Pictures Galore!

Here are a couple of pictures of how our "nursery" has turned out.
That B-E-A-UTIFUL crib is just another one of the many gifts our Father has blessed us with.

And because Ro so politely asked, a picture of me at 38 weeks.

And finally, of the 4 years Cami and I have lived here we have had the privilege of going to the Long Beach Grand Pris 3 times --- all for free!!!
Here are a few pics from the race.

Recent Hiking Pics

Wasteland

So we have reached that point in the semester, a very familiar point that we reach each semester but always seems to catch me off guard. It is the point when:

1. I wonder why our staff still need our guidance so many times through out the day.
2. I have to daily remind myself that our most veteran-ed staff have only been working with us for three months.
3. many of our students have decided to give up on the semester's work.
4. many students have given up on learning because the material requires just too much thinking.
5. Cami and I spend hours each night discussing how we can do what we do better, but eventually try to intentionally distract ourselves from work so that it doesn't become all consuming.
6. we both begin to wonder if what we are doing is actually making any difference at all.

It's a rough point, but a very familiar point. The point when I begin to wonder if I have the energy to keep bailing buckets in order to keep this boat afloat.

It is my desire to affect change, to help this organization run more effectively and efficiently. But I have reached my limit. There is not much more change I have the authority to make. And unfortunately, I work for such a large organization that my voice is not loud enough to be heard by those who really hold the power. Add to that the fact that they are so far removed from us, they don't understand the impact their decisions have.

This is the point when Jesus reminds me that if I spend my life serving at the Dream Center because He wanted me to meet one person, to love one person, to be His hands and feet to one person, that is a life well spent. I may not be able to build an excellent residential program or develop a good alternative education system for inner city teens. I may not leave any impact on the Dream Center as a whole, but I will have fulfilled my purpose and His call. It is at this point that I remember why it is that I do what I do everyday. Not to leave a legacy, not to influence change, not to make an impact, but to love like He first loved me, to pour out my life in response to His call.

Hosea 2:14-16

"Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wasteland
and speak tenderly to her.

"There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

"In that day," declares the LORD,
"you will call me 'my husband';
you will no longer call me 'my master'."

Affective vs. Cognitive

Cami came across this the other day and I could not stop laughing. I vividly remember the moment in my senior year at MBC when I had this same epiphany.

Thank You!

If you would have stopped by our home last Wednesday, this is what you would have seen:
Cami and I spent the entire evening assembling and sorting! YHWH blesses us so abundantly! And as I sat amidst the massive piles thanking YHWH for taking such good care of our child, I realized that we weren't just sitting in our blessing. I was humbled when I realized that we are reaping the benefits of our parents' blessings as well. Both the Potters and Tafallas have dedicated their lives to serving the Lord - as missionaries and pastors. Our parents love to give gifts and have often expressed that they wished they could give more, but as I sat in my living room last Wednesday evening I wondered, "what more could they give?"

So this is my thank you. Thank you mom and dad Potter. Thank you mom and dad Tafalla. Our child is reaping the benefits of your faithful service to our beautiful Lord. Thank you for understanding the value of eternal blessing over material blessing and for the many sacrificing you have made along the way. Thank you for teaching Cami and I what it is to live life surrendered to our most gracious Saviour. Thank you for your commitment and perseverance. Thank you for these many blessings. The four of you are the best parents we could ever ask for. Thank you!

Jehovah Jireh

So last Wednesday was the day and let me just say that God goes way beyond providing for our needs - He spoils us! In addition to all the stuff we were given, the team in the warehouse told us they were low on supplies and would like us to come back in a couple of weeks to get some more and will continue to hook us up throughout the baby's life with whatever we need. So here are the details:

As for everyday essentials we got:
Over 600 wipes
Over 400 diapers
56oz of Bubble bath & Wash
56oz of Head to Toe Wash
27oz of Baby Lotion
22oz Baby Powder
40oz of Baby Shampoo
6 tubes of Desitin
5 bottles, 150 bottle liners, 2 pacifiers
2 Breast pumps, 84 nursing pads
Teething Ring, Munchin Food Processor
An Avent Bottle Sterilizer

And for the really fun stuff we got:
An Eddie Bauer Pack & Play
An Eddie Bauer Booster seat (designed to fit a child from 40-100lbs)
A $130 High Chair (we saw it at Target the other day)
A Jogging Stroller (just happens to be the very one we registered for)
A beautiful Bassinet
An Activity Seat

But we also got:
A new living room rug
A dehumidifier
An excellent new vacuum
A shelving set
And an air mattress (for when everyone comes to see our little one)

In addition, my brother and his wife welcomed a little boy into the world yesterday (!!!!!) and we are able to bless them with a infant car seat and travel bed.

And because pictures are always fun (and I am really proud of myself).......
Cami, one of our students and I summitted Mt. Baldy on Monday - a 6.5 mile hike with nearly 4000ft of elevation gain.

Me and one of our students on the way up

Taking in the view

Pregnant pose on the Summit

Authority

Sorry there was no post last week, we were in Phoenix at a conference. But through some conversations we had while there, Cami and I have been wrestling through some ideas about authority.

Before I get started I want to say that I am not exactly sure how I want to say what I am about to say. So I hope it all makes sense as I try to share some recent musings with all of you.

The Dream Center is good at many things and not very good at other things, but one area that the Dream Center really shines. This organizations is excellent at teaching its disciples the value of honoring your authority. I have always been a fairly compliant person and have never really struggled with authority issues, so I didn't think I had much to learn in this area (conceited I know) but I have learned so much about what it means to honor authority since working at the Dream Center. And for that I am very grateful. It is refreshing to be a part of a community that values this principle so much.
From my experience, I do not believe that the American church is very good at this principle. Especially when the authority figure is not a Christian, but doesn't the Bible say that ALL authority is appointed by God......I am not sure about you, but all includes non-Christians in my mind. So why is it that if I believe God is telling me to do something: like change positions, or start new programs, etc. (not ethical issues, that adds other dynamics) yet my boss is not in alignment that many would say that I am justified in continuing down the path I feel God has told me to pursue. Do I not believe that God is capable, do I not believe that He can change the heart of my authority. The example of Moses and Pharaoh comes to mind. When it was time, Pharaoh released them and God was greatly glorified. Generations later Rahab said, I have heard of your God and what He can do, I don't want to defy Him. Moses did not leave until Pharaoh released him, until god softened Pharaoh's heart. What has changed? God hasn't.
I am sure I could continue to unpack these thoughts, but I must admit that a blog is a weird place to share such ideas. So I think I will stop for now, though I would love to talk with any of you about this further :)

Oh! But before I go, tomorrow Cami and I get to go "shopping". The Dream Center gets thousands of dollars worth of donations from different companies. Those donations are stored in a warehouse before they are distributed to the community, but tomorrow Cami and I get to go through the warehouse and pick out whatever we WANT. They were very specific that we should not only take what we need, but what we want as well. Just another reminder that God is our Jehovah Jireh!

So here are some pictures of the "nursery" (a.k.a. the other half of our dining room) but more furniture will be added tomorrow!!!

From the living room looking into our dining room/nursery


From the dining room into the nursery.
As you can kind of see in the background there is a nice sized closet in the nursery also.

And finally from the hallway into the nursery