I've been struck over the past days, weeks, months, and years by how very, very blessed I am and my family is. I have an amazing family, a safe place to live, never go hungry or without clothes or other needs, and the joy of knowing Jesus and realizing God's love for me. I've been struck more recently by the fact that although I'm incredibly grateful for all that I have, my life is very ego-centric. Much of what I spend my time doing is for my own pleasure, with some time (probably not enough) spent on laying down my own desires to serve my husband and children. BUT, what am I doing to expand the Kingdom? My answer to that question was an astounding "nothing." Those of you who are not followers of Jesus
(I deliberately don't use the word "Christian" here because there are so very
many people who are turned off of Jesus and know nothing about who He really was
or what He was really about because of Christians. I believe that a great many
people who have sworn off Christianity know nothing of the real Jesus but have
been sorely wounded by Christians in the name of God. If you are one who falls
into this category, I'd LOVE to talk with you sometime about what Jesus was
really about. I'm willing to bet you'll be at least a little surprised).
are likely thinking "what does that even mean to 'expand the kingdom'?" What it means to me is doing something to show how grateful I am for all that God has done for me. It means being so excited about the God that I know and love and know loves me, that I just have to share Him with others. It means going the extra mile, giving a little bit more than I feel like giving, doing something for someone else just because I can. SO...on a Friday morning a couple of weeks ago the kids and I did something. We spent the morning assembling little care packages for people we drive by on street corners with signs asking for help. Our packages consisted of gallon size ziplock bags each containing a pair of socks, a bottle of water, a bag of trail mix, an energy bar, a disposable toothbrush, an invitation to our church, and a picture drawn by one of the kids. I got this idea from a friend several weeks ago during a discussion during Bible study. Our study that evening was about how our faith should necessarily be visible through our works - not that we are saved by works, but that we are so excited about what we believe and the fact that we are saved, that it automatically spills over into what we do. It was SO fun to do together, and the kids were really into it!
They thought assembling the bags was great fun!
We assembled 16 care packages and have had the opportunity to give 3 of them to people on street corners. All three people responded with such gratitude, and it filled our hearts like you wouldn't believe! I would just love for one of them to walk into church one morning because we showed a little compassion on behalf of Jesus! So far Ryan and I have done the actual giving of the packages, but Eli has asked that he get to do the next one. I love that he wants to help!
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" James 2: 14-16 ESV
The above passage in The Message reads: "Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"
"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." Jesus said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." Jesus said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because Jesus said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep." John 21: 15-17 ESV
We enjoyed explring the area, including Port Gamble, where we found this amazing historic elm tree.
We kayaked the beautiful Hood Canal...
And had the most amazing ice cream...
And of course had a great time playing on the beach.
The kids had a blast in the bouncy houses!
And Ryan & I got in on the fun, too.
After some play time we sat down for some lunch. Sweet Abby offered to share...
And then sweet Abby quickly became silly Abby!
Eli was very excited about having the cotton candy all to himself since Abby didn't want anything to do with it.
And he even got to have his first piece of gum! He promptly swallowed it ("No, it just went into my tummy all by itself!"), and we gave him a second one, which promptly disappeared as well. Needless to say, we decided he's not quite ready for gum! ;)
After the carnival we headed home for Abby's nap. Then it was off to celebrate with some good friends at their annual barbecue. The kids had a blast together, as always!
My dear friend, Lena, asked me to make something patriotic for dessert. Here's what I came up with:
It's my "famous" brownies topped with homemade cream cheese frosting and fresh berries. It was a big hit...
By the time the daylight started to wane enough for fireworks, the kiddos were getting pretty tired.
