5.30.2006

Revelation

I want not to just read Revelation. I want to feel Revelation. This is my attempt of capturing Revelation 1:1a so that I can feel the word.

Revelation 1:1a
This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants the things that must happen soon…


This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
The uncovering of things hidden in the Father’s heart since before the beginning of earth.

Things which must happen soon.

The prophecy of Daniel and the mystery concerning the “latter days”, when God of Heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed and He will break into pieces every other kingdom, is no longer called “latter days”

These mysterious “latter days” spoken of by the prophets and long awaited by the people of God are now revealed and will happen soon.

Revelation is for our day and our time.

This is the Revelation given by the Father…
The secrets
whispered
dreamed of
in the Trinity
suddenly known!

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ…
The unveiling of
a supreme
mighty King.
A man
in the line of David.
The One
Worthy to Judge
capable to make war
and lay waste all His enemies.

This is Revelation given by the Father…
A peering into what awaits the Bride.
A peering into what awaits me.
A tasting of Eternity.

What had been concealed is known.
What I am made for is known.
Why I am here has been made known.

The mysterious “latter days” whispered
of by the prophets and long awaited
by the people of God
ARE NOW
REVEALED
AND MUST HAPPEN SOON.

slacker

Yes, I have been a major slacker in the blog department lately. I went on vacation and was totally engrossed in family and babies. I was informed that I didn't use proper blog etiquette and let you know that I would be gone and to check back in a week... Sorry. Next time I will be more polite :)

5.20.2006

Peachy

After reading Kelsey's last post I decided to share our family tree story...

There is something about trees... a tree seems to have lots of mirrors into our creator and his creation. So many scriptures with trees. And since we did not have even one tree in our yard we decided to fork over $20 bucks at wally world in order to plant our first tree! A prophetic declaration of putting down roots in Kansas city. It is a beautiful peach tree that satisfied both Richard's stipulation that it be fruit bearing and mine that it have a season of flowering. And we actually already have peaches growing. Most are slightly larger than golf balls and some almost as big as a tennis ball.

So soon we will not only have fresh yummy local organic goat milk but also local organic peaches... Baker, you better watch out... :)



5.18.2006

Must Hear...

On Tuesday while cleaning, I was encouraged in the Lord... I know that could sound like an oxymoron... But, lately the Lord has been meeting me in the cleaning...
The other day while doing dishes I listened to Kelsey bohlender talk on "equiping for the end times" on their new website under the teaching section... (sorry, i don't know how to work links and stuff yet) It touched me... and I experienced the sweetness of the Holy Spirit's presence.
Thanks Kels.

Put this on your list of DON'T DO...

NEVER take your almost two year old baby boy and 4 month old baby girl on a trip BY YOURSELF, on a plane, when you have to wake up at 6, get on a plane by 8, fly to Chicago, have a 2 hour lay over then take a 2 hour plane to New York, then a 2 hour drive to your destination...

Because if you did that your kids may scream the entire time (something they seemed to have bottled up and have reserved just for the inopportune time on the airplane) and a flight attendant may actually come and tell you to "get control of your kids"... Okay, well she may not say it like that because she had good flight attendant training, but you would know what she meant...

Well, we made it... Aiden, Arwen and I are with the fam...

5.16.2006

My family is so entertaining


This one is a picture of Richard trying to be a good dad to the "kids" showing them how to go from milk to backyard ruffage... yes, folks he eating leaves for the goats!

5.15.2006

what is really going on at the Lewellen's

Short and Quick:

Richard and I have been in the place of wrestling with the Lord and Him hemming us in. We have been asking the questions and waiting for answers.

Where are we supposed to be? What are we supposed to do? We want you... How and where should we be to find you most, God?

It sounds romantic but it is painful... Especially in the everyday, everyday stuff.

Without a clear vision marci hates life... I am a very black/white sort of person... It is so hard for me to "wait"... I know it is a vital learning of the kingdom.

We have felt God asking us to reup and even intensify our calling to the International House of Prayer and specifically to the FSM. We are here for the next years of our life. We are going to officially raise support, something we have never done. We are setting our hearts... We are excited to be called here with people so passionate for God, wise, and loving.

The girl version: (that is what my family calls the detailed version of the story :)

We had originally decided not to officially raise support because even though we loved the vision of IHOP we still weren't sure how long we would be here and what specific roles God had for us here. We wanted to wait and be sure and let Richard work to provide for most of the income. Thankfully, God still put us on people's heart at just the right times and money came in when we needed it most.

Since we have been in Kansas City (almost three years -came straight from our honeymoon) Richard has worked full time or more in jobs that have maybe not been big money makers but that have allowed him to have a flexible schedule so that he could fulfill 50 hours at the House of Prayer. He has been providing for his family and learning many things like extreme discipline in time management, humility and any and all of those traits Jesus called "blessed" in the Sermon on the Mount. He is an amazing man of God.

In the last 6 months or so God has been stirring the desires of heart... poking and prodding us. He has been in every way financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically bringing us into the desperate cry... His perfect leadership working in us to make changes and decisions. He really is so good at the sifting, and molding of our hearts. Besides the stress in the areas I mentioned many options had come up... We thought about stopping the "staff" and pursuing more of a Joseph company sort of mindset- Richard was asked to help start a bakery in Mansfield TX, we thought about moving to Cincinnati and letting Richard pursue his Masters and PHD(my parents live there and the idea of having my mom with me with the 2 babies was a big draw) were asked to help start a church plant in Boston, and asked to start a church plant in Tennessee. So many choices... things that were exciting...

We began praying (actually it more groaning and sighing, fighting to just not be discouraged)

So, through many sessions of tears and intense discussions between Richard, me, God those wiser than us, and the Lord's divine hand we have decided God has us here. We are setting our hearts...

I am so thankful...

5.13.2006

boggle



I love playing games... most any game will do as long as their is good old fashion compettion involved. Boggle happens to be one of my favorite games and since I am Richard's favorite he plays with me. The problem is that before we were married I used to smoke 'em in the game but something changed on our honeymoon as we played boggle on the beach in Miami. He beat me that day and since I have not won one game... Folk's that's over 2 years of playing boggle at least a 4x times a month... (Now, before you shake your head in pity... I didn't always lose by like a landslide or anything... well sometimes... but most times it was close...)

And then Jesus had favor on me yesterday... and I won... I mean I really won. Big time smokin'

Tonight we play again.

Unless, of course he is too afraid that my winning may be the downfall of his champion streak...

Will I win again? Dummm Dummm...

5.12.2006

My boy is a genius!!




Aiden can read!!
Not even two yet and he can read...
Fiery and brilliant -that is my boy !!!
okay well, really he can just point out the O's in a word and say "E, I, O" ... (mostly cause he likes the Old Macdonald song)...but still he knows his "O"...

5.11.2006

We are fighting today for costly grace...


Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Protestant theologian who opposed Hitler and was involved in a conspiracy to assassinate him. He loved Jesus and the movie shows how that love would not let him close his eyes to the evil as so many others in his position. His resistance cost him his own life in the last days of the Nazi regime. "He courageously denounced Hitler's anti-Semitic agenda and urged Germany's Christian churches to defend the Jews in their hour of need. He conducted his often lonely mission in the name of Christian morality while many others made an expedient peace with the Nazis."

I loved watching how God orchestrated his early events, schooling and experiences to prepare him to recognize the evil in his time.

In his book "The cost of Discipleship" bonhoeffer writes,

"Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace...

Cheap grace is represented as the Church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing. Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner.

In Cheap Grace...Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before... the world goes on in the same old way... Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world's standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin... Let the christian beware of rebelling against the free and boundless grace of God... Let him not attempt to erect a new religion of the letter by endeavoring to live a fife of obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ! The world has been justified by grace. Therefore - let him live like the rest of the world! ... Let him be comforted and rest assured in his possession of this grace - for grace alone does everything. Instead of following Christ, let the Christian enjoy the consolations of his grace! That is what we mean by Cheap Grace!

Cheap Grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. ...

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemn sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of Son; 'ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered Him up for us. Costly grace is the incarnation of God."

PS... I don't think we should assassinate people :)

5.09.2006

telemarketing


okay, so if you have ever tried to call our house you would usually have the annoying task of begining to talk on our answering machine before we would pick up. We get way too many companies asking us to sign up for credit cards, satilite tv, siding for our house and the list goes on. These people are crazy no matter how many times you politely try to hang up... they just don't take "no" for an answer. Lately, if I happen to pick up before the answering machine and they begin to keep pressing me after I have already said "no" I politely tell them that "I am really not interested. I am going to hang up now. bye"... I feel bad but what can you do.

A few days ago when I heard the phone ring I thought I would get it before the machine just in case it was someone we wanted to talk to... to my dismay it was a solicitation for the Kansas city Star Paper. The conversation went:

marci: Hello
solicitor: Hi... are your parents home?
long 3 sec silence... I didn't know what to say....
marci: uhhh, this is my house.... (totally dumb response but I was totally caught off guard.)
The guy didn't miss a beat...The rest of the conversation was typical...

After I got off the phone I thought about how now that I am beginning to blog the wierdos and strange things that happen day to day that could be annoying or frustrating are really good because they give you something to blog about.

5.05.2006

sick


Me, Aiden, and Arwen are all stuffed with gunk, sore throats and coughing :( Richard never gets sick... he says it's "the annointing" :) I smiled today thinking about how sweet Revelation 21:4 is -"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

It started last Friday (last week) when Aiden crawled up in my lap laid his head on my shoulder and closed his eyes. I knew immediately something was up. Aiden will be two at the end of may and cuddling at this point is not his thing. He would rather you dance, sing Old Macdonald had a "chow" (that is Aiden for cow) EIEIO or start to pray so he can shout AAAYYMAN at the top of his lungs over and over. It usually takes Aiden about an hour laying in bed thinking, waiting for his eyelids to finally become so heavy that he can't open them back up before he goes to sleep.

But there he was all snuggled up on my lap, head on my chest, asleep after a record two minutes! I almost attributed the sudden change to my excellent mothering skills in finding the perfect balance of diet, physical exercise, and mental stimulation to enable easy peaceful sleep. To my disappointment, when I rested my cheek to his head, I realized he was having the beginnings of a fever.

I sighed, praying he would feel better after a good nap. That was at 1pm on Friday. Around 4pm richard decided to try and wake him up. Aiden had a 103.6 fever and after drinking a sip of water and taking medicine wanted to sleep some more. He slept until 7am the next day and when we went to the doctor a throat culture confirmed that he had strep throat.

The doctor began to ask if Aiden attended day care or the like... "no" was my answer. She, the doctor, to my suprise wouldn't drop the question. She seemed adamant that he must have been somewhere where there are a bunch of kids since he was sick. The "Y" was the only thing I could think of and she was happy to have solved the issue, "oh yes, it must have been the Y". She was so sure that Aiden could not have gotten strep unless he had been with a group of other kids. I left wondering, where does that first kid get it... I mean strep isn't just spontaneously generated by 3 or more kids with toys right?

5.03.2006

I affect God. Things are not what they seem.



Some of you may be wondering why I have Ted Dekker as a link on my blog...

Well, it seems God is wanting me to see. To see reality. God is energizing me to "run the race to win" by opening my eyes to see The Prize of The Ages.

The reality that there is, for real, a Throne set in heaven, and One sat (and sits) on the Throne. (Rev. 4:22) Mike's sermon notes from 4/21
"John sees a real Person on the Throne at the governmental center of the universe. A Person with fiery emotions, a vast intellect and who possesses all power, and is 100% observant as He watches over and cares for us. He is a Person who sees, cares, remembers and feels joy or sadness related to our responses to Him. What happens in our life and heart affect His heart. He feels our pain, sees our value, and plans our welfare. We are not alone; we will live together with Him. There is One who desires meaningful partnership with His inferiors."

I affect God. When I am tired and want to stay sleeping but wake up for love to feed Arwen -I make God smile. I can pray and God listens and kings of nations are humbled. Even though I see dimly and get tired but decide to believe anyway -I move His heart and angels and demons move. Hello! Is anyone caught off guard by this. Things are not what they seem. Everything matters. Wisdom will be justified. Love changes everything.

What does Ted have to do with this? I have been greatly encouraged by "The Circle Trilogy", "The Martyr's series", "A boy called blessed" and "A man called Blessed". All of these have reminded and encouraged me to see. To not become easily entangled with the cares of this life. My treasure is in heaven.

5.02.2006

Petting zoo and circus


so, not only do we have a petting zoo but my husband performs circus tricks for the neighbors. That white van in the pic belongs to someone across the street like five houses down. We don't know them but they actually slowed down and practically stopped to watch Richard perform. I hope we are not the cause for more crazy ihop rumors...

Goats help boy cope with ADHD


BY JANE PRENDERGAST | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER:
Behind a two-story house on a quiet cul-de-sac here in Clermont County, a boy jumps on a trampoline with his goats.

Two goats. They're David Valentine's 4-H projects, his pets. He lets D.J. and Blessing in the house to watch television, feeds them Tums and shares his sunflower seeds.

The 2½-year-old caramel pygmy and the 18-month-old American Alpine are also the only things that help the 12-year-old manage his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, David's mother, Patty, insists.

See Goats are therapy! Thanks Angela for the link :)