different way to read Scripture

EDIT TO ADD: I didn't tell you how we read the Scripture!! – during the response time we read the Ephesians chapter 6 times,using 6 different voices, one oafter another (30 – 60 seconds between each one)… It was really effective!!

 

Last service we had was wonderful.  As each person cries out to God and worships with their whole heart, it does something to the atmosphere of the place!!! I dont understand it all, or how it ties in to the omnipresence of God, and the continuous indwelling of the Spirit, but when two or more are gathered in His name, HE IS THERE – in a real and almost tangible way.

It Is You (Newsboys)
Scripture during intro of next song Psalm 139:7-10
Nothing Without You
Enough

Teaching on Phillipians 1:20-26

Response time for 5ish minutes

Reading of Ephesians 3:16-19

more response time

Communion

Draw Me Nearer
Its All About You (Jesus Lover of My Soul)
I Want to Know You (In the Secret)
Jesus, You Alone

update on the house: – we went to look through the other two units (offer contingent on looking on the other two units) – this is after 3 weeks the home owners accepting our original offer, redoing all the paperwork, and wouldn't you know, there was another party their looking at it as well!! SO looks like they will be hanging out to see if the others make a better offer than ours!!  SO we wait again.  If we get this place, it will be God!! – and if we don't, it will still be Him – WOW – there is GREAT comfort in a Sovereign God whose hand is on every aspect of our lives!!!

April Posts 2006

Apr. 30, 2006: different way to read Scripture
Apr. 24, 2006: been gone a while!!! HOUSE
Apr. 22, 2006: Thad’s 3rd Brithday
Apr. 19, 2006: Finally pictures of my boys
Apr. 19, 2006: Easter Service
Apr. 18, 2006: EASTER
Apr. 14, 2006: ONE MORE POST – Big Grandpa
Apr. 13, 2006: Passover
Apr. 13, 2006: parenting
Apr. 12, 2006: Dinner and Funny Kids
Apr. 8, 2006: Why church on Monday night? and LABYRINTHs
Apr. 6, 2006: pictures
Apr. 4, 2006: LIFE’S little EXTRAS
Apr. 4, 2006: Home Church April 3

Parenting

(First Posted: April 2006)

Nope, I’m not going to talk about Pearls or gentle parenting or any other book or philosophy. This year has been a most incredible time of me learning how much I don’t value the mom and me as much as I thought I did. How much I did NOT realize just what a huge role I played in my kid’s spiritual growth, and social skills, etc. etc. Kind of embarassing to admit really. I assume there are others out there like me who look at their parenting mind and gasp in horror at times.

Parenting books, philosophies of one kind or another… parenting ideas. SO MUCH of my few years of parenting have been spent wondering what the neighbors / friends / church people / family / etc. will think of my kids and my parenting… yeah, mostly my parenting… yup. self centered. It is true. BUT amazingly enough…

GOD ISN”T THROUGH WITH ME!!! self centered, proud, angry, (not the righteous kind), self pitied, manipulative, inconvenienced me… yup, changing me from the inside out. Changing my thought patterns, not just for a moment, but for days, changing my heart to seek Him in raising my boys to be men of God. prodding me, tweaking me, transforming me. Giving me new eyes to see my boys through His eyes!!

A Different Way to Read Scripture

(First Posted, April 2006)

EDIT TO ADD: I didn’t tell you how we read the Scripture!! – during the response time we read the Ephesians chapter 6 times,using 6 different voices, one oafter another (30 – 60 seconds between each one)… It was really effective!!

Last service we had was wonderful. As each person cries out to God and worships with their whole heart, it does something to the atmosphere of the place!!! I dont understand it all, or how it ties in to the omnipresence of God, and the continuous indwelling of the Spirit, but when two or more are gathered in His name, HE IS THERE – in a real and almost tangible way.

It Is You (Newsboys)
Scripture during intro of next song Psalm 139:7-10
Nothing Without You
Enough

Teaching on Phillipians 1:20-26

Response time for 5ish minutes

Reading of Ephesians 3:16-19

more response time

Communion

Draw Me Nearer
Its All About You (Jesus Lover of My Soul)
I Want to Know You (In the Secret)
Jesus, You Alone

update on the house: – we went to look through the other two units (offer contingent on looking on the other two units) – this is after 3 weeks the home owners accepting our original offer, redoing all the paperwork, and wouldn’t you know, there was another party their looking at it as well!! SO looks like they will be hanging out to see if the others make a better offer than ours!! SO we wait again. If we get this place, it will be God!! – and if we don’t, it will still be Him – WOW – there is GREAT comfort in a Sovereign God whose hand is on every aspect of our lives!!!

Why church on Monday night? and LABYRINTHs

(First Posted, April 2006)

to answer this… we do meet on Sunday nights as well twice a month, actually I think starting in June it will be every week ( I better figure it out since I lead worship and kind of need to be there ! ). Sunday is a Worship Gathering… idea being that the midweek “Bible Study” is the focus. Ours is Monday night… more intense fellowship and discipleship, mentoring, opportunities for service and outreach, prayer times, accountability etc. Sunday the cell churches (or home churches which ever you want to call them) gather together to worship corporately, we do the band thing and the pastor teaches… like your regular worship service with more candles and more response opportunities (response to God – not necessarily altar calls). Such as journaling, drawing, prayer time, whatever God inspires us with…

This Sunday we are going to have a labyrinth… I am most excited. because I love that those 30ish minutes will be set aside for me to commune and meditate with God as I walk the path and follow the journey inward and out again. I know it will be very meaningful for me, and for others too. If you have never participated in a Christ-centered labyrinth and have the opportunity to, you should. It’s a wonderful tool to focus our thoughts on HIM, set self aside, and be renewed in our life of intent and worship. with NO disctractions!! You can check out this one on-line if you want. Cathedral Labyrinth

I haven’t gone all the way through this, so if something in it doesn’t agree with you doctrinally, throw it out, as you would with anything else that might come across your ears or eyes. it will take about 40 minutes… but you can chop it up into bits if you need to.

For those who think this is strange, and it seems to New Age-like or it makes you uncomfortable, I welcome your comments. It doesn’t look like our modern world… your traditional church. BUT that is ok!! It doesn’t need to. It only needs to be centered on Jesus Christ the Son of God. It may not be something you enjoy. AND that is ok too… there are those, especially in this generation, that struggle with receiving all our traditional worship services have to offer… content good, but the “presentation” or “aesthetics” make it difficult for them to ingest it all – labyrinths, and other things likes (remember, I haven’t walked through this particular link) has the same content, but different presentation and aesthetics.

AND as usual, my disclaimer… I blog “on the run” so to speak… so, there are other places to find better well thought out opinions on all of this!!

been gone a while!!! HOUSE

Well, the original house we were looking at, triplex, LARGE on top, two smaller underneath, and 3 car garage on the bottom… they took our “low ball” offer – SURPRISE – after 3 plus weeks – I can't believe it!!!

 

SO after much prayer, and chatting with the “wise” ones in our lives as far as real estate and finances go, Bryan accepted it this morning!!  SO now we have to do inspections, see the other two units etc. WOW – don't know what else to say about that except it seems so surreal, I am almost not even excited!!

 

I am reading so many things right now…

 

For the Children's Sake

When Heaven Invade's Earth

Surprised by the Power of the Spirit

The Edison Trait

The Power of a Praying Wife

 

good grief… that doesn't count the ones I stopped cause I got too bogged down or bored or disinterested!!!

 

 

 

Thad's 3rd Brithday

Funky Dragon – he wanted a dragon cake, more than presents, all week, he just wanted his dragon cake

no games – he JUST wanted the cake!! even after he threw up tonight, he wanted cake… what does he want for breakfast tomorrow? yup, dragon cake!
The two little friends we had over… Lee and Eli… the fiersome wanna be dragon slayers!! My dear neighbor Anne MADE the fabulous horse, complete with a shield and sword, all from household products!! – She is my inspiration when it comes to crafts and creativity!!
Sir Keenan, Dragon Slayer Extraordinaire

AND finally, they wanted their new bedding… Thaddeus has been waiting till he is three to sleep in the BIG bed, leave the crib (wah!)… getting their lesson in a level.  So an hour past bedtime, we are drilling in the side rail so he doesn't fall out… Grandma and Grandpa both gave them new sheets and quilts… space stuff for Keenan (top bunk) and sports for Thad. The bunk bed is courtesy of Puppa (my dad) and Bryan, much scrab lumber and ingenuity!!  
Keenan was most excited about his “pillow sheets”.  Thad puked after dinner tonight… check out the color of the cake.. yup – real pretty!! I asked where his owie was (obviously before he puked) he says “right here at home in our house”

ok – I am beat – it was a fun party… very laid back, we don't play games… they wouldn't want to anyway, too many toys to play with!!

Finally pictures of my boys

My Boys… Thaddeus above, Keenan below, not new pics, but wanted to FINALLY get something up… it took me – ok husband,  forever, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it and it will be a fast thing, and family will get pictures often!! as well as all my new friends out there in internet land.

Easter Service

We chose to begin our service quiet and meditative, and move through to celebration at the end.  I think it worked really well, EXCEPT I seem to have a bit of a problem tying up the end of the service neatly!!  we'll need to work on that!!

 

How Deep the Father's Love For Us (with penny whistle intro… mmmm)

while guitar continued picking we read Isaiah 52:13 – 53: 10

Amazing Love (without the “You are my King” tag at end)

Jesus Painter video… awesome!!

 

Teaching Part 1 (phil 2:5-8)

 

Responsive reading… taken from Romans 6:2-9, but our responses were physical instead (arms out as a cross, lying down being dead and buried, and standing as risen creatures with new life)

 

Reading Matthew 28 – “Easter Story”

 

Teaching Part 2

 

Before the throne of God (another awesome modern day hymn – sonic flood)

Who Is This God (look this one up on the internet if you can – FABULOUS! – angela pinkston)

My Redeemer Lives (hillsongs)

EASTER

WE had such a lovely day.  The night before we made Resurrection Cookies.  Once I got over the fact that a almost 3yrd old and 6 yr old interest and depth of understanding, while being over sugared, over tired and overstimulated, probalby wouldn't be as deep as mine.  It was a great time.

In the morning they did their treasure hunt, and I put a Bible Verse with each clue, that had to do with the present… Keenan got his first BIBLE and he is THRILLED.  He said so many sweet things, he was bounding off the walls happy (before candy on Eastesr morning) I was trying to get him to sette down so we could eat.  Finally I said, why don't you pray and say thank you to JEsus for the joy that you have inside.  “Dear Jesus, thank you for my joy, and for giving my all my joy, and we hope that we have joy in our hearts. AMen” – he missed the food part, so Thad filled in that part   We had popovers, and Keenan wanted honey (because honey is for the sweetness of the joy in our hearts!) – remember, the Resurrection Cookies, each ingredient symbolized something.

We weren't planning on going to grandparents church, since we had our own church that evening, but we ended up having just enough time, so we put them in their cute easter outfits Grandma bought them, I loaded up my rising bread  which I shaped at the church.  and then when the service was over went to the granparents house for lunch, and easter egg hunt, and off to our  church.

It was a busy busy day, but not stressful at all.  Just a really wonderful day.