Introducing This Rocky Road

Hello friends.  I'm so glad you stopped by.  Grab a cup of tea and settle in for a visit.

I have had this blog set up for at least a year.  I have multiple posts written and saved but none of them have felt quite right for a first post.  I have been waiting for something to seem like the perfect introduction into who I am and what God is doing in our family.  That perfect post has not come.  You see, I struggle with a little bit of perfectionism.  If it's not going to be perfect, I often put off doing it at all.  I have decided to just jump in where I am today, sick kids and all, and publish something today.  Maybe God will use it to challenge and encourage you as you think about the New Year.

This year our family is seeking to be more VISIONARY and DELIBERATE.  We are seeking to be more FAITHFUL and OBEDIENT in doing the things we know to do and are not doing or not doing quite as faithfully as we should.  We are seeking to SERVE in new ways.  We want to be a family of PURPOSE.

We have allowed both nutritional and spiritual junk food to creep into our lives in ways that are not healthy for our family.  More pointedly said, we have been eating too much fudge and chips and we have been watching too much tv.  We have been unfaithful to feed our physical and spiritual bodies in a manner that would be PLEASING TO GOD.  Yes, we eat nutritional food and read Scripture also but...

We have allowed disobedience to creep into our children's behavior.  I don't know where they get it.  ;)  Most people say they are very well-behaved children, but delayed obedience, having to be told more than once to so something, or having attitude when given instruction is really just plain old, ugly disobedience.  We have been unfaithful in requiring them to OBEY immediately and sweetly. 

We have been unfaithful in hospitality as commanded in Scripture.  Of course we like to have our friends and family visit but we have failed to OBEY God in hospitality for the purpose of sharing the Gospel and encouraging Believers.  We have been unfaithful to "bear ye one another's burdens".

We have also been unfaithful in our "going" this year.  We are commanded in Matthew 28:20 to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you".  We are praying that we will GO every time God presents us with the opportunity.  We are also praying for a calling to a unique ministry for our family.  We want to know beyond all doubt that God has called us to give our lives fully to "this work".  We have "good ideas" for ministry, but we want to pursue God's ideas.

I know there are probably at least a dozen more areas of our lives where we are lacking FAITHFULNESS but these are the ones coming to mind right now.  We are so thankful that God never lacks faithfulness.  We are so thankful that His mercies are new every morning and every year.  Our prayer is that we will each be more like Jesus at the end of 2013 than we are at the beginning. 

This time next year, you will be the same person you are today except for the books you read, the people you meet, messages you hear, the things you watch on tv, the music you listen to, etc. What/who will you allow to influence you as a person this year and where will those influences take you?

I'd love for you to comment share some of your favorite verses, books, magazine, songs, etc that challenge and encourage you to live a called-out, separated life for the cause of Christ.  Some of our favorite books that we will be revisiting this year are Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp, Keeping Our Children's Hearts by Steven and Terri Maxwell,  The Hospitality Commands by Alexander Strauch,  and The Personal Touch by Rachel Crabb.  One of our favorite cds is The Centrality of the Home in Evangelism and Discipleship.  One of our favorite hymns if Oh, The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.  Michael Card does a version of this that is pretty good.  We also like Be Thou My Vision. 

May we be a great source of sharpening and encouragement to each other this year.  Pray for our family as we seek be PLEASING to HIM in all ways this year.  I will pray for you as well.

Happy New Year to you all.