We’re having a baby

I was looking over my journal and in October last year and I had been reflecting over the previous years and was describing a growing relationship with Jesus.   The more we pursue Jesus and His glory we want to be like Him,  wrapped in His clothes of love, kindness, purity, peace, forgiveness, selflessness, … 2 Corithians 3:18 says “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

It almost feels like its a birthing process.  First there are contractions intensifying moving into transition where contractions are stronger and longer. Then the pushing process. During this time it actually takes a lot of effort.  During the pushing process the baby moves through the canal in stages and after each push the baby retracts slightly back in.  Just when you think you see the head, it goes back in and pushing is still necessary.  One step forward two steps back.

One I was thinking about this symbolism/ word picture of our life in Christ, I looked up on a labor and delivery website to confirm that the baby retracts back.  This part takes a lot of strength and determination not to give up.  We can’t give up on our life toward holiness and work in the Lord.  Even when its painful and tiring, or it seems like you’re still battling the same problems still.  Even when you are going it alone.  A woman giving birth may have some people around her but only she can deliver that baby…what is it that keeps her going?….the website actually said “keep your eye on the prize”  Its the baby!   Paul in the scriptures said in Philippians 3:13-14 ” Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

What keeps us going? What’s our prize….Jesus, being changed into His glorious image, people who don’t know Jesus yet, and Heaven!!  My prayer for you is that the Lord will give you strength, stamina, and determination to see this new season 2012 birthed in your lives, because you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (phillipians 4:13)

*sorry for those of you who may have thought we were having our 5th baby-hahah I can’t resist a catchy title!

Amy

Doing vs Doing It Right

I’m often intrigued by little things in the Bible…like why is there a “but” here instead of an “and”? Today I found one that not only stuck out to me, but resonated with where I’m heading with my work and spiritual life.

I’m reading through the book of Romans and in chapter 12 there is this little chunk that I am adopting:

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Seems pretty straightforward, and it is…but right in the middle of verse eleven there is this “but”.  Why not an “and”?  To be fair, some other translations of this text don’t have the word “but”, but they do keep the two concepts separated by a comma.

Seems like this is another one of those times where God is telling us that it is not good to be unbalanced – that our working must be met with a good dose of heart or it’s incomplete at best and dangerous at worst (think of the legalistic but far from God priests that sent Jesus to the cross.)

It’s good to be zealous (or “diligent”), and to have spiritual fervor (intense, passionate) – but be honest about the fact that we as people often lean towards one or the other.

For me this might look like doing a lot of great things for God – being diligent – who doesn’t love checking things off the list?? – but not spending time in prayer and listening for God’s leading and wisdom.  For some it might look like spending hours in Bible study and prayer but never getting around to serving God outside of your personal bubble.  Leaning too far in either direction is unhealthy.

So, are you “Doing” or “Doing it Right”?  

Need a place to serve?  Ask your pastor – he’ll have tons of ideas.

Need a place and time to get your spirit back connected with God?  How do I say this…make it happen.  God is ready and wants the time.  You can’t grow without it.  Make it happen.

It looks like this - 

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” – Romans 12:1 the Message

Travis

The Year in Review – Double Bonus (part 3)

Continuing the “year in review” theme – thoughts from my moleskin – (part 1 here, part 2 here)…I’m taking a few posts here to let you in on what I’m learning, seeing around me and still questioning.  In that line of thinking, I submit to you part 3 – as a double bonus…two reviews for the time it takes to read one! Well, close anyways.

Family life can be difficult (duh).  In fact I read today “The hardest job in the world is being a mom.  The second hardest job is being a pastor.”  As we have four kids and are very engaged parents, and we both work at our church in leading roles, Amy and I agree with this quote.  Your life is probably very tough as well, we are by no means heroes or martyrs, but this is my chance to write so I get to view the world from my little lens.

Sometimes the challenges we live with are hard to quantify and communicate.  It appears that on October 12th of this last year, I had no such problem.

“Thinking of finances, vacation (stay-cations because they are cheaper), time and our kids.  And some work stuff.  Too much out, not enough out, out of balance…and out of my hands.”

Maybe you can relate.  It didn’t fix anything to write it, but somehow it felt good to at least state the obvious to myself.  It has helped me focus on learning a proper response to each category, and in some cases has shown me where my attitude needs to mature.

The second part of this post is more of a suggested reading list.  Here are some books that have meant a lot to me this last year:

“The Corporate Creative” by Andy Epstein- written for those who are or who manage in-house design teams.  Super practical.

 

 

 

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“The One Life Solution” by Dr. Henry Cloud – need professional and personal boundary help?  Want to be a high performance person and still have a life and sanity?  Me too.  And this book did a lot to move me in the right direction.

 

 

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“Wild Things” by Stephen James and David Thomas – written to anyone who is raising sons.  A great mix of theory, science and practical tips on raising little men in our current culture.  Loved this book.  My favorite line from this book:  ”We have to learn to be wise, loving and intentional guides…”

 

 

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“Good to Great” by Jim Collins – still reading this one here and there…enjoy it every time I pick it up.

 

 

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“Untitled” by Blaine Hogan – written to Christian artists, creative directors and the like.  Still working through this one but have found it to be a good mix of practical advice for those who want to do well over the course of their lives in ministry.

 

 

and the winner is…

“Creating Art. Pursuing Christ.” by Gary Molander – this is one I finished but am gladly reading again.  It is helping me navigate through the specific issues I’ve been facing the last year.  The title is directly related to the content and the author is both experienced, transparent and clever.  He hits many of life’s topics but ties it all back to Creating and Pursuing.  I’m very thankful to have this book in my library.

 

 

So there you go – a list of things you should probably read.

Any tips for me?

Travis

The Year in Review (part 2)

Continuing the “year in review” theme – thoughts from my moleskin – (part 1 here)…

I submit to you part 2.

This one comes from September 19th – written around 6am during my morning read/think/pray/listen/journal time.  I was reading through the visions given to Daniel (bizarre visions that come from God, and then prove to be true = awesome).  I had a couple thoughts that morning:

• It must have been very difficult for Daniel – he was a man of God serving openly pagan rulers, lived in and around coups (governmental overthrow), outlandish wicked behavior and idolatry.  Like John Ashcroft or something…although John was appointed and Daniel was from a subjugated country – so, of course it is a loose comparison.

and the craziest thought

• Daniel was “appointed as chief over the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.”

What were those staff meetings like?

Travis

The Year in Review (part 1)

It is a great time of year – yeah, yeah, Christmas and the New Year are here, anyone can get excited about those – what I’m celebrating right now is the time of year where I get a new moleskin journal.

I used this one for 2011,and this one for 2012.  

 

Both in black of course.  Yeah, I’m that guy.

The truth is that journaling is a growing discipline in my life, here to help me in all areas of my life.  Taking the time to listen to what’s happening in me and what God is saying.  And of course having an archive of memories and moments that would be lost if I were not actively preserving them as they happen.

Here’s how I go about it all…it’s become my pattern – and a goal – that over the course of one year I fill up one and by the beginning of the next year I “need” another.  It is not something I do every day, but quite often.  I try to keep a mixture of events, places, personal thoughts and lessons I learn from others, and at the end of the year I take a little time to read over what was written before moving into a clean slate.

Stuff that pops:

• The patterns (read “interesting = possibly disturbing)
• The hopeful moments, followed either by let downs or some serious answers to prayer
• The things I felt were so important in the moment – some are still, others have lost their value as life progressed passed them

So, on to the meat of this post.  Over the next few entries I’m going to share some of the things that stuck out to me while reading over the record of 2011 – things I hope will resonate with you as well.

And for the big kickoff, an entry from July 16th.  To take you there with me, it was three days after my oldest turned 13 – a truly bizarre mix of emotions come with moments like these – and we were in the middle of some less than peaceful family moments (I’m sure I’m the only parent who has drama in their house, forgive me)…I wrote:

“I don’t remember what it felt like to be thirteen.  I remember being thirteen, although vaguely, but watching (my daughter0 and being completely frustrated leads me to the truth that I don’t know how she sees the world and how that view makes her feel.”

The truth is that the older I get, the less I really remember what it felt like to be younger.  I remember shadows of feelings at best, and have redrawn what I felt to fit my current level of understanding at worst.  Either way my awareness of where she is in life is skewed heavily, for better or worse.  Again, I’m sure I’m the only one.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing, we need to grow up!  But it is sobering, and as a dad it keeps me aware that I need to listen (kind of stink at that) and do my absolute best to understand my children’s view of the world.  Being slow to speak might help.

The bottom line is that my maturity and immaturity are exposed in journal entries like these.  I’m learning to be ok with that.

What about you?  Do you magically remember everything from your past?

Travis

Dancing With the One You Love

I recently heard Cindy Easley, the author of Dancing With the One I Love-Living Out Submission in the Real World-, on Focus on the Family. My desire in my marriage has always been to obey God and God says that I am to submit to my husband so I’ve tried to do that. Even though I have to admit early on and maybe more recently I wasn’t quite sure what that meant at times. I have failed way to many times than I would like to share; I am thankful for a God that forgives and a husband that loves, and is gracious with me when I let him down.

Cindy Easley made the discussion of submission so practical and less scary (joking-however some may think submission is allowing someone to dominate, but submission is more about God and less about you) I jotted down some bullet points of what she was saying.

• There is a difference between equal worth and different roles
• As wives, we are equal but we have different roles
• Leadership is taking the initiative- our husband is the leader.
• Ephesians 5:22-24
• Yielding my right for the greater good (I don’t want squish what God is trying to do in my husband)
• Do I pout? get angry?
• Must have HUMILITY,
• “Husband (name) whatever you do is fine but, here is my take….”
• Luke 2:41-51- Jesus, God himself, subjected himself to human parents who were sinful
• Ephesians 5:21-33 Jesus emptied himself for our well being
• Again, do not hinder God’s work in your husband’s  life
• Am I arrogant and pompous because I don’t respect??
• How do I encourage spiritual leadership without disrespecting

1. “I’m really struggling with_____ would you pray for me”
2. “Do you want to do this devotional”

• We are a team!
• Find something you can do together, skiing, tennis, classes, etc..
• Never do anything illegal!
• Don’t allow husbands to harm themselves.
• Codependence is not submission.
• Submission= helping our husbands become the man God wants them to be.
• “I can’t follow you down that way. You’ll have to do it alone. You are responsible to God”.
• Submission is not just “yes dear” but Humility.
• We complete not compete.
• Things I can do to change 1. tell my husband I’m sorry I’ve tried to lead. 2. lets figure out what I need to follow on. 3. Three day rule (from the book of Esther-in the Bible) pray about it if its bothering me for three days then go to him.
• Questions to consider… 1. am I speaking disrespectful? 2. am I patronizing? 3. am I giving off the vibe that I’m smarter than he is so that he’ll do what I want anyway?
• Tone is soooo important!
• How can I disagree without disrespecting?

1. by having a gentle and quiet spirit
2. free of sarcasm
3. thinking through
4. ask questions

• Submission is protecting my husband’s manhood.
• When we choose to use our vast resources to further our husband’s leadership and success, we are the ones who gain the most.

Remember these are bullet points so if you want to hear the whole thing listen here.  I know there are a lot of people who take this subject and Ephesians 5:21-33 out of context-This blog post was specifically for wives, but there is a command for men to0- “to love their wives”-but it doesn’t just stop there-”as Christ LOVED the church.”  Christ sacrificed everything even His very life for the church.  It also doesn’t say “you don’t have do these things if the other person isn’t doing their part”  The very nature of being a Christ follower isn’t based on how others treat us but on how much God loves us that compels us to be like Him.

Why is it hard to submit?  Is there any one bullet point that struck you?

 

Amy

 

 

 

 

Dress like He does!

“Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be.  Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough.  Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience alone.  We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will” -bill bright

OUR WILL must be willing to be formed into the attitude that Jesus had - dress like He does!

Remember girls when you were little...you and your friend wanted to dress alike to show everyone you were besties? (I discovered, as a googled a clever image for my blog, that its not only little girls that dress alike but everyone young and old*confession moment, Travis and I have “heavily coordinated” before.)

How do you respond when your spouse gives you a snippy answer to a question  or …..What attitude streams through your mind when you read on facebook that your friends got together and you obviously weren’t there?  ……What are you thinking when you turn in a project and you’re asked to make some changes, because it “wasn’t quite what they had in mind” …….How do you view someone else when they mess up?….What do you do with that longer than necessary conversation with someone other than your spouse?….How do you respond to your child who has just asked 5 times in 5 mins for a snack?

These are just a few scenarios of what may happen in one day! Think of some on your own and imagine what your attitude should be. I would love for you to post them!

“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.”  Colossians 3:12-17

Amy

No Small Part

Today at church I was making my way back into service after taking Ava into preschool for the second time (she thought she wanted to sit in big church but didn’t quite get that  meant no loud talking.)  I walked through the cafe area as they were cleaning up and overheard one of the leaders inviting the volunteers to pray.  There were young kids and older adults who were wiping tables and picking up trash.  They all began to move toward each other to pray for what I am sure were the prayer requests they get weekly in a box in the cafe.   I was so glad in that moment to be a part of Faith Assembly who believes prayer moves the heart of God and a simple prayer box moves the heart of His people.  I was moved by the attitude of these cafe workers that, for them, it’s not just serving coffee and donuts but about the hearts, souls, and lives of the people they serve!

Amy