Milestone Moment...

Today Tim took his 1st solo drive to the gym to do his weightlifting training.  He made it safely.  Thank God for the Life360 app that helps give us nervous parents more peace of mind.

It's never easy to let go of the apron strings with our children but they do have to grow up at some point and we've got to let them.  We miss the times when they were younger as they grow into adulthood and take steps outside the nest of safety that we've had them in all these years but they will never know how to fly unless we allow them.  A wise momma bird pushes her young out of the nest and forces them to fly and so must we with our kids.  We've got to trust that we have done our job as parents well and that they will soar in life as they begin their journey of life without us.  

Tim is growing to be an amazing young man.  His dad and I are so proud of all that he's accomplished and survived in his young life.  God has kept him on this earth for a reason.  He has a plan for Tim and we pray that Tim lives out God's plan for his life.  

We know that as he grows and learns more of God's plan + reads and studies God's Word that he will do well in this life, such as it is currently.  

We are so incredibly thankful for God's blessings in our lives and we pray for God's ministering angels to guard around about Tim as he does life.  We pray safe journeys everywhere that he goes.  We pray God's hand will lead and guide him every step of the way of his journeys.  We pray that God meets him right where he's at.  We pray to God for protection, wholeness, and completeness always and forever.  And thank you God for giving us, as parents, a peace that passes all understanding as you guard our hearts and minds as our son steps out into the world to do life without us with him constantly.  In Jesus Name, Amen & Amen!

John 13:34 (ESV)...

Footnote From NIV Application Bible (v.34-35):

Jesus' statement in these verses is dramatic.  Disciples are to reflect a love expressed through committed obedience.

    But the word "new" may mean something more (v.34).  The "new command" may be a signal that Jesus is talking about life in a new era - a messianic era.  In that era, love must characterize his followers; a love patterned on the generous, loving act of God that saves his people.

Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)...

NEVER  LOOSE  FAITH!

JUST  WHEN  YOU  THINK  IT'S  OVER,

GOD  WILL  MAKE  A  WAY  FOR  YOU!

National Dog Day - August 26th...

Forgot to share this with you... 

Exodus 14:14 (NIV)...

Footnote from NIV Application Bible (v.14-15):

We should understand v.14 in the context of the Israelites' faithlessness in the light of what God has done. Why is it, after the Israelites cry out in v.14 and Moses rebukes them for their lack of faith, that Moses is reprimanded by God for crying out?  There is a close identification between Moses and the people he is leading.  He is the mediator who connects the people to God (e.g., 32:9-14).  Their guilt becomes his.  

Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)...

Footnote from NIV Application Bible (v.7-8):

Moses publicly passes the mantle so that Joshua will be seen as the divinely chosen successor.  V.8 offers Joshua the grounds for courage: Yahweh goes before him and guarantees his presence.

Week 1 of A Jesus Shaped Life...

This week I learned this:

Christoformic Orthopraxy = a way of right living that is rooted in our transformation into the likeness of Christ.

    

    Broken down into roots:

       Christo = Christ or Christ-centered; Formic = form

Christoformic (adj.) = refers to the ways in which we are shaped into the likeness of Christ. 

"If our pursuit of biblically orthodox theology doesn't ultimately have a Christofromic effect on us thereby drawing others toward Jesus Himself, then our pursuit is at best shallow, at worst sabotaged by self-serving movtives."  ~Lisa Harper 

So Why Theology?  Theology is unique because it is NOT something meant to be studied in a way that is disconnected from our lives.  It IS meant to TRANSFORM US!

Our Bible is a collection of 66 books, comprised of Old and New Testaments.  Each of these books points us toward the character of God and tells the story of God.  

The Bible is a grand narrative that points us to Jesus as the ultimate embodiment of God Himself.

The Bible is an incredible, rich story of pursuit, love, and redemption we just can't compare to anything else.

The Scriptures illuminate Jesus for us!

"More often than not, the phrase 'word of God' in the New Testament isn't used to describe a physical Bible; instead, it's referring to Jesus."  ~Lisa Harper

Bibliology = a field of theology all about the Bible; the study of one's belief about the Bible.  Theological study of, or conversation about, our collection of holy books known as the Bible.

• Biblio = from the Greek (Gk) work biblios meaning "scroll" or "book" (from this root we also get the English word "bibliography")
• Logy  = from the Greek (Gk) word logos, meaning "word" or "study"

The study of Scripture is a wonderful Christian spiritual practice that can draw us deeper into relationship with Jesus and is a way we can participate in our own spiritual formation.

Theology, a conversation about God, is an invitation to deepen our relationship with Him as we grow in our knowledge and experience of Him in our lives.

Biblically orthodox theology:

• Biblically = rooted in Scripture
• Orthodox =from the Greek (Gk) roots orthos (straight) and dosa (belief or opinion), in other words, something that is grounded in correct Christian faith and tradition
• Theology = a belief system and worldview based on the promises and parameters found in God's Word

Biblically Orthodox Theology refers to developing our own theological views that are 1) rooted in Scripture, 2) grounded in historical Christian truth, and 3) based on our study of God.

"As we dive deeper into biblically orthodox theology, it's likely that most of us will have to jettison theology we've inherited along the way and sincerely thought was true."  ~Lisa Harper

Jesus, as the true vine, is the source of all of our nourishment and allows us to flourish.  If we are able to see theology as an invitation into relationship, we can remain connected to Jesus, the true vine, and we can bear spiritual fruit.

In John 15:9 (and you'll have to look that up) the invitation into relationship is infused with the love of God.  Remaining in the love of Jesus, then, is vital to our theological study.

And that's all from week 1's study.  I'll share week 2's study with you soon.  

Isaiah 26:4 (ESV)...

Leveled Up ⏫ Today...

He leveled up ⏫ today. He’s looking forward to driving alone. Me not so much😳😢😭. Going to the Wendell DMV was a much better experience than going to Goldsboro. They were so much nicer. We had an 8am appointment and we were driving home by 8:35. Now that’s how it should be done at the DMV. We were in Goldsboro for 5 1/2 hours with an appointment and had to walk away because Tim needed to get home so he could get to training. It should have never taken that long with an appointment.

Word of advice: MAKE AN APPOINTMENT & BE NICE, ALWAYS BE NICE!

Next stop for Tim will be his full Class C when he turns 18 in May of 2026.

#wendelldmv4thewin.

Bardominium Ideas...

We ultimately want to rebuild on our land and put up a Bardominium.  Here are a couple that I really like:

Of the three I like the first one the most.  I totally love the layout of it.  I also love the layout of the second one as well.  I like the third one but I don't know if we will ever actually own an RV and I'm not totally loving the layout of it.  They all have very nice floor plans though.