Wow, the past two weeks have been awesome. Last week we had our largest church attendance for a normal Sunday (not including this past Easter). We are reaching many new people and enjoying every minute of it. In the midst of growth, there are always challenges. We are facing some of them right now. Some still too fresh to even mention. One thing that we are always doing in church life is “keeping the culture”. My pastor, John Siebeling, defines culture as the predominating attitudes and behaviors that characterize the functioning of a group or organization (check out his blog www.johnsiebeling.com). We want to have a culture that is life giving, inspiring and one in which people searching for Christ can connect with Him.
Just this past weekend, we had a lady with a tambourine in our church. Now that may not sound too crazy to you, but we usually don’t have those in our services…and this lady was going wild with it at all the wrong times. It was driving me crazy, because I felt it was distracting. I really don’t like when things are distracting the very people who need to connect with God. This is a small example of things we fight against in order to keep the culture we have established in church. But you know, Paul calls the fight a “good fight”. Erwin McManus says in his book The Barbarian Way, “Because Jesus did not suffer and die so that we could build for ourselves havens, but so that we might expand the kingdom of His love. Because invisible kingdoms are at war for the hearts and lives of every human being who walks on the face of this earth. And times of war require barbarians who are willing to risk life itself for the freedom of others.”
The reality is we must fight for the lives of others. It is not about us. Jesus died for all people to know Him; we can’t just settle down once we have things in order in our own lives. This fight is not against flesh, but it’s a spiritual war. Paul actually calls the fight, the GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH. I am committed along with our team at The Life Church to fight for others. Someone fought for me. Someone fought for you. Will you fight for others? Kill the tambourine!
Well, we ventured out to take our first road trip with Eli this week. We had to opportunity to attend the ARC conference (Association of Related Churches) in Birmingham, AL with the rest of our church staff. We left Sunday evening and returned home Wednesday afternoon. Many may think it’s crazy to travel with a 7-week-old baby. But, I figure it’s the best time in his early childhood to travel when he is simply eating, sleeping and pooping :). Mundo and I enjoy living life on the adventurous, slightly risky side, so we felt up to the challenge.
For the most part, Eli traveled extremely well. I will admit that on our first night Mundo was convinced we made a mistake. The poor little guy was exhausted from screaming for 45 minutes at the end of our 4 hour drive and he needed a serious bath- not to mention he threw up (definitely not spit up-moms can tell the difference) all over our bed within 10 minutes of our arrival (thank God for housekeeping). After the drama subsided, we were able to enjoy ourselves with rest time in the hotel room and a little shopping between conference breaks. I did attend the conference one afternnoon and evening, so I didn’t feel completely confined to the hotel room. I felt so blessed to be able to be a part of the experience. It is so great to not have to worry about work!
Our little baby is such a tremendous joy. Words cannot express how much we love him. Mundo and I already talk about how we can’t wait to have another. Kids are so awesome! Even on his fussy days, he is so enjoyable. I love to just sit and look at him. He’s so entertaining. Right now, we’re believing that he’ll begin sleeping through the night in the next few weeks. He is still waking up every 3 hours, so we are constantly tired. But, sleep deprivation comes with the territory and Eli is worth every minute of sleep we’ve sacrificed for him!
Our next trip will be to Louisiana. We plan on visiting our new little niece, Sofia, as well as attending my cousin’s wedding in Monroe (Eli will be able to meet my mom’s entire family!). Hopefully, it will begin with a little less drama!
Awesome! That’s what I say every time I think about our son and this season we are in. It is definitely a new kind of journey for Amanda and I, but one well worth it. I couldn’t imagine life without Eli now. One thing people tell us over and over, is to enjoy this time because kids grow up quick. I find myself holding him and kissing him many times a day. He is the greatest baby anyone could ask for. Amanda and I are thankful that this season is upon us. Whatever season you are in, God gives you grace for that season. I found myself throughout the years coaching people on how to trust God through anything they face and here we are learning to raise a child. You can feel pretty out of your league when you are responsible for a little life. All I can say is, “Jesus, take the wheel.”
Well, our last two visitors have come and gone. Eli had the privilege of meeting his Tia Jess and Tia Dana this weekend. Dana, my younger yet much taller sister, drove up from Baton Rouge and Jess, my older sister, flew in from San Diego. As you can imagine, it is rare that the three of us are together for any length of time during the year, so we were all SO excited to see each other. We spent our time watching movies, eating great food and shopping together (not to mention enjoying Eli every minute of their time here). It was a much-needed break for both of them and such a joy for me to watch them interact with their nephew. They even got to celebrate my birthday with me on March 31st-what a blessing! I’m now 26 and looking forward to another amazing year of serving God alongside my husband and staying at home raising our son. What a different year it will be, compared to the past three years of working as a school teacher. Here are some pics from our time together.
