4 - Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Let's take a look at what scripture says about this gift from the Father:

• Believers can have the Holy Spirit, commune with the Holy Spirit, and operate in the Fruit of the Spirit, whether they are baptized in the Spirit or not. (John 20:22)
• The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the gift promised by the father, and it empowers us. (Acts 1:4-8)
• In scripture we see people begin to speak in tongues once they’ve been baptized in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1-4, 10:44-48, 19:1-6)
• The gift is for all believers, both in the days of Acts and thereafter up to the present time. (Acts 2:38-39)
• We don’t see the early believers operating in power until after they’ve received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 3:12)
• Not all the believers in the early church were known to be full of the Spirit, though it is available to all and urged for all. (Acts 6:3, 1 Corinthians 14:2-5)
• In scripture we see people receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit sometimes with the laying on of hands, and sometimes without. It is a free gift from God and cannot be bought or sold. (Acts 8:14-24)
• The Holy Spirit can teleport people from one physical location to another. (Acts 8:39-40)
• Speaking in tongues was viewed as “evidence” of having been baptized in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:44-48) 
• Speaking in tongues edifies oneself and goes hand in hand with building oneself up in one’s most holy faith. It is desirable for every single believer to speak in tongues. (1 Corinthians 14:2-5, Jude 1:20-21)
• Speaking in tongues is one’s spirit praying, though the mind does not understand. It is valuable to pray both in tongues, and in one’s own language with understanding. Speaking intelligible words among gathered believers is more profitable unto the body, as opposed to speaking in tongues which edifies the individual. (1 Corinthians 14:13-19)
• In a gathering of believers, people should only speak in tongues if there is an interpreter, or they should keep quiet and speak to themselves and to God in tongues. (1 Corinthians 14:27-28)
• The Holy Spirit is the advocate sent by the Father. He teaches us all things and reminds us of everything Jesus has said to us. He will literally bring just the right thing to our memory right when we need it most. (John 14:15-17, 25-26)
• The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, and He tells us what is yet to come. (John 16:8-13)
• The Father is eager and willing to give us the baptism of the Holy Spirit! Whether a spirit-filled brother or sister in Christ lays hands on us, or whether we ask the Father in our own private prayer closet, no matter the circumstance, the Father is eager to give us this gift! (Luke 11:11-13) Also, it is important to note, He will not force us to open our mouths and speak. We must choose to “loosen our tongues” and vocalize to “prime the pump” and allow the speaking of tongues to take place. And above all we must remember how eager the Father is to give us this good gift!

Childhood

I want my daughter to have a vibrant childhood. I want her to pursue her curiosities, read so many books, make mud pies, climb and run and dance and sing. I want her to know she is capable and has the ability to learn and master new skills with her hands and new intellectual pursuits with her mind. I want her to know that she can be kind and generous. I want her to be responsible and confident, for it to be second-nature for her to give and receive honor. I want her to do all the crafts she sets her mind to, pursue various hobbies, and know that she is always learning. I want her imagination to be stirred and touched by the literature she reads and that we read together as a family. I want to be so intentional in the first 5 years - the most formative years - to establish a rhythm and routine and value system that will define our family. Principles of honor, accountability, compassion, and more.

I have studied various parenting styles, both by reading/listening/researching, and also hands on as a nanny to various families over the years. And, of course, by being a parent to Shiloh's big brother Uri. Maybe someday, when I am an empty nester, I will write a parenting book myself. But for now I can do no better than to point to my three favorite parenting books. For the Children's Sake is 100% pure gold, I would hand out copies to everyone alive if I could. Hunt, Gather, Parent is a very practical book of which one must "eat the meat and spit out the bones" so to speak. But I tell you, the meat is so SO good! Shepherding a Child's Heart does an excellent job outlining solid biblical parenting, and blended with the heart and soul of the other two books is a wonderful backbone.

I am enjoying my cuddly little baby to be sure, so so so much! And at the same time, I am also looking forward to raising her and enjoying each stage that is to come! The joys of childhood must be nurtured, we must make space for all the wonder that can be. As Susan Schaeffer Macaulay says, "Careful, we only get to be a child once!" 

(Jamie as a child)

3 - New Creation vs. Old Creation

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. - Romans 8:5-9

While God has given us a set of guidelines to live by, we must recognize that they are the protection of a loving father, not the restrictions of a tyrannical bully. Also, we must recognize that there are different parts of a human being. Perhaps another time we will talk about Spirit, Soul, and Body... but today the focus is on our "New Creation" vs. our "Old Creation".

When we die with Christ, we die to the "Old Creation", the part of ourselves that is hostile to God and incapable of pleasing Him. The Old Creation is selfish, evil, and petty. The New Creation is kind, holy, and beautiful. Some believers get caught in a trap of "performance", constantly trying to force their Old Creation to live righteously. This is not good! The only solution is for the Old Creation to stay dead!!! When we live from our New Creation, we do not make righteous choices to "perform", but rather because it is our nature to live rightly. So it must become a daily habit to say "no" to self, and keep the Old Creation in the grave. Then we live in life and peace that comes from being who we truly are: the New Creation.

Shiloh Ocean Hyland

I recently posted an update on our gofundme, announcing Baby Ocean's official name (Shiloh Ocean Hyland!), and asking for help with our next surrogacy journey for our final embryo. Here's the link where you can read the update. :) Also feel free to share and help get the word out!

https://gofund.me/cbc86ca8

2 - Water Baptism

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” - Acts 2:37-39

After salvation, the next step is water baptism for the remission of sin. It is a declaration and an expression of a new reality, that the "old creation" has been put to death, and the "new creation" is now alive. That we have died with Christ on the cross as an old creation, and have been raised to life with Him as a new creation. If you look at the Hebrew words for baptism, there are two different words. The meaning of the Greek words is made clear by an ancient Greek pickle recipe, in which you are instructed to briefly dunk the cucumber in boiling water (this is the word for water baptism), then submerse it in vinegar and leave it there too soak it in constantly (this is the word for the baptism of the Holy Spirit). Obviously we do not want to physically dunk people in water and leave them there, they would physically drown! But, like the pickle being dunked quickly in the water and removed, the physical act of water baptism is quick and finite. The act of spiritual baptism is different. We are called to dwell in the spirit, just as the pickle then dwells in the vinegar, and this is not a physical reality but a spiritual reality.

Again, not an exhaustive explanation, just jotting down a few quick thoughts on each topic here! My baby has fallen asleep wrapped to me, so I take the opportunity to stand and get some typing done.

1 - Salvation

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -  1 John 1:9

Of course, everything starts with salvation. I recognize that I am a sinner, I repent for all my sins, and I am born again as a new creation in the family of God. Viola!

Well, actually, there is of course a lot more to it than that. But this is where it all starts, and this is holy ground. Some believers have been given the impression that all their sins and problems will magically melt away in this moment, and alas, this is not so. For we must "work out our salvation with fear and trembling", and there's a lot of nitty-gritty to walk through. But that doesn't make this initial moment of salvation any less sacred or holy. For in that moment, our accounts are washed clean. The list of charges charged against us is now on Jesus' tab, for He has paid for it, and we are no longer responsible for all our outstanding debts; He has paid.

Praise the Lord. :)

Christianity 101

While Ocean was napping, I settled down with my notebook and worked on my list of "Christianity 101" topics. This is not an exhaustive list, but it's a start. And I'm planning to make an individual post touching briefly on each item. They won't be anywhere near exhaustive, but it'll be good. Whole books could be written on each topic, and indeed, whole books have been. There is value in such books, but, at the end of the day, it is scripture alone that we need to teach us. Still, I hope you'll enjoy my small thoughts on each topic, for small thoughts is all I have time to write in this season! I definitely have big thoughts as well, but perhaps in another season of life I will write more.