irrevocably for us

"What the Bible teaches is that God becomes 100% irrevocably for us at the moment of justification, that is, the moment when we see Christ as a beautiful Savior and receive him as our substitute punishment and our substitute perfection. All of God’s wrath, all of the condemnation we deserve, was poured out on Jesus. All of God’s demands for perfect righteousness were fulfilled by Christ. The moment we see (by grace!) this Treasure and receive him in this way, his death counts as our death and his condemnation as our condemnation and his righteousness as our righteousness, and God becomes 100% irrevocably for us forever in that instant." John piper

my friend kristen

photo by kristen doornbos

photo and dress by kristen doornbos

today i am thankful for my friend. i have watched her over the past couple years. when i first met her she was this little girl who desperately wanted to know God. she was shy, quiet, full of emotion, unsure, deep in thought, and timid. i have seen God transform her this year from that pure and innocent girl into a young woman. she has obeyed God when he told her to go to far away places. she has taken leaps of faith that inspire me and those around her. he has trusted God. she has used the gifts and talents that God has given her to love kids all summer at a camp. she has searched for God's direction and purpose in her life. she has taken on the challenge and joy of reading God's word from beginning to end. she has shared her heart in writing words. she has created and sew quilts and other beautiful things in worship of Jesus to give as gifts to those he has shown to her to give to. she has captured precious moments of my girls' lives on film.

photo by kristen doornbos

she is so full of life and passion for Jesus. God keep working in her, use her for your glory. when she lived with me for those 4 months, i can count the number of times i heard her play her guitar and sing. for the past 3 days i have not been able to stop listening to her songs. God has truly gifted her with His words in lyrics and his composition of music. God thank you for pouring your love into Kristen and i bless you that she is now pouring it out to the world around her.

thankful

1. movie night with friends and the very inspirational movie 'amazing grace'

just google bob books to find them

2. to know God is in control of everything and loves me more than i understand
3. growing closer to B.A. everyday even when we spend time apart for work
4. God teaching me how to love B.A. with His love
5. a great 2 years of preschool at west side christian for hayleigh
6. meeting new friends this week that will be at northpointe christian school next year with my girls
7. an amazing zoo birthday party that i was blessed to participate in....happy birthday jo jo...you are so loved
8. hayleigh can read! very short basic books (called bob books)
9. for knowing i am weak and need God in every moment

"Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee
I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill"

move in me.

do i fight for what i believe in? do you fight for what you believe in? lately i've been feeling this urge or push inside of myself to stop being so scared. God has given me passions for so many things but what am i doing to pursue those passions? i want to change this world in a way that brings glory to God. i want to spread God's heart to people. i want to love the helpless and the poor. i don't want to be selfish and so self focused. i want to put needy people before myself. i want to encourage other Jesus followers. i want to be a part of the body of Jesus and live in a place where no one is in need among us. i want to know God's promises for me and be able to live in the freedom that comes with knowing God's heart for me. God you have already done this for me....give me your eyes to see the broken and helpless. give me your ears to hear the lonely and lost. give me your heart for the orphan and widow. God i feel you moving in my heart but don't stop. stir up what you feel for your creation inside of me. God i want to know you. and i want to serve you and worship you in whatever way you want to use me. i am unworthy. and i am a messed up broken sinner. only saved by your grace through your Son. God please take my life and use me and my husband and my family for your glory. give us the courage and passion to change lives with your help and guidance.

thankful today for

• 3 adorable girls that i can't ever get enough of....especially when livi just says out of the blue, "i like you mommy" with the cutest eyes and lips ever
• an evening with a room full of 150 other women who love God
• that i have sparkly smooth clean floors in my house
• that God made everything and controls the seas, grass, water, and wind....praise be to the Lord (psalm 104)
• a safe trip for my husband to NC
• sweet encouragement from friends
• a drip drop rainy kinda night . . . . my favorite

happy birthday to my husband

today i am thankful for my husband. today he turns 26 years old. i have known his since he was 15 years old. we met in april of 2001. it was spring break and we were both on a florida spring break trip called "the rocking chairs tour" with our youth group. 

our first picture ever together on the spring break trip

i knew from the day i met him that he was going to be a huge part of my life. i was young but God literally told me on that trip that i was going to be with B.A. forever. i know it sounds crazy. it was crazy. i actually wrote B.A. a note on that trip explaining to him that we were meant to be together and that i loved him. ya, i had only known him for a few days, and he liked every other girl that was on the trip. we went on our first date on may 4, 2001 to my high school junior.senior prom dance. we danced, we kissed for the first time, and i never looked back. 

may 4, 2001 dance

we officially were boyfriend and girlfriend june 17, 2001. after a few bumps, detours, cliffs, and crashes in the road (i'll have to write about those later) 6 years later on june 8, 2007 we got married. i kinda got ahead of myself b/c i was really going to write about all that on our anniversary, but oh well. 

so why did i like B.A. so much? well i was a little overly obsessed. i thought he was so hot. he was different than any other west michigan tall dutch boys that i had seen before. his dark skin, curly hair, and outgoing personality was so unique to my world. i was really shy then but totally loved God. i was looking to God for everything, and then i met B.A. i had never had a boyfriend before. i was still insecure. i never thought a good looking muscular curly haired dark athletic smooth talking guy like B.A. would ever like a girl like me. but he says what attracted him to me was my love for God and of course my persistence (well maybe). after that trip, i called and called and called and called him every day until he answered and we would talk every night for hours. because i was in love with God (still am) i wanted him to know everything i knew about God. he was a baby Christian at the time and was eager to learn and see God working. we spent a lot of time with our friends at youth group, it was our home. we also took long drives and spent time sharing things about God and we even prayed together  regularly early on in that first year of dating. remember how i said God told me that B.A. was the 'one'? well that word from the Lord has always stuck with me and carried me through some of the hard times in our relationship. B.A. wasn't quite ready to settle down at age 16 like i wanted and now, looking back it makes perfect sense. we were really young. 

but God has always been the center of our relationship (and when we didn't have Him in our relationship we fell apart). we both messed up and continue to mess up a lot, but we see God working in each other and in our life together. God is the glue that always holds us together. without Him in this relationship we are selfish, ugly, full of expectations, impatient, unkind, greedy, jealous, deceitful, and much more. we fail without God. i have learned so much from my husband of the character and heart of God. i have learned how to be a servant, how to trust God for everything, that nothing is impossible with God, how to be in the world but not of the world, how to love others, how to get over myself, how life is full of choices that need to be made, and so much more. i am eager to see God move in our marriage and in our family. i am truly blessed to call B.A. my husband.

more thanks

i am thankful for:
1. a fun visit to zeeland christian to see what hayleigh's spanish immersion kindergarten will be like next year. and all the possibilities i see for her when she is bilingual.
2. a long 2 hour walk to the stocking school playground with my three girls and watching them play with all kinds of kids.

stocking school, in the winter of course

3. a shady tree FULL of leaves in my backyard to keep the yard shady and block the sun from blinding me in my kitchen when i'm making dinner....i've been waiting a couple months for those leaves to fill in and block the sun.
4. new friends and new people i have been meeting at crossroads.
5. leftover in the fridge, so i don't have to make dinner tonight.
6. flowers. the new one i planted in my yard. the little pots the girls have growing in the house. and the yellow gerber daisies on my table from BA from a month ago.
7. The truths that God has for us in the verses below.

For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar. My name is the Lord Almighty. And I have put my words in your mouth
and hidden you safely in my hand. I stretched out the sky like a canopy
and laid the foundations of the earth.
   I am the one who says to Zion, ‘You are my people!’” Isaiah 51:15-16

thankful

after seeing a couple friends post things they are thankful for i have began to feel like i need to be more thankful and grateful out loud for the things God has done and given me in my life....i have learned that this will help to create an attitude that is grateful, thankful, and humble and take away feelings of complaining or selfishness. i want to be a thankful person, because i am so underserving of all the ways God blesses me.....so here it goes....i am thankful for....

1. a God that loves me unconditionally and listens to me when i speak to him

2. a husband who is pursuing God and has a servant's heart for me

3. a beautiful 5 month old baby girl who smiles and giggles just from me looking at her

4. the opportunity to work with the family i have on staff with me at Crossroads....i learn so much from each of you and see God pouring in and out of you all....it's so encouraging

5. time to spend with chelsea, leslie, crystal, anna, & jill last night....missed you kristen and kristi

6. meeting new people....never thought i'd say that....

7. an opportunity to share God's truth with someone who hasn't heard it before

8. a roof over my head and a van to haul my kids around in

9. a five year old that already knows and loves Jesus

10. my strong willed red head who secretly cuddles with me more than anyone else

11. a much needed talk last night with a neat friend

12. all the signs of spring....buds opening, leaves on trees, warm temperature, kids in sprinklers

13. that God totally provides for our little family and shows himself to us everyday


Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

acts 2 notes

my acts 2 notes

taken from a sermon from derek taatjes

the early church

the people were devoted to:

Jesus' teaching

the Bible is our way of survival. psalm 19:7 The law of the Word is perfect, restoring the soul.

fellowship

oneness and sharing with brothers and sister of Jesus Christ. we have our passion for Jesus in common. being an a vibrant active community with other followers of Christ.

why are people not in biblical fellowship?

people are busy. the things of the world should not take away from our first love of Jesus. 1 john 2:15 do not love the world or anything in the world, if anyone love the world, the love of the father is not in him.

people have something to hide. hiding a sinful lifestyle. ephesians 4 sin will be exposed by the light. hiding an immature walk with God.

solution is fellowship with Christ and fellowship with other believers. being around brothers and sisters in Christ. everyone is sinful. we all need a Savior.

breaking of bread

all about remembering. remember the cross. remember the resurrection. remember the ascension. remember pentecost.

prayer

the early church's prayer was for boldness to share the gospel and advance the kingdom of God.

prayer is the way we communicate with God. how do i pray? to thank God. to present our requests to Him. to repent, to confess sin.

people don't think they need God, so they don't pray.

the first purpose of the church is to praise God. Colossians 3:17

the second purpose of the church is to edify the body of Christ. Eph 4:12

the third purpose of the church is so the lost will be found. acts 2

does my life glorify God? does it edify the church? is my life involved with the Lord, saving the lost?

how do i get there? how might this be evident in my own life? i want to carry out the purposes of the church. devotion. to attend constantly. not because we have to, but because we want to. because the King is devoted.

devotion .... total life surrender to the One who surrendered for you.