Change.

I am currently taking a course at church called "How People Change." It is being lead by a gifted woman in our church who is a Biblical councellour at a pregnancy crisis Centre. The book is the same title by Paul David Tripp and Tim Lane.

This material is the Gospel. This material takes our confessional truths (something us Reformers are good at) and tries to make us match it to our functional living (something we are not good at). This material is meant to help us connect God's transforming grace and your future in eternity with the struggles you face everyday. This material is about the battle for the thoughts and motives of our hearts.

From the workbook:

Central Point: Living with God's ultimate destination in view gives hope and perspective in our daily situations and relationships.
Personal application: I need to know what kind of hope directs my life. Functionally, what am I REALLY living for?
Relational application: I need to look for ways to help others live with the final destination in view.

How do we respond when the neighbour runs over our lawn? When our children wake us up too early? When the stock market crashes?

God is not working for our comfort and ease: He is working on our growth.

This is heart searching stuff. And I don't always like what I see.

There is so much to share....my mind is full. I leave you with this example that we were given:

Imagine you are holding out a cup of water and someone bumps you.
What happens? (The water splashes out).
Why? (Our first response is - because someone bumped you).
NO. - Because there was water in the cup.

God is in the business of "bumping our cups."

What is splashing out of your cup?!?

Finding the hat!

Macayla's a great helper- finding a hat for her brother!

Part 2- Cottage

Another great week....

We had a wonderful week at the cottage last week- blessed with SUPER weather! Everyone pretty well living in their bathing suits. Gideon had his first "dip" in the lake, Justin and Kadin loved the kayaks, Levi is the great sand digger, Jacob is a crazy man on the knee-board (and surf board) and otherwise has a fishing rod in his hand, and Macayla just loves it all! We are on day three of school....and all is well. God is good.
More photos to follow.