The Offense of the Gospel

Still reading Tim Keller's book, "King's Cross" and still can't say it better than him... "The gospel of Jesus Christ is an offense to both religion and irreligion. The moralist says 'the good people are in and the bad people are out - and of course, we're the good ones.' The self-discovery person says, 'oh no, the progressive, open-minded people are in and the judgmental bigots are out - and of course, we're the open-minded ones.' We disdain those religious, moralistic types who look down on others. Do you see the irony, how the way of self-discovery leads to as much superiority and self-righteousness as religion does? The gospel does not say 'the good are in and the bad are out' nor 'the open-minded are in and the judgmental are out.' The gospel says the humble are in and the proud are out. The gospel says the people who know they're NOT better, NOT more open-minded, NOT more moral than anyone else, are in, and the people who think they're on the right side of the divide are in danger. Jesus himself said this to the Pharisees earlier when he told them, 'It is not the healthy who ned a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.' (Mark 2:15-17). Jesus is teaching that he has come to call sinners: those who know they are morally and spiritually unable to save themselves." What good news the gospel is! It's not religion at all (because isn't religion just advice?), but it is truly NEWS, good news, that Jesus died for us to do the work we could never do, live a life we could never live, and die a death we could never die. Hallelujah!

Resting in the Gospel

I can't say it better than Tim Keller, so I will just quote directly from his book, "King's Cross": "Most of us work and work trying to prove ourselves, to convince God, others and ourselves that we're good people. That work is never over unless we rest in the gospel...on the cross Jesus was saying of the work underneath your work - the thing that makes you truly weary, this need to prove yourself because who you are and what you do are never good enough - that it is finished. He has lived the life you should have lived, he has died the death you should have died. If you rely on Jesus's finished work, you know that God is satisfied with you. You can be satisfied with life. Physicians will tell you that it is not merely fitful naps that you need, but deep sleep. You can take all the vacations in the world, but if you don't have the deep rest of the soul, resting in what Jesus did on the cross, you will not truly rest. On the cross Jesus experienced the restlessness of separation from God so that we can have the deep rest of knowing that he loves us and our sins have been forgiven." Lord, help me not to seek the temporary, unfulfilling rest of the world and all that it offers and entices, but may I seek the deeply soul-satisfying rest that Jesus offers, the good news of the gospel, the fact that we could never be good enough, so Jesus took care of it for us on the cross. Let me live in this beautiful truth daily!

Love and Logic

So I'm doing a parenting seminar based on the book "Love and Logic" and really enjoying it. I don't necessarily agree with all of their methodology, but one teaching tool I really like is the idea of using empathy when disciplining children. Instead of reacting in anger or jumping straight to a consequence, try to emphathize with the child by saying something like, "Oh, that's too bad..." or "What a bummer!" or "That's so sad..." when then disobey, then follow up with a consequence. That way, you are showing the child you feel for them and are truly sad that they disobeyed and you have to follow through with a consequence. It takes the pressure off of you being the bad guy and puts the responsibility on them - you are sad that they made that choice and you can feel that sadness with them. I love this idea! A helpful tip for whining or arguing: Love and Logic says to "go brain dead" - don't get mad or frustrated - and make sure that you are not physically displaying this to your child (no furrowing brow, no gritting teeth, no vein popping out in the forehead), but instead, go brain dead by remaining calm, collected and quiet, then respond with one simple phrase like "I love you too much to argue" or "I know" or "Hmmmm...." and continue repeating it when they whine or argue. Don't try to argue back or rationalize with them because usually, they will find a way to push our buttons and win the argument. Just keep repeating the same phrase over and over and make sure you remain calm. Eventually, they will get that you're not going to budge and give in to their whining or arguing. Love having this tool in my toolbox!!! One of my favorite phrases from the seminar was the following: "When we do the right thing with challenging kids, it will almost always look and feel like the wrong thing in the short term." I had no idea how often my child would test my limits and throw tantrums to try to get his way. When he does that, I immediately question myself and ask "Am I doing something wrong?" But I am realizing that when he reacts that way, he is reacting to the limits set and over time....he WILL accept them! One image they gave that stuck in my mind...do you want to be the type of parent who is depositing money in the bank early on, consistently, even when it's painful and inconvenient (discipling and following through consistently) so that you can reap rewards in the future...or do you want to be the type of parent who is swiping the credit card left and right because it feels good (doing whatever makes the child happy and giving in because it's too hard) yet in the end, you will be paying HIGH INTEREST (destructive and disrespectful teenagers). I don't know about you, but I sure want to start sacking away the painful deposits now and disciplining even when it's hard, uncomfortable, and inconvenient so that I can enjoy the rewards of raising a child who is a respectful, obedient person. Go Love and Logic!

A Praying Life

So I'm reading through "A Praying Life" by Paul Miller for the second time and LOVING it. This is a book that makes you want to PRAY. I'll read through one chapter and want to stop and PRAY. How great is that? So pick it up if you want to improve your prayer life (and feel like you're actually doing something, even though God's doing the work!). What I'm loving most is the section on prayer cards. As leery as I am about making a mechanical system of prayer, I realize I NEED a system or I won't pray. It just won't happen. Through his encouragement of prayer cards, a system is created that makes praying easy and achievable. I write a person's name on the card, include a verse of Scripture that I feel like applies to that person's needs, add a few key words to help remind me what to pray, and voila, I have a prayer card for that person that I can stick in my car and pray through when I'm sitting at a stoplight or in traffic. More than anything...this book reminds me of the power of prayer and the utter dependence we must have on God throughout our life. It reminds me that I have to release control to the Lord and seek Him for answers, whether they be positive or negative responses to my prayers. It reminds me that He is in control, I am not, and He knows best. It reminds me that He cares about the details of my life and wants me to present "everything in prayer and petition" and "never cease praying." Pick up "A Praying Life" if you haven't and start creating those prayer cards...there is such power in prayer! And it SO good for my soul to not have to try to carry the burden myself, but present it to the Lord and know that He hears me. Now get to praying! :)

An Unexpected Season of Joy

So it's been MONTHS since I've blogged. I'd like to play the "I had a baby card" and blame the hectic life of 2 little ones for my lack of writing. But really...it hasn't been as hectic as I expected. Honestly, I am flat out LOVING being a mom of 2. Call me crazy...but I think one was harder than two!

Don't get me wrong. There are new kinds of "hard" with 2 little ones. Even as I try to write this blog post, Baby Ellie is asleep on my lap, I'm reaching over her to type on my lap top, and every once in awhile, I have to pop the pacy back in her mouth so that she doesn't wake up. Before, I wouldn't have dreamed of trying to type a blog post with Marshall asleep on my lap...that would've been too stressful, with me worrying that he'd wake up and feeling too distracted to write. So perhaps you can say...one child introduced chaos and now I've just adjusted to this lifestyle?

Or perhaps...from a spiritual perspective, God has been breaking me down, slowly and graciously helping me let go of my demands for MY time, MY sleep, MY schedule, exactly how I want it. Sleep is all relative now. I used to think that if I didn't get 8 hours, I'd need a nap later that day. Now I'm excited if I get 5 straight hours of sleep without waking up to feed a baby.

As for time, I used to get frustrated by interruptions to whatever I was doing, whether it was email, exercise, or work. Now, I'm happy to get 15 straight minutes alone...which is what I'm going on now as I work on this blog post. My goal is to get this done in one sitting!

But more than anything, I feel that the Lord has shown me the truth of His Word, which reminds us that "children are a gift from the Lord." They are a JOY to watch. I love seeing their personalities emerge. I love being given the task of teaching them (although I feel like God is teaching me even more through them everyday!). I love spending time with them, playing with them, holding them, reading books to them, laughing with them, and yes, even disciplining them, as difficult as it is, I am reminded that this is SO how God sees us. We are His children. He delights in us. He loves us. He laughs with us. He is there for us during the hard times and fun times. He disciplines us, not because He is mean, but because He loves us.

I am so, so, so thankful for the precious phase of life. I've never felt more fulfillment than I do right now, being a stay at home mom. I NEVER thought I would say that! I have sought fulfillment in so many other things...I truly feel like being a mom is the most rewarding job I've ever had! I know I won't feel like this every day, but for now, I just want to praise God for this season of joy. Children are truly a gift from the Lord!

My Grace is Sufficient

I'm not really sure why I haven't posted in several weeks. At first it was because I was avoiding God and the hard lessons He was teaching me through the Lenten season. But it ended up being a sweet time of learning to be okay with my weakness and allowing Him to receive the glory. 2 Corinthians 12:5 really spoke to my heart during that time: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

I am learning to be thankful for my weaknesses. Thankful that I don't have it all together. Thankful for the days when I am tired, stressed and dealing with a cranky toddler. Why? Because those are the times when I truly have to depend on God to get me through the day. Those are the days when I can't muster up the strength to do it on my own. And when I surrender and truly ask for His help, that's when He steps in.

But I am learning I must choose to run to Him, not other things or people, in order to tap into that divine power. It may mean praying a quick prayer, like "Abba, Father! Help me!" Or quoting a verse of Scripture, like that 2 Corinthians verse. Or just physically going on my knees and asking Him to step in, confessing that I can't do it on my own.

I think the main reason I haven't been blogging is because I am in MAJOR nesting mode right now. Baby 2 will be here in less than 2 months! I am thrilled to meet her and get to know her little personality and what she will look like, but I'm also nervous as heck. I will be sad to no longer be able to use nap times to get housework done and have a quiet time with God. I am worried about the days when both little ones will be cranky and I will be sleep deprived. Can I really do this, Lord?

But that's when He reminds me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

He is my Rock. He is my Stronghold. In Him do I trust. I am embracing my weakness, so that He can be made strong.

Tough Lenten Lessons

A few of you have been asking me, "why haven't you posted lately?" And honestly, I haven't been sure how to answer. I know I've been avoiding something. Avoiding myself. Avoiding God. Avoiding the pain and emotions that have been welling up within me these days. And blogging, well, that's where I go when I want to share what God is teaching me. Since it hasn't been fun stuff lately, I've even wanted to avoid blogging!

But this morning, something broke and I finally had a good chat with the Lord. I'll try to articulate some of what I've been learning.

First, I must explain that our church is participating in a 35 day fast during this season of Lent to focus on the Holiness of God. Since I am 6 months pregnant, I decided not to do a food fast, but gave up something else I love: TV. During those precious naptime hours when I am tempted to watch a girly show or HGTV for that 1 hour window of afternoon time, instead, I have been trying to spend that time with the Lord, in prayer, Scripture, or a Christian book.

The first couple of weeks were great! I was on a spiritual high and having some rich prayer and reading times. But then, the loneliness, boredom and quietness set in. I got tired of picking up my Bible. I got tired of praying. I was ready to numb my mind and emotions and just veg out on the couch for an hour. It became uncomfortable.

I've been missing TV like crazy because I realize that it's my way of escape, a way to temporarily check out from this world. And now, I'm just faced with my sin in the quiet. So instead of continually running to God, I've found ways to replace my TV addiction with something else that will help me "check out."

A juicy issue of People magazine. A fun iPad app. Mommy blog surfing. All of these things I've turned to in hopes of numbing myself. When softly, gently, I hear God calling. Waiting. Standing at the door, knocking.

Only this morning, I finally turned to Him and apologized. I realized I had missed Him. I missed running to my One True Source of Strength. None of those other things help me deal with the painful emotions that well up inside me. None of them make me feel any better afterwards. But He is my source of strength and joy. In His Word, my soul is delighted.

The fast isn't over and I'm sure I will mess up and turn to other "idols" to comfort me. But He has gently reminded me that there is no one, nothing, that satisfies like He does.

From Psalm 23:

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.