The children are all in bed. The house is quiet. It seems like it has been a week since the house has been quiet (and I've been awake to enjoy it). VBS is over and I feel really thankful about how well it went. So many people worked so diligently to minister to the precious children that came this week (including my own). Events like this one make me appreciate the body of Christ. I just feeled so honored to be a part of our church. It is amazing to see how each person makes up a part of the Body, just like a body. It was like watching a well-oiled machine this week. Each woman and teen using his/her gifts and
working hard...all for one ultimate purpose, to bring glory and honor to the Lord.
I Corinthians 12:14-27
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
*Pictured above: My two friends at church, both in their 70s, convinced me to kiss the balloon professor. My man was working in the youth office putting in his office hours. So I agreed to have him in the picture as well, you know, so he wouldn't be jealous of my new crush. I thought it would entertain these two precious, elderly, tired ladies. Well, lo and behold, they posted this picture up in the craft room and laughed at it with anyone who would come and see. I laughed too, but I have them worried about how I will pay them back. This should be fun... Can you tell I took a (very blurry) picture of their picture?
Today was a very, very hard day for us. We said good-bye to dear friends that are leaving our church. Their farewell party was sad and beautiful, and very inspiring. Between the tears and my lack of sleep this week, Andy agreed that I should come home and sleep. I took a four hour nap(I only slept three hours last night), which fast forwarded the day from lunch to dinner!
We ordered pizza tonight. Our family time together was such a blessing. We have allowed the boys to stay up an extra hour late on Sunday nights to watch The Amazing Race* with us. Tonight was the finale. We had a party of sorts, and sat on a blanket in the family room with cookies. We have enjoyed travelling all over the world with the boys this fall, through the aid of this show. We were excited that the race ended in Portland, Oregon because Oregon is on our "must see with the kids" list of places to go before they are grown.
After "the race", we lit our second advent candle. We talked about a parent's love for his child and the even greater love the Father has for us. I am hoping we all go to bed tonight basking in the great miracle of being bought by the blood of the Lamb- the very Son of God.
