Day # 5

Today I was actually going to post about a different highlight in my faith journey. When I realized it was my cousin Lisa's birthday, I thought I would rearrange a little bit and share this with you....

This is my cousin Lisa and me this year around Christmas time.

Happy Birthday Lisa! I wanted to write about you tonight because you have had an impact on my faith journey. When we were young, maybe late elementary or early junior high, I started to notice the evidence of certain things in your life. You had always been a very wonderful and special person, but this was something more. As I grew in my own faith, I realized I was seeing the fruit of the Holy Spirit living in you. It became such an encouragement to me to be able to talk with you about the Lord and what He was doing in our lives. I loved hearing about your experiences of growing closer to God through working at Bible Camp and different missions trips you went on. My own faith was strengthened as I listened to you talk about answered prayers and your growing trust in the Lord. I was blessed to witness your faithfulness in obedience to God, especially as it played out in your relationship with the man you eventually married. Thank you for your commitment to Jesus, Lisa. For many years you have encouraged me to glorify Him.

It has been a huge blessing to be able to not only have you as a cousin and friend, but also a sister in Christ!

Serious Life and Goofing Around

Hey there, just wanted you to know about this publication we're a part of called Serious.Life Magazine. They just published the March issue today, and we are in their Featured Blog Directory. It’s a very high quality magazine… we think you’ll like it if you check it out.

The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as really good features, photos and more. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.

Again, the subscription is FREE, and we think you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/

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And here's a peek at our own serious life - or lack there of.... at this moment anyway! This is Seth and Haddie the way we found them in the bathroom getting ready for bed tonight. ;o)

#4 and Asian Ribs! ;o)

Hello there! If you're wondering what this is all about....

just scroll down a few pages to Day #1!

Here is day #4, and following it is Steve's great Crock Pot Asian Ribs Recipe!



Well, this is Natalie again, picking up after "Experiencing His Presence in the Pews". From now on my posts will be red and Steve's will be blue so you will easily be able to tell the difference. (After a while our lives and faith stories will combine... I guess that means we'll have to change to purple!) ;o)




After that day (see Day#2) life went on as usual. It was a good life. In the evenings my dad would kneel beside our beds to pray with us, and throughout each day my mom taught us what it meant to live a life that pleased God. When I was in first grade my parents made a decision to start attending a Baptist church in a nearby town. The following year, when I was in second grade, I had another defining moment in my journey of faith.
It was a bright spring morning and pastor Randy happened to be giving a sermon about the reality of Hell. I had heard about Hell before, but I hadn't put too much thought into what Hell was really like, or the fact that I deserved to go there. I listened as if hearing it for the first time, while Pastor Randy explained that every person is a sinner. No matter how hard we might try, we cannot be perfect or earn our way to Heaven. As sinners, Hell is what we all deserve. I was startled by just how horrible Hell would be. Pain, sorrow, loneliness, and torment. With relief, I listened as Randy explained that a sinless Jesus had paid the penalty for us when he died on the cross over two thousand years ago. Instead of an eternity in Hell, I could be with Jesus in Heaven forever. All I needed to do was accept the gift of salvation Jesus was offering me.


My family went home from church that Sunday, and there my thoughts turned to other things. My siblings and I enjoyed the rest of our afternoon off and before we knew it, evening had come and we were tucked into bed. That night my mind returned to the message about Heaven and Hell. Tears began to stream down my cheeks as I realized that I had a decision to make. I knew that I wanted to be in Heaven after I died. So, as I lay there under my pink comforter, I prayed to God. I asked him to forgive my sins and come into my heart. Relief flooded over me and I felt peace.




(Stay tuned this week to find out what happens next for Steve and me!)



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Here's a recipe that a couple people have asked about! We wanted to try something fun and different for our Christmas Eve supper, so Steve decided to make Asian Ribs! They cook in a crock pot, so it worked perfectly for us as we were out of the house right until supper time!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 to 4 pounds boneless country style pork ribs
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup chopped green onion, with greens

Preparation: In large bowl, combine, the first nine ingredients. Add ribs and turn to coat. Place the onion in bottom of slow cooker; arrange ribs on top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Place ribs on serving platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion. Makes 6 servings.

Hope you like it as much as we do!

(recipe found at http://www.southernfood.about.com)

Day #3 (from Steve)

A Challenge From the Pastor:

It was the fourth grade and I had moved to town a little over a year before that spring morning. It was Thursday and we were meeting at the Lutheran Church for release time. The school I was attending allowed kids to get out of school for an hour on Thursday morning for religious education. Honestly, most of us just wanted to get out of school.
Today, however, was different. Today Pastor Ivan was talking to us about something that I had never thought of before. Today was the day that I first heard an invitation to follow Jesus Christ and trust Him as my savior for my sins. I had always thought that just going to church with your parents meant that you believed in God, but forgiveness of sins?
I couldn't help but listen as Pastor Ivan told us about Jesus dying on the cross as a substitute in my place for my sin. I had heard all of this before but today was the day that it penetrated my heart and took root in my soul.
At the end of his message Pastor Ivan had us bow our heads and if we wanted Jesus to come into our lives we could raise our heads. I raised mine. Of course, being 10 years old I looked around to see who else had raised their head....no one. Pastor Ivan prayed and then it was time to get back to school.
I still had a lot of growing up to do, and I have been by no means perfect since then. To be honest, I am not even sure if that is the day that I truly became a follower of Christ. I do know that is the day that the Holy Spirit first tugged at my heart. It was then that I became aware that there is a God out there and that He wanted to talk to me. Pastor Ivan's message was for me that day and I am forever greatful to him for it.

Day #2

Experiencing His Presence in the Pews

I slid my hand along the smooth, worn wood of the pew as I took a seat next to my little brother. My dad sat on his other side, and my mom and baby sister slipped in behind me. As the rest of the congregation also found their seats, our pastor walked to the front of the sanctuary. My short legs silently swung back and forth as I listened to the pastor welcome everyone to church. It was a little Lutheran church in a town with a population of 103. The church was small and the thin carpet was old, as was much of the congregation.

As the pastor motioned, the congregation stood to sing the first hymn. With anticipation, I waited for the organist to begin. The selection was entitled, "Holy, Holy, Holy" and when the music started I chimed in what words I remembered.

It was during that song at about the age of 5 that I experienced it for the first time. Voices around me were raised in worship and I joined them with all my might. Something in the atmosphere was different. The air around me felt light, yet full and close. My heart swelled with the same feelings. It was overwhelming and good. It's hard to describe to you unless you've felt it for yourself, but I know it was real and I have experienced it many times since. This was the first time I experienced the presence of God.


Continue to stop by here if you'd like to read about what happened after this!
Steve's first faith experience is coming up too!

Day #1

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon

a rock, making my steps secure. He put a

new song in my mouth, a song of praise

to our God. Many will see and fear, and

put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes the

Lord his trust, who does not turn to the

proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts

toward us; none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they

are more than can be told. ~Psalm 40: 1-5

When we decided to create this blog, we had a few goals in mind. There are many special people in our lives who reside far away, and we wanted to provide a chance for them to stay up to date with our family. We love our children more than words can say, and they bring delight to our lives every day. We wanted to share that delight with anyone who has an interest. We thought it would be fun to have a place to share ideas now and then. Even more than those things, however, we wanted to create another avenue for us to tell the world (or whoever cares to read!) ;o) about our incredible God and all of the amazing things he has done in our lives. We have been changed from the inside out, and it has been a great (albeit sometimes crazy and hard) journey. Our hope is that through sharing our experiences, we might be an encouragement to some of you.

A couple months ago I felt like it was time to share a little more about our stories of faith. I thought it would be fun to write for 40 days leading up to Easter. Soooo, that's what brings us here. We hope you enjoy learning a little more about us in the coming weeks. And don't worry - for those of you who aren't interested in this kind of thing, we'll continue to post pics of the kids and other events in the lives of S. and Company!

(Side note: The goal is a post for every day, but this is subject to change depending on other household happenings!)

Stay tuned for the beginning of our faith stories coming soon!

~find out what this is all about tomorrow!~