Honored Time

I am beginning to understand why families are so worn out at the end of the summer! We have been in a season of GO-GO-GO for weeks, often with just barely enough time to finish a load of laundry between events. Don't get me wrong, they have been awesome events and we marvel at the work God did this summer, but whew! We're tired!

Okay, since our last chat, Jarrod's parents came to visit and the Es enjoyed some (ahem, a ton) of spoiling. We are so thankful for times we can all be together! This trip involved King's beach at Tahoe, many a house project and getting unpacked. *Side-note, these two have earned their gold star parenting badges... they've moved us, A LOT. Thank you!*

Then began the crazy trip back to Florida with an unexpected stay in Denver. God graciously gave us good time with our families there too. And in true Florida fashion, we saw an alligator get captured off my mom's dock! 

E1 getting to do the VBS dance

Then the VBS sprint. Between our church and the mission to McDermitt, I know of 7 new believers in the Lord! Please join me in praying for their fledgling faith to be nurtured and a love for God's Word to develop in their hearts. I had the awesome privilege of teaching preschool at both VBS-es. In all honesty, there were moments where I wasn't sure there was much of a point. the kids were unruly, hyped up on sugar, and some had so little Bible-background that the stories were hard for them to grasp. I could have chosen discouragement, but instead God kindly provided insights. One little boy came to me at church the following Sunday to tell me he "still remembered his verse!". Another grandparent shared that her granddaughter was sharing the Bible stories we learned in class with her non-believing parents at home! Little missionaries! I was reminded that in preschool especially, we plant seeds. We water. It's the Lord who does the growing (1 Cor 3:6-9). Only His Holy Spirit can wake up a sinner's heart, can draw some one to God. What an awesome opportunity to be included in His work!

And now for the confession....
In all the busyness, I have not made time to study Scripture. I chose tasks I thought had to be done (even church tasks), instead of spending quiet time, one on one, with the Lord. I still prayed, I still went to church, I still upheld my responsibilities at home. But it wasn't the same. To be honest, there was very little joy in it all. I cringe saying all this out loud, a pastor's wife should have this one figured out, right? Not me, I face the same temptation to "get busy", to let my time be stolen away by things and tasks and errands. And the sneaky thing is they're all "good" things! Playing with my kids, cleaning the house, grocery shopping. None that I could look at and say, oh if I only stop doing that I will have plenty of time to study the Bible. And yet, I was spiritually starving. What's a girl to do?

So this morning, I sat after the kids finished breakfast and opened my Bible to Psalm 119. I wasn't sure of my day's plan, but I knew I needed time with the Lord. I love the Psalms, especially this one, because they encourage me to view God's Word as beautiful, precious, treasure, and life-giving. They remind me that it is the Lord who sustains me. Most of them being written by David, King of Israel, (probably a super busy guy, especially when he was on the run for his life), they take away my excuse of having too many pressing things to do to spend time reading Scripture. 

Psalm 119:165-168(NIV)

Great peace have those who love your law,

    and nothing can make them stumble.

I wait for your salvation, Lord,

    and I follow your commands.

 

I obey your statutes,

    for I love them greatly.

 

I obey your precepts and your statutes,

                          for all my ways are known to you. 

And you know what, today has gone on. The kids were fed, errands and chores have been done. My heart is different - I've been joyful. My eyes have been opened to opportunities to make teachable moments with the girls. God didn't have to do that. This day could have been just as chaotic and stressful as the days past, but part of me thinks this is a gift from Him for making the decision to honor Him with my time: to show I believe He is worthy by choosing Him over other things. I'm not sure what the weekend will hold, if our family will experience another crisis or have hard decisions to make or if the dishes just don't get done, but I will commit to choosing time in Scripture and allow God to speak into my life that way. 

Be encouraged that yes, we all can easily get busy. And busy with good things at that! But for your heart's sake, choose time with the Lord. Allow Him to fill you with joy and love for Himself and others through Bible study. We need it.

Till next time,

the Reeds

Don't you dress up like this to get the mail?

Summer time = ice cream truck!

Teaching her in true Nevadan fashion

Getting to a New Normal

We've been here a month. WHOA! Where did that time go? I know we're really getting settled because during the middle of the night wake-ups I don't try to walk the floorplan of our Florida home. Haha! My toes are very thankful to not be stubbed constantly :)

Thank you all for your prayers, we have needed them and God has most definitely been at work!

This month's notable events:

These Floridians survived the snow! Weather here truly is crazy, one day we went hiking at a local park (the desert, E1 calls it), and three days later we were buried in snow. E2 proved to be far braver with the snow on her home-turf. E1 fearlessly leaped from the stairs into the smooth powder. I think she was a bit surprised how far she sank down :) Even Simba, the manly 10 pound miniature poodle, could be seen gallivanting through the snow for a while. I was incredibly thankful we didn't have to go anywhere that day, just spent it together outside till we couldn't feel our fingers (a whimpy 20 minutes) then warming up with hot chocolate. The whole process was repeated many times.

E1 *offically* turned 4! Poor kiddo, she spent the day sick in the reclining chair. Our celebration plans were not to be thwarted though. A few days later we ventured to the south side of town and tried out a place called Paradise Cove. The kids had so much fun! It has many bounce houses, obstacle courses, and a laser maze. E1 ran from one side of the building to the other and couldn't wait to do them all! E2 was brave and learned to climb up the giant inflatable slide all by herself and flew down a bit faster than I think she intended. Both girls have started Awana at our church and are in Cubbies - they love it! I'm blessed to get to help lead their class and man, there's not much more convicting and encouraging than listening to a 4 year old recite Scripture!

Jarrod had his first opportunity to preach as associate pastor for GHBC. The Lord used him and there was quite the chuckle as he passionately discussed the "BIG but" in the Scripture passage :) He had no idea he said it. Pray for him. He has had many opportunities to counsel and share the Gospel both in the church and in our apartment complex. I look forward to him having a moment to share a few of the experiences with you.

It still feels a bit like we're "shooting from the hip" so to speak in regards to scheduling and getting into a routine. In some respects, I know this is just how ministry is, but in others I look forward to providing our kids (and ourselves) with a more stable schedule.

We had our first holiday away from family; the Lord was so kind to love on us through others. We had a delicious Easter meal, beautiful flowers and were able to talk with all the fam. I wouldn't pretend that it was an easy day, but the Lord is abundantly generous in His care for us.

Please pray for us as the"newness" of being in Reno is starting to be replaced by a realization that this is home. Pray for our kids, E1 especially. Pray for more opportunities to talk with people we meet about the mighty God we serve. Pray that we would be faithful to share.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! We feel  them and the Lord honors them. I have been reading through Titus and these verses in chapter 3 really help me engage in the work here:
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit

We know that it is nothing of ourselves, but only through His Holy Spirit working, that we are blessed to see lives changed. I am praying God moves mightily in GHBC and Reno, would you join me?

Love you all,
the Reeds

One Week In

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing - Zephaniah 3:17

Hooray! We made it through our first week. To say our days have been full is an extreme understatement. The Lord was kind and brought our stuff here safely and we had many, many kind hands from the church to help unload. Downsizing from the Florida house to an apartment here meant every room was piled waaayyy high with boxes. Jarrod and I looked anxiously at each other wondering how it would all fit. 5 days of unpacking later, we have a living room! Most things are finding their places and the stress levels are greatly decreasing.

It hasn't all been work.... We took some time to satisfy E1's desire to see snow! Mt Rose is just a short drive away. The verdict was split among the kiddos... E1 thought it was great and literally dove right in, E2 seemed pretty convinced the snow would eat her. E3 slept through it all, so the tie-breaker will be decided next time :) We are excited to go on more adventures as a family.

 This is moments before E2 sunk hip-deep into the snow.... she didn't like it so much after that!

The girls kept shouting "look momma! There's snow everywhere!"

We were blessed to participate in the Lord's Supper with GHBC this past Sunday. Jarrod's big fear was dropping the lid and clanging the plates..... He made it through! We have been warmly welcomed and "pounded" (people bring a pound of something to help stock our pantry) by the people here. We've heard countless stories of God moving mightily in the lives of believers here- redeeming them out of some tough stuff. We can't wait to be used by Him to draw others to Himself, and for Him to make us more like Jesus.


Thank you for faithfully carrying us in prayer. Here are some new requests:
- Jarrod will be leading the youth on Wednesday  nights, pray for wisdom and compassion as he engages these young adults from a variety of backgrounds
- For E1&2 to make friends. They'll be in awana Wednesday nights, pray they enjoy it.
- For E3, he seems to hate sleep. We were trying to remedy some health issues before we left FL, pray for wisdom in dealing with those here.
- Pray for the marriages at GHBC, for their protection and growth as we all learn how to mirror the relationship between Christ and the church.
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue moving through Reno. This beautiful city is far from the Lord and most people we've encountered outside of church clam up as soon as "church" is mentioned. We know that our God is mighty to save, and that He is pursuing the hearts of those far from Him (Zephaniah 3:17, Romans 5:8)

Thank you all and we love you!!

The view from Mt. Rose overlooking our city.
Join us in praying for God to be glorified here.

Surrounded

"Surrounded"-to enclose on all sides, encompass (dictionary.com)

There are times, many throughout the day, where this is a true state for me. I'm surrounded by dirty clothes/dishes/children/dog, mile long to-do lists, drivers who refuse to use their turn signals, clutter, long lines at the store...you get the picture.
But I want to take this a different way.



It's Christmas time, a season to reflect on Jesus's coming to live the perfect life we're called to and fail at achieving, dying the death we deserve and being powerfully raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father. Let the enormity of that settle on you! It's HUGE! The all-powerful, entirely set-apart, creator of all things saw fit to add to glorify Himself in rescuing rebels and making them His children. The highest of all powers chose to be born in the lowest of lows, a stable. (E1 says "baby Jesus had a stinky bed with all da aminals")
When I think of myself, all I see is obstacles making my life difficult (see list above). But when I slow down and think about Christmas, really consider the great lengths God goes to in calling us to Himself, I stop focusing on the stained t-shirts and messy table and instead see how surrounded I am by God's love. Romans 1 and Matthew 5 tells us that God shows Himself and His immense kindnesses to all people, and I can attest to many particular ways He's loving me. I challenge you, as I am myself, to make a list of ways you see God working in your life. Then, be thankful. 

Out of thankfulness sprouts obedience. 

Hebrews 12:1-2 says "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses(examples of life lived in faith listed in ch 11, the pinnacle being Jesus), let us throw off the weight that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

In light of the life and example of Jesus, endure this race. Ditch the selfishness, it only tangles you up. Leave behind the cares of this world, they'll do you no good. Avoid cultivating a critical heart, it will mislead you. Instead, dwell on Christmas. Meditate on the miracle of God's rescue offered to mankind. Walk in obedience.

Jarrod's "YAY! I survived this semester" face

So yes, I am surrounded by a myriad of to-dos and clean-ups and the like..... but more importantly this Christmas, I'm surrounded by Christ. I pray you are too.

Merry Christmas,
-the Reeds

yes.... there are 10 ornaments on two branches...

The merry-go-round

GOSH! How does a whole month go buy so fast?! Note to self... gotta get some more structured time to write here....

I've reached a milestone this year, my so-called "golden birthday", where I turned the same age as the date. Exciting I know. Anyway, while this year is marked by many many many awesome experiences.... there is one tragic occurrence. I can no longer do the spinny rides. And I'm not talking about the teacups-of-death at Disney, I mean spinning of any type. How did I come to this conclusion? One sunny day the girls and I headed to the playground which was totally empty, allowing E1 to run rampant enjoying all aspects of the jungle  as she wanted in an even faster than usual pace. Struggling to keep up while holding E2, I coaxed her onto the small merry go round. After a lesson recapping that holding on was a good idea and jumping off a bad one, she climbed on and I spun the wheel. Much excited-little-girl giggles ensued and I was moved to join in on the fun. BIG MISTAKE. Not even a full trip around the wheel and I could feel my stomach turn. "But," I thought to myself, "I am a strong woman. I can handle this". Three more cycles past my original standing point and I had to admit defeat. My green face, dazed eyes and stomach in my throat all bared witness against me. The worst part was since I had E2 in my arms, I was nervous to just hop off (after all, the earlier lesson explained that to be a bad idea!) so I had to wait two more long turns before I could safely get off! The girls, being so easy and care-free, were not effected at all and immediately wanted to scale the next adventure. A few deep breaths and a vow to skip that ride next time, I stumbled along to the nearest bench to recover :)

While it can be sad when the end of an era comes, it is thrilling and joyous when a new one starts. Here's a quick recap of the new seasons in the Reed house:

-E1: oh, where to begin! This girl has got personality and imagination to spare. The other day while riding in the car she told me that she had "the toot-toots" (why she commonly refers to GI functions in repeated monosyllabic utterances, I have no idea). When asked if she needed to go to the bathroom, she thought for a moment and told me, "No momma, I just have toot-toots. I have toot-toots all the time, for seven years!"  Two and a half down, 4 and half more to go.....
She also has a new night-time hobby. After she's tucked in and has "read" in bed for a while, we turn out the lights and she lays down peacefully. About an hour or two later Jarrod and I will hear a loud noise. We turn off the music in our room and listen again.... now we can hear it clearly, E1 is singing, LOUDLY, in her bed. Walking to her room ready to discipline and tell her to get back in bed we were surprised to find the light was still off, and she was still neatly tucked into her bed. And singing. Her latest single reminds me much of the movie "Elf". "I'm in my bed.... I'm singing!!!..... Where's my book? fewnifoebnides (gibberish ensues)"

-E2: This little girl is almost a year old! She is working on standing and loves to be included in what ever E1 is doing. We've noticed that she wants to be near the action, but not always a part of it like E1 did. E2 is content to sit next to you while you're working on a dramatic too. Ever watch 7th Heaven? If I had to pick, I imagine E2 will be a bit like Lucy.

project and play with her own toy. But... she can be
When she is overwhelmed or gets bumped by E1 or is hungry or can't move fast enough, (you get the picture), she sits on her bottom and falls, face first, to the floor where she cries. She wont turn her head to the side but does lift up occasionally to regroup and assess if anyone is paying attention to her. She tried this manouver in the bathtub yesterday after E1 took a toy from her, and I think she learned when around water, falling face first is not the best of ideas. (Don't worry, I was right there and helped her sit up quickly and cough out all the water!)

-Jarrod: home stretch of this semester! The (hopefully) LAST FALL SEMESTER for seminary! Assuming he survives these next two and half weeks, he'll be down to just three classes (2 in the spring, 1 in summer). PRAISE THE LORD. Aside from utter dependence on God and seeking wisdom on how to divide up time for too many tasks and too little time, he is really growing and being challenged to help those who are Life group / Bible fellowship group / Sunday school teachers teach effectively and rightly. There's been a lot of sorting through perceptions and notions to uncover beliefs and helping highlight the importance of good doctrine.

Jarrod also had a big birthday recently! Thanks to the help of many people, I was able to throw him a surprise party, luau themed. Believe it or not, he really was surprised! There was a great turnout of friends and family from all over. So thankful for this man!

-Me: The biggest new chapter for me officially starts tonight: working at a crisis pregnancy center. I have been searching for an outlet for my love of working with and teaching pregnant women and talking with people pointing them to the amazing Savior. Do you know how many children are sacrificed to our self-worship every year? That's a large part of what abortion amounts to, valuing our perceived "life as it should be" more than the life of the unborn. I've heard and read stories, I know there are difficult situations... but trying to fix one wrong with another one never makes a right. Please pray for me, that I would study Scripture faithfully and soak in my training time, and mostly that God would see fit to use me, an imperfect-covered-by-grace-dependent-on-Jesus woman, to help another woman choose life.

So with the end of one season, be it school or work or playground rides, comes the beginning of another. I pray we would embrace the moment and be thankful. Know God has you right here, right now, for a purpose

till next time,
-the Reeds

Fall is Here!

Watching the news this morning I saw freeze warnings in New England. While others are bracing for winter Floridians are celebrating the long awaited arrival of FALL!!!!

Favorite fall things:
- you can eat pumpkin and apples at every meal
- going for a walk to get the mail with the girls does not result in copious sweating and a bath for everyone afterwards.
- As much as I enjoy the smell of fresh flowers, nothing beats the crisp air outside and cinnamon candles!
- Trips to the park are now limited by how much energy the girls have, not the temperature of the slide
- Pumpkin patch! ...pics to follow....
- Maybe it's just me, but there's something about a cool morning that urges me to sit in the rocking chair with my Bible and a cup of coffee.

I could go on and on, but to say they least, the Reed house loves fall. Here are a few pictures from our adventures so far.

Painting pumpkins. E1 was soooo excited, she ended painting 3-4 layers before putting her handprint on it.

 E2's side of the pumpkin. Life lesson learned....
Getting smooth footprints off a (now 10 MONTHS OLD!!) baby is difficult, extremely so when she's ridiculously ticklish!

finished product

this little girl is 10 MONTHS OLD

Throwing hay at the pumpkin patch

Daddy helping E1 up to "Noah's Ark"

Happy with Friends!

Ah! Be still my heart! Love these two little girls!!!

Notes of the Firsts

Oops. Life happened and I totally forgot / didn't make time for this. I don't regret what I gave my attention to, but do wonder what funny stories and life lessons I've experienced but neglected to make note of and over time.... will probably forget.

Well, better late than never!

Starting with E1. At two and half, she is as busy as ever! We went to the park the other day and the any help! I turned around and her feet were eye level for me. With a big grin and proclaimed "look momma! I did it!"
immense changes she's gone through this year really hit me. I used to have to hold her hand to go up the winding stairs to the slide, to hop on the teeter-totter, to walk on the balance beam. Now, not only can she do those things, she scaled a rock climbing boulder without

I can see her heart developing too. She has compassion on her sister when she cries. She'll hold E2's hand and gently say "it's okay sissy, it's okay". But, mind you, the strong will is ever present too: "mine!" is atop the bad word list in our house right now. We want to teach her that all things are God's, He made them so they belong to Him and He is so kind to let us use them for a time, and therefore we should gladly share what we've been given. Pray for her, that's a big lesson for a little girl.

On a funny note, we are learning about inside voice vs outside voice and while she understands that concept... this child is the loudest whisperer ever!  So life lesson.... never tell her something you don't want repeated very loudly :)

A few weeks ago E1 was given the privilege to be the flower girl for Jarrod's brother's wedding. She had been looking forward to this day for MONTHS. No joke. Daily I was asked "momma, I wear my tutu for the wedding??" When the day finally arrived I thought she might just die of joy. She couldn't wait to head down the aisle.... until the doors opened that is. When she saw the 150+ people making eyes at her... it was all over! I somewhat gently coaxed her to take two or three steps and drop a few flowers, then once she saw Jarrod standing at the end of the aisle she made a break for it! Everyone chuckled and commented how cute she was. What impressed me the most was this little girls danced her heart out for two hours at the reception! Non-stop movement, and she only wanted to be a solo act, a cousin came to hold her hands and dance together and she wouldn't have it ;)





And E2, it's been a huge period of growth for her too! I feel like daily she's conquering a new feat andeverything (both food and non-food substances....) and is finally starting to sleep better at night.

more and more adventurous. Today she's 9 months old and can stand up, crawl up small stairs, eats pretty much everything (both food and non-food items)
First word: dada
Then momma and we're pretty sure the third is "whoa". At first we thought it was just a baby sound... but she says it every time E1 does something wild. Perhaps she thinks that's her sissy's name? Just one more piece of evidence that E1 will be our ER child.
E2 also got to wear a pretty tutu for the wedding. I'm sure a billion pictures of it will be posted soon.

I am continually impressed that the Lord saw fit to bless us with these two little ones. While some moments, and even days, can be hard... they're a blessing. Jarrod and I comment daily on how thankful we are for family! The Bible really is true that marriage is a gift and children are a blessing from the Lord. Treasure them!