What's the point?

About 6 months ago I was reading the book "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. In it, she suggests creating a life purpose statement. I have been captivated by this concept since I read it. Although I have thought that I had purpose for my life, I have never before looked at it from this vantage point. I have never thought of my entire life as a time line and referenced where I been and where I am, in contrast to where I want to be. Read my life purpose verse, then I will attempt to explain its meaning in terms of my heart:

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. ~ Philippians 3:12-14, The Message

Here's what I take this to mean for me:

1. I will never be the person that says, "I've got it all figured out." I am trying desperately hard to become the Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister and Friend that Jesus Christ wants me to be. However, I fail in every area of my life daily. I don't know how I can let God down so much, fail so often and still be considered so valuable to Him. That baffles me. I know that every time I am in the Word and in prayer or just sitting with friends, I learn so much about this God I love. I think about it a lot in reference to 1 Corinthians Chapter 3. I know that there are days when all I can tolerate is God's milk. Then, when I am ready in a new area, He gives me meat. I am continually amazed at how He works on my heart in simple ways, continuing to reveal Himself to me.

2. I know that if I continue to seek God's will for my life, then I am headed in the right direction. I may have NO CLUE where He is taking me, but when the Creator of the universes is in control, who am I to ask questions? Not that I don't, because believe you me, I have SOOO many uncertainties. I also know that my God is big enough for me to doubt Him, have questions about Him, not believe Him and yet He still loves me. Amazing.

3. Lastly, (at least for now) I know that I am headed in the right direction. I am headed down the path that leads me to "Christ-likeness." Not that I'll get there anytime soon, but I know where I'm going. I don't want to go back to the old me. Not that I think that I was a horrible person before, the the new me is just so much better. I have a lot of fond memories of the time I spent before I knew Jesus. I know those memories will never fade, and many of them shaped me into who I am today. But the Spirit has taken over the old me and transformed me from the inside out. I have been made new. I am still the same old girl. I talk too much, say it too loud, laugh when no one else thinks stuff is funny, gross people out....but now, I'm different. I love looking for God in the every day. I realize that things in my life don't happen by "coincidence" and there is no such thing as "luck." Everything in the universe is held up by the God I serve. What an awesome way to live my life!

I still have many hurdles to jump, lots of mountains to climb and so many bridges to rebuild. But I know that with the power of Christ, I can overcome anything, because of His sacrifice for me.

What I Believe

I'm Baptist though I do not agree with all the things the Baptist Church implements. We chose our church not because of the denomination but because of the people there who proved to me that the real church is More Than Bricks that make up a building. The church is people.

I tell you all of that to say that below is, truly, what I belive. But, I did copy and paste it from my church's website.

I believe. I am. And I'm also slack. And I did change just a tad so that it's personal to me.

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The Bible

I believe that the Bible was written by men inspired by God and has no error. It is the word of God.

GodGod is eternal. He is creator and sustainer of the universe. He exists in three persons: The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit

Jesus
Jesus is the Son of God. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and died on a cross. He rose again after three days. He is the only way to salvation.

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Son and the Father as God. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and points us to God through the Son.

Man
Mankind was created by God. We are all sinners that need salvation.

Salvation
Salvation is a free gift from God. We are saved by belief in Jesus Christ alone.

The Church
The church is a localized group of believers. We exist to reach people for Jesus, teach them to live like him, connect them into the church, help them discover their purpose in life and worship God.

Baptism
Baptism does not save a person yet Jesus commanded that we be baptized. I believe that baptism is an outward symbol of an inner decision to follow Christ. Dunked or sprinkled, it's a religious ceremony reflecting an old life being washed away and a new life being risen from the ashes of the old.

The Lord's Supper
I believe that the bread represents the body of Jesus. The juice represents his life blood given for us. Neither are required for salvation yet Jesus commanded that we participate in its remembering.

If you have questions about what I believe or would like to comment, please direct those comments and questions to me in an email at beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks!

About Me (and this blog)

That's me. The one on the right with significantly less facial hair.

I guess I'll start by telling you what this blog is about.

The Making of M.O.M. (Marvelous, Ordinary Miracles) is my best attempt at journaling my adventures as a wife, daughter, friend, mom and foster/adoptive mom to 8 children, ages 10 years and younger.

M.O.M. or Marvelous, Ordinary Miracles is my take on my life. It is marvelous because it was given and is sustained by a marvelous creator. It is ordinary in regards to the world's view of ordinary (but extraordinary to me). And, I witness daily miracles in the lives of my family and friends. I blog about the miraculous and the mundane - though there's not much that's mundane with 8 kids.

This blog is about my life. All aspects of it. The beautiful, the nitty gritty and the down right hilarious.

As for me.... I'm Jessica. I grew up, and still reside (at least for now), in the southern United States. My parents divorced at a young age and I moved, along with my Mom, several states away from my hometown. At 13, I chose to move back to my hometown to live with my Dad. I finished High School then went to college just an hour away. Throughout High School and college I lived a life separated from God. My lifestyle was seemingly fun for a single, 20-something gal, but truly my actions were tearing me apart from the inside out.

I met Luke in the fall of 2000, during my sophomore year and his junior year of college. Our relationship was anything but fairy-tale. (You can read about that by clicking here.) We were on-again, off-again and finally became engaged in December of 2001. A year later we were married in a post-Christmas wedding.

It was beautiful.

I immersed myself in my new career as a public school teacher and Luke enjoyed his job as a traveling furniture representative. In November of 2003 we were surprised to find out that we were expecting our first child. Looking back, I can see that the Lord chose that season of our lives, to make us parents, with specific detail. Our best friends were walking through a divorce and Luke and I found ourselves wondering how we'd ever end up any different. Afterall, we both came from divorced families. The statistics weren't in our favor.

Luke suggested church. I was hesitant. Churches were for hypocrites.

With our oldest daughter, Elizabeth, growing inside me I fell in love with a Savior I had never known before. Sure, I'd heard about God. I even knew about Jesus. Turns out, knowing about Him and actually knowing Him are two totally separate things.

He ransomed me. Christ reached into the muck that I was wallowing in and pulled me from the pit of shame, grief and self-destruction. He released me from the bondage of my sinful, sexual past. He cleansed me and healed old, festering wounds.

But most of all, He transformed my heart. I'm still the same girl that talks too loud, says too much and loves little more than a good, hearty belly laugh. But I'm renewed. Truthfully, I'm being constantly renewed. As I continue to learn more about the Father who loves me, the more I realize I truly know very little about Him at all.

I used to believe that God was purely a God of judgment. That He sat on a high throne, looking down upon an Earth full of sinners ready to hand out punishments. I just knew that when He looked at me He only saw a pile of sin, filth and shame. I thought for sure that He sat there, waiting on me to mess up so that He could punish me.

And while God is a God of justice, He's also a God of love, patience, tenderness and mercy. He came to me, provided a ransom for my soul and led me to Himself.

Elizabeth was born in 2004. Nearly 10 years and 7 more kids later (yes, 8 in all) the Lord still proves Himself faithful. He shows up in the majestic and in the details and I find myself falling in love with Him over and over and over again each time.

He truly knew the anguish of my soul and I rejoice in His love.

Contact Me

You can contact me by emailing me at:

beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com.






You can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Africa

Ahhhhhh.......Africa.

Where do I begin? To start at the beginning would take you on a road filled with fear, dread, humility, intimacy and right to the feet of our Mighty God.

And, it would take almost a whole blog within itself. You can access all of my posts regarding Africa by clicking HERE and all of my posts regarding Africa Inland Mission by clicking HERE.

Here's the short story....

In 2008, we had 3 small children. Our oldest, Elizabeth, was just around 2.5 years old and we had twins (Lucas and Ashlee) who were just under a year old.

Life was crazy.

I went to the commissioning service for a friend of mine who was being sent to reach the lost with the International Mission Board. I boo hooed the entire time, not because my friend was leaving, but because of the families that were going to serve the Lord all over the world.

It was that Intial Cry that pricked my heart for missions.

From that time until now, we've gained 3 more children (with another due in March 2012). Two that we adopted out of foster care (Aaron and Olivia) and one that I birthed from my 42 week ripe womb (Ella). Our life has been crazy and chaotic, yet through it all God has continued to set the idea of Missions before our eyes and in our hearts.

In November of 2010, we traveled to New York to attended Candidate Week with Africa Inland Mission (AIM). At the conclusion of that week, we were appointed as Members. Meaning, we are officially Missionaries with AIM!

We have chosen an assignment in Southern Kenya, making disciples, training up leaders and planting an African Church among two marginally reached people groups, the Digo and the Duruma people.

We will depart for Kenya in January of 2013.

Our hearts yearn for the lost peoples of Africa. We desire to see those who are, in most cases, the least of these, rejoice over the Good News of Jesus Christ. When all other hope is gone, hope is found in the Lord.

If you'd like to be a part of our support team either financially or in prayer, please contact us at beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com. Please put MISSIONARY SUPPORT in the subject of your email.

If you have questions about how you can begin a relationship with Jesus Christ and have Hope above all else, please email me at beaverbunch (at) gmail (dot) com.

Blessings to you.

(You can read all of our Ministry Newsletters by clicking here.)

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Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

The little people who made me a Mom

In November of 2003 I unexpectedly found out that a tiny life was growing inside me. I've not been the same since. Today I hold one of the most treasured titles a woman can be honored with.

MOM.

These are the people who that made me that way (and a little crazy).

Elizabeth was born in August of 2004. She is our eldest child and is the best big sister I've ever seen.

She's loving and compassionate and thrives on being helpful. She has Jesus in her heart and challenges us daily with her understanding of our Mighty God. Her wit, humor and indescribable beauty make our days full of joy. Her tender spirit is so reflective of the love of the King. I pray that God will use her natural desire to lead and her heart for the hurting and lost in a mighty way.

Lucas was born in May of 2006 and is Ashlee's older twin brother. He is 100% flat-out boy. He enjoys guns, swords and enemies that are up for a good fight. He is determined, strong-willed and hilarious. He loves chock-chock milk, apple juice, his baby sister and shaving with his Daddy. He challenges every one of the parenting tactics we've ever considered using and keeps us on our toes and belly laughing. His favorite pastime includes peeing outside, pretending to be a cowboy and making random objects into a gun.

Ashlee was born in May of 2006 and is Lucas' feisty, red-headed twin sister. She was born a whole 2.5 hours after her brother and her dramatic personality has not slowed down since! She is constantly running and loves to talk. Her love for life amazes us daily.

Her petite frame houses an inner drama queen that is screaming to be on stage and begging for an audience. She showers her younger siblings with kisses and is the best cuddler I know. And, she's never met a stranger.

Aaron was born June 2008. He was placed with us as our first foster child when he was just 4 days old (straight from the hospital). Our foster parent license went through on the day of his birth. We felt very certain that God was calling us to become foster parents even though those around us thought we were crazy. Aaron's adoption has proven to be our greatest blessing by following through in obedience to God's call. Aaron is independent, loves choo-choo trains, asks a question a minute and gives the best hugs. His adoption was final in August of 2009.

You can read more about our journey of fostering and adopting Aaron by clicking HERE.

Olivia was born in October of 2008. She was placed with us at 4 days old, as a foster child, and stole our hearts immediately. She is extremely talkative, loves to squeal, is dramatic, enjoys her older siblings' attention and loves to laugh, dance and cuddle. Her adoption was final in February of 2010!

Her itty bitty frame is the only thing small about her. Her personality spills forth and her laughter is infectious. She brightens up each of our days with her happy, playful personality and her sweet, joyful spirit.

You can read more about our journey of fostering and adopting Olivia by clicking HERE.

Ella was born in March of 2010. After 42 weeks inside of Mommy's tummy she finally made an appearance after a scheduled induction. She has been such a blessed addition to our already bustling family. She's determined, loves to help, is a fantastic big sister to Abigail and Evelyn and pals around a lot with Olivia and Aaron. She loves horses, gymnastics and being my side-kick. She is set apart by her bouncing blond curls and giant, blue eyes. She used to be dubbed Ella goat because she ate, literally, everything in her path. And the name just stuck. How boring our family would be without our Ella-Belle goat.

Abigail was born in March of 2012. I just knew she'd be our last biological baby. She is the ONLY baby I've ever birthed that was early and not via a pitocin induction. Her birth was beautiful and easy and fun (yes, I love birth, all of it). She's a hilarious two year old who has captured the heart of everyone in our family. She loves horses (neighs!), her Meme and Mommy. She is easy going and loves to be in the mix with her older siblings.



Evelyn is our bouncing, beautiful baby girl born in January of 2014. Her due date was our 11th anniversary and her birth was the most dramatic of all of our children. Initially she was a hard baby, very discontent and not an easy nurser. But, once she had her tongue tie clipped and I adjusted my diet rather dramatically, she eased into being a baby who giggles easily, loves being passed around and lives for napping in the baby carrier. I *think* she will be our last biological baby. But I said that with Ella and Abigail, too. So who knows. We are soaking her up, watching her grow and enjoying every precious moment we get with this baby girl.