Merry Christmas 2013

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." -John 3:17

Almost everyone in our country and around the world knows the famous words of John 3:16, but the context of the verses that surround it is amazing. Each of us have broken the law and we can't even live up to our own standards, let alone God's (how are you doing on last year's New Year's resolutions? =)). God didn't send Jesus to condemn, but to save. That is why Christmas is so important.

Merry Christmas to you, from our family.

Baja Vision Trip

Here's a video from a quick vision trip Ross took to meet with churches and an orphanage in the Baja of Mexico. Our goal is to encourage the leaders of the local church and the local orphan care movement over the long haul. We dream of seeing a thriving local church that is taking the lead in caring for the orphans and widows in their area, along with husbands and wives building strong marriages and families, and doing business to the glory of God for the good of the community. More to come on this as it develops!

"Sometimes a single act of courage is the tipping point for extraordinary change." -Andy Stanley

Five Smooth Stones...

Anytime Isaiah or Elijah come to the office, they always ask if they can grab the 5 smooth stones that sit on my desk. I got them from the Elah Brook in the Elah Valley, where the Israelite armies were lined up against the Philistine armies. "Elah" can mean strong as an oak, but it can also mean something to be feared like a curse. 

In the story I find it amazing that there was one man - a giant - who struck fear into an entire nation. And there was one young man, who in spite of the fear, decided to do something about it. David was not fearless, but he was courageous in spite of the fear. It's not about being fearless, because to go through life & to go into battle with no fear is actually very stupid. But unlike the entire Israelite army, David realized that the key is not in waiting for the fear to subside, it is in having courage in spite of the fear and choosing to act upon that courage. 

I think it's cool that David chose five stones to battle against the giant, but God only needed one of those stones to defeat his enemy! I think David was wise in preparing for the worst, and God was gracious in making quick work of the giant. 

Another thing to note is that David's courage was contagious. Saul was a horrible leader whose fear spread like a virus throughout the Israelite camp. He did nothing about the enemy and as a result, the entire nation lived in fear. David's single act of courage ignited the courage of the Israelite army who soon ran out to crush their enemy.

As I see my boys running to grab those 5 smooth stones, I pray that they will always be the ones who step up in spite of fear and I pray that their courage will spread like wildfire to all who see God at work in their lives. 

Are there people in your life who are paralyzed by the fear of giants in the land? Maybe God is calling you to take grab 5 stones and stand up to the giant on their behalf. 

Courage is contagious. When you step up with courage in spite of fear, you empower others to do something they wouldn't normally do.

Merry Christmas 2012!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

Our favorite Christmas song of the year says what's on our hearts: 

He is the risen Son of God, offering life to me and you.
Turning our mourning into dancing,
Our weeping into laughing,
Our sadness into joy.
By His mercy, we are called His own.
By His grace, we will never be left alone.
By His love, He is preparing our home.
By His blood, we can sing before His throne:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow!

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

Twelve months with Judah...

We have absolutely enjoyed the past 12 months with Judah!

He loves his brothers, he's almost always smiling, and if our floor wasn't so slippery he'd probably be running by now, but he mostly does this cute little monkey crawl/scoot/walk.

A few of his favorite words (each one of them is said with gusto):

• Oh wow! 
• Got it! 
• s'good, s'good (it's good/cool) 
• Da! (Dad) 
• Amen! (he says this over & over whenever he wants food) =)

Judah is One...

It seems like just yesterday we were doing this:



Last week, we had Judah (and our family) dedicated to the Lord at church:



Tonight, we celebrate!

We praise the Lord for Judah!

Recent Highlights...

Slurping up the last few days of summer...

Enjoying great dates...

Waiting...

for this to cruise by New Life Fellowship's soccer VBS...

 which dropped a whole plane full of candy that the boys will be enjoying 'til next summer...

enjoying the Million Smiles park in Lynden...

and getting the boys involved in the family business while Daddy works on transitioning it in exciting new ways! Visit getSimpleBox.com to find out more.  

Breaking the Silence...

Sometimes it's so hard to break the silence… even when it's on your own blog! 

Since we are back living in the area where most of our family & friends are, it just didn't seem that we needed to keep the blog up to date because most people got their updates live from us. 

We are planning to get back in a bit of a relaxed rhythm of posting again, a mix of photos & thoughts, but I guess it's fitting that the post that could help us get our voice back would be on the topic of Justice. 

 We attended the Justice conference in Portland earlier this year, along with a few good friends and 4,000 other people who, as conference founder Ken Wytsma said, "believe it is more blessed to give than to recieve."

There were many highlights and God really used the conference to kick us into action, but here are a few highlights:

When we throw our hands up and say "God why don't you do something?" He says, "I did. I made you." -Shane Claiborne 

Francis Chan shared so much good stuff, but the thing that really got us was a fresh look at Matthew 25:34-46 when Jesus comes in all his glory and says that "whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me." Francis challenged us to start taking this verse literally again & not just pass by it too quickly. Then he warned us that sometimes nice Christian people might actually try to talk us out of the very thing Jesus asked us to do! 

It was sobering to think that I might be swayed from doing what Jesus commands, but even more frightening is the thought that I might be one of the "well-meaning" Christians who would try to talk someone (or even my own kids) out of caring for the least of these because they should stay safe, build a career, or avoid wasting their resources on people who won't appreciate them. Yikes!

Frederick Buechner  said "We have to take our deepest passions and apply them to the world's deepest pain." That is what we intend to do. As for how we intend to do that, well that's coming soon. For now, stay weird!

The courage to try again...

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'" -Mary Anne Radmacher 

How about you try doing something courageous today? ...even if it's just trying to do the thing you couldn't do yesterday.

"The righteous may fall seven times but still get up, but the wicked will stumble into trouble." -Proverbs 24:16

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light." -Micah 7:8

Take courage. Get up. Try again.

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday Jesus!

I am second...

UPDATE: **If you are in the Whatcom County area, you can hear this real-life account from Brian "Head" Welch at Cornwall Park Church this weekend (Dec. 3-4). Click here for details.**

This is gritty, scary, and beautiful.  Reminds me of the man that Jesus healed, who was chained up and living in a cemetary...

*if video doesn't load, click here.

Would you have shared Jesus with this man?

I pray that I would be the kind of guy who would be so believing in Jesus power, with such a heart for the lost and broken, that could see past the tattoos and the language and the drugs and violence and the self-destruction and recognize a person made in God's own image and out of love say "I don't mean to be weird with you, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I felt like this scripture might mean something to you..." and invite him to experience God's peace and rest.

Can you relate in some way to the life this man has lived?

If you are interested in becoming second and letting God be first in your life, visit iamsecond.com.  If you find yourself needing peace and rest, let us know in the comments, or send us an email, we don't have it all figured out, but we do personally know the source of perfect peace and we would love to share it with you.  

We are Ross and Taya, and we are second.

welcome, judah.

God blessed us with a healthy, adorable baby boy on September 24... we named him Judah Ross. His name means "let God be praised."


Psalm 146 has always been our favorite Psalm.

We love that it begins & ends with praise.
We love that it speaks of praising the LORD for all of your life.
We love that it speaks of God remaining faithful forever... He has been to us.
We love the sense of mission that it gives as it reminds us that God gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, etc. and it compels us to go out & share that gospel of good news & victory with others.

Our prayer for Judah Ross is that he would praise the LORD with all of his life & as long as he lives, and that he would be a leader who is unafraid to step into some of the most difficult & challenging situations in life- knowing that God sees, God cares, and God will act.

Judah is an incredible gift to us & we praise God for him.

You look like you could use a laugh...

"A joyful heart is good medicine..." -Proverbs 17:22
"Laughter really is good medicine. It reduces stress, relieves pain, lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system. It puts people at ease and can lower the tension level in your relationships. Frequent laughter may even reduce your risk for heart disease." -Craig Hassed (Monash University, Melbourne)

God is my Shepherd...

Elijah loves the song called "House of God, Forever" by Jon Foreman. We caught him singing it the other night before bed. He is such a sweet & gentle guy, & it has been really sweet to see his desire to pray & sing praise songs growing more & more. We were created for relationship, even 2 year-olds can recognize this, & the most important relationship anyone can figure out is their relationship with God.

Watching that video of Elijah also reminded us of another clip featuring Isaiah on the same topic at a similar age:

Thank you God, for being our good shepherd & for filling our life with these wonderful gifts!

It's not my fault (the Devil made me do it)

Heraclitus said: “The world is nothing but a great desire to live and a great dissatisfaction with living.”

We are a culture of blamers. In politics we blame the other party. In traffic, we blame the other drivers. In relationships, we blame the other person. It appears that one of the greatest tricks of the enemy is to take the focus off of our faults, and blame other people for our dissatisfaction.

In the story of Genesis 3:1-7, we see that one of the Serpent’s greatest tricks was to cause Eve to become dissatisfied with what she had, desiring what she did not have, and to consider that God was being dishonest towards her.

To put it another way, Satan tempted Eve to blame God for not letting her eat of one certain fruit, blame God for not wanting her to “be like God,” and blame God for making something so attractive to be so wrong.

This same style of temptation attacks us today.

We become dissatisfied with all of the things we have in life. Rather than counting our blessings and considering all that we have, we focus in on the one thing that we do not have (and in 99.9% of the cases it is a thing that we should not have), and we focus in on the one who is withholding it from us.

We are tempted to question God’s goodness and we put ourselves in the place of God when we blame others, or blame God for our dissatisfaction. As believers we ought to follow the Apostle Paul’s example, when he says in Philippians 4:11 “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

The heart that is satisfied is the heart that is prepared to submit and worship, and it is the heart that is better equipped to resist the temptation of the enemy.

Submit. Worship. Resist. Repeat.

Points to Ponder:

• Who are the people I am most prone to blame? (God, spouse, children, boss, etc.)
• Make a list of the things you are desiring or the areas of your life you find yourself dissatisfied with. After writing the list, take a few minutes to pray & surrender every single item on the list to God’s care. Then ask Him to give you a heart like Paul’s: satisfied regardless of the situation.

Warning, Falling Cows Ahead

Shakespeare once wrote that it is “'one thing to be tempted, another thing to fall.”  If we were to look back on the things we regret in our lives, we probably don’t regret temptations that came along as much as we regret our response to them.

 

How many people would see a sign that warns of cows falling on the road and dismiss it as ridiculous, and just carry along down the road?

In Genesis 3:1-7, we see Adam and Eve responding to temptation. Unlike the sign in the photo, Adam and Eve did not have a sign warning them temptation was coming. However, much like the sign, who knows if they would have even heeded taken it seriously?!?

If someone had warned them, “a talking snake will tempt you to deny God’s authority in your life and will tempt you to do the ONLY THING God forbids you to do...” I would imagine that they may have laughed, considered the advice insignificant, and just carried along down the road.

The Genesis account says that “the Serpent was crafty...”  (skilled in deception)

As believers, we must recognize that temptation may come in an unexpected form, and that it may come at an unexpected time.

Like a driver being warned of the possibility that strange debris may be falling from the sky, 1 Peter 5:8 warns us of unexpected and dangerous debris headed our way: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Points to Ponder:

• Are there certain “roads” I travel where I may be oblivious to the warning signs? (Certain people, situations, attitudes where temptation could especially catch me off guard)
• Ask God to make you alert, and give you a sober mind. Consider areas that may make your mind “drunk” or easily unaware of the danger lurking. Ask your spouse or a friend to shine light on areas that you may not be seeing with a sober mind right now.

Rules for Rebellion

“I have moved from certainty to doubt, from devotion to rebellion.” -Phil Donahue

If the text of Genesis 3:1-7 could be summed up in one word, I think it would be:

REBELLION

Webster’s dictionary defines rebellion as an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler. It is the action of resisting authority, resisting control, or resisting convention.

In Genesis, we see the Serpent tempting and succeeding in getting both the woman and the man to blatantly rebel against God’s command. The woman takes the initiative in rebelling, while the man is a silent rebel. The text goes to show that whether loud or quiet, whether sneaky or bold, defying God’s commands is not just a little mess up, it is war against God. It is in essence saying to God, “although we stand on a battlefield and you are offering to protect me behind your shield, I am going to take my chances, align with the enemy, and defy your sovereignty in my life.”  

As believers, we need to hear God speaking to us through the Bible, specifically pleading with us in Hebrews 3:7-8: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness...” Scripture is clear that God is speaking, but our hard hearts in a time of testing can cause us to ignore His words and resist His authority.

Points to Ponder:

• Do you see yourself as a “rule-breaker” or a “rule-follower”? 
• Do you realize that you can land on either side of that spectrum and still have a hard heart towards God? 
• Have you ever thought about even your “tiniest” sins as being an act of war against the Creator of the Universe? 
• Ask God in advance of any testing or trial you may face to give you ears to hear His voice, and a heart that remains soft & tender towards Him.

God is my Salvation...

"It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent." -Jeremy Taylor
 
Exodus 2 ends with some beautiful words about God:

"They cried out for help... their cry rose up to God.  
God heard... 
God remembered his covenant...  
God looked down... and knew it was time to act."

When we were picking a name for Isaiah, we saw that the meaning of it is "God is my salvation" and we knew it was perfect. We wanted our son to know that there is such a thing as salvation, and we wanted him to know where it can be found.

When times are hard, we can't count on money, talent, good works, good looks, or luck to bail us out. We need to know that there is a God who hears and saves. That's our God. 

When you see people or a situation in need of rescue, do you look to technology, money, talent, or teamwork as the solution, or do you first look to God? Whether it's in the Sudan or the suburbs, God hears, God remembers, & God will act at just the right time.


p.s. We've already got a great name chosen for our third little boy (due in September), but we're always on the lookout for meaningful middle names. Feel free to share your suggestions with us!

Time for a comeback...

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This video seems to perfectly illustrate the following verse & I think it may perfectly illustrate the Christian life:

"I trust the LORD God... My enemies, don't be glad because of my troubles! I may have fallen, but I will get up!" -Micah 7:6-8



Maybe you've been knocked down, fallen off the wagon, disappointed yourself or others, or just been sidetracked... I have three pieces of advice for you:

1. Trust God.
2. Get up.
3. Run your race.

HT: twentytwowords

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A year in the life...

Here's a video of the photo-a-day project we did in 2010, called Project Life. In many ways, it was one of our hardest years so far, but there were still plenty of joy-filled memories & we have a greater appreciation for the gospel & love for Jesus.

Don't blink. =)

Would I be an Oak of Righteousness?

"A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit." -D. Elton Trueblood

When I read this quote, I was instantly reminded of walking along a path, under the "Oaks of Righteousness" at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

As we walked through the memorial we were just overwhelmed by the millions and millions of lives that were brutally snuffed out. We felt like vomiting & just wanted to somehow escape the reality of it.

But then we walked up to the mount of remembrance and couldn't help but notice a few rows of Oak trees that have been planted, each one of them with a little name tag- listing the name of a family who had rescued a Jew during the Holocaust. The majority of these were Christian families who laid their own lives on the line to protect a Jewish family. Yad Vashem wanted to honor these families and used the verse from Isaiah 61:3

“So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

This verse is on a big plaque in the ground at the start of the path that leads through these oak trees. Just as a person is feeling overwhelmed by the millions who were tortured & murdered, you can't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the few who stepped up.

You can't help but ask yourself "if I had been there at the time, what would I have done?"

I guess this is part of why we love Christians who step up & care for orphans. They practice true religion, providing shade from the harsh sun for these helpless children, so that the Lord may be glorified.

Here’s a quote from a Holocaust survivor, maybe not unlike what you might hear from an orphan or widow who has been rescued:

“I believe that it was really due to Lorenzo that I am alive today; and not so much for his material aid, as for his having constantly reminded me by his presence... that there still existed a just world outside our own, something and someone still pure and whole...  for which it was worth surviving.” -Primo Levi describes his rescuer, Lorenzo Perone

The Yad Vashem website has a great article that describes the situation "the righteous" would find themselves in, as they would see a Jew standing at their door and needed to make an instant decision. You can read it here.  

I really should be working on my schoolwork right now, but seeing the quote at the top of this post took me back to Israel & made me pause to consider how the decisions I make today could affect my kids, grandkids, & even persecuted people. I couldn't help but take a few minutes to journal my thoughts for the sake of my own kids, and pray that when God calls me to make an instant decision that appears risky, He'll give me the grace to make a righteous one.

"It is the righteous man who lives for the next generation." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

photo via Tom Hein

Jesus in a Suitcase...

Right this minute we have friends who are acting as pack mules for Jesus, trying to deliver precious cargo to underground believers in Jesus. I'm so inspired by their example & their faith. I'm also convicted at my own selfishness & timidity here in America. I once read of a Vietnamese pastor who said, “We have learned that suffering is not the worst thing in the world... disobedience to God is the worst.” We're so proud of your obedience to God, B&V!

“It makes me boil when I think of the power we profess and the utter impotency of our action. Believers who know one-tenth as much as we do are doing one hundred times more for God, with His blessing and our criticism.” -Jim Elliot (missionary/martyr)

Merry Christmas 2010

May the God of all hope fill you with great joy this Christmas...

Love, Ross & Taya, Isaiah & Elijah

Things could be better. Things could be worse.

Here are two fun Christmas-y things I ran across today...

First, I loved how Improv Everywhere came along this Salvation Army bell-ringer to add a little more excitement to his song & service:



Next, I thought this short story sums up how many guys feel about Christmas shopping:

It was a few days before Christmas on the Oregon coast. Two men whose families lived next door to each other opted to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. An unexpected storm surprised the weekend sailors. Before long, the sea became angry, and the two had a difficult time keeping the sailboat under control. While heading toward the harbor, the craft hit a sandbar and grounded. Both men jumped overboard into the icy water and began to push and shove in an attempt to get the sailboat into deeper water. Knee-deep in mud and repeatedly bounced against the hull by unfriendly waves, the one said to the other, "Sure beats Christmas shopping, doesn't it?"

Whether things are feeling better or worse for you, we do hope that this Christmas finds you celebrating the birth of the Savior & the true peace & joy He alone can bring.

The Calgary Trip...

On October 19th we welcomed a beautiful new niece into the world: Jerika Cheridyn. The photos on facebook just didn't do her justice, so we decided to take a journey to see Jerika (and the rest of her family)!

We had a beautiful drive through Banff (which is magnificent), fun play time with Demi, nice visits with Brielle & Taya, a great worship service at their church, and most of all, great snuggles with Jerika. We love her already.  It was a quick trip, but the best part is that we get to see her again soon when we celebrate Thanksgiving all together!

Our Final Prayer Letter // November 2010 // We're Leaving Staff...

It is with bittersweet emotions that we post our final prayer letter... We'll keep blogging & posting our project life photos, but this will likely be the last prayer letter that you see from us (at least for the next couple of years). We mentioned the lyrics to one song in our prayer letter, but there is another hymn that seems fitting right now as well.

If thou should call me to resign,
what most I prized never was mine;
I only yield thee what is thine.
Thy will be done.

Thanks for following along with us on this 5 year journey. We have been blessed by your prayers & encouragement.

November 2010 Prayer Letter - Our Final Letter (plus Q&A on Page 2)

Isaiah can do it. We can help...

We took the boys to the Home Depot this morning & Isaiah got to take part in one of the kids projects that they offer on the first Saturday of each month. It was SO fun & we've already got it on the calendar for next month & the month after that & the month after that... Isaiah loved it & it was so cute watching him patiently & carefully build his little spice rack. As they say, woodworking minus patience equals firewood!

Sorrow...

It has been several weeks since we've posted our Project Life photos. It's not that we've stopped taking photos, it's just that life has taken some challenging & heartbreaking twists & turns over the last few weeks.

By now we had hoped to announce that we were expecting another baby, but sadly, we lost the baby.

This is the fourth baby that we have had to say goodbye to before having a chance to meet. We love children & we would have been thrilled if God had given us the chance to parent each one of these babies, but we do trust in His Sovereignty over our lives. Each one of our children were His long before they were ours. Even still, we are so sad.

"I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow... and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD." -Jeremiah 31:13-14

**Please don't read too much into the theology of this song... like most poetry, it could be interpreted in various ways. We do like the musical reminder that one day there will be sorrow no more (Revelation 21:4).**

We hope to post more Project Life photos soon, as well as an important update on our ministry.

After a year of waiting, we are still not close to moving to Australia. We have continued to seek God for guidance & wisdom, & we believe that He is directing us to stop the process of moving to Australia.

In so many ways, these past couple of months have been physically, emotionally, & spiritually challenging. 

Our life has clearly not gone the way we would have planned. Dreams have been shattered. Hopes have been deferred. We often try to make sense of why things have gone the way they have gone. We do believe God has a plan & that He will work all things for good, but our tendency is to want an answer right now. We want to know why things went the way they did. We want to know where we are going. We want to know what we should have done differently. We beg God to make sense of it for us. But will we be content to trust that our loving Father not only knows the answer, but He is the answer? 

Thank you for praying for us.

"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer... You are yourself the answer" -CS Lewis

Elijah shares a verse...

This verse has meant so much to our family lately. There's something about hearing a two-year old say it that makes us hear it from a proper perspective. It makes us want to crawl up on our Heavenly Father's lap & learn His commands, knowing that He loves us & He is sovereign over all things.



"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world." -Deuteronomy 28:1

Elijah's 2nd Birthday...

Elijah's second birthday started with goofy faces & giggles, and it ended with more funny looks & lots of laughs at the Million Smiles park in Lynden. It was such a treat to celebrate his birthday with so many family & friends in Lynden. Elijah is a joy & a gift to us all. We are so thankful for him.