Today marks our one month anniversary and we are still here and not run away yet. This was also the first full week for me of working and going to school. A bit rough i would say and i am a little ragged now. That may be because i spent every hour on the hour last night tending to my sick middle children (Mikaela and Luke) as they celebrated a festival of vomit. Sorry for the descriptive. My job is great (BORING!; which is good for school) and everyone up here is so open to talking about church and God. It is a little weird for us coming from Austin because it seems that you are almost expected to have faith up here.
Lo and behold, we have not found a church home yet and i can honestly say that now we see just how much Austin Stone rocked the house. The contemporary services up here are more like hymns on crack rather than screaming guitars and hearts on fire for Jesus. we were treated to a God-honoring, but horrendous rendition of Tomlin's song "How can I keep from Singing". Imagine that song done in high-speed opera style. Don't get me wrong, those ladies were worshiping; this i know for sure. i am just not sure they intended for us to join in. All kidding aside, we miss our Stone family and how we rock it out. we are praying for a church home and it has definitely been a burden for me given that i have been sufficiently inundated with Baptist thinking, God love em.
Seminary has been difficult. Kind of how i thought it would be, but i did not expect it to be this painful. Can't wait to see what God has planned because with pain comes spiritual growth so we take joy. The hardest part has been the theological ideas that are being taught however unintentional they may be. i am just not one for titles and especially denominational titles. we are Christians,followers of Christ, no Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, etc.
Okay enough ranting. The kids and mickie are doing well. It stays pretty busy here, but mickie has found a great Bible study she can attend with her sister (i am really excited that they get to spend time together). abigail told me that she studies a piece of Scripture every night before she goes to sleep. she is doing phenomenal with her reading and it will shortly be time to start memorizing Scripture. i told her that we are going to work on memorizing The Shema together. The Shema is thus:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Deuteronomy 11:13-21
Numbers 15:37-41
Shalom!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
YHVH; a God of Compassion and Provision
Psalm 27:12-14
12 Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.
Wow! Does King David nail it or what? This Psalm of his speaks to our experience this week and God's gracious provision in the lives of the Brown Family. We moved here in faith and that belief in God's provision has not wavered...until yesterday as i registered for Seminary classes. One by one came the questions: Do i sign up for full time or just the amount i need to keep our apartment, six hours? i need full time to be a Chaplain candidate, but how am i going to pay for it? When are they going to call me so that i can start my job and get some income coming in? Have i made a mistake and not been a good steward and if so how am i going to clean up what i have done? Will we end up on the streets? What else can i do, second job, student loan, giving plasma, etc? Why am i sounding so afraid in my thoughts?
i apologize for taking you all on a journey through my though process, but it is necessary to see that we all get scared even when we are sure of God's call. i am but a man and i get afraid and any man who chooses to follow God that says he does not is a liar. Okay, so sorry for the rambling, bu not sorry for the transparency; i pray it encourages someone.
So i get my bill for my classes and it is $1942.00 + cost of books. i sign up for the FACTS program which allows me to pay for it in increments. So first monies that will be due is a payment of $485 on February 5th. No problem, i start my job soon and income will be flowing. Never mind that we have only enough money in the bank for rent and some groceries. i am registering in faith or folly depending on how you look at it. i wait and no call from Office Depot on Friday last week, no call Monday, and so i call yesterday. Turns out my background check is taking longer than usual. Think the enemy is not working?
He wants to destroy my faith that God will equip the called. he was doing a heck of job yesterday, but God, always faithful God answered him with a "not this time sucker!" i spent the afternoon exhausting myself online looking for ways to pay for the just the first payment coming up. i guess i felt like that is what a good steward does; do all he can and trust God to make it happen. i was awaiting a call from Matt Carter at the Austin Stone as i had contacted him about supporting me while i was in Seminary. He had not said whether they we going to or not and yesterday was the day to find out.
Long story short, The Stone felt lead to pay for my first semester and all the books i would need for that semester. As i looked for Scripture that spoke of waiting on the LORD, i found this passage in Isaiah. i think it is fitting.
Isaiah 30:18-19
18 Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
19 O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.
Oh how our God longs to be gracious to His children. How our Father longs to answer us as i long to answer the cry of my children. It says that He waits on high to have compassion on us. HE WAITS ON HIGH TO HAVE COMPASSION ON US!!! Amazing! Last time i checked, we all could use compassion.
1 Chronicles 16:25
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 48:1
1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain.
We praise you Adonai LORD God Almighty! We cry Abba Father and we hymn the Father, Son, and Spirit. You are a great God and worthy to be praised above all else. we lay our lives down for your purpose and pleasure.
Amen and Amen!!!
12 Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.
Wow! Does King David nail it or what? This Psalm of his speaks to our experience this week and God's gracious provision in the lives of the Brown Family. We moved here in faith and that belief in God's provision has not wavered...until yesterday as i registered for Seminary classes. One by one came the questions: Do i sign up for full time or just the amount i need to keep our apartment, six hours? i need full time to be a Chaplain candidate, but how am i going to pay for it? When are they going to call me so that i can start my job and get some income coming in? Have i made a mistake and not been a good steward and if so how am i going to clean up what i have done? Will we end up on the streets? What else can i do, second job, student loan, giving plasma, etc? Why am i sounding so afraid in my thoughts?
i apologize for taking you all on a journey through my though process, but it is necessary to see that we all get scared even when we are sure of God's call. i am but a man and i get afraid and any man who chooses to follow God that says he does not is a liar. Okay, so sorry for the rambling, bu not sorry for the transparency; i pray it encourages someone.
So i get my bill for my classes and it is $1942.00 + cost of books. i sign up for the FACTS program which allows me to pay for it in increments. So first monies that will be due is a payment of $485 on February 5th. No problem, i start my job soon and income will be flowing. Never mind that we have only enough money in the bank for rent and some groceries. i am registering in faith or folly depending on how you look at it. i wait and no call from Office Depot on Friday last week, no call Monday, and so i call yesterday. Turns out my background check is taking longer than usual. Think the enemy is not working?
He wants to destroy my faith that God will equip the called. he was doing a heck of job yesterday, but God, always faithful God answered him with a "not this time sucker!" i spent the afternoon exhausting myself online looking for ways to pay for the just the first payment coming up. i guess i felt like that is what a good steward does; do all he can and trust God to make it happen. i was awaiting a call from Matt Carter at the Austin Stone as i had contacted him about supporting me while i was in Seminary. He had not said whether they we going to or not and yesterday was the day to find out.
Long story short, The Stone felt lead to pay for my first semester and all the books i would need for that semester. As i looked for Scripture that spoke of waiting on the LORD, i found this passage in Isaiah. i think it is fitting.
Isaiah 30:18-19
18 Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
19 O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.
Oh how our God longs to be gracious to His children. How our Father longs to answer us as i long to answer the cry of my children. It says that He waits on high to have compassion on us. HE WAITS ON HIGH TO HAVE COMPASSION ON US!!! Amazing! Last time i checked, we all could use compassion.
1 Chronicles 16:25
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 48:1
1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain.
We praise you Adonai LORD God Almighty! We cry Abba Father and we hymn the Father, Son, and Spirit. You are a great God and worthy to be praised above all else. we lay our lives down for your purpose and pleasure.
Amen and Amen!!!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Two Week Anniversary
Well, the family is getting settled in. i met my new boss and he is really cool. He said he will work around my Seminary schedule and the store i am working in is very slow so this is going to be a no-brainer job like i desired. Abigail is getting more used to her uniform and aside from the occasional lapse into crying and stomping fits, she is taking it pretty well. She likes school and plays with her new friends after school. She came home today and said that she is one of the most popular kids in school. Mikaela is being Mikaela; stealing her sisters things and making a mess. Mickie said that i am noticing these behaviors more now because we are closer in the apartment to her and catch her quicker and more often. i never knew this side of my daughter was so prevalent in her life. Luke is pure boy and climbs in bed with me every morning. He is sweet and ornery. Chloe is getting huge and talking and smiling up a storm. She is a puke machine also. Mickie went to her first Bible study with Christ Chapel church and she said that every lady in there was dressed to the nines. Her exact comment was, "no cotton was to be found there and Fort Worth women sure are different than Austin women" meaning she was under dressed and she did not care. She said the class was good and God keeps placing people in her life that have experienced what we are going through and made it to the other side. My mom and step-dad are coming in tonight so the kids are pretty excited. We are going to try out a church called Christ Fellowship that Michael Ann told us about this weekend. She said that it is similar to The Stone so we are excited.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Abigail starts school
So we registered Abigail for school today and she will start tomorrow. She is excited and nervous at the same time as can be expected from a six year old. She seems years ahead of her age when she talks and how she thinks, but she is still my baby and having to endure life as we all do. One of the toughest things for a parent is to watch your children agonize over things you remember. The world seems so big and problems insurmountable at six years old. She is quite the fashion queen and has been able to express her inner runway model until now (Fort Worth School District has uniforms). Breaking it to her went well and we have met minimal resistance with the change over. She even seemed kind of excited about it before bed. She has a friend in our apartment complex that is seven and she goes to the same school. i think that will help ease her fears about wearing the uniform.
Our neighbors have been very welcoming; they come over regularly and one even brought chicken soup over for Mickie because she has been sick for the past couple of days. i have had some wonderful conversations with our German neighbor, Rav. He is Mennonite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mennonite) and finishing his PH.D. here because in Germany you can work years on a PH.D. and then have a couple of unbelievers on the board that will fail you if you say that the entire Bible is the word of God. So consequently, Rav told me, a lot of German men come here to get their higher education where they can express their belief in the whole Bible as the infallible word of God. He has a very gentile spirit and does not seem to mind my propensity towards verbal diarrhea. Meaning he lets me talk more than he should. i would do good to let his humility rub off on me.
Anyways, Mickie seems to be feeling better even though her stomach is still a little tender. i think she got a light case of food poisoning which i may have avoided because on the night she got sick, i partook of some Kosher wine that is strong enough to kill even the meanest food poisoning. And y'all thought Jesus was crazy for turning water into wine and Paul a madman to suggest that Timothy have some wine for his stomach. Mikaela has been a bit of a wort to her siblings as she is reacting to the move with sneakiness and thievery. Luke is wonderful as always and is about the sweetest little boy i know, no bias intended. He is my little man and i have so much anxiety for him and all my children for that matter because of the life i lived before Yeshua called me a child of light.
The world and primarily the one in power over it(the devil) will give a run at killing your spirit before you get started. All the dreams crushed and relationships destroyed. If i could spare them the pain, but i know that pain builds character and puts us in situations where get the opportunity to become like Yeshua. We get to put His character on and become like Him so that we can see the Father as He is. My fingers are tired and i hope i didn't burn up too much of your retinal life. Shalom!
Our neighbors have been very welcoming; they come over regularly and one even brought chicken soup over for Mickie because she has been sick for the past couple of days. i have had some wonderful conversations with our German neighbor, Rav. He is Mennonite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mennonite) and finishing his PH.D. here because in Germany you can work years on a PH.D. and then have a couple of unbelievers on the board that will fail you if you say that the entire Bible is the word of God. So consequently, Rav told me, a lot of German men come here to get their higher education where they can express their belief in the whole Bible as the infallible word of God. He has a very gentile spirit and does not seem to mind my propensity towards verbal diarrhea. Meaning he lets me talk more than he should. i would do good to let his humility rub off on me.
Anyways, Mickie seems to be feeling better even though her stomach is still a little tender. i think she got a light case of food poisoning which i may have avoided because on the night she got sick, i partook of some Kosher wine that is strong enough to kill even the meanest food poisoning. And y'all thought Jesus was crazy for turning water into wine and Paul a madman to suggest that Timothy have some wine for his stomach. Mikaela has been a bit of a wort to her siblings as she is reacting to the move with sneakiness and thievery. Luke is wonderful as always and is about the sweetest little boy i know, no bias intended. He is my little man and i have so much anxiety for him and all my children for that matter because of the life i lived before Yeshua called me a child of light.
The world and primarily the one in power over it(the devil) will give a run at killing your spirit before you get started. All the dreams crushed and relationships destroyed. If i could spare them the pain, but i know that pain builds character and puts us in situations where get the opportunity to become like Yeshua. We get to put His character on and become like Him so that we can see the Father as He is. My fingers are tired and i hope i didn't burn up too much of your retinal life. Shalom!
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Shabbat Shalom!
So our family attended our first formal Sabbath celebration last night and i have to say it was incredible. we lit the Sabbath candles, we ate a meal together, my Jewish brother Eugene and i donned our Tallits (Prayer Shawls) see picture, blessed our wives, blessed our sons and daughters, broke Challah bread,and drank Kosher wine. It was a time of celebration before the LORD. we sung the Sabbath blessings which i will include in this post. All of this was done not in a spirit of legalism, but one of freedom and with an understanding that God created the Sabbath for man and not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:26-28
26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?"
27 Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
28 "So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?"
27 Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
28 "So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
If Jesus would say that He is the LORD even of the Sabbath, then He would not be opposed to keeping the command to keep it Holy. In fact, Jesus never abolished keeping the Sabbath while He was here on earth, but rather He taught people how it was truly supposed to be observed; as a day of bringing life to man. That is why He healed on the Sabbath; it was to tell us that the Sabbath is a day of restoration for our bodies and soul, a day to be healed and refeshed in the LORD. It is for our good.
Blessings
Kiddush
Candle Lighting
Hebrew: Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvohtav vetzi vonu l'chad leek ner, shel Shabbat. Amayn.
English: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments and has commanded us to be a light to nations and has given us Yeshua the Messiah, the Light of the World. Amen.
Blessing over the Cup
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech ha-olam, borey p'ree ha-gaphen. Amayn.
Blessed are thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Amen.
Blessing over the Bread
Ha-motzi l'chem min ha-eretz.
We give thanks to God for bread, Our voices rise in song together, as our joyful prayer is said.
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech ha-olam, ha-motzi l'chem min ha-eretz. Amayn.
Blessed are thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from out of the earth. Amen.
Blessing over Wives
Father, we thank You for giving us wives of proverbs and, O Lord, I thank you for the wife that You've given me.May you be blessed as you rise while it is yet night to see about the ways of our household,and may you be blessed as you see about the daily care and education of our children.May your mouth be filled with wisdom and kindness,May your heart meditate on the power and the glory of the Lord,and may your hands perform the mitzvot, as you do the work of Yeshua. Amen.
Blessing over the Sons
May the Lord bless you and keep you.May He cause His face to shine upon you.May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
May you be as Ephraim and Manassah.May the Lord with you ever be.May He bring you home unto the land prepared for thee.
(Father) May God bless you and grant you long life.
(Mother) May the Lord fulfill our Sabbath prayer for you.May God make you good husbands and fathers.
(Father) May He prepare holy wives for you.
May the Lord protect and defend you.May His Spirit fill you with grace.May our family grow in happiness,O hear our Sabbath Prayer. Amen.
Blessing over the Daughters
May the Lord bless you and keep you.May He cause His face to shine upon you.May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
May you be as Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah.May the Lord with you ever be.May He bring you home unto the land prepared for thee.
(Father) May God Bless you and grant you long life.
(Mother) May the Lord fulfill our Sabbath prayer for you.May God make you good mothers and wives.
(Father) May He bring you husbands who will care for you.
May the Lord protect and defend you.May His Spirit fill you with grace.May our family grow in happiness,O hear our Sabbath Prayer. Amen.
Torah Service Blessings
Barchu
Leader: Barchu et Adonai ham vo-rach
.
All: Baruch Adonai ham vo-rach l'olam va-ed.
Leader: Bless the Lord who is to be praised.
All: Blessed be the Lord who is praised for all eternity.
Mechamocha
All: Me-cha mo-cha bah-ay-leem Adonai.Me-cha mo-cha neh-dahr bah-ko-desh.No-rah te-he-lote O-sey feh-leh, O-sey feh-leh.
All: Who is like You, O Lord among the gods?Who is like You? Lord, there is none else.You are awesome in praise, doing wonders, O Lord.Who is like You, O Lord?
Blessing of Messiah
Leader: Ba-ruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher na-tahn lanoo et deh-rech ha-ya-shoo-ah b'Meh-shee-ach Yeshua.
All: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has given us the way of salvation in Messiah Yeshua.
Veshamroo
Leader: V'sham-roo ve-nay Yisrael et ha'shabbat le-dor-otam be-reet olam. Be-nay oo-va-yan benay Yisrael ot hee l'olam kee she-shet ya-amin a sah Adonai et ha-sha-ma-yeem v'et ha'eretz oo-va-yom ha'shevee-ee sha-vat vay-een-a-fash.
All: The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath and observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from His work and rested.
Shema
All: Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad.Baruch shem ke-vod mal-choo-to lay-olam va-ed.Yeshua, ha-Ma-she-ach, hoo Adonai.
All: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.Blessed be His name, whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.Yeshua the Messiah, He is Lord.
Farewell
Aaronic Blessing
Ye-va-recha Adonai ve-yeesh-me-recha.Ya-er Adonai panav e-ley-cha vee-choo-ne-cha Yeesa Adonai panav e-lay-cha v'yasem l'cha Shalom.B'Shem Yeshua ha-Ma-she-ach sar ha-shalom, shalom.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you;may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.In the name of Yeshua the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, Shalom.
Candle Lighting
Hebrew: Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvohtav vetzi vonu l'chad leek ner, shel Shabbat. Amayn.
English: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments and has commanded us to be a light to nations and has given us Yeshua the Messiah, the Light of the World. Amen.
Blessing over the Cup
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech ha-olam, borey p'ree ha-gaphen. Amayn.
Blessed are thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine. Amen.
Blessing over the Bread
Ha-motzi l'chem min ha-eretz.
We give thanks to God for bread, Our voices rise in song together, as our joyful prayer is said.
Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech ha-olam, ha-motzi l'chem min ha-eretz. Amayn.
Blessed are thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from out of the earth. Amen.
Blessing over Wives
Father, we thank You for giving us wives of proverbs and, O Lord, I thank you for the wife that You've given me.May you be blessed as you rise while it is yet night to see about the ways of our household,and may you be blessed as you see about the daily care and education of our children.May your mouth be filled with wisdom and kindness,May your heart meditate on the power and the glory of the Lord,and may your hands perform the mitzvot, as you do the work of Yeshua. Amen.
Blessing over the Sons
May the Lord bless you and keep you.May He cause His face to shine upon you.May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
May you be as Ephraim and Manassah.May the Lord with you ever be.May He bring you home unto the land prepared for thee.
(Father) May God bless you and grant you long life.
(Mother) May the Lord fulfill our Sabbath prayer for you.May God make you good husbands and fathers.
(Father) May He prepare holy wives for you.
May the Lord protect and defend you.May His Spirit fill you with grace.May our family grow in happiness,O hear our Sabbath Prayer. Amen.
Blessing over the Daughters
May the Lord bless you and keep you.May He cause His face to shine upon you.May He lift up His countenance and grant you peace.
May you be as Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah.May the Lord with you ever be.May He bring you home unto the land prepared for thee.
(Father) May God Bless you and grant you long life.
(Mother) May the Lord fulfill our Sabbath prayer for you.May God make you good mothers and wives.
(Father) May He bring you husbands who will care for you.
May the Lord protect and defend you.May His Spirit fill you with grace.May our family grow in happiness,O hear our Sabbath Prayer. Amen.
Torah Service Blessings
Barchu
Leader: Barchu et Adonai ham vo-rach
.
All: Baruch Adonai ham vo-rach l'olam va-ed.
Leader: Bless the Lord who is to be praised.
All: Blessed be the Lord who is praised for all eternity.
Mechamocha
All: Me-cha mo-cha bah-ay-leem Adonai.Me-cha mo-cha neh-dahr bah-ko-desh.No-rah te-he-lote O-sey feh-leh, O-sey feh-leh.
All: Who is like You, O Lord among the gods?Who is like You? Lord, there is none else.You are awesome in praise, doing wonders, O Lord.Who is like You, O Lord?
Blessing of Messiah
Leader: Ba-ruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher na-tahn lanoo et deh-rech ha-ya-shoo-ah b'Meh-shee-ach Yeshua.
All: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has given us the way of salvation in Messiah Yeshua.
Veshamroo
Leader: V'sham-roo ve-nay Yisrael et ha'shabbat le-dor-otam be-reet olam. Be-nay oo-va-yan benay Yisrael ot hee l'olam kee she-shet ya-amin a sah Adonai et ha-sha-ma-yeem v'et ha'eretz oo-va-yom ha'shevee-ee sha-vat vay-een-a-fash.
All: The children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath and observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from His work and rested.
Shema
All: Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad.Baruch shem ke-vod mal-choo-to lay-olam va-ed.Yeshua, ha-Ma-she-ach, hoo Adonai.
All: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.Blessed be His name, whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.Yeshua the Messiah, He is Lord.
Farewell
Aaronic Blessing
Ye-va-recha Adonai ve-yeesh-me-recha.Ya-er Adonai panav e-ley-cha vee-choo-ne-cha Yeesa Adonai panav e-lay-cha v'yasem l'cha Shalom.B'Shem Yeshua ha-Ma-she-ach sar ha-shalom, shalom.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you;may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.In the name of Yeshua the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, Shalom.
Friday, January 4, 2008
One Week Anniversary
So it is official, we have been in our new place one week today. It has been a whirlwind tour and to be quite honest, i am not sure if the weight of all of it has fully hit us. we have a bank account now and have changed our mailing address. we have cancelled all our services for our old house and start new ones for our new home, but it all seems so fast and dizzying. we have met a few of our neighbors and i can honestly say that i feel rich now when i hear their stories. When we were in Buda, we were wealthy in the perspective of our new neighbors. What an eye opener! Even in downsizing , we have not come close to knowing what having little means. we are rich here in America and i am not sure that we even know it.
One really cool story was from a couple who has been in Seminary housing since 2002 because the wife stays home with the kids and they can only afford to go part-time. The cool part is that the husband, whom i have not met yet, works as a custodian for one of the local churches. What a testimony. i am a firm believer that if you cannot work what would be considered the least of jobs, then you are not fit to be pastor. It warmed my heart and i pray that i can be that humble.
The kids have adjusted well and have met the neighbor kids which is comprised of mostly Korean children who run wild and unsupervised (cultural differences). There is also a couple of German children that are really nice and like our children. They live upstairs from us. There is not any formal community activities here and we are hoping to change that.
i promise that Mickie will start writing on here also so you all will not get bored of my dull language. we are going to visit our Messianic Jewish friends tonight and celebrate Shabbat (Sabbath) by eating and listening to or studying the weekly Torah portion. we are stoked about this because of all that God has been showing our family of our Hebrew roots.
Please pray for God to guide us to a church as we have not been shown a replacement for the Austin Stone as of yet. Also please be praying that God would guide me to an opening as an associate pastor so that i might begin to exercise my gifts and calling.
Mickie, Abigail, Mikaela, Luke,and Chloe give their love to all and we miss all of you dearly. i will leave you with solid ground. Drink deeply from the well of God's promises to His people. And when God says His people, He means all who believe in the Messiah, whether Jew or non-Jew. For not all of Israel is Israel (physical descendants). The children of promise are delineated by their belief and active faith in Yeshua (Jesus):
One really cool story was from a couple who has been in Seminary housing since 2002 because the wife stays home with the kids and they can only afford to go part-time. The cool part is that the husband, whom i have not met yet, works as a custodian for one of the local churches. What a testimony. i am a firm believer that if you cannot work what would be considered the least of jobs, then you are not fit to be pastor. It warmed my heart and i pray that i can be that humble.
The kids have adjusted well and have met the neighbor kids which is comprised of mostly Korean children who run wild and unsupervised (cultural differences). There is also a couple of German children that are really nice and like our children. They live upstairs from us. There is not any formal community activities here and we are hoping to change that.
i promise that Mickie will start writing on here also so you all will not get bored of my dull language. we are going to visit our Messianic Jewish friends tonight and celebrate Shabbat (Sabbath) by eating and listening to or studying the weekly Torah portion. we are stoked about this because of all that God has been showing our family of our Hebrew roots.
Please pray for God to guide us to a church as we have not been shown a replacement for the Austin Stone as of yet. Also please be praying that God would guide me to an opening as an associate pastor so that i might begin to exercise my gifts and calling.
Mickie, Abigail, Mikaela, Luke,and Chloe give their love to all and we miss all of you dearly. i will leave you with solid ground. Drink deeply from the well of God's promises to His people. And when God says His people, He means all who believe in the Messiah, whether Jew or non-Jew. For not all of Israel is Israel (physical descendants). The children of promise are delineated by their belief and active faith in Yeshua (Jesus):
Isaiah 58:13-14
13 "If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot
From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And speaking your own word,
13 "If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot
From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,
And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take delight in the LORD,
And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Thursday, January 3, 2008
A New Beginning
The LORD is faithful to provide for those He calls. He has called our family to Fort Worth so that i can attend Seminary in a step towards become an Army Chaplain. This move has been birthed out of about two years of discerning what God would have us to do. we decided to start this blog as a way for our family and friends to track God's work in the life of our family. We just moved into our 1092 square foot apartment. We came from a 2600 square foot house and have subsequently had to sell off most of our furniture to fit our family of six into our new place. i have to say that this downsizing has been an amazing blessing for our family. It feels so good to simplify and re-focus our energies. We are already growing closer (literally). This has been a move of faith and i can honestly say that there has been no fear in moving , but rather a confidence and trust that only comes from the provision of God. In Genesis, God called Abraham from all that he knew and said go to a land which he knew nothing about. Abraham picked up his things and family and went. You know what God says about that?
Genesis 15:5-7
5 And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them " And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it."
As our father Abraham (Romans 4:11) heard the voice of the LORD and obeyed, so have we tried to imitate those that have gone before us. we have heard the voice of the LORD calling and we have obeyed. we eagerly await to see what God will do. Please pray for the saving knowledge of Christ for our children and for faithfulness to follow what we cannot see. May we honor God with our thoughts, words, and actions (Psalm 19:14).
Genesis 15:5-7
5 And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them " And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it."
As our father Abraham (Romans 4:11) heard the voice of the LORD and obeyed, so have we tried to imitate those that have gone before us. we have heard the voice of the LORD calling and we have obeyed. we eagerly await to see what God will do. Please pray for the saving knowledge of Christ for our children and for faithfulness to follow what we cannot see. May we honor God with our thoughts, words, and actions (Psalm 19:14).
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