought Galatians would be the perfect starting place in the Bible for me to experience a little bit of "going deeper." So far, I've read thru Galatians in the NIV translation and the HCSB translation. Very doable, even for a mama of four. The past couple of days, I have read through Martin Luther's Introduction to his thoughts on Galatians. OK - this has been wonderful. If you can get your hands on a copy of this, you must! His introduction really helps you to understand where Paul is coming from in writing this letter to the churches in Galatia. Now, my plan is to re-read Galatians again with Luther's introduction in mind.
I would really love for some of you ladies to join me in diving into Galatians...no formal Bible study, but wouldn't it be fun to have a community of ladies who are all soaking in a book of the Bible together? I'm thinking that we could all benefit and encourage each other as we grow in our knowledge of God together - who's with me? You know, women don't even like to go to the bathroom by themselves - it's always more fun in community :-) And, since I don't feel freedom right now in my schedule to lead an official Bible study, this is kind of my way around it!
I also wanted to give you the link to listen to the main sessions from the conference we attended. Here is the link: TGC 2011 Conference (definitely listen to Tim Keller and Matt Chandler if you have a chance!)
Post comments to let all of us know how you go about going deep into God's Word. I think that if you use Twitter at all, you can tweet @bariesue in your comments about studying Galatians and it will show up on the Twitter feed on the side of my blog so that we can all quickly see your thoughts/resources/books as we study God's Word together! Someone try it and let me know if it works or not ;-) If not, we'll figure something else out.
love ya'll and praying that all of us are moved by our love for God, especially tomorrow, as we celebrate our Risen Savior, who without Him, we would only know despair. I'm so thankful for joy that transcends my circumstances and grace-filled gospel that allows me to hold my head high even knowing I'm a sinner.
4.17.2011
keith, aka "big bird"
Our staff and elders say thank you to all of our ministry volunteers every year by putting on a fun production and dinner...just in case you can't guess from the pictures, this year's theme was, "Church Planting on Sesame Street." Keith's parents say that Keith didn't talk until he was two and that all he could say was, "big bird," so it is pretty fitting that he play that character, right?
Keith, Nick and Douglas...
all of the staff and elders...
Needless to say, we laughed a lot that evening!
4.10.2011
our best time together
Our best time together is at night...when I'm usually exhausted and ready for a little "me" time. I am tempted so often to want to ignore his pleas for me to read him a book or lay down with him for a little while. It is so easy to give a quick kiss and leave the room, anxious to get in my p.j.'s and have some uninterrupted talk time with my man.But, the other night, I was reminded how important this time is to connect with Kamden and to know what is going on in his little heart. I started to read him a chapter from a new book and somehow, we got to talking about God. I'm sad that I've already forgotten a lot of the conversation because it was all good, but what I do remember is that Kamden had some really good questions and insights about God and His grace. All of a sudden, though, he said as serious as he could possibly be, "Mom, when I find a girl and she loves God, I'm going to keep her and make chicken with her every night." I can't wait to remind him of this quote at his wedding rehearsal dinner...and you can bet I will ;-) In his defense, we had chicken for dinner and he had reminded me (for the 100th time) how much he liked chicken, so I can see how his thought process connected God and chicken that night...I know, big stretch, but I'm going with it.
Back to our best time together...though it's at night, I need to arrange my day in such a way that sets us up to successfully get that special time together. Since I know this is true about him, I need to allow room in my schedule during the day so that I am not so drop-dead tired when we put the kids to bed. I find that when our schedule is peaceful and not chaotic, then I'm more willing to lay there and discuss life with him. But, this is hard for me because I really thrive on trying to "fit it all in." How many of you ladies are with me on that one? We try to have playdates with all of our friends + grocery shop + clean house + run errands + cook meals + shuttle kids to all their activities + date our hubbies...all in a week. And we wonder why we're ready to collapse by 8:30 p.m. I admit....I have a strong desire to fit all this in my schedule - and if I'm honest, I sometimes attempt to fit all of this in a day, not a week. God's been working on me for the past two years though and I feel like I'm getting healthier everyday in this regard. I also have to factor in the equation that God has wired me to be pretty high-capacity in the amount of "busy" I can take in a day. Some of you are wired to "go-go" like me and some of you would be best with just one "activity" planned in your day. The main thing is that you ask the Lord to show you what your capacity is and what is best for your family in terms of how much you go before it starts to hurt your family life. I often find myself going to Titus 2:4 during my morning quiet times to help give me direction and clarity for the "best" for my day. This is what it says, "Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."
When I slow down my "go-go" schedule, it helps me to love my hubby and my kids better because I have the necessary energy left at the end of the day to love on them and listen to them and I'm able to "be busy at home," spending time making our home a place of refuge for my family.
4.02.2011
let the games begin
We officially kicked off our Spring season with the first t-ball and soccer game. Kade chose to play soccer this season. I have to admit that I could get into being a "soccer mom." It is just a fun sport to watch and Kade is pretty good, which makes it even more fun. Here he is playing goalie - happy to report that no goals were scored on his watch!
He gets to play with three of his close friends - Henry, Aiden and Jake (not pictured). I love seeing so many friends when we sit at the games. It was fun this time because Kade's Sunday school teacher was actually the coach for the other team and his 1st grade school teacher was there watching someone play from the other team also. Round Rock is really not even close to a small town, but it almost feels that way when you're sitting on the YMCA sports fields.
Keith and Nick are coaching t-ball together again this year. And, I don't mean to brag, but they're a good coaching team. It should get old, but it doesn't - I hope Kamden, Kale and Leif know how special it is to have two of their favorite men coaching together. Here is a pic of Kale with his two best buddies - Landon and Leif. They have all been friends since before they could even talk.
I'm a happy mom, too, because between the two games, I get to hang out with four of my friends...I get a mouth and ear work-out while the boys get a physical work-out :-) It's a win-win, right?
4.01.2011
it's a big day
Opening season of the Texas Rangers!!
We haven't had cable since the end of last year's baseball season...trying to save money and go the old-fashioned, "bunny-ear" route. I'm wondering how long we'll make it though now that it's baseball season again ;-) Actually, as I'm working on this post, my hubby just found it on 103.3 - a Dallas radio station. He has the Spark app on his phone. This is for all of you die-hard Rangers fans who don't have cable either.
We actually got to see the Rangers play this past Wednesday when they played an exhibition game against their Triple-A team, our Round Rock Express. Let's just say I'm hoping the Rangers look better today at 3 than they did at that game. The Express beat them, 4-3, I think. We left at the end of the 7th inning because it all of a sudden became winter again in Round Rock. We almost made a fire when we got home to thaw out! But it was a fun date with a fun mate ;-) I'll sit in the cold anytime to watch baseball with my honey.
We haven't had cable since the end of last year's baseball season...trying to save money and go the old-fashioned, "bunny-ear" route. I'm wondering how long we'll make it though now that it's baseball season again ;-) Actually, as I'm working on this post, my hubby just found it on 103.3 - a Dallas radio station. He has the Spark app on his phone. This is for all of you die-hard Rangers fans who don't have cable either.
We actually got to see the Rangers play this past Wednesday when they played an exhibition game against their Triple-A team, our Round Rock Express. Let's just say I'm hoping the Rangers look better today at 3 than they did at that game. The Express beat them, 4-3, I think. We left at the end of the 7th inning because it all of a sudden became winter again in Round Rock. We almost made a fire when we got home to thaw out! But it was a fun date with a fun mate ;-) I'll sit in the cold anytime to watch baseball with my honey.
3.27.2011
how we vacation
We don't attempt to "see all the sites." We utilize the "included activities" everyday - this place had a couple of nice pools that we alternated between, a putt-putt course, arcade, board games, and two nice playgrounds. We don't eat out very much. In fact, this time, we cooked every meal in our condo except for when mom came in town and bought our lunch and dinner and then one meal when we met a friend for lunch. We relax as often as we can. We play board games together. We cuddle a lot. We go to bed early and wake up early. Keith and I had long quiet times with the Lord every morning - that's unheard of during regular life - but it's what makes a good vacation great for us. We did go to an indoor water park that was on the property a couple of days with the kids this time. But, even in the water park, you could find all of us taking time to rest on the lounge chairs. We just move slow during our vacations - which is a beautiful thing. We didn't come back feeling like we needed to "recover" from vacation. We actually felt rested and ready to tackle normal life again.
How do you vacation? Or, a better question is, do you vacation at all? I'm thankful for my husband's leading in this area, which he inherited from his parents. Vacations are important. You don't have to spend lots of money. The main thing is that you get away from all the normal demands of life to focus on your immediate family. We find this especially important for our family because the kids have to share us so much of the time. And they do so with giving hearts. But, they need to be reminded that they are special to us and vacation gives us the time to speak that into their hearts without any other interruptions.
3.26.2011
visits with the extended fam
We had so much fun on this vacation spending time with some of our extended family. We started off our vacation at Nanny's house, which I blogged about earlier. Brynlee wanted Nanny to do everything with her...I think she asked Nanny to play "matches" with her at least ten times in the 24 hours we were with her.
She sat with Nanny as long as she could before bedtime and then joined her in her recliner first thing when she woke up the next morning.
I often find that life is more fun in the "unplanned" moments. We happened upon one of those unplanned moments when we got to Nanny's house. Keith's cousin, Becky, had also come to visit Nanny with her two little girls, Lily and Lucy. Usually, we only get to see each other when the whole extended family gets together which makes it a little harder to enjoy laid-back time together. We loved getting time with them - and Keith definitely needed Becky to help him with his crossword puzzle attempts :-). Both of them together still didn't hold a candle to their Nanny though.
I asked Bryn what her favorite part of vacation was when we got back home, and she quickly said, "seeing E." She so loves her E. We were glad to see her too and thankful that the Lord brought them back safe from their spring break trip to Italy.
Karen and Evan were able to come with E. to visit us. I'm really enjoying this season of our relationship. Even though we live pretty far apart, we are doing better about either Skyping or talking on the phone on a more regular basis. She is our only sister, which also means that our kids' only cousin is her son, Evan. It is so fun to see how much our kids love Evan and how much he loves them. I'm thinking his system probably goes into shock after leaving the chaos that accompanies our family to a quiet home! I sure wish they lived closer to us so that we could hang out more often than we get to now. I'm hoping that Alan will get a job at a hospital in the Austin area when he finishes his residency ;-) It is the best place to live in Texas, right?
I often find that life is more fun in the "unplanned" moments. We happened upon one of those unplanned moments when we got to Nanny's house. Keith's cousin, Becky, had also come to visit Nanny with her two little girls, Lily and Lucy. Usually, we only get to see each other when the whole extended family gets together which makes it a little harder to enjoy laid-back time together. We loved getting time with them - and Keith definitely needed Becky to help him with his crossword puzzle attempts :-). Both of them together still didn't hold a candle to their Nanny though.
I asked Bryn what her favorite part of vacation was when we got back home, and she quickly said, "seeing E." She so loves her E. We were glad to see her too and thankful that the Lord brought them back safe from their spring break trip to Italy.
Karen and Evan were able to come with E. to visit us. I'm really enjoying this season of our relationship. Even though we live pretty far apart, we are doing better about either Skyping or talking on the phone on a more regular basis. She is our only sister, which also means that our kids' only cousin is her son, Evan. It is so fun to see how much our kids love Evan and how much he loves them. I'm thinking his system probably goes into shock after leaving the chaos that accompanies our family to a quiet home! I sure wish they lived closer to us so that we could hang out more often than we get to now. I'm hoping that Alan will get a job at a hospital in the Austin area when he finishes his residency ;-) It is the best place to live in Texas, right?
I was thankful for a chance to visit one of my oldest (in terms of years of friendship) friends during our trip. Her husband just accepted a pastor position in Ponca City, OK, so I knew I needed to catch a couple of hours with her before her move or it might be awhile. This is her youngest son, Elijah, who I was finally able to meet. Isn't he adorable? She is such a precious wife, mom and friend. I hate that we don't get to live closer to each other, but I love that it's as if no time has passed when we are able to get together. She is like a sister to me and I know that God used her and her family during my formative teenage years to teach me what a godly family is supposed to look like.
We stopped by the farm to check-in on Horace and Retta on our way home. I can't even describe how spiritually refreshing it is to spend time with these two heroes of the faith. I'm so thankful for their example of what it looks like to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, as you age (gracefully, I might add ;-).
We also got to see Keith's Uncle Jay and Aunt Elane and his cousin, Bryan, while we were in Gladewater. Brynlee was pretty taken with Uncle Jay - she even asked to see him the next two days after we left Gladewater, so he must have left a pretty big impression.
In a perfect world, we would get to live close to all of these precious relatives and friends so that we could see them more often. They all have played a major role in shaping who Keith and I are today. But, the distance makes the times we do get to spend with them really special. We're so thankful to the Lord for last week and the opportunity to do a little "catching up" with our loved ones.
We also got to see Keith's Uncle Jay and Aunt Elane and his cousin, Bryan, while we were in Gladewater. Brynlee was pretty taken with Uncle Jay - she even asked to see him the next two days after we left Gladewater, so he must have left a pretty big impression.
In a perfect world, we would get to live close to all of these precious relatives and friends so that we could see them more often. They all have played a major role in shaping who Keith and I are today. But, the distance makes the times we do get to spend with them really special. We're so thankful to the Lord for last week and the opportunity to do a little "catching up" with our loved ones.
3.24.2011
a special lady
We chose to spend our vacation this year in East Texas mainly because we wanted to spend time with this special lady...
She is Keith's Nanny - his dad's mom, and the kid's only great-grandparent still living. We sure do wish we could see her more often than two or three times a year. We got to go to church with her this past Sunday. Bryn sat in her lap and Nanny doodled for her throughout the service. Needless to say, I am going to try to preserve those drawings because I didn't feel it was appropriate to whip out my camera to capture the moment during the middle of the church service :-).
3.13.2011
valentines at chuck e cheese
My dear friend, Laura, puts on a fun Valentine's party every year at Chuck E Cheese. We keep growing every year - I think there at least 15 families there from our church and neighborhood, if not more. All of the kids bring Valentine's boxes and line them on a table. Then, the chaotic part takes place. We all walk our kids around to put their valentines in each of the boxes. These valentines from their friends become treasured possessions around our home for at least a week afterward. We all print out the free 5 tokens coupons off their website and share pizzas. It ends up being a pretty cheap way to celebrate and gives us special memories with the friends that God has so graciously put in our lives.
I love this pic for two reasons: 1) It shows Bryn's fun personality as she runs over to see her friends and 2) I just think that my man looks hot in this pic ;-)
I love this pic for two reasons: 1) It shows Bryn's fun personality as she runs over to see her friends and 2) I just think that my man looks hot in this pic ;-)
Mary and I weren't able to get a good group pic of our kids while we were at Fiesta Texas for New Year's Eve, so this was the make-up shot.
This is a really late Happy Valentine's Day from our family.
3.09.2011
sabbath rest
We just finished a great Real Life Group tonight with our neighbors. We were discussing the sermon notes from this past weeks sermon at our church, found here. Not that I haven't been challenged and reminded of my need for Jesus with all of the Ten Commandments that we've studied so far, but this one has really gotten to me.
I'm just going to go ahead and be real from the get go - I struggle to rest. Sure, I sleep at night because I would be a lunatic if I didn't. But, as far as the hours during the day go, it is hard for me to ever feel the freedom to sit down and rest. I've always equated it with laziness. And, there is always more work to be done, right?
So, that gives you my mental background as I was confronted with what God has to say about Sabbath rest this past Sunday. He modeled it from the beginning (Gen 2.3). If you look back at creation, it is unbelievable how much God can accomplish so quickly. I don't want to get into whether we are talking about literal days here because honestly, I have no idea. What I do know from reading about creation, though, is that God is the Creator and He can do a lot of work quickly. So, I'm thinking it took much self control to not go ahead and put lots of buildings and city structures up on the seventh day. You know He could have knocked it out much quicker than it took man to figure it out. But instead, He rested. Six days of work, one day of rest. It seems like such a healthy pattern for our life, doesn't it? It is a gift wrapped up in a command.
What was really different about this sermon on the Sabbath is that it was taught in a way that showed how the Sabbath really is about pointing us to Christ. Jesus says in Matthew 11.28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." It is only in Jesus that we find true rest for our souls. Jesus was constantly having to address the Pharisees because of their "religious" view of the Sabbath. They were so good at externally following all the "rules" of the Sabbath. But it is pretty evident that their souls weren't peaceful because they were always upset at how others, including Jesus, weren't following "the rules." Jesus tells them in Luke 6.5 that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. He's like, "Listen fellows, are you really trying to tell the Maker of the Sabbath how he should act on the Sabbath?"
So, this is my conclusion after a week of quiet times studying the Sabbath spurred on by some really great teaching at church on the subject:
1) I won't find Sabbath rest from putting strict rules on what I can/can't do on a specific day of the week.
2) The Sabbath is really about Jesus - apart from which I wouldn't ever know true rest for my soul. I could choose to do nothing on Saturday except sit on the couch and talk to my family, but if I am not at peace with my standing before God because of what Jesus did (not what I've done), then I'll still have strife and unrest in my spirit as I seek to perform better to win God and man's favor.
3) My quiet times with the Lord every morning are vital to my spiritual health. I've known this for awhile, but I've really understood more this week how they are like my daily Sabbath time. For those of you who are morning people, you know how easy and exhilarating it is to wake up and start checking "to-do's" off your to-do list. The early morning time is so peaceful with no distractions in our home because all the kids are still sleeping. Therefore, I could knock tons of to-do's off the list in a short amount of time. But, when I choose instead to use that precious time to spend time with the Lord, it is an active way I can show the Lord that I ultimately believe He is in control and that I trust Him with all of my life, including my to-do list. I am reminded of Psalm 143.8 where the psalmist says, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." That is my prayer every morning as I sit down in my comfy chair with my Bible, journal and coffee. And I can honestly say that I get more important stuff accomplished on the days that I choose to start my time off with the Lord instead of the computer, dishwasher or washer.
I'll end with this passage in Hebrews 4. 9-10: "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."
It is a true gift wrapped up in a command. Don't we all want to have true rest for our souls? to not have to justify our worth by what we accomplish or how many rules we correctly followed? God is so good to us to give us a way to enter His rest. Through his Son, Jesus Christ, we can find true rest for our souls, which I believe what Keith said on Sunday, must precede rest for our physical bodies.
PS - I know this so isn't typical for me. I want it to be though. I would love to use the blog to share more of what God is teaching me thru His Word and not just about family life. It is just easier to post a picture and talk about the event behind the picture when you're tired at night than putting into words what God is teaching you. So, I'm not sure how regular I'll be at sharing my quiet time thoughts and you might just like the family stuff better, but I guess what I'm trying to say that I hope to change it up a little along the way. And, I would really love hearing what God is teaching all of you who are still reading this extremely long post ;-) We can spur each other on as we seek to live out a life that honors the Lord in the midst of our daily activities.
Blessings,
barie sue
I'm just going to go ahead and be real from the get go - I struggle to rest. Sure, I sleep at night because I would be a lunatic if I didn't. But, as far as the hours during the day go, it is hard for me to ever feel the freedom to sit down and rest. I've always equated it with laziness. And, there is always more work to be done, right?
So, that gives you my mental background as I was confronted with what God has to say about Sabbath rest this past Sunday. He modeled it from the beginning (Gen 2.3). If you look back at creation, it is unbelievable how much God can accomplish so quickly. I don't want to get into whether we are talking about literal days here because honestly, I have no idea. What I do know from reading about creation, though, is that God is the Creator and He can do a lot of work quickly. So, I'm thinking it took much self control to not go ahead and put lots of buildings and city structures up on the seventh day. You know He could have knocked it out much quicker than it took man to figure it out. But instead, He rested. Six days of work, one day of rest. It seems like such a healthy pattern for our life, doesn't it? It is a gift wrapped up in a command.
What was really different about this sermon on the Sabbath is that it was taught in a way that showed how the Sabbath really is about pointing us to Christ. Jesus says in Matthew 11.28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." It is only in Jesus that we find true rest for our souls. Jesus was constantly having to address the Pharisees because of their "religious" view of the Sabbath. They were so good at externally following all the "rules" of the Sabbath. But it is pretty evident that their souls weren't peaceful because they were always upset at how others, including Jesus, weren't following "the rules." Jesus tells them in Luke 6.5 that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. He's like, "Listen fellows, are you really trying to tell the Maker of the Sabbath how he should act on the Sabbath?"
So, this is my conclusion after a week of quiet times studying the Sabbath spurred on by some really great teaching at church on the subject:
1) I won't find Sabbath rest from putting strict rules on what I can/can't do on a specific day of the week.
2) The Sabbath is really about Jesus - apart from which I wouldn't ever know true rest for my soul. I could choose to do nothing on Saturday except sit on the couch and talk to my family, but if I am not at peace with my standing before God because of what Jesus did (not what I've done), then I'll still have strife and unrest in my spirit as I seek to perform better to win God and man's favor.
3) My quiet times with the Lord every morning are vital to my spiritual health. I've known this for awhile, but I've really understood more this week how they are like my daily Sabbath time. For those of you who are morning people, you know how easy and exhilarating it is to wake up and start checking "to-do's" off your to-do list. The early morning time is so peaceful with no distractions in our home because all the kids are still sleeping. Therefore, I could knock tons of to-do's off the list in a short amount of time. But, when I choose instead to use that precious time to spend time with the Lord, it is an active way I can show the Lord that I ultimately believe He is in control and that I trust Him with all of my life, including my to-do list. I am reminded of Psalm 143.8 where the psalmist says, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." That is my prayer every morning as I sit down in my comfy chair with my Bible, journal and coffee. And I can honestly say that I get more important stuff accomplished on the days that I choose to start my time off with the Lord instead of the computer, dishwasher or washer.
I'll end with this passage in Hebrews 4. 9-10: "There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his."
It is a true gift wrapped up in a command. Don't we all want to have true rest for our souls? to not have to justify our worth by what we accomplish or how many rules we correctly followed? God is so good to us to give us a way to enter His rest. Through his Son, Jesus Christ, we can find true rest for our souls, which I believe what Keith said on Sunday, must precede rest for our physical bodies.
PS - I know this so isn't typical for me. I want it to be though. I would love to use the blog to share more of what God is teaching me thru His Word and not just about family life. It is just easier to post a picture and talk about the event behind the picture when you're tired at night than putting into words what God is teaching you. So, I'm not sure how regular I'll be at sharing my quiet time thoughts and you might just like the family stuff better, but I guess what I'm trying to say that I hope to change it up a little along the way. And, I would really love hearing what God is teaching all of you who are still reading this extremely long post ;-) We can spur each other on as we seek to live out a life that honors the Lord in the midst of our daily activities.
Blessings,
barie sue
3.07.2011
new look for our buffet
I have no idea why I didn't take a before photo. I took one of the buffet after it was sanded (boring) and primed (even more boring), but not what it looked like before I started messing with it. I'm going to go back and try to find an old photo of my dining room with this piece in there. The transformation is pretty drastic. All of the hardware was falling off and there were scratches and sticker residue (that would be Brynlee's doing) everywhere. I loved the function of it though and it is a very sturdy piece, so I decided to make my first attempt at refinishing a piece of furniture. Though it took me a little longer than I would have liked (I tend to get distracted and am ready to move on to another project pretty quickly), I persevered and ended up with this pretty piece that now holds all of my crafty stuff. It really is incredible what a new coat of paint and new hardware can do for an older piece of furniture.
3.05.2011
bryn and emry: our little mini-me's
I imagine this is what Jada and I would have looked like at 2 yrs old if we had been friends then...
Brynlee and I took Emry out on a date a couple of weeks ago to celebrate that Emry was potty-trained. After a grand plan to go have ice cream with another little friend that failed due to one of the main roads in Round Rock being closed, we ended up at the Wal-Mart McDonald's - that's right. Are we high class or what? They did get to end it with a little shopping in the toy section though, so I think it all still worked to their advantage.
3.03.2011
always be ready
One of the things I have loved about homeschooling is the informal conversations that take place all day long. Today tops the cake though for my favorite of those conversations because during the middle of it, Kale asked if I would pray with him to trust in Jesus as his Savior. It was obviously a much longer conversation that led up to that point, but what was really cool is that it was Kade and Kamden who walked him through what it meant to be a Christian. All I got to do was step in at the end and pray with him. I found them in their room with the music blaring shortly after, and they said they were celebrating that all three of the boys were Christians now.
This is the third time we have had to wrestle thru our thoughts on the genuine conversion of our children at an early age (thankfully!) On one hand, we want to affirm that a 4 1/2 year old can understand the gospel and believe in Jesus. The Bible explicitly tells us to let the little children come to Jesus. At the same time, we won't be crushed as parents if our kids decide as young adults that they didn't really understand what they were doing at 4 or 5 and want to personally affirm their faith at that time. From our years in youth ministry, we understand that every adolescent has to go thru a time of searching and personalizing what they believed as a child. Some teens easily reaffirm what they learned as kids while others go thru a long searching process. Either way, we're still called to teach our children the gospel at an early age and pray everyday for their love for God to grip their heart.
This is the third time we have had to wrestle thru our thoughts on the genuine conversion of our children at an early age (thankfully!) On one hand, we want to affirm that a 4 1/2 year old can understand the gospel and believe in Jesus. The Bible explicitly tells us to let the little children come to Jesus. At the same time, we won't be crushed as parents if our kids decide as young adults that they didn't really understand what they were doing at 4 or 5 and want to personally affirm their faith at that time. From our years in youth ministry, we understand that every adolescent has to go thru a time of searching and personalizing what they believed as a child. Some teens easily reaffirm what they learned as kids while others go thru a long searching process. Either way, we're still called to teach our children the gospel at an early age and pray everyday for their love for God to grip their heart.
3.02.2011
latest dessert find
Here is the blog I got the recipe from: Becky Bakes
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