Elisha Samuel

Click here to view Jeremy's post on our Bastion blog announcing Elisha's birth, and with a few pics.

2 1/2

It has been a long time since I've done a post about Noah, probably since his 2 year old birthday.  I feel like so much has happened and changed since then that I want to record some of it here so that I don't forget all these little things.  He's growing up so fast.

Since he turned 2 in October we have put Noah through a lot of changes.  We transitioned him to a big boy (twin) bed (and out of the crib) in January.  It was as smooth as it could have possibly been.  He continues to blow me away with how flexible and adaptable he has always been on things like this.

Around January we also started potty training, and now have him solely in big boy underpants except for when he's sleeping.  Not sure when I'll work on taking away the diapers for sleeping, but probably not for a while.  He rarely ever has any accidents, and has just started transitioning from his little kid potty to using the big potty as of this week.

We think Noah understands that a lot is going to change as of tomorrow, and that he will have a little brother, but as of now he's in denial/ avoidance mode.

He is such a good communicator, it blows us away.  He forms and spouts of sentences on his own and almost never stops talking, at least when it's just our family, he's a little more shy in public.

He knows all of the basics... the alphabet, can count to somewhere in the teens, shapes, colors, animals, etc.

He is amazingly good at puzzles... a few weeks ago we gave him a 100 piece/ 5 year old and up puzzle, and he has been able to complete it by himself on several occasions.

He is all boy, and all energy.  Constantly running, jumping, and wanting to hit everything with a stick.  He wants to squish bugs, and play in the dirt.  He loves trucks and announces every truck that he sees... he knows all the varieties from tankers, to cement, to flat bed, to mack, to bank and UPS trucks.

He is such a sensitive, discerning little boy.  He cares about people's feelings and emotions and frequently asks us if we're happy or sad, or why we are happy or sad.  He does the same for most people and animals in books.

He LOVES to be the center of attention and have all eyes in the room on him.  He is definitely an extrovert, and would definitely rather have people around than play by himself.

He's still a pretty picky eater... not eating much protein, maybe a few bites of turkey burger, or slices of turkey pepperoni here and there.  He'll eat a few veggies... mainly raw carrots (sometimes dipped in hummus), cucumber slices with salt on them, and steamed broccoli.  He loves most fruits.  Carbohydrate snack foods, pb&j, and grilled cheese are his definite favorites.  And he loves our weekly family trips for frozen yogurt... his specialty being strawberry and chocolate frozen yogurt with m&m's, strawberries, and cherries.

He watches a show before bed every evening, and when he wakes up in the morning, since we don't have tv he's limited to a laptop and netflix for this.  His current faves are Go Diego Go, and Guess with Jess.  He's a very sensitive little boy and doesn't like any show that has any kind of villain in it, which excludes most Disney stuff, and even Veggie Tales.

He is a fairly big kid, in the 80-90% for everything from weight, height, and head size.  Most people who don't know him think he is 4 years old (or older) because he is so big, and so communicative.  Neither Jeremy nor I are tall people, so he must get this from some of his aunts and uncles.  He's already wearing 4T clothes, and doesn't give any indications of slowing down in growth.

I love this little boy and the excitement and energy that he has.  Every day is an adventure around here.  I'm so thankful to get to learn from him, and shape him into the man that he is quickly becoming.

39/40 weeks

Here is what is going on with Elisha this week according to babycenter.com;

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.

As for me and Elisha... we are doing well.  I've had a few intense contractions this week, but nothing that has been regular yet.  So as of now, unless I go into labor on my own before then, we will be having a c section at noon tomorrow (May 24).  

This pregnancy, like my last one, has been free of complications.  I'm still sleeping through the night well, except for getting up a few times for bathroom visits.  I've never had any heartburn, swelling, or those other things that seem to plague pregnant women.  I've been a little tired, a little more hungry than normal, but nothing worth complaining about.  Just within the last week I've started to feel some pain and discomfort in my back, hips, and pelvis, but for being 39 weeks pregnant I think that's to be expected.

I've been lifting weights all the way up until this week, which I did not do in my last pregnancy, and I jogged until 7 months, and continued regular walks through this week.  As a result, I've gained significantly less weight than my last pregnancy and am hoping to return to a normal shape and weight much more quickly this time around.

We're cherishing every last moment as a family of 3 today, doing special things for Noah, and are thrilled to meet our newest addition tomorrow!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This was fairly simple to make, is fairly healthy, and would probably please most crowds.

-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1 onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-5 c chicken broth
-1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
-1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
-4 c water
-1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
-2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can white corn
-3 c cooked chicken, shredded or diced
-1 Tbsp sugar
-1 Tbsp cumin
-1 Tbsp chili powder
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-4 Tbsp cornmeal mixed with equal parts water
-6 whole wheat/ corn blend tortillas, cut into strips
-for serving:  cilantro, diced avocado, lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, hot sauce

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until it begins to soften (about 5 min).  Add garlic and saute until fragrant (about 1 minute).  Add broth- pepper.  Simmer 30 minutes, stirring intermittently.  Add cornmeal/ water paste.  Stir well, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer an additional 30 minutes until soup is reduced and thickened.  Add tortilla strips 5 minutes before serving, stirring to allow them to soften.  Serve with desired toppings.

God's Attributes and Deeds

As Christians are we supposed to base our praise for God on who He is (His attributes), or on what He does (His deeds, miracles, provision, signs, and wonders).  It sounds selfish to praise Him for what He does.  It sounds more spiritual to praise Him solely for who He is.  As I’ve been reading through the Psalms I can’t help but conclude that it’s a both/and.  I see the authors of the Psalms (under inspiration of the Holy Spirit) continue to praise God for both His attributes and His deeds.

Psalm 71:14-18 But I will keep on hoping for your help;

 I will praise you more and more.

I will tell everyone about your righteousness.

   All day long I will proclaim your saving power,

   though I am not skilled with words.

I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord.

   I will tell everyone that you alone are just.

O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,

   and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.

Now that I am old and gray,

   do not abandon me, O God.

Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,

   your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

In this Psalm we see God praised for His attributes of righteousness and justice, but also for His mighty deeds, saving power, the wonderful things He does, and His mighty miracles.

Throughout Genesis and Exodus God was known more predominantly for His deeds than for His attributes.  In fact, Moses was one of the few (or only) people that seemed to have a personal relationship with God in these books.  Throughout the Gospels people flocked to Jesus more so for what He taught and the miracles He did, than to just enjoy and know Him.  In the book of Daniel God provided for Daniel through miracles (the fiery furnace, the lions den, and more) and as a result, pagan kings came to praise our great God.  Nebudchadnezzar went as far to say “There is no other god who can rescue like this” in Daniel 3:29, and after Daniel being delivered from the lions den king Darius sent this message to people of every race, nation, and language in the world (Daniel 6:25).

Daniel 6:26-27 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.  For he is the living God, and he will endure forever.  His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end.  He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”

Now, especially in the New Covenant, I think that we definitely need to seek God for who He is, be in personal relationship with Him, and long to know Him more.  But I would also argue that a large part of who God is is revealed through His deeds, signs, wonders, miracles, and what He does.  I would say that throughout the Bible people first encountered and were brought into relationship with Him based off of what He did, but then came to know (and worship) Him for who He is as a result.  We come to know Him as Jehovah Jireh when He provides.  We come to know Him as Jehovah Rapha when He heals.

I would even say that presenting a Gospel solely based on God’s attributes is presenting a partial Gospel.  A large part of the Gospel is His power... the most important part is that He not only died on the cross for our sins because He is loving, gracious, and forgiving, but then was resurrected and conquered death and Satan, and then ascended into Heaven sending His Spirit to us, so that the same power that raised Christ from the dead, the same power through which He healed, raised people from the dead, and cast out demons now dwells in those who have accepted and follow Him.  And when we neglect to praise Him for these things, neglect to know Him in these ways, neglect to seek and experience Him through these acts, then we are only in touch with a part of who God really is.  We then sell the world short on our full representation of Him, and the full experience of His will being done on earth as in Heaven.

Shannon

Remember

In 2012, one of the biggest themes/ messages that the Lord taught me was to “remember”.  As I was reading through Deuteronomy it kept standing out to me how the word remember was repeated over and over again.  Here are just a few of the verses that stood out;

Deuteronomy 4:20  Remember that the Lord rescued you from the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt in order to make you his very own people and his special possession, which is what you are today.

Deuteronomy 5:15  Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 7:18-19  But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt.  Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear.

Deuteronomy 8:2  Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.

In 2012 Jeremy and I were thrust into a new level of relationship with the Lord.  We began to know and experience Him in new, deeper ways.  He revealed Himself to us constantly.  And He did a lot of really cool things in, through, and around us.  I kept hearing Him say “Remember”.  “Remember these things”.  “Hold on to them”.  “Let this event/ experience be an altar that you build to me, having come to encounter and know me in a new way”, much like Israel did in the Old Testament when they would build an altar to God to show how He had delivered them or provided at a specific time and location.  (Exodus 20:24 “Build for me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to me—your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your cattle. Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you.).

It kept standing out to me how in the Old Testament Israel continued to see God perform miracles... He provided manna, and then shortly thereafter they started grumbling and complaining again worried about water.  Had they forgotten the God who had miraculously provided them bread to eat each and every day?  Then He provided water from a rock, and later Israel grumbled about no meat.  Then he provided quail.  This is the same God whom Israel had seen send locusts and plagues upon Egypt to deliver Israel from them.  The same God they watched part the Red Sea.  The same God who guided them in a cloud by day, and fire by night.  How faithless do we find the people of Israel to have been?  We are shocked that despite witnessing His continued faithfulness, provision, and miracles that they still lacked faith, still grumbled, and were still so quick to turn astray.

I would argue that we struggle with the same sin today.  That God has revealed Himself to each of us at times, capturing our attention and causing us to know Him in a whole new way, but then, days, weeks, months and years later we grow out of touch with His goodness.  We forget the encounter and loose the power that came with the testimony of it.

In 2012 I came to know God in a bunch of new ways by experience.  I came to know Him as Healer, not just through the accounts in Scripture, but by Him working through me and Jeremy to physically and emotionally heal others of their infirmities (see our testimony page for some of these accounts).  I came to know Him as Provider in a whole new way when we stepped out in faith, when it made no sense, and started a ministry and watched Him continue to meet each physical, financial, and service need that we had as they arose.  As time passes on it’s easy to lose touch with the details and specifics of each event/ encounter.  As time goes on it’s easy to lose touch with just how miraculous each of these were.  As time goes on I lose some of the awe and wonder that originally went with each of these events/ accounts.  And as I hear Him continue to say “remember” I’m grateful to have a place to share them all here, to activate faith in others, but also for my own reference to come back to and to serve as an altar to the one true God, reminding me, and generations to come of these marvelous things He is doing, and will do again.

So friend, take some time to remember what He has done in and through you.  Build an altar to Him in your heart so that you will never forget.  Tell someone about it so that they may be inspired and encouraged as well.  Celebrate each and every encounter, over and over again.

Shannon

When God Wrecks My Theology: Speaking in Tongues

In the last year, as I’ve grown in my relationship with the Lord, He has continued to wreck the theology that I previously held. This has happened time and time again, and continues to teach me how God can’t be put in a box, or limited to rules/ laws. He is SO big. So complex. So much deeper, kinder, more holy and perfect than we could ever imagine.

One of the areas that God has wrecked my theology on is speaking in tongues. I always found it something weird... that “those” weird Christians did... you know, the Christians that are made to look like fools on tv and in the media. I didn’t understand it, and I was scared of it. It didn’t fit into my box of clean, comfortable Christianity. The only thing I really knew about speaking in tongues was that I was sure you had to have an interpreter present (1 Corinthians 14:27-28).

And then one day my husband came home, told me about an encounter he had with the Lord, and how he (Jeremy) was now speaking in tongues. To say I was weirded out is an understatement. I really didn’t know what it meant, and I instantly felt spiritually inferior and less gifted than Jeremy, and as a defense mechanism I latched onto doubt.

After a few weeks, several conversations with my hubby, and some processing time with the Lord I became more and more curious. I thought about tongues a lot, and had a lot of questions... was this gift for everyone, did I have this gift, did an interpreter need to be present, is speaking in tongues an angelic language/ speaking in an unknown (to me) language, or both?

Eventually, I began to practice speaking in tongues in my personal time with the Lord. The first few times were awkward... I would do it, write down the words that I said, and then google them to find out if they were a certain language or had a certain meaning. I was still viewing this from my mind, in doubt, using the natural mind to try to understand something that is spiritual in nature.

Over the period of a few weeks I continued to speak in tongues, and found myself continually torn wondering if I was forcing it/ making it up, or if it was real and from the Lord. I continued to try to put rules around it and cram it into a box. Finally one day Jeremy (really God through Jeremy) said to me that I was being a spiritual gifts legalist... that I was defining this gift by what is not to be done rather than what is to be done. That hit the heart of it for me. I was looking for rules to make it safe and comfortable, when God rarely operates in a safe and comfortable way. After this breakthrough I found speaking in tongues to be more peaceful and natural than anything I’ve ever done. It no longer brought fear and doubt to me, but produced a peace and joy unparalleled to anything else I’ve experienced. It began to be a way for me to escape from my mind and thoughts, analyzing and trying to find all of the perfect words for the prayers I was praying, and became a way for me to grow in touch with the grumblings of the Spirit that are too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

I don’t have all the answers on tongues, how they should be used or when, on if it is a gift for everyone, or reserved for a particular few. But quite frankly, I no longer care. I know that the verse that had caused me the most concern going into it was;

1 Corinthians 14:27-28 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.

I’ve also come to see (this is something the Lord revealed directly to me) that in this same book of 1 Corinthians exists;

1 Corinthians 11:5-6 But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.

and

1 Corinthians 14:34 The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.

I have never attended a church that insists that womens heads must be covered in church, or that they can’t speak in church... today most denominations assume that these verses were cultural to the time they were written, but most denominations still hold to 1 Corinthians 14:27-28 (having an interpreter) even though it is in the same book as both of the aforementioned verses, and even in the same chapter as one of them.

All of this leads me to a place of humility, knowing that I don’t have all of the answers, I don’t have God all figured out. My understanding of Him and His Word continues to change as the years go on. I know that the Bible is His Word, it is true, and always relevant, living, alive and good, and I know that His Word has to be read by the Spirit, and taken into context. I am so grateful that He has placed His Spirit in me, to give me understanding, and to lead me in His ways. May we all truly seek Him in all things, even when it wrecks our theology and comfort zone, and may all that we do be done to the glory of God.

Shannon