The Eddy Family Times

"Thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:1 Claims upon Identity What things stake a claim upon my identity? The Cambridge Dictionary explains, "If you stake a claim to something, you say or show that you have a right to it and that it should [emphasis added] belong to you." It can mean serious business to stake a claim on something, but to make that claim stick you have to convince others that it truly is yours. It only "should" be yours until others are on board, recognizing your claim as valid. There are many roles and traits that would stake a claim upon my identity. Some are good (wife, mother, loyal), some are not (insecure, prideful). Good or bad, these things can create an overwhelming sense of battle raging as they seek to solidify their claim. However, thinking of those things as only trying...

It hasn't been easy,  these first few months of adjusting to being parents. But, oh my, has it been beautiful! We are learning so much, David and I, as individuals, as a couple, as a family. Throughout life I have faced seasons of feeling like my life is a knotted mass of nothingness. God always redeems those times and shows me I am but looking at the back of the tapestry! But, in this season, I rejoice to say that I am getting little glimpses of the front of the tapestry. Even on chaotic days, life feels more like the pulling and threading and stretching of purpose and beauty than it does a tangled mess. I cannot express the joy and, honestly, the  relief I feel to be able to say that.  A Word about God In the first few weeks of motherhood, God brought me to Isaiah 28. It was just where I was in reading through the Bible. In reality, I wasn't very excited about it. I was snagging a few moments of peace while Maggie wasn't needing me and I felt less ...

Photo by Marius Taciuc "It was the first time Marius would get to attend a New Testament Bible dedication. ...After arriving in the village where the dedication was to take place... he estimated that there were about 1000 people there in the village. He was amazed that they all seemed to have the same mindset." "'From time to time there were groups of about 100 or so that were coming out of their houses and singing hymns in their language as well as in Tok Pisin (the local trade language). That is something you don’t see in the western world. I was thinking to myself all the time: What would it take to see something like that happen in my home country? An entire village coming out of their houses singing for the glory of the Lord. That was very emotional for me. I realized that they were taking it seriously. They were saying, this celebration of ours is very personal.'" (From The PNG Experience blog. Post titled, "For the Glory of the ...

Did you know that St. Augustine , renowned early church theologian and thinker, partly credited his acceptance of Christ to his Mother's prayers? "What does that have to do with a picture of your soon to arrive baby's nursery," you may ask? With the next month or so will come the start of many new things: the birth of our baby, parenthood, job changes, greater focus on our Wycliffe ministry. We are so excited by every single one of these events. They are life-changing and great privileges. Yet, this is a moment in life where we stop and weigh our present and future responsibilities. In doing that, the biggest realization is that to anticipate the coming of parenthood is to gaze upon a piercing and eternal specter. The Pieces Reading The Confessions of St. Augustine   has been an unexpected encouragement to the coming task of parenthood. The world was very different at St. Augustine's birth in AD 354 than it is in AD 2018. Nonetheless, Christian family lif...

Our Heavenly Father is so gracious to tend to our needs! In the weeks following the last blog post, Unless the Lord Builds It , His kindness in meeting us in personal ways has been, well, beautiful. Don't get me wrong, everyday has not been perfect but, as I reflect on the last few weeks, I am blown away by His overarching grace. Neither of the two passages I share below were sought out as I grappled with the idea of letting the Lord build our family and ministry. They were little bouquets of wildflowers that He left here and there to remind me of His love. I pray these words that have encouraged us will sink into your hearts and encourage you as well. If the "old" English is a little uncomfortable, as it is for me, I would challenge you to let that lack of familiarity drive you to dig into what is being communicated, and pray for guidance as you think on the words. Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon August 2nd - Morning "Who worketh all things after t...

Photo by Fleur Treurniet on Unsplash I read Psalm 127 a few weeks ago. The declaration in the first verse pierced my heart. ~ "Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." Psalm 127:1 ~ Our family as well as our Wycliffe partnerships and ministry are works in progress at this moment. Anxiety creeps in as I think of our humble little structure. It can look a bit vulnerable to my fearful eyes. All I can see are tasks going undone, time ticking out of control, preparations being overlooked. "I know you need to be the one to build it, Lord, but is it all even possible?" A Timely Example This week, because my Father knows me all too well, I received a reminder. In A Chance to Die , by Elisabeth Elliot, I was reminded that letting the Lord build your life is not unattainable. Amy Carmichael, the subject of the book, was a real person with real trials...

As David and I begin our missionary training, we have been prompted to identify what spiritual disciplines we need to build up. Referencing the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun has helped me to identify a discipline she calls "Self-Care" as one which I am sorely in need of building up in my life. I tend to be blinded by my own standards of success and failure on a day to day basis. I have found that I really need to learn to see myself as God sees me. That sounds simple. That sounds like something I know how to do. But, as the bustle of the day commences, I don't find it easy, and I don't seem to know how to correct my attitude toward myself. Purpose I long to build up a practice of Self-Care, rooted in my Creator and Savior that will have deep and lasting results. I do not desire to simply complete a 1,2,3 guide. I hope for Christ-centered methods that produce modifications in my life. How do I reshape my thoughts and actions toward myself ...