Madelyn Joy Has Arrived!

The blog pollers have predicted it again!  You voted that you thought Madelyn would come early and you were right...10 days early to be exact!  Here's the recap of her first week.

Sunday, March 20th

Megan woke up early Sunday morning having contractions.  They were coming regularly, but were still 10-15 minutes apart.  Knowing we could still have a long ways to go, she encouraged me to go ahead and go to church Sunday morning.  I led both morning services with my cell phone on my music stand, ready to walk out as soon as she called =).  When I got home, they were about 8 minutes apart.  We went ahead and called the hospital and they suggested that we come on over.  We got there around 2:30, they decided to officially admit Megan at 3:30, and she had the baby at 6:00 on the dot.  We were shocked (and Megan was quite pleased) by how fast everything went.  As soon as we saw baby Madelyn, we knew our lives had changed forever.

Monday, March 21st

On Monday, the doctors quickly decided to keep us in the hospital another day.  Madelyn was a tiny 5 pounds, 4 ounces and wasn't too terribly interested in eating.  They were concerned about her being able to keep her temperature stable on her own.  We were happy about staying another day to make sure things with Madelyn and Megan were both going to be well taken care of.  We also enjoyed seeing several visitors from church and getting to show off our baby girl.

Tuesday, March 22nd

On Tuesday, the doctors felt like she was eating a little better, keeping her temperature up, and would be okay to go home.  She had to take her "car seat test" and then we were good to go!  When we got home, she was at first pretty unsettled.  We wondered what happened to our quiet little baby from the hospital =).  But, she calmed down before long.  She even slept through her first night at home ok, only getting up every three hours to eat.

Wednesday, March 23rd

On Wednesday morning, we already had an appointment to take her back to the doctor to see how things were going.  We were excited about her first checkup, even taking pictures to remember her first visit.  We assumed we'd hear everything looked good and we'd be on our way.  However, she was now down to 4 pounds, 15 ounces.  And, they were concerned about a yellow-tint to her skin, wondering about jaundice.  Even though these were minor concerns, I think this is when we realized how much we loved this little baby.  She had to go have some blood tests and when they pricked her little foot, Megan and I were crying almost as much as she was!  Wow, that love for your own child is something we've never experienced before and we were just overwhelmed.  We just wanted more than anything for her to be okay.

Thursday, March 24th

We went back to the doctor again on Thursday.  We were so relieved to hear that she had gained 2 ounces in 24-hours AND that her bilirubin levels were already going down.  She had eaten well, picked up some weight, and any jaundice concerns were already going away.  What a huge blessing to hear that she was going to be just fine.

Friday, March 25th

This was the first day of her life that she didn't have to see the doctor.  We are trying to feed her every two hours to help her eat as much as she can.  We're also keeping a close eye on her temperature, keeping her bundled up most of the day.  She still sleeps for a good chunk of the day, but is doing very well.  Since the doctor strongly suggested staying away from crowds of people, we're going to stay in this weekend instead of going out to church.

This has been quite an amazing, life-changing week for us.  We are enjoying every minute of holding her and just staring at her beautiful face.  Sure, hearing her cry at 2 in the morning isn't the most exciting thing, but it is a joy to be able to help her calm down again.  She's so adorable...even at 2 in the morning =).  The next interesting adjustment will be Madelyn meeting our dogs.  They have been at a friend's house this entire week.  The meeting should be an interesting one.

We praise God for our healthy, beautiful, baby girl and we thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.

Multi-Generational Church

We are blessed at Edgewood to have a multi-generational congregation.  Edgewood is a church where you can bring your kids, your parents, and your grandparents.  There is so much wisdom that "more experienced" people in life can share with us younger folk.  And there is also a fresh life and vision that younger folk can use to encourage the older ones.  There are powerful Scriptures that encourage both sides...

I Tim 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

Psalm 71:18 "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."

And I love how Psalm 78:3-4 encourages "Generational Evangelism"....passing on what we've learned to those coming behind us.

"What we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done."

And, in addition to learning from one another, there is a powerful bond as we work together as the body of Christ.  I don't think there is anyone better to reach other teenagers than Christian teenagers.  I don't think there is anyone better to reach people in the workplace than Christian workers.  And I don't think there is anyone better to reach retired people than Christian retired people.  God has placed each of us into this multi-generational family at Edgewood and we each have a purpose and a role.  None of us are too young or too old to make a difference.  And none of us can do alone what we can all do together.

I'd be curious to hear from you (even if you don't attend Edgewood) about ways that you have come alongside someone of a different age and learned from one another.  Or, what are ways that we as a church can encourage this better?  One story that always sticks out in my mind is a person from our old church in Arkansas.  I call her my "drum lady".  When I was in high school, I played drums for our adult orchestra on Sunday mornings.  There were many in the church that still thought drums shouldn't be a part of a worship service.  One deacon even went as far as telling me that "drums were from the devil."  While those people were extremely discouraging to a high schooler just trying to serve, I could always count on my "drum lady" to offer encouraging words.  She loved my playing and made sure to tell me almost every Sunday how much she appreciated me being in the orchestra.  Her son had played in bands and she loved seeing younger people involved in the worship services.  When I went away to college, I would still come back to our church in Arkansas from time to time.  Every time I was in town I made sure I found her (she always sat in the same pew =) to tell her how I was doing.  She would go on and on about how she missed me playing and usually offered me some money to go by a coke =).  My "drum lady", was a consistent encouragement to me week after week after week.  Her encouragement and her prayers for me made a huge impact in my life.  She was passing on the joy that God gave her and shared it with me and I am very grateful that she did.  Even though we were probably 60 years apart in age, we shared a special bond in Christ and were a regular encouragement to one another.

I pray for these types of connections at Edgewood.  We are blessed to be with a very diverse group of ages.  Let's make sure we're taking advantage of that blessing and constantly looking for ways to encourage one another and join as one to do what God's called us to do.

I recently read an article in Christianity Today about multi-generational churches.  It said that many times when churches brag that they are multi-generational it is a euphemism for "we are an aging church that wants to have more young people attending so that we don't die, but we don't want to change enough to actually attract any of them to come."

OUCH.  I pray that that is NOT the case at Edgewood.  I pray that we can continue to attract those of all ages, being willing to make changes to do so, and to truly join together to do what God's called us to do.

Baby is Coming!!



Madelyn's Room is Ready!

Today Megan made it to the 36-week mark on her pregnancy.  She is doing an amazing job and things are progressing along very well.  We have been praying for little Madelyn, reading a handful of books, redoing our family budget, setting up her room, stocking the house with diapers and formula, and trying to stock up on sleep =).  All we need now is the baby!



We appreciate your prayers that things will continue to go well and then for our lives as we adjust to having Madelyn with us.

Since you blog readers predicted she was going to be a girl awhile back, I thought I'd give you a chance to predict her arrival time.  Take your best guess over on the right.  Let's see how you do on this one!

We Cry Out by Jeremy Camp

One of the songs we've introduced at Edgewood recently is "We Cry Out" by Jeremy Camp.  Jeremy Camp has a great collection of powerful songs, but this one has quickly become one of my favorites.

Anthems fill the skies with praise, all Your mighty works display Your glory, they tell of Your glory

We who called upon Your Name cannot be silent we will praise, we'll sing it out, Oh we will sing it out

For we have seen the greatness of Your glory be revealed

And we have seen all that You've done and we cannot be still

God's glory is visible ALL around us if we only open our eyes.  His creation, His working through our lives, His love that He constantly shows, and so much more!  I love the challenge in this verse saying that because of who God is and all that He's done, we cannot be silent.  Our response must be to worship Him and live our lives in a way that brings glory to Him.

Then we can join and strongly sing the chorus....

We will cry out to You! Your loving-kindness and Your truth it has delivered us, You have delivered us!

Great is Your glory Lord! When nations learn of Your ways, they will bow down to You we will bow down to You.

As our congregation gets to know this song better, I picture that being such a powerful moment.  Singing that chorus in unity...we will cry out to Him, He has delivered us and we will bow down to Him.  Then, the last verse again is a challenge to not let our worship stop within the walls of the church.  But, instead we sing...

Into all the world we take the mystery of Your saving grace, Shine the light into the darkness.

We cannot be still or silent in our worship services, but we must also not be still and silent in our workplaces or with our friends.  Into ALL the world, we must shine the light and share His saving grace.

There is a lot packed into the lyrics of this song.  I hope it can become a favorite among our church and be an inspiration (and a challenge) to us all.

How do you "see" God in your life?

I've recently been asked how in the world I could believe in a God that has no "scientific" or "historical" proof of existing.  This person doesn't believe the Bible is true and wants to see some "proof" that God exists.

We've obviously had some interesting discussions, but it has also really got me thinking.  I do believe there are great answers in Lee Strobel's Case for Faith and Case for Christ books about historical and scientific backing of the Bible.  I also wholeheartedly believe that just the consistency of the Biblical writings and all the fulfilled prophecies is enough to prove the Bible on its own.

But what has really been fun to think about through this process was the personal side.  How have I seen God move in my life...not Lee Strobel...not words from the Bible...but me.

To list just a few...I am amazed by nature...God's creation.  Seeing the vastness of the ocean or the Grand Canyon, the beauty of the sunrise, the majesty of the mountains...wow!  Everytime we fly, I always pick a window seat because I'm just a big kid who loves to see out the window.  It's just remarkable.

I can also see God in a big way by His leading us to Seattle.  The timing of Edgewood looking for a worship pastor and us feeling led toward full-time ministry...the fact that the job fits so well with what I love doing...the heart that I already had for the Northwest by being born up here...and just detail after detail of how everything worked out.  I don't believe in coincidences.  Since coming here, it has been confirmed time after time that this is where He wants us.  Not only for the ministry, but also for our personal lives.  In our first year here, we heard about a marriage conference that proved to be a pivotal point in our marriage.  It so drastically changed our relationship in a positive way.  What's funny to me is that this conference is based out of Little Rock and we never heard about it until moving to Seattle =).  Also, moving away from friends and family was extremely difficult.  But, it made us focus more on each other.  Our marriage relationship has grown by LEAPS AND BOUNDS since we moved here.  There is no way that it was by our doing, but it is by what God has been doing through us when we just say "yes" and follow His direction.

And, as if Megan isn't crying already reading this =), I have just been in so much AWE over this new baby coming into our lives.  Hearing Madelyn's heartbeat when she's only a few weeks old, seeing her hands and feet move around with such joy after a few months, WOW!  It's hard for me to grasp not believing in God when we're seeing this miracle grow right in front of us.  It's absolutely amazing.  On a small note, I also think God knew exactly what He was doing by giving parents 9-months to get ready =)...we sure need it!

I give all the credit to God for these miracles and for many other things that He's done through our lives.  I know that science and Satan's deceiving ways try to steal the glory away from God.  It is a difficult world we live in and I do pray that all of us will seek out why we believe what we believe.  John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest."  I do pray for my friend regularly and for any others that they will truly find life and have it to the fullest!

PLEASE take a minute to comment on this post and share a story of how you've seen God in your life.  I'd love to hear your stories and celebrate with you.

Outlive Your Life

Last month, I read a great book by Max Lucado titled Outlive Your Life.  I thought some points of his would be particularly encouraging to share as we are beginning a new year.

The whole book is filled with amazing stories and great examples of ways to make the most out of your life. He reminds us that "life is racing by, and if we aren't careful, we will look up, and our shot at it will have passed us by."

I Corinthians 1:26-27 reminds us that we don't have to be hotshots or the best in our field to be used by God.  In fact, He wants to take the foolish to shame the wise and the powerless to shame the powerful.  He can use ANY of us if we will only let Him.

I particularly like his 3rd Chapter titled Let God Unshell You.  Max Lucado encourages us to make a careful exploration of who we are and the work we have been given. Who has God made you to be?  With whom do you feel most fluent?  When does your heart race?  We need to find those areas of passion that God has placed in our lives, realize that's who He has made us to be, and then allow Him to work through those areas in powerful ways.

He also has a good chapter about persecution.  If we are using our lives for God's glory, we better expect to be criticized, mocked, and persecuted.  His suggestion for preparing ourselves was to imitate the disciples.  We must linger long in the presence of Christ.  Meditate on His grace, ponder His love, memorize His words, and constantly talk to Him.  Be in His presence.  I love this quote too..

 "If you want to be bold tomorrow, then you need to be with Jesus today."

Max Lucado also dedicated an entire chapter to the importance of prayer.  He reminds us that God didn't call us to preach without ceasing, sing without ceasing, or attending meetings without ceasing.  He called us to pray without ceasing.

I found these points and the rest of the book to be very motivating.  Our lives are so short and too many times we waste the days away with things of little or no eternal value.  As we're into a brand new year, let's start fresh wanting to "outlive our lives" by making the most of every day God has blessed us with.

Christmas Program Review

Over the last two evenings, Edgewood hosted our annual Christmas program.  This year, we performed "KEBC's Christmas Radio Show."  Our "radio station" was hosting its 50th Christmas show by having callers phone in sharing stories of God's faithfulness.  While the interaction with the radio host and the show was obviously made up for the program, the stories were actually true stories from members of our congregation.  These callers were sharing real stories of God's faithfulness.  I believe it turned out to be a very powerful time to hear how God has worked through the people in our church and how He is still working today.

By the time you count all the members of the drama, choir, orchestra, media, ushers, reception, and childcare, there were around 100 people involved in this program.  I always think this is a great example of the Body of Christ.  There is no way things like this can be accomplished successfully without the variety of gifts and talents from a great collection of people.  What a team!

Kim completely led the drama team this year.  She has a strong gifting for drama and did a great job preparing the team for the program.  The drama was particularly challenging this year since they had to put their feet in somebody else's shoes.  I think it's one thing when the stories are made up, but a completely different thing when the stories are true.  They all did a good job with this, but I was particularly impressed with Lori and her heart and passion to connect with her story.  That was very moving.

  

This was my fourth Christmas program at Edgewood and I think this is the most confident I've ever heard the choir.  They did a great job at jumping on this music early on in the process and being faithful in their attendance to rehearsals.  Thanks to Jim, Carol, and Lanette, we were able to have many nights of sectionals which was a huge help.  The earlier we can learn those parts, the better we can make the songs....not to mention how much less stress we'll have the last few weeks before the program.  We had 33 singing this year, with a solid group in each section.  We even did an acappella piece this year and it was outstanding!  It was also nice to add Jeanette into the program this year.  She did a great job with her solo.  Having a soloist with just the band helped add more variety to the musical presentation.  That is something I would like to do more of in future programs.

The orchestra had their hands full this year, that's for sure.  We have a very talented group of instrumentalists at Edgewood.  With the radio show, we had quite a variety of music.  Everything from Southern Gospel (a rare thing to hear in Seattle!), to Little Drummer Boy, to praise and worship, to a song that I was told sounds like something from Aladdin =), to a very challenging piece in 7/8.  They managed to pull off each style and did a great job.

I hope all those involved enjoyed being a part of this year's program.  I definitely appreciated having each of you!  And to all those who attended, I hope it was a great encouragement to keep your faith and trust in God during this time of year.  We celebrate the baby Jesus...the "baby who changes everything."  Let's continue to celebrate Him this Christmas season and throughout the new year.

Merry Christmas!