"the gospel in her home" (the journey)

"not that i have already obtained this or am already perfect, but i press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. brothers, i do not consider that i have made it my own. but one thing i do: forgetting what lies behind & straining forward to what lies ahead, i press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. let those of us who are mature think this way, & if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. only let us hold true to what we have attained."
philippians 3:12

i have recently thought about how i would like to go back through all of my blog posts & adjust them to look the way my current posts do. i've also thought about my photography style & how it's grown & improved & how i'm kinda "embarrassed" with how my pictures used to look. but then i realized... it's all a journey of growth & perfecting what i want my blog & photography to be & represent. the constantly changing & ever evolving look & feel of my blog & photography is part of who i am & who i'm becoming. i don't need to worry about how things look & if it all "fits together well". it's all so different & i'm not who i was a few years ago!
PRAISE THE LORD!

(oct 2011)

& so it is in our Father's good gospel... He is ever changing us & sanctifying us & making us more like Him! we have not "arrived"! we will never reach a point of "being perfected" on this earth. with our children, we are not standing on top of a peak calling them to join us. we are walking this road with them as fellow sinners. & it's a hard/beautiful journey.

(feb 2012)

we should increasingly pursue the knowledge of Christ. we are like a runner straining for the finish line! if a runner looks behind him to see how well he's doing or if someone else is gaining on him, he will only be slowed down. & we cannot rest or relax on previous achievements. we strain for more of the Lord! this is not to say that we don't remember what the Lord has faithfully brought us through, saved us from & how He's made us more in His image.

(feb 2013)

everything that is sanctifying & difficult & maybe "ugly" to us is really soooooo beautiful because it is the Lord expressing His kind love for us! the whole story, ALL OF IT, is glorifying to Him! let's not be consumed with tears & the laughter of what the Lord has done over the years, but strain for more of Him!!!

read brit's post here.

(some of the above thoughts are from our pastor's sermon this past sunday.
listen to it or watch it here.)

al

ps
don't forget to comment with your thoughts &
maybe share your "the gospel in her home" post as well!
thanks for fellowshipping with us!

inheritance in the saints

"the gospel is not just a message of reconciliation with God, but it also heralds the reconciliation of all believers to one another in Christ. through the death of Christ, God has brought peace where there was once hostility, & He has broken down the racial, economic, & social barriers that once divided us outside of Christ. 

also, when God saved us, He made us members of His household, & He gave us as gifts to one another. each brother & sister is a portion of my gospel inheritance from God, & i am a portion of their inheritance as well. we are significant players in each other's gospel narrative, & it is in relationship with one another that we experience the fullness of God in Christ. 

hence, the more i comprehend the full scope of the gospel, the more i value the church for which Christ died, the more i value the role that i play in the lives of my fellow Christians, & the more i appreciate the role that they must be allowed to play in mine."

milton vincent

what rich fellowship we can have with the body of Christ! we are not alone on this journey! brothers & sisters are "a portion of my gospel inheritance from God" & "we experience the fullness of God in Christ" by relationship with one another! 

how do your current relationships accomplish this in your life?

since we just moved i'm sooo desperate for fellowship with the saints here in louisville!!! while we get settled & start making friends i'm so grateful for dear friends far away!
al

"the gospel in her home" (the idea)

oh friends, i am soooo excited about this idea the Lord gave me & i pray it blesses you & me in our walks as mommies/wives/homemakers/daughters of our dear Savior! 

so here it is... my friends britney, tiff & i are starting a blogging community called "the gospel in her home". our goal is to build a community in the blogging world of gospel centered posts, encouragement, links, insight & wisdom. our Father's gospel is so rich & we have much to learn from the gospel in our efforts as mommy/wife/homemaker. we get to learn from our Lord & what He's done for us everyday & all day... if we are willing. it's so easy to see folding laundry, washing dishes, washing dirty babies, making meals, discipling hearts, running errands or decorating our home as simply more things to get "good" at & learn about in books. BUT all of these daily tasks can remind us of the gospel & point us back to our sweet Savior. & there are so many things He's teaching us in our failings. 

"God never reveals our hearts to discourage us. convicting us of sin is one of the most profound ways he demonstrates his love for us." -Paul Tripp

as mommies/wives/homemakers we often feel soooo discouraged by our failings & sin. but in convicting us of our sin our God is showing us how much He loves us. & so our times in our new blogging community will be discussing our sin & failures & we will also rejoice in our triumphs & joys. our Father is so kind to us! 

"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." philippians 2:12-13

"and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." philippians 1:6

here's how we want you to share in this fellowship with us... britney, tiff & i will have a weekly "the gospel in her home" post where we apply the gospel to normal mommy/wife/homemaker lives & share our thoughts & truths the Lord has shown us. PLEASE PLEASE share your thoughts in the comments! we ARE NOT alone... we have fellowship with the body... & we can enjoy that fellowship here in our little spot on the internet. ;) if you would like to join in & share your "the gospel in her home" post share the link in the comments as well. we'd love to learn from what the Lord is teaching you!! & share this little community with your friends who will appreciate it!  

thank you for being here friends! let's walk together.

al

"good"/weak/repenting/humble/gracious

i think as parents one of the best things we can do for our kids is REPENT & show them our desperate need for our Savior daily, moment by moment! they need to know that just because we're further along in years & we're "mommy & daddy" doesn't mean that we're never wrong. we're quite often wrong! just a few nights ago michael & i had this long conversation about how we may be doing a few things wrong with the boys. so we reevaluated, we prayed, then the next day we talked to the boys about how we had been messing up & we asked for forgiveness. just by asking our kids to forgive us we're teaching them that no one is perfect & we're all in need of God's grace whether we're 2 or 80 years old. we never "arrive" to the age where we can say, "we always know what we're doing & we always do it right". what a relief as a child... we're showing them that we don't expect them to always have it together, but we do expect them to repent when they've sinned against someone & to cling to the grace of our Mighty Savior as they are sanctified & try again. (& all of this is trusting that our boys come to a saving relationship with Christ Jesus.)

our children need "good", weak, repenting, humble, gracious parents.
& their parents need a GOOD/strong/forgiving/gracious Savior!

al

tiny detours, empowerment, & a blessing (guest post)

my dear dear friend, emma, agreed to share some wisdom filled words with us. this woman... i have so much respect for her & i rejoice that we get to learn from what the Lord has taught her! :) read more from her here.

al

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In the midst of the constant barrage of tears, tantrums, discipline, unending questions, surges of hormones, the lack of adult interaction and sleeplessness, I find myself swirling in a tornado of emotions and feelings that are so strong I can barely keep my footings.

On any given day I can experience emotions of heightened joy and laughter and 5 minutes later sadness and doubt about my calling as a mother. So how does a god-fearing mother live her life according to her emotions?? SHE DOESN'T!!
As Christian mothers are called to live our everyday lives by the truth found in the Word of God and our faith in Him. You can look at our emotions as tiny detours and distractions trying to take us off course. We cannot rely on them! We need to feel them, and recognize their presence in our lives but not allow them to dictate our responses to our children or to the Lord.  I realize that this is easier said than done!:)

Begin to practice living a life of faith everyday. Read the word, Believe it and Live it! Relying on the grace of God, which is His supernatural empowerment, I can do ALL things through Christ. I now look at my emotional ups and downs as blessings because through them I am being sanctified to become more like the Lord and the mother I was created to be. My little ones daily witness my constant surrender to the Father as I ask for His forgiveness and theirs.:) We are not called to be PERFECT mothers we are called to be mothers who are perfected through the grace and mercy of our Lord.

May you be blessed today, may you recieve a fresh impartation of grace and mercy. May peace and rest be yours today as your press against the swift current of your emotions. And May the joy of the Lord be your strength!!
Emma

Emma Wilson and her husband Jim reside in Northern Ontario Canada. They currently have 3 little ones: Judah (5), Mercy(3) and Atirah(1). Emma is a full-time mommy and homemaker. Through motherhood the Lord has taken her on a journey of surrendering everything to Him. She regulary blogs about her experiences and challenges on her blog. Check it out at: www.simplybeautifullife.wordpress.com