January

For a number of years now I haven't really relished January. I don't think it is the whole holidays are over thing. I don't think that really bothers me. I just always feel like January DRAGS on for so long! Maybe, it is the fast paced days of December are gone and January puts on the brakes. Who knows, whatever it is I need to not dread it. I did do better this year!!

January this year was an extremely interesting and eventful month. On the lighter side . . . Annalina and Ross started new classes (More on Ross's class later). Aside from morning family devotions Annalina and I started Mommy/Daughter devotions at night before bed with a one year mommy/daughter devotional that has already touched Annalina's and I's life. Babe started Father/Son Devotions at night with Gabers and Ross. It is written military style and they all enjoy it. Funny the devotional book was written by people out of Colorado Springs! Jedidiah cut 2 teeth. We had friends over for lefse making and eating! They wanted Babe to tutor their family in the art of lefse making! Very fun! Get memories and laughter.

The heavier events of the months are not for writing but needless to say so much joy and tears of sadness. Our Lord works in so many ways and more often then not contrary to the way we'd work things out because His ways are so much better. As my friend M. N. said it is like the disciples getting scared when they saw something coming towards them on the water and then in their fear they realized it was Christ and he spoke to them! Oh, now it is all better Christ is in this and then peace comes! I love that picture. A book (Guns of Thunder-Douglas Bond) I am reading the kids right now said it so well. The grandfather was speaking to his grandson and said "Ay, no ye cannot, and so ye must learn to wait upon the Lord, lad. Ye'll find it easier to put fear aside and wait upon God the more ye come to love God's sovereignty, to know his goodness, to hope in his gracious power to save."

February will continue in fun. My sister-in-law and her two daughters are coming to spend some time hanging out and then our BIG plans are to go to a castle (Glen Eerie) for a tour and then all of us girls are going to a REAL tea party at the castle!  The castle is run by a Christian organization. I really look forward to this! We've been wanting to do this for awhile! We are also going to our friends home this month where they are going to teach us how to make fried ice cream (funny story as to why). That will be so fun. Babe will be winding down in his current job and in March starting to train to go on watch which is shift work with 6 days on, so many days off, etc. Our schedule for family life will really be changing.  We've got some big decisions to make too this month. Also, I've been reading a book about Bonhoeffer and have been challenged to start memorizing the Sermon on the Mount with the kids. A bit intimidating, but slow and easy wins the race. I have no idea how long it will take. As Christians, my family and I need the attributes preached about in those 3 chapters and what better way to learn to live them then by memorizing and meditating on them. Wait, how can I forget it's my BIRTHDAY this month too!!

I love how God is continually teaching me to rest in His sovereignty. I don't always enjoy the journey but the destination is worth it.

Joshua 10

10 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

² That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
³ Wherefore Adonizedec king of Jerusalem, sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
⁴ Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
⁵ Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.
⁶ And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
⁷ So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
⁸ And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
⁹ Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
¹⁰ And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
¹¹ And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
¹² Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
¹³ And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
¹⁴ And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.
¹⁵ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
¹⁶ But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
¹⁷ And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
¹⁸ And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
¹⁹ And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand.
²⁰ And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities.
²¹ And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
²² Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.
²³ And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
²⁴ And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
²⁵ And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
²⁶ And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
²⁷ And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day.
²⁸ And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.
²⁹ Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
³⁰ And the Lord delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.
³¹ And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
³² And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
³³ Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
³⁴ And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:
³⁵ And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
³⁶ And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:
³⁷ And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
³⁸ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:
³⁹ And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.
⁴⁰ So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.
⁴¹ And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.
⁴² And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
⁴³ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

The kids really got a kick out of this chapter the other morning!!! The Israelites were just mopping up with God on their side!!! What a great example to the kids that when God is in it there are NO WORRIES!!! I loved verse 14 "And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Isreal." LOVE THAT!! Our all knowing all powerful God hearkened to a man and used His almighty strength for His people! Isn't our God an AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL God!!!! What a fun chapter to read for devotions. What an awesome way to start the day! I'm mean really!!

I told my mom to read it this chapter like their are boys in the room!:-)

I Appreciated this thought provoking challenge about being a wife . . .

Portion of Beall Phillips challenge . . . I read this on visionforumministries.org it was titled

150 Gather for Edwardian Ladies’ Tea to Honor Heroes of Titanic and “Women and Children First. Beall Phillips asks: “Are you a woman a man would die for?”

"There are many tragedies and devastations in history, but what sets this one apart and draws us back to remembering it year after year, decade after decade, is the extraordinary sacrifice demonstrated. The critical element in the story of the Titanic is the sacrifice of the men for the women and children.
So, I have a sober question for you. It is one I have been asking myself and meditating on for several months now.
How can we as women inspire the men in our lives to sacrifice for us? Are we worthy of such sacrifice?
In the ultimate sense, of course, no, we are not worthy. We are ultimately worthy only of death and damnation. And the charge for men to give up their lives for their brides as Christ gave His for the church is not based on the merit or deserving character of the bride. It is their duty and obligation regardless. But set that aside for this question.
But how can we live, day to day, in a manner which would make worthwhile a man’s sacrifice? How can we inspire our husband, our sons, to consider it an honor, not an obligation, to lay down their lives for us?
What kind of attitudes should we cultivate and actions should we aspire to raise our character?
Let me tell you about three of my dearest friends who have taught me about this very question. They have walked with me intimately since I was a child, and while these friends are no longer living, they daily encourage and exhort me from their own lives through the pages of Scripture. They are Sarah, Ruth, and Esther.
Sarah gives every woman hope! She laughed at the prophecy of the Lord regarding bearing a child, then took matters into her own hands and created an enormous mess in her family. On two occasions Abraham failed to protect her, and yet Sarah is the one singled out in the New Testament to be praised for submitting to her husband and calling him “lord.” The Scriptures say: “For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” (1 Peter 3:1-7) She must have ended very well despite all the faulty beginnings. Her life should encourage every woman alive.
Ruth exemplifies loyalty, bravery, creative problem solving, and a commendable work ethic...
Esther demonstrates perspective, unselfishness, respect of authority, acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God, honorable confidence, the power of prayer and fasting, and consideration of timing and jurisdiction in making an appeal. . . . .
What do we see in the lives of these friends that we can incorporate into our own lives? This principle: Maintain an eternal perspective. Do not get lost in the small facts and details of the moment. God is about a much bigger plan.
Be thankful and joyful as these attitudes demonstrate trust in God and faith in His sovereignty. Root out feminism. We are all daughters of Eve, and like Sarah, and all the rest, the seeds are there. Eschew pettiness. It is not noble.
Allow yourself to be protected. It is risky and not guaranteed, but God is in control, and His way is the only proven way.
Believe in the men in your life. Pray for them, encourage them, and see God’s work in them. Refuse the temptation to dwell on his shortcomings. You have your own. . .do you want those to be in the limelight? Of course not!
Let him lead. Watch the Lord work through His purposefully designed jurisdictions for His goals.
Look at your own life, as I am looking at mine. Consider how you can live, day to day, in a manner which inspires the men around you to consider it a noble thing, an honor and a privilege, not only a duty and obligation, to lay down their lives for you. What attitudes and actions do you need to cultivate in your daily life? How can you become a woman worthy of such sacrifice?"

Jeremiah 17:5-8

⁵Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

⁶For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

⁷Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

⁸For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Lord, Teach Me To Pray for kids-by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt

For weeks now the kids and I have been working through the above devotional. It has been SOOOOO good and we are days away from being finished in this study. For fun it likens you as being a special forces soldier and each day is a mission or training. A few days ago we studied the above verses in Jeremiah 17:5-8 (this training was about receiving the supplies we need from our Commander in Chief -God our Father-)and this study proved to be a great reminder and lesson of the difference in a life between those that live a life of faith dependent on God and those that rely on human strength. It touched my heart and convicted me. When we got done Gabriel said "That was good!" The lesson challenged us at the end by asking . . .

"Are you anxious in hard times (times of heat)? Or are you resting because you know that the heat can't destroy you because you are rooted by a stream and God will meet your needs? . . . How dependent are you on God? Have you sent your requisition (inquiry) to the Commander in Chief asking for the supplies for your mission? Communicate with Him and ask Him so supply your needs from his riches . . . (Lord Teach Me To Pray for kids-by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt)

One last Bible Verse

II Corinthians 1:20:

"For all the promises of God IN HIM are yea, and IN HIM Amen, unto the glory of God by us." [emphasis mine obviously:-)]

Super Good Devotional

We actually finished this devotional awhile back but I am now getting around to posting about it. I found Choosing Self-Control on Christian Book Distributers web sight. It was a very good purchase!! I am very impressed with this children's devotional that I just ordered Choosing Obedience. It is Bible based (as a devotional should be!), detailed yet to the point, interesting and keeps their attention. I am looking forward to going through another one!

Money Matters

For morning devotions this summer we are doing this devotional study on being a good steward of money, time, relationships, etc. but it focuses on money. It is taken from Larry Brukett's ideas. I am SOOOOO happy with this purchase!!! The second day I was reviewing from the day before and asked Ross what a steward was and his reply was "a person that takes care of God's things". WOW!! I was shocked!! Then today I asked him to pick the socks Carson had strewn over the floor and he picked them up right away and came to me and said "I was a good steward of my time." Gabriel the other day heard Daddy say that he needed caffeine and asked us how much pop cost. I didn't know why he was asking. He, Annalina, and I were headed to the grocery store and he brought his money and bought his Daddy a caffienated pop. He used his money to encourage. Daddy has had a very rough few weeks with his nose in books into the wee hours of the morning.

The book has them memorize

I Peter 4:10 "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to anther, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

I am going to use this book again next summer . . . so much to process and learn both for me and the kids!! I am thankful for all that we have and will learn.

Wisdom from Proverbs

We are still reading the Proverbs of the day at breakfast. Here are some verses that I have read lately that I appreciated and I can really learn from.

Proverbs 16:21 ". . . the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning."

Here's what the book The Remarkable Wisdom of Solomon by Henry Morris had to say about that . . .

"Verse 21 speaks of 'the sweetness of his lips' as conducive to learning, a concept containing excellent advice for those who are, or who desire to be, teachers. 'Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones' (verse 24)."

As a parent sometimes it is so easy to get frustrated (at least for me) when instructing and teaching. This verse is one I need to remember and be sharpened on.

Proverbs 14:26 "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."

I need to remember that I can live confidently when I know that I am doing what the Lord has required and asked of me. There is confidence that comes in fulfilling God's expectations and not bogged down in what every person off the street expects of our lives. I think I could preach a sermon on this! The world is ruthless but in Christ we have refuge.