Waiting

As I write this I'm sitting on a giant exercise ball, rocking back and forth to give my hips and tail bone a break. I'm also trying to do some squats. Anything to get this baby to come. 

My due date was yesterday, and now we wait.

Waiting was rather easy with my first child.

I knew that the average woman went 8 days past her due date for her first pregnancy.

I didn't have anything pressing happening.

There was no rush.

This time it feels so different.

I have all these plans and dates and hopes and dreams and they all seem to include a baby that came early or on time. 

Christmas is coming, and I want my baby to be here.

Jake's family is coming, and I want them to meet this new addition. 

Isn't it funny that one of the most momentous occasions of your life you have little to no control of? 

I don't think it's a coincidence that modern medicine still hasn't figured out what causes labor to begin. 

I think it's meant to be a mystery. 

We're supposed to trust God and His perfect timing.

My mentor sent me this quote today about rest.

"When we are at rest we are trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world."

I need His perfect peace.

I need that rest.

The Lord of Heaven's Armies is intimately aware of this little life in my womb, and He knows what's best. 

I wonder if Mary was tempted to fear when it didn't seem like 'perfect timing' for her first to be born.

Being forced to relocate to a far away city on foot that close to your due date. 

Then, not finding anywhere other than a stable to give birth. 

Being away from friends and family who could give support.

But it was all a part of the Master's plan.

His son needed to be born in the city of David, the place of Kings.

He wanted His entrance into the world to be far from grand and set the stage for a life of lowliness.

I have to trust that God's ways are best, and allow this time of 'discipline' to train me.

I'm choosing Mary's response;

"I am the Lord's servant. Let it be to me according to your will"

The King is Coming

Now for a guest post by my hubby Jake.

 I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker or placard  in someone's yard: 'Keep Christ in Christmas' contending against Christmas being made into something having nothing to do with the birth of Christ. I was thinking about that statement and I certainly agree with it but my concern this season is that we have made 'Christ' into something having very little to do with what it actually means. The word "Christ" comes from the Hebrew word 'mashiyach' or the transliteration more commonly known, messiah, which literally means the 'anointed one'. Thus begs the question, anointed for what? For that answer, we must travel back to Hannah's prayer recorded in the book of Samuel:

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.” (I Samuel 2:10 NKJV)

To be the 'anointed one' or the 'messiah' or the 'Christ' simply means to be the King of Israel. The same exact word used to describe Jesus as Christ in the New Testament is used to for all the Lord's anointed kings of Israel (Saul, David, Solomon, etc.). Just as 'Pharaoh' is the throne name for the Egyptian kings or 'Czar' is the title for Russian supreme leaders, so 'Christ' is the throne name for the Kings of Israel. (Confusing? Watch this super helpful 20 minute video on the Biblical Foundations of 'Messiah' or 'Christ')

 King David was promised that one of his descendants would sit on a throne in Jerusalem and rule over Israel and the nations forever as king. This is what God promised him:

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” (II Samuel 7:12-16 NKJV)

The writings of the Prophets and the Psalms are teeming with royal depictions of the Messiah's coming. He will have the obedience of all the nations (Gen. 49:8-10). The ends of the earth will be His possession (Psalm 2:1-9). He will make His enemies a fiery furnace (Psalm 21:1-10). God has blessed Him forever and all the nations will be under His feet (Psalm 45:1-7). He will have God's judgments, dominion from sea to sea, and all Kings will serve Him (Psalm 72:1-19). His throne will be established forever, he shall be exalted as the highest king of the earth (Psalm 89:3-28). He will sit on a throne in Zion (Jersualem) the desired dwelling place of God forever (Psalm 132:11-18). The government shall be upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6-7). In righteousness He will judge for the poor and slay the wicked with the breath of His mouth (Isaiah 11:1-10).

Here's the kicker, neither Jesus nor any writers of the New Testament once redefine, reinterpret, or spiritualize these promises! On the contrary, Jesus repeatedly affirms that He is the One the Prophets spoke of and that "all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44 NKJV) Look what Mary is told at Jesus' birth:

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32, 33 NKJV)

As Gentiles (non-jews) who believe, we have been grafted into the rich heritage of the Jewish people (Romans 9:4) and share in the same hope of redemption, restoration, and resurrection when King Jesus returns. Christianity differs from Judaism is that we believe the Messiah had to suffer (as atonement for sin) before entering glory, which had also been foretold throughout the Law and the Prophets (Luke 24:25-27). This is the stumbling block and the Rock of offense: the King of Israel executed on a Roman cross, ie. Christ crucified. Think about the magnitude of offense! The one deserving the most honor and glory whom all nations will bow down to is suffering a humiliating, gruesome death at the hands of Israel's enemies. Sounds like an epic fail, right? But we know that's not the end of the story. But that's for another post.

It would be more accurate to say Jesus the Christ, or Jesus the Messiah. So, next time you are reading the New Testament, try inserting 'King of Israel' every time you come across the word 'Christ'. The reason this feels so awkward and foreign to us is because we have lost sight or redefined what 'Christ' means. This wasn't so with the early church! When Paul preached the gospel, he preached from the Old Testament. We have to remember that we stand on a Jewish foundation, with Jewish promises, and a Jewish King! Though we have different righteousness (one of faith apart from keeping the law), we have the same hope. Here's the bottom line: Jesus is at the right hand of the Father presently waiting the day He is going to  return to sit on a throne in the temple on Mt. Zion over Israel to administer the glory of God, resurrection, and judgment of the nations at the day of The Lord into the age to come. This is our hope and it has yet to be consummated. The King is coming!

Ode to Israel

A few days ago I was telling another mom about a cute phrase Izzy often says, when she exclaimed,

"Oh Lindy, you need to make sure you write that down! You don't want to forget that!"

A few different emotions came over me in that moment. 

Guilt, frustration, urgency, overwhelmed.

I haven't done a very good job of celebrating and documenting life.

This blog has been lying dormant, my journals are covered in dust, my nice camera stays put on the shelf, and to be honest, I still haven't printed out pictures from our wedding. 

Yep, it's that bad. 

So, instead of feeling overwhelmed which leads to me usually doing nothing, I'm going to start with some baby steps.

Very small baby steps.

I'm here to tell you all about my adorable and wonderful son, Israel Paul.

Favorite toys: Anything where he gets to "Knock 'em down!", stuffed rabbit named Pierre, his 'lello gigi' aka yellow digger, cardboard boxes

Fun words: "meh-mane" aka airplane, "puss" aka push, "loolel" aka noodle, "chew bed" aka new bed, "appa goosh" aka apple juice

Current Interests: Thomas the Train and anything choo choo related, Elmo, dancing, praying (always while holding hands), being chased by Dad (all the time), construction machines, 'swimming' in the tub,  identifying colors (he is so good at it!), drawing

And, his cute phrase that my friend didn't want me to forget is my favorite. Whenever he wants you to throw something up in the air, he points up and says "To the moon!" We have no idea where he came up with it, but it is so darn cute!
He's turning 2 at the end of January and should be a big brother by the end of this month!
I don't think he understands that we're about to add a permanent addition to our family, but I think he will handle it fairly well.
He loves babies.
Hopefully he loves babies that take a lot of mom and dad's attention :)

 These are from this summer. The one in the stroller was from our beach trip :) He really enjoyed the sand and the water, as long as he was in control.

 He loves his dada SO much. It is such a joy to watch their relationship.

 A few from earlier this fall. Izzy LOVES the red balls at Target. He insists on trying to 'move' them every time, while grunting and groaning "heavy!"

I love my little guy. He is such a blessing.

Flower Therapy

I have had so much fun working with flowers lately. 

I never thought I would have a job that brought me so much life and inspired me creatively more and more as time went on. 

The hope is that when we move to Minnesota, I might be able to do some weddings on my own. 

In the mean time I'm soaking up all the expertise I can get from my boss. She's seriously so talented.

I thought I would do a post with some snapshots of what we've created lately. 

 Buckets of babies breath. So lovely and dainty.

 Hard at work

 Boutonniere I made

 Simple yet elegant babies breath wreath my boss made

 Love all the textures in this bouquet!

 Altar arrangement with some stellar roses

 <3 p="">

 Wrist corsage I made

 Tricky boutonniere I made in a wine cork. 

 Wrist corsage I made for this weekends wedding

 For some reason the photo uploaded sideways, but you still get the picture. My boss made this AWESOME bride's bouquet for this weekend's wedding. Love those colors!

I had the honor of making the floral crown for the bride this weekend.

 She looked stunning!

 Really fun centerpiece I got to do for a wedding a little while back. The container is covered in birch bark!

 Peony bouquet I made for a wedding expo event. It was fun to make a bouquet without the pressure of a wedding :) 

And last but not least, my boss and I put together this 6 foot garland for a wedding. This shot of it in a box just doesn't do it justice. It was beautiful! 

Jerusalem, if I forget you...

Wearing my 'watchmen on the wall' necklace every day lately in hopes that it may remind me to pray for Israel. 

My heart aches and my belly feels sick the more I hear about what's going on in the Middle East. 

There is so much unrest, and believe it or not, the nation of Israel is in someway linked to most of it. 

The devil hates everything that is dearest to God, and His chosen people are at the center of his rage.

I don't pretend to have a perfect revelation of God's heart for Israel.

I feel the temptation to be swayed by the current of the culture/media which is quick to point an unforgiving finger at this tiny nation. 

But I do know that God has wrapped up His very character and name in this people by making an everlasting covenant with them. 

I do know that we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

I do know that my invitation into the promises of God are only because of their waywardness.

I do know that the land matters to God and that He will have a Jewish king sitting on a throne in Jerusalem. 

I do know that their repentance will mean life from the dead (literally, the resurrection)

I do know that it is a dangerous thing to be apathetic about the things God is zealous for.

Isaiah 62:1, 6-7

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace,

And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,

Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,

And her salvation as a lamp that burns.

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;

They shall never hold their peace day or night.

You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,

And give Him no rest till He establishes

And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Check out this message that Jake did this past Tuesday night at our House of Prayer's equipping service. I feel like it's a very clear call to understand the "mystery of Israel" and what our response should be. 

I am in no way saying that Israel as a political entity is perfect, or even should be wholeheartedly supported. 

My heart is that I would be burdened like Paul who said he would choose to be accursed if it meant his brethren might be saved, or like Jesus who wept over the hardened hearts in Jerusalem, or like Moses who was willing to put his own life on the line for his people. 

We as believers are forever linked to this people because our savior will forever be a Jewish man. 

Lord we pray that the people walking in darkness would see a great light! We pray that you would magnify Jesus, their long awaited Messiah and King! Bring your everlasting peace to Jerusalem and establish her with a government that will know no end! Come Lord Jesus! (Isaiah 9)

Taking Stock

 

 

Making : to-do lists for our upcoming move to Minnesota in November! (more to come on that subject)

Cooking : (baking) my mom's recipe for zucchini bread. So tasty!

Drinking : lots and lots of water, which means lots and lots of potty breaks for this pregnant lady

Reading: "Husband Coached Childbirth" again, and "Origins" Did I mention I'm pregnant?

Wanting: a trip to the coast! I feel so lost in the summer when I haven't been to the beach.

Playing: Izzy seems to like when we use the record player, so it's oldies for us.

Sewing: I wish I could say I had a sewing project in the works. I have so many dreams, but nothing I'm actually working on. My mom and I are making plans for her to whip up some crib sheets for baby #2

Wishing: I had a little more energy and motivation

Enjoying: this stage of 'toddlerhood' with Israel. He seriously brings us so much joy!

Liking: taking long walks with my little family

Wondering: what is going to happen in the nations (specifically the Middle East) over the next months/years? We are living in some mind blowing/crazy/sobering/exciting times. 

Hoping: to get Iz and I on a more regular day-to-day schedule. 

Marveling: at the patience and kindness of God

Needing: a body pillow for this growing belly

Smelling: the flowers on my table

Wearing: whatever is comfy and fits! 

Thinking: this summer is going to fly by

Feeling: ^ like it already has!

Bookmarking: gender neutral baby things since we're not finding out the gender this time!

Anyone else want to join in on this list? I saw it on another blog and thought it would be a nice and easy way for me to share a little update.