Millie gets Baptized!

Millie accepted Jesus as her savior awhile ago and has been asking ever since to get baptized. We put it off for awhile wanting to make sure she really understood what she would be doing. She was persistent and seemed to get it so a few weeks ago, she did it!

We are so proud of you for being obedient to God and taking this first step in your faith Millie Mae!

We love you so much!

Love Thy Neighbor...

For the past couple years, the book of Acts in the Bible, with stories of the early churches, has been consuming for me. It seems like God is reminding me of the value of living in community with others and being service-minded on a daily basis. All too often, we get caught up in the daily grind of getting things done and fail to seize the moments when we could be more "neighborly". One day, the girls and I just made time for it and we all had such a good time!

Here are the chefs!

(In case you're wondering, she's holding a bowl and stirring)

We made strawberry jam,

and cookies,

and took butternut squash and basil from our garden around to the neighbors.

It was pretty cute watching the girls walk from house to house with a rolling suitcase full of treats! They said "happy treat day!" at each house. I think this will hopefully be a monthly tradition for us. I so badly want my girls to grow up being missional in their thinking and living. 

"Oceans"

I love this song....trying to make it my prayer every day.

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Thoughts....

My mind and my heart are being challenged and inspired and moved by the words to this amazing song:

I'm laying down my life, giving up control. Never looking back, I surrender all. 

I'm living for your glory on the earth. 

This passion in my heart, this stirring in my soul. 

To see the nations bow, for all the world to know, I'm living for your glory on the earth.

For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me. 

Light a flame in my soul for every eye to see. 

For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me.

For every knee to bow down. For every heart to believe. For every voice to cry out.

Burn like a fire in me.

For every tongue to confess you alone are the king. 

You are the hope of the earth.

I look around me, at the world, my community, my friends, my church, my family, myself. We are all so easily caught up. Recently I've been feeling such a sadness as I see people backing away or becoming so busy in the midst of their own lives that they (and myself) fail to see the suffering or joy or the moments, good and bad, that are happening all around them. I want to throw away the phones and the computers, the TV's, the schedules and to-do lists so that people can see each other, themselves, Jesus. HE is really all that matters anyways. After 28 years of being a Christian, I'm finally getting it. The past couple years God has been working on my heart and my mind, molding and shaping me and for the first time, I can feel it, see the change, desire it. All I want is to be what HE wants me to be. The reason we are all here is to glorify God and serve one another. In the end, all that will matter, is what we have done for HIM. How I live matters. People are watching, with expectations and needs, desperate for hope. Desperate to know that their pain and suffering has a purpose, that it's not all for nothing. The words to the song haunt me. I desire to be a light, a FIRE that burns with such intensity that everyone I love, everyone I meet would be drawn to it. I have so far to go but I am so glad for the desire. Burn, baby, burn...

For the sake of the world

What does it look like?

The Sabbath

A great friend and I started talking about being more purposeful about observing the Sabbath. It's one of those things where I know it's a commandment but I find lots of excuses for why I can't afford to just "rest" on Sundays. Within the last couple weeks, I've started getting serious about it. My friend and I try to hold each other accountable to prepare all week long so when Sunday comes, we are prepared to rest. It sounds silly having to prepare for rest but us moms are busy! It's so easy to fill up each day to it's max. So, during the week I'm trying (sometimes successfully, sometimes not :)) to catch up on laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc. and plan meals that I can either make on Saturday or will be easy to make on Sunday. Then the day can be committed to God, church, prayer, family, relationships and rest. 

Below is our first attempt and it was wonderful! It felt so good to come home from church and not start right in on chores and my to do list. We just relaxed and enjoyed being together. We painted, played games, read, laid in bed together and just loved on the girls. I also incorporated prayer. On Sundays I'm trying to be diligent about praying through the hours in the day. It's something that monks do. There are specific prayers for different hours during the day - dawn, midmorning, noon, nighttime... It has been hard for me to be diligent but I'm going to keep trying!

"He said to them, this is what the Lord commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord." Exodus 16:23

7

My book club is reading through "7" by Jen Hatmaker and we are loving it. It is an easy read because the author is so funny and entertaining. The whole book is basically her journal entries as she goes through 7 months of getting rid of excess in her life. I'm only on the third chapter but it was about possessions and man, was it a good one. Here are some excerpts I really appreciated:


"'I had come to see that the great tragedy in the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor but that rich Christians do not know the poor...I long for the Calcutta slums to meet the Chicago suburbs, for lepers to meet landowners and for each to see God's image in the other...I truly believe that when the poor meet the rich, riches will have no meaning. And when the rich meet the poor, we will see poverty come to an end" - Shane Claiborne p. 71

"I pray for the woman who will literally walk in my shoes. Jesus, embrace her with safety and healing. With every step she takes, wrapped in my clothes, may she know your faithfulness and experience your redemption. Take her to that sacred place with You where there is no more abuse, no more violence, only the sweet rescue of salvation." p. 77

"The working poor are one missed shift from homelessness, one lost paycheck from hunger, one overdue bill from repossession. However, they learn to camouflage nicely into society. They laugh at the right jokes and deflect questions with sarcasm or silence. The children are ashamed to admit they haven't eaten all weekend or can't afford to play soccer, so you'd never know. In many ways they are invisible." p. 84

"I wondered if the American church was like well-mannered nice-talkers, sitting in a living room sipping coffee, talking about choir practice, while the world burns down outside our windows. While the richest people on earth pray to get richer, the rest of the world begs for intervention with their faces pressed to the window, watching us drink our coffee, unruffled by their suffering." p 90

"Grayed-down discipleship is an easier sell, but it created pretend Christians, obsessing over Scriptures we like while conspicuously ignoring the rest. Until God asks for everything and we answer, 'It's yours,' we don't yet have ears to hear or eyes to see. We're still deaf to the truth, blind to freedom, deceived by the treasures of the world, imagining them to be the key when they are actually the lock." p. 93

Oh, there was so much more but it has left me in a place of some confusion, some questions, some fear, some excitement and a whole lot of soul searching to do. It's a good place to be.

Book Club

This summer I was so blessed to be part of a book club. I got to know some amazing women and read 2 of the best books I've ever read. They changed me. They changed my relationship with God. They changed the way I look at people and life and my community.

God has been bombarding me with the idea of living in community with others, caring for my community and the people around me and being on mission with Him. So many things keep bringing me back to these ideas and I know He is doing a work in my heart. I'm excited to see what it becomes.

The books we read were "Hinds Feet on High Places" and the sequel to it "Mountains of Spices" both by Hannah Hurnard. They both tied in perfectly with what God had been placing on my heart and gave me so much to think about. I now recommend them to everyone!

I learned that there is nothing more important in this life than glorifying God and loving and serving people. I learned that real love is to give and give and give some more without expecting anything in return. I learned that I was created to be a vessel used to serve people and to continually pour myself out to those who need something. I learned that only Jesus can fill me back up again. Intellectually, I knew most of these things already but they are finally beginning to become a reality in my life. I'm starting to see more clearly what needs to change.

The next books I'm reading to help in this journey that God is taking me on are:

"7" by Jen Hatmaker
"Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper
"Crazy Love" by Francis Chan
"The Gospel-Driven Life" by Michael Horton

I'm open to more suggestions :)


Anyways, the book club was amazing! On our last day, we had a beautiful tea while talking about what we learned. It was such a blessing!

More inspiration....

I just loved this quote from the same clip I shared yesterday. What are your thoughts?

"One of the most powerful apologetics of the gospel is when a group of people love one another and live in unity together, in the midst of a broken, dark, depraved world. They don't think they have to remove themselves from the world to be sanctified because they believe the gospel is powerful enough to sanctify them in the middle of a broken world".

Inspiration

At community group tonight, our pastor showed us this you tube clip. It really affected me and helped me to understand more tangibly what it means to be Gospel centered. God's been working on me in little bits and pieces and I'm starting to feel like it's coming together to show me at least part of a whole picture.

What do you think of the clip?

Forgotten God

I just finished "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan and man! That book was convicting! I love taking a deeper look at the things that need to change in my life and Francis has given me a lot to think about. A couple weeks ago I posted this blog: http://molerfam.blogspot.com/2011/06/book-club.html (I don't know how to do the fancy link thing that others know how to do!) with questions I'm asking myself from the book. Here are some more:

Do I know God and am I known by Him intimately?

Am I acutely and consistently aware of the Spirit's presence inside of me?

Do I take for granted the fact that Christ died for me SO THAT the spirit could dwell IN me?

Am I so focused on knowing God's will for my future that I ignore what He wants to do in me today?

Am I trying to add Jesus to my life rather than following and obeying Him?

Do I really understand what true repentance requires?

Am I willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel?

Am I playing an active role in my journey toward wholeness? Where is the balance between this active role and a works-based faith?

Am I submitting to the Spirit's authority in my life or ignoring His counsel?

What fruits of the Spirit am I exhibiting in my life?

Do people look at my life and KNOW I can't be doing it on my own? Do they see the Spirit working in me?

Am I taking credit for things that God is doing in my life? Am I prideful or do I want to make it look like I have it all together?

Do I have a timid heart or am I "set ablaze with strength and courage"?

The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Do I have more kindness and faithfulness than Mormons? More self-control than Muslims? More peace than Buddhists? More joy than Atheists? More love than Hippies? Am I living differently than everyone else because God lives IN me?

Even though I'm saved and have a secure eternity, could I be missing the point just as much as those who are "lost"?

Am I filled with joy?

Do I experience genuine peace regardless of life circumstances?

Do I consistently respond with kindness no matter what I receive from others?

Am I more focused on what God wants me to do rather than who He wants me to be?

Do I know God so well and love Him so much that I can anticipate what He wants from me without having to constantly ask just like I can with my husband?

When people see my life, do they respond by praising God?

Am I sinning by knowing what I'm supposed to do and not doing it? (James 4:17)

Do I really love people as much as God loves me?

Why am I not helping people more?

Do I have the courage to finally be an advocate for abused and neglected children?

Book Club

I've started a book club/Bible study with some of the ladies from church and I'm really enjoying it. This one by Francis Chan is on the Holy Spirit. We've only met twice, but already I am learning so much and doing a lot of thinking. Some of the questions I'm struggling with right now are:

In what areas of my life do I need to change to an exegetical perspective (start with scripture and allow it to dictate my life)

Do I look, feel, act, think differently than someone who doesn't have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them?

Am I living in active, astonishing and amazed truth that I am a new creation?

What do I fear and how does it stop me from fully serving, loving and listening to God?

Do I still try to control certain aspects of my life? What are they?

Am I missing the mission because I'm so focused on and sure of my plan?

What if I think I hear the Holy Spirit and I get it wrong?

Are there areas of my life where I need to give myself over to sheer obedience rather than waiting for that "feeling"?

In what ways have I grieved the Spirit? How would I know?

Why do I want to stay on earth?

Why do I want the Holy Spirit?

How am I shaping my children into lovers of Jesus?

How am I ministering to those around me?

Who does God want me to love for Him today?

Do I really understand my depravity and my great need for grace or do I think I am better than I actually am?

As you can see, I've got a lot to think about and a lot of work to do.

Do you ever feel like you just don't belong?

"When I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for a different world." - C.S. Lewis

"O God, Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee."
 - Augustine

Ponderings...

At church this past Sunday, Pastor Chris was just on fire and gave me some great things to think about as well as a healthy dose of conviction, which I always love.

We worked through Mark 12:28-34. The main point was God's command to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

I'm still pondering what this actually looks like and what I need to change about myself in order to make this happen. Here are some other questions and thoughts I'm working through. I'd love to know your thoughts as well.

Am I consumed with God?

What are my idols?

We spend too much time questioning God instead of just obeying Him.

We have a master which means we are servants.

What are the things that only I can do?

Am I spending my time pursuing things that don't help me love God and others better?

How am I actively loving others?



What things are you pondering?