Bryan & Erika VanHaitsma

Our God is a Rock?

2012-01-26T22:18:00.002+02:00

One Sunday morning I was actually able to get everyone to smile at the same time... Maybe one day we'll figure out how to get a picture with all 4 of us at the same time ;) Micah is finally recovering from a bad cold. He had a fever ranging from 101-103. One time it even hit 104. That was terrible. You could tell by looking at him he felt miserable :( His eyes were red and half open, his face was flushed. He was lethargic.... Poor little guy, it broke our hearts just to see him. Thank the Lord we were able to quickly bring it down. And just as thankfully the rest of us don't seem to have gotten it.

These days Rina is totally in to dress up. She's constantly wearing "princess dresses" as she calls them. They are clothes specifically for little girl dress up, pink, sparkles, fluffy. But they're also for a size 2 so they're a bit small on her :) Maybe one day we'll buy her dress up clothes that are actually her size...

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How would you describe a rock? A rock to us is a small thing, something you can skip on a lake or throw and hit a window. So when the Bible refers to God as a "rock" the thought isn't very impressive. Until you understand what rock meant to the writers of Scripture.

There are several different Hebrew words used for "rock" but the most common one that refers to God has the picture of a cliff, or an edge of a mtn. The picture it's suppose to convey is of something huge, incredibly high, precarious and dangerous, strong, immovable, yet if used correctly it can be a shelter and a protection.

It was actually common in the Middle East to hide among rocks when you were in grave danger. You'll read in the Bible of people hiding in caves and holes in rocks to protect themselves bc there you could find protection from your enemies, shelter from the heat and sun, a place to rest and hide. (pic 2 is of a cave in rock) According to Judges 20:47 one of the 12 tribes fled to the Rock of Rimmon and hid there for 4 mos. David also hid among rocks when he was fleeing Saul. (The 3rd picture is actually from the place where they think David was hiding and yes there are people in the pic) Among the rocks David was safe and secure from his enemies.

Is it any wonder that David would later write of God "the Lord is my crag, my fastness, my deliverer. My God, my ROCK where I find safety; my shield, my mighty horn of rescue, my fortress and refuge!" (2 Sam 22)

When the writers of the Bible think of God as a rock they are picturing boulders that are big enough to hide entire families in, places where you run to in times of trouble and danger, a mtn that is huge and immovable, a rock on which you would break if you tried to go up against it.

May we begin to learn this awesome truth - that the LORD God is our Rock on which we stand and we are safe and secure on Him.

Our Turn

2012-01-19T20:56:00.002+02:00

Yep, I decided to post a few pics of me before I started really gaining weight with this pregnancy. :) The first pic is from last year (notice the cast). My mom-in-law made Rin and I matching aprons. I have already used mine several times (love it). The second pic is actually from a Sunday or two ago. My little sis Jen is trying to get me a bit more fashion-oriented (notice the scarf). And don't forget my little man's suit ;) The third pic is from a couple weeks ago when Roni and the kids were in town. Miss them desperately.

In other news not much to report. :) Micah is walking like a pro and loves to be with his big sister and in her stuff... The baby and I are growing nicely. We have been very blessed and we are very thankful.

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Last week I wrote on the faith-ful-ness of God, emunah in Hebrew. And how this word carries with it the idea of steadfastness and perseverance. God is faithful to us; He perseveres with us. But do we often think about the fact that God is faithful to us for a purpose? Sometimes we feel like God is faithful to me bc I deserve it or He knows I need it or simply bc He loves me so much.

But there is so much more to God's faithfulness.

God was faithful (and still is) to the children of Israel in very practical ways during their 40 years in the wilderness. The Bible talks about how they always had food and water, their clothes and sandals did not wear out... But in return God was very specific - the people of Israel belonged to Him and were to fear, serve, and worship only Him. The faithfulness of God to Israel was to cause them to be faith-ful to Him in return.

It is the same with us. God is faithful to us IN ORDER to produce in us a faithfulness to Himself. His faithfulness/steadfastness/perseverance with us is to encourage, grow and even produce in us a steadfastness and a perseverance to Him. We have a response to God's faithfulness and it's more than simply being thankful for it. We are to faith-ful in return.

And God is good bc we aren't called blindly to trust and be faithful to a God we know nothing about. We have the Scriptures, we hear the testimonies, we see God move and act in our own lives. I can testify to the faithfulness of God to my family in so many ways!

God is faithful. He has proven it over and over again - may His faithfulness always bear its full amount of fruit in our lives. May it produce in us a pure and holy faithfulness to the One True God.

The Faith-fulness of God

2012-01-13T16:57:00.003+02:00

It is incredibly difficult to get good pics of kids that never stop moving :) Rina has had an absolute blast with all her cousins - both sides of the family. And it's fun watching Micah begin to be able to interact more. He may not always play but he loves to be near/with them and will just laugh at the antics.

Yesterday Rina told me that she does not want Kylie to leave! But as she realized it was inevitable she began to say she wanted to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house to see Eben, Aliza, and Nora :( Yuck, yuck, yuck. I hate goodbyes. I am so thankful that one day there will be no more goodbyes!!! Otherwise we're all growing well :) It's amazing how in the last 3 weeks I've popped :) Makes the new little one seem a bit more real...

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Today in the Christian Church we tend to separate the words "faith" and "faithful" and make them mean two different things. Faith is something I have whereas faithful tends to lean more towards how I live, what I do in the long run. But in the Bible it's the same Hebrew word. "Emunah" Anytime you see faith or faithful in the OT it's the word "Emunah."

To really understand "emunah" you have to put those two different meanings together - faith/faith-ful. The word "emunah" carries with it the idea of "perseverance or steadfastness." There's a story in the Bible that gives a great picture of this. Ex 17 - the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites and God decreed that with this battle as long as Moses' hands were in the air God would give the victory to Israel, but when his arms grew tired and came down the Amalekites would begin to win. So Aaron an Hur came over and held up Moses' hands until the battle was done and Israel had won. Vs 12 states this "and his (Moses) hands remained STEADY (emunah) until sunset."

Picture old hands being held up strong and steady as the sun rises and falls in the sky. Moses must have been tired - the story acknowledges that he was. They brought a rock over for him to sit on and two men came to help him, yet his hands stayed up the whole day. They were emunah - steadfast, perserved, faith-ful.

This has many implications for believers but right now I want to focus on God. Deut 7:9 states that Yhwh has emunah - that He is a faith-ful God. He is steadfast with us, He perseveres with us. 2 Tim 2 states that even if we are "faith-less" He will be "faith-ful" bc He cannot deny Himself. Part of the very essence of who and what God is is faith-fulness. What He has begun He will finish; what He started in you will be completed. What He promised He will do. He is full of emunah.

May we take heart and be encouraged. The God who has declared us as His Bride will come and take us to His side. What He has begun will be finished bc He is a God that is emunah - faith-ful.

Christmas and Isaiah 40

2012-01-06T04:31:00.003+02:00

Well I think it's been two weeks since I last updated this thing. How time does fly! We had a great Christmas week. Spent some good time with Bry's family (unfortunately Rina and I fought the flu during it :( ) Then just as they were leaving my sister and her family came in to town. Life is crazy with family!!! I wish they all lived closer... if only for my kids' sake. They love all their cousins and have so much fun with them :) Maybe one day...

As for the kiddos - Rina's cast is off!!!! Woot woot! And we're praying stays off for a very long time. And Micah is officially walking. He's adorable doing the walk/toddle thing but every day he gets a bit more sure and steady. It's fun watching Rina and Micah begin to interact more. She can make him laugh and laugh and it's just sweet to see. All in all we are doing well. Baby 3 seems to be growing well, at least based on my ever growing belly :)

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Last year Bry and I worked our way through Isaiah 40. If you want to memorize verses that can make you realize how amazingly huge God is and are also very encouraging - great chapter to do. And it was very good for me for several reasons, one simply being my ever constant struggle with fear... Specifically regarding my children and how one day life could really hurt. There are times when I've been paralyzed by this fear wanting to just stay home and hide from the world. Worried about the future and what it may hold...

Well, as I said Is 40 exalts God. It makes Him sound huge!!!! For example - " Who has measured the waters in the palm of His hand... Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket or weighed the mtns on the scales?" Answer - only Yhwh the God of Israel. Another part of the chapter talkes about how God is coming with power and justice and mtns will be made low and valleys will be raised up. This is a big God! The whole chapter focuses on the awesome-ness of God.

But in the middle of the chapter there's this verse "He tends His flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads those that have young." And one day this verse hit me so hard. I have young! I have lambs at home. According to Is 40 this amazing God who can do anything He wants - wants to be a shepherd and take care of His sheep - and my family is a part of that.

Does that mean life will be easy? No. Does that mean nothing terrible will ever happen to me or my children - I don't know what the future holds for any of us. But I am SLOWLY learning the God of Abraham, of Isaac and Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, the one true God is my Shepherd and therefore, I have everything I need.

May we learn and remember this simple yet powerful truth that the God who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand is the God who cares for His children like a shepherd cares for his flock. He not only gently leads you but He also carries you close to His heart.

Mary's Story

2011-12-15T22:48:00.003+02:00

I am amazed that it is December right now. The weather is incredibly mild! We were in the 50's this morning and it's been raining and gray the last two days but warm! (for this time of year). Really can't complain at all... although I would love snow for Christmas :) But after Jared and Lori get in to town so they don't have to deal with driving through it...

I suppose the big news to announce at this moment is that I am pregnant. I am 11 weeks :) I go in for my first ultrasound next week but at this point my due date is July 4th. Yeah, great planning on this one :) So far the morning sickness has been pretty mild but the fatigue is great!!! I don't remember being this tired with either of the other 2 but then I didn't have two other kids to keep me on my feet as much :)

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Lately I've been looking in to the Christmas story from Mary's perspective and I've got to tell you it's been fascinating for me. To really think through the details of what it may have been like for Mary 2000 years ago!!! I won't go in to the full scope but picture a young woman, about 12-13 years in a small town, engaged but not married, and she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. I can't begin to tell you the shame, the misery, the stigma she has brought on herself, her family, and her fiance Joseph.

And how do you defend yourself - This is God's baby!! Really I didn't have sex! Yeah right Mary! What a ridiculous story! Who ever heard of God being a baby?? Joseph doesn't even believe her and is going to divorce her (his only option in this culture once you get engaged - can't just break it off). But an angel comes and tells Joseph to marry her, Mary is tell you the truth. So they get married and travel to Bethlehem - a 3 day journey (walking or riding on a donkey not sure which would be better) while pregnant - picture that one! And as nice as it would be to imagine an effort-less labor and delivery I doubt it. It was probably all too real and natural, the pain, the blood, the mess, Mary was probably exhausted at the end of it sweaty and shaking. Joseph may have been a bit overwhelmed, sweaty and shaky himself...

And then they place the baby in Mary's arms. And she looks down and sees her Son for the first time. Did she play with His toes, His fingers, did she kiss His forehead, did she smile at Him in amazement and wonder - this is God's Son??!!! He's so small, so helpless... this baby is going to be Savior? What went through Mary's mind as she looked at her Son???

We can only guess for now but one day I hope to ask.

The Man Jesus

2011-12-08T21:42:00.003+02:00

I know, the black socks complete the outfit. These pics are from before Rina's broken arm... the cast is still there but she dances and plays as if it wasn't :) Micah's pic was taken right after he woke up from nap. I just love that cheesy grin and the hair!!!

In big news for us Micah has decided he is going to walk down steps these days... even though he barely walks on level ground. Yep, today he finally fell and has a nice little goose egg :( As for Rina - I am amazed at how grown up she can seem with her talking. She's starting to really get in to "pretending" which is neat to see. They are both growing up!!!

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It has been said that the reason Christmas is so much more popular than Easter is bc a baby is easier for people to deal with than a grown man. Especially one who tells you to be like Him and He ends up dying on a cross and then being raised back to life. It is good to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To visit once again the baby in a manger, shepherds, animals, sheep, wise man, the star, angels... hopefully once again we will feel the awe and wonder that God came in the flesh.

But once Christas is done what will you do with the baby as He grows up? Although we celebrate the baby yearly the truth is Jesus did not stay a child. Jesus grew up and became a man. Luke 2:52 states, "and Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and favor with God and man." The baby in a manger becomes a man to be reckoned with.

And although the gospels tell of the birth of Jesus and its miraculous event, they don't focus on it. Matthew and Luke have just two chapters each on the birth of Jesus. Mark and John ignore it completely. Most of the Gospels focus on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It's good to remember the way Jesus was born once a year yes, but the rest of the year do we remember the way He lived and why He died?

The sweet lovable gentle innocent safe precious baby in a manger grew up and became a man. What will we do with the man Jesus this next year?

Same Story Different Feel

2011-11-30T20:39:00.003+02:00

No I'm not showing you a picture from the first time Rina broke her arm... yeah, I said the FIRST time. Sigh. This would be a today picture. On Friday Rina fell down two steps and broke her right elbow. Poor girl. At least this time we didn't wait 5 hours to take her in to the ER. Thank the Lord, though, the Dr. said this was an easy fix - only 3 weeks in a cast and she'll be fine :) She's already doing much better.

Micah - he's starting to walk a bit more :) Last night he was cruising between Bry and I, from the couch to the door... he went back to crawling but at least he's trying again.

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We have heard the story for years so now we don't even listen when it's told. I know, we say, 3 wise men, shepherds on a hill, a mother, a father, a baby in a manger... been there done that. But just for a minute pretend you don't know the story, pretend you don't know the end.

You're just another Jewish man or woman in the 1st cent. You're living under Roman occupation which makes life difficult if not impossible sometimes. You recite to yourself constantly different portions of Scripture that promise the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed one, the Christ. You believe that one day He will show up. You hope He'll be another David - isn't that what Scripture talks about is a David-like King coming to rule and reign over his people? Isn't the Messiah known as the Son of David? A conquering Messiah who will once and for all push the Romans out of Israel and lead His people to the victories that have been promised to them! Your people were exiled once before for disobedience to the Covenant and now you strive to obey the Torah bc you don't want that to happen again.

There's a feeling in the air. Something special is coming (or someone). We're back in the Land God promised to our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Messiah has to come now and set us free from Rome! The expectation, the anticipation, the hope- can you feel it?! He's coming any day, I just know it!

And then He arrives. Not a strong man with strapping muscles, not a charismatic leader who always knows exactly what to say in front of crowds to please them. Not a warrior who will cause the armies of Israel to be invincible. Not even a great political leader who will unite the people or bring peace between Israel and Rome. But... a baby!

And then you remember Is 9 - "For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace," Emmanuel, God with us as a baby. What kind of a God is this? And what is He going to next?

Tower of Refuge and Strength

2011-11-24T16:36:00.002+02:00

Nothing like looking out a window watching life go by :) I didn't think about it when we bought this house but I do love that the windows are low enough for both Rin and Micah to look out them. They're so cute just standing there and it's something they both do!

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Sorry, no Thanksgiving thoughts but Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

I have the privilege of opening up our Sunday morning worship time with a short "devo" thought most Sundays. Many of these blogs come from what I've written for that. This one I wrote for the first Sunday of this year.....

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Well, we VanHaitsmas like to start things off with a bang. Yesterday (Jan 1,11) morning Rina fell and broke her arm. I don't have to tell you how terrible I felt and even feel, especially since I was in the room with her when it happened. Watching her now struggle to eat with her left hand, play, look at books, listening to her cries, wiping her tears... I LONG to tell her it's all going to be ok and she'll never have to go through this again. That she'll never hurt like this again. That I'll never let anything bad happen to her again. But I can't... bc today more than ever I am aware life can hurt - shortly before Rina broke her arm I got the phone call that my grandpa passed away and not only am I in pain for Rina but I am in pain for myself.

As much as I desire to be I am not God. I can't see the future, I can't protect my children from everything. I can't heal their pains or mend their hurts. I can't stop things from happening. I can't even promise her that she'll never hurt again bc I know she will. I can't tell her I'll always be there for her, that I'll never leave her or forsake her. I can't promise she'll always have my shoulder to cry on or my hands to wipe away her tears. BUT I can lead her to the One who can and does.

The Lord God we serve is the Rock on which we stand. He is the hope that we must cling to, the tower of strength we must run to. Ps 121 states "I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and the earth."

As much as I desire to protect my children I cannot. What I can do is lead them to the One who can. The maker of heaven and earth, God to the vanishing point, Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, the Lord Almighty, God of heaven and earth, Helper, Healer of wounds, mender of breaks, my Lord, my Savior, my God.

And wouldn't it be terrible if I tried so hard to be Rina's Savior that she never realized she already had a real one?

May we learn that the only Rock we have is the Lord God almighty, and may we bring others to His tower of refuge and strength.

Hard questions and Few Answers

2011-11-16T22:36:00.003+02:00

Not much change in the VanHaitsma household :) Bryan is gone in Iowa this week for business meetings :( Micah stands with the best of them but still doesn't really try to walk unless you hold his hands. Rina sits on the potty occasionally but not much else happens. They're both starts at least. I think my children are just very cautious of change which shouldn't surprise me given who their parents are :) Bry and I aren't exactly the spontaneous-fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants-life-of-the-party people.... I know shocking ;)

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Recently I was seeking God with an honest question - "I don't get this, can You please help me here, explain this to me." It was a huge question and a big issue for me and I wanted to hear from God, I needed to hear something from God. At one point in the prayer I started to say "I really need to know the answer to this..." when the thought (probably Holy Spirit inspired to be honest) struck me - Erika if you REALLY needed to know the answer to this God would reveal it to you. Therefore, if He doesn't reveal it it's bc you don't really need to know it and furthermore, He knows if it really is good for you to get the explanation. It may not be. All you can really do is present your request to God with praise and thanksgiving, and then trust that He'll do exactly what He knows He needs to do with it.

Do you know how HARD that is???? There is absolutely nothing wrong and it is always a good thing to cry out to God "help me here! I don't understand this!" but are we then willing to take a step back and trust God. Maybe we don't need this answered; maybe it would even be better for us not to get this answered. Maybe we'll never know all the whys or hows. Can we trust God enough to not only ask the questions but can we trust Him enough to let them go.

He's God. He doesn't answer to us. He doesn't have to reveal anything to anyone at anytime. He chooses to reveal Himself, His plans, His ways, and He also chooses not to reveal Himself, His plans, and His ways. He's God, it's His prerogative. Can we trust Him anyway?

May we learn to never stop asking God the hard questions. But may we also learn to let God be God and trust Him no matter what He does with the answers.

Treasures

2011-11-10T04:04:00.003+02:00

Just a couple pics from Rin's birthday party. No, I did not make the cake, my aunt Chris did which I very much appreciated. In other news.... not much to report actually. Lol, I know we're boring :) Micah cont's to stand daily but likes to do the trust fall if you try to make him walk. Rina is actually asking to sit on the potty now but nothing happens. But hey, it's a start. Otherwise, staying busy with kids, church, life.... oh, Bry and I are doing the message at our church this Sunday so if you think of it we'd appreciate prayers!!!

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"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven..." Mt 6 - Jesus in the Sermon on the Mnt.

This verse was going through my mind awhile back. It sounds so trite to say "I'm storing up treasure for myself in heaven" and let's face it, given a choice most people today would choose the earthly treasure over the heavenly one. Look at the way we live our lives. Where do the bulk of our finances go - to ourselves or to bless others and influence God's kingdom? Where does the bulk of our time go? Focusing on what I like, what I want to do, what I "need" to do or do I spend my time focusing on building up God's kingdom. I can tell you where the bulk of my treasures are at this moment - here.

Bry once made the statement "by storing up treasure for myself in heaven I'm preparing myself to enjoy heaven more." Now, everyone in heaven will enjoy eternity with God. There's no way for you not to enjoy it. However, maybe some people will enjoy it more bc they spent their time here preparing to live there.... storing up treasure for themselves in heaven.

By living with a God-centered mentality, a Kingdom of heaven mindset, by focusing on the eternal and not losing our perspective with the temporary we can prepare ourselves to enjoy heaven all the more. We'll be there for all eternity, don't you want to enjoy it as much as you can???

And what about our children or those we will one day leave behind? What kind of inheritance do we want to give them? I would love to be able to one day leave my children a million dollars but the fact is that probably won't ever happen. (and even if I could that may not be the best thing for them) But what if I left my children with the idea that memorizing Scripture is incredibly important, that spending time in the Word of God is vital, and their relationship with Jesus is the most important thing? Not only do I want to prepare myself for eternity I want to begin preparing them as well.

May our treasures in heaven be abundant and may we teach those we leave behind to live the same....

Communion

2011-11-03T17:48:00.003+02:00

Oh me oh my. You ever have those times where you're just done? Last night Bryan told me that I had a "very short fuse" and he wasn't exaggerating. My patience is very limited and my impatience is in abundance. My poor family... On the good side Rina is now 3. My big girl!!! And on her birthday, in fact at her birthday party Micah tried taking a step. Way to upstage your big sister ;) He hasn't tried since but it's only a matter of time... Thankfully they are doing well, growing big, interacting more, changing...

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Since most Churches will be taking Communion this Sunday this thought seemed appropriate

Ex 24:1,6 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.... Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was something like a pavement..., as bright blue as the sky. But God did not raise His hand against these leaders of the Israelites, they saw God, and they ate and drank."

In the middle east eating together is huge. Table fellowship is something that happens between friends, between people at peace with each other. You do not eat at an enemy's table and you do not invite someone who has offended you to eat at your table. Table fellowship meant something and it still does today. Well, here in Exodus we get a picture of the leaders of Israel having table fellowship with Yhwh their God.

Now on Sunday many of us will celebrate communion. Today we don't do a full meal together but the bread and drink are meant to symbolize a fuller meal. The Last Supper was just that - a meal - the Passover Feast. Unfortunately we tend to forget and overlook that aspect of Communion - you are eating at God's table!

A huge part of the truth of communion is that bc God is able to save and does save- you now have peace with a Holy holy holy God! Bc of that you are able to eat and drink at His table. You are able to have table fellowship with the Lord of the Universe and just like in Exodus - He will not raise His hand against you. Even more amazing - not only our pastors, elders, church leaders, not only the theologians, but all of us the "comman man and woman" sitting in the pews/chairs are able to come and eat at the Lord's table. We are invited and even commanded to come as a guest to the table of Yhwh the one true God.

What a feast one day in heaven as we sit with all the saints through the ages. Now we experience only in part then we shall experience table fellowship fully and completely. What an amazing thing. How great is our God!

The Power of The Resurrection

2011-10-27T16:37:00.003+02:00

The pic is actually from several weeks ago when we went to Major's Pumpkin Patch with Bryan's parents. We had a lot of fun but it was very very cold.

Bryan and I just had a night away. Bry had a work meeting in OH yesterday and he asked me to join him. So, we left on Tues and drove 6 and 1/2 hrs to Cleveland and returned last night a little after 11. The driving got really old but it was nice to be away. While he was in meetings I hung out at the mall, walked around, read, read, ate a nice hot slow meal ;) and read some more. The kiddos stayed with family. It was nice to get away and it was nice to come home.

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I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. Have you ever thought about what that means?

The power that is able to raise a man from the dead. How potent must that power be, how great and authoritative! Jesus' resurrection is a miracle, and a powerful one at that!

The gospel of Matthew talks about an earthquake occurring during the resurrection. So powerful was the moment life came back in to the body of Jesus, the earth itself was shaken to its very foundations. A cold dead lifeless mass of tissue was lying in a tomb, wrapped in burial clothes. The heart was not beating, the brain was not functioning, the limbs were not moving. The eyes were closed. He was dead.

But can you picture it - heaven itself waiting breathlessly, impatiently for that one phrase from God - It's Time. Arise My Son! And the stronghold of death is shattered in two, the devil is forever the loser as Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God was raised from the dead. This is the power Paul wants to know. The life-giving, earth-shaking, history-making power that raised Jesus from the dead and He's still alive today.

How amazing is that miracle! But equally as amazing - this power now resides in us who have a relationship with the Living God through His Holy Spirit. For A Purpose!

In and of myself I cannot do what God has called me to do, be what God has called me to be. But the power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in me - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I can walk in holiness as God commands - bc the power that raised Christ from the dead resides in me.

I can live by faith and not by sight bc the power that raised Christ from the dead resides in me.

I can endure all things and persevere to the end bc the power that raised Christ from the dead resides in me.

I can forgive the person who hurt me terrible, have patience with my children when I am just done, love and serve my husband when I feel like it's his turn bc the power that raised Christ from the dead is in me.

I can have peace regardless of the struggles, hope in the midst of pain, rejoice in the trials and temptations, say no to self and sin and yes to God,

I can know the Lord God Himself bc the power that raised Christ from the dead resides in me through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings... may this become our battle cry.

Knowing You Jesus

2011-10-19T20:27:00.003+02:00

Rina loves to "read" and be read to and I am so thankful that Micah is trying to copy his big sister :) He doesn't sit the best for books but he's slowly starting to realize the fun of reading. However, anytime Rina is sitting and reading he just has to join in the fun!

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(WARNING: I was very very convicted by this and will readily acknowledge I have so very far to go to even come close to this)

Paul wrote in Phil 3 "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings." We even sing the song "knowing You Jesus there is no greater thing!" Do we, do I really mean that?

Knowing Christ, a true deep and intimate knowledge of Jesus our Messiah and Lord is not for the faint or light-hearted. It is not for those easily dismayed or discouraged. It requires discipline, perseverance, setting aside of one's own will and taking on the Lord's. Knowing Christ takes all you are, your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength, your energy, your passions, your emotions. You must hunger and thirst to know Christ. You must be willing to weep over your desire and let nothing stop you. Not this world, not food, not sleep, not material possessions, not friends, not family... nothing must come between you and Christ.

Knowing Christ is for those who are willing, should God require, to spend sleep-ness nights in prayer sometimes with others and sometimes alone. It can require days of fasting. Be it food or drink, movies or entertainment, music or books... It requires time on your knees and sometimes on your face. Knowing Christ will bring tears and broken hearts, a hatred of sin and a passion for holiness, forgiveness to the extreme and dirty hands. Knowing Christ means knowing the power of the resurrection and the sharing of sufferings.

Knowing Christ will mean more than just coming and being a part of the Church as she gathers together on a Sunday morning. It will mean giving up your old identity and being made new. It will mean being a living sacrifice and realizing that you have been crucified with Christ. Knowing Christ will enable you to truly understand and say with Paul - for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

If you are in Christ, if you have a relationship with the Lord of the Universe than this is for you. You have been called to know Christ in this way and you are able. Paul said to know Christ and the POWER of His resurrection (look at that next week). There are no excuses or reasons as to why you cannot. It doesn't matter what your past is or what you think your future looks like, you are able to know Christ intimately but you must make the choice. You must be deliberate and understand there's a cost! Your wildest dreams could not up with the greatness of knowing Christ.

Believe me - you will say for all eternity - knowing Christ there is no greater thing!! But it is hard! Are we willing to know Christ in this way... no matter what...

Not My Plan

2011-10-12T20:31:00.002+02:00

Micah now has 8 teeth and is growing up so much! Thankfully he is usually a very happy child who easily smiles and laughs. Although I must admit he is learning he does not like the word no and man will he let you know it!!! His faces and his "crying" crack me up right now which doesn't make for the most sensitive of mothers I admit :) Rina is still Rina... she can be incredibly sweet, loving, fun, and goofy... and then this teenager attitude comes out and she is pouting and whining... she's 3 going on 13 some days. We are slowly learning how to deal with both Rina and the new Grina - Grumpy Rina :)

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If you had asked me when I was younger what I was going to do with my life I would have told you - I was going to be a single woman missionary overseas somewhere. No children, no husband I was going to preach to the nations. Well, I have a cousin who is studying French in France to soon go over to Africa with her family to be missionaries. And I had a friend who went to Jordan for 6 mos with her family for her husband's education. And here I am in Scottville Mi with a wonderful husband and two beautiful little kids.

This is not what I had planned. This is not where I was going to be! This is not what I was going to be doing. And sometimes I have struggled wondering if I missed a turn somewhere or misunderstood God at some point. Did I go left when I should have gone right? Did I look down when I was suppose to be looking up? This isn't what I signed up for God! One of us made a mistake somewhere!

Prov 16:9 states "in his heart a man plans his course but the LORD directs his steps." Truth be told, I cannot fathom my life at this point without my husband or children. I cannot imagine being anywhere else. I can honestly say I am content and I am very thankful for the many ways in which I have been blessed. I can honestly say God has been faithful to me. And the best part is, the faithfulness of God is in turn producing a faithfulness to God in me.

I don't know what the future holds. When I was younger I was confident and so sure. I knew exactly who I was and what God had called me to do. I am less confident now in the future. But, I am more confident in God and the fact that He will carry out his plan for this life.

No matter what the future holds may you always look to the One who is faithful and who will lead you step by step.

Goldfish and Little Strength

2011-10-06T21:00:00.003+02:00

I have to agree with my kids... eating goldfish just makes me happy :) We are very busy these days. MOPS is underway and going strong - thank You Lord! Bryan is finishing up his friday night Biblestudy on the Festivals (amazing) and in a few weeks we are going to be starting a couples Biblestudy on parenting using Ted Tripp's book "Shepherding a Child's Heart." Very very excited about that one and very needed! I've got to be honest, I don't know how some people raise their children without prayer??? Bryan and I are constantly praying for wisdom on how to handle this situation, discipline that sin, deal with that issue... and I feel like we have so far to go and so much to learn but I'm trusting that God is greater than my mistakes - Praise the Lord!!!

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Speaking of far to go... somedays I realize how little faith I have and there are many times I get discouraged with how little trust I show, how few prayers I offer... Then I hear stories of Christian giants who give their lives for God, who stand up for Jesus when everyone else is walking away and I wonder if I'll ever be there. Will I ever truly place God first in my life? Will I ever really be all that I was created to be and learn that He truly is all I have?

I've been encouraged in the past by a passage in Revelation 3. To the church of Philadelphia Jesus said "you have LITTLE strength yet you have not denied My name." I can do that, I can be that.

When I get to heaven I don't honestly know what I will hear. I know I'll hear "welcome home, daughter" but after that I'd love to hear "you had little strength but you did not deny My Name. Well done."

God doesn't ask every believer to be a Moses or a Joshua or Abraham or Paul. He does ask every believer to be obedient to whatever God has placed in front of them. We may never preach to the masses - let's preach to our neighbors. We may never give our lives physically for the sake of the cross - so let's give our life spiritually, our time, our emotions, our energy to the Kingdom of God. God may never use us to lay hands on the sick and heal then - may He use us instead to visit those who are sick and heal their hearts, their loneliness. God may never use us to lead millions to Him - may we lead our families instead.

By the grace of God may we be all that God created us to be. May we walk in obedience in the big and small areas. May we give our lives for the kingdom no matter how trite the issue and even if we have small faith may we one day hear "well done, you did not deny My Name."

The Thief

2011-09-29T23:15:00.003+03:00

Not much to report - which is a blessing believe me I know. Well, I did just break the vacuum cleaner today. Whoops - it started smoking while I was vacuuming.... probably time for a new one. Rina and Micah are doing well. Growing, healthy, fun, exhausting... Micah loves to go up and down the stairs now :) He also loves to be with his big sister. It's really nice, they'll just sit and be in his room together. Both content until a little girl goes "oops I bumped him" and the tears begin....

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Did you know that someone stole money from Jesus? You see, Jesus and His disciples had a group purse that they used. We're not really sure what all it was used for, maybe the personal needs of the group, but we do know that one of the disciples began privately dipping in to that purse and stealing money.

The Bible doesn't tell us why, how, or for how long but it does sound like it was a continual action. This disciple didn't steal once but often. Think about it - this disciple is stealing money from his friends and his Rabbi and it apparently didn't bother him. Maybe it started out as such a small thing, one time just this small amount... but then it continues and it grows. But the disciple is only a thief nothing worse. Until the night of all nights and this disciple agrees to betray his Rabbi. An unheard of thing in that world. Your Rabbi meant more to you than your own father, than your own life.

Now, I've heard many different reasons as to why Judas betrayed Jesus that night. I could be wrong but I wonder if it happened before he even really knew it. Bc the truth is, Judas' betrayal of Jesus started long before that night. The betrayal started the first time he chose to steal. And every time Judas chose again to steal he was choosing to betray Jesus again and again. The betrayals could have started out so little, so small, so unimportant but when the crucial moment came, when it was going to cost him all eternity, Judas had already prepared himself for the ultimate betrayal.

What about us? Are we slowly preparing ourselves to betray Jesus? They're just small sins, no one needs to know, it's not a big deal, I've got it under control, I go to Church, I tithe, I pray, I read my Bible, I'm fine! Judas probably would have said some of those same things... and then he looked his Master in the face, kissed Him, and watched as He was bound and led away to a horrible death.

May God's mercy overflow in our lives so much that God does not allow the little betrayals to go undisciplined or unnoticed. May He prick our consciences over each sin and may our hearts bleed until we seek His forgiveness.

2 Years

2011-09-21T21:37:00.002+03:00

Time for some honesty. About 2 years ago Bryan challenged me to memorize the book of Philippians with him. And by the grace of God we have not stopped memorizing since then. We don't do a verse a day, but we do at least several verses a week. Now, we learned very quickly that a HUGE part of memorizing Scripture is reviewing Scripture. Every week we review the passages we have already memorized while continuing to add the new ones. That means every week we're spending a little more time thinking and speaking Scripture.

While washing dishes, folding laundry, driving, pushing the kids on the swing, getting ready for the day... wherever we can find the time we use it. We've been doing this for 2 years and can I tell you honestly, I feel like I'm just now beginning to see small changes in me, my thinking, my heart. 2 years of meditating on Scripture. 2 years of learning Scripture. 2 years of trying to understand the same passages of Scripture. 2 years of speaking Scripture out loud. 2 years on an almost daily basis and it finally feels like it's beginning to sink in.

I'm not saying this to brag (or show what a slower learner I can be ;)) but to encourage you. Persevere, hang on, keep going. God really does work in His time not ours. I can't tell you how many times these past 2 years I wondered when I'd begin reaping some of the fruit of this effort. When am I going to be changed by this God? When is my relationship with You going to be affected by this? When are things going to change???? And finally, praise God it is happening.

Now, the changes aren't big, they're actually quite small. But I can tell they're happening. A bit slower with my temper and a bit quicker with my apologies. A bit more careful with my words, a bit more patient with my children. A bit less impatient with my children (and husband :)) A bit more loving towards those I don't always feel like loving. A bit less loving of myself. A bit more disciplined in my thoughts and time. A bit more like Jesus.

2 years - well worth it.

Peace!

2011-09-15T04:42:00.003+03:00

No, my son was not at peace at that moment :) My family bought Micah a quad for his first birthday and when he first started riding it this was his occasional response when it actually moved :) This was the only time I let Rina be on it with him.

Micah - he pulls up on everything!!! His teeth are coming in nicely and he is a very active little boy.

Rina - a little chatter box! She talks so much right now and listens to everything we say. She's starting to ask the "why" question... Life is busy and full but very good :)

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Everyone wants peace but some days it seems like an elusive dream. Yet Jesus declared in Jn 14 that "peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you" Well, what exactly did He mean?

In the Hebrew language the word for peace is "shalom." You can actually still hear that word in use today. It's commonly known that the word means peace but there is so much more to it than just that. The word "shalom" carries with it the idea of "wholeness" or "completeness," a "well-being" in every part of you. To be completely at peace with God, the world, yourself, your family, your friends, your job, your situation in life... all this and more is meant by this world. To be mentally at rest, to be emotionally healthy, to be physically and spiritually whole - this is shalom.

Now, Jesus acknowledges that the world can give you a measure of peace when He said "I don't give you as the world gives." It can be very comforting to look at your house or bank account, to think of your job (or your spouse's), to see your children doing well - these things can all give a measure of comfort and a sense of peace. But we all know it doesn't last. A house can be broken in to or burn down, a job can be lost, a bank account can be seriously and quickly depleted, and children can break your heart. Sometimes we even think - one more dollar in the account and I can rest, this relationship will make me feel better, changing this job, removing this circumstance, this shopping trip... this will finally be it! But it never is.

The shalom peace that Jesus desires to gives lasts. It transcends our circumstances, it's not dependent on what we buy, or have, or want or need. It is dependent upon God Himself and He is the One who declared He never changes. He is faithful when we are faithless. He is the All-powerful, all sufficient, guarantee-er of His Word, the Covenant Keeper, Yhwh Himself. This is our God who desires to give us His shalom - true complete whole peace no matter what.

Do you know this God, do you know this peace?

With A Little Help From My Friends part 2

2011-09-11T04:59:00.002+03:00

Roni was right the last pictures don't show how bad it really was :) The weeds were healthy and plentiful. The actual plants were overgrown and tangled. Sorry, the bottom picture was not taken in good lighting so you can't see all the plants :(

I am very excited to see what it all looks like next year :) I've been doing my best to weed and keep things looking nice. Man it can take awhile. I'm learning 10 minutes every day can make a big difference and keep me from trying to take an hour to do it all. And this was mainly all done for free. Thank You Lord for the generosity of others!!!! The only plants I had to buy were 7 smaller-ish plants for the backyard along the garage.

Thanks again Roni! I love it!

With A Little Help From My Friends part 1

2011-09-08T04:35:00.002+03:00

Or actually with a LOT of help from family and the generosity of friends :) Roni decided that this summer while she was in town she was going to help me re-landscape some of my yard. It was put of FB that I was in desperate need of shade loving plants and several people responded for which I am very thankful!!

We spent one full Saturday working on the yard and then another morning later in the visit. The changes are amazing and I am incredibly thankful for everyone's time, plants, help... especially to my older sister Veronica!!! Thank you! These pics are the "before." I'll post the "after" pics in a few days just to keep you all breathless in anticipation :)

The LORD who heals

2011-09-01T21:22:00.002+03:00

Not the best pic of Micah I know but he's getting to the difficult phase for taking pictures. He crawls towards the camera as soon as he sees it, and the flash still makes him close his eyes. My poor Micah man, yesterday we noticed 3 new teeth coming in!!! He's been a bit fussy lately and now I know why. As for Rina she is growing up so much! I can't believe some of the stuff she says these days :) And she talks constantly! She also loves being momma's helper which is very nice. We're trying to capitalize on the feeling while it lasts so when it's no longer "fun" to be my helper she's already in the mode... No news on the potty training end... still waiting.

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El Shaddai - the Powerful strong one or the God who suffices. When God says something it's as good as done.

Yhwh Yirah - The LORD who will provide. The God who calls you to walk in holiness will provide what you need so you are able to walk in holiness. The God who calls you to not give in to temptation will always provide a way out of every temptation. The God who calls you to forgive will provide what you need so you are able to forgive.

Yet, you may say, "but you don't understand I've been hurt too badly I just can't forgive that person" or "the wounds I have go too deep, God can't expect those things from me. I am a wounded and broken person. You have no clue how deeply I have suffered." And that may be true. But let me introduce you to the LORD who heals - in the Hebrew Yhwh Rapha. This name is found in Ex 15.

Yes, I do believe in physical healing. I believe that we serve the same God who healed miraculously throughout the pages of Scripture. However, I don't believe God always has to heal physically nor do I believe God always chooses to heal physically. Praise God when He does say yes and praise God when He says "not right now."

But to be honest, it seems like the deeper more painful wounds aren't the physical ones anyway. Any ER doc worth their salt can set a broken bone ( :) ) but only God can set a broken heart. How many of us are walking around with wounds people can't see in places so deep we're not even sure we know how deep it really goes? How many of us can't see farther than our own failures, fears, and hurts? How many of us have been on all the meds, seen all the doctors, talked to every counselor there is, tried every trick in the book and still feel just as frustrated, anxious, confused and afraid as ever? Let me ask you - have you really met the LORD who heals you?

Yes, healing can take time and yes, God works in His own time schedule not ours. But you may still be asking - how can I be sure, how can I know He can or will heal me? That He's able to heal my wounds? Remember who God is? The powerful strong one who guarantees His word, and He's the LORD who will provide what you need when you need it. If He is those two things then when He calls Himself "The LORD who heals you" there are no other possibilities then He is the God who heals.

Zoo Time

2011-08-25T20:03:00.002+03:00

My little man turns 1 today!!!! How amazing that it's already been a year! He is such an adorable kid :) He loves to crawl, to move, to swing, to be outside, to explore, to eat, to be with Rina, to be swung around by his daddy... He already seems more laid back than Rina was at that age, and a bit less emotional :) And can he shriek!!!! He may have a bit of a temper. We are so thankful to have Micah Jon and love him soooooooooo much :)

The pics are from our time at the zoo. Well, Byran had to work :( Lord-willing some day we'll take a family trip to the zoo. As for the tie-dye may I say it was wonderful! Definitely a great look on kids and made it much easier to keep track of them all :) Thanks Roni for doing it!!!

The pics are backwards - whoops. The first pic is suppose to be the last pic of them all worn out from the day. Kylie getting up close and personal to a tiger. Rina trying to be as big as a gorilla, Chase blending in with the monkeys, and can't you feel the excitement in the first pic as we're starting out our day (lol).

The LORD will Provide

2011-08-18T20:55:00.003+03:00

Sorry about missing last week's post. We went to the Toledo Zoo :) I'll have a lot of family pics for the next post

Doing well but very very busy. Roni and the kids leave on Friday :( so trying to squeeze out as much time with them as we can while keeping everything else spinning. And at the moment I have two kids who desperately need naps who are refusing to take them... grr.

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Two weeks ago now I wrote about El Shaddai and how that name means "the powerful strong one" or "the God who suffices." This name emphasizes the fact that God is able to keep His promises, to fulfill His word. When God says it, it's as good as done.

The next name is Yhwh Yireh - often translated as "the LORD will provide" but more true to the Hebrew meaning is "the LORD who sees" or "the LORD will see to it."(according to one author). The name first appears in Gen 22. God comes to Abraham and tells him to take Isaac and sacrifice him. Abraham obeys and is about to sacrifice his son when God stops him. There in the thicket is a ram and God tells Abraham to take the ram in place of Isaac. Then the name appears "the LORD will provide" and often we focus on the ram not realizing that God provided a whole lot more.

Abraham was a human being with the same hopes, fears, dreams, and love that we have. God even acknowledges Abraham's love for his son "take your son whom you love..." Then there's the whole idea of a child and what it means in the Middle East to have a son - especially during Bible times. A child was your life insurance, your guarantee for a future, someone to provide for you and your family in your old age. Someone to carry on your family line (which was vital). A son meant you would be ok no matter what. This was Abraham and Sarah's only child, their only son.

What about us - not even having the added pressure of needing children to take care of us in our old age would we be able to sacrifice a loved one if God were to ask us? How was Abraham able to - he didn't have the Holy Spirit or a Bible... yet he was obedient. BC God provided not only a ram but exactly what Abraham needed to obey. He also provided all that Abraham needed to obey - faith, the ability to walk by faith, to trust, to believe, to hope beyond the death of his son...

How much more for us who have the Holy Spirit and His Word. We can learn about God - His faithfulness to His promises, His love, His wrath, His discipline, His desire for us to walk in holiness and His promise to give us exactly what we need so that we will. Our God is not only El Shaddai- who can guarantee His word - He's also Yhwh Yireh who will provide exactly what we need to walk out His Word.

2 Cor 9:8 - And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

What's in a Name

2011-08-04T18:35:00.004+03:00

We are keeping quite busy with family :) It's fun but boy is it tiring!! We've been swimming at my parent's neighbor's pool, to Lewis Animal Farm, Country Dairy (chocolate milk all the way baby!!), the playground, movies, food, games, fun...

The big news from this past weekend is.... we having crawling!!!!! Go Micah :) He started crawling on Saturday and is definitely enjoying his mobility. So is his mother although it does make life a bit more hectic :)

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I have been amazed at how powerful God's Name is according to the Psalms. Ps 20:7 states "some trusts in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the LORD our God." If God's Name is so powerful maybe we need to learn some of them. As the saying goes "what's in a name?" Apparently an awful lot.

El-Shaddai - Gen 17:1 - God and Abraham confirm the Covenant with Circumcision and God promises Abraham a son. But God starts out the chapter by declaring this Name to Abraham. This name invokes the idea of "the powerful Strong One" or "the One who suffices" According to one Commentary "Shaddai evokes the idea that God is able to make the barren fertile and fulfill his promises. (Waltke, 259). This name is translated as God Almighty.

From the very beginning of the Bible God wants His people to know - I don't just promise, I don't just blow hot air, I'm not a fake or a phony - what I declare will happen! What an amazing gift! Not only do we have a God who promises but we also have a God who is able to fulfill exactly what He promised.

But along with that - He is the God who suffices, in essence the only thing we need. It amazes me that at the beginning of God's conversation with Abraham - before He promises him a son, before he confirms the Covenant God tells Abraham - Abraham I am everything you need, in fact I am ALL you need. But Abraham I am going to give you a gift and give you a son to love. And Abraham, not only am I going to promise you this gift I guarantee it will occur bc of who I AM.

Do you know this God? Do you know the God who suffices, who not only promises but is able to fulfill that promise? Ps 91:1 says that if you dwell in the shelter of the Most High, you will rest in the shadow of Shaddai - the Almighty. Are we resting in the shadow of the God who suffices, who is able, who is the powerful strong one? Or are we just pretending?

Sleeping Beauties

2011-07-28T17:21:00.002+03:00

Can you find the hidden sleeping child in each picture?? Rina's pic is from one night after we put her to bed. We know she doesn't fall asleep right away (we can hear her playing) but as long as she stays in her room I think she's fine. It can take me awhile to fall asleep some days. Well, before I had kids anyway. So, when we go in to her room at night we can find her in some unusual places and with quite the bed buddies :) As for Micah - he was exhausted after church one day so we put him on the floor and he conked right out :)

Still no crawling but Micah moves all over! He can push backwards and roll. He's actually trying to pull himself up on things so.... we'll see what happens.

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Many Christians lately have been worried about the future of the Church. What is going to happen to her they ask. She is disappearing! Soon there will be no believers in the US! What are we going to do if the Church dies! Christians are reading their Bible less, praying less, tithing less, witnessing less, coming to church less... what is going to happen to the Church?

Phil 1:4-6 states "I thank my God every time I remember you (the Church). In all my prayers for ALL of you I always pray with joy bc of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Being confident of this that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

I DO believe this passage can be used to encourage individual believers but the context of the passage is referring to an entire body of believers not just one. And although it's referring specifically to the church in Philippi I think it can be used for the Church world wide. Do you truly think that God could love His people so much that the Father would pour out His wrath on His only beloved Son and that Son would willingly suffer His Father's wrath for the sake of those people just to let them die out?

Don't worry about the Church as a whole - she is God's responsibility and He will take care of her. He will not let His Son's sacrifice ever be in vain. The blood of Jesus is too precious for that! Now, that doesn't mean we don't pray for the Church or encourage the Church or get involved. But that does mean we don't worry about the Church. The God who died for her is the God who will see her ministry to its completion. Take heart, be encouraged - the Church will not disappear from the face of the earth until God is ready to have all of her by His side.

Not only will God finish what He has begun in you the believer, God will finish what He has begun in you the Church - He promised. Praise the Lord.

Desperation

2011-07-22T14:53:00.003+03:00

Having a great time with my sister and her kids but very busy :) It's during this time that I ask myself - do bathrooms really need to get cleaned? Do my kids really need to take naps or get to bed on time? Are meals really that important for my family??? Why can't the laundry do itself? Where are the great technological advances that allow groceries to just appear at my doorstep?

Micah was "eating" raspberries. At least I thought he was, he may have been just shmusing them around.

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There are at least several stories in Scripture where a desperate person acts shamelessly. For example, Moses with God on Mt. Sinai. Now, picture the scene, God has just redeemed the Israelites from Egypt. God has done many miraculous events and brought low one of the greatest empires in the world at that time. Moses is now leading these people to a land none of them really know. Remember, it's been about 400 years since they lived there. The people of Israel will face many trials on the way. They are going to be walking through a very harsh environment where food, friends, and water are scarce and enemies are numerous. And Moses is no fool.

On the way the Israelites sin. They create and bow down to an idol. God and Moses then get into a discussion, if you will, over what God is going to do about this. This is found in Ex 32-34. God tells Moses that He will destroy Israel and start over with Moses. Moses basically tells the God of the Universes - You can't do that and here's why. God says "ok, they can all live but I'm removing My presence form them and sending an angel with you guys instead." Again, Moses responds "You can't do that either and here's why. And in case You're still thinking of not going with us to the land, God, we aren't moving if You don't! We're here, God, with You whether You like it or not!! Oh, and by the way God, since everything is going so well - I want to see You!" God then grants every request Moses made. I think God told Moses His plans so Moses would discuss and even argue with Him.

How could Moses do all this? Bc Moses was desperate for God, and not only for God but for the very Name and presence of God. "You can't wipe us out bc what will other people think of You! And we aren't leaving bc we need You so we are sticking with You till the end like or not!" But you know what, I think God loves that. I think that's one of the reasons God chose Moses. He knew Moses would be desperate for Him and therefore, shameless in his pursuit of God.

What about us? Are we so desperate for God that we would be willing to tell the God of the universe - I'm not moving if You aren't! Are we so desperate for God that we'd be willing to tell friends or family - I can't do that, I can't go there, I can't be that I need God too much.

May we truly become desperate in our need for God and therefore, shameless in our pursuit of Jesus Christ.

Praise the Lord

2011-07-14T21:11:00.002+03:00

Not much new to report here to be honest. Enjoying the sun and the warmth :) However, next week my sister Roni and her 3 kids come from Alaska for a month!!!! Woooohooooooo. It will be very nice to see them :)

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Lately God has been reminding/teaching me of the power of praising Him. I can attest to the fact that praising the Lord can set you free from fear. It can also bring attitude adjustments, peace, hope, joy, lighten the mood, send satan and his angels flying, encourage your emotions... to mention a few other things :)

In praising the Lord I mean taking TIME to focus on God and telling Him how awesome He truly is. Thanking Him for all that He has done, and reminding myself of what He's like. He's good, faithful, true, loving, noble, right, pure, He's kind, He's able, He heals, He cares, He restores, He judges, He is gracious and firm, He is near to the broken hearted, He is all powerful and all knowing. He is good and He is God.

There's a song that sums things up nicely. It's by Russ Taft and It's called "Praise the Lord." The first verse and chorus are:

When you're up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams and your hopes have been cruelly crushed by satan's manifested schemes. And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fears. Don't let the faith your standing on seem to disappear - Praise the Lord. He can work through those who praise Him. Praise the Lord. For our God inhabits praise. Praise the Lord and the chains that seem to bind you serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him.

Praise the Lord.

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/russ+taff/praise+the+lord_20296493.html

A Man of Sorrows

2011-07-07T21:26:00.003+03:00

Our little family. Say it with me now... awwww :) The potty training is not happening. Rina can do it, she's shown that several times but she's just not interested which is very frustrating but what can you do. My older sister and her kids come to town in about 2 weeks (yay!!!!!!!) and I'm not sure much potty training is going to be happening while they're home so.... now we're looking at the fall. Grrr.

Micah has a new tooth!!!! He now has 3 teeth, the 2 bottom middle ones and an upper side one. He could look very interesting depending on which teeth come next :) He's starting to try to crawl!!!! He moves from a seated position to the crawling position.... and then falls flat on his face... sigh.. but it will happen one day - I have hope!

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This world is a hard place in which to live. Recently I was talking to a friend who reminded me that there truly is nothing new under the sun. This friend loves history and was reading about the old city/state of Sparta. Apparently in Sparta there was a mandatory death sentence on any child that was not thought beautiful enough to live or any child that had a defect. After the baby was born your had to throw the child out and let it die. Obviously the number of infant deaths was enormous!

Well, we may not throw our babies out for being ugly but we definitely have our "beautiful people" and "not beautiful people." Every teenager (and anyone who has ever been a teenager) knows what it means to not measure up, to be judged and found wanting. We've all been there - a moment when we realized we were lacking something and therefore, less important bc of it.

This world will look many of us in the face and could care less if we live or die. We are not rich or powerful. We are not famous and some of us have even been told we are nothing and feel incredibly alone.

I was struck one day by Is 53. When talking about Jesus it says "He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised and we esteemed Him not... we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted." Do you realize Jesus understands exactly what it is to be rejected by people! To have someone tell you that your not fit to live anymore, that you are worthless. Do you realize that God understands your pain. He's been there, done that and in ways you and I can't even fathom.

And not only does He understand the depth of your hurt, He is able to look straight in to the deep places of your soul and pronounces you worthy, beautiful (or handsome), priceless, important, lovely. He is the only One who loves the unlovely, who only and always creates that which is good, who understands our pain and heals our wounds. He is God.

Family Time

2011-07-01T05:12:00.003+03:00

We had a great few days with Bryan's brother Jared and his family. Sand, water, good food (and lots of it!), a petting zoo, chocolate milk (oh yeah baby!), games, sparklers and (little) fireworks, pillow attack and so much more... Grandma Van made the 3 girls matching dresses - the girls had fun looking alike. Alas, no matching clothes for the boys (yet). Thankfully we get to see the Connecticut VanHaitsmas one more time before they leave so we haven't had to say goodbye.

God Alone

2011-06-23T03:49:00.003+03:00

Yes, Rina is sitting on her little potty seat talking on her "phone." What a hoot!! No, I don't do that! Potty training is.... slow. She did so well the first two days but now she's just not interested :( I still take her diaper off each day for her diaper rash but she hasn't peed on the potty since last week.

As for Micah - he's just such a happy boy!! He easily laughs and smiles. He wakes up happy. Still no moving but he's starting to turn when he sits! And he falls on to his stomach a lot these days from reaching too far while sitting so hopefully movement is near!!! He'll be 10 mos in a couple days!

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I have often struggled with the reality of evil in this world. I struggled even before I had children but now having my own makes the question of hurts and pains all the more difficult and real. I look at my children happy, well fed, clothed, loved and I think about the ones that aren't. The thoughts can break my heart if I let them, so I usually don't even go there. I don't want to handle the pain life sends my way much less someone else's.

One night I was really struggling and praying for wisdom (and help) and I began questioning God. How can You sit there and allow these terrible things to occur? What are You doing God? Where are You? How can You sit there and, in my eyes, do absolutely nothing about the pain people feel? Why did You even make us knowing we would go this way? Then this song came in to my head.

"You were God alone from before time began. You were on Your throne and You were God alone. And right now in the good times and bad You are on Your throne. You are God alone." I grabbed that song and sang it over and over again. You are God alone! You were God alone! and right now in the good times and bad You are on Your throne!

I still don't understand or have all the answers (sorry you'll have to ask someone else). But I do know and will stake my life on this - He is God alone. He has always been and always will be God alone. And He is a good God. I'm content. What about you?

Who's Hat Is It?

2011-06-16T04:34:00.002+03:00

Rina is wearing Micah's hat (backwards) and Micah is wearing Rina's hat (a bit sidewards). No, I did not put either one on them. A certain little girl decided the hats were to be worn and who was to wear them :)

The big news in our life right now - we are potty training!!!!!!!!!!!! Rina is slowly coming on board. I know, I know, you're not supposed to start till they are ready but Rin's bottom has had a non-stop rash for 6 mos and I am sooooooooo done with it. Actually, Rina's doing better than I thought she would (thank You Lord). She knows when she has to pee and runs to her little toilet without any help from me. She still fills her diaper when I finally put it on her so I know she's holding a lot back but it's a start :) Micah came down with Roseola (sp?) - it's a fever followed by a rash but he is doing much better, thank the Lord.

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What is the difference between faith and belief? People use those two words interchangeably and they are similar but there is a very important difference.

In the Jewish mindset it is possible to have belief without faith but not faith without belief. You see, belief is just that -belief in something. But faith is more than that. In the Bible, whenever you see the word "faith" you need to read Action Plus Belief. You need both components to have faith.

Bryan loves to use this example - you may BELIEVE you can fly but until you jump off the roof without a parachute you do not have FAITH that you can fly. For true faith you need ACTION and BELIEF.

Many people will tell you they BELIEVE in God and even in Jesus and probably do. However, if there is no action accompanying that belief there is no faith in God. The writers of Scripture never intended faith to be seen as something that was just a mental exercise. James in his book makes this very clear - Faith w/o works is dead (i.e. not faith). This definition could also inform the way we read certain verses like "the righteous man will live by faith".... maybe our actions are more important than we think...

Siblings

2011-06-09T21:48:00.002+03:00

(to the tune of the song "Sisters" from the movie "White Christmas")

Sibling, siblings... there were never such devoted siblings! Even when the one wants to be alone, the other comes and makes her home. One may be older, one may shorter, they still like the same toy gun. Two different faces but often in very tight spaces, their fighting may have just begun!

I know, I am no poet :) I'll leave that to Jenna. Still, I don't think I did a terrible parody :) but feel free to disagree. Micah's second tooth is coming! I wonder how he'll look with teeth. I think it can change the look of the face so we'll see. And actually, Micah and Rina really don't fight yet but I know that just goes with the territory :) I have two sisters myself! And yes we fought but we were also incredibly close (and thankfully still are).

Not much else to say otherwise. Oh, our 6 year Anniversary is this weekend. Wow, how time does fly!!! I have been incredibly blessed with an amazing husband. God has been very good!

Obedience

2011-06-02T20:26:00.002+03:00

We definitely have hit certain aspects of the terrible twos with Rina. In many ways she is a very good child but often she does act like a normal two year old. In those moments I find myself silently pleading with her to obey me. "just obey child, your life will be so much easier!"

Now, the reasons I want Rina to obey me have absolutely nothing to do with me proving myself to her. I know who I am. I'm Momma, I'm the parent. I don't need her obedience to prove that. There are times when I don't even need her obedience to make my life easier or make my plans happen. Dinner will be on the table tonight, child, no matter how hard you fight! I don't always need her obedience to feel better about myself or to prove that I know best in a certain situation. She's not even 3 yet!

I want Rina to obey bc it will make HER life easier. I want Rina to obey to save her from pain she doesn't have to go through. I want Rina to obey so she learns she's not the boss, so I don't have to discipline her. I desire Rina to obey for HER benefit, not just mine.

I think it's the same with God. My obedience doesn't prove He's God or even make Him God. It doesn't even prove that God's good or give Him assurance about Himself. It doesn't make God's life easier or give Him relief that His plan will happen. My obedience is for My benefit. It makes my life easier. Saves me from pain I don't have to go through. Obedience itself is a blessing and God knows this bc He created the world to work this way. I wonder how often God is silently pleading over me "just obey, child, it will make your life so much easier!"

May we learn to obey our Heavenly Father as we desire our children to obey us!

More pics next week :) Micah's first tooth is coming in!!!

The Blessing

2011-05-25T23:08:00.003+03:00

Rina and Micah getting ready for Church on Sunday morning. Well, they weren't actually getting ready - they were being made ready :)

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Every Friday night at the beginning of the Sabbath it is very common for Jewish parents to bless their children. For the boys the statement is "may God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh." This actually comes from Scripture - Gen 48. Jacob is pronouncing a blessing over Ephraim and Manasseh and part of the blessing is that one day that specific statement will be a blessing in Israel. The ideas as to why this is a blessing are numerous. I like the thought that Jacob was passing on to Ephraim and Manasseh the Covenantal blessing that all the Patriarchs had, even though they were not directly his sons.

For the girls the statement is "may God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah." The thought being that each of the matriarchs had qualities you would want your daughter to have. Both blessings are then finished with the Priestly blessing from Num 6.

The idea of blessing children is not new to the Jewish people. You see it in Genesis and even in the NT parents brought their children to Jesus to be blessed. Why? BC your words have power. Prov 18:21 states that "the tongue has the power of life and death..." The Jewish people take this to heart so it is thought that a parent can give his child nothing greater than a blessing. What is money? What is land? What is the ability to make wise decisions and be responsible? Those things are all nothing when compared to the amazing gift of blessing your children with your mouth.

What did Jesus say in His blessing over children? We don't honestly know. He may have pronounced this same blessing that is said today. Whatever He said, I have no doubt it was straight from Scripture.

Jogger Stroller

2011-05-19T21:22:00.002+03:00

I have been very thankful for our double stroller. Yes, they are expensive. Yes, they are big. But this is so much easier than trying to push two on one or make Rina walk the whole way. And I really like that they sit side by side. I have a friend who has a regular double stroller with one child sitting behind the other. One day we went for a walk and the child who sat behind kept "touching" the child who was sitting up front :)

The only bad thing is that seats aren't as big. Rina is wider when she has her snowsuit on so that makes it harder for her to sit in her seat. We'll see what happens next winter.

He is Risen

2011-05-13T20:32:00.003+03:00

Try #2 - let's hope Blogger doesn't delete this one :(

The Resurrection of Jesus is vital. It's not just a nice story; it's not given to make a happy ending. It is of first importance for many reasons. I'll give you some of them. A few of these reasons I am taking from a sermon I heard by Dwight Pryor.

The resurrection of Jesus proves that death is not the end. The grave could not hold our Lord, neither will it hold us. Death does not have the last word. God does.

The resurrection of Jesus gives confirmation that on the cross the death of Jesus truly was victorious and the punishment for our sins has been paid for. God's wrath towards you is gone. God is satisfied.

The resurrection of Jesus proves that He is exactly who He says He was. The Bible makes it very clear that it was God who raised Jesus from the grave. God would not raise a liar or a lunatic but a Father will gladly raise His beloved Son. Jesus is glorified.

The resurrection of Jesus guarantees that this world along with you and I will be redeemed. This life, our struggle with sin isn't the end of the story. This broken world devastated by sin and death will be restored and made new, along with you and I and all who are in Christ. We are justified.

The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope and assurance that we can and will persevere. God is able to save you to the uttermost. He is able to hold you to the end. He is able to give you the strength you need to persevere bc the power that raised Jesus from the dead now resides in you - if you are in Christ Jesus.

The resurrection of Jesus gives assurance that your faith is not in vain. God has already won the victory, the battle is over. It's only a matter of time now. Your faith will be made sight. You will see the Son of God in all His glory and the Lord God upon His throne. This world will cry out Holy is the Lord and we will see it!

The resurrection of Jesus is our guarantee. The resurrection of Jesus is our proof. The resurrection of Jesus is our assurance. The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning.

He is risen indeed! Praise God!

Post gone

2011-05-13T20:09:00.000+03:00

Well, I had a new post up but blogger deleted it apparently :( I'll try to repost it later today.

Hopefully this does not happen again.

update

2011-05-05T01:13:00.003+03:00

To be completely honest my life these days are dull. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all complaining. I am very thankful I just feel like there's nothing to blog about then.

Rina and Micah are doing very well and continue to grow. Rina's favorite phrase right now is "what you doing?" Not sure where she's learning her grammar from but it's definitely not me :) Every day it seems like she's becoming a bit more of a kid and less of a toddler. But thankfully she still loves to snuggle in the mornings and after her nap. She loves to dance and sing, LOVES chocolate (candy, hot or cold) and can be a DRAMA queen. Oh yes, several times now she has lasted for over an hour with a "fit." I am learning slowly how to handle them. Thankfully she doesn't have them all that often.

Rina also still loves her little brother for which I am very thankful. Micah is just plain cute there's no way else to put it :) He is all boy! He LOVES to eat and eat and eat. He sleeps so well at night (better than Rina does often) but he does not like to nap. He enjoys watching his big sister but he may be becoming a mama's boy. We shall see. No teeth yet, not interested in crawling, although he sits well on his own. I'm hoping he may be a bit calmer then his sister :)

One can only hope and pray...

Passover

2011-04-23T17:11:00.002+03:00

This Thursday we celebrated Passover. It was our first time doing it just as a family. Normally Bryan and I host for group of just adults so we knew this would be quite different with just the two of us and Rina and Micah. Children add a whole new element to the experience. They make it harder and better.

This was the fastest Passover we have ever done. We didn't want to presume on Rina's ability to sit and listen or even her contentedness at playing by herself for quite awhile. Normally Passover takes around 3 hours for us. This year it was an hour and half. And actually Rina hung in there for the first hour. Micah was sitting in his high chair for awhile but then moved to my lap and was content.

Having Rina there was just neat. She was sooo excited about all the new things. We lit candles and sang "this little light of mine." She wanted to taste everything we did and drink when we did :) She was very excited to find the hidden Matza (the Afikomen) and to look out the door to see if Elijah had come. Seeing her excitement and wonder at the whole event made it more enjoyable and just fun. After dinner we listened to some fun Passover music and danced which was also a big hit.

But it was also difficult - this was definitely the least reflective Passover we've ever had. My attention was more often on the kids and making sure they were ok than anything else. Then there was the HUGE mess in my kitchen from all the cooking. I understand why God decreed no work on the festival days. I too often wanted to leave the festivities and just clean up. It made it difficult to concentrate at times as well knowing what was coming next.

I look forward to a Passover celebration again with just adults so I can have a more reflective/relaxing time. HOWEVER, I look forward to celebrating with my children more and more as they get older as well. The innocence and excitement they bring adds so much :)

As for the pics - we have our Passover plate from Israel. And then a friend found some children's Passover plates at a store so she bought several for us :)

Oh, we're missing something on the Passover plates. I forgot about them until right before so they were cooking. Any guesses as to what's missing?

Puzzles and car seats

2011-04-14T21:11:00.002+03:00

Rina loves puzzles and Micah seems to be enjoying them too :) They just looked so cute just sitting there together. I set Micah down first and Rina had to sit next to him. Notice her pillow (red) behind her :) She had to be just like Micah. Micah's doing much better with sitting but he still occasionally tips backwards or forwards so the boppy is there for precaution.

Rina has a new car seat. It converts from the 5 pt harness to a booster seat. We'll move Micah in to Rina's old one. It's a backward facing seat that can turn frontward when the child is able. You almost need a degree these days to figure this stuff out.

Which to be honest seems a bit over the top bc I can remember riding in my parents full size van when I was little and walking around while the van was moving (gasp). My mom even use to let us "surf" at times. We'd all stand up and she'd "whip" around a corner trying to knock us down. I can't believe she let us do that :) Yes, I understand the safety issues, however, when does safety end and paranoia begin? Children now have to be in boosters until they're in 4th grade or 100 lbs or over 4 ft tall (I believe those are the requirements). Doesn't that seem a little excessive? Some adults barely meet those requirements :)

Paci Twins

2011-04-07T21:30:00.002+03:00

I took this picture after Rina's nap one day. Micah and I were laying on the floor, he was suppose to be having tummy time, and Rina joined us when she woke up. Before I took her paci away I snapped this picture :)

Sickness part 22 is going through our house. We all have colds. At least it's only a cold nothing more serious. I opened the windows today for 15 mins to begin airing the house out :) We are going to get better one day I just know it!

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So, we left off in Genesis with the author/narrator of Genesis making it abundantly clear that God alone knows what is good and what is not good for humanity. Mankind was created, therefore, to be dependent upon God to give what was good and withhold what was evil/not good. Adam was placed in the garden with only two instructions - worship God and obey Him. The only option for disobedience at this point was to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Interesting that it's the knowledge of good and evil that this tree holds considering what we just learned about God and man's relationship with good and evil. God knows it and man doesn't and it's partly that lack of knowledge that makes man dependent upon God.

So, how does man respond? Well, to be fair I should say how does the woman respond first? She is deceived by the serpent and he tells her what? "You will be LIKE God..." Now, wait a minute, how does Genesis say humankind was created- "in the image of God." Adam and Eve already were like God! They didn't need to eat anything to make them more like God - they already bore His image! I wonder how many times satan tempts us with things God has already given us - but maybe not exactly the way we wanted to have it?

What's the second temptation? "...knowing good and evil." Adam and Eve don't need to know this. God will supply all they need, He knows what's good. All they have to do is trust. But instead of relying on God, Adam and Eve decide they would rather choose for themselves what is good and what is evil. How many times do we decide that we know better than God what is good for us? This food, this job, this spouse, this lifestyle, this whatever...

And since then humanity continues to ignore the Creator and spurns His commands and instructions that were given to bring us life and show us what's good. Instead, we go our own way positive that we alone truly know what is good and what is evil for man. What great folly and pride.

Who knows what's good

2011-04-01T18:29:00.005+03:00

Just some different shots I've been trying out. I really like Rina's pic with the profile. Micah's shot I need to work on :) We are slowly healing around here, but at least we're healing. Micah came down with a bad cold and pink eye on Saturday. And I had a plugged duct that turned into Mastitis by the end of the day as well. But we're both doing much better now :) Thank You Lord.

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I've been reading through a book called "The Pentateuch as Narrative" by John Sailhamer and it is amazing. The whole idea is that the first five books of the Bible (also known as the Pentateuch) were written to be read (and reread) as one continuous story and as such have themes, words, phrases, ideas... continuing through it and even building on top of each other so each word/phrase has importance.

For instance - in Genesis 1 a line that is repeated over and over again is... "and God saw that it was good." What could the author be trying to teach you from this sentence and why repeat it? From the very beginning the reader is suppose to recognize the fact that God knows what is good. You could even say that since only God is saying these things are good it's God alone who knows what is good. Well, good for what or for whom?

In Gen 2:18 God says "it is not good for man to be alone..." Here we see that not only does God know what is good, He also knows what isn't good. And He knows what's good and not good for man. You could even extend it and say God alone knows what is good for mankind/humanity.

So, why the need to repeat this phrase over and over again? One time would be sufficient right? Perhaps the author just wanted to use up space on the scrolls. Or maybe he liked the way it sounded. Or, maybe one reason is that the author wants it to be glaringly clear - picture in flashing neon lights - GOD ALONE KNOWS WHAT IS GOOD FOR MANKIND...

Let's Continue...

Now, when God puts man into the garden his responsibility is basically to trust that God will provide whatever he needs. Gen 2:15 can also be translated "And God placed man in the garden to WORSHIP and OBEY." Who is man to worship - God alone, the One who knows what is and isn't good for man, the One who just created him. What is man to obey? The next verse gives the answer "and the LORD God commanded the man (about the trees)..."

At this point Adam has no responsibilities except to worship God and obey Him. The relationship is wide open and the directions simple. Trust Me, Adam, I know what you need. I'll take care of you. You were created to depend on Me, to worship Me, to need Me. So just relax and enjoy the ride, My son, I've got everything covered.

So, how does man handle this? ... to be continued...

Bible Stories/ In Church

2011-03-25T02:22:00.003+02:00

Bryan reading "Bible stories" to the kids. I love how Micah is looking so intently at Bry. What's he saying??? is what his look says to me :)

We are doing well. Rina is pretty much over the strep - thank You Lord! Her rash is the only thing we're dealing with now and that should get better. None of the rest of us got sick for which I am very very thankful, especially for Micah. I never think about how much close contact they have until Rin gets sick... then I worry.

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I've been thinking lately about the statement "well, at least _________ is in church." I've said that about people myself actually. It's usually said about a person who may or may not be a believer and who may or may not even be paying attention once they're in the building. But, at least they're "in church."

Now, definitely for some people in the beginning this is a miracle in and of itself and I do not want to ignore that. And yes, definitely in Church at least the person hears the Word of God and that is a great thing as well.

However, I wonder IF the person never moves beyond the "at least in church" then does the being in church really do any good? It seems to me that it's like saying "I want to be healthy so I'm going to go hang out in a gym. I may not be working out but being in the gym should do something for me right?!" We'd say wrong! You have to participate, you have to do something, get involved! Or all you're doing is wasting time.

Maybe, just maybe it's the same thing for being "in church." Once you've gotten past the front door and you've sat in the pew for awhile, maybe it's time to participate. During the times of singing picture yourself before the throne of God. During the times of prayer why don't you pray as well? During the sermon - actively listen, take notes, look up the passages, write down thoughts and questions. Does being in church really count if all you're doing is entering the building physically but not there emotionally or mentally? Maybe all it's doing is giving people a false sense of security.

I wonder how many people sitting in the pew on Sunday could one day hear Jesus say "I never knew you, away from Me."

6 Mos ckups, Legos, and sickness

2011-03-17T16:21:00.002+02:00

Sorry I didn't update the blog last week. Sometimes it feels like life is getting busier and busier and I'm not sure how to make things better.

Micah Jon had his 6mos check up last week :) He is in the 100th % for length (!) and 50th for weight. He is outgrowing his carseat a little faster than we were anticipating. We'll probably be buying the next step up soon - especially since Rina is still using her's and will be until she's 21 probably with the way the laws are going.... ;)

Otherwise my little man is healthy and good. He is starting to make more noises and shrieks quite a bit these days if he's bored and needs attention :) Then there's his eating - the boy can eat!!! Unfortunately - just like Rina - he gets easily constipated so we're dealing with that right now :( My kids apparently don't handle the transition to solids very well.

As for Rina - well, she came down with strep in both the throat and rectum :( It creates a rash that starts on the bottom and moves down the legs and up the back and is quite painful the dr. said. Praise the Lord she is starting to do better today but the last few days have been a bit rough. Sick kids are very very draining. She had a little ice cream last night and she's drinking chocolate milk occasionally but otherwise she hasn't really eaten since Monday.

As for Bry and I - we have been going through his and Jared's old legos and putting sets together. Jared and his family started it when they were in town last summer and we decided to keep sorting and building. This is a castle set Bryan bought when he was younger. One day it will be fun to give this to our kids to use to play with and build. It is addicting! You just sit, sort, and build - no thinking involved really :)

You Did What?!

2011-03-03T21:52:00.002+02:00

Oh yes, I have joined the ranks of motherhood nation wide. Rina has officially colored on her walls. Or shall I say, all over her walls, kitchen set, a nice wood chair, her dresser, and her play table. How did this happen you ask? Oh, let me tell you.

Apparently one night while she was in her room (winding down for sleep) Rina happened across a broken piece of a black crayon. The crayons are all suppose to be put away in a bag in a drawer when she is done coloring for several reasons. However, one day we missed one, a part of one that is.

Babies and Toddlers have eyes like hawks and they can find the most minuscule item on the carpet if they are interested enough. They must have built in radars as well. So, one night I went in to Rina's room to turn off her nightlight and gaze at my angelic little girl as she lay peacefully sleeping. My joy turned to surprise and then horror as right above the nightlight I noticed a mark or two on the wall. I gasped loudly waking not only Rina but bringing Bryan running in to the room.

It was true, my little angel had shown her artistic capabilities all over her walls. (the first pic shows the two walls on which she drew) The early morning light the next day revealed that not only the walls but some items in her room also shared the same fate. All I could do was sigh.

FYI - magic eraser works wonders!

Jonah 2

2011-02-24T20:35:00.004+02:00

Notice any similarities :) I think Micah was just yawning but Rina was fussing on me. Don't remember why... My little drama queen. I don't know where she gets it from?? ;) (shush Roni and Jenna)

Micah has his 6 mos check up coming up. Wow, my little boy is 6 mos and getting SOO big! He's eating cereal 2x a day and soon we'll start him on food. He can nurse every two hours at times. He's also in a crib in his own room. Not really liking that change but slowly we're all getting acclimated to it.

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Some interesting things from the book of Jonah.

Jonah - the "antiprophet" as Bry calls him, disobeys the Word of the Lord and runs "down" to Joppa to get in to a ship with pagan sailors to set sail for Tarshish. Best guess today is that Tarshish is in modern day Spain. Incredibly far distance - over 100 ports they'd have to stop at to make the journey!!!!!!! I think thousands of miles by boat! Yes, this man REALLY wanted to disobey.

In the Hebrew the text says "Jonah paid HER fare." meaning the boat. Well, does that mean he bought the boat or just paid to get on the boat? Some Rabbis throughout the centuries believe Jonah actually bought the boat specifically to have it sail to Tarshish and to do so he would have had to sell his house, his land, everything! A one way trip was potentially all this prophet was thinking of.

Did you ever notice - Jonah tries to run from God on the sea but acknowledges later his God is God over the "land and sea." The amount of times the word "hurl" and "great" are used (might need to get on Biblegateway.com and read in the ESV version to see this - literal translation) Who hurls what? What is described as great? What about Jonah's position as he is going away from God? (hint, Jonah goes .... to Joppa) In chapter 2 how well Jonah describes his drowning. The seaweed around his head, the roots of the mtns... apparently the "great" fish didn't rescue Jonah right away. God let him struggle and go down for awhile...

The pagan sailors have more mercy on Jonah than he has on them. They struggle and try to do everything possible to not "hurl" him in to the sea but to no avail. Jonah has no desire to call out to his God on their behalf to try to save them... At the end of the voyage the pagan sailors have now become God-fearers. God used Jonah's disobedience to bring some pagan sailors to know Him - how amazing and gracious is God that He can use even our disobedience for His glory!!

Jonah

2011-02-17T20:57:00.002+02:00

So, I am going to attempt to share with you all something I have learned but unfortunately I can't give all the context. Sorry :)

Bryan has been teaching a Biblestudy on Friday nights on the book of Jonah and it is amazing! There is sooooo much in that book besides a big fish! The (dark) humor, the twists and turns, the irony, the literary creativity is amazing! But one thought hit me hard.

I always assumed when Jonah told the sailors to throw him overboard that he was being a semi decent human being. I've gotten you all in to this mess, now let me get you out, just kill me. I'll sacrifice myself for you all.... But when you begin to see the context and Jonah's attitude throughout a very different picture emerges.

Jonah is being disobedient and running from God in the totally opposite direction, potentially never to return. There's a thought that he sold his house and everything to pay for his fare on the boat. Jonah was not going to do what God told him to do. And even in the midst of the storm with the wind and the rain roaring around them still Jonah's attitude is one of disobedience. Clearly God had followed Jonah onto the sea and clearly Jonah was not going to be able to escape that way. Jonah has two recourses - disobedience or ask forgiveness and obey. Interestingly Jonah doesn't drop to his knees and beg God to forgive him - and then I'll be obedient (unlike the pagan sailors who had been asking there gods to help).

Instead, Jonah pushes his disobedience even further. Fine, God, I can't escape You on the sea well, I'd rather DIE than OBEY. So I'm just going to have myself killed and then I won't have to obey You! In offering to have himself thrown over board Jonah is essentially thumbing his nose at God and saying "so there! I'm still not going to obey I'd rather die!" and what does God do??

How does God respond - I love this, God is sooooo amazing!!!!! He says "oh no you're not dying today Jonah!!" and send a big fish to swallow him and keep him alive! How creative and absurd is that?!?!? Jonah tries to stack the deck but God still has the trump card. I love it!

I love that God's plan cannot be thwarted even by an man desperate to disobey who is doing everything in his power to disobey. Even trying to kill yourself so you don't have to obey isn't going to stop God's plan. If He has chosen you - it will be you so stop running, you'll just keep running in to Him. God is so amazing and I am so thankful :)

Hats!

2011-02-11T04:36:00.002+02:00

What can I say - are they not simply two of the most adorable kids out there?? Nope, I'm not biased :)

I think a mother is the true "Renaissance Man." Think of all we have to be - doctor, teacher, negotiator, dictator, parent, playmate, nutritionist, shopper, banker, maid, cook, creative, innovative, referee, chauffeur, hair stylist, designer, manicurist, translator, bilingual, protector, defender, builder...

That's all I can think of at the moment but feel free to chime in with more if you can think of any!

Lonely Nights and Sick Days

2011-02-05T22:39:00.003+02:00

Not sure about the lonely nights - just decided to say that to get people to read this one :) as for sick days - we have been way too familiar with that one. Let me share the list:

Rina breaks her arm

I get the flu

Rina gets the flu

Rina gets pink eye

I have a relapse of the flu

Bryan gets the flu

I get a cold

I get pink eye

Bryan gets a cold

Micah gets pink eye

And all in about a month

Yes - Dan and Jenn we will be healthy when you guys come to visit next weekend!!! And the house will be cleaned and cloroxed :)

Thankfully my pink eye is pretty much done, Bryan's cold is very minor, and we're fighting hard to not let Micah get full blown pink eye. But after this I don't think there's anything left for us to get!!!!!!!

I was going to put on here a really cute picture I took of Bryan under layers of blankets and clothes when he was sick but I didn't think he'd appreciate it. Pity :)

The Rooster

2011-01-28T03:04:00.004+02:00

This is my new pet. Yes, it is a gold plated rooster :) Well, maybe not really gold but it looks gold. At least in the parts that haven't been rubbed off.

I believe the story goes that my grandpa Nelson was given this rooster by a patient of his in place of payment. Remember this was many years ago. I doubt this would fly with too many dr's offices today :)

Well, this rooster hung out in my grandparents house for many happy years. Then my grandma passed away (about 7 years ago) and my grandpa decided he wanted to sell the house and get rid of everything. Who was going to get the rooster??? You can't just sell this type of thing or throw it away!

Thankfully there was no need. A very giving aunt and uncle of mine decided to take matters into their own hands and save Mr. Rooster. As we were all driving away from the house for the last time my parents looked down and there in their car was the rooster! Now the rooster gets shuffled from place to place. He's been to Alaska, Florida, Oklahoma and all over Michigan. This is my second time to have him. And I need some sneaky ideas of how to get rid of him...

Unexpected Blessings and Miles

2011-01-21T20:33:00.002+02:00

"It's not the years it's the miles." Indiana Jones in the first movie (Raiders of the Lost Ark). I know exactly what he means. I feel like I've already lived a year this past month.

A huge part of it has definitely been my grandpa's death. Granted he was 91 and in relatively good health until his death, he died in his sleep, and is now in heaven with Jesus, his family and his beloved wife (my grandma who died 7 years ago). What was difficult about the whole thing was his remarriage 5 years ago to someone who, well, um, was not a nice person in many ways. Their have been many painful moments these past few years with my grandpa (who thought she was wonderful and could do no wrong) and it continued through his funeral and beyond. How do you deal with anger at a person who's gone????

Added to that is a trip to Detroit for a funeral, Rina's broken arm- the cast will be coming off Monday and she should be ok (please Lord). Then I got the flu right before Bryan left on a work trip. While he was gone Rina came down with the flu and is now suffering pink eye. How in the world do you get a 2 year old to leave her eyes alone and not touch her brother???????? Not to mention just basic life issues and struggles.

Granted none of these things are life and death but when all this happens within a 3 week time period it feels a little overwhelming to be honest. It's hard to believe 2011 has only just begun. It feels to me like it's been going on for a very long time.

But, in the midst of this there have definitely been unexpected blessings. Seeing family at the funeral I haven't seen for several years. Roni and the kids coming home for the funeral for 2 whole weeks (!!!!!!) Being with family when Rina was sick so I could have help. Both sisters coming over and helping me organize and clean (thank you!!!) And even knowing that we are finally done dealing with my grandpa over this whole issue is a relief.

I'm thankful Jesus acknowledged that life is difficult "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matt 6:34

Broken Bones and Chunky Legs

2011-01-15T17:08:00.003+02:00

At the Dr's office when they asked what color Rina wanted her response was pink! I was kind of hoping for green myself but it's not my cast :) She'll have it on for another 2 weeks (a total of 3 weeks) and then it comes off and more xrays to see if everything is healing well. It amazes me how well she's doing already. Sometimes it's like it's not even on!!

My big boy Micah :) Thought you all might enjoy a pic of his legs and their fullness :) It's amazing how much more he's responding! He so badly wants to sit up and he loves to be with us and a part of the group. He's babbling a ton too!

We had my grandpa's funeral last week. Some very good and very painful moments. It was amazing to hear the stories and be reminded again of the man that he was and the godly heritage I have. Since then Roni and her kids have been in town so we've been pretty busy trying to make the most of this unexpected visit. Family pics next post - Bry sorry :)

All in all a good but incredibly busy time!

Broken

2011-01-05T14:20:00.002+02:00

What can I say we start things off with a bang in my family. Poor Rina. She jumped off a bed at a friend's house and bumped her head and broke her arm. She did it at 11am but we didn't take her to the ER until 3. Neither Bry nor I realized she had seriously hurt herself :( Next time I hope I'll pay better attention. She has a pink cast on it now and she's doing much better. Kids adept quickly!

This afternoon we are leaving to go to Detroit with my family for my grandpa Nelson's funeral. He was 91 years old and despite having several medical issues he was quite healthy his last few years - for a 91 year old :) He was still able to travel and be with friends and family - thank You Lord. He died at home in his sleep for which I am very grateful. Now, he's in heaven with my grandma, a cousin Jennifer, not to mention seeing Jesus, and all the Biblical characters. And now he's finally fully and completely the man God created him to be. No sin, no failures, no flaws, no pain, no wounds, no hurts... Just worshiping Jesus for all he's worth. What a future :) If you're thinking I'm envious you're right :)

I will miss you, Grandpa, but I look forward to seeing you again!!

Christmas pics! ... not

2010-12-29T20:57:00.002+02:00

One Sunday everyone looked so cute in their Sunday outfits that I decided to get a "family" pic minus me. Well, Rina wasn't in the mood apparently bc she was not going to sit still for anything.

pic 1 - a try with Rina on the couch... gave up after a few minutes

pic 2 - try a new way to get a nice pic of Rina - no smiles here

pic 3 - gave up on Rina and took a nice pic of Bry and Micah :)

Cheese!

2010-12-23T20:30:00.001+02:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Traditions

2010-12-17T03:19:00.011+02:00

So the first pic is of Rina in Bryan's shoes. Yes, they look even bigger bc they're closer to the camera. Trick photography I learned from Lord of the Rings - forced perspective :) (nerd that I am). The second is a pic of Micah from the last time I used soap in his bath to wash his hair. Cracks me up! Poor little man :) But I am thankful he still has his hair. I hope he's like his daddy!!!

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In the gospels Jesus tells the Pharisees that they hold their traditions as more important than the Word of God. And we often shake our heads and go "those silly Pharisees, how stupid and hypocritical." But, do we do the same thing???

Take Christmas for instance. Now, in the Old Testament there are 7 feasts that God commands Israel to celebrate forever. They're to be a yearly tradition reminding the people of their relationship to their Covenant God and His faithfulness to them. God Himself takes the initiative to set up different times throughout the year for His people to celebrate. Yet, today what do most Christians celebrate?

Few Christians celebrate any of the festivals. (that's a whole 'nother discussion I'm not going to get in to at the moment... just work with me). Instead we celebrate Christmas on Dec 25th with a Christmas tree, buying and giving presents, a ton of food, lights, movies, Christmas carols.... Now, I LOVE Christmas and I definitely think it's right and good to celebrate the birth of Jesus. HOWEVER, I find it interesting that all the ways we celebrate Christmas aren't technically Biblical. And what about the festivals that God set up? When do we celebrate or even think about those?

Maybe there are Biblical ways to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But why stop there, maybe there are Biblical ways to celebrate His death and Resurrection. Passover for instance.

Are we today holding our traditions as more important than the Word of God? Maybe.

Traditions

2010-12-17T03:19:00.009+02:00

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Maybe there are Biblical ways to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But why stop there, maybe there are Biblical ways to celebrate His death and Resurrection. Passover for instance.

Are we today holding our traditions as more important than the Word of God? Maybe.

Friends

2010-12-10T15:54:00.002+02:00

Angela and I went to school together in Israel. Bc we both live in Mi (for now) we've been able to get together occasionally. She has Jack (who's almost 2) and she's expecting a little girl in Jan. Then in March she, her hubby, and their two kids will all go to Jordan for 6 mos so her husband can work on a dig there. He's getting his PhD in archaeology.

Rina's starting to sing :) Occasionally we'll hear "Jesus.... follow" or "light..... shine.... no!" So cute!!

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Both Bry and I struggle with fear. Last year we spent 40 days specifically praying against it. We asked God to remove it, show us the root cause of it, put faith in its place... I felt like things got better after that. I was able to sleep at nights without laying in bed worrying and wondering for the most part, but lately it's coming back.

A couple of weeks ago I had one particularly hard day and I just kept struggling with all the pain people go through. Life can be really hard and for some people it's terrible. I don't understand how God can handle all the pain people go through. I don't understand how He can sit there knowing He can stop it yet from my perspective do nothing. I look at my children and I am terrified of what they may have to experience. I don't understand.

So, one night I was trying my hardest to just not go there with my thoughts when mercifully the Holy Spirit put this song in my brain. "You were God alone, from before time began. You were on Your throne, and You were God alone. And right now in the good times and bad You are on Your throne, You are God alone." I grabbed that song and held on to the truth it was saying.

I don't have answers, I can't even pretend to understand it all. But I will focus on the truth that God is God. He is God alone. He has always been God and He will always be God and He is on His throne and He is good. My dad has this statement he's been saying from the pulpit lately "I believe God is in control. I also believe God is good. And I'm going to wait by faith to see it."

Family Time

2010-12-02T20:27:00.002+02:00

We had a great time with our CT family this past week. Bc they came for Thanksgiving they won't be coming at Christmas so we managed to push the two Holidays together and celebrated them both Sunday night. It was quite the day I will say :)

Eben and Aliza were so good at playing with and including Rina. They LOVED Uncle Bryan and pillow attack :) Rina and Nora even had some quality time sharing a puzzle and a bag of goodies. And Micah finally met the rest of his cousins and Uncle Jared! All in all it was a great few days together. Always hard to say goodbye :(

2010-11-26T15:47:00.003+02:00

Thanksgiving has got to be my favorite holiday, or at least right up there. It means Christmas is coming and Christmas music and Christmas lights start appearing at this time. There's great food, family and friends. Sometimes the whole atmosphere around town changes to the holiday spirit :) I just love it! I'll have to post some pics of family time next week after I get them on the computer. The battery died so I have to charge it first :)

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I'm wracking my brain trying to think of something Biblical to post about since it's been awhile. To be honest, right now I feel like my life is tied up in diapers, cleaning, groceries, kids... I understand that there are seasons in life but I think I'm using that excuse a little too much right now. Spending time with God shouldn't be relegated to a back seat just bc my life is a litte busy. And somehow I usually find time to work out...

Don't you ever wish God would just zap obedience in to you so that it wouldn't be so hard! And it wouldn't have to be a choice, you just would be obedient :) I've thought that many times. Amazing how patient God is with me. I am far less patient with others unfortunately. I'm glad that in Philippians 1 Paul says "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it." In context I think Paul is talking to the whole church at Philippi but I think you can also apply it individually. Praise the Lord, He'll finish what He began no matter how pathetic my own efforts are :)

We're Back!!!

2010-11-19T21:50:00.003+02:00

Yes we are back and running! Praise the Lord our computer came in way earlier than expected. It's a mac so this pc girl is taking some time to get used to things :) I don't think I know enough about computers to appreciate it's finer points but I'll trust my husband on that one :)

As for the pics, just some fun ones we picked up this past month while the computer was down. Micah one night after his bath (and yes we're still having trouble getting his hair down). Rina and Micah one Sunday morning before Church smiling at Bryan. Rina and I, and Rina posing. She now says "cheese" whenever she sees the camera. Is that pathetic or what :)

Also pathetic is the fact that one night Rina carried her purse around with her and inside was her cell phone. Sheesh child I don't talk on the phone that much do I :)

Soon

2010-11-13T21:47:00.003+02:00

I am so ready to be done with this laptop! The keys don't always type the best, I can't comment on anyone's blogs (or my own), I can't print, I can't send pics... Frustrating. I know, I know, I need to be thankful I have a laptop to use and have some commincations with the outside world but I am ready to be done.

So, we finally bit the bullet and bought a new computer (yay and ouch!) We went through every different option under the sun (the blessing and curse of having a computer nerd husband :) ) but finally decided at this point the wisest option was also the most expensive and to just buy the new computer. Lord-willing it should be arriving during Thanksgiving week. Yay!!!

Rina and Micah are both doing well :) This time change, though, has really messed Rina up! She started getting up at 6am!! Fought that one hard have to be honest. Yesterday I was so excited when she woke up at 7:30. This morning however, at 5:42 I hear a noise and she is in the living room playing with toys. You have Got To Be Kidding!!! I gave her a bit of milk and sent her back to bed :) I think she fell back asleep around 6:45 finally and slept in till 8. Hopefully this is the final time change struggle.

My big Micah Man gets more interactive each day :) When he smiles it just melts my heart. I can't wait to hear him laugh...

CRASH

2010-11-04T22:24:00.004+02:00

Well, there are no pics up and there may not be for awhile. Our computer crashed on us yesterday! It started acting up on Tuesday but I didn't think much of it. But last night it finally completely went kaputz. So, we're trying to decide what to do now. Do we buy a whole new computer? Just a new "tower" and keep the monitor, keyboard and mouse since they still work? But the monitor is also acting up and may break... We'll see.

Thankfully I still have my old laptop around so I do have internet access. Bryan did do a backup of the computer about 2 mos ago so we won't lose everything. He may be able to get everything off the harddrive but he's not sure yet. Definitely a few reasons to say thank You Lord!

As for the kiddos - they both had an appt yesterday. Rina for 2 yrs and Micah for 2 mos. Wow! Everything looks good and healthy with both of them :) They're both very tall for their age - 95th %. Micah weighs 13 lbs already! And Rina weighs 28. The only time she'll be ok with me putting her weight on the blog :)

We did find out that Micah may have floppy turbinates in his nose which causes him to sound stuffy a lot and makes nursing messy. But since he's growing just fine there's no reason to do anything. Lord willing it's something he'll just grow out of soon.

Yesterday at her appt Rina had to step on the scale to be weighed for the first time and she also recieved a shot. Guess which one made her cry. Yep, didn't flinch at all for the shot, didn't even wimper! But stepping on the scale, she sobbed. What a girl :)

Nice vrs Holy

2010-10-27T19:35:00.004+02:00

Me and the kiddos one Sunday morning before I got my hair cut :) My grandma bought the dress for Rina. Too cute!!

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There are a lot of "nice" people in the world today. Some are believers and some honestly aren't. There are a lot of "good" people in the world today. Again, some are believers and some definitely aren't. Now, as people in a Covenantal relationship with the Lord God we're not suppose to be just nice or good but holy people. So, how does a holy person look different than a nice person?

Here are some differences I thought of-

When selling a car – these are tough economic times can and you help a fellow citizen out by writing down a different price so the buyer pays less on taxes. Now, a nice person may say “sure, I’m always willing to help people out.” BUT, the believer walking in holiness says “I understand exactly what you mean and I wish I could help you out. But I have chosen to walk with honesty and integrity before my God and the government may never know but God would know that I was dishonest, so sorry I can't.”

When praised at work – a good person may say “you know, thanks, it’s a pleasure to work for this company. I’m just doing my best.” BUT, a person walking in holiness might say “you know, thank you so much. I appreciate that bc I am trying do everything that I do to glory of God and working as if He was my boss. So, praise the Lord.”

A co-worker starts to gripe about another employee – a nice person may say “I understand, that would be so frustrating!” or even just remain quiet and listen(I did that one all too often). A person walking in holiness may say “you know, I understand you’re frustrated but I don’t think I’m the one you should be talking to about this. If it’s an honest complaint our boss is the one that needs to hear this. Plus, like Jesus said I’m trying to treat others the way I would want to be treated and I wouldn’t appreciate having someone talk like this behind my back so I’m not going to talk about others like this behind their backs.”

A dirty joke is told – a nice person may be uncomfortable but laughs to make the person who told the joke not feel offended. The person walking in holiness wouldn't laugh and maybe would have walked away when he realized the joke was going to get dirty.

Interestingly, a person walking in holiness may not always come across as "nice." But as Paul says in Galatians 1:10 "am I trying to win the approval of men, or of God?..." And when it comes down to it, I'd rather have people say about me 'there was something different about her' rather than 'she was a nice girl.'

Hats

2010-10-21T14:18:00.002+02:00

Does anybody remember the Amy Grant song "Hats"? "One day I'm a mother, one day I'm a lover, what am I suppose to be? Hats!" I think of that song every once in awhile and I understand it a whole lot better now than I did :)

Pics of Rin in a few different hats. One of them is Bryan's hat that she was being goofy and wore. Can you guess which one??? :)

Otherwise, not much else to say. Doing well, keeping busy.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-14T16:47:00.002+02:00

This past weekend we went to a pumpkin patch with Grandma Van. It was so much fun. We went on a hay ride, ate lunch, walked around, Rina got her hand painted and just enjoyed the beautiful sunny fall day. I love the fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, life is incredibly busy with two - I just want to throw that out there. I love my kids but wow. Mama needs a break sometimes! Thank the Lord for daddies! Single parents amaze me...

Sleepers

2010-10-08T03:53:00.001+02:00

What can I say - I have strange children. Every night (totally not kidding) Rina ends up on the floor. Before we go to bed either Bry or I goes in to her room to put her back on the bed. These pics show some of the places we have found her. What a goof-ball :) The pic of Micah is just cute I think :)

Tuesdays won't work anymore for me to update the blog. With MOPS it's just too busy for me. But I will try to update Wed or Thurs. Life has gotten a bit busy...

Truth

2010-09-30T14:39:00.003+02:00

This is a picture of my grandparents and all their great grandkids. We took another picture a couple of weeks before this one but Micah wasn't available at the time so everyone decided we needed to take another and include him. I can't believe they're basically all smiling!

Yes, life is busy these days. Amazing how a little baby can totally throw off routines :) All he does is eat, sleep, and poop, and yet somehow there goes most of my day!!

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Have you ever wondered about the word “amen?” Where did it come from and why do Christians say it?

The word “amen” is actually a Hebrew word. It has the idea of “I agree with what was just previously stated. I affirm that to be truth.” So, at the end of a prayer or at the end of a statement when you say “amen,” you are agreeing with what was just stated and claiming that you believe this is true.

This world would have you believe that truth really doesn’t matter bc there really is no such thing as truth anyway. But God’s Word says differently. Ps. 31:5 states that the Lord, Yhwh is “the God of truth,” and in John 4 Jesus says that the kind of worshipers God desires are those who “worship in spirit and in truth,” and He even goes on to claim that He is the Truth (Jn 14:6). There are many other Scriptures that speak of “truth” as if it actually exists. As believers today we stand against the kingdom of this world and proclaim “truth really does exist and we know Him by Name, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God who’s Name is Yahweh.”

Have you ever thought about how that is a wonderful and amazing thing to be able to say? In the midst of a world and a culture where values are constantly changing, rules and laws are getting made and broken daily, where what was bad yesterday is good today and what was acceptable to say and wear last year is no longer, how good is it to truly know that there is a God who does not change, who’s Word is eternal and who’s truth is from everlasting to everlasting. In the midst of a world that’s constantly pushing and pulling – you can know that you stand on solid ground when you are standing on the word of God. No wonder Jesus also said “if you hold to MY teachings then you are really my disciples and Then you will KNOW the TRUTH and the truth will set you free.” (Jn 8:30-31)

Because He Lives

2010-09-21T18:40:00.002+02:00

Last night I had an incredibly hard time. I'm going to blame it on hormones and being tired and potentially an attack. Whatever the reason, I was terrified of life and depressed. Rina was asleep in her room and Bry and I were getting ready for bed when Rina whimpered. It seriously was nothing, she didn't even wake up for it. But the thought crossed my mind - what if one day I'm not here to hear Rina cry and comfort her?!?!

Terrible I know. All of a sudden every fear for my children I've ever struggled over came back and it was all I could do to keep myself together. I was terrified of them being in pain and having to watch it happen. Or not being there to comfort them or... The thought crossed my mind - maybe it's better to never have kids bc then you never have to watch them struggle or go through pain. I can't tell you how afraid I was last night.

God was gracious and I was able to get control of myself before bed and fell asleep ok (yes I prayed). But this morning it was still heavy on my heart. While nursing Micah I realized a hymn had been running through my head and I hadn't even noticed it until I got to this line,

"how sweet to hold a newborn baby and feel the pride and joy he brings. But greater still the calm assurance this child can face uncertain days bc He lives."

The thought of Rina and Micah ever hurting is still not easy and I still have no assurance that their lives will be pain free. In fact, chances are they will both have hurts and pains sometimes in their life. BUT, Jesus lives and God is good. My children, even my self can face uncertain days bc He lives.

Bc He lives I can face tomorrow

Bc He lives all fear is gone

Bc I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just bc He lives

"It Only Hurts When I Cry"

2010-09-15T00:39:00.002+02:00

Whoever wrote that song was so wrong. There are some things that hurt even when you're not crying about them. In case you couldn't guess we said goodbye to my sister and her kids this past weekend. Although I cried hard only on Friday night during the goodbye it still hurt on Saturday, Sunday, Monday... I will be thankful for the day when there are no more goodbyes.

We're all doing well otherwise, just super busy right now. It's amazing how adding one more child really throws everything for a loop. Even though all Micah does right now is eat, sleep, and poop the kid takes a ton of my time! But you know, that's ok with me. I wouldn't change having him for the world.

Rina adores her brother "Ma-cah" as she calls him. Sometimes she can't kiss him enough or get her hands on him enough. There are moments when I wish she loved him a little less to be honest. There are still the moments of jealousy. Sometimes she just cries and goes in to her room, grabs her blankie, lays on her bed and calls for her pacifier. Yes, as long as she's willing to stay on the bed I've been giving it to her. It breaks my heart every time she does this.

Micah will be 3 weeks tomorrow and some days eats and eats and eats! I'll be curious to see how much he weighs at his 1 mos appt. If he grows like Rina did/is he'll jump quickly to the head of the chart at least in height if not weight for awhile as well. We'll see.

Micah Jon

2010-09-02T04:43:00.002+03:00

Look at the hair! That was one of the main things I heard in the delivery room after Micah was born. Yes, my son has a full head of hair already. And I had the heartburn to go along with it. I fully believe the old adage that heartburn during pregnancy means hair. I had heartburn with Rina and she was born with hair. I had more heartburn with Micah and he was born with more hair. If anyone begs to differ I would love to hear their story.

Why the names we chose? Well, obviously Jon is after Bryan and his dad. Only makes sense since Rina was named after me, my mom, and my grandma. Micah- well, that name means "who is like the LORD." We liked the idea that every time someone said our son's name they'd be declaring a truth about God even though they had no clue.

Labor/delivery- my water was broken at 8:10 and I was already dilated 4-5cm at that point. At 11:30 hard labor really began (I had a few hours of less intense and unstable contractions...) I did one dose of stahdol again (but I SERIOUSLY considered the epidural this time not gonna lie). I was ready to push about 1:30 (the worst part of the whole thing is wanting to push and not being able to in my opinion). Finally at 3 they said push! Micah was born at 3:03. Yep, 2 pushes and the boy was out. Praise the Lord. I don't know if I could have handled another 40 min pushing session, especially since Micah was bigger and a bit more painful coming out.

A huge answer to prayer we did not even know to pray about specifically - Micah came out with the cord around his neck. Thankfully it was not tight, and he did not have a bm in the womb (when they do it means the baby's in distress), and his heartbeat during the entire labor was consistent and strong. Nothing happened with the cord but, well, things can happen. So, we are incredibly thankful for a beautiful, strong, healthy boy.

Boy do I have a lot to learn...

Soon and Very Soon

2010-08-24T04:27:00.002+03:00

Take a good look baby bc the belly won't be there much longer! Woohoo :) The first picture is courtesy of my little sister who took a "belly" shot without me knowing it. Thanks, Jen!

I had a Dr.'s appt today. I am now probably up to 4cm dilated (if I keep going like this I may not need to go in to the hospital except to push :) ) however, the Dr. did not want to check too closely bc the baby is sooooooo low he (the Dr.) could feel the sac and was afraid he would pop it. Apparently, I could go at any moment. And probably (please Lord!) when I do go will go fast. Not to mention will more than likely go this week. He doubts I'd make it to my due date. In fact, he was quite surprised I didn't go this past weekend.

So, did I want to just pop the bag (break my water) and get things started???? After talking it over with Bryan we decided to schedule for Wednesday. I'd still really like to have this thing happen on its own so I'm giving my body 1 more day to go in to labor. (not to mention giving Bry one more day to get work stuff in order) But if it doesn't happen by Wed morning at 7am on its own, then lets just get things moving. The baby's ready, I'm ready, let's go for it.

Rina... what can I say. The girl can crack me up, not to mention being so darn cute! And a stinker :) We will see how she does with baby b around!

Cousin Time

2010-08-18T15:24:00.003+03:00

The first pic is of me taken last Friday. I was on my way to a friend's wedding. My sisters did my hair and makeup basically :) I am a full 3 cm now. Just waiting... Thankfully it's easier now that the humidity is down. Last week was rough, that's all I'll say :)

Rina loves having cousins around. Whether VanHaitsma or Copenhaver she's enjoyed the time she gets to spend with them. We wish they all were closer! Maybe someday...

I'm not really sure if it's the lack of schedule right now, the immanent arrival of baby b, or just simply the terrible two's coming but Rina has her moments lets just say. "No" has definitely become an all-time favorite word. She quickly gets frustrated if toys and things don't go exactly the way she wants them to. Depending on her mood she can be a "tad" defiant, and then the whining! Thankfully she still has many times when she's sweet and laughs and a lot of fun but there are moments...

Summer Fun

2010-08-10T22:03:00.002+03:00

We've done a much better job this year of getting out to the beach (or to a pool) then we did last year or the year before. It is easier now that Rina's getting older definitely. But it's also been HOTTER which means I'm more likely to want to get a little wet as well.

At the beginning of the summer Rina did not want to be put down in the water at all. As time goes by she's getting braver and enjoying the water more. Last week she walked me out into Lake Mi till she was up to her shoulders and laughed as the waves hit her :)

These days I feel like a space cadet. My energy was wiped out long ago but more and more I feel like my brain is shutting down as well. Thinking just doesn't seem to be coming naturally anymore. I'm blaming it on pregnancy plus humidity plus a toddler. Sounds good to me anyways :)

As of this point I am dilated 2-3 cm and 60-70% effaced!!! Woohoo, let the dilation continue!!

Mommy and Rina

2010-08-04T05:30:00.002+03:00

Well, the first picture shows me at the end of my 8 mos pregnancy stint. The last two are from earlier in the month. Phew, we are counting down the days, the hours, the weeks, and please Lord - no more mos!

So far everything looks good. The baby's dropped in to position. I have dilated already 1-2 cm (but I stayed there for a month with Rina!) So, now we all need to pray that this baby does not come late :) Actually, I have been telling God that I'd like this baby out sooner rather than later but in His time either way. I'm hoping He agrees with me ;)

Sleepy Girl

2010-07-28T03:43:00.003+03:00

I think this picture was taken as we were cutting Rina off from the pacifier unless she was in her

crib. If I remember correctly Rin had actually been awake for a few minutes but was refusing to get out of the crib bc she didn't want to let go of her paci :) I finally tempted her with food and she gave up the mouth piece :)

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I once heard it stated "the Lord is on the side of the poor. So if you want to be on God's side be on the side of the poor." To be honest, that statement really bothered me. Partially bc our view of "the poor" can be different than the OT view of poor in my opinion (those who are truly unable to take care of themselves vrs those who seem more unwilling). But also bc I always wondered is God really on anyone's side vrs someone else?

There's a passage in Joshua that has always made me smile. It's found in Joshua 5, it's right before the fall of Jericho by God through Israel. Joshua is walking around the wall of Jericho and he sees a man with a drawn sword. Bravely and pointedly Joshua walks up to the man and asks him - "are you for us or for our enemies?" The man's response? "Neither... but as commander of the LORD's army I have now come." and Joshua hits the deck.

I've always found the man's response interesting and even slightly humorous but I think I finally am beginning to understand it. In essence I think he's saying this, "Joshua, I'm not on your side. But I'm not on their side. I'm on the LORD's side. Now you tell me, Joshua, who's side are you on?"

You would think that if God was on anyone's side it was Israel's. In fact, the very next week God shows Himself as fighting for Israel and Jericho collapses. So why does the man respond the way he does?

I think bc God wasn't ON Israel's side, however, God had chosen Israel to be on HIS side. Big difference. The issue isn't is God for Israel or for Jericho, just as the issue isn't is God for me or for Joe-blow down the street. (it's not about "us.") The question that should be asked is - am I choosing to place myself on God's side, i.e. obey Him, get to know Him, acknowledge Him as Lord, Savior, God...

So when an enemy came against Israel, God fought the enemy bc they in essence were now fighting against Him. If you're in God's army when someone chooses to fight against you they are also choosing to fight against your commanding officer - God.

I think the old hymn got it right and we are now getting it wrong. The question we need to begin asking and answering is "who is on the Lord's side? Savior, we are thine..."

Discipline

2010-07-20T18:42:00.003+03:00

Originally I had thought these pics were taken of me in my 8th month but they were taken in June so I was only 7 mos there. I need to get an 8 mos picture before my 8th mos is done :)

We're all doing well. Rina had a bit of a cold last week and she still has the cough and runny nose but that's it. I picked up the cough from her but thankfully nothing else.

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I recently read a book titled "Shepherding a Child's Heart." I would heartily recommend it. I don't agree with everything (but who does with anyone or anything these days) but the main premise of the book is excellent. You need to reach your child's heart, not just change his/her behavior. Discipline is about restitution, restoring the child to his place under your authority and ultimately under God's, restoring the relationship that the child broke by disobeying you and therefore, God. Since God has set you over your child - any offence against you is ultimately against God.

The book makes a connection between our discipline and God's. Our discipline is to be restorative bc God's is restorative. All throughout Scripture whenever God disciplined (be it Israel or whomever) it was always to restore the relationship, to bring the person or people back under God's authority and therefore into a position of being blessed. Obedience itself IS a blessing, and disobedience IS a curse. I can already see it with Rina.

Prov 3:11-12 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent His rebuke, bc the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son He delights in.

Family Time

2010-07-13T15:16:00.002+03:00

Bryan's brother Jared and his family were in town last week. We had a great time with them. Went to the beach a couple of times, Sandcastles (a Children's museum), walks, hung out, played games, read stories, pillow attack... Always sad to see them go. We're looking forward to Christmas!

It's Killin' me!

2010-07-02T19:32:00.007+03:00

The Pacifier fight continues... Apparently some habits die hard.

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I've been thinking about all the things that could kill me lately and to be honest, it's quite a list! Only eat organic fruits and veggies bc the pesticides on the other ones will kill you. Only eat whole wheat flour but better make sure it's real whole wheat and not just white dyed brown bc white bread will kill you. Any high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils in your diet, yep your dead meat. Speaking of meat the more animal flesh you eat the worse off you'll be. Oh, and there's the don't eat using any type of plastic bc we all KNOW what's in plastic these days.

Make sure you get some sun bc it's good for Vit D and helps from keeping you depressed (and we all know things can happen when we're depressed) but don't get too much sun or it'll kill ya.

Speaking of pesticides, did you know many type of pesticides can kill you. Not to mention the cleaning agents you use in your home - so many chemicals!! Not to mention the chemicals and contents that have already gone into the building of your home and the making of your car. But at least your home isn't polluting the environment the way your car is. Yep, killing yourself there too.

But it's not just at home - it's everywhere! Schools - did you know all the chemicals you can pick up at school these days from the toxic markers to the whitewash boards spreading chemicals through the air! And fast food restaurants don't even get me started on those! Fake, processed meats, cheeses, bread, and even a green thing that they claim is lettuce but I don't believe 'em! Now work, that's a dangerous place too! If you sit too much you can die earlier but if you get up to eat too many of the treats that get brought in - you could die earlier, and don't even begin to get me started on all the coffee people ingest at work daily and what caffeine can do to you!

But the most important thing of all - make sure while you're eating your veggie sandwich (from veggies that you grew yourself and homemade whole wheat tofu bread with non dairy non processed cheese) and standing outside getting fresh air partially in the shade and partially in the sun, drinking water from the nearest mountain stream bc that's the freshest and purest, wearing clothes that are organic and somehow pasteurized, and wearing a hat just in case you get too much sun along with homemade sunscreen and bug protection (bc we all KNOW how many diseases they carry) make sure to laugh. Bc stress can also kill ya.

Disclaimer- you can do everything on this list and still you will probably die one day...

Memorial Day

2010-06-29T21:51:00.005+03:00

what's Memorial Day without a little water :)

Exhaustion

2010-06-23T14:43:00.002+03:00

Notice Rin's "booboo" in the first picture. She's very proud of it and shows it off to people :) Notice also her hat I bought for her that she hates wearing these days and usually we're not outside in the sun enough for it to be worth the fight. I can't handle too much sun right now either...

Life is just not always the easiest these days. Now, I really can't complain. The pregnancy is going very well. It was at this point last time we learned I was small, the baby (Rina) was small, and my fluid was low and they needed to keep on eye on us. Trust me, I'm not small this time :) I still have a wonderful husband who as soon as he's "home" helps with Rina, dinner, clean up... and Rina, for the most part, is a good child.

However, Rina is truly my child which means she has her moments of willful defiance and even, dare I say it, a little stubbornness. Last night I think she got a little smack on the butt about 6 times bc she kept throwing books on the floor (or by the end just dropping them on the floor and then looking at me to see how I'd react). You know when your children know they're disobeying. They get that "look." Then Bryan ended up working till 6:30 instead of his usual 5 :( Not to mention the heat of summer, "chasing" after a toddler all day who decided to not take a long nap, and two walks outside in the heat and humidity. And a pregnancy that's definitely (thankfully) growing. It all equals E.X.H.A.U.S.T.I.O.N. I was ready for bed last night the same time as Rina...

Temper temper...

2010-06-15T21:44:00.002+03:00

Just in case I've ever give you the impression I have the world's only perfect child these days :) Here's a pic of Rina throwing a little temper tantrum. I don't remember what it was about. Could be anything sometimes...

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It almost feels anti climactic to get back to our discussion but I will just to end it :) If, as opposed to the way many think today, keeping God's specific commands (all 613) didn't "save" Israel then why did God give them commands?

I think quite a few reasons actually but I'll just do two.

Practically - think about it, these people have been in slavery for almost 400 years! They have absolutely NO CLUE what it's like to live as non-slaves, as free people. They don't know what it's like to run a nation, own slaves themselves, run towns or villages. They need to be taught - you're no longer slaves, here's how you live.

Spiritually/eternally - These people have little or no knowledge of the God of Israel anymore. That's one of the reason (I think) Moses asks for God's name. The name of the deity was very important - it told you about the deity. In essence Moses was asking God - what are you like? Through giving Israel specific commands, God was giving them knowledge of who He is and what He is like. Be just bc I am just. Be merciful bc I am merciful. Don't murder- all life is important to Me...

Along with that - God chose Israel to be His representative to the nations. Israel was to be "like God" in their actions so that the world could look at them and say "oh, your God must be just bc you are just. Your God must be merciful bc you are merciful..." Israel was to show God to the world in how they lived- differently, separately, unlike those around them, holy.

So, what about us? Is it any different for us today? Can I tell people "you want to know what God is like- watch my life. I live like Him." Hard thought I'll be honest. Too often that's probably not the case...

Torah

2010-06-08T18:50:00.004+03:00

Rina loves to swing :) Sometimes when we go to a park that's all she wants to do. Forget the slides, the playground, just let her swing!!! It is so much fun every day watching this little person grow and learning more and more what she's like. We just love her :)

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Before we jump back into the previous discussion there's one more tangent I'd like to take. What is the "Law" or what does it mean? We see it in Scripture, talk about how we're not "under the Law" but what in the world does it really mean? How can the Psalms repeatedly talk about "delighting in the Law," "meditating on the Law day and night," and even "putting my hope in the Law"?

The Hebrew word behind Law (in OT) is the word "Torah." So every time you read "the Law" in OT you need to think "Torah." I even tell people to scratch out "Law" and write in "Torah" if that helps :) Bc you see, Law is an incredibly poor translation for Torah. To translate Torah as Law is like saying "parenting is all about discipline." I know I'm a mom bc I discipline my child. My child knows who her mom is bc she knows who disciplines her. Now, discipline is an important part of parenting but it is just a PART. Parenting itself is a whole lot more!

The same is true of Torah. Law/commands are an aspect of Torah. They are in there, I won't/can't deny them. BUT Torah is so much more than the specific commands. Torah is better translated as "teaching, revelation, instruction." The picture behind the word for Torah is 'to shoot at a target with aim and accuracy" and as Dwight Pryor says "the aim of Torah is life." In other words, God gave us Torah to teach us how to live!

Torah is God's revelation of Himself. It's all about God. To translate this word as Law misses so much of the heart and depth behind the word, it's true meaning. Torah was given to bless Israel, to guide Israel in how to live, to teach Israel about what their God was like. Yes, commands are a part of that but only a part. Torah is God's revelation of Himself to us. This is the way the Jewish people look at and read the OT. And I think they're right.

So sad for us that all we can think of is "boy I'm glad 'the Law' is done."

Update

2010-06-01T22:33:00.003+03:00

The first picture is just of my adorable little girl (no, I'm not biased :) ) with one of her new favorite habits. Sipping the leftover milk from her bowl. Her daddy taught her how to do that and he is very proud of her :)

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I thought I'd take a break from the "heavy" discussions and just do a quick update on... me :) This picture was taken at the beginning of my 6th mos. I am now bigger being at the end of my 6th month. I can't believe how fast this is going but I'm thankful. With Rina's pregnancy I was so excite to experience every little part of it, with this one I just can't wait to finally hold and see this little one!!!! And be able to sleep through the night (at least occasionally), get up and down without grunting, work out well, see my feet.... All the little stuff :) But it is fun feeling a baby move inside me again :)

Not to mention for the first time last week I told Bryan - I feel like an old married woman. I'm sore and tired every morning, I don't move quickly, I grunt and groan (so much so that Rina groans at times when she moves), nothing seems to be coming easy anymore, I have little to no energy, not to mention my emotions can be ummmmmm, in a state of flux, I can't wait to get in to bed at night- I feel old!!! And to top it off I'll be 30 this year!

I told Bryan he needed to let me know I was still young and beautiful and the more he told me the better :)

It's growing!

2010-05-25T22:34:00.003+03:00

Rina's hair is growing out!!!!!!! I love the way it looks. It's similar to Bryan's hair in that it can have a wave at the bottom of it. No, I didn't do her hair. Rina had a babysitter one day who decided to be all girly and painted her nails and did her hair. It was cute but she doesn't have enough hair to keep things in.

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So, who or what saved Israel and when? Well, let's look at Scripture. Exodus 15:2 states " The LORD is my strength and my song. He has BECOME my SALVATION..." (emphasis mine) Verse 16 goes on to say "... Until Your people pass by, Oh LORD, until the people YOU BOUGHT pass by." (emphasis mine) Lastly, Is 51:10 states "Was it not You... who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the REDEEMED might cross over?" (emphasis mine)

The first two verses are in the context of the song that Moses and the children of Israel sang after crossing through the sea. The last is from Isaiah referencing the children of Israel crossing through the Sea. These are not the only references that describe the children of Israel being redeemed at this point-fyi. The Exodus event is THE EVENT in the OT. In fact, it has been called by some scholars "the model or paradigm for salvation throughout all of Scripture" for very good reason that I won't take the time to get in to.

In other words, the Exodus event, the crossing of the Sea and entering into Covenant* with God at Sinai is the salvation event for Israel in the OT. Read the Exodus account - Israel does nothing to earn God's help. They don't even cry out to Him! They are in slavery to Pharaoh - a horrible taskmaster who's main purpose is to use and destroy them. There is absolutely nothing they can do to remove themselves from slavery to Egpyt. God intervenes and pulls them out of the kingdom of Egypt "baptizes them" through the crossing of the sea and enters into Covenant with them, essentially telling them - "You are now My people and I am now Your God. You are no longer under Pharaoh's authority, you are under Mine. We are in a covenantal relationship now."

Look familiar?

And ALL of this was done before Israel had done anything to earn God's help/salvation. Read Deut. chapters 11 and 30. Repeatedly Moses tells Israel "you didn't do anything to earn God's salvation and you aren't anything that should earn God's salvation!"

God entered into Covenant with Israel BEFORE they had "the Law." God saved Israel from Egypt BEFORE they had the "Law." God brought Israel through the sea BEFORE they had the "Law." So, who saved Israel - God did. When - at the Exodus event and it culminated in the making of the Mosaic Covenant on Mt Sinai. The "Law" had nothing to do with Israel's being saved and therefore, could not un-save Israel. Does all this make sense????

So, why did God give Israel the "Law?"

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*A Covenant is like but firmer than a binding oath or a solemn agreement. You do not break covenants bc the penalty of breaking them can be death. Marriage use to be called the "marriage covenant" and that was acknowledged by the phrase "till death do us part" bc nothing else is suppose to or allowed to break a covenant.

Flu and Law

2010-05-18T17:14:00.004+03:00

Another picture of Rina in her Easter dress. Not really sure what that face is saying :)

Well, Rina has the flu :( She was acting semi sick yesterday at times and didn't really eat a lot. Then, last night (thank the Lord while Bryan was "home") Rina threw up twice :(

As hard as it is having the flu myself, it really is harder watching your child go through it. Especially when they're too young to understand what's going on. Pray no one else gets sick please!!! We have Biblestudy this Friday night (I'm teaching) and a wedding on Saturday Bryan is in...

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The Biblestudy I'm teaching is a 6 week course I titled "My Delight is in the Law of the Lord." I think there is a major misunderstanding today in the Western Christian Church's view on God's relationship with Israel, Israel's relationship with "the Law," Jesus and Paul and their view on this subject, all of which then extends into the believer's relationship with the Lord today.

Now, do I think this is a "salvation" issue? In other words, can we agree to disagree and still be saved - yes I think so :) However, I do think this is a vital issue to better and more accurately understanding God, the Bible, the way He works, salvation... I personally think it's a big deal.

For example - who or what saved Israel in the Old Testament? Most Christians today talk as if and truly believe the Jewish people in the OT had to "keep the Law" to be saved. As it states in Romans 6 they were "under the Law." Ah, but is this true Biblically speaking or are we just so use to the way we think we stop paying attention to what the Bible actually says? How (and even when) was Israel saved??? Any thoughts?

The Simple Life

2010-05-12T15:45:00.002+03:00

I know when I update a day late I'm going to hear about it :) (see comment on last blog)

Rina had woken up from a nap but wasn't ready to be "up" yet so she and Bryan snuggled for a bit on the couch while I finished dinner. Rina had her pacifier, her blankie, and her daddy - life is good :)

Last night was one of those nights that just make you say "thank You Lord for the life I have." It was a very quiet simple night at home. It had been pouring rain all day and the wind was blowing. We had no plans for the evening and didn't feel like doing anything. So, after dinner Bryan helped me do a quick clean up of the downstairs and vacuum (which has been needing it for some time), then we made a fire in the fireplace and just sat for awhile and enjoyed it while Rina played with different toys or sat with us. It was a perfect evening.

Now growing up the nights I remember enjoying the most are the ones where we as a family just hung out and had fun, but in college I remember struggling with that picture for my future. I was going to be the missionary, the one overseas who was giving her life to missions and didn't have time for marriage, a family, or a home. No simple "normal" life for me!

I still struggle with that desire sometimes to be honest, but as life continues I can't imagine things any other way. Maybe it's ok to have a home, make a family, and just enjoy being together. Maybe the "simple" life really is one of the best options after all.

Sittin' Pretty

2010-05-04T22:21:00.003+03:00

These pics were taken a few weeks ago at our friend's home in Niles Mi. It was a beautiful day outside and so warm in the sun. It's hard to tell with the pacifier in but Rina is smiling big in the second picture. She loves to sit on daddy's shoulders and she loves to be outside :)

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Last week I gave some thoughts on worship. Well, what about praise.

There are many words for praise in Hebrew. But they all come from one root word. Yadah, which means to declare to confess. All of the words for praise are built on this Hebrew word, yadah. Interestingly this word is related to the word yad which means hand. In other words it is Biblically appropriate to raise your hands during a time of praise bc when you lift up your hands while praying or singing you are declaring or confessing God as God. One lifts up ones hands in Covenant loyalty – affirming allegiance to God. By raising the hand or hands you are publicly declaring "You are God. I am in Covenant relationship with You, I no longer am my own. Now I belong to You fully and completely, I am Yours."

Praise occurs when you are declaring or confessing who and what God is, what God has done, what God is doing or is going to do. Praise can even occur when you simply declare – He is God. This can happen again during a Sunday morning service while singing, at work when you declare to your fellow co-workers I’m different bc He is God and I’m not. At school, at home, or even when you’re by yourself and you declare with the heavens the glory of God.

Worship is a response to God, His attributes, His actions, His word. Praise is declaring and confessing something about God, who He is or what He has done. Both can occur in community setting or individually, on a Sunday morning or while sitting at your desk at work, while washing dishes or changing a diaper. We are to live lives of praise and worship to God. My actions, emotions, and thoughts are not only to be responding to God but also declaring to the world that He is God. Remember - it takes all of me :)

Two Adorable Chillin's and Worship

2010-04-27T21:41:00.005+03:00

The two pics are of an absolutely adorable little boy named Jack Chestnut. I want to school in Israel with his parents and was even there when they met. Aw love :) The middle one is of me, sigh, pregnant in my 4th month. Yes, for those of you counting I am actually in my 5th month so I am even bigger now then I was in that picture. Let's not go there...

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Have you ever wondered about worship? What is it exactly, how do you do it?

Well, I recently listened to a message on worship from Dwight Pryor and I wrote down some of his quotes. One thing I learned, though, was about the word Worship itself – it comes from the old English word "Worth-ship" and means "to ascribe, to attribute, to give worth to something or someone." The Hebrew word for "worship"carries with it the connotations of "to bow down, to kneel, to serve." Interesting, worship and serving go together...

"Worship is high, lofty" bc you are exalting the exalted one and worship needs to reflect the one you worship. "The worshiper is made low, humble, is undone." For an example of worship read the beginning of Is 6. "Worship is a recognition and a response to God’s holiness." "Giving thanks and praise for God’s goodness in all that He has done for His people." "Worship is a heartfelt response to God’s holiness." In other words, when you worship the Lord you are responding to Him, His actions, His attributes…

True worship of God occurs by ascribing worth to Him, and whether physically, mentally or spiritually when we are humbled before Him and we bow before His throne acknowledging You are God. When our hearts are moved in ways we can't explain and filled with words we can't express, when the awe, the majesty, the grandeur, and the beauty of the Lord fills our hearts, our minds, our very being till we are lost in the exultation of Him alone - this is true worship. It involves all of me.

Here is a quote from Bishop William Temple (Former Archbishop of Canterbury from the last century). He described worship this way "to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God. To feed the mind with the truth of God. To purge the imagination by the beauty of God, and to open the heart to the love of God. And to devote one's will to the purpose of God."

May we truly worship the LORD God all the days of our lives.

The Many Faces of Rina

2010-04-20T21:41:00.000+03:00

She's just adorable isn't she :)

Silly Girl

2010-04-13T22:44:00.003+03:00

Who needs toys when you can play with wipes, shoes, socks, cloth diapers, pants.... And who needs a bedroom when you have a great shower like this to play in??? Yes, I do have a silly little girl who for the past month or so has decided this shower is one of her favorite places to sit and play. I have found wipes, shoes, socks, clothing and a few toys all in this shower. Thankfully not all at once, that would be a little crowded.

I have my 5 month ultrasound this Friday! Nope, we're not finding out what we're having again. It's just more exciting in my opinion but I know MANY people don't feel that way. This one is definitely going faster - but it helps that we didn't know we were pregnant for the first 2 months :)

Easter

2010-04-06T22:35:00.002+03:00

I know, we still haven't taken a family pic yet. Whoops :) Well, you can't really see the changes in my belly (yes, I definitely am showing) but you can tell by the change in my face. I always think my face looks round but when I'm pregnant, well, let's just say my tummy isn't the only thing that rounds out. Rina in her Easter dress - isn't she adorable :)

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The four cups - if you're not sure to what I'm referring read the last post :) There is evidence that this tradition has been around for over two thousand years. In other words, Jesus Himself would have celebrated Passover by drinking these four cups - being the good Jewish boy that He was :)

The first cup is called The Cup of Sanctification. It is drunk at the very beginning of the Seder. It helps to sanctify/set apart the day, the meal, and the one who drinks it. The names also have a lot to do with the specific phrase that it's referring to from Exodus 6:6-7. I will bring you out from under the Egyptians.

The second cup is called The Cup of Deliverance and commemorates Israel's deliverance from Egypt. It is drunk after the telling of the Exodus account.

The third cup is called the Cup of Redemption and celebrates God's redemption of Israel and recalls His specific statement - I will redeem you with an outstretched arm. This is taken after the meal. Here's where things get interesting for the Christian. You are suppose to drink wine (or grape juice) bc the redness of the drink reminds the drinker of the blood that was shed by the passover lamb and even by all the sacrifices that were shed. It is thought by some (myself included) that this is the cup Jesus was referring to when He said "this cup is MY blood shed for the forgiveness of sins." The cup of redemption.

The fourth cup is the Cup of praise to exalt God for His salvation from Egypt/sin and His taking Israel/us to be His own people. Again for the Christian this gets interesting. Some believe (myself included) that this was the cup Jesus was referring to when He told His disciples "you drink from it but I will drink from it again until I drink it anew with you in My Father's Kingdom." Jesus knew that before He could drink from the cup of Praise of God's salvation acts in history He must drink from the cup of God's wrath that would be poured out on calvary.

Hope this gives a little insight the next time you take Communion :)

-Names of cups can very slightly from book to book but taken in same places and mean same thing.

Passover

2010-03-30T17:55:00.003+03:00

I think this is a beautiful picture of Rina. And of course I am totally not biased or anything :) She is getting soooo tall! Both Bry and I think she just went through another growth spurt. It will be weird to go back to a little one again when this next one is born :)

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If you have ever been to a traditional Passover Seder you are aware that there are 4 specific times during the Seder that you are suppose to drink (wine/grape juice). Before each drink the traditional blessing is chanted - Blessed are you Lord God, King of the Universe who creates the fruit of the vine. Amen. (only in Hebrew) and then everyone drinks. This tradition is called "The Four Cups" and there's evidence that this was already in place before the time of Jesus.

This tradition came from a very careful reading of Exodus 6:6-7. "Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, "I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians."

Believing that God does not waste ink and that every word is in Scripture for a reason and extremely important the Sages (Jewish teachers) asked themselves, why does God say the same thing four different times in that passage? The answer must be that He's not repeating Himself, each statement refers to a different aspect of the salvation of Israel from Egypt.

First God says He would "bring you out..." Secondly, "I will deliver you from their bondage." Thirdly, "I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm." And finally, "I will take you for My people." If each promise of God refers to a different aspect of God's salvation, and since there's a Psalm (116:13) that states, "I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord" then, it would be appropriate to drink 4 times to remember the fullness of the salvation of the LORD in the Exodus.

More on each of the four cups next week...

2010-03-24T15:37:00.002+02:00

My very serious child. Who knows if she's ignoring me or looking at something intently :) Both are possible.

Life is busy these days and I find myself always tired. I know, believe me, I have a toddler and I'm pregnant what am I expecting. And Rina seems to like to get into EVERYTHING right now, especially if I'm doing something. Apparently that's prime time for mischief.

Rina's vocab is slightly increasing :) She says the occasional momma, often says dadda, cookie and cracker are still two big favorites. But we've also added shoe, turtle, potentially hello and no to the mix. For not having a big vocab the girl babbles a ton! I love hearing it. She has the inflection, the hand gestures, the facial expressions - everything just not the actual words :) Oh and there are times the lips don't really move but there's a heck of a lot of sound coming out. Didn't realize you could say so much with one syllable :)

Sorry about not updating yesterday. This week and next week are busy with Passover prep and life.

Why Do We Serve

2010-03-15T22:50:00.004+02:00

Some days are just hard apparently :) My guess is Rina had just woken up from a nap and was cranky bc I wasn't getting her milk ASAP!!! Mean momma that I am I decided to grab a quick pic first. Either that or I told her "no" to something and that caused the little fussiness.

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Why do we serve? Why do we do the nice things that we do? I recently had the Holy Spirit question me on this when I did something nice for someone and there was no gratitude shown by the other person. I was a little irked by it but the Holy Spirit softly and gently asked me this “Erika, why did you do this nice thing – was it bc you simply believed I had asked you too, or bc you wanted the gratitude, the thank you that makes you feel good?” Ouch.

Why do we serve? If we are serving the Lord simply bc He has asked us to and He is Master and we are the servants then whether or not we receive recognition won't matter. Whether or not the thank you is ever said, the applause is ever heard, the acknowledgement of ALL that we have done is seen, whether credit is ever truly given where credit is due, and whether gratitude is expressed with heartfelt appreciation will not matter. Bc that's NOT why we're serving.

There is a prayer in the Covenant Service Methodist Worship Book that sums this up well I think.

I am no longer my own but yours,

Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;

Put me to doing; put me to suffering;

Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,

Exalted for you, or brought low for you;

Let me be full, let me be empty

Let me have all things, let me have nothing;

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal...

May we learn to serve, and gently be admonished by the Holy Spirit when we are not, simply bc we are the servants and He is the Master. And if He calls I will come and serve, and when He is silent so will I be, no matter what I think I deserve.

Pics

2010-03-09T20:48:00.000+02:00

Busy Day. Busy Week. Busy Month. Enjoy the pics!

Purim Celebration

2010-03-02T04:09:00.002+02:00

This past week was the feast of Lots also known as Purim. Bryan and I have talked before that for 1 year we'd like to keep all the Biblical feasts - at least the 7 major ones from Leviticus and if we could the minor ones as well. No, we're not starting that yet, although we are celebrating Passover again this year. However, we did decide to have a mini Purim celebration.

For starters we made Hamantashen (a kind of sugar cookie with a filling and in a triangle shape). Besides making a total mess in my kitchen I wasn't the best at the triangle shapes either :) The first pic shows our first attempts. They grew a bit more than we realized. They have a strawberry filling I bought at the grocery store. The next pic shows our second attempt - much better :) And we decided to be creative with the fillings. We tried cinnamon/sugar, honey, and powdered sugar. I have to say they are really good!!!! If anyone wants the recipe just let me know... They are pretty easy too.

After the mess was partially cleaned up we all sat down for a reading of the book of Esther. Not exactly the way the Jews do bc Bryan refused to try to chant/sing through the book :) And he read in English and we only read the first 5 chapters. Tomorrow we'll read through the rest. BUT every time he said the name Mordecai or Esther I cheered (and shook toys) and with Haman I booed. I enjoy the story but the booing and cheering do make things more fun :) Rina seemed to enjoy that as well. Hopefully in a few years she'll be joining me....

Oh, and if you're wondering what Rina was doing through all the cooking- besides grabbing the toilet paper out of our bathroom and grabbing goldfish from the cupboard, she was terrorizing magazines :) Yes, we did let her try a cookie and did she enjoy it!

Walks

2010-02-23T03:50:00.003+02:00

We try to go for a walk several times a week. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't. We're better when it's warmer. Rina gets all gussied up in her pink snow suit. It looks like the one she wore last winter only this ones a tad bigger. The third picture I just think is too adorable of her so I added it :) One day she found a couple of my scarves in the closet and decided to add them to her wardrobe. After a day or two of that the scarves became "so yesterday" as she moved on to bigger and better things. Any piece of clothing Rina found she began putting on, hence the sweater over the pjs. That lasted a day or two. She hasn't done that for awhile but tonight she was back in my drawers putting my shirts around her neck again. Too cute :)

In other news I'm doing well. Still tired but as a friend reminded me today I am 2 years older than I was when I was pregnant with Rina so that has to be doing something :)

It's Official!

2010-02-17T22:57:00.002+02:00

Well, it's official, this little girl is going to be a big sister! That's right. Come August 30th Rina will have either a little brother or a little sister. Nope, we're not finding out what this baby is either, other than the fact that this one also is human (not a deer :) nightmare from last pregnancy).

Sorry I didn't update the blog yesterday. Yes, I try to always update on Tuesday but I realized yesterday that if I waited till today I would have more info on the pregnancy for you all so I figured you could wait one more day :)

I wasn't sure how far along I was until this morning when I had an ultrasound. I thought I was only 9 weeks pregnant but Praise the Lord I am actually 12 weeks! Woohoo, almost done with the tired-phase!!!! The morning sickness hasn't been too bad (I learned early on if I kept food in my belly I felt better which is so not good when you have chocolate in the house!) But the tired-ness has been intense at times! I'm definitely ready to have some energy back!!

Otherwise, everything looked good. The baby was sooo cute moving and bouncing all over during the ultrasound. Sigh, I'm in love :) Yes, we will have two kids under the age of two for two months. I know, I know, crazy but we'll make it through - everyone always does.

Who's In There?

2010-02-10T17:25:00.003+02:00

What can I say the girl cracks me up! Rina is very very curious and seems to be very observant. She get's that from her dad definitely. I can miss the most obvious things in the world! Bryan was in the bathroom and had shut the door. Well, Rina was curious what was going on so.... why not peek under? Sometimes she'll even stick her hands under the door :)

Anytime we go a place that's semi-new Rina gets very serious and has to check everything out. That's all I hear from people. "Wow, she notices everything!" Yes she does apparently. She doesn't smile a lot in public bc she's too busy watching and noticing. Whether it's church, the grocery store, the mall, a new house.... whatever. I'd love to know what she's thinking :)