24 March 2009
20 March 2009
Costa Rica Here We Come
On March 26th we leave for Costa Rica.
We (Kristin, Joshua, and I) will be there primarily to lead a week long mission trip from Wheaton Bible Church. We have 11 participants coming down to work on the Casa Viva offices, repair some Casa Viva families, and to throw an Easter Family Fun Night for al the Casa Viva staff and families.
During this Easter Fun Night, families will wonder between 5 stations learning about the importance of Easter, playing games, eating dinner, and learning about American traditions associated with Easter.
Additionally each family will walk away with a tree that they have decorated to teach their children about Easter during Holy Week. There are 12 items that hang from the tree based on the resurrection eggs by Family Life today.
In addition to being in country for this trip, we will be around a few extra days to do planning, work, and to be with the Casa Viva staff in Costa Rica. While in country we'll be staying with Phil and Jill Aspegren just a block or so from the team house.
We'll also spend some time with Tito and his family.
We (Kristin, Joshua, and I) will be there primarily to lead a week long mission trip from Wheaton Bible Church. We have 11 participants coming down to work on the Casa Viva offices, repair some Casa Viva families, and to throw an Easter Family Fun Night for al the Casa Viva staff and families.
During this Easter Fun Night, families will wonder between 5 stations learning about the importance of Easter, playing games, eating dinner, and learning about American traditions associated with Easter.
Additionally each family will walk away with a tree that they have decorated to teach their children about Easter during Holy Week. There are 12 items that hang from the tree based on the resurrection eggs by Family Life today.
In addition to being in country for this trip, we will be around a few extra days to do planning, work, and to be with the Casa Viva staff in Costa Rica. While in country we'll be staying with Phil and Jill Aspegren just a block or so from the team house.
We'll also spend some time with Tito and his family.
17 March 2009
Credit Cards Aren't Money!?!
I recently visited the Federal Reserve Museum in Chicago with Olman. And I read this placard.
Can you believe it! Credit Cards are not money! You have to pay them back!
We have all been duped. Tricked. I thought you could just buy things with a credit card without the money to pay them back. Reminds me of that Steve Martin skit on SNL
Can you believe it! Credit Cards are not money! You have to pay them back!We have all been duped. Tricked. I thought you could just buy things with a credit card without the money to pay them back. Reminds me of that Steve Martin skit on SNL
12 March 2009
You were once an orphan too
Despite whether your father and mother played a significant role in your life, you came into this world a sinful human. Not only did you do sinful things, but you were sin simply because you were born of a sinful race. This sinfulness left you as an orphan: no inheritance in the kingdom, abandoned to rely on your own ability to advance and grow, without a Heavenly Father.
From the very first day of your life you needed a Heavenly Father to reach down out of heaven, to scrub you clean and to adopt you into His heavenly family. At some point, you realized that you were a sinful child, living in a sinful world, in need of a heavenly Father and you asked God to forgive you. You stood at the gates of Heaven and asked to be welcomed in.
God, your new Heavenly Father, adopted you into His family where you now experience love, have an eternal inheritance, and are forgiven forever through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Gal 4v1-7 (NLT)
1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.3 And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a virgin, subject to the law.5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Rom 9v15-17 (NLT)
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Excerpt from Father to the Fatherless Study by Casa Viva
From the very first day of your life you needed a Heavenly Father to reach down out of heaven, to scrub you clean and to adopt you into His heavenly family. At some point, you realized that you were a sinful child, living in a sinful world, in need of a heavenly Father and you asked God to forgive you. You stood at the gates of Heaven and asked to be welcomed in.
God, your new Heavenly Father, adopted you into His family where you now experience love, have an eternal inheritance, and are forgiven forever through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Gal 4v1-7 (NLT)
1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.3 And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a virgin, subject to the law.5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
Rom 9v15-17 (NLT)
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Excerpt from Father to the Fatherless Study by Casa Viva
09 March 2009
All-church Initiative // Father to the Fatherless
Casa Viva is launching a new center this year in Grecia, Costa Rica! We have already begun laying the foundations to this new center. There is a coordinator working in Grecia to recruit churches who have a heart for the fatherless in their community.
In order to launch this new center we are looking for sister churches in America.
A sister church in the United States would launch an all-church initiative to teach church members about God's heart for the fatherless. Over 5 years they would:
-send mission trips
-build relationships
-educate their congregation through week long missions conference
-provide seed monies
-teach about the father less on Sunday mornings, in small groups, children's ministry etc.
At the end of 5 years the Casa Viva center will be self-sustaining relying primarily on in-country funds to maintain it's operation.
Check out more information on Casa Viva's website:
http://casaviva.org/all_church_initiative.asp
In order to launch this new center we are looking for sister churches in America.
A sister church in the United States would launch an all-church initiative to teach church members about God's heart for the fatherless. Over 5 years they would:
-send mission trips
-build relationships
-educate their congregation through week long missions conference
-provide seed monies
-teach about the father less on Sunday mornings, in small groups, children's ministry etc.
At the end of 5 years the Casa Viva center will be self-sustaining relying primarily on in-country funds to maintain it's operation.
Check out more information on Casa Viva's website:
http://casaviva.org/all_church_initiative.asp
05 March 2009
Sledding?
Joshua LOVES being outside. Especially when the weather is warm.
He also remembers that the sled is pretty fun, so after walking around, up and down the driveway a few times he likes to get out the sled and play with it.
He loves going for rides. He loves pulling it. Even though there is no snow.
Here are pictures of him playing with the sled with my cousin Ali... you can see the snow is long gone.
He also remembers that the sled is pretty fun, so after walking around, up and down the driveway a few times he likes to get out the sled and play with it.
He loves going for rides. He loves pulling it. Even though there is no snow.
Here are pictures of him playing with the sled with my cousin Ali... you can see the snow is long gone.
02 March 2009
Chicago on the Cheap
Hey if you are looking for fun, free things to do in Chicago... here are some ideas.
I took Olman downtown today and we wanted to do it on the cheap, but experience some great things.
1 // Adler Planetarium View
We did not go in the planetarium, as it was 7 am. But from the Adler planetarium you can get a GREAT view of the city. It was a bit of a snowy day and you can see that part of Lake Michigan was frozen, but great view... we have seen many wedding parties having photos taken out here before.
2 // Millenium Park
This park is always a hit. the great big bean gives a good view of the city. You can also ice skate in the winter and see other interesting pieces of architecture.
3 // Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
There is a great little FREE museum at the Fed Reserve... as a matter of fact they pay you to come... I walked out with $364 in cash!!! (Okay so the money was shredded...)
This is a picture of me in front of $1,000,000 in ones.
This is Olman infront of $1,000,000 in twenties
4 // John Hancock Signature Lounge
Hands down the best way to see Chicago on the cheap is to visit the John Hancock Signature Lounge. Rather than paying to go to the visitor's deck... Go to the lounge on the 96th floor (2 floors above the observation deck) and order a drink. Drinks are a bit expensive, but cheaper than paying to go to the observation deck. They also have good appetizers, snacks and desserts.
The view from the lounge.
I took Olman downtown today and we wanted to do it on the cheap, but experience some great things.
1 // Adler Planetarium View
We did not go in the planetarium, as it was 7 am. But from the Adler planetarium you can get a GREAT view of the city. It was a bit of a snowy day and you can see that part of Lake Michigan was frozen, but great view... we have seen many wedding parties having photos taken out here before.
2 // Millenium Park
This park is always a hit. the great big bean gives a good view of the city. You can also ice skate in the winter and see other interesting pieces of architecture.
3 // Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
There is a great little FREE museum at the Fed Reserve... as a matter of fact they pay you to come... I walked out with $364 in cash!!! (Okay so the money was shredded...)
This is a picture of me in front of $1,000,000 in ones.
This is Olman infront of $1,000,000 in twenties
4 // John Hancock Signature Lounge
Hands down the best way to see Chicago on the cheap is to visit the John Hancock Signature Lounge. Rather than paying to go to the visitor's deck... Go to the lounge on the 96th floor (2 floors above the observation deck) and order a drink. Drinks are a bit expensive, but cheaper than paying to go to the observation deck. They also have good appetizers, snacks and desserts.
The view from the lounge.
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