tongue

"A basic condition of successful literacy... is that it should be attained in the mother tongue. Literacy achieved in any language other than the mother tongue is like... to remain superficial and incomparable with the literacy of people who learned to read in the language in which their mothers sang them to sleep." - Margaret Mead 

told

my God who has handed me opportunity after opportunity
He, who has provided for all of my needs one day after another
who has been consistently faithful to me
who has acted out of nothing but goodness.
who am i to complain to Him about the things that i do not [yet] have?
and who am i, for a moment, to neglect to trust Him
the One who is not only sovereign but so very good, simultaneously
a mention of coming discipleship placed in my unsuspecting hands
a home with support and generosity and grace that reflects Jesus
friends who would drop anything to be with me if i asked
a church family that has all of my respect and investment.
joy upon joy: available to those who will acknowledge and obey
i just need to be told sometimes

warren

rick warren, after his son's suicide:

"for 27 years, i prayed every day...for God to heal my son's mental illness. it just didn't make sense why this prayer was not being answered. but i would rather walk with God and have my questions unanswered than to have all my questions answered and not walk with God."

amen.
and praise God that this was aired on national television..

pray for healing; comfort; and continued, steadfast faith for the warren family and the saddleback community.

education

discipleship

...is incredibly malleable. it is selflessly willing take on plenty of forms.
and this week it looked like this...

 

johnny

7.3.2013

john.
"God is gracious"
alynn.
(a combination of al and lynn - in honor of the grandpas)
"little rock"
round-faced, tiny baby boy.
6lbs. 5oz. to be exact.
a little rock -
steadfast and assured
that your God is indeed gracious.
you have plenty to teach us.
my prayer for you is that you'll grow up to be the kind of man that people talk about,
as one of deep integrity,
that your private life and your public life are in unity like the reflection in a mirror and its source,
the kind of man for whose time and approval other men secretly hope,
as young men humbly ask for 30 minute pockets of your time
as young women secretly watch the way that you treat your friends, wife, children,
and they make note of the kind of man to whom they should give their time.
i pray that you'll be the kind of man who treats those around him with all value and honor,
compassion, gentleness,
that you would be bold and firm and confident
because your life is hidden in Christ
and that you would know Him early and increasingly
seeing that all of your hope and joy depend fully on Him and His grace toward you.
i pray that you would bring peace and a offer a servant's heart to those around you (like your daddy)
and humility, patience, and compassion (like your mommy)
and ridiculous light-heartedness and joy (like your daddy + mommy together).
i pray that you are a blessing to your parents' marriage,
a protector of your brothers/sisters that we'll meet later, a friend to your cousins,
and a gift to your future communities.
we love you, our first dykstra baby, our newest little one.
i can't wait to see what God has planned for you.

(and i still can't believe you're a boy.)

satisfy

Psalm 145:1-21 NIV

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.  Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.  They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works.  They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds.  They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.  The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.  All your works praise you, Lord ; your faithful people extol you.  They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,  so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.  Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.  The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.  The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.  You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.  The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.  The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.  The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.  My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord . Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

28

every year on my birthday
i spend time assessing the previous year, praying for the next, dreaming, and setting goals for my upcoming trip around the sun.
last year i prayed that this one would be the best yet.
of course i had in mind what i thought the best would look like
but i am bursting with gratitude and relief
that God doesn't grant our requests according to our details
but that He grants the requests that funnel into His will for us
His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
that prayer on the 12th of june, 2012, was like a tiny seed, mustard probably,
that He grew with grace upon grace.
He's taught me a new level of humility [believe it or not]
He's revealed to me much more of the confidence for which i've been painfully searching.
He's given me an independence and desire to which i hadn't yet been introduced.
He's given me integrity to see those things that make up my DNA, those things that at their deepest reality are who i am, what i love, what i want, and what drives me.
and He's shown me that it is okay, even good, to hold tightly to them regardless of what anyone thinks.
He's allowed me to feel down, to feel self-sufficient, to feel hopeless, all temporary of course, so that i can know intimately the promises on the other side.
lovingly, He gave me singleness, an internship, empowerment coaching, a job with two precious little ones who teach me more about Him than anyone else could.
He added to my life a new nephew, two new brothers, a new home, a small group of the most capable, beautiful, and hungry young women.
i'm delighted by all that He's built into my life since last year
i'm grateful.
our Father only, always gives good gifts to His children
because He alone defines goodness.
looking forward to these next 365 days.

epaphras

if his name wasn't quite so strange for a 21st century american context, i'd most likely name my first son epaphras.

colossians 4.12
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 
amen. God, please make me like this, like Jesus.

firm

Psalm 37:23-24 NIV
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;  though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.