Category Archives: Sacred Mundane

I’m probably exposing my amateur status right now, but that’s ok because the truth is:

I’m not a professional anything.

I’m an amateur, a newbie, a beginner blogger-writer-author who bleeds ink and plans posts in my sleep and–it’s no secret–dreams of using writing to display His glory and encourage women to live the Sacred Mundane.

I want women to move beyond a defeated daily escapism-existence and move into a glorious fulfilling sacred mundane that drips with the Spirit and displays the daily glory for everyone to see.

So … yesterday I got the (my) book proposal and sample chapters back from the editor. Next step: The literary agency will seek a publisher.

Might I humbly ask you to join with me and pray? 

With all my heart I believe this message comes from the heart of God and is what so many of us need every day.  So it would be extravagant grace if you’d join me in asking Him for just the right publisher at just the right time. And that just the right words would find their way to the page. For His glory.

I would also ask that if this site has blessed you in any way that you share it with your friends? I don’t track numbers or run analytics and I’m not here to be homecoming queen, but the facts are that publishers look at an author’s site to see if she’s worth their time.

Would you, dear readers, be on my team?  Would you pray that I’m not prideful, that I don’t cower in fear, that I rest in who I am in Christ and trust Him at every turn? (And pray that I don’t crumble in tears every single time a rejection letter comes?)

A thousand thanks. And if you’re pursuing a dream you believe is from the heart of God, would you let me know how I can pray for you? It really is a joy to dream together. {Thank you for praying and for reading.}

So the more I got to thinking this week the more I thought it’s just not fair that I do all the writing and you do all the reading *smile* … So can we make this week’s list of thanks together? And, I’ll admit, the week was full and it’s late and I’m pooped. Can your gratitude help fill up my own? I’ll start us off, then will you please list 3 of your own grateful items (or more if you want!) in the comment space? We can make a mighty list if we all contribute. It’d be fun to see. Thanks for helping me sing songs of praise this week, it’s a gift to do it together. Thanks.

• Steaming cups of Trader Joe’s spiced cider. It might be my favorite part of fall! {PS Anyone have a great spiced cider recipe? I’d love it!}
• Hello Somebody athletic gray hoodies — benefits Africa New Life children and these things are so stinkin’ cute. Jeff and I bought them for each other for Christmas. Surprise!
• Kids so tired they fell asleep with graham cracker in hand.
• … And yours?

At a recent women’s conference we looked at this, and I was floored. Talk about two contrasting lists!  Check out how God relates to the proud, and to the humble:

• His wrath is on the proud (2 Chron. 32:25)
• He pays back revenge on the proud (Ps 31:23)
• He will not tolerate the proud (Ps 101:5)
• He mocks the proud (Prov 3:34)
• He tears down the house of the proud (Prov 15:25)
• He detests the proud (Prov 16:5)
• He punishes the proud (Prov 16:5)
• He humbles the proud (Is. 2:12)
• He throws the proud to the earth (Ez. 28:17)
• He scatters the proud (Luke 1:51)
• He opposes the proud (James 4:6)

• He saves the humble (2 Sam. 22:28 & Ps. 18:27)
• He keeps back disaster from the humble (2 Kings 22:19)
• He forgives and heals the humble (2 Chron. 7:14)
• He holds back destruction and delivers the humble (2 Chron. 12:7)
• He turns His anger away from the humble (2 Chron. 12:12)
• He hears the humble (2 Chron. 34:27)
• He guides the humble in what is right (Ps. 25:9)
• He teaches  the humble His way (Ps. 25:9)
• He sustains the humble (Ps. 147:6)
• He crowns the humble with victory (Ps. 149:4)
• He shows favor to the humble (Prov. 3:34)
• He allows the humble to rejoice (Is. 29:19)
• He looks on the humble with favor (Is. 66:2)
• He gives rest to the humble (Matt 11:29)
• He exalts and lifts up the humble (Matt 23:12, etc.)
• He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6)
• He shows favor to the humble (1 Peter 5:5)

• Making it through the busy season!  Today marks the completion, and with faces upturned we say thanks!
• Four little cousins four and under.
• Many chances to train.
• Holding my girl Jennika, sweet as a strawberry.
• Splashing in the pool.
• Watching high tide.
• Sliding down the dunes to the Peter Iredale shipwreck.
• Four seals slipping through the waves.
• Splashing in the freezing surf, little ones laughing, delirious joy, oblivious to the cold. Such a picture of the joy-filled life. 
• Exploring the Battery Russell … remembering my last visit there, more than 20 years ago. Kids running, wide-eyed, peering in dark, concrete cave-like rooms.
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
• Crisp Fuji apples.
• Sticky fingers
• Sand in the car, in the rolled-up cuffs of jeans, between the toes.
• Getting dry.
• All sleeping in one room.
• My girl asleep, right here, by my side.
• Being the milkshake they all love to drink.
• Finally, my on-vacation treat: A historical novel. Thank you, Janae!
• Climbing inside, Dominican Republic 1960.
• Afternoons quiet.
• Driving back to teach Bible study, early morning drive along 101. The fog low over the water, the sky cloudless and blue, the sun coming up over the coastrange mountains, blanketed by the fog so thick I could stare straight at the sun. Perfect round, glowing. Sometimes our life’s fog is grace too, yes? So we can actually see His light more clear.
• All around the table.
• Dolce de leche in the coffee.
• Her face when she’s asleep. So perfect.
• Damp curls.
• Swimming with my boy. Holding his torso–trim and muscular. When did he leave toddlerhood behind?
• My nephew Korban, walking to his own beat at all times.
• Kids so brave.
• Making sense.
• Puzzles.
• Tillamook fields.
• Fort Clatsop. Perfect play place.
• Hike down to the water’s edge.
• Four tired cousins all carried back to the car. 
• Three pairs of little stinky feet in the backseat.
• Piling in to one car.
• Nehalem Bay stretched out.
• Staying up half the night finishing In the Time of the Butterflies. My only chance to read a novel and I had to see it through!
• Lindt white chocolate.
• Coming home.
• Crackle of the fire.
• House warming up.
• Kids happy in bath.
• Feeling empty, struggling a bit. Long drive provides perfect time for good talk with my man on the way home.
• Coast range.
• Leftovers.
• Popcorn with butter.
• Evaluating.
• Too tired to care much.
• Slipping into sleep.
• Knowing He’s greater, stronger, risen. LORD.

Oh friends, it feels so good to land. 

This last weekend I flew over to Bend for a women’s conference, and while it was wonderful to be there, and fun to fly over the beautiful cascade mountains, there’s just such a wonderful feeling about landing. Especially for a “J” like me, I like when things are settled, stable, at least for a bit.

This past year has been a flight of sorts, a bit of a free-fall with our house on the market and a serious re-positioning and re-considering of our finances, giving, and general life-priorities. I posted here, about our huge “aha!” moment of realizing that we could do so much good with money we were spending on our huge mortgage. So, we made a leap of faith and began giving 41%, living on just 18% of our income for awhile.

We made it a few months. While it’s true that we can’t “outgive God” it’s also true that at this point we just couldn’t make it on that small amount. Well, we could do it, but we wouldn’t be able to eat or drive.  (Small things.) So, it’s been a year-long process of “landing,” that is figuring out what God would have us give and live on in this season of our life, still dreaming of giving more, but being reasonable about our current situation.  I share all this because I’d like to just be honest through the process, perhaps it can be helpful, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring. I also wanted to make sure we weren’t mis-leading anyone by having you think we still gave 41% … so in the name of encouragement, honesty, and integrity:

Here’s where we’ve landed. 

Our dream would be to give half our income away. Not because we’d somehow be more spiritual but because I would just love to be able to DO that much with the money God’s given us. However, it’s just not realistic right now. So, baby steps.

Last year we were teaching Dutch about money: earning, saving, and giving. He earned $4 and we laid each of the four dollar bills out in front of him. As we interacted with him, we together decided that he would give $1, save $1, and use $2. He then used his $2 to buy a toy for Heidi and a toy for himself (since part of the money we use goes to providing for our family, not just ourselves.)  Jeff and I both were struck by the simplicity, and thought that for now we’d adopt the general rule for our family budget as well:

• Give 25%
• Save 25%
• Live on 50%

Using this as a model, we would get used to living on 50% and then (Lord willing) if we are someday able to own a house outright, we could reduce the “save” portion and increase the “give” portion.  Who knows what the future holds, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

• 58% goes to our church home.
• 18% goes to Un-reached people groups.
• 13% goes to missionaries in developing nations.
• 11% goes to child sponsorship.

• My two pirates. After spending the night with my parents they were delivered back to me fully clad in pirate costumes. Hats, patches and hooks. Yes, that’s a skull and crossbones on those hats. Oh dear.
• CS Lewis.
• Late night studying, God providing the perfect quote and truth to teach. Oh He is so gracious to us!
• Flying to Bend. What a luxury!
• Momma-in-law who picks me up, takes me out, lets me in. 
• Being taken care of.
• Auto-brew timer on the coffee pot.
• Post-it notes.
• Fridge full.
• Forty lbs. of organic Fujis.
• Quiet.
• Soft lamp-light.
• Scent of rosemary and basil laundry.
• Homemade laundry soap.
• Glimpses of household beauty.
• More boxes unpacked.
• More books put away.
• Feeling more at home.
• Dutch’s smile.
• His dancing eyes.
• His puppy breath.
• His adoring gaze: “Mommy, I love you so much.”
• Heidi’s sweaty curls after nap.
• The smell of their beds.
• The sound of their play.
• The way they light up when I look in their eyes.
• How Heidi repents: with sobs.
• Seeing her sensitive spirit.
• Recognizing me in her.
• Recognizing Jeff in Dutch.
• Never wanting to leave.
• Neighbor knocking on the door with squash in hand and a friendly face.
• Feeling welcome.
• Only four other houses on the entire lane!
• Thirsty for grace.
• Desperate for Him.
• Grateful for WCC family.
• Opportunities to serve.
• Chances to give.
• Many things to write!
• Being stretched.
• Dutch reading.
• Heidi pretending.
• All of us growing.
• Tired kids falling easy to sleep.
• Candles.
• Ghiradelli brownie leftover from Community Group. 
• Hobo dinner.
• Hot bath.
• Clean jammies.
• Tired eyes.
• Fresh laundry.
• Brushed teeth.
• Soft pillow.
• Heavy quilt.
• Aching feet.
• Sleep.
• Knowing He never does … (Psalm 121:4)

For those of you following along in our Galatians study, here are thoughts from Chapter 2 {Or listen to audio here}. Feel free to catch up by checking out thoughts on Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solo Christo {intro}, The Free & Freeing Gospel {Gal 1:1-12}, and When I Was Going the Other Direction {Gal 1:13-24}.

So, to review and recap: Paul has on his warpaint, he is taking issue with the Judaizers who have put a drop of cyanide in the pure water of the gospel, and thus swayed the minds of the Galatians away from the true gospel. Paul has shared his testimony with us and let us see that the gospel he preached was not from man or told to him by man, but given directly from Jesus Christ to Paul by revelation. Right?

Now, Paul continues his narrative story a bit to make a further point, and then goes on to share a pretty dicey story about some head-to-head apostle combat. He then finishes by giving a summary, clarifying exactly what it is that he is defending. What doctrine is at stake, that is so important that he has gone to all this trouble and explanation to make sure it is not tainted. We have a whole chapter to cover, and I tend to talk fast so it’s a good fit, so let’s lace up our running shoes and hit the ground running, ok?

v. 1 So Paul has been preaching the gospel for 14 years, and he only then heads up to Jerusalem to check with the primary church leaders about the purity and validity of the gospel he’s preaching. NOT because he’s uncertain about it, but because he is certain about it. He’s checking because HE knows that his gospel is the true gospel and he wants there to be NO mistaking this truth.  He also took Titus with him, which is significant in a moment.

v. 2 Paul notes that he went up “in response to a Revelation.” Again, his constant emphasis is that he reacts, responds according to revelation by God not the pressures of man. He doesn’t go up because he’s heard rumors or someone told him he should. God told him he should. Paul maintained a consistent fear of God, not fear of man. That becomes important down the road as we read. Make sure I’m not running in vain. “If I’m preaching this true gospel, but ya’ll are preaching something else, I want to make sure I’m not doing all this work for nothing.”

v. 3 Now, his first point is that even Titus was not circumcised, who was a Gentile or Greek (these words can be used interchangeably because the word “Greek” was loosely used to describe those actually from Greece or those who spoke Greek which was the common language of the day. Prior to the Roman Empire (which is when this was written) Alexander the Great had established the Greek empire and so the language of trade was Greek, and the Bible was written in Greek. So Roman citizens were citizens of Rome but Greek can be a general term in the Bible interchanged with Gentile. It simply means non-Jew. Titus, a non-Jew wasn’t circumcised.

Taking Titus with Paul was a bold and strategic act. One commentator said it was a “master stroke of genius” to take Titus wit him. Titus was the test case. It’s always easy to accept something in theory, right? But what about when it intersects with our real life?

Vs. 4 No why would he have even been pressured to be circumcised? Vs. 4 tells us the pressure came from “false believers who had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.” The pressure to become slaves. Legalism is always slavery. What did these legalists come to spy out? FREEDOM. The true gospel is characterized by freedom. We learned that our first week: The true gospel is free and it’s freeing. It is characterized by freedom. If our lives are not characterized by an increasing measure of freedom, then we are somehow being yoked into something other than the true gospel.

2 Corinthians 3:17 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

 John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

 Romans 6:18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

 V. 5 So Paul stood fast in freedom and even Titus wasn’t circumcised, so that (you looked at this in your homework) “the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” Everything Paul did he did for the same of this truth. The truth of the gospel. The true gospel. Titus proved that even in real life, in real time, Paul lived out the true gospel. Everything that he did he did so that he could connect as many people as possible with the true gospel. And that’s what we’re going to look at today: 5 things we see about the true gospel.

v. 6 Now Paul begins a bit of a tirade, or at least a bit of an emotional rambling that can be a bit tricky to read, yes? One commentator says, “It’s virtually impossible to translate this passage clearly because “Paul became so emotional while defending the heart of the gospel and was so afraid that his beloved flocks would be corrupted by Judaistic heresy that he used complex grammar and failed to complete his sentences.”

“Those who seemed influential” v. 2, v. 6, seemed to be pillars: v. 9. Paul isn’t tearing them down, he’s just refusing to put them on religious pedestals. Paul was not being boastful just truthful. He acknowledged that he was the foremost of sinners (1 Tim 1:15), and the least of the apostles (1 Cor. 15:9) but “By the grace of God I am what I am” that because of God’s grace he was equal to all other believes and his calling was equal to all the other apostles. (2 Corin. 11:5) – was not inferior. Paul accepts their “office” of apostles, and gives them the respect they are due, but he is not overawed by their person as it was being inflated by the Judaizers.

The gist of verse 6 is that those who seemed like the religious giants, the religious superstars if you will, they added nothing to his gospel and they added nothing to his person. Again, Paul emphasizes– , my apostleship didn’t come from man (1:1), my gospel didn’t come from man (1:12), my status or confidence doesn’t come from man (2:6). All that I have and am comes from God.

Paul did not conceive his gospel he received his gospel. Even though Paul received His gospel from heaven, this story proves that it lines up perfectly with the gospel preached by the other apostles, by the disciples who walked with Jesus. This is key because it both Proves His GOSPEL and His APOSTLESHIP. Both were at stake and both were intertwined. Both were under attack and in this one story he gets vindication for both. The Judaizers knew that if they could throw Paul’s apostleship into question then they could throw his gospel of grace into question. Critical issue.

V.7-9 But the result of this visit is glorious: The super-apostles, the “pillars” confirmed Paul’s message and confirmed that the same spirit that worked through Peter also worked through Paul. The SAME spirit worked through each of them with the SAME gospel message for different audiences. And this whole encounter proved this: Our first point about the true gospel.

1. The true gospel isn’t Peter’s or Paul’s (or anyone else’s) … it’s God’s.

All of these pillars of the early church were in absolute agreement because the gospel wasn’t theirs it was God’s. The “right hand of fellowship” means they were in perfect doctrinal and personal harmony. Paul’s person and message are vindicated.

Interestingly enough, Paul remains under attack even today. Many so-called Christians today want the message of Jesus without the message of Paul. Reading the Bible like a fish: Eat the whole thing and spit out the bones. But Peter very clearly ranked Paul’s letters with “the rest of Scripture.” 2 Peter 3:15-16. (Jesus vs. Paul article in Christianity Today)

Peter, Jesus, Paul, James: All the biblical writers confirm that SAME gospel with different emphases. The gospel is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter, Paul, and James preached Jesus, and Jesus preached Jesus. One thing that’s interesting is that nowadays a common argument is that Jesus preached a gospel that included concern for the poor but Paul preached a gospel that only included justification by faith. Our very next verses addresses this:

v. 10 The one thing Peter, James and John wanted to be sure Paul continued in was that he remember the poor, which Paul was eager to do. Our second point:

2. The true gospel gives us a heart for the poor.

Just as the true gospel is characterized by freedom, the true gospel is characterized by a heart for the poor. HEART. Not “obligation” to the poor. Not “guilty feelings about the poor.” A HEART for the poor. A LOVE for the poor. 1 John 3:17 – “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” Concern for the poor is not a requirement of the gospel it is the fruit of the gospel.This is the fruit of true faith.

(James 2:15-16. Ex. 23:10-11, Lev. 19:10, Deut. 15:7-11, Jer. 22:16, Amos 2:6-7, Luke 6:36, 38, 2 Cor. 8-9.) God has a special love and concern for the poor, the widow, the downtrodden, the broken. When the true gospel truly changes us we will have a special love for those same people. When we understand the gospel, what we’ve been freely given, we will freely give. God’s grace makes us just. Just as Peter urges Paul, remember the poor, God would urge us today, remember the poor. Do whatever it takes to remember them. Pictures on the fridge or prayer for them or going to where they are – remember them. We’ve been givein so much.

v. 11-14 So now we enter a new story. Now we’re in Antioch, and Paul relates a further story where poor Peter, Peter who is the pillar of the early church, Peter who is also so prone to cowardice, Peter, a Jew was living out the gospel authentically, living out what they preached by eating with the Gentiles, but when other Jewish men came from James, (that is other religious big wigs) he began just eating with the Jews. Because Peter was so influential, eventually others were caught up in this same behavior, including even Barnabas, right? So Paul, true defender of the true gospel, gets on his warpaint. He takes issue with this and confronts Peter in front of everyone, pointing out Peter’s hypocrisy that tarnished the pure message of the gospel.

Peter should have known better than any apostle that God has declared all foods and people clean. Through a miraculous vision in Act 10, God revealed this truth to Peter and Peter then affirmed (Acts 10:28 “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. … “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality (v.34). The revelation about this specific thing came THROUGH Peter, and yet here he is, the old Peter – weak, fearful, vacillating – coming to the fore again. Why? What would drive Peter to hypocrisy, to compromising the very truth that had been revealed to him by God Himself? What would drive Peter to do this?

v. 12 tells us: Peter was “fearing the part of the circumcision.” Fear. It wasn’t that his beliefs were off, Peter KNEW the truth, it was that he was giving in to pressure – He was, quite frankly, simply falling prey to the fear of man. Even though he knew the freedom of the gospel, his freedom was stolen by his fear. Prov. 29:25 The fear of man is a snare. Peter is acting stupid. The fear of man makes us do stupid things, and even makes us compromise our faith, all because of who we’re trying to impress.

Who are we trying to please? Who are we trying to impress? The fear of man is a snare.

V. 13 Tells us that the “rest of the Jews” and even Barnabas were “carried away”. Everyone followed Peter in this! This is why this is so dangerous. All that we do affects others. Be very careful if you are a natural leader. Passages like this scare me to death – I blog, I write, I teach. And no matter how much we love Jesus and are used by Him to spread the gospel, we are all vulnerable to the fear of man and hypocrisy. 🙂 And it’s worth nothing that this happened to Peter even after Pentecost. Even after the supernatural indwelling by the Holy Spirit. No matter how spirit-filled and powerfully anointed we are by God, we are all susceptible to the fear of man and hypocrisy. We have to be on guard.

V. 14 And Paul opposes him, why? That same phrase again: Because what Peter was doing was not in step “with the truth of the gospel.” Indicates that their steps were crooked. Off kilter – not parallel with the gospel. That’s why we must stand fast in freedom, not veer off to the left or right. It is not enough to BELIEVE the gospel (Peter did) but we must walk in it, APPLY it, live in it, stand fast in it each day of our lives. When we do not, we stray from it.

So Paul when sees this he calls Peter out publicly. This is a WHOA moment. Can you imagine if this happened in church one morning? This is like if Jon Furman stormed up on the stage one morning and rebuked Joel in front of everyone. This is a very public confrontation. Why? Peter had cause a PUBLIC scandal, so Paul had to deal with it PUBLICLY. It wasn’t just that Peter had sinned against Paul, Peter had sinned against the truth of the gospel, against all those who had seen and been carried away in his hypocrisy. Paul knew this, our third point:

3. The true gospel message never changes (though our communication method) may.

And that pure and true gospel message can be tarnished and polluted by our false living just as much as by our false teaching. Just as Paul was opposing the Judaizers who were false teach-ers, he was opposing hypocrites who were false live-ers.

Hypocrisy: an actor wearing a mask. We can do this in two ways. We can put on a mask of Christianity, do all the right things, go through the motions, but not truly be followers of Jesus Christ. Or, we can, like Peter, be true followers of Jesus Christ, and yet fall prey to hypocrisy in situations where being a Christian, or embodying the true gospel message, is awkward or difficult. This is what Peter did and we know how well that went over with Paul. Paul got on his warpaint.

Now it’s possible that someone might read this and think that PAUL is being a hypocrite because in 1 Corinthians 9 he says, “20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 

Here’s the key. The WHY? We’ve said this again and again. Why did Paul do what he did: Vs. 23

23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Cor 9:20-22).

Paul was willing to do anything for the sake of the gospel. Anything except compromising that gospel. As one commentator said, when comparing these two passages: Paul would make considerable concessions in order to accommodate weak Christians, but he would not yield an inch of truth in order to accommodate false Christians.

Would not yield an inch of truth. Truth was what was at stake. The truth of the gospel. And in particular, one central doctrine: Justification by faith. Number 4:

4. The true gospel’s central doctrine is justification by faith.

JUSTIFICATION is the central doctrine to the Christian faith.

What does it mean to be justified? Declared righteous. You probably found in your homework, this is a forensic term, used in the judicial system to describe someone officially declared not guilty. Justification means it’s just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Just-if-ied. This means that Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to you because of faith in Him. You stand up on the dock and testify, just as Joy said a few weeks ago what you will say to God when you stand before Him someday. You stand and testify and say, “I am guilty.” but Christ comes and stands in front of you on the witness stand and his record becomes yours. His perfection becomes yours. This is the greatest deal you will ever find. The great exchange. Your sin for His righteousness. Just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Innocent.

But what Paul’s saying in verses 15-16 is that no one, Jew or Gentile, is justified by the works of the law but only by faith in God. THIS IS NOT NEW. This is not only true in the new testament. This same truth can be found from the beginning of time. Every person, in all of history, who has been born into sin is born with the universal plague of sinful mankind: Guilt. Every person feels guilty and every person tries in some way to alleviate that guilt. Counseling, positive thinking, self-confident, self-indulgent, escape through sex, alcohol, drugs.

The very first people born into this universal plague were Cain and Abel. And interestingly enough, Cain is our very first example works-based righteousness. God had made it clear what sacrifice He desired, (animal) but Cain brought a sacrifice of his own accord, his own idea. (plant) Wrong kind of offering and brought in the wrong spirit. (This is what it’s like when we try to earn our way to God by our own works and not by faith). By rejecting God’s prescribed animal sacrifice, Cain rejected God’s provision of substitutionary salvation which that blood offering pointed. Cain proudly supposed that his offering of disobedience was just as acceptable to God as the one He had prescribed. Arrogant and prideful rather than humble and obedient. Legalism is always arrogant. Abel on the other hand, obediently and humbly offered the blood sacrifice God required, in faith leaped across the centuries and touched the cross. God accepted his offering not because it had any spiritual benefit but because it was presented in faith and obedience. Thus the beginning of the battle between faith-inspired obedience and works-based legalism.

Those same two lines can be followed throughout scripture. Tower of Babel – a mighty work of unbelieving and rebelliousness. Noah – a mighty work of believing and obedience. Isaac & Ishmael… but we’ll get to them in chapter 4. Justification, salvation, has always been by faith. It’s not that in the OT people were saved by works and now we’re saved by faith. It has always been by faith. And we’ll study that more in Chapters 3 and 4.

v. 17-19 Very tough verses. The gist is this:If we are justified in Christ but still find ourselves to be sinners, or among sinners (NIV), does that mean that Christ is a minister of sin? No, if we rebuild what we tore down, reconstructing the law and living under legalism, we are the ones to be blamed, not Christ. Christ justifies us by His grace but we must continue to live to God, that is, let the life of Christ live through us. v. 19. In FACT we have died to the law, in PRACTICE we must continue to die to the law and yield to verse 20: The life of Christ working through us.

v. 20 This isn’t saying that we need to try to crucify ourselves. In fact, it is impossible. If we are in Christ – we have been crucified. It is a fact. Done deal. We live out that by letting the life of Christ work out through us. We were crucified when Christ was crucified, it was His substitutionary death that justified us freely by His grace.

Col 2:14 tells us: having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Ephesians 2:5: made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Romans 6:5. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We are saved by grace through faith and we live by grace through faith. If we place our faith in Christ, we were crucified with him resurrected with Him, and given life each day through Him.

v. 21 The grand summary bring us to point #5.

5. The true gospel hinges solely on the cross of Jesus Christ.

If righteousness came through the law then Christ died needlessly. CRUX of the matter. ANY theology which de-emphasizes the cross of Christ is a deviation of the truth. The end of verse 21 really summarizes why this insidious disease of legalism is so devastating and so abhorrent to God. His greatest act of kindness, grace, love, and mercy, His greatest gift in the history of the world, His son – when we think that we somehow earn our merit before Him by our own efforts, we do nullify the grace of God, we say by our actions that Christ died for nothing! I pray we never, ever are guilty of this.

{Thanks for reading.}

• Heidi learning to latch the gate.
• Just-bathed goodness, fresh clean bodies and wet curls on the pillow.
• Kids running through a field.
• Looking through the windows, watching the wind whip around the tree branches all around. Such a picture of a refuge in a storm.
• Smell of an old barn.

• Apple picking.
• Unpacking, like Christmas. All old toys are new again.
• Rediscovering Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. It was brand new three years ago and now it’s taped together with pages soft with wear.
• First guests.
• Warmth.
• The smell of our house that reminds me going to Grandma’s as a child.
• Guest-bed mattress on the floor makes a terrific bounce house.
• Exploring the furthest pasture I hadn’t been into yet. Discovering the most massive oak tree, with low level limbs, probably a 1/4 acre sheltered all under the umbrella of this tree. I’m aching for a tree fort! Maybe…

• Seeing little kids out running on the adjacent farm. Maybe, friends?
• Heidi, out of the blue, looking up from dinner: “You a nice mommy.” Heart  melting.
• Establishing new boundaries.
• Enforcing new boundaries.
• Again and and again and again.
• Finding childhood albums. Oh God’s grace through the years.
• Thanking God for all the times He said no.
• Learning to say Yes.
• Just the right lightbulb.
• Quiet child chatter before slipping to sleep.
• The Company Store down comforters for the kids from Nana. Oh those things are incredible!
• Tucking in tight.
• Ballet slipper nightlight.
• Leaving the door open.
• Uprising.
• Nagging cough forcing rest. Our bodies are so smart…
• Dark, quiet house.
• The sound of his tires on the gravel drive.
• His steps up the stairs.
• Him home.

• We, both in boots, working hard together.
• Smell of candles.
• Flicker of flame.
• Popcorn.
• Kari Johnson’s pork enchiladas and chocolate pie. Oh my!!
• Chocolate pie and coffee for breakfast.
• Loving now.
• Jon Furman, Chris Nye, and Andrew Martin. Moving-Day Superheroes.
• Sweet Angela Nichols chatting long with the kids.
• How Cliff Reynolds shows up whenever we need it most.
• Friends who clean my kitchen.
• Life without a microwave.
• Jeff and his skil-saw working in the carport. Happy man.
• Juanita’s chips.
• Ezekiel tortillas. Thank you, Debra! Kids going crazy for quesadillas.
• Loud happy play.
• Hanging all my scripture-cards. Like wrapping myself in the quilt of His Word.
• Feeling crummy and having the luxury of taking a nap.
• Fleece throw.
• Organizing.
• Containers.
• Everything in its place.
• Having to leave the downstairs in boxes for Channel 2 on Monday. Perhaps that’s God’s way of making me slow down… 🙂
• Hebrews.
• Wedding pictures. So glad that day happened!
• Dutch & Daddy date to Home Depot.
• Visit from old-neighbors, now just friends.
• Hoping.
• Trusting.
• Resting.
• Leaning back, always, into grace. 

Oh friends, grace! It’s way late Wednesday night. What a full day and this little update is not getting the time it deserves, but please let me share briefly about how wonderful our little ugly-beautiful home really is? In fact, how it’s not ugly at all … it’s perfect.

God knew. (Doesn’t He always?)

Here’s why: {and perhaps you too have reason to reflect on how perfect is the space you occupy at present?}

1. Huge great room with vaulted ceiling. It is living room/dining room/library/office/playroom and it wears every hat perfectly.

2. Kitchen that is way smaller than my other one but holds way more stuff! Not sure how that works but I unpacked every box and still had many empty cabinets.

3. Pretty leaded glass cabinet doors … who knew a kitchen could be a place to display beauty? My favorite are the kitchen cabinets filled with old books.  Who keeps books in their kitchen?? The Pattersons!

4. Long skinny window above the sink that looks out over fields, trees and barn. Catching a glimpse of Jeff and kids heading in from the barn, holding hands and swinging arms. (Picture above is from my kitchen window!)

5. 1,100 square feet (in the main living space) means close quarters. Love it.  Kids snuggle up in their shared room. I can see Dutch’s face on his pillow as I work in the kitchen at night. He watches me as I work, drifts to sleep.

6. Kids can play in bath and I can finish dinner dishes because the kitchen and bathroom are practically connected!

7. The best spot in the house: the view from my side of the bed. If you lie down all you can see are trees and sky in 180 degrees. You can’t tell how amazing it is until you lie down in just the right spot. God’s kiss just for me.

8. Exploring the barn with Dutch. There’s just something so cool about an old barn!

9. Picking a 5 gallon bucket of apples  in 15 minutes from our trees. Kids picked off the ground, mama did the tree. Bucket of tart green goodness just waiting for a piecrust. Mmm…

10. How the kids’ beds and furniture fit perfectly in their room.

11. The “bedroom” that’s not attached to the house, but randomly stuck onto the other side of the carport. Odd yes, but I decided to call it a Writing Cabin and now I’m in love. My own Walden Pond.

12. Lighting. Who knew it made all the difference? It feels warm, soft, inviting. Love the lighting.

13. One tiny bathroom means less to clean.

14. Squirrels everywhere!

15. Neighbor Lois. Talking over the fence.

16. Box of plums from her tree delivered to our door.

17. Living in a treehouse — the windows in every direction look at out trees. Living on the top floor makes it feel like a refuge. A high tower of safety. A haven.

18. Smell of wood fire burning, sound of kindling crackling in the early morning.

19. Using all the old stuff we have and love that didn’t look right in our brand new house.

And…of course there are the funny things. The “adjustment period” that includes:

1. Setting off the smoke alarm every single day. Yes, six days in a row. The electric coil stove is just a little different. I’m learning. {UPDATE at 8:06am Thursday making oatmeal: Make that seven days in a row…}

2. Trying to fit Heidi’s potty, the kid’s step stool, the scale, and the trash basket all on the 3′ square bathroom floor and still be able to open the door and get in the shower. We did it!

3. How my cell phone doesn’t work in the house … although I don’t mind that much…

4. How the doorbell doesn’t work. Sorry Community Group members, we didn’t know you were here!

All in all, I love this house. And I love what God’s doing in our family through it.  And thank you again for your grace. These next two weeks of our life are FULL, of wonderful things but full nonetheless … would you mind slipping up a prayer for us? And if a one-line post is all your feedreader finds from me, enjoy the extra five minutes you’ll have in your day and know there’s more to come. {Thanks for reading.}