This week's post was written by Theresa Adams who is constantly trying to convince herself that tea is just as good as coffee.

In the last few years we have had to sit down with our two boys, multiple times, to share with them that people near and dear were no longer going to be married. We've also experienced a lock-down at my son's elementary school. We've known people who have passed away and others who have battled life threatening illnesses. And this is just what our little family of four has encountered. The world at large is full of broken marriages, hurting people, dangers and uncertainty. As a mama who has two little ones, which means my heart lives outside of my body, there can be much to cause fear. Much to cause anxiety. Much that could overwhelm us.

It would be great if they made life-sized bubbles for our kiddos so that we could shield them from all of the brokenness and messiness they will encounter here on earth. But since that isn't an option what are we to do? How to shield them and let them experience it all so that when they go out into the world, as an adult. they will know how to comfort those in the brokenness rather than add to it? How to insulate them from all the negative? How to do so without your own fear being a burden upon their childhood? How to teach them that being courageous is sometimes more important than being safe? How to prepare them for life so they won't come running back to us and live in our basements? Unfortunately they will not encounter another way until they are rejoicing in heaven. Only then will their tears finally be wiped away. Then there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Until that time there are all of the above and more.

This whole living in fear thing is new to me. Growing up and in my young adult life I was mildly void of fear. Spontaneity beckoned me and I typically answered without much thought or concern of what could or couldn't happen. I hitchhiked and went on solo trips across country all without a cellphone (least you think that was on account of bravery let me just be honest and say it was because they hadn't been invented yet.) I threw myself off of cliffs into the water below just for the thrill of it. Now, since becoming a mother, I get nervous and clammy driving over high bridges or when my kids get too close to the edge of a ledge overlooking the water below. Even though said ledge towers above them and there is literally no foreseeable way they could fall in. Still clammy. Still sometimes hold onto the hood of my youngest least a sea creature from down below were to leap up and decide he'd make a tasty treat. Okay, maybe not that last one so much but you can see how easily it is to be dwarfed by the umbrella of "what-if's." And these are just for the run-of-the-mill fears. Not the life threatening "what-ifs" about contracting a life-threatening disease or coming into a life-threatening situation simply when going throughout your day It, again, really does make the kid-in-a-bubble thing sound not so bad.

It's all too much. There is too much to fear and there is too much that could go wrong. But if we let fear win then we are going to miss out on too much joy. Too much love. Too much spontaneity and too much good. Life is hard enough as it is that we don't need to be saddled down by any additional weight of worry or anxiety or distress. What is a mama to do other than to spend time on her knees and trust the One who gave her those that cause her heart to live outside of her body. What can we do but believe and trust Him when he says:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

We can also remember we have a choice to live each day one day at a time. Not looking too far ahead but rather just soaking up the moment and the gift that it is. Maybe it's just me, but I don't want fear to get an inch more than it deserves. It has it's place and it is a good emotion to have when, say, you run into a grizzly bear. But day in and day out I want my emotions to know that I'm in charge and I want to model that for my children.

Fear often is nothing more than an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous. In most cases it isn't even an actuality it's just a possibility. These ones we are raising up are going to need all the braveness they can muster.  They who take their cues from us. They look to us before they have a reaction. They cry harder if we gasp when they fall. They look more triumphant after seeing our smile. They need to know that we think they've got this. They also need to know that we've got this and that in the times when we don't that we  have someone to turn to who will never falter. Never leave. Never change. They need to know that we will keep trusting in the One who holds us all in the palm of His hands. They need to know that we will keep crying out on our knees for the courage and peace and love only He can provide to keep the fear it it's place.

"Steps unseen before me,

Hidden dangers near;

Nearer still my Savior,

Whispering, "Be of cheer"

Joys, like birds of springtime,

To my heart have flown,

Singing all so sweetly,

                                                                               "He will not leave me alone"

 

This blog is written by Becca Wellan. Nanny for two littles. Caffeine addict. Child of God.

Things that stress me out: Bees, balloons, and house hunting.

The past few weeks, I’ve been singing The Renters Blues to myself as I scroll through Craigslist every five minutes. But hey, who’s counting? Apparently the availability rate in Bellingham is 1% right now. Pour me a glass of that sweet tea, wouldya honey? I made it with the lemons life gave me.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. Just a little. But hey, finding a new place, ideally with some walls and a roof, is pretty high on my “adulting” list now that I bought a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.

Since I moved out of my parents to go to Western, I’ve searched for a place to live each year. A place of rest and refuge; where I feel safe. A place filled up with laughter, shared tears, and welcoming arms. A place I can feel at home.

As I’ve wrestled through some emotionally rough patches these past few months, I’ve come to realize that my search for home goes much deeper than just finding some walls, a roof, and a lease sign.

Since I could breathe, my soul has been aching for home. It’s at the core of who I am. It’s how I’m wired. The grace I’ve found in these last few months is that I’ve been forced to re-think where I’m trying to find it.

If you are human (if you can read this, I’m 98% certain you are), you naturally long to feel safe. You desire to be fully known, flaws and all, yet be fully accepted. To be comforted, and deeply loved. To have stability and consistency. When you find this, you find home. That’s how God wired you.

Since I could breathe, my soul has been aching for this kind of home. And, I always find it in relationships. This is not always a bad thing. Community and deep friendships are some of the most beautiful gifts God gives us. God’s people, though sinful, are His presence in a broken world. I fully believe that.

But here’s the catch:

People aren’t always there for you when you need them. People make stupid decisions that break your heart. People will forget about you, they will back out on their plans with you. They will hurt you, even with the best intentions. And, there is always the gut-wrenching chance they will leave you.  

The problem is that I find myself banking on other people to come through for me, every time I need them. I need their comforting words, their reassurance, their presence, to feel okay again.

So where do you find home? Who do you depend on to always make you feel safe, to love you completely, to never fail you?

God wired us to long to be loved perfectly, to be deeply connected to a constant anchor when the storms come. But, other people have storms, too.

So why did God wire us this way?

“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” // Psalm 27:4-5

We are wired to seek after God’s presence, as long as we live. He is our constant anchor; no one else - no matter how great they are - can be that for us. We are wired to long for His company, to run into His arms when the our storms come. To know Him, and be known by Him.

We truly find home when our desire for home is met in Christ Jesus. It’s what we were designed for. Only through believing in Him can we be fully known yet fully accepted. Only in Him can we find true comfort. Only through believing in Him, and living each day resting in His constant, unbreakable friendship, can you come home.

Each day, may our heartcry be, “Lord, may I find my home in you all the days of my life.”

I still don’t have a place to live in the fall. I’ve been making phone calls and looking at property management websites even as I’ve been writing this. But I can put my laptop away and rest, knowing that my greatest need for home has already been met.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” // Matthew 11:28

This post is by Ashley Bowie, Jesus lover, coffee mistress, wordsmith, in Christ.

I have always known that I wanted to be a writer. I remember constructing stories for my barbies from earliest memory. I remember doing my chores and having to redo them because I had been day dreaming when I was supposed to be dusting. I wrote my oscar acceptance speech for best original screenplay when I was about 12. I was supposed to win that around age 25. I was supposed to be a well established writer with a vacation home by now. While I'm at it I was supposed to have a husband and children by now also. I was supposed to win a thousand souls to the Lord, and I was supposed to fall asleep at night feeling satisfied that I was living the life I was supposed to.

It's an interesting thought isn't it? "Supposed to." It means, this was my expectation and it's not what I'm seeing. It means this is what was expected of me and I have not measured up. I think we have all been there. You feel like you're not doing enough or enough of the right things. You have an image in your head or heart of what you wanted to be, or you want to define yourself a certain way and you get frustrated because it’s not looking like you thought it would or coming as easily as you expected.

We all battle this in different ways. I was supposed to get that promotion, I was supposed to forgive that person, I was supposed to have succeeded, I was supposed to provide for all my family's needs, I was supposed to stop worrying, I was supposed to grow faster in this area. It means, in so many words, I've failed. And to be fair, we do fail, regularly and spectacularly. But the problem with "supposed to" is that it revolves primarily around our own expectations.

Last weekend I attended the Bible and breakfast event for the women of Redeemer. Our speaker Danielle Dow spoke directly out of Ephesians 1 and something she said hit home so much more clearly than it ever has before. She said, "your identity is in Christ." Earth shattering revelation there right? Maybe I'm a little slow because I think most of us only hear that about 10 times a week. Danielle agreed that it was not new information but went on pressing that our entire identity is in Christ.

It does not mean that your identity is hidden somewhere in Christ and that if you dig around long enough you can find the title you were meant for. As though you're putting on a name tag that says "disciple maker," or "mother," or "christian business executive." If you get a title it's this "In Christ." It's stamped on your soul, written on your heart and grafted into the fibers of your brain. If God is "I am" then I am "in Christ." This is my name, my dwelling place, my purpose and my life's ambition all rolled into one.

It's not like your home, where you sleep and eat and then go out into the world to do the things God has given us to do. It's more than clothes that we put on to show the world who we are and who we want to be known as. It's more than a job title with responsibilities, more than a relationship that we delight in. Being "in Christ" is your very skin. It's your heart and your heart's rhythm. It's neurons and fingerprints. In Christ is every piece of your identity.

I have shortened the passage that we walked through, but if you have time you should read the whole thing.

Ephesians 1:3-14
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us IN CHRIST with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, … according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. IN HIM we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, … making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth IN CHRIST as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things IN HIM, things in heaven and things on earth. IN HIM we have obtained an inheritance… so that we who were the first to hope IN CHRIST might be to the praise of his glory. IN HIM you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed IN HIM were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance…”

Look at the rich depth of description of all the things you are. If your name and all that you are made of is "in Christ" you are blessed, you are chosen, you are adopted, you are redeemed, you are a worshiper, you have an inheritance, You are sealed with the Holy Spirit. How much grander is this than a job title or a list of accomplishments? How much more satisfying is this knowledge than chasing down dreams of earthly glory?

When I recognize that my identity is "in Christ" pouring coffee for eight hours a day becomes worship and blessing, my life and work becomes disciple making work simply because I "In Christ" am doing it. Struggling through scriptures in search of understanding, or working through forgiving others becomes the holiness he is working out in me. There is no greater level to be reached by getting a promotion, no better version of myself to be found by adding a relationship. Sure these things are tools of God used for sanctification, but they don't redeem me any more, they don't increase my inheritance, they have no impact on my adoption, and they are not worthy of my worship.

This means that the only thing that I am "supposed to be" is IN CHRIST. There are commands in scripture to remain in Him to abide in Him, to listen to his voice and carry out his will. This does require action on our part and certainly we get it wrong from time to time. But it is your name to worship Him, it is your blood to be blessed in Him. So when you start feeling weighed down by all the things you thought your life would be or look like by now just remember that who you are is IN CHRIST, and as you remain and abide, he is guiding you to exactly what you are supposed to be.

Hello, I am in Christ and my name is Ashley

Blog post written by Kati Berreth, faithful mom to four kids, loving wife to Rob, and one heck of a Redeemer Kids Coordinator.

From a dad who recently attended one of Redeemer’s Family Dedication classes:

“I would love wisdom on what it practically looks to engage in mission with little kiddos. My wife and I have often heard the encouragement to be on mission at your kids' t-ball games or in their extracurriculars, but what does it look like for a family with really little kids to engage in mission in a regular, repeatable, low-bar (we're just so tired already! :-) ) sort of way. 

I absolutely love this question for three reasons. The first is that this young family is seeking to engage those in Whatcom County so that Everyone, Everywhere, Every-day can experience the Gospel, even though they have young kids and are tired. The second is that this question came from a Dad, who is trying to lead his family to love Jesus, love the local church, and love his neighbors, even though he has young kids and is tired. And the third is that he was honest…being on mission is hard and tiring and takes effort and so they need hints on how to do this in a sustainable sort of way that also allows for them to have rest and to enjoy these three young kids!

So let me take these three great categories (regular, repeatable, low-bar) and give some ways to engage in mission with young kids.

1)    Regular

This word can be used synonymously with every day. I brush my teeth regularly or every day - even a few times a day. And that is how we have to think of mission with our kids. We have to make mission “normal” and something we often do or all the time. So start by having regular conversations and prayer times with your kids for those in your spheres of influence who do not yet believe in their need of the Gospel. This might be those in a playgroup or preschool group with you or family members or physical neighbors. These prayer times will help align your heart and the hearts of your kids with the will of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, so you are ready to share the Gospel when you are given the opportunity. 

Then invite these folks into your home or on a playdate at the park or out for ice cream or even just pursue conversations across the fence if they are your neighbors and invite your kids into these conversations or at the very least, pray with intentionality as a family before you see them. We often try to “cast vision” for our kids to help them feel a part of our mission - whether it be when Rob is traveling to help coach potential church planters, or if we have invited specific people over for dinner just so they know the spiritual importance of the meal and can help us create a hospitable home.  

2)    Repeatable

When Rob and I were first married, we began attending meetings for a new church plant in Boston. The Pastor used these Sunday night meetings to train us in being missional. Although he shared many stories with us, the one that I have always remembered is him talking about going to the same barber every couple of weeks to get his hair cut. He said that he chose the shop intentionally and would go to the same person because he was cultivating a relationship with the barber with the hope that he would be able to share the Gospel with her. 

This advice is good…and easy. I noticed when my kids were young and still able to sit in a grocery cart that I could pick the same person to check out with each week. And the great thing about kids is there is always something to talk about and people tend to remember kids. So whenever possible, I would pick the line with this one specific worker because we could always talk about our kids - she would remember mine - and we got to know each other a bit. And even when her line was super busy, I made a point to at least say “Hi” as we walked by with our cart full of groceries. 

Now that my kids are older, I try and share with them why I have certain conversations with folks, again at the grocery store. As I buy a lot of craft supplies for Redeemer Kids, people often ask what they are for. When I respond that the supplies are for a craft at church and the person checking me out stops talking to me, I know that this is not the right time to pursue that conversation, and I share this with my older kids so they know how to be sensitive to the Spirit working in people's lives as they share their faith with those in their school. I also share it with them so they can see that it is not scary to talk about church or Jesus or their faith even with strangers. Again, this goes back to having regular conversations with our kids so they can be a part of the mission.

3)    Low-bar

We talk with people outside of our homes every day, and we repeatedly go to places in our City. So if you have shared with your kids how you are intentional with your conversations, you have prayed with your kids for specific people and cultivated relationships with those people, and you have prayed with them for opportunities to share the Gospel regularly, then a low-bar approach for being missional with your kids is simply starting conversations with people, as I mentioned before and see if the Holy Spirit is moving in their hearts for more questions to be asked. 

For example, we were having a conversation with one of our kids about one of his friends who he found out is a Christian. It was awesome that he knew that information as he felt bold enough to ask if his friend went to church, but when I asked where his friend attended, he said he didn't know and didn’t know how he might find out. I said, “Ask your friend what he did for Easter. And if he says ‘I went to church’ then ask ‘where?’” 

And these are the same low-bar conversations we need to be having in front of our kids, so they know how to have them. Next time you are with your hope-to-be-Christians-soon friends or neighbors, ask what they did on Saturday and Sunday. And if they ask the question in return, then share how you attended a service on Sunday and what it was about. Or if you are at a playgroup, and one of the moms is looking for some “mom-time” on Saturday, invite her to the next women’s breakfast or even out for a walk and just get to know her and her story. 

4)    Be intentional

I know this wasn’t one of the words mentioned above and I have used it over and over again throughout this post, but I don’t think I can stress this phrase enough. When our family has given itself to mission with intentionality, we have seen our lives and the lives of those around us changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and it has been fun and effortless. 

When God brought a family to live in Bellingham for just one year and we felt called to get to know them and spend time with them, not only did we make life long friends, but a thirst for the Gospel became evident and questions about who Jesus was and what He accomplished on the cross just seemed to spill out of the mom. Our kids played sports together; we regularly had them to dinner, we invited them repeatedly to our holiday celebrations since they didn’t have family in town, and I joined her gym with the kids so we could spend time weekly together. We even went on a family vacation with their family right before they moved away from Bellingham. The times of playdates soon turned into a Bible study/playdate and our last holiday together, Easter, the mom, was baptized in front of our whole church. Even as I write this story now, years later, it still makes me cry with joy and amazement that we got to be even a part of this redemption story!

I pray that as you seek to lead your young kids in mission that you too would get to experience the power of the Gospel through the work of the Holy Spirit in your lives and those you minister too.

“The kids you teach this week have sinful hearts. They cannot obey God perfectly, and they need a Savior. Point kids to Jesus and help them understand that God is pleased with us because He looks at Jesus, who never sinned. Because of Christ, we can have a right relationship with God.”

As I read these sentences in preparing the Gospel Project curriculum on the 10 commandments this week for Redeemer Kids, I was stunned because culturally we don't talk about kids as sinners that much. They are sweet innocent little angel-like beings that don't really sin, they just make mistakes. The problem with that is then they only ever need behavior correction, not a Savior.  And I’m also a mom with 4 kids. I direct a kids ministry with 100 kids. I have an upfront view of sin seemingly all the time. And yet, I forget it.

The first two sentences struck me pretty profoundly because believing this as I am parenting is not my natural inclination. One of my kids threw food on the ground this morning so as not to have to finish breakfast. I did process through that the child was not “obeying” and I was frustrated, but sadly, I didn’t remember that the child needs a Savior - just as much as I do - because we do have sinful hearts. I have a sinful heart. I forget how much I need grace and then I fail to give them grace. I didn’t point that child to Jesus, who never sinned, so we can have a right relationship with God…which will, in turn, help us as mother and child have a right relationship as well.

Our number one job as parents, as primary disciple-makers, as mentors to future brothers and sisters in Christ is to help point our kids to their need for a Savior. Our kids are sinners which means the first thing we need to think they need, and the first thing we need to give them is the Savior. Rules and discipline can come, but they need to be reminded of Jesus and His grace. And guess where this will come? From you first remembering you a sinner. 

So I get to remind myself that my heart was sinful as I parented this morning because I wanted my child to obey, not for the good of learning to obey to have a right relationship with God, but because it was an inconvenience to me. I get to tell myself the Gospel - that Jesus died for my sin of selfishness and anger and took my punishment on the cross and gave me His perfect righteousness so that I can be forgiven and have a right relationship with God. Then I get to sit down with my child after school and discuss the event - this time pointing to our need for Jesus because of the sinful hearts we both have.

This blog post was written by Kati Berreth, who is the Redeemer Kids Coordinator, dedicated wife and caring mother of four. .

A few years ago I had a conversation with a friend about the phrase "Live like you are dying."

"What do you think?" He asked, "Is it good advice?"

I rolled my eyes. "Who could tell any more? It's so cliched that even if you told someone to live that way they wouldn't even really hear you." At the time I had no idea that the YOLO epidemic was on it's way in full force.

"I think it would make me live a little recklessly," He said with a mischievous glint in his eye, "but I don't think it would make me live any more fully."

The point he was making is that on your way to death, you behave a little selfishly. Why shouldn't you? Get in a few thrills before the end, you're on a timeline here. Say your goodbyes, make your peace and then eat whatever you want, jump off of things, run with the bulls and never look back. If your life is on a timeline with death at the end, responsibilities are not important, getting the most out of the only life you know, is.

"YOLO" came along and tried to put a positive spin on the whole idea, but the intent is still clear. You are going to die, so you might as well live while you can. While most people don't take this advice to the extreme, you can still see the evidence of a YOLO mindset all over our culture. We speed past quiet moments and that hint of true joy at 85 Miles per hour (where it's legal) in a relentless pursuit of the grand finale.

When I asked my friend what would inspire him to live more fully he launched into an excited and lengthy speech that I will spare you. The essence of what he said though is that we should live like children. Small ones. The kind that stare unashamedly and ask "why" even after you have given an exhaustive explanation of why, the kind that point at things that interest them and ask yet again "why?" The kind that don't mind having the mess of life all over their hands or running down their chins, who climb into chairs with big smiles and sticky fingers and a strong desire to sit close to daddy and whisper "I love you" and of course "why?"

The more I thought about this, the more hopeful it felt. Jesus wants us to have hearts like children. Jesus teaches us how to live, Jesus teaches us how to learn and grow and ask of our heavenly father "why?" He gave us the freedom to climb into his lap with our sticky lives and whisper close to his ear "I love you." Children aren't thinking about how to get the most out of life, they are simply fascinated with the art of living.

Christ has already ransomed us from death, to eternal life.. So, while life is not to be taken for granted, death is also not to be feared. Hebrews 9:26-28 "...But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."

This is music to me. For those of us born to the kingdom of God, death is not the end of the line, it is not the grand finale, it is only the gateway to our second and true life. To be certain, death has no joy. I've never done it, so I don't know for sure, but it can't be comfortable to have this vessel that God designed ripped apart from the core, my soul. But the good news? I only have to do it once. The best news? When Jesus died, he conquered it, defeated it, broke its rules and made a clear pathway to everlasting life.

The life we have now, is full of joy, sorrow, delights, fears, danger, striving, love, and everything else under the sun. Sometimes it's a party and frequently it's a struggle. There is so much joy in remembering that the common rules of death do not apply to us. It brings a sense of freedom and a truly child like bounce to my step. I don't want to put the focus on death. Death is a bump in the road, a glitch in the original design, and we have been promised everlasting life. Death is inevitable, but it is certainly not a goal.

What lies ahead for us is joy without sorrow, beauty without scars, love without fear. What lies ahead for us is the world as our good Father intended it.

It's January. While you are making lists and setting goals and having such a positive intent toward 2016, maybe add something that forces you to think and feel like a child. I wanted to package up a neat little phrase that you and your friends could say to each other at ironic moments and have a good laugh. What do you think; "Live like children who only have to die once and then the real party starts." It's kind of a mouthful and I don't even know how you would say LLCWOHTDOATTRPS.

Or! With the gospel in mind and an everlasting hope to look forward to, you could say "You Only Die Once." YODO everyone, Happy New Year.
 

-This weeks post is by Ashley Bowie, a member at Redeemer. She pours an excellent cup of coffee, and loves words the way some people love their pets, or children.