If there is a God, which the majority of people who have lived believe that there is and if there is sin that every person commits which we all know is true and if God is perfect and has never sinned which would have to be true for us to have a standard of goodness we could depend on and if our sin made it impossible for us to have fellowship with a perfect God then basically every day we're alienating ourselves more and more from this God and are (as C.S. Lewis so rightly puts it) no likely to do any better tomorrow.
If that is all true and our purpose here on earth wasn't to make money or to create a wonderful life for ourselves but to discover this truth because this life isn't all there is - if in fact we are all going to live forever but where you live is determined by whether you are reconciled to God or not then suddenly things get very interesting.
We must find a way to be reconciled to a perfect God so Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists and even Catholics say we should do a lot of good stuff to a bunch of people and this will lead to a happy ending when we die but Christians say something else entirely. They say that you can't possibly be perfect. You can't stop sinning even if you want to stop sinning. It's impossible. The only way we could be reconciled to a perfect God is if the God we have wronged by sinning made a way for us himself and this is what we find has happened.
God had a son who took the form of a man, lived a sinless life while on earth and became a perfect sacrifice to bear all our sins when He was put to death. The bible called him Jesus and non- biblical sources confirmed his life and death and thousands of eye witnesses confirmed his resurrection. This Jesus offers us forgiveness for every sin we've ever committed or ever will commit if we will accept it but only if we accept it.
We can do it our own way and try to be nice or give a bunch to charities but if the God we've offended says that that won't cut it then it's utter foolishness to keep trying a way that will never work. In the end if we truly want to know why we are here and what it's going to take to spend eternity reconciled to God in a place called heaven rather than separated from God in a place called hell then we must get the rules from the one that set them in place. That's the gospel and it's what God and Jesus have told those that have accepted this forgiveness to proclaim.
Do the research, question, examine everything that's out there, think. Don't just live blindly believing you have no purpose and that you return to dust when you die or worse still you get to come back to try harder in another life. Christianity doesn't have all the answers but it is not self contradictory and it has stood the test of time.
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Saturday, 16 July 2011
Survey says... (what the University of Heidelberg students have to say about God)
As you may have read in our latest newsletter, our plans for the fall in part entail starting a college ministry out of our local church, Victory International. I was so encouraged when I worked with the college ministry at our sending church Watkinsville First Baptist in the two years before moving to England and wanted to do something similar here. Vic Doss runs a great program there centered around Jesus, loving the students and just giving time to them - to hang out, disciple, encourage and challenge. On any given Sunday he'll have 80-100 students that come to fellowship, hear a short preach/teach/testimony and then he has small group table leaders that ask a group of 6-8 students sitting at their table a series of questions to generate discussion. At the end, there's a time of group Q/A usually and a time of prayer.
In addition to this Vic hangs out with students over coffee several times a week, has monthly get togethers of one variety or another, has a weekly program for guys called Fight Club and a weekly program for girls run by our pastors wife Carla. Vic also encourages student adoption by the families in the church where mentors are created and students are just loved on (and fed of course!). What I love about Vic is that he and his wife Cynthia are just super passionate about Jesus. And Vic is a mans man - he wants to encourage guys to be strong in their faith, to follow after Jesus' example and to just be everything they were called to be. Men being men - who would have thought it?? Likewise Carla loves on, encourages through her life and testimonty and opens her house to 40-50 college students every week. I had the priviledge of working with Carla and helping with this bible study and I tell you it's as encouraging for the ones that help out as it is for the students that attend. Just girl stuff and it's awesome.
Which leads me to Germany and a different bread of student...
Well, hopefully not entirely. What I've found so far in surveying the students at the University of Heidelberg is very little spiritual background whatsoever. Their parents may have been catholic or protestant but they never went to church. They aren't interested, don't think it's necessary for their lives (although they could see how it might be interesting for others) and marginalize God almost entirely out of their day to day thinking. I've met students who are humanist agnostics, atheists, evolutionists and students that didn't classify themselves as anything but so far I've only met one christian who was raised in a Lutheran church and whose life was so busy he didn't have time for anything except attending church on Sunday mornings.
The students are however very nice. They are very considerate especially since my German is far from perfect and they seem to genuinely like the questions asked of them. For reference, these are the same questions Vic and his group of volunteers asked the students at the University of Georgia. Namely:
1) What is your spiritual background?
2) In three words describe your religious experience to date
3) If you could ask God one question, what would it be?
4) If God asked you why He should let you into Heaven, what would you say?
5) On a scale of 1-10, rate your goodness
The answers I've gotten to the third question interested me the most. So far answers have ranged from:
Why did God choose me for this life and this time?
Why did you make war?
Why do we die?
Why are there so many differences between people?
What is the purpose of the nasty things in life - like certain insects or animals (ticks, rats, etc)
Why do so many bad things happen to people?
Why are Africans born into such poverty and Germans born into such wealth?
Does the fantasy world of elves and dwarves and fairies really exist? (yes He was deadly serious!)
Most have questioned whether there was a God, was a Heaven and if there was whether they could trust Him or whether they even wanted to go to Heaven in the first place. Some I've met have been majoring in Philosophy and dismissed God on this account (doesn't Philosophy translate into a lover of wisdom and if so, wouldn't God be the greatest Philosopher that ever lived??). Some were biologists and dismissed God and creationism on this basis. All seemed intelligent and willing to share their ideas but I refrained from debate and simply asked the questions and listened this time. Fascinating. That's how I walked away, being fascinated by each and every student I met and also wondering whether I was going to have to modify the questions a bit for this audience.
Alan will tell you one of the things that fascinates me the most in life is Apologetics - the defense of the christian faith. I love learning. Probably because I feel so dumb when I talk to my dad which is why our conversations are often limited to, "How are you? How's your day going? How's your health? How's Chloe?" Then it's always a quick, "well your mom's not here but I'll tell her you called." lol - He's probably the greatest apologetic mind in Athens (or very close to it) and He's my dad. Those that know him know what I'm talking about so I'll just leave it at that.
I listen to Ravi Zacharias and his team at RZIM as regularly as I can. Ravi for example says there are four questions every person is going to have to answer in the course of their lifetimes. Somehow I want to merge these questions in with the ones from Vic... they are:
A question of origin: "How did I come into being?
A question of morality: "How can I determine what is right or wrong?"
A question of meaning: "What is the purpose of life itself?"
A question of destiny: "What happens to a human being when he or she dies?"
The problem I have found is people just simply don't ask the questions. They don't even consider them or if they do they don't think about the answers long enough to make them do the slightest bit of intelligent research or discovery. Probably the devil just distracts them right as they are thinking to themselves, "yeah what will happen to me when I die?" with the buzzer on the dryer signaling the clothes are ready to comes out or with a phone call from a friend or with the thought that it's cold and I should put on a sweater. He'll do whatever it takes to distract and to keep people from the truth. At least when I'm talking to the students and asking these questions they are forced to sit and think about the answer and maybe just that the Holy Spirit will use to plant a seed in their minds that can be watered and fed. That's my prayer at least. In the fall we'll have cards printed for the college ministry that we can give them so they can give us a try if for no other reason than to meet folks and to enjoy some free food.
Back to Apologetics...
I would pay big bucks to be able to attend the RZIM Oxford apologetic conference this next week in Oxford. Ravi, Stuart McAllister, Michael Ramsden and many others will be speaking and when they talk intelligently about christianity and why it just makes sense and it's not a self contradicting religion like Islam and Hinduism or Naturalism I just get excited. I wish I didn't jumble all my words and had the ability to speak to folks like these guys do. They inspire me. Quotes this week were, "The problem we have today is not that we don't have anything to be grateful for but that we don't have anyone to be grateful to." -Michael Ramsden or "If you are a christian you are commanded to give an apologetic (a defense for the reason you believe). It is a command to the church. The only question is whether you are living in disobedience to that command."-Michael Ramsden. "Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow."-Ravi quoting Augustine.
Anyway, this is getting long so I'll write again in a few days but it's just a few things on my mind and what I'm studying and up to for those that care. Thanks for continuing to keep us in your prayers and for supporting us here. And if you don't pray for us maybe you'll take the time today and become part of what we're trying to do here for Jesus in Germany.
In addition to this Vic hangs out with students over coffee several times a week, has monthly get togethers of one variety or another, has a weekly program for guys called Fight Club and a weekly program for girls run by our pastors wife Carla. Vic also encourages student adoption by the families in the church where mentors are created and students are just loved on (and fed of course!). What I love about Vic is that he and his wife Cynthia are just super passionate about Jesus. And Vic is a mans man - he wants to encourage guys to be strong in their faith, to follow after Jesus' example and to just be everything they were called to be. Men being men - who would have thought it?? Likewise Carla loves on, encourages through her life and testimonty and opens her house to 40-50 college students every week. I had the priviledge of working with Carla and helping with this bible study and I tell you it's as encouraging for the ones that help out as it is for the students that attend. Just girl stuff and it's awesome.
Which leads me to Germany and a different bread of student...
Well, hopefully not entirely. What I've found so far in surveying the students at the University of Heidelberg is very little spiritual background whatsoever. Their parents may have been catholic or protestant but they never went to church. They aren't interested, don't think it's necessary for their lives (although they could see how it might be interesting for others) and marginalize God almost entirely out of their day to day thinking. I've met students who are humanist agnostics, atheists, evolutionists and students that didn't classify themselves as anything but so far I've only met one christian who was raised in a Lutheran church and whose life was so busy he didn't have time for anything except attending church on Sunday mornings.
The students are however very nice. They are very considerate especially since my German is far from perfect and they seem to genuinely like the questions asked of them. For reference, these are the same questions Vic and his group of volunteers asked the students at the University of Georgia. Namely:
1) What is your spiritual background?
2) In three words describe your religious experience to date
3) If you could ask God one question, what would it be?
4) If God asked you why He should let you into Heaven, what would you say?
5) On a scale of 1-10, rate your goodness
The answers I've gotten to the third question interested me the most. So far answers have ranged from:
Why did God choose me for this life and this time?
Why did you make war?
Why do we die?
Why are there so many differences between people?
What is the purpose of the nasty things in life - like certain insects or animals (ticks, rats, etc)
Why do so many bad things happen to people?
Why are Africans born into such poverty and Germans born into such wealth?
Does the fantasy world of elves and dwarves and fairies really exist? (yes He was deadly serious!)
Most have questioned whether there was a God, was a Heaven and if there was whether they could trust Him or whether they even wanted to go to Heaven in the first place. Some I've met have been majoring in Philosophy and dismissed God on this account (doesn't Philosophy translate into a lover of wisdom and if so, wouldn't God be the greatest Philosopher that ever lived??). Some were biologists and dismissed God and creationism on this basis. All seemed intelligent and willing to share their ideas but I refrained from debate and simply asked the questions and listened this time. Fascinating. That's how I walked away, being fascinated by each and every student I met and also wondering whether I was going to have to modify the questions a bit for this audience.
Alan will tell you one of the things that fascinates me the most in life is Apologetics - the defense of the christian faith. I love learning. Probably because I feel so dumb when I talk to my dad which is why our conversations are often limited to, "How are you? How's your day going? How's your health? How's Chloe?" Then it's always a quick, "well your mom's not here but I'll tell her you called." lol - He's probably the greatest apologetic mind in Athens (or very close to it) and He's my dad. Those that know him know what I'm talking about so I'll just leave it at that.
I listen to Ravi Zacharias and his team at RZIM as regularly as I can. Ravi for example says there are four questions every person is going to have to answer in the course of their lifetimes. Somehow I want to merge these questions in with the ones from Vic... they are:
A question of origin: "How did I come into being?
A question of morality: "How can I determine what is right or wrong?"
A question of meaning: "What is the purpose of life itself?"
A question of destiny: "What happens to a human being when he or she dies?"
The problem I have found is people just simply don't ask the questions. They don't even consider them or if they do they don't think about the answers long enough to make them do the slightest bit of intelligent research or discovery. Probably the devil just distracts them right as they are thinking to themselves, "yeah what will happen to me when I die?" with the buzzer on the dryer signaling the clothes are ready to comes out or with a phone call from a friend or with the thought that it's cold and I should put on a sweater. He'll do whatever it takes to distract and to keep people from the truth. At least when I'm talking to the students and asking these questions they are forced to sit and think about the answer and maybe just that the Holy Spirit will use to plant a seed in their minds that can be watered and fed. That's my prayer at least. In the fall we'll have cards printed for the college ministry that we can give them so they can give us a try if for no other reason than to meet folks and to enjoy some free food.
Back to Apologetics...
I would pay big bucks to be able to attend the RZIM Oxford apologetic conference this next week in Oxford. Ravi, Stuart McAllister, Michael Ramsden and many others will be speaking and when they talk intelligently about christianity and why it just makes sense and it's not a self contradicting religion like Islam and Hinduism or Naturalism I just get excited. I wish I didn't jumble all my words and had the ability to speak to folks like these guys do. They inspire me. Quotes this week were, "The problem we have today is not that we don't have anything to be grateful for but that we don't have anyone to be grateful to." -Michael Ramsden or "If you are a christian you are commanded to give an apologetic (a defense for the reason you believe). It is a command to the church. The only question is whether you are living in disobedience to that command."-Michael Ramsden. "Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow."-Ravi quoting Augustine.
Anyway, this is getting long so I'll write again in a few days but it's just a few things on my mind and what I'm studying and up to for those that care. Thanks for continuing to keep us in your prayers and for supporting us here. And if you don't pray for us maybe you'll take the time today and become part of what we're trying to do here for Jesus in Germany.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Taking the good with the things you wish you could change
I was going to title this "Taking the good with the Bad" but really the bad things aren't bad so to speak - only things I wish I could change. An example might help...
I love looking over to see my husband watching after Chloe, getting her setup on the sofa on her play mat, turning on Radio Mozart on his laptop so she can listen to classical music and hearing him comment about her smile. What I wish I could change is how long it takes me to tidy up after my darling husband and child every day just so I can find the things I need to work on and make sense of my day. I used to ask Alan to put his shaving cream away, put down the toilet seat, hang up his robe, close the doors to the wardrobe or the dresser and to wipe down the counters and the stove when he cleans the kitchen instead of just doing the dishes. Now, I just do it myself. Now don't get me wrong he does do a lot of amazing things that really help us as a family. He walks webster twice a day, vaccuums when it's desperately needed, he manages all the maintenance for the house and he has good intentions about keeping the car working. He also loves on me and encourages me, spends a lot of time with the Lord, genuinely wants to help and volunteers to serve others frequently and he loves our daughter to bits.
My point?? You've got to take the good with the things you wish you could change. Pray about those things that bug you but in the end - if you're the only one they bug, then just do them yourself. No matter what, fighting or arguing or letting the little stuff ruin your day or worse yet, your relationship, is NOT worth it. So often I see girls I used to work with get so uptight and angry over their boyfriends, fiance's or husbands not behaving as they would have them behave and who is the one that suffers the most? Usually, the girl. So, my advice? Give it up - take the good with the things you wish you could change and lighten up a little. So what if you spend a bit longer every day getting things tidy or you spend an evening alone while your better half goes out with his friends. In the end, what you have is worth so much more than losing it, isn't it?
I love looking over to see my husband watching after Chloe, getting her setup on the sofa on her play mat, turning on Radio Mozart on his laptop so she can listen to classical music and hearing him comment about her smile. What I wish I could change is how long it takes me to tidy up after my darling husband and child every day just so I can find the things I need to work on and make sense of my day. I used to ask Alan to put his shaving cream away, put down the toilet seat, hang up his robe, close the doors to the wardrobe or the dresser and to wipe down the counters and the stove when he cleans the kitchen instead of just doing the dishes. Now, I just do it myself. Now don't get me wrong he does do a lot of amazing things that really help us as a family. He walks webster twice a day, vaccuums when it's desperately needed, he manages all the maintenance for the house and he has good intentions about keeping the car working. He also loves on me and encourages me, spends a lot of time with the Lord, genuinely wants to help and volunteers to serve others frequently and he loves our daughter to bits.
My point?? You've got to take the good with the things you wish you could change. Pray about those things that bug you but in the end - if you're the only one they bug, then just do them yourself. No matter what, fighting or arguing or letting the little stuff ruin your day or worse yet, your relationship, is NOT worth it. So often I see girls I used to work with get so uptight and angry over their boyfriends, fiance's or husbands not behaving as they would have them behave and who is the one that suffers the most? Usually, the girl. So, my advice? Give it up - take the good with the things you wish you could change and lighten up a little. So what if you spend a bit longer every day getting things tidy or you spend an evening alone while your better half goes out with his friends. In the end, what you have is worth so much more than losing it, isn't it?
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Being a mom and our monthly update...
Well I have discovered a new found respect for all mothers out there after only two weeks of being one myself...
Being a momma is HARD! :) It is also incredibly rewarding though. Every day when Chloe looks up at me and smiles when I feed her or this morning when I woke her up saying, "Good morning sweetheart" and she just smiled away before opening her eyes... these are the greatest rewards going - better than any promotion or raise around. When she looks at me in desperation as if to say, "I am going to have a nervous breakdown unless you feed me", it shows me how much she is relying on us as parents to provide and care for her. Yes I am completely in love with and absolutely addicted to this little 9lb wonderful miracle of God. Alan and I were discussing it the other night and I just can't imagine how anyone could harm one of these precious children - inside the womb or out. It's simply inconceivable to me.
Yesterday Chloe was two weeks old. I am recovering ok from the c-section surgery but I will be the first to say it is NOT minor surgery - it's major and after 2 weeks I'm still trying to deal with the pain around my incision and terrible backaches. Chloe has done well. The midwife says she is growing and is a very strong baby which is good. She's had a bit of breathing difficulty but supposedly it's normal and she may be experiencing some reflux but hopefully that will pass. Tonight our sweet church is throwing Chloe a welcome party at our pastors house and we're looking forward to that. Alan worked for the first time since Chloe was born at the CVJM today. He said he really felt blessed by the Lord for doing the work and said it was as if God told him that even doing a days work by himself while everyone else was on holiday, would bring Him glory so that makes him feel good.
In the next week or so I have to focus on sending out our next newsletter for Pioneers and updating our supporters and friends on our progress here. Right now we're running into a bit of a deficit with our budget as half a dozen friends who committed to giving haven't followed through as of yet and the vocational income we hoped to earn hasn't been allowed due to health insurance costs and issues. We also had the unanticipated difficulty with our car blowing up on the autobahn and the associated expense of getting another.
Alan asks me occassionally if I'm worried about finances and in reality I'm really not. I figure if God is the one that has called us here to Germany then He will find people that will support us and be blessed by doing it. It's just a question of trusting Him, doing the work He's called us to do and prayer I think.
Well, hopefully I'll get back into the swing of keeping this blog updated now that Chloe is here and we're getting more settled. I was encouraged to include a copy of the first email I sent to her a few days ago. I saw this done on a commercial and thought it was such a good idea. I hope to write to her every chance I get so that when she's older she has a record of her life. Especially since you can attach pictures and videos to the emails. :) I won't share all of these emails on my blog but since this tells the details of her birth I thought I would include it.
Being a momma is the greatest gift I've ever received but it's not for the cowardly or weak at heart. God has to give you a special kind of love and energy to be a momma but oh it's soooo worth it! :)
Here is Chloe's first email from her momma... If you want to send Chloe an email you can write to her at chloeleerathbone@gmail.com. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you! :)
Hey sweet Chloe,
It's your mom here... just wanted you to know what a joy you are to your dad and me. We couldn't love you any more than we do. We got this idea from a commercial we saw online of a dad who wrote to his daughter via email as she was growing up. I hope to read these to you one day so you'll know just how precious you have always been to us. Here are the things we remember from your first two weeks with us...
You were scheduled for a c-section two weeks early because the doctor thought you would be too big to wait until your due date and also because at the time you were lying traverse inside me and the doctor didn't think you would turn the right way for delivery. At first you were breech for a very long time but we asked our housegroup at Victory International Church in Heidelberg to pray for you and they did and low and behold the day before your c-section you turned the right way and the doctor let us leave the hospital to go home to wait for you to come naturally.
Well two weeks passed and your original due date - May 26th passed as well and still you hadn't arrived. Your gamma and gampa from Georgia arrived on the morning of the 27th but they too had to wait like us to see what you would do. At this point we were going to the doctor every two days to check on your heartrate and make sure everything was ok. On Saturday your heartrate was a little fast so the doctor on duty told us we needed to come back on Sunday to be measured again and she also called Dr. Hanke (your doctor) who said he wanted to induce me on Monday if you hadn't come naturally by then.
Monday came and we checked into the hospital and they started the inducing procedures but still you didn't want to come out just yet so the doctor said he thought it was best to deliver you by c-section on Tuesday. At this point we agreed with him because we wanted you to be delivered the very safest way and we prepared ourselves to welcome you!
Mommy tried to have spinal anesthesia but it didn't work properly so I had to have general anesthesia which was ok but it left me very tired and groggy after the surgery -- plus I couldn't see you right away but daddy and gamma and gampa were with you to take care of you so that was ok. Your grandma Margaret from England and your auntie Christine from Wales flew down to meet you a few days after you were born and they thought you were adorable!
We left the hospital four days later with our little miracle - YOU! Mommy was still in lots of pain but I wanted the house to be nice and perfect for you when you got home. Here are some pictures of your first nursery... Your daddy put together your crib and your dresser and bed and wardrobe. He loves you sooooo much!!
It's been almost two weeks now since you were born and daddy and I are adjusting to getting up with you every night to feed and change you and to cuddle. You are so loving and sweet we could just stare at you all day long and never get bored. Daddy and I wonder what your first word will be - I thought "milk" but daddy hopes it's "love". We sure tell you we love you a lot through the day so maybe he'll be right. We also wonder what color your eyes will be. Your hair is just like your mommy's - autumn and already thick in the back. Your eyes are blue now but they are darker than your daddies. I think you'll have your moms hair and your daddies eyes but no matter what you will be loved, loved, loved.
You are our precious answer to prayer - our gift from Jesus and we will love you and protect you always...
Love,
Mommy and Daddy :)
Being a momma is HARD! :) It is also incredibly rewarding though. Every day when Chloe looks up at me and smiles when I feed her or this morning when I woke her up saying, "Good morning sweetheart" and she just smiled away before opening her eyes... these are the greatest rewards going - better than any promotion or raise around. When she looks at me in desperation as if to say, "I am going to have a nervous breakdown unless you feed me", it shows me how much she is relying on us as parents to provide and care for her. Yes I am completely in love with and absolutely addicted to this little 9lb wonderful miracle of God. Alan and I were discussing it the other night and I just can't imagine how anyone could harm one of these precious children - inside the womb or out. It's simply inconceivable to me.
Yesterday Chloe was two weeks old. I am recovering ok from the c-section surgery but I will be the first to say it is NOT minor surgery - it's major and after 2 weeks I'm still trying to deal with the pain around my incision and terrible backaches. Chloe has done well. The midwife says she is growing and is a very strong baby which is good. She's had a bit of breathing difficulty but supposedly it's normal and she may be experiencing some reflux but hopefully that will pass. Tonight our sweet church is throwing Chloe a welcome party at our pastors house and we're looking forward to that. Alan worked for the first time since Chloe was born at the CVJM today. He said he really felt blessed by the Lord for doing the work and said it was as if God told him that even doing a days work by himself while everyone else was on holiday, would bring Him glory so that makes him feel good.
In the next week or so I have to focus on sending out our next newsletter for Pioneers and updating our supporters and friends on our progress here. Right now we're running into a bit of a deficit with our budget as half a dozen friends who committed to giving haven't followed through as of yet and the vocational income we hoped to earn hasn't been allowed due to health insurance costs and issues. We also had the unanticipated difficulty with our car blowing up on the autobahn and the associated expense of getting another.
Alan asks me occassionally if I'm worried about finances and in reality I'm really not. I figure if God is the one that has called us here to Germany then He will find people that will support us and be blessed by doing it. It's just a question of trusting Him, doing the work He's called us to do and prayer I think.
Well, hopefully I'll get back into the swing of keeping this blog updated now that Chloe is here and we're getting more settled. I was encouraged to include a copy of the first email I sent to her a few days ago. I saw this done on a commercial and thought it was such a good idea. I hope to write to her every chance I get so that when she's older she has a record of her life. Especially since you can attach pictures and videos to the emails. :) I won't share all of these emails on my blog but since this tells the details of her birth I thought I would include it.
Being a momma is the greatest gift I've ever received but it's not for the cowardly or weak at heart. God has to give you a special kind of love and energy to be a momma but oh it's soooo worth it! :)
Here is Chloe's first email from her momma... If you want to send Chloe an email you can write to her at chloeleerathbone@gmail.com. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you! :)
Hey sweet Chloe,
It's your mom here... just wanted you to know what a joy you are to your dad and me. We couldn't love you any more than we do. We got this idea from a commercial we saw online of a dad who wrote to his daughter via email as she was growing up. I hope to read these to you one day so you'll know just how precious you have always been to us. Here are the things we remember from your first two weeks with us...
You were scheduled for a c-section two weeks early because the doctor thought you would be too big to wait until your due date and also because at the time you were lying traverse inside me and the doctor didn't think you would turn the right way for delivery. At first you were breech for a very long time but we asked our housegroup at Victory International Church in Heidelberg to pray for you and they did and low and behold the day before your c-section you turned the right way and the doctor let us leave the hospital to go home to wait for you to come naturally.
Well two weeks passed and your original due date - May 26th passed as well and still you hadn't arrived. Your gamma and gampa from Georgia arrived on the morning of the 27th but they too had to wait like us to see what you would do. At this point we were going to the doctor every two days to check on your heartrate and make sure everything was ok. On Saturday your heartrate was a little fast so the doctor on duty told us we needed to come back on Sunday to be measured again and she also called Dr. Hanke (your doctor) who said he wanted to induce me on Monday if you hadn't come naturally by then.
Monday came and we checked into the hospital and they started the inducing procedures but still you didn't want to come out just yet so the doctor said he thought it was best to deliver you by c-section on Tuesday. At this point we agreed with him because we wanted you to be delivered the very safest way and we prepared ourselves to welcome you!
Mommy tried to have spinal anesthesia but it didn't work properly so I had to have general anesthesia which was ok but it left me very tired and groggy after the surgery -- plus I couldn't see you right away but daddy and gamma and gampa were with you to take care of you so that was ok. Your grandma Margaret from England and your auntie Christine from Wales flew down to meet you a few days after you were born and they thought you were adorable!
We left the hospital four days later with our little miracle - YOU! Mommy was still in lots of pain but I wanted the house to be nice and perfect for you when you got home. Here are some pictures of your first nursery... Your daddy put together your crib and your dresser and bed and wardrobe. He loves you sooooo much!!
It's been almost two weeks now since you were born and daddy and I are adjusting to getting up with you every night to feed and change you and to cuddle. You are so loving and sweet we could just stare at you all day long and never get bored. Daddy and I wonder what your first word will be - I thought "milk" but daddy hopes it's "love". We sure tell you we love you a lot through the day so maybe he'll be right. We also wonder what color your eyes will be. Your hair is just like your mommy's - autumn and already thick in the back. Your eyes are blue now but they are darker than your daddies. I think you'll have your moms hair and your daddies eyes but no matter what you will be loved, loved, loved.
You are our precious answer to prayer - our gift from Jesus and we will love you and protect you always...
Love,
Mommy and Daddy :)
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Chloe, new connections and the CVJM
I wanted to update our blog as to what else we're up to other than waiting for our little girl (Chloe) to arrive. I will talk briefly about Chloe at the end but wanted to give you some more ideas as to what Alan has been up to while I've been preparing to give birth. :)
As we stated a few posts earlier, we stopped our German class in April in anticipation of Chloe's birth. We met so many great people. Even our teachers were really nice so I miss being there. I love meeting people from different cultures and getting to know them better. God was good to introduce us to so many in just the two short months we were there. Hopefully we can return to class soon although I'm not sure they allow babies in tow?
I guess it was about 6 weeks ago now when Alan decided to organize a mens night with the church. He wanted a curry night and so five of them ended up going to the Indian Palace in Heidelberg for dinner. It was a smaller turnout than we had hoped but in a way it was good because that's where he got to know a man by the name of Peter who is a doctor, living in Heidelberg with his wife and three children. He isn't practicing right now but instead he is traveling around and advising different countries on health practices. Anyway, Alan and he got to talking and Alan discovered that Peter and his wife Karen had been missionaries in the past and that they had a lot of good connections in the Heidelberg area so Alan decided to volunteer to help Peter with some work he was doing around his house for a few weeks. The work ended up being landscaping and some brick laying work for a nice patio and I think it was good for Alan to be able to have the time to "get his hands dirty" again. He was getting antsy and God brought the opportunity at the right time.
Also from this work Alan was given contact information for the CVJM, Heidelberg's YMCA. He was interested primarily because he heard it was much more christian focused than the YMCA in England or the US and that they even held a monthly youth service and a weekly Sunday service. He decided he would go by and check things out and see about volunteering in some way and when he did he was welcomed with open arms. We were invited to attend their monthly youth service about 3 weeks ago on a Saturday night and it was awesome. So many young people, in the age range we want to work with, just worshipping and praising God. Mind you it was primarily in German which made it difficult to understand but the worship was great. Afterwards we got a tour of their facility and we got really excited about everything they have going on. Alan decided to go and volunteer the next week and so he went a couple of days and helped with laying a tile patio (similar to the work he'd just done for Peter and his family). He loved it. He came home every night just glowing, loving doing work for the Lord and loving getting to know the young people and trying to practice his German.
It was that week that we went to the doctor and discovered that Chloe was still traverse (at 37 weeks) and that she would need to come by c-section and that because she was already approaching 8.5lbs that the doctor wanted to schedule a c-section for 9 days away. We were floored by this, thinking we had at least 3 weeks still to go but we trusted the doctors wisdom and started making plans.
Well, that c-section was supposed to have happened this morning but instead our "precious little girl to be" decided to turn into the proper position for giving birth naturally. It was funny because we cleaned the house like mad, checked webster into a kennel, packed our belongings for five days at the hospital and went to check-in. We had to do a ton of paperwork, we met with the anesthesiologist, viewed the maternity ward, chose our room and had the babies heartbeat monitored by the midwife. We then had a scan to check Chloe's position and low and behold she had turned. I told the midwife that the doctor didn't think she would turn and that's why we were having the c-section but that we had prayed she would and wanted to have a natural birth if at all possible. She said she would call the doctor to see what he wanted to do. He said we needed to come over to his office so he could examine Chloe and when we did he just felt between my pelvis bone and said, "yup, there's her head and you wanted a natural birth so you're free to go and come back and see me in a week!". We couldn't believe it. Alan was so made up but I had mixed feelings because I had prayed a ton and gotten so much good advice from my sister and others that had had c-sections that I was now pretty much prepared to have one. Chloe would then be here and out of me in less than 24hours. Still, we went back to the kennel and picked webster back up, come home and unpacked and then called our families to let them know the news. I was exhausted but we're excited to be trusting God about what's ahead.
Awesome housegroup tonight. We just love the people in the church and how God uses them in our lives. There was a precious missionary couple there serving in the middle east with YWAM and we really loved getting to know them. What a powerful ministry they have in a country where christians are persecuted regularly for their faith. Please lift them up in prayer as the reason they have been here these last two weeks is because he was diagnosed with cancer and they have been awaiting results of their tests. They now have to go to Brazil for treatment but we're just praying God will wipe the cancer out completely so that when they show up the doctors are amazed that God has cured him and there is no longer any need for the chemo.
Anyway, we'll update again once Chloe is here. We are so thankful for friends and family that stand by us, support us, pray for us and genuinely just love Jesus and want to serve Him the best way they know how. We pray God will bless each of you and we ask that if you have anything we could pray for on your behalf that you will not be shy but that you will send us an email or a facebook message letting us know. Praise God for his continued faithfulness to us all.
As we stated a few posts earlier, we stopped our German class in April in anticipation of Chloe's birth. We met so many great people. Even our teachers were really nice so I miss being there. I love meeting people from different cultures and getting to know them better. God was good to introduce us to so many in just the two short months we were there. Hopefully we can return to class soon although I'm not sure they allow babies in tow?
I guess it was about 6 weeks ago now when Alan decided to organize a mens night with the church. He wanted a curry night and so five of them ended up going to the Indian Palace in Heidelberg for dinner. It was a smaller turnout than we had hoped but in a way it was good because that's where he got to know a man by the name of Peter who is a doctor, living in Heidelberg with his wife and three children. He isn't practicing right now but instead he is traveling around and advising different countries on health practices. Anyway, Alan and he got to talking and Alan discovered that Peter and his wife Karen had been missionaries in the past and that they had a lot of good connections in the Heidelberg area so Alan decided to volunteer to help Peter with some work he was doing around his house for a few weeks. The work ended up being landscaping and some brick laying work for a nice patio and I think it was good for Alan to be able to have the time to "get his hands dirty" again. He was getting antsy and God brought the opportunity at the right time.
Also from this work Alan was given contact information for the CVJM, Heidelberg's YMCA. He was interested primarily because he heard it was much more christian focused than the YMCA in England or the US and that they even held a monthly youth service and a weekly Sunday service. He decided he would go by and check things out and see about volunteering in some way and when he did he was welcomed with open arms. We were invited to attend their monthly youth service about 3 weeks ago on a Saturday night and it was awesome. So many young people, in the age range we want to work with, just worshipping and praising God. Mind you it was primarily in German which made it difficult to understand but the worship was great. Afterwards we got a tour of their facility and we got really excited about everything they have going on. Alan decided to go and volunteer the next week and so he went a couple of days and helped with laying a tile patio (similar to the work he'd just done for Peter and his family). He loved it. He came home every night just glowing, loving doing work for the Lord and loving getting to know the young people and trying to practice his German.
It was that week that we went to the doctor and discovered that Chloe was still traverse (at 37 weeks) and that she would need to come by c-section and that because she was already approaching 8.5lbs that the doctor wanted to schedule a c-section for 9 days away. We were floored by this, thinking we had at least 3 weeks still to go but we trusted the doctors wisdom and started making plans.
Well, that c-section was supposed to have happened this morning but instead our "precious little girl to be" decided to turn into the proper position for giving birth naturally. It was funny because we cleaned the house like mad, checked webster into a kennel, packed our belongings for five days at the hospital and went to check-in. We had to do a ton of paperwork, we met with the anesthesiologist, viewed the maternity ward, chose our room and had the babies heartbeat monitored by the midwife. We then had a scan to check Chloe's position and low and behold she had turned. I told the midwife that the doctor didn't think she would turn and that's why we were having the c-section but that we had prayed she would and wanted to have a natural birth if at all possible. She said she would call the doctor to see what he wanted to do. He said we needed to come over to his office so he could examine Chloe and when we did he just felt between my pelvis bone and said, "yup, there's her head and you wanted a natural birth so you're free to go and come back and see me in a week!". We couldn't believe it. Alan was so made up but I had mixed feelings because I had prayed a ton and gotten so much good advice from my sister and others that had had c-sections that I was now pretty much prepared to have one. Chloe would then be here and out of me in less than 24hours. Still, we went back to the kennel and picked webster back up, come home and unpacked and then called our families to let them know the news. I was exhausted but we're excited to be trusting God about what's ahead.
Awesome housegroup tonight. We just love the people in the church and how God uses them in our lives. There was a precious missionary couple there serving in the middle east with YWAM and we really loved getting to know them. What a powerful ministry they have in a country where christians are persecuted regularly for their faith. Please lift them up in prayer as the reason they have been here these last two weeks is because he was diagnosed with cancer and they have been awaiting results of their tests. They now have to go to Brazil for treatment but we're just praying God will wipe the cancer out completely so that when they show up the doctors are amazed that God has cured him and there is no longer any need for the chemo.
Anyway, we'll update again once Chloe is here. We are so thankful for friends and family that stand by us, support us, pray for us and genuinely just love Jesus and want to serve Him the best way they know how. We pray God will bless each of you and we ask that if you have anything we could pray for on your behalf that you will not be shy but that you will send us an email or a facebook message letting us know. Praise God for his continued faithfulness to us all.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Five purposes for your life and key concepts from the book...
This is from the Purpose Driven Life, a book written by Rick Warren and the book our church in Heidelberg has been going through for Lent. It was a challenging book and I loved it but there was so much to take in that I really needed to summarize it in some way so I could digest it better over the next forty days and beyond. Maybe you will find these notes from the book useful:
Purpose Driven Life
Key Concepts
Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose
You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense
It’s not about me
Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God.
I am not an accident
Nothing matters more than knowing God’s purpose for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.
If you want your life to have impact, focus it!
You weren’t put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
Living on purpose is the path to peace.
This life is preparation for the next.
When you live in light of eternity, your values change
There is more to life than just here and now
Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test
The more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be
Life is a test and a trust
Your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven
Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better
Living for God’s glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives
When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God
Jesus will give you everything you need to live for him
It’s all for him
Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship
I was planned for God’s pleasure
What God wants most from you is a relationship
Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what’s best for your life.
God enjoys watching every detail of your life
God smiles when I trust him
Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about
Surrender is best demonstrated in obedience and trust
Surrender is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing else works.
The heart of worship is surrender
Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God’s greatest pleasure
Everything you do can be “spending time with God” if he is invited to be a part of it and you stay aware of his presence
God wants to be my best friend
God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty
Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God
The more you become God’s friend, the more you will care about the things he cares about
I’m as close to God as I choose to be
God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.
The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God.
Real worship is rooted in the Word.
God wants all of me
God admits that sometimes he hides his face from us
The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God
When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him, you worship him in the deepest way.
God is real, no matter how I feel
Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever.
Being included in God’s family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive
I was formed for Gods family
Relationships are what life is all about
The greatest gift you can give someone is your time
Live is all about love
We discover our role in life through our relationships with others
The church will outlive this universe, and so will your role in it
Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; he has promised to build his church.
I am called to belong, not just believe.
Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives
Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship
I need others in my life
When conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less
The fellowship of the church is more important than any individual
Community requires commitment
God expects you to make the first move
In resolving conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say
Reconciliation focuses on the relationship while resolution focuses on the problem
Relationships are always worth restoring
Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church
We must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections
We protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us by leading
It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church
Gods ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort; but character development
Your character is essentially the sum of your habits
God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do
I was created to become like Christ
We become whatever we are committed to
The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act
It is never too late to start growing
The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God
Many who claim to believe the Bible “from cover to cover” have never read it from cover to cover”
The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable!
The truth transforms me
Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days
Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance
What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you.
There is purpose behind every problem
God develops the fruit of the Spirit by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality!
We think temptation lies around us, but God says it begins within us
Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not a sign of weakness or worldliness
Every temptation is an opportunity to do good
The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you
The truth is, whatever you can’t talk about is already out of control in your life
Don’t ever try to argue with the Devil. He’s better at arguing than you are, having had thousands of years to practice
There is always a way out
While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow.
There is no growth without chance, no change without fear or loss and no loss without pain
God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time.
There are no shortcuts to maturity
If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life
Spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. We grow up in order to give out
Service is the pathway to real significance
Service is not optional
God never wastes anything
An unopened gift is worthless
When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you
I was shaped for serving God
What I’m able to do, God wants me to do
It feels good to do what God made you to do
For God to use your painful experiences, you must be willing to share them.
Nobody else can be me
You will never know what you’re good at until you try
God wants you to enjoy using the shape he has given you
God deserves my best
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity
Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks
I serve God by serving others
Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for his purposes.
The close you get to Jesus, the less you need to promote yourself
To be a servant I must think like a servant
If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done
Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts
God works best when I admit my weakness
Jesus calls us not only to come to him but to go for him
The Great Commission was given to every follower of Jesus
It is easy to get distracted because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith
I was made for a mission
Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart to others.
While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser still to learn from the experience of others
God wants to say something to the world through me.
It has never been easier in history to fulfill your commission to go to the whole world
People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers
“You can’t take it with you” – but the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there!
The Great Commission is my commission
A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian
You owe it to future generations to preserve the testimony of how God helped you fulfill his purposes on earth.
Blessed are the balanced
When God’s at the center of your life, you worship. When he’s not, you worry
Before most unbelievers accept the Bible as credible they want to know that we are credible
You can start living on purpose today
Living on purpose is the only way to really live
The Five Purposes with key points that really spoke to me:
1. “Love God with all your heart”: You were planned for God’s pleasure, so your purpose is to love God through worship
What God wants most from you is a relationship
Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what’s best for your life
Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship
Surrender is best demonstrated in obedience and trust
The heart of worship is surrender
The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God
When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him, you worship him in the deepest way
2. “Love your neighbor as yourself”: You were shaped for serving, so your purpose is to show love for others through ministry
If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life
An unopened gift is worthless
When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity
Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks
I serve God by serving others
3. “Go and make disciples”: You were made for a mission, so your purpose is to share God’s message through evangelism.
The Great Commission was given to every follower of Jesus
It is easy to get distracted because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith
God wants to say something to the world through me.
It has never been easier in history to fulfill your commission to go to the whole world
Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts
People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers
4. “baptize them into…”: You were formed for God’s family, so your purpose is to identify with his church through fellowship.
Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives
Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship
When conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less
Reconciliation focuses on the relationship while resolution focuses on the problem
5. “teach them to do all things…”: You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow to maturity through discipleship.
God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do
Gods ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort; but character development
Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance
What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you.
God develops the fruit of the Spirit by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality!
Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not a sign of weakness or worldliness
Purpose Driven Life
Key Concepts
Focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose
You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense
It’s not about me
Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God.
I am not an accident
Nothing matters more than knowing God’s purpose for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.
If you want your life to have impact, focus it!
You weren’t put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
Living on purpose is the path to peace.
This life is preparation for the next.
When you live in light of eternity, your values change
There is more to life than just here and now
Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test
The more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be
Life is a test and a trust
Your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven
Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better
Living for God’s glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives
When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God
Jesus will give you everything you need to live for him
It’s all for him
Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship
I was planned for God’s pleasure
What God wants most from you is a relationship
Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what’s best for your life.
God enjoys watching every detail of your life
God smiles when I trust him
Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about
Surrender is best demonstrated in obedience and trust
Surrender is not the best way to live; it is the only way to live. Nothing else works.
The heart of worship is surrender
Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God’s greatest pleasure
Everything you do can be “spending time with God” if he is invited to be a part of it and you stay aware of his presence
God wants to be my best friend
God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty
Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God
The more you become God’s friend, the more you will care about the things he cares about
I’m as close to God as I choose to be
God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use both our hearts and our heads.
The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God.
Real worship is rooted in the Word.
God wants all of me
God admits that sometimes he hides his face from us
The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God
When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him, you worship him in the deepest way.
God is real, no matter how I feel
Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever.
Being included in God’s family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive
I was formed for Gods family
Relationships are what life is all about
The greatest gift you can give someone is your time
Live is all about love
We discover our role in life through our relationships with others
The church will outlive this universe, and so will your role in it
Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; he has promised to build his church.
I am called to belong, not just believe.
Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives
Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship
I need others in my life
When conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less
The fellowship of the church is more important than any individual
Community requires commitment
God expects you to make the first move
In resolving conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say
Reconciliation focuses on the relationship while resolution focuses on the problem
Relationships are always worth restoring
Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church
We must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections
We protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us by leading
It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church
Gods ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort; but character development
Your character is essentially the sum of your habits
God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do
I was created to become like Christ
We become whatever we are committed to
The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act
It is never too late to start growing
The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God
Many who claim to believe the Bible “from cover to cover” have never read it from cover to cover”
The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable!
The truth transforms me
Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days
Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance
What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you.
There is purpose behind every problem
God develops the fruit of the Spirit by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality!
We think temptation lies around us, but God says it begins within us
Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not a sign of weakness or worldliness
Every temptation is an opportunity to do good
The battle for sin is won or lost in your mind. Whatever gets your attention will get you
The truth is, whatever you can’t talk about is already out of control in your life
Don’t ever try to argue with the Devil. He’s better at arguing than you are, having had thousands of years to practice
There is always a way out
While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow.
There is no growth without chance, no change without fear or loss and no loss without pain
God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time.
There are no shortcuts to maturity
If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life
Spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. We grow up in order to give out
Service is the pathway to real significance
Service is not optional
God never wastes anything
An unopened gift is worthless
When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you
I was shaped for serving God
What I’m able to do, God wants me to do
It feels good to do what God made you to do
For God to use your painful experiences, you must be willing to share them.
Nobody else can be me
You will never know what you’re good at until you try
God wants you to enjoy using the shape he has given you
God deserves my best
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity
Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks
I serve God by serving others
Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for his purposes.
The close you get to Jesus, the less you need to promote yourself
To be a servant I must think like a servant
If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done
Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts
God works best when I admit my weakness
Jesus calls us not only to come to him but to go for him
The Great Commission was given to every follower of Jesus
It is easy to get distracted because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith
I was made for a mission
Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart to others.
While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser still to learn from the experience of others
God wants to say something to the world through me.
It has never been easier in history to fulfill your commission to go to the whole world
People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers
“You can’t take it with you” – but the Bible says you can send it on ahead by investing in people who are going there!
The Great Commission is my commission
A great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will make you a great Christian
You owe it to future generations to preserve the testimony of how God helped you fulfill his purposes on earth.
Blessed are the balanced
When God’s at the center of your life, you worship. When he’s not, you worry
Before most unbelievers accept the Bible as credible they want to know that we are credible
You can start living on purpose today
Living on purpose is the only way to really live
The Five Purposes with key points that really spoke to me:
1. “Love God with all your heart”: You were planned for God’s pleasure, so your purpose is to love God through worship
What God wants most from you is a relationship
Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what’s best for your life
Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship
Surrender is best demonstrated in obedience and trust
The heart of worship is surrender
The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God
When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him, you worship him in the deepest way
2. “Love your neighbor as yourself”: You were shaped for serving, so your purpose is to show love for others through ministry
If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life
An unopened gift is worthless
When you are doing what you love to do, no one has to motivate you
Your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant’s heart will reveal your maturity
Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks
I serve God by serving others
3. “Go and make disciples”: You were made for a mission, so your purpose is to share God’s message through evangelism.
The Great Commission was given to every follower of Jesus
It is easy to get distracted because Satan would rather have you do anything besides sharing your faith
God wants to say something to the world through me.
It has never been easier in history to fulfill your commission to go to the whole world
Your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts
People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers
4. “baptize them into…”: You were formed for God’s family, so your purpose is to identify with his church through fellowship.
Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives
Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship
When conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less
Reconciliation focuses on the relationship while resolution focuses on the problem
5. “teach them to do all things…”: You were created to become like Christ, so your purpose is to grow to maturity through discipleship.
God is far more interested in what you are than in what you do
Gods ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort; but character development
Everything that happens to you has spiritual significance
What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you.
God develops the fruit of the Spirit by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality!
Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you, not a sign of weakness or worldliness
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
6 weeks and counting...
Being pregnant for the first time at 40. Well, I can say it's been interesting. My first trimester I didn't have the nausea that most experience but I didn't feel "good" either. I remember being very tired almost all the time. I also had TERRIBLE pregnancy sinusitis. So bad so that I had to go to a specialist when I was home in Georgia for some relief. Unforunately he just took one look at me, and said "yeah you're pregnant so there's not much I can do." Ummmm thanks.
My second trimester was characterized by being up 3-4 times each night to go to the bathroom and to drink water. I have learned in my pregnancy at least that sleeping on my right side causes me to wake up much more frequently and it also causes me to become dehydrated while sleeping on my left side doesn't nearly as much. Why? I have absolutely no clue and I don't know if that's true for other mothers out there but it's what I've seen over the past 5 months or so.
The third trimester is just all about Chloe growing and kicking me constantly throughout the day, sitting on my diaphram (or at least it feels that way) so even breathing is sometimes difficult and just all over pains. That's not to mention the swollen feet and ankles which make me look like the elephant man! lol
Still, if I'm being honest I've been incredibly fortunate. My sister has experienced a LOT of sickness throughout her 3 pregnancies. She's due with her third two days before me but they've already scheduled a c-section for May 18th. Right now I am trying to do a natural birth but at my last checkup the doctor said Chloe was still breach (her head resting nicely on my ribs - ugh) and that if she didn't turn by 36 weeks there was little chance she would turn and so he would schedule a c-section for a week before her due date. That may mean that Chloe and Emma are born on the same day but we're still praying she'll turn so no plans as of yet.
Tonight Alan and I read up on breech babies and options for turning the baby. He had all along jokingly said that I could stand on my head for two hours each day and he knew Chloe would turn around and go figure if that's not one of things we found they suggest you do lol. 35 weeks pregnant weighing as much as I do standing on my head? Not going to happen lol. They also suggested Alan sing to Chloe below my belly button and that we put frozen vegetables up near her head as babies tend to hate cold and navigate to warmer places lol. We laughed as we read through all the homemade remedies. In the end we'll just trust God and if she turns then great and if she doesn't then we'll have the c-section.
We're almost there. It's only 6 weeks to go this upcoming Thursday and even less if the c-section is required. On Saturday I packed my suitcase and Chloe's bag for the hospital. I've got all the basic necessities that we need I think with a few small exceptions that I can pick up later. Chloe's room is pretty much ready besides needing to frame a few things my sister sent me and this is our last week of classes until after the birth.
Crazy, crazy, crazy. I still can't believe we're pregnant at 40 and 47 respectively. Only God could have come through for us as He has and we are so thankful to all of you that prayed for us that we would get pregnant. I can't wait to be a mom to a little girl and Alan is sooo looking forward to being a dad. The whole baby thing, breast feeding, first aid, what you do when your baby won't stop crying and you don't know what's wrong, etc. still freaks me out but I've been told by some very reliable sources (mom, best friend, sister) that it'll all come natural after Chloe is here. I sure hope so or you guys are in big trouble!
My second trimester was characterized by being up 3-4 times each night to go to the bathroom and to drink water. I have learned in my pregnancy at least that sleeping on my right side causes me to wake up much more frequently and it also causes me to become dehydrated while sleeping on my left side doesn't nearly as much. Why? I have absolutely no clue and I don't know if that's true for other mothers out there but it's what I've seen over the past 5 months or so.
The third trimester is just all about Chloe growing and kicking me constantly throughout the day, sitting on my diaphram (or at least it feels that way) so even breathing is sometimes difficult and just all over pains. That's not to mention the swollen feet and ankles which make me look like the elephant man! lol
Still, if I'm being honest I've been incredibly fortunate. My sister has experienced a LOT of sickness throughout her 3 pregnancies. She's due with her third two days before me but they've already scheduled a c-section for May 18th. Right now I am trying to do a natural birth but at my last checkup the doctor said Chloe was still breach (her head resting nicely on my ribs - ugh) and that if she didn't turn by 36 weeks there was little chance she would turn and so he would schedule a c-section for a week before her due date. That may mean that Chloe and Emma are born on the same day but we're still praying she'll turn so no plans as of yet.
Tonight Alan and I read up on breech babies and options for turning the baby. He had all along jokingly said that I could stand on my head for two hours each day and he knew Chloe would turn around and go figure if that's not one of things we found they suggest you do lol. 35 weeks pregnant weighing as much as I do standing on my head? Not going to happen lol. They also suggested Alan sing to Chloe below my belly button and that we put frozen vegetables up near her head as babies tend to hate cold and navigate to warmer places lol. We laughed as we read through all the homemade remedies. In the end we'll just trust God and if she turns then great and if she doesn't then we'll have the c-section.
We're almost there. It's only 6 weeks to go this upcoming Thursday and even less if the c-section is required. On Saturday I packed my suitcase and Chloe's bag for the hospital. I've got all the basic necessities that we need I think with a few small exceptions that I can pick up later. Chloe's room is pretty much ready besides needing to frame a few things my sister sent me and this is our last week of classes until after the birth.
Crazy, crazy, crazy. I still can't believe we're pregnant at 40 and 47 respectively. Only God could have come through for us as He has and we are so thankful to all of you that prayed for us that we would get pregnant. I can't wait to be a mom to a little girl and Alan is sooo looking forward to being a dad. The whole baby thing, breast feeding, first aid, what you do when your baby won't stop crying and you don't know what's wrong, etc. still freaks me out but I've been told by some very reliable sources (mom, best friend, sister) that it'll all come natural after Chloe is here. I sure hope so or you guys are in big trouble!
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