This morning I morphed into the energizer bunny! Right now, I feel like my battery needs to be recharged.
BUT, this morning I had FIVE CHILD-FREE HOURS to pack, pack, pack!
After the first hour and a half a lot of reflecting took place. I was feeling so bad as I packed up all my kids toys and all their things. Feeling a bit guilty that they were going to come home to a pretty bare and empty bedroom and I had not warned Noah that I was packing all of his things away.
As I was packing the Lord gave me some sweet reminders of how our life has changed over the last 5 months. Our life has changed because of HIM. HE changed our hearts and still is. These are some lessons HE reminded me of that HE is trying to teach us. It was so neat to look back and see how the Lord really has changed my heart. And not only mine, but my children's and Steve's.
We moved out of our home five months ago and rented it out. We LOVED our new little home of exactly two years. We put so much money and sweat into making that place a home. Our FAMILY put so much money and sweat and hours into making it a sweet home for our family!! We couldn't be more grateful. It was a filthy place when we moved in and needed lots of TLC. We saw so much potential in it and some of the final touches happened the DAY we moved out and rented it. That was hard! Things we had wanted to do for the first two years didn't get accomplished until it was time to leave it.
Then, we moved into the missionary house next to the church. That was a hard transition I was not prepared for. I was so worried about Romania being a hard transition for my children, I didn't think twice about this first move. The first two months were horrendous!
We felt like we had two newborns who couldn't sleep through the night.
Many discipline problems with our little Paige.
The house was so small we never wanted to be in it.
But we have grown to love this little place that has become our home over the last five months. For the first two months here, Noah would often mention our real house and he wanted his own room back so badly! We would just cry together over it! My heart ached, even though I knew that where God was calling us made every family member sacrifice and it was for our good!
Here are a couple things we have/are learning from the Lord & His Word:
Lesson Learning #1: This world is not our home. It is so temporary and we eagerly await to be at home with our Savior! "...Having acknowledged they were strangers and exiles on the earth." ~Heb. 11:13
*Last night we were sitting in the floor playing and Steve asked Noah where his home was. He said, "right here." This brought much comfort to me to know that he realizes wherever the four of us are together--that is our home. It isn't one house or one state .....it is wherever Noah, Paige, Cali and Steve are. Our family makes a home.
"But our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it we await a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ." ~Phil. 3:20
Lesson Learning #2: This world has nothing for me! The Lord continues to ask me, "where is your treasure?" Is it in a home, decorating a home, clothing, stuff or is it the Gospel--Jesus Christ?
Packing up all of our stuff, much of which we cannot bring along is hard. I realized today that some things I really wanted to take with me just will not fit. The Lord continues to remind me of how much stuff we have and it really is not necessary.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
~Matt. 6:19-21
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." ~Matt. 13:44-46
The Gospel...Jesus....is the treasure. I am living fully invested to Him..not to this world!
Lesson Learning #3: Living with Arms wide open
I keep imagining what life will be like in Romania. It is fun to dream and imagine and then compare that to reality in a month! It will be interesting to see the stark contrasts I am sure. As I am packing I keep thinking to myself, what if someone steals this? what if someone just comes in our home when we aren't there and takes _____? I am so concerned about my stuff sometimes! So, the Lord is teaching us to live with hands wide open, palms up to Him and just saying "Lord all of this is Yours! You gave it! We want to take care of everything He has blessed us with from small material possessions that are special to us to the most valuable gifts of all--our children. We will do our best, but we also want to make sure that we are careful how we cling to things and the motive of clinging to it.
This quote is a great reminder for me.
"Whatever you are holding on to in this life, hold it loosely so it won't hurt when the Lord has to pry your fingers open to take it away."
Well, it just hurts when things get taken away that we love or want. My house for instance! Steve's job! Our church! Our family! We are just learning to live with hands wide open, palms face up to Him. For it is all His in the first place.
He knows what to do with it best!
I just need to trust Him!
"Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. "
~Phil. 3:8a
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
St. Jude's & a Send Off
I want to recap my weekend for you all. I know it's a bit late, but still wanted to share because this weekend meant a lot to our family.
Two really special things happened.
1. Saturday was a walk for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at the West Town Mall here in Knoxville. Sweet Katie Lown from our church held a walk for the Tichon Family that attend our church.
Let me tell you briefly what has forever changed their lives this year. Earlier this year the Tichon's had Jordan (4) and Hope (2) and a little boy on the way. I had both of their girls in nursery at church. :) Right before the due date they found out that Hope had leukemia!! WHOA!
Talk about life changing. Earth shattering. Faith Quivering. Heart Stopping. Life Changing.
Four days after they found out she had leukemia and just two days after Hope's first chemo treatment, Kim delivered their new baby boy.
Rejoicing in new life.
Grieving for your daughters life.
Well, several months later and Hope is still going through chemo treatments. It was really neat being a part of team "Hoping for Hope." It was a special thing to support this family and a reminder to continue to pray for them. I am so excited to see how the Lord is going to use this trial in their life for their good! I can't wait to see how He uses pain and hardship to, hopefully, bring Himself glory through the Tichon Family!
It was also a huge reminder to be thankful for my children's health. Their health today. I don't know that they will always be healthy. I pray they will. And today I am thankful that they are right now!!
2. Sunday after church there was a reception for Steve and I before we leave for Romania.
This was perfect and precious! It was so wonderful to see all the families just sitting on the floor (picnic style) eating lunch and all their kiddos running around the room (my little man included). I was so thankful for all of you! For all the people who are supporting us on this journey with the Lord.
It was so fun to talk with so many people and it was heart wrenching at the same time...knowing that after a couple more weeks things will be so different. It is hard leaving familiar territory and familiar people. So thankful for the relationships that we have here and hopeful that they will continue to grow despite geographical location and distance! You all have been family to us!!
We were so thankful for those who came and for Fellowship Church sending us off with their blessing!! It means more than they will ever know!
Our hearts are SO FULL this Thanksgiving!
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." ~Col. 2:7
"I will praise the name of God with a song.
I will magnify Him with thanksgiving."
Psalm 69:30
Two really special things happened.
1. Saturday was a walk for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at the West Town Mall here in Knoxville. Sweet Katie Lown from our church held a walk for the Tichon Family that attend our church.
Let me tell you briefly what has forever changed their lives this year. Earlier this year the Tichon's had Jordan (4) and Hope (2) and a little boy on the way. I had both of their girls in nursery at church. :) Right before the due date they found out that Hope had leukemia!! WHOA!
Talk about life changing. Earth shattering. Faith Quivering. Heart Stopping. Life Changing.
Four days after they found out she had leukemia and just two days after Hope's first chemo treatment, Kim delivered their new baby boy.
Rejoicing in new life.
Grieving for your daughters life.
Well, several months later and Hope is still going through chemo treatments. It was really neat being a part of team "Hoping for Hope." It was a special thing to support this family and a reminder to continue to pray for them. I am so excited to see how the Lord is going to use this trial in their life for their good! I can't wait to see how He uses pain and hardship to, hopefully, bring Himself glory through the Tichon Family!
It was also a huge reminder to be thankful for my children's health. Their health today. I don't know that they will always be healthy. I pray they will. And today I am thankful that they are right now!!
2. Sunday after church there was a reception for Steve and I before we leave for Romania.
This was perfect and precious! It was so wonderful to see all the families just sitting on the floor (picnic style) eating lunch and all their kiddos running around the room (my little man included). I was so thankful for all of you! For all the people who are supporting us on this journey with the Lord.
It was so fun to talk with so many people and it was heart wrenching at the same time...knowing that after a couple more weeks things will be so different. It is hard leaving familiar territory and familiar people. So thankful for the relationships that we have here and hopeful that they will continue to grow despite geographical location and distance! You all have been family to us!!
We were so thankful for those who came and for Fellowship Church sending us off with their blessing!! It means more than they will ever know!
Our hearts are SO FULL this Thanksgiving!
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." ~Col. 2:7
"I will praise the name of God with a song.
I will magnify Him with thanksgiving."
Psalm 69:30
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Calling for a fast
Please join us for a day of fasting and prayer: November 17th
If you are unable to fast, please pray for the people of Romania whenever the Lord brings them to mind.
Steve and I do not fast regularly. It is an area of spiritual growth for us personally, but we know we are commanded to do it and God grants so many promises to us by doing so. By no means are we fasting in order to earn something or to gain favor with the Lord. We do so out of obedience and out of utter dependence on HIM! Who else can we turn to, but HIM?!
The Lord brought me to Isaiah 58. This passage sounds so good, but I really wanted to know more about it and still do. I found two sermons by John Piper on this section of Isaiah 58:1-12. Let me recap vs. 1-5.
In Isaiah 58:1-5 the people were fasting, but it was really a delusion that they wanted God. In reality they didn't want God and we know that by the first five verses of Isaiah 58. They would fast, but then they would drive their workers (who were poor and had no food) hard. The fasted for contention and strife the Word says. Their fasting left their sin untouched. It should not be so!The Lord says to them, "Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?"
The Lord describes the kind of fast He chooses in vs. 6-12. If you can fast with us today, lets model the Lord's fast...with pure motives and an honest heart.
John Piper says that our fasting should be a spiritual attack against our own sin! We fast and pray for other matters, but may we not neglect praying against our own sin, that we would be changed to go and share the Gospel and live for the glory of God alone!
The fasting the Lord chooses:
Isaiah 58:6-12
"Is this not the fast which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?
To loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house;
when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth'
and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finer and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.
And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell."
What we are called to do:
1. Lift burden of bondage (vs. 6&9)
2. Feed Hungry (v.7)
3. House the homeless (v.7)
4. Cloth the Naked (v.7)
5. Be sympathetic (v.7)
6. Put away contempt for other people (v.9)
7. Give ourselves & satisfy the soul of afflicted (v.10)
Promised Results-What the Lord WILL do:
1. Darkness will become light (vs. 8 & 10)
2. Physical strengthening (vs. 8 & 11)
3. God will be all around us w/ righteousness & glory (vs. 8 & 9)
4. God will guide us continually (v. 11)
5. God will satisfy our soul (v. 11)
6. God will make us a watered garden (v.11)
7. God will restore the ruins of His city and His people (v. 12)
(*Lists from John Piper's sermon)
Whew!! That's worth fasting for!!!
These are some things we are fasting and praying for:
~praying against our own sin- Psalm 139:23-24
~praying for the people of Romania- that the Lord would reveal Himself to them & grant them understanding and knowledge of the Gospel and the entire Word of God
~praying for Noah & Paige as they endure a lot of busyness and traveling over the next 7 weeks
~praying for healing and complete restoration to some vital relationships in our life
~praying for our parents as they deal with our family leaving
~praying for our marriage--that Christ remains top priority, that we strengthen one another in a somewhat stressful and new transition, and that the Gospel remains central to our everyday lives (in public and private)
Fast and pray for yourself and your family and the people of Romania!!
To Him be the Glory!
If you are unable to fast, please pray for the people of Romania whenever the Lord brings them to mind.
Steve and I do not fast regularly. It is an area of spiritual growth for us personally, but we know we are commanded to do it and God grants so many promises to us by doing so. By no means are we fasting in order to earn something or to gain favor with the Lord. We do so out of obedience and out of utter dependence on HIM! Who else can we turn to, but HIM?!
The Lord brought me to Isaiah 58. This passage sounds so good, but I really wanted to know more about it and still do. I found two sermons by John Piper on this section of Isaiah 58:1-12. Let me recap vs. 1-5.
In Isaiah 58:1-5 the people were fasting, but it was really a delusion that they wanted God. In reality they didn't want God and we know that by the first five verses of Isaiah 58. They would fast, but then they would drive their workers (who were poor and had no food) hard. The fasted for contention and strife the Word says. Their fasting left their sin untouched. It should not be so!The Lord says to them, "Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord?"
The Lord describes the kind of fast He chooses in vs. 6-12. If you can fast with us today, lets model the Lord's fast...with pure motives and an honest heart.
John Piper says that our fasting should be a spiritual attack against our own sin! We fast and pray for other matters, but may we not neglect praying against our own sin, that we would be changed to go and share the Gospel and live for the glory of God alone!
The fasting the Lord chooses:
Isaiah 58:6-12
"Is this not the fast which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?
To loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house;
when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth'
and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the Lord will your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finer and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.
And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell."
What we are called to do:
1. Lift burden of bondage (vs. 6&9)
2. Feed Hungry (v.7)
3. House the homeless (v.7)
4. Cloth the Naked (v.7)
5. Be sympathetic (v.7)
6. Put away contempt for other people (v.9)
7. Give ourselves & satisfy the soul of afflicted (v.10)
Promised Results-What the Lord WILL do:
1. Darkness will become light (vs. 8 & 10)
2. Physical strengthening (vs. 8 & 11)
3. God will be all around us w/ righteousness & glory (vs. 8 & 9)
4. God will guide us continually (v. 11)
5. God will satisfy our soul (v. 11)
6. God will make us a watered garden (v.11)
7. God will restore the ruins of His city and His people (v. 12)
(*Lists from John Piper's sermon)
Whew!! That's worth fasting for!!!
These are some things we are fasting and praying for:
~praying against our own sin- Psalm 139:23-24
~praying for the people of Romania- that the Lord would reveal Himself to them & grant them understanding and knowledge of the Gospel and the entire Word of God
~praying for Noah & Paige as they endure a lot of busyness and traveling over the next 7 weeks
~praying for healing and complete restoration to some vital relationships in our life
~praying for our parents as they deal with our family leaving
~praying for our marriage--that Christ remains top priority, that we strengthen one another in a somewhat stressful and new transition, and that the Gospel remains central to our everyday lives (in public and private)
Fast and pray for yourself and your family and the people of Romania!!
To Him be the Glory!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Reformation Day 2010
Two weeks ago today we celebrated a great day in history: Reformation Day!
This day we celebrated the boldness the Holy Spirit gave Martin Luther to stand firm on the Scriptures and live by them alone.
We celebrate that we have Bibles to read freely and publicly.
We celebrate that we can worship Jesus in our own country in our own church buildings.
We celebrate the grace and Truth of Jesus Christ!
Thank you Jacob & Melissa Stock for redeeming things....for taking a day, that in our modern culture, has no eternal value or real meaning, and recognizing our spiritual heritage and spreading the knowledge and joy of it!! October 31, 1517 is a very significant day for Christians, or should be....and it should be celebrated.
"I cannot and will not recant anything,
for to go against conscience is neither
right nor safe.
Here I stand, I can do no other,
so help me God. Amen. "
~Martin Luther
Here are some pictures of the Reformation Day Party. We actually got to see and hear from Martin Luther and other reformers, such as John Knox and Zwingli. There were lots of fun games for the kiddies and yummy food. What a great day!
This day we celebrated the boldness the Holy Spirit gave Martin Luther to stand firm on the Scriptures and live by them alone.
We celebrate that we have Bibles to read freely and publicly.
We celebrate that we can worship Jesus in our own country in our own church buildings.
We celebrate the grace and Truth of Jesus Christ!
Thank you Jacob & Melissa Stock for redeeming things....for taking a day, that in our modern culture, has no eternal value or real meaning, and recognizing our spiritual heritage and spreading the knowledge and joy of it!! October 31, 1517 is a very significant day for Christians, or should be....and it should be celebrated.
"I cannot and will not recant anything,
for to go against conscience is neither
right nor safe.
Here I stand, I can do no other,
so help me God. Amen. "
~Martin Luther
Here are some pictures of the Reformation Day Party. We actually got to see and hear from Martin Luther and other reformers, such as John Knox and Zwingli. There were lots of fun games for the kiddies and yummy food. What a great day!
Paige & Bella Grace playing
Hide the Heretic
Noah doing the 5 solas toss
Pin the thesis on the door
Family Dance on the lawn (and a gorgeous view)
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