a new understanding of the assembly

this past sunday we experienced something new.
it's something we've always secretly wanted, but were often afraid to admit that out loud.
i don't know if we'll ever experience it again, but while it lasted it was wonderful.

on sunday evening we were able to reunite with our youngest son's birthmother and her family. we met in a park and spent the biggest part of two hours together. we talked the entire time; we hugged a lot. we shared food together and listened to one of us complain about the blazing hot potato chips and the low-fat vegetable dip. it was a great day.
literally and figuratively, the sun was shining and the day was perfect.
everyone took turns holding the baby; his birthmother was able to take a turn to feed him.(which i certainly appreciated for it is my least favorite of the baby duties. in my book, it ranks up there with poopie.) i can honestly say that i have never seen emmaus so relaxed and calm. he didn't sleep nor nap, but was the essence of content. he smiled a lot at the 'crazy lady' (inside joke).
it made us realize that we are not only blessed by the birth of our son, but we are blessed to have crossed paths with this family. we have often wondered how we should label our relationship--are we friends? are we family? are we just two sheeps that passed in the night? whatever we are, we are bonded by our common ground of emmaus.

now, for the revelation of the situation.
we were all gathered (and there were more than a few of us there) because of the son. he is what brought us together; he is what holds us together. his presence is the basis for everything we say, do, think or experience together.
we talked about other things, but mostly our conversation was about the son. all of us talked about the ways that he has changed our lives. all of us talked about the hardships and struggles that have come about because he is in our lives. we covered so many topics in our conversations, but generally speaking, all of it revolved around and flowed out of our relationship to the son.
we have a shared life because of the son. we may not see them again for a while. we may never see them again. but, we are changed for the better because of it all.
i have a new understanding of the assembly now--the worship assembly, that is. we are called to gather in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ. He is what brings us together; He is what holds us together. His presence is the basis for everything we say, do, think or experience together. see where this is going?
you can take this analogy so much further, and believe me, in my mind, i have. but, for sake of time i won't write too much more of it here. as for the reunion i spoke of, it was like nothing i have ever experienced in my life. it was emotionally draining and uplifting at the same time. if it's something you have ever experienced, you know what i'm talking about; if you haven't (or can't because you have no experience with adoption) been in something like this, you'll never fully understand what i'm writing about.
but, i'm clearer on my responsibility as a worship leader now. it's not enough to just bring people together through a common language of music. as much as it depends on me, i must bring people together in the name of the Son. that's how we're called to gather and i must empower that. then, when that happens as often as we gather, we will never have to say to anyone around us "you can't understand what i'm talking about", for the invitation is open to all who will receive.

Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider, You have called me to be a father to this precious child. You have empowered me to accomplish the task. You have enpassioned me to work toward the goal. And, You have given me joy, pleasure and love in my relationship with emmaus. i cannot measure my gratitude, but Your Holy Spirit intercedes on my behalf to express what my human vocabulary cannot.
also, You have brought together two families from different places and different ways of life, but i praise You and thank You for the ways that we are able to share life together. even if we never learn how to label our relationship, we know how we are connected through the common bond we share in emmaus and in You. i ask You to bless the birthfamily. You know each one and their needs. please bring to them grace, healing and reliance on You. let them experience Your forgiveness, and no longer let them feel shame.
i am humbled more than ever in my calling to lead Your people to worship. i am so inadequate to the task, so i ask for a filling of Your Spirit. remove me from me; let me be only what Your Spirit makes me.
i need more and more of You in my life.

the summer is almost over, but the blessings continue to roll

so, for the record, let it be known: 2008 was the best summer of my life.
i'm not exaggerating at all. as i think back over the summer, i just realize again and again how blessed i was (am still) by everything. i'm not bragging or trying to inflate myself in any way. but as i wrote, i continually realize how good this season has been.
here are some highlights:

• ended as successful school year for me and kara and now are beginning a new school year. for kara, it's the big one--senior year. please pray for her as she works to make this year the best yet (academically, socially, vocationally and spiritually) and as she makes plans for the future (college, life choices, etc).
• an all-around great experience in community theater. beauty & the beast had a great cast of talented people who became food friends, had a great run of sold-out performances, a good foot in the door with a new group. and, we got to meet emma following one of the shows. please pray for future theater experiences that they will be ministry-motivated in my heart and not born of a desire for the spotlight. please pray for emma.
• the birth of emmaus. need i say more? please pray for our child. he is growing, but he has a calling on his life to be the reconciler of his generation. he definately needs the Lord's help to pull that off.
• almost 3 weeks off work (when emmaus arrived). please pray for the continued efforts of the worship arts ministry at lcc. it's a lot bigger than me--it is a team that i am priviledged and humbled to lead. great things are planned for the fall, but great plans required the work of a great God.
• the garden produced a lot of somethings and a little of other things. all-in-all, we were able to can and preserve many foods. please pray for our family that we continue to learn and grow (no pun intended) in this ancient and often forgotten art & science of home gardening and preserving. pray that we continue to be good stewards that work the land and enjoy the bountiful harvest the Lord brings.
• the weather has been wonderful--warm, almost hot, but not scorching nor oppressive like it can sometimes be in the 'nati. please pray for continued motivation in my own life to spend time outdoors with the various works that God calls me to do.
• rhonda's birthday extravaganza (which took about 5 months to plan and pull off) came off with only one small hitch. so, rhonda and kara have an IOU for that one small thing. we celebrated with friends and had rich memories of the time we spent together. pray for my wife. she needs a daily renewal of the Lord's Spirit in order to fulfill His calling for her. plus, life with me is never easy.
• i was convicted by the Spirit of God that i need to take better care of my body. i need to do everything in my power to ensure longevity of my own life to spend with my children (things might happen to me (disease, accident, etc), but i needed to begin making healthier choices). so, i have. that's why i started walking to and from work. please pray that i never move from under the conviction that we are called to care for our bodies. pray for my sense of self-discipline, but pray more strongly that i allow the Spirit of God to make choices for me.

i could go on and share specific stories of how we saw God's thumbprint on our summer, but you'll just have to ask me about them when you see me. my point is that many times, the calm comes before the storm. perhaps i'm in for a great storm soon. but, i believe the Bible tells us that God blesses and rewards the faithful. i hope my good fortune is a symptom of faithful living and not karma.

pix

instead of loading everything twice, here is a link to some pix in facebook.
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53112&l=93318&id=641188297