A new chapter, Cincinnati to Columbia...

Yesterday, we left dear family and friends that are family and packed all our earthly possessions, though we still couldn't fit it all in one truck, to head to our new home.  From July 2 until August 19th, I spent packing and purging and sorting.  My new matre is purge purge and lessons more.  Moving and packing with 5 small kids is no small feet.  As I would pack Judah, the 28 month old would unpack, but he is cute.  We had many sad farewells over the last month and cried many tears.  I feel a gut wrenching sadness and vulnerability in this season and yet I know God is calling us to trust and go.  I want to make not of all the blessings.  So many have helped, packed with me, cleaned and given us kid road care packages, we could barely fit them in the car.  I feel so blessed and thankful.  On our arrival, people streamed in from churches and the seminary to help us unload, beds were put together.  It was amazing.  We have two faithful companions from Cincinnati from our church Gordon and Susannah.  Both have been Godsends.  I had a lady bring me fruit and veggies today.  A pastors wife brought things for the kids.  We met some neighbors and neighbors dogs already.  The unpacking is overwhelming.  We are tired.  Between some ladies and Susannah, the kitchen is more in order!  Tomorrow, we hit my bedroom and the living room.  We went to a Southern Bbq for dinner and saw Lake Murray.  That's all for now.  And apparently we are not good fish movers.  They all died today.  Uggg.

 

Kentucky horse park

 

Happy 40th Birthday Honey!

 Happy 40th Birthday to my loving hubby Michael Lyons!  Right now he is enjoying some R & R amidst 15 inches of snow in Colorado's Rockies.  He didn't anticipate there being a snow storm while hiking in Colorado.  The funny thing is we both got separate trips for each other for our 40th birthdays.  Michael got me an amazing beach trip to Florida with a college friend and I got him a trip to Colorado to hike in the mountains with his college friend.  God orchestrates all things and I am so thankful that he was able to go.  Some sweet friends who live there let him borrow their car while there so we didn't have to rent a car and other friends let him stay in this amazing cabin!  This trip was truly a gift from God.  

I am so thankful for the man of God Michael is!  If you know Michael, he is such a loving and caring husband and father.  He is always so thoughtful with me and the kids.  He takes the kids on donut dates once a week and he is so good about making them and us his priority even during seasons when study, life and ministry pulled at him.  Michael is a fun and attentive dad.  He is so good at tucking the kids in bed and they love a good bedtime story from him.  He is so good at pointing them to their heavenly Father.  

Michael is also a caring and faithful man in ministry.  He loves the Lord with all his heart and these past years in ministry, I have seen him love and care for the people of God through brokenness and heartache, through the loss of a teenage boy, through many widows losing loved ones.  He has been faithful to help people through loss and pain, counseling countless others and loving the saints of God and giving himself up for them.  I have also seen Michael not shrink from doing the hard things in life.  He leans into the Everlasting Arms of God and does the hard thing for the glory of God!  He loves the Word of God and the church of God and his family.  We love him so much and we know God will continue His good work in Michael in this coming year.  

Happy Birthday Honey!  We are glad you are out in the midst of God's creation singing His praises on your birthday!  The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim His handiwork!  

We love you so much!  

Guess Who Is 40?

Though you would never know it, and it seems impossible, it is true: Erin is 40. And in celebration of her 40^th Birthday, Erin’s husband has hacked his way into her blog to shout to the blogosphere, “Happy Birthday, Erin!” 

If you haven’t already shared with Erin reasons why you appreciate her and how you see God’s presence in her life, let me encourage you to do so. 

But now, it is my turn. 

It is no sappy, exaggeration for me to say: my wife embodies and shows me God every day. I don’t know anyone like Erin. Many of you have witnessed the kind acts Erin has done for you; many of you have received a meal or a delivery of her famous breads; many of you have watched her plant flowers at the church or bring our kids to serve somewhere. Many of you have received little pots of flowers from her; or watched her show up suddenly with a surprise. 

But what you may not know is that Erin is at home every day and every night thinking about who to serve next. It is staggering to me. She moves graciously from one serving project to the next. 

She would be embarrassed for me to say so, but it is true: Erin embodies the very presence of Jesus. 

For those who have read Dante’s Divine Comedy (as a group us did this past year!), Erin is like Beatrice to me. In the Divine Comedy, Beatrice is physically beautiful, radiant, and attractive. Erin is all that. I could praise her beauty all day long, and I don’t want to embarrass you, O Reader, with how beautiful I think my wife is (just go read Song of Songs)! 

But that is only the surface of who Erin is. Like Beatrice, the longer I know Erin the more I see that her outward beauty is merely the beginning of the abundant beauty of Christ that resides within her, overflowing and spilling out everyday for all to see. Erin’s inward beauty catches my eye and draws my eye upward to the beauty of the Trinitarian God. 

Through Erin, I have learned about the grace of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the salvation of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the mercy of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the patience of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the goodness of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the faithfulness of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the love of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the loyalty of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the kindness of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the forgiveness of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the gentleness of God.

Through Erin, I have learned about the gladness of God. 

So, I know I am a sentimental guy, but all these things really are true about Erin. Every year that passes shows me just another glimpse of the treasure that Erin is. I am thankful that God, in his gracious kindness to me, has allowed me the privilege of knowing Erin Elizabeth. I am thankful that God has created this woman in his image, and as his image, she radiates him. 

Happy Birthday, Erin! I love you.

Good Friday!

 

This Saturday, we hosted a Saturday afternoon Easter egg hunt and egg dying party for some of our international friends.

Good Friday, we spent doing some house cleaning and thinking about the death of our Lord. We had a dinner in darkness and Michael wanted to stop at a cemetery on the way to our Good Friday service. Our Good Friday service was just a rich and visible reminder of Christ's death on our behalf.

We had been hoping to go to the zoo during the day but all the parking lots at the zoo were packed and we ended up not going to the zoo. We decided to go to Spring Grove cemetery, which is a beautiful historic cemetery in the city. The kids had a great time playing and finding sticks. Unfortunately, one of the workers there chastised us for letting the kids pick up sticks on the ground and he was very upset at how they were behaving and proceeded to tell me that they might be in jail someday and that this is why kids don't obey authority. It was a humbling reminder to me of how easy I can become flustered by these things.  I then found on my car a notice that I had parked in the grass.  It definitely is a reminder to me of how quickly my heart becomes angered and humbled by these things. O how I need Jesus!