Our 2nd Birthday celebration with a difference.

       

Yesterday we celebrated Thomas Adam Falconer's 13 blessing. He is not yet 13 but with the busyness of this time of year we thought we would get going a little early. We began this tradition for our family with James when he turned 13. That was a meaningful experience for us all.

Yesterday afternoon, we gathered to thank God for Thomas . The families who came are all people who love Thomas deeply and who have had a profound impact on his life. These are our friends, his friends. Some have known Thomas all his life and are our dearly loved friends and  Thomas' God parents. 

Thomas is a really unique young man. He is indeed a gracious and marvelous creation and we love him more than words can possibly express here. We are grateful to God for his for ALL he is and we rejoice in the work of Gods spirit at work in and through him.

 The ideas, love, thoughts, blessings extended towards and over Thomas' life, were examples of his unique and creative person that God has specifically and purposefully made.

With God there are no mistakes.

I am not going to write here about our Thomas but rather about the real and tangible wonder being part of a community of Jesus Christ is for us all.

As we gathered , adults and children alike , drew near to listen. And while a lot of what the adults shared was ' adult speak' for the younger ones, there was in this moment a profound feeling ; experience of God. He who calls us by name and he who gathers us together . We all just sat and soaked up the words of blessing, kindness, godly wisdom, advice, pointers and prayers for Thomas life. 

Profound and unique are the words of God and profound is his work in our lives.

We are truly blessed to have Christ who dwells in us richly and a community that is true, real and honest. One that is really available and engaged . One that speaks into others lives with words of life.

And so we look forward to what God is doing in Thomas' life. Our prayer is for him to hind himself in the wing of the almighty and find his rest in God alone.

Thank you Jesus.

One of my observations of yesterday was this....

Other people notice things about our children that we think only we see. They notice, they care, they pray and they love our children. This was a real heart moment for me with Thomas.

Secondly, the weight of words spoken into a life struck me again. Words are so easy to say. They flow and find root in the hearer. I am reminded of the strong council in Gods word to gaurd our tongue. But the converse of this is when thought is put into our words, well, these carry weight and find a good place to rest and grow in us.
Friends have something to say too- I was really struck by the beautiful words Thomas friends spoke . These are insights and thoughts into him as a friend and they really warmed my heart.

The last observation is that our children being so different and individual ; just as God has made them; means that these celebrations , though they have a central idea, they have worked out quite differently. They have each reflectd something of the boy-man and his unique personality, gifts and wonderfulness:)

I love this about God, His creativity in making man is astounding in that we are each so different from one another. A truth to be celebrated.