Peter turned 2!

For Peter's birthday (2 months ago) we had a little party and invited a couple friends over for cake and ice cream. For one reason or another, these are pretty much the only kind of shots we got that evening. Jake did take some videos of the kids and has been slowly dwindling it down from 16 minutes or so.

Isaiah's in the back and Paloma's in the front.

March/April Reading

Here are the books I read during the months of March and April. March only seems thin. I didn't read a million books in April. I just finished them all in April. Almost everything below is work accomplished for the ClearNote Pastors College. Which, by the way, I have now completed. Which, by the way, means I am now done with school. Forever. Awesome, huh?

March

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Good fun, some memorable stories. It was fun getting acquainted with a great fictional character, but I'm done with Holmes for awhile. On to other things.

Tell the Truth - Will Metzger (for d-group)

This book is not profound, but it is helpful. It is written by an Intervarsity staff worker who is trying to undo the damage of jank evangelism methods that present a truncated gospel in a way that lies about the nature of Jesus' saving work. To that end, the book is good and I commend it to anyone looking to be faithful in personal evangelism. However, the major failure of the book is that it fails to have any understanding of the relationship of the Church or Christian community in evangelism and discipleship.

Revival and Revivalism - Iain Murray (for class)

Awesome. Eye-opening. This book is essential reading for every one who needs to understand why American Christianity is what it is today. It starts by tracing the revivals of the late 18th century up through the revivalism of the mid to late 1800s. Note the key distinction in terms.

April

Tell the Truth - Will Metzger (for class)

Yes, I read this twice for two different purposes... See above for notes.

Total Church - Tim Chester & Steve Timmis (for class)

Very helpful book. Excellent in tandem with Metzger's book--they're complementary.

Principles of War: A Handbook on Strategic Evangelism - Jim Wilson (for class)

Good fodder for thinking through strategies of reaching the community and the world with the Gospel. Written by an ex-Navy dude--who happens to be the father of Doug Wilson.

Evangelicalism Divided - Iain Murray (for class)

I've said that you should read everything by Iain Murray, and I mean it. This book might be the single most helpful thing I've read by him--a history of evangelicalism from 1950-2000. Tremendous. If you want to understand the contemporary climate of evangelicalism, there is no better book. Very excellent when read after Revival and Revivalism.

The Mortification of Sin - John Owen (for d-group)

This is about the 4th or 5th time I've read this book. Never get tired of it. I'm writing a blog post series on it over here.

The Christian Soldier - Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for study)

Love, love, love, Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Especially after reading Murray's Evangelicalism Divided. Though I did not actually finish this book due to time constraints, it was very helpful as I finished out our series through Ephesians at the Fold.

The Full Armor of God - Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for study)

See my comments above.

Update: In which I tell you what we've been doing and what we're doing next

This time last year,

Jake was finishing up his classes and getting ready to teach at a summer camp in West Virginia.

I was busy packing our things, cleaning the apartment and trying to schedule an ultrasound before we had to be in Mississippi. (And if you remember, Miss Lucy chose not to reveal her identity in that ultrasound. We thought for sure she was a boy.)

So, are we going to back to Mississippi? No. Are we going somewhere else? Nope. We'll be having ourselves and Indiana summer this year, with a short hiatus to Oklahoma.

But before I explain that, I'll tell you a little bit about what exactly has been going on in our lives lately...

Jake- preached his first wedding, in which he also was a groomsmen (the picture was from the wedding, I was in the party also)
...taught at the last Fold of the year (The Fold is the college ministry's large group meeting on campus, see the website here.)

...entertained the college students at the end of the year party by singing a classic graduation song, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day, to the seniors

...went to his last day of classes, ever (hopefully)
...went back to working full-time with the Indiana Painting Co.

Amanda- has been working on all kinds of sewing projects, including skirts made from pants and dresses, headbands, and curtains, and is always looking for things to modify, update, or altogether re-create.
...taught the last upperclassmen women's discipleship group of the year while sitting on a tick infested couch, it was definitely memorable.
...dug out plots in the backyard for the garden. Some plants, which she started from seed inside, made it in the ground in between rainy days.
...has just embarked on a new adventure: Potty Training.

Peter- turned 2! (pictures, and maybe a video, coming soon)
...is enjoying the warmer weather and the freedom to roam the backyard
...has made friends with the little Muslim girl next door, all communication issues aside
...thinks Spiderman lives across the street
...is about to ditch diapers forever

Lucy- will be six months old tomorrow. Already?!
...likes Peter's cars and trucks more than her own toys
...cut her first two teeth
...loves her papa's kisses
...had her first taste of oatmeal
...loves watching Peter's every move, until he comes over and holds her hand, really tightly

Now, what are we doing next...
Well, so long as Jake finishes up a couple final papers we'll be celebrating his graduation from the ClearNote Pastors College on Sunday evening. We'd love to have you join us. The graduation will be held this Sunday, the 16th at 5:30p.m. at our church, Church of the Good Shepherd, here in Bloomington. There will be a dinner following the service. Consider this your formal invitation.
The Oklahoma hiatus...in a few weeks we, the whole fam, will be going to Norman, Oklahoma, on a mission trip with the college ministry. We'll be serving University Fellowship Church by helping paint their church building and working with them in a Vacation Bible School. University Fellowship is a young church plant where Mat McIntosh, a former youth pastor of Jake's and mine, is the pastor.
As for the fall, you might be wondering what is in store for us now that Jake is done with his training. We'll be staying in Bloomington, for now. Jake will be coming on staff with our church as the college minister. He was already the college minister, but now it'll be his official job, goodbye work sites. He's looking forward to doing it full time and not having to divide his time between Pastors college work, painting, and college ministry. We don't plan to do this forever, but this is where God has us for the next year or two.
A month or so ago Jake mentioned that I had written a blogpost for ClearNote Fellowship. It's my turn to recommend Jake's blog post series to you. The series is a very clear and practical discussion of the Christian's relationship to sin. It's now on part three, but it won't take you long to catch up. And it's worth it.

That's about it for now, I'll try to get more pictures up soon.

4 months

backyard exploration

Peter thinks it's pretty nice having a spacious backyard, especially now that he's big enough to explore it.

Worm! At first he was saying something that sounded very close to "nail". We still don't know where that came from.

happy girl

These were the first smiles I caught on camera.

It was a lot of fun taking pictures that day, so there are quite a few.

And these grins won't be so toothless for long! :)

feb. 20th

ignore the laundry back there, I'm pretty sure it's just waiting to be folded.

pals

It's been fun watching Lucy get some personality and the ability to interact with Peter more. He likes to talk to her and give her toys. And she just smiles and laughs and is usually entertained by his efforts. In the last picture Peter was trying to get Lucy to read the book to him. "Lucy read. Lucy read." She didn't get it.

3 months

feb. 12th

Another selection from the vintage wardrobe. This one is an Aunt Kelly original, which I wore too, of course. The blanket she's sitting on was made by Granny Hellums.

snow fun

just in case you needed a reminder of what winter looked like...

this was laughter not crying

and yes, we shoveled the walk with the broom and dustpan

At long last, more photos

flashback from feb. 10th

Amanda's Birthday Present

Just thought some of you might like to see a picture of it.

Lucy at 11 weeks

(january 28)

And this is Peter trying to get behind the camera to see what the picture looks like.

Another sight we found

These are very blurry, but we were late for church and Peter has a hard enough time being still for a picture, especially when Mama is laughing at him. Yes, it is lipstick.

What we found one afternoon

(...back in January)

Peter had some computing to do, obviously.

And a sweet, sleeping Lucy, just for good measure.

Family Update & February Books

First, let me point out that Amanda's first post on the ClearNote Fellowship Ladies' blog was published this week. She also contributed an article profiling CNPC's program for pastor's wives in the latest edition of the CNF Newsletter. If you want a copy of that you can drop us a note in the comments and we'll sign you up for the mailing list.

Second, I know it's been awhile since pictures have gone up. February may have been the busiest month we've had since we started the Pastor's College. I expect Amanda will get some new stuff up for you in the next week or two.

Finally, here's what I finished reading in February:

Life Together - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (for class)

A good read on Christian community. Maybe one of the best.

2000 Years of Christ's Power, Vol. 3: Renaissance & Reformation - N.R. Needham (for class)

The third volume in this series, and maybe the best.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Good fun.

Darkness & Light - Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for study)

Skimmed and surfed this one for Fold preparation. Didn't give it as much time as previous volumes on Ephesians.

Calvin: A Life - Emanuel Stickelberger (for class)

I've never read anything quite like this before. Profitable and enjoyable at the same time. Will read again.

Persuasions - Doug Wilson (for class)

A small apologetic that tries to be C.S. Lewis meets John Bunyan: "Evangelist" encounters men on the road to destruction and tries to turn them around. It's a light, easy, fun, and helpful read.

The Puritan Hope - Iain Murray (for... class supplement)

Read this one on my own at our dean's suggestion. Very good. Very helpful if you want to understand the roots of the dispensational prophecy craze and if you want to understand the view of prophecy that preceded it, how it was displaced, and why it's never returned. And, as a rule, you should read everything Iain Murray has ever written. I'm serious.

Our Church's New Website

Just some brief updates. First, check out our church's new website:

Pretty cool, huh? Also, be sure to check out the new ClearNote Fellowship blog and the corresponding Ladies' blog, where Amanda and I will both soon become regular contributors.

December/January Books

December:

Heaven Misplaced - Doug Wilson (for fun)

A fun and challenging take on eschatology. Not buying every bit of it, but it's a worthy read.

Desiring God - John Piper (for D-Group)

A modern classic on practical Christian living. This must be the billionth time I've read it.

2000 Years of Christ's Power, Vol. 2: The Middle Ages - N.R. Needham (for class)

Good, accessible.

Handbook of Church Discipline - Jay Adams (for class)

Very helpful.

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ - Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for sermon prep)

Beautiful, rich.

January:

A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Doyle's first Holmes novel. Mine, too. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Pretty good.

Mortification of Sin - John Owen (for class)

Unbelievable. Unparalleled. No one deals with the heart like Owen. No one. Read this book once a year—at the least.

Of Temptation - John Owen (for class)

Excellent. Another must-read. In fact, read the entire volume Crossway published called "Sin & Temptation." You won't regret it.

Christian Unity - Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for sermon prep)

Very good. Lloyd-Jones has been invaluable to me in helping me rapidly process and get to the heart of Ephesians.

2 months

Lucy is two months old now, and we're starting to get used to her.

She's just beginning to coo and smile, and that's helping her secure a position in our family. :)

Peter thinks she's pretty cool, but he's gotten over her newness. He often asks where she is if she's been put down for a nap and he wasn't aware. He helps Mama by bringing her Lucy's plug (aka pacifier) when he's found it on the floor and by putting it in Lucy's mouth when she's upset. But he's also taken to commanding her to stop crying. Not so cool.

There have been a big handful of posts today so you may want to scroll down a little and start there.

Cleaning help

These were taken while we were furiously cleaning our old apartment. Peter was helping, mainly by being a good boy and staying out of the way but he also picked up used paper towels and threw them away.

If you're wondering why I say old apartment, well, we moved! This past weekend we moved down the street to a three bedroom apartment. It was 16 degrees and there was still lots of snow on the ground, but we did it. With about 10 or so people, and around 3 hours of work it went pretty well. And much thanks go to my dear friends (and old neighbor) Kaitlyn, for watching the kids, and Emily for making and bringing chili for everyone when we were done.

Airplane adventure

A couple weeks ago Jake took Peter to the airport in Indy to look at airplanes. Peter had his first Happy Meal...

and made a friend. :)