I say, Scott,

it's going to be very hard to maintain my silence.
Perhaps this blog will be sufficient vent of my desire for communication. =)

So! Today is Sunday. 'Tis very hot. I woke up for church at 6:30 and mom said I was showing every sign of over tiredness and sent me back to bed. She took me to second service later. I didn't see Christian.

We're going through first Thessalonians in high school and today Austin was talking about the attributes of a Godly spiritual leader as annotated by Paul in his letter of defense to the church in that city. I'm typing with my head laid back on the chair's top and my eyes closed. Really quite compfy. Wonder if it'll improve my spelling.. *smile*

Right now, my twin baby nephews, Dash and Euan, are over to be babysat while my brother takes Kimmy Jo out on a date. They each have two front teeth now. And are so cute. But I couldn't help but think as I held Euan, now eight months old, that my baby was going to be this big compared to me, one and if I have one. And it's rather a scary thought because they're already getting pretty big and chunky. And, for further example of prediction, the kids I serve as a leader in Disco Club (Discovery Club), some of them are taller than me! (Mom: I believe it.) And they're, max, in sixth grade. So, summing up what we've learned, it's very possible my kids will outgrow me before they reach their teens.

If. I have kids.

And if they survive that long.






Things that stood out to me in the sermon.

Being in a position of spiritual authority without exercising love makes you nothing. But a clanging gong, or a clashing symbol.

Three Aspects of Motherly Love Which Every Spiritual Leader [must have] (i realize now i kinda left that title hanging.)
1. Gentle.
And we're reading out of first Thessalonians, right here in verse seven.
He spent most of his sermon explaining how we don't think of mothers as an authoritative model. We tend to think rearing horse, sword brandishing admiral. And he did a great job explaining and convincing us how it is not whimpy for a man, a leader, to be gentle. It takes more strength to be kind and patient and gracious than to be a bully. So true. And, as always, Julia applied most of the sermon to her future, possible, who knows, authority, that of her husband.

One particularly interesting point was when he said, "If leaders are proud and hot tempered, than their [people? flock?] will be proud and hot tempered too." That was actually, a paraphrase. But it was quite interseting. And he gave us a good example of a gentle but Strong! leader in Jesus Christ. He was God Himself, for pete's sake! How much stronger can one be?? But He was so incredibly gentle and it reminded us of the verse, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to offer up His life as a ransom for many." Leaders serve those they lead.

He also read a cool quote by some man who's last name was Hog about the power of tenderness on the hardest of hearts. How they can soften them, break their shell, when the meanest threats and hardest of trials won't. So! true!

Along with gentleness Mr. Duncan spent a bit of time on patience to all as well. In fact, I thought it was the second aspect of motherly love he was talking about but it wasn't. Anyways, quick quote from our senior pastor John MacArthur about this, "I am impatient with the truth, and patient with people."

The other two points were Affectionate and Sacrificing. He talked to us about his new baby daughter, born thirteen days ago, and we got to meet her. But the cutest thing was his story about Adeline, his first daughter. And how one time he came home and saw his wife kissing her head and confronted her saying something like, You were kissing her head when I left and you're kissing it again when I come home.. You're going to put a dent in her head! And Austin asked his wife how many times Merrily thought she had kissed Adeline that day and she said around a hundered and..yeah. You should have been there to hear him go on about a mother's love. Very neat.