Summer, Pictures and Redemption

I apologize for my absence - my computer was being updated. Here are some pictures that have been taken in its absence.



Us at the park on the HOTTEST day of the summer with Adam's friend, Josh and his wife, Chelcie.

"Mom, I though you said the doctor said my feet were SMALLER than normal!"



People keep asking me how I am liking my summer, and I can't say enough that I basically love it and live for it every school year. Charlotte is at a wonderful age where she mimics words, identifies things that surprise you (like when she named all of the kids on the show "Sid the Science Kid" yesterday at Toys R Us) and sounds like the wrestler Ric Flair walking around the house going "Whoo!" It has been truly wonderful to be home with her and Adam, and though I know that July is only about half over, I also know that the rest of the summer will slip away quickly. For the first year since my first year of teaching, I have no idea what I'm headed into next year. Our school's whole administration has been shaken up, the building and bell schedule are both being remodeled, and everything will be very different next year.

The past two sermons we've had have been AMAZING. Our pastor's family is on vacation, so we get to hear other people preach. Jonathan Murphy preached a wonderful sermon on Wednesday night that you can hear here, and Eddie preached a super-convicting sermon on Sunday you can hear here. I told Eddie after church that what I love about the Word of God is that it hits you exactly where you are. I felt like Eddie was preaching that sermon JUST to us, but I know that everyone else felt that too. It's awesome.

During the sermon, and not really because of the sermon itself, I got a picture into my head of redemption that I still am meditating on. I pictured a negotiation in eternity past between Satan and Christ. God the Father might have been there in the shadows somewhere, but most of the talking is between Satan and Christ. And they're talking about people. They're talking about me. I get closer and I see a file with pictures of me, even though in eternity past I'm not even close to being born. And they're negotiating for me. Satan wants me because I'm smart and passionate. He starts off with the upper hand in the argument, saying that I already belong to him so he should get to keep what's his. Then I look at Christ, thinking what could He possibly say to that? And He just says, "No, she's mine." Satan is not discouraged; he keeps coming up with reasons that he should get to keep me, and for every argument, Christ just says, "No, she's mine." There are times I get nervous that Satan will come up with something that Christ can't refute, but each time He just says calmly, "No, she's mine." Finally, at the end of the negotiation, Satan says in a frustrated tone, "Well, you're just going to have to die for her, then." Christ can't see me, or He would see me shaking my head, saying that's too much, You are worth more than me, it's not worth it, I'll just belong to Satan, that's fine. But without hesitating, Christ says calmly, "I know that and it's already done. She's mine and you can never have her." Stunned, I back away and the negotiation fades away. Amazing, huh? The redemption of our Lord.
Love you all; Soli Deo Gloria.

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