A Home In The Making

As we begin to call Portland our home, we excitedly await the construction of our new house, which we hope to reside in later next month.  It has been fun to watch the raw materials gradually take shape.  

Around Dec 20th 2011

We were thrilled and blessed to have joined this project at an early stage because it has allowed us to tweek minor details in the floor plan and make decisions about colors, styles, and finishing materials that individualizes this home to be a special match for us.

A few weeks ago....

This week...

Micah and Jonah excitedly standing in Micah's new room

Today

 In the neighborhood...

Last night we were making our final decision about paint colors for the exterior as it seems a break in the weather will allow the house to be painted this weekend.  Sherwin-Williams has this great web application that allows you to upload a pic of the house and "paint it" virtually.  So fun!!  Below you can see our color choices "painted" with crude digital tools.  We are thankful for technology that allows us to see an image before making these color decisions.

Check back for updates as we are slotted to move in about a month!!  Whoo hoo!

hb.

Literally Under Water

This is a post from our family blog that my wife helps to maintain... www.beisfam.com

We hope to be able to maintain both of our blogs more frequently now that we are in our new location!

Hi everyone,......we are not literally under water, just in case anyone was worried, but we certainly are in a NEW, .....and fairly wet setting. We just moved to Portland Oregon in the middle of the rainy season. We arrived just before Christmas with Pearce driving our family dog in the SUV cross country and Heather and the kids flying out to meet him.

  Today was one of our first wet Saturday adventures. So far the weather has been splendid allowing for outings to some city parks, Multnomah water falls and much more.

FAMILY HIKE AT MULTNOMAH FALLS

 We have so much to update in our blog as it has been neglected far too long. We are hoping to turn over a new leaf in that department.

   In honor of the wet weather today, we decided to get REALLY wet and made a trip to the OMSI museum (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) with a specific visit to their submarine exhibit!  This was not just an indoor visit but the retired USS Blueback submarine floating outside the museum in the Willamette River.  Micah and Jonah( and parents too) had a great time climbing through the bulkheads, seeing the living quarters, control panels, looking through the periscope, and seeing the real torpedos!  We were so inthralled we forgot to take pictures inside.

WALKING DOWN TO USS BLUEBACK SUBMARINE

IT HAD STOPPED RAINING AFTER OUR TOUR

MICAH AND JONAH POSING WITH A SUBMARINE PROPELLER

Hope to see you again here soon.... 

Finding Home- the search for a church

   So, you show up in a new town the week before Christmas with an SUV, a dog, a fake tree and your wife and children flying to your location in 2 days....Desperately wanting to setup shop and create stability in everyones lives as we settle into the place where God has led us- I start the church search.
I found that THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR A RUSH JOB...
Outside of graduate school, I've never really lived in a metropolitan area as large as Portland, Oregon.  
    The city has something to offer for everyone.  My hope is that I and my family can get plugged into a body of believers who like-mindedly (if that is a word) want to do life together as they grow and serve Jesus Christ...not really a novel concept, but I found that it is one to be applied in many different fashions.



Above, is our "Short list"... narrowed down from web searches, locations, and conversations...so much more to choose from....why dedicate a  blog post to something like this? Someone might say- why not just join up, show up, and pat yourself on the back for the effort...I mean, does it really matter? Does God care?  Do you get more brownie points for one then the other?  What is the purpose of the church? for the church member?...all very interesting questions that have to be considered, not just by myself, but also to consider the needs of my wife and children- my REAL LOCAL church. How does a church help me to shepherd them as a father and a husband?
   There certainly is a lot to consider and I am excited about what God is doing to teach and lead me towards the opportunities to get connected with a church family/ local body of Christ....So, what have I learned so far?  Well, a quick little summary that biblically sits well with our family as we consider the options are the purposes of the church to be as such:
the bride of Christ (a.k.a WIFE) which makes for a nice acronym-

W-worship God ( in a way that honors Him and not the people singing)
I- instruct people from God's word (in an authentic method/hermeneutic)
F- fellowship b/w God's people, to do life together & show God's love to the world thru each other
E- evangelism: living out & sharing the Gospel directly, missionally, & relationally to each other & the world

Other things I found helpful in the church search were these other priorities in the church which I found through a collection of churches subscribing to these criteria called the 9 marks (9marks):
1-expositional preaching, 2) biblical theology, 3) biblical understanding of the good news, 4) biblical understanding of conversion, 5) biblical understanding of evangelism, 6) biblical church membership, 7) biblical church discipline, 8) biblical discipleship and growth, 9) biblical church leadership......

Thus, the search is ongoing but showing great signs of progress.  I hope we will land somewhere soon and am thankful ahead of time for God's provision.....pray for us, and check back for updates..