Church Discipline

I've been studying this topic today because we are dealing with an issue that requires such action. As I've been studying the passages that apply, and reading articles from church leaders throughout time, I'm struck with a righteous anger.

It occurs to me that the absence of church discipline may possibly be the leading cause of the rising divorce rate within the Christian community.

I want to repeat that: The absence of CHURCH DISCIPLINE may be the LEADING cause of the RISING DIVORCE RATE WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY.

Church discipline has gotten a bad reputation throughout the years due to either not being done according to the biblical guidelines or using it for the purpose of excommunication. The purpose of church discipline is NOT for excommunication. It is for the purpose of RESTORATION and RECONCILIATION! Excommunication can be a consequence of church discipline, but even that is still for the purpose of ultimate restoration and reconciliation.

My mom fought through over six years of submitting herself to my dad (six years of him lying about his affairs, being caught, becoming violent towards her, etc.) - literally laying down her life, her rights, her dignity - for his salvation. The church never stepped in and enacted church discipline. Why?!!! My dad was a deacon! My mom was a teacher. They were both very active in the church. Everyone knew my family. It's not like we were just some family that attended some local congregation.

The church turned it's back on it's responsibility to discipline my dad and their marriage was, therefore, given over to the enemy. It's been 10 and half years since that nightmare began, and we are all still dealing with the aftermath.

How common is this?! I shutter to think about the answer to that question.

What are we doing Church?! How many more marriages and families will we hand over to the enemy?! Let it not be, oh Lord! Have mercy on your church, and let it not be!! Rise up, CHURCH! What has the Lord required of you? To DO justly, LOVE mercy, and WALK humbly with the Lord your God. Rise UP!!

There are many interesting articles I found during my study. Here is one from bible.org regarding the reason, benefit, spirit behind and process of church discipline. Here is another article by Al Mohler that I found insightful.

Looking for the Profound...and coming up short

I've had the desire to blog lately but not the revelation.... I find myself avoiding laundry, taking advantage of little moments with Elle, driving the girls back and forth to school, catching up on emails, thinking about what I need for the new little one's arrival, cooking dinner, cleaning up after dinner...functioning.

There are some activities that transcend "functioning", namely our prayer times. I love our prayer times every night. Those are such sweet times together as a whole family. No matter how chaotic the day (or the 30min. just before) has been, our prayer time always ushers in such a powerful blanket of peace over the house. Each night looks different, but each night is special.

Things are still going well with our added family members. Brandon is very much so entering into adolescence. He's a smart kid. He's also a special boy - he has a special place in Gavin's heart, but it's still a challenge. Each of the children are special, in their own way, and we're so thankful to be a part of their lives.

I'm trying to balance raising our girls with the high standards we've always had for them and at the same time ease the other children into knowing what to expect. We have to have the same standards for all the children - there is no other option, but we do expect it to be a process...

We're finishing our second month together and all the children are doing wonderfully. It's not easy, but it is worth it. Brandon is a typical big brother - picking on all the girls (especially Rae - she seems to attract this kind of attention...apple having not fallen far from tree...). Raegan and Kaira play great together and are great buds. Reece and Gia are two peas in a pod. They get along beautifully and are also great friends. Elle loves Justice and tries to take great care of him.....tries being the optimal word there.... She also loves playing with all the big kids. There is no way to convince this one she's only two...(in a few weeks).

Athena, their mom, is tired, but doing well. She longs for this to all be over. Please pray for her.

(All the children are in bed by 8:00, at the latest, and "adult time" begins:)) Our evenings are spent either catching up on TiVo, laughing together (we have lots of laughter in our home), praying together, counseling each other, making treats once the children have all gone to bed - a kid's worst nightmare!!, but all of it is just living life together.

I want to paint a realistic picture. I hope I have. Bottom line is that we need prayer for wisdom and insight, peace, and health. But, living in community is something Gavin and I have been designed for and we can't imagine life looking any different. We covet your thoughts and prayers. We love you, dear friends.

Valentine's Day

The gift my husband has given me this year is priceless!! I'm sitting in bed watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, reading friend's blogs....and hiding for a few hours. Yay!!

I do also have a sleeping baby here beside me (Justice) and Eliot unplugging and re-plugging my computer. She's being very quiet so as not to wake Justice.

We're going to dinner tonight. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with my boy.

Elle just found my coffee from this morning (grinning over the top of the rim at me). She's currently going through my bedside table drawers.

Athena and I surprised the kids this morning with lots of red heart balloons and goodie bags, with Miles Davis playing in the background. They loved it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Eliot Katherine

I have the rare blessing of being home alone with my dearest little Elle for a few hours this morning. She delights me.

Here are a few words that describe her:
Confident
Independent
Love-bug
Tease
Smart
Helpful
Funny
Ingenuitive
Curious
Strong
Fiesty
Beautiful
Extraordianary
Delightful
Precious
Great singer
Big girl

She started sleeping in the big bed with Reece a few nights ago and hasn't skipped a beat. I sent her up for her nap yesterday and by the time I got up there (maybe two minutes later) she was already asleep. The queen bed she and Reece share looked enormous with her little body right in the middle of it.

One of my greatest joys is hearing her sing in the car, at the top of her lungs. She knows almost every song that plays on our local Christian radio station. .....ah, what a blessing. I can't even begin to explain how beautiful it is. I pray I never forget that sound.

I can't believe how quickly she is growing up. Elle is such a joy. I'm amazed by her daily.

Thank you, Lord, for your many blessings. You are good - whether I see it or not - but I'm so thankful for the way you reveal Your goodness through Raegan, Reece and Elle. You are good, Lord. Not to us, but to your Name be the glory!

I'm Back!

So much has happened since I last blogged and much to talk about. I'll try to be brief.

First, Jenny and Nick left for their trip on January 3rd. We've heard from them several times and they are doing great. Please keep them in your prayers. If you're curious here is Jen's website, and here is Nick's website.

Reece had her tonsils and adenoids removed the first week of January. We were having them removed because of sleep apnea, but found out after they were removed that they were actually rotting inside of her little body!!! What a HUGE blessing to have had them removed before she had any complications. Though she did BEAUTIFULLY before the surgery and during, the recovery was very difficult. It took a solid month before she was back to herself. The apnea was gone the first night, but she was in so much pain. I'm not a great nurse as it is........by day 10 I was over it. We made it through and she is back to her sweet, adorable self!! Praise the Lord!!

Finally, for the year that Nick is gone my friend, Athena, and her four children are living with us. Athena has been through a nightmare with her husband, Damion. It's such a long story and crazy. I wouldn't believe it were I not there to witness it myself. The Lord is definitely moving and we have seen so much fruit.

Brandon is 10, Kaira is 7, Giana is 4, and Justice is 7 months old. They are precious. (pictures to follow soon)

We run a really tight ship but the Woodson children have fallen in line beautifully and love their new routine. We all have dinner by 6:30pm, everyone pitches in to clean the kitchen, wipe down the table and sweep. Next we have prayer time together around 7:15 (which is so precious - our worship time together is even more wonderful with them here.). Everyone is in their rooms by 8:00 at the latest. They know that anything after that is getting into adult time and that is NOT taken lightly.

Every other weekend the kids go with their dad, as well as, dinner every Wednesday from 5 - 7pm. The transition times are always difficult. The kids never want to go with their dad, though they love him very much, and they always come back a little confused and disoriented - especially Brandon.

We have been under a lot of attack - spiritually and physically, but we have also been so blessed, overwhelmed with His blessing! The kids all get along so beautifully and play very sweetly together. We have family meetings and talk about any issues that arise on a weekly basis. We have also allow the kids to plan activities for the month to come. As a result this coming Valentine's weekend is a BIG one! Friday night we'll be bowling. Saturday morning is breakfast at IHOP. Monday is ice skating at Reston Town Center..... whew! They are so excited and we're all looking forward to treating them to a fun weekend, as well.

Prayer requests right now:
Peace that passes all understanding - we've been so blessed with an abundance of peace and pray that it continues - despite the chaotic storm the Woodson's are in.
Health - It's hard enough to be submitted to the Spirit when you feel great, much less when there is sickness...
Healing and Redemption - for the Woodson family.
Protection - Gavin is very much on the front lines of the spiritual battle going on around us.

(The pregnancy is going well. I'm very tired this time through. I haven't felt great the entire time, though I do have days where I feel like myself. I feel a lot of closure this time. We are in NO way closing the door on more children (we've talked about adoption before we had Raegan), but I do feel like I have "permission" for this to be my last pregnancy. I have a lot of peace about it. Also, this is either Sutton Vian or Judah Patrick Gavin - it's official:))

much love, dear friends. Thank you for your love and concern - and especially your prayers.