Forming

Update

Cole and I were attempting to make salt dough. It’s very simple to make. You just combined salt, flour and warm water. As we tried to put the salt in the measuring cup, we ran into a problem. The salt had gained moisture and turned into a tight rock. We threw it, shook it and did everything we could think of to break it. Then I had the idea to get the meat tenderizer. I raised it above my head and took a big swing. It didn’t do anything. The salt was so hard. I have no idea why, but I had the urge to softly tap it. As I barely taped it, the salt started to break off. It only took a minute or two and we had our cup of salt. As I was looking in the bowl, I felt the Lord gently open my eyes to how he sometimes shapes us.

 

There have been times when the Lord has shaped me in big, bold and hard ways, but more often than not, He shapes me a tiny bit at a time. He calls me to lay something down or lets me experience something that I never thought possible. He does this process so that I can continue to grow and develop. We serve a mighty God that knows exactly when to tap and when to shake us to our core.

1 Kings 19:11-12

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Living Within Your Limits

Exodus18:13-18

¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”¹⁵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

Lately the Lord has been showing us areas where we are wearing ourselves out or trying to carry it alone. We aren’t meant to be able to do it all alone and that doesn’t make us weak. It makes us human. The Lord has ordained each of us to complete certain tasks, but we must always remember that we are ONLY called to carry what He gives us. Moses was exhausting himself by trying to be the only judge. His father-in-law recognized that this wasn’t healthy and he needed to delegate. The Lord had placed Godly man around Moses to help judge. The Lord also places people around us to help carry the load. We must be willing to let them help!

Schools Days

September Update

Summer has gone so quickly and now it is time to start school. Time seems to move more and more quickly the older we get. Our lives are so full and we are beyond blessed.

Dave

I just finished up eleven weeks of teams and am adjusting back into the school schedule. Please continue to pray for the hearts of the boys and that they continue to apply all the new devotionals they heard from the teams.

Megan

New staff orientation started the second week of July and then all staff orientation started in August. It was a fast paced month of daily trainings and pouring out. I had the opportunity to connect with our new staff, helping empower them to be the teachers God has called them to be. I was able to explain over and over that education is simply the vehicle we use to disciple children for Jesus Christ. It is such an honor and privilege that I get to help teachers each day impact students for the kingdom.

“Educating and equipping servant leaders through Christian discipleship and expeditionary learning to impact the Dominican Republic”

Indy

Indy started her senior year. She has made the decision to do a gap year and then continue her studies in Spain. Please continue to pray that God will open or close doors based on His will for her life.

                     

Josh

Josh started Pre-K 3 at Doulos. It has been a smooth transition and he is really enjoying his time at recess!                            

Cole

Cole is doing great! She is running, jumping and doing all she can to keep up with her older siblings.

Bearing Fruit

Matthew 7:16-20  

16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes,
or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree 
bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear 
good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into 
the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

This verse crossed my mind the other day while I was at the gym.  About 6 months ago,
 I changed the way I lift. I started lifting using a lot of negatives (if you don’t know what 
that means it’s not important), which is different from the way everyone else lifts at that 
gym.  For the first couple months, I would notice people looking at me funny and noticing 
that what I do is different. Starting about two months ago, people started asking me why
 I was working out in that way. It gave me a chance to explain the reasoning behind it and 
a few people even started trying it on their own.

Throughout all this, the Spirit kept bringing this scripture to my mind, especially the part 
saying “by their fruit you will recognize them”.  It made me think of other ways in my life
 where I could be setting myself apart in a Christ-like manner and acting in a different 
way from the world.  It also made me think, “Am I ready to explain why I act in a certain
 manner?” When I was at the gym I knew exactly why I was lifting in that way and why
 it benefited by body, so I was ready when someone asked “why”.  Am I always ready
 with scripture and/or an explanation if/when someone asks me why I do or don’t do 
certain things in my life? As Christians, we don’t always have to be the ones initiating
 conversations, but we do have to always be ready when the opportunity to talk about
 our faith presents itself.