Welcome to the World!

We are the proud parents (and big brother) of a beautiful baby girl!

Tuesday, April 17th I started timing contractions. My biggest hope for Jack all along has been that we would have the opportunity to explain to him what was happening and who he would stay with while we were at the hospital. Thanks to our friend Miss Courtney who came over Tuesday evening with her overnight bag, we were able to have some sweet family time, kiss our son goodnight, and he was able to sleep in his own bed. After singing bedtime songs and a few extra kisses, we anxiously, nervously, excitedly headed to the hospital.

Upon arrival, we went through the check in procedures in the triage room. My doctor just so happened to already be at the hospital and was able to check my progress personally.  She told us I was too progressed to go home but thought we still had some time before things would get interesting. She prescribed rest until she returned in the morning. Unfortunately for my poor husband, the triage room we were in was the last available room. Thankfully for us, we got the last room available! Either way, Ryan did not leave my side, even though that meant he had to sleep in a chair.

The next morning could not come soon enough. With my doctor's blessing, the nurse hooked me up to the portable monitors and we took to the hallways. I wish I could obtain the video surveillance in the maternity ward from Wednesday morning since my tall, groggy husband supportively joined my in walking and lunges.

Progress throughout the day felt as though we were losing a race to a turtle, but we remained determined and optimistic. Meanwhile, my mom had been driving from Austin, TX since 4:30 that morning. To everyone's surprise, my mom made it to the hospital in time for the birth of her granddaughter. I am so thankful I was able to have my husband AND my mom by my side.

We heard the sweet cry of our daughter, Ellie Spring, at 6:45 pm, Wednesday, April 18th. She was 19 1/2", 6 lbs. 5 oz. We were amazed by the frozen moment and filled by the complete love of our growing family.

The hospital congratulated us by giving us an actual room that just so happened to have two beds. Lucky Ryan! This time we anxiously waited for morning because we missed Jack and we were so excited for him to meet his baby sister.

We are a very blessed family of four.

Anticipatory Vision

Notes From the Pastor...

At Easter we proclaim the resurrection story, and we say, “Praise God!  What was dead shall live; what was dark shall shine; what was forgotten shall be remembered, for Christ is risen.  He is risen indeed!”  This is a powerful story, but unless the story becomes flesh and blood in Ruidoso it ends with last of our annual
proclamations: “…just because he lives.”

In short, the resurrection story must become our identity for it to powerfully change our lives.  This means that we cannot identify with former things that once entrapped us; whether it is our possessions, our past, or our position in life.  Yes, I am a member of professional clergy, but what does it mean to be clergy in light of the resurrection story?  Yes, I am a husband and father, but what does it mean to be a family man in light of the resurrection story?

The Westminster Larger Catechism, written in 1648, opens with a question: “What is the chief and highest end of man?”  The answer is then confirmed by the catechismal candidate: “Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.”  Likewise, Julian of Norwich wrote, “The greatest honor we can give to God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.”

Family of faith, I so urge you – live out the resurrection story!  Be people of anticipatory vision; living gladly with friend and foe confident in God’s love for you.

Grace,
Pastor Ryan

My Good Friday Meditation:

Eloi, Eloi lema sabachani;

My God, My God why have you forsaken me?

God lived among:

Flesh walking, teaching,

admirable life.

But now abandoned, utterly alone.

Innocent, draped in blood and

suffering,

But this is not the horror.

The horror finds being in

homicidal loneliness.

This is hell.

The absence of God, reserved for

the godless;

Still it is I, the so called religious,

who knows this absence.

Is this not to be avoided?

At all cost, "Flee from darkness,"

I pray, "Medicate me from

suffering."

Yet within it,

I know my God,

and in forsakenness,

my God is with me.

Humanity Testifies

Notes From the Pastor...

A Holy Week parable:

Two men die and go to heaven.  One was a sinner; the other, considered a saint.  When they come to the pearly gates Peter asks them both: “Which of you lived a Christ-like life?”  In proud posture the saint spoke up first, “I abandoned, rejected and despised my flesh.  I continually tried to live a purely divine life.”  The sinner sheepishly turned his eyes downward and mumbles, “I messed it up so many times.  I tried to be better, but I kept tripping over my humanity. ” “Oh I see,” said Peter to the saint, “Well by your confession, you dreamed of equality with God but you neglected to be Christ-like.”  And to the sinner Peter replied, "You lived in Christ-likeness, not because you sinned but because your humanity testifies that you were lowly, weak and dying of a sinful nature – just like Christ.” 

In the multiplicity of spiritualism around us today we are taught to despise the weakness of our flesh and strive for divinity, and those who reach this level of enlightenment, they are considered saints.  But this is not the story of incarnation.  “There can be no theology of the incarnation which does not become a theology of the cross,” says Jurgen Moltmann.  Therefore, as Martin Luther suggests, at the cross God descended into our sinful nature, even our death, not so humanity can become divine, but so humanity may disbelieve their false notions of divinity and be given a new humanity in the community of the crucified Christ.  This is what Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 12 when he quotes Christ as saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

So may you come to know God in the lowliness, weakness and dying of Christ.  May you love the one who lived in true humanity: abandoned, rejected and despised.  And may you obscenely find hope in the crucified.

Grace,
Pastor Ryan