We have a really weird sense of humor in this house.
This morning Lucas wanted to put on a different pair of shoes. Normally, you'd think "no big deal" right? well, the pair he wanted to wear are actually slip on shoes and are hard to get on sometimes. I was struggling to get them over the heel, and without thinking--but pausing before I actually did say it, I said...
"I think your feet grew"...Lucas thought that was pretty funny. Ya gotta have a sense of humor sometimes right?
We've also had that moment when Lucas has a leg in his hand and jokingly pretends it is a sword and wants us to pick up the other one and have a sword fight together.
Another thing he thinks is pretty funny, but the rest of us don't is stepping on our feet...
Sometimes he will put his foot on top of ours and try to smash our feet, cuz it's funny to see us yelp I guess.
My Family
Summer 2015
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Isaac's video/school PSA assignment
Isaac made a video for school
it's a PSA
about the 27 Million Slaves around the world today.
Brothers at Play
Lucas and Isaac sometimes have these "brotherly" moments.....
Oh my goodness was it funny.
Then it turned into "fight training"... uh hum......
all the mama cares about is that no one got hurt...
Oh my goodness was it funny.
Then it turned into "fight training"... uh hum......
all the mama cares about is that no one got hurt...
Be Available
As mentioned a few days ago, Peter went to the LIFT conference at our church this weekend. He was sharing some things with me this morning from seminars he went to by members of the worship team at our church. (ie Christy Nockels, Jesse Reeves) and I wanted to make sure I heard what he was saying and included it in our current journey. The overarching theme:
I think this can be one of the most misquoted scriptures in the Bible.
This verse does not mean...
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Is. 56:7
If we could Be Available and called "a house of Prayer"--what a privelege that would be:
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”
Neh. 8:9
I pray that as we walk through this we will not "mourn or weep" but we will have hearts of gratitude toward God. We will Be Available without mourning or weeping about our circumstance.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Peter also spoke about how the Levites (the leaders/priests) had the job of carrying the Ark and Uplifting it. Peter and I are not worship leaders by trade. Although he does sing in the choir so does have that responsibility to carry worship to the people with a prepared heart.
However, we are all given responibility by God to carry whatever He gives us to carry, and do it well. In the process we are to LIFT Him up and honor Him in all we do.
He said he really felt convicted to Be Available to God for whatever is to come...
Hold onto your seats, cuz I don't know when it's comin' or how it's comin', but the Lord will figure out a way to make it happen in His timing. Our job is to
Be Available
Psm. 37:4
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
I think this can be one of the most misquoted scriptures in the Bible.
This verse does not mean...
"If I am good enough, God will give me what I want".
Peter shared, reminded me of the meaning ... God Alone
is
the
Supplier
and
Fulfiller
of
Our Desires
As we delight ourselves in Him, He gives us His desires, and also fulfills them in due time. What a sweet promise to rest upon. We need to make ourselves available to Him to listen and do what He desires.
Psalm 139. God knows us intimately. Nothing about anything surprises Him. And I need to read it again and again for comfort. I can rest in the fact that he knows us intimately and has all things under His Sovereign control. Being available becomes so much easier when we realize it is with someone who knows us so intimately:
1 You have searched me, LORD,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Is. 56:7
If we could Be Available and called "a house of Prayer"--what a privelege that would be:
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”
Neh. 8:9
I pray that as we walk through this we will not "mourn or weep" but we will have hearts of gratitude toward God. We will Be Available without mourning or weeping about our circumstance.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Peter also spoke about how the Levites (the leaders/priests) had the job of carrying the Ark and Uplifting it. Peter and I are not worship leaders by trade. Although he does sing in the choir so does have that responsibility to carry worship to the people with a prepared heart.
However, we are all given responibility by God to carry whatever He gives us to carry, and do it well. In the process we are to LIFT Him up and honor Him in all we do.
He said he really felt convicted to Be Available to God for whatever is to come...
Hold onto your seats, cuz I don't know when it's comin' or how it's comin', but the Lord will figure out a way to make it happen in His timing. Our job is to
Be Available
can you feel the tension in the room? =)
Lucas Climbs a Tree.....
Apparently there was an "Emergency" that needed tending to....
Dressed for
ACTION!
Lucas took it upon himself to climb this tree and take care of business.
I gave him a boost for the first level, then he was all over the place rescuing "cats" and whoever else was stuck in the tree I guess.
Lest anyone think Prosthetic Legs will stop him from doing all things
BOY....
Guess again!
For some of our "new friends" reading...
He has only had these "new legs" since January and only been really wearing them regularly for about 4-6 weeks.
Yesterday, I asked him, if he ever misses his "little" feet?
"No"
I also asked him if his little feet ever hurt him before his surgery.
He said "yes"
The thing is, you have to know he NEVER told us that before the surgery.
He didn't know any different, so I'm guessing he is just relieved that pain is gone.
And besides there are "emergencies" that need tending to....
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Psalm 78-- in reverse...
Today we read Psalm 78 (which came to mind because of what Pastor Louie said yesterday at the LIFT conference)
A portion of it talks about how the Israelites were not grateful and whined and complained and forgot all God had done for them.
As we read it
I thought...what can we learn from this?
I thought... if only we could flip this whole mess around and look at Psalm 78 in reverse.
For example: vs. 10-11
they did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.
11 They forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.
What if we could, by the Power of God of course, do just the opposite and not make all the errors the Israelites made?
What if these verses in Psalm 78 read
"And they kept God's convenant, and willingly lived by his law."
"They remembered what he had done, the wonders he had shown them."
What if God was so overjoyed and please with them that He he blessed them beyond belief and was not displeased by their disobedience?
What if WE could live like this? What if we recalled and remembered all God has already done and stop being so whiny and ungrateful?
Challenge...
I'm going to take Psalm 78 and look at the verses that refer to Israel and their disobedience. I'm going to flip around the errors made by the Israelites and pray them back to God. Asking Him to help me remember all He has done.
Grabbing hold of God's promises today and remembering.
A portion of it talks about how the Israelites were not grateful and whined and complained and forgot all God had done for them.
As we read it
I thought...what can we learn from this?
I thought... if only we could flip this whole mess around and look at Psalm 78 in reverse.
For example: vs. 10-11
they did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.
11 They forgot what he had done,
the wonders he had shown them.
What if we could, by the Power of God of course, do just the opposite and not make all the errors the Israelites made?
What if these verses in Psalm 78 read
"And they kept God's convenant, and willingly lived by his law."
"They remembered what he had done, the wonders he had shown them."
What if God was so overjoyed and please with them that He he blessed them beyond belief and was not displeased by their disobedience?
What if WE could live like this? What if we recalled and remembered all God has already done and stop being so whiny and ungrateful?
Challenge...
I'm going to take Psalm 78 and look at the verses that refer to Israel and their disobedience. I'm going to flip around the errors made by the Israelites and pray them back to God. Asking Him to help me remember all He has done.
Grabbing hold of God's promises today and remembering.
Can God find us?
Peter is attending the LIFT conference at our church this weekend. Last night the choir sang and he got to stay and listen to most of Louie's message. It really spoke to him about several things. The conference is really for worship leaders, but a message can still be taken away for all of us.
He spoke about how God was able to find David and call him out of the life he had as a shephard into the role He had planned for him. Sometimes we are waiting to be discovered. And sometimes it feels as though we cannot find what God wants us to do. If God can find David in the middle of a field with sheep, He can find "us" and find the work that He has for us to do. (Psm 78:70-72)
70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.
Peter shared that he really feels like he has no contacts here in this area and how hard it is to make connections with people to get work. Whether it is his insurance sales or construction work or sending out resumes. Sometimes it feels so futile.
But, God is completely aware of all the details and is able to find Peter no matter where he is located, and find just what He wants him to do, whatever his calling may be. I think Peter feels it is such a struggle because he doesn't really have a reputation here. Sending out resumes to add to the piles that companies are getting (particularly in the construction industry) seems futile. He is gaining a reputation and some referrals but the process is very slow. And can feel defeating. It feels like he cannot find what he is suppose to do.
BUT....GOD CAN!
And there is hope in that.
It's not a matter of resigning himself to laying on the couch and waiting for the next thing to come. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm saying, working at it with all his heart (Col 2:23)
3 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Not for MAN... but for God! and seeing how God FINDS him in all of this.
****
so this is what it looks like:
yesterday,
started out with prayer together and
Peter had some contacts for insurance sales...he was encouraged
His friend Mick, a personal trainer, is on a personal mission to share Peter's resume with everyone he can think of to help out. (thanks Mick)
2 of the people he sent resumes to called back yesterday. One is a exterminating company...(anything can help...so we'll see) and another is a company that built a huge conference/convention center near where we live. He will be getting back to them next week.
Today he is at the LIFT conference (free to him for being in the choir--a blessing) and is being encouraged spiritually.
Still waiting and seeking, but God is God and is so good. I'm so glad we serve such a BIG God that also knows us so intimately.
He spoke about how God was able to find David and call him out of the life he had as a shephard into the role He had planned for him. Sometimes we are waiting to be discovered. And sometimes it feels as though we cannot find what God wants us to do. If God can find David in the middle of a field with sheep, He can find "us" and find the work that He has for us to do. (Psm 78:70-72)
70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them.
Peter shared that he really feels like he has no contacts here in this area and how hard it is to make connections with people to get work. Whether it is his insurance sales or construction work or sending out resumes. Sometimes it feels so futile.
But, God is completely aware of all the details and is able to find Peter no matter where he is located, and find just what He wants him to do, whatever his calling may be. I think Peter feels it is such a struggle because he doesn't really have a reputation here. Sending out resumes to add to the piles that companies are getting (particularly in the construction industry) seems futile. He is gaining a reputation and some referrals but the process is very slow. And can feel defeating. It feels like he cannot find what he is suppose to do.
BUT....GOD CAN!
And there is hope in that.
It's not a matter of resigning himself to laying on the couch and waiting for the next thing to come. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm saying, working at it with all his heart (Col 2:23)
3 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Not for MAN... but for God! and seeing how God FINDS him in all of this.
****
so this is what it looks like:
yesterday,
started out with prayer together and
Peter had some contacts for insurance sales...he was encouraged
His friend Mick, a personal trainer, is on a personal mission to share Peter's resume with everyone he can think of to help out. (thanks Mick)
2 of the people he sent resumes to called back yesterday. One is a exterminating company...(anything can help...so we'll see) and another is a company that built a huge conference/convention center near where we live. He will be getting back to them next week.
Today he is at the LIFT conference (free to him for being in the choir--a blessing) and is being encouraged spiritually.
Still waiting and seeking, but God is God and is so good. I'm so glad we serve such a BIG God that also knows us so intimately.
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