



7:11--Seth, frosting cookies with Uncle Sam:
7:16--Seth, accused of licking and frosting at the same time:
7:20--Seth, eating the heaviest, most decorated sugar cookie ever:
It’s emotionally exhausting being four.
Problem: Two 6-year-olds want to be Mary in the annual Christmas Eve pageant
Solution:
Polygamy Joseph
For unto us is born this day…TWO Saviors
We hope your Christmas is DOUBLE THE FUN as well.
There is a summary of the gospel message which runs like this: ‘God made you to know him, but your sin cuts you off from God. God sent his Son to die in your place and reconcile you to God. Now you can know God and look forward to being with him after death.’ It is the story of an individual out of relationship with God brought back into relationship with God. This version of the story is true. But it is not the whole truth. At the heart of the Bible story is the story of a community. The foundation of missional church is an understanding of the Bible story. The Bible is the story of God saving not individuals, but a people, a community, a new humanity. The Christian community is not an add-on. It is integral to the gospel.
Creation We are made in the image of the communal God as relational beings to live in community. (Genesis 1:26-27)
Fall Our rebellion creates conflict both between us and God and between one another.
Abraham The promise to Abraham is ‘the gospel announced in advance’ (Galatians 3:8), setting the agenda for the while Bible story and at its heart is God’s promise of a people (Genesis 12:1-3).
Exodus Because of his promise to Abraham, God sets his people free to know him. Through Moses he says: ‘I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God’ (Exodus 6:7). God lives among his people (the pillars of cloud and fire and the tabernacle), but the people keep their distance and offers sacrifices because of their sin and God’s holiness.
Israel ‘The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy’ (1 Kings 4:20; see Genesis 22:17; 32:12). But the people turn from God and the nation divides.
Prophecy God promises a new people: ‘I will be their God, and they will be my people’ (Jeremiah 31:31). He promises a faithful remnant (Zechariah 13:7-9).
Jesus Jesus is God with us (Matthew 1:23; John 1:18; Colossians 2:9-10). But he is also the faithful people of God, the true vine who bears fruit for God (Isaiah 5:1-7; John 15:1).
The church In Christ we are God’s faithful people and the true children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7, 27). The cross reconciles us to God (Mark 15:38) and to one another (Ephesians 2:11-3:13). Christ did not die for ad hoc individuals, but for his people, his bride (Ephesians 5:25-27).
New creation ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God …’ (Revelation 21:1-4)
The individualistic version of the gospel makes the church a useful help to individual Christians, but not an identity. But community is central to the Bible story. People are invited to not simply to an individual relationship with God (though that is one implication), but to become part of the new people of God, the bride of Christ. You become a Christian when by faith you become part of the people for whom Christ died.
I baked 300 plates of cookies on Saturday. And I don’t think I even got mad at anyone the whole day. Even though I was feeling sick and guilty from the 72 plates of cookies I put in my mouth. (If you didn’t get one, that’s cause I ate it.)
I took the kids sledding after school on Tuesday. Seth said “OH! This is sledding? That’s why people say it’s fun!!” When I asked Jane if she’d had fun as we drove home, she replied: “Uh, duh?!”
I went to TWO Christmas singing programs. Enough said. (No picture of Emma, because Jessica A. doesn’t have a kid her age.)
I actually helped at the kids’ school Christmas parties.
I’m including a picture of Will (in our ward) whom I overheard saying “Man! I love days like this!”, I looked over and quickly snapped a picture because this was how he was sitting:
I finally got Gabe’s hair cut. We took him to an actual salon and it looks much better (see the “before picture” above). When I asked him if he liked it, he said “No” and I asked, “Why?” and he said, “ I think it’s just cause I don’t like girls touching my hair.”
I’m pretty chill about Faith constantly wrecking the decor. Here she is, with her favorite ornament (it’s Gabe’s 1st Christmas ornament), wrestling it away as Gabe tries to grab it back. She goes right for it and has the most triumphant look on her face as she swipes it and runs away.
While the carpets were being cleaned, we took the kids to Golden Corral, the Dollar store (see Faith with the helmet --$1.00--on in the dirty store), Walmart and the library. All in one morning.
I initially got really mad and glared and slightly yelled at Emma when she forgot to remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and burned them (while babysitting). The cinnamon rolls that took 2 lbs of butter. And 3 hours to make. And that I never got a taste of.
Then I went/stormed upstairs and realized that I’ve only forgotten about something in the oven 178 times in my life, and she was allowed 1. I went immediately back down and said, “Who cares about a pan of cinnamon rolls?” After the plates of cookies I ate last week, my thighs were certainly better off without them.
So, see? I’m not always yelling and mean.