1. We moved into our new place! We now officially have a home, and we love it.
2. God is so sweet! Yesterday we met about 8 hispanic students on campus. Our hearts are bursting!
3. We are officially Colorado residents now, with CO car tags to prove it!
4. We learned that if we cannot live in a 1 bedroom with just the 2 of us- we have too much stuff.
5. 24 Hour Fitness can now call us members! And we got a sweet deal.
6. Austin learned how to thread a sewing machine. Kayla is currently learning how to make curtains. ;)
7.We went to a yoga class at the gym!
8. Kayla is still sore from yoga.
9. We met a few neighbors. Our housemate and his friend are AWESOME. We look forward to opening the leaf of our dining room table and inviting them over.
10. We found a church (we think!). A few things sold us: the teaching is rock solid, the church body is smaller, and mostly-the baby dedication. AMAZING. ;) Ask more if you are interested.
11. Our neighbor is a grad student in music at the campus we work on. He plays the guitar. It's nice to hear from the bathroom.
12. Ellie & Reid, two of our friends here, came over this past week for dinner. Our first house guests!
13. We learned that 52,000 seeds of grass is actually only about 11 cups. (wow!)
14. Biking to campus is great. It costs....0 dollars.
15. Austin got asked, and I quote, "Do you want to pimp?" on campus by a guy who walked up to him yesterday. hilarious. Kayla wishes she were there. Poor guy.
16. ALWAYS check reviews of movies before you watch them (or buy them for $1 at McKays)...anyone seen The Hours? So strange- so awkward at some points. That's what we get for knowing nothing about it.
17. Read Mark 11- Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking when Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem on the colt that was prophesied about for so many generations before? Jesus finally allowed them to SHOUT about the truth of who He is. They expected a King to come and free them from the rule of Rome. To lead them to salvation and destroy their enemies. Little did they know He would do that in quite the opposite way they were expecting. Instead, Jesus walks into the temple. He looks around. Causes no revolt like the people wanted. Again, Jesus does what only He could do. He walks in the temple later and stops all sacrificing, turning over tables. He plans to uproot their idea of the temple. They have made it the way to get to God. Instead, Jesus declares to His disciples soon after, "Have faith in God!" This is the famous verses that we love to craft into our own delight, "if you pray and believe, you can move mountains..." (you get the picture). They had their own agenda, their own understanding of "freedom" and destroying the enemy....Jesus came to show them that freedom could only be won in their hearts, and it was not done by pleasing God in the temple or overthrowing the current physical oppression.
Jesus is greater than the temple. He is their sacrifice. He tells them the temple is meant to be for prayer, not for buying your way into relationship. Jesus had the agenda of the Father. It was quite different than the people were expecting. He, the King they long awaited, was to die to save them from death. A King who died a common and terrible death. And who would rise and give life to those who "Have faith in God!"
Read these verses in a new light. We are praying that our agenda would be moved like mountains...and replaced with Jesus' agenda. It's quite better.
We love you all! Thanks for reading.
**if you are interested in more of Mark 11, we are studying at our church. Last weeks' talk was on that portion. You can go to parkchurchdenver.org to listen to the talk.
