Our Inspired Journey

A legacy is a gift of some kind, handed down from one generation to the next. Of everything we've received from our parents, there is no gift John and I are more grateful for than being taught about our Savior, Jesus...who is both our Friend and King.

When each of our children was born, we were eager to dedicate them to the Lord at an early age, signifying our intentions to raise them in that same knowledge and follow the words of Proverbs 22:6...Train a child up in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not turn from it. Ryder was dedicated when he was 7 months old at our old church in CA. Our family was there alongside us to dedicate our first son, grandson, and nephew to the Lord. We prayed over him that he would come to know the Lord at an early age. I am so thankful that that prayer has been answered...Ryder had been having a reoccurring nightmare a week or so ago. In his dream there was a bear chasing him and it scared him so much that he'd wake up crying in the middle of the night. The only thing that stopped his crying was me praying over him for a while. The first morning he woke up and told me of his dream he described it to me and then said, "I was so scared. It was terrible!"

The next night, I was laying next to Ryder and rubbing his back before bed when we had the following conversation...

Ryder: Mom if you hear me cry that means I’m thinking about that bear again and I’m scared, so would you please come help me.

Me: We can pray right now that God would protect you.

Ryder: I just don’t think God has the power to push those thoughts the bad guy puts in my head out. I’m just real scared cuz I keep thinking about that bear.

Me: Well Ryder, the Holy Spirit protects us when we ask him too. Have you asked Jesus to come live inside you, to be with you?

Ryder: mmmmm (thinking)

Me: Do you want me to pray with you now?

Ryder: Sure

Me: Okay, just pray this with me...

Dear Jesus,

I love you,
Please come live inside me.
I’m sorry for the wrong things that I do.
Please forgive me for those.
I believe you are the Son of God and I love you.
Amen

(after repeating every line...)
Ryder: It’s AHmen, you need to say AHmen.

Me: Is that how Mrs. Niemann says it?

Ryder: Yes. She says, AHmen.

Me: Okay...either way is fine. So now the Holy Spirit is living inside of you to protect you and you can live forever with God someday in heaven!

Ryder: Yeah Mom, Dad’s friend lives in heaven, Uncle Bryan. Not Jacob’s daddy Uncle Bryan, another Uncle Bryan. He fell and hit his head and now he lives with Jesus, I bet he really misses Daddy. Mom, someday when I go to heaven, I’m gonna build a wall to keep all those bad guys out.

Me: You don’t even need a wall because God is powerful enough to keep the bad guys away!

Ryder: Hmmm...I think I need to build a wall :)

Can you tell he's into building lately? Praise God for preparing Ryder's mind and heart to understand at an early age that he needs a Savior. One who will protect him from bad dreams and give him courage in the dark. The presence of the Holy Spirit in my 4 year old is beginning a new work in him everyday. I wish I could say Ryder now never disagrees with us, listens the first time every time, picks up all his toys without me asking and never fights with his brother, but that would be a lie and not evidence of the Holy Spirit in his life...that'd be more like getting a robot for a son! God is not interested in making us robots who never make mistakes and do everything perfectly the first time, all the time! Instead, He wants us to come to Him with our fears, our insecurities, the places where we fall short and He wants to show us how perfectly His presence in our life fills in the gaps we feel without Him. Ryder has begun that journey and I'm so thankful my head-strong first-born is learning what it means to submit to the power of the Holy Spirit...someday, he'll even realize that only the power of God can defeat bad guys...as great a wall builder as he is, only being on our knees before God brings the enemy to his knees.On Sunday, Ryder and Cole stood with us in front of our new church body while we as a family, dedicated our daughter and sister to the Lord. Ryder is learning what it means to pass his spiritual heritage on to his younger brother and sister and is now at an age where he's starting to understand how precious that is...After we arrived home from church and while Cole was sleeping, I took these pictures of my oldest and youngest on the grass outside our house. Ryder was helping me make Cora smile at the camera. He was doing all he could to get her to look in the right direction. He called to her and when that wasn't enough, he knelt down beside her to show her where to look. I pray that he takes this role the rest of his life as the older brother to Cole and Cora. Gently showing them where to look as he gazes into the eyes of the One who calls us all to, "Come."

During Cora's dedication, the following paragraph was read in her honor...

Cora’s birth was the beginning of a new season for our family. Just before her arrival, we had been through a difficult few months as a family, beginning with the discovery of Cole’s hearing impairment, and leading up to his cochlear implant surgery just weeks before she arrived. The gift of sound came just in time for him to share in the joy we all had in hearing the cries and giggles of our daughter and sister. Her birth signified to us, a tangible expression of God’s blessing on our family in the midst of difficult obedience...to move to a place we’d never seen and place all members of our family and those “to be” in the palm of His hand, trusting He saw what we could not. Cora means maidservant and full heart. Her name was inspired by Psalm 123:1-2 which says "I lift my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven. Like a servant's eyes on His master's hand, like a servant girl's eyes on her mistresses’ hand, so our eyes are on the Lord our God..." Our prayer is for our daughter to learn to love being at the feet of her master for there really is no higher place of peace and contentment than to be bowed before the One who loves us most.We again prayed with our pastor, that she would come to know the love of Jesus at an early age and respond to His call with open arms. What a blessing it is to know that Ryder will also be leading the way alongside us for both Cole and Cora as they grow and learn more of who Jesus is and that He saves...from scary dreams, the dark or disability...we praise Him today and forever for being a God who is NEAR! I'm thankful He still speaks to 4 year olds and 29 year olds alike! We ALL need saving today! Thank you Lord for a boy who knows you...Draw Cole and Cora to a saving knowledge of who you are as well. In your time, make each of us new creations! We are nothing without You...