Inside the campground we stayed in, there was a pool and a separate area for the little ones - called the "Splash Zone". It was chaotic with all of the people, but the kids enjoyed it.
Monday, July 30, 2007
The kids were pretty upset when it was time to leave. We decided to go to the duck pond in the campground and feed the ducks and then take one last look at the ocean before we left on Sunday.
The Ocean
We took the kids to the beach Tursday afternoon after Grandma and Grandpa (Jason's mom and dad) got there and got settled.
The 7 hour drive
This is not the first time we have taken a trip this long. We have traveled to Pennsylvania several times to visit my family, but this is the first time we left at 3:30 in the morning! It was a great plan, and we will probably do it again for such a long trip. The plan was for the kids to go back to sleep once we got them in the car, but of course that didn't happen. This was taken at about 5:30 am, when I finally gave up on them going back to sleep.
Kathryn does have issues with using markers, though, and as usual was completely covered. And I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but black "washable" markers are not actually washable.
Scenes from the beach...
We have just returned from a long weekend at the beach, which was absolutely wonderful. I plan to post many pictures, probably more than anyone actually cares to see, but I was really excited about these 2 pictures, because they came out exactly right...
These were taken from the end of the pier at Surfside beach.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Another tooth lost...
One of those stubborn top teeth finally came out last night! This picture is a little blurry, but he was having a really hard time standing still for it, so....it's the best I can get! The other one shouldn't be too far behind - it is barely hanging in there.
Isn't he handsome?! Jason's new nickname for him is "Snag" (as in snaggletooth).
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Evidence for Jesus
In the women’s Bible study I am involved in, we have been discussing the book Evidence for Jesus by Ralph Muncaster. This is a very interesting book, which presents a solid, historical case for the accuracy of the Bible, and the stories contained in the Bible. I have learned a lot in reading this book, although, whether I can retain what I’ve learned remains to be seen! I think it will be helpful in explaining that the Christian faith is not a “blind faith”; it is based on real events, which have been documented in history (even non-Christian history!)
Honestly, attendance at the Bible study has dropped off since we began discussing this book, and I am fairly sure it is because it is somewhat dry, and while the facts contained within are amazing, it is difficult to carry a conversation about them. (I am really missing the leader guide in the back of most of the books we have done with pre-prepared, leading questions!). This is not a great book for a small group study, but I think it is a must-read.
The chapters we were to discuss this week were especially interesting, I thought, and I wanted to share some of what I learned. This list below of prophecies fulfilled by the life and death of Jesus is certainly not exhaustive, these are just a few of those mentioned in the book.
Jesus was born exactly where the God said he would be born, and to whom He would be born. In Micah 5:2we are told that Bethlehem Ephrathah would produce the Messiah. Randomly fulfilling just this one prophecy has odds of about 1 in 100,000,000 based on the population of the world at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Jesus’ ancestry was prophesied in:
Genesis 22:17-18 (would descend from Abraham) and the fulfillment was explained in Galatians 3:16
Genesis 21:12 (would descend from Isaac) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,34
Numbers 24:17 (would descend from Jacob) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,34
Genesis 49:10 (would descend from Judah) and fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,33
Isaiah 11:1-2(would descend from Jesse) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,32
Jeremiah 23:5 (would descend from David) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,31)
The odds of randomly fulfilling all of the above prophecies is about 1 in 1.3824 trillion!
Amazing to me was the prophecy of “passing the scepter”. In Genesis 49:10, it says “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”
Also, it was prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, which would be thrown on the Temple floor, and would be given to a potter
Zechariah 11:11-13
Matthew 26:14-16
Matthew 27:5
Matthew 27:6-10
I mean, this almost sounds to me as if God is saying, “just so you aren’t confused…just so you know exactly who I am sending to you…”
And finally, In Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 53:5 and Zechariah 12:10-11, it was prophesied that the Messiah would be “pierced”. What I found amazing is that the Romans did not even invent crucifixion until around 400 B.C. – hundreds of years after these prophecies were written. And of course Jesus fulfilled these prophecies because he was pierced – crucified.
Of course this is a case that has been built through 14 chapters before these, so maybe it is not as amazing to everyone else, but I am in awe of my God that
#1) He would make these prophecies available to everyone...if He was wrong even one time, it would be found and publicized, making any error widely known. I pretty big risk, in human terms.
#2) He made these prophecies available to make it crystal clear to those earnestly seeking the truth that the Messiah has come!
#3) As painful as it must have been for Him, He allowed His son to fulfill these prophecies (and many, many others), even though they were isolating, even terribly, terribly painful.
Honestly, attendance at the Bible study has dropped off since we began discussing this book, and I am fairly sure it is because it is somewhat dry, and while the facts contained within are amazing, it is difficult to carry a conversation about them. (I am really missing the leader guide in the back of most of the books we have done with pre-prepared, leading questions!). This is not a great book for a small group study, but I think it is a must-read.
The chapters we were to discuss this week were especially interesting, I thought, and I wanted to share some of what I learned. This list below of prophecies fulfilled by the life and death of Jesus is certainly not exhaustive, these are just a few of those mentioned in the book.
Jesus was born exactly where the God said he would be born, and to whom He would be born. In Micah 5:2we are told that Bethlehem Ephrathah would produce the Messiah. Randomly fulfilling just this one prophecy has odds of about 1 in 100,000,000 based on the population of the world at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Jesus’ ancestry was prophesied in:
Genesis 22:17-18 (would descend from Abraham) and the fulfillment was explained in Galatians 3:16
Genesis 21:12 (would descend from Isaac) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,34
Numbers 24:17 (would descend from Jacob) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,34
Genesis 49:10 (would descend from Judah) and fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,33
Isaiah 11:1-2(would descend from Jesse) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,32
Jeremiah 23:5 (would descend from David) and the fulfillment was explained in Luke 3:23,31)
The odds of randomly fulfilling all of the above prophecies is about 1 in 1.3824 trillion!
Amazing to me was the prophecy of “passing the scepter”. In Genesis 49:10, it says “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”
“This was a promise to the Jews that they would retain control of their laws until the Messiah arrived. However, when the Romans usurped the Law of Moses by forbidding them to carry out the ultimate sentence for blasphemy (death by stoning), it was regarded as the passing of the scepter.”So, the Messiah had to be born before the scepter was passed according to this verse, and the death of the Messiah had to happen after the passing of the scepter, since the Messiah was prophesied to be pierced, not stoned. The Jews would have used stoning for blasphemy, instead Jesus was crucified. This limits the lifespan of the Messiah to a very short time period.
“Jesus fulfilled these 2 criteria by being born sometime from 7 B.C. to 2 B.C. (Scholars dispute the date, although the most commonly accepted date if 4 B.C.). Furthermore, Jesus was crucified sometime around A.D. 32, fulfilling the second criterion.”Amazing!
Also, it was prophesied that Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, which would be thrown on the Temple floor, and would be given to a potter
Zechariah 11:11-13
Matthew 26:14-16
Matthew 27:5
Matthew 27:6-10
I mean, this almost sounds to me as if God is saying, “just so you aren’t confused…just so you know exactly who I am sending to you…”
And finally, In Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 53:5 and Zechariah 12:10-11, it was prophesied that the Messiah would be “pierced”. What I found amazing is that the Romans did not even invent crucifixion until around 400 B.C. – hundreds of years after these prophecies were written. And of course Jesus fulfilled these prophecies because he was pierced – crucified.
Of course this is a case that has been built through 14 chapters before these, so maybe it is not as amazing to everyone else, but I am in awe of my God that
#1) He would make these prophecies available to everyone...if He was wrong even one time, it would be found and publicized, making any error widely known. I pretty big risk, in human terms.
#2) He made these prophecies available to make it crystal clear to those earnestly seeking the truth that the Messiah has come!
#3) As painful as it must have been for Him, He allowed His son to fulfill these prophecies (and many, many others), even though they were isolating, even terribly, terribly painful.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Funny faces
Of course when the camera comes out, so do the funny faces. Kathryn could not hold the face long enough for the digital camera to get it, which she thought was hilarious!
VBS
Last week from Sunday evening through Thursday evening, we had Vacation Bible School at our church. Jason did not volunteer this year, since it is really hard for him to get off work, drive home, and get back to church each night for a week. We started with dinner each night at 5:45 and then VBS started at 6:15. It was at one of these meals that Julian lost his teeth - just a minute or two before his class was leaving to go to the opening assembly.
This was Julian's favorite tattoo, which he asked me to take a picture of so he would always remember Game Day Central (our theme for this year).
I did crafts again this year, which I have found I actually really enjoy doing. We were planning for about 60 kids this year, and ended up having over 100! This is a wonderful problem to have, but nonetheless, we had to do some last minute running around to make sure everyone had something to do. We also did a T shirt (painting). It was chaotic, and I decided at the end of the night that we would definitely not be doing another T-shirt next year, although now that there has been some space between then and now, I might think about it for next year because the kids LOVED it. Julian has asked me each day to wear the shirt he painted, and I know most of the other kids probably feel the same way.
We had "commencement" on Friday evening. I am always moved to see children so excited to share what they have learned about Jesus. They were shouting at the top of their lungs: "Run, run, run the race! Keep, keep, keep the pace! Run the race, Keep the pace, keep your eyes on JESUS!" It brought tears to my eyes, and must have made God even happier to see these babes shouting praises to Him!
Friday, July 20, 2007
"An Unforgiving Spirit"
This is a daily devotional from In Touch Ministries. I am always thankful when I am reminded that forgiveness does not mean we agree with the person that wronged us or that we think they were "right", just that we choose not to hold any ill will towards them. I don't see any rules about not sharing this in its entirety, so...
Mankind is naturally inclined to sin. Because of this, we're surrounded by opportunities to forgive others. Perhaps we've been unfairly criticized, disappointed by a broken promise, or harmed financially or physically. Whatever the case, the list of wrongdoing in this broken world can be very long.
Peter wondered how often we must pardon a wrong. He asked Jesus if we should forgive "up to seven times." In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus replied, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to 70 times seven." In other words, every single time.
Forgiveness doesn't mean finding reasons to justify someone's wrong behavior. It's not about forgetting what happened or pretending it never occurred. That would amount to suppressing the pain and covering up the issue instead of working through it.
Genuine forgiveness requires deliberate action on our part. We acknowledge a wrong has been committed, but we also choose to release the offender from any obligation toward us. In essence, we say, "I will no longer hold this person's unfair behavior against him." We're extending mercy, just as God did toward us.
We may think we're punishing the wrongdoer. But we're the ones hurt worst by our unforgiving attitude. Resentment is like sludge. It clogs the mind and heart. Untreated anger turns into bitterness. This hinders our relationships and keeps us from experiencing the Father's love.
An unforgiving spirit is like poison in the soul. The only remedy is to forgive.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Neck Pain Update
Jason has gone to 2 therapy sessions now, and reports that they aren't too bad. He will continue 2 times a week for the next 2 weeks and then a follow up with the Dr. again to see what the next step is.
He had another killer headache on Thursday that brought him home from work early and sent him to bed at about 6:30 after eating dinner, which was actually better than the one last week that put him in bed Friday evening and kept him there most of Saturday as well.
Please keep praying for a speedy recovery in his neck - there is one muscle that seems to be causing all or at least most of his trouble, and that is the muscle they are targeting in physical therapy.
He had another killer headache on Thursday that brought him home from work early and sent him to bed at about 6:30 after eating dinner, which was actually better than the one last week that put him in bed Friday evening and kept him there most of Saturday as well.
Please keep praying for a speedy recovery in his neck - there is one muscle that seems to be causing all or at least most of his trouble, and that is the muscle they are targeting in physical therapy.
Growing up
During VBS dinner tonight, my baby lost 2 teeth...The funny thing is, these are not the 2 teeth we hoped he would lose! His two top front teeth have been loose for almost a year. We are going to the beach next week, and I told him that those 2 teeth are not coming with us...I guess the wrong teeth heard me.
Discovery
After 7 years of peaceful cohabitation with the wildlife near our home, it has happened. I dreaded it, and refused to listen to Jason when he teased and said there were definitely snakes close by (lots of woods, brushy areas, etc.). My "If I don't see it, it doesn't exist" mind set has been proven faulty.
While Julian and Kathryn played with their new friend (our neighbor from next door, Jada), Jason and I pulled weeds from the embankment in the back yard. Crab grass really takes off when it rains! Jason was smoothing out the mulch where a footprint had been made, and he found it - a baby snake!
Now, putting aside irrational fears of all snakes, spiders and jumping bugs (kind of), I have a real fear here...if there is ONE baby, there are likely MORE babies, and even worse, there is likely a MAMA snake somewhere near, which my wonderfully supportive husband was quick to inform me could be as wide as my wrist and 3 feet long!
On the bright side, although we couldn't determine what kind of snake it was, it was fairly clear it was NOT a poisonous snake, and actually could be a king snake (which praise the Lord actually EATS other snakes!). Also, Julian and Jada loved it and actually made a game of running from the snake for almost 15 minutes. Julian was even brave enough to reach out and touch it.
I really don't want to know what kind of snake it was. What I want it to go back to my previous understanding with all things natural in the vicinity of my home, which I fear is a thing of the past...
While Julian and Kathryn played with their new friend (our neighbor from next door, Jada), Jason and I pulled weeds from the embankment in the back yard. Crab grass really takes off when it rains! Jason was smoothing out the mulch where a footprint had been made, and he found it - a baby snake!
Now, putting aside irrational fears of all snakes, spiders and jumping bugs (kind of), I have a real fear here...if there is ONE baby, there are likely MORE babies, and even worse, there is likely a MAMA snake somewhere near, which my wonderfully supportive husband was quick to inform me could be as wide as my wrist and 3 feet long!
On the bright side, although we couldn't determine what kind of snake it was, it was fairly clear it was NOT a poisonous snake, and actually could be a king snake (which praise the Lord actually EATS other snakes!). Also, Julian and Jada loved it and actually made a game of running from the snake for almost 15 minutes. Julian was even brave enough to reach out and touch it.
I really don't want to know what kind of snake it was. What I want it to go back to my previous understanding with all things natural in the vicinity of my home, which I fear is a thing of the past...
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