Christian Persecution

For the few of you who regularly read our blog you may notice that I have taken down the video we had here recently depicting Christian persecution in India. Apparently there are some validity questions going on about this particular video. I deeply regret posting anything misleading and it was not my intent at all to sensationalize anything so weighty. What doesn't change is that persecution of this type does exist in the world. We should be willing to become aware, pray, and advocate for victims world-wide. Here is an earlier post with more on that:

"Night" by Elie Wiesel

Happy 30th to me!!

What a WONDERFUL day!!! So, I'm pretty sure that I fell asleep last night with a big ol' smile on my face!! I have the most amazing husband ever and he played such a huge part in making my 30th birthday extra special.  I wanted to share some of the fun details of my day...

But first, I want to say thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes via cards, emails, texts, facebook messages, phone calls, etc.  I felt sooooo loved yesterday!!  THANK YOU!!  I wish so much that I could give each of you a big hug....you really made my birthday special, and I'm grateful!! :)

So the morning began with my family (Brett, Emma, Luke, my mom & dad) all wishing me happy birthday and Brett cooking a nice breakfast before church.  The service was great and several people at church remembered and wished me happy birthday.  When we got home, I got to open presents....which I must say, is still quite fun and exciting, even when you're 30!!  Then I got to take a nice Sunday afternoon/birthday nap....ahhhhh!!!!  

I knew days/weeks ago that our plan was to have a nice dinner and that a couple from our small group had offered to watch the kiddos for us.  But Brett told me that morning that there was a "last minute" change of plans because the couple was sick (which I totally believed b/c it seems that everyone is getting sick right now...it's just that time of year).  Instead, a different couple from our small group was going to watch the kids for us, except that Brett said they were only able to watch the kids in the afternoon so we were going to have to have an early dinner instead.  Brett faked a phone call to the restaurant and then told me that there was no problems with changing the dinner reservations....our nice dinner with my parents (& without the kids) was still going to happen! 

SIDE NOTE:  Overall, with my 30th birthday approaching, I admit that I had been a bit suspicious (and even hopeful) that some kind of fun surprise was being planned.  HOWEVER, there was some mighty-fine "stories" (ummm...I mean, lies!!) being told (by everyone and their dog!!) that I was completely convinced that I KNEW the plan for the day and that there wasn't possibly any room for anything extra.  Little did I know....I was clueless!! :O)  

So, back to the story.... we pulled up to our friends' house (the whole time I was thinking that we were in a hurry...just dropping the kids off so that we can make our early dinner reservation).  My friend, Breann, answered the door and as I stepped into the house....well, you know the rest.... people jumped up out of nowhere and yelled S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!!!  And boy was I!!!  It was such a cool feeling.....I've never had a surprise party before.  I immediately just felt so loved and special.  Those first few minutes of the party are a bit of a blur....I was so shocked, and confused.....about our dinner plans, leaving the kids, about how this could be happening and I didn't even have a clue, etc.  My mind was going a hundred miles an hour trying to figure things out.  IT WAS GREAT!! 

The best part about it all (even now...the day after) is getting to hear how all of this came together.  All kinds of planning and organizing that went on without me knowing....phone calls, a secret facebook event, etc.  Brett was the mastermind behind it all, but he obviously had lots of help by our friends to make it all happen.  And to find out that he had been planning this and working on it for over a month just blew me away!!  He is so wonderful!!  I am married to such an amazing man...I feel so blessed!!!

So....I am 30!!  What a memorable day!! Seriously, my lips curl up into a smile EVERY time something pops into my head from yesterday!!  That truly was the best birthday yet!! :)  Thanks again to everyone who had any part in making yesterday so special!   Here's a few pics...

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The surprises actually began on Thursday, when I found out that Emma and Brett had spent their "date night" time baking me a birthday cake (Tres Leche....YUMMY!!) 

Munching & mingling after the SURPRISE!

Do you see the chocolate fountain?  YUM.....strawberries, marshmallows, & graham crackers!!  Emma is checking out goodies on the table... punch & cake!

My cake!!  Brett knows me so well...one of my favorite cakes is white, wedding cake.  It was/is delicious!! :)

Luke (on left) making GROWLING sounds.  Tessa (Breann's little girl, about 2 weeks younger) making PURRING sounds.  It was hilarious!! 

SUCH A WONDERFUL DAY!!! 

 

Why Not Me?

Why Not Me?

Recently we received in our office an email from a fellow ministry partner in Haiti. He reported what their immediate needs are and what the direct effects had been on their ministries (loss of life and property.) Along with the horrific sudden loss of life that has taken place in Haiti, in his words, their most dire request is, “Now everyone needs, everyone is thirsty, everyone is hungry.”

Maybe you’ve been asking yourself a lot of the same questions that I’ve been asking: Why am I living in these conditions, in this time, in this family, in this place? Why am I not living as others are? Why am I comfortable? Why am I repulsively wealthy (if you are reading this article it is very likely that you are repulsively wealthy compared to most of the world’s population)? Why not me? Why wasn’t I born into economic poverty?

A couple of things come into play with these questions that are helpful to us. First, in Luke 12.48, the Scriptures tell us that “…everyone to whom much was given, of them much will be required….” Meaning, if we look at our circumstances we will see that there is gross imbalance and in that gross imbalance we are expected to act responsibly. This is saying that we are responsible towards others so that the gross imbalance given to us does not continue unchanged. The answer: give of what you have.

Secondly, we should remember that when Jesus says in Matthew 5.3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” He is reminding us that economic riches (or poverty) is not the only measure of wealth/poverty. When we get too caught up in measuring our wealth or poverty in only economic terms we, as followers of Jesus miss the point completely. The world is full of people living in complete economic poverty, who have literally nothing material. But they live with such spiritual urgency, dependency, and need that they have great wealth in their life. Spiritual wealth. Their circumstances propel them to seek God, and finding Him is the greatest wealth. On the other hand those of us who live in extreme economic wealth struggle to find urgency, dependence, and need in our lives, and therefore we find great poverty. Our circumstances distance us from seeking God.

Times like these call us to give, and to begin defining wealth/poverty in new and more holistic ways. Who of us, as we look deeply into our lives and recognize the activity of our Creator, cannot claim that we are included in the group of “everyone to whom much was given” and respond to this very real plea, “Now everyone needs, everyone is thirsty, everyone is hungry”?

Why not me?