Waiting

A dear sister in Christ and I were talking recently...about waiting. God sure makes us wait a lot. It's all through the Bible too. Noah waited for rain as he built the ark in faith, Abraham and Sarah waited for a child a really long time, the Israelites wandered and waited for someone to become the permanent scapegoat for sin and for the curse of it to go away forever. We wait too.

Lately I've been waiting for things to go smoothly, but they don't always. I wait in traffic, for resolution of conflict, for my feelings to change from gray to sunny, for my loneliness to go away and never come back, for my children to grow up, for my art to sell or for direction with getting children's books published (a dream of mine), for my comfort, to lose weight, and for my speech to be edifying. I am always hopeful that things would PERMANENTLY change.

As I read in Luke 5 today, Jesus tells Simon to put down his nets. Simon has been waiting and working ALL NIGHT without catching a single thing. I definitely feel like that sometimes. Nothing is changing. Nothing is working. Nothing makes sense. Why isn't this working out? Why do I need to keep waiting, Lord?

Jesus had to wait. He grew up, he traveled, he taught, he loved ceaselessly, he served constantly, he HAD to be frustrated as so many heard but didn't really hear. He knew thoughts and intentions of hearts. He had to wait to do His Father's will in His Father's time. He had to wait to die, knowing it was coming. But Jesus had His eyes fixed on His Father at all times. "Not my will, but thine." He challenges Simon to keep going after no results and Simon says, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets" (Luke 5:5). They caught so many fish that their nets began to break! In the same way Noah watched the torrent of water and was saved, Abraham and Sarah had a baby boy and laughed a lot, and the Israelites have Jesus and lots of exciting promises yet to come.

Waiting. It really goes hand in hand with faith. Trusting Him who you do not see. Trusting His timing is really right. Trusting He controls it perfectly. Trusting Him changing my heart. Trusting His sufficiency in my struggles. Trusting Him to work in those around me. And as the struggle to not abide in Him and wait rages...remaining faithful. I want to say, "Because You say so, Jesus!"

THE GOSPEL

As I hung out with a dear friend recently, she fervently talked about the Gospel (Good News about Jesus Christ) being a part of her every day. It is. Or it should be.

What is the Gospel?

The eternal God, Creator of everything including people, is holy and righteous. In the Bible, 1 Chronicles 17:20 and lots of other places says--“There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you." The problem is that we don't believe it, can never talk to Him, or really have any access to Him because of our sin problem, or our willful disobedience. As the Bible puts it--"for there is no one who does not sin." (2 Chronicles 6:36) I always go the wrong way, basically believing that I'm pretty good on my own.

But God, in His great mercy, sent His Son to Earth-- Jesus. He was born, grew up, taught, healed, did lots of miracles, showed what God is really like, and was beaten and crucified to pay for our sin problem. THIS IS THE GOSPEL!!! Jesus died, was raised, and lives so that I can be dead to sin and alive in Him. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”(Acts 16:31) Romans 10:9 says: "That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." I am saved!!! I am alive!!! I don't have to be envious, overcome by anger, controlled by my appetites...I don't have to fear death anymore. I know that He has promised me eternal life, that even starts now with amazing friendship with GOD! I talk to Him, He talks with me as I read the Bible, He gives me amazing relationships with other believers, He makes me new moment by moment. More like Jesus. The joy and peace truly surpasses all understanding.

Our deepest need is spiritual life, and that new life can only come by repenting of our sins and believing in Jesus.

I guess this leads me to the question I wonder about everyone I meet:
DO YOU BELIEVE?

I would love to hear about it!

What God has been teaching me today:
Today I was reading in Luke 2 what a righteous, and devout man, Simeon, told Jesus' mom and dad when Jesus was 8 days old. He had been promised to see the Lord's Christ before he died, as revealed by the Holy Spirit. "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised...My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles [non-Jews] and for glory to your people Israel." Wow. I just finished reading the Old Testament yesterday (started in January) and have seen God long for people to love Him whole-heartedly and it doesn't happen. Over and over again. Here God offers His salvation, a "light for revelation"--He is revealing Himself in the form of this baby. Amazing.

Then Simeon goes on to tell Mary, Jesus' mom: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35) Jesus has caused the falling and rising of many in Israel, and is definitely a sign that has been and continues to be spoken against. The next part convicted me the most: so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. He reveals the thoughts of my heart. It reminds me immediately of the prayer at the end of Psalm 19, verse 14: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Family Trip To Santa Barbara

We were glad to be able to see my brother Georg, his wife Jacqueline, and their 4 children in Santa Barbara for a few days. They are always super hospitable and gracious! This visit also enabled us to see my dad again (he lives close by) and my other brother John, his wife Marcy, and their 4 children, who I haven't seen in 5 years. The 12 cousins had a blast playing together.

The 12 cousins: Fletchers and Naumanns (only 2 Copelands missing)

Playing at the beach was a blast! So much can be done with some sand, water, kelp, and rocks!

Chatting with my sisters-in-law, Marcy and Jacqueline.

Here they are in order from oldest to youngest! Kurtis, Johanna, Allison, Philip, Magdeline, Louise, Christine, Kari, C.J., Sophia, Lilyana, and Carl.

It was neat to see Marcy, John, and my dad.

We also went to the Santa Barbara Zoo and Ty Warner Sea Center.

This is a lot of people to feed! Thanks Georg and Jacqueline!

My brother Georg, Vati, me, and my brother John.

And now some bonus Carl and Lily pics:
I took these photos of Carl and Lily a week ago--super cute!!!

There is a family tree I worked some more on and completed--of the Naumann/Berg family going back to the 1600s. It's in German, but I can send you a pdf if you're interested!

Camping at Gerle Creek in El Dorado National Forest

What a wonderful time we had together and with the Wilsons the last days camping. I was once again amazed at the vastness of God's creation. I enjoyed the wild flowers, a stream where we could wade in little waterfalls and search for interesting rocks, all the wild critters, a lake where we swam to an island, and a thunderstorm. Lily thought, "Someone knocking" (thunder) and "Somebody taking my picture" (lightning). Trey liked digging in the dirt, ashes, rocks, sand, and getting so dirty I can't get the stains out of his clothing. Hanna and Maggie enjoyed helping train Blossom, the Wilsons Portugese Water Dog, wading/swimming/jumping in the water, cranking old fashioned ice cream, and attempting to make biscuits on a stick. We are so thankful to God for the provision of this time.Notice: Trey is in the ash pit! His sisters are lounging, while Carl unpacks and sets us up.

Little Lil'

Cuddling in the tent trailor--Trey is trying out Hanna's new toothbrush.

Some swam and some rowed out to the island. See us on top?

Trey says, "Dirt, dirt, I love dirt!!!!"

Hanna and Maggie had a terrific time climbing on rocks. One boulder became a favorite spot to sit together and sip hot chocolate in the morning.

Encouragement Via Media and the Church

I added some stuff in my profile today. I've been thinking of who I would like to meet, casually, just to chat about God and things that matter most. There are some writers that craft words which, when I read them, give me a real "YES" moment. Andree Seu, writing editorials for "World Magazine" http://www.worldmag.com/andreeseu is one of these, Jenefer Igarashi from "The Old Schoolhouse Magazine" www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/ is another. A dear friend gave me several homeschool encouragement websites too, if anyone is interested. I love when I read, hear, or see something that encourages me or challenges me.

I guess a good "media watch" verse would be Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things."

By the way--the church is also a MAJOR encouragement!!!! Here are some photos of our church hanging out at the beach in the end of May...

Julia caught a fish or a Carl...or is it the other way around?

Brent and his crab!!! He pinched Brent repeatedly, and now the crab's going to get eaten!

Opa and Oma Heidi come to visit

We had a few days with my dad and stepmother. I finally found out just what my dad's occupation is! Crazy how I know so little about people I've spent so much time with. It was special for grandkids and grandparents to spend time together also!

We went rollerblading/biking to Sebastopol, where (of course) we needed to stop at Screamin' Mimi's for some ice cream. I got Lavender and Hazelnut!

Trey fell asleep on the way home...
We also went to the Spring Lake Lagoon for a picnic
dinner. Maggie swam and swam. Trey dug in the dirt/sand and was lying in the water blowing bubbles. Lily loved paddling around, and Hanna floated and tried to relax after her long rollerblade in the morning.
Lots of fun!

Summer Days...

Little Carl gives his smile.

This is how I go down the slide....
Mama thinks I may land on my head down the stairs.

We love being in the pool.

Grandparents come to visit!