Grace

I couldn't do it. The music was playing and the words were up on the wall but I just couldn't sing the chorus. It went something like this - Your grace is enough - Your grace is enough - Your grace is enough for me. At that moment my mind had flashed to North Korea, to the estimated 70,000 fellow followers of Christ who are suffering through unimaginable torture in North Korea's notorious labor camps. And to the over 400,000 believers living in fear because even owning a Bible in North Korea could get them executed or imprisoned for life with their whole family. As the congregation was singing I simply wondered if those words were true for me - is His grace enough for me? Theologically speaking, I believe Ephesians 2:8&9, so, yes, I believe His grace is enough to save me. And maybe I was over thinking things but the question was, is His grace enough for me. If everything else was stripped away, everything, do I believe His grace is enough? Could His grace be enough to get me through slavery in a labor camp or imprisonment or foreclosure or job loss or separation from family or heartache or .... And the answer is yes it could be enough - but would I accept it as enough? Would I be ok losing everything as long as I had His grace? Would you??

Divided

Our children sit through church. In fact, they always have. They were never sent to the nursery so we could 'do church;' they have always been included. Yes, at times it was difficult for them to sit quietly (especially one of them!) but the expectations were clear from the beginning. Our children now have a great respect for the church - for the community of believers of all ages. The Bible does not separate the church into ages - church for children, church for adults, church for teens, church for retirees. All followers of Christ are the church - collectively - together.
A couple of months ago I watched the film Divided. And I must say, the Leclerc brothers did an outstanding job of tackling the questions surrounding the rapid exodus of Christian youth from church and faith. The documentary follows Philip Leclerc as he travels around the country asking questions and interviewing people. It is not an opinionated piece showing one view point. The Leclercs simply ask questions, search out the answers and present the facts. And they measure everything with Scripture. The documentary shows us that age segregated church programs do not seem to be working. Could it be because they do not embrace the Biblical model of discipleship - the model God designed?
Whatever your opinion of age-segregation in churches, Divided will get you thinking. It will test what you know and what you think you know. It will help you understand why you believe what you believe. I highly recommend watching it! At the end you will be able to answer the following question for yourself: "Is modern youth ministry multiplying or dividing the church?"

Success

To laugh often and love much

To win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

endure the betrayal of false friends

To appreciate beauty

To find the best in others

To leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition

To know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

This poem is often attributed to Elisabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley and it was Providence that brought it to my attention. I was recently talking to someone about success - what is it, when do you know you have it, and such. This person was raised with the self-made-man mentality; success is for those at the top of the ladder - those who work 70 plus hours a week. Work is where worth comes from and Jesus, family or others, well, they don't matter. Achieving at work is success. So what does God say? He definitely doesn't say work is where worth comes from! Solomon, the wisest man ever, says that the world's view of success is like chasing the wind - it is pointless. And it leaves us empty. We, followers of Christ, need to have a paradigm shift in terms of how we view success. The above poem might not be a completely accurate representation of success but notice it doesn't talk about money, status or work.

So, how do you define success? May we look to the Scriptures to find our definition.

Jubilee and Jeremiah

The past couple of weeks have been very busy - I was being led through the Refiner's fire, we had snow, snow, snow and we celebrated two birthdays. That's right - Jubilee and Jeremiah both turned 11! Although the snow changed birthday plans, they were both troopers and had very special days. Happy Birthday to them!

Snow

We have been snowed in all week - and I mean snowed in - like, can't-move-the-car-because-there-is-so-much-snow snowed in. Although Rob was able to drive the 4 wheel drive suburban to get to work (thanks for getting it running, Pa!) the rest of us were home. It was a nice break from school for Hayley and Riley - but Jubilee and Jem had tests. I was also reminded that I DO NOT like snow!! Being cold is just not for me!! It is a good thing Hayley didn't mind - because I hear Fairbanks gets a tad more snow than we have!! We still have tons of snow but I am so thankful for one thing... our power has stayed on through it all - snow, wind, ice - and I am hopeful it will continue to stay on.

Malawi 2012

Rob and I are heading to Malawi in June 2012 and we are so excited! More information to come....

Zoolights

Over the holidays we did something we've never done before - we went to Zoolights at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. It was so much fun!! We arrived early so we had time to walk around and see the animals. Then when the zoo closed for an hour to get ready we stayed and had dinner in the cafe. And then we saw the lights. They were totally spectacular! There were literally millions of lights - hodge podge, animal shapes, scenes, moving pictures - simply amazing!! It was so fun I wondered for a moment why we had never done it before. And then I thought - super long drive, expensive, below freezing temperatures - hmmmm....

I am so glad we made the trip and if you have never been I would highly encourage you to make plans and go next year. Just remember your camera, scarf and hat!