visitors!

What a fun visit we had with the Wamplers on Saturday.  It was a good feeling to know that we are close enough to visit for the day :) They did a lot of driving but we really appreciated it!  It was Micah's birthday so we celebrated that too.

Some of the boys may or may not have welts, bruises, or other injuries due to an intense game of airsoft. ;)

what do i know of holy?

I have been busy.  My mind, my body, my heart...  busy, busy, busy.
Stretched thin and pulled in all different directions.

Yesterday morning I began reading Ezekiel- it's where I am in my Bible reading plan.  Ezekiel 1 has long fascinated me as I would try to visualize Ezekiel's vision.  I found THIS - an animated reading of the chapter. I understand it is someone's perception of what is being described here but it really got my attention.

I woke up from a bit of a disturbing dream early this morning.  As I was lying in my bed deciding if I should get up or not, a song kept going over and over in my head.  It was What do I Know of Holy by Addison Road.  I decided to get up.  After making my coffee and grabbing my Bible I looked up the song and listened to it.  I wondered about the story behind the song and looked that up too.  The writer had listened to a sermon on Isaiah 6 and was reminded that when Isaiah saw the glory of God he said "Woe is me for I am undone!"  She pointed out that the big problem in our culture today is that we are not "undone" enough. We don't understand God's holiness and His requirement of holiness for us.

The day before I began reading that book of the Bible, I had witnessed quite a few examples of  desensitization to sin.  In Christians.  I was frustrated and overwhelmed at the idea of trying to raise godly children in such a sinful culture where there is no clear line between right and wrong. Movies that "only take God's name in vain once", bathing suits that are for some reason acceptable to wear because "everyone else does", websites we go on because they are "mostly good" or "useful".   I think sometimes I have been guilty of fearing the dreaded word legalism.  I don't want to be "legalistic" so I allow this or I allow that.  After all, what about the freedom we have in Christ?  When I looked up the word desensitize I found this definition: to extinguish an emotional response (as of fear, anxiety, or guilt) to stimuli that formerly induced it  

I think I am guilty. Maybe not in some ways.  We have purposely not exposed ourselves or our family to a lot of things that could easily cause desensitization over time, but we are not living in a bubble either.  Sometimes being desensitized is important.  Cameron's EMT book is incredibly graphic.  Brianna's nursing classes are the same way.  In order to be a good nurse or EMT you need to be desensitized in some ways or you would not be able to keep a clear head and get the job done.  But on the flip side, being desensitized can cause you to not have a clear head and get the wrong job done.

We DO have a job to do.  In the commentary by Spiros Zodhiates in my Bible I read this: From Ezekiel we get a picture of a holy, transcendent God whose name and glory must be protected.

Our job is to protect God's name and His glory. In all we say and all we do we should strive for that.

Am I protecting God's name if I allow myself or my children to watch (and laugh over) a movie- even if it is animated- that takes my God's name in vain?  Am I protecting God's glory when I view my circumstances from my own perspective? ( I mean every.single.circumstance.  The circumstance of the moment that involves my reaction to someone else when I preceive they have sinned against me, or how I respond to a child when they are demanding, or how I respond to my fear that we won't find a place to live....)

Does God change? No.  Is He the same now as He was in Ezekiel's day?  Yes.  He is.  His standard of holiness has not changed- only mine has.  I am pretty sure I will be held accountable for that.

One day we ALL will become "undone".  We can't fathom the holiness or greatness of God right now.  But we can try.  We can let Him give us a glimpse like He did for Ezekiel.  I'm sure it will apprear different, but why not be looking?  I think He is waiting.  Waiting to give us a glimpse so we can get to know Him better and bring glory to Him and to His name in the process.

goodbyes

The worst part about having Brianna come for a visit is having to say goodbye.  It's never easy!

Leah adores Brianna and is very possessive of time with her.

fun

So we do a lot of laughing.... :)

practice

Cameron is about 2/5 of the way done with the EMT course he is taking.  It's a rigorous course of study and he is enjoying it a lot.  He had an evaluation tonight and he used Leah to practice some things on. He shuffled the index cards he had which had syptoms written on them.  He had to flip them over and know just how to respond in each situation.  Leah loved it! (Her eyes are super sensitive and since she was facing a sunny window she asked for sun glasses!)

joy

It was SO good to have Brianna home for a week.  One short week.  I so enjoyed every minute with her home!  Nothing better than all my kiddos at home.  

AWANA games

Caleb and Andrew have been practicing for weeks for AWANA games.  The big day finally came and we drove an hour and a half to the competition.  We actually left our house at 9:15 so we could pick up kids from the hotel and we didn't get home until 6:00!

Our church took first and third place and we are so proud of them for their hard work, effort, and good sportsmanship.

Poor Micah. It was a very long day!

all my chicks and Chick-fil-A

 There is nothing that makes me happier than  having all my chicks in my nest!  So having Brianna home for spring break has made me one happy mama!

And what better way to celebrate than with Chick-fil-A?  A member of our board so happens to be the owner of the new Chick-fil-A here in MA and we well, just want to be supportive ;)