Birthday #27 & Christmas 2013

Holley & Isaac

The best way to spend a birthday-- with your BFF's 11 day old baby in your arms

We exchanged gifts with the Brannans on Christmas Eve, went to the Christmas Eve service at church and took the annual trip to Waffle House. :) 

Grandkids take #1

Grandkids take #2. Emotions change that fast around here folks!

Fickles smiling but missing David

Noah likes the monogrammed shirts we got him and Jacob

And Addyson likes her smocked dress she got from us too :)

Ryan's FAVORITE gift: a remote control helicopter!

The coolest running shirt ever.

Singing happy birthday to Jesus on Christmas morning!

SVBC Christmas Eve Service with my handsome hubby

Poppy reading the Christmas story

Christmas Day

((Colossians 1:9-14))

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Duck Dynasty: Food for Thought

Let me start by saying this: Ryan and I love Duck Dynasty and their Christian values. Families who pray together and share the Gospel on television are pretty hard to come by. 

We also believe that all Christians (including Phil Robertson) will, in one way or another, suffer for the glory of Christ (Phil. 1:29). 

However, whatever takes our eyes off of Jesus is not a good thing. How can we remain solely fixed on Christ when so much of our attention is on a TV show (wholesome or otherwise), bad-mouthing A&E, and/or worrying whether or not Phil gets to continue on the show? 

What (or who) are we worshipping here?

In the wise words of John Piper, let us be reminded: “If we make secondary things primary, they cease to become secondary and become idolatrous.” 

Satan is on a relentless pursuit, especially at Christmas, to distract us from the reason for the season and the purpose of our entire existence: the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 As Believers, we all have a great responsibility and privilege to represent Christ well--whether in word or deed--on television or off of it.

I pray we will readjust our focus, turn our eyes upon Jesus, and "put on the whole armor of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." (Eph. 6:11)

Megan's Baby Shower

Tiny little fingers, little itty-bitty toes

A sweet face, mouth and nose

Blocks, cars, bikes and lots of joy...

Megan and Bryan are having a baby boy!

I had the sweet privilege of throwing my BFF a baby shower today! We ate lunch at Copper River Grill and enjoyed some cupcakes from Sweet for dessert. It was simple and oh-so-wonderful for all of us to be together and celebrate Megan and the little blessing the Lord is growing inside of her. Baby Isaac is bound to be the cutest little boy ever and will certainly be loved by all of these ladies. 

Thankful for the most amazing best friends a girl could have. We missed you Jess!

To say that I treasure Megan, our memories and our bond is an understatement. It is such a blessing to watch her become a mommy. So grateful for lasting friendships, the joy of new life, and the One who binds all of these things together. 

Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.

((Galatians 4:28))

Who Will Speak?

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matthew 9:37 ESV)

My sweet husband had the opportunity to preach from the pulpit in place of our pastor over Labor Day weekend. By God’s grace, he was able to prepare and deliver the message the Lord put on his heart with confidence and peace. Since our church has been promoting Billy Graham’s “My Hope America” and discussing what it looks like to be a “Matthew” in our community; Ryan challenged us with a sermon based on this concept entitled “Who Will Speak.” 

Matthew was a former tax collector and called by Jesus to be one of his twelve disciples. Tax collectors did not have the best reputation back in the day. They were notorious for taking more than required of people and pocketing the extra money for themselves. Understand the shock of those watching when Jesus asked Matthew to be in his inner circle. Matthew 9:9 tells us, “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.” 

So -no questions asked- Matthew left what he knew of his former life and began his journey as one of the apostles. What he did next is my favorite part: He invited Jesus and other “tax collectors and sinners” to his home and prepared a feast. 

That is what the “Matthew” challenge is all about. Inviting people into your home (or taking them to lunch, praying for them, encouraging them to walk worthy in the faith, etc.) and sharing the Good News with those who may not yet be changed by the life changing message of Jesus. 

This is not a new concept. In fact, this is one of main reasons we exist on planet earth. Those who have trusted Christ as Savior and Lord are CALLED in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples.” This is not an “if” statement. It is not if or when we feel like it or if or when we’ve mastered our testimony or if or when we get up the nerve. It is simply: Go. 

Because if we don’t… then who will? 

I’ve been trying to process and apply that thought (among other things) for the last several weeks and have wondered, do we not actively ‘go and tell’ or have people ‘come and see’ because we are the Matthew sitting at the tax booth instead of the Matthew sitting at the table with King Jesus?

We are a broken, selfish, idol-worshipping (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest anyone?) culture that must be constantly reminded of why the Good News is such great news for us: Jesus “came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

If we waited until we were sinless to share the gospel then we’d never be able to go… spotless perfection ain’t gonna happen this side of heaven. But we are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness and that is what qualifies us. Ryan graciously reminded us of that on Sunday: Jesus does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

As Believers, we are called to challenge others with His message but we must be changed by it first. We can’t make disciples until we become disciples. We can’t “shine light” until we are equipped by the Holy Spirit just like the disciples were in Acts 1:8. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Just as it was for the Twelve, our witness is nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit within us. 

Without that power as our motive and guiding force, I’ve noticed that it is far too easy for 1.) our hearts to be hardened by cynicism for 2.) our focus to be about acquiring more (or bigger and better) stuff or for 3.) the object of our affection to be someone we follow on Instagram. 

In order to be effective witnesses, Jesus must be in His rightful place on the throne of our lives so WHEN WE DO go and tell others about Jesus, they will encounter Matthew the disciple instead of Matthew the tax collector.

Jesus is the One who will bring about the harvest. Our job is simply: Go.  

Bid Day

With Holly, her bid day buddy

So excited that Holley and I are now Alpha Delta Pi sisters!

L-town ladies

...yet I will rejoice

My beloved Bible study group met for the last time last night. We have come full circle—one whole year of Bible study together! (See 1 Peter, Ephesians, and Galatians). But this one was pretty bittersweet… not just because it was our final time together, but because it was the last with our dear friend Abbey before she and her husband accept God’s call to ministry in WV. Abbey has led each of our studies and has taught me more in the last year than all my years of Sunday school combined. Even though I might have definitely sighed groaned at her announcement that we were going to be in the OT instead of the NT this time; I have been RICHLY blessed by our studies in Habakkuk this go ‘round. [And as an aside, please note the proper spelling of Habakkuk here on this blog and not in my tweets (i.e. “Habbakuk”). Eek!]

To prep me for our study, Abbey suggested I listen to David Platt’s “Questioning God” sermon on Habakkuk and I’m so glad I did. I have gone back and listened to it several times and have gained new insight each time. Hearing Platt’s perspective has enriched my study and has shown me how applicable Habakkuk is to our lives today. 

Habakkuk was a prophet, who in 3 short chapters, poses some pain-staking questions to God and, in the end, finds more than just answers. Habakkuk is in distress because the nation of Judah is being judged by the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and all he sees before him is destruction and injustice. Multiple times Habakkuk cries out to God to put an end to the evil and despair and God responds twice. The first time in 1:5 to say, “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” That wasn’t exactly what Habakkuk wanted to hear because it did not "fix" his problem nor put an end to the trouble he was in. Habakkuk could only see his present suffering, not the end result of it. 

I have found myself in Habakkuk’s place so many times-- asking God the same questions. Why, Lord, are you not removing me from (often literally) or doing anything about this situation? My finite mind always has to be reminded that we are called to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) and that faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” 

Just like Habakkuk, we can only see what’s in front of us at this current moment—not how this situation and/or season is just a small piece of God’s bigger plan for our lives. The hard reality of Habakkuk, in Platt’s perspective, is that, “God uses painful experiences to accomplish His sovereign purposes.” In some cases, we may never know God’s reason for certain trials this side of Heaven. But God does not ask us to try and figure out why He does what He does. He calls us to live by faith and to trust His plan even if we do not understand the way it is unfolding.

Habakkuk asks God hard questions and, JUST LIKE US, is trying to reconcile the character of God with the circumstances of his life. How can God be good and there be so much evil and suffering in the world? Is He sitting idly by as we endure pain, cancer, death, sickness, depression, financial hardship? Absolutely not. Platt explains it so eloquently when he says, “Short term circumstances provide a poor measurement of the long term character of God.”

We see evidences of God’s flawless character and sovereignty in 2:3-4 when God responds to Habakkuk for the second time:

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.

Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Even though, just like Habakkuk, we want instant gratification and immediate answers from God… God says to “wait for it.” He promises that “it will surely come and will not delay” and that our only concern should be to “live by faith.” Our suffering is ultimately for our sanctification and His glorification. We see that demonstrated from the start of chapter 1 to the end of chapter 3 as Habakkuk goes from complaining to God to singing praise unto Him. His focus shifted from his problem onto his Savior and he came to realize that his hope and stability did not come from any thing but in God Himself. He says, beautifully, in 3:17-18:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God was faithful to Habakkuk and He, no matter our current circumstance, has proven himself faithful to us. Let us rejoice in that.