the biggest year of our lives...and it's only july!

jolie sat content riding along in her brand new wagon as mommy pulled her along the street of our new neighborhood, judah could barely keep his eyes open (very typical!) as i cradled him in my arms, and carissa summed up life at the present with this statement: "2010 has been the biggest year of my life so far."

and that about says it all.

this has truly been an eventful year!  at the beginning of january our church moved into our new facility, and a few weeks later we lost our friend and pastor, kurt, very unexpectedly.  then we thought we were leaving for north carolina in february (with no job in sight), but our worship pastor resigned and we made the decision to stay and help for a few more months during the search process.  God then provided 2 jobs for us down in north carolina (leading worship at a small church and a shift supervisor position at starbucks).  then judah was born on june 4, and june 27 we said goodbye to our church family at rock point.

now we're embracing the adventure and this new chapter in our lives.  we left our little house on lincoln street in crawfordsville, indiana on june 30 driving the minivan as papa drove the rental truck filled with all our stuff.  and we arrived in wake forest, north carolina on july 1 to a welcoming group of friends from our new church ready to help us unpack the truck and provide us with a meal for the night (southern fried chicken...what a blessing!)  we enjoyed time with papa and dad sargent, and no sooner had they left then my parents arrived for a few days.  so we've had lots of help unpacking and setting up the new house (which carissa has already made feel like home)...and jolie's enjoyed all the attention from grandparents!  meanwhile, i started training at starbucks (which is a blast, but has felt a little like drinking from a fire hose), and this morning i led worship for the first time officially at our new church, union view baptist.  and in just a few weeks i'll begin my first classes in seminary.  whew...

what a blast!

following God's lead is so exciting.  ...crazy...but exciting!

and now i sit on a sunday afternoon and count all my amazing blessings...who are all sleeping soundly.  thank you, Jehovah-Jireh!

my little lion

ashamed it's taken me this long to post this exciting news, but i used all of last week to celebrate in relaxation (as much as possible)...but Judah is here!!!  he checked in right according to schedule on june 4 @ 2:00pm and weighed in @ 7lbs 8oz (and 20 and 1/2 inches long).  we went in for a scheduled c-section that friday which was sooo much easier (like it was really all that difficult for me!) than 26 hours of labor only to end up having a c-section (our experience with Jolie).  so the scheduled surgery was a nice, semi-relaxing change of pace...but i was still so pumped with adrenaline i probably brought comic relief to all the doctors and nurses around as i frantically paced back and forth waiting to be admitted to the operating room.  and in a matter of minutes upon arriving at the side of my heavily drugged wife...we heard his little cry.  well...it was more a scream...like a high-pitched screaming monkey...but it was wonderful!  and what a little miracle he is, and a huge answer to prayer!
he is a stud!  and he completely shocked us with his hair...a full head of dark brown hair...enough for a legit faux hawk (which he sported on his way home from the hospital!).  he's even got sideburns...trying to be like his daddy!  so much fun to hold him...he's so chill...just relaxed and peaceful...he's just awesome!  praise God!
just rereading this post makes me laugh...there's so much to say...but not the words to say it...

daddy's praising the LORD for you, Judah my scepter (Psalm 60:7)...my little lion!  i'm praying you become a mighty lion for the glory of God!

human doings or human beings?

this is a well-spoken and thoughtful reminder for those on the journey to become like Christ:

the pressure to accomplish snuffs out the pleasure of being God's child.

rejoicing in God's provision!

it's time to just thank Jehovah-Jireh for how He has faithfully provided for us.  i went down on the weekend of may 23 to wake forest, north carolina to scope out the area in preparation of our big move.  well, really i went down to candidate at a small church in franklinton (just a few miles north of wake forest) for a worship pastor position.  but i also took advantage of the opportunity to see the campus of southeastern baptist theological seminary and our little duplex that we'll call home for the next short season of life.  and on top of that i also spent a few hours applying for jobs around the area.

to sum up the weekend...the church was amazing!  i loved the people, really enjoyed leading worship, felt like i got fed from God's Word, bonded with the pastors, and sensed God's leading the whole time.  i think it will be a great fit...a place where we can immediately plug in and start serving!  so we're excited about that opportunity!!

and then a HUGE added blessing were my interviews with starbucks.  i walked in on friday (fresh off the plane) just to see if i could talk to the manager.  we talked for just a couple minutes and she asked if i had applied for the shift manager position and how much customer experience i had.  well, i had to be honest that i had none (and so no, i did not apply for the shift manager position assuming that i would need the entry level position to get my feet wet), but i told her what i do as a pastor and how some of that could be transferrable.  so she called up another store manager and set up interviews for sat. and sun., telling me that by just talking to me she wanted to see if i would be a good fit for the shift manager position!  needless to say, on tuesday (back in indiana) i got the call from mitch (the other store manager) offering me the job!

i can't tell you how awesome that is....we've been praying for months and months for God's direction and provision...and in one weekend He took care of it all.  He is absolutely incredible!!

and now...the week we've been waiting for has arrived...

mom s. is here, our room is ready, carlee is coming tomorrow...and judah is due friday!!!  God is good...

book #9: the tombs of anak

this is just a little blast from the past, and i'm only slightly embarrassed to be including this book on my list...about as embarrassed as i was to read a children's book on a plane from north carolina.  but i couldn't help myself...i loved this book as a kid.  it's one of the few books that i vividly remember my dad reading to me before bed, and i remember the thrill of emotions it evoked as we sat in the dim light and entered into a world that (for a kid) was pretty scary.  so thank you, Frank Peretti...again!  it wasn't quite the same or terrifying reading it the second time (now that my taste buds have grown up...and having delved into the mind of ted dekker), but i have to admit it was thoroughly enjoyable!

think indiana jones who still goes to sunday school (...i'm proud of you if you picked up on the movie line reference)!  The Cooper Kids Adventure Series recounts the exploits of jay and lila cooper who tag along with their archeologist dad, dr. jake cooper, and The Tombs of Anak was certainly the most thrilling of the original 4 volumes included in this series.  dr. cooper is the equivalent of the spiritually steady, almost grandfatherly mr. whittaker (adventures in odyssey...another blast from the past) who lives on the edge and fears no evil...not even ancient tombs or the eerie songs that emanate from the surrounding darkness.  he's the well-studied, quick-thinking, wise and experienced seeker of knowledge who's ready to spring into action the moment danger threatens to strike (especially his kids).  so throw in the Biblically inspired ancient ruins of Gath, the mystery surrounding the tombs, the strange local hill-dwellers, and the disappearance of a crew member and you've got a fascinating thrill ride for kids (...ok, ok...and for me).

peretti tries to base this mystery around another mystery that's briefly detailed in the early books of the Bible: the descendants of anak.  while i'm sure there are great liberties taken with his interpretation (and never wanting to be the plot spoiler to a good thriller), i enjoyed the ties into some of the strange genealogical records of the Bible.  and the message of the the tombs of anak is really a strong warning against greed and the love of power...enough to scare the desire right out of ya!  and the more i read, the more i would caution parents.  peretti has no problem writing thrillers with a touch of horror, and death is dealt with right out in the open.  so you may want to preview this one to make sure your little one's ready to handle the suspense and the issues that may arise.

but it was fun to take a stroll down memory lane...and only a little tricky to hide the "kids series" label from the other passengers on the plane.

book #8: the screwtape letters

C.S. Lewis is simply too fascinating and fun to ignore.  i hardly qualify as an expert on the great author and apologist, but i have been delighted for years by his beautiful way of capturing deep thought in simple words and pictures.  he eloquently and masterfully places complex philosophical ideas on the bottom shelf where they are attainable, practical and easily transferable to everyday conversation without laboring the mind to the point of boredom.  and it's often his starting point that sets him apart from other theologians.

like asking the question, i wonder what the demons talk about amongst themselves?

so instead of a rigorous and academic work on spiritual warfare The Screwtape Letters offers a refreshing, observant, and at times, eerie look into the mystery of the supernatural world.  it's a unique and unspoken plot that you follow as one demon (screwtape) writes letters to his nephew demon (wormwood) who's out on assignment and seems to need advice (whether wormwood would ever admit it or not)...a fascinating concept.  but i'd have to agree with lewis that it's probably a good thing the book didn't go on any longer than it did.  it was startlingly insightful but began to feel oppressive as i (unfortunately all-too-easily) twisted my brain to think like the enemy.  here's how lewis described writing this work:

"though i had never written anything more easily, i never wrote with less enjoyment.  the ease came, no doubt, from the fact that the device of diabolical letters, once you have thought of it, exploits itself spontaneously...though it was easy to twist one's mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long.  the strain produced a sort of spiritual cramp.  the work into which i had to project myself while spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch.  every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded.  it almost smothered me before i was done.  it would have smothered my readers if i had prolonged it."


there's also the caution to not place too much emphasis on the work of the devil.  as in all disciplines, the process of learning from screwtape comes in the balance.  don't neglect or underemphasize spiritual warfare, but do not swing to the opposite extreme and get carried away in demonic activity.

i would say the most enlightening aspect of this work was the frightening reminder of the subtle attack of the enemy.  "indeed the safest road to hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts..."  and it has taught me to be all the more vigilant in renewing my mind in His Word (Eph. 4:22-24) and daily putting on the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18) so that i can stand against the schemes of the devil.

the enemy is cunning.  but my God is greater!  and "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence" (2 Pet. 1:3).

The Contemporvant Service - What Can We Learn?

The Contemporvant Service - What Can We Learn?

definitely worth checking out...for a good chuckle and heart check!