Joshua's Elevation Debut

So I think Joshua's 7th birthday is going to be one he won't soon forget. It started out with a surprise gathering of all the neighborhood kids outside around his new bike, complete with cupcakes and hot chocolate. The celebration continued with a sleepover with his best buddy Andrew, and carried over to Saturday with a trip to play laser tag. Much fun!! But it was the surprise he got Saturday evening & Sunday that will be deeply etched in all our memories for years to come.

But first the back story: Our church has been reading through the New Testament in 30 days. A challenge for sure, but it's been great! So three weeks ago, when we started, the children's ministry also gave all the school aged kids an opportunity to do their own verson of New thru 30. That Sunday they gave all the kids new Bibles and a calendar with NT readings and devotions for each day. I have never seen Joshua as excited as he was to get his new Bible! He has several Bible story books, but had not had a real Bible of his own...until now. The next morning he came bounding down the stairs, Bible and calendar in hand, ready to get started. I was so moved by his excitement and by the creative lengths our e-Kidz ministry goes to each week to make sure our kids are presented with the truth of the gospel, that I sat down and wrote a letter to the e-Kidz staff and volunteers. Well, I had no idea that such a small token of appreciation in the form of an email from a Mom would get so much attention. Apparently Pastor Furtick read it as well, and as a result wanted to invite Joshua up on stage during the service last weekend. What!? We were shocked, but so excited for him! We did prepare him somewhat so that he wouldn't be totally freaked out. He knew about the letter and that pastor wanted him to come up on stage with him while he read it. But he had no idea what else they had planned for him. A few days before, I got a phone call from the church asking for Joshua's Bible so that Pastor Furtick and the rest of the staff could sign it for him and Pastor could surprise him with it on Saturday. We were so excited for him! I thought he would be really nervous about being in front of so many people, but he was such a trooper and did an amazing job!! He never stopped smiling (& Mom never stopped crying).

And that wasn't even the end of the excitement for him! We had to be there for all the live services, so Joshua had some free time in between each one. At one point the producer took him back to the production studio, showed him all the cameras, the sound board, and how it all worked. He was very intrigued by all the sound equipment and couldn't stop asking questions. Then he took him to meet the band. You should have seen his face when he walked into the room with the entire worship team and they all started high-fiving him and congratulating him..."Joshua! Great job out there! You're awesome man!" I just stood in the doorway taking it all in.

What an amazing blessing to be given the gift of children and afforded the opportunity to "train them up in the way they should go". Joshua, your Dad and I are so amazed at your excitement for the Lord and His word. And it is our prayer that you will read it not in order to know more about Him, but that you would read it so that you will know Him, and know the hope to which he has called you! (Eph 1:17-18)

"Wintry Mix"

So apparently "wintry mix" can mean several different things depending on where you live. Because everyone around us seemed to get 4-5 inches of snow & all we got was a lot of ice with a "dusting" of snow. But to a 7 year old and a 3 year old, if it's white and falling from the sky...it's fun. Here's Josh with his...ahem...snowball. Luckily I caught him before he threw it at his brother.

At least the 3 year old knows you can't make a snow angel on a slab of ice...

Savoring a few minutes of actual snow falling from the sky...

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Seven years ago today, I was telling Donnie, "I don't think I can do this!" But as pastor taught us yesterday, you always reap more than you sow. And I cannot put into words how grateful we are for the harvest of love, laughter, growth, and sweet memories we have reaped over the last 7 years because of the seed of life that the Lord sowed into our family on that cold day in Denver Colorado.

"When they see among them their children, the work of My hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the holy one of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel." ~Isaiah 29:23

We are absolutely amazed and in awe at the work of God's hands when we look at Joshua, & we are so excited to see how the Lord continues to work in him!

Don't mess with my kid!

So Joshua went a few doors down for some play time with his buddy Andrew today. He also delivered a meat mallet to Andrew's mom to borrow. This is the email I just received from her:

So Josh came over holding the chicken pounder for me to use. He and Andrew started talking about smashing people in the face with it. Trying to be the motherly voice of reason and discouragement of boy rambunctiousness taken too far, I made sure to put in my two cents about how that wasn’t a good idea, you could really hurt someone, etc.

Josh, however, said, “Well, I have permission from my mom to do that if someone tries to pull me into a car.”

Touché, Josh.

Guess I won’t wonder anymore why all the Nuzum kids carry meat mallets with them wherever they go.

Confession: Yes, I may have mentioned a possible alternate use of the meat pounder to save himself from potential predators as he was walking out the door. Should I have predicted him carrying the thought over into a discussion with his best friend about smashing people's faces, and the inappropriateness of such talk? Probably.

New Year's Resolutions

So I'm about a week late in posting this, but thankfully I did NOT resolve to get more efficient at posting timely blog entries this year...Whew!

However, after hearing and pondering over Pastor Furtick's message last week, I was definitely challenged and given a fresh perspective as I step into the new year. There are several people in our lives right now, faced with struggles & fighting battles that I can't even begin to understand or relate to. However, I can say I have had seasons in my life when I have questioned God's purpose, presence, or provision. Yet when I look back, there is not one moment, one experience, one heartache, one loss that did not result in God revealing His hand and strengthening my faith in the process. Unfortunately I'm prone to forgetting these moments and falling back on my own failed understanding, instead of trusting Him fully when crisis arrives (Prov 3:5-6) So my hope for this year, is that I may see every crisis (large or small) as an opportunity to trust, obey, & worship Jesus, so that His glory can be revealed. These are the new year resolutions that pastor laid out and the points that spoke to me the most.

1. I will seize the opportunity of adversity to experience God’s power!
- When you cut out the crisis, you cut out the opportunity! (Example Exodus 14:13, 15:22...what happens when we cut out the crisis [14:15-15:21], what do we miss? The parting of the Red Sea!
- The only reason an enemy enters your life is so God can have a victory. You can’t have victory without an enemy.
- God will not call off the fight, but rather He will fight for you; big blessings require big battles!

2. I will seize the opportunity of scarcity to receive God’s provision.
Jesus feeds the 5,000. Matthew 14:13-14 & skip (the crisis) to verse 22.
- Scarcity of resource was God’s opportunity to prove himself as the provider to His people!
- When there is scarcity, there is clarity. When we trust in Christ, He provides all our needs. In Matthew 14, Jesus touched what they had, and then multiplied that.
- What is your scarcity? By knowing your need, you can focus on God’s provision.
- Summary of Philippians 4:19: God will supply all your needs!

3. I will seize the opportunity of uncertainty to prove God’s potential.
Jesus walks on water/Peter's lack of faith. Matthew 14:22, skip (the crisis) to verse 34
- Uncertainty gives you an opportunity to depend on God. It gives you the opportunity to lean on God’s power, provision, and providence. Uncertainty is the opportunity to show faith in His provision.
- In our lives, we often want to go straight to the results; but God wants the storm to come. God wants it to be close. God wants you to see His power in the process, not just in His results.

4. I will step into someone else’s crisis and share God’s Word.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
- This will be an opportunity to comfort someone else with the love of God. God has tethered your crisis to an opportunity to comfort someone else.
- Why would God involve Himself in your crisis if you are not willing to involve yourself in someone else’s crisis?

Listening to pastor read the scriptures, taking out the crisis and God's subsequent hand in the situation, was very eye opening for me. I found myself applying the same thinking to every story we read to the boys during our devotions this week. Daniel and the lion's den...David and Goliath...Joshua and the battle of Jericho.... I was amazed at what would be missed if the obstacle, scarcity, uncertainty, or adversity was removed. God is what we would miss.

I'll be honest. I'm not at the point where I can say, "Bring on the crisis!" But I definitely have a peace in my heart knowing that when adversity comes, scarcity threatens, or uncertainty rears its ugly head, I'll have the opportunity to trust Him to bring us through it, and see His grace, power, and mercy at work.