Commentary on Life

A New Adventure!

2010-02-06T05:03:00.000-08:00

For the past couple years, we have felt a growing desire to be involved in church planting (the starting of new churches). After lots of prayer and waiting on God's timing, the Lord has opened up an opportunity for us to move to Fredericksburg, VA and be a part of a new church starting there.

It's definitely a leap of faith. Kipp will be finishing up in his role as worship and outreach pastor at Staunton Alliance in mid-March and will have to find a part-time job in Fredericksburg and raise partial support. We really feel like the Lord is leading us in this direction and trusting that He will work out all the details.

We hate to leave our friends in Staunton and this place that we have grown to love, but know that God has exciting things in store for us in Fredericksburg.

If you'd like to be a part of our prayer and/or support team, please comment below and we'll put you on the list!

2009-12-19T05:18:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-19T05:13:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the Purath home! We thank God for walking with us through another year, one of much blessing and much stretching.

We’ve been in Staunton, VA for over four years now and have really grown to love it here. Our initial shock of not having a Target nearby wore off a long time ago! Staunton has a lot of personality and culture for a town its size, and we love the park, the farmers’ market, and small town feel.

By far, the highlight of the year was welcoming Beckett into the world! He’s 6 months old now, finally sleeping through the night (usually), rolling over, and eating baby food. He loves to laugh at his big brother and loves to be around people.

Keaton turned 3 this year. It’s been such a joy to watch him learn and grow. He loves playing guitar and listening to music. (Wonder where he gets that from?) He also loves books, puzzles, and playing with his friends. He took swimming lessons this year and is in one of Jenny’s French classes too.

Kipp continues as the worship and outreach pastor at Staunton Alliance Church. He leads the bands, plans the Sunday services, organizes outreach events for our area, disciples other men, and leads our small group, among other things. But life’s not all work, right? He also likes to play Guitar Hero on the Wii and has gotten back into biking recently.

Jenny spends most of her time chasing Keaton and Beckett around and keeping the house straight. She also continues to teach French classes in our home- 2 preschool classes and 1 elementary class this year. Our local moms’ club has been a fun way to get to know other moms and kids as well.

We wish you all a merry Christmas and look forward to hearing from you too!

Vacation!

2009-04-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a wonderful, sun-filled, relaxing vacation in Garden City Beach with Jenny's mom, grandma, and sister. What a blessing to spend the week in a beachfront house with a backyard pool! Keaton loved both the beach and the pool and had a great time. Kipp split his week between Garden City and a conference in Orlando that he really enjoyed as well. On the way home we stopped in Columbus, NC to visit Jenny's grandfather, Pops, and see her dad as well.

Easter 09

2009-04-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Easter this year. About a month ago, I started trying to think of ways that we could make Easter a special time for our family. Christmas is always such a big holiday (and rightly so:), but I wanted to make Easter into a "big deal" for us as well. Jesus' birth is important, but so are His death and resurrection.
So Keaton and I have been telling the Easter story for the past couple weeks. We made a wooden cross and a tomb out of a plastic container with rocks glued on it and had paper cut-outs of different people who play a role in the Easter story. It's been fun to listen to Keaton's 2 year-old version of the story.
The day before Easter we had an Easter party and egg hunt at our house and invited some friends over to celebrate with us. It was a little wet outside, so we ended up hunting eggs in the basement, but no one seemed to mind- especially once they found the M&Ms inside their eggs.
Here are some pictures from Easter this year...

Summer highlights

2008-09-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

So I've been a little slack with this blogging stuff... OK, I've been really slack. I thought I'd add some pictures, a sort of photo essay of our summer.

Tears of Joy

2008-05-25T13:33:00.001-07:00

Prayer is a curious thing, isn't it?

There are times when I feel like the more I get to know God, the more I realize that there are mysteries about Him and the ways that He works. Prayer is one of those areas. I mean, I know that prayer is important to God and that He chooses to make it a part of the way He works, but exactly when and why and how He answers prayer isn't always so clear-cut.

So even though I don't understand its intricacies, I continue to pray.

Lately I've been reminded of two dimensions that prayer brings out- not only intimacy in our relationship with God , but also closeness and sweetness is our relationships with others.

Several times in the past month or so I've cried tears of joy. Once was just yesterday as I watched a dear friend of mine get married. It wasn't just happiness for her that brought tears to my eyes (though I am definitely excited for her!), but the thought of the years of prayer that I have poured out for her and for her relationship with her husband. Praying for her brought me closer to her relationally and made my joy that much greater in seeing how God has answered those prayers.

Another tears of joy occasion of late has been seeing the Lord at work in the life of another of my sweet friends who has recently committed her life to Him. All those prayers I've prayed on her behalf have linked my heart to hers forever. When I think about all that the Lord is doing in her life, I can't help but cry- it's so exciting! And I'm humbled that God would let me be a part of what He's doing simply by praying for her.

So I guess this is just an encouragement to all of you who pray... It's definitely an investment. We may not always see or understand the returns involved, but in those moments when we do, we understand what a precious gift prayer is.

True community

2008-05-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple years, God has really been stirring in both Kipp and me a heart for community- real community. It seems that both Scripture and life experience both affirm the notion that we were not meant to go it alone. God created us with a desire for community, and it's an essential part of loving, learning, and just enjoying life.

I'm reminded of this truth again this week. We had a rough experience over the weekend, and I've been amazed this week at our friends' outpouring of love, concern, and helpfulness. I've had friends from New Mexico to right here in Staunton call to check on me and offer a listening ear. We even had a friend call and offer to watch Keaton tomorrow for us so Kipp and I could have some time together.

Just the thought that there are people out there who care about us and are praying for us is humbling to me. What great friends we have! They inspire me to want to be a better friend. I'm praying that God will help me to be as thoughtful, compassionate, and helpful as they are. Thanks, guys.

Picky, picky!

2008-04-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

Befor I had a child, I just knew I'd never have a picky eater. Right from the start, I thought to myself, I will only give him healthy foods, so he'll be raised to like them and gobble them up. Sounds logical, right? Wrong! Though I have made a habit of giving my child healthy options to eat- plenty of veggies and fruits, a balance of protein and carbs, etc, etc, Keaton seems to have a mind of his own when it comes to eating. He has major texture issues. He'll eat chicken that I've cooked and put in the food processor, but he won't eat a Chick-fil-a nugget. Come on- what kid doesn't like Chick-fil-a? We went to a Tex-Mex place for lunch today with some friends and ordered Keaton a cheese quesadilla. Sounds safe, right? He likes cheese. Wouldn't touch it. He had to be starving. It was 1:00, and he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Wouldn't touch it. I decided not to offer him something else- just let him sit there with the quesadilla. Still wouldn't touch it.
So I'm asking my wise mom friends for some advice. How do you keep from creating a picky eater? Help!

Internal tantrums

2008-03-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

I've found, over the course of my parenting career (which is not yet an extensive one), that God uses it to teach us about Himself and about our relationship with Him. This week I had one of those aha! sort of moments along these lines.
Sometimes Keaton asks for things- OK, often Keaton asks for things. And often it's food. (He's quite a hungry little dude usually.) So let's use that as an example. It's snack time, and he asks for some raisins. OK. I give him some raisins. That's something I can say yes to.
Sometimes, though, he asks for something we're eating that he can't have. We say no, and Keaton screams and cries and throws a fit. We still have to say no, not because we're mean parents or we don't love him, but because we do love him and don't want him to choke. And besides that, we don't want him to learn that throwing a fit gets you what you want.
So the other day, Keaton was throwing a fit over something- I don't even remember what- and I thought to myself, "That's how I am with God sometimes." I want something, He doesn't give it to me, and I throw a fit. I don't cry and pound my fists like Keat does; it's usually just an internal sort of tantrum (but a tantrum nonetheless). I just get frustrated and impatient. I seem to forget sometimes that God knows better than I do what is best for me, just like a parent knows better than the child does what is best for him. I get bogged down in the thought that I want something and I want it now. I don't understand how God doesn't see that He should give it to me.
I guess that's just it... I don't understand. I have to remember that there are lots of things I don't understand. But I can have confidence that God knows what is best for me- that He knows when to give me what I want and when what I want isn't actually what's best for me. If only I could abide in that sort of faith. That's what I'm aiming for.
Lord, help me to learn from my pouting child:)

Easter

2008-03-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Les Petits Parlent Francais

2008-03-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

So last Monday I started up a new French class that I'm teaching- for 1 and 2 year olds. I started it because I believe so strongly in teaching a foreign language to a child as young as possible. Nonetheless, I was a bit nervous- though excited- about it at first. I mean, I have a 1 year old myself, and I play/sing/speak with him in French, but several toddlers at once? I've never really tried to teach a group of toddlers anything, much less teach them a foreign language.
It turned out to be so much fun. Keaton, who is the youngest of the 3 students, sorta did his own thing most of the time, placating me once in a while by letting me help him do the motions to a song or two. My other two students, though, were parlez-ing French by the end of the hour. What a cool thing to hear an almost 2 year old playing and singing in French! Her mom said she was even speaking French words here and there throughout the day without being prompted by anyone. I wish I had a brain as sponge-y as theirs are.

Keaton's new wheels

2008-03-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

The Least of These

2008-03-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

So this blog thing was Kipp's idea... I don't really love to write. I used to. When I was in elementary school, I wrote poems and articles- even a "chapter book" or two. It seems like these days, though, I sit down to write and my mind goes blank. I feel this self-induced pressure to be as clever or witty or insightful as the latest blog post I've read of someone else's.

Well, today I'm biting the bullet and posting something myself. I'm feeling lately like writing may help me process my thoughts and emotions better. It may not be the most brilliant thing you've ever read, but I figure I'll give it a try...

Yesterday in church, the youth led the service (and did an awesome job!). Several of them talked about how the Lord has been working in their lives and what He has been teaching them. One girl talked about the burden she has for the poor- about how much the Bible has to say about the poor (which is a lot, so it must be important to God) and about how just writing a charity check doesn't really cut it (God has much more than that in mind).

I agree... but as I'm processing this, it gets more and more complicated in my mind. What does it look like to care about the poor?

Especially in this country. It seems to me that so many of the poor and/or homeless in our nation are caught in a cycle of poor choices and life-consuming addictions. That doesn't mean we can say, "Well, they screwed up their own lives. It's their own fault that they're in that situation." We still need to help them. But how? There aren't any quick fixes for most poor people in our country. We can't just give them a little food or a little pocket change and be done with it. Only life-on-life love, sharing, counseling, and teaching can break these sorts of cycles.

Then I get home from church and am taking advantage of a nice, quiet afternoon to read a little. I'm currently reading a book by an anthropologist who lived among the Beng people of Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. In this book, she tells the story of a little baby who died of tetanus while she was there, despite her desperate efforts to save him. The unfortunate thing about the death was that it could have been prevented, had the mother been vaccinated herself against tetanus. Even more unfortunate was that a government van came to her village just two days prior to the baby's death and offered "free" tetanus vaccinations.

If the shots were free, why wasn't the mother vaccinated? She couldn't afford to pay 5 cents for a needle and 25 cents for the notebook she was required to purchase for the nurses to write her vaccination history in. So the "free" vaccine wasn't so free after all. If we give money to help Africans fight disease and food shortage, it may help some, but more is needed if these problems are to really be overcome.

But where do we start? There is so much to be done. And most of us are so far removed from these people's lives. How do we make an impact and love like Jesus loves?

Does anyone have any thoughts on any of this? I'm thinking out loud here.

The Gift of Worship

2007-12-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Does the Lord ever grab your attention while you're in church singing worship songs? He did that to me yesterday. There I was, singing "Oh, Praise Him," and God tapped me on the shoulder (not literally, but you know what I mean). He reminded me that the joy I get to experience as I praise and worship Him, lots of other people don't experience because they don't know Him. I thought of friends, people I see in stores and restaurants, and I thought of the Beng (A people group in West Africa). I was moved to tears.

Let's not forget this month, as we worship the Lord and are again filled with excitement at the thought of His coming to earth, that other people haven't heard about Him. Or maybe they have, but they just don't know Him personally. As we think of them, let's pray for them.

Jen

God's Mysterious Ways

2007-09-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

There are mysteries when it comes to God. Have you found that to be true like I have? I'm so thankful we can know Him and be in relationship with Him, but there will always be things that we don't quite get. That's what makes Him God, right? Maybe if we understood everything we wouldn't appreciate His greatness like we should.

One thing that has always been a mystery to me is why some people "get it" and others don't. Two people can hear the same exact message- one may be moved and changed by it while the other remains totally unaffected. What is it that flips a switch in our hearts- and our brains- when we understand the Gospel for the first time, see our sin for what it is, and commit our lives to the Lord?

I think it's the Holy Spirit that flips that switch, but how does He decide who and when and how?

Prayers must have something to do with it, don't you think? I don't fully understand how God acts and moves in response to prayer, but I know that He does. So if this is true, then we should be praying feverishly for the people we know who don't know the Lord. If prayer can affect their lives, then let's pray!

John 16:13 says, "But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth".

Seeking Truth,
Jenny

WHAT IF GOD LOVED ME LIKE THAT?

2007-08-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Since my son Keaton was born on September 19, 2006, the Lord has been teaching me a lot about His love. There was the time when I was praying for Keaton. As is my custom, I was up in the parking lot of our church pacing back and forth as I prayed. I love to be outdoors when I pray—it seems that I can commune best with God when I talk to Him surrounded by His creation; and the church I work at is nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley.

So, I was praying for Keaton. I have said the same prayer for Keaton so many times that it has become a sort of liturgy—but I deeply mean it every time I pray it. I pray: “Lord, may Keaton come to know you at a young age. May he not have to go through rebellion. And may his life bring you much glory.”

Well, I guess I have been pretty confident that Keaton will someday become a Christ follower. I suppose I have believed that the sheer weight and consistency of my prayers would cause Keaton to come to Christ, or maybe my genuine relationship with the Lord would win Keaton’s heart over to a loving God. But this one morning as I prayed for Keaton, it hit me—what if Keaton doesn’t put his faith in Jesus and trust Him for salvation? My heart began to race and my eyes became teary. I prayed desperately, “No, Lord, you can’t let that happen. If that were to happen I couldn’t bear it. If that were to happen, I couldn’t live with myself. If that were to happen, why did you put this love in my heart? Why did you make me love him so much? No, no, no, no!”

Then just as quickly as I was filled with sheer desperation, a still small voice reminded me of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…” I realized that the desperation that my heart was feeling was the same as what God feels for all of humanity. The desperation I was feeling God must feel a million times more intensely as he thinks of the masses that He so loves. Just the thought that God loves me is overwhelming.

There was another time when I was holding Keaton, and my heart surged with unconditional love for the little man. As we stood there in the kitchen, I squeezed him even tighter. As I hugged Keaton, it was as if the Lord was hugging me. It was one of those weird moments where God is almost tangible. I felt the Lord speaking to my soul that my love for Keaton is a reflection of His love for me. In fact one of the reasons he allows me to experience love is so that I can sort of understand his great love for me. I was floored. I thought to my self: “Does God really feel the same way toward me that I feel toward Keaton?” It is almost as if I have to convince myself of this, but I do believe it. Again, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world…”

Christians talk a lot about how we are to love God. We admonish others and ourselves to read the Bible regularly, to pray regularly, to obey God consistently, etc., but we rarely spend that much time thinking about how God loves us. Maybe we should spend more time meditating upon His love for us. Most people have been truly liked and loved by at least one person in their life. Maybe it was their mom and dad, or a grandparent, or a spouse, or a teacher. When we are liked and loved, there is something within that motivates us to love back. The Bible teaches that God loved us first, before we were even lovable—when we could care less about Him.

Stop and think for a moment about this: God loves you. Doesn’t that make you want to love Him back? God’s adoration and love for us can motivate us to love God. So next time you are holding your child or you grandchild, or the next time you are enjoying the presence of your spouse or a good friend—remind yourself that God so loved the world.

Kipp