64 Years

Song of Solomon 3:4….I found him whom my soul loves.

On April 14 we had the joy of celebrating with my Papa and Gigi for their 64th wedding anniversary. When I consider the sweet marriage I see today, I cannot help but recognize that the foundation and core of this union was built over decades as they put their trust in our Heavenly Father….a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecc. 4:12

Has it been 64 years of perfect wedded bliss, absent of peril or pain…..certainly not.
It has been 64 years of following their savior, undying love, faithfulness, selflessness, sorrow, patience, joy, sacrifice, humility, pain, laughter, adventure, trust, thankfulness, service, contentment...the list could go on.

Even now in the midst of difficult circumstances, as they near the end of this life on earth, we get to witness the sweet kisses and tender words of love they still exchange daily. This privilege is ours and we know the rarity of such an example in marriage.  Our hearts are full of love and thankfulness for their godly legacy.


This song, Find Us Faithful by Steve Green, is a favorite and I believe encompasses my grandparents.

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift though all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

“For you have heard my vows, O God;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name”

(Psalm 61:5)

May all who come behind us find us faithful

Blessed Redeemer

As we consider today, Good Friday, and we take in the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for undeserving sinners, I wanted to share with you Isaiah 53 and also two songs I love dearly. Isaiah 53 is one of my favorite passages and these two songs have really ministered to my heart when meditating on Christ’s work on the cross. The songs are beautiful, powerful and so full of the truth of the Gospel.  I have listened to these songs literally hundreds of times….just ask my children! I trust they will help to encourage your spirit of worship, not just for Good Friday, but for each day as we live our lives under the precious beauty of the Gospel.

ISAIAH 53

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Cupcakes for Dinner!!

We are not huge April Fools jokesters, just a little something here and there to commemorate the day. We had fun yesterday with a couple small pranks....saran wrap on a bedroom door, saran wrap across the toilet, duck tape on the water spouts. Mitchell got me good with the duck tape on the kitchen spout; it took me a second to remember I couldn’t be mad at him, as I stood there QUITE wet! We ended our day with "cupcakes" for dinner...delicious meatloaf, mashed potato and corn cupcakes! It was so fun to watch the children eat them...some ate with a fork and a couple ate them like real cupcakes. Unfortunately Daddy missed out as he was at the Lighthouse Mission last night but that is probably better anyway because I had to use instant mashed potatoes....something he strongly dislikes! The kiddos loved it and I had a blast doing them!

Redeeming the Time

Ephesians 5:15-16...See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Spending my time or investing it… having no regrets… finishing well.... however you want to look at it, I believe firmly that these truths are exactly the reason God has me right here, right now with the tasks He has set before me. I recognize that God has been piercing my soul with this truth for a few months now and the last few weeks I have felt ever stronger the need to make specific changes. I have long considered my time and so desire to transform my wasted moments into purposed and invested ones. Do you know what I mean? Every day is different and each moment I make choices that will please or not please my heavenly Father. What characterizes my moments….. are they intentional, purposed and invested…or am I prone to waste, pass or wish the time away? It is funny how the Lord intertwines so many "events" together as He continues to reveal His desire for change. I was recently introduced to a book I am enjoying immensely…..it is called Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney (and daughters), Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw. I think this book, and the study I am doing with it, is one more tool the Lord is using to show me how He wants to change this area in my life. I recently shared with Chad that I felt this was going to be a study that I will mark a season of my life with. Do you know the kind I am talking about?  A “red letter” study! Can I share a tiny portion of this small, well written, easy to read, resourceful, exploding with great wisdom, encouraging book!

“We’re experts in our trade. We know which time of year to shop for what items. We know which supermarket has the best produce and where to find the best deals online. We don’t get taken in by anyone, and, like Mom, we never pass up a good deal. The reality is, however, we don’t often manage the time God has granted us on this earth with the same intentionality or skill that we bring to shopping. Think for a minute:

• Do you plan ahead to maximize your fruitfulness each day or do you simply let life happen?
• Do you make choices based on Scripture or on what feels good at the moment?
• Do you strategize to use your talents to bless your family and church, or do you employ them primarily for your own personal fulfillment?
• Do you evaluate every opportunity in light of biblical priorities, or do you do whatever it takes to get ahead?
• Do you consider whom God would have you serve, or do you try to please everyone all the time?

While we constantly-almost unconsciously-plan, evaluate, strategize, and make wise choices when shopping, we often neglect to do so with the most important matters of our lives. We wouldn’t dream of going to the grocery store without a shopping list, or buying a car without haggling over the sticker price, or purchasing new shoes without checking the price tag, but we throw away our time as if we had an endless supply. As a result we often miss out on the best deals life has to offer and end up paying big time in guilt, anxiety, and a lack of confidence that we’re really doing the will of God. More often than not, we’re overwhelmed by life’s choices and demands. Perhaps most unfortunately, we lack fruitfulness in Christ’s kingdom. But it doesn’t have to be like this. We can know-with absolute certainty-that we are doing all God wants us to do. Peace and joy and rest can be an everyday experience. We can live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Eph. 4:1). And we can anticipate that future day when we will hear those words--”Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21). How? By becoming shoppers of time. This isn’t our bright idea. It comes straight from Scripture.  Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us how to live like we shop: “ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil".”
The next page goes on to say…."We must develop keen eyes. We must examine our lives. We must evaluate our present manner of living and consider how to prepare for the future. We must walk circumspectly through each and every day. …...It necessitates that we look forward and not embark upon a course (whether short or long) until we’ve considered where it will lead. It requires us to take an honest look inside and question our motives, our reasons for the choices that we make. It means that we look around and take stock of our present fruitfulness. It entails looking beside us for critique, help, and wisdom from fellow believers. Most importantly, it means we look up and seek guidance from God’s Word. This is how to be intentional, purposeful, and, as this verse says wise in the way we walk.”
I love this part at the end of the book….
“We don’t evaluate our priorities, consider relationships, and simplify tasks merely to avoid being overwhelmed. We do it so that our manner of life would be worthy of the gospel. We do it because, by God’s amazing grace we can live a life worthy of the gospel.”

Consider this quote by Mathew Henry…”It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.”

Psalm 90:12..."So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom"

Thankful

I have been surprised and humbled by the many emails, calls and comments with words of love and encouragement to me and our family since I started this blog. I know I have responded to each of you, but I felt compelled to publically say thank you again. As I am sure is the same with each of you, there is that little place deep inside my soul that receives such refreshment and renewed energy when only a simple sentence of kind words is spoken. Your words have challenged me to be even more sensitive and respond quickly to the Holy Spirit when I am feeling His nudge to write a note of encouragement. Thank you!

Many of you have mentioned that you are not able to leave comments….and I am not sure why…yikes!! Any techies out there that can help??? OK…so after my call to techies I myself went snooping into my settings and found that you had to be a registered user to comment, so I changed that setting. I hope this helps…I am not a techie, just hoping I selected the correct options this time!

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!! Psalm 118:24

An Adventure of Olympic Proportions!

Last week the kids and I had the exciting opportunity to take in a little of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C. with our dear friends Barb and Joel! We did not go for an event, but we did have a fantastic time seeing the sites and “feeling” the energy that only the Olympic Games could bring! Everything about the day was so great and made for spectacular memories! Crossing the border with ease, free parking, beautiful weather, nice people, some education for the kiddos at the Olympic Mint Pavilion and seeing a huge zip line in downtown Vancouver were just a few of the highlights! We saw a 28 lb. gold bar, worth roughly half of a million dollars, and took our photo with Queen Elizabeth II…in the form of a million dollar gold coin!! We saw “Elvis”, a beautiful real bronze cowgirl and met a guy we consider to be Canada’s biggest fan…and I am certain you will agree when you see the photo!! We ended the day with a long awaited ride on Vancouver’s amazing public transit system, the Sky Train. That ride alone made our whole day as it was the moment JD had been talking about for a week prior and boy was he thrilled! You want to know the best part… the part that makes the day truly special?? You may ask….how was I able to load up my sweet kiddos and truly enjoy a day with them and know that my Papa and Gigi would be well cared for?? Well I am going to tell you…

A few weeks ago a sweet lady in our church approached me and expressed her desire to come one day a month and spend time with Papa and Gigi so that I can take our children, with no worries, and spend a day away just enjoying our time together. I could hardly believe it. To borrow the words of a beautiful song….”How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure”. He knows even our smallest, most insignificant desires and loves us so much that He lavishes on us blessings we could not imagine…this is one of those. Audrey is a married woman with grown children and for sure a very full life with her family, church and service to others. Her sacrifice for our family is “faith in action”; the love of Christ in her is being fleshed out in everyday life, and we are the humble recipients. Titus 2:3-5 says…..Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Audrey is doing just that…”teaching what is good”. I may not be sitting under her “teaching” in a book form…but I am learning well from her. She is in word and deed showing me actions of an “older woman” that are pleasing to the Lord.
We were greatly encouraged on our first time away and will undoubtedly continue to be refreshed each month thanks to one special lady! We… are… so… grateful!

3..2..1..0.. Blastoff!!

Ok...so just a quick fun note! Did anyone notice something interesting about today's date.....3/2/10??? I sure didn't, but as Isabelle was doing her school this morning, she exclaimed..."Mom, did you see the date...when you write it out it says 3..2..1..0!!" How fun that each of us see things so differently, so uniquely! Something this simple shows once more the intimate beauty of God's creation of each individual person!

Psalm 139:14...I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

It seemed fitting to include a couple photos of Isabelle and her "unique" hair-do's over the years!!

Double the Blessings....Double the fun!!

Well, dinner is in the oven, children are playing, JD is snuggling his Mitchell, Papa and Gigi are resting and I have a minute (or two... hopefully) to get some photos on here!

We were excited to celebrate our twins 7th birthday on February 5...where has the time gone?!?! Both William and Shelley each have sweet and tender hearts and we are so thankful to be entrusted with the joy of parenting them! Will loves to please, is very inquisitive, asks the best questions, loves his Daddy, and is an amazing creator with his KNEX! Our Shelley is a girl who adores her big sister, loves to be a little Mama and help all around the house, she really enjoys her "big girl" chapter reading books, and loves listening to Radio Theatre with her sis.

 

 

We had a fun celebration with a some dear friends and families who had birthday's in the same weekend! Madison turned 17 the next day on the 6th and Dan turned...(well we won't mention his waiting to become a grandpa age) on the 7th! We had nummy food, fun frog and daisy cupcakes and a whole lot of laughs!

New Beginnings

Wow! I can hardly believe I am actually typing my first blog post! This very moment has been something I have contemplated doing for so very long and just did not think I had the time nor the energy to do it right...and I still might not, but here I am anyway! All along, the main reason I have wanted to blog is to have something to look back on, something to archive the special moments that the Lord is giving our family. After reading and watching blogs develop over the years, I have been inspired to share even just a portion of what I have seen others do. I do not have the talent to write, design and create an amazing award winning blog, I am simply hoping to capture the moments that may otherwise get lost in the hustle and bustle of life. If I am able to sit and write, add some photos and click the publish button, I have an opportunity to make a memory forever instead of another moment forgotten.

So, I guess it is time to give a glimpse of who we are...seems strange to "introduce" us when I am possibly only writing to myself (and family) :-) but, someday there may be others who peek into our lives and they might want to know a little about us! We are a simple family led by a Great God. If there is one phrase that encompasses what my husband and I would desire most for our family, it is the title of this blog..."Only one life...'Twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last". Desiring in Christ that our actions, reactions, words, deeds, and moments be spent so that they strengthen our eternal perspective. There are triumphs and failures, joys and sorrows but above all we hope to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, keeping in mind always to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Chad and I have been married for 16 years and we have 5 sweet blessings. Mitchell is 13, Isabelle is 9, our twins, Will and Shelley are 7 and JD is almost 3! My hubby is an electrician and I am a homeschooling, stay at home mom. We are also privileged to care for and love on my grandparents in our home. Papa (91) is wheelchair bound and Gigi (85) is declining with Alzheimer's. Our days are very full, sometimes wonderful, sometimes tearful but the overarching theme of our life is that we are blessed beyond measure! Really, truly, undeniably, beautifully blessed.