Worldless Wednesday: Reality LA Women's Retreat

My identity.

First, I need to say that this year's retreat theme could not have been more appropriate. "Identity: the truest thing about you." Needless to say I had been struggling with my identity, which by the end of the weekend, was exactly who I have been since the day I met Jesus: a child of God.

Galatians 2:20
²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

It's easy to define myself by my size, my job as mom or my life as a wife. It's also easy to define myself by what I'm not. That's where we can really get screwed up.
I am so thankful to the women at my church, they are honest, loving and real. For every fault or problem I think is only mine to have, they remind me humbly that they too have struggles and difficulties. It was the perfect environment to be a "weight watcher". I never felt embarrassed to tell someone that I was counting points and I never felt pressure to just eat whatever. Thank you girls!

I'll blog more about retreat later, I just wanted to preface my weekly progress with my experience at Women's Retreat.

Drum roll: I've lost 2 pounds!
I have more energy, food isn't calling my name at night. I'm drinking tons of water (I drank half a gallon yesterday). I don't forget to take my vitamins and I am not going back for seconds (unless it's veggies or fruit).
I'll share this verse that's a huge (and humbling) help to me.

Philipians 2:13
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure

Goodbyes, backgammon, baby showers, capes & haircuts: a week of fun with the Brewer fam.

We had a busy week last week. Between saying good-bye BBQs, baby showers, play dates & turning in Kindergarten paperwork, I feel like we were all over the place! Here's a quick rundown with pictures. Enjoy!

I tried to keep the kids quiet while the rest of the group prayed.
It was like herding cats. 

Los Angeles feels a little emptier since our friends, the James family moved to Washington this week. Lena and Cory opened their home to our community group. Their daughter, Yeva was one of Mae's sweet little friends.They held a "good-bye BBQ" on Tuesday in their back yard. Our new group leaders, Brie & Robert have better quality pics on their blog.

Mae & Yeva in their jelly shoes.

While we are feeling blue about them leaving, we know that God was the one that orchestrated the whole move! From bed bugs to Lena already having a new OB (she's 34 weeks pregnant! I have pics of her baby shower too.) in Washington, God scooted their family right out of LA! It was Jesus in action in their life. 

Walking to the garden.

We finally put our plants in at the community garden!! We will have tomatoes, strawberries, onions, herbs & bell peppers. We walk down every day to water. I snagged a few gardening tools from the dollar spot at Target. The kids loved them. We're excited for our bountiful harvest that is to come! 

Garden excitement!

Violet and Mae swing while Violet's dog keeps an eye on them.

Friday we spent the day with the Fritz family. The kids had a blast at the park (where there were several elderly men playing backgammon), playing Xbox & eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

I  was able to chat with Emily in her new (and super cute) "bungalow in Burbank". Since her husband was out of town, we stayed for dinner & ice cream. It was a sweet time, even with the neighbor's crazed parrot! 

The kids check out the view from the parking garage.
You could see Universal Studios. 

Moses and Josiah make sand angels.

Saturday was Lena's baby shower. Rebecca opened her ridiculously darling apartment for the event. Her apartment in Los Feliz has a view of Griffith Observatory. It's also surrounded by big pine trees and doesn't feel like it's in Los Angeles (except for that whole "view of Griffith Observatory" thing). There was yummy salad and a cake from Porto's Cafe (Nichole Baird, when you guys visit, we're going there). I was excited to meet a few new gals from Reality & to give some love to the newest James' baby. I almost forgot to mention: I  was able to hold not just one, but two baby girls at the shower. Baby fever to the max!

Here is the radiant Mommy sharing specifics for prayer time.

The guests.

This baby is loved! 

 Sunday we went to church (as you do) & the kids ministry had the best crafts: CAPES! 

I didn't get a pic of Mae in hers, but here's Josiah looking super.

We have the best craft planner ever! We  ♥ Denise!

Josiah needed a toothpick, apropos to the type of haircut he requested.

After church, the Brewer men stopped in Silverlake to get hair cuts. Josiah specifically asked the barber for "a Ryan Gosling hair cut". The guy thought that was pretty funny & then told me that he and Ryan shared a mechanic which "means we're best friends". Did I mentioned I liked this barber? Our last bit of business for the week was to pick up camping equipment from our parents. We ended up hanging out with my parents for the evening. I even had some quality time with puffy Tigerlily cat.

Yikes.

Here's to another busy week! As we dive into the last day of April, I'm looking at another big week. I'm decorating the kid's room & we want to paint it. Today I'm just wading through toys, clothes & stuffed animals they don't need. It looks like Salvation Army is on our list of stops this week. I'll let you know how that all turns out...

And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown. For my reward is giving glory to you.*

Day 14

Something You're Reading

The Book of Ephesians. 

In the life of a Christian, one can become overly concerned with what we're doing for God, not what God has done for us. We become prideful, hypocritical, and smug. This is where Ephesians comes in handy. Paul writes often of grace as a gift. This gift is lavished on us by a loving God through the work of Jesus on the cross. Our lives are then filled with the Spirit. We had nothing to do with it. On top of that, our own salvation is not for our glory in the end, but God's. We are the ones taking part in His inheritance. 

I am reading out of the ESV Study Bible aka Self-Defense weapon in case of break-in.  This is one hefty Bible. The ESV is indeed a brawny book, but it is a most helpful book. The notes are easily understood,  there are charts to compare with the rest of God's word & maps. Oh, there are maps. 

I know that I MUST be reminded of my need for Christ, that I did not "get myself" to Jesus. He graciously came for me. He is my first love. 

*Keith Green, Oh Lord, You're Beautiful. 

This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus*

Day 7

Something that makes me smile: My Grandma's Bible.

(I mixed my days up, I did "Favorite" yesterday, I figure it's alright.)

I could not just pick one photo today. I went to take a picture of my Grandma Hazel's Bible.  There were too many wonderful goodies to choose from & I ended up with all of these.
For those of you that don't know, my Grandma passed away in 2010. I inherited a few items (she didn't have many to start with) and my most cherished is her Bible. This Bible sat by her side constantly, whether on her end table next to her chair or on the nightstand. It's full of notes, hymns & prayers in her cursive writing. I know that my Grandmother was far from perfect, but for that very reason all of this is more beautiful. She clung to the truth of Jesus, the promise of his salvation. All of her hope was nothing but the blood of Jesus.

 Start at top left: Our Pile o' Bibles. My Grandma's is at the bottom.  There is a note on the back of this sweepstakes entry from '79 & her Bible ribbon book mark. My Grandma's license, picture of Jesus & a poem about having your Bible with you. A bookmark I gave her when I was little, a note I gave her to remind her of when Josiah was due & a picture of an ancestor.

My Uncle's school picture, a thank you note from my cousin's wife thanking Grandma for supporting their mission to Brazil & my sister's gymnastics picture.

My Aunt's inscription of Isaiah 40:8 . My Aunt, Uncle & their dogs. A newspaper clipping about my Aunt's work with animal shelters, an Easter bookmark.

A note for Acts 16:31, pictures of George her cat & meeting Josiah, Acts 16:31- a note about my parent's becoming Christians & a prayer for unsaved family members. 

*Robert Lowry, Nothing but the Blood This song reminds me of sitting in church with my Grandma & Great-Aunt. 

The Eternal Light & the Festival of Lights.

The Brewers are going old school. Real old school. 167 B.C. to be exact.
This year we'll be celebrating Hanukkah. The kids and I will be crafting menorahs & driedels here in a bit. We'll be reading the story of Maccabees triumphing & cleansing the temple. We'll learn about the miracle of the oil that lasted for 8 nights when there was only enough for one night.
My family will be thankful for God's faithfulness in difficult times. The Brewers will celebrate a holiday that was celebrated by Jesus himself. Did you know that Hanukkah is mentioned in the Bible? 
Check out John 10:22:

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one."

The "Feast of the Dedication" is Hanukkah. Jesus celebrated in the same temple that had been reconsecrated almost 200 years before. 


Hanukkah is the "festival of lights" & the central symbol is the menorah. The designer of the menorah is the Big Man himself, who gave instructions to Moses in Exodus 25:31-40 (the original, 7 branch menorah was ordained only for temple use). There are 8 branches on a Hanukkah menorah, plus a shamash, or servant candle. I bring up the theme of "light" for this reason: 

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12 

 We praise & rejoice in the birth of Jesus, the eternal light, on Christmas. I believe Hanukkah can be a wonderful beginning and extension of rejoicing in this season. While we as Christians are not commanded to celebrate Jewish holy days (Colossians 2:16), we are more than welcome to celebrate this holiday. The same God that provided oil for a few, provided a Savior for all.

...though Hanukkah isn’t a biblical festival is does indeed reveal Messiah. Jesus is the single light that burns eternal; far beyond humanly possible. His light was miraculously established by the Father before the foundations of creation. As we walk in obedience to God’s call we each have this miraculous light shining forth from our lives… this light that shatters darkness.*

]

*From here.

The Christmas Story

The Doctor will save us!

The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. 

The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice versa, 

the bad things don't necessarily spoil the

good things or make them unimportant.

- The Doctor

I didn't make this. It was there for my taking.

I recently read an article on Cracked of all places called How Doctor Who Became My Religion. While I obviously don't agree with his theological views, especially concerning a fallible God, I do relate to his feelings towards the show. Have I cried while watching Doctor Who? You bet your Gallifreyen rear-end I have. There is a reason this show has been on for as long as it has and continues to grow in popularity. The Doctor, his TARDIS and all the adventure that comes along reminds us of the longing we have deep inside of our souls. I would say it goes something like this:
We want:
-to be swept away by a hero
-to be an important part of those adventures
-to be worth saving
-to experience life and all it's beauty & sadness
-to have an ally against evil. I agree with that portion of the article).

I could pour explanation into each of these, but I can't do that now. Just use your imaginations/logical conclusions or sonic screwdrivers to figure it out.

P.S. Someone could write complete theological sets on Rory Williams. That guy, always dying and coming back to life to protect his one true love.

I will make you fishers of cyber-men,
fishers of cyber-men, fishers of cyber-men if you follow me!

A Vignette of the Gospel

^46(CA) And they came to Jericho. And^(CB) as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus,^(CC) a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷And when he heard that it was^(CD) Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" ⁴⁸And many^(CE) rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" ⁴⁹And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him,^(CF) "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you." ⁵⁰And throwing off his^(CG) cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹And Jesus said to him, ^(CH) "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him,^(CI) "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." ⁵²And Jesus said to him, "Go your way;^(CJ) your faith has^(CK) made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

- Mark 10:46-52

Jesus heard this one voice and knew this one man's heart out of all the crowd. He was someone that others had deemed "not worthy". He was an outcast, a burden & not worth anyone's time. While man found him unworthy, the Son of God found him faithful and showed him love by healing. 

 In the city you can become very, very numb to all the marginalized people. There are homeless with cardboard signs on every corner, many people with special needs or abused women and children. It could overwhelm your heart and leave you feeling hopeless. 

 Being a part of Reality LA is about loving the city the way Jesus loves the city. One of the best things I've heard about describing the need for ministry in the city is that a city has a soul because it is full of souls. All of the people I see or avoid eye contact with when they approach my car at a red light are children of God. Jesus loves them just as dearly as he loves me. 

 Only a a verse or two back from this story of the blind man is the astounding revelation that Jesus gives about how we're supposed to live our lives. 

  

But whoever would be great among you must be your servants, and whoever be first among you must be slave. - Mark 10:43b-44

I read in one commentary that these few verses are "a vignette of the entire gospel"*. Jesus, who is God became a slave to all of us. He made the ultimate sacrifice. If He did that, couldn't I give a small blessing to those society deems "unworthy"? Throughout the Gospel we see Jesus going to those who need him the most: the disenfranchised. He pays special attention to the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in adultery, children (see my previous post), the crippled, the blind, the lepers & the demon possessed. This theme is jumping out to me more than ever as we read through Mark. Even as Jesus marches towards Jerusalem "going with unfaltering steps towards the cross"*, he stops along the way to reach out to those who have been forgotten. Even in the midst of our own trials and stress, we must stop along the way to give a voice to the voiceless, bread to the hungry & comfort to the sick. 
 I was completely convicted last night to do a very simple thing. Keep granola bars & water bottles in my car, somewhere within reach to give to those in need. There are at least one or two cardboard signs on every corner. In fact I've started recognizing faces on freeway off-ramps that I use frequently. I asked a few people in my Bible Study to make sure and ask me if I purchased the two items. I want accountability. We all know what road is paved with good intentions, right? ;) 
Don't overlook people, look at them the way God does. In the brightest light of love. There's always this little bit of Hebrews 13 to remind us that we never know who we are helping:

 ¹Let^(A) brotherly love continue. ^2(B) Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby^(C) some have entertained angels unawares. ^3(D) Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. ^4(E

Today make sure that you let brotherly love continue. There is always someone who needs something, even if it's just a kind listener, a simple hug or a burger and coke. If Jesus could sacrifice everything for you, you can sacrifice your time, money or food. 


*Charles R. Erdman, Believer's Bible Commentary

The Jesus Storybook Bible.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne—everything—to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life.

- Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible. 

Our kids were graciously gifted this Bible a few weeks ago by our friend Joshua. It's beautifully written, bringing all Bible stories to your kids in a way they'll understand without skimping on the truth. The illustrations are darling. I can't rave enough about it. If you're curious at all, here's the website:

http://www.jesusstorybookbible.com/

I have to share this with you today as I am studying Mark 10:13-16.

In those three short verses Jesus gives children equality, importance & love. All three of which they did not always  have in the ancient world (and now).  

"...they shall run and not be weary."

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure. 

-Chariots of Fire, 1981

"We are all missionaries. Wherever we go we either bring people nearer to Christ or we repel them from Christ." - Eric Liddell

Cue the epic music. We all know it. The theme from Chariots of Fire. It's become a bit of a cliche, a bit of pop culture fodder if you will. Listen to it again like you've never listened to it before. It's so good, right?

(You can go here to listen to it.)

I'm not going to write about the music, I wanted to write about Eric Liddell. I recently re-watched Chariots of Fire (henceforth notated as CoF) and started to research about him. First I have to tell you that as a kid, CoF was one of those movies that I saw multiple times and have a vague recollection of the story. It would come on TV, and just like Breaking Away, we had to watch it. My Dad would get really excited and we'd sit in the living room on Sunday afternoon. I've always known it was about a fast Christian runner ( it's also about Harold Abrahams, a Jewish runner who experienced anti-Semitism in college as well as the running world). Yesterday I decided to watch CoF again. I started researching Mr. Liddell, or the "Flying Scotsman" as he was called. Aside from his already fantastic story of staying true to his beliefs and running like a madman, I found a great missionary who ended up losing his life while serving the people he loved. 

If you've seen the movie you know that he gave up running in the 100-metres race because of his belief in keeping the Sabbath. The 100-metres race was his best event. He ended up training for the 400-metres race, where he wasn't expected to win. An American Olympic masseur slipped a piece of paper into his hand with 1 Samuel 2:30 written on it. He won the gold medal. 

The movie doesn't go into Liddell's missionary service in China, where he served for nearly 20 years. He was a teacher at an Anglo-Chinese school, he coached boys in several sports, was a superintend of the Sunday School where his father was pastor and helped build Minyuan Stadium . He was ordained while on furlough in 1932. He returned to China and married his wife, Florence Makenzie who had also grown up in a missionary family.

It became dangerous in 1941 for the British missionaries to live in China as Japan became more aggressive. Florence and the children moved to Canada while Eric stayed in China to run a rural mission. In 1943, Eric was interned at the Weifang Internment camp. Eric became a leader among the others who were there. He helped to divide the scarce supplies of food and medicine. He was referred to as "Uncle Eric" while he helped the elderly, led Bible study and taught science to the children. 

Eric died on February 21, 1945, 5 months before the camp was liberated. He died from an inoperable brain tumor. His last words were "It's complete surrender." 

He had lived his whole life in service to the God he loved. 

In 2008, Chinese authorities revealed that Eric had given up an opportunity to be freed. He gave his spot to a pregnant woman.

This man carved his name on hearts. Christ was in everything he did, whether it was running or serving people in China.  While he is well known for his running (which was very unorthodox, he threw his head back and held his mouth open), I want to draw attention to his later life. He died serving people he loved because Jesus loved him. 

There is now an Eric Liddell Center in Edinburgh, England where his legacy carries on. 

Rather than leave a fancy tombstone behind, I want to leave a legacy. Not to promote myself, but only to share Jesus and to make a difference in the lives of others. I can only hope that I make a fraction of a difference that Eric Liddell did. I pray that my heart is open to everything Jesus gives me in the same way the "Flying Scotsman" was. 

Doesn't that theme song seem so much more epic now? 

**Information was found on Wikipedia & The Eric Liddell Center's Website**

Preschool Pressure.

In the past week both Cameron & I have been asked why our kids aren't in Preschool. Multiple times.

   Cameron was confronted by a woman in the grocery store who had a look of disgust on her face after she asked about Mae going to preschool and Cameron said she wasn't a pupil yet. Really? She's 2 1/2 and there's no place on God's green Earth that she would rather be than with her family. While she truly loves marching into Sunday School or playing with kids at a park, I can guarantee that she'd rather be home (or with her family) than elsewhere.
 We went to the bank on Friday to fix a couple of problems and to open the kids savings accounts at our new credit union. The banker was a woman who had an 8 year old son. Since it was quite obvious that I was not working on a Friday afternoon and she was, she asked if I worked. "No. Well, I do. I'm a stay at home mom." Blank stare on her part. She later asked me after I told her I use to work at a bank if I missed working. I literally let out a guffaw. Not on purpose, not to be snotty, but I snorted and guffawed. "No. Not at all. I get to be with my kids all day." Then she brought up the Preschool Pressure.  I told her neither of the kids were in preschool & that I used free curriculum online to teach them the basics. She looked back at me like I was a member of the FLDS and I was wearing a prairie dress. When I said something about just having moved here and not knowing people that could watch the kids (except Sarah May and she works during the day!), the banker said "Well, you know you have to leave them with other people so that they learn to socialize and listen to other adults." My eyebrows arched up. "My kids are often left with others. They have been since they were babies. They go to Sunday School every week. They know how to interact with others." I wanted to tell her about how social Josiah is with other kids. He will go up to a kid at Disneyland and ask their name or what character they like. His best buddy might live in Lake Havasu, but he talks about him constantly. Mae is sweet and gets worried if she sees another kid upset or in trouble. Then again it's not just about the superficial, it's about your child's heart. I don't know any place other than the home and between Mom & Dad that character can be built well. That's what we were made for. That is our mission and ministry in every step of parenthood.
   Now, before you say "My kid is in preschool and I work! You're just biased." I understand that is working for your family. That's not what's bothering me. It's the pressure on people like me to place my kids in preschool/childcare/daycare. My children are not going to grow up disadvantaged because I didn't pony up the cash to send them to preschool (The average cost of full-time preschool here in California for a 4 year old is $8,234 a year and we're not eligible for Head Start).
   When I was a kid, my parents gave us the choice: Home school or Public School.  I even managed to go to private Christian school (which seemed to me to be somewhat of a nightmare). When we chose home school, we did not lack for friends or getting out and seeing the world. We went on far more field trips while home-schooled than I ever did through my whole public school experience. I had fantastic friends at church, some of whom I am still friends with. We had activities galore and never lacked scholastically. My Mom made sure we got stuff done, even when it was difficult for her and us.  When I went to high school, I did well in most of my classes (except math, I'm terrible at math and always have been). I graduated in the top 10% of my  class, I was in Speech & Debate (where I won some tacky trophies for being dramatic), I was in drama (DRACULA!), I was in student council and I helped to lead the Christian club on campus for awhile. While I've seen many former home-schoolers flourish in their lives, I'm also keenly aware of the stereotypical home-schoolers. The ones that give the rest of us a label.
 My point in all of this education rant is that you need to do what is right for your family, for that individual child. Every child is incredibly unique, someone that was hand crafted a particular purpose. Sending your kid to preschool is fine if you can afford it and if that's where that child will flourish. I know that right now in our lives, that's not for us. I don't need any judgement for my decisions. I need a fellow Mom to be encouraging and helpful no matter what.
   In the end, we all need to be good parents at home (something I'm not always good at). Here's a quote from one of my favorite dead guys: C.H. Spurgeon:

Let no Christian parents fall into the delusion that the Sunday school is intended to ease them of their personal duties. 

We can replace Sunday School with preschool/Christian school/public school/home school. Regardless of your educational choice for your child, you are the most important teacher your child can have. Especially when it comes to learning about what matters most: Jesus.