The Snyders in Germany

In most people's understanding the Bible has become like a house cat.  Soft and fluffy it has a sleepy sort of calming presence.  It is seldom interacted with but is still seen as a source of comfort in hard times.  Tame, domesticated and far from dangerous.  This is the modern man's Bible - quaint sayings and inspiring quotes from ancient men.

It has taken generations to domesticate the Bible's raw and intense power down to a cute, harmless package.  Libraries of books have been written in order to explain away its miracles and dull the edge of its blade.  People have succeeded in making the Bible "safe" through volumes of what is often given the elitist title higher historical criticism.

Anyone who comes to the Bible thinking it to only be of, by and for men has already cut it from its source of power and should not be surprised when the stories to them appear to be only quaint utterances of ancient men.  But when one approaches the Bible with even the suspicion that there could be a God in heaven who would want to speak through this book then it begins to come alive.  To the extent that one supposes that such a God may be pleased to use such a means to echo his unchanging truth that person will hear His voice. 

The word of God in its true form is not a house cat but a lion!  If one takes hold of it with a pure mind he will have the greatest struggle of his life.  If he perseveres in his struggle and swallows the truth then it will cut open his heart and enter him.  From within the strength and courage of the lion will empower him in every move that is in harmony with the Word.  But when he loses step with the truth the lion will resist him.  In this way the Word is a two edged sword.

Are you brave enough to approach with an open mind to consider whether its passages are true?  Do you have the strength to endure when the implications are weighty?  Do you have the humility to admit where you have been wrong and He has been right?  Do you have the wisdom to submit yourself to one stronger than you?  Are you man enough for true love?  Or do you just want to play house and approach life like a meaningless game?

That lion will sleep harmlessly on your coffee table or your bookshelf as long as you don't touch it.  But if you take hold of it you will find exactly what you need because "In His presence is fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore." - Psalm 16:11

Take on the lion. . .

baby snyder number 2 is due in 2 weeks!
though this past week I've had at least two "here we go!" experiences..
unfortunately after having contractions at regular intervals for a few hours,
they eased up and no baby has come yet.
my last exam i was 2-3cm dilated and 50% effaced
my baby bulge is mostly below my belly button now,
so clearly he has swam south, or "dropped"

we are getting so excited to meet him;
this waiting thing is getting hard! 

the ultrasound this weekend projected his weight to be about 7.5lbs

he's head down, and healthy.

i've gained about 18lbs and am feeling very good in the final stretch.

peyton is doing well, pray for the transition from a family of 3-4 people.
we are so excited and know peyti's going to be a great big sister!!

the english service seems to be coming quickly into a new season

we are now moving to a home group setting due to decline in numbers.

there are some who drop by to visit every so often,

and then many regulars were only in lippstadt for a short while 

and have now left again to go back home.

others have work, school, prior commitments or relocation,

basically it's a transitional time for us.
we are praying to get some good contacts with the students at the university in town
once the fall semester begins.

please join us in prayer as we would love to meet and reach out to more young families.
we're the only couple with babies in the church,
there are 4 children who attend regularly but they're older.

aaron is playing basketball 2-3 weekly with the local team

and seems to really enjoy it.

he's been able to have real deep discussions with many of the guys on the team,

pray that God uses him as light and salt there. 

it's really amazing how God provides for all our needs and more

people we've never even met have given us:
money, baby clothes, toys, furniture, appliances etc.

considering we arrived with 4 suitcases to our name, 

its crazy to think we have a whole house full of stuff!

we are more than blessed.
we are beyond thankful.
and it is such a blessing to have
 the continued support and prayer from you as well.
we can't express enough thanks,
and we are excited to what the future holds.

for all of you wondering..
yes, a trip is being planned to visit this fall,
details are still being sorted out
as to whether both california and ohio will be visited,
but we will keep you all posted.
pray for good flights, seats, and prices

thanks for checking in,
stay tuned for the arrival of little mr. snyder!

we decided to take peyti's binky away before baby #2 comes

after some research and advice from one book in particular 

"On becoming pretoddler wise"

it seemed to make the most sense to help rid her of the binky..

On one hand, there wasn't much harm being done,
she only had it during sleep times,

but knowing she didn't really need it
and still giving it to her knowing she'd need to get rid of it soon enough didn't seem to make sense. 

so we wanted to help her detach before she starts seeing her brother with one,
and then trying to tell her she can't have one. 

I am so relieved with how things have played out. 

Day One

I removed all binkys from sight before putting her down for her afternoon nap. 

Before this, her routine was warm milk(sometimes in high chair sometimes jn bed) then we'd pray, she'd ask for binky and then hold her lamby and I'd lay her down and she'd sleep. 

Basically I waited til I was laying her down to give her milk, and when she said binky I just didn't acknowledge it, got her lamby and blanky, prayed with and for her, and laid her down. 

After 5 mins or so, probably when her milk ran out, she started whining.

"Mama mama mama" this went on intermittently for about one hour. Going from silence to whining to crying, never extreme thankfully but she wasn't happy and wasn't napping.. 

I rescued her a little before the one hour mark to be sure she wasn't poopy or something,
though my initial plan was to give her her binky cause I felt so guilty,
she spit it right out, and so I hid it right away like it didn't happen,
picked her up and tried to cuddle her,
cause I could tell she wasn't gonna lie down by herself.  
and she just said to me "books", so we read a book, cuddled, 
then she was happy as a clam and it was the end of the naptime window, 
so we spent a nice evening together as a family, having dinner,
 and walking around the city playing on different toys. 
When bedtime rolled around, we read stories, 
and I laid her down giving her her milk only when first getting to the bed. 
We prayed, she didn't make another peep! Hallelujah! 
I did do a lot of interceding though because I wanted her to be comforted,
 and I know God is able to be her Comforter as He is mine. 

Day Two
The wasn't even mention of her binky, 
at all her sleep times she was content to have some warm milk 
and go to sleep alone. 

to say the least it was smooth sailing from that point on
 and we are now proud parents of a de-binkied 20 month old
she is just as happy, and we are so thankful for how it all turned out!!