John Owen

On our ride home from visiting family in Destin, Robert and I listened to a biography by John Piper on John Owen. We actually love to listen to these biographies (Piper has done LOTS of these) on car trips. John Owen was a great pastor-theologian in the 1600's in England whose works have had tremendous impact on readers centuries later, including J.I. Packer:


www.johnowen.org

Two themes from Owen's life that really struck me while listening to his biography were communion with God and authenticity from the pulpit.

From a letter he wrote to a friend:
"Christ is our best friend, and ere long will be our only friend. I pray God will all my heart that I may be weary of everything else but converse and communion with Him."

From Owen's collection of works giving insight into his authenticity:
"A man preacheth that sermon only well unto others which preacheth itself in his own soul. And he that doth not feed on and thrive in the digestion of the food which he provides for others will scarce make it savoury unto them; yea, he knows not but the food he hath provided may be poison, unless he have really tasted of it himself. If the word do not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us."

What a life! What a rich heritage of faith England has!

You just need to hear the whole thing :) Download it here and bring it on your next summer trip:
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/biographies/the-chief-design-of-my-life-mortification-and-universal-holiness

PS - In this same vain, we got to hear about the life of John Wycliffe (reformer in England from the 14th century) this morning in Sunday School. Pastor Henry mentioned that the biographies he read all concluded with this quote about the death of Wycliffe from biographer Thomas Fuller: "The little river conveyed Wycliffe's remains into the Avon, the Avon into the Severn, the Severn into the narrow seas, and they into the main ocean. And thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the emblem of his doctrine, which now is dispensed all the world over."  His "doctrine" included an emphasis of the direct relationship of each believer to God, and he spent the last years of his life translating the Bible into the common language of English. For this and other similar "heresies" his bones were excavated 40-some years after his death, burned, and the ashes thrown into the Avon river. Pastor Henry's talk should be posted sometime this week on our church's sermon archive (http://firstpresdothan.com/media.php?pageID=42).

Robert's late-night workouts

It's 9:30 at night and Robert says he wants to get in a little Total Gym workout. He's been doing this a lot lately. So as a sweet encouraging wife, I've been quoting this commercial to him:

 

 

And it makes me laugh every single time. Laughter is the best exercise, right? Or is that medicine? Well, let's just say for ME it's exercise... ok? Preesh.

God's Will

A great reminder to me came out of our College Bible Study time last night (oh, to be in college again and stay up past midnight regularly without consequence!). We are looking at Kevin DeYoung's book Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will. We covered chapters 4 and 5 last night and looked especially at the "Don't Worry" verses in Matthew 6 and then a few in 1 Thessalonians:

1 Thess 4:3-4

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable.

 

1 Thess 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

What a comfort to know that this is God's will for my life - my sanctification, self-control, rejoicing, prayer and thanksgiving. Not some obscure, hidden path that could take me off the edge of a cliff if I don't read the signs correctly.

Here are a few other book quotes from the end of chapter 5 that say it far better than me:

"So go marry someone, provided you're equally yoked and you actually like being with each other. Go get a job, provided it's not wicked. Go live somewhere in something with somebody or nobody. but put aside the passivity and the quest for complete fulfillment and the perfectionism and the preoccupation with the future, and for God's sake start making decisions in your life. Don't wait for the liver-shiver. if you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you will be in God's will, so just go out and do something.

...Die to self. Live for Christ. And then do what you want, and go where you want, for God's glory.  

God's will for your life is not very complicated. Obviously living a Christlike life is hard work, and what following Jesus entails is not clear in every situation. But as an overarching principle, the will of God for your life is pretty straightforward: Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God."

 

(Robert and a few of the students in our College Bible Study. Backdrop: Memphis Trolley!)

Home of Great Rock

It's strange the things you remember! I specifically remember one of my more eccentric teachers from middle school describing a travel advertisement for England with the tag line: "England: Home of Great Rock." I never saw the ad but always pictured a scene with the Rolling Stones playing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on top of Stonehenge.

The tag line still stays with me today and I have to say I am a little excited to live in the birthplace of such great music. If you need a little refresher, remember that The Beatles, Queen, and Elton John all came from the UK. But it doesn't stop there, folks.

As a tiny thing I remember riding down the road listening to Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Let's be real, there's just no getting that keyboard/guitar intro thing out of your head once you hear it (thanks Dad)!

Then, at the tender age of 13, the cryptic words "and after all, you're my wonderwall..." made their way into my life on a school field trip. Oasis at its best! And how could I forget the many-a-ride home from high school serenaded by The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony." Ah, those were the days.

I still fondly remember the Keane hits from college: "Somewhere Only We Know" and "Everybody's Changing." Good stuff. And that "Float On" song - Modest Mouse? Loved that!

Even today I'll be the first to admit I'm a sucker for the Coldplay station on Pandora. I just never get sick of it.

And - if I'm being really honest - I usually try to belt my faves in my most authentic English accent... Who knows, maybe we'll catch a concert or two while in the big city!

("Bittersweet Symphony" music video recorded on the streets of London)

This time last year... that fateful Friday...

June 22, 2012...

The day started off early with a Skype conversation between Pastor Matthew in England and Robert in our bedroom. It was a follow-up conversation after an email where Matthew told Robert of a need for pastors in England. This resonated deeply with us as we had been lead to pray specifically for England for several years. We introduced him to our girls and he introduced us to his dog, and an hour later Robert emerged from the room saying "Now THAT'S a conversation that will move you to England!" The conversation included an enthusiastic invitation to come and visit if we could find a way over.

We had little time to process all that had happened in that pivotal conversation, as we hurried to a follow-up appointment with a Neurologist in regards to my weakened left leg. What we thought was just a minor loss of strength due to injury or Meg's birth, seemed to intrigue this Neurologist. He shocked and prodded my leg all up and down and started throwing around words like "wasted calf" and "tumor." He immediately scheduled an MRI for me the following week.

With even less time to process this latest development, Robert left directly from my doctor's appointment to meet his best friends for a much anticipated guys weekend. For the drive, he selected a biography by John Piper of Adoniram Judson he'd had on cd for a few years but had never played. Piper's opening words included "there are perhaps hundreds in this room that God does not want to be pastors anymore in America." Robert quickly stopped the cd and called me laughing about it all! I still remember the conversation and the sense of questioning and excitement.

The day ended with Robert catching up with those friends and sharing how he saw God directing our family. The confirmations from friends were very encouraging, as was the provision of a few plane tickets to take Matthew up on his invitation for a visit. What a Friday!

Some days are so packed with life! And here we are, one year later: the trip has been taken, the surgery has been completed, and the house has been sold. And we wait to see what He will do next.

Losing to Save

I think saying goodbye has been on our hearts more acutely in the past few weeks. We have shared several meals and moments with dear friends recently and last weekend took our youth on the annual kick-off-the-summer retreat. This year we went to the beach (hooray beach!!) and enjoyed lots of beach, pool, basketball, worship, and 1 Corinthians 13. Our little girls came with me and enjoyed lots of special attention from the sweetest youth group girls you can imagine. And, as always, we had a time of personal sharing in our girl or guy groups, and it was a blessed time.

And as each girl shared I wondered, how do I say goodbye to those beautiful faces? How do I lay down my desire to watch them grow and finish high school and college? How can I try to love another church family as much? There's no room left I tell ya!

And then, in sloppy and sentimental fashion, I ended the share time that night with telling them how very dear they all were to me. How I loved hearing them share from their hearts. How I think about heaven often during these times - it's not goodbye forever! We'll be praising Jesus together one day when we shall be face to face, when we shall know fully even as we are fully known!

And - with the ugly cry still on my face - I shared with them Luke 9:23 - 25 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?"

Could I ask any more for these precious lives than they be lost in Christ so that they may be saved? That they would deny the temporal and fleeting desires of this short life and follow the path of their Savior? May it begin in me!

Great Friends, Great memories

Sunday night, Kim and I got to spend the evening with 4 of the coolest people we know -Benji Dean, Hannah Dean, Casey McGriff Watters, and Daniel Watters. They have become some of our dearest friends because we spent 4 years (2006-2010) doing K-Life ministry with them in Dothan.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 is the K-Life verse – “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well because you had become so dear to us.”

These 4 people came to K-Life and poured out their lives into the students. Benji, Hannah, and Casey were 3 of our first volunteer helpers. I’ll never forget meeting them for the first time in 2006 at a college Bible study when they said they wanted to help. Little did I know that God would build the ministry of Dothan K-Life through their love, time, talents, creativity, witness, and laughter!

Some of my fondest memories of K-Life were our leader "meetings" where all we did was laugh while doing stupid things to mess with each other – or basically what we did this past Sunday night, which included dressing up in random clothes, throwing ping pong balls and banana peals into a ceiling fan, and telling awkward stories. All this was intermixed with catching up and recalling the ways God was working in our lives.

God has used them to impact many people in Dothan, my wife and me included. I am so thankful God blessed us with such good friends and ministry partners.

-------------------

Here are just a few more pictures from our K-Life years with them -

Oh the memories!

Christmas K-Life (after my time)

"I am a K-Life Student" skit - yes, Brad Kite as a Bird Watcher

Summer K-Life on the porch of the BEAUTIFUL Maddox farm 

"Vending Machines" skit w/ 4 of the greatest dudes I know

Kim, Casey, and Hannah w/ some of our freshman girls at the time (now in college!)

A.L.S. White and Peanut (I still quote Peanut weekly)

"Welcome to K-Life"

FAQ's

Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions we get these days:
 
What are yall doing?
We are moving to London, England for Robert to study to be a pastor at London Theological Seminary (www.ltslondon.org). The program lasts two to three years, and after that we will go where God leads. We hope to get connected with a church in the UK that is in need of a pastor (even if that pastor is from the Southern US)!
 
When do you plan to leave Dothan?
End of July
 
When do you  plan to leave the US?
End of August
 
Is there a Taco Bell in London?
NO! Please mourn with me (Robert) as I mourn. Taco Bell care packages are much appreciated! Seriously.
 
Where will you be living?
We will be living on campus!! We are SO excited about this. LTS is a small campus, so this means I will be going to class within 20 yards of where we will be living! Kim and the girls will be able to find immediate community with the other families that will be studying at LTS, too. Many of you prayed for this and we are praising God for this particular provision!
 
Are you raising support?
Yes. Our church is officially sending us to England, and if you are interested in supporting us with either a one time or a monthly donation, please contact First Presbyterian Church Dothan. God has blessed us with some savings and the selling of some of our possessions, so we will use that with the support we raise to move to and live in England.
 
What do the girls think about the move?
Meg is a little unclear of what we are doing but is excited about the move to “Eng-a-land.” Ellie is starting to talk about missing her friends and family, but she is also very excited about going as well. The other night at bedtime prayers, we were talking about going to England to love people, and Ellie said, “Dad, I’ll be friends with the kids, and you be friends with their moms and dads.”
 
Don’t you know that Cheetos are bad for you?
No.
 
What is your seminary like?
From their website: “At LTS, we have one objective: to train men for pastoral and preaching ministry, a task which we believe to be of supreme importance for the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the building-up of his church.” LTS began in 1977 under the leadership of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and I would categorize it as a Reformed Evangelical Seminary.

Are you excited to move?
Yes!! We are sad to leave Dothan and First Pres, which has become our home, and sad to leave friends and family scattered throughout the US, but we are thrilled to follow the Lord's leading to England.

Please let us know if you have any other burning questions we haven't addressed! If it's asked enough, it might just make FAQ status and merit another post :)
 

This time last year...

2012 was a crazy, strange and wonderful year for our little Jones family. So strange that I find myself often wondering "what was happening this time last year??" And, in keeping with our stated purpose in the Welcome! post of recounting God's power, plan, and love in our lives, we'll start off with a really fun memory from this time last year!

 

I love the beach. I love living near the beach. It's truly been one of the continuous blessings of living in South Alabama. I mean, we live less than 2 hours away from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world! Hooray Beach!!

 

Often times with beach trips comes the added blessing of time with extended family. Last year Robert's twin brother's beautiful family joined us for a few days. There are five little stinkers between us.

 

It's strange seeing them all a year younger. I could just squeeze those babies through the screen! My mom always said "The beach is a great babysitter!" but my little addendum would have to be "The beach + cousins is the BEST babysitter!" They had lots of fun.

 

They watched a few movies in the big ol' bed.

 

And they walked on the beach with the dads. They had NO idea I was taking pictures...

 

It was a great way to kick off what would become a wild adventure of a summer. Ironically, we just got back from the same beach on the same weekend one year later after celebrating my hero's 60th birthday. My dad is a STUD. But that's for another post...

 

 

Praise God for beaches and family time!

Stay tuned for more action in our "This time last year..." series!

Welcome!

Welcome to the RobandKimBlog! Do you like our blog name? We do, but we had fun with all the names that didn’t make it, that’s for another post!

We are beginning this blog for several reasons – here are two. The first and main reason is we want to testify to God’s work in our lives. In the Old Testament, the Israelites built altars of praise to God after miraculous events that reminded them of God’s power, plan, and love for His people. This blog is one way we want to tell others of how we see God’s power, plan, and love in our lives.

Secondly, we want to keep our family, friends, and any other interested person informed of our exciting move to London, England in September! A very long story short, God has opened doors and given our family a peace about moving to England for Robert to pursue seminary education at London Theological Seminary (LTS) and for Kim to return to her country of birth! We will tell the whole story in another post.

During our remaining time in the US and on our move to England, we will post updates about Rob’s education, Kim’s returning to her English roots, how our two girls are doing with a new country, and all the fun and awkward things that happen along the way!

We titled this blog “In All Our Ways” which comes from one of my and Kim’s life verses, Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”

We hope you will be entertained and encouraged by our record of God’s working in our daily lives.

Robert and Kim