As Delivery Approaches

We have no legitimate reason to fear, but only God knows the way He has for us. It crosses every parent's mind. "Will my baby be healthy?" And in light of those thoughts, this is just what I needed reminded of. "I have a hope...and I have a rock..." and it's not a perfectly healthy baby. It's a great God who does all things well.

A New Fave

We heard this song after the NEXT conference last year, but have been basking in the truth of it since Matt returned from T4G last week. Hallelujah! He's all we have and all we need!

ALL I HAVE IS CHRIST

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI), by Jordan Kauflin

Sticky Humor

Stella found a double-duty use for my Lovenox injections...a pogo stick for her bunny!! 

Of First Importance

This is the second year as a family we read thru this during Passion Week. It was still a bit over Stella's head but the object lesson of the candles helped bring the message home to her. We all felt the "silence" on Saturday since no candles were lit and couldn't wait until Sunday to light ALL the candles and remember with great joy that Jesus, the light of the world, is alive!


The past couple of years around Easter Stella has memorized Scripture about the historical accounts of the resurrection. Last year we focused on the account in Matthew 28 and this year we memorized a portion of I Corinthians 15. I love how all the eye witnesses who saw Jesus alive are mentioned in that particular passage. Very powerful.


The day before Easter, we had fun making flower pen gifts for Stella's Sunday School teachers. Also, after Easter lunch we decorated little chick cupcakes. We've been enjoying a new Bible story book we got them for Easter that I saw recommended here. Again, it's a bit of a challenge for Stella's thinking, but seems to be just what she needs. It's been a great addition to the other 2 we've used over the past few years.


Here are some pics of our Resurrection Day celebrations!

A Lesson on Grace from a Pony

Awhile back we were winding down one of those nightmare grocery trips filled with discontent, crying, loud children...and they were mine. I was at the check out about ready to lose my cool with the girls when Stella had the audacity to ask if she could ride the 1 cent pony on the way out. My first thought was, "Are you crazy?! You think after the way you guys have been acting I would let you ride the pony today?!" As those thoughts were running through my mind, my heart was immediately convicted. I realized the pride in my thinking since I act in very similar ways with God. I couldn't shake the thought that in spite of how short I fall from His standards, He always lets me ride the pony (meaning He always gives me better than I deserve). My eyes filled with tears as I was humbled by the great grace I constantly receive from Him but am stingy to show to my girls, especially when they aren't acting in keeping with my standards. Even though they still didn't get to ride the pony that day, through my teary eyes God helped me gain a fresh grace-filled perspective in dealing with them in a way that shows them more of Him and less of me. And that is what they always need - even more than a fun pony ride! 


For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103.14

new old hymns

nothing like them. although i like old old hymns too. :)

all popped out

...and so thankful to be!

photos by niki taylor

i love...

that you wait to catch my eye from across the room and wink at me. 

to be honest, it still makes my heart melt.

photo: niki taylor

Disney on Ice

Stella's big Christmas gift was tickets to Disney on Ice. She waited patiently for 2 months (mostly b/c she didn't know what to expect) and enjoyed the show so much! She got her picture taken w/ her "twin" and loved the skating, music and princesses. Ruby got to enjoy the show too. Daddy was a good sport, as always, but is looking forward to throwing rough and tough boy stuff into the princess mix in 6 more weeks!

"It's great to be at Curves! How may I help you?"

Those words rolled from my tongue pretty consistently for the first 3 years of living in MI. God provided a fun job for me that I really enjoyed managing a few different Curves workout facilities in our area.  

I was taken back to those good old days at Curves with a recent post of Noel Piper's. I couldn't help but think how cool it would be to work in the Curves where she attends and the many 1/2 hours we could fill talking about missions, biographies, Bethlehem, women's ministry, and the list could go on and on (not that I would have much to contribute, but I would enjoy firing tons of questions and listening to her responses!).


But then, my mind wandered back to a wonderful pastor's wife I did follow around the circuit for many 1/2 hours back when I was a new wife -  and seminary wife - at that. She had 2 small girls and she and her husband were in the first year of an exciting church plant in the area. She was venturing into home schooling her oldest daughter at that time as well.


We seemed to click right away. I loved talking with her about ministry and their seminary years and couldn't help but feel an instant bond between the way she and her husband did things and the way Matt and I were endeavoring to do things in our young marriage. 


I remember those conversations so fondly and the way they served me so well then and even still, and think of what a privilege it was to know Kim Brown then and even more so to have her as MY pastor's wife now. I love you, Kim!

qualities of true love

love seems to be the theme of several recent posts. we are still going thru the qualities of love from the month of february but are winding down our study. we've used some transcripts of john macarthur's "qualities of true love" series and they have been excellent as we try to define and seek ways to apply this great virtue.


today was especially convicting. 1 cor 13:7a, "love bears all things." defined, it means, "...Love, out of regard, respect, and honest concern for the real value of another person, will do everything it can to cover up and suppress the sin of that person. Genuine love is reluctant to drag a scandal in front of anyone. So when Paul says that love 'bears all things' he's not talking about enduring a trial, he's talking about covering the ugliness in someone else's life." and then macarthur uses the cross reference of 1 Peter 4:8b--"...love covers a multitude of sins" and describes it as "love being a big huge blanket that runs around throwing itself over people's faults...not exposing them."

and where does this bring us, but again to the foot of the cross where redeeming love not only covered our sin but took it away. the latter is something we obviously can't do for others...but what if i, with God's help, lovingly and graciously covered over another person's sin and ugliness in his/her life instead of replaying it in my mind and exposing it to others? wouldn't this go a long way in leading that person to the One who won't just cover it, but can take his/her sin away for good?

one way dr. custer has influenced my parenting

i hear myself telling the girls over and over something i learned in ethics class in college. dr. custer was teaching on the christian ethic of love from 1 corinthians 13 and said, "we must remember people are more important than things." i hear that instruction replaying in my mind nearly every time i tell stella to love her sister more than she loves a neat room...and ruby to love her sister more than she loves her toys....and myself to love my kids and the opportunities i have to serve them and teach them more than i love peace and quiet and time to think my own thoughts and do my own thing. 


"and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love." (1 corinthians 13.13)

so happy for them to be working together peacefully to clean-up. we'll keep working on it, but i wasn't sure how soon i would see it again so i had to snap a picture of it!

Oh the Precious Blood!

One of my favorite answers Matt gave at the ordination council last week followed a series of questions he was asked about if there was anything special about Christ's blood. Finally someone said, "Well then how do you explain 1 Peter 1:19 when the writer calls Jesus' blood 'precious'?" Matt answered, "Because of the amazing work His death accomplished." Amen! Even still I can't think through that answer without tearing up. My redemption was costly and indeed that is why His blood is precious.


Following are some pictures from the council. We are still praising God for His grace that has brought us to this point!

2 Timothy 2:1, 2

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 

On July 18, Matt, Lord willing, will become the 3rd generation of those called "Pastor Owen". We are hopeful that all 3 will be able to be in attendance. We're so thankful for Dad who was Matt's pastor for a few decades and my pastor for a few years. He truly is a blameless man.

Our wonderful Pastor, Ken, who is an example in every way of what it means to be a shepherd of God's flock.

The following passage was read as the council convened:

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

The Council

"My job is to keep him in the pulpit." - Bethan Lloyd-Jones

(HT: graceforeverygoodworkandword)

On the day your Ordination Council convenes

Today's a big day for us and for our church. It's a day for which you have prepared many years now. You will be examined today by professors from our local seminary and several local pastors regarding your doctrinal qualifications for the Gospel ministry.

In God's good providence, I was reminded even just this week how thankful I am to have a husband who spends many hours each week endeavoring to handle the Scripture accurately. I was reading JI Packer on the difference between expiation and propitiation and  was struck again by how important it is to be precise in theology. We admire precision in many other professions, but when it comes to theology, we can tend to think that when someone devotes many years of formal study to it they are just pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge or studying heady things that don't have any bearing on real life. I mean what good does being able to dialogue about how the three persons of the Trinity interact with each other when your heart is breaking and the world as you know it seems to be crumbling before you? But precise knowledge of Scripture has everything to do with real life. Orthodoxy is at stake. God's glory is at stake. Even man finding his ultimate joy and purpose is at stake. The faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints must be contended for by men who know it well.

Our church has already been examining your character qualifications for the past years to see that you display the character qualities held forth in Scripture for a minister of the Gospel. Praise the Lord for His grace in your life and preparation for this calling evidenced by their unanimous vote of your qualifications in that regard.

Your academic institutions have recognized your academic achievements by your graduating with honors. First, with your Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Bible and minoring in Greek and then with your Master of Divinity. And I like to remember that I was by your side for both!

And today, even before the professors and pastors have their opportunity to examine you doctrinally, I as the person who knows you best on this earth, want to commend you for the diligence to which you have applied yourself specifically in studying the Bible for Gospel ministry. I remember the first sermon I heard you preach before we were even dating (can you believe that has been over 10 years ago?!). It was from Hebrews about perseverance. My sweet mom looked at me with tears in her eyes when you were done and said, "I would be honored if you would marry someone who is that passionate about God's Word." I too was impressed, but couldn't get over what she said about marriage! I guess the rest is history...she got what she wanted! :) But from that first sermon through the late nights and early mornings of your study of Scripture which have been part of our entire dating and marriage relationship, I know doctrinal precision is important to you. I know that you study semantic ranges of Greek and Hebrew words because you want to be clear and say what the Bible says and nothing more. I know that in preparation for teaching and preaching you struggle through difficult interpretational issues and passages, like in the last sermon you preached from Job, so that our congregation will know that God's ancient, precious Word is still undeniably relevant to us today. And I know that you work hard to study context and the broad scope of Scripture and the implications and applications of a passage because you know that what you are doing is far too important for carelessness or creativity. 

I'm looking forward to the outcome of today and I want to pledge to you my continued help and support in the Gospel ministry. God's Word is too important for me to complain about your long hours of study. Too many people aren't worshiping Jesus for me to think that I need you here for dinner every night. The Gospel needs to be proclaimed regularly, clearly and precisely by competent, qualified men such as yourself. Remind me that squeaky doors, broken air vents, leaking faucets and other home improvements can wait. Someone can fix things when we're gone if we never get to them. But it is a short step from here to eternity and I want to help you spend and be spent for the One who gave His life for us. SDG.

I love you and will always be your most faithful and adoring co-laborer in the Gospel.

pigtails

this little piggy...

still likes to suck her 2 baby fingers.

this little piggy...

is turning out to be quite a helper.

this little piggy...

has an extreme case of cuteness.


this little piggy...

loves to back her way into you with a book in her hand.


this little piggy...

is such a good mommy to her babies.


this little piggy...

is still a very lovable, snuggleable, edible, bad bow who is growing up way too fast for her mommy.

numbering our days

200 days happily and thankfully pregnant with schaeffer.


7 days looking eagerly and humbly forward to matt's ordination council.

"and God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 corinthians 9.8)

"marriage...

brings out the worst in you."

and other encouraging thots from tim keller in this series.

seriously, one of the best marriage series i've listened to b/c he effectively communicates to people in this

day and age and the mindset we've all been influenced by whether we realize it or not.

luv is a verb

we made 3 batches of valentine's day cookies this year:

1) valentine's m&m cookie bars

2) peanut butter blossoms (daddy's fave)

had to take a pic of this. notice the orderliness w/ which the kiss wrappers were discarded - separated by color (pink, red and silver all organized in different piles) and even the kiss flags had a special spot too. are you sure this is my daughter?! :)

3) sugar cookies dipped in chocolate w/ sprinkles (stella's and my fave)

finished plate for our neighbors and friends.

our valentine cards this year. heart stamps made by using the sides of our hands in a fist.

we went bowling with our church on saturday. stella's watching her very slow rolling ball here...

so slow rolling that daddy had to walk down the gutters to help give it another push!

too cute.

part of my valentine's day surprise from my sweet - beautiful gerber daisies.

"we love that daddy of ours!"

that's something stella often says...and he deserves every bit of love his girls give him. he's a great daddy!

stella learning to play wii for a family game night. let's just say she doesn't show promise of being a gamer. :)

these 2 are 2 peas in a pod! always an adventure with this spunky, spirited duo!!

stella and i made him a coconut cream pie for national pie day a few weeks back.

sweet flower girl kissing her daddy. 

we can't even think about the possibility that this picture could be foreshadowing another event with our little girl in white in 20ish years.

what a fun daddy playing with his girls in the snow on his lunch. they loved it. although ruby couldn't stand up to save her life. it was quite comical.