Frugality and Seminary (the words go hand in hand!)

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Hello all! It is amazing how the Lord continually  provides all of our needs (and a good bit of our wants too!) throughout seminary. Time and time again, He has provided in means that are just extraordinary. We do serve an extraordinary God! Today, I just wanted to share a tip for saving money on that grocery bill once a week 🙂

For all the breakfast lovers out there (you are not alone!), try having a once a week, breakfast for dinner night. We absolutely LOVE this and it saves some money as well 🙂 Breakfast is one of the cheapest meals of the day, so whip up some pancakes or waffles with some bacon or sausage and add a fruit smoothie for a delicious, but cheap meal! We definitely look forward to it in the Lawson home 🙂 We are on the Southbeach diet, so we have eggs (there are so many awesome ways to cook eggs out there!) a LOT and sometimes some whole wheat pancakes with blueberries or pumpkin . And of course, don’t forget the decaf coffee in the evening! That tops it all off 🙂

Enjoy!

Thinking about the church…

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Daniel and I are listening to “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. So far, it is such an impactful read (or rather listen)! This afternoon, while sipping coffee and sitting next to my husband, the Holy Spirit convicted and encouraged both of us through Bonhoeffer’s inclusion of Zechariah 10:8-9,

“8 I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. 9 Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember Me, and with their children they shall live and return.”

What beautiful verses! Bonhoeffer reminded us that the Lord designed the church to spread its seed and to take the Gospel to all the nations. He reminded us, that it is the Lord’s grace that we have one another in the body of Christ. We have sweet fellowship by the Lord’s grace but we are not always to stay where we can enjoy the fellowship of like-minded believers. The Lord calls us to deny ourselves and take up our crosses and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). Sometimes the Lord calls us to live in isolated areas, among unbelievers, and among enemies. If Christ stayed in His comfort zone, surrounded by friends, none of us would be redeemed. Praise God that He did not! Now, we can say with believers all over the world, that because of Christ dying among enemies, alone and feeling forsaken, we are among the redeemed.

This encouraged us as we are pursuing ministry and preparing to go to Alaska. This encouraged us here at seminary, to make it a point to share the Gospel with unbelievers. It also encouraged us in the sadness of saying goodbye to so many dear friends at Kenwood (our awesome church!)  as the Lord takes them all over the world. He is scattering His seed to the nations. Praise the Lord!

We highly recommend “Life Together” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer!

Hard Knock Life Lessons…

It has been one of those weeks! You know those times where Murphy’s law seems to hit you hard and you wonder what catastrophe lurks around the next corner? So, being a seminary student is definitely a life a strict budgeting. We are all about building an emergency fund and not going into any kind of debt (by the grace of God!). With a baby, the emergency fund is slowly being built back up and then out of nowhere, a washer machine breaks almost beyond repair, the IRS sends a tax notice letter, my daughter is crying uncontrollably leaving me pulling at my hair wondering what is going on, and work was challenging for the day! On the way home from work, tears streamed down my face as I wondered if it could get any more challenging! The Lord is such a comfort and encourager. My sinful nature is prone to despair and self-pity and as I saw myself plummeting into despair, the Holy Spirit just encouraged my heart with truth. He sanctifies us through truth! I felt the Lord surround me as my refuge and encourage my heart that this world is not my home. There is a home that is awaiting me at the end of my life. How undeserving I am of any blessings, but especially of the hope of heaven, the grace of God covering my sin, my adoption as a child of God and the hope of the cross and victory of death. When my nature is tempted to envy those who have all the comforts the world has to offer, the Lord reminded me that this world and all we know it is going to pass away. How short life is and how long eternity is! Amazing how these reminders of truth gave so much perspective to “Murphy’s Law” in my life (a.k.a.- God’s sovereignty in my life :-P). I came home able to squeeze my husband tight and cuddle with my daughter, eat our beany weanies in peace, and enjoy the evening with joy! How awesome our Lord is! I know next time, my sinful nature might give into the temptation to despair, but how encouraged my heart was from the Lord and the hope of eternity!

~Amber

Hello world!

  This is our first official post. I am very new at this, so bear with me! We have designed this blog to keep family and friends up-to-date with what is going on in our lives. We are currently living in Louisville, Kentucky and attending the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Daniel is a student in a M.Div program and I am a stay-at-home Mom. We have one little girl, Naphtali Renee’ Lawson. She is 4 months old and a delight!  Having a little one has made me more aware of how time flies and life is so short.

We are currently serving at Kenwood Baptist Church. We love our church and are grateful to be a part there. Daniel plays the bass and I am a nursery worker. There is so much great discipleship that takes place there. The Lord is using it to sanctify us, provide sweet fellowship, and to prepare us for further ministry.

God has given both of us a heart for Alaska. We are praying about going there when Daniel graduates. He is hoping to pastor a dying church in a rural area, in hope of, by God’s grace, revitalization. So, I will be a pastor’s wife! Crazy… I always said I would rather be a missionary in the bush than a pastor’s wife. Now, I will be a pastor’s wife in the bush one day! 🙂

When our little one turns 1, we are praying about starting the adoption process to adopt two little boys from the Congo. We are very excited about this prospect and really sense the Lord’s leadership in this! More on that later, Lord willing 🙂

That is a little about our family and where we are now and, by God’s grace, where we will be in the future! Thanks 🙂 I think I like this whole blogging thing…