Cookie Baking Night 10/25/10

Ahhh, together again. Tonight was Cookie Baking Night. In attendance this evening: Emily, Ethan, and Carissa. We made pumpkin patch brownies (frosted brownies decorated with candy pumpkins and green frosting for the vines).

We returned to our lessons from the book Is the Bible Personally From God? by Josh McDowell. We are on lesson 4--"The Bible Shows Us What Jesus is Like". We had some good discussion around the lesson and we worked on a couple worksheets that reinforced what we learned.

We ended the evening with a rousing game of Zingo. As usual, a fun time was had by all.

The Workaholic

About three years ago, my job changed at my place of employment. During that transition, I worked a lot of overtime. One night I was crying (literally) to Greg, worried that I was becoming a workaholic. Greg said that was a ridiculous thought and I was not a workaholic. I said, "How do you know?" He said, "Because workaholics do not worry about how much they work, they're busy working." (Hmmmm, good point. I think I'm safe in that regard then).

My job has changed again, and I am, once more, in the position of working a lot of overtime (specifically last week). God used this time at work (as He often does) to show me my own sinfulness and to remind me of my dependence upon Him.

God also used this time of the "shoe being on the other foot" to show me past impatience and disrespect toward my husband during times when he has had to work a lot of hours outside the home. I noticed how Greg did what he could to make it easier for me. It was a hard week, and it would have been further complicated if Greg had spent our time together lamenting "what little time I spent at home these days, how much he hated it", and if he had questioned my love for him and my devotion to our family during this very brief season of sacrifice (something I have done to him in the past). His kindness and patience spoke volumes (and it was far more effective in revealing the condition of my own heart than any complaining would have ever been).

Deeper Into The Gospel

A quote from my "Of First Importance" daily e-mail feed.

Deeper into the Gospel

“Our great need is to be led further in to what we already have. The gospel is so deep that it not only meets our deepest needs but comes from God’s deepest self. The salvation proclaimed in the gospel is not some mechanical operation that God took on as a side project. It is a ‘mystery that was kept secret for long ages’ (Rom. 16:25), a mystery of salvation that goes back into the heart of God, decreed ‘before the foundation of the world’ (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20). When God undertook our salvation, he did it in a way that put divine resources into play, resources which involve him personally in the task. . . . The deeper we dig into the gospel, the deeper we go into the mystery of the Trinity.”

- Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything (Wheaton, Ill.; Crossway Books, 2010), 13.

The Rocket Launch

Some husbands use their leisure time to read, fish, hunt, bowl, play softball etc. My husband builds rockets. You'll see Greg pictured below holding a rocket that he recently built. Once a month (April through November), there is an opportunity for those involved in the hobby of high-powered rocketry to get together and launch their rockets. Today was that day. You'll also see a couple pictures below of Greg and his dad (Phil) walking out to the "launch pad" to prepare the rocket for launching.

It turned out to be a beautiful October day (80+ degrees, very unusual weather for October in Minnesota). It was a successful flight. The rocket went 2,238 feet into the air and then landed safely in the sod field. Many rockets were launched today, and it was an enjoyable time.

Rest in Him

Hebrews 4:9
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

“Come then, let us labor to enter into this rest. Let us quit the weary toil of sin and self. Let us cease from all confidence, even in those works of which it might be said, ‘they are very good’. Have we any such? Still, let us cease from our own works, as God did from his.

Now let us find solace in the finished work of our Lord Jesus. Everything is fully done: justice demands no more. Great peace is our portion in Christ Jesus.”

- Charles Spurgeon, Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith

Our own tradition

No Cookie Baking tonight. It's an off night. I thought I'd take this time to share a little tradition that has been happening in our home AND surrounding Cookie Baking Nights. I purchased some metal clip magnets with the intent of hanging coupons, notices, and children's art on the refrigerator. Greg, a most creative fellow himself, formed the magnets into a happy face (as pictured above). The kids love this! Every Cookie Baking Night, a new face variation appears on the refrigerator. It seems to be the highlight of the evening. Several minutes are spent each night moving the magnets around. Call it an odd tradition, but it has become a tradition nonetheless and a fun one at that.

CE Workday

I teach the 3-6 year old children during the Christian Education hour (aka Sunday School) at church each week. This year three young ladies (Katelyn, Charity, and Emily) will be taking turns helping me during class time each each week. They will be spending their time assisting me with class (which is very helpful to me) and learning the craft of teaching a class of young students through hands-on experience.

Today, Katelyn and Charity and I met at church for a Christian Education work day.

We spent the day sorting through past curriculum materials and organizing them, preparing materials for a bulletin board idea, and painting a display board for our verses bulletin board.

In our class we work on memorizing passages of Scripture instead of partial verses each week. In the past, we've memorized Psalm 8, and we just finished reviewing Psalm 139:1-4. I always tell the children....."We are hiding God's word in our hearts......it's like we're storing these verses in a little file cabinet in our heart to help us to know God and to know His character." So, Katelyn and Charity helped me paint a large heart onto a display board (which I painted to look like a file cabinet). We will be posting the passages on this board as we memorize them throughout the year.

It was a very profitable time concerning the amount of work we accomplished in preparing for this year's class time. It was also profitable in conversation and fellowship. Forever thinking in the teaching mode, I brought in my iPod and speakers so we could listen to the "Witness Wednesday" section of Wretched Radio as we worked. Those segments include Todd Friel visiting a local college campus in his area and sharing the gospel with the students he meets there. It was a catalyst for some great conversation and thought processing as we heard the gospel proclaimed to others.

I had a most enjoyable time with these two young ladies today and look forward to spending more time with them throughout the coming year. I'm excited to see how God will work in my life, the life of Katelyn, Charity, and Emily, and the young children of the Bible Baptist Church 3-6 year old CE class this year. May He be greatly glorified!