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!!

the practice of the presence of god...

i recently read this little book while i was on vacation. it is a short read, 60 pages at most, but the contents within were priceless. through these conversations and letters with brother lawrence, i was reminded that i live in presence of god, the god, the creator of all, the one in control. i don't just live in his presence when i am praying, reading my bible, or at church. because of the cross, i am in his presence all the time and i can know him!!

this book challenged me as to what i think about, what do i fill the dead time with, where do i let my mind wander? i found that i all too often rather than having a conversation with my god, i would rather have on music that just lets me escape. or i will daydream or replay a conversation. but i realized how unfulfilling that is when i could be spending time with my lord, the only one that can satisfy me. i mean after all, my entire purpose of existence is to glorify him and advance his kingdom, so why has this not been a priority before. why do i only spend time with him for a few minutes in the morning and then go on with my day and think of him occasionally.

this was easy to do on vacation, but now i am trying to figure out to do it when i am busy with life. i need your help jesus! i want to walk with you throughout the day! i want my thoughts to dwell on you! i bet i would worry and fear much less...

you should read this. it is worth it!

the valley of vision...a collection of puritan prayers and devotions

this little book of prayers is incredible! what a great resource. i have never grown up with liturgy and have always been one for praying my own prayers, but i have learned much from this book! there is a collection of tons of old prayers and let me tell you, these dead people knew how to pray!! i have cried so many times reading these and praying these! the lord has used them to comfort me and challenge me. these prayers are all oriented toward god and it has made me realize how me oriented mine are or the selfish motives i have behind my prayers. these really are so powerful! you should order this right now! you will not regret it!

austin's own frozen banana stand...

yes it is true - a real frozen banana stand! for those of you who are arrested development fans, you understand my excitement! for those that do not understand my excitement, that is okay. you can be excited for a different reason - they are soooooo good!

it literally is a banana on a spoon that is frozen (much healthier than a popsicle) and then dipped in chocolate, vanilla, or peanut butter or all 3. then they sprinkle a variety of toppings on in it and it is a party in your mouth. i went yesterday and i got the afternoon delight, which was dipped in vanilla, drizzled with chocolate and peanut butter and then sprinkled with nuts and graham crackers! it was pure awesomeness! you can get a whole or a halfsie. this banana was my dinner so i went whole. they also have some vegan options for choose that lifestyle.


where is this great place you ask. it is in a movable shack on barton springs, just east of lamar, in the parking lot of jack and adam's. the hours are a little different, so check the website before you go. http://bananarchy.net you can also follow them on twitter @bananarchy_atx for fun things like arrested development viewings along with your bananas!

word of warning: cash only folks! but "there is always $$ in the banana stand."

oh and one more cool thing, as i was doing research on this, i found out that one of the girls who helped start this is using some of the $ earned to raise money for her world race project, which is a missions deal for 9 months (i think).

anyway, it is cool and there is NO reason why you should not try this place out!