Radical

This weekend I went to Dallas for a surprise baby shower for my sister-in-law, Kristen, and to spend some time with good ole Kim. Kim is one of my dearest friends in the world, and throughout college she kept me accountable...aka, she pretty much kept me sane, HA! Anyway, Kim is what I like to call a bosom friend or kindred spirit (if you've ever read or watched Ann of Green Gables, you know what I mean). We've always just had this connection, we get each other without even having to use words. Oh how I have missed my friend dearly. You see, Kim has been gone for two years, working in another country. She has had some crazy adventures that I'm kind of glad I didn't know about until she got back. She experienced God in a way that I don't think I have ever experienced, but yet I totally understood. We both know what it's like to live in another country and return to find that the country we've always known and loved was not exactly what we've always known and loved. Does that make sense? I'm sure Kim understands! Anyway, she has been urging me to read this book

So I did it, I finally bought the book. Can I just say that I'm only on the second chapter and it has already proven to be an incredibly powerful book?! It has not only begun to change my perspective on the American church, but on Christianity as a whole! Why have I not realized these things before? It seems so simple and it is spelled out so clearly in the Bible how we should live our lives and do our ministry, but our view of life, even as Christians, has been so messed up by what our society says is ok and right, that we are actually living the opposite of how God calls us to live! Platt describes himself as a "megachurch leader trying to follow a minichurch leader", what he means by this is that we spend so much time catering to ourselves and being comfortable in our faith, as so many Christians and American churches have done, when in all reality Christiany is about abandoning ourselves, as so few have done. Christ calls us to radical abandonment, and it is scarey and uncomfortable, I will admit that, but Jesus was not intereseted in finding believers who were comfortable. When you think about it, he was a minichurch leader. He had few followers, because what he asked for was not popular, it was not desired. I mean to give up your home, your family, your everyday comforts, we would today consider that "unhealthy".

Reading the first chapter of this book has motivated me more than ever to get back out onto the mission field. I know that God has us here (in Amarillo) for a time, and I humbly submit to that, but I know that He has called us out and we will not be living this cushy life forever. I know that radically abandoning the kind of life I have known my whole life will store up for me treasures in Heaven, but not only that, God will use that to bring light to a dark world! Isn't that incredible?!

Well my friends, I must leave you now, as I have gotten so caught up in this blog post that I forgot about dinner in the oven...I think I smell it burning, eeeek!

Roelof is a year older

On April 15, 2011, Roelof turned another year older. He might not be able to tell you his age, but I can...28. Yep, he's 28 years old. That means in just two more years he will officially be an old man. Or at least middle aged. Wow, can I just say that our 20's are flying by faster than I could have ever imagined they would! Before we know we'll look like this:
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Yikes.



Now most guys on their birthdays usually want to do something manly, but instead, my husband decided to be very sweet. He decided to share his birthday with me. My last birthday was not the best one I've ever had, so my wonderful, sweet husband showered me with gifts and on his birthday took me to the ballet! I love that guy :) So on Saturday we celebrated his birthday with a 'bring and braai' (aka bar-b-q) at our house. It was a pretty good weekend I must say, definitely one to remember.

All dressed up and ready to go to the ballet!

The cake that Roelof's boss bought him...I love that it has pink flowers...haha.

In other news, the Lord has been showing us so many great opportunities to get involved with our community lately. We have been able to be involved in ministry, and though it's not full time, it is still very much a part of our lives. We just finished up our girls Bible study last week and are looking forward to starting in a new place in the youth ministry...middle school boys. Again can I just say it....Yikes. This is going to be interesting. Of course, Chris and Roelof do act like middle school boys part of the time, so this should be a pretty good fit for them! Despite my joking, I really am excited and looking forward to this new adventure. I know without a doubt in my heart that God is using all of this to prepare us for full time ministry. We are also beginning a new Bible study with a group of friends that are just as mission minded as we are! There are three couples in this group and we will each be taking turns leading a study and leading a missions oriented devotional each week. For the first 6 weeks Roelof and I will be leading a study on creation, while Russell and Shaela lead the missions devotional. We are so excited to have this time of growth with friends that share a passion for missions as we do! We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store and what will unfold during our Tuesday night meetings! To keep up with what we are learning each week I will be updating a blog that we have started for our study, www.heartforthenations.wordpress.com

Roelof and Chris playing 'Just Dance' after last weeks Bible study


Speaking of missions and ministry, we are still praying for a full time ministry position for Roelof. We will be speaking to our local BGCT missionary about some opportunities in the area. Please pray that the Lord will open a door for Roelof to step into a full time position as soon as possible.

And now, some pictures of Lucy...because she's just so darn cute.

Lucy graduated from obedience school...

She was very excited!

Our dog plays soccer.

Whatever she just ate must have been very yummy.

What you lookin at?

So pretty!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, guess who got a new camera? Me of course! Here is my beautiful new baby:

true love :)

We definitely had fun playing with this thing:

This is my momma, isn't she purdy?!

Tired

As I write this post I am sitting here trying with everything in me to keep my eyes open! What a day! Today I observed a teacher that I will be substituting for for 6 weeks. I am so excited an honored to be with her class while she is out on maternity leave! However, I'm tired, haha. I love second graders, but by the end of the day I'm completely exhausted. It is well worth it though and I absolutely love this class! My prayer is that these next six weeks will be a learning experience and I will be able to fully grasp the idea of what it is like to be a full time teacher. I also hope that, although there is currently a hiring freeze on in Amarillo ISD, I will be able to make some connections and contacts that will help me get a full time teaching position for next year! I know that the Lord is faithful and He will provide as He sees fit! This long term substitute position is definitely a God thing and I know He is going to teach me so much through it!

Roelof is doing well. He has settled into his job at Amarillo Clutch. We are praying that sometime in the near future he will be able to start studying for his masters degree and eventually be working as a missions pastor or professor. His heart is still fully geared toward ministry and he is working very hard to get back to the mission field.

Speaking of ministry, we have started working with the freshmen and sophomores at our church doing a Bible study for them on Sunday nights. We absolutely love the time we get to spend with them, although sometimes a challenge, it is great to see God working among these 15 and 16 year olds! I forget what it's like to be a 15 year old girl, and things are different now then they were just 10 years ago when I was their age. I just pray that we can connect with them and that God will be able to speak to them through us. We are currently studying creation and they come every week with so many questions (which can be somewhat challenging at times), but it is cool to hear them talk about how they have applied what they have learned in our study to their daily lives when speaking with friends and nonbelievers! Please pray for our group as we continue with our study. Pray that they will be able to continue to apply what they have learned, that they will feel comfortable to share and be honest about the things they deal with on a daily basis and that there will be unity within the group. Also, pray that we as leaders will be able to guide them in the way of God's will.

Well I'd love to ramble on and on, but like the title of this post states, I'm tired. So it is time for me to grab a snack, turn on the tv, and relax!