Intellectual Giftedness...

My daughter is "intellectually gifted". As much as I don't particularly like how that term sounds and what it implies (or not!), it is what the school board uses, so I digress. Every year at this time, since she has been "identified" (another term I don't quite warm up to!), we are faced with the choice of keeping our daughter in her home school with moderate curriculum enrichment or sending her off to the full-time gifted programme at another location. So far, we have made the choice to keep her at the home school as we have not seen a reason compelling enough to do otherwise. However, this coming September the full-time gifted programme is being moved to a new location. There was an open house at the school this morning which hubby, myself and our daughter attended. As you can already tell, that is why I'm blogging!

Aside from the new location (which has better facilities than the one before), there is also a new "Gifted Facilitator" from the school board. He is a great communicator and is very convincing! He sells the full-time gifted programme quite well, I must say. But, upon coming out of the open house, despite being impressed by the facilities and the facilitator's enthusiasm, my gut feeling still leaned towards keep my daughter at her home school at least for another year.

Every year, I agonize about this decision. Every year, God provides me with a clear answer. Isn't He awesome? This year, it was through Beth Moore's blog, The LPM Blog. A few days ago, she blogged about intellectual giftedness in children and it hit the right spot in my heart --- the words on the screen expressed what was exactly in my heart and on my mind; thoughts that I was having trouble putting into words! The complete blog entry is here --- entitled "Something's Got Me Thinking" --- but I will quote the few paragraphs that really grabbed me:

"I happened on an article that was not only well written. It was one of the most thought provoking secular articles I’ve read in a good while. (“More” - May 2008 Issue, p.90).

In the article entitled “My So-Called Genius” author Laura Fraser recounts her remarkable journey from whiz-kid-dom to an adulthood of unmet expectations and fairly ordinary life. Don’t let my crude synopsis keep you from reading the article for yourself because I won’t do it justice. I’d like to recap enough, however, to explain why I found it significant. By the time she was five she’d already been labeled “precocious” and told repeatedly how special she was. The next years did not disappoint. She was brilliant and darling and surpassed her peers impressively, drawing the attention of adults who conveyed to her in a myriad of ways that she was destined for greatness. Then came college where she entered an academic world of peers who, not coincidentally, were told the same thing. By her late forties, she’d accomplished many good things but the expectation of greatness and the sense that she’d never quite achieved it (despite a best seller) haunted her with feelings of failure. All the well-meaning forecasts had done nothing but cast a pall of perfectionism upon her and, as her consultant so aptly pointed out, "Perfectionists always lose.” The consultant confronted her with a very important challenge that I’ll paraphrase: “Must you write a great book? How about writing a good book?” Fraser describes how age and time had become precious gifts and how she’d come to reconcile the unreasonable expectations with her reasonable success.

In doing so she really made me think about some things. Here are a few: How careful we need to be – as parents, teachers, relatives, leaders, or observers – about telling gifted children how great they are going to be. It is a trap and a forecast Fraser claims rarely pans out. She points out the monumental difference between talent and having a clue what to do with it and (again paraphrasing) how genius rarely exempts people from having to work hard just like everybody else who wants to make it. I’m a big believer in encouraging young people and imitating the Apostle Paul with Timothy by telling them that they are extraordinarily gifted. BUT, as we learned this weekend in Boise, every gift is a trust placed in human hands by a holy God and it is up to each individual to develop the integrity, humility, and work-ethic to know what on earth to do with it. A gift never guarantees success. In the long run as well as the routine day-in and day-out, those with the grit to just keep doing the hard thing will often prove more effective. Gift without grit is a dang waste.

How profoundly wise God’s way is. If we’re willing to follow His paradoxical path on the winding roadmap of Scripture, we have the joy of side-stepping this ankle-breaking trap. So will a few children we’re privileged to train. Living just to be great will prove at least empty and at most unbearable. Spending ourselves for something infinitely greater, however, still fans our parched souls with the God-given need to matter, but relieves us of the relentless pain of being the “It” Person at the center of it. To live for the greatness of God IS to live the great life. Oh, I know we’ve heard it before but what if something in us clicked all the sudden? What if we all at once awakened to what a dream-killer perfectionism is? And to how pitifully small and unworthy a goal personal greatness is? We were meant for so much more. Every one of us who embraces the glory of God as our lofty purpose for living will end up doing great things precisely because we end up doing God-things. His holy hand rested on the least act renders the ordinary extraordinary. Far from the least but sadly uncelebrated, spooning soup into the mouth of the weak and bed-bound or manning the church nursery so a tired mom can go to Sunday School are acts of highest worship when offered in the Name of Christ. Though the arrogant and ignorant minimize and miss it, Christ beholds the sight like a breathtaking work of art, tilting His head and squinting His eyes to study each subtle detail. “She has done a beautiful thing to me” (Mark 14:6).

Christ, the very One who called us to abundant, effective life and commanded us to splash in the cool springs of joy while living it, announced the secret to the great life without a hint of contradiction: Pour it out lavishly, sacrificially for the glory of God and the good of man. Those with presence of mind and semblance of health are called to pour out the drink offering of their lives until the cup is turned completely over and every last drop of energy slips - perhaps unnoticed, uncelebrated – into the vast ocean of earthly need. The last imperceptible drop of your well-lived life will sound like a tidal wave hitting the floor of the Grand Canyon to the hosts of Heaven. “I’m already great enough for both of us,” Christ says in effect, relieving the willing of their woeful burden. “Just follow Me.” For “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45)."

Wow! Just the words of wisdom that I needed. Bottom line is that I feel there is still a lot that my daughter needs to learn in terms of fully embracing the Christian worldview. Hubby and I both feel that keeping her at the home school for at least one more year would provide us with more opportunities to "complete" that training before she "spreads her wings"!

It is truly amazing when God provides an answer. My hubby often says he wishes that God would send him an email --- I say that God speaking through Beth Moore's blog entry is pretty close to that!

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."
---Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

Lessons from Prince Caspian

We went to see the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" today. It is very well done --- definitely worth seeing! I must say that hubby and I enjoyed it as much as our children did. The movie even reminded me of a few very important life lessons.

Here are some thoughts ---

~ I must have faith like that of a little child: Lucy, the youngest of the four siblings, was the only one who could see Aslan (the lion, the Christ figure) at first. This is because she's the only one who had the simple faith of a child that the Bible teaches about. When her brother Peter asked her why she could see Aslan and he couldn't, she replied: "Perhaps you weren't looking." How often have I missed seeing Jesus because I wasn't looking for Him in my circumstances; being too focused on the problem rather than looking for the One who could provide the answers?

~ It is essential to wait upon the Lord: Later in the movie, Peter makes a plan to attack the castle. Lucy asks him to wait for Aslan; reminding him that it was Aslan that helped them succeed the last time. Peter proceeded with his plan anyway resulting in failure and loss. How many times have I forged ahead with my own agenda; neglecting to wait upon the Lord; then wondering why things didn't turn out properly?

~ My Jesus is indeed the lion and the lamb: Aslan is both gentle and powerful. He embraces and speaks to Lucy gently. At the same time, He powerfully awakens the trees and the river! Awesome contrast --- reminds me of this song by Crystal Lewis:



Who is He --- who's the mightiest of all?
Who is He --- creation trembles at His call?
Who is He --- the lowly sacrifice?
Who paid a victim's price, His name is Jesus.

Who is He --- with the power none can tame?
Who is He --- that every foe would fear His name?
Who is He --- who was humbly led away?
To suffer that dark day, His name is Jesus.

Jesus, from the Father's own right hand.
Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man.
Jesus, who died and rose again.
Jesus, He's the Lion and the Lamb.
He's the Lamb that was slain.
He's the Lion that reigns.
My Savior and King.
Both the same.

Who is He --- with the eyes that burn like fire?
Who is He --- oh, the wonder He inspires?
Who is He --- who bore the guilt and shame?
For those who'd gone astray, His name is Jesus.

~ FInally, I can trust God for He is sovereign: Towards the end of the movie, Aslan tells the Kings and Queens of Narnia to rise. Prince Caspian looks up and says: "I don't think I'm ready yet." Aslan replies: "For that reason, then, I know you are." This hit me powerfully. How many times have I said "no" to God only because I didn't think I was quite ready yet? How many times have I missed seeing His power and glory because I didn't obey? This scene in the movie definitely reminded me of God's promise in 2 Corinthians 12:9, which says "...for my power is made perfect in weakness." This is such great encouragement as it pertains to the church plant journey that God has placed our family in at this time!

"He called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
---Matthew 18:2-4 (NIV)

"We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name."
---Psalm 33:20-21 (NIV)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
---Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Just One More...

Just one more poem in honour of Mother's Day! I have this one tacked onto my fridge as a visual reminder. May this always be my prayer...

A Mother's Prayer

By Helen M. Young

God, give me wisdom to see

That today is my day with my children.
That there is no unimportant moment in their lives.
May I know no other career is as precious.

No other work so rewarding.

No other task so urgent.
May I not defer it nor neglect it,

But, by Thy Spirit, accept it gladly, joyously,

And by Thy grace realize

That the time is short and my time is now,
For children won’t wait!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him."
---Psalm 127:3 (NLT)

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow mommies!!! I had good intentions of posting this entry yesterday but time just escaped from me! I'm sure all mommies know what I mean...

So, in honour of Mother's Day, here is a story that illustrates very well why I cherish every single moment I have with my children --- read on and enjoy!

Wet Oatmeal Kisses
Author Unknown

The baby is teething; the children are fighting. Your husband just called and said, "Eat dinner without me."

One of these days you'll explode and shout to the kids, "Why don't you grow up and act your age?" And they will. Or: "You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do. And don't slam the door!" And they won't. You'll straighten up their bedrooms all neat and tidy, toys displayed on the shelves, hangers in the closet, animals caged. You'll yell, "Now I want it to stay this way!" And it will. You will prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't had all the olives picked out and a cake with no finger traces in the icing and you'll say: "Now this is a meal for company." And you will eat it alone. You'll yell, "I want complete privacy on the phone. No screaming. Do you hear me?" And no one will answer.

No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti. No more dandelion bouquets. No more iron on patches. No more wet, knotted shoelaces, muddy boots, or rubber bands for pony tails.

Imagine. A lipstick with a point. No babysitter for New Year's Eve. Washing clothes only once a week. No PTA meetings or silly school plays where your child is a tree. No car pools, blaring stereos or forgotten lunch money. No more Christmas presents made of library paste and toothpicks. No wet oatmeal kisses. No more tooth fairy. No more giggles in the dark, scraped knees to kiss or sticky fingers to clean.

Only a voice asking, "Why don't you grow up?" And the silence echos: "I did."

...because children grow up way too fast! My two are now 11 and almost 8. Where did all that time gone to? Fellow mommies: cherish every single moment, for in a blink of an eye, they will be all grown up!

"Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised."
---Proverbs 31:28-30 (NLT)

Our Calling As Parents

There is an article in this month's issue of Focus on the Family Magazine that expresses very well something that I've been thinking a lot of lately. Here's my thought --- how do I, as a parent, help my children develop that joy in serving God with their life? I mean, really experiencing joy in serving God rather than just doing it. I think that is the ultimate thing that I can teach and impart to my kids, so how do I make sure that they get it?

Gary Thomas helped me to round up my thinking on this particular concept through his article entitled "Evangelism Begins At Home", so rather than typing out my own thoughts, I thought I'd share his entire article instead. Here it is:

Life In Focus: Evangelism Begins At Home
By Gary Thomas (as printed in Focus On The Family magazine, May 2008 issue, page 30)

The deeply troubled boy proved too difficult for the disciples to handle. His father appealed directly to Jesus: "Can you help me?" Jesus replied, "Bring the boy to me" (Mark 9:19).

That is what we are called to do as parents: bring our children to Jesus.

If my goal is simply to raise "happy" children, I'll buy them whatever they want instead of teaching them to be responsible with money. If my goal is to have "successful" children, I will spare no expense helping them to rise above others --- they'll get the best coaching, the best equipment, maybe even the services of a sports psychologist.

But Christian parenting calls us to a much different purpose and motivation: raising servants of God. Malachi tells us that God's passion for marriage is rooted at least in part in our children's spiritual welfare: "Has not the Lord made them one?... And why one? Because He was seeking godly offspring" (Malachi 2:15).

When I seek to raise children for God's glory, I'll be willing to face the difficult realities of training, encouraging, praying and the like, because I know there's no more important use of my time. Martin Luther wrote, "But the greatest good in married life, that which makes all suffering and labour worthwhile, is that God grants offspring and commands that they be brought up to worship and serve Him. In all the world this is the noblest and most precious work, because to God there can be nothing dearer than the salvation of souls."

What is the grand scheme behind your family? What will motivate you to train and instruct your children instead of ignoring something because you're too tired, too distracted or too fearful to address it? What greater end will fuel your efforts?

Some children will follow eagerly. Others will overwhelm us with their resistance. But our ultimate aim must be Jesus' command: "Bring the boy to me."

Lord, refine my motivations, purify my actions and energize my heart so that I do all that I can to help my children find their greatest joy in serving You.

I love how Gary Thomas phrased that prayer --- refine my motivations, purify my actions and energize my heart! AMEN! Good questions to be asking myself: What are my motivations? Are my actions pure? Is my heart energized?

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”
--- Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (NIV)

My Help

Today, my devotions took me to Psalm 121 --- very appropriate passage of Scripture for what I am facing this week. You see, this coming Sunday marks the launch of children's ministries at The Sanctuary Pickering. In the early weeks of this church plant, I sensed God tapping me on the shoulders telling me that I am to take on a lead role in children's ministries. I was, of course, reluctant at first. I told myself that this is a HUGE task! But, God was persistent with me and wouldn't let the nagging feeling in my heart go until I said "Yes, Lord!". So, I took on the role asking God to be my help --- fully placing my trust in Him; trusting that He will prepare the way and provide all that is needed for this ministry to move forward. I praise God for He has provided willing volunteers, free curriculum (provided by our parent church), a kid-friendly and nicely-decorated venue (a public school library) to run our program, and finally, He has multiplied my time these past few weeks enabling me to devote much needed attention to curriculum preparation! My God is indeed good!

Psalm 121 (NLT) I look up to the mountains — does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord Himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Finally, in closing, I would like to post this poem by Roger Fields entitled 'The Calling' for I believe it sums up what God has called us, as a team of children's ministries volunteers, to do.

I am a minister. My mission field is the largest on earth. I minister to children.

My calling is sure, my challenge is big, my vision is clear, my desire is strong, my influence is eternal, my impact is critical, my values are solid, my faith is tough, my mission is urgent, my purpose is unmistakable, my direction is forward, my heart is genuine, my strength is supernatural, my reward is promised and my God is real.

In a world of cynicism I offer hope. In a world of confusion I offer truth. In a world of immorality I offer values. In a world of neglect I offer attention. In a world of abuse I offer safety. In a world of ridicule I offer affirmation. In a world of division I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness I offer forgiveness. In a world of sin I offer salvation. In a world of hate I offer God’s love. I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged, or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back, or sit back.

I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature, or veneration. I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes, or low vision.

I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender.

I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good. I will move forward when others stand still. I will trust God when obstacles arise. I will work when the task is overwhelming. I will get up when I fall down. My calling is to reach boys and girls for God. It is too serious to be taken lightly, too urgent to be postponed, too vital to be ignored, too relevant to be overlooked, too significant to be trivialized, too eternal to be fleeting, and too passionate to be quenched. I know my mission. I know my challenge. I also know my limitations, my weaknesses, my fears, and my problems. And I know my God.

Let others get the praise. Let the church get the blessing. Let God get the glory.

I am a minister. I minister to children. This is who I am. This is what I do.

"Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." ---Mark 10:14 (NIV)

Simple Faith Of A Child

Two blog entries in one day! I think this is a first for me but I just have to document this story while it is still fresh on my mind...

"Out of the mouth of babes" --- that saying is so true. A child's outlook is so innocent and pure; it is not clouded at all by "life". I think that if we consistently and intently listen to what children say, we can learn a lot from their wonder of God and their view of life!

Yesterday, hubby took our son to get a haircut. They came home and the little guy was not impressed at all with his new 'do. We wanted him to sport a shorter hairstyle because the warmer weather is here, but I think Mr. Barber buzzed a little too much off! Ahhhh! Anyway, he was quite upset and crying so we had a little chat about the fact that God designed for hair to grow back and that a bad haircut is not the end of the world and that in fact, I think he's the most handsome little boy around and et cetera. We had dinner, did bedtime routines and off to bed he went.

He woke up this morning and was a whole lot chipper! Phew! So off to school he went. When he came home for lunch, I asked him if anyone commented on his hair and if the short hairstyle still bothered him. He told me that his teacher noticed and said: "nice haircut!", and that no one said anything not nice about it.

He then proceeded to tell me that it is because before bed last night, he prayed and asked God if HE would help his hair grow fast overnight so that it wouldn't be so short anymore when he woke up this morning. He said that when he woke up, his hair was indeed a tad bit longer! :-) Talk about the simple faith of a child! That explains why he was chipper this morning!!!

Phew, now I feel much better! Now, if only I had that kind of simple faith...

" 'Do you hear what these children are saying?' they asked Him. 'Yes,' replied Jesus, 'have you never read, "From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise"?' " ---Matthew 21:16 (NIV)

The Joy of the Lord

My Bible study group has just finished week 4 of Beth Moore's 'Living Beyond Yourself'. This chapter is entitled 'The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength'. While I have done this study already once before, it feels like I'm doing it for the very first time as God is teaching me new lessons this time around. That is just what's so amazing about God's Word --- always fresh, always new, always relevant!

Here are some of the new lessons I learned from this chapter this time around:

~ Joy results from discovering His presence, His purpose, and His power in an entirely new way. Could it be that if our focus is on Christ, we'll see Him transfigured before us rather than our circumstances? Look for Him in the middle of your circumstances --- He's there just waiting to be discovered.

~ God's Word propels us to abide in Christ. When His words "abide" in us and we obey His commands with a tenacity similar to Ruth's, we abide in Him. His Word is our cling wrap, adhering us to His presence.

~ Joy cheaters: which one can you most relate to?

When our outpour exceeds our intake. Are you serving more than you are seeking?

When our talk exceeds our walk. Somewhere along the way, our mouth and our heart most likely parted company.

When we become "wonders junkies". We miss Him as the joy in the midst of the mundane. The most intimate times we ever will spend with God will be listening to His gentle whispers. It is there that we will find true joy. Rarely are you more at risk for losing your joy than when you have just experienced a spiritual "high". Pray to enjoy those marvelous times, but never more than you enjoy His sweet whisper when you are all alone.

When we are exhausted. Are you neglecting your rest? What about eating? In our culture, we rarely neglect to eat; however, we neglect to eat for the body's benefit.

When we feel all alone. As you're growing in Christ, beware of feelings that tempt you to believe you are all alone and that no one else wants to serve or love God as you do. Just because someone does not share our "cause" or our personal "passions" does not set us apart. When we view ourselves as the only spiritual persons we know, we're setting ourselves up for a fall.

~ We are catalysts of joy for one another! After we were born again, He did not leave us on earth to be loners. He wants us to bring joy to one another! Each and every believer should be a joy to us; challenging us to dig deeper and deeper into God's Word.

That's all for this week! A whole lot to digest, for sure. The joy of the Lord is my strength!

"You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever." --- Psalm 16:11 (NLT)

Random Musings

I can't believe that April has flown by so quickly. We are now into its last full week. It finally feels like Spring here in the great white north!!! The warm sunshine feels very nice! Yesterday, I was finally able to work in my garden --- it was pure bliss: crocuses sprouting up revealing beautiful purple flowers, tiny leaves budding and unfurling on the shrubs, new growth peeking up from the ground, forsythias on the verge of flowering!

The last couple of weeks have been busy but exciting. Here are some random musings...

~ We found out from a blood test that my son might have outgrown his tree nut allergy! Yipee!!! Praise God. Although his peanut allergy is still there, as strong a reaction as ever, we are most definitely grateful to God that the tree nut allergy is most likely gone! The next step is to go downtown to the children's hospital for an oral challenge. We are praying that he will pass it so that we don't have to worry about tree nuts any longer!

~ Sunday services have started at The Sanctuary Pickering. It was awesome to see God's hand evident in a number of details, including choosing the location of where we should meet allowing for the details to come through at the very last minute. It is awesome to see God's handprints in the little things (and in the BIG things, of course) because it reminds me that He cares. God reminded me of this verse once again through my devotional three mornings ago --- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

~ This past weekend, we participated in Earth Week activities in our city as a local church. On Friday night and Saturday afternoon, we congregated in two local parks and picked up litter for a couple of hours. It was a lot of fun! I think the kids enjoyed their "break time" the most as they got to play with each other on the parks' playground equipments.

~ This morning, my devotionals took me to John 15. Very appropriate passage as I delve into gardening this Spring season and as I start to tackle those overgrown bushes in my backyard. This passage is a great reminder to me that my God is the Master Gardener in my personal garden called life! He is constantly pruning away at those branches that are no longer bearing fruit. His doing so allows for new growth, thus new fruit being produced in me and through me. Great analogy, eh? The reality and practicality of the Bible never fails to amaze me each day! It is awesome! Here are some verses from John 15 (NLT) that spoke to me...

"5 Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing."

"7 But if you remain in Me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father."

"11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"

"16 You didn’t choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name."

"26 But I will send you the Advocate — the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about Me. 27 And you must also testify about Me because you have been with Me from the beginning of my ministry."

In Him We Live and Move...

This past Sunday, we were commissioned by our home church and 'sent out' with their blessing into our new ministry work with The Sanctuary Pickering. We feel very blessed that we have the love and support of our home church in this new adventure that God has led us to journey on. It is truly an awesome thing when local churches are able to see and grasp the BIG picture --- and that is to acknowledge that we are all enlarging the same Kingdom, that we are all giving ourselves away for the same purpose, and that we are all serving the same Master!

Acts 17:28 (NIV) --- "For in Him we live and move and have our being..." --- was prayed over us as three of our pastors laid hands on our family. It was a significant moment for us as it marked the official end of fifteen fruitful years of ministry at Morningstar. It was meaningful as well in that the three pastors who laid hands on us have, in one way or another, significantly played a part in training, shaping and molding us into the people that we are today! It was a bittersweet moment indeed.

I love that whole section from Acts 17:24-28 so I will quote it here:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are His offspring.' " ---Acts 17:24-28 (NIV)

As Charles Colson says in his book Loving God --- "It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn't want our success; He wants us. He doesn't demand our achievements; He demands our obedience." And so we journey on --- with great anticipation of the things that God wants to accomplish through us!

"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." ---Joshua 3:5 NIV "There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." ---Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV