Reminder please

It's time to make my bi-monthly menu plan. Three meals a day, for five people for 14 days, is a lot to remember. I dig out the recipe books and choose recipes, then plug them in to the menu plan. Then it's time to write the grocery list using the menu plan, but I can't stop there. Then I need to organize the list by departments, or even sometimes aisles if I know the store well enough. It's a process but I want to make sure I don't forget a thing. The check list is long and time consuming and I probably kill a baby tree in the process with the amount of paper I use, but when it comes to my family's stomachs, I can't risk forgetting even one item needed. 

As we finish up this unit with The Gospel Project, we are coming off of a large list of laws for sacrifice and commandments and it's easy to see them as a checklist that must not be forgotten. The Israelites are standing on the edge of the promised land, ready to enter, as Moses calls on them to be holy and obey only God, even though He knew they wouldn't. God reminded His people that He made an unconditional covenant promise. The promise that He was working out His plan to to send Jesus to not just rescue His people, but to bless the whole earth. 

Remind your kids this week that God asks for our obedience to be born out of gratitude, not as a way to earn His favor. Remind them that God's plan to rescue us all from sin and save His people has ALWAYS been through Jesus. 

More often than not, even though I worked hard on my checklist, I inevitably forget many items that I needed to complete the list, just as, often times, I forget all that He has accomplished for me. He wants our love and our obedience, but it doesn't come through a checklist, it comes through Jesus!

~Blessings

Rhiannon

 

 

The Blessing of DailyLife

Every time I talk with other churches about how Five Oaks is doing small groups and engaging our people with Scripture, they are always blown away by 2 things.

1. The number of people in our small groups.
2. That we have our own volunteer writing team. (And it's a writing team that our people actually love!)

I just met with our DailyLife writing team this past weekend. It is an eclectic bunch who absolutely love bringing the story of God to life through engaging people with daily Bible reading and reflection.  This is a multi-week process of writing, content editing, and format editing.  It's incredible what this team is able to do each and every week!

I shared with them a story of a man in our church recently challenged to read and reflect on Scripture daily. DailyLife was put forth as an option for him.  This guy came back weeks later saying, "I look at each day differently. My perspectives are changing. My wife is commenting on changes seen in me." (etc. etc.!) God can work mightily in and through us as we take time to listen to him through the scriptures.

I am thankful for this team that makes a huge impact on the hundreds of subscribers, everyday. And if you aren't signed up, here's how: sign up for DailyLife.

-Jonathan

A place to dwell

It's been a busy few months in our house. Unfortunetly, a lot of times, that means that time with kids gets pushed back to "another day". The busy schedule leaves room for too many empty promises of time together. As a parent, my heart begins to ache to just dwell with them. With that ache in my heart, I can only imagine theirs as they reach out for a time and place to just sit with me. 

When we review the Word of God we see that over and over, God makes a place for Him to fill His longing to dwell with His people. The Garden of Eden, where God revealed Himself to Adam and Eve. The tent in the wilderness was a dwelling place where He was able to demonstrate Himself to the people of Isreal. Jesus was (and is) the tabernacle where God displayed Himself to humanity.  

The Tabernacle was just such a place and He desired a specific experience with His people. Israel followed God's very specific instructions on how to build this tabernacle. The people gave joyfully and generously as God equipped them and provided for them what they needed to build a place where He could dwell with them.  

He created us to dwell with Him and He longs to dwell with us, and to accomplish the fullfilment of these desires, He sent His only Son, Jesus, to "tabernacle", or dwell with God's people. How grateful I am that through Him, we are given the opportunity to dwell with God forever. 

The tabernacle story is one filled with a great promise and hope of the opportunity to dwell with our Hevanly Father. It's a story that we can carry the example of in to our homes as we desire to dwell together with our kids and they with us. 

Take time this week to ask your kids how they long to be with you, and share with them how you long to be with them as you share the story of the tabernacle and how God longs to dwell with His people.  

Blessings~

Rhiannon