Beautiful snow

I happened upon this excellent post from my dear friend today. It is very much worth the read.

Happy Holidays!

God is so good!

Our only Savior

Sometimes as a mother I am tempted to think (desire) that I can somehow save my children. The magic formula that I default to is often prayer, but sometimes also Bible stories and godly behavior. If I pray enough for our kids they'll be saved, right? Wrong! "No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him--for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever..." Psalm 49:7-8 No, surely all of those things are false hopes in and of themselves. BUT God can save my children. And will He? I have every reason to hope and believe so. "For You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon You." Psalm 85:5 Prayer and Bible reading and godly examples are the right thing to do...but only in the sense that they direct us to our only Hope. Just this morning Charlie came to me and declared, "Mom, close your eyes. We need to thank God for helping me find my special marker that was lost." He proceeded to pray a precious but rather formal prayer of thanks. Perhaps, Lord, He is beginning to recognize You for who You are--the giver of all good gifts and the all-seeing One? How I pray that one day soon he would also see You are his Father, Savior, and very best friend. Lord, You alone can do this. And I trust You will, because You abound in loving kindness to all who call upon You.

One, two, skip a few...

There are months of pictures I have failed to post on here! Updates I haven't given, funny quotes I haven't shared! But, lest I be forever lost in the waiting to catch up, here are a few recent pictures of the kiddos. Charlie agreed to cooperate if I would let him do one shot with his Ninjago mask on. :)

My refuge

"In the Lord I take refuge." Psalm 11:1

"My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped." Psalm 28:7

Sunshine

Lord, I need You

Spring 2013

The Lord who delivered

"And David said, 'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' And Saul said to David, 'Go, and may the Lord be with you.'" 1 Samuel 17:37

A wonderful verse for encouragement in facing a new temptation or new seemingly impossible situation in the Christian life! "He who delivered me...will deliver me..." We can count on it.

Whoever loses her life will find it

God Wins from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.

 HT: challies.com

 I watched this video earlier and couldn't help but cry. I think about death frequently, and especially premature death. I suppose it goes with the territory in being a hospice nurse. Every time I see a video or hear a story like the one above, it gives me a renewed desire to "turn up the volume" on living my life. I want to be a better wife, a better mother, a more devoted Christian, etc. But I often feel very frustrated in my attempts. What does that even look like, you know? I can throw a load of laundry into the washer with joy and vigor today, but the truth is that housework is monotonous and eventually I will just be going through the motions again. And does it really matter anyway? Is that what it means to turn up the volume? Is that how I make each day count? Yes, I can be more aware of each detail and more content while I squish together playdoh figures for my kids. And that's good! But can life ever be "grasped"? What can we ever really do other than just living our lives? I believe the full, absolute, and only way to truly turn up the volume and make our lives count is to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. He is the only One who is worthy and worth our life, love, and affection. And in addition, when we love Him supremely every other detail falls into place. When I love God wholeheartedly I am patient with my kids. When I love God wholeheartedly I am able to love my husband more than myself. When I love God wholeheartedly there is joy in every rain drop and beauty in every blue sky. HE is the answer. HE is turning up the volume. HE is the only way to save my life.

 "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 16:25

Go girl

Snapped like a straw

Lord Christ of Easter Day, Christ the victorious,
On this most radiant of all radiant days
Thee do we worship, Redeemer, all-glorious,
Offer Thee hearts' adoration and praise.

Sealed was the stone, and the rock did enfold Him,
There in the silence of moonlight and stars,
Till the hour struck; then the tomb could not hold Him:
Snapped like a straw, death's omnipotent bars.

Evil may triumph today, but tomorrow
Seeth the end of satanical strife.
Fear not and falter not; sin, pain and sorrow
Fall when He cometh, the Christ, Prince of Life.

Sound the word over the land and the waters;
Let it sound over the air once again:
Christ hath arisen! His sons and His daughters,
Lift up your heads, for He cometh to reign!

-Amy Carmichael

Recently I have been remembering...remembering the death of a loved one last year around this time, remembering the suffering of friends through the agony of miscarriage, remembering little Calvin (whose story I linked to yesterday), remembering two recent hospice patients who died quick, miserable deaths. Today I am writing this to any who may be "remembering" as well. Perhaps your remembering is more or less significant than the things I mentioned. Even our vehicle that will never stay fixed is a constant, grating reminder of death and decay! But here is the hope I have found and, through Him, can freely offer you as well. "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead." 2 Timothy 2:8

Press on, dear ones! We "serve a risen Savior".

En route

I have been unofficially following this blog for quite some time and have found it wonderfully encouraging. Kara, if you should ever happen to see this post...my prayers are with you and your family, and I praise the Lord for His mighty grace that has kept you from falling, not allowed your faith to fail, and will bring you safely to the end of your "life's way".

If you have a bit of spare time, check out her blog! It will be worth your while.

Never a cloudy day

I was washing the dishes tonight and thinking of our little sunshine, already tucked away in her bed for the night. I was trying to think of words to describe her outlook on life--sorting through it in my mind. Bethan is quite the little girl. I remember a day recently when she was sick with I-can't-remember-what and, rather than spending her day recuperating glumly, she chose to spend it jumping vigorously up and down on a sheet of bubble wrap. I'm reminded of this because last night she came down with the stomach flu. Ugh. After throwing up she took a happy little middle-of-the-night bath and went back to bed. She wanted me to hold her on the couch before she went back to her bed, but was all smiles and sweetness and not one complaint. Then this morning when I realized she had a fever and I gave her some medicine to drink, her only comment was a cheery, "Thanks, Momma" before going back to her various activities. Sooooo what is her secret? Is it that she really isn't that sick? I don't think so. I've seen her dog sick before and still hardly heard a complaint. Is it that she chooses to look on the bright side of things? I don't really think that's it either...I'm pretty sure she's still too little to realize she has such a choice. So what then? I think she's genuinely that happy. That content. She doesn't complain because she doesn't see anything to complain about. And as I stood there in the kitchen tonight I saw the beauty of what she has. Amy Carmichael once said something to the effect of, "Make very little of hard things in your life, but make very much of the good things." My life is so full of "good things" and I am old enough to know I have a choice in how I view the circumstances in my life. I want to choose to be more like our little girl. Get well soon, sis!

Be afraid to be afraid

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:8)

Whenever fear comes in and makes us falter, we are in danger of falling into sin. Conceit is to be dreaded, but so is cowardice. "Dare to be a Daniel." Our great Captain should be served by brave soldiers.
What a reason for bravery is here! God is with those who are with Him. God will never be away when the hour of struggle comes. Do they threaten you? Who are you that you should be afraid of a man that shall die? Will you lose your situation? Your God whom you serve will find bread and water for His servants. Can you not trust Him? Do they pour ridicule upon you? Will this break your bones or your heart? Bear it for Christ's sake, and even rejoice because of it.
God is with the true, the just, the holy, to deliver them; and He will deliver you. Remember how Daniel came out of the lions' den and the three holy children out of the furnace. Yours is not so desperate a case as theirs; but if it were, the Lord would bear you through and make you more than a conqueror. Fear to fear. Be afraid to be afraid. Your worst enemy is within your own bosom. Get to your knees and cry for help, and then rise up saying, "I will trust, and not be afraid."

-C.H. Spurgeon, Faith's Check Book

Super huh?

Superhero dad and son at the hardware store? Oh please- what dad would actually do that??

...okay, at least two others I'd say.

(P.S.I love the superhero and son shot. Absolutely classic! 

P.P.S.Secret identity of the lower three-some is Mase, Skippy (Charlie), and Pop (Bill) Vann. Photo taken November of 2012. They've had nearly three full months to hone their three-some skills. Watch.out.)

Standeth God

Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,— Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own. -James Russell Lowell

Charlie Mason

Before He's through

"God does ten thousand things in every deed. Perhaps we know a dozen.
Maybe two. But not enough to judge before He's through." -John Piper

HT ten thousand things