“Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.”

~Hebrews 11:39-40~

(First Scripture Memory Verse for November…I’m jumping around a bit!)

I have to say that the eleventh chapter in the book of Hebrews is probably one of my favorite in the whole Bible. As Believers in Christ we have to be constantly aware of the deceit of temporal thinking. The enemy has no greater pleasure than to fix the gaze of God’s people on the misery and seeming hopelessness that surrounds them instead of the all-surpassing glory of their eternal reality.

There are many things that I am entrusting to God by faith that I may never see come to fruition in my lifetime. In our culture of immediate gratification, this can be a difficult pill to swallow. I have to constantly remind and encourage myself through the testimony of God’s Word that the desires of my heart are safe at the foot of His throne. His plans, timing and purposes are perfect and just…they will never fail and they will never be wrong.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

~Hebrews 11:1~

“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it clear that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that – heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.”

~Hebrews 11:13-16~

“He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going.”

~Hebrews 11:27b~

Even when I don’t see…I still believe.

Our firstborn daughter will enter the teenage years this month. When she’s not being overly moody and selfish she is typically in the other extreme…SILLY. I remember this phase. My friends and I were extremely silly during those middle-school years.

Having said that, you won’t be surprised by our conversation last night:

Firstborn: How long do unicorns live?

Me: Honey…there are no such things as unicorns?

Firstborn: Well…are there unicorns in heaven?

Me: I don’t know. I’ve never been there. I suppose there could be.

Firstborn: I hope Opa has a unicorn in heaven.

Me: I think he’d prefer a red Corvette.

Firstborn: Then I hope he has a unicorn and a red Corvette.

Today is my dad’s birthday. I don’t know what it’s like to have a birthday in heaven, but my guess is that this will be his best one yet...unicorns or not.

Happy birthday, dad!

"I thank my God every time I remember you."
~Philippians 1:3~

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

~1 Thessalonians 5:18~

Thank you God, for all I have today.

Thanks for this sink of dirty dishes,

It shows we have plenty to eat.

Thanks for this pile of dirty, stinky, laundry,

It shows we have plenty of clothes to wear.

Thanks for those unmade beds in there,

They were warm and so comfortable last night

And I know there are many who have no beds.

Thanks for this bathroom, complete with the

Spattered mirror, soggy, grimy towels and dirty commode,

They are so convenient.

Thanks for this finger-smudged refrigerator

That needs defrosting,

It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers

For two or three meals.

Thanks for this oven

That absolutely must be cleaned today,

It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for the grass that needs mowing and

The lawn that will need raking,

We all enjoy the yard.

Thanks even for that slamming screen door,

My kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me

Say that you have richly blessed my family.

I shall do them all cheerfully

And I shall do them gratefully.

Amen

~Author Unknown~

"Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting."
~Nehemiah 9:5~

I walked by “Thing One and Thing Two’s” room the other night after returning from a meeting at church and noticed that the door was closed with a sign posted which read:

KEEP OUT

I am in a mishen!

I need to beet up bad boys!

Thank you!

I knew that our youngest daughter was in there alone because her “roommate” was practicing piano. Since I am not one to interrupt such important “mishens” I decided to go about my own business and let her fill me in later. (Now…if you are a mom then you know that the real reason I didn’t open the door is because sometimes the only way to have peace and quiet is if your children think you are gone.)

Her radar must have picked up “Mom sounds” because a few minutes later she came bounding down the hallway yelling, “Mommy, I didn’t know you were home!!”

Me: Well…your door said you were on a ‘Mishen’ and I didn’t want to interrupt you.

Thing Two: I was just reading.

Our girls spent the night at Nana’s house last Friday. Our “baby” continued her creative writing…

Note to Santa:

Hi Santa!

I want a pony!

Love,

Thing Two

Another note in her handwriting but claiming anonymity:

It is the best day ever. I don’t know who wroot this but it was not me.

Well…here’s another one of my “who knows if it will stick or be meaningful to anyone but me” ideas.

I’m thinking of making worship through music the focus of my Wednesday entries (God willing, of course). Some do “Wordless Wednesdays”, which I think are cute. But God has used music to touch my spirit in such profound ways over the years and since this is my journal I figured I can do whatever I feel moved to do J

These entries will be short…maybe only a video or a link. If you normally take the time out of your busy schedules to read my entries then I am asking that you also take the time to listen. The music I share comes as much from my heart as the words that I write.

This week I would like to share a song that we sang at church this past weekend. The title is “Hosanna”, which is normally used as an exclamation of praise in our time but originally spoken as an appeal for deliverance. I think both definitions apply. As our eyes are drawn to the King of Glory and away from ourselves we can’t help but praise Him as well as become aware of our desperate need for His deliverance.

My favorite part of this song is the bridge:

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause

As I walk from earth into eternity

You will never regret giving your “everything” to Him.

I’m not quite sure how or when this happened but someone has stolen our sweet, funny, responsible daughter and replaced her with a sour, grumbly, lazy “almost-teenager”.  

This imposter (who looks amazingly like our real daughter) claims that we are the most backward family in the whole town.  She feels like she lives “under a rock”.  Her dad and I have obviously just surfaced out from under a rock because we are complete morons and have no idea how this pseudo-daughter feels or the tremendous stress this almost non-existence is placing on her. 

Apparently, our neglect in providing for her “basic needs” (a cell phone with unlimited texting, facebook account, an ipod….and I’m sure many things that I’m forgetting….remember, I’m an idiot) has stripped away all meaning in her life and she hasn’t anything to look forward to.  The idea that certain things should precede an increase in privileges (commitment to family responsibilities, respect for her parents and siblings, a gradual increase in overall maturity) is a foreign concept to this stranger.

If you happen to find our real daughter, would you please return her to us ASAP?  I’m thinking that she will resurface in about 6-8 years…but sooner would definitely be better!

“So be truly glad.  There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”

~1 Peter 1:6~

“…and to die is gain.”

~Philippians 1:21b~

(Second Scripture Memory Verse for September, Part 2)

“He’s in a better place”… "He’s whole now”… "He’s no longer suffering”… "He’s at peace”.

These are common expressions of comfort spoken to someone grieving the death of a loved one.  Many have spoken these sentiments to us these last few weeks as we wade through our own grief after the passing of my father.  Some truly believe what they are saying; others simply feel like it’s the right thing to say at the time to ease your pain. 

“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.  For we live by believing and not by seeing.  Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”

~2 Corinthians 5:6-8~

I’m not a “warm and fuzzy” kind of girl, so mushy sentiment without any substance is not comforting to me.  My comfort, my confidence, comes from God’s Word.  I don’t need anyone to assure me of my dad’s current residence.  I know what God says and I know what my dad believed. 

“You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.  As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

~Colossians 1:21-22~

“We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us.  We put no confidence in human effort.”

~Philippians 3:3b~

Absent from the body = present with the Lord…this is God’s promise to those who believe in the provision of Christ and cling to His righteousness as their only hope.

“Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

~Hebrews 9:27~

After we draw our final breath on this planet, we will all find ourselves face to face with an incomprehensible holiness.  Any self-righteous confidence we had in our own “goodness” will become a horrifying absurdity.  As Isaiah cried out:

“Woe to me…I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

~Isaiah 6:5~

What will be your defense in that moment?  What will be your fate? 

“Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’”

~Isaiah 6:6-7~

The blood of Jesus Christ was poured out on the holy altar that will stand before you.  He took your judgment upon Himself when they nailed Him to the cross. 

My dad knew that and believed it with all of his heart.  In the moments following his life on earth he was faced with the blinding contrast between himself and his Holy God.  But he also heard the comforting words of his Savior, saying, “Your guilt has been taken away and your sin atoned for”.  He stood holy and blameless before God because he was covered in the righteousness of Christ.  That is the only way any of us will stand before Him.

My dad will dwell for eternity in the presence of Christ because of his faith in Christ’s provision for him.  But this destiny is not secured for everyone. 

“For only we who believe can enter his rest.  As for the others, God said, ‘In my anger I took an oath:  ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

~Hebrews 4:3~

“They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power.”

~2 Thessalonians 1:9~

To die will not be gain for many.  And when the time for judgment arrives, the time for choosing will be over.  Are you entrusting your eternal destiny to warm & fuzzy sentiments or to the confident assurance of God given through His Son, Jesus Christ? 

“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.”

~1 John 5:13~

During the last days of my father’s life on earth, I took great comfort in knowing that his eternity was sealed in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14).  I knew that the eternal glory prepared for him far outweighed the light and momentary troubles he had to endure (2 Corinthians 4:17).   I knew his “rest” was quickly approaching. 

I must have listened to this song hundreds of times as I drove back and forth from the nursing home, praying for “That Day” to come.  Now I can listen and rejoice in knowing that my dad has arrived.  To die was his gain…and someday it will be mine as well. 

Friday Family Fun day!

It’s that time of year again when mothers around the globe (at least where seasons change) are rummaging through drawers and closets…packing away the summer shorts and flip-flops and pulling out the fall/winter gear.  This is not my favorite thing to do. 

I am thankful for three girls and hand-me-downs, which saves me lots of money and hours of shopping.  But it also means clothes strewn everywhere and lots of whining, “Do I have to try on more now?  Can’t I take a break??”  To which the clothes Nazi replies, “No breaks for you!!”

I am not a pack rat and I hate clutter, so this is also the time of year when I am madly boxing and bagging items to donate or hand-down to family & friends.  I was thinking to myself that it would be great to get a call from AMVETS saying that they were heading to my neighborhood and would love to come right to my door to pick-up my donations.  Not that I’m lazy, just kind of swamped right now.  Anything to lighten the load would be super.

The call came that very evening J

I was working on the computer when the phone rang and my husband answered. 

Husband (to caller):  I don’t know…let me check.

Husband (to me):  Do you have any items to donate to the AMVETS?

Me:  You’re kidding me…do I?  Praise the Lord!  When are they coming??

Husband (to caller):  Uh yes…I suppose we do.  This Friday?  Sounds good.  Oh, by the way, do you take children?

Caller (to husband):  (I can only guess, but something like…) Yes, we take children’s clothes.

Husband (to caller):  No, no…not children’s clothes…children.  I’ve got a few I can donate for a good cause.

All I could gather from the rest of the conversation is that she either didn’t get my husband’s sense of humor or she has no sense of humor, because she wasn’t going there.  I’ve done telemarketing in a previous life and as I recall, having a recipient of your call who wants to play around a bit can be just what you need to go on another hour. 

Just laugh, lady.  It was funny.  And no, we aren’t going to put our girls on the front step.  Who would wear all of the clothes that I just finished neatly packing away for spring?

 

I recently received a subtle “slam” regarding my consistent references to God in my conversations.  A verbal response on my part seemed inappropriate due to the location and circumstances, so I smiled and moved on.   Getting my feelings hurt a bit is nothing compared to the mass numbers of believers who endure violent persecution, torture, imprisonment and many times even death for their testimony.  But it did get me thinking.

They say you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their checkbook or credit card statement.  Where the bulk of our money is spent reveals our priorities.  Reviewing those numbers can be a humbling task. 

I say you can tell a lot about a person by what preoccupies their mind.  If you spend more than a few minutes in a conversation, where does it usually lead?  Who or what do they frequently want to talk about?  I tend to think way more about things than I probably should, but I find myself many times wondering, “How would that person describe me after that conversation?”  That review can be humbling as well.

“For to me, to live is Christ.”

~Philippians 1:21a~

(Second Scripture Memory Verse for September, Part 1)

Beth Moore made a comment during a recent simulcast event that really struck a cord in my heart.  So many times we hear things like, “God should be first in your life” or “God should be the center of your life…everything should revolve around Him”.   But she said that her paradigm shifted when she realized that God wasn’t to be a priority or a highly esteemed relationship in her life…HE…IS…HER…LIFE. 

“For in him we live and move and have our being.”

~Acts 17:28a~

I can’t stay silent about my relationship with Christ anymore than I can stop breathing.  He created me (John 1:3), He loves me (John 3:16), He sacrificed His sinless life for my sinful life (1 Peter 3:18), He clothed me with His perfection (Isaiah 61:10, Galatians 3:27), He is preparing a place for me (John 14:2), He constantly lives to intercede for me (Hebrews 7:25), His life flows through me (Galatians 2:20).  HE IS MY LIFE (Colossians 3:3-4).

How would you finish this statement?

“For to me, to live is ________.”

 

I thought it would be fun to have a day when I post journal entries that give you a glimpse into our family life.  I am now declaring Fridays as “Friday Family Fun” days.  Now, I am not making any promises that this will stick or that I will have an entry every Friday or that the stories will be any good.  Just thought I would try something new and see how it goes.
 

*********************************

A casual conversation with my youngest daughter (7) as we were getting out of the minivan and headed into Target:

Daughter:  I wish that driving was an instinct.

Me:  An instinct….hmmm…what do you mean by that?

Daughter:  I wish that when you were a baby you just knew how to drive.

Me:  (chuckle) Well, that’s an interesting thought.
 

Although, it seems there are quite a few “babies” on the road anyway….yet lacking instinct.  Sigh.

 

Friday night is Family Movie Night at our house: Blankets and pillows on the floor, break-n-bake cookies in our tummy (some baked, some not), and dad’s top movie pick for the week in the player. I’m not sure when we started this family ritual, but it’s something we all look forward to and try to protect from the demands of the outside world. This might be motivated by our addiction to cookies, but I’m going to choose to believe that it’s because we love each other and enjoy our time together. 

My husband has been on a theme lately with his movie choices. Let’s take a look…shall we? 

Faith Like Potatoes

Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Rabbit-Proof Fence

Flywheel

It seems that we are not only in this for the cookies and the entertainment. 

I have to be honest; sometimes I just want to laugh at a narcissistic lemur jumping out of a cake in a grass skirt. 

But I do think there is great value in using the time together to grow as a family in our understanding of this fallen world in which we live. These movies have really caused our girls (and their parents) to think and talk about some deep, painful issues. 

And they give me fodder for journal entries :)

Yes, all of that was one big segue into my topic for this post. You writers out there can go ahead and cringe. Why are you here, anyway?

Cuba Gooding Jr. has had quite a career, but I have to say, “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” is my new favorite. This movie is full of life lessons…what a powerful testimony of the preservation and transforming work of God in a life submitted to Him. Amazing. 

But it wasn’t the story-line that got my wheels turning. Ben Carson is a famous neurosurgeon. His genius mind and skills astounded me. As my daughters cringed and looked away during the surgery scenes, I was mesmerized. The images had the appearance of cruelty and destruction yet the work of this man’s hands resulted in healing and wholeness. Hmm.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’”

~Isaiah 55:8-9~

(First Scripture Memory Verse for September)

Things are not always as they appear. Dr. Carson has a goal in mind when he takes that scalpel in hand. Countless hours of research and planning preceded that moment in time. Every move, every cut, every step was calculated with precision and care. 

These families entrusted their loved ones to a faulty man to do terribly drastic work in the most intricate and mysterious organ in the human body. Why? Because they knew the alternative, and the goal was worth the cost. 

How much more so should we entrust ourselves and our loved ones into the hands of God, whose wisdom is beyond even the most brilliant human mind? His ways may seem cruel and destructive to our eyes, but the work of His hands result in healing and wholeness. He has a goal in mind when he takes that scalpel in His hands. His plans for us preceded the creation of the world. Every move, every cut, every step was calculated with precision and care. He knows the alternative, and the goal is worth the cost.

Do you trust Him?