Updated Pictures for December 2007

Here are some updated pictures. The first ones are of Jackson enjoying that dancing Hallmark gift, then the next one are of us with my sister Kelly...followed by pictures with Mimi and Doc at Jake's 3 year old birthday party at Leaping Lizards. And of course, last but not least is our dog Millie Boo. She just got her hair done....Jackson loves to play ball with her! I am still enjoying listening to the Bible daily on cd as well as Mark Driscoll's series on Philippian's. I
listened to Joy in Temptation today.....these series really has been life changing....especially on how I view events. Here is the series:

• 10/07: The Rebel's Guide to Joy (Acts 16; Phil. 1:1-1a)
• 10/14: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Loneliness (Phil. 1:1b-11)
• 10/21: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Suffering (Phil. 1:12-18)
• 10/28: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Death (Phil. 1:19-30)
• 11/04: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Humility (Phil. 2:1-11)
• 11/11: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Temptation (Phil. 2:12-30)
• 11/18: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Conflict (Phil. 3:1-11)
• 12/02: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Exhaustion (Phil. 3:12-4:1)
• 12/09: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Anxiety (Phil. 4:2-9)
• 12/16: The Rebel's Guide to Joy in Poverty (Phil. 4:10-23)

I would encourage everyone to download these series and listen to them. If you want me to make you cd's of them just let me know and I will make it for you.

Jackson does have a sinus infection now and he is on a great antibiotic that he has never been on called Omnicef. I am really glad he is on an antibiotic so it can not turn into anything else serious since we are going out of town for so long and since he had the flu. We were just there last week and now he weighs 23 pounds and 4 ozs and we are down to 3 bottles a day....Yeah! Morning, midday, and before he goes to bed.

We are going to celebrate Christmas in Spartanburg with my family as well as all my dad's extended family (it is my parent's turn this year for Christmas). We are really looking forward to it! Then we are going to take a little vacation and going to see my sister in Atlanta...I think she is even going to keep Jackson for 1 night while we stay across the street in a hotel room. Finally, we are going to visit my mom's sister in Waynesboro and meet Britt's baby boy Luke for the first time, and back in time for our New Year's Eve party at our house....everyone is welcome to come! Wow, that sounds busy! Ha!

Busiest Time of the Year

December is always the busiest time of the year I think for everyone. We actually had two Christmas parties to go to yesterday and Jackson had shots this morning. I have not even had time to wash our clothes. However, God is so good to me and in the morning He always gives me 30 minutes to read the Bible and I am not behind on my daily reading....it is a miracle! Jackson did turn 15 months old today and I will have to post pictures and update soon. I feel that in our society we are isolated now more than ever. That is why I just want to post this what I read today. Sometimes I think that blogs are the only voice some of us have.

If we died with Him,
we will also live with Him;
If we endure,
we will also reign with Him.
If we disown Him,
he will disown us;
if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13

Wow, dwell on these words for a while, it will have your brain spinning. I have learned so much just by listening to God's Word being read daily through the dramatized NIV Bible on cd. I have also been blessed by listening to Mark Driscoll (he has been a big influence on Charlie and his ministry) series on Philippians's on cd in the car. We have itunes and so we can download his sermons for free by going to http://www.marshillchurch.org/. Then we just burn cd's for us to listen to in the car. Gigi and Gran are getting Jackson a dvd player for the car for Christmas so Jackson can watch the crazy Doodlebops, while I get spiritually fed. Yeah! Also, we are getting everyone sermons that we have burned as cd's for Christmas gifts along with easy to make homemade fudge. This is a great way for us to save money on Christmas presents (burning sermons on cds). Why do we waste all of our money giving our family memebers things they do not want or need, and items that will not help them grow in their knowledge of Him?

1 Timothy 2:15

Justification: Happens when we are saved. God’s righteousness is imputed to us. In other words, when God now looks at us, he sees Jesus, a perfect person

Sanctification: Literally means to set apart for special use or purpose--- that is to make holy. Growth in grace should continue throughout every person who has accepted Christ. I think that getting married makes us holier because we again have to die to ourselves and become like Christ. Getting a dog, makes you sanctified because you have to suffer and die to yourselves. And certainly, having a baby makes you holier by daily dying to your own self and putting another person’s needs before your own. There is nothing wrong with being single. In fact, people that are single have more time to devote to spreading the Gospel.

Glorification: I believe this does not completely happen till be receive our glorified bodies after Christ returns. The Baptist Faith and Message defines it has the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

My point of this post is that children make us more like Jesus. They teach us to die to ourselves. However, our society says we have to do things for ourselves, and we do not want anything that is hard or to have anything that might make us suffer even a little. Isn’t through great sorrow comes the greatest joy you could ever know? Is it not he will of God for us to suffer? We today have really gotten so “me” centered that no one dare want you to have more than 2.5 kids. Isn’t the heart of the Gospel to die to self and depend on God for everything?

1 Timothy 2:15, “But women will be saved (or restored) through childbearing---if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with propriety.”

Maybe Mark Driscoll (http://www.marshillchurch.org/) is right that Paul here is talking about us being becoming more like Jesus when we give birth to a child and raise them up in the admonition of the Lord. Having children is part of the sanctification process for women. What do you think? Do you think he is talking about Eve, and Christ coming through the seed of Adam and Eve?