Faithfulness Part 1

    It's past four in the morning. I'm at work... I have an itch to blog. Or, do anything for that matter that will keep me awake! As I sit here and puzzle over what to write about, I'm struck with all sorts of things. I could write about my political convictions, what I'm learning as a mom, what our Team is up to (which, I actually did, and you can check it out under the Ministry tab), or what the Lord is teaching me. I struck a chord on that last one. So, I puzzled some more and all I could recount were times of the Lord's faithfulness. Over, and over, he has been overwhelmingly faithful to my family.

     We've been in a season of experience. Experiencing the Lord's kindness. Sometimes it is abrupt, sometimes it is slow in the coming.

     The first episode of this never ending story had to do with our car. If you're all over facebook, you've probably heard about this. I was commuting for work (a lot lately, yuck!) on this particular day. I was just driving along, paying just the amount of attention to the road to avoid an accident. I was just taking off from a stoplight and I clearly felt the Lord prompt me to pray over the car for safety. I was a little baffled because there was nothing seriously wrong with the car that we knew of. In my perplexed state, I was obedient and began to pray over the car and myself; asking for the Lord's faithful protection and his angels to keep me safe and steady. I covered Jon and the boys, just in case there was an incident some other day. Having done that, I carried on - not giving it a second thought. When I had nearly arrived at my destination, I was at a stop light yet again. It had been a looooong drive and I stretched my legs a little, pressing just a little extra on the brake. It popped. I knew what that meant. I could squish the brake peddle all the way to the floor. It meant the brake line(s) had popped. In other words, I had no brakes. Praise the Lord this had happened at a stop light when I was already stopped!!! I proceeded to gently drive and coast everywhere else I needed to go. I called Jon once I arrived and he arranged for a tow and mechanic to look at the car. Apparently the whole strut system fell apart once they put the car on a lift. They also discovered that the frame was on the verge of rusting completely through, and one brake line had broken and the others were about to go as well. WHOA! I had a very potentially nasty breakdown that never happened because of the Lord's faithfulness!

     It reminds me of yet another time- with the same car- when God very demonstratively protected my friends and I. We were on a trip out west to Colorado. In the middle of no-wheres-ville (or, Nebraska as some call it) the RPM's on the car dropped and we had no power. The engine started smoking and making crackling noises. I told the other girls to grab their purses and get the heck out of that car! I called my dad and wouldn't you know it? He told me to get right back in! He went through all the checks to see if the car would drive in 3rd gear... how fast could we go, etc... After a series of conversations we were told to keep driving to Colorado, in 3rd gear, at 60 mph. We were told we would get roughly 15-17 mpg's. NOT great. We would make it to my grandparent's house... but it would be late. Very late. Well, okay then. We kept trucking down the road. I began to pray for the next 45 minutes. As soon as I asked for peace, instantly I saw 5 angels on our car! I was blown away and overwhelmed with an incredible peace! So, I got up some guts and boldly asked the Lord if he would supply the rest of our trip on only one tank of gas. Because I wasn't sure how the car was working, I made sure to fill up when we got between 1/2 and 1/4 tank of gas. Myself and my friends who were both German medical students calculated our fuel economy. Wouldn't you believe it?! We got 38 miles to the gallon!!!! That  is the best that car has ever gotten. Encouraged we pressed on to our destination. As soon as I pulled off the interstate the steering wheel began to shake violently from side to side. It did this until we pulled into the drive way of my grandparent's home. We arrived safe and sound. Over the course of the next 7 days we discovered that the entire transmission had blown and that the wheels had threads sticking through and separating. In the words of the mechanic, our front tires should have blown out and we would have probably been in a horrible accident. YET AGAIN, because of the Lord's faithfulness we were spared.

     Although that last recount was in the past, there is so much more to tell of the goings on in the recent history. This season has been intense in the best way possible! We are so thankful and joyful of the Lord's work in our lives!!!

Cooperative Farming

     I never expect conversations to always run deep or sparkle. But, today I had more than one that did! Lately things have been buzzing around in my head - a lot of things. At our house we have a desire to be as natural and organic as our finances and convictions will allow. Mostly where this applies is in regards to nutrition and medicine. To give you an example, I was often called the 'hippie nurse' going through school. Or at least names and titles in that direction. My classmates thought it unbelievably strange that I would sit and peel an avocado and actually eat it (!) during lecture. I even did my major research project on alternative practices in childbirth including homeopathy, and argued why the hand sanitizer in hospitals is ridiculous and ineffective! I went all out!

      All that to say, I really want to live as the title reflects. We want to work with other people who have similar desires to facilitate and manage that natural living. Jon and I have desires to develop a homestead where self sustainability is feasible. However, in the conversations I had today, I realized that there will always be the need to rely on each other. This is how our economy works, and how it has worked for hundreds of years. The Native Americans traded with the explorers in different ways. The currency was trade. Someone else will always have something that another will always need and/or want. Right now we (the people in general) rely on major corporations to supply what we demand - food, clothing, random miscellany - One farmer has six thousand acres to grow and harvest his living. But, what if, three thousand people had two acres? What could be accomplished? If those three thousand people had the motivation to sustain their family with produce they cultivated themselves, sought out sustainable ways of living, could we in fact eliminate the big corporations? That is a can of worms all to itself. My desire is not to eliminate corporations. I believe the answer is probably... maybe. Yes, we can grow food for ourselves, yes we can choose to spend our time and energy planting and harvesting... but what about the rest of life? What about taking quality time to parent? What about vacations? What about....???? My premise is this: Live in a small community of people who are willing to trade with each other and work together. Each family should have their own garden, but perhaps not all the same produce. Perhaps one has a small dairy. Perhaps one has a farm of cattle for meat, another chickens, and so on. Each family would have a commodity that the other needs and therefore trade. Of course details always are worked out in the growing process. This is a rough idea.

     On a whole other level when you have this small community functioning together to live and grow, real life can happen. What if our churches functioned this way? What if as the Body of Christ we chose to take care of one another and work together? We would be literally functioning in order to support the body, acting as the church in Acts did. We could really, truly support the orphans and widows, and as a body grow spiritually and still have time to preach and promote the gospel within our community and truly support those called outside of it.

    Of course, this could sound very idealistic and a blueprint to return to Eden. And, that is not my goal. My goal is simply to function on a real and practical level and to form friendships that are real and life giving while maintaining a healthy style of living. Ultimately what this all comes down to is living and growing as families with other families and supporting one another in this thing we call life.

Changes

    Well, if you've come on over to my blog recently you have probably seen the changes we've made. I hope you enjoy looking around. There aren't many posts yet under each tab. Those are for the ideas we have and will share soon.

     I will explain a little of the reasons for our new blog set up. You will notice the new name perhaps. We are in a place at our own home where we want to put a title, or a name to our home and the property that goes with it. Just as naming an infant has significance to who they are, we want our property to reflect who we are as a family.

     We have settled on a title for our home that, I think, has many reflections on who we want to become as well as who we are in the moment. Back in college I wrote a poem about honey and the physical and spiritual implications that it could have. Honey is: sweet, sticky (cohesive), soothing, healing, and beautiful too look at. These are all dynamics that we want to be as a family. As our personalities grow and form, I can see the reflection of the characteristics of honey. The 'Spice' that I refer to in the title of the blog is the uniqueness of each of the people in our home.

     I also happened to put up new tabs! This makes me super happy because I finally figured out how to do that! There might be more coming soon. The 'Homesteading' tab will have some of the changes we are physically making to our home, ideas that we want to do, and tips on things we have discovered. It will have topics on things like fermenting foods, gardening, and home economics, and sustainable living ideas. Lots of this will probably be from Jon. :-) The 'Ministry' tab is for you to be able to keep up with what is going on with our dance team, For His Name's Sake. There is always lots to talk about and much that we need prayer and support for. If you would like to keep up with us in that area, that tab is for you! The 'Parenting Boys' tab is all about my personal journey as a mom of boys. Boys, I have found out, are MUCH different than girls in lots of ways. There are, of course, commonalities with raising girls. But, I have found in my observations that boys have a little bit of an edge that girls do not... and I have sought out how to deal with that, parent that, and how to raise my young boys to fear the Lord. I am by NO MEANS an expert, but I have discovered a few things in the 3.5 years I've had my little men, and I will continue to search and seek the Lord for his wisdom. If you want to keep up with what I'm learning, there ya go! :-)

     I hope you enjoy reading and poking around our new blog!!!

~The Selins

Christmas Letter 2012

Merry Christmas!!!!!

(and a happy new year- since this is when the post is actualy being written!)

     I hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday season this year! When I think about the holidays, it brings me to a place of thankfulness. The end of the anual calendar seems a fitting time to remember all the blessings in our lives (although, lets remember them all year, eh? -shameless cliche). So, in keeping with that idea, I will recount a few of the blessings we've had this past year.

May 2012
     Shavuot. This is one of the Jewish feasts that our ministry team (For His Name's Sake) celebrates every spring. It is one of the three celebrated around that time. I won't go into detail about the feast itself at this point. The reason I'm highlighting in in our 'blessings' is because this was the first feast that Jon ran the sound for the team. He had joined in November of the previous year, but this was the first 'active duty' assignment. Being a part of the ministry team has been a wonderful blessing to our whole family. We've gained many new friends, mentors, and teachers. We have learned much about the significance of Jewish symbolism and what that means for our lives and our relationship with Christ.

    Erin's Graduation. This was also the same month that I (Erin) finished nursing school! It felt like an imense accomplishment! Later in June, I took my boards, and at that point the state of Minnesota thought I was competent enough to practice nursing as an RN - I wasn't so sure I agreed. :-) As I've been working the past few months, I've gotten in to my groove and feel good about practicing now (Just so you're aware).

July 2012
    Nathan Melchizedek Selin is born! I've written about this before as this was a momentous occasion in our lives. Although it wasn't the 'way' we wanted his birth to take place, it was wonderful! The Lord came and gave Jon and I so much peace and words of encouragement. I had to be induced and had a harder than normal labor, but Nathan was born healthy and I was just fine. Before we gave our son his name, we felt that the Lord was saying that his name means, 'The Lord gives peace'.

September 2012

    Levi Justice turns 3!!! My word! He is three and that year itself is almost half over! Jon and I often look at eachother and wonder when on earth did we become parents of a three year old?! He is very lively and vivacious. He takes the world by storm... or brute force. He is active and determined to experience everything. One of the Christmas highlights for Levi was when we finally put up our Christmas tree. It took us a good, long time to accomplish this. Every time we drove in to town Levi would see all the big trees with lights and proceed to tell me that they needed to come home with us. On the 23rd of December I went out to buy Christmas presents (yes, I'm one of those last minute shoppers) and a tree. I came home, put on my elf slippers and gave our small home a giant make-over. I crashed in to bed at roughly 4am on Christmas Eve day. When Levi got up, Jon went with him to the living room where the tree was. Levi looked through the french doors, 'Papa, there is a tree!' Jon opened the doors and went to plug in all the lights. 'Papa, is it Christmas now?!' Although his energy is overwhelming at times, his wonder and facination dazzle our hearts.

October 2012

    New Jersey. Many of you have read about this before on the blog. If not, just look back a few posts and you'll find all the details. This was our first trip with the ministry team. We went to a place called the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel. I won't write much here about the trip, but it was a time where the Lord continued to speak to us of our place on the team and continued to give us a heart to bless Israel.

December 2012

     Family. Most of December was filled with visits with family and friends. One conversation in particular had an impact on me. To be honest, I've been kind of a Scrooge the past few years regarding Christmas. I've wrestled with celebrating holidays that are rooted in pagan worship. This includes Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. As a believer in Christ I've never thought twice about celebrating Christmas and Easter. They are about Christ anyway... right? But, I've been staunchly oppossed to celebrating Halloween. That is the 'devil's' holiday... right? Well. The more I looked in to these things and talked with friends I came to learn that the history of these days is that they were pagan celebrations taken by the Catholic church and converted to what we see today (Halloween being the eve of all Saint's Day). So, why do I celebrate some and not the others? Because I'm not Catholic? No...more because it is culturally how I was raised. So, I had been wrestling with the idea of not really celebrating Christmas at all. More just continuing it for the sake of family get togethers. So, the conversation that really turned this around was the weekend before Christmas with my dad. We began to talk about all of this, and I remembered something I had said to a co-worker who doesn't celebrate Christmas- or any holiday for that matter - but who also claims to believe in God. I had told him, "It's never a bad idea to celebrate Christ." As I continued the conversation with my dad, I realized that the celebrating of Christmas and Easter doesn't have any bearing on my relationship with Christ. It doesn't change anything if I do or do not celebrate them. It is a time when I can honor the Lord by giving, thinking of him specifically in relation to his birth, death, and resurection... but it doesn't change my standing with Him or my theology on holidays. It is simply a tradition that our culture celebrates that can bring us closer to Him as we seek his face. The traditions are not an end in themselves. They are a means to an end: Christ. The wisemen sought the Lord, the Christ as a baby... not the star they were following. We as a family seek the Lord and honor his sacrifice at Christmas... not the holiday itself.

May you have a blessed year as you seek the Lord and honor him in your traditions.

With all love,

Jonathan, Erin, Levi, & Nathan

New Jersey Update

     We arrived safe and sound last evening! Whew! What a bus ride. It was remarkably easy and fun. This is the first time the team has taken kiddos traveling and we have all be very pleased as to how each little person has handled everything so far. I don't know the exact number of hours we sat and sat and sat, but all I know is that it was long.

     We've had some sort of bug moving through the camp, thankfully its being held at bay with much prayer and Zicam (a zinc based cold remedy). My stockpile may need to be re-evaluated. My first aid kit has been in use quite a lot, and I'm thankful to have brought it along. I'm thankful that my nursing skills have a purpose here - not that I want to have to use them all that often, but glad I can serve in that way.

     Today (Thursday) we are finishing set up. I had no idea until today what all that involved! I'm amazed and astonished at what each team member puts in for time here. It is truly a sacrifice to the Lord. Lots of ironing, steaming, sewing, and setting up backdrops. That was the stuff I took part in. For Jon... he gets to deal with hooking up and interfacing all the sound equipment!!! If you saw the Jersualem Center where we are staying you would be AMAZED at what Jon is dealing with. I really think he is having a blast, though. His personality is oriented to detail and improvement and boy has he found his nitch!

     As we have experienced set up, Jon and I keep having confirmation in our spirit that we belong here on this team. We know this is where the Lord has called us to use our giftings and that makes us excited. It stirs our core to know that we are walking in the way the Lord has directed! I continue to put my hands to work where they are needed while praying for the team over-all, and dosing the team with whatever medicine they need. :-)

    From what we can tell over Skype and phone calls, Levi is enjoying himself. He isn't one to get very sentimental, but we know he loves and misses us. It helps to know he is having fun, though. I know he wouldn't be having much fun here since there is so much that he probably would want to play with but shouldn't. Maybe on the next trips we'll bring a nanny for both boys. :-) But, back to Levi. He has been very cute on the Skype calls. Telling us about his rides in the truck, his favorite toys, what his cousins are up to, and on and on. We LOVE him SO much!

    As I said before, Nathan is a mellow champ. Really, nothing else need be said. Except that he is adorable and cute. And, every time I pull of the nursing wrap and someone new is in the room they exclaim "Oh! Another baby!" :-)

4 Points to Pray

1. Health for the team!!! We really don't want anyone getting sick. We know this can be a tactic of warfare from the enemy, so please pray along lines of health and energy!

2. Unity among the team.

3. Good rest and sleep at night. Some team members are having trouble sleeping, so prayer for that.

4. For a deep heart of worship to be cultivated while we are here. That everything we do would honor and please our God.

Praise!!!

   Many of us thought we would need to plan meals for ourselves this week, but as it turns out the hospitality team here at the Jerusalem Center has planned the majority of our meals. Including boiling and peeling 120 eggs!!! They may achieve knighthood for that. :-) This is a huge answer from the Lord for the team since some were questioning if they would need to eat out or cook their meals. We were prepared for whatever, but the Lord graciously has provided again and again! Praise God!

Blessings to you all,

Jon, Erin, Levi, & Nathan

On The Road

Greetings from the road!

     As previously mentioned (in our Selin Newsletter) we are on the road to New Jersey to minister with For His Name's Sake. We left early, early this morning quite groggy and foggy. No cups of coffee were needed until the early afternon when we ( I ) realized sleep wasn't going to come. As it turns out, I did get a nap, and Jon aquired several.

     As I'm writing to you, I realize that many of you may not know much about the ministry we are involved in. What it is exactly is a Davidic dance and music ministry. We are comprised of dancers, musicians, and support (intercessors, sound techs, garmet caretakers). Our purpose and mission is three fold.

1. To bring worship to the Lord through Davidic praise and dance

2. To bring an end times messege

3. To stand in the gap for Israel and for Messianc Jews

     What this New Jersey trip is all about is partnering with the author of The Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn. He is a Messianic Rabbi who has a significant prophetic voice and an end times ministry and messege. Aproximately six years ago he built the Jerusalem Center and For His Name's Sake was part of dedicating that center. Hurricane Irene brought a lot of damage to the center and now after the repair, there is going to be a redidication. Jonathan Cahn has asked our team to come and be a part of that redidication.

     Jon and I have been called to be a part of this ministry team to help maintain the foundations. Jon and I both work behind the scenes to help make sure things run smoothly during the concerts. Jon has had a small amount of professional sound training and has been able to use his giftings in that area as the sound man. Because Jon is very analytical and detail oriented this is a perfect position for him. He has a good ear for sound and the musicians have said many times how much they appreciate his work. I am involved on a different level. I stand with the team and help to cover them with prayer as an intercessor. There are three intercessors and we help to maintain the peace on the team as well as pray through the details and pray for the musicians and dancers before concerts. I also help to make sure garmet changes happen smoothly and act as an extra pair of hands behind the curtain. Our passion is to do whatever we can to support and maintain and encourage the team.

     As we go forward on this trip (litterally) we would appreciate your prayers. We were blessed to recieve a prayer covering from the leadership of our church and be blessed and sent out with words of encouragement and expectation for what God will do. It is great to be opperating under that covering.

6 Points to Pray

1. Saftey on the road and in New Jersey

2. Safety for Jonathan Cahn as he travels between Minnesota and New Jersey as he has a conference in the Twin Cities on Saturday.

3. Grace for the team members as we will be in close quarters and interacting with eachother frequently.

4. That our worship would be sweet and pleasing to the Lord. That we would have a heart of worship throughout the entire trip.

5. Health for the team as a few have coughs and colds. We know that some is natural and some is spiritual warfare. We war not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness. The Lord has given us great weapons, and part of that is you, our friends and family to pray!

6. Health and safety and grace for our family members back home.

Praise Report!!!

    Sending out a team of this size requires considerable finances. We all contribute as much as we can, some more, some less. We have to trust God to provide all our finances in one way or another. Before we left, we put on the Feast of Tabernacles concert here at home. We do not charge a ticket fee, but instead open our doors to the public to come and worship the Lord along with us, without cost. We do take an offering and over the course of the two nights the Lord called people to give, and he provided $12,000 for our team!!! We are so thankful to the Lord for his generous provision through his people! He is faithful to make a way when he calls us to his purposes!

    In advance, we thank you for your interest in our lives and our ministry. We are privaledged to be a part of what God is doing in our nation and our time. We thank him for what he has done and what he will do.

Be blessed in Jesus' name!

Jon, Erin, Levi, & Nathan Selin

Selin Newsletter 2012

     As the school year commences, the leaves begin to change, and the temperatures begin to cool it seems appropriate to share with everyone the changes that are taking place in our lives.

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” ~ Isaiah 62:6-7

Jonathan

     Jon has recently been transitioning at his work from the night shift to the day shift. As these changes have been happening, it has been clear that the Lord is orchestrating it all in order for Jon to serve in ministry. Last fall, around November, a dance team (For His Name's Sake) that we’ve been familiar with in the past had a position open for a sound man. As Jon had previously had a small amount of professional training in this area, I asked if he would be interested and he said yes. Since then he has been spending his Monday nights running the sound and helping with set up with the team (which I will write more about). Jon has also been thinking about ideas to help our family become more financially independent. These ideas are utilizing his creativity and analytical mind. The Lord has been calling Jon to a place of maintaining foundations both physically and spiritually and we hope that his ideas can help with this in the future. As for the present, Jon is in a position to help keep For His Name’s Sake running smoothly. At the beginning of October our family will go with the team to New Jersey to partner with the Jerusalem Center to minister to the congregation there.

Erin

     Recently I finished nursing school and passed the Minnesota state licencing exam. I can now call myself Erin Selin RN. It has been very exciting to complete that chapter in my life and to move in to the new season before us. This coming fall I will be looking for a job to supplement our income and work in the field I enjoy so much. During the summer we welcomed our second son in to the family and I have been taking “maternity leave” from school and job hunting in order to facilitate a smooth transition. I have also joined Jon on For His Name’s Sake as an intercessor, supporting the team through prayer. Being an intercessor is something the Lord called me to during college and I have been able to come back to now. I felt the Lord speaking to me about this back in April, and I have now been able to really step into that place with the team. Both Jon and I feel that this ministry of support is something we share and we are able to worship the Lord together in this way.

“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” ~Psalm 8:2

Levi Justice: Marked of the Lord by His justice

     Our first born has had many changes in his life since we have talked with many of you. He is now three years old and loving life! He is very animated as well as active. He loves playing any game we make up with him and will carry it on for weeks and weeks. His verbal skills continue to increase day by day and for this we are thankful. Because he is so active it is wonderful to be able to communicate with him throughout the busy parts of his day. Although he is busy and keeps us on our feet, he often takes the time to tell us, ‘I love you.’ He has a very tender and loving heart and we see evidence of God’s work in his life already. Recently our family experienced some sad events and our Levi was right there to charm our tears away and be what the Lord spoke to me, “a balm”. We are thankful for his ministry to us at such a young age.

Nathan Melchizedek: The Lord gives peace

     On July 28th we ecstatically welcomed our second son in the early morning. He was 8 pounds 15 ounces and 21.5 inches long. The labor and birth were not what we expected, but were very strategically implemented by the Lord. I had what is called ‘polyhydramnios’ which means there was an abundance of amniotic fluid and that labor was not able to start normally. Because of this I was induced and had a harder labor than normal. Although it is not the way Jon and I wanted to have a baby, we both had incredible peace throughout the entire process. When Nathan was born, it was discovered that my placenta (what keeps the baby fed and healthy) was calcifying and eventually would no longer be able to support a baby. Both Jon and I felt that the Lord was very present in making sure Nathan was born before that happened. We are thankful to God for our healthy, chubby baby! Our Nathan is extremely laid back and calm. The Lord has brought immense peace and order to our lives through this little man. He tends to favor the Selin side in his traits. He has brown hair and dark, deep, blue eyes and lots of smiles already!

For His Name’s Sake

     This ministry is a team of both dancers and musicians called to worship before the Lord through Messianic dance and music. We have been called to give praise to the Lord and as a result facilitate the Lord’s work in people’s lives. The team has been called to perform in New Jersey, Florida, El Salvador, and Israel as well as right here at home. There are more trips in the future as the Lord is already opening doors. Right now we have an immediate need for support to travel to New Jersey in these coming weeks. Jon and I ask for prayer for travels and safety. We know that through worship we war against the enemy. In the Old Testament the Levites (priests and musicians) went before the army into battle. We feel this is how the Lord is using our team. Please pray that the Lord would sustain our team in all ways. We also ask that you would pray and ask the Lord if you would be able to contribute financially to this ministry that we have been called to.

     If you do choose to financially support us, the picture on the right has all the information near the bottom. You can also visit the team blog. (click the link highlighted in orange) or contact us in person. The trip will cost our family roughly $1,500. The expenses will cover the bus to take the team to New Jersey and room and board. Our team as a whole is in need of aproximately $18,000. What we will be doing in New Jersey and here in Minnesota is the Feast of Tabernacles. This is a worship concert that covers two separate nights and is for the purpose of worshiping the Lord through dance and singing and also to bring a messege revolving around the end times.

     As we transition in to a new season of serving the Lord, and investing time into our home, family, and the team we humbly ask for your prayers. We are confident that He who has called us will be faithful to sustain us as we traverse every mountain and every valley. We pray that the Lord will bless you as you transition into new seasons of your own that the Lord will keep you with his power and grace.

With Love,

Jon, Erin, Levi & Nathan Selin