on children (in a post to a friend on facebook)

Having Jackson and Ryan Jefferson is the most rewarding job I have ever been given the privilege of doing. Children are a huge blessing from the Lord. Just like anything worthwhile, you have to sacrifice and work hard. Other things under the same category would be the christian walk, marriage, siblings, relationships of any kind..loving something more than yourself doesn't come naturally to sinful human beings but sacrificial love forces us to come face to face with Christ. Staring into Christ's eyes is the only way I ever want to live. Follow His calling and you will struggle but you will be fulfilled as you lead a life that glorifies Him. I know that was a little more than you asked for but I have been thinking on this a lot lately..how thankful I am for the way He is teaching me to love and teaching me about himself through my children.

on paul

have been studying the book of acts in women's bible study this season..the book of acts follows the spread of the gospel after Jesus is taken up to heaven. verse 7 gives a summary of the movement of the message.."you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

as readers, we have been following paul's journey as he shares the gospel with jews and gentiles, rich and poor, women and men, educated and uneducated...etc.

you know how things can kind of stalk you? ex. a song lyric you can't get out of your head, an idea that you MUST carry out in order to get it off of your mind, or maybe a truth from a sermon that just keeps rolling around in your head and heart...

the truth from Acts that is stalking me is this..
paul had many relationships and conversations on his journey. he comes into contact with believers and unbelievers. with his believing friends, he encourages them in their journey with Christ..encouraging movement toward knowing Christ and spreading His word to others.  with his unbelieving friends, he shares about the fulfillment of the law in the person of Jesus...He spreads the Gospel message to all who have ears.  His life is about that..his mission is about that...he loses friends, his plans get thrwarted, he is faced with people who don't like him because of what he professes, he is even flogged for things he didn't even do...but still...paul is about the business of Christ.

now I know the bible doesn't tell us everything that every disciple did or said, and I know that paul was not a perfect man..after all, he is the one that is famous for the "do, do" passage in scripture. (Romans 7:19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me)


but it is clear that there wasn't a lot of fluff in paul's life...wasn't a lot of coasting friendships in Jerusalem...wasn't a ton of complaining when things didn't turn out how he'd hoped...wasn't a ton of whining when he was flogged without reason...

Paul had a single purpose and he didn't seem to lose sight of his mission.  The Lord used him to bring Himself glory even to the ends of the earth.

Acts 28:30 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

Lord, I confess to you that I care a ton about myself.  I want my friends to like me. With my believing friends, I often don't care enough to ask real questions and love them well. With my unbelieving friends, I tend to converse about the safe and steer away from the uncomfortable..I don't love them enough to share the hope that is within my soul.  I want my relationships to be easy. I spend more time talking about my fitness, my iphone, my facebook, my shows, the weather, my sons, etc. than I would like to admit.  Because of this, it feels weird to even utter your name, Jesus.  I immediately turn red when my friendly conversation shifts to testifying about what you are doing in my life.  Father, please forgive me for my dualism...show me how to love deeply, show me how to be about bringing you glory. Amen.

on schools in a note to a friend

schools are a reflection of our human condition.  they are a petri dish of our world. they are beautiful and they are ugly..beautiful because in public and in private there are teachers that love children and want to serve kids and one another..but ugly because both have their problems and issues..both have flaws too numerous..and we can not fix them on our own..and when you really get into them and get dirty in them...teaching or volunteering...you will see them as they really are and they will make you long for Jesus.

the school puzzle is an unsolvable puzzle on this side of heaven...made me want to despair as an educator. and probably feels similar as a parent trying to find a place to send your child.

focus on the truth..the simple. there is no despair in Christ. He can take any bleak situation and make light..He can work all things for His glory.

remember our soul/sole purpose on this earth is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Reed

Jesus was a "reed in non-essentials--an iron pillar of essentials".--John Newton

non-essentials would include but certainly not be limited to:

Whether you decide to home school your child, send your child to be educated at the local public school or pay for your child to be educated at a private or parochial school.

getting a shower daily

Choosing to send your toddler to preschool, or choosing to keep your toddler home for early learning.

Owning or not owning an iphone.

Having a house with a basement or opting out of one..

putting your baby in cloth diapers or making the decision just use disposables 

choosing to wear or not to wear underwear.

putting your children in sports/other extra activities or keeping them at home in the evenings

shaving your legs or not shaving your legs

owning a mini-van or owning a compact car with two kids

our family was just put here in this place to help you practice your best "reed"...

acts 17

23 So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c]

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

It just doesn't get much more clearly stated.

reflection

ok...so going over the last couple of posts in my mind as i fed my 8m old at 330a to try to get the teething boy to calm down..i thought..."i hope i am not giving off an 'ive got it all figured out' vibe to my reader...cute hair, fun activities with jackson, no struggles...etc.

please don't go there...and if you have already gone there, please repent.

cute hair because i was obsessing about myself...couldn't stop thinking about it getting too poofy..vanity.

fun activities because about a week ago jack asked if i thought jackson was bored at home and needed more structure...knife to chest motion...decided to amp up the activity level to one learning thing per day..nothing 'mom of the year' worthy.

no struggles? i wish...right now the one that is on my mind is the struggle of wanting to be 'easy to swallow' vs. wanting to be the bearer of the Gospel.  my struggle is, do i ever really speak truth?..and when i don't speak truth, i wonder if it was a correct time to hold back..then thinking that all of this gospel spreading is dependent on me..of course the Lord doesn't need me to speak His word, but He is choosing to use me...sinner me...imperfect me...scared me...so i ruin the joy that goes with friendships by over-analyzing some seconds and under-speaking other seconds..


Romans 12:11-13
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.

a week in the life

I don't normally write posts about daily life..but i had some great pictures so i thought it  would be a great opportunity to share some days with you...this is ryan j during playgroup...it is 30 degrees out and he has fallen asleep in the swing.

one night per week we go to a neighbor friend's house and have an evening playdate. both her and the other neighbor who comes work full time, so they have playdates at 6. We eat dinner together and then play. this is the 3 of them playing hide-and-go-seek. Jackson would keep popping up when we would come to look for them..lol

ryan j sleeping again at playgroup..this time we chose a diff swing that would support his head.

since we have chosen not to put jackson in any kind of preschool until 4 year old pre-k, i am working with him on his letters. this week we learned "J"..and he is starting to like writing/drawing, which is a big change from a month ago. my fave "j" picture is the "jumping man"..lol his legs are disconnected at the knee to show he is jumping.

my robin hood. we found the picture of robin hood on-line and we created a costume out of clothes in everyone's closet..he loved it..

until he looked in the mirror..and saw that he didn't look authentic enough...and then he had a tantrum. (just keeping it real folks..) and he didn't want me to take any pictures of him having a tantrum..so he did this.

another day we played in jack's shaving cream and made letters..well, i made letters and jackson made footprints and hand prints...hey, i tried...don't tell daddy we used his shaving cream..

this is my little drummer boy..lol

making banana bread for daddy..jackson's favorite thing to make. he knows what comes next without me reading the recipe.

we leave out the nuts and the sugar, and instead of butter use oil..and it is so yummy!

this is jackson reading to ryan j..telling him about dangerous bugs.

my job is the best job on the planet...not the easiest..probably the hardest..but the most rewarding!