Family, Foraging and Freezing

Friday and Saturday we stole away as a family to the Peace River, located somewhere south of Tampa, for a night of camping and a day on the river canoeing and fossiling. Before leaving Paul checked the weather and read that there was a chance of rain showers but it wasn't going to deter him. So, we loaded up, packed light (it was only for one night!) and headed off. We arrived, set up camp (see pictures below) and just about as soon as our tent was up and the tarp in place overhead, the rain came. It came softly at first but then it really started raining. So, embarrassingly, I loaded the kids into the van and put on a movie...yes, I know, I know, I wimped out. My excuse, of course, was that they only had one change of clothes and if the clothes they had on got all muddy and dirty we could possibly have some very unhappy kids the following day after time on the river, where the chance of getting wet would increase greatly! So, they watched an educational movie all about a desert in Africa and the bushmen there. We then headed to the local WalMart and purchased a few things to eat and a new tarp and then headed back to camp, hoping for the rain to stop (by this time it had slowed considerably). By the time we returned, we managed to eat supper (hotdogs and brats on an open fire) with marshmellows for dessert. We then piled in the tent to get the children ready for bed. Did I mention that it was cold??? Well, it was very cold, I guess you can figure that out by the pictures. Anyway, Paul read to the kids from Prince Caspian and then we headed back out to the fire. The kids needed help settling down (mainly Adele) so I went back into the tent after awhile. Everyone was just about asleep (including me!) when a huge gush of wind camp whipping through the camp. The whole backside of our tent collapsed on me and the kids. Paul was just coming in the tent to head to bed when this happened. So,I quickly pushed the wall back up...and got my shoes on to help Paul who was on his way back outside to anchor the tent down a little better. As you will see in the pictures, the tent/tarps ended giving us the feel that we were on a sailboat instead of camping because there were lines going everywhere. Ducking and stepping over the lines was a constant but thankfully no one tripped and got hurt! So, we slept soundly the rest of the night without any mishaps, thank goodness! We woke early the next morning, once again, freezing our tails off (it had to have been in the 40s, at least!). Paul got a nice warm fire going, we ate scrambled eggs and oatmeal for breakfast and Paul made me a nice big cup of joe. We were then ready to break down our camp and hit the water for a day of fossiling. We did just that. We found a few sharks teeth, ray teeth and other obscure pieces that we will probably never know what they are. I found (as my first fossil find) an alligator tooth (and I impressed both my husband and my son with that find as neither of them have found a gator tooth as of yet!). We had a lot of fun. It was cold. But, we had a lot of fun. Because of all the rain we had the day before and the week before the river water level was up quite a bit and so it made fossiling along the banks a bit hard. There wasn't much space to move around. Paul was the best outfitted with his waders on but all in all everyone did quite well with it. We ate lunch along the river up on a bank. We fossiled some more and then headed home. Fossiling is a lot like digging for gold. Paul made some sieves a couple months ago when he and PJ went with his nephew and so you dig up some gravel-like stuff, swish it around in the water until all the sand/dirt/limestone floats away on the water and you're left with the rocks and fossils. Then you start digging! We're hoping to find some good finds, we're hoping to make this a family hobby. I am thankful we didn't see any alligators, though I am sure they were around somewhere!

Adele hitting her limit with the picture moment!

Do I look cold?

They love hotdogs and these even had cheese inside! Yum-yum!

"Be not afraid for little grace..." Samuel Rutherford

In my one score and ten plus one years on this earth there is one fact that becomes increasingly clearer and clearer...and that is the brokeness of people. No matter where we're from, Christian or Buddhist, atheist or Muslim, we're broken, messed up people.
God's grace is needed moment by moment in our lives. It's not just for those who know Him not, it's just as much needed by the believer of 1, 10, 20 or 60 years. When we left for Thailand, I fully expected to see the brokeness of humanity in that dark place. And, I did see it. When we returned to the States I guess I had been gone so long I thought that Americans (mainly Christian Americans) would be just as I left them, or better off somehow than those believers in Thailand. Instead, I've found, once again, broken people, messed up people, people in need of that daily sufficient grace that flows only from Him who can freely give it. And, this, by-the-way, is NOT a bad thing!!! It's freeing and beautiful and I see God's goodness and grace through it all. Mostly, I have grown to see my own weaknesses and messed up ways and brokeness before God. How does grace go beyond an idea or thought in Scripture to daily living it out? I've been struggling to understand how does grace practically apply to daily life. How do I press on to do good works- for God's glory ONLY and by His grace when I have this deep-seeded monster called "works" (a works that is not of God, that is only concerned with making myself be glorified in the eyes of other people and a works that thinks if I do this, then I have arrived) vying for my affections? How do I raise my children to love the Lord of the Scriptures in grace? So often, "you're a good boy/girl" comes out of my mouth. So often I reward them for the good they've done. So often I punish them and pick apart behaviors according to my whims and standards- because I want to look good. How do I instill grace? How do I deal graciously with them? How do I bring works and grace together? One cannot escape the "works" part of our lives. How can we live so that all that we do (works) is the out-flow of our love for God and not out of pride or fear of man? I'm setting out on a journey to hopefully learn some of these practical out-workings of grace in a believers life. Paul recently read for one of his classes a book entitled Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification. At his suggestion I will be beginning to plow through this book. I will try to share what I am learning and how God is using it to bring me to a better understanding of His work in my life.
I haven't been able to fully grasp what it means to live IN grace (MTW has a conference by the name Living in Grace, which I highly recommend). It is all of God in the believer's life...it has to be. We, even as regenerate, have so much sin, nothing good can come from us. So, join me, pray with and for me and perhaps I will yet figure out how to live out this faith we've been given. Perhaps my children will gain an even better understanding of God, His love, grace and mercy and as a result God will be glorified and we may be just a bit closer to living the way God has prescribed for us to live, according to, and governed by and only found in the Scriptures.

And to complete the quote for the title of my post today and give hope that we are Christ's...
"Be not afraid for little grace. Christ soweth his living seed, and he will not lose his seed; if he have the guiding of my stock and state it shall not miscarry. Our spoilt works, losses, deadness, coldness, wretchedness, are the ground which the good Husbandman laboureth."
-Samuel Rutherford, 17th century preacher

shuttle launch

This is little out of date, but we saw a shuttle launch one afternoon in November (it was Paul's birthday). We were on our way home from visiting his family in Jacksonville and decided to stop and see the show. It was a beautiful day and much better than our midnight viewing of the shuttle launch in August! Paul borrowed Grampy's camera to get really nice pictures. Since neither of us have any training in how to take great pictures I think they turned out well!

A good visit

Yesterday and today we had our dear friend and team leader, Dave Veldhorst, from Thailand visit us. MTW Thailand is having a partnership meeting in Tampa tomorrow and so, we got to see this guy. We had a great visit and it was incredibly encouraging to hear what God is doing in Ram 2 (where we lived) and to think about future missions with MTW Thailand. It made me extremely homesick for all of you who are ministering there, both our Thai brothers and sisters and the foreign missionaries (you know who you are!) and I just can't wait to get back, but I am also trying to be content with where God has us right now. I am more and more thankful for Mission to the World and the way God works through us as an organization, and the godly men and women we have to lead us and their hearts for the nations. We are blessed! Many do not have these same sentiments but I am thankful that we do! I would ask you all to continue to pray for those laboring in Thailand, that God would encourage them and give them the strength to press on in Him.

oops...

My dear friend Rhianna, brought to my attention the possible confusion that the title of my last post (#4) could bring to all of you. I am very sorry if many of you out there thought you were going to hear a different story, like we're having a 4th child. =) I am sorry to report that no, we are not expecting #4 but we sure had fun celebrating #2's #4!!!! LOL. Rhianna, your comment made me laugh out loud...and wondered how many others thought the same. And just so you know, the thought never crossed my mind!!!

#4

I know I say it every year for each of the kids, but really, Calvin turning 4 really makes me sad. We were in Thailand 6 months when he came into the world and life was forever changed. He was always an easy and good baby. His arrival was God's conduit to helping me learn Thai...the Thais would speak to him in Thai and I understoond enough vocab to figure out correct sentence structure. And, now he's 4. It seems like he grew up overnight but I have pictures and experiences that help me remember those sweet baby days and those fun toddler days and now these hard 4 year old days when his temperment is up and down (much like his mother, I might add!) but he is still my sweet boy. He's definitely a momma's boy.


We celebrated his birthday on Sunday after church. We had shrimp and french fries (his favorite) and then we sang and opened gifts. We got him a round house for his train engines and he just kept saying, "I can't believe it!" It was pretty funny! Thank you to the grandparents for the gifts you sent him. He can't wait to take a bath tonight to play with the Lighting McQueen and Mater bath toys. And, he immediately looked through the book with me. He picked out a turntable to go with his round house from Toys R Us yesterday with money my parents sent to him. All in all, it was a great day. I hope he felt loved and celebrated. I certainly can't imagine our lives without Calvin Lewis.

Enjoy the pictures!

tufted titmouse

Here it is...Adele saying "tufted titmouse" and if you listen carefully at the end you can hear her tell PJ that he is "nuts". I just overheard PJ and Adele in the bedroom. PJ and Calvin were playing legos and Adele said something to PJ. PJ, not knowing what she said, asked her, "Do you want a bagel?" She said, "no" and then repeated what she said earlier. Then I heard him say, "oh, you want to build legos?" Bingo...Adele said, "yes". It made me chuckle to myself. =)

Neighborhood Meandering

We really love where we live. It's on the edge of town, it feels like we're out in the woods when you look out our back sliding glass doors, but it's not really out. Just beyond the trees behind our house is a church and then a county road. But, it feels out to us! This morning, Adele and Paul spotted a deer (!) just along the fence in our backyard. Paul managed to snap a picture of it but it is not yet on the computer. We often have Florida Sandhill Cranes in the field behind our house (to the right) and lately we've been enjoying songbirds eating birdseed that we've been feeding them. (Thanks again to Grammie and Grampy for the birdfeeders to PJ for Christmas!) Adele is even starting to spot birds and she can now sucessfully identify and say, "tufted titmouse" which is just so cute to hear her say! She often sees vultures flying about and says, "hawk!" with great excitement but of course it is not!

Anyway, today Adele, PJ and I went for a short walk down to the stop sign and back and on our way back we do think we spotted a falcon or hawk of some sort. So, we decided to turn around and go visit our neighborhood pond. I was sure there was going to be some new birds to see and write in our "bird book".

There were definitely some new birds to see. I believe we saw a kingfisher and some ducks that Paul later confirmed were Muscovy ducks (which he informed me that they are like mutt ducks...poor things, they are kinda ugly!). And, as we're looking about (PJ was all set with his binoculars) I am reminded by a sign (click on the picture to read the sign)of other creatures that lurk here in Florida...alligators! So, I start looking along the water's edge for the reptilian that I loathe and sure enough just down the bank there is one sitting, sunning himself and looking directly at us (or so it would seem!). He wasn't huge but he was big enough that I wanted to get out of there and go tell Paul what we saw. So, we went back to the house, gathered Paul and Calvin and as a family went back down to the pond to check out the wildlife. As a Floridian, Paul saw and it and said, "oh, that's not big at all...let's go down to it boys." And, I said, "Do you really think the boys should go down there with you? Isn't it dangerous?" "No" came the reply. So, Calvin joined him, Adele and PJ were close to me...and sure enough the gator jumped into the water when Paul and Calvin got too close for his comfort! I can assure you that I won't be going to that pond alone, EVER! So, here are some pictures of the gator. Sorry, I didn't get any good pics of the muscovys, but here is a picture from off the internet of what they look like.

Did you see this? Just in case you didn't...

Check out this news clip from Fox News Channel. My mom bought a small purse for Adele from W*lmart over the summer, just the right size for her and for her to play with (which she has many, many times). I checked the tag and sure enough it has the vinyl in it. If you have small children around, I think it's wise to watch this segment. As you know I don't normally post stuff like this but this seemed too important not to post!

Prayers and Requests

Dear friends,

We are finally home after a month of traveling and visiting. It was good and encouraging but we are glad to be home. We have hardly heard a peep from the kiddos since returning because they are busy playing with their toys they haven't seen.

This past month many reminders to pray and needs have been brought to our attention. I know right now is not a good time to ask this of many of you, but I would ask you to pray because God's economy is not ours and we know that when He calls He will provide. With that said, I would ask you to pray for two different ministries that involve people that we really love and respect.

The first is for the man who married us and his wife. John and Cheryl Boyte along with their children, JJ, Casey and Caleb, live in Anderson, SC where John is on staff with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). God's hand has firmly been upon John's college ministry since it started back in the late 90s. About a year and a half ago, John and Cheryl felt God was calling them to RUF fulltime. Up to that point, he was doing campus ministry through his job at a local PCA church among many other ministries. John and Cheryl have a gift for mentoring and discipling those who come to Christ. They have been instrumental in many lives as they have encouraged, prayed and couseled many students and directed us to Christ. Paul and I (though I was never a student at Anderson University) were directly impacted by their love for Christ and their love for us. John is the person God used to get us to Thailand...and there are many other stories like that out there! Anyway, all of this is to ask you to pray for them as they continue to be in need of monthly financial gifts and, if you are able and as you pray, feel called to consider supporting them. If you would like to know more please email John at jboyte[insert "at" sign]ruf.org.

We also stayed with our teammate, Melanie Currie, on our way down the Eastern Seaboard. Melanie served with us for two years in Thailand and she has been approved to return to Thailand as a long term missionary. Our whole family loves Melanie. She's lots of fun and has been used of God to encourage us time and time again. Melanie has a real desire to serve those in the Maahaadthai Community of Ram 2 (where we worked). Maahaadthai is a lower income community...usually known as a slum but we try not to refer to as that! Melanie would like to return by this June. She now needs to raise more support and is at just over 50% of her need. Please pray, again for God to provide for her. Again, if you are interested in supporting Melanie, please see her blog on the right (Thai Currie) and contact her there.

In your prayer times, please keep these two missionaries in your prayers.. Please pray for encouragement for them and for God to grant His presence while they minister and wait on God to provide for their needs. Pray that worry would be far from them, knowing the God, who has called them, is faithful. Please pray that whatever happens with the economy, God's church would find it fit to keep giving to the work of worlwide evangelism. Let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, come what may and see what He has planned through all of this. Thank you for your prayers and for your generosity.

Christmas 2009

Our first Christmas in America is over. It was wonderful to be with our family here. We spent Christmas day in Florida with Paul's family and then we traveled to Pennsylvania to be with my family for the New Year. We celebrated Christmas with them New Years Eve. It was fun.
As you can see below, the kids are enjoying the snow, and so is Paul! Actually, Calvin doesn't like it too much, but PJ and Adele like it a lot.
Paul and the kids built a snowman...we got the perfect kind of snow for it the other morning.

Here is Calvin playing Grampy's piano...complete with a coonskin hat borrowed from one of the many cousins roaming around!

And, we had an enjoyable visit with Catherine and her dad just before Christmas. Catherine is a dear friend and sister who lives and works in Bangkok. She teaches music at an international school there. It all hit me when I saw Catherine and I cried, realizing the family we have left in Thailand. It was a sweet visit with them and I am so glad we got to see them.

For now, we're surviving the cold weather and will be traveling to SC in a little over a week to visit with supporters and friends. We greatly appreciate your prayers for our family during this time. Our trip up was uneventful and done in one day! (That is a testament of God's goodness to us!) And, please pray against sickness for our family as well. We all got some bug that hit yesterday. Please pray for complete healing and protection from future illness while we travel. I think we're all doing much better today.

Beach Party in December

Can you believe we were at the beach in December? The weather was COLD last week. One night we had a low of 48 degrees, but yesterday the weather was gorgeous! It was around 80 degrees and our little friend, Kaelin (pictured in the front next to Adele) turned 4 and wanted for her birthday to play on the beach. So, we got together and had a big time on the beach. We made a drip castle, ate two bite cupcakes and sang happy birthday. The kids also had a blast.

Pictured here is Adele with her friend, Selah. Can you tell them apart? We often get our girls confused with their blond hair...and they're about a month apart in age as well.

Here we are making a drip castle which later turned into a drip cake and Kaelin blew out a drip candle! Big fun...how I thank God for new friends.

rocking around (this one is for the grandparents!)

happenings and new things

It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks around here! Between birthdays, Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, outings with friends and then just normal life there hasn't been much time left for blogging. I have snapped a few pictures though.

Earlier this week we celebrated my 31st birthday. We actually did the celebrating at my in-laws on Sunday. Paul got me this cool candle for my birthday (I've been waiting patiently to buy the perfect candle with hopes of getting one for my birthday or Christmas). This candle is a WoodWick candle and it actually has a wood wick, it's soy, smells like pine and it even crackles as it burns...like a real fire! It's fun and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I burn it whenever I am home. I love the smell and the coziness it brings to my kitchen!

On my actual birthday I tried my hand at (for the first time ever) making an evergreen wreath to hang on our door. PJ asked a couple weeks ago if we could get a wreath, and I told him I wasn't sure (because of how expensive I remembered them being). Well, we bought our tree the other day and Paul cut off all the bottom branches so I decided to make a wreath from the cuttings. I don't think it's perfect, but it'll do. I love the smell it gives off when we enter and leave the house...it's so fun!

And, Kim at Little by Little posted the other day about Advent and how it always catches her off guard. I agree, by the way. I am always fumbling around and don't realize when the first Sunday of Advent is and then I realize it, usually on THE day and by then it's too late to get started...but I do start late! So, this year we broke out our Jesse Tree book and chart three days later. It worked out since I have three kids and they all want to color the cut out. For the past three years that we've done the Jesse Tree I simply photo copied the "cut outs" and had the kids color them and then we hung them on the tree. Since we're now Stateside, I decided this year to actually cut out the cut outs and paste them onto the tree. I like having the tree displayed in our kitchen, with a constant reminder of Advent. We look at The Advent Book every year. This book is a lot of fun. Each page has a door that you are to open each day starting on December 1. And behind each door is a beautifully illustrated picture from the story of the birth of Jesus along with Scripture from Luke 2. It's is highly anticipated every night before bedtime! Last night, however, I forgot to put the book up and my little 3 almost 4 year old (you know the one) looked ahead and opened some more of the doors! Whoops. =)

Over Thanksgiving we traveled to Orange Park and had a weekend long of feasting with the Henry clan. There were 21 of us for Thanksgiving, including my cousin Jesse and his wife who are also living in central Florida. It was WONDERFUL seeing him and meeting his new bride. I am sorry to say that I forgot to get a picture of them...I didn't take one picture over the weekend and I wish I had because we also roasted chestnuts over an open fire! Can you believe it? I know, I know. In case you were wondering, they are very good...and I would recommend doing it if you have chestnuts and an open fire!

So, these are the happenings of late. Paul is in his final days of seminary studies for this semester so your prayers are greatly appreciated as he takes finals and finishes up a paper or two. God has been incredibly good to him and is stretching his mind as well as growing both of us in understanding this life in Christ. Thank you, until next time I hope that each of you who read this blog will find many moments of quiet reflection on the great Giver of Life and Grace during this season.

November Field Trip

On Friday we joined our Home School group for a field trip to the National Audubon Society's Birds of Prey Center here in central Florida. This trip was highly anticipated by my two boys...and I admit I was excited too. My boys were so excited to see a real, live Bald Eagle...and here you can see him too. This is Francis (they call him Frank for short) with Mr. White (our tour guide). Most birds that come to the center are not seen by the public and they do their best to prevent imprinting (if you don't know what imprinting is, I encourage you to google it!). So, Frank and his girlfriend Paige (seen below with the boys) are their "show" eagles!

We also saw all kinds of other raptors...ospreys, kites, hawks, owls and even vultures (though not technically a bird of prey!). The bottom picture is of half of our group learning about the kites.

Surprisingly, Florida is the third most heavily populated state for Bald Eagles (the first being Alaska and the second being Wisconsin).

The boys and Adele really enjoyed seeing the owls, too.

GOOD NEWS!

Several of you faithful blog readers have met and/or prayed for this woman pictured to the left for a couple years now. Her name is P'Nong and yesterday we just received an email saying that she believes in Jesus as her Savior! Please rejoice with us as we celebrate this news. Currently P'Nong is working with the handicrafts ministry of our team, Napada. She and a few others make beautiful handbags. P'Khiaw, who leads the women in daily prayer and Bible study emailed us to inform us of this great news! Please pray for as she has a very influential role in the Maahaadthai community where she lives and where our team is heavily involved. Please pray for her growth in Christ and pray for her witness among her own people. To read more, please visit Melanie's blog (on the sidebar...Thai Currie). And, thank you to all who have prayed, given and have gone to Thailand.

Hitting the Trails, pictures from last week's adventure

I might have forgotten my camera, but my friend didn't forget hers! Here are our cute kids hitting the trails. It turned out to be a warmer day (unlike today where the high has been 57).

The little ones riding easy.
Having a pit stop.

"I forgot my camera!"

This week the title of my post spilled out of my mouth numerous times! We had a busy and fun week. We visited friends who,three weeks ago, welcomed a new baby girl into their home...and I LOVED holding that precious baby girl. My kiddos did too! Then on Thursday we got together with our homeschool group for a fun pizza making/ resturaunt tour at a local pizzeria. It was SO yummy. The favorite part of the tour for my kids was the 9 degree freezer they got to go into! We then played with friends at the park that afternoon. I went out that night with a new friend for coffee and chatting...yeah, we chatted three hours away and didn't realize until we were kicked out of Borders Books! Thank you Lord for new friends to be known by and to love! Then, Friday we hit the local trails with some other friends...mommas walked with little ones in strollers while the olders rode their bikes. And, finally, today, we had a real bonafide Yard Sale! We didn't do too shabby but the greatest part was the relationships that were built between us and our neighbors here. God is at work...please be praying.

So, all of that to say I didn't have my camera for ANY of it! What a HUGE bummer. And, each time, I meant to grab the camera, I just sorta, uh, forgot it by the time I got to the car. I think I just need to chuck it in my bag and keep it there! PJ did manage to get a few shots of one of his GI Joe guys though! (that is his fine handiwork above!)

On another note, I have been completely exhausted since this time change went into effect. It's been four years since I've had to totally adjust my body clock every fall and spring! I remember as a kid looking forward to the fall back mode...an extra hour of sleep and all, but when you have small kids...it has a maddening effect!!! Anyone else feel the same way? I will say it's been good for homeschooling!!! We are done some mornings by 9:30 (because it feels like 10:30!). So, I guess it's not all bad.

Well, it's off to bed for me. I hope all out there will have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow.

Halloween-ing

a hodge podge of thoughts

I heard most of a sermon yeterday that really was great. I am sure it was hard for some in the congregation to hear, but I thought, "wow, this is preaching...where it hits and hurts and causes us to think and reflect and be challenged by God's Word to change."
Lately, I've been really struggling with my own lack of devotion to Christ and His church. I've been struggling with the mediocrity life affords us, if we let it. I am tired of leading a hum-drum life...just teetering there on the fence...not really sold out completely for the cause of Christ...and it leaves me feeling empty and guilty. This luke-warmness that the beloved apostle, John, warned us about in Revelation...I would pretty much say that is me at this time in life. Now, this might come as a shock to many since I am a missionary and therefore (in many people's minds) I should have my stuff together, but can I just blow the top off of that lie and say that missionaries are not any better than the next guy? Why do we have this thinking that missionaries are somehow super spiritual? Now, I haven't been told these thoughts directly so maybe it's my own sinful thinking (I am sure that is a lot of it!) but I carry this weight of burden to always watch what I say, write, and do because, I am a missionary. And, you know, I am a follower of Christ (no matter how feable) and I should reflect Him in my life, no matter what my occupation, but sometimes I think, "if only I were just a stay-at-home mom I would be relieved of this stress to be perfect in everyone's eyes." (I do believe,however, that even if I were JUST a stay-at-home mom I would still struggle with this sin because it's one I've always dealt with.) We say we believe in God's grace but do we afford that grace to each other when we show our less than perfect lives? Very often, I know I do not.
The sin of comparing myself to EVERYone else out there is very real in my life as well. I tend to look around and measure myself according to others. I feel guilty when I don't measure up to them. Instead, I should be looking to Christ because even though I will never measure up to Him (until glory), He will give me strength to press on and allow His work in my life to change me to be the way HE wants me to be.
So, I then get back to my own sins and my own walk with God and I see that I am not faithful and I want Him so much to rule and reign every facet and crevice of my life and have a heart aflame for Him. Why is it so hard? I am reading Bonhoeffer's Life Together. It's been so encouraging and yet, so discouraging because we are so far from true community within the church of Christ. We are content to see each other on Sundays and go about our lives the rest of the week. We are content to be SO busy with every thing else except the work of the Church! And, yet, as I was reminded and encouraged yesterday, we are to be devoted...DEVOTED to one another and the work of the Church. As the pastor said yesterday, we tend to schedule church around our lives, but we really should be scheduling our lives around the church. SO TRUE. So, we say we are followers, we may even say we are devoted, but are we really? Are we really carrying the burdens of the widows, orphans and poor in our congregations? Are we really dying to ourselves and loving as Christ wants us to? This is the mark of a Christian (as Francis Shaeffer wrote in his short little book with the same name). And, you know, I am preaching to myself here more than anyone else. I don't want to be a luke-warm Christian. I want to love, really love and pour myself out and be a living sacrifice to Christ as Romans 12 commands us...and yes, it is a command.
This also affects our children. I firmly believe that our children will live out the faith they see in us. They know when something is genuine and real and they know when it's fake. They can see through all the fluff. I pray daily that my kids will love others, really love others and love God with all that they are. But, honestly, I don't think praying alone is enough. They need to see me and Paul living that same kind of faith. They need to see that Christ is the foundation of our lives and without Him, we are lost. I believe it was Francis of Assissi that said, "preach the gospel and when necessary use words." That is the kind of gospel preaching I need to exhibit in my home with my husband and children.
Well, these are just some thoughts I've had as of late. I hope I haven't offended anyone, just know that I am sort of "talking out loud" here...I am processing what I am learning and trying to apply it to my life. And please, leave a comment and share your thoughts...I'd love to hear that I am not the only one but also encourage one another as is fitting in the Lord.

Frolicking in the Pumpkin Patch

I must admit that being back in the States has been fun by way of introducing the kids to American culture. Granted, we did plenty of things in Thailand to celebrate Christian holidays and the like but things like pumpkin patches just don't happen in Thailand. So, we loaded up last night and went to a nearby pumpkin patch...we took a few pictures and were on our way. We were shocked at the prices of these pumpkins. So, we bought our pumpkins to carve at another locale where they were selling much cheaper!

In the coming week, the kids will be carving pumpkins for the first time. Well, I should say that Paul will be the one actually carving but you know what I mean!

I caught a partial smile on PJ...he was being camera shy.

Brother and sister amazingly getting along!