Calm

i DON'T like the calm before the storm, it's eerie. And I can just tell the storm is coming. i DO LOVE the calm after the storm, it's almost refreshing!

Thank you for helping to carry us through yesterday. We are richly blessed to have such deep spiritual resources to draw from.

FOUND!

AHHHHH....after turning the house upside down and not finding it, the cell phone has been found. Now why my husband was under my son's bed I don't know you'll have to ask him :)

We are experiencing the blessings of your prayers and encouragement of your words. Thank you for the e-mails and phone calls today.

Up Again

I just sent out a mass e-mail. Please pray for us. Someone was up all night last night, it was me, then one of the children, then Matt, then one of the children and now me again. We are fighting a pretty intense battle right now for some reason or another and really need your prayers over us for protection, rest, guidance, healing and more. The kids are coming down sick and we have appointments this weekend that we are hoping to keep. Please e-mail us or comment about any specific words that the Lord gives you for us, it would be a great encouragement!

When we are weak, He is strong. We are weak.

Why am I STILL up?

I guess you could say that my sleeping patterns have been alittle altered lately for some reason, as have my eating patterns for this reason or that. Some of my favorite sayings as of late have been "well, man does not live by bread alone" and "well, man does not live by sleep alone." And one of JT Turner's favorite's "sleep is optional". I mean how necessary are these things really? Don't lose me here, I know they are very important and vital to our life and health but as with most other things in our culture we have been over-indulged. So I can't sleep, I read. Here's some quotes from what I have been reading tonight....(yes long, I know. Skip it if you have better things to do, I would).

Chapter Entitled: Real Salvation by Wayne Jacobsen
"Two simple steps to fill that hunger.
First, repent. Everything about the way we live outside of
Christ is centered in our own desires, feelings, and needs.

It recognizes that sin is an attitude before it’s ever an act; and that God wants to
free us from sin, not to ruin our fun, but to save us from ruin.

Be careful not to confuse repentance with regret. Regret is sorrow
over the consequences of sin. I’ve met many people who are
sorry they are going to jail, getting divorced, or running out of
money. They regret the decision that contributed to their pain
and want help. But if that help is anything less than surrender to
Jesus, then it isn’t repentance—
no matter how much they weep.
Bob was a confused young man. Nineteen years old, hooked
on drugs, and wanted for theft, he showed up on the doorstep
of one of the couples in our fellowship with his 17-year-old girlfriend.
They were in despair and wanted help. Different ones in
our fellowship spent time with them, and they eventually
said
they wanted to follow Jesus.
And they started to—until they found out how much he wanted
to change them. Fearful that the changes God was making in
them might change their relationship to each other, Bob backed
off. Days later he tried to commit suicide. No matter how deep
the pit, and how much we despair of being in it, regret is not
the same as repentance. Regret is self-centered even in its sorrow,
and cannot bring itself to submit to anything other than the
whims of flesh, no matter how much more pain it brings.
Repentance is proved not in the moment of anguish but in the
actions that follow it."

“Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” "The
Ethiopian’s words to Philip underline the depth of this conviction
about baptism. This is not to say that the water holds any
magic; it doesn’t. It is obedience to Christ’s word, not the water,
that makes the difference. Being baptized because of peer pressure
or formality is lifeless. Baptism is only real to the degree that
it reflects the truth about our heart for God.
Baptism’s importance cannot be discounted. Those who try to
do so only prove otherwise by their refusal to do it. I’ve nursed
along many new believers only to find them unwilling to follow
Jesus if it means they must be baptized. Their problem with baptism
may be no bigger than the embarrassment that comes from
being wet in front of a group of people, but if they won’t follow
Jesus that far, they usually won’t go much further either. Though
I’ve met people with a vibrant faith who had not been baptized,
their omission was due to ignorance, not refusal. Upon learning
what Scripture taught about baptism, they willingly complied.
But what’s most important about these two steps in Peter’s
instructions is what follows them. When people repent and are
baptized with sincere hearts, two things happen immediately:
The first is forgiveness of sins, what Hebrews calls a “cleansed
conscience.” The mind and spirit are liberated from failure and
guilt. It is as if we have never sinned and are free to enter God’s
presence with confidence. The fellowship severed by our sinfulness
is restored.
The second result is what Peter termed receiving the gift of the
Holy Spirit. The reality of God’s presence floods our being in the
person of the Holy Spirit. He comes to be our guide, teaching
us how to know God better and how to follow his will. He also
brings us power—to walk in his strength and to love as we have
been loved.
These two benefits take all the abstraction and ritual out of the
conversion experience. The evidence of salvation is in the freedom
of forgiveness and in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. That’s
how we can tell when conversion is genuine—because that person
becomes alive with God’s presence.
This is what salvation is for, and if you’ve never experienced
intimacy with God, this is where you can begin. Find someone
whom you know is alive in God and ask them to walk through
these steps with you. Open your heart to God and know it is
done when his power and presence floods your being.

From a book by Wayne Jacobsen. You can go to www.lifestream.org to read more of his stuff and download two of his books free. Great site for growth!!

Maybe I can sleep now.....

Mr. T and Strawberry Shortcake

I have just watched Strawberry Shortcake (Get Well Adventure) for the first time. I vaguely remember my little sis watching her ALL the time. After watching it tonight with the kids I think my sister was HIGHLY influenced by this, so much so that I saw resemblences of her as I watched. While she was watching this I must have been watching Mr. T. Ya know, The "A" Team.

Lost

I have lost my phone.

And this is why

Cast your vote

Things have been alittle heavy on here lately or maybe just in my world. So on a lighter note I'm going to let someone else decided what the next post is about. I have a running list of topics that have been going thru my mind and have posted them on sticky notes on the printer. Please pick from one of the following topics or suggest another one.
1) Could Matt have been given any more of a loony group of women to work with?
2) What is exorcism anyway?
3) A secret confession
4) The things children take the time to notice
5) Living Transparently
6) My newest pursuit
7) Prayer and Healing
8) Definitions
9) More on Curly Girl
10) please feel free to suggest something else

The last few days - Miraclewhipped

Myra, just asked me to blog the last few days since I, being a man, will use fewer words than she would. Really the hard part is putting all that we experienced today into words. So let me first start with Friday. We hosted the "international night" for the homeschool Co-op at our church on Friday night. It is a night when each family researches a different country, then comes together to share cultural food and information about the country. We chose Syria. The night went well, with about 12 families sharing and more in attendance. Saturday was a nice day to just "chill out," Sunday went well overall, with a few up and downs, but God brought us through. Chris Young shared a good message in the morning. We also issued a call to prayer and fasting for today, especially focused on two kids from the community that have just been diagnosed with Cancer. The morning started with Amos, our dog, waking us up around 5:30 barking for no good reason, other than to be God's alarm Clock. So we woke up and spent some good time in prayer before the girls woke. The morning was full of conversations and email with lots of people. Then, thanks to Vicki, Myra and I were able to go and visit the kids in Nashville. The first girl we went to is the grand-daughter of a lady in our church. she was having some strange bruising and by God's grace they figured out that it was the early stages of Leukemia. Her prognosis is good and other than the chemo should be better quite soon. We met the mother, talked with her for a while, while the daughter sat around, she was a little restless as any 5 year old would be after being in a hospital for over a week. when we asked if we could pray for her, it was awesome to see her spirit just settle down and accept the prayers of healing and hope. May God minister in a miraculous way to her and her family.
Next we went to visit the 4 yr old boy. he had experienced some pain in his hips, which they got checked a few months ago, but didn't find anything. Now, they found in and he has "type 4"cancer through his body and bone marrow. it is a hard situation and they have started aggressive chemo. They are in a part of the floor where only 2 people can go in, so the dad came out and we met him, then after getting some more info on the situation, Myra went back to talk with the mom and pray with the boy. I shared with the dad, that I had a vision this morning of God scooping and cleaning the cancer out of his son. We were able to talk a lot and share life together. Myra meanwhile got to go back and talk to the mom, and then pray with the boy. She said the same thing happened again, that when she came in, the boy didn't respond to her, but after asking to talk and pray with him, he perked up to see a picture of our kids and to hear of how Jesus loves him and wants to heal him. As Myra was leaving she asked him if he wanted anything, and he said yes, a spongebob toy. Wow, how easy is that. May God grant him healing, comfort and peace as well as a spongebob toy.
A trip to the cancer ward is a great dose of reality. We worry so much about such little things and not enough about the real important things. This day has been faith-stretching, bonding, and exhausting, but definitely defining. May God give us more days like this. May God also use this day of prayer and fasting to bring us together and use us more effectively

Community as Family

Here is a great article on what it means for us to be in community as Christians from a blog that I like to read. The challenge to me is being willing to share life with others. Plus, since this is a joint blog, I thought I would get on and post. if you are new to blogging, and want help on setting it up or setting up a "google reader" to easily read lots of blogs without having to search all over for them, let me know. I'd be glad to help.


from House Church Blog: House Church Basics -- Pt. 3: Missional Church by roger thoman

I am convinced that our communal Christian life must contain elements of both mission and authentic family. There is often a tension between these two: the need to be missional and focused outward and the need to be a family that is concerned for one another. Perhaps this tension is because we miss the point: both family and mission provide the opportunity for us to learn how to love for the sake of others.

I so appreciate Ruth Lang’s post on “family” (as in spiritual family) that I want to share some quotes:

Being born again means a huge family change! Being born again just can't be viewed in any other way. It's a drastic family change…

Love is the defining factor in our birth and relationship within this new family. When love is the one and only defining factor, the result is ultimately a weaving of our lives together, deeply into other people's lives. This weaving is out of genuine love and concern. This type of family interacts genuinely and therefore loves deeply every day of the week, (definitely not out of religious obligation). {Certainly it does not interact just a few times a week at some neat "services". If we would be honest, this interaction is really basically for self: so that we can feel better firstly about ourselves, then possibly secondly about others} That whole analogy that we read where Jesus talks of this concept of losing our lives for others ... we hear this over and over in the Bible, but in truth, this is something that can only begin to happen when we understand this idea of family in His Kingdom. Love in His family is love that is for the sake of others vs the retaining and reassurance of self. It is a huge shift…

Right doctrines, good deeds, and/or being able to articulate and interpret religious truths, such as how and when we should "do Church". These things are meaningless in any one and all of us, if we don't understand the simple truth of truly being birthed into His family and love within His family. We let our lives reflect this love for His family, 24/7.

This biblical practice of “family” is in many ways at the heart of mission. Jesus said the world would be attracted to us by our lifestyle and our love for one another. When mission and family-life are both practiced in the context of developing love for others, then, perhaps, they become perfect compliments.

You can read Ruth’s entire post here.

What have you survived?

If it weren't for my mom, dad, sisters, the Lord Jesus Christ, my husband and my kids I would not be who I am today.
I have survived birth, childhood sickness and accidents, full length wall mirrors falling ontop of me, near drowning, moving I think it was 7 times before the age of 7, moving from the country to the big city, losing friends and making new ones, survived 7 different public and private schools, many unhealthy relationships in my own family and outside of it, I miraculously survived adolesence(12-21), doing things and being around things that could have potentially killed me but did poison my life in a way I was completely unaware of at the time, I survived ignorance and stupidity(though those still surface often). Mom, anything else I survived that I've forgotten? The complete destruction of my foundation when I was 18 years old, but that was nothing compared to having watch my little sister barely survive it and the guilt of not doing enough to help her out of it....I didn't know if I was going to survive that but miraculously I have and so has she, she more wonderfully than I. I have survived many broken relationships that still pain my heart and having to grow up faster than I would have liked(but this was good for me), working 2 jobs, living here and there and everywhere and making my own way from the time I was 18 til I found my Savior at age 21. I allowed him to take over from there but really he already had, He is how and why I had already survived! However, hardships don't stop there. I survived giving up habits and addictions, college, college soccer, first year of marriage, seminary with Matt, living in New Orleans, theft there, miscarrige, working with autistic children and their circumstances, birthing 5 children and one of those being natural childbirth, Matt's heart surgery(but more miraculous that he survived), church, 5 years of septic problems and so far 7 in McMinnville.

And I'm sure my family and close friends would say that it's a miracle that they survived me!

My life, struggles, trials and tribulations are nothing compared to the majority. To so many what I say I survived they would have called blessed! At least I had a family and lived in America.

What have you survived? I know there are so many more miraculous stories and miracles than my life. I would love to hear what God has brought you through, it's such a powerful expression of who He is.

Dreams

I love Saturdays! Saturdays that is when I don't "HAVE" to do anything and I can just be and dream. That's what I've done for most of the day. It's good medicine for those times when I get down and discouraged. And I'm so thankful that Matt and I are learning not to get frustrated at each others dreams but to listen and contemplate how to make those come true, if they are worth pursuing or how to make them more realistic and attainable. We can just talk about it. I have some pretty outlandish dreams sometimes and my dreams used to frustrate Matt a lot because they were so unrealistic in his world. So there was a period of time I just stop sharing and then stopped dreaming. Ok, so they still frustrate him sometimes......if you don't know I have some pretty drastic ideas and opinions about things which tend to play into my dreams. But I'm learning to express them in a more realistic way and we're learning to dialogue better about it. Why do I have those dreams? Does that make sense? Does it line up with scripture? Will it help us, others and be for the glory of God? Do they line up with any dreams Matt has? What are those? How has God knit our lives, pasts, present, strengths, weakness, hopes, dreams and future together for His glory?

God has given us all strengths, abilities, passions, weaknesses, visions and hopes for the future. He wants us to enjoy this life He has given us. He wants us to love Him, love others and do all things for His glory. So that we might be living testimonies about the gifts, abilities, failings, blessings and experiences that He has used to mold us.
It's important to dream.....

A Time to Search

Ready for my outlandish dream? I DON"T want to live the American Dream. There I said it, it's out there! Am I crazy? I just don't want to do it. It stresses me out! It's too much work, too hard to manage. It keeps me focused on myself and my things and keeps me from being able to invest my time and affections on those I really love and want to spend time with. So what do I want to do? Well, here's where the time to search comes in.......I think my dream lies somewhere between


this in India












and this in Australia

A Time For Everything

Our last study in the month of January on Orderliness is on Ecc. 3: 1-8.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

What TIME of life does God have me/you in? And how does He want us to make the most of the opportunity?

Sometimes I don't know what I would do if I didn't have little people in my life. Little ones to watch as they toddle around, make me smile and fill my days. Does it get mundane? I'd be lying if I said it didn't at times but in those times and especially during those times how can I make the most of every opportunity? Like, instead of getting mad when finding the situation to the left, I've grown to laugh and find my camera instead!

Freedom #7

Ok, here's the last radical freedom.
FREEDOM TO LIVE INTENTIONALLY

While the other six freedoms are primarily about detoxing from the religious and social systems of our culture today and letting healing soak in, this freedom is about growing. It's about choosing the way you want to be in the world, being intentional in your actions, and designing a life that is authentic and true to what God is calling you to.
It's easy to think you don't have a choice about your life. You are a product of your upbringing. It's the family curse. It's just bad (or good) genes. You learned it from someone else. But you've always done things that way. It's the rules. Other people expect it of you. It's how you have to be to make it in this world.
The truth is, those are all lies. Now before you tell us we're crazy, it is true that your upbringing, family and friend connections, training, religious experiences, and entrenched patterns from the way you've always done things have a big impact on who you are today. But it doesn't have to end there. It's time to stop playing the victim to your circumstances and start living intentionally.
If you were to paint a picture of who and how you want to be, what does it look like? Create a clear picture of what 'you' would look like, and aim your life in that direction. Follow the Holy Spirit in creating a way of life that is God-honoring. Choose how you want the rest of your life story to read, and start living that out in your day-to-day thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
While this isn't an overnight change, it is a journey of radical transformation that begins right now when you decide to start living with intention and authenticity.
* Choose to live authentically instead of letting others dictate who and how you are in the world
* Be a wise steward of who you are and what you have
* Intentionally create new ways of being and doing things that really fit with God's call on your life
* Follow what you know in your heart is true instead of what's acceptable and normal in our performance-driven culture
* Remember your life is between you and God, not the rules of religion, society, or your family circles
* Let transformation come out of your relationship with Christ

From the Outside Edge,
Mike & Laura EgeOutside Edge Coaching
P.O. Box 232Malta, IL 60150USA

Freedom #6

FREEDOM TO ENJOY

Having fun is almost a bad word in some circles. Oh sure, it's fine to take your annual vacation or play that game of golf on the weekends (as long as it doesn't interfere with a church function or something equally important). And we hear lots of advice about taking time to smell the roses. But just try actually putting into practice a life of genuine enjoyment. You're guaranteed to run into guilt and criticism before too long.
While it is true that there are people who are just plain lazy or revel to the excess, it seems far more people are on the side of work addicts. Especially in the Christian community. It's that whole performance-driven attitude again.
I once heard an insightful Jewish saying that went something like this: When we get to heaven, God isn't going to ask us what we've done; He's going to ask us if we've enjoyed the life He gave us. Wow, there's something profound in that!
The freedom to enjoy isn't about being lazy or wasting time. It's about celebrating life. It's about reveling in the little things like a beautiful sunset, the smell and taste of freshly baked cookies, the laughter of children. It's about doing the things that make your heart come alive, the things God created you for. It's about playing with the innocence of a child to the glory of your Creator. It's about getting rid of the excess and living simply, boiling life down to what truly matters. It's about letting worry and performance slip away.
* Dare to have fun just because you feel like it
* Live simple and simply
* Cut loose the excess baggage of anything that doesn't truly matter
* Take the time to relax
* Ignore the guilt attacks and don't listen to the voices of criticism
* Celebrate life
* Pay attention to what makes your heart come alive

From the Outside Edge,
Mike & Laura EgeOutside Edge Coaching
P.O. Box 232Malta, IL 60150USA

Freedom #5

FREEDOM TO LIVE LOVED

Not knowing, at a primal level, that we are profoundly loved is possibly one of the biggest problems in society today.

Think about it...what is at the root of nearly every instance of someone acting out against others or sinning in a variety of ways? We don't really understand that we are loved, so we try to get what we want/need through other people or things.

We lash out and criticize others because we are feeling bad about ourselves. We covet what other people have because there is an empty place inside ourselves, and we think bigger and better things will fill it. We medicate the emptiness with addictions or busyness. We lie, cheat, and steal to get what we want because we don't trust that anyone cares enough to take care of us. We tell ourselves we've got to look out for number one because no one else will.

Bottom line...we aren't living loved.

Little wonder this is such a problem. We experience conditional acceptance from practically every side including our parents, spouses, bosses, teachers, friends, and the list goes on. How many times have you had someone be really nice to you, only to find out later they had an ulterior motive? Or maybe someone is loving, encouraging, and affirming...until you mess up in a big enough way or disappoint their expectations. We get the message from a very young age, however unintentional it may be, that we have to measure up to certain standards in order to be loved. The world is telling us we're not worth it, and deep down we don't think we are either.

When we don't experience unconditional acceptance and love from the tangible people around us, it makes it even harder to believe that God, whom we can't see or hear or touch, actually celebrates us just as we are. It often takes time to really truly know this on a cellular level, but once you finally realize how deeply you are loved, it will radically change your life.

* Ask God to show you how He sees you

* Accept that you are fearfully and wonderfully made

* Celebrate your uniqueness just as you are without trying to change anything about yourself

* When you know you're loved profoundly and unconditionally, it's easy to love God, yourself, and others

From the Outside Edge,
Mike & Laura Ege
Outside Edge Coaching

You Are Loved!

Worship Is....

Brian Johnson and Dan Brothers came in this weekend to lead us in finishing this sentence,

Worship Is.....Friday night we started out with some one word definitions,

extravagant, adoration, exuberant, lavish, lacking in moderation or restraint.

Practically, Worship Is....praise, relationship, connectedness, intimacy. It 's very difficult to attempt to describe something indescribable, especially in one word. We continued to pull it apart some more.

Worship Is...a way of life, an offering or response that comes out of an overflow of what God has done for us.

Worship Is....an attitude that makes room for God and all His Mighty acts, worship exuberantly delights in God.

Brian stretched us to answer "What does that look like?" Specifically, how does that play out in my everyday?

And that was just the beginning! We've been running so hard for I've lost count how many days now so I haven't had time to process it all yet. But this is the beginning and they'll be more to come. We even hope to have some of it posted on YouTube.

Freedom #4

FREEDOM TO BE

We live in a performance-driven culture. It's the American way, the Puritan work ethic. We are taught to work hard, to perform, to produce. Performance is rewarded in school, at work, and even in our home life. The voices of judgment - both from our own internal critics and those around us - are loud and clear if we should fail to perform to expectations.
Sometimes we perform so we can feel good about ourselves. It makes us feel like we are worth something in the world. Like we are important and we matter. Sometimes it is to please others or to gain approval from someone important to us. Sometimes we hide behind performing. The busyness keeps us from having to face things we may be feeling or going through that we would rather avoid.
What does this performance really get you though? Do you have anything more of genuine value to show for it at the end of the day? Who or what gets missed along the way? Does it truly make you more fulfilled? Does what you're running away from really go away? Can you even hear the voice of God through the noise of your activity? Is what you're striving for so hard really even you?
Dare to get off the speeding train that is your too-busy life! Challenge our works-driven culture. Ignore the voices of judgment and criticism. Don't respond to the demands to produce for a moment. Dare to feel and really experience whatever you're in with life right now. Take the time to let a deeper understanding of yourself and God and the world around you soak in.
Simply be...
* Be the real you no matter what others say
* Be in what you're feeling
* Be in the journey, whatever may happen or wherever it leads
* Be in the emptiness or the fullness of the moment
* Be in the silence and stillness
* Be alone with yourself and God

From the Outside Edge,
Mike & Laura EgeOutside Edge Coaching
http://www.outsideedgecoaching.com/

take a moment to simply be.

Freedom #3

What choices will you make today?

3. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
Life rarely comes with a clear yes or no, black or white, right or wrong. Life is about choice. It's about the adventure. It's about the journey. It's been that way since the beginning when God gave Adam and Eve the freedom to choose.
While that seems like good news to some people, for many others, the freedom of choice can be downright scary. What if we make a mistake? What if we miss out on something better than the path we choose? What if it is the wrong path altogether? Surely God must be holding absolutes before us. What if we can't discern the correct absolute? Is He going to be mad at us or abandon us if we choose the wrong one?
Yet we see God giving Adam and Eve (and all humanity through them) the freedom of choice. Jesus' life gives us similar examples. He didn't stress over the limited understanding or poor choices of His disciples. He just enjoyed the journey with them right where they were spiritually. As they walked with Jesus for a while and began to understand Him more clearly, I imagine their spiritual beliefs and life choices began to shift. It appears from reading the Bible that Jesus gave room for this to happen rather than worrying about changing them overnight or making sure they always made the right choices.
Any parent understands the importance of this freedom as well. If you always make your children's choices for them, they will remain immature forever. Only by making their own choices and learning through the path those choices take them down, do they become mature adults. You love them and walk with them through life anyway, regardless of what they choose. Why would we view our spiritual journey with Christ any differently?
* It's okay to make mistakes, ask questions, and try new paths
* God is much bigger than your mistakes
* It is okay not to have it all figured out or to change your mind about what you believe as you grow spiritually
* Your faith is evolving as you become more like Christ
* A religious system of rules doesn't give you choice but instead tells you exactly what to do and think
* Choice is about grace; choose to abide in grace
* God is still with you no matter what choices you make

From the Outside Edge,
Mike & Laura EgeOutside Edge Coaching

This one has challenged me to think a lot and I'm still not done processing it all yet. Is it ok to make mistakes? What is a mistake? Tell us what you think? It's late, I don't think I can process anymore tonight! Til tomorrow....

This is too God

I'm Tired! Matt and I didn't get to bed til about midnight and then one of the kids came in around 3:30am from having a bad dream. He climbed right in and fell right back to sleep but not so for me. I didn't get back to sleep til almost 6am and then the girls were up before 7am. Blindly, I slowly and begrudgingly get out of bed to begin the day that is starting without me whether I like it or not. THANK THE LORD FOR PBS! I do the recent usual routine, change a dirty diaper or two, give the girls some cereal and milk, grab my coffee(a really BIG cup this morning) and come back to bed for my quiet time. Guess what it's on this morning???? The title is Alone With the Lord and the passage of scripture that goes along with it is Heb 4, entitled A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God. Do you think God is trying to tell me something? HA!
.
Here's some of what it said:
"There are times when there is simply more to do than I can manage.....I keep trying but it isn't enough. I am physcially exhausted and mentally drained. I still keep plugging on. It doesn't help too much. Only one thing helps-opening my Bible.
The Bible is a source of strength as the Holy Spirit brings the words of scripture alive when we read them. The key is that we must read them. It is very easy to get caught up in the demands of the moment and miss God's special source of strength for us. I do this far too frequently. Even though I know that I need to have a regular quiet time every day, I still haven't made this happen. I do well for a few weeks, and then something upsets the schedule, and I get off track again.(I, myra, can so relate to this!) Failure is guaranteed as I cut off the power of the Holy Spirit to help me when I don't read my Bible daily.
The solutions to all of our problems are found in Scripture. My relationship with Jesus is built upon the Word of God. All the goodness found in the Bible is a balm for the weary soul-an oasis for the thirsty one who feels alone on the desert. Why, then, don't we make it a priority as we do our lessons or work? Why isn't our time with God more precious then anything else we do?
Satan doesn't want us to have God's power behind our days. Our devotional time, our time alone with the Lord, is the most important preparation that we have. When we faithfully read our Bible and fellowship with the Lord, it becomes more difficult for Satan to gain ground in our life."
"Father, forgive me for neglecting the most important part of my life-my devotional life. I have made excuses for not taking time each day to be alone with you. I have allowed Satan an open door inot our family. Help me to take this much more seriously and show me how best to be faithful to follow through each day. Teach me to overcome the obstacles and do it right."

Taken from a devotional book by Jackie Wellwood

CFC FamilyTime

As we studied tonight about the Sabbath and it's importance in regard to orderliness, we started with an activity of drawing the 6 days of Creation. Usually we have an active, LOUD game but that just didn't seem right tonight as we were going to be discussing REST. There were six groups and here's what they came up with......so cool!


It was also really cool to end the night with the baptism of Daulton Foster at another local church. The coming together of two bodies in celebration of Daulton's committment to Christ was really cool and one of the great things we hope to see more of, churches all coming together for the Kingdom.

Listening to the Silence

Tonight at FamilyTime we talked about the Sabbath, what it is and what it means for us today. I found this article in a blog this week. I think we were all challenged to reconsider for ourselves and our families what resting in Christ really means. I gave this article to the youth to take home. Let us know how it speaks to you to.

Solitude and Sabbath are pretty heavy words, but both are practices we should incorporate into our daily routines (ok, weekly) in order for us to grow and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Solitude and Sabbath are more similar than they are different and should actually be accomplished together. A sabbath, in its biblical context, is rest from a day’s work and is meant to be enjoyed; it is something we should look forward to. This does not mean shutting yourself up in your room and depriving yourself of interaction with others, nor does it mean vegging out in front of the TV all day watching Mythbusters, sports, soaps or Project Runway marathons. Find something or somewhere that calms you, allows you to be silent before the Lord and refills your spirit. Solitude finds its way into your Sabbath almost unknowingly and gives God a chance to catch up with you. Slowing down and making time for solitude and a real Sabbath gives your body a chance to wind down and heart to open up—. Taking a Sabbath and quieting ourselves gets to the root of our lives, and it was designed for us to take advantage of.

Ready to Go Deeper? Start with just 5 minutes each morning to read a paragraph of the bible. Read through a gospel, Acts or one of the letters in the new testament.
Ask your self—what can I learn about God from this? What Can I learn about being a Christian from this? How can I apply this to my life today?

Freedom # 2

FREEDOM TO OWN YOUR FAITH

Long ago, people lived by a system of rules and regulations that told them how to live their lives, and they used priests as intermediaries between themselves and God. We read through the Old Testament and feel thankful that we no longer operate under this burdensome system. We don't have to follow the law and we're plugged directly in with God, we tell ourselves. Yet when you step back to observe the lives of many Christians today, has that much really changed?
In far too many instances, we have created replacement "priests" and laws. We have a mental checklist of things we have to do in order to be okay in our spiritual journeys. Did you attend the Sunday service this week? Read your Bible every day? Prayed before each meal and at the end of the day? Tithe your 10%?
We rely on the experts to interpret scriptures for us and tell us how God wants us to live our lives. Does this sound familiar...you seek direction from God for something in your life, then run what He put on your heart by church leaders only to abandon the nudge you felt if these experts don't agree with it? We worry we'll somehow fall off the deep end or make a major mistake if we don't have a spiritual covering (usually leadership in an institutional group).
Let's face it...as long as your religious practices match up with the accepted creed and principles governing your chosen group of believers, don't you feel you're on track? That you've done enough? Be honest now! And if you don't measure up to the accepted checklist, don't you feel that you're somehow falling short just because another human being is telling you it's so?
While the advice and encouragement of other brothers and sisters who are walking this same journey with you can be invaluable, don't let it end there! This is your life and your spiritual walk we're talking about here. God's desire is a personal, intimate relationship with each one of us. No intermediaries, no list of rules. Just a two-way, no-holds-barred relationship. It's important to know that:

* God wants to walk and talk with you directly
* Jesus came to bridge the gap and show us a better way than through intermediaries or a religious system
* You may not have fancy education or specialized training, but you have Christ's Spirit within you
* The Holy Spirit is big enough to guide us...trust Him
* It's time for you to take ownership of your own faith instead of abdicating that control to other people or a system of rules

Mike & Laura Ege
Outside Edge Coaching

Funny things that kids say....

Today Matthew W. was over and the boys wanted him to jump on the trampoline with them for the 2nd time and he was stalling. John-John came in the back door with his fist held up and said "MATTHEW, come out here THIS SENTENCE!" lol....sentence, I think he was trying to say instance!

Then we were having a conversation with Bekah about who was a boy and who was a girl and we asked her if Rachel was a boy or a girl and she said "she's a baby". So I said "what? she's not a boy or a girl? When will she be?" And Bekah said "in 20 minutes."

Kids make me laugh!

7 Radical Freedoms

I signed up for this free mini-series of e-mails. Pretty good, basic information that I need to be reminded about reguarly. I'll post, study, contemplate and question one at a time. Let me know what you think of them and how they speak to you. Here's the first one.

Freedom #1
The Freedom To Feel

As Christians, we are often told how we should feel or not feel. We're supposed to always be happy, content, and loving. We're not supposed to feel angry, hurt, afraid, discouraged, or disillusioned. In fact, if you dare to express doubts, you may find your faith is quickly questioned. So we paste on our plastic smiles and pretend our lives are going just great. Or if we do let on we are having problems, we end our story with a long-suffering sigh and smile assuring our listeners that this is all for a purpose and everything will turn out fine.
The problem is this isn't real or honest. Pretending doesn't make our pain or discomfort go away. Life hurts sometimes. Bad things happen to everyone. Things don't always go the way we hoped they would. People disappoint us. We get mad, scared, and discouraged. We question what's real and right.
We are human beings with a full range of emotions. There's nothing wrong with this! Where do you think those emotions and feelings came from anyway? God gave them to us! We are, after all, created in His image. And we read in the Bible of God getting angry (righteously so, of course), and He is even described as jealous. One could say Jesus was very disillusioned with the religious system of His day, and He questioned and pushed against the status quo all the time.
Not only are feelings (the full range from happy to painful) a part of being a normal healthy person, honesty about our hurt or discontent can be a really good thing. We feel pain, physical or emotional, in our body when something isn't right or isn't fitting. We have to acknowledge that pain before we can begin to do anything about it.
So the next time you're feeling things that fall a bit short of happily-ever-after, instead of medicating your pain or putting on a false face, remember:
* It isn't wrong to feel, even "negative" emotions
* It's okay to feel disillusioned or offended or to disagree
* God would rather we be honest with ourselves and with Him than live a lie (hey, we're not fooling Him anyway!)
* Being uncomfortable is a normal part of change and growth
* Acknowledge what isn't working and learn from it
* Let the hunger or discontent lead you to something better

From the Outside Edge,
Mike & Laura EgeOutside Edge Coaching
P.O. Box 232Malta, IL 60150USA

What do you do when you are confused by your emotions?
How do we medicate? With what?
How do we change those patterns?
What in your life seems to be "working"? What doesn't seem to be "working" and what if anything should you do to begin changing things?

Rest

God took a break and enjoyed the view and so should we!

It's funny, after I read my sister Christians post about how unrestful her Sunday was and her frustration with Sunday supposedly being a day of rest but often isn't, today I read our FamilyTime weekly devotion and it was on a day of rest. For her, Friday and Saturday seem more like a day of rest than Sunday and I often feel that exact way. A great many of us have been programmed that Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. We have that expectation and then when it's not met we are frustrated. Does it really matter what day our day of rest is? Does it specifically have to mean Sunday? What did/does God mean when He encouraged/encourages us to take a day of rest?

Week 2 of our study of Orderliness.....a day of rest.....interesting. Week 1 was the order in which God created the earth and now week 2, rest.

I also popped in my DriveTime CD today and would encourage you to listen to the parents tip, begins at track 9. Looking forward to our FamilyTime Wed!!! And there's a special surprise to follow!!

Divine Appointments

I've just devoured a book entitled Divine Appointments that Matt's parents sent us. It has really challenged me to get outside of my comfy cozy circles and be more attentive to divine appointments that God will send my way. As I'm challenged to do that and making decisions to do that, I recieved a divine appointment today. What an encouragement to me as I'm looking to be lead more and more by Him yet proceeding with hesitation. Oh, me of little faith

Here's More "Soul Food" From Chip

"The deep level of prayer and of divine attendance is the most important thing in the world. It is at this deep level that the real business of life is determined." Thomas Kelly

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" Corrie ten Boom

"Jesus' disciples did not ask him to teach them to preach or cast out demonsor perform miracles. They asked him to teach them to pray. There must havebeen a very good reason for that."--Chip Kirk

Soul Food

We recieve an e-mail pretty regularly from a good friend of Matt's that always has insightful things to say. So insightful we wanted to share it here.

Soul Food: You are what you eat.
If you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do.
.--General George Patton

If you are going to win any spiritual battle you have to do one thing. You have to make your spirit run your body and your mind. Never let your body or your mind tell your spirit what to do.
--Chip Kirk (with appreciation toGeneral Patton)

2008!

The oldest two boys have been remarking...."I can't believe it's 2008" or "2008, a new year, wow, that year went by fast!"
Yes! A new year, a fresh start.

We begin this new year with an emphasis on Orderliness: Arranging things to make your day easier.
Ephesians 5:15-16 Be very careful, then, how you life- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

What does this mean for you?
For me it means, being as prepared as I can be. I'm not speaking here of organization, though that is important. But getting myself prepared to meet the demands of my day instead of the demands of the day meeting me first.

As we study orderliness this month I'm looking forward to what God will teach me about Himself, myself and how we should order our days!