Soccer mishaps

Holly and I both had our money on Rebekah being the first one with a broken arm or leg.  We envisioned a fall from a tree somewhere.

Samuel was at soccer practice on Friday night and decided to sacrifice his body to block the ball.  His response was,  "Well the coach told us to attack the ball".  So he ended up breaking both bones in his arm. 

At The Cross: God's Throne Available To All

Old Testament (OT) (God speaking) “…on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai…Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it.  Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.’” Ex. 19:11-12.

New Testament (NT) “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”  James 4:8.

OT: “When the people saw the thunder and lighting and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear.  They stayed at a distance…” Ex. 20:18.

NT: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence…”  Heb. 4:16.

OT: “Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.”  Num. 3:10.

NT: “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”  Eph. 2:18.

OT: “Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near…”  Ex. 24:2.

NT: “In him (Jesus) and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”  Eph. 3:2.

OT: “Anyone else who goes near it (the tabernacle) shall be put to death.”  Num. 1:51.

Would you agree that The Old and New Testaments contrast in what they teach about approaching God?  The OT warned people to stay at a distance or they would die.  The NT encourages us to draw near with confidence.  Why the contrast?  Why such a change in God’s approachability? 

The cross is why.  “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…”  Heb. 10:19-22.

Here’s a quick history lesson.  In the OT God commanded the Israelites to build a tabernacle (A.K.A. Tent of Meeting).  There were many, many specifics about this Tabernacle.  One of the specifics was a curtain dividing the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, where God would dwell.  The only person allowed behind the curtain was the high priest once a year on the Day of Atonement.  Everyone else was separated from God’s presence by the curtain. 

But the cross changed that.  “[Jesus] gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”  (Matt. 27:51).   When Jesus died, the curtain separating people from God’s presence ripped from top to bottom.  God opened His presence to all people, any time of year or any moment of the day. 

Being in God’s presence fills our lives with…

Peace—“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” (Col. 3:15).

Joy—“Splendor and majesty are before him, strength and joy in his dwelling place.”  (I Chr. 16:27).

Love—“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”  (I Th. 3:5).

Forgiveness—“But with you (Lord) there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”  (Ps. 130:4).

Mercy—“But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…” (Eph. 2:4-5).

Rest—“Come to me, all you who are wary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  (Matt. 11:28).

Because of the cross the curtain separating us from Him is gone.  We can come to God anytime, anywhere because of what Jesus did on the cross.  When was the last time you took God up on His offer?

Funny Faces

We thought we'd share some of our more refined Larrabee moments.

I'd like to say they get it all from their dad...

But I can't.  

Even the dog thought it would be great fun to give a little smile.  

What a great calling God has given us as parents to influence the next generation.

Gabby's 7th Birthday

Gabrielle had her 7th birthday party on Friday night.  She had several friends over for a sleepover.  Of course giggling was heard from the living room until about 11pm.

Holly made a chocolate cake and Rebekah decorated it with a horse theme.

Gabby was very excited to get a tu-tu.  She did need a little help getting it on.  If there are rumors that I tried it on, they are completely untrue.

Puzzle fun

If any body out there likes doing puzzles this is the post for you.

This is a puzzle in construction.

The puzzle in the top left corner  is the puzzle that was under construction in the first photo.

This puzzle is only 100 pieces (it's missing four) but it's huge.

                                                                                                                        -Samuel-

The God Who Created All Things

The sun, moon, stars, and in fact many other parts of creation have been a god to many people around the world.  In creation we see a power that is beyond ours:  the power to grow a plant from a seed, the power to bring rain or drought, and the power to give light and warmth to the earth.  This is power that mankind does not possess and we are naturally drawn to worship it.

In the Inca Empire between 1400AD-1448 lived King Pachacutec, who came to believe in one great God.  His people worshiped the sun, but he began to doubt its deity after studying its consistency.  He observed that each day the sun rose, crossed the sky, and set.  To him, the pattern of the sun seemed more like a slave than a god.  He questioned why a god would always act the same and never vary?  He reasoned that there must be a higher god, one who orders the sun what to do each day.  He named this god Viracocha, (god who created all things).  He encouraged his people to pray and worship Viracocha since he was the supreme God. (1)

We could quickly criticize Pachacutec for his "stone age" reasoning or we could accept that he was onto something:  the worship of the God who created all things.  Although we don't worship the sun, moon, stars, or rain, we have our own set of created gods that we look to because of their believed power.

Money brings popularity.  Success in a career creates prestige.  Possessions might give us protection from life's hardships.  We worship these things because of the power we think they have, but in reality, they are only created things just slaves of the Only True God who is creator of all things.  "The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets."  Psalm 50:1. 

Next time the moon shines, pause to think:  if the moon is that breath-taking, how much more is the One who created it?

    

1.  Richardson, Don.  "Redemptive Analogy,"  Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.  Paternoster Publishing, Carlisle, United Kingdom.  1999, pg. 400.

Easter Morning over the years

Easter morning is my favorite day of the year.  It beats Christmas, my birthday, and my anniversary.  Although these are great days I look forward to, they pale when compared with the power, grace and triumph of Easter.  When Jesus rose from the dead on that Easter morning, not only did He have victory over death, but He also gives that victory to us who believe in Him.  Because of Jesus we have the promise, not just the possibility, but the promise of eternal life.    It is the best day of the year!

Easter 2002.  Samuel 9  months

Easter 2003.  Samuel 22 months, Rebekah 3 weeks

Easter 2005.  Samuel 4,  Rebekah 2, Gabrielle due in 3 weeks.

Easter 2006. Samuel 6, Rebekah 3, Gabrielle 1

Easter 2011.  Rebekah 8, Gabrielle 5

Easter 2012.  Samuel 10, Rebekah 9, Gabrielle 6.

Coming Soon! To a mailbox near you.

We have finally received our prayer cards!  If you have already received a newsletter through the mail from us, then we have your address and we will be getting one to you soon.  If not, send Holly or me an email at darin.larrabee@sim.org or holly.larrabee@sim.org and we will get one to you.  (Such a shame they gave us such difficult email addresses to remember.)

Samuel and I spent an afternoon at the Salt River taking in this view.  We successfully drowned quite a few chicken livers and caught one very angry, good sized turtle.  We brought him home and we were going to eat him, but Samuel gave him a last minute pardon for the offense of Grand Larceny Chicken Innards, and we released him in our creek.

Poking Holes in the Darkness

This is the story of Jim and Jaki Parlier's experience of taking the gospel to the Managalasi people in Papua New Guinea.  They devoted 19 years of their life to the Managalasi and God blessed their work with a New Testament and many people believing in Jesus. 

I enjoyed Jaki's honesty about her difficulty adjusting to life in a Papua New Guinea village.   Not only did she cry when the plane first left her there in the jungle, but she also discovered her real name, Judy, was a bad word in the Managalasi language.  

It was a great encouragement to be reminded about God's faithfulness to His children, His absolute power over the evil spirits the Managalasi people feared, and His love, grace and mercy for all who believe in Him.  A great book that I will gladly pass on to anyone who is interested.