~Pictures~

Life has been crazy around the Leman house this December but here are a few Pictures to update you on our life.

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Oh, for the day to come when all will truly stand and sing "Praise Yahweh!" (hallel-yah) and every tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords!

Happy Holidays (pt.1): A Different Kind of Pilgrim

“Pilgrim” can be blandly defined as anyone who makes a journey for spiritual or religious purposes. In America we’re culturally conditioned to think of a group of English separatists who made a harrowing trans-Atlantic journey to escape religious persecution in their homeland. Or perhaps, if you’ve been a student of the history of Western Civilization, your mind goes to medieval Europe and the countless costly travels of wealthy Christians to get a glimpse of some saintly relic. In our present era the greatest annual pilgrimage is still about seeking freedom and the favor of God, but this pilgrimage is being made by men and women from every continent on earth to a sun-baked patch in the Arabian desert. Dressed in white robes they make corporate prayer, in rhythmic-like procession they retrace sacred pathways, in eager anticipation they wait to kiss the sacred stone...all in the hope that their sins would be forgiven.

On Nov. 14 the Hajj to Mecca will begin. Muslims who complete this once in a lifetime event will become known as a Hajji in their home community and be sought out for spiritual advice. Needless to say, this is a time of intense spiritual activity, both of darkness and of light!

Join with Christians around the world as we thank God for all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ, out Light, and intercede for our Muslim neighbors in darkness; pray particularly for our Global Partners serving in Muslim Lands. Also, take this opportunity to talk to your Muslim neighbor about “Hajj” and the greatest pilgrimage of all when the Word became flesh...

Encore!!

Video Mania

Ok, so we know our son is cute. But we didn't know that the videos would be so popular. Here's a few more to satisfy the Benaiah craving... :-)

We Call Him Snack...

The giraffe, that is. Mommy used to be pretty snacky towards the end of pregnancy so the giraffe got his name that way. Now it's taken on a whole new meaning.

A Whirlwind Fall

It's been three weeks already, where did they go? Oh yeah, I know - guests in our home two weeks straight and then began the annual Global Focus at our church. Whew! Here are a few snapshots of our lovely guests though...

Benaiah the Alarm-Clock

Ok, here's a better shot...

Rock-a-bye!

Too cute!

A Breath of History and Fresh Air

We made a visit to Historic Fort Snelling, but it was closed. So we went for a great walk, enjoy the pics...

Photo Shoot

(and 2 tons of Cuteness)

No commentary necessary, just the fruit of a rainy day:

Of Vacations and Watermelons...

So, we were at the doctor the other day and she said my little buddy weighs more than a watermelon. OK, she actually said that he's 15.8 lbs. but the grocery store flyer said their watermelons were only 15 lbs. Here's some pics from our recent vacation in Michigan...

A Night of Power

As the season of Ramadan comes towards a close, my prayers only intensify. The 27th night of this Muslim holy month is a special time of prayer and spiritual fervor. It is believed that a prayer offered on this occasion is worth many times its individual merit. This is the anniversary of the initial revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an. Thus, a special night of power!

Yet in prayer and in witness we are not without power. Jesus the Messiah said that he was going away in order to send the Blessed Holy Spirit. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the end of the earth!" (Acts 1:8) Power...no wonder we're commanded "be filled with the Holy Spirit." (Eph. 5:18)

Pray that this power would come over all the Church afresh these days - power for a ministry of fervent intercession, power for a ministry of loving witness, power for a ministry of grace-filled deeds of kindness. Oh, Holy Spirit of God, fall afresh on us!

Grace & Truth

From “30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World” - “In settings of friendship and trust, [engage] the truth claims made within the Qur’an itself and for the Qur’am by Muslims. Blithely nodding or smiling when Muslims make truth claims that go against the clear message of the Gospel shows neither respect nor love. Love goes the distance with our friends in taking a firm stand and making our best case for the saving truth.” (http://www.30-days.net/)

I was struck by this sentence today. How indifferent have we become to all kinds of people in our society and around the world using the Lord’s name in vain, making degrading statements about His Holy Word, and rejecting the beautiful news of the Gospel. “Blithely” is a good description - “showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous.” Have I grown callous to the rejection of God’s Word? Have I become casually indifferent to disbelief in God? It should hit me like a thunderbolt every-time!! What did I just read this morning, “I am Yahweh, and there is no other, besides me there is no God...I am Yahweh, and there is no other...I am Yahweh, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7; for Yahweh try inserting “he who causes to be”, one possible translation of the Holy Name)

But more than shock and awe it should cause passion for the truth to rise in my heart and compassion for the speaker to temper my response. Do we serve the risen King or not? Does he truly rule this world or not? Will he come again one day and vindicate this insolence and indifference towards his holiness or not? What do we believe! And yet, did not our Lord bear such shameful reproach on the cross, our shameful reproach? Has he not called us, former enemies, sons and daughters of God? Oh, there must be love and respect in our speech and conduct but always rooted in the truth, and a passion that this truth be known and rejoiced in just as we do day by day. Father, draw many Muslims to a right understanding of your Son, Isa al-Masih, in these their holy days by the powerful wind of your Spirit and unchanging truth of your Word. Through His name we ask it, AMEN.

LEARN - “...the good hand of God was on him for Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of Yahweh, and to do it, and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” (Ezra 7:9-10) The core of all we’re studying here at BCS is God’s Word. Whether that’s through reading Jonathan Edwards or learning Biblical Hebrew and Greek, our labor is in going deeper into the word of God. The biblical languages are forming a foundation for every class we take with the hope that when we graduate we’ll possess such a humble proficiency in them that they’ll serve as a foundation in whatever ministry to which God calls us.

SERVE - In John 13, before Jesus instituted the supper of the New Covenant and then went to the cross to accomplish it, he took up a towel and washed his disciples’ feet. One friend in my cohort pray regularly before class, especially our language classes, which can seem “impractical” at times, “Lord, make this study of Hebrew/Greek a labor of love for the people we'll serve someday.” For now we view our studies through this lens of service, for ultimately these are not to gain knowledge that puffs up, but skills and training that will allow us to then serve God’s people around the world.

TREASURE - “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the Law of the Lord...” (Psalm 1:1-2) Whoever might be credited with organizing the Psalter put this psalm first and this though is to govern our reading of the whole book. Delight in God’s Word, it’s not enough to simply learn and even live out unless there is a heartfelt affection for the things contained in God’s word. Chiefly is this, “rejoice in the Lord always!” (Phil. 4:4) We delight in the gift of God’s Word for in it we encounter His glory and His gospel.

OMNIA IN CHRISTO CONSTANT - “...in Christ all things hold together...” (Col. 1:17) The latin translation from this hymn in Colossians is a fitting banner to fly over our school. In the end it is not education we seek, nor practical skills, nor financial stability and security, nor ministerial prestige and power, nor a reputation and writings that last through the ages...we seek Christ! As has been said, he is the blazing center, like a sun in a solar system. “For from him, and to him, and through him are all things! To him be glory forever, AMEN.” (Rom. 11:36)

Allahu Akbar! (God is Great!) Jesus is Lord!

Around the world this morning billions of people are beginning a grueling 30-day spiritual exercise: abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. The aim of such a fast is to display one’s devotion to God, perhaps earning merit in his sight, and to proclaim to one’s-self that indeed you are a Muslim (one submitted to God).

During these intense days of spiritual activity may our walk with Christ be all more rich. Lest we forget, we pray not 5 times a day but without ceasing in constant communion. Lest we forget, we pray not towards a location on earth but to our Father in heaven who is so merciful to hear us. Lest we forget, we seek not our own merit in prayer but rest upon the perfect merit of Christ that comes through his death and resurrection. Lest we forget, we fast not to be seen by others but to because the Bridegroom has gone and we await his return - this is not our home!

And yet, we have the very Holy Spirit of God in our hearts and in our midst. May He be pleased to fill us afresh these days with a spirit of intercession, with a gladness in the greatness of Jesus Christ, and with a hope that cannot be broken...come pain, hardship, persecution, even death. Our God is Greater, Jesus is Lord!

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ... (Nothing can) separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!" (Rom. 8:21-32,39)

The Baby Mirror

Six weeks today Benaiah was born, and it's been quite a ride! A lot's happened in that little window of time. We had wonderful host of visitors coming in and out of our home - the support and love has been an overwhelming picture of God's grace. During those weeks I also began and am about to finish my summer intensive in Hebrew grammar. Rachel went back to work last week and began getting things in order. Much to her dismay, the new owners of her hotel finally told her that they had hired someone else to do her job...so now we're job hunting. (Rachel has managed to pick up a 30 hour teaching load at the swim school for the fall, praise God!)

But more than all those events, we've been learning...a lot! We've been learning some of what it takes to be parents. We've been learning about babies. We've been learning the most about ourselves, though.

Babies, when you're not just borrowing them for an hour or two, can show you a lot about yourself, kind of like a mirror. But like a mirror, they show you everything, good and bad! I've seen my own impatience come out, my desire to be in control, my frustration over set-backs. I've seen us begin to establish a rhythm for our lives, my ability to change my priorities in an instant, my Father's patience and kindness toward me. In all of this I've seen more clearly my need for God's grace at every moment of the day.

"As a Father shows compassion to his children, so Yahweh shows compassion to those who fear him." - Ps. 103:13

Grandparents, Welcome to the Club!

What would the world do without Skype? Well, for one thing there would be 4 disappointed new grandparents! Benaiah's became a skype star before he even left the hospital and now his show airs weekly at unpublished times over the weekend.

It's hard to believe that any of these folks are grandparents, huh? They certainly don't look it :-)

A Walk in the Park

The clamor for more pictures has been astounding! Benaiah fever has swept the nation! The editors of this blog felt that we had to do something to answer this massive surge in popularity. Hence we've decided that from time to time we'll just post pictures, lots of really, really, really cute pictures :-)

Wee Hour Walks and Meditation

In the freshness of this new development in out lives I've been soaking in all the richness of the Biblical imagery of birth and babies. In the grind of the coming months this might wear off but something in me doesn't want to lose the child-like wonder of experiencing a child!

So, this morning at 3:00am Benaiah decided he was done sleeping. In those early hours of father-son time I had a lot of silence and a lot of time to think over the past few days and my past years of spiritual life. Oh, how little this baby understands about the world, about what's good for him and what's not, about who I am as his father. How little this baby is able to do...almost nothing. How little this baby is able to communicate, nothing more than a cry.

Lest I think too highly of myself, or any of us, what an amazing picture this is for us to wrap our earthly minds around:

-How much higher is God's understanding than ours! Benaiah doesn't even know what a building is let alone that he lives on the fifth floor of an apartment complex in Elliot Park, Minneapolis. How small is my understanding compared to the Father's!

-How much greater is his ability than ours! Benaiah can't even roll over and barely is able to move his head, let alone care for himself and make a contribution to the greater society that bustles around him daily. How small is my ability compared to the Maker of all things!

-How much superior is his speech than ours! Benaiah has two cries right now - the "I want attention" cry, and the "Whatever you're doing to me I don't like it" cry. As I held him this morning I was reading from a 3000 year old book written and meticulously passed down through the ages. How small is my speech compared to the Author's speech which in speaking makes things be!

If only it didn't take such a traumatic, life-upsetting course of events to allow me to see that "the heavens declare the glory of God..."

Looking with new eyes, Marcus

What's in a Name

Benaiah - You might recognize part of the name ("Yah") as coming from the God's covenant name in the Old Testament, Yahweh. Many names within God's covenant people bore His name in a small sense: (say them aloud) Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elijah, Hezekiah, Joshua, etc... All of these names for individuals also said something about God! Such is the case with Benaiah and the reason we found it fitting for a first-born. The other part of his name comes from the Hebrew word "banah" which means to build or be built. Thus the combination of "banah" and "Yah" into Benaiah comes out as something like "Yah has built up" or "built by Yah". This was actually a pretty common name in Old Testament times but the most famous Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was one of David's mighty men and the general of Solomon's armies (2 Sam. 23:20-22)

Around the block today, 26.2 tomorrow!

Picture Speak Louder Than Words (sometimes :-)

Big Boy Benaiah!

Happy Mommy, amazing how make-up and a shower help you feel better!

The Leman Family (Minneapolis)

Meet Our Son!

This morning at 2:05 AM our first son was born - Benaiah Jeffrey Leman (8lbs/12ozs - 21 1/2 inches). His name means "God builds up" which we thought fitting for a firstborn. (though we didn't know it was a boy until he arrived)

It was a grueling 25 hours of labor but mommy Rachel is doing good and very happy. Benaiah's a good sleeper and even let us get a few hours of rest this morning. Rachel's parents are here to help us through the next few days and I'm sure we'll have many more guests after that :-) Thanks for your love and support, we'll continue to need it.

Marcus (for Rachel and Benaiah)

Horticultural Insights (pt.2)

Last week I met a tree. Walking through this arboretum a note by its roots read "Casaurina Equisetifolia - 100 years old". Who kept track of that? When other of its larger cousins were being hewn down and harvested, someone cared for this plant, watered it, trimmed and cleaned... Who did that? I wonder what they looked like... Did they smile a lot? What did the like to eat for breakfast? Could they run like the wind or were they confined to a wheelchair? I'll never know. All I know is that they loved this tree. They loved it, cared for it, and passed it on to someone else who would do the same.

"Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." -Moses

Most of us won't be remembered long after we're gone. Family and friends may crack open a photo album from time to time and tell stories. Maybe they'll remember my smile, maybe they won't. But if they can look at my effect on the world around and know I loved Jesus, that will be good indeed. Maybe it will be a person they see, or a group of people. Maybe it will be where I put my money, all that non-necessity money. Maybe it will be an investment of hours week in and week out, or maybe just thirty seconds later today. Maybe it will be in a note I write, or something I say. Whatever it is, will it last, will it point the to God? In fact, it doesn't even matter so much that they know "I" loved Jesus but that Jesus is worth loving because someone devoted a life to it. 27 years and counting...

Whoever planted that Horsetail Tree is long since gone and now a second generation of caretakers is ticking off the days, maybe a third. Do they love trees? We'll see.

Horticultural Insights (pt.1)

Yesterday I met a plant. The brilliant blue of this blossom only shows its face for a few hours... and then it dies. "What a waste!" (we say) "Why would God create such a short lived beauty?" The Ohio Spiderwort, as botanists have named it, is God's gift to all humans to stop and consider the length of our days. Some wise-man once made the observation, "as for man, his days are like grass; as the flower of the field so he flourishes, and the wind passes over it and it is gone."

If we want to be a little less man-centered think about this: every Spiderwort that ever bloomed in every wild-meadow of this tiny earth bloomed to declare the glory of God for God's pleasure first and foremost... only after that to men and angels partake in this festivity. Hundreds of people walked past this Spiderwort yesterday. Did anyone notice it's fragile progress towards explosive beauty and death? God did, and he saw it blossom today though I couldn't be there. But yesterday I heard its story, saw His art, and worshiped.

Reflections Nearing Fatherhood

I’ve been given cause lately to think about parenting, specifically fatherhood because in God’s design that is my coming charge. (T+1 day) God has given fathers the charge of leading and their own household, to provide and protect what is under their care. And this is hugely important because a father isn’t just “Dad”, a father is a role model for both sons and daughters, a father is both a friend and an authority, a father is leader who does so through service, a father is strong and yet knows how to be gentle, a father is courageous but also knows how to cry, a father doesn’t rule for his own comfort but for the good of all those under his care, a father blesses and builds up, a father loves...and one might rightly call him a king, but not a tyrant. Earthly fathers don’t always know what to do, but they know to whom they must look. They are the image of God to the world in a way that no other creature can! Such is my understanding of fatherhood from Scripture and experience.

And glad am I that “experience” is one of God’s gifts to me! Almost every Father’s Day in the Sunday sermon we are reminded how difficult a day this can be, honoring our fathers. For many this holiday is not celebratory because their father was nothing like what I’ve described above...but, thanks be to God, mine is!

I remember as a child peeking into my parent’s room just before bedtime, and there was dad on his knees, praying. You see, he didn’t always know what to do, or where to lead, or how to bless and build up, or what it meant to be fulfill the impossible task of modeling the Father to us kids...but he knew the Father and that showed. Because even though no dad is perfect, by God’s grace he’s taught and modeled for me how to be a friend, how to lead through service, how be strong and courageous yet gentle and compassionate, how to bless, how to build up, and most of all...how to know the Father.

So, he’s to you Dad, on this special day of remembrance. Though I’m full of trembling at soon joining the ranks of Fatherhood, this is a day I can truly be thankful for God’s gift to me and my family.

I love you! Glad to be your son,

Marcus

Due Date...and Counting

The long anticipated day is here! And yet we're still waiting for baby to arrive. Mommy is doing ok, pretty stiff and tired. She's more eager than anyone to meet this little one she's carried day and night for nine months now. And yet we wait...

Those of you who've had children before can empathize with this expectation. You wake up every morning and wonder, "is it the day?" Sometimes you're startled in the middle of the night and the mind races with all the possibilities. Yet all the signs show that every hour takes you one step closer to this long awaited event.

I've been challenged by this series of events. I've only experienced expectation like this as we prepared for out wedding day. How much more so the return of our Lord Jesus? Yet this event is even more like the final day we're all awaiting. We can't put the day on our calendars and mark it off...but we know it is coming, all the signs point to it! We can wake up each morning and wonder, "is it the day?" and yet live that day with all our might knowing that the day is coming. Like Paul we've all received a task in life "according to the mandate of God our Savior and Jesus Christ our hope." Hope, wait, and pray with us for this baby and that glorious day!

P.S. - Here are some recent pictures from an outing: