Sunday, November 30, 2008
Matthew 28:19
It was our joy and blessing to baptize Alyssa this
Sunday morning...
Sunday morning...
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
Friday, November 28, 2008
Grateful
As Thanksgiving has come and gone, I am, again, grateful for my family. The holiday season does that to me.
In light of that gratefulness, my mind shifts to one of my family members who is not with us this holiday season, instead she has chosen to leave her father and mother and brother and sister for the sake of the kingdom (Luke 18:29).
Five months ago, my niece Katie, began an eleven-month missions trip with the World Race. Katie, presently stuck in Bangkok due to political protesting throughout the city, recently posted this video:
Orphans of the Storm from katie rowland on Vimeo.
As I have watched each of Katie's videos documenting her journey, I am ashamed of how self-focused I can be, living my comfortable suburban life while so much suffering is going on around me. I am too quick to forget the (approximate) 143 million orphans worldwide. These children will not be with family this holiday season, their lives have been shattered by tragedy.
Katie, thank you for the joy you are bringing these children in the midst of their sorrow, in particular for laying down your life in order to share the gospel with them that they may, someday, experience lasting joy with their Father in Heaven. You are bringing Him much glory as you continue to pour out your life for these people. Thank you for your example to all of us at home. We love you and miss you very much.
xoxo,
Aunt Juli
In light of that gratefulness, my mind shifts to one of my family members who is not with us this holiday season, instead she has chosen to leave her father and mother and brother and sister for the sake of the kingdom (Luke 18:29).
Five months ago, my niece Katie, began an eleven-month missions trip with the World Race. Katie, presently stuck in Bangkok due to political protesting throughout the city, recently posted this video:
Orphans of the Storm from katie rowland on Vimeo.
As I have watched each of Katie's videos documenting her journey, I am ashamed of how self-focused I can be, living my comfortable suburban life while so much suffering is going on around me. I am too quick to forget the (approximate) 143 million orphans worldwide. These children will not be with family this holiday season, their lives have been shattered by tragedy.
Katie, thank you for the joy you are bringing these children in the midst of their sorrow, in particular for laying down your life in order to share the gospel with them that they may, someday, experience lasting joy with their Father in Heaven. You are bringing Him much glory as you continue to pour out your life for these people. Thank you for your example to all of us at home. We love you and miss you very much.
xoxo,
Aunt Juli
Praying for Our Children
I read this fabulous reminder this morning from Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt. (Thanks, Jamie!)
"Before I started writing this book, I polled more than one hundred mothers to see what they wanted most for their children. My informal surveys, tucked into our family's Christmas cards and randomly distributed to friends and neighbors, listed everything from health and safety to academic success and strong family ties. I asked folks to check their top five desires or prayer requests, and I eventually used this feedback to shape the book's table of contents.
On the survey I also included an "other" category, where folks could comment on the topics or add their own thoughts. My friend Troy Lee shared this story of how God answered her prayers for her children:
Isn't this an amazing story? Where others might see only pain and loss, Troy Lee recognized the hand of God and the answer to her prayers. But, you might ask, shouldn't she have asked God to make her children healthy-no matter what? And if she had, would she have been spared the anguish of losing a child?
I can't answer these questions, but I know that in placing her children's salvation at the top of her prayer list-and in praying for them even before they were born-Troy Lee demonstrated an incredible maturity and depth of insight. She recognized what so many of us miss: that a relationship with the Savior is more important than anything else. A child can be blessed with a healthy body, good grades, an outstanding character, a wealth of friends, and an athletic scholarship to the college of his or her choice-but without a relationship with Jesus, it all counts for nothing."
"Before I started writing this book, I polled more than one hundred mothers to see what they wanted most for their children. My informal surveys, tucked into our family's Christmas cards and randomly distributed to friends and neighbors, listed everything from health and safety to academic success and strong family ties. I asked folks to check their top five desires or prayer requests, and I eventually used this feedback to shape the book's table of contents.
On the survey I also included an "other" category, where folks could comment on the topics or add their own thoughts. My friend Troy Lee shared this story of how God answered her prayers for her children:
"Before each of my children was born I prayed that they would be first a Christian and second healthy. I prayed that as long as we would be allowed to enjoy our children on earth, it would be long enough for them to accept Christ as their Savior. In other words, please let them live to be saved- however old or however young.
This prayer has been answered for two of my children so far, but very significantly in Abner IV's life. You may know that he died at age seven and a half. Seven months prior to his unexpected death, Abner prayed with his father to accept Christ and was baptized the next week. God let him live long enough to be saved.
This is even more interesting as we found out exactly what Abner died of (it took nine weeks to determine). Endocardial fibroelastosis is very rare. We were told that Abner's case would be published in a medical journal because in the last forty years, only two other people in the world had ever lived past age one with this condition.
And I keep thinking, God let him live long enough to be saved. Praise Him!"
Isn't this an amazing story? Where others might see only pain and loss, Troy Lee recognized the hand of God and the answer to her prayers. But, you might ask, shouldn't she have asked God to make her children healthy-no matter what? And if she had, would she have been spared the anguish of losing a child?
I can't answer these questions, but I know that in placing her children's salvation at the top of her prayer list-and in praying for them even before they were born-Troy Lee demonstrated an incredible maturity and depth of insight. She recognized what so many of us miss: that a relationship with the Savior is more important than anything else. A child can be blessed with a healthy body, good grades, an outstanding character, a wealth of friends, and an athletic scholarship to the college of his or her choice-but without a relationship with Jesus, it all counts for nothing."
"Praying for your children's salvation is asking God to give them the only gift that lasts forever."
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Gathering Leaves
"Spades take up leaves-Robert Frost
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.
I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?"
*All photos courtesy of our wonderfully-talented Maggie Flanigan.
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