keep yourselves from idols...

and we know that the son of god has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his son jesus christ. he is the true god and eternal life. little children, keep yourselves from idols.
1 john 5:20-21

i hung this verse in my bathroom to read over each morning and here is how the lord uses it to speak to me. first off, god has given me understanding so that i can know him. know him. god makes himself knowable to me. he reveals himself to me and that is something i take for granted. secondly, we are in him who is true. because of christ, we are able to know the true god and have eternal life. we are able to know the truth and what is true and good. i do not have to try and figure it out for myself. i do not have to live in darkness.

and i love that right after that great reminder, john exhorts his readers to keep themselves from idols. to keep themselves from things that are not true, that do not save, that do not bring eternal life. focus on the true god. be careful to not get caught up in idols. great reminder for me.

mountains goats...

so one of the passages i have been reading about the lord's power and majesty (in addition to psalms) is the end of the book of job. the part where the lord finally speaks up to job and reminds job of his might and power and puts job in his place. i love this because god often communicates to me in this way. in chapter 39 of job, the lords talk about mountain goats, donkeys, oxen, ostriches, horses and hawks. he asks job if he was there when the mountain goats gave birth. if he even knew when they were going to give birth? his point, i believe, is that these things go on all the time and they do not need the help of man (myself or anyone else) to happen. it goes on all the time without me knowing it or having to be in control of it. it happens all without me.

this opened my eyes to how much goes on all the time that is out of my control. i am a lot smaller than i think i am. the world does not run because i did things right or corrected things. the world runs because the creator runs it. this does not just include the earth as a whole, but also the world i encounter each day. the things i am entrusted to lead or do. god is in control of it all, i am just his vessel. i have no real control. my job is not to worry, my job is to know my creator and trust him.

so when i catch myself worrying, i feel like immediately the lord brings 2 words to mind, "mountain goats." and that is all i need to remember that i am not in control and do not need to be.

battling unbelief...

i recently bought this audiobook on itunes and listened to it on a drive to dallas. it was just what i needed to hear. this book is a shorter version of piper's book future grace. these are the application chapters from that book. i would love to read it, but if i am honest, the size of it intimidates me and i put it on my list to read when i am retired. but in the mean time, i can highly recommend this book, battling unbelief.

each chapter addresses an issue like depression, anxiety, despondency, anger, fear, etc. and then points out the unbelief that leads to it. if we believe in christ, how can i be living like this? how can i live in anxiety all the time? well that is because there is a disconnect between what i know and what i believe. this book addresses just that. he talks in detail about each issue and then addresses the unbelief and gives scriptures to help us battle it. i highly recommend it!!

fx...week two...

sorry i have not updated about fx. things have continued to go great! thank you for all of your prayers and support. last week we talked about king david. we talked about how even though he was a man after god's own heart, he still was not the perfect king. our bottom line was: we will always fail, but god is always faithful. my highlight from this week was watching all of the parents come down front and get in the aisles and dance with their kids to spin! i think that was just a glimpse of what heaven will be like. here are some pictures to help you see what has been going on.

its a full house!




god's love it big!


john teaching the word.


sam, gordo and vinny.


cammie gettin' after marshall.

sam shovel is interviewing king david.

the kids LOVE sam shovel.


i love our band!


parents and kids all dancing to spin!!

give thanks to the lord...

as i have written in an earlier post one of the things i have been learning is about is dwelling on the lord and his might, faithfulness, power, sovereignty, etc. as i have been doing this, i would say that my confidence and trust in the lord has grown immensely. i know all these things in my head, but my heart obviously does not believe them, otherwise i would not try to be in control so much or worry about my needs, because i would trust that he was enough.

it is good to give thanks to the lord,
to sing praises to your name, o most high;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night.

psalm 92:1

so i have set a pattern for myself based on this scripture, this discipline is not saving me, but it helps me. because obviously, left to my own devices i do not naturally think about the lord and his greatness. each morning i spend some time dwelling on the lord's majesty and steadfast love. this helps put things in perspective and it eases any worries that are already rising up in the wee hours of the morning!

then at night, before i go to bed, i spend some time reflecting on how the lord has provided that day, big and small. this helps me see how he has provided for my every need that day. i choose to journal this so that i can look back and see evidence of the lord's faithfulness. i too often forget and blow through my day, without even thinking about the lord's steadfast love for me.

whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the lord.
psalm 107:43

there are lots of psalms that call us to remember all that the Lord has done and his faithfulness. sometimes we get so caught up in our current reality that we forget about the one who controls the reality. hope you get to spend some time dwelling on the lord's steadfast love today!

psalm 44... that they will remember...

“O God. we have heard with our ears,

Our fathers have told us,

what deeds you performed in their days,

in the days of old.”

Psalm 44:1

I love this Psalm! If you read it in its entirety, you will see the utmost importance of teaching the next generation about our God and how He works. The psalmist starts by remembering all that their fathers told them about the things the Lord has done (v.1-3). He then moves on to praise the Lord, the King, for His power and might. Declaring that God alone can save (v.4-8). But then, his tone changes. In verses 9-16, the situation has changed. The psalmist says that it feels as though God has rejected them. He has not gone out to battle with them. He has allowed them to be disgraced and laughed at. He has let the enemy have victory over them. This does not sound like the same God that helped their fathers. So, the psalmist then begins to examine what they might have done to bring on all of this hardship (v.17-22) and he cannot seem to find it. I can hear him crying out to God saying, “Why is this happening? What have we done? Where is the God of our fathers? Why are you not doing the same for us that you did for them?” But that is not how the Psalm ends. The Psalm ends with a call to the faithful God to come to their aid. He has not given up on God. He knows that He will come to their rescue. He knows that He will redeem them. He is appealing to God to keep His word and He looks to the past to know that He is faithful to do what He has promised.

When we are able to remember God’s faithfulness in the past, it emboldens us to trust Him in our present and with our future. It is so important that we tell our children, this next generation, about the things that the Lord has done. It is important that we share His faithfulness with them, even if it means we have to share some of the harder or embarassing things with them. The more they know about how God has worked and is working in our lives, the more they know of His story. The more we show them how to look to the past to see his faithfulness, the more they will be able to trust Him in the future. Someday, these little ones will suffer the pains of this world. And as hard as we try, we will not be able to prevent it. But, we can help equip them to endure it! So share with your kids about what the Lord has done. Take time to tell stories. Take time to remember His faithfulness in the hard times. So that some day, they can stand, like this psalmist, in the midst of trial, suffering and silence from God and know that the Lord is true to His word and faithful to His children!

taking kids on a mission trip....

so here is a post from one of the moms that went on our dominican republic trip. she talks about the struggle of kids being "too spoiled" or "too american" to go on a mission trip. pretty cool stuff!

http://shannawright.blogspot.com/2009/08/taking-our-kids-to-different-world.html

and by the way, if you ever get to experience a mission trip with a family, be it your own or another, i am telling you it is worth it! my life is different because of what i got to experience with these families! so start inviting families to serve on mission!!