Come my children, Listen to 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.

Lists

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.

High Seas Expedition

We are looking forward to this summer's VBS, June 14-18th. We hope some of our friends will come and join us!

Our Daily Prayer

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)

She's One Today!

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!

JOY

Philippians 1:3-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer

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! :)

It's been a busy December!

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