THE JOURNEY

THE JOURNEY

It's interesting to think about what exactly it meant to be a disciple of a rabbi in the context of the time Jesus walked this earth.  First, we know that a disciple didn't choose to be one.  Rather, he was chosen (John 15:16).  Inspected by the rabbi himself, it first had to be determined whether or not this young man had what it took to be his student.  You see, the goal of the disciple wasn't merely to learn the ways and teachings of their rabbi. But rather, to absorb every word of their rabbi.  To follow so closely that they were covered by the very dust which was kicked up by their rabbi's feet.  To be like their rabbi.

As disciples of our Rabbi - Jesus - we strive to absorb His every word. To be like Him. That our words would be as His, that our lives would look like His.  It's no accident that we have been given four accounts of His earthly ministry.  Accounts which describe in some detail the things He said and the way He acted.  

We have had pressed upon our hearts to read one gospel account a week together.  Continually.  That we may lean into our Rabbi's own words and actions.  And learn to be more like him.  What better way than to continually immerse ourselves in his own words, teachings, and life story?   We'll be writing our reflections and thoughts (as sort of an e-journal) as we read a gospel each week.  The purpose of this is, in general, to:

1)  Help us process what we have read,

2)  As we continue to rotate through each book (of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), to share what God has brought to our attention and laid on our hearts.

3)  Help keep us accountable.

Our prayer is that perhaps, God willing, He'd find pleasure in speaking to others through this gospel journey.  We have begun this blog at the end of week 2, as we finish Mark and move on to Luke.   Enjoy and many blessings to you.

Going to Mexico

Going to Mexico

Next Wednesday the 8th Tim will be going to Mexico with a small team of people from our church for missions work. He will be helping a church in Los Ojos Negros to install a new roof. His main focus however will be to make connections for future ministry work there and hopefully open up some doors to bring the youth group back there for a summer mission trip. Please be praying for him while he prepares for this trip and while he is out of the country. We really appreciate your prayers and look forward to updating you on the trip when he returns.

Getting out of the grey bubble

Getting out of the grey bubble

Since we moved to Seattle we have gotten in the habit of exploring. There are so many great things to see here that it feels like we have an endless list of good things to do on the weekends. In the last month we've taken our weekend outings to the extreme and have had the chance to explore to both Oregon and Idaho. The Oregon trip was really planed on a whim when we were still battling with the fleas and were making a desperate attempt at regaining our sanity by vacating our house. We checked into a really nice Hotel in downtown Portland that boasted about their luxurious pet accommodations. Since this was really as much a vacation for the dogs as it was for us it seemed like the right place to be. This is a picture of the gift the hotel had waiting for the dogs when we arrived and the smile of their faces after we ordered doggie room service on the second night. Totally ridiculous i know. While we were in Oregon we drove to beautiful cannon beach where we hiked with the dogs to a light house look out point. I dont know if you can tell from the picture but this is the same beach where Goonies was filmed. I must say it was absolutely gorgeous. After the hike we went into town and completely binged on fresh saltwater taffy and fudge that we bought from an incredibly cranky candy shop owner. She scowled at us we asked for what I consider to be a reasonable amount of free fudge samples. Maybe my judgment was a little off.
When we returned home...the fleas were right there waiting for us. Apparently all we did was successfully starve them for a few days. Needless to say we bombed the house the next weekend and it was finally over.

1 peter 2: 1-3

1 peter 2: 1-3

First things first, the fleas are gone. It was a long hard battle which included a couple of weekends away from the home..several different forms of pesticides and powders and finally we won.

Then the spiders came.

That is right. Spiders. Wolf spiders. Ive been calling it spider season here because all of the sudden they are everywhere. We were in Idaho visiting friends last weekend and in the two days that we were gone they completely boobytraped our back yard and porch with large webs (as a side note it is worth mentioning that while we were in Idaho it rained there for the first time all summer of course). I had to go out there with a broom and take care of the webs. I call it doing my daily rounds. At about noon now every day I go outside. Tear down the webs with my trusty broom and step on the giant spiders. I know its cruel but its the only way I feel safe in our yard.
moving on.
So I realize that we haven't posted anything interesting in a while. Part of this is because we don't really do much here, but mostly its because I feel like spiritually things were starting to come to a lull here. Its scary how subtle and patient Satan is in influencing our daily choices. About three months ago I found my self not really wanting to read the word as much as I had always wanted to in the past. This slowly turned into reading it occasionally begrudgingly because I felt like I ought to...then it turned into avoiding the bible at all costs. Tim and I still read together every morning, but its not been enough to actually feed my spirit and give it the nutrients that it desperately needs to stay alive and healthy. Slowly everything has been getting worse. Every Sunday I do NOT want to go to church (there are several reasons for this that I can get into later), Tim and I had been arguing a lot more consistently, Ive been feeling really distracted at work, basically everything has felt out of sync. The tricky thing was that we were doing more ministry work and being more involved in actively serving in our church and praying together than we every have before. On the outside everything looked right and good. Finally Then this weekend while I was outside squishing the spiders God got through to me and revealed to me just what a desperate condition my spirit was in. Id been basically starving it for months now and as a consequence everything was spiraling down. I say this though with a smile on my face knowing that God is faithful and he can take a weak and starving spirit and fill it with the goodness and truth of His Word and nurse us back health in no time at all. I had started looking at the Word as something that I read to increase my knowledge and
understanding and desiring this alone was not enough to motivate me to desire it daily. Anyways, read1 Peter 2: 1-3, I hope you will find it hard not to continue reading after this.

FLEAS (*&@1!....arg...&*!)

FLEAS (*&@1!....arg...&*!)

Apparently fleas live here. They thrive especially in damp wooded areas.....such as our back yard. No one bothered to tell me that in order to not get them you need to PREVENT them by treating your dogs all year round. So as a consequence...the dogs have fleas. I am so traumatised that I just had to share with all two of you who actually read this blog. I have freaked out and completely sterilized the whole house but unfortunately I don't know for sure that they are gone. I will only know if they arent back in a month. I am not doing well with this. Last night we decided that the guest bedroom was the only safe place in the entire house since we generally keep the door closed. But no. When I woke up a flea jumped off Birdy right on to me. This is war. I would bomb our house but I am pretty sure it would kill Leo. Wish us luck.

making my peace with the rain

making my peace with the rain

Let me just start by saying that this post is not another rant about the weather here. Yes the weather has been really hard for me, and yes I LOVE to complain about it, but I think God has been using it to grow me in ways I never thought possible....and now.... I'm starting to love the rain.

When we went back to Colorado last week I was anticipating ninety degree dry hot heat, dusty hikes and sweating in the car. What I got was low drippy clouds, cold temperatures and a whole lot of happy Coloradoans who desperately needed the rain. I cried. A lot.

But then I reached a point where I knew that I could not let the weather affect my attitude any more. It was about to ruin a wonderful time at home with our family and there was no reason for that. So I prayed and prayed and prayed. And God started to speak to me about it. In fact he dealt with me. Ive never been so glad to be "dealt with." I realized that although God may not have caused a cold summer in Seattle and a rainy weekend in Colorado just to teach me something important, but he sure used it. I was letting my personal discomfort get in the way of the work that God has for Tim and I out here. Something I thought I would never do. I became more concerned with my fatigue and weight gain and inability to run everyday with the sun shining on my back than the true reason we are here in the first place. I had lost sight of the path and I realized in Colorado just how long I had been sitting in the same spot waiting for God to present me with a path that "looked better" until I would agree to move on.

So last night Tim and I went to a worship concert at the Evergreen state fair. We went to see Leland and Jars of Clay. I was looking forward to the show all summer. But yesterday afternoon it started pouring down rain. I thought for SURE they would cancel the outdoor show, but of course they didn't. The rain doesn't stop anything or anyone here. They still do outdoor landscaping including mowing the lawn in all right downpours . So we attended in true Washington style, with sweatshirts, jeans and two tiny umbrellas which we couldn't use anyways. At the very first song, I stood up and opened up my hands and felt the rain fill them up. My eyes watered and I began to sob. Not because I was sad that it had rained on our concert, but because I was filled with the most unbelievable joy, the joy of freedom from my bondage. The Lord brought me into the most amazing worship right there in the freezing cold rain. At that moment it didn't matter what the weather was or what I looked like or what any of our circumstances were, all that mattered was God.

I will wrap this up by saying that God is so good to me. He has been more patient than I ever imagined and he is faithful beyond my comprehension. I feel him healing me as I continue the process of surrendering my fear and hurt from the depression that griped me after our move. And today it is raining, but I feel better than I have in a long time.

Here is a new photo of us at the rose gardens in Seattle. Surprisingly it was sunny that day : )

the Truth shall make you Free

the Truth shall make you Free

I thought I'd share a piece of a great devotional I read today. It seems the enemy has been somewhat relentless lately, and it is so easy to lose sight of truth and become ignorant of the enemy's devices...

The problem of Satan's binding, hindering, restricting influence is not ended at salvation. Many saints (though headed for heaven) are still bound in areas of their thinking and behaving. They are still influenced by the enemy's lies. They cannot make the liberating confession of Paul and his missionary team: "we are not ignorant of [Satan's] devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11). Ignorance of the enemy's tactics will persist in the lives of those who do not know (or will not yield to) God's liberating truth. On the other hand, all who are willing to embrace the truths of God's word will increasingly enjoy freedom from the enemy's lies. They will grow in understanding of, and reliance upon, the victorious purposes of Jesus' coming to this earth. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…that they may know the truth…and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him. (John 8:31-32; 2 Timothy 2:25-26)

As followers of Jesus Christ, it is so important that we abide in His word. We are called to live in the word of the Lord that we might know His truth. Then, as we are embracing God's truth, we are impacted by its liberating power. "The truth shall make you free." Bondage from the enemy is one fundamental area where people need spiritual liberation.

You can read the rest of this devotional HERE if you'd like.

Anyway, here's a new picture of our little family. It was taken by Lynsi's parents when they visited over 4th of July weekend...

quick little update

quick little update

A couple of weekends ago our good friends Mark and Christina took us out on a ferry ride to Kingston to get some ice cream at sunset. It was beautiful being out on the water and expanding our knowledge of the local area a bit. Ive posted some pics of us on the ferry as well as all four of us before we rode the ferry back home.

The more time we spend here the more we realize that we really live in a beautiful and unique place. But don't worry, we don't exactly love it yet and are still secretly plotting to move back to Colorado as soon as the Lord is willing...maybe

We have been getting some sunny weather here in the last couple of weeks so we have been able to get out on the weekends and explore a little more. We went to a local strawberry farm recently and picked over 10lbs of strawberries to bring home. So far we have made one delicious cobbler and are not sure what to do with the rest. I planted some strawberries in our garden at the beginning of the season, but the dogs seem to enjoy them just as much as we do, so they get little bite marks in them as soon as they are red and ripe. We will post more pics of our recent adventures soon.

Acts 4:29

Acts 4:29

God's word is good. Here's a little bit of what he's been feeding us with:

A prayer by the disciples in the midst of persecution and threats:

"And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word..."
Acts 4:29

They did not cower in response to the threats for preaching the message of the Lord (though it's possible they were afraid). They did not scatter. They did not pray that God would protect them and keep them safe from harm. They did not pray that God would soften their persecutor's heart to cease their hostility towards them. They prayed for boldness to continue to speak his word despite the circumstances.

Lord, may our prayer be one which is kingdom-centered and not me-centered, especially in the face of opposition and circumstances. May our hearts and minds be focused on your will rather than our convenience and comfort. May we be quickened to pray for your purpose to be accomplished and your glory to manifest before praying for our own safety and security.... because greater things will happen.

I will not fear the grinding wheel, for my maker will only refine me and make me useful.