Lord willing, this time next Saturday our truck will be all packed and we will be making the big move down to Orange County. Our week has been pretty busy with packing and meeting with people. Bobby and I even got to go on a date! A sweet family of one of our high school students gave us a night out–which included complimentary childcare while Bobby and I went out to dinner! It was the first time we’ve left Tyler with anyone other than each other, but we had a great time. I figured Tyler would do fine without us for a couple of hours because he is 12 weeks old now, but I think he’ll need a little getting used to it because he really missed us (read–was screaming!). I guess I’ve gotten used to eating while having Tyler in my other arm or on my lap at same time. It was really nice to just sit and talk and enjoy Bobby’s company. I hope we find a family that will kind of be our regular baby-sitters in the OC because I would love to do that more regularly.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our move and there seem to be some extremes like the fact that we’re moving from Northern California to Southern California. Or that it’s sad to have to leave the students here but exciting to go to a new place. I guess we’re in a place of transition right now. But I’m looking forward to following steadfastly each step the Lord is providing for us.

Today I was reading Psalm 86:11,

MacArthur’s study note in my Bible describes a united heart as being–”single-heartedly loyal to his Lord.” The longings, desires and goals of a united heart are summed up in one thing, the Lord. I used to think that this seemed like a harsh deal. By that I mean that I thought there was nothing wrong with longing for other things like marriage, friendship, or peace. Surely there could be nothing wrong with desiring to be healthy or even happy. And I always thought it was good to have goals, like what college to go to, career or accomplishments. If I didn’t have goals I thought I wouldn’t achieve anything in life. Well, none of those things are necessarily bad, but they are the things that can divide us from the Lord. We should never desire or seek after anything in more than God Himself.

I have struggled with this frequently in my own life. It’s almost as if there is a battle going on in my heart between my sinful self and the Holy Spirit. I’ve come to see that there is nothing harsh about the intense call for a follower of Christ. I think the reason I might struggle with it is because my flesh doesn’t like being overcome. But Scripture is so clear that we must deny ourselves (Luke 9:23) and seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

With our move it could be easy to get stressed, worry, and get swallowed up in all the uncertainties. I know I could consider that and then just feel overwhelmed. Or I can choose to see this transition as a big opportunity to be united in my devotion to Christ by putting away any anxiety or fear, casting all my cares on the Lord. I know that the Lord is faithful and has given me all the grace and strength I need to obey Him, now if only I can get my stubborn will into submission…

Tonight at girls Bible study we talked about Bobby’s lesson from Sunday. Bobby talked about what is sadly not the most popular subject with young people–Parents. Through our time of ministry here I’ve been confused and saddened to see young people who seem to be growing in their walk with the Lord, only to hear from parents that they are really quite the opposite at home. I think we can all attest to times of difficulty in our own relationships with our parents–no one is immune from the challenges that relationships bring, especially that of the parent-child relationship. I haven’t heard many Biblical messages on this topic, but Bobby’s lesson cut straight to my heart.

Bobby called his lesson “Parents Are for Life,” helping us see that even when you grow up, move out of the house, get married and even have a family of your own–your mom and dad are still your parents and therefore God’s command for children always apply. I think it is easy to for us to think a command like, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ doesn’t apply to us. We can easily make ourselves the exceptions with reasons such as–my parents aren’t Christians, my parents and I don’t speak to each other, my parents don’t understand me, we don’t agree on anything, or my parents don’t deserve respect. It makes me so sad that we would make these things barriers to our own obedience. Sure, people have difficult parents, maybe a dad always starts an argument and maybe a mom nags or criticizes. Maybe you have Biblical convictions and your parents don’t have any. Or maybe you both have convictions and they are opposing. None of these things that make honoring parents challenging are real reasons for not obeying God’s command to “Honor your father and mother.”

I can’t ever say, “I’d be a godly daughter if my mom would be a godly mother.” My obedience is never hinged on someone else or some circumstance. It is up to me to obey. God says in Exodus 20:12 (which is repeated in Ephesians 6:1), “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord you God is giving you.” If I am not honoring my parents I am dishonoring God by disobeying Him. We need to take this command very seriously.

I’ve been very thoughtful about a part of Bobby’s message where he said–

With only two weeks till we move, I’ve been pretty busy around the house packing and excitedly watching my e-mail for updates on my newfound hobby. After cleaning through some things as we are packing, Bobby and I have found all kinds of books, CD’s and movies that we don’t want to keep. So I opened a seller’s account with Amazon.com where I have posted them and as of today I have already sold over $100 worth!

Tyler will be 12 weeks old this week. He is growing and just cute as ever! The changes we are relishing the most are how he laughs and squeals when he’s happy, how when he’s on his back he kicks his legs really fast, and how he can even roll over from his tummy to his back. It’s so fun to see him respond to the high school students and how excited they get when he gives them a smile. He’s such a joy and Bobby and I are just enjoying him more each day. He recently got sick from a mild eye infection. I didn’t know I’d be so worried when the little guy got sick for the first time, but I was! With some ointment and a couple of days taking it easy, he’s almost all better.

Last week I finished a great book that I highly recommend–A Heart for God by Sinclair B. Ferguson. This is an older book written by an older British man (the spelling is always “colour” and “realise”). One big reason I like this book is because it is oriented towards Biblical exposition. In the preface Ferguson writes:

The Lord has sovereignly brought a new opportunity for ministry to us and we want nothing more than to follow His lead. Bobby will start his first day with Compass Bible Church on May 22nd, so we only have three weeks left here in Sunnyvale. I am looking forward to the work He is doing in our lives. At the same time I am so sad to leave the people who have become very dear to me.

I am stunned at how mixed I feel about this. I am excited to follow the Lord wherever He wants us to go. Bobby and I met our new pastor and his wife for dinner and it became increasingly more clear to us that God wants us to serve Him in this new position. I can’t forget how the pastor’s wife told us how she and her husband decided when they were our age that they wanted to be submissive to God by always saying to Him– “Anything, anytime, anywhere.” I want this to be true of me too.

The mix of emotions comes with having to leave a familiar place with people I love. I will miss people in our church, the high school students and especially my good friend Missy. She has been an endless encouragement to me as we have served in ministry to the high school girls together and sharepened each other in fellowship. I know that I will still keep in touch with these people, but I know that things will change. I think that is the hard things about change–we take on something new, but we also have to leave something.

As I think about the move and all the change that will happen I am thankful that God doesn’t change. He is our rock. I am encouraged by what God says in Revelation 1:8 –