Week's end with thanks
- 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.
How it's not ugly at all … it's perfect.
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.}
Week's end with thanks
- Packing and playing, playing and packing. Whenever I unearthed something to pack the kids exclaimed, “There’s my favorite toy! Can I play with it?!” This makes for a fun, if not fast, packing process. (Can you see the famed Buzz Lightyear in the picture?)
- Kids playing Bingo together, on their own.
- The — surprise! — news that we’re moving in less than a week (found that out last weekend). The quick-timing piece was perfect because it made us think outside the box, and pray outside the box. Thank you, Lord!
- Laughing that it turns out our move-day is exactly, to the day, one year from when we put our house on the market. God’s timing is always perfect, amen?
- Signing.
- Visit to our new house, “the farm” where we’ll raise nothing but kids and pray for crops of joy, rest, and peace. Although Dutch is convinced that chickens and cows are in our future. We’ll see…
- Date-night to Ikea with my man. Gotta love the Billy Bookshelves for $49.99.
- The gift of a popcorn popper from our missionary friends! It can’t go to Indonesia so we’re the lucky recipients.
- Popcorn.
- Popcorn.
- Popcorn.
- Sorry… we’re really enjoying this popper! My favorite part is how the kids crowd around, like little hungry sharks, hands digging into the bowl, happy crunching. New favorite snack.
- Twenty pound box of local nectarines, devoured.
- Twenty pound box of local pears, devoured.
- All that food makes kids grow! Yikes, all Dutch’s pants headed to the goodwill. Thankful for the abundant resources we have, that we can buy more.
- A thousand conveniences I take for granted so often.
- Garbage service.
- Hot water for showers, baths, dishes.
- Indian summer breeze blowing through open windows.
- Glass of water by the bed.
- Shampoo that smells so good.
- Combing Heidi’s hair. I’m 5-years-old again with the most beautiful doll in the world.
- Tickles.
- These pictures. How can I not share them with the world?
- Friends who are gracious.
- Doing life together.
- Little buddies.
- Cheering for each other.
- Justification.
- Resting solely on the finished work of Jesus Christ.
- His grace.
- His love.
- His work.
- Receiving.
- So many who generously offered to come help us pack, clean, bring meals, help with kids. Grace upon grace.
- Trusting there’s good purpose in my poor mama’s broken ankle. Thankful for an amazing dad who cares for her so sacrificially.
- Puppy kisses.
- A little midnight intruder snuggling between us in bed. Happy to let him stay.
- Family date night.
- Ice cream mustaches and sticky little fingers.
- Sorting through it to find what is true.
- Holding fast to it.
- Wrestling.
- Submitting.
- Clarity.
- Peace.
Buzz Lightyear shops for a house
With the lessons of Buzz Lightyear impressed on my heart, we continued the house search through the weekend. Our house-related core values were, for the sake of our family and God’s kingdom:
- Near the church (Jeff loves to ride his bike whenever he can and we love being available for people and near the core-community of WCC)
- Property (More and more we found ourselves craving country, space, some room to breathe and run and let the kids dig in the dirt and make a big mess without the Homeowner’s Association putting a notice on our door)
- Special space for guests (We love having guests, and wanted a place they could come, stay, and not feel like they were intruding or displacing us. A real treat would be somewhat private/special quarters in case someone needed to live with us for an extended time.)
- Big open living area for family get togethers, holidays, ministry meetings, showers, gatherings, etc.
Our first find: A rental house (pictured above) that is, shall we say, lacking aesthetic appeal (some might employ the word ugly), but only 1 mile from the church, on a beautiful 2.5 acre farm property, with a separate in-law quarters downstairs for guests, and a big open living room area. It would require the kids to share a room, and of course there was that whole thing about it being, by some standards, ugly, but it was affordable rent and met all of our core values.
I admit, I struggled with the idea of renting. After owning our own homes for eightyears, we were going back into renting again? Isn’t it so much wiser to buy?
Then we found: A foreclosure house going up for auction. We could likely get it for more than $200,000 below the tax-assessed value. GREAT deal! And, it was 4,600 s.f.! Can you imagine? I can’t even fathom a house that big! What a deal! It was also near the church, didn’t have land but it was on a nice wooded lot, and didn’t have separate quarters for guests but with a house that big you could have a whole army stay with you! It was almost 3 times as big as the rental house AND we could own it. Yes, our monthly payment would be way higher than the rent would be … but we’d be getting so much more and we’d own it! Such a good deal!
I lie in bed Friday night and can’t sleep. Houses and numbers and scenarios spin in my mind. My own logic is clear: Go for the deal. Pay the higher price and OWN the great big house — way better deal than renting!
Heidi begins to fuss, cries, asks for water. I roll out of bed and get her sippy cup. As I climb back into bed I bump into Buzz, on the floor, and kick a button with my foot:
“I’m a space ranger!” He announces into the darkness.
Oh yes: Buzz.
Buzz’s questions come back to mind:
What did you ask for?
A house with acreage, near the church, with a special space for guests and a big living room for hospitality.
Which choice costs less?
Renting, by far.
Which will be the simplest to take care of, giving you freedom to live simply and frugally?
The rental house.
The answer opposes my flesh. I want to own. I’ve disdained the rent-fire all my days. But I learned my sacred mundane lesson from Buzz and Craigslist and the still small voice and I know nothing’s stupider than ignoring that voice.
Jeff and I talk. He asks me to fill out the rental application. I follow my man’s lead.
Then I crunch numbers for hours. I research my brains out because that’s how I’m wired, and to my surprise I realize that by renting we can actually save up more towards owning than we would by buying now. And we have more freedom to be generous.
Maybe when the space ranger gig is up Buzz could get a job as a financial planner?
Just kidding. Friends, I don’t know the future. And our primary objective in this life is not to get ahead financially. We may rent for 2 months or twenty years … I don’t know. But I do know that our gracious God has once again done exactly what He’s promised to do:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5
Even through the most sacred mundane places, even through the mouth of Buzz Lightyear. {We move 10/7 & 10/8 — want to help? 🙂 Thanks, as always, for reading.}
Wisdom from Buzz Lightyear
God speaking to us through Buzz Lightyear? I guess if God could speak through a donkey, He can use a toy as well?
For months, like every other little boy in America, Dutch has been fascinated by Buzz Lightyear. Then, a few weeks ago, my parents rented Toy Story 2 (which he’d never seen) and that pushed him over the edge: Could he please get a Buzz Lightyear toy sometime? He waited and waited and finally last week I told him that he had 2 choices: 1) He could wait for his birthday at the end of the year or 2) he could sell something that he already had and use the money to buy Buzz himself. Following in his papa’s footsteps, Dutch decided to wheel and deal and get the toy himself. The train table would go. We took a picture together, posted it on Craigslist together, and had it sold for $50 within a few hours. Now I knew that Buzz Lightyear was $40 new, but I also figured this was a perfect opportunity to teach Dutch about bargain shopping. So we shopped Craiglist. We found two listings: a single Buzz Lightyear toy (what Dutch had specifically asked for) for $5 or a whole LOT of Toy Story toys (which included Buzz Lightyear) for $15. I emailed both to see if they were available.
Both emailed back within the hour and said they were. Now we had a choice. We could get the toy we’d set out for for $5 or we could get lots more stuff for $15.
Of course you know me, right? Get the deal! Get more! 1 item for $5 or 10 items for $15? I quickly reasoned that not only was getting more a way better deal, but that also meant that the kids wouldn’t fight over Buzz. If I got way more toys they wouldn’t have to share Buzz but they could each have several toys — no fighting! This was a good deal.
I began responding to the woman with the lot of toys that we’d love to come get them. But something nagged me. Just a sense, a strange sense: Get the single toy. What? That’s so not the best deal! More nagging, inner dialogue:
What did Dutch ask for?
A single Buzz.
Which choice costs less?
The single Buzz.
Which will be the simplest to take care of and not cause the headache of sorting and storing more toys?
The single Buzz.
But the LOT is a way better great deal!
Isn’t that such an American way to think? The Costco-sized bag of chocolate chips is a way better deal so I have to buy that one! Never mind the fact that the Costco-sized chocolate chips give us Costco-sized thighs.
Anyway…
I didn’t listen to reason, but went ahead and sprung for the “deal” — the lot. We then drove to the meeting spot, and it’s a long story but the whole ordeal took us close to an hour. Then when we finally met the woman she said, “Oh didn’t you get my email back? I told you that I already sold the toys.”
Dutch’s face fell.
I didn’t punch her.
Now I was on the other side of town, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, without email and no way to contact the other woman to see if the single Buzz was still available. By now I’d repented to God (you think I’m silly but I really think the Holy Spirit was prompting that inner dialogue earlier!), and Dutch and I simply decided to pray that if it was God’s will that He would let us get through traffic and provide the toy for Dutch. We prayed.
The right lane opened and my phone rang.
Jeff had saved the day by accessing my email and asking the Buzz lady to call me. And, within twenty minutes we’d met this delightful woman and for just $5 Dutch’s dream toy was in his hands. And, to my amazement, my children shared this toy happily the entire day.
My earlier erroneous reasoning hit me: One of my highest goals for my children is that they learn to share — then why would I spend extra money so that they wouldn’t have to learn this most important habit?
Yes, this is “just” Buzz Lightyear, but isn’t this a tiny picture of life? I want simple, I want uncluttered, I want my kids to share, I want to live frugally so that we have plenty to give away. And yet that temptation is always there to get more, get “the deal.”
Since when is spending $15 a better deal than spending $5?
We have funny logic sometimes, don’t we?
Further, when we have all that more stuff (that was such a good deal!) we have to store the stuff, clean the stuff, sort the stuff, pick up the stuff, and then someday toss out the stuff.
How is that a good deal?
The amazing thing was that after they were so good about sharing the toy that day the very next morning, a neighbor gave Heidi her own Buzz Lightyear toy, for free! What?! We came out of the deal with $45 in our pocket, a special toy for each child, and a lesson in my heart that I will never forget. Thank you, Father.
The fun part is that this lesson came smack dab in the middle of house-decision time. Whether it’s $5 or $500,000 the principles are worth considering. The most important principle being: Listen to that still small voice. God always has our best in mind.
I can’t wait to share how this applies to us. More to come … {And thanks for reading!}
And then He does it all by Himself …
The details of life are the whispers of a Savior.
And we unearth the layers of His language as we live our lives each day. It’s true that the more we read through the Bible the more and more layers we discover. Not like secret meanings, but new personal applications, new “aha!” moments, new revelation as we read it again and again. Just this 13th time through Jeremiah I keep being amazed at the things I never noticed before.
When we rightly read daily life the same is true. When we read our days through the lens of His Word we discover new treasures, new applications and revelations, new nuances and “aha!” moments each and every day. God reveals Himself to us through life. But we must put on our Word-glasses each morning so we can see Him clearly, detect His fingerprints on our day.
I keep thinking back to how God sold our house. The details. He’s in them, and I keep marveling at the layers of His language. Yes, it is true, the fact that it sold on a crazy weekend when I didn’t even clean, spoke volumes to me about living authentically, opening wide my life and letting the world into all my “lovlimess” — the true, real, imperfect person that we often hide away for family only. Perhaps a spotted-mirror life is attractive after all? Perhaps that’s the kind of life the world might like to see from us? Honesty, humility, authenticity.
But the more I reflected on His provision this week, the more I see another facet: That He wants all the work to be His. That He wants to get all the glory. That it’s not about what I can do for Him but always what He does for us.
This great work, a miracle really, that I’d been praying for all year. We’d fasted, considered, discerned (schemed even if I’m honest) — and then He went and did it without our help. *smile*
A great reminder of the part we play.
The part of a child helping Daddy. He does call us to partner with Him, to work at His side, to engage, to labor. Why?
Because He loves being with us. The same way that Jeff lets Dutch & Heidi “help” him work in the garage. They aren’t actually contributing much, probably making the work way harder in fact, but Jeff loves to be with them and loves to teach them along the way.
Our Dada-God does the same. He let us partner with Him this last year in an adventure of faith selling a house. I’m thankful for that and certainly don’t regret a single minute of hard-work that went into it. But sometimes we (I) also need the reminder:
- All the work is God’s.
- He lets us work with Him because He loves to be with us and loves to teach us along the way.
- When we start to think it’s our responsibility to accomplish something He lovingly reminds us He’s got it covered.
- And just in case we might be tempted to touch the glory, He does it all by Himself so there can be no mistaking who deserves the praise.
- God isn’t pleased when we do stuff “for” God, He’s pleased when He can powerfully display His power on our behalf. When we trust Him enough to let Him.
Week's end with thanks
- On a drive through Madras, in the pitch-black night, watching fields burned in the distance. Sky light up in red and smoke. Eerie and beautiful all at once. Death to life. Destruction to beauty.
- W-H-I-R-L-W-I-N-D week. Carried along in God’s grace.
- Sale Pending.
- Unity with my man. Neither of us have any idea what’s next but it’s so fun to be arm-in-arm and enjoying the ride together. Nothing’s as sweet as being on the same page.
- Dutch’s response to house selling — after all year insisting that he didn’t want it to sell. I told him and he lit up, “YAY! That’s so exciting! Can we move tonight?” Hahaha, thank you God for all the little nooks and crannies of your provision.
- New opportunity to write regularly for FrugalLivingNW. So excited to join the wonderful ladies over there! What a gift of grace.
- Ministry.
- Receiving, always receiving.
- Life, the gift.
- WCC buzz about gratitude. Everywhere we turn we hear thanks. This too is grace.
- Wednesday morning prayer ladies. They are always a gift to me.
- That He hears us.
- Again, the details surrounding the house-sale. Not what we do for Him but what He does for us.
- Eagerness.
- Honesty.
- Humility.
- Last minute trip to Bend.
- Gospel of grace.
- Behaving completely opposite of my high-“J” temperament. I think that’s grace!
- Arriving late, 10pm, in Bend, exhausted. Kids nuzzled into mats on Nana’s floor. Jeff and I collapsing happy into bed. Pressing my face into freshest of pillows, blankets, finding myself smiling wide as I drifted off to sleep.
- Black-out blinds + no alarm = sleep in!
- The rare treat of a morning run with my man.
- Spending all morning at Bend’s Pirate-ship Park. NO KIDDING. It was heaven on earth for my little man. Sunshine, 80 degrees. That was heaven on earth for my little man’s mama.
- Clean towels.
- Wood floors underfoot.
- Crepes with dash of sugar sprinkled on top.
- Fresh coffee.
- Food Should Taste Good chips. The reason I don’t have a Costco membership is because I would eat too many of those chips.
- Fridge FULL of fresh tomatoes from many gardens. So excited for that homemade marinara I’ll be making next week!
- Driving by wildflower fields. Photographer in the middle with tri-pod, capturing the wonder.
- Heidi repeating everything Dutch says, all day long. The chirping bird-song echo of our house.
- Bucket of fresh peaches.
- Dutch & I sharing.
- Juice running down chins.
- Finding my husband so handsome.
- Naps for all.
- Time to myself.
- Getting alone with God. Soul expands, breathes, lives.
- Friday run after not exercising all week. Feeling good, strong, making it more than 6 miles! That’s crazy for a wimpy girl like me. And … sore the next day. But the good-kind of pain!
- Such wonderful retreat in Bend — a gift to be removed from the house-situation. Perfect time to rest and play before heading back into the adventure.
- Opportunities.
- Charles Kingley quote from childhood coming to mind. Thank God for work.
- Rhythm.
- Grace & peace.
Week's end with thanks
- Trip to the zoo with friend of 31 years. All of us into our car. Five carseats and five loud happy children. Good times.
- All five children making it happily all the way through the zoo. Success!
- All the animals out! Crazy otters playing, all the lions right up close, turtles pressed up to glass, both giraffes out to play. Thanking God for the kiss for my kids.
- Hearing my husband preach. Love that man.
- Two children perched on two knees. Love those kids.
- Two little hands tucked in mine.
- Friends who just love us so.
- Laid-back bday party at the park. No banners and balloons, just banana muffins and smiles.
- Preparing for Bible study. Every year wondering, “Why did I think this was a good idea?” Then seeing faces, eager hearts and thirsty souls. Love love loving the Word and God and remembering, “Ah yes, this is why.”
- Coming home after, mind mush and blissfully happy.
- Playing Legos all afternoon.
- Homemade salsa with tomatoes just picked.
- First day of jeans after summer’s heat. Love that feeling.
- My favorite kid recipe for “yummy bars”: Every random item I have in the house including 4 overripe bananas, a canister of quick oats and an entire jar of unsalted peanut butter. Mix it all together, bake for 30 minutes and voila! … “yummy bars.”
- Afternoon playing pirates in the yard. Throwing nerf soccer-ball “canonballs” at Dutch in his ship, pelting him over and over and over and him, laughing hysterically and insisting, “Again! Again! Again!”
- Whoops! Mommy pelting Heidi in the face. I really did try not to laugh…
- Hearing Dutch singing along to the worship songs even though he didn’t know the words.
- My boy in a clean white t-shirt and faded jeans. I’m biased but he’s so stinkin’ handsome!
- Mentor Retreat!
- My parents who give up their home and sleep in their motorhome so we can use their house. Those folks of mine are amazing.
- First laundry load in the dryer. I love my clothesline but there’s something about fluffy towels and sheets and pressing my face into everything warm and clean.
- Kneeling in front of the dryer, folding. Good things happen when we get on our knees.
- Kids carrying laundry baskets.
- Pulling down fresh hand-me-downs for the new season. 3T pink sweatshirts and 5T cargo pants. How did these kids get so big?
- Smiling as I survey the holiday outfits we’ve been given. Heidi will need to attend seven Christmas parties … (Just kidding! We’ll give some away!)
- Home church services. Dutch on the bench-stage, playing his guitar and preaching.
- Heidi’s prayers.
- Heidi’s first searching questions as read about the cross: “Mommy, why God haffa die?”
- Grace.
- Veggie Tales outtakes.
- Great New Seasons SALE this week on all our favorite items! The cashier laughed at my 20 blocks of cheese, 10 dozen organic eggs, five bags of organic oats and fourteen cans of organic tomatoes but it was a steal! Fun to remind my kids about God’s amazing provision. Just when we were out of everything He provided steal-deals on our favorite foods. Thank you, Father.
- Family Date Night. Yes, it was just pizza at the Costco food court, but our kids were in seventh heaven!
- Daddy’s day off: Picnic lunch at George Rogers park.
- These seven mentor-girls who bless my life.
- Women’s Ministry team that’s beautifully knit and feels like a comfortable sweater of friends. How blessed are we?!
- YOU. Thanks for dropping tender lines that breathe life again and again.
- Heading out to Riversong.
- Crawling inside books.
- Quilts.
- Down comforters.
- Jeans that fit just right.
- Just-washed hair that swings and shines.
- Anticipation.
- Expectancy.
- Hope.
Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solo Christo
Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solo Christo:
The gospel is salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
{Want to join along in the book of Galatians? There’s always room for another hungry soul!}
The book of Galatians begins with a bit of backstory: The Apostle Paul was not one of the original 12 disciples, but a Jewish Pharisee, or religious person, who persecuted the early Christians, even having them put to death. He was then miraculously saved when Jesus Christ (after his resurrection) appeared to Paul in a blinding light and commissioned him to go preach the gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jews). So he did, and he traveled throughout modern day Greece and Turkey and Italy establishing churches and spreading the gospel to the whole known world.
One of the places he preached the gospel was the region of Galatia, (in Acts 13 & 14 called Pamphylia, Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Antioch. Mentioned as Phrygia & Galatia in Acts 16 & 18), to the Galatians and they believed him. They were new believers, vulnerable, and as a people they were easily tossed to and fro by different ideas and doctrines. One minute they were into this thing and the next minute they were into that. (Sound familiar?)
They were an inconstant people who changed their minds easily. They lackedspiritual discernment and steadfast determination. They lacked deep-seated convictions about divinely revealed truth, a conviction that can be formed only by careful thinking and unwavering faith in the Word of God. They were new converts with sincere desire, eager beavers who were very susceptible to believing what others told them they must do. Steadfastness is an exhortation again and again.
So after Paul had preached the gospel and left, these other religious leaders, called Judaizers came in and began telling these new believers that even though they’d received Christ as their Savior, they still had to abide by all the OT laws and continue the ceremonies and traditions of the Jewish faith.
Judaizers were messianic Jews who considered the Jewish law essential for a believer in Jesus Christ. They were Jews who made a superficial profession of Christ but turned back to Judaism and sought to make Christianity an extension of their traditional system of works righteousness.
Galatians is an argument against identifying primarily with a certain religious tradition and a particular nation. It urges us to be shaped by Christ apart from inherited standards of behavior or national allegiance.
Further, Galatians is a summons to be less attuned to the pressures and pleasures of our social context and more aware of the presence of Christ in our midst.
So, slowly the Galatians began to follow the Judaizers and turned aside from the pure and simple gospel. The gist of the book of Galatians is Paul’s exhorting them to return to the true gospel and stand fast in the freedom of Christ Jesus. To identify more with the gospel of Christ than social, national pressures. It’s a challenging but refreshing opportunity to step back and ask ourselves why we do what we do. Is it an outworking of the gospel of Christ, or a cultural or religious practice to which we’ve been subconsciously tied to without knowing why?
This is a fighting epistle. Paul writes with deep emotion and strong feeling. His heart laid bare. He has on his war paint. This is the Emancipation Proclamation of Christianity. This is Martin Luther’s favorite book, the masthead of the reformation. It’s the strongest declaration of justification by faith in or out of the Scriptures. Sinners are not only saved by grace through faith plus nothing, but the saved sinner lives by grace through faith. Grace is the way to life and the way of life.
Paul does not correct conduct (like Corinthians) but doctrine. Much more severe than the former. Paul has no word of commendation, praise, or thanksgiving. The harshness and severity of this book indicates how very dangerous this subtle corruption is. At first it seems strange that Paul would have words of commendation for the worldly, divisive, immoral and immature Corinthian believers and yet have non for the saints of Galatia. (1 Cor 1:4-7). The difference was that, as bad as the Corinthian situation was, the major problem there did not pertain so much to right doctrine as to right living. In the Galatian churches, on the other hand, the very heart of the gospel was being undermined by false teachers, the gospel of grace was being trampled, and in its place was being offered the gospel of works, which is no gospel at all but a distortion of God’s truth that leads to bondage, not salvation.
He had warned them about false teachers in Acts 20:28-30. There will always be an enemy of the gospel. The world will always hate the cross, because the cross is the END of man’s self-effort, the end of pride, the end of pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps religion. The end of earn your way to salvation. The cross is central to Paul’s gospel and inextricably linked to righteousness by faith. He’ll make the argument that if we are saved according to our works then the cross is superfluous, unnecessary.
Galatians is a book of contrasts: Legalism vs. Love, Religion vs. the Gospel, Works vs. faith, law vs. grace, Flesh works vs. Spirit’s Fruit, World vs. Cross, true gospel vs. another gospel, bondage vs. freedom, Old covenant vs. New covenant.
Love is characterized by cooperation. Legalism is characterized by competition.
Legalism is the most popular substitute for spiritual living that we have in our churches today. Millions of believers think they are “spiritual” because of what they do and don’t do, who they follow and don’t follow. Warren Wiersbe says, “When the Holy Spirit takes over, there will be liberty, not bondage – cooperation, not competition – glory to God, not praise to man. The world will see true Christianity, and sinners will come to know the Savior.”
These Judaizers were legalists, they lived by the law, loved the “do” passages. Some of us can relate to that, right? Loved to read those passages and make them into lists, with boxes next to them. Numbered lists. And that way they could be checked off, right? That way they could judge themselves. That way they could count. Legalism loves to keep track. Love gives. Legalism calculates.
Paul is preaching the end of legalism and insisting that “the just shall live by faith” Habakkuk 2 is quoted 3 times in the NT: Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38, Galatians 3:11.
Faith plus law was the thrust of Judaism. Faith plus nothing was the answer of Paul.
Living a life of faith in the gospel is a life of freedom. We’re always in danger to being either in bondage to works or in bondage to sin. That is, we are in bondage to the law or in bondage to the flesh.
John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free you shall be free indeed!”
Galatians is the exhortation – STAND FAST IN FREEDOM. We do well to heed his words today as well…
{Thanks for reading.}
Week's end with thanks
- My girl’s curls. (And sweet friend who snaps shots!)
- Falling asleep to the river’s song.
- Warm little puppy-boy wiggling in next to me at first light.
- Sunlight through leaves.
- Crunchy peanut butter.
- Sidewalk chalk on asphalt.
- Children’s feet black, running barefoot races round the drive.
- My dad’s homemade ice cream.
- Enjoying two berry seasons in one weekend — picking last of summer’s blues (and eating all six pounds fresh!), then forging through thorns into fall’s blacks, kids faces stained purple.
- Sweet juice running down chins.
- Summer’s night, reading outside, eyes slowly straining until darkness drives me inside.
- Long talks and prayers with friend.
- Husband home.
- Coming home-home.
- No place like one’s own bed.
- Clean sheets.
- Business cards on countertops, a common sight this year.
- Opening hands wide.
- Saying yes.
- Hammerle park with friend of 31 years …
- Raw honey sweet.
- Feeling overwhelmed, but fighting for thanks, for joy.
- Meeting a new friend from of old.
- Friends who lift arms and chins.
- Prayer while the sun comes up.
- New mercies.
- A day bathed in prayer.
- A life bathed in grace.
- Visit to Multnomah seminary, kids running happy through the lawn. First time not attending or TA-ing in six years. Jeff and I reminiscing, all the drives, visits, tests, prayers, tired tears and happy days. Both children, now running in the grass, filled me up large while I walked those seminary halls. Morning sickness followed me to class. Those stairs, at nine-months-pregnant, were tougher than any exam. So worth it — what a blessed place — so thankful to have called it home for a bit.
- Finding a squeaky bath-toy in our bed. Someday, when the house is quiet and clean, I will miss the toys strewn. I tuck the squeaky fish under my pillow for the night.
- Family date night bed-delivery. So fun to watch our kids enjoy blessing someone. They were so happy!
- Nana visit.
- Dentist visit — not fun — but thankful that we have the resources to have dental work done!
- Afton Field Farm.
- More and more of my grocery shopping being done in honor-system garages … And my kids don’t even have to get out of the car!
- Books.
- Apologies.
- Forgiveness.
- Tomato soup dinner for aching teeth.
- Green tea.
- Feeling spent, trusting God to fill us afresh each day.
- Pounding headache, grateful for a bed and an easy mother-in-law who makes herself at home.
- Trusting God.
- Being stretched.
- Leaning in.
- Peace.