Happy 2nd Birthday Rayah!

Last weekend we celebrated the 2nd birthday of my little girl. Rayah has really blossomed and come to life in this last year and it has been such a joy to discover more of her personality! She is definitely different than her brother, with very intense and sensitive emotions, but that is part of what makes her unique and special. She also continually astounds and amazes me with her incredible beauty – she takes my breath away!!

She can be very silly and goofy, occasionally shy but also very warm and affectionate, rambunctious (she likes to try & keep up with her big brother) and she’s simply just a bundle of sweetness! I could just kiss her smooth, soft, pudgy cheeks for days and I love her smile and laughter! It really is true that having a daughter melts your heart and she has been an absolute delight in our lives.

She loves reading, pillows & blankets, dolls & stuffed animals, coloring, the color purple, pretty clothes, shoes and eating. She also loves dancing, jumping, marching, peek-a-boo and occasionally some basketball and drumming like her brother. But she especially loves talking! She has become a very chatty little girl and I’m amazing by how much she talks already!

Here are a “few” pictures from her birthday and from a little photo shoot I did with her to celebrate her 2nd year of life.

Enjoying the birthday cake!

The birthday presents!

Book Review: Behind the Veils of Yemen by Audra Grace Shelby

With only prayer and a faith that always seemed too small, Audra Grace Shelby departed with her husband and children on a one-way flight to Yemen…deep into the heart of conservative Islam.

With honesty and passion, she shares her harrowing journey as a Christian woman thrust into a culture dangerously different from her own. From the friendships she forged, to her gnawing doubt and fear, to her offers of hope when her new friends’ religion failed them, she gives us glimpses of a world most have never seen: behind the veils of real Muslim women–and how the grace of God touches lives in the midst of an Islamic stronghold.

I was definitely intrigued by the opportunity to read Behind the Veils of Yemen by Audra Grace Shelby, as I have heard very little about the lives of Muslim women, especially of those living in the Middle East. This book really opened by eyes to the struggles that these women face as a result of their culture, their religion, their environment and the economic situation. It was difficult to read about their trials, their pain, and their acceptance of the oppression they suffer as normative. I felt my emotions pulled at over and over again at the stories shared.

Shelby’s writing style was easy and enjoyable to read, feeling more like a beautiful descriptive tale than a factual autobiography, though the realness of the stories make it obvious that it’s no fiction creation. I’m not sure what Shelby’s goal was in writing this book, but if she desired to awaken awareness and a burden to pray for these women, then she definitely succeeded. The fact that she also only tells of the first three years out of nine that her family spent in missionary service in the Middle East, leaves you wanting to know more and to find out about the fate of these women she ministered to. Yet she may not even have that answer to share, as many times she had to trust the Lord to water and bring to maturity the simple seeds she sowed in their hearts.

I would absolutely recommend this book as an excellent read, for the person who already has a burden for the mission field, yet perhaps more for the person who is still searching for God’s heart for the lost people of the world. I found that my own heart cried out along with Shelby’s and I was challenged and inspired by the revelations that God gave to her in her own journey.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The Essential Jesus – John 1

You can read about the origins of this blog series on The Essential Jesus here and catch up on previous posts here.

John 1:1-18

In the beginning, I was. I am the Word of my Father and I’ve always been with Him and I am just like Him. I am with my Father, and therefore a distinct person within the Godhead, yet I also am God and share His exact substance. My Father and I are One – we are God and in the beginning, we were together, enjoying the depths of our perfect union with each other and our shared Spirit. As the manifestation of my Father’s Word, I was ever with Him, the perfect expression of His will and emotions.

Nobody knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God, yet my Father chose to reveal Himself to you by sending me as the Word to declare to you what He was thinking, and by sending you the Holy Spirit, that you might know what is on our mind. My Father is speaking to you through me! His thoughts, which would otherwise never be known, can be discovered and searched out by listening to me and to our Spirit.

I am still speaking today! Are you listening?

All things were made through me. Without me, nothing was made that was made. For when my Father spoke creation into being, I was the Word that went forth and accomplished it. All of creation is upheld and kept together by the word of my power – I sustain it all! Together, out of the depth of love in our being, we made you in our image, according to our likeness, and we delighted in the beauty of what we had created. We took great joy in forming mankind, that we might share the love and fellowship and communion we enjoyed in the Godhead with you.

For in me is life, and this life is the light of men. I am the true Light shining in the darkness, giving light to every man on the earth and darkness cannot overcome me. I am light and there is no darkness in me at all – there is no grip of sin that is able to take hold of me. The light of my countenance and the glory of my character completely shatters the darkness and causes wickedness to flee! I came to set you free from death, to expose and expel the darkness that exists in your own heart and to fill your being with my life and light.

If you will receive me, I will give you the right to become a child of my Father. If you believe in my Name, you will be His child, born of the Spirit by His will and desire. Through me, you are adopted into our family and you become my brother, my sister!

I became a man and took on flesh and dwelt right among you. I humbled myself and took on your weak and broken form, coming as a lowly servant. Yet, I showed you my glory as the one and only begotten Son of my Father, for I am the very brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. My Father has shone in your hearts to give you the light of the knowledge of His glory in my face! I, God, was with you, to see and to touch in a way that had never happened before! I revealed myself to you and walked among you and shared life with you, coming to you in grace and truth.

I gave the fullness of myself to you and allowed you to see God in me. For even though no one has seen my Father, I am dwelling in His very bosom – I am in the center of His heart, sharing His every thought and emotion – and I have declared Him to you! When you look at me, see my Father! Everything I do and say is to reveal Him to you.

I love my Father more than you can ever comprehend this side of eternity, so it is my greatest and deepest joy and delight to tell you why I love Him so much and to share with you the thrill and satisfaction of communion with Him. To know Him and to love Him and to be one with Him is the fullness of life – there is nothing greater than this!

I love to exalt my Father and He in turn exalts me – we can’t help but declare our love and honor for each other. But what’s truly wonderful is that we invite you to share in the joy and fullness of our love by the power of the Holy Spirit, whom I sent to you for this very purpose.

Will you?

** This post was influenced by Matthew Henry’s Commentary on John 1, as well as the following scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16; Genesis 1:1-3, 26; Hebrews 1:1-4; Proverbs 8:22-31; 1 John 1:5; Ephesians 1:4-6; Philippians 2:5-11; 2 Corinthians 4:6; John 14:7-11; John 17 **

The Essential Jesus

A couple months ago, I signed up for “The Essential Jesus” Bible-reading plan on YouVersion.com, which was created by Scripture Union, where they also have a book that you can purchase to help guide you through the readings. As described on the website, “In 100 carefully selected passages from the Bible you will discover who Jesus is and why he is so significant — even life transforming. Through both Old and New Testament readings you will discover why God sent Jesus, what Jesus taught, how he treated people, why he did miracles, and the meaning of his death, the significance of his resurrection, and what the Bible says about his second coming.”

As I had previously been on a very intense reading plan of reading through the New Testament each month for the previous six months, I wanted to change things up this time and really take my time reading through, meditating on and studying these passages about Jesus. So while it is a 100-day plan, I know it’s going to take me much longer to get through it.

On the first day I sat down with my Bible and my journal and I was about to start writing a journal entry in prayer form, with me talking to Jesus about the passage. This is a common approach to meditating on scripture and one that I fully enjoy. But as I was about to begin writing, I felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit to change the perspective and write as though Jesus was speaking to me personally about Himself. While I have written letters to myself from God before, this was a little different, because this was Jesus telling me about Jesus!

I have found this method of journaling the scripture to be extremely life-giving to my spirit, but it is also a little intimidating. I go forward with some fear and trembling, for who am I to put words in Jesus’ mouth?? I feel I have such limited revelation and understanding on Who He really is and that I am sort of stumbling my way through this. But at the same time, I need to trust that the Holy Spirit really does dwell inside of me and that He will lead me into all truth and that He will reveal Jesus to my heart (John 14:17; John 15:26; John 16:13; Ephesians 1:17).

Of course, I write using the scripture as my basis for everything, as much as I am able, and when I have been at a loss for the meaning of a passage, I have been finding much helpful instruction from Bible commentaries (especially Matthew Henry’s Commentary, which I love). I pray that I am not writing anything that is completely untrue, but I am certainly not the expert on God, so I am completely open to being corrected and having my extremely basic understanding of Jesus brought continually into greater fullness.

So, I have decided to start a new series on my blog to share my journal entries with you – Jesus talking to us about Himself and His heart towards us. I’m not sure how long this will go for or how regularly I’ll post and I may not always follow the Essential Jesus reading plan exactly, but I pray that it will be life-giving and encouraging and challenging to those of you who read them. Feel free to challenge or question me and to add your own insights and revelation in the comments, that we could all go together in discovering who Jesus is.