Just what is it about NEW things that get us so excited? I think it is the promise they hold...I just LOVE New Year's Eve...and the promise of a new year!
Isaiah 42:9 "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them."
Ahhh, the saying goodbye to an old year, and the hopes and dreams of a new year. The past year has been a good one for me. We have not had any tragedies, and we have all learned and grown as we should. It certainly wasn't perfect, and there are parts of it that I would change if I could, but overall, it was a good year.
What will 2011 hold for us? Hopefully my children will continue to learn to do Hard Things...to step out of their comfort zones and reach for their dreams and in the process realize that they can do, oh, so much more, than they ever thought was possible. Hopefully they will continue to learn to "Go above and beyond" what is asked of them, and most importantly, continue to grow in their walk with the Lord. I realize we are standing on the edge of the vast canyon of the teen aged years for two of them. I know it has claimed the lives of many families. We plan to hold hands and jump, with God as our hang glider, and the Holy Spirit as the wind that directs us.
As for Marc and I...we have seen too many of our friends and loved ones loose their marriage this year. We plan to be together 'til death do us part, so keeping our marriage working is something that we work on continuously. We know it is an area where Satan is on the attack, so we plan to be aware of this ahead of time, and refuse to let him win even small battles.
In our ministry...God is stirring hearts and souls in our church, and we are excited about it. We have adults and teens alike that are tired of the ordinary, and are ready to attempt great things for God, and expecting to see great things from God in return. We are very excited about the work that is going on in our new teen room :-)! We can't wait to have our first service in there, and make it our own :-)! Many fun memories in the old room, but praise the Lord, we have outgrown it, and now must break in a new one...I wonder how many days we can go without our first spill :-). I wonder who will be the first to make the life changing decision to accept Christ as their personal Savior there?
Wow...exciting things to look forward to in 2011. Maybe it will even be the year that our Lord returns! Until then, we are living on borrowed time to tell those around us about His ultimate sacrifice for them, and how they can have eternal life. So let's get busy and serve the Lord! I'll see ya next year :-)!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
They were fighting like cats and dogs!
I'm not really a cat person. Nothing against them personally. I guess it is because I have these crazy allergies that make me miserable when I am around them. Or maybe because one slaughtered the baby birds that were in a nest on my porch...well regardless of the reason, I've just never really been a cat person.
We were given a full blooded Golden Retriever puppy. Six summers ago. I was okay with him, until he got big enough to knock me down, and now, well, I pet him, or throw him tennis balls from the opposite side of the fence. I also sneak him a "treat" or two when we have leftovers. We also have a mixed breed dog. He is part Jack Russel Terrier and part Yorkie. Thankfully he is more like the Yorkie side of the family. I do have issues with Jack Russels...but that's another story for another day. He is a sweetie. I would play with him more, but that would require full tackle football pads to protect me from the Golden Retriever.
So, we have moved into this turn of the century house. I love it! I love the character it has. I love the big front porch. I love it! But being built in the turn of the century, it has it's issues. We also live next to a field that is cut periodically for hay. When the field is cut, we see more action in our little squeaky, whiskered neighbors. Often, they try to move in with us. And I'm having NONE of that. So, we decided we would get an outside cat. The solution to our chipmunk problem as well. Maybe it would even scare the squirrels (who love our attic) away too...You know...Super Kitty! Here she comes to save the day!!! We began asking around, and found one. We brought her to her new home, and she was scared to death. So we did all we could to make her comfortable. And somehow along the way, fell in love with her. We would come home from school and she would practically trip us rubbing around our feet for love as we walked to the house. I thought cats were supposed to be independent, and standoffish! She also made friends with the cat across the street. Good friends. Like they really got to know one another...in a Biblical sense of the word. And before we knew it, we were the proud owners of one super kitty, and three super kittens. Somehow, they grew, and we would take our allergy medicine and go play with them each day, falling more and more in love with them. Then come in and change clothes and take showers. We shamelessly marketed them on Facebook, at church, through phone calls, and finally found homes for two of them. We decided we would keep the last one (providence, I am sure). We had the momma kitty fixed, and shots to prevent kitty leukemia (who knew?). The hubby was not happy about the bill. And once again, all was right in the universe...
Until I came down stairs after bathing the little one (child- not kitten), to hear strange sounds from the backyard. I turned on the light and realized that somehow, the momma kitty had gotten into the backyard with the dogs, and let me tell ya, they don't make kitty sized football pads. They were fighting, well, like cats and dogs. I screamed for the older kids, who immediately ran out to break up the fight, and for the hubby, who was upstairs, who also ran out to help. I tried to shelter the little one, who had claimed the momma kitty as her own, and actually had a special bond with her, from seeing the results. When the hubby brought the kitty to the door, with one cut over her eye, I thought for sure we had dodged a catastrophe (no pun intended). But when my middle child came to the door crying to let the cat stay in for the night, I began to worry. All allergies aside, I got a warm wet washcloth and tried to clean up the cat. I knew by the way that she was acting (or just laying there panting) that she probably would not make it. A few hours later, she died. Our "not cat people" family cried. And then there was the kitten, who "cried" too. Off and on all night, and the next day. To which my husband said for me to call our friend who also had kittens and see if we could get one of hers to keep ours company. Didn't we just do everything in our power to get RID of cats??!! Now we are looking for another one?!? Have we lost our minds!?!
We took the kids to a movie. A kid movie. A comedy. To lighten the mood. And wouldn't you know!?! In the movie...their cat dies!!! Perfect. Just perfect! So, we get home, contact our friend, and go pick out a new kitten. A companion for our lonely kitten. It took a couple of days for them to get used to each other, but now they are friends, and our front porch once again has kittens running around playfully, or curled up sleeping cozily. And once again, for now at least, all is right in our little corner of the universe.
We were given a full blooded Golden Retriever puppy. Six summers ago. I was okay with him, until he got big enough to knock me down, and now, well, I pet him, or throw him tennis balls from the opposite side of the fence. I also sneak him a "treat" or two when we have leftovers. We also have a mixed breed dog. He is part Jack Russel Terrier and part Yorkie. Thankfully he is more like the Yorkie side of the family. I do have issues with Jack Russels...but that's another story for another day. He is a sweetie. I would play with him more, but that would require full tackle football pads to protect me from the Golden Retriever.
So, we have moved into this turn of the century house. I love it! I love the character it has. I love the big front porch. I love it! But being built in the turn of the century, it has it's issues. We also live next to a field that is cut periodically for hay. When the field is cut, we see more action in our little squeaky, whiskered neighbors. Often, they try to move in with us. And I'm having NONE of that. So, we decided we would get an outside cat. The solution to our chipmunk problem as well. Maybe it would even scare the squirrels (who love our attic) away too...You know...Super Kitty! Here she comes to save the day!!! We began asking around, and found one. We brought her to her new home, and she was scared to death. So we did all we could to make her comfortable. And somehow along the way, fell in love with her. We would come home from school and she would practically trip us rubbing around our feet for love as we walked to the house. I thought cats were supposed to be independent, and standoffish! She also made friends with the cat across the street. Good friends. Like they really got to know one another...in a Biblical sense of the word. And before we knew it, we were the proud owners of one super kitty, and three super kittens. Somehow, they grew, and we would take our allergy medicine and go play with them each day, falling more and more in love with them. Then come in and change clothes and take showers. We shamelessly marketed them on Facebook, at church, through phone calls, and finally found homes for two of them. We decided we would keep the last one (providence, I am sure). We had the momma kitty fixed, and shots to prevent kitty leukemia (who knew?). The hubby was not happy about the bill. And once again, all was right in the universe...
Until I came down stairs after bathing the little one (child- not kitten), to hear strange sounds from the backyard. I turned on the light and realized that somehow, the momma kitty had gotten into the backyard with the dogs, and let me tell ya, they don't make kitty sized football pads. They were fighting, well, like cats and dogs. I screamed for the older kids, who immediately ran out to break up the fight, and for the hubby, who was upstairs, who also ran out to help. I tried to shelter the little one, who had claimed the momma kitty as her own, and actually had a special bond with her, from seeing the results. When the hubby brought the kitty to the door, with one cut over her eye, I thought for sure we had dodged a catastrophe (no pun intended). But when my middle child came to the door crying to let the cat stay in for the night, I began to worry. All allergies aside, I got a warm wet washcloth and tried to clean up the cat. I knew by the way that she was acting (or just laying there panting) that she probably would not make it. A few hours later, she died. Our "not cat people" family cried. And then there was the kitten, who "cried" too. Off and on all night, and the next day. To which my husband said for me to call our friend who also had kittens and see if we could get one of hers to keep ours company. Didn't we just do everything in our power to get RID of cats??!! Now we are looking for another one?!? Have we lost our minds!?!
We took the kids to a movie. A kid movie. A comedy. To lighten the mood. And wouldn't you know!?! In the movie...their cat dies!!! Perfect. Just perfect! So, we get home, contact our friend, and go pick out a new kitten. A companion for our lonely kitten. It took a couple of days for them to get used to each other, but now they are friends, and our front porch once again has kittens running around playfully, or curled up sleeping cozily. And once again, for now at least, all is right in our little corner of the universe.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Story of Us
Once upon a time, in a faraway land there lived a princess. She was doomed to live a life of dispair and sadness until she met the one and only King. Meeting Him changed her life, and she vowed to serve Him and follow Him forever. She began to do just that. She studied the letters that the King wrote. She went to meetings and schools to learn more about the King. She talked to Him daily, and she was always amazed by His love, kindness, mercy and grace. He never let her down. He walked with her through the tough times. He laughed with her through the good times. He was always by her side.
At the same time, in another distant land, there lived a prince. He too, was doomed to a life of sadness and dispair. He too, met the one and only King. The meeting changed his life, and he vowed to serve Him and follow Him forever. He took steps to do just that. He studied the King's letters. He went to meetings and schools to learn more about the King. He talked to the King daily, and was always amazed by His love, kindness, mercy and grace. The King walked by his side, and never let the prince down.
After years of training and service, the King felt that the prince and the princess should meet. So He arranged for them to both attend the same school of higher learning. The prince and princess met and fell in love, just as the King had planned. They married and began to serve the King together. Sometimes it was hard for them. Sometimes they had to do without things that they wanted. Sometimes others misunderstood them and their motives, and said or did hurtful things to the prince and the princess. But with the King's help, the prince and princess continued to serve Him. Their greatest joy came when they had the chance to introduce others to the King, and see their lives changed as well.
The King blessed the prince and princess with children of their own. First a beautiful daughter. Then a precious son, and finally another beautiful daughter. The prince and princess work hard to teach and train their children for the service of the King. The two oldest children have met the King, and as their mother and father before them, they have been changed for the better by the meeting. They too have pledged their lives to His service. The whole family is eager for the youngest daughter to meet the King as well.
They work together as a family to spread the news of how wonderful the King is, and how meeting Him can change lives forever. They pray that everything they do and say will bring honor and glory to their King, and they hope that when they see their King again, that He will wrap them in His arms of love and say, "Well done!"
The prince and the princess know that they are far from perfect. They have made, and will continue to make many mistakes along the way. That is why they try to live as close to their King as possible. They try to read His letters daily, and follow the instructions that the King gives in those letters. They talk to the King daily, and try to be still and listen to what He says in return. They listen to those around them who also know the King, and have learned lessons by following Him. And they try to live the best lives for their King that they can. Still through it all, they know that when they do make mistakes, like they have in the past, and will in the future, that the King is gracious and forgiving. They know that He will be there to help them, lead them, and get them back on the right path.
They wonder if you know their King, or if you have ever read any of His letters to you. They want you to know that their King loves you very much and wants you to meet Him, like the prince and princess did.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:13 for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Just a fun way of introducing us...who we are...and maybe if you don't know the King like we do, you will be interested in meeting Him. Thanks for dropping by!
At the same time, in another distant land, there lived a prince. He too, was doomed to a life of sadness and dispair. He too, met the one and only King. The meeting changed his life, and he vowed to serve Him and follow Him forever. He took steps to do just that. He studied the King's letters. He went to meetings and schools to learn more about the King. He talked to the King daily, and was always amazed by His love, kindness, mercy and grace. The King walked by his side, and never let the prince down.
After years of training and service, the King felt that the prince and the princess should meet. So He arranged for them to both attend the same school of higher learning. The prince and princess met and fell in love, just as the King had planned. They married and began to serve the King together. Sometimes it was hard for them. Sometimes they had to do without things that they wanted. Sometimes others misunderstood them and their motives, and said or did hurtful things to the prince and the princess. But with the King's help, the prince and princess continued to serve Him. Their greatest joy came when they had the chance to introduce others to the King, and see their lives changed as well.
The King blessed the prince and princess with children of their own. First a beautiful daughter. Then a precious son, and finally another beautiful daughter. The prince and princess work hard to teach and train their children for the service of the King. The two oldest children have met the King, and as their mother and father before them, they have been changed for the better by the meeting. They too have pledged their lives to His service. The whole family is eager for the youngest daughter to meet the King as well.
They work together as a family to spread the news of how wonderful the King is, and how meeting Him can change lives forever. They pray that everything they do and say will bring honor and glory to their King, and they hope that when they see their King again, that He will wrap them in His arms of love and say, "Well done!"
The prince and the princess know that they are far from perfect. They have made, and will continue to make many mistakes along the way. That is why they try to live as close to their King as possible. They try to read His letters daily, and follow the instructions that the King gives in those letters. They talk to the King daily, and try to be still and listen to what He says in return. They listen to those around them who also know the King, and have learned lessons by following Him. And they try to live the best lives for their King that they can. Still through it all, they know that when they do make mistakes, like they have in the past, and will in the future, that the King is gracious and forgiving. They know that He will be there to help them, lead them, and get them back on the right path.
They wonder if you know their King, or if you have ever read any of His letters to you. They want you to know that their King loves you very much and wants you to meet Him, like the prince and princess did.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:13 for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Just a fun way of introducing us...who we are...and maybe if you don't know the King like we do, you will be interested in meeting Him. Thanks for dropping by!
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