Symanzik Family Update

We got her bed ready!

Picked her up from the airport!

Meeting James for the first time!



Meeting Arlene. We enjoyed a great dinner cooked by Arlene.

Aunt Sarah with her nieces and nephews!

Sisters!!!

We are happy kaayo!!! Tomorrow we will take her to Paradise
Beach.

My sister Sarah is coming to visit us for two weeks. She
arrives on Thursday and we are really looking forward to her
visit.
This picture was from two years ago when we were in the
airport in Houston for a couple hours.

So...some of you have been wondering how many sisters I have! Well, I have 5 sisters. I'm #5 in the line up and Sarah is two years younger than I.

(Kurt, has no sisters! He has one brother!)

Here we are in our younger days with mom. Judy, Jenny, Meredy,
Debbie, me, Sarah, my mom.

In 2002 at my mom's funeral. Sarah, me, Debbie, Meredith,
Jenny, Judy.

A friend shared this web link and prayer for parenting with me this morning. It was/is very convicting - may I always remember God has placed me as a steward of my kids, not an anxious owner. More than anything else, may I parent in a way that best reveals the unsearchable riches of Jesus in the gospel. I deeply desire for the gospel to be beautiful and believable to our children.

May I give quick repentances and observable kindnesses. And may I remember that my heavenly Father can and does redeem my past parental failures for His glory.

The following prayer comes from the website: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/scottysmith/2011/08/09/a-prayer-for-gospel-parenting/

A Prayer for Gospel Parenting

"Heavenly Father, it is a liberating joy to address you today as the architect and builder of your own house--including the household of faith and our children's place in your family. No one loves our children more than you. No one has a greater investment in their future than you. No one can teach us to parent them like you.

As I look back over the years of my pragmatic parenting, I'm saddened, for there have been consequences. But I'm also gladdened, for you've always been faithful to your covenant love, even when I was overbearing and under-believing. The move from parenting by grit to parenting by grace has been a fitful, but fruitful journey. Take me deeper; take me further.

You've rescued me from parental "laboring in vain"--assuming a burden you never intended parents to bear. Father, only you can reveal the glory and grace of Jesus to our children. Only you can give anyone a new heart. You've called us to parent as an act of worship--to parent "as unto you," not as a way of saving face, making a name for ourselves, or proving our worthiness of your love.

Oh, the arrogant pride of thinking that by our "good parenting" we can take credit for what you alone can graciously do in the lives of our children. Oh, the arrogant unbelief of assuming that by our "bad parenting" we've forever limited what you'll be able to accomplish in the future.

Oh, the undue pressure our children must feel when we parent more out of fear than faith; more out of rules than relationship; more out of and pride than patience; more out of comparison than covenant; more out of threats than theology. Forgive us. Free us. Focus us.

Father, since our children and grandchildren are your inheritance, teach us how to care for them as humble stewards, not as anxious owners. More than anything else, show us how to parent and grandparent in a way that best reveals the unsearchable riches of Jesus in the gospel. We want the gospel to be beautiful and believable to our children.

Give us quick repentances and observable kindnesses. Grant us confidence that you can redeem our past parental failures. Convict us quickly and surely when we don't relate to your covenant children, "in line with the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:14). So very Amen we pray, in Jesus' faithful and powerful name."

-Scotty Smith