??

(Picture above – photo album cover for Ryker’s 2 month pictures.?? Heidi – you guessed right – Jodi picked this one.?? More pictures below).

Last week mom and I were in the car talking and the word “paradigm” came up.?? She said “I remember the first time you ever used that word back when you were working for the bank and I had no idea what you were talking about”.??

As I referenced in yesterday’s post, a paradigm shift is a fundamental change in approach or assumptions.?? This term has been on my mind this week because I feel like I am at a place of a spiritual paradigm shift.??

Recently, someone said to Jim and I “you guys don’t call yourselves “born agains” do you?”?? I always cringe when someone says this to me because I think that what they mean by it and what I mean by it, are likely quite different.?? In this instance, I just simply said “yes – we are”.?? Then there was silence.?? I probably should have launched into a discussion but at the time it seemed wiser not to.

Considering the word “born again” makes much more sense in light of the term “paradigm shift”.?? First backing up….where does the whole “born again” thing come from in the first place??? Several scriptures reference this.?? Most notoriously would probably be the story of Nicodemus.?? Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came to Jesus to inquire about who He was and how he could perform the miraculous signs and wonders that He did.?? Jesus in reply said “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3).?? Nicodemus had no idea what Jesus was referring to and Jesus followed up reiterating that one must be born again and then by verse 16 follows one of the most renowned verses on salvation in the bible – John 3:16.?? We know from this verse that being born again is centered on “whosoever believes in him”.??

Jim became a “born again” Christian about a year before we started dating.?? When we started seeing one another, he was just a baby in his faith but growing steadily.?? Often times when I would ask him a question, he would take a week to answer me.?? The reason was simple.?? His paradigm had shifted.?? He had to come to brand new conclusions about what he believed because he was starting from a whole new point of reference.?? His fundamental approach to everything had completely changed.?? Being “born again” seems like a paradigm shift to me in the sense that one??begins again (with the help of the??Spirit)?? seeing life with brand new eyes.?? John 3:6 says “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.?? You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’??

I was confronted with my own paradigm shift this week when??my Dad told me that the center of so many things that haunt me in life is FEAR.?? He was right – I knew that.?? Working on it.?? :)?? Jodi and I were discussing last night that one should never stand on a pier with the two of us – you would be horrified at the worst case scenarios we can conjure up.?? 🙂

That night I went to bed and was pondering 1 John 4:18 – There is no fear in love.???? But perfect love casts out fear because fear has to do with punishment.?? The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

In the past, here is what that verse said to me:?? “As I learn to love God more perfectly, I will stop being afraid.”?? Notice the emphasis – ONCE AGAIN – on what I DO.??

Saturday night the light bulb came on – not those little night lights but BIG HUGE freeway construction light towers!?? “As I learn to live in God’s love and realize how much HE LOVES ME – I will stop living in fear.”?? In the past, I??stopped too short??because verse 19 says “We love because HE FIRST loved us”.?? The answer was there all along.???? What a difference it makes in how I approach the love related to fear issue.?? When the full weight is on me to first love more perfectly and then not be afraid – I tend to fail at both.?? When I focus on God’s goodness and how much??HE loves me, I feel MUCH safer because He is ALWAYS loving me and working out His perfect plan in my life – even in the storms.?? Now that is a paradigm shift.?? :)??

??

I didn’t digiscrap all the pictures for her book – only a few.?? I like the picture itself to take up the whole page in most cases so I only add??a little scrapping to some pictures.?? Had fun with the above though because I love pop outs and thought toes would be fun for that.?? 🙂

In the past, Maggie Holmes has taken pictures for Jodi (she is a really good photographer in Mesa).?? She does a fun “wash” to her pictures that I was trying to emulate her. Don’t think I quite got it but I liked the effect anyhow.

I thought this picture needed to look dreamy.?? Isn’t he so dreamy????? We didn’t get a ton of close ups of Ryker for various reasons but you will see more of him in the days to come.

And the blessings keep comin’…