Sunday Morning Worship @PTP

On Sunday morning, we woke up and got the girls ready for one of the most amazing worship assemblies I have ever been a part of. Worshipping with 2,500 other Christians is amazing! The singing was great, the preacher was great, and the fellowship was great! We also had the chance to see our Texas friends, Ferman & Jean :) We love them!

I love this picture because the girls diapers are so droopy!

All dressed up and ready to go!

The two following pictures are of a prop used in Ava's Bible class at PTP. It is a gigantic wooden Bible that opens up and has additional little books of the Bible. All made of wood! I gave the Bible class teacher my email address so that the maker would email me and give me the option to have one made for our home use. I still haven't heard from her. :(

Our forever friends: Ferman and Jean. I cannot say enough about this couple :)

Goliath

When this trip occurred, David and Goliath was Ava's favorite Bible story. We have two different movie versions of it (which Ava rotated on a daily basis) and several different book versions. Ava's favorite thing to say was, "Goliath is NOT nice to God's people!" 

When we arrived at PTP, Jeremy found this HUGE wooden likeness of Goliath. Ava had a love/hate relationship with it. The first time she saw it, she would not get close to it and had to have Elephant (her lovey) for moral support (as seen in the first picture below) By the end of the week (and after many prayers offered to God on behalf of Goliath, "God, please make Goliath nice to God's people") Ava finally reached out and touched a shin guard. And she only needed Madam Alexander ( her second place lovey) to do it. Greta is another story...

PTP 2013

Every year, we attend a seminar for families in the church. Last year was a very difficult year because both of our girls were so young. I felt like we didn't get to do anything! This year was still hard but we were able to do more, visit with more people, and attend more classes. The girls really enjoyed their time in the Smoky Mountains!

The following two pictures are from our trip to TN. 

 We stopped on the way and ate at a fast food place. 

                            

                             

The Wilderness at the Smokies:

Ava wanted to give this Grizzly Bear a hug every time we passed it in the lobby :)

When we arrived in Sevierville, we unloaded our stuff into our hotel room and then went grocery shopping! 8 days/7 nights in a hotel room requires some food!

                           

This year, there was a play area for the kids. This saved us! Jeremy and I took turns sitting in on lectures while the other parent watched the kiddos play. Whoever thought of this, is a genius! (And yes, I do believe in teaching children to sit through classes like this, but I also believe in giving them a break. Three classes in one morning is too much for them, in my humble opinion.)

Snuggle Time/Tickle Time with Daddy!

God Gives Growth...

Part of Jeremy's job as Family Minister, is visiting families from our congregation and having bible studies and devotionals within their home. Two weeks ago, we visited the home of Nathan and Maggie Moore. Nathan and Maggie have two small children and so Jeremy tried to plan a devotional that would be age appropriate. He talked about how only God can give growth. To illustrate, he brought supplies to make terrariums. The Moore's kept the one that Avery made, and we kept the one that Ava made. Every day, I pull the cup off the ledge in our kitchen and show Ava how her plant is growing. I tell her, "God is making that plant grow!" 

Ava's Bible Class

Here are some pictures of Ava's Bible class that were taken by Miss Janeice. They are group of sweet little toddlers and babies!

The Genealogy of Christ-5th Favorite Passage of Scripture

Well, everyone who reads my blog knows that I am officially nuts! I mean, who really has 5 favorite dinosaurs? That would be me. Then it probably will not come as a shock to anyone that the genealogy of Christ made my top 5 list. Who really picks a bunch of names as one of their favorite passages of scripture? Again, that would be me.

Matthew 1:1-16 (English Standard Version)


1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.


2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,


3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,


4 and Ram the father of Amminidab, and Amminidab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,


5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,


6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,


7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,


8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,


9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,


10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,


11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.


12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,


13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,


14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,


15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,


16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born who is called Christ.

I heard a sermon on this passage years ago (by Ferman Carpenter, the man who studied with me and baptized me) and it has been one of my favorites ever since. I love that the Messiah came from an imperfect lineage. I always knew that Jesus was a descendent of Judah, but I never really paid attention to who else was in that line.

Jacob--tricked his brother Esau into giving up his birthright for a bowl of stew.

Judah--tried to weasel out of giving Tamar in marriage to his 3rd son. So she tricked him into sleeping with her by dressing as a prostitute.

David--a man after God's own heart, but he had a sexual relationship with a married woman.

Solomon--the wisest man to ever live, yet he had numerous wives and concubines.

Three women were also mentioned in the lineage of Christ:

Rahab--a prostitute

Ruth--a woman who did not really know God, but found him because she promised her mother in law that she would follow her God.

the wife of Uriah the Hittite--a woman who shared fault with David for an adulterous relationship.

In a way, I feel like this passage shows God's love for us. Let me explain. Will any human being ever be perfect like Jesus? No. But, does God show us his humanity through this passage? Yes. God loves us so much that he gave us a human example that we could identify with! (I am not at all trying to take away the deity of Christ, just trying to point out his humanity) 

If I knew that Jesus just descended from Heaven one day on a beautiful cloud and walked on air his whole life, I would have a hard time trying to be like him. Instead, God gave us a man who was a baby, a toddler, an adolescent, a teenager, and an adult. He gave us a man who experienced death (and not just any death, he was murdered) and who was loved and abhorred. He gave us a man who came from imperfection, yet showed us what perfection looked like. 

Authority-4th Favorite Passage of Scripture

Luke 20:1-8 (New American Standard Version)

1 And it came about on one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him,

2 and they spoke, saying to Him, "Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?"

3 And He answered and said to them, "I shall also ask you a question, and you tell Me:

4 "Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?"

5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?'

6 "But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet."

7 And they answered that they did not know where it came from.

8 And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

The first time I read this story, I could almost see some sarcasm in Jesus' last statement. I think it had a lot to do with my stage of life. It is easy, when you are young to want to see revenge. I guess I felt like Jesus' words were a way of "sticking it to the scribes." I always imagined him with a smirk on his face as he walked away. 

But the more that I read this passage, I think He probably was not sarcastic. Now, I can imagine Jesus shaking his head back and forth in sorrow. It is so amazing how my age and maturity level influence my understanding of the Bible.

The reason I love this story so much is because Jesus did not try to explain himself away. He did not back down from these men. Sometimes when I am questioned about my beliefs (by people who just want an argument), I feel the need to explain myself and not offend them. I think this story is evidence that you do not have to discuss your beliefs with people who are going to argue with you and try to make you look stupid. 

Let me tell you what I am NOT saying. I am not saying that this story gives you an excuse to keep your beliefs to yourself. The Bible makes it clear that you should always be ready to give an account. I do believe, however, that Jesus was smart in the way he handled these men. He knew that they wanted to trap him in his words. He chose to avoid the question and re-direct their thoughts (and make them more than a little uncomfortable in the process) 

Power-3rd Favorite Passage of Scripture

I hate that I missed blogging yesterday, but I was terribly busy!

I know it is probably weird that I rate Bible stories, but that is just how I am. I rate everything! I have 5 favorite dinosaurs (1 Ankylosaurus 2 Stegosaurus 3 Triceratops 4 Diplodocus 5 Iguanodon) , I have a favorite letter of the alphabet ("a"), I even have a favorite of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (Hanging Gardens of Babylon) I know, I know!! I am incredibly crazy!! But, it is only fitting that I have favorite Bible stories! :)

So, here is my 3rd favorite Bible passage:

Luke 8:43-46 (New American Standard Version)

43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 

44 came up behind Him, and touched the fringe of his cloak; and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.

45 And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched me?" And while they were all denying it, Peter said, "Master, the multitudes are crowding and pressing upon You."

46 But Jesus said, "Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me."

It is amazing, of course, that Jesus could heal people. But, that is not why this story is so cool. I love that Jesus could feel power leaving His body. I know that I will never have that power, but I wonder what the sensation felt like! Talk about curiosity! I know that there are things I will never feel because I am a woman. I also know that there are things that Jeremy will never feel because he is a man (like child-bearing). But, this is something that only Jesus could experience. If I ever get to talk to Jesus in Heaven, I would want to know how it felt to have power leave His body.

I came across this story when I was a Freshman in college. At the time, I was really struggling with religion and the Bible. I had grown up going to church, but I just didn't have all the answers that I wanted. Like I said in an earlier post, I like to ask, "why?" Why do we do things a certain way? Why do others do things differently? Why do we not agree on some things? 

I was encouraged to start studying my Bible (New Testament since it would answer a lot of my questions) and keeping notes. So, I did. Every night, I would sit in bed and read my Bible and record notes and questions that I had. Once a week, I would go to my preacher's office and have an hour or two hour Bible study with him and he would help me sort through all the stories and questions that I had. That is how I became a Christian. I do not consider myself to have been a Christian before that time. Even though I did grow up going to church and I was "baptized" at the age of 9 or 10, I truly did not grasp the concept of what becoming a Christian really is. It is so much more than just sitting in a pew every Sunday and Wednesday (which is what I was doing) So, at the age of 19, I was baptized for the remission of my sins and I have never looked back. It is so neat how this story played a part in that!

A Gentle Blowing-2nd Favorite Passage of Scripture

Yesterday I posted that my favorite passage of scripture was Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Today, I am posting my second favorite (I have a list of 1-5 favorite Bible passages and verses)

Today's Bible thought comes from I Kings 19: 9-12 (New American Standard Version)

I Kings 19: 9-12

9 Then he [Elijah] came there to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

10 And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away"

11 So He said, "Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing.

I guess I love this passage so much because I always expect God to be in a certain place. It is so easy to see God in the BIG things of this life, but sometimes I neglect to see Him in the small things. I don't know if Elijah thought the same thing, but I love that this is recorded in the Bible.

Since I discovered this story (about 3 years ago) I really have done a better job of trying to see God in the small things that don't receive as much attention. Most of the time, children remind me of this lesson. When Sawyer (our preacher's 8 year old little boy) brings a masterpiece to me on Sunday mornings, and I look down and see that he has drawn a picture from a VBS lesson 3 years ago, I think, "WOW! God works in amazing ways." Or when Avery (my bestie's 16 month old) remembers ALL the songs in Bible class on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, again I think of how great God really is. 

And then there is my child. My precious little Ava. I look into her face and see myself. I look into her face and see Jeremy. Something so small like a set of genes can have such a great impact...and God made it possible.

Again, there are tons of lessons to learn from this story. The story of Elijah is pretty neat. But, to me, it is the small gentle blowing amidst the wind, earthquake, and fire, that gets my attention every time.

My Favorite Passage of Scripture

I got a text from my friend, Peyton, asking what my favorite Bible verse is. I cannot nail down a favorite verse, but I did tell her that this is my favorite passage: 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (English Standard Version)

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

I stumbled upon this passage when I was in about 6th grade. I have always been an avid reader and so it was only natural that while I was reading a book, this passage of scripture came up and I investigated it.  

I was in a phase of reading stories by Lurleen McDaniel. She is the author of books about children with terminal illnesses. The book I was reading at the time was called No Time to Cry, (I believe) and the main character just lost her friend to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The girl who had passed away left a memory box to her good friend and included in the box was her favorite passage of scripture. I looked up the scripture in my Bible and it has been my favorite ever since.

I know that there are lots of great verses in the Bible. There are others that I like, but this one always has stood out as my favorite. I think it is probably because I like to ask the question, "Why?"

"Why did this happen?"

"Why did this not happen?"

"Why am I going through this?"

"Why is this person getting all this, and I am not?"

I ask, "Why?" for selfish reasons and I shouldn't. This passage helps answer, "Why?" The simple answer is: time. Things happen because it is time for them to happen.  That does not mean that God sits in Heaven and decides when we should struggle with a particular issue, nor does it mean that He decides the time and place for everything that ever happens (although, I believe that God knows) God gave us all free will and things happen because of our decisions. So, you might ask the question, "If God allows us to decide, then how do we know if the timing is what God would want?" My answer would be, "time;" Time spent in prayer, time spent in Bible study, and time thinking with the brain that God designed for us.

I don't mean for this blog post to sound like I know everything (because I don't) And I don't mean to offend anyone who believes differently. Like I said earlier, this is my favorite passage of scripture and this is the lesson I learn from it. I am sure there are hundreds of other thoughts and lessons that could come from these verses. If you feel comfortable, share those thoughts with me by posting a comment. I would love to hear what other people have learned from their study of this passage of scripture. :)