Home for the Holidays

This year is Christmas with my family in PA. Paul and I attended church Sunday morning and after quickly packing the car and eating left over beef stew, we hit the road with our dog Ernie for the 12 hour trip.

When we left SC it was a beautiful sunny blue sky day in the low 50s. It was hard to believe that we would be driving thru snowy terrain, but in just a few hours we were in a winter wonderland. Washington DC had been hit hard and the roads were not well plowed. Three lane roads had only the middle lane cleared and the two side lanes were only half cleared. We saw cars in the most unusual positions due to the snow. It was a constant reminder to us that we needed to drive slow and pray often. We had people praying for us and by God's grace, Paul and I arrived in PA at 2am Monday morning.

Our visit has been very relaxing and fun so far. We had dinner with our old bible study and had a great time catching up with old friends. It was wonderful to hang out with them and in a lot of ways it felt just like old times. We laughed and ate well Monday night. Tuesday we spent the morning with our friends Peter and Rebbecca and their three children and at night we visited our friends Skot and Becca and their dog Elvis. We also skyped with my sister Sarah and her husband Will.

Many conversations have revolved around church this week and it's amazing how no matter if you are in Italy, South Carolina or Pennsylvania, some things are always the same. The church is full of sinful people and every church has it's quarks and things we would like to change about it. But in every circumstance we are called to be godly people. That might look different depending on where we live and therefore we are encouraged to pray for God's wisdom. I have been memorizing and meditating on this verse lately and I think it has been quite fitting with all the 'church' conversations we've been having:

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." (Titus 2:11-14)

I am encouraged to remember that through all the 'church' stuff, the good, the bad and the ugly, the important thing to remember is that God had brought salvation, and that he wants his people to be single minded, focused on glorifying himself by being godly. I might not always be able to change the church, but I can change my attitude towards it. Let me live a godly life.

Granite and "cousin Ernie from the south" have provided hours of entertainment for the whole family. We hope you enjoy the pictures.

Beautiful Feet that Win Races

Recently Sonja ran a 5k. Also recently, I've been trying to get in shape to run a 5k. Its been difficult, and I've been asking myself a lot of questions about why. Running, apart from the blessing of an i-pod is the most boring thing on earth. "Whats the point?", my body always seems to be asking?
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, asking what the "point" of the church is. I feel like there are times when we think our purpose is to simply exist. Simply survive. And sometimes, when things get difficult that may be all we can do.
However, as I've studied the Word lately, its become clear that from the beginning to end of Redemptive History, God has greater purposes for his church than simply to exist. Abraham is told very clearly that not only will he be blessed, but that in being blessed he will be made a blessing. Through Abraham in fact, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. That's quite a big calling and blessing. Blessed in order to be a blessing to others.
A couple months ago, a pastor named Robert Briggs came and preached from Isaiah 49, and in doing so, he shed some light on this issue for me. In this passage, God describes the coming of his future Messiah in terms which seem to fulfill the calling of Abraham:

49:6- "[YHWH] says, 'It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

In this verse (and its context only makes this more explicit) its pretty clear that God's purpose for the coming Messiah is to redeem Israel. However, he repeatedly hints that his purpose is far greater than just the redemption of that nation. God's purpose for his Messiah is to gather in all nations, under the name and work of the Messiah. I don't think anyone would argue that that is Jesus' purpose and work. He has been sent by a God who loves the world, and desires to see the nation brought in to worship him. He's seeking worshipers, through the person and work of Christ. That's probably not much of a surprise to many of us.
What has been surprising to me is how Paul quotes this same passage in Acts 13. In the passage, Paul has proclaimed Jesus as God's Messiah to the Jews in Psidian Antioch. Though some believe the gospel, many reject it, and when they began to contradict Paul & Barnabus' claims regarding Jesus, the two respond by telling the men,

(46) "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. (47) For so the Lord has commanded us saying, 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

What Pastor Briggs pointed out was that Paul and Barnabus don't simply see the quoted passage as applying to Jesus- of course he's a light for the Gentiles. Whats amazing is that they see the passage as applying to themselves- because Jesus is a light for the Gentiles, so they are to be a light for the Gentiles. They are a light to the nation and bringers of salvation. It isn't just spreading by happen-chance. They are to be a light and to bring salvation.
Though I could go on and on what it tells us about how to properly interpret Scripture (a whole different big blog post in itself), one thing that keeps striking me over and over is that the church, in that it is Christ's bride, alive by its union with him, is to be a light for the Gentiles. We have a clear purpose. We are to be making disciples of all nations, not simply our own kids (though that is clearly important). This makes us by nature and purpose outwardly focused. For us to respond in obedience to God's purpose in blessing Abraham, and ultimately in sending Christ, we have to feel the glorious weight of Christ' responsibility and calling as our own.
We who make up the church, though we have different gifts, all serve the same purpose, and it is not simply to plan to survive as a church. We are to be a light for the nations. Our neighbors (both nationally and locally) are to be recipients of the Light which is Christ. Jesus doesn't say, "Go try and make disciples if you can." Rather, he says, "Go make disciples." As Yoda famously put it, "Do or do not, there is no try." If this is our purpose, because it is Christ's purpose, then we've got to figure out how to do this by faith. God in his sovereignty planned for this not to happen apart from the worship-fueled work of his redeemed people.
This has also been helpful to me in just thinking through why I'm doing what I'm doing. I've realized I'm really not in this for the money or for the glory (two big temptations with which I struggle). I'm in this because Jesus Christ came for me with a purpose, to save people (me) from themselves to worship God and delight and be satisfied with his glory, and to make this glory visible to the darkness which surrounds us. As I preached about Baptism last week (in light of our church baptizing three people), I was reminded that our union with Christ isn't simply sharing in his death, burial, and resurrection, but also in his Father's mission and purpose for him.

Sonja and I recently spent some time talking about why it is that God didn't just "rapture" us all up as soon as we converted. We believe that Christ came to save, and that it is fully him who saves. However, we also believe that Christ works through means, and that as members of his bride, we have a wonderfully exciting role to play. Though jars of clay, we bear in ourselves inexpressible glory. Is it any wonder that Paul says, "To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." He then goes on, "Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one receives the prize. So run that you may obtain it" (1 Cor. 9). Paul wants us to run so as to win- not just to finish, not to make the top ten, but to win. How fitting then that Isaiah says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns'". To win. To achieve victory. That is the point.

There Is Something About A Wedding Dress

My sister Sarah and Will married in July and then moved to Italy for three years. Will is a doctor in the Air Force and needed to come back to Philadelphia to take his last Pediatric Boards. They both flew in to the states last week and so I hitched a ride with my grandparents, who were driving up from Florida, to PA to visit the whole family.

Sunday afternoon I was taking a nap when Sarah walked into my room with a big smile and her wedding dress on. "You should put yours on Sonja" she said excitedly. Right away I was out of bed and joining in the fun. Sadly, the gown must have shrunk since my wedding three years ago because it didn't zipper all the way. But I still got in it! There is something about a wedding dress that just puts a smile on my face. Sarah and I were having so much fun prancing around the house in our gowns. Then I suggested that Sarah try my dress on. Just then mom got out her wedding dress and suggested I try it on. Mom had never taken her wedding dress out and Sarah and I had never seen it accept for in pictures. It was beautiful and it fit! At this point the entire family was in on the fun. Will and Grandpa got their camera's out and we convinced mom to wear Sarah's dress and veil (holding up the dress, that is!). Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Walking Party

Last night something unique and wonderful happened. Something that doesn't happen everyday but maybe should happen more often.

Last night started out like most nights for Paul and I. We put Ernie's leash on and walked out the door for a walk around the block. Camille, Paul's sister, was staying with us, so she came also. As we walked down our driveway our neighbors who have two dogs and a 2 year old girl asked jokingly if we wanted to walk their dogs too. Excitedly, Camille said she would love to walk their dogs. Then our neighbor Kristen said to her husband "maybe you should walk your own dogs. And your little girl has been asking to go for a walk all day." Micah responded, saying, "good idea. Do you guys mind if we go walking with you."

That's how it all started. So 3 dogs, 4 adults, a 13 year old and a two year old begin to walk down the street. We walked past three houses until we arrived at Travis and Jennifer's house, friends of ours from church. Their windows were open and Micah announced loudly, "neighborhood walk". The front door opened quickly and two little boys under the age of 4 came out followed by Jennifer saying she would be right there. Jennifer came out with a big red wagon wheeling her boys down the driveway to greet us. Just then the neighbor from the house across the street came out with his grandson and two dogs. So he joined the walking party as well.

Five dogs, five kids, and six adults and a red wagon walked down the streets of our neighborhood. We created a stir and people came out of their houses asking if we were having a parade. "No, just a neighborhood walk. Do you want to come?" was our reply.

At the end of the walk we had met many of our neighbors we had never talked to before. We all enjoyed the spontaneity of the event and all agreed that we need to do this more often. Sometimes we get so busy that we never talk to the people living right next door. What a blessing when God opens the door to meet and get to know our neighbors.

Funny Stuff

In an effort to post more frequently and more regularly, I am going to post shorter posts, hopefully with the goal of less than a month going between posts. So, here's a few funny items that were passed onto me, and I think are worth posting for your viewing enjoyment.

1) One mocks the recent I-phone commercials- "there's an app for that"-
http://www.9to5mac.com/iphone_stalk

2) The second addresses the ongoing need for animal care of believers in a "post-rapture" world :). No joke- here's a website which will connect you to people to watch over your pets in case you are "raptured". Wow.
http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/Home_Page.html

I'll post something more serious soon. Enjoy for now!

Celebrating 3 Years of Adventure!

The day we got back from the High School retreat we went to church and then to the college luncheon. While we were there we got a call from a friend of ours who needed someone to watch their kids because they had to visit a family member in the hospital. We agreed to help and headed over to their house. The kids were already down for their naps so Paul and I took a nap on their coach (which was much needed). After that it was time for night church, then laundry and packing for our anniversary trip.

Once packed, we got Ernie in the car and headed off for a couple of days just the two of us. It had been a busy month so far (Sarah's wedding and the high school retreat) and we were looking forward to having some relaxing one on one time. We arrived at the lake house after midnight, but we got to sleep in the next morning which made up for it.

One of our friends parents has a house on Lake Murray which is about an hour away from our house. They offered their lake house to us for a couple of days for free, which was right in our price range!

The first morning there, we headed to Walmart (what is vacation without a trip to Walmart) and bought food for the next couple of days and some fishing supplies. I had never gone fishing before and really had no desire to ever go. But Paul thought it would be a relaxing way to spend our anniversary. Seeing that I was still not very excited about the planned activity, Paul bought me a pink fishing rod that I could call my very own. I have to say, I was pretty excited to try it out. We bought some fresh worms and headed back to the lake house.

We spent most of the day just sitting in our chairs on the dock and fishing. Ernie sat out on the dock along side us. We ate cherries and enjoyed the sun, the lapping of the water against the dock and the view. Paul caught a fish the first morning and we were so excited! Even though that turned out to be the only fish that we caught the entire trip, we had a lot of fun perfecting our fishing techniques.

The next day we slept in again and had devotions out on the dock. I cooked a big brunch with eggs, sausage, toaster strudels and fresh fruit.

Paul thought it would be fun to take Ernie canoeing with us. Ernie hates water and he and I were a little nervous at first. But once I realized he wasn't going to flip us over and he realized he could lap water from the side whenever he wanted to, we all relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Later that day he ran and hopped right into the boat and looked at us like he was ready to go!

We also went swimming and tried to get Ernie comfortable in the water. He provided much entertainment during the trip. He would get half way in, get nervous and run backwards out of the water, bark crazily and then sprint up onto the dock, continuing to run the entire length of the dock and then run back into the water and do the whole thing over again. We would just sit in the water and laugh at him.

On our last night, I made a fancy turkey dinner with all the fixings and we sat out on the dock with a bottle of red wine and watched the sunset. We left Ernie inside and spent hours just talking and asking each other questions. We had such a wonderful time of relaxation and catching up. I praise God for our friendship and how it has deepened in the last three years. We look forward to many more adventurous years ahead.

Tybee Island Adventures

The week after the wedding, and just before our anniversary trip, Sonja and I and some other faithful GBC chaperones took a group of 32 high school students on a week-long summer retreat. Instead of going with the standard great but expensive RYM trip which our youth group has done in the past, I decided to try to plan my own retreat, with the goal of making it cheaper and more intimate than retreats we've done in the past.

So, after a brief fact-finding mission last spring, we decided to rent a couple houses down in Tybee Island, GA, a small vacation community just outside of Savannah. Dr. Kenneth Turner, a past intern at GBC from my HS days who is currently a OT professor at Bryan College, was invited as our guest speaker for the week, and he delivered 6 messages to our teens on leadership from the Old Testament which included everything from preaching on prophet, priest, king, wiseman, Moses, Ruth, and everything in between (including some interesting and "controversial" :) comments on Goliath, his true height, and whether he took the stone to the forehead or to the kneecap).

Anyway, Kenneth brought his better half, his wonderful wife Raegan, as well as his 3 daughters along, and Sonja and I and the youth group thoroughly enjoyed getting to know their family as well as learn a few tricks to parenting young kids. Raegan is a genius with a camera as well as being a great mom, a good sport, and a perfect match for Kenneth.

Though persistent rain kept us off the beach and out of Savannah for the first couple days of the beach retreat, the group had a great time trying out some crazy games (3 examples- 1) the aptly named "best friend" game -getting to know each other really well through awkward moments, 2) "the greatest game ever"- launching cheeseballs into the air with plastic spoons to be caught in the mouth, and 3) the old favorite "toilet paper bride" - no explanation needed.). These games, plus guitar hero, wii bowling, mexican train dominos, and of course, Settlers of Catan, provided fun for all while we waited out the rain. Our patience was finally rewarded as the chaperones decided to make a break for Savannah on Wednesday, and the group had a great time wandering around a beautiful city, ernestly seeking to complete the scavenger hunt list I compiled for the retreat.

The rest of the week was filled with more fun games (like the "handless, lifesaver-toothpick pass") which resulted in some quite candid images which will serve as ammo for blackmailing youth groupers in their distant but probably embarressing future. Kenneth's messages hit home with our youth group, especially with those who are heading off to college or who are taking up leadership positions as upper-classmen. We also had a fantastic film & theology night discussion surrounding M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village", discussing its timely critique of legalistic fear-based Christianity, and how true believers in Jesus receive that critique and respond with humility and good news.



After a crazy extended drive home, in which my 15 passenger van felt like its back wheels were coming off, Sonja and I finally returned to our house and our dog exhausted but feeling strongly that the retreat was a complete success.

Matchmaking for Jesus

Our crazy July began with Will and Sarah's wedding on July 4. Sonja traveled up to her parents the prior Saturday (June 27) as she wanted to be there for every moment of wedding chaos, especially since Will and Sarah were moving to Italy (thanks to the Air Force) soon after marrying, and we weren't sure when she'd get to hang out with Sarah again, nor I with Will. I drove up with Will's family on Thursday before the wedding.

If you haven't heard the story, Will is a friend of mine from my Clemson days. He and I met through RUF (Reformed University Fellowship), playing lots of ultimate and some basketball together, and just enjoying a common faith and friendship. Will and I graduated together, and then he went off to MUSC to pursue his MD, and I moved back to Greenville for a couple years to work and save money. Later when I moved up to Philly and got married, he came to visit a couple times, and spent some time with Sonja and I.

After I got to know Sarah, and Sonja got to know Will, we both decided that because of their common interests (ultimate frisbee), common friendships (Sonja & me), and a strong common faith (disciples of Jesus), we should encourage them to date. We decided to leave Sarah in the dark about the whole thing. So, I told Will about Sarah, that she loved God, was a lot of fun, and coul throw a mean "flick", and then invited Will out for a weekend so that he could hang out with Sonja and I, and also nonchalantly meet Sarah without the pressure of an official date.

So after Will had a chance to get to know Sarah (seeing her frisbee skills was key), Will asked if he could corrospond with Sarah through snail mail. We of course said "yes".

The rest, they say, is history. After a little over a year of long distance relationship stuff (Will was in Dayton at an Air Force base), the happy couple married this past July 4. The wedding was beautiful and especially because two of our best friends were going to be spending the rest of their lives together. What a beautiful thing it is to see two people joined together for life, who though not perfect, are perfect for each other. It was so good to see friends fall in love, and watch that love wrestle through difficult issues and circumstances, and then despite those difficulties, blossom in covenant commitment before God, family, and friends. Plus, it never hurts to ensure that your future brother-in-law is cool guy. This helps make sure family get-togethers stay fun and full of fellowship.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the wedding. The happy couple has been in Italy for almost 3 weeks now and are doing well, but missing their matchmaking friends, I'm sure.

Building Tomorrow's Church Conference, Arizona

Over Memorial Day weekend Paul and I took a group of college students to Arizona for the Building Tomorrow's Church Conference. It was the second year of the conference and we were greatly encouraged at the amount of college and young adults that came from all over the country. The conference was put on by our denomination (Reformed Baptist) to provide a time where we could meet other young Christians with a common theology, share what God is doing around the country in His church, and have a time of teaching on the importance of the local church and what that looks like and how that is practically applied in real life. We also had a lot of fun. We stayed at a camp in Prescott Arizona which had amazing food and facilities. We played volleyball and kickball and relaxed in the hot tub at night under the clear skies covered in stars.

Our group went a day early so we could go visit the Grand Canyon. It rained hard while we were driving to the canyon and we were all nervous that we would not be able to see anything when we got there. I decided to pray that if it was God's will, he could stop the rain, even for a little bit so we could all see his awesome creation. And he answered! As soon as we pulled in to the parking lot the rain stopped. We were still in a thick cloud and couldn't see anything. We sat down for a picnic lunch and slowly the clouds drifted away. It was almost like God was slowly unveiling the canyon. It was very dramatic as the clouds continued to disappear and you could see more and more and more until all of the canyon was in sight. When you see things like the Grand Canyon you realize how small you are and it's humbling...in a good way! God is so much bigger than us and his creativity is awesome.

We also had fun with the wildlife. They were not at all afraid of humans so we had fun feeding them Rice Crispy Treats. We saw a sign prohibiting this later, but we had fun in our ignorance. They were so cute!

Lauren Reader Graduates

On May 5th, Paul's sister Lauren Graduated for the University of South Carolina Upstate. We were all so proud. Can't you sense our excitement!

House Tour

The Slivka's Come To Visit

My Gandma and Grandpa Slivka came to visit this week. Right away they began helping us around the house. Grandma had sown me drapes for the family room and so Grandma and I spent a long time Monday shopping for drapery rods and Grandpa and Paul started making the built in book shelves for our family room. They also helped us work on the front yard, wash windows, and hang drapes in the dinning room. They wore Paul and I out! They were such a great example to us of hard workers. Paul and I want to be like them when we grow up... actually we would like to have their energy now! We also made Swedish coffee bread and watched movies. We had a very productive visit.

Ernie

Paul and I are fostering a dog named Ernie. He has been with us for two weeks now. I have been in denial so I haven't taken any pictures, but I don't think Paul is going to let him go. He is catching on to commands such as 'sit', 'off' 'down' and 'no'. He is 18 months old and a rescue dog. He is very emotionally needy and has to be right by your side. I have been taking him running everyday this week and it's been good for both of us. I'll keep you all updated on if it becomes official.