countdown!

SIX DAYS.

I made a little 'countdown' sheet for Elijah, which is hanging on the living room wall.  I assure you it was really complicated - I took a piece of paper (scrap paper, at that!) and stuck 11 pink sticky notes on it, one for each day of the countdown when we started, with the numbers 1-11 written on them.  Definitely worthy of pinterest, eh?  :)  We've been taking down one sticky note each day and counting back through the remaining numbers.  Elijah was originally having trouble comprehending the idea that we didn't take them all down AT ONCE.

But only SIX sticky notes are remaining now!  Yikes!

I've broken this unintentional stretch of blogging silence by posting a review of David Murray's new book Jesus on Every Page.  That was a good stimulus to write something on my blog before we are suddenly back in Scotland again!

Now, how to summarize the last 2 months since I posted?  I don't even know where to start.  How do you summarize two months of hard work at the College, conferences, lecturing, administration, church visits, and spending time with visiting lecturers. How do you summarize bank cards that suddenly stop working entirely and leave you without access to your bank account for two months.  How do you summarize the stress and pressure of a furlough rapidly approaching but which is still not entirely organized and the plans for which have fallen through more than once already.  How do you summarize the knowledge that - ready or not! - a baby will be arriving imminently, around the beginning of October, wherever we happen to be when that happens.  At this point, Baby is going to think he or she has been born into a family of nomads. :)

So, what have I been doing recently?  Well, one of my major goals for August was to read David Murray's book so that I could post the review on time.  I am so thankful for my Kindle which allows me to put even PDF files on it and then I can sit on the front porch, or in the garden, or in the toy room, or wherever the children are bouncing around, and keep an eye on them while I broaden my mind with good reading! 

This week I'm also interviewing each of our students who will be graduating in Covenant College's Class of 2013, and I will be writing up an introduction so that you can be praying for each of these men as they complete their studies and move on in their ministries.

And I'm packing. And I'm preparing our house.  Because, did I mention that we are leaving on Monday morning?

And I'm sending loads of emails to churches throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and southern England to see who is interested in having us visit and share about the work at Covenant College.  (Massive roadtrip with a 6 or 7-week old baby, anyone?  No sweat!) And working up the itinerary thereof. 

And in between, I'm trying desperately to keep a 3-yr-old and a 21-month-old from endangering their lives at every moment, trashing the house, and unpacking every bag as fast as I can put things in it.  And I'm growing a baby.

Times like this, I am so thankful that the Lord made me to love logistics.  My husband doesn't love logistics, so I am glad that I can research all the little details for him and make his life easier.

I am thankful for networking, for generous people, for organizations that exist simply to help missionaries, for the car that we will be able to use for 4 months, for the car seats that the company provided before we even asked, for midwifery-based care, for roofs over our heads, and most of all for the knowledge that no matter what happens, the Lord will provide for us - and already has!

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 
Isaiah 26:3

Jesus on Every Page

It's always a blessing to find a new resource which will aid in understanding, appreciating, and benefiting from the Scriptures more.  I have just finished reading Jesus on Every Page, a new book by David Murray.  And I was blessed by it. 

It first caught my eye when I was reading Pastor Murray's blog and saw his offer to send a free copy of his new book to anyone who was willing to read it pre-release and post a review it on their blog.  I immediately thought, 'That sounds like the kind of book that would really help our students here at Covenant College understand how Jesus is revealed in the Old Testament.'  And myself as well!  So I emailed and received a PDF copy of Jesus on Every Page which I have spent the last two weeks reading. (No, it's not a long book - I am a distracted mother of two toddlers!)  And here is my review.

I was struck by the very personable, conversational tone of the book. Pastor Murray leads his readers along the path that he himself walked as a young pastor who was initially unaware of how Jesus is at the very heart and soul of the Old Testament.  The book is written in a simple and straight-forward manner, chock-full of vivid examples. It is easy to read and the message is clear: Jesus is present in every page in the Old Testament, and here are some (many!) of the ways that you can find him.  And not just find Jesus - but view the Old Testament in a new light, as Jesus himself would have read it.

This book will aid in personal Bible study and reflection as well as in teaching and preaching.  It includes discussion questions at the back which turn it into an excellent Bible study resource.  I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and read the pages of the Old Testament with a new and greater understanding of our great Saviour who is revealed!  I personally enjoyed this journey through the Old Testament writings, and I look forward to placing a copy of Jesus on Every Page in our college library to benefit our students in their understanding of the Scriptures and the mighty, timeless work of Jesus Christ.

You can order a copy of Jesus on Every Page here.
If you order before 31 August, you can receive $100 worth of free Old Testament resources!