Reflections... Reasons for Thanksgiving

 Psalm 52:8-9

"But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the loving kindness of God forever and ever. I will give Thee thanks forever, because Thou hast done it. And I will wait on Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy godly ones." 

For the past few years I have participated with the daily giving of thanks on Facebook. However, this year, The Lord has me "considering my ways", which is something The Lord has spoken to me from the study of His Word, from the book of Haggai. In considering my ways, the way I spend my time and what my priorities are, I have been led to significantly reduce my time on FB. So, rather than the daily thankful statuses, I am going to list here 42 things I am thankful for... 42 because that is how many years The Lord has blessed with me so far.


 I thank my Heavenly Father, my Lord, my Savior, and My Redeemer for the following: 

 1. The free gift of salvation from my Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus, for taking every single one of my sins upon yourself and receiving in full the punishment for every one of my sins so that I could have eternal life and be set free from the bondage of sin. 
2. The riches of the depths of His grace. My husband and I were so blessed to take a class this fall on "Understanding Your Salvation." We studied in detail every aspect of salvation... We have been elected, called, chosen, redeemed, justified, adopted, and regenerated. We are being sanctified, preserved, and we will be glorified. If I had nothing else to be thankful for this is enough! 
3. I am thankful for my husband... He takes his role as husband, father, and spiritual leader of our family seriously. It blesses my heart immensely to see him reading the Word in the mornings, to hear him listening to sound biblical teaching online as he works on the computer, and to pray with him each morning before he leaves for work. 
4. The privilege of participating in a Moms in Prayer group. What a joy and a blessing to pray with other moms for our children according to scripture. It has been a blessing to labor together with these moms in prayer for our children and our families, and it has been a joy to witness answered prayer. Praying together creates a bond of friendship that is deep, meaningful and priceless. 
5. For the quiet early morning hours, and time spent in prayer and in the study and reading of God's Word. 
6. For the multiple copies of the Bible that we own, and the fact that we can carry them with us wherever and read them anywhere. 
7. For the privilege of homeschooling my children, and the empowerment and equipping of the Holy Spirit to do so. It is a joy and pleasure to teach them and to see and watch them learn, although it is the hardest and most trying task I have ever attempted! 
8. For our home... For shelter from the weather, for cozy beds, for screened in porches, for back yards with cool forts, for a garage to park in, for a place where we all are wanted and belong. 
9. For our sweet Bootsie... We had to say goodbye to our kitty this year. She was a blessing I had for 20 years, she was the boys 1st pet, and she had my husband catering to her every need and desire... She is dearly missed. 
10. For occasional nights out... The breaks from constantly being needed and constantly being bombarded with questions were often needed, and my husband graciously provided me time for those without a complaint. 
11. For my health! It feels absolutely wonderful to be healthy! 
12. For my husband's handiness... From fixing things around the house, to working on our vehicles, to creating cool stuff for our boys... He can do almost anything! 
13. For my parents and my sister... 
14. For a closet full of clothes and shoes... I have way more than I need... 
15. That we always have plenty of food to eat... 
16. That my husband likes and enjoys my cooking, even if my kids don't... 
17. For all we have learned about healthy eating and how much healthier we are as a result... 
18. For vacations and trips to the beach... 
19. For neighborhood swimming pools... 
20. For journals and the blessing of looking back... For the ability to remember... How horrible it would be to not be able to remember. 
21. For good morning hugs from my boys and my husband. 
22. For a van to drive and money to put gas in it. 
23. For warm cups of coffee on cold, rainy mornings... 
24. For snuggles on the couch while reading with the boys... 
25. Finding David curled up on the couch amidst all the pillows, absorbed in a book... This is a daily occurrence. 
26. For the masterful, detailed, and creative creations Paul builds with Legos... It is his passion and he is great at it! 
27. For the joy of watching the boys play soccer! They are passionate about the game and put their whole heart in the game. I love to watch my David fly down the field with the ball, he has some speed! I love watching Paul make his calculated and thought out moves! And I really shout for joy and they work together to score a goal, they are a dynamic duo!! 
28. For our homeschool group... We are blessed with a group of wonderful families to go through the adventure of homeschooling with. I am so thankful for the good friends the boys have made, and I am blessed more than I can say by the friendship of some godly moms! 
29. For good friends... I am blessed with wonderful friends from all seasons of my life. A true, loyal and faithful friend is a wonderful blessing! 
30. Modern conveniences! I am thankful for the many household helpers I have, the dishwasher, the clothes washer and dryer, my vacuum cleaner, my iron, stove, oven, refrigerator... The list really can go on and on!
31. For our new church family... The Lord has led us to Hunter Street and what a blessing it has been for each member of our family. Their desire to have the gospel preached in all that they do, the fact that everything is done with the purpose and intent to point to Jesus, and that all is done in excellence because we serve an excellent God brings us great joy and excitement. We look forward to serving our Lord with them. 
32. For godly mentors... We have been blessed with the friendship of a sweet and dear couple who love The Lord and have been married 50 years. We are so excited that our Lord has brought us together and we eagerly look forward to growing our friendship. 
33. For music... 
34. For the ability to run... And the desire and motivation to do so. 
35. For roses and hydrangeas in our backyard... And sweet little boys who cut them for surprises for me! 
36. For good books to read that inspire me in my walk with Christ. My favorites this year are all from Lamplighter Publishing. I highly recommend them.... Excellent, excellent books! 
37. The giggles and laughter of my boys... It is a much nicer sound than their fighting and arguing! 
38. For time to rest... For bathtubs and my homemade "calgon"... 
39. For my husband's willingness to help those in need, even if it is inconvenient... 
40. For ears to hear with, eyes to see with, arms to hug and hold with, legs to run with, a mouth to talk with...
 41. For this life my Lord has blessed me with... I am humbled by what He has done for me... 
42. For my Heavenly Father, who is the giver of all good gifts... And for His Son, Jesus, who has given me the greatest gift of all. 


It has been such a blessing to sit and compile this list. I would encourage you to take some time to be still, and sit and reflect on the many blessings in your own life. We all have more blessings than we could ever number... 


 

The LORD of hosts... and Emmanuel...

In our Bible study these past few months, the thing that has continued to stand out to me and speak to my heart  is the fact that our God is "The LORD of hosts"...

What a powerful name!  What a mighty image this conjures up in my mind... what comfort and peace this name brings to His children.

I found the following from the lexical aids to the Old Testament regarding the meaning of the name LORD of hosts. 

The Lord of Hosts is a special name for God.  It occurs 62 times in Isaiah, 77 times in Jeremiah, 14 times in Haggai, 53 times in Zechariah, and 24 times in Malachi.  This expression depicts Yahweh as the mightiest Warrior or all-powerful King of Israel.  Although it has military overtones, it pointed directly to Jehovah's rulership over the entire universe.  He stands ready to intervene for His people at any moment.

There is also another name of God that has ministered to me lately.
It is the name Emmanuel, God WITH us...

Our God is The LORD of hosts, and He is Emmanuel, God with us!! And He is ready to intervene for us, at any moment!!

May this bring comfort, peace, and encouragement to those who need it... today, and in the days to come...

"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold." 
Psalm 46:1-7 

Remembering...

 September 9th... This day will forever be a day that I will stop and reflect and thank and praise my God and Savior for what He did for me in  the year 2010. 

My memory verses for this week fit perfectly with this...

Psalm 145:4 
"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts."

Psalm 103:1-4 
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of his benefits;
who pardons all your iniquities;
who heals all your diseases;
who redeems your life from the pit;
who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;"

On this day 3 years ago, my Lord and Savior was merciful and gracious to me, in that He healed me completely from the most intense, excruciating, and debilitating pain that I have ever experienced in my life.  He lifted me out of a very deep and dark pit.  He revived me and restored me.  He made me useful again.

I learned that I can always trust Him, no matter how hard and dark things are.  I learned that He holds His own in the palm of His hand, and we are safe and secure there.

I love Him for saving my soul, I love Him for Jesus, and I love Him for healing my body and giving me even more to praise Him for.  


If you have time, you can read my story here.  I pray that God uses it to encouragement someone today... never give up, there is always hope and healing in Jesus.

My weaknesses... for the sake of Jesus...

Our pastor preached a powerful message this past Sunday, I wanted to share it here.  I think it will minister to anyone who has something hard going on in their life, which is pretty much all of us. 

It is entitled "For the Sake of Christ, Then, I am Content with Weakness"   (click on the title to hear the sermon)

He is currently preaching through 2 Corinthians, and for this sermon he was in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.  He had 3 points to go along with his sermon, they are:

1.  God will use my real life to display His glory.
2.  God's grace is always more than enough.
3.  Therefore, for Christ's sake I will delight in my weaknesses.

 These were some points that I jotted down that spoke to me...

• My weaknesses are not a barrier to serve Jesus, they are a break-thru to serving the real Jesus...
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• God wants to use the weakened me, the wounded me...
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• Thorns hurt... thorns reduced and weakened Paul to a constant need...
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• Will I allow the deepest hurt of my life to be used for the sake of Jesus?  What is the deepest hurt of my life??

I pray that this ministers to someone, that it will encourage you to persevere through the hard stuff of life, and that you will let the world see Jesus in you, through your real life, through your weaknesses... for when we are weak, He is strong....

Bootise... Our Beloved Cat

Bootsie

Our Beloved Cat

1993-2013

 

Bootsie… 

Our beloved loyal companion and treasured friend, yours was a life well lived. 

You always were the consummate encourager, whether someone was recovering from back surgery, or just feeling blue and wanting someone to listen; you were always there.  

You were a skilled mother of two litters, both of which you potty trained yourself. Never mind the fact that you had them in Tricia’s parents’ bed, yet did not leave a mess.

You tolerated many a move to different homes, and then there were those boys that would come calling for your master’s hand. You helped weed them out and comforted me when they broke my heart.  You always knew when I was lonely and would snuggle in my lap with loud, comforting purrs.

Then it finally happened, a man who loved us both, whom you were sure would treasure both you and me, and you gave him your hearty approval!  You were thrilled when he cut holes in homes to accommodate your nightly wanderings, and built you walkways so your little feet did not have to touch the wet morning grass.  He became your hero when he rescued you from the neighbor’s roof, and then from the top of our porch umbrella!

 You never met a stranger.  You loved every human who entered your path and thought they all should love you too.  You used to be on the neighborhood welcoming committee, and enjoyed finding your way into people’s homes as they unloaded their groceries. 

You went against the grain and didn’t belong to the cat union of self aggrandizement. You would come when called, and you’d follow along to be where the action was taking place. Even at the vet, while you hated being there, you were grateful for the care; so much so, that your motor would hum and drown out whatever had derailed you.

You loved being loved on and sought out love and affection whether it was convenient or not.  You would knock and scratch on doors until they were opened for you.  You would lay on the newspaper or a book, not caring who was reading it, as long as their attention was diverted from their reading to you.

 

As time passed, you were subverted by a couple of small and stinky noise makers. Yet you learned to love them, and they loved you, too. Paul and David were their names and they kept you busy and on your toes. What fun we had together. Love, giggles, and hugs we shared. Happy days and sad… you purred and snuggled us through.

  

  

You were our boys’ first pet.  And oh how they loved you, and how tolerant you were of their antics!  You allowed them to learn to brush you before they even knew what “gentle” was.  You never complained of their roughness, you knew it was their way to love.  

  

  

 

You learned how to dodge tractors, dump trucks, and soccer balls.  You enjoyed just hanging out and watching them dig to their hearts content.  You even loved to come in and learn right along with us when we started school.

 

 

You were such a big part of our family.  You were and still are dearly loved, and will be greatly missed… your early morning meows and your persnickety requests for fresh water 2 or more times a day, only from a glass bowl, and preferably served on the floor in the bathroom.  

Our hearts will have a hole that can never be filled by any other kitty.  We love you and miss you… thank you for loving us so well!

Your humans… Tricia, James, Paul, and David

Devotion... to prayer and meditation

I am reading another Lamplighter book, on loan to me from a sweet and precious friend...  It is called the Basket of Flowers, and I have just started it, only finished the first 2 chapters... but already I can tell it is packed with spiritual encouragement.

The author has begun to describe the father of the young girl whom the book is about.  How he desires to begin his day with God, and desires to give God the first and best of his day.  He rises before dawn to do this, so his other work does not suffer...  It is said this habit, one of rising early to spend time with God, is most essential if one wants a spiritual frame of mind...  and then to quote the author:

"The life of that man is but poorly filled, who cannot find one or two hours to discourse with his heavenly Father without interruption."  Basket of Flowers, page 21

One or two hours without interruption... This sounds heavenly to me... one or two hours to sit at my Savior's feet and soak in His presence and in His Word... without interruption.  I used to have this, daily lengthy times with my Lord, often more than once a day... in my single days. And I desperately miss it... miss prolonged times in the prayer and in His Word. I still spend time with my Lord in the quiet hours of the morning, yet I always seem to be yearning for more of Him... looking for the next opportunity to have some extended time with Him, just me and Him.

I think we can all find that time.  It is a choice... ignore facebook... don't go wander around the mall or Target wasting time and money on frivolous things... listen to sermons in the car or while working around the house... play praise and worship music while traveling or cleaning and worship and praise Him while we work and go.

I have also found that I long for friends who spend time with Jesus.  I want to talk about the Word... I want to talk about what God is showing me and doing in my life and the life of my family.  I do not want to talk about the latest reality TV show or to hear the latest gossip about the lady up the street.  Friends who spend time with Jesus refresh and encourage, they are real and transparent, they pray for and with you, and they are there when you need them, even if you do not ask... they are there, just like Jesus is.

So go spend some extended time with Jesus... see if you don't leave hungry for more, and find yourself going back more and more, because you have discovered that Jesus can fill your heart and soul like nothing in this world can.  He is ALL we need... do you spend time with Him??

The King of love my Shepherd is

I just  have a few thoughts rambling through my mind... from things I have read recently, and from things I have heard... So I am thought I would journal them here as I think on them...

I finished reading "House of Love" yesterday by Elizabeth Cheney from Lamplighter Collection.  It was a delightful and encouraging read, and I cried joyful tears at the end.  It has been quite a while since I have cried when finishing a book... the last one that I remember bringing tears was the ending of "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. 

Anyway, there is a song the main character loved and that ministered to her greatly through all the seasons of her life, some very difficult.  She sang it with her mom, she sang it to her "adopted" grandmom, and she sang it to herself and to her Lord.  The words from this song keep running through my head...

The King of love my Shepherd is, 
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His, 
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living waters flow, 
My ransomed soul He leadeth, 
And where the verdant pastures grow, 
With food celestial feedeth,

And so through all the length of days, 
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, let me sing Thy praise, 
Within Thy house forever.

My Shepherd is the King of love... LOVE!  His goodness never fails... NEVER!  And since I am His, I lack not a thing, absolutely nothing!  And He is mine forever... no one can take Him from me, and no one can take me from Him!  How comforting those thoughts are...



And then these thoughts are from some messages I have heard recently...

What you proclaim with your words and declare with your life reveals who you really are...

Our mission is to make much of God.  Those who truly know God desire to make Him known to others.  Since there is no greater knowledge of God than that found in the gospel, we become a people of the gospel who are passionate to make Christ known and enjoyed in this world.

Make my life a canvas for His glory...

I am thankful that I live in the House of Love and that I am a child of the King.  I pray that my life reveals that, and that my life makes much of Him...  I desire for my life to be a canvas on which His glory is displayed...

God will guide you... if you will listen...

I am in the midst of starting to prepare for another year of homeschooling... we are soon to begin 4th grade!!  This means my mind is filled with thoughts and ideas of what to do differently this year, what new ideas should I implement, what should I toss, what curriculum should I change, and which should I stick with.

And then there are the thoughts like this that fill my mind at times, "She does this with her kids, maybe I should do that too."  Or, "Everyone seems to use this resource so will my children be lacking if I don't use it??"   This is really the comparison game... and I have been learning this summer, along with some other great moms, that comparing my insides to someone else's outsides never produces anything good. 

As one can imagine, all of this can be very overwhelming!

So how do I know from year to year what curriculum to use??  What to change and what to keep?? 

I have found that the best way to know how to teach my boys and what resources to use or not to use comes from spending time with my Lord.  That is right, spending time with the Lord... not from any homeschool convention, not from perusing tons of curriculum catalogs, and not doing something just because it works for someone else.  Not that these things are bad, but all of our direction should come from the Lord...

Just yesterday, during my morning devotions, I had started a little list of things to accomplish during the day (I jot down things that jump into my mind so I can get them out of my mind and can focus on the Lord and His Word).  I jotted this down...

• find a catechism to order

Now, this is something that has been in the back of my mind to do for several years.  I have not pursued it, but it has been sitting there, on the shelf in my mind, as something I really should be doing... as something that would be really good for my boys.  I know several people who teach catechisms to their children, and I have read numerous times about them.

Well, after writing that on my to-do list, I picked up "The Duties of Parents" by J. C. Ryle, and begin reading where I had left off the day before.  This is what I read:

"Any system of training which does not make a knowledge of Scripture the first thing is unsafe and unsound. 

You have need to be careful on this point just now, for the devil is abroad, and error abounds.  Some are to be found amongst us who give the Church the honour due to Jesus Christ.  Some are to be found who make the sacraments saviours and passports to eternal life.  And some are to be found in like manner who honour the catechism more than the Bible, or fill the minds of children with miserable little story-books, instead of the Scripture of truth.  But if you love your children, let the simple Bible be everything in the training of their souls; and let all other books go down and take second place. 

Care not so much for their being mighty in the catechism, as for their being mighty in the Scriptures.  This is the training, believe me, that God will honour."  page 16, emphasis mine

Wow!!  I heard my Lord... and I scratched find a catechism to order right off of my list! You see, we study the Bible a lot in our house, we read it together, we pray it together, we practice writing it, and we memorize it and hide it in our hearts.  My Lord sweetly confirmed to me that I do not need to add "another thing to do" to our list of school "stuff."  We just need to keep on doing what we are doing... teaching a love of the Word of God and It's importance to our boys!

God has graciously guided me year by year as to what I have needed to homeschool my boys for His honor and His glory.  He brings curriculum, ideas, and suggestions across my path in such a way that I know that it is His direction and His leading.  I choose to follow Him... for He knows best... He knows my boys better than I do... and He knows His plans for them.  What better curriculum consultant do I need??

Are you spending time with the Lord so He can guide you according to His Word?  Or are you listening to the voices of the world?  Or perhaps comparing your insides with someone else's outsides? 

Stop... and go spend some time with Him.  I promise, His Word will be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path, showing you which way you should go...

JOY!

Psalm 87:7

"All my springs of joy are in You."  

This verse leapt off the page at me a few weeks ago as I was reading through some of the Psalms, and it has stuck with me.  Joy comes from having a relationship with Jesus Christ and spending time with Him.  Do you have joy??  If not, maybe you need to be still and spend some time with Jesus...

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