Monday Musing - God's Undertaking

We have been reading through Acts as a family, specifically looking at how the Holy Spirit worked through the lives of the early church. I've been struck by how God used what seemed to be dire situations to reveal how powerful and sovereign He is over every situation. 

In Acts 5 there was a specific reference to the will of God and the will of man. As we are nearing our departure for Bulgaria, I am seeing how God has used this time of homelessness and pure dependence on Him to shape my thoughts on how he uses hard and difficult situations for His sovergien goodness and to reveal to us the pure love displayed in how He gave himself over to the Father's will; even when that meant death and mocking. Daily we see examples of sacrifice and selflessness in the church who has housed us and been a part of what God is going in Bulgaria. 

Today I want to shift the focus off of what we have been doing. We often post about the progress of where our family is but I want to center in on who this whole journey has been about from the beginning. I believe that if we make any plans apart from God, they will fail. And sometimes success might look like we actually did fail in the eyes of others... And that is incredibly humbling and hard for me to swallow.

In fact, the kingdom Jesus came to establish is one where the meek inherit the earth. 

I need reminded daily that I can plan our way, but the Lord makes our steps. Moreover, if I think we can do anything to impress God, I have missed the point. He is the one who will guide us and ultimately restore our relationship with others and Himself. It is my prayer that my life would point to Him. Help me Jesus!

We believe that God has a good plan and purpose for the youth of the world. That is why He is the one doing the sending. He is the one saving. He is the one in whom our wandering hearts find daily rest. 

Pray with us, our church family. That God's ways would prosper in our lives in plenty and in want... That we may know what the will of the Lord is.

Monday Musing - The Gathering Place

This blog is written in honor of a beloved, affectionate, and loyal woman who was kept in God's grace until the very end. Grandma, we love you.

My Beloved Grandma, 

I'm reflecting over the past couple of days, and joy and sadness of your passing. What a legacy you have written in the lives of your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren - all of whom were so incredibly dear to your heart. We all knew and felt your love for us. 

Your house was where family would come together. From down the street, across the state and across the country, we gathered. It is where we opened presents at Christmas, stuff ourselves with turkey on Thanksgiving and met together for no particular reason other than wanting to be together. Your home and wherever you went was our family's gathering place. 

My childhood is speckled with fond memories with my cousins around the gathering place. Here are some, just to name a few:

- learning new card games together

- watching old movies at night

- your chirping bird in the kitchen

- the basement full of toys

- parties at the park for everyone's birthday

- cleaning the Ravenna Bank together

- your baked goods (yummmm)

- white elephant gifts and soup each Christmas

- having church together in your home

- your cards you hand wrote and sent mail

- your bed full of stuffed animals

You were so affectionate, kind and generous towards me, always. The sparkle in your eyes when our family would visit and your generous smile are the two things I will treasure. Thank you for always requesting hugs. My life was forever changed because you were in it and my life is different now that you are with the Lord. I rejoice for you! I'll never forget the day you told me Jesus is your best friend and you could not imagine a day without Him. The reason the gathering place was so wonderful, was because you were there. I miss you and look forward to the day we can sing psalms together again.

Your Beloved Granddaughter,

Britney Sue Hagsten

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

Psalm 116:15 ESV

Monday Musing - Sharing Mom's Banana Bread

A couple of days ago I made a batch of zucchini banana bread in hopes of not letting ripe bananas and zucchini go to waste. This morning I sat down with a cup of coffee to savor every bite. I enjoyed the texture, smell, and taste... with a sip of hot coffee between every mouthful.(Message me for the recipe!)

As I was eating I had a flashback memory to the kitchen counter of my childhood home in Nebraska. My mom was pulling, what I would call, "the world's best banana bread" out of the oven. You see, when my mom made banana bread, the smells traveled to every inch of our house, inviting the whole family to the table. It was always best right out of the oven and made for a great gathering moment for us all to savor. My mom had a way of making bread that was firm and crispy on the outside and soft, butter melting on the inside. I have not come across a piece of banana bread that remotely compares.

Flash forward. I looked up from the table to see my baby Lily, nawing on her grapes and tapping her foot from the bumbo. Warm tears were a welcomed old friend as I have often pondered what it would be like for Lily to have the chance to meet, be held by, and experience my mom's banana bread in her kitchen. Another moment of gratitude and loss was so thick I was breathing in wet tears.

I thanked God for the glimpse of hospitality and adventure my mom showed me. These moments are always best shared with others and especially those of your family. As I learn more about friendship and being a mom/wife, one conclusion that I have come to is that our family is a unite. We will share in life's "messy" together.

I look forward to sharing coffee, toys, and banana bread with the community we find ourselves in now and in Bulgaria. Together we walk in the saving grace of our humble King Jesus.

Together. United. One mind in Christ. Sharing this belief-

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.(Philippians 2:1-2;5-8)

- Britney Sue Hagsten