Last week Mommy and Daddy took me to the pumpkin patch. I sure did have a good time!
It was cold and rainy but I did not mind. Every now and then I stopped to shiver, but then it was off to check things out. I ran non stop around all the pumpkins.
I tried to pick up lots of the pumpkins but most of them where too heavy. Every now and then I found one small enough to pick up and throw.
There were lots of big kids around too. I like to chase them because they are cool. I like big kids. Mommy and daddy kept trying to take my picture but I am way too fast for them.
I did stop for a second when Daddy bought some Hot Boiled Peanuts – they were warm and yummy. I had such a good time at the pumpkin patch that I was too excited to sleep when we got home, but later I crashed for a mommy and me nap.
Have you ever felt like there were just so many things going on that you could not handle that one extra, very small in comparison, little thing. In a future blog we can fill you in the chaos that has been our life lately. That is why the following story should not be a big deal, but as I am learning God does care about the little things as well. Let me explain. I am a clean car person. I always have been and probably always will be. I enjoy having an organized clean vehicle (even if it is just a mini van). It has always been my tradition to keep the car waxed at least once a year. We are planning to have this mini van hopefully for several years. It is paid off and we have no reason to sell it until we have more children than it seats – yikes! Waxing time is in the fall. The problem was that this year my car had what I thought was tar all over it from road construction, and seriously it was ALL over it. We tried everything to get it off literally everything : goof off, goo gone, Windex, car cleaner, gasoline, coke, dare I mention even a razer blade. This was the last thing in the world I wanted to be stressed about – It is just a method of transportation – nothing more. That being said – I gave it up to God like I feel I have been doing with so many things lately. I always wonder what I plan to accomplish by fretting.
One day last week I had a patient that was ecstatic with the care he had received from our office. Through our conversation I found out that he owned two local body shops. I asked him if he had any tips for getting tar off of cars. He said bring it by and “we will take care of it.” One day Elliot and I stopped by his shop. The workers tried all there magic concoctions to remove the tar – no luck. Finally they came to the conclusion that it was not tar at all, but road paint, a very adhesive paint. My heart sunk – I knew there was no way to get that off easily. A few minutes later, they came back to deliver the news – the bad news was they would not be able to remove the paint, but the good news was they would strip the whole van, buff it down and reseal it for 100 bucks. The normal price for such a job is well over 1000 dollars. And the best news – Since my car was basically just repainted – I don’t even have to wax it until next year.
I know everyone was wondering where I have gone since I haven’t written in a while. When life happens, usually its the blog that is the first to fall by the wayside.
I found some time tonight to be able to update the blog. Stephanie and Elliot are asleep, but I’m not tired enough to hit the sack yet. I’m coming off of the post-youth group high and Its October. October? Why is that a big deal, you may ask. One word: Baseball. And not just any baseball….the playoffs. I know that most people think that baseball is boring and uneventful and blah, blah, blah. People say that because the game is 90% mental and 10% physical. I guess its not for everyone, but that’s just too bad. I love it, and I hope that Elliot does as well.
This week is pretty busy for me. The youth are leading worship in our church on Sunday, so I have been planning the service and also giving people their assignments. I am also preaching, so I have been preparing for that as well. And to top it off, I am assisting Pastor Charlie with communion for the first time this week. Its a lot, but I am very excited for Sunday. Hopefully the youth will have a better understanding for and deeper appreciation for worship after this week.
In closing, here are some recent pictures of the little guy. He seems to be getting cuter and cuter!
Thank goodness He is not finished with me yet. I recently read two books, “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper and “A Chance to Die” by Elisabeth Elliot. First of all. I highly reccommend both of these books. I also think it is so cool when God uses multiple ways to teach me the same lesson.
Don’t Waste Your Life is about exactly that – not wasting it. In short “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21) or as a poem states that I have started reciting daily – Only one life, will soon be past, Only what’s done, for Christ will last. I find that if I apply this concept to everything from changing diapers to doing ministry my perspective is much better. Piper expounds on this topic by talking about sacrificial living, sacrificial giving, boasting only in the Cross, missions to neighbors and abroad, and more. I can honestly say that while reading the book I was often nauseated with conviction and for that, I am thankful.
“A Chance to Die” is a fantastic tail of the life of Amy Carmichael. Amy spent her life (44 years with out furlough) rescuing children in India from horrific lives working in Hindu temples. Her life is the archetype of a life not wasted and I was inspired to live for Christ as she did.
So what? Let’s just say, He is not finished with us yet. Mike and I have been on crazy ride of determining what all this looks like practically. We are earnestly seeking God’s will in our lives. I am sure we will experience growing pains, but I am looking forward to it. I am really starting to understand that suffering is a blessing, and that honestly if “life is good” as our culture states, that you/I are probably not living the abundant life God calls us too. Don’t misunderstand, I am not going to go out and create hardships and I will also be joyful and thankful for blessed easy times. However, I am learning that if we enter into the life God has truly called us too – suffering will follow.
For the first time in my life I can say I that I long for Christ’s return. In that past I thought it would be neat if I was around, and I looked forward to being in heaven, but this is different. I am starting to feel like a stranger in this world. It seems that daily I am bombarded with heart breaking news, marriages struggling, sick children, people in bondage to sin, and so many lost people. This drives me to me knees in prayer for revival for our country. It creates the burning desire for Christ to come and make all things new. I am flawed and my need for continued sanctification is evident, but I am so thankful for what God has been teaching me.
Time…It doesn’t seem like a whole year has passed since Elliot was born. I could have sworn that we were just driving up to Georgia from Florida. It doesn’t seem like an entire year ago. But then again…so much has happened in the past year. I can’t believe all the things Elliot has done, the places he has gone, the milestones he has achieved. It is amazing. Seeing Elliot grow gives me a small–but not insignificant–insight into our great God and how he has made us. It is truly incredible!
We had a great little get together tonight. Elliot enjoyed every minute of it, and he especially liked the cake. He liked squishing the cake between his fingers more than he liked eating it, but it was his cake and he could do with it whatever he wanted!
Here are some pictures from his special day:
I’m going to skip the usual apology and excuses about not posting in a while–although we are sorry–because this video is just far too exciting! These are not his first steps, but they are the first ones caught on tape! Everyone says that our world is about to change now that he can walk. Thankfully he’s not running quite yet, but we don’t think that is far away. He is improving his balance every day!
Stephanie, Elliot, and I got some much needed time away today. We’ve been very busy lately and just haven’t had time to connect. A very gracious family from our church (thank you Umsteads!) allowed us to hang out at their lake house today. We left home just after Elliot’s breakfast and got home in time to put him in his crib. It was a great day to relax, enjoy the sunshine and the lake, and enjoy just being with each other and not having anything to do or worry about. It was a great day. Here are pictures of our day and an album with some recent pictures of Elliot. I had no idea, but apparently he likes doing the laundry. How cute.
Am I suffering for the sake of the Gospel? Or I am I just another middle class suburban christian who thinks that suffering includes missing a meal or being on a budget. Oh Lord don’t let me miss out on Your amazing plan for my life.
We were convicted by this video and by the overwhelming impact Christ should be having on our life. I found myself thinking I need to do more, I need to BE more however THAT is not the gospel. What I do need to do is SEEK more. I know that we will suffer if we follow Christ with reckless abandon. This question is when it comes, will I turn my hands up and be thankful, will “I consider it Joy” as the Bible says or will be despondent and cranky. I was convicted firstly to be infinitely thankful for the gift God has given us currently and then to turn to him with the inconveniences of my current daily life in hopes that one day, He will trust me with true suffering.
That is how long I have before the most dreaded experience of my life. (Forgive me for being a little overdramatic…) For those of you who don’t know, I will be examined tonight and tomorrow morning. If all goes well, ordination is looming around the corner.
These last couple of weeks have been…hard, tough, long, exhausting. I really don’t know how to finish that statement. All the words just seem so void of any real meaning. Very simply, it has been a lot.
And not just for me. Yes, I’ve been studying just about every free moment. I’ve been going to bed late and waking up early. I’ve been doing flashcards when I drive and listening to Q&A’s from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. But I honestly believe that my beautiful bride is the one going through the most. She’s stepped up so much in the last few weeks. She’s taken over many of the things that I normally do, and she has done it with grace. She is amazing. Those of you who know her well know that this is just par for the course for her. She is an amazing wife to me and spectacular mother to our son. I can’t wait for this all to be over, mostly for her sake. She deserves a spa weekend.
Its at moment like these, I thank God that He is sovereign. If he wasn’t, I don’t think I could go through with all of this. But I feel this calling in my life, and if he calls me to it, he will guide me through it. This examination is less about me and more about him displaying himself through me.
Thank you for your many words of encouragement and prayers. I have felt them, especially today.
I’ll let you know how it all goes!
As I sit hear in the quiet after my sweet child cried for twenty minutes after 45 minutes into his morning nap I continue to keep the long view in mind. Mike and I have participated in “parent directed feeding” since Elliot’s birth. (For more info read Babywise by the Ezzo’s). It seems that people either love it or hate it. For us it has worked beautifully. Elliot starting sleeping 6-7 hours per night at 7 weeks and we dropped his 10 pm feeding a little before 4 months which meant he was sleeping from 7:30 to 7. This has been the case with few exceptions for the last five months.
As you can tell from my first line this has not and is not always an easy system. Lately Elliot has been waking up 45 minutes into a nap, which is normally when you change sleep cycles into a deeper sleep. He has become curious about things and thinks he has had enough sleep. However, I can tell you from experience, if he does not wake up happy – He is not happy. Therefore I have to let him “cry it out” for his own good to have a restful nap.
Mike and I have been amazed to see how Elliot can be so upset having to go to sleep to completely happy and content upon waking up rested. I think it helped knowing too that Babies weighing over 10 lbs do not need food at night. That is when there little bodies start burning glucagon, the enzyme that breaks down fat. All I have to do is look at Elliot’s thighs and think God gave you that for a reason. We want to train his body to burn fat.
Disclaimer – If this is not your preferred parenting method – Please do not see this as a judgement. We love it and it has worked for us, but do as God leads you.
We want to train his body to burn fat.
