wrapping it up

i've been taking the opportunity in my blog to review the notes i gathered from the familylife weekend to remember. it has been important for me to take a second look at what i learned and actually put it in writing so i have a better handle it. i also had such a burden to share what i learned with other women because it was so beneficial to me. i knew that others would benefit from it as well. so today i'm going to wrap up the last two topics. "how marriages thrive" and "leaving a legacy".

i think almost everyone who is married desires to have a marriage that thrives. barnett brickner stated, "Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate but through being the right mate." i think he got that one right! in the end we are responsible only for our actions, behaviors, words...we are not responsible for what our mate does or does not do.

essential #1 extravagant love: it is exclusive (one person has your heart for a lifetime), it is expressed (it is repeated often through words and actions), it is extraordinary (it places your spouse's needs above your own)
extravagant love is a choice not a feeling.

essential #2 generous forgiveness: it is offered quickly, applied freely, and expressed graciously

essential #3 enthusiastic encouragement: openly affirms your spouse, avoids critical words, maintains a positive attitude, even in hard times

after we were challenged to have a thriving marriage we were asked the question, "what kind of legacy will you leave?"

i think all of us want to leave a positive legacy that is passed down from generation to generation. but how do we accomplish that? it seems like a daunting task.

hebrews 13:16 says, "do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."

we are to be examples in our every day life...doing good and sharing...making sacrifices.

we need to preach a silent sermon...our actions speak louder than words.

we need to rejoice in our progress rather in perfection.

we need to put on the full armour of God as a family.

what is a priority for your family?

this video was played at the end of the session and it spoke volumes to my heart. i hope it challenges you to think about who you want to be. what you want your family to be? what kind of legacy will you leave?

slow fade

i posted this song back in october but wanted to post it again. this song really touches a chord in me. this morning as i was listening to it, i was struck by tears. the powerful words of this song ring so true. as i think of bringing a child into this world, it hits me even harder. my husband and i are to be an example.

in today's world, affairs and divorce are common place. it truly takes God at the center of a marriage to make it work. i remember a friend i used to work with. she was older and she eventually went though a divorce. her and her husband were a godly couple who were very active in their church and ministry. you wonder how do people who are walking with the Lord get to that place? i remember her telling me it was a slow progress over a period of time. it started with missing a few sunday's here and there. then missing devotional time...it was a "slow fade". he was then at the point of giving himself away because he was no longer focused on Christ individually or as a couple. through God's amazing grace we can be picked up by His outstretched arm and be brought back to His side, but we still face the consequence. this song for me, more or less, is a warning...an encouragement to "be aware". don't let yourself slide. don't allow the black and white to turn to gray. be a lover of Christ. have Christ as the center of each and every relationship. be aware of those who look up to you as an example. whether it be brothers, sisters, friends, children, etc. be an example of Christ and of His relationship with His bride.

many of us remember the song "oh be careful little eyes what you see"..."slow fade" ties that song in beautifully in order to convey the message in such a poignant way. i hope it speaks to your heart like it does mine.

Hello 2009

It's officially 2009...it's hard to believe but it's true. This year will be an interesting one in many ways.

As a country we have a new president coming into office and we have a faltering economy that everyone seems to be watching. Obama preached a campaign of change...so we will see what kind of change is made to our country in 2009.

I'm just glad that even though things may seem insecure and at times the world seems scary that there is hope and it's not courtesy of any politician...it's from God. No matter how topsy turvy our country and our world get, He is the one holding us in His hand and He is the one that knows the future and has a master plan. That is the only thing that gives me confidence in the year ahead.

Personally we have some great things to look forward to this year. We are moving into a different house this month...one with more room. My niece will be getting married this summer. And our biggest blessing this year will be the birth of our child! We are expecting our blessing to arrive around July 15. So we are just thrilled that the Lord would bless us with this awesome gift. We are truly thankful.

So as I look to the future and wonder what it may hold...I don't make resolutions because I'll only get depressed when I fail...I just look to my heavenly Father and seek His will and pray to be in the center of His will regardless of the outcome because I know that's the best place for me.

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Happy New Year! May it be a blessed one for all of you!

Boys & Girls for Jesus

When I was growing up we used to listen to the Children’s Bible Hour on the radio. I really remember hearing it Sunday mornings while we were getting ready for church. Uncle Charlie and his cast really made an impact on me and that’s why I think so fondly of them even now. I remember the opening song, “Boys and Girls for Jesus”. I used to get their kids devotional called, Keys for Kids. I actually still have one! As I was walking down memory lane the other day, I decided to look up the Children’s Bible Hour on the internet and lo and behold I found it! Not only is their ministry thriving today but you can also take a step back to the days gone by. They have a link where you can actually listen to the older radio programs on your computer! The other cool thing is that they have the old programs on CD’s that you can buy. I just thought this was such a neat thing and really got me excited! I love how I can go back and hear things and experience things that I did as a child and experience them again as an adult.

If you have kids or if you remember listening to the Children’s Bible Hour, go back and check their website. It’s exciting to see what they are doing now with technology and the new devotionals and story times for kids.
http://www.cbhministries.org/home.php

have you had your devotions today?

The past couple of days I’ve really been thinking about my grandparents. I didn’t know my mother’s parents well but I was blessed with knowing my father’s parents. They lived not too far from where we lived. We actually could ride bikes to their house!

All of my grandparents have passed on but they have left behind an amazing godly heritage. I am so thankful for the Christian values that my grandparents instilled in my parents and my parents in me. We called my dad’s parents, Nan & Pop.

I want to take some time and write down some memories I have with Nan & Pop.

I remember as a child going over to their house and sitting on Nana’s lap. Even as I grew she would want me to sit on her lap. I told her I would break her (because she was the tiniest thing) but she insisted even as a teen to sit on her lap.

I remember when my parents went away on a trip, I stayed at Nan & Pop’s. I actually think I had pneumonia or some other ailment during that time. They always took such great care of me.

I remember the organ that sat in their back room. This was the organ my dad played in church. I would go back there, turn it on and play. Also in that back room we did a lot of reading…Nan had those wonderful Bible story books…they were Arch story books. We would sit and read together and one of the highlights was getting recorded on the tape recorder! As a child I loved hearing myself or others on tape. What technology!

Another memory I have are playing games…Pop loved Chinese checkers and Tri-Ominos. We had a blast playing those games. They also had a Bugs Bunny puzzle that I loved to put together…I actually still have it!

Often times I would eat at Nan & Pop’s. Nan would make pot roasts and potatoes and served salad with her homemade 1,000 island dressing. I would help her set the table.

Pop was a great gardener. I loved smelling all the magnificent roses that Pop grew.

These are some wonderful memories and I’m so thankful I can still remember them but there is one thing that I remember most about my grandparents….they were amazing godly people. They were faithful in church, faithful in prayer, faithful to each other, faithful to their family, faithful to God.

There is one thing that Pop used to do every time he saw me and I know he asked it of other family members as well. He would ask, “Did you have your devotions today?” I can’t tell you how many times as a teenager I would make some response up. I think I did that because I didn’t want to disappoint him but at the same time why lie about something like that? We are all human and we all have days when we don’t spend time with the Lord. We should strive for that daily relationship continually. It wasn’t until later, as I matured, that I really appreciated Pop asking that question and to this day I really miss hearing it. I think Nan & Pop would be pleased to see where I am with the Lord today. I can’t wait to see Nan & Pop again when we are reunited in heaven, praise the Lord! I just can’t wait to tell Pop how much I appreciated him asking that question of me and how much it has influenced my daily walk with the Lord.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

before I was even born

I have a calendar on my desk that has a scripture or thought for each day. Back on September 7th there was a saying that I couldn’t get out of my head. This is what it said:

“Listen to me…you whom I have upheld since you were conceived and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs. I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you.”

It’s so amazing to me that God knew me before I even was a thought in my parents mind. When I was little I thought that I could actually remember being in heaven as a baby and actually sensing God sending me down to my parents! Isn’t that a hoot? But it’s a fantastic visual that even as a child I somehow comprehended that part of that was true. Not to say that God has all the unborn babies sitting next to him and at the appropriate time He sends them down to earth but the fact that I was known by God before I was born. Wow. How cool and amazing is that? He knew my idiosyncrasies and complex nature before I did; not only that but He still walks with me until the day He calls me home. He carries me when I can’t walk…He sustains me. Thank you, Lord!

Psalm 139 (The Message)

GOD, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!

Is there any place I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!
If I flew on morning's wings
to the far western horizon,
You'd find me in a minute—
you're already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I'm immersed in the light!"
It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I'll never comprehend them!
I couldn't even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!

Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I'm about;
See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.

beautiful

when i was a little girl i used to listen to The Kids Praise Albums. they were full of great songs that i used to love to sing. recently i've had one in my head that i have been humming to myself for a few days. it's called "Beautiful".

Beautiful, Beautiful
Jesus is Beautiful
And Jesus makes beautiful
Things of my life.
Carefully, touching me,
Causing my eyes to see.
That Jesus makes beautiful
Things of my life.

the faith of a child

This past week at our church we had Vacation Bible School. It was a busy week and at times it was hard to focus on work. During the week, the kids learned different verses and Biblical truths that went along with the theme. VBS this year was Outrigger Island. They decorated the church like a Hawaiian island…it was fun to walk around and experience.

I remember the days of VBS when I was a child. Really the only thing I can remember is Kool Aid and cookies! But I know there were a lot of truths that I learned as a child that I cling to now as an adult. As I tried to focus on work this past week, I managed to hear the verses that were being shouted out by the eager children. Here is what they were taught:

Motto:
Know the Truth
Speak the Truth
Live the Truth

Psalm 86:11 Teach me Your way, LORD,and I will live by Your truth.Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name.

Truth: God is real
I know God is real. I can believe there is no other God.
Isaiah 44:6b I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me.

Truth: Jesus is God’s Son
I know Jesus is God’s Son. I can celebrate who He is.
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!"

Truth: Jesus is the only way
I know that Jesus is the only way. I can confess Him as my Savior.
John 14:6 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Truth: The Bible is God’s word
I know the Bible is God’s word. I can explore its truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.

Truth: My actions show what I believe
I know my actions show what I believe. I can stand for truth.
Luke 10:27 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

These principles may seem simple and basic to a lot of us who have known the Lord for a while but our faith is built on these principles that hold such power and truth! Let us not forget the foundation of our faith.

too cute for words

i saw this little girl on America's Got Talent last week. she brought me to tears. she by far is the best 4 year old singer i've ever heard and to boot, she is absolutely adorable!

what is going on with our teachers?

i was shocked last night when i heard a story on the news about a 5 year old autistic boy who was "voted out of his class"! apparently due to the child's autism he had some behavioral issues in class. because of this, the teacher put the kindergartner in front of his classmates and asked the kids to tell the boy what they didn't like about him. then she had the class vote on whether or not the boy should stay in the classroom. no child or person for that matter should be treated in such a way. read the whole story here.

i awoke this morning to yet another story of a 5 year old who was being verbally abused by his teacher. the young boy complained to his parents and the parents had their son take a tape recorder into the classroom so the teacher could be recorded. on the recording the teacher is caught calling the child "pathetic". what kind of person would call a 5 year old pathetic? click here to read this article.

how can we stop this from happening again?