Thursday, February 21, 2008

Blessings over Daughters

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since our last post and boy is it busier than ever in the Brown house. i just completed my first Marathon running 26.2 miles in 5 hours 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Not too shabby for only training for five months. Unfortunately it has turned me into a running beast where i feel the need to feed on more races. i am not sure mickie is all that excited because races=money if ya know what i mean. Anywho, it was a whirlwind tour in Austin for the race and we enjoyed getting to see Lewis and Jackie was a lifesaver at the race by encouraging me and providing much needed Tylenol.

we are excited about this weekend because mickie's youngest brother sean is going to attend The Village with us and he is not an attender of church. we believe him to be a believer, he just has not found a church home as he is going to school at North Texas. he said it will give him something to look forward to each week, so we are stoked.

What a blessing i received this evening as i put my daughters to bed. grandpa and grandma came and bought them separate twin Ikea beds and so praying with them has become an Olympic event hopping from one bed to the next. i prayed with one and then prayed with the other. After that i stood in the middle and raised my hands to pronounce a blessing on them and my oldest moves forward so that my hand would be on her head. Incredible! we have been observing Sabbath and there is a blessing for the daughters in which the father lays hands on them and pronounces a blessing or rather sings it, but to see it sinking in and her eagerness to receive the blessing of her father almost brought me to tears.

Time has been a scarcity in our house and i do not really get to see my family during the week which has been hard. It is a season and not forever. Seminary is getting better and i see everyday that God brought me here to minister to the future Pastors of the world as i have been engaged in many conversations. The spiritual climate here is very warm and it has taken some getting used to coming from Austin. From Office Depot and Sonic, to Starbucks everybody loves that you follow Yeshua. They openly talk about it and engage you about it.

Ba-ruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher na-tahn lanoo et deh-rech ha-ya-shoo-ah b'Meh-shee-ach Yeshua.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has given us the way of salvation in Messiah Yeshua.

Monday, February 11, 2008

we found a church, YEAH!!!!

So life is in full swing here at the Brown abode. Our time together has been shortened due to my newly aquired work schedule and Seminary. i am currently at the training store in Las Colinas so the drive is shorter. But the hours are longer and i am growing more and more tired.

mickie seems to be holding up great. she is a rock of faith amidst our financial storm and she serves to bolster my strength more than she probably is aware of. she is calm when i am freaking out and she helps to align my thoughts when i am like a cat trying to avoid falling into the barrel.

The children are settling in, but my being away has made them more restless and when i am home, they are like spider monkeys on a small tree if you know what i mean? they cling to me for dear life afraid that i might leave again. we know that it is just a season and we will be silent and trust in YHVH.

we have been praying and fretting over finding a church home and the LORD was gracious to answer us this week. we had considered going to The Village Church, but worried about it not being a Baptist Church. The Seminary only gives me a break on tution as long as i attend a Baptist church. So we had pretty much written off The Village until i started to look over their website and found out that they are what i would call a "Reformed Baptist" church; one that started out Baptist, First Baptist Highland Village to be exact, and then re-wrote their constitution and by-laws as well as changed their name. All the while, keeping their relationship with the SBC. SWEEEEETTTTTTT!!!!!!! Open up mouth cause here comes cake and i am a eaten too. Incredible sermon last weekend and good music. Matt Chandler, who reminds me of Matt Carter, even mentioned Torah several times in his sermon. The families' soul was fed well.

Psalm 34:1-3
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.