An Offense

The message is foolishness, the Man is an offense and His death is a stumbling block.

His words divide.

He calls Himself the way, the truth and the life, and He requires His followers to take up their crosses and follow Him.

Today though, in the name of tolerance and love, Jesus is no longer the narrow way, but one of many broad ways. Christ, King of the Jews, Man of Sorrows, God who became flesh and dwelt among us, and became sin for us, has been remade.

Now we have Jesus, arms open wide, who embraces everyone, even those who choose to reject Him. The Church, the body of Christ, has been demonized. Jesus' followers are simple-minded, mean-spirited, and the world would be better off without them. Hell isn't real, therefore Jesus didn't come to save us from hell, but merely laid down His life so we would have an example to follow. If we follow His example we can usher in "the Kingdom", right here on earth.

The new and improved Jesus sounds good in theory, but in reality, that Jesus doesn't exist. Numerous authors can write best selling books about how non-Christians love Jesus, but don't don't like His followers. They can exhort the church to change their message to something more tolerant, more inclusive, and more loving. Their books have an impact because, by and large, even those inside the church are Biblically illiterate.

The result: ?

What will the result be?

If you are a Christian, I challenge you to study your Bible and see what Jesus said about Himself. Peter tells us to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that is in us. When our faith is really grounded in the Truth we will be able to confidently discuss what we believe. Our love for our Savior will be deeper, and our hearts will ache for those who reject Him.

If you are not a Christian, but you respect Jesus or think He was a good teacher, study the Bible to see what Jesus said about Himself. You may find what you think about Him can not be reconciled with what He said about Himself.

Who is this Jesus? What will you do with Him?

A Give -Away!

I am giving away two reusable, embroidered (with a name of your choice!) and embellished totes to one lucky winner! These make great shopping bags, library bags, or all purpose bags for yourself or Christmas gifts.

To enter all you need to do is:

1) Hop on over to my friend Christina's blog and check out her current and upcoming auctions to raise money for their adoption of two beautiful girls from Haiti.

2) Leave her a comment so she knows you were there and are praying for her.

3) Donate $5 to their adoption through their chip-in button.

That's all you have to do! This contest runs through October 10 at 12:30 pm, at which time the drawing will be held.

Also, for an extra 5 entries into my tote bag drawing, bid on one of her auctions.

Latest Sewing Projects

I have branched out from my reversible apron...a bit! Below are samples of various sewing projects and their prices. I am now taking orders for Christmas. I have enjoyed making mother-daughter apron sets, which make a fabulous gift. Stay tuned for further details about an apron auction for a special cause, as well as a drawing for a set of 2 tote bags!

Set of three personalized burp cloths and a bib- $20.

Reversible apron- $20.

Ruffled apron- $25

Simple one sided apron- $20.

Embroidered and embellished totes (perfect for reusable grocery bags) $8 each.

Meghan's Baptism

Learning to Walk by Faith

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).

“Your possessions are never so safe as when you are willing to resign them, and you are never so rich as when you put all you have into the hand of God…’Oh!’ but they will say ‘it is ridiculous-a man trusting in God.’ Yes, but you do not think it ridiculous to trust in yourselves” (Charles Spurgeon).

“When Jesus sent out His twelve disciples (Luke 9:3), He told them to ‘take nothing for the journey- no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic’. Why do you suppose He said this? Why not let them run home and grab a few supplies? Why not allow them to bring some money along just in case?
Jesus was forcing His disciples to trust Him. God would have to come through for them because they had nothing else to fall back on.
This place of trust isn’t a comfortable place to be; in fact, it flies in the face of everything we’ve been taught about proper planning. We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide. But when Christ says to count the cost of following Him, it means we must surrender everything. It means being willing to go without an extra tunic or a place to sleep at night, and sometimes without knowing where we are going.
God wants us to trust Him with abandon. He wants to show us how He works and cares for us. He wants to be our refuge” (Francis Chan- Crazy Love).

To be honest, walking by faith is not something I have, historically, been very good at. When the Lord led us to adopt first one child, then a second, and a third- all at once- trusting that He would provide did not come easily for me. I would give God a certain deadline by which I wanted to have a particular expense paid for and as the time approached I began to panic…every time. Rather than wait and ask God to provide for what He had called us to do, I would pull out my oh-so-trusty Master Card, get a cash advance, and pay the bill. Ultimately, this not only caused us a lot of financial difficulty, but even worse, demonstrated that I did not trust God.

Nearly two years ago Michael and I decided to stop using credit cards and within the last year we purposed to avoid as much debt as possible.

When we felt the Lord calling us to start All Things New and we began to look at land, we determined after a lot of prayer and budgeting, that we could afford to make a monthly payment that was equivalent to a car payment. At the time, we only had one vehicle. Whitey, as we called our van, was frankly, a piece of junk. We had been driving her for just over a year and in that time we had to replace the radiator, the transmission, the tires, the brakes, and something that held the steering wheel in place. Whitey had a cracked windshield, another window held in by duct tape, and neither the heater nor the air conditioner worked. Shortly after we purchased her, the handle to the large sliding door broke off in my hand…apparently the previous owner had glued it on and neglected to mention it. The passenger door didn’t have an outside lock, so if we locked the doors, someone had to enter through the driver’s side door, manually unlock the passenger door and then open the sliding door from the inside. Whitey was the size of a twelve passenger van, but only had seats (and seatbelts) for eight. In any case, rather than purchase a new(er) vehicle, or a second vehicle we trusted that God would keep Whitey going for at least three more years. (For the record, while we knew this was what God was leading us to do, I must confess this was not always easy. For example, if I needed the vehicle during the day, I had to get up at 5:30 and take Michael to work. If you know me, you know I am not a morning person and so I was never happy when this had to occur.)

We bought the land.

A few weeks later we found out I was pregnant.

Now even if Whitey held out, we were short one seat and seatbelt.

Then Michael got laid-off.

We had nothing to fall back on- no savings, no credit cards, nothing.

A lot of people said “Well, you can always let the land go. At least then you can keep your house.” While this was true, we just didn’t believe that was the plan God had. So with less than $2000 a month coming in to provide for our family and pay all of our bills, we continued to pray that God would make ends meet.

He did.

Our church family gave us grocery gift cards and gas cards and bought us food and toilet paper (which we REALLY needed). Michael would get an odd job here or there that supplied just what we needed to pay whatever bill was looming.

…And when our van broke down…

Our friends, the Rories, loaned us their mini-van and our friends the Penn’s asked their church family to loan us the church van.

Last week, Corey Penn came by to visit. The church he pastors, Peace Church, voted to give, yes GIVE, our family the 15 passenger church van. Corey said it wasn’t about him or what the church had done. It was all the Lord.

We know he is right. We are so humbled and blessed that God moved in the hearts of His people to give freely and without reservation in order to provide for our need.

As if that wasn’t enough, someone at their church gave money to pay for the tax, title and license of the van.

I am learning to walk by faith…not by what I see with my own eyes and very limited perspective. I hope and pray that when the next crisis comes, as it inevitably will, that this experience will remind me of God's faithfulness.

I write this for a few reasons. First, God totally, amazingly, continuously provides for our needs, and He should get the glory for it. It is He who made us and sustains us. Second, I want you to be encouraged. I am not implying that God is like a magic genie who gives us whatever we want, but He does care for us, and when we follow Him into unknown, sometimes frightening places, that He calls us to go, He WILL provide for our every need. It does, oftentimes, mean going without things we want, but in the end, it is so worth it to see Him demonstrate His power in incredible ways.
If today you are waiting for God to come through for you; don’t lose heart. “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phillipians 4:19).

May we take God at His Word today, and trust Him alone as we learn to walk by faith.

We Trust

“We’re in a bad place right now”, he finally confessed. I added, “I’m pretty much out of faith. Thankfully I can feel God holding on to me, because otherwise…” I let my thought hang in the air.

The night before we had used the gift card I got for my Birthday to go to dinner at Red Lobster. The conversation of the two older couples sitting at the booth behind me had nearly ruined my appetite.

“You know”, one of the men said as he sipped his Pinot Grigio, “the reason God doesn’t give some people money is because they just wouldn’t know how to handle it”. “I agree”, said the other man. “That’s why we don’t give money to the poor. You see a story in the paper every week about someone in trouble. You can’t help them all”. “Don’t get me wrong, we give money to charity, places like the museum…just enough to get our name on a plaque though”, he laughingly confessed. His wife chimed in, “we give money to PBS too, I really like their programs”.

Defeated, I wondered to myself if maybe they were right.

When Pastor Adrian and Kelly came over, Michael had, reluctantly, stated it aptly enough. We are in a bad place.

Unemployment was not a new thing for us. Michael was typically hired for the duration of a project. When the project ended, so did his job. We had been riding this roller coaster for the past several years, and while it had certainly been difficult it had never quite felt like this. Now, people who only the week before had called inquiring if Michael was available for work were telling him that they were over budget. Others, because of the lack of industry, had brought in workers from other sites. In short, there isn’t anything on the horizon.

I have often thought to myself that if God wanted people to adopt, if He wanted us to be an example to those around us, that it would have made much more sense to make our life pleasant and without struggle. Next week, unless we come up with the money, the electricity and gas get turned off…the day before Meghan’s Birthday. The first round of property taxes is also due, so we get to choose if we want the unemployment to pay for utilities or taxes. The next week the mortgage and land payment are due. Together they total more than half of the month’s unemployment pay. When my weird pregnancy cravings include Jack-in-the-Box tacos I feel guilty for the $2 we spend. We can’t keep the lights on, but I am buying tacos.

Pastor Adrian asked what they could do to help us. “Nothing”, we both replied, “just pray for us, pray for a job”, Michael said.

We like to be on the giving end of things, not the receiving. Receiving help feels like we failed. It feels like judgement and condemnation, like if we would just be “normal” like other people we wouldn’t be in this place.

“But this is your calling”, Pastor Adrian said gently.

Yesterday was bad. It was full of a lot of ugly emotions; jealousy, anger, disappointment, hopelessness, and resignation. There had been days of fighting, and there was no peace in our home. I did school with the kids, while Michael cleaned the basement and fixed the leaking washing machine.

I talked to Nichole. “You sound really bad”, she told me, “are you ok”?

I wasn’t.

Like I said, I was about out of faith.

And then, at the moment I was most weak, He was strong.

Michael came to me. “We need to talk”, he said. “I think, no, I know, this is a God thing. This is all something God is doing in our lives. He’s working. He’s doing something big. We need to wait, and trust, and see what He is going to do”.

Peace washed over me in waves.

Last night we had a really sweet time of talking and praying with the kids. When we went to bed, Michael said “you’ve been praying for me, haven’t you”? “No”, I confessed. “I haven’t really been able to pray at all lately”. As I fell asleep though, I did thank God for moving in our lives, and for giving me peace. This was His reply to my weary heart: “If I am for you, who can be against you”?

This truth I wrap myself in today. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:28-32)

If the power gets turned off, if we lose our house, if this is a long season of unemployment, no matter what, God is for us. In the midst of some of the worst tragedy a man could experience, Job’s wife told him to “curse God and die!” Job replied to her, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” (Job 2:10). Earlier, Job had said “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:20).

Job’s words were not spoken casually. They weren’t words of self-talk to keep his spirits up. These were words of truth spoken by a man who knew where His hope rested; in the God who sovereignly controlled the universe and every detail of Job’s own life.

“I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).

“Those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23).

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40: 30-31).

Like Job, we trust.

We trust because we know in whom we trust.

We trust because He alone is able.

You Can't Buy Memories Like These

I have had a life long dream of touring the country in an RV. An RV, not a tent. In any event, since I have a need for every holiday to be a delightful memory for my children, I thought we would camp this weekend. In a tent.

Friday afternoon, we arrived at the lake. My sister-in-law and her husband (who own a camper) were staying at the same campground. They had just bought a scooter the night before, and so we all took turns riding the scooter.

We had brought some Jiffy Pop along and Michael tried to make some. Here are the results of his first attempt:



The second batch was more successful.



I was actually having a good time at this point.

Then:

We went to bed, only to be awoken about 3 AM to rain...a lot of rain. At 8 AM Madeline woke up, and thought she was really sweaty. It wasn't sweat, rather she was sleeping in a puddle of water. At that point I was thinking "how in the world am I going to get all of these blankets dry by tonight", and then I noticed...Jude had a water stain that looked all too familiar...you know, the kind that shows up on a little boy's shirt when he pees his pants up to his neck? I was. not. happy. Additionally, my pregnant bladder was uncomfortably full, so I put on my water logged sandals and trekked to the bathroom.

Apparently, swarms of mosquitoes also thought the bathroom would be the ideal place to hang out to avoid the rain and since I was the first to venture into the facility that morning, they were all gathered above the toilet. FAN-TASTIC! Who knew it was only the beginning of my morning of mosquitoes. We piled into the van, still in pajamas, soaking wet, and headed to the shower house. I took all of the girls, opened the door, and honestly wanted to cry. There were mosquitoes everywhere; in the lights, in the toilets, dead on the floors in droves, flying around. It was disgusting. After giving Isabella a shower, and discovering how incredibly hard it is to give a small child a shower and get them dressed while holding them aloft in the air, we went to the van and the rest of us changed in the van...with our untinted windows.

Since my sister-in-law and her family were all still sound asleep in their cozy, dry, air-conditioned camper, we decided to do the only thing possible: head to Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart, dry sleeping bags and an extra air mattress were purchased. After killing as much time as possible, we headed to "THE VISITOR CENTER". On a good day, the visitor center may provide for about 20 minutes of entertainment, yet on this day the light bulb was burned out on the projector so we were not able to view the informational movie. We decided to visit the "museum" which consisted of, well, lots of dead animals.

And this is where the fun began.

First, Eva sheepishly began to pet the Red Fox.



This started a trend in which all of the children decided it would be fun to pose by the various deceased creatures.



It escalated when Michael decided to pose under the coyote as if it were attacking him...and Isabella broke the poor coyote's ear off. (It still hangs by a thread).



And then, there was the pose that I was certain would result in our being expelled from the visitor's center: Michael and the Beaver.



Seriously. You can't buy memories like these. (Honestly, I don't even know what that means...does one even buy memories??)

We drove back to my sister's campsite since it was STILL raining. I scrambled some eggs, and we sat around. I got a headache, and became increasingly frustrated by the dismal outlook of the forecast.

Suddenly, it stopped raining. We decided to head back to the other side of the lake and walk on the dam. Michael had a renewed interest in fishing and so we went back to Wal-Mart where he purchased some bait...live bait...and put it in my cooler of food.

And because it wouldn't be a trip with our family if it didn't happen, our van died. Michael pushed it backward so we could get it jumped and then for some reason, it turned over. We headed back to camp. His sister called and said they had a pontoon boat for two hours so we needed to turn back around and come to the marina.

The kids loved the boat.









Our evening in the tent was slightly drier than the one before, but by Sunday morning I was ready for a shower and a reunion with my toothbrush, so we packed up and headed out.

Michael says he will never take me camping again. At this point, I'm not sure I want to go again...unless there is an RV involved.