The start of something new.

I guess you could easily call this the end. But, I prefer to think of it as just the beginning.

The 29th was Don's last day with the Air Force. He ended his tour early (it was supposed to last until mid-July) after becoming convicted that he was there outside of God's will. He felt very strongly that all the Air Force represents, including the use of force and the alignment with the powers of this world, were not where God would have him earning a living. And so, after struggling with the idea (and with God) for a while, he finally came to the place where he laid it all on the altar before God and gave it up.

And it was hard. Unbelievably hard.

Can you imagine voluntarily becoming unemployed...in "this economy"??? Especially when the job you had was secure, well-paying, rewarding, and enjoyable? Except for the drive, there was hardly anything Don disliked about the job. And yet, that nagging feeling, that conviction, wouldn't give him peace.

His leaving of the Air Force was quickly followed up with a resignation with the prison, as his work there had much of the same moral complications. His "last day" will be next Friday, though he won't be working there at all until that day.

What now? We don't know. For a while, I think we'll keep him busy around here...there's a greenhouse, a summer kitchen, and a chicken processing hut to build, not to mention the daily disasters to clean up and chores to do. Oh, and bonding with a new baby as well...sooner than later, hopefully! He will eventually need to go back to work, though, if we are to continue to live in this house. Thankfully, our mortgage is small, but it is there and will need to be paid. I fully trust that God will provide...in some way...though it may not be in the way that we expect...because of Don's obedience. It'll be exciting to see His mighty hand working. And in the meantime, maybe we can finally get some things done around here!

Whatever is true...

We haven't had "tv", in all its glory, since Caleb was a baby. By that, I mean that we have had a television, but haven't had it hooked up to any sort of programming. Our DVDs and our Nintendo are the only things on the screen. Even when we lived in Arizona, where basic cable was completely free (we had cable internet there & the cost for basic cable was the same as the discount for multiple services, thus making it free), we said no. The cable company would call us often to offer it, and always thought I was out of my mind to turn it down. But, in short, I didn't want any programming coming into my house that I didn't deliberately choose.

Regardless, we rely on that "blue screen of death" much more than we desire. Our DVD collection has always been quite, shall we say, healthy. But, we have begun to take baby steps toward removing it altogether. Our deadline for the day of emancipation is September, when Don's folks arrive and we lose our basement. (They plan on remodeling and expanding our basement for their home, while giving us a little extra first-floor space for a livingroom, as our livingroom is currently in the basement.) We will not be moving that tv into our new living space. I'm seriously looking forward to it.

As a first step, we decided to drastically thin out our DVD collection, using Philippians 4:8 as our criteria. Novel concept, eh?

Here is the first thinning.87 boxes came out. 87. And 2 of them are tv series. It feels so good to get rid of them. And, incidentally, I purposely did not show the spines in the photo...I don't need anyone enlarging the picture in order to read the titles and judge me! Anyway, I thought about each one and anything I couldn't justify keeping based on being noble, pure, lovely, etc., it went. Ahhh...relief.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." --Philippians 4:8

Home Church

This has been a long-neglected topic. I've intended to post about our adventure into home church for a while now, but I never seem to get it done.

I guess that first and foremost, I must mention that our intention is not to recreate what you find at a church building in our livingroom. Just as we don't mimic a schoolhouse in our home schooling or a hospital in our home birthing, we wanted to start afresh, using only the Bible and the Holy Spirit as our guideline for fellowship with other members of the church body. Which is hard. Have you ever tried to start from scratch and ignore the paradigm that is so deeply engraved in your mind and your tradition? The tendency is definitely to reject it all (the traditions) out-of-hand because it is too hard mentally to reject only some and yet embrace others. But, we've tried not to do that either. Just because a church building does something, does not make it wrong, obviously.

We had felt, for a long time, that church, as it is today, was just not what Christ had in mind. While in Arizona, we were lead to a Baptist church. We felt disconnected. We disagreed with some of the things that were preached (it seemed legalistic to us) and we were confused as to why God had brought us there. We stayed there for over a year, never joining because we couldn't bring ourselves to align with that "church". But we were certain God had lead us there. Why? We didn't know. In the meantime, we continued to question the way "church" was done and why it seemed so contrary to what we saw in the first-century church. What was interesting was that our Sunday School class did a series on the first-century church, trying to show how the fundamental, independent Baptist church was doing it right. But for us, it made the differences even more glaringly obvious. Something wasn't right. We knew that. But what now?

We moved to Nebraska, not sure of what to do next. We visited a few church buildings when we got here, but nothing was different. In the meantime, I read a post at Letters from Kamp Krusty about how he quit "going to church". I was intrigued. The things he was talking about were exactly the things we were wrestling with. And then he had a book review of Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna. I called Don into the room. I was excited. It seemed to be a book that reaffirmed our questions and answered them. Don immediately ordered a copy. And then he ordered 10 more to give out. It was almost as if we were given permission to challenge the status quo.

I don't know why I continue to be amazed when God blesses us so immeasurably, but I am. And he did. Here in the middle of rural Nebraska, he plopped us down without leaving us alone. We now regularly meet with 2 other families of similar hearts and goals. We have neighbors that are interested in meeting with us too (and have on occasion).

We aren't there yet. We are still trying to find our way. We meet and sing and talk and eat and pray. But like I said, it is hard to start fresh. And none of us has ever really experienced a fellowship of believers led solely by Christ and are ignorant of what that really looks like. It's a journey. But, praise God, we aren't alone. And, in time, we hope to see what Jesus meant by being functioning member of His body, the church. A church that is a living, breathing organism, made of believers all over the world and not limited to a building or a denomination. The real church, the body and the bride of Christ. It's a lofty goal. But He meant for us to get there, didn't he? I think He did.

P.S. I've mentioned Violas book before. It is not for the faint of heart. It will challenge nearly everything you find in today's church buildings, including the building itself, the pastor, the tithe, the music, and the preaching. It will explain where these traditions came from and how, shockingly, it isn't the Bible. You can read the first chapter here. It will either infuriate you or make you feel relieved and hopeful. You won't be unchanged, though, I'd wager.

Oh how embarrassing.

I've never been one to sleep in church. Never. I've always been the awake one, ribbing Don to get him to stop snoring.

Well, I can no longer say that. And you want to know the real kicker? It was homechurch. 2 families. I couldn't really hide it. I came to when one of the kids was saying, "Is Mrs. U asleep?" I just hung my head in shame...and to catch another few winks.

As an aside, I really want to post about our journey into the realm of homechurch, but I know it's going to be fairly long and deep and don't want to just gloss over it. And right now is not the time. But I promise that I will eventually get to it.

For Father's Day, we did a little recycling. We rebirthed a scrap from the kitchen remodel into something that Don has wanted ever since we've been married. The ultimate component to a man's garage...the pegboard. But instead of just buying one, we took a scrap of wall paneling and drilled it.

Yes, we drilled it. That's 2448 holes. Call me crazy, but it accomplished three things. It served to be a way to recycle what would otherwise be wasted. It gave the kids a gift they could give that wouldn't cost them anything. And, it kept us busy for several days. They loved all the drilling.
Abby sat in her stroller and watched, pining for the day when her mother would let her drill 2500 holes.

Some day, Abby. Some day.

Casting Votes

I've mentioned before that I am studying the book of Daniel right now, both at an official Beth Moore Bible study & at home with the kids. Something that has really gotten my attention through this study is how God's will is ALWAYS done. Period. Is there a proud king ruling? The good news is, God put him there. The better news is, God can humble him. The best news is, God will use it all for His glory. Today at Bible study, we discussed the idea that Alexander the Great was the horn of the shaggy goat in Daniel 8. Alexander conquered pretty much the entire known world while he was in power. I'm guessing it wasn't a pretty sight either. I bet that followers of God were wondering how a good God could allow someone to cause so much war. But guess what? Alexander was put there by God & used by God for His glory. Alex caused the spread of the Greek language, making the world ripe for the spread of Christianity. Alex's ego was used by God to make His word spread easily. How awesome is that?

Today, as people go to the poles & fret over the possible future of our nation, I'm resting confident that WHATEVER, it will be God's doing, He will use it, and He will be glorified. Yes, I voted. Absentee-style. But really, I just want God to do what He will. Have at it Lord! Magnify Your name! And thank you that I can be along for the ride!

Reading Daniel

The kids and I have been reading through Daniel during Bible time in school. I love Daniel. It's one of my favorite books of the Bible. (is that allowed? to have a favorite? I hope so!) I love how absolutely relevant it is for today. I love how faithful these guys were in a faithless world. I love the prophecy of times that have already come to pass and I love the prophecy that hasn't taken place yet. In fact, a Beth Moore study on Daniel just started at a friend's church & I signed up. It makes Tuesdays a little crazy & hard, but man, it's worth it. And, I know God has more to teach me from the book.

Anyway, so the kids & I are reading through it too. I explained the interpretation of the dream in Daniel 2, identifying what in history has already happened. They thought it was pretty neat. Then, for history, we started in on Greek News...a book that gives the history of the Greeks in a fun, newspaper style. We got to the part where Alexander the Great conquers pretty much the entire known world & we flipped back in Daniel to re-read that part of the prophecy. What fun to see Caleb's face as he saw God's mighty power and omnipotence in it. I just love God's word. What joy there is in dwelling in it.

Wisdom from a seven-year-old

We've started to attend a church that uses the King James Version. We've never been in a church like this before, so we've been questioning. We decided to research it a bit & got a book called "Which Version is The Bible?" and have been discussing it a lot. Last night, in the middle of talking about it, Caleb came up & said "Hey, let me help you guys out here." We were all ears. He proceeded to explain that the KJV must be right because that was how they talked "back then." After giggling a little, we explained the timeline, the languages of the Bible and such and that the KJV-style of speech had nothing to do with Jesus' day or the original language. We thought it was cute. Don remembered the story that Mark Twain had said he left home at 18, came back at 22, and was shocked at how much his parents had learned. Apparently, our son thinks we are a little obtuse and we try to turn a really simple thing into something much more complicated.

Small miracles

I know that God is good all the time. And I can't take the good from Him & not the bad. But, sometimes, I just have to sit back and marvel as I see Him working.

So, I've already told about our quick & nice offer on the house. Next, the buyers did an inspection & asked for NO repairs. I've never heard of that! Then, we decided to look for a truck & found a good, old one at a good price. It'll be so nice to have for our move on Friday. Then, Caleb won a free tickets to the Diamondbacks (AZ's baseball team) from the summer reading program at the library. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be in the budget for the rest of us to go with, so it looked like he wasn't going to be able to use it...but, today, at the grocery store (which I never go to, but went to pick up snacks & soda for the guys helping us move) I got a voucher for 1 free admission to the Diamondbacks! So, Don & Caleb can go together! Yipee! The craziest one is this...I was shopping for a new washer & dryer this morning & found the best price on the one I want at Lowe's, but was dreading the added cost of tax & thinking it would be great to have a 10% off coupon. What do I get in the mail today? A 10% off coupon for Lowe's! That just blew me away. It makes me so humbled that God would find it in His plan to shower me with these blessings.

Anyway, that's it. I just wanted to pop in and praise Him.

Proverbs 31

This morning I read Proverbs 31 during my quiet time. I've been reading 1 chapter of Proverbs a day, so on the 31st, I am always reading Proverbs 31. It is such a filled passage of scripture for me. I guess it's because it's one of the few places that speaks directly to me as a wife & mother. Sure, there are other places, but just not so complete & exclusive. It's just jam-packed with golden nuggets. I love the chapter & every time I read it, I tell myself I should commit it to memory someday. Every time I read it, I renew my goal to become that Proverbs 31 wife. Prayerfully, I will get there this side of heaven!

What's changed?

I was reading Nehemiah 8-10 this morning during my quiet time. (Thanks to TamInAZ for encouraging me to get up really early to get that precious time in!) That is an action-packed section of the Bible. There were so many things in it that really struck me, but the main one was from Neh 8:17, "And their joy was very great." The Israealites had been doing their own thing for so long that they had forgotten what the Law actually said. They were under Persian rule, had suffered & we're few in number because of their sin. And yet, when they rediscovered the Law and began to obey it, their joy was very great! Their circumstances hadn't changed in the slightest. But, they had changed.

It's amazing what a heart change can do for you. When I realized that my own attitude about certain things was grieving the Lord, I determined to change my attitude. I began to really dig for guidance on a better attitude. When I started making statements & suggestions to my Don that would have been so out-of-character for me just a while ago, he started to notice! One day, he turned to me and said, "What's changed?" What had changed was me. My circumstances hadn't changed at all. And the things that I blamed my attitude on were still there. But, I had changed, by the grace and love of God. And my joy was very great.

My dad is visiting us right now and tonight we will celebrate an early Christmas with him. Yesterday, he drove us down to Organ Pipe Natl Park and across the border into Mexico. Caleb was amazed almost immediately after crossing the border. He kept asking about all the dogs that weren't on leashes...his heart is so tender. He was truly worried about their safety. I was amazed at how much Spanish I could read. The organ pipe cacti were very pretty...I love the scenery of AZ. I believe that my dad is taking the kids & I to see Narnia again this afternoon, at Caleb's request.

Here's the last picture from the past year that I'll post. From now on, they'll be current pics. Anyway, it's the kids in front of a Saguaro on a little hike in the White Tank Mtns. They have their bug-catching equipment in their hands, but we didn't catch anything on our walk. The thing we really worked at catching was a lizard (catch & release, of course!) but those guys are just too fast!