"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
2 Corinithains 5:17-18
I heard this song for the first time today. I don't know how I'd missed it before.
In the words of my husband, "I love Caedmon's Call because they make me love Jesus more." I hope you'll feel the same way after hearing this song.
Lyrics:
Left His seamless robe behind Woke up in a stable and cried Lived and died and rose again Savior for a guilty land
It's a story like a children's tune It's grown familiar as the moon So now I ride my camel high I'm aiming for the needle's eye
I chased the wind, but I chased in vain I chased the earth, it would not sustain
There's only One who never fails To beckon the morning light There's only One who set loose the gales And ties the trees down tight When all around my soul gives way He is all my hope and stay There's only One, only One Holy One
Lord, You are my Prince of Peace But this war brings me to my knees See, there's a table You've prepared And all my enemies are there But where my Shepherd leads Where else can I go? Who else fills my cup 'til it overflows?
There's only One who never fails To beckon the morning light There's only One who set loose the gales And ties the trees down tight To the Solid Rock I fly Though He bids me come and die There's only One, only One Holy One
Here are a few pictures of my class during our first semester. We have a good time, but don't be fooled, we know how to work VERY hard.
We get really excited about Functional Anatomy. (Eyes rolling here.)
Getting on each other's nerves...literally.
Some of our group went to dinner before an APTA meeting at a local hospital.
Me in my PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). There is a very specific way to put this on and take it off. Seriously, we were tested on it. In the process we also have to wash our hands like 27 times (OK not that many). During the first two weeks of school I woke up in the middle of the night with my hands in the air...I was washing my hands in my dream.
My sweet friend, Maria.
Learning how to provide wound care...we learn on oranges and grapefruits.
We have fun together too. After a big Functional Anatomy test we went bowling.
Jacob (a.k.a. Big Homie) and Jeff (a.k.a. Son).
Maria
Mike gets a strike!
Christmas party after our finals.
My friend Ashley brought her husband who was home for two weeks from serving in the military overseas. Thank you, Josh, for what you do!
(Back:) Brad, Heidi, Jamie (Front:) Ashley, Effie, Jacob, and Guadalupe
We had a "White Elephant" gift exchange (silly gifts). Jacob was lucky enough to pick mine.
Here are a few videos of the songs I absolutely have to listen to over and over around Christmas. Only one is an "official" video and the others are the least cheesy that I could find. I hope you'll take some time to listen to the words.
The next song is probably my favorite.
I think these songs in particular speak to my heart the most because they don't leave Jesus as a baby. In each song a different aspect of His life's purpose or mission is shoved into the forefront.
The first song praises God for sending our Savior, our Rescuer, our Hero. He is the One who has come in and offered "freedom for the captives" (Isaiah 61:1). To bring freedom automatically means that there was a previous state of captivity. We are all captives.
You disagree?
Have you ever felt pain? Have you ever been angry? Have you ever been frustrated? Have you ever lied? Have you ever been rejected? Have you ever been devastated? Have you ever hurt someone else? Have you ever hated anyone? Have you ever been selfish?
Yes? I have.
We are all captives.
The second song is a reminder that Jesus chose to leave His throne in Heaven. Have you ever really thought about that? Heaven???!!! It's the place of
perfection beauty peace ever increasing joy adventure contentment wholeness
and where Jesus was adored and praised at all times. He left knowing when He came here He would experience everything we do:
pain sorrow sickness rejection temptation even death
The residents of Heaven must have been dumbfounded. They must have been heartbroken...the Light of Heaven would be wrapped in flesh and (in a way) hidden from their eyes. The King was riding out to war.
I recently listened to a talk by one of my favorite teachers (Ben Stuart) in which he discussed the ultimate reason Jesus came to earth. He said when he thinks of Christmas one word comes to mind: "Destruction". He came to do war.
Not war on people.
He came to do war on sin, pain, disease, hate, selfishness, pride...the list goes on. He came to destroy the one who is the father of all these things. 1 John 3:8 says this, "...The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil." He is as real as that list and he is the one who holds us captive.
The third song tells the whole Story...even the part that has not yet come. It tells of His choice to die our death (Romans 6:23) so that we could live with Him in Freedom. It sings of the glorious day that He rose from the grave and had Victory over His Enemy. Death is the most powerful thing the Enemy can dish out and Jesus took it and overcame it!!! And it foretells of the beautiful day He will come back. I can barely listen to this song without crying. I can't believe He did this for me and for you! He loves us so much!
If you haven't received His love, I hope and pray you will now.
He loves you. This is real. This is true.
He doesn't promise us an easy life, but He promised us that He'd never leave us. Praise God for His great Faithfulness.
Well, today marked the first trip to the dentist for my kiddos. I know it's kinda late, especially for Josie (cousin Sarah, please don't be mad), so judge me as a slacker mom but it is what it is.
I was really nervous about how they would do but we talked a lot about it before and what to expect. I think one of the things that helped was that we go to church with our dentist and his kids are about the same age as Josie and Caleb.
When we went in Josie went first to show Caleb how easy it was. When asked what music she wanted to listen to she said, "David Crowder". Ahhhh, that's my girl! Anywhoo, she did very well and the hygienist and Dr. Chad both boasted what beautiful and healthy teeth she had.
Caleb went next and to no one's surprise was the comedian of the office. When Dr. Chad came in Caleb informed him (very confidently) that he had two teeth--one on top and one on the bottom then he kindly wished him a "happy burfday." That got a laugh out of everyone--even the ladies in the office.
He had a little buildup in a couple of places around his gums, but overall did very well for a 3 year old. His absolute favorite part was the suction straw. It became our form of leverage to keep him still. He loved making all kinds of funny noises with it and would just sit there looking like a fish with it in his mouth.
I was so proud of my babies and praising God for giving them 30 minutes of self control!
Here's a little video of our big birthday weekend in early December. I decided to do this instead of posting a bajillion pictures on our blog.
(Disclaimer: While I LOVE the fact my daughter desires to be modest, I did not like the faded gaucho pants that she chose to wear over her leotard. But since it was her birthday and I don't want to discourage her efforts to be demure, I let her have her way.)
The weekend after Thanksgiving Wesley's cousin Sarah was married in Fredericksburg, Texas. If you don't know anything about Fredericksburg you need to know it's beautiful! Sarah was married at bed and breakfast called the Haufman Haus. Everything was very elegant yet simple. It was just lovely.
One our kids' favorite things to do is to stay in a hotel. They had so much fun.
Snuggles with Daddy.
Even though Caleb sleeps in a big boy bed very well, he still loves his "crib".
This was at the rehearsal dinner. The groom requested German food and Polka music. Josie and her cousins Katy and James enjoyed dancing with Aunt Molly while Caleb and sweet Hannah decided to sit out and watch. For anyone who knows my children, you know this is backwards.
Even though Caleb never joined all the others, eventually the beat started to take over.
The boys: Wesley, his brother Marcus, and father Jim.
My sister-in law Jenna and me.
I discovered a store I could have stayed in for DAYS.
I LOVED this store!!!
Our favorite part was the basement full of antique books.
Wesley and I love to read, so this was like a little piece of heaven on earth.
This cottage was behind an art gallery. It was for sale. Can I live here????
My dream bathroom. This was in the honeymoon suite at the Haufman Haus.
The garden at the H.H.
The big day. Don't they look cute!!!
I could just squeeze their little faces!!!
All the cousins were bell ringers in the wedding.
Wesley was honored to read scripture and pray as part of the ceremony.
Doesn't Caleb look enthusiastic? They all did a great job.
Congratulations, Sarah and Brandon! May God bless you and we pray that Christ would be the foundation of your home. We love you!
The kids learned about Thanksgiving and celebrated with their friends at Mother's Day Out. I was in school, but Wesley and my mom joined in the fun.
Cute little pilgrim.
Cute little Indian.
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4
Too sweet...
"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 106:1
You can see what Caleb is thankful for...
"I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30
Caleb's best friend Betsy Grace.
"He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,and broke away their chains.Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind..." Psalm 107:14-15
Okay, so none of these pictures are really "phenomenons" but I was trying really hard to come up with a title a little more catchy than "More Photographs of My Adorable Offspring". (I'm also procrastinating from studying for my last final tomorrow.) Anywhoo, here are some more really cute pictures of our kiddos from the last few months.
Splish Splash!
Spending the night with Yaya and Pubs.
Josie took this.
My mom rocks!
My little baker. When she is at my parents' house she asks to watch cooking shows on the Food Network.
Caleb at the zoo.
So, I don't want to get any smart remarks about the picture below being one of my kids. I just thought it was fun that we got so close. :)
Happy 3rd Birthday, Caleb Paul! You truly are our bundle of joy! I am so thankful to be your mommy! I praise God for you, your loving nature, your joy, and your fun loving spirit. May you, like Caleb of old, be faithful and courageous to our Lord! I love you!
“Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: ‘The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion...." The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them...But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it."
