Sunday Reflections: Not Ashamed

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Life at the Strauss House...

We had a big week at our house as my girls were baptized! They have been talking about wanting to be baptized for a while now. It was so precious to hear each of them proclaim before thousands: "Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and I am not ashamed." God is amazing how He orchestrates events. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by friends, old and new to share this day with.

Where I'm reading in the Bible...

I finished up the first chapter of 1 John and since I've been focusing in so closely on each verse, I thought I'd back up and look at the chapter as a whole. I love seeing how John highlights the importance of fellowship with Christ if we ever hope to have true fellowship with others. We are all sinners...if we say we're not, we're either lying to ourselves or calling God a liar. It's so easy to pick at the flaws of others and miss that apart from Christ, we are flawed beyond repair. In Christ alone can we be made whole and find fellowship with one another.

What books we're reading...

Jason:

Betsy:

The Scarlet Letter - I'm pretty sure I remember not reading this one in school...as in it was assigned and I totally skipped it. I'm just eight chapters in and my heart has broken several times already! I think that would make Hawthorne happy.

Family Read Alouds:

Mary Slessor

Will:

Grace:

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma - Finished
Crispin: The Cross of Lead - Finished this one this week.
Middle Moffat

Ellen:

The Princess Test - we're almost done with this one!

Nana:

Saved for Something More
Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana - She said it was a surprisingly good read. It follows the story of the underground railroad, and turned out to be a great historical fiction.

Steps towards a healthier lifestyle...

Balance and patience are my words of the week. It has been a full one, and I've done what I could to get my steps in, but some days it comes down to choosing people over steps. I have to be careful here because this "putting others first" is what has led me to poor health in the past. There just needs to be a balance.

The other result of choosing balance is that the results slow down. It can be easy to become impatient with my progress when I'm not as vigilant. However, I feel peace about the balance I've chosen, so I have to leave the results up to the Lord.

This week's highlights...

We made it to the Amon Carter Museum for the third time since we've signed up for the Family Rewards Program, and the kids got their "art supplies." They were so excited!

We also had friends over to share art and six-flags with us.