Sometimes I find in the midst of my daily trials that the joy I once had, while rooted in the hope I still have, eludes me. As the muck of my own sin, intermingled with the struggles to correct the sin of my children overtakes my day, I'm discouraged. I long for the day when He completes the work He started in me so long ago. I read this passage from this morning's Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon, and hope it will be an encouragement to you as well:
"We are married unto Christ; and shall our great Bridegroom permit his spouse to linger in constant grief? Our hearts are knit unto him: we are his members, and though for awhile we may suffer as our Head once suffered, yet we are even now blessed with heavenly blessings in him. We have the earnest of our inheritance in the comforts of the Spirit, which are neither few nor small. Inheritors of joy for ever, we have foretastes of our portion. There are streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sunrising. Our riches are beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other side the river; gleams of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and urge us onward."
A few weeks ago, just before we started school, my children and I took a quick trip up to Oregon to see my dear grandma. She's my mom's mom and a very precious lady. Our last trip to Oregon was when I was still pregnant with Emily, so this was her first time meeting her youngest great granddaughter. My aunt tried to prepare me for what it may be like when we go to see her. Her health has deteriorated significantly since our last visit two years ago. Sometimes when I talk to her on the phone she gets confused and forgets who she's talking to, but God blessed us this visit with a lucid Grandma. We took her to dinner and spent an afternoon visiting her in her home. The girls colored pictures for her and Braden brought "sorry" to play. It was a precious time. Now just a couple weeks later, my grandma has been hospitalized three times since our visit. She's having trouble with her heart. I don't know very many details, but they did put in a pacemaker which helped some of her issues, but not all of her health problems have been resolved. Last I heard she's still in the hospital with an elevated heart enzyme. I'm not exactly sure what that means other than that her heart is not happy. My grandma loves the Lord and misses being among God's people. She was so active in serving her church until now. I don't know how much time she has left here. Only God knows, but I do know that when her days here are completed, she will go home. She will no longer suffer with a frail body that can't do all it once could. Please pray for my grandma. Whether she has years ahead of her or a much shorter time, pray that she would finish the race God has placed before her. That He would be her constant companion, comfort in her suffering, and her hope. Thank you dear friends.
A few of you have asked me what I do with Emily when the others doing their schoolwork. She has claimed one of Braden's old math workbooks and Leilani's old phonics book and she colors in her "Emily books".
This is Leilani on her first day of third grade. This will be her first year using Switched on School House. It has taken some getting used to, but she loves to play the spelling games and seems to be getting the hang of doing her work on the computer most of the time. Typing is still a slow and painstaking process, but that will improve in time. She's a diligent worker. This is Melanie on her first day of fourth grade. It's Melanie's second year with this curriculum, and she absolutely loves it! Her favorite subject this year is Spanish. She's been working ahead on her own time early in the morning and late at night, and she's already finished with the first unit! This is my little Kindergartener. He loves to learn. I'm sure he will keep me on my toes trying to keep up with him! He likes school, but he likes recess just as much! This year will be challenging (for me) if the first week is any indication of what's to come. I do treasure this time with my sweet babes, but boy-oh-boy do I feel like I'm being pulled in ten different directions at once! Pray for me :)
As I'm sure many of you know, the pool here in town was not available this summer for the swim team or the community to use. It has undergone a long overdue renovation which will mean nice new facilities for next summer, but for this summer, it has meant driving out of town for my little fishies to swim. We joined the Antioch Delta Skimmers this year. It was a blessing that Ron could come after work on Wednesday night to see the kids swim in meets. He's not able to be off for the Sharks' Saturday morning meets. All the meets were much closer to home than the Sharks' meets, but it did mean driving over the bridge everyday for practice. The kids made some good friends and had a lot of fun! Braden even graduated up from the polywog group to swim with the 6 and unders for the second half of the season. Some of the friends we swam with have joined us for fall swimming. We are swimming with the Brentwood Seawolves this fall season. Again this means crossing the bridge almost daily, but it is a great opportunity for the kids to have practice time in the water under the instruction of excellent coaches. It is almost daily P.E., and they love it! We look forward to swimming with our friends here in town next summer, but we'll see our skimmer friends at ECI next summer.
My sweet little boy turned 5 last week! To celebrate, Ron and I took the kids and a few of our friends to a fun little water park in Brentwood. It was such a perfect day! Our unseasonably cool summer warmed up to make playing in the cool water a welcome treat. The little boys all played together like they'd been friends forever, even though some had just met eachother and some hadn't seen eachother in about a year. All the little 5-year-olds were too short to ride the water slides, but once they started playing in the pool, they didn't seem to care at all. The older siblings had fun on the slides and playing in the diving pool. A great time was had by all. We are so grateful for the five years God has blessed us with this precious son. We are thankful for his tender heart, his affection and fun! We are thankful for good friends who joined us in celebrating his young life.
My dear little girl is eight today! What a fun day it was, too! We started the day with VBS with all your friends from church. We sang songs, learned from God's Word, painted crosses, ate yummy snacks, played games (and got all wet). We had lunch and cupcakes, then we took you to the movies! It was a full day of celebration! We played at an indoor playground until it was time to go to the VBS finale tonight. You and the rest of the kids sang your VBS songs and shared with the families what you've been doing all week. You learned some important truths about God's Word from Psalm 119. I'm so glad to see you growing in tenderness toward God and maturing in your faith. You are a precious, tenderhearted, compassionate child, full of spunk and energy! You love to laugh and be silly! You give your all in everything you do both in work and play. I'm so thankful that God has blessed our family with your precious life, and I'm thankful for these eight years we've had to know and love our sweet Leilani!
It amazes me that God chose to save me.I am so undeserving!I wonder why He chose me to bless, to show His unfailing mercy to.This coming weekend we are looking forward to the baptisms of my dear niece and brother-in-law!And again, I marvel at His Grace to those I love.He hears and answers our prayers.He preserves us and makes us new.He draws us to His irresistible self and makes us love Him, and long to know Him, and be with Him forever.Left to myself, I know my life would be a wasted effort of self-serving that would be of no value, but to condemn me forever.It is His life I cling to with hope and confidence and gratitude.So if you’re reading this, join me in praising God for His Great Salvation!
Psalm 66:16-20
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. 17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But trulyGod has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
"27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” These past two days, my husband and I have been trying to teach our son the importance of listening and responding to our call. Not that this is a new lesson, but as he had become laxed in his obedience in this area, we've been taking more time and effort to convey to him the importance of listening for our voices. Tonight I read the following from Spurgeon's Evening portion of "Morning and Evening" for May 20th, and oh, how convicted I was, yet, also thrilled that God was lovingly disciplining me as well. Isn't it funny how we often see our own childish foolishness toward our Father when we are disciplining our children. It's such a simple lesson to hear and obey, but so hard to follow, even when we know it's foolish not to. Evening, May 20
“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love.” — Hosea 11:4
Our heavenly Father often draws us with the cords of love; but ah! how backward we are to run towards him! How slowly do we respond to his gentle impulses! He draws us to exercise a more simple faith in him; but we have not yet attained to Abraham’s confidence; we do not leave our worldly cares with God, but, like Martha, we cumber ourselves with much serving. Our meagre faith brings leanness into our souls; we do not open our mouths wide, though God has promised to fill them. Does he not this evening draw us to trust him? Can we not hear him say, “Come, my child, and trust me. The veil is rent; enter into my presence, and approach boldly to the throne of my grace. I am worthy of thy fullest confidence, cast thy cares on me. Shake thyself from the dust of thy cares, and put on thy beautiful garments of joy.” But, alas! though called with tones of love to the blessed exercise of this comforting grace, we will not come. At another time he draws us to closer communion with himself. We have been sitting on the doorstep of God’s house, and he bids us advance into the banqueting hall and sup with him, but we decline the honour. There are secret rooms not yet opened to us; Jesus invites us to enter them, but we hold back. Shame on our cold hearts! We are but poor lovers of our sweet Lord Jesus, not fit to be his servants, much less to be his brides, and yet he hath exalted us to be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, married to him by a glorious marriage-covenant. Herein is love! But it is love which takes no denial. If we obey not the gentle drawings of his love, he will send affliction to drive us into closer intimacy with himself. Have us nearer he will. What foolish children we are to refuse those bands of love, and so bring upon our backs that scourge of small cords, which Jesus knows how to use! Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
This morning in school Melanie had to take a little field trip to the park to make some observations. She was supposed to make two lists. One for all the kind behavior she observed and one for all the unkind behavior she observed. Then she had to come back home, compare the lists and write what she learned about her own behavior from observing other kids' playtime actions. Melanie's still working on writing her report, but I'll tell you what I was thinking: Psalm 130:3-4 3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I was thinking how God watches all we do and must be grieved to see those He paid for, living as though he hadn't bought us at the cost of His son. But as my thoughts continued, I knew that it pleased Him to crush His son, to satisfy His justice and show us mercy. Isaiah 53:10 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; [1] when his soul makes [2] an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Joel 2:13 Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. I am so grateful that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. I am so grateful that I do not have to stand before His judgement with my own life as my defense. I have Christ's in place of my own, and because of Him, I can stand.
Everyday, when I pray with my children, we thank God for his daily provisions. Our home, our food, our clothing, health and protection have all been given to us as a gift from our loving Father. We never know from day to day what the future holds, but each day we can see that we have what we need right now and be thankful. It is so precious to see Braden at four thanking God for His mercy and for being faithful. As I read Matthew Henry's Method for Prayer today, it reminded me of this prayer, but is so much more powerful, since it comes from God's word.
Thank God for the Supports and Comforts of this Life
2.2.5
For the supports and comforts of this life, which have thus far made the land of my pilgrimage easy and pleasant to me.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears me up; God is my salvation. Psalm 68:19(ESV)
You make me lie down in green pastures; you feed me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2(ESV) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head, and my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5(ESV)
It may be I was sent out with no moneybag or knapsack, but did I lack anything? Nothing, Lord. Luke 22:35(ESV)
The lamp of God has shone upon my head, and by his light I have walked through darkness, and the friendship of God has been upon my tent. Job 29:3-4(ESV)
You have richly provided me with everything to enjoy, 1 Timothy 6:17(ESV) and have brought plentifully into my hand. Job 12:6(KJV)
Many a time I have eaten and been filled, and have delighted myself in your great goodness. Nehemiah 9:25(ESV)
When I remember all the ways that the LORD my God has led me for so many years in this wilderness, Deuteronomy 8:2(ESV) I must here set up a stone and call it Ebenezer, for till now the LORD has helped me. 1 Samuel 7:12(ESV)
Our sweet little Emily turns one today! Can it really be a year? I look back at her newborn pictures and see how much she's changed in such a short time. From a helpless babe to an independent little toddler in the blink of an eye! She's still a cuddle bug and likes to give kisses, but now that she can walk and climb, she likes to practice her newly acquired skills whenever she can. She's always on the move, and pretty much always has a dolly in tow. What a precious little girl she is, always singing and dancing and laughing to the music in her head! We are so thankful God has blessed our family with this bright little life, and thankful for this blessed first year!
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
When reading this, my first thought is, "I know what you mean, Paul." I have joy when I think of and pray for my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, who walk this journey with me as pilgrims now, and citizens of Heaven for all eternity. We have a special bond as hearts knit together, who share in this work of our King and Savior. My joy is only present when I am thinking correctly, however. I cannot hold too tightly to the temporal, earthly things. When I allow the sin of unbelief to cause me to fear, I don't have joy. When my limited understanding of God's immeasurable grace and my forgetfulness of God's faithfulness allow me to despair, I lose my joy. There is so much that encourages me in this passage: the reminder that God is faithful to complete the work He started in me, that joy is a gift and fruit of the Spirit that extends beyond the circumstances we face (Paul was writing this from prison, facing the possibility of execution), the reminder of the fellowship and bond I share with all believers. When I take time to renew my mind with the word of God, I can think correctly and face my trials with joy. I have to keep battling my wrong thinking, though, so if you think about it, pray for me! :)
Hello, dear friends! I realize I can't just skip ahead to today, without mentioning what we've been up to these last few weeks. The kids participated in an advent club, in preparation for celebrating the birth of our savior. They had so much fun singing Christmas songs, and making crafts and listening to the Christmas story with their friends Ayla, Holly, and Liam. We celebrated Christmas with my father, sister and brother, here. Then, Monday, headed down south to San Diego to visit with Ron's family. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but what a blessing it was! Ron's grandparents were so thankful we came. They met Emily for the first time! His grandma couldn't get enough of our littlest one. She didn't want to let her go! Ron's Auntie Lita enjoyed all of the children, but especially loved getting to know Braden. She said he's just like Ron at that age, but perhaps a little more energetic. Braden is the same age as the children she teaches in her Kindergarten readiness classes, and he is a delight! He's full of giggles and smiles and boundless energy! We took a trip to the beach with Ron's cousin's boys. Despite the fact that it's the middle of winter, and it's COLD, Melanie and William spent most of the day in the ocean, while Zachary, Leilani, Jonathan, and Braden made castles in the sand. Emily enjoyed the beach as long as she was being held. She did not like standing in the sand! We all had a wonderful time enjoying our Lord's creation and the blessings of one another! We returned home late on New Year's Eve. We were all tired. Melanie fell asleep. Emily and Braden were next. Only Leilani stayed up to welcome the new year with us, and then we all went promptly to bed. The next day we went to my sister's house for brunch and stayed the day visiting and playing. We also met little Silas for the first time, Shea's brother's six-week-old baby. What a little cutie! After a weekend of chores, it was back to school and work for us on Monday. But first came Sunday. Our Pastor preached a sermon He entitled, "Taste and See that the Lord is good." This passage is one that the Lord keeps bringing back to me each day in one way or another, so I'm including it in this blog post. Monday, Melanie had Psalm 34:1 as a memory verse, and then today she was asking me about the Seeds song from psalm 34:11-14, and of course Sunday, Psalm 34:8 was an exhortation from our pastor. I think I will take the hint and keep reading it and memorizing it, meditating on it, throughout the month. I've started a reading plan, but not a memory verse plan, so this seems as good place to start as any! I can't read this passage without praising God because of His faithfulness. He is our strength and our deliverer, and he is on our side! I think of the analogy of Christ and the church as a Bride and Bridegroom. He is the Bridegroom defending, protecting, and tenderly caring for His bride!
Psalm 34
Taste and See That the Lord Is Good
34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Footnotes
[1]34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
I am a sinner, saved by Grace, thankful for each day God provides, eager for the day He calls me home. I spend my days lovingly caring for my husband and teaching our four children.
Sometimes I find in the midst of my daily trials that the joy I once had, while rooted in the hope I still have, eludes me. As the muck of my own sin, intermingled with the struggles to correct the sin of my children overtakes my day, I'm discouraged. I long for the day when He completes the work He started in me so long ago. I read this passage from this morning's Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon, and hope it will be an encouragement to you as well:
