All Satisfying Joy

In the last 8 months I've thoroughly enjoyed podcasts on my Ipod. I've heard the most profound sermons by Spurgeon, Tozer, MacArthur, Washer, Piper, Luther, Chandler and Edwards.

What continues to shine through in their preaching is the all-satisfying joy they have in God. I've been in this place of marveling at His majesty for the last year and really grasping how to see that joy on a daily basis.

It's so simple...yet so contrary to what we want to do. Here it is: preach the gospel of the Glory of God to yourself on at least a daily (if not hourly) basis! Here I was trying to find that lasting joy in methods and encouraging nice words and "me" time and service acts when the whole time it was in front of me!

May you find this eternal satisfying joy in this most blessed month!

This post was written for a contest on a great blog, Barking Mad . Click the link to head to her blog and enter this fabulous and encouraging contest!

Thanks Martin

Just finished reading the history of Martin Luther...all I can say is WOW!!!

What a strong man, who feared God utterly, who valued the Word above the church, who slapped the Catholic church down when it was the only game around, who was often in danger and yet translated the Word into German, who reformed the very way church functioned, who married a woman, who supported him well.

I'm amazed and heartened by all these saints who've gone in front of me.

Makes my own sadness and pain seem so light in comparision.

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do all to the GLORY of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31

The Role of the Holy Spirit

I don't know about you, but I feel like the Holy Spirit is the least understood aspect of the Trinity. I've been doing some reading and here are some quotes that I came across that helped me out:

"The testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For as God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit therefore who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets must penetrate into our hearts to persuade us that they faithfully proclaimed what had been divinely commanded...because until he illumines their minds, they ever waver among many doubts."
-John Calvin "The Institutes"

(In reference to 1 John 5:6-11) "In other words, 'The testimony of God' that is, the inward witness of the Spirit, is greater than any human witness-including, I think the apostle would say in this context, the witness of our own judgement. And what is that testimony of God? It is not merely a word delivered to our judgement for reflection, for then our conviction would rely on our own reflection. What is it then? Verse 11 is the key, 'This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life.' I take that to mean that God testifies to us of his reality and the reality of his Son and of the gospel by giving us life from the dead, so that we come alive to his self-authenticating glory in the gospel. In that instant we do not reason from premises to conclusions; rather we see that we are awake, and there is not even a prior human judgement about it to lean on. When Lazarus wakened in the tomb by the call or the 'testimony' of Christ, he knew without reasoning that he was alive and that this call awakened him."
-John Piper "God is the Gospel"

"Calvin affirms Scripture to be self-authenticating through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. What is this 'inner witness'? Not a special quality of experience, nor a new, private revelation, nor an existential 'decision', but a work of enlightenment whereby, through the medium of verbal testimony, the blind eyes of the spirit are opened, and divine realities come to be recognized and embraced for what they are. This recognition is as immediate and unanalyzable as perceiving of a color, or a taste, by physical sense-and even about which no more can be said than that when appropriate stimuli were present it happened, and when it happened we know it happened."
-J.I. Packer "Calvin the Theologian"

This last quote I just loved, so I'm adding it:

"A pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the church. As if the eternal and inviolable truth of God depended upon the decision of men! ...Yet, if this is so, what will happen to the miserable consciences seeking firm assurance of eternal life if all promises of it consist in and depend solely upon the judgment of men?"
-John Calvin "The Institutes"

Any thoughts?

Contest of the Day

I've read 5 Minutes for Mom for a couple of years now. They have great content and great contests! Check out their Christmas giveaways here: http://www.5minutesformom.com/10606/christmas-giveaway-2009/

Science Stinks

My sweet 2nd grader is tackling the Science Fair this year with the question: "Does a plant grow better if you add sugar to the water?" All in all, a very benign project...my main concern has been how the plants will fare on the kitchen table with it being so cold outside.

That's not my main concern anymore...let me explain.

Both kids were sick all weekend with the flu and I did a lot of laundry. Midway through the weekend, I felt like all I could smell was barf. Then today hit and I could still smell it!!

The smell would surprise me in odd places in my kitchen and living room. Needless to say I was completely grossed out and starting to wonder if I somehow smelled like barf.

Turns out sugar water smells like upchuck.

Let that be a reminder to all you scientists out there...ugh.

Finally Able to Talk About...

...what has been going on for the last 5 weeks. The reason why we desperately needed a vacation and the reason for my silence and withdrawal from many arenas.

On August 20th our pastors informed my husband and I that we were removed from our job of Missions Coordinator. The reason given in that meeting was cited as "philosophical differences" which they did not expound on at the time.

So, this is the letter we e-mailed to everyone that after the announcement was made to the church on September 13th:

Beloved Friends and Family, I begin this letter by calling you all beloved because that is what you have been to us. All of you in some way have supported us over the last four or more years. You have fed us when we were hungry and housed us when we were homeless. Many of you have prayed for us earnestly. Some of you have helped us with monthly needs, and others have helped us travel to more than 10 countries (some of them numerous times). In one way or another, all of you have walked with us as we have sought help Hillside Community Church fulfill its vision by meeting the needs of the congregation at home and missionaries abroad. Through it all, you have provided us with an example of the body of Christ functioning with all of its different parts. For this, we are eternally grateful. While our gratitude will last forever, we have always known that our time at Hillside wouldn’t. I used to wonder what would take us away from our role at Hillside as it was the best job I could have imagined. There is nothing quite like getting paid to do what you love to do. Throughout all of my time at Hillside, I never wanted to be anywhere else. This is one reason why my heart aches as I write this letter. Our time of serving at Hillside in an official capacity has come to an end, yet I still cannot think of anywhere else I would rather be. While this decision was quite sudden and painful, we nonetheless keep our trust in the sovereign Lord who indeed knows for what it is that He draws us away. While we do not know what our future holds, we rest in Him and exult in His ever felt company. We realize that this letter provides you with very little information about our situation. We hope to communicate more with you in the future especially as we begin to turn the page and continue on to the next chapter in our life. In the meantime, please receive our sincere thank you and know that Christ is continuing to make our joy complete even in the most difficult of times. By

His Grace and for His Fame, Jason, Sara, Ruth, and Caedmon

If you've made it this far you may be wondering, "What are those perspectives and philosophical differences?"

Good question.

We are still committed to our church.

We are hurt and confused.

We ask for prayers of wisdom on our part and that we will continue to proclaim His glory until He comes.

Questions?

Burning Calories Is A Vacation

I haven't said anything on my blog (or really anywhere else for that matter), but life has hit a hug downer in the last month. It's one of those scenarios where the struggle is happening to your family from an outside source, which has the bonus of making your family stronger.

As a result of said struggles we felt the need to get the heck outta town for a couple of days. Thank God that someone gave us a little money and that we can fly for free. We got a hotel 2 blocks from the Strip in Vegas for 3 nights...$80!!!! It's a suite w/ a kitchenette and a great pool. Vegas' financial struggles are to our advantage. If you haven't taken a family vacation to Vegas, I highly recommend it because there's soooo many cool free things to do. Here's a run down of what we've done:

-swam a ton

-visited the lion habitat @ MGM Grand

-gone to M&M World (twice) to see their 3D movie

-watching the fountains @ the Bellaggio

-volcano @ the Mirage

-flamingo habitat @ the Flamingo

-pirate show @ Treasure Island

The exercise has come in through walking to all of these places with the kids in tow. They've been troopers, next to no whining. Also, the awe on their faces at all the bigger than life sites is fun.

I got extra exercise yesterday when I walked 6 1/2 blocks to Albertson's for food...it's paid off though. We've only eaten out 2 meals the whole trip. Sadly we have to head home tomorrow, but it's been nice to get life off of our minds and relax.

Oh yeah, if you're wondering, "Did you gamble??"

Yes, I played $1 in a slot machine (such a stupid invention) and entered a cheap poker tourney. I was out in 30 minutes...mix of crappy cards and nerves.

Falling Short of the Glory of God

For the last three days I have been chewing over a message I heard on Romans 3: 23-26. It is mindboggling to me how many times I can read/hear a portion of word and miss the deep meaning behind the words.

That's how I feel about verse 23, "for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (NASB)

This is the very message that I am realizing that I need to convey in a deep way to my children and my friends.

Sin isn't just "doing something wrong against God"

At its core "doing something wrong against God" is not glorifying Him in my thoughts actions and attitudes!!

This view is why our American culture can hold God so lightly and consider themselves saved!!!

My words are very simplistic on the subject, but if you click the link below you can hear John Piper say it in such a way that it can weigh you and cause you to cry at your lack and His true grace.

The God of Worship