Adoption

(Part II in a series of catching up)

So, last week Tuesday we set out for Minneapolis for a gathering of 5 boiler rooms.
Grand Rapids, Tulsa, Kansas City, Madison, and Minneapolis were all accounted for.
It was fantastic to connect with others who are trying to do life the way we are.
Then from the boiler room gathering, we transitioned into the national 24-7 gathering.
(Of course, we had to take an afternoon to check out the Mall of America)
Then the 24-7 conference.
It consisted of meeting yet more really amazing people who love Jesus.
We stayed at North Central University for those few days.
We worshiped with Ben Pasley and Carla Adolphe from Enter the Worship Circle,
and we listened to teaching from Joe Steinke, Ben Pasley, Linnea Spransy, and Adam Cox.
The most significant message that kept emerging throughout the weekend was this idea of adoption and sonship and identity.

^{Ephesians: 3-6}
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in his sight.
In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with his pleasure and will—
to the praise of his glorious grace,
which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

And it is so much more than what we do- or what we don't do.
It is this hugely simple idea that we are loved because we exist and because He has chosen us to be His children and He has chosen to be our Father.
And this idea of Father needed to be defined as well, as most of us have fathers that are not perfect and this clouds our understanding of who God is as Father:
Pure. Delighting. Patient. Kind. Compassionate. Listening. Selfless. Love.
Ben Pasley beautifully illustrated God's Father heart for His children and His passion for just being with us and spending time with us, as a perfect father would.
His delight is in our joy, our peace, our confidence because He knows we only have these things because of His involvement in our lives.
And then Adam Cox. He talked about the Garden of Eden and what it was like for Adam and Eve to walk with God in complete freedom and joy and confidence. Love.
He laid out the desire of the devil to keep us from seeing and believing God's love.
He explained that we cannot possibly live in the freedom of being fully identified as a child of God if we fail to see and accept God's overwhelming passion and selfless love for each of us.
And so this is a challenge.
trying to accept and understand this more every day.
And finding the fullness of this relationship for which i was created.

Moved

(Part I in a series of catching up)

Ah yes, i have moved.
Friday May 15th, i relocated to the Westside, downtown GR.
i'm living at the Stockbridge Boiler Room as an intern for a year-ish.
Learning to love, and serve, and be selfless and patient and confident and content.
Selfless, patient, confident, and content don't come too easily...
and yet
it feels good to be on my own...ish.
However, living in community brings its own challenges.
It will become like family in many ways
but still
this will never equal 23 years-
in the same house,
spending every day with the same 7 people,
having everything in common-
for the last 23 years.
i have a whole new set of personalities to learn,
i have trust to earn,
memories to make,
relationships to build,
and comfort to achieve.
this means new ways of communication.
it means learning things about myself that 7 people didn't notice for the last 23 years.
it means adjusting,
compromising,
trusting,
learning,
giving,
sacrificing
in a whole new way.
and i have had to answer this question,
"am i willing to go through the work and the struggles and the discomfort in order to grow and know Him more?"
i debated.
but the answer was not unclear.
my selfishness clouded it for about a year-
but in those rare moments of clarity and revelation, this answer is never more obvious.
so i'm here
and i'm supposed to be
and i can never question it.
and it becomes even more clear when i recognize the little blessings.
Charla singing her heart out in worship just a room away,
Jordan offering encouraging words and joy and a trip to the Farmers' Market,
Michael simply available- for good conversations and meals and laughing,
Daniel serving in whatever way possible and proving so faithful to God's Word and heart
and Tony, Jenn, Max, Lily, Bea, and Ezra just a yell away
(as Ez so passionately illustrated yesterday morning out the window as he voiced his desire to be without clothes, "Naka!")
and Dana and Chip and Phil and Allison and Ian and Naomi and James and Wendy and Bryan and Shyla and many more people that are around often...
So it is good.
and not because i'm happy (which i am)
and not because i have everything i need (close)
and not because i know exactly where my life is headed (no idea)
and not because i have everything i want (definitely lacking a few things here),
but because this is where i know i am supposed to be.

Much

so much to say
but i have no idea where to begin

i'll try for a series, maybe
moved
adoption
community
pranks
child

and it would probably be good for me to set deadlines for myself or i'll never follow through
so then, every 3 days for the next 2 weeks,
i promise to write and fill you in

Keeping

^{2 Corinthains 8:5}
And they did not do as we expected,
but they gave themselves first to the Lord
and then to us in
keeping with God's will.

^{John 15:10}
If you obey my commands,
you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.
¹¹I have told you this so that my joy may be in you

and that your joy may be complete.

Sobrinos

(My Addi and Colin)

Dress up!

"It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission."

He can laugh later...after he forgives me...