New Niece!

My brother-in-law and his wife had their third little one back at the beginning of June.  We all are so busy with our growing families that I haven't gotten to spend much time with this little one, but she's a beauty and we are thrilled to welcome her to the family!

Salvation gets personal...

I am still working through my notes and thoughts on James, and I will share them soon.  At the end of the Soteriology class I was asked to write a paper about my understanding of salvation, specifically salvation for eternity.  It was eye-opening to put down in writing my journey to understand this free gift in light of being so performance and works-minded for much of my life so far.  The thoughts below aren't my paper, but rather some snapshots into my journey.

When I was a kid I struggled to know if my salvation was permanent.  I have a pretty sensitive conscience, and I had very little trouble owning up, at least to myself, that I was a sinful little squirt.  I can remember praying the "salvation" prayer many times as a child because I thought my eternal security hinged on my behavior.  I just somehow had to be good enough, but inside I knew I was never good enough when placed next to God's standard of perfection.  I knew I was a sinner and felt conviction on a pretty regular basis even though I was often labeled a "good kid" by the people around me.  I knew how to be good outwardly, when people were watching, but that is truly only skin-deep.  I don't remember being specifically taught that I could lose my salvation due to my behavior in a church or even by my parents, but I picked it up somewhere.  We were in many different denominations throughout my childhood, and some were more works focused, and others swung too far into the "grace covers everything" arena.  For most of my adult life I have tried to understand this issue of salvation by faith alone when the Bible seems to talk about works being a part of the process.  In all honestly I was afraid of how my day before the judgement seat would go. Would I get a pass or a fail?  Had I been good enough?  Had I repented from every sin?

I have been living in a lot of fear from some poor understanding and instruction in salvation most specifically, and I feel like a weight has been taken off of my shoulders as I've been able to let go of some fears.  This class on the doctrine of salvation has put more pieces of the puzzle together for me which I'll continue to share as time permits.

There has also been another situation which has forced Peter and I to try and understand what it means to be saved.  Mormons!  Over the last several years, Peter and I have been blessed to befriend many Mormon missionaries.  We typically offend them a bit, (we've had a few in tears) I think because we do try and build a relationship with them and because we do confront them with the truth of the Gospel, specifically the Gospel as pertains to God's grace for sinners.  Amazingly, when new missionaries come to town, they call us up again and again.  For some reason we're still on the list.  In our conversations with them the idea of works being a necessary part of salvation comes up very often.  Their book of Mormon states:  "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren to believe in Christ and be reconciled to God; for we know that is by grace we have been saved, after all that we can do.(emphasis mine)  2 Nephi 25:23 
I will often quote the verses in Ephesians 2: 8-9.  "For it is by grace, you have been saved through faith and this not of yourselves.  It is the gift of God, not by works so that no man can boast."  I would quote them this verse with confidence, and they would come back with the James 2:14 and following where it appears that James is saying that it takes faith and works to be "saved".  We would get a little stumped to be honest, and I never felt that our answer was satisfactory.  Obviously there are many different issues where the Bible and the teachings of the Mormons, including the Book of Mormon, don't agree.  But, this issue of how we are saved from our sins for eternity is crucial.
I was thrilled when we took several weeks to study the book of James in our soteriology class.  Even Martin Luther struggled to reconcile it with Paul's teaching about salvation by faith alone to the point that he wanted James out of the Bible.  But, now it makes sense to me, and I'm enjoying going back through my notes and feeling peace about what James had to say.

One Mormon missionary indicated that she would not know about her standing with God, (whether she was righteous 'enough') until she died.  What has been eye-opening to me is that this train of thought seems to be common among those who hold to the perseverance of the saints or Lordship salvation view, at least in my own experience, as presented by our instructor, and in my own reading of MacArthur's book, The Gospel According to Jesus.
I have held to this view most of my life, (didn't know it had a name until recently) so this is not an attack on anyone, but if we follow the line of thinking that our eternal salvation does depend, in part, on us, and on how well we finish or persevere, we can't be sure that we are saved until death!  This is where my fear has been rooted, and, while there is much debate about this view of "free grace" which also ties into the doctrine of rewards and even the view on the the kingdom of heaven and heaven being two different things (more on that in another post hopefully) I see God's grace in such a new light, and I don't live in fear that I'll get a reject when I arrive in heaven.

There you have some snapshots of my story and journey.  God is good, and I'm so blessed by His grace and forgiveness, given freely, no strings attached, when I simply believed!

Girl's night!

We have been blessed with some pretty awesome neighbors, and Wendy is no exception!  It's been fun to have another young mom around and our kids so enjoy playing with her kiddos.  She works at the University here in town as their head seamstress.  She made Conrad the cutest baby blanket, and when my bridesmaid dress needed some alterations, she took it on and did a beautiful job!  Every summer the college puts on some fun theater performances, and last night we got to see My Fair Lady!  The best part had to have been when Colonel Pickering's phone broke, and half of it fell to the floor when he picked it up to call the police.  The maid responded, "Sorry, we'll fix that soon!"  Pickering fixed it then asked the police, "I say, are you still there!"  Pretty fun, quick thinking on their parts!

Before we went to the show Wendy gave me a quick backstage tour - so fun!  It brought back so many memories of my dancing days!  Never will get the love for the theater out of this girl.

Sewing machines everywhere!!

The table next to her is where she creates, (mostly from scratch) patterns.  She also pointed out the hat sitting there.  Apparently it took a lot of work to create!

She also showed me the room where they make the wooden sets for the shows.

Pretty neat, I say!

Busy boy!

He's loving summertime!

And, of course, he's loving his ability to do more and more things!  #don'tblink for real.  He's nearly 1 already!

Competitive middle child; I get you!

For Sam's birthday we got him a new bike, and he quickly learned to ride a two-wheeled bike.  He likely could have mastered it sooner, we just didn't have a bike the right size for his growing body, and he didn't have a bigger brother to compete with!  Little brother Marcus is quiet, but he watches and learns.  He saw the praise that Sam got, and the fun he was having on his bike and so took it upon himself to learn to ride a 2-wheeled bike.  We have a small bike, and it became Marcus' goal to ride it with only 2 wheels.  He'd go out to our sidewalk everyday and practice.  Within a few days we noticed that he was no longer looking wild on it, he was actually looking stable,  could ride short distances on his own, and had learned to look way out in front of himself rather than at the ground right in front of him.  A few days later, he was off!  I can relate to this part of Marcus.  There's something about being a younger sibling that makes you feel the need to compete with everyone!  It can be annoying to deal with at this stage in my life, but it has been fun to see him motivated to work hard at something and to see his diligence pay off.  Good job, buddy!

Soteriology thoughts 2 and 3

Before I type out my next thoughts I should offer a few disclaimers:

The first - I seldom have time to go back over my posts and do any sort of detailed editing.  I try and clean them up quickly and often a bit sloppily, but I just don't often have enough time to edit as I would like, so forgive any grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors that you will find.
The second - I am still investigating this doctrine of salvation.  I'm blogging about it as I try and sort through, in light of scripture, all that has been presented to me.  I am studying scripture and reading books by authors who have very different opinions on this doctrine of salvation.  I really do want to understand this issue more fully, and so in my quest to find answers, I will likely say some things in error.

My first thought, in a way, goes with my first soteriology post.  Once I understood the polymorphic nature of words, I began to realize that "salvation" does not always mean, "saved from hell" in scripture.  Some examples:
-Justification (to declare righteous) Salvation addressed in John, and Romans 1-4.
-Sanctification (to make holy) Salvation: addressed in James.
-Others (which we did not study in depth in class, and I have not yet looked into on my own) Glorification Salvation (discussed in Hebrews) and Salvation of the Soul, Matthew 16, Mark 8 and Luke 9.

As an aside, the definitions for Salvation in Hebrew and Greek can be found below:
Salvation in Hebrew (yasha) in the Old Testament means, "freedom, liberation.
Salvation in Greek (soteria) in the New Testament means to deliver, rescue, preserve.

To sum up this thought, I have begun to see "salvation" as a picture of my life in total not just the moment when I believed in Christ as the Son of God and my Savior  I began the race when I believed in Christ, "Justification Salvation."  As I run the race I struggle with sin and need "Sanctification Salvation" on my journey.  As I run the race and am faithful, there are rewards which ties into "Glorification Salvation" I believe.  The doctrine of rewards is something that is high on my list to search out.  I used to think that God was holding every sin against me and when I reached His judgement seat He'd go over each one (even though forgiven) and humiliate me in front of everyone. I am happy to be able to say that I don't see this in scripture!  More on this in another post.

My second thought today is a point that was addressed in my class which I have also found it to be very helpful in study of the Bible.  We were encouraged to try and find a thematic statement or purpose of each book of the Bible read.  In many churches I grew up and also just in personal study and instruction at home, selected verses would be picked out and used to address certain sins or hot button topics, and I can think of many occasions when verses were taken out of context in this way to try to convince me of something that the Bible wasn't even saying.  There are many steps to good study of the Bible; I think trying to find a theme and/or purpose is a very good early step.  I helps to establish context which can clear up other confusion later on.  This is easier said than done, and right now I'm trying to do that with 1st John.  I'm currently trying to read the book once per day to try and grasp the purpose of the book.  I'll let you know what I find when I find it!

In our class we were directed to what would appear to be a thematic statement in the Gospel of John.  Many books in the Bible don't have such a clear statement, but John, through God's direction, clearly gives us a statement of purpose.  It's found in John 20:30-31.  "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."  The Gospel of John is the only book in the Bible with this stated purpose which reveals that John's gospel is evangelistic in nature.

I must close for now.  I'm trying to organize my thoughts, but there are many interruptions and many thoughts.  I apologize if this comes across in a confusing jumble!  

White Oak Canyon

A few weeks ago we hiked to a place called White Oak Canyon for my father-in-law's birthday.  We loved it!  Along the way up to the top of the falls we spied some fun wildlife, which included a garter snake and a corn snake!  Thanks to my sister-in-law for taking some great photos!  These are such special memories for us!

I got to carry this cutie up to the top.  My back was a little sore by the end of the return trip, but it was fun to hear and feel him taking in the beauty of nature!

While the water at the falls was freezing and I didn't brave it, many in our group did.  I enjoyed just sitting, watching and listening to the water.

Handsome men!

These two!

Cousin love!

Friends are gifts from God!

We met this particular friend from Costco a few years ago.  We would see her each weekend putting out some fun sample which we, of course, had to try!  That is why one braves the masses at Costco on the weekend, am I right?  She would always greet us with a smile, and she loved on our boys so genuinely.  I noticed that she kept a smile on her face despite her circumstance, (being wheelchair bound.)  She struck me as one of those amazing people who live fully despite limitation.  Her can do, go get 'em, full of joy attitude inspired me, and it still does.  She's a teacher, and she works at Costco on the weekends!  In the months we've known her, we have been blessed by her life in so many ways.  Our kids love to go and visit with her, and she always listens with an attentive ear.   We've met her husband who she married not too many years ago, and when you get to know her and her husband, you can see just how perfect they are for each other.  She went through major hip surgery earlier this year, and she pushed through it with her usual joy and peace.  Over the weeks we began to talk more when we would stop by her sample table, and it's been such a joy to get to know her!  You never know where God might introduce you to a new friend - it may be at a Costco sample table, but when He does, it's pretty special!

"Salvation" post 1

I warned you that I might get a bit theological here and there.  I have been going back over my Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) notes slowly, and I'm hoping to jot down my thoughts and findings.  I am also currently reading a book with a sightly different view of how one is saved and how one receives eternal life.  (Different from the view presented in a class I took at church which I'm coming to find seems more in line with what scripture teaches)   This book, The Gospel According to Jesus, by John MacArthur, views the doctrine of salvation more in line with what I would have said I believed in the past although I honestly don't think I've ever clearly studied this particular doctrine, I have just tried to figure it out over time based on some Bible study, some sermons from many different denominational leanings, and conversations with others.  I'm trying to evaluate both positions and search out the scriptures to solidify my own findings and positions.

The first point we went over in the course I took at church was the fact that words are polymorphic.  This might seem like an obvious thing to consider, but it was really enlightening to me.  The example presented was the use of the word, "run."  We use it in different ways, and it takes on different meanings depending on how it is used.  For example:

"I am going to run to the store."
"I am going to run for office."
"I am going to hit the ball and score a run."
"I am going to run around the bases."

As a general rule when we are speaking, listening or reading, we instinctively determine context and therefore a generally accurate meaning of the words being used; however, when it comes to the Bible, we aren't always trained to do that.  I know I am not.  In the past I assumed that when I read the word, "salvation" in the Bible, it meant saved from hell by faith in Jesus Christ.  But, it doesn't always meant that!

Understanding the polymorphic meaning of words has been significant in my own study of the Bible.  It has helped me to not make so many assumptions when I'm reading.  I bring many preconceived ideas to the study of the Bible, and just this little improvement in my thinking has helped me lay aside some of them.

Thus concludes point number 1.  Happy Monday!

Wildlife Adventures

Last week I noticed two birds making a nest in a bush outside of our living room window.  I told the boys about it, and they have been diligently checking back to observe any changes.  In the course of the week we've researched what kind birds they are, and we also noted 4 pretty eggs in the nest!  It is so fun to observe nature with my little ones.  There is something so special about being a kid and about being so in awe of everything around you.  Sam drew this picture for his science folder.  The kids check the nest several times each day hoping to soon see baby birds.  

We have a strawberry patch, and who knew that it would feed the neighborhood bird population, and shelter baby bunnies.  Every morning when I go outside robins, catbirds, and blackbirds will fly out of my strawberry patch leaving their pecked berries behind.  Peter said he saw a blue jay in there yesterday, and I'm guessing the neighborhood cardinals have stopped by, too.  I guess I'm going to have to get some netting!  A few days ago as I was moving leaves to pick some berries two baby bunnies went running.  No wonder this little lady has been hanging around the garden.

I was trying to figure out what the babies might be finding to eat in the strawberry patch.  Yesterday I think I figured it out.  First, I found that all but one of the sunflower plants have been eaten down to nothing.  Then, I found my Black-Eyed Susan looking like this!  Please note the untouched clover behind it!   I had no idea that rabbits like to eat these flowers, but apparently they do.  So, I doused it with pepper and we will hope cute baby bunnies leave the poor plant alone.

Thankfully, the wildlife isn't eating everything, and there have been some lovely flowers to enjoy!