Birthdays Part 1

The month of June holds my 2 oldest children's birthdays. Grandma and Grandpa Steele sent presents in the mail. You may notice that my youngest son also got a present - his birthday was in February, but I never told Grandma what to get him, so he never got a present from them. Grandma and Grandpa sent him a present with the other kids' presents. It was just as well, since he doesn't understand birthdays yet and he was feeling a little left out.

T-Ball

We put the 2 oldest kids in non-competitive t-ball. It is through a local church. I am really pleased with it. Every Tuesday they have practice and every Saturday morning, they play a game amongst themselves. It has been really fun. My daughter has shown some skills in catching and throwing. My son is a real go-getter. He is always running after the ball.

Last Days of School

My daughter finished her first grade year of school a few weeks ago. Before school ended, she was a giraffe in a school play - she was not not too thrilled about that.

This is her first day of school compared to her last day.










She got the Responsible Citizen Award.

She loves to climb on the monkey bars.

Thus the end of first grade. August will come before we know it and we will have a 2nd grader and a Kindergartner. Hope you are having a happy summer!

Communion Devotion - "The Door of Humility"

It was my turn to do a communion devotion last Sunday. I really struggled with some different thoughts going through my mind, and I was not feeling the ambition to study them. I was praying about my dilemma one night and all of a sudden an idea popped into my head. It was a post that my dad wrote on his blog, Silver Bullets, called "Bethlehem in Prophecy." It wasn't the fact that the post was about prophecy, it was his picture and explanation about the Church of the Nativity. I wasn't for sure how it was all going to come together, but I was surprised how it did.

When God works in the lives of others - even in small ways like writing a communion devotion, I am not surprised. I know God works that way, but when it happens in my life - it is surprising and humbling. Do you know what I mean? I know that God popped everything in my head, so I could write this communion devotion. Now, that is a lot of pressure. This devotion better be good, right? I guess you will just have to read it and decide for yourself. It gave me something to think about at communion time and maybe that is enough.


In Bethlehem today, there is a church called, "The Church of the Nativity." This church is the traditional site of the birth of Jesus. The main door into this church is so short that even a short person has to bend over to enter. The door is called, "The Door of Humility." Bible commentator, William Barclay, said this of the door, "There is something beautiful in the symbolism that the church where the cave is has a door so low that all must stoop to enter. It is supremely fitting that every man should approach the infant Jesus on his knees."

Humility - Jesus had it. It is the theme that runs through the birth, the life, and the death of Jesus. Philippians 2:5-11 says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Communion time gives us the chance to reflect on Jesus' humility and remind us of the necessity of our own humility. As we take the juice and bread that represents Jesus' blood that was shed and His body that was broken, may we humbly remember that Jesus made himself nothing so that He could die on the cross for our sins, and so that we can live together with Him. It is supremely fitting, for us to approach our Lord, the risen Savior, on our knees.