Catching up with the Koenses

Last weekend at the corn maze with the Koens clan

Today my sister-in-law and I raced around Rochester (on our own two feet--sort of like the Amazing Race) finding clues to win a Chevy Sonic.  We didn't win the car, but we still had a really great time! :-)

Thought for the Day

God and satan are NOT equal opposites.
Likewise, Hell is not Heaven's equal opposite.
Just as God has no equal as a person, Heaven has no equal as a place.
-Randy Alcorn

Day 2 Notes on Heaven: Naturalism

"Another source of our misconceptions about Heaven:  naturalism--the belief that the world can be understood in scientific terms, without recourse to spiritual or supernatural explanations."--C.S. Lewis

Naturalism is where my sinful, human brain wants me to go to explain the reason for life...for everything.  I love science and much science is founded on principles based on that which we can see, feel, touch, experiment and reason with.  Going out of the bounds of my senses, can feel like I am moving away from the concrete and toward the imaginary.  This of course is a dangerous way to reason because it says that if I cannot see God, touch Him, experience Him, etc, then He is not real but imaginary.  There are many things far away from my sight or experiences in life, but just because I cannot see them doesn't mean they don't exist.  I could never leave Minnesota and think that the world ended beyond the state lines.  I could think that because I have never seen a mountain in this state that they couldn't exist somewhere else.  This of course is fallasy.  So too is our thinking on heaven.  Many times it is easy to think heaven doesn't exist because I cannot imagine a place with life apart from what I know.  Here are my notes on naturalism that have helped me and hopefully help you too.  (Again, notes taken primarily from Scripture and Randy Alcorn's book on Heaven).

*The essence of naturalism--whatever they cannot perceive with their senses must be imaginary.
*The blind must take by faith that there are stars in the sky.  If they depend on their ability to see, they will conclude there are no stars.
*We are not designed to live in a non-physical realm (we are incapable of even imagining such a place).
*We are not (as Plato supposed) merely spiritual beings temporarily encased in bodies.

1 Corinthians 2:9-13
We can know what God prepares for us--God has revealed it to us by His Spirit
Colossians 3:1
God commands us to set our hearts and minds on Heaven (--not divert our attention from it because we believe in our misguided thoughts of Heaven).

"Most of us find it very difficult to want Heaven at all--except in so far as Heaven means meeting again our friends who have died.  One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained:  our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world.  Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognize it."--C.S. Lewis

Heaven

A while back I read "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn.  I must admit I struggled even picking the book up to read it for a long time because my views of heaven (even as a born-again Christian) have been so skewed.  It bothered me so much that I knew I was going to heaven some day but it also scared the living crap out of me.  Honestly people, when you think of heaven do you think clouds and harps and streets of gold and oh yeah...absolute boredom?  Satan has been so effective at conjuring up fallacies about heaven that even Christians believe the falsehoods to be truth.  Well my friends, the good news is satan is a liar and God has something better in mind for us than clouds and streets of gold.  Do we really think that God would move us from the beauties of earth to an eternal home that is worse, less attractive, dull?  No, He would not and He will not.  The truth is friends, God our Holy Creator is going to create for us heaven on earth...literally!  This earth is going to be renewed and we will behold more glorious beauties than our eyes have ever beheld in this life.  We can't even imagine how awesome it will be, and that is exciting not boring!
If you are afraid of heaven or have some similar views to what I once did, I encourage you to follow this blog.  I will be sending daily updates on the notes I have taken from Scriptures and from reading Randy Alcorn's amazing book, so you too can share in my excitement. 

Heaven notes day one:
*"Anthropological evidence suggests that every culture has a God-given innate sense of the eternal--that this world is not all there is."
Ecclesiastes 3:11b "He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
REALIZE YOUR DESTINY
God did not design us to eat gravel.  Trying to develop an appetite for a disembodied existence in a nonphysical Heaven is like trying to develop an appetite for gravel.  It's not going to work!  Nor should it!
What God made us to desire is exactly what He promises.
WARNING ON YOUR THOUGHTS OF HEAVEN/WHERE THEY ORIGINATE
**"Satan need not convince us that Heaven doesn't exist.  He need only convince us that Heaven is a place of boring, unearthly existence."

Diamond in the rough!

As promised, here is a picture of my garage sale find this past Saturday morning.  My friend Jess bought an old ladder a while back and uses it to organize scarves in her closet.  I happened upon such a ladder...and for $2! Now my scarves are creatively and artistically arranged in the back of my closet.  I don't have a walk-in closet or anything but it still suites the purpose well and it is so fun!

Garage sale or bust!

Just got back from a short garage sale run with the girls from our small group.  I had to get a picture because it is rare for us all to be together at the same time.  The rains came and shortened our shopping, but all in all it was a great time.  I will post my garage sale find a little later.

Birthday sunshine!

Today is my birthday...da da da da da da da dum...it's my birthday too yeah!
This weekend we traveled to Sheboygan, WI, to spend my birthday weekend with my mom and dad.  The weather was really yucky, but we had a great time together anyway.  Here are some pics of the weekend:

 

We had breakfast at Whispering Orchards, a family favorite!  It's an orchard/hobby farm that also has a restaurant with all fresh-from-the-farm meals.  Delish!

Kendall and my dad in front of the restaurant entrance.

A drive by pic of the Thrivent Financial headquarters in Appleton, WI.

Mall bound! Saturday's rain and high winds brought us to the Fox River Mall in Appleton.  This was my favorite place to do school shopping growing up...probably because it had more than a Kohl's and Penny's as were the options near our house.

Since it was birthday weekend and all, I got to pick our dinner option.  We went to El Camino's in Sheboygan.  I mean, can you really argue with chips before, during, and after the meal? The answer is no, no, you cannot.

Padre and madre with sizzling hot fajita fixin's. Mmmmm.

A stretch break for Snuffy and I in LaCrosse on our way home today.
What a beautiful day it turned out to be!  Not a cloud in the sky.  I feel as though the Lord gave me the sun for my birthday...it is the day the Lord has made.  I rejoice and am glad! Thank you Lord for the gift of life another year on Your beautiful earth.  Thank you for the opportunity to learn more of You and grow closer to You in this coming year!

Crazy weather

Check out this pic from on my way in to Wabasha today.  You can see both weather fronts converging.  I have never seen it quite so obviously before.  I got inside just before it started hailing and raining cats and dogs.  The dark skies made me think of tornadoes...which in turn brought my mind to all of those in need from the devastating weather in our nation's south.  Say a prayer for them with me as you read this even now...

Let's play catch up!

Much has happened this past year.  One of the best...I became an auntie.  We celebrated Lainey's first birthday and dedication in March. Here's a pic of the little lamb.

In April, Kendall and traveled to Dallas, Texas, on a reward trip with Thrivent.

This is the beautiful hotel and conference center we were priviledged to stay at, the Gaylord Texan.

The mandatory Starbucks stop..one Venti shaken black ice tea no sweetener...yes please!

This is where the Dallas Cowboys run out to go onto the field.

Kendall in front of the Dallas Cowboy's stadium.  This place was ridiculously cool...as it should be for like a billion dollars.

One of the many great dinners we were able to attend.

Yes, this was INSIDE the hotel we stayed at!!

Kendall and I at the Hall of Fame gala in honor of the reps who have worked tremendously hard for 30+ years.

And today...less exciting but new.  I am in the process of breaking in my new..actually my first ever, softball glove.  I pretty much completely stink at softball, but Kendall and I are playing on a co-ed league together this summer.  I think it will be fun, something new to do together.  Plus, I really miss sports, so I am looking forward to it.  I will post updates as we start playing. 

Where we are today

Kendall and I have been praying for several years about the Lord's will for us to have a family/adopt, whatever His will be for our lives.  Through prayer, we have both felt that if we are to pursue having a family for now the Lord is telling us to wait.  In the interim, we feel strongly convicted to strengthen our individual walks with the Lord, grow in the Lord with one another, grow our marriage, and establish ourselves financially.  Kendall has been reading through the Word with a friend as well as continuing to educate himself to better help others use their finances in a God-honoring and responsible way.  I, in particular, have felt particularly convicted to be a student of the Word DAILY so that if/when we are to have a family I will be able to guide them with His wisdom.  As with any good teacher, preparation is involved to make sure the students understand the material.  So also, I need to know my Bible well to prepare to teach it to my kids and model it for them. 
My journey through the Scriptures this year is so far showing me: how to have a heart FULLY devoted to Him, how to identify and tear down the idols in my life keeping me from fully loving Him, how to love God, what God's plan is through suffering, what the New Earth/the Lord's kingdom will be like.  It's a lot but I am so excited that the Lord is filling me up in Him. :-)  As I learn new Scriptural truths, I hope to post them regularly to share with you all.
Till next time, stay in the Word yourself and allow God to show you Truths you never imagined!
2 Timothy 2:15--"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth."