The Cooks.

A student’s reflection of KI’11 in poetry…

One of our friends & classmates, Stefanie Taylor, writes some amazing poetry- here’s one on this past year she shared with us all at Institute graduation… SO TALENTED. SO TRUE.

Jesus loves me this I know
for the Bible tells me so.
We are broken; we are bruised, with our flesh we fight,
and yes, we remain precious in His sight.

For years we’ve sung along
and for years we’ve asked,
“Is there more to these verses,
is there anything we’ve masked?”

This year could be marked as a search for the missing lyrics of that song.
An entire eight months shoveling through His verses that have been breathed out all along.

As we stand before you today you’ll asked us what we learned
A theologian’s answer we will initially yearn
For.

However the simplicity of the song is what makes it so graceful.
So if you’ll allow us the blessing we would love to share how He is able:

God- we meet in the garden, And He chooses intimacy with man,
loving imperfect humans has always been a part of His sovereign plan.
With a beautiful meeting there comes a tragic fall,
a bitter taste of sin will forever scar
Humanity.
We are and they were
Fallen.
But with every fall there is a rise
With every scar you can realize
Healing.
So God being so rich in His mercy
Chooses a nation
And calls them His own.
To a Hebrew people He makes Himself known.
And just like us
Israel bows and then they boast
Worshipping idols and then making the most
Of themselves.
In their inconsistency He remained forever faithful.
Manna falling from heaven, with held together sandals they were able
To keep walking
And so they did.
Into a four hundred year inhale where only silence spoke of Him
But with an exhale we hear a tangible amazing grace
Unto you a child is born, there is a savior in this place.
Jesus, Emmanuel, God himself has come
With a heartbeat like ours, His divinity not undone.
As a baby is born, silence is broken
Prophecy fulfilled, God has spoken.
He is here.
He walked.
He taught.
He loved.
And was mocked.
All the way to a cross on a hill
Carrying the weight of our sin forever He would seal
Shut death.
As sin is strangled and takes its last conquering breath
Dark stops breathing
And the grave loses its concealing power.
Jesus in His
Rises
And lives
And within His life He gives us
Life.

This I am convinced is the rhythm of that childhood song,
The lyrics that are etched throughout all eternity long.

We came this year not just to expand our minds but to engrave this on our hearts
Not to stop our lives for a year but to start,
the rest of this story.

The backdrop is simply this within these perfect rhythms of grace
We have tasted heartache, pain, and have many times ached
Begged and pleaded for less
Asking Jesus if we could just finish this test.

We showed up with baggage that was far beyond visible
Attached to our hearts, our past trying to be divisible
Of our futures.

Leaders, yes, graduates, yes, anything on our own, no.
So we enter a wrestling match with society when they say so.

If we strive to please men we are no longer bondservants of Him
The only one worthy of worship, the one leading us from within.

And within that is this:

Today is not a picture of our success
But redemption is the painting
God willing to mold us and continually shaping
Us,
An imperfect people,
To look more like His Son.
With that image
We will run and

We will go

Where we will spend this side of glory making His name known
Abiding in His Truth, in Himself, and resting in being His own.

Our prayer is that as He becomes greater, we become less,
That we are never exalted but only His name is blessed.

We are not striving to be only career driven adults
But Scripture-seeking disciples that are fixed on the cross.

So as we sit before you today this is the song we sing,
The anthem we pray throughout the nations will ring:

Jesus loves us this we know,
for the Word He has breathed out,
has taught us so.

Spring Update

“Spring is in the air everywhere I look around…every sight and every sound!”             

 Time flies when you’re having fun… when you’re raising a toddler… when you’re preparing for a baby… when you’re juggling family life, classwork, & more… when you’re trying to get your tax info together…when you’re still learning how to be a “grown up”… AND when the Kanakuk Institute has less than a month left for learning, finishing final projects, fellowship, and more! 

 This semester KC has spent most of classroom drenched in the New Testament, going diligently through the Epistles, working through essential doctrines of the Bible, writing his own statement of beliefs with scripture references, and as always, MORE!

 We’ve spent another good deal of time soaking up the leadership, wisdom, and insight of those in ministry out here in the Ozarks with amazing folks on Kanakuk staff, at First Baptist Church of Branson, and in the community.  It’s been a crash course in ministry, discipleship, life experience, definitions of God’s Will, Jesus’ love for all who receive Him, relationships, Christ-centered family life, nuggets of Truth, and boulders of Truth!  Some more blessings of our time here in our home away from home!!!

 Our Plans (cue the trumpeting)…

KC graduates on Friday, April 15^th (5 days after babybaby is due!) with the Kanakuk Institute Class of 2011, having completed credits with both Dallas Theological Seminary & John Brown University.  In other news, KC has been offered (& accepted) a temporary position with First Baptist Church of Branson (where he’s served this year as a youth ministry intern) as their Interim Youth Pastor from April 1st until the beginning of August.  So, our growing family will be serving the community & laying out in the Midwest rays over the summer in Branson!  An answer to prayer in so many ways, we’re looking forward to being a part of FBC youth’s summer fun, excursions, camp, & missions while gaining more experience in vocational ministry, AND we’ll still be getting glimpses of Kamp life with our friends on staff and play dates with Kamp family kids!  In August we’ll be headed back to the “land of the pine” where KC will be on the hunt for a J-O-B.   What does this mean KC wants “to do when he grows up”?!  We’re still praying for God to lead us step by step.  It’s humbling seeing the small steps along the way fitting perfectly together, and doors opening and closing as our Lord is directing our journey through this world.  Just another testament to the power of faith, prayer, God’s peace & Hand in our lives, and His Will being better than any “will” we could or have tried to come up with on our own.  “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body.  And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15. 

 Prayer Requests….

We humbly ask for your continual support over the summer including your prayers for our time here, personal discipline, growth, our marriage, our growing family, babybaby’s arrival, our hands and feet to be those of Jesus, health, financial provision, direction for KC’s career, direction & provision for a job in Raleigh at the beginning of August, and our roles as parents expanding to guide, teach & instruct TWO little ones.

 Address Change as of April 1^st…

As of April 1^st we will be receiving mail to our new address:

KC & Elisabeth Cook

1860 Timberlake Road

Branson, MO 65616

***All mail sent to us c/o Kanakuk Institute (833 Lake Shore Drive…) will be returned to sender by the postmaster after April 15^th as Kanakuk Kamps begins gearing up for their summer.  Come August, we will be back in our NC home (3012 Wycliff Road Raleigh, NC 27607)! 

 We pray our insignificance cast light on the boundless significance of our Savior and may we uphold Christ’s command to our lives as we take heart and live out His great commission: “Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.

We love you, are thankful for you, pray for you, and are continually humbled by your generosity- we just can’t say it enough!!! 

The Cook Family of 3, ALMOST 4!

Character & Accountability…

An assignment we had in January was to write up a quick accountability plan.  With these last weeks at KI coming to an end, it’s important we’ve set a clear picture of how we are going to be held accountable after graduation, what that accountability looks like, and have a defined vision of what we want our lives, actions, and attitudes to reflect from this point forward.

….

Reason for Accountability:

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character
is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
–John Wooden

We are fallen people living in a fallen world. As Christians we have ultimate victory
over sin through Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, but until we get our glorified
bodies we will continue to struggle with sin. Since we are committed to Christ,
our ultimate goal is to glorify Him, and our character is of upmost importance. An
effective accountability plan is both helpful and necessary to maintaining godly
character. True accountability can be helpful in confessing major sins, and it can
also be used to reveal hidden sins and sins one may be unaware of completely. Good
accountability plans as necessary to our walk as any other discipline because they
force us to dig down deep and reach out to our brothers. Just as Solomon said in
Proverbs: As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (27:17)

Accountability Questions:
1. Have you spent daily time in Scripture and prayer?
2. Have you devoted yourself to being in constant communion with Christ today while sharing the love of Christ with those around you?
3. Have you honored:
a. Your spouse with attitude and quality time?
b. Your children with godly teaching and quality time?
c. Those in authority over you?
4. Have you exercised daily and taken care of your temple?
5. Have you given 100% in all of your responsibilities?
6. Have you allowed any other person take away your joy?
7. Have you furthered the name of Jesus today?

Have you answered the following questions truthfully?

What questions would you add??