Spring Break Visit to Nat's

What is something that your family does that other families don't? Well, I can't speak for all families out there but I smiled when I was getting a spoonful of sugar out of my parents' sugar bowl and had to work around the crunchy spots. Yes, my family gets their sugar out of the bowl with wet spoons. 1 spoonful . .stir. . .taste. . .not enough. . .spoon another out immediately and carry on. We are, apparently, not bothered at the thought of other peoples' wet spoons mucking up our sugar bowl. Now, will knowing my family history help the friend who caught me absentmindedly breaking up the sugar clumps in my sugar tub (obviously because I put wet spoons in it) in preparation for a recent home group WITH MY FINGERS feel any better? Not likely. But they will know to avoid my parents' sugar bowl (and possibly mine, lol)  if sharing iffy sugar lumps is a problem for them. I bet you have something your family does that might bother the average individual too. Do share! If you are on the other side of this fence (okay, Rian, I saw the look; it just took 24 hours for me to register that you were probably bothered by my bare hand deep in my sugar tub) I bet you still have something to share. Something you CAN'T believe "they" do. Oh and Rian, if I misinterpreted that, carry on and help yourself to some sugar! . Anways I titled the post that way because usually I would stay at mom's but instead  I stayed at Nat's most of the time as Mom was in Arizona caring for Nana, who fell and broke her pelvic bone. Of course I was bummed to miss Mom but the show must go on and, it's cool; we called each other while shopping at Ross so nothing MAJOR was missed. The highlight of the trip, of which I have NO pictures, was swimming at the Camas Center. The Tribe up in Cusick has built a huge gym facility with classes offered and three pools. A lap pool (which Nat, Daniel, and I raced the length of. . .don't ask, if it were any longer I would have drowned), a wading pool (with playground equipment in it people!), and a rec pool (3 1/2 ft. deep with a nice, big, orange water slide). Needless to say both my older children have requested to have their birthday parties there to which I say, "Why not? Driving to the east side is cheaper than Great Wolf Lodge". They had a blast and I was impressed that they both went down the water slide all by themselves. Other than that it was a low key visit with a few pop-ins to see some friends, etc. Here are some pics of our cousin fun! Thanks again Mishael and Sandy for watching our six rugrats to Nat and I could have a girls' day out!

 On a hike. Isaac can run fast!

 running butt

 perfect home in a fallen tree

 cheesers

 Natalie commented that she was glad she still looked "youthful". =)

 I like the "warp speed" look to this picture

 I adore this picture. Rays of sun and bubbles and a cute niece!

 that's just too far ahead of me!

 I mean, how adorable is he???

 running ahead. . .taken from a bend in the path where I'm above him

 there were never such devoted sisters

 where's your shoe??

 but first, let me take a selfie. . .

 stuck much?

 this one should be right before the last. too lazy to straighten out the pics

 charge!!!!

 into the thick of it. . .

 time for a bang trim

 dog agility and brushing horses, the city kids' day on the farm dream

Hebrews - Stones and Hearts - Part 2

OVERARCHING THEME: the old and the new.

The law was not meant to fulfill us spiritually.

The work of Christ has freed us to live spiritually and not be bound by rules.

The book of Hebrews contains one of Paul's most impassioned themes. The supremacy of Christ. How do you convince people, born and raised to believe in the traditions and rituals of the sacrificial system of the law, that one man could provide the perfect sacrifice to end it all? This is the awe inspiring truth of the incarnation of Christ. What was he doing all those years in the bible that we have no record about? He was living the perfect life. . .for us, he was loving his family perfectly. . .for us, he was honoring his parents/teachers/friends perfectly. . .for us, he was handling his earthly father's work honestly. . .for us, he was respecting women and children. . .for us. Because we couldn't. We need his perfect record.

The law was fulfilled in Christ but was never designed to satisfy the deepest human need - to justify sinners. 

the law was rigid. Those who disobeyed were punished by a sort of shunning and yes, even put to death. 

there was no mercy in the law if there was willful breaking of it.

When you put your faith in Christ:
Your past sins are forgiven
Your present sins are forgiven
Your future sins are forgiven

Union with Christ is God looking at us and seeing "perfect record".  Every. Time. Union with Christ is simply this: we confess him as savior and believe in our hearts (Romans 9:10-11) and suddenly the law is written on our hearts. Grace is initiated. No longer law on tablets of stone, immovable, and harsh, but on the nature of our being, tender, and beating with life.

Hebrews 8:10-13

His law will be in our minds

His law will be on our hearts

He will be our God

We will be his people 

*I thank Elyise Fitzpatrick for some of the ideas shared in this post. If you want to know more about the Joy of Incarnation check out #FoundInHim or buy her book of the same name.

Hebrews - Stones and Hearts - Part 1

"Though some of them were but weak, yet others of them had gained more strength; and they must be provided for suitably. And, as those who are grown Christians must be willing to hear the plainest truths preached for the sake of the weak, so the weak must be willing to hear the more difficult and mysterious truths preached for the sake of those who are strong." -CBS Commentary

When someone asks you how the people of the old testament could be saved what would your answer be? 

for me I would have said, by faith, OR by following the law. 
I guess it never occured to me that the law was NEVER intended to save.
That is what studying Hebrews has made clear to me. I sort of knew it in the back of my mind but it never made a strong impression on me until studying the work of Christ and the emphasis on the inadequacy of the law.  
the law was:
- a way to obtain God's favor
- served as a vehicle to turn an undisciplined company of slaves into a strong nation
- a "type" of the work of Christ to come (an old testament "type" is a physical manifestation of a   truth or principle)

It says in James 2, that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called a friend of God.

It has only been and ever will be FAITH that saves. 
and true faith is manifest in obedience.
I'm pretty sure we get to that later in Hebrews but we have only studied through chapter 10.

 The Law and the Gospel are the two main revelations of how to be in relationship with God and they are not meant to be easily understood. Let's remind ourselves of that when we get overwhelmed in the details of bible study or when we get bored of the big picture sermons.These topics are HUGE! The first (the law) was imperfect and replaced by the perfect (Christ's  sacrifice and new covenant). Its amazing to me that even the old testament Isrealites knew, through the prophets, that God preferred an obedient spirit to sacrifice. The new testament Jewish believers understood this too. In studying the law and the supremacy of Christ we are immersed at once into both the simplest and most difficult teachings of our faith.  It's just another reminder to always go into your study/church service with the humbleness to be awed, and teachable.