Shine, Jesus, shine!

Yesterday, Josh and I were at church. The worship songs were decent, but they just didn't grab. You know, the typical - contemporary "me, me, me," "I need, I need, I need." The finale made up for it. Refreshing and inspiring.

Shine, Jesus, shine! Flood the nations!

Join the conversation!

Lausanne Global Conversation Introduction Video from Lausanne Movement on Vimeo.

Three Kinds of Men

I’ve been reading Created to be His Help Meet. It’s a fairly opinionated and ultra-conservative book with some outdated language, but I’ve been gleaning some very insightful and helpful thoughts from it.

While being careful not to put Josh (or other men) into an assuming stereotype, I’ve found the author’s (Debi Pearl) “Three Kinds of Men” chapter helpful in understanding and relating to Josh.

Mr. Command

This man is typically a dominant and is born to be a leader (e.g. Winston Churchill, George Patton, Ronald Reagan). He is compared to God the Father. A wife would do well to be his queen, “ruling/leading” at his side, obeying, honoring, and revering.

 

Mr. Visionary

He is creative and spontaneous shaker, changer, and dreamer (e.g. prophets of the Old Testament, Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers). He is compared to the Holy Spirit. A wife would do well to enjoy the ride with enthusiasm through failures and successes of dreams and visions.

Mr. Steady

He is a caring, providing, and gentle servant. He is compared to Jesus Christ. A wife would do well to express gratitude often and be diligent and productive in tasks alongside her husband.

Each role contains different aspects of God’s character. Most men are dominant in one while having traces of the other two. Josh and I had a helpful discussion last night about the three, and I learned better ways to relate to him and the way God created Him as sort of a Steady Visionary. I’m so excited about our discovery and the way the Lord teaches us each day. Thank you, Lord!

Kids We Love

Josh and I drove down to Illinois to visit Joe, Mary (my sister), and the kids. We had so much fun with these rascals. (Thanks fam for the great visit!)

Our niece Lily is four going on fifteen. She can carry on a conversation while using words like "actually" and "intelligent." Unbelievable! She takes good care of her little sister and loves to play mommy with here little siblings. She's super excited about kindergarten, a Barbie lunch box, and recess. I was amazed when she was interested in my explaining Communion to her. She just asked Josh and me to be the ring bearer and flower girl in her wedding! We're super excited!
Jacob is three and all boy. He's super excited about having a baby brother "Jakey-Baby." Mary's pregnant! He's relieved that it's not another sister. Hopefully the ultrasound isn't wrong. :) He's super sweet but a terror. He loves to be chased around the hall and living room (A.K.A "the race track"). Wow.


Hannah is one and loves puppies, dolls, and being Lily. She reminds me of myself. She definitely has another world that she spends a lot of her day. She desperately wants to be like Lily. I feel for her since I was a little Mary for half my life. :)

The Mission Exchange... Believe me, you want it.

I just wanted to share an excellent resource that  I and others at WMPL have been utilizing. Every organization and church should be a member of this to benefit from it's rich resources. I've learned more about global mission, web strategy, current news, etc... They're newsletters and webinars are highlights of my week!

http://themissionexchange.org

In Other Words, Welcome...

Best pick-up line, ever!

(http://www.engrish.com)

Carnivorous Killer Manatees

I dream practically every time I fall asleep. Whether it's a snooze on the couch or a full night in bed, adventures and thoughts are rattling through my imagination. Just to give you an idea of my thrilling ability to dream...



Last night I laid down to take a 20 minute nap. I had a dream/nightmare that included carnivorous killer manatees swimming in my flooded apartment...

Prayer - Adapting

4. Pray for language learning, cultural adjustment and identification with the people we serve.

“Missionaries are given the early and important assignment to . . . acquire the local language and constantly use it, by pursuing a definite course of study; and understanding and appreciating the culture in which they are living.”

(To see first post and description click here.)