I know I should not play favorites, but there is one teacher here that just has a great way of stating things.  Not just textual information, but life application.  His quips are becoming famous.  Today's comment really impressed me to give it deeper thought.  Please join me...

"The Journey is the Destination.  Enjoy it." 

Obviously, our absolute destination is the eternal kingdom where we bow before Christ and defeat the penalty of sin.  However, if you think in terms of what we are actually capable of in this lifetime, it is not that state of perfection.  We can never attain it.  Christ made the way and God will let us into the kingdom.  As for us in our imperfect human state, we can only strive toward that goal. 

The journey to godliness is the destination in the sense that we should not see it as something to push past, deal with, endure, etc.  It is not a stumbling block, waste of time, something to wish away.  It is a gift from God.  It is the journey of growth and service.  Yes, there is failure and defeat along the journey.  Let's just call those potholes.  Would it be wise to stop at a pothole, get out of your car, and spend two weeks staring at it and pointing it out to everyone that passes by?  Or, would it be more sensible to fix the pothole if you have the tools available, then go on your way.  Or, perhaps you do not have the tools so you keep driving to serve in another capacity while you allow the ones with the tools and experience to work on that problem. 

I do not want to waste my journey by standing and complaining about the bumps.  I want to glory in the ability to serve and press on.  I want to see my journey as a gift from the Creator.  I want to see the journey as mine to defend.  I want to see the journey as my destination and as such make sure it is what God desires it to be. 

Rejoice!

Thanks for joining me in my ramblings.

Melanie

Prayer Requests:  We are contemplating what we will do when the semester is over; we have our tax refund and want to spend (or save) it wisely; we are getting Spring Fever and find it hard to keep the nose to the grind stone when we want to play with the kids or do family things.  Your prayers keep us going!  Thank you for interceeding for us!

 I just lost a great message when trying to save it!  So, I'll try to recreate a summary before naptime is over.

We are very busy with classes, church, kids, and trying to sleep!  The classes are great though.  We are studying Daniel/Revelation.  It's the first time I have ever attempted it.  It is mysterious and you have to have a history degree to know what it's talking about!  But, we have a great teacher that is really making it simple to digest.

Also, we are taking Philippeans.  We are working on a drama skit for that class.  It's great to work with our classmates on it.  It is one of the ways that NTBI teaches us teamwork for future field co-workers. 

I can't believe we are in our last semester already!  Only 4 more months and we will be packing.  I honestly do not want it to end.  It has been the best decision we have ever made.  Life here is a blessing.  Daily we learn more about the Father.  We are surrounded with brothers and sisters that truly care about each other.  Chloe has flourished and we have gotten to share Finn with them.  I have memories here that I will always cherish. 

Melissa will remember when I got the phone call that we were accepted and would be living in the dorm/apt rooms inside the school.  I cried.  I did not want to be shoulder to shoulder with everyone else.  I must say:  Submit.  God knows what is best and blessings come from the most unexpected places.  God's will, not mine.

So, here's some updated pics of the kids.  Enjoy!

"Life is hard" Christmas Dreams Playtime  "HELP!" "Yeah.  I'm cute." CHEESE! Silly Face.

Melanie

Gosh, I'm getting bad at keeping this updated.  I'm sure I can find forgiveness though considering the kids are keeping me BUSY, it's the holidays, I'm still catching up homework, the family caught a flu bug followed by a cold, and oh yeah... I have that pesky habit of sleeping 5 hours a night!  Anyway, i will try to do better.

Tonight, I had to share one of the highlights of my life.  Chloe was an angel in the church's Christmas Program.  Let me remind you that the little dear is only 2.  She was adorable.  I heard people behind me talking about how beautiful she was.  I was soooo proud that my little dear wanted to dress up and stood with the big kids during the whole show.  Well... until the second to last song. 

She takes a step forward and I see her softly saying, "Momma."  Another step... "Momma."  Another step off the stage... "Momma, I got to go potty."  The pastor's wife leads her over to me and takes Finn as I help my little angel down the aisle, through a very amused congregation, and to the potty.  I asked her if she wanted to go back to stand next to her friend or if she wanted to stay with me.  She wanted to finish the show, so I walked her around to the side of the stage and she walked right back to her spot (with a little difficulty on the stairs) just in time for the last song.  She got distracted because she could not find me where I was sitting before and took a couple steps forward trying to find me.  So, as the music ended and everyone started to applaud there she was in front of everyone else as if she was the intentional star taking her bow! 

For the group photos after the program, we let the girl playing Mary hold Finn in place of the baby Jesus doll.  I will post photos as soon as they are sent to me.

Well, I had to share my joy and laughter.  I hope everyone is prepared for the holidays and ready to enjoy the celebration of Life.

Love, Melanie