Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

May your day be BLESSED!!!

We are THANKFUL for

so very many things this year.

God's Faithfulness

Our Children

Papa's New Job

Full-time Ministry

God's Financial Provision

Our New Church Community

Our Little House in the Big Woods

Faith ... Family ... Fellowship

that about sums it up.

New Hairdos

We took the girls' yarn braids out a couple of weeks ago, and have had fun with some new hairdos.  I think we'll be putting the yarn braids back in soon (for ease of care), so I thought I'd show you a few pics before we go back to the long braids.

This morning ... ready for church.

Rachel says, "Make it BIG."

The side view.

Sarah has a much tighter, kinkier curl.

Sweet Sarah

Spunky Rachel

This afternoon ...

a brand new hairdo.

I put in 50 twists this afternoon.

Ben took this shot,

so that you can see the back of her hair,

in the mirror.  Cool!

The Legalistic Box

Legalism:  


1.  Excessive adherence to law or formula. 


2.  Theology - dependence on moral law, rather than on personal religious faith.


I asked in my first post on  Freedom in Christ vs. Legalism ... where do you fit?  Do you find yourself more on the Freedom in Christ side of things, or the Legalistic side of things?

I, myself, find that question difficult to answer.

If you were to ask random acquaintances of the Big D family which side we fit on ... I'm sure they would tend to say that we are legalistic ... that we have a lot of "Rules to Live By".

However, if you were to ask close friends of the Big D family ... I would expect that they would say we were closer to the Freedom in Christ side of things.  We give a lot of grace, when the rules are not lived up to.

Last January, I wrote a post about Rules vs. Relationships.  It talked about how, in parenting, Rules without Relationships often equals Rebellion.  I believe that the same is true with our faith.  If all we see in the Bible is the rules, than we are much more likely to rebel against the authority of it.  Yet, when we view the Bible as the key to building our relationship with Christ, than we will view the rules entirely differently.

I believe that the "rules" in Scripture are absolutely important, yet the relationship is of primary importance.  I so desire to obey the rules, because of my deep love relationship with the author of those rules.

On the "Legalistic" side of things ... I DO believe it is important to "obey the rules".   When God's Word tells us to do something, that means He wants us to do it (or not do it, as the case may be).

God's Word tells us to obey our governing authorities.  I believe that this means we are to obey the laws of the land, unless they were to directly contradict God's Word.  How does this apply to my daily life?

#1  I'm a stickler for driving the speed limit.  Absolute stickler.

#2  I follow the arrows at the gas pump.  I really do.  (Now, even though this may not be a legal law, I want to set the example for my children that I "follow the rules".)

#3  I go back to a cashier if they forgot to ring something up.  If I went home with an unpaid for item, that would be stealing.  I waited patiently in a busy grocery store once, when I realized that the clerk hadn't rung up my $1.25 package of toilet paper.  I needed to pay for it.

#4  I am VERY careful to do my taxes honestly and ethically.   I am SHOCKED by how many Believers think it's "okay" to cheat the government out of "a little" money.

Now ... some people would call me legalistic, because I am very concerned about following the rules.  However, it is NOT about the rules ... it's about my relationship with Christ, that is so very important to me, that I want to do all I can to bring honor and glory to Him.

Sometimes, I actually HATE following the rules.  It is NOT always easy to "play by the rules".  But, out of OBEDIENCE, I know that I must.  Here is the perfect example of the biggest area that I HATE following God's rules.  I don't have much of a problem going 65mph, when the Speed Limit tells me to,  However, in California, while everyone else is allowed to go 65 or 70 ... vehicles pulling trailers are "required" to drive 55mph.  I HATE pulling my trailer the entire length of CA (750+ miles).  NO ONE else follows the rules.  NO ONE!  Other drivers even get mad at me for following the law ... I'm in their way.  Sometimes, I even argue with God about it.  I whine and say, "It's not fair!"  But ... I set my good old cruise control on 55 mph, and thank the Lord for the relationship I have with him.  Getting to my destination faster, pales in comparison to growing my relationship deeper.

God's Word is not made up of optional suggestions.  No.  God's Word is made up of the laws that He wants us to live by.

Those that don't really know us, often put us into the "Legalistic Box" because of our lifestyle choices.  However, we do NOT believe that any of the following choices are absolute Scriptural "rules".  We see them as God's very BEST for OUR FAMILY ... but we would not tell anyone else that they are sinning if they don't make the same choice.

#1  We have 13 children.  Most people think that we don't believe in using any type of birth control.  Not the case.  We CHOSE to allow God to determine the size of our family.  We do not look down AT ALL on families that only have 2 or 3 children.  Most of our closest friends do NOT have large families.

#2  We homeschool our children.  Again, most people think that we believe every Christian family should teach their children at home.  Not so.  We believe that homeschooling is God's BEST for OUR FAMILY.

#3  We do not watch television (except on rare occasions when staying at hotels).  Many people think that we believe that television is evil.  Not so.  We CHOSE to turn off our television 19 years ago, and have never regretted that decision.  We believe it has been the BEST decision for OUR FAMILY.  But, we do not judge those who do watch television.  We might, however, encourage families about the type of television shows they are allowing into their homes.  Shows that may not fit Godly standards.

#4  Our children do not attend Youth Group.  We do not believe there is anything inherently wrong in church Youth Groups, however we do not believe that they have been the BEST option for our teenagers.  On the flip side ... many of our older teens and young adults have worked as volunteer youth leaders, which we have absolutely encouraged.

#5  Our children sit in "big church" with us, starting at about age 5.  Again, nothing inherently wrong with Children's Ministry (our eldest daughter worked in full-time Children's Ministry for 2 years).  However, it is actually our CHILDREN who have CHOSEN to worship with the family.  They have asked if they can't PLEASE stay in "big church" with Papa and Mama.  That has been God's BEST for OUR FAMILY ... even though we were BLESSED with the most absolutely amazing Children's Pastor at our church for 7 years.

#6  We do not watch R-rated movies.  We do not believe that the majority of R-rated movies are honoring to the Lord.  No, there is not a Scripture verse that says, "Don't watch R-rated movies.", but there are many that talk about "think on things that are pure ... holy ... and righteous".  Most R-rated movies do not fit in that category.

#7  We do not "do" Santa Claus at our house.  We have many friends that do.  We have just CHOSEN to focus on the LORD as we celebrate His Birth.  I might be concerned, though, if you are lying to your children about the authenticity of Santa Claus; because Scripture clearly tells us not to lie.  Because of the Scriptural mandate not to lie ... we don't do the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy either.

#8  We do not drink alcohol.  (Read my comments on Bianca's Post about that one.)  This is a personal preference.  This is what we believe is BEST for OUR FAMILY.  We have many friends that see nothing wrong with having a beer or a glass of wine with dinner.  I don't have a problem with that.  However, if much of your social life is centered around drinking alcohol ... I've got a few questions for you.

We most certainly might look like a very legalistic family.  However, I believe the difference is that while we believe each of these "rules" are BEST for OUR FAMILY ... we do NOT try to put these rules onto anyone else.

On the flip side ...

About 12 years ago we joined an organization.  It looked good.  It had a lot of "good programs" for the youth.  We thought that we would find a group of like-minded Believers.  We couldn't have been further from the truth.

While, in our own local church, we were definitely known as the "very conservative" family ... when we joined this organization we suddenly became "the rebellious ones".  Seriously.  It was bad.

When we sent in our family picture with our application to join, we were at first rejected, because Papa had a beard.  What??!!  Yes, they saw all beards as a sign of rebelliousness from the 1970's.  We were stuck.  If we refused to shave the beard, they had just proved that we were rebellious.  Jim shaved.

Then, we discovered all of the "rules".

#1  Birth control is an abomination of the Lord.

#2  Women must have as many children as they can possibly have.

#3  All women and girls must wear dresses at all times.

#4  All children must be educated at home.

#5  The King James Bible is the only valid Bible.

#6  All music except hymns are evil.

Oh my.  We went from "very conservative" to "totally rebellious" in one day.  While we did already have 8 children, we had used birth control.  While I did like my denim jumpers, I also really liked my jeans.  Our family much preferred the NIV Bible, and we loved our contemporary Christian music.  We were in trouble.  No, our affiliation with this organization did not last long.

However, we learned a LOT from our short time as members.  We saw legalism up close and personal, and we wanted nothing to do with it.  We did NOT see joy-filled families.  We saw mothers that were over-burdened with their responsibilities to follow the rules.  They were having babies because they were told to, not because they wanted to.  As a group, they were the saddest bunch of mothers I had ever seen.  It broke my heart.

So, while we may have tended a bit towards the legalistic side before our brief stint with that organization ... we quickly moved over to the grace-filled side.  Our standards ... our rules ... for our family, did not change.  But we saw how quickly things could go wrong when 1 person (the head of the organization) decided that everyone MUST hold to the same convictions as he held to, or they were sinners.  

If sitting down for a cup of tea with you, I would share all of the reasons that we have made the choices that we've made.  I may encourage you to make a similar choice.  I may challenge you to read Scriptures and seek wisdom in one of these areas (if I see a specific problem).  Yet, I would not call you a sinner if you made different choices for your family.

For those of you who tend to be far over on the "Freedom in Christ" side of things, I would encourage you to hold your tongue for a minute before crying "Legalism!!!".  I would encourage you to really hear the person's heart.  If they are making the choice for their own family, it is not necessarily legalism ... it's THEIR CHOICE.  I would also encourage you to truly seek God's heart on matters that aren't specifically spelled out in scripture.  Remember, even though everything might be "permissible" in our freedom in Christ, that does not mean that everything is beneficial.  Wouldn't you rather have God's very BEST for your family, rather than just the "freedom" to do what you want to do?

For those of you who tend to be far over on the "Legalistic" side of things, I would encourage you to really study the Scriptures.  Don't just take someone's Word for what is Biblically right and wrong.  Study God's Word so that you KNOW what is or is not a Biblical standard.  Also, remember that there was a time when you did not hold the same scriptural convictions.  You are still learning and maturing in your own relationship with Christ.  So, I'd encourage you to give others the Grace that God gave you, before you learned what you now know.

How Close to the Mountain?

Dawn left a great analogy on my Freedom in Christ vs. Legalism blog post (see below)...

I think it is kind of like the lady who was interviewing people to drive her car up the mountain. She asked each person, "How close can you get me to the edge of the road and still be a safe driver?"  Each continued to say....."I can get you closer to the edge."  In the end, she went with the driver that said "Your life is too valuable. I would never risk you being close to the edge. I would stick as close to the mountain as possible." 

When it comes to what we can and can't do....it is really just a simple matter of How Close Can We Get to THE MOUNTAIN? If it takes us away from the mountain....it is not God's Will for us.

For everyone this changes with time. We used to think that a lot of things were ok....but when we were growing in Christ we have chipped away a lot of things. Slowly but surely we feel God is bringing us closer to THE MOUNTAIN- closer to Himself. When God convicts you- it may hurt, you may run from it for a while because you don't want to hear it, but in the end.....you are sooo glad that it has been chipped away.

Looking back...I do not miss the "things of this world"...because I am closer to Jesus.

Thanks Dawn.  I totally agree.  I don't want to ask, "How close to the edge can I get before falling "into the World"?"  I want to ask, "How far away can I get "from the World" as I draw closer to the Lord?"

I don't have a list of rules that I believe everyone needs to live by.  I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and I want to introduce him to everyone I meet.  And, when you meet him, I'm hoping that you won't say, "Great to meet you.  I'll see you in heaven."  No ... I'm hoping that you will want to come along and live life with my best friend Jesus and me. The more time that you and I spend with Jesus ...

... the better we get to know him.

... the more that we want to do the things he asks us to do.

...  the more like him that we become.

When you think about walking through life with Christ as your favorite companion ...

...  do you envision taking him to the R-rated movie with you ... or do you tell him, "We'll catch up after I go see this great flick."

...  do you envision taking him to the local bar so that you can relax and get a little buzz ... or do you say, "I know it's not best, but hey this is where my other friends hang out.  Catch ya later."

...  do you envision him sitting quietly on the couch waiting for you, while you read your trashy romance novels ... or do you say, "Come back later.  Then we can talk."

In reality, Christ wants to be a part of every aspect of our lives.  If we truly say that we are living for him, than won't we want him with us, all day every day, rather than just on Sunday morning?

I don't want to go anywhere that I would be embarrassed to have Jesus Christ sitting next to me.

I don't want to do anything that I know I'll have to ask forgiveness for.

I don't want to wear anything that will cause him to have to remind me of the "modesty scriptures".

I don't want to be in a relationship with Jesus, where I only say, "Hi" on Sundays, but hope that I can spend eternity with him.

No ... I want to live my live, each and every day, walking as close to Jesus as I can possibly walk.  When I do trip and stumble, I know that he'll pick me up and we'll get right back on track in our daily walk.

How close to the cliff are you driving?

Freedom in Christ vs. Legalism - Part 2

Last weekend, while at a Women's Retreat, I was, once again, pondering the Freedom in Christ vs. Legalism topic.  I had one of those "God-Moments" and just started writing.  Here is the analogy that came to my mind ...


As parents, we have rules and guidelines for our children to live by.  We also have grace.  Our children know that we will still love them, even when they make poor choices.

However, if our children daily choose to live outside of our guidelines, if they regularly choose to reject our teaching, than they soon become known as "the rebellious one".

If their lifestyle becomes totally rebellious, they are asked to move out ... to leave our home.  They may still receive a promised inheritance, but they have lost the daily fellowship with their family.

If they completely reject all that we stand for, than it may confirm that they never truly believed in our authority, nor the truths of our guidelines.  At this point, they may lose their inheritance.  We will still love them; yet we cannot condone their lifestyle choices.  We will still love them; yet we cannot reward the choice of their total rebelliousness towards our love and authority.  We will still love them; yet they have chosen not to live as our son or daughter.  We will still love them, yet they have chosen not to receive the promised inheritance.  Because of their lifestyle choices, they have shown us that they see no value in the promised inheritance.


On the flip side ...

When our children love us with all their heart and soul, they will want to please us.  They will want to do all that they can to live by our rules and guidelines.

Even if they may not understand or agree with our guidelines, the children that love us will desire to do all they can to honor us.

When we are in a deep love relationship with our child, we will not create rules and guidelines that they must live by in order to earn our love.  No, we create rules and guidelines for our children because we want the very best for each of them.

Our love and grace for our children far surpasses the need for them to follow our rules.  Yet, when our children truly love us, they will desire to live by our guidelines.  When our children reject the rules and guidelines, they are choosing to reject the ones who wrote the rules.


I choose to live my life, as best I can, in love and service to Our Lord, and in obedience to His laws and guidelines.  I don't come close to hitting the mark every time ... but my heart's passion is to love and serve the Lord with ALL that I am ... in every way ... every day of my life.


I never think ...

1.  Does God really want me to obey His word?  It wasn't written for today.

2.  Do I have to obey Him on this one?  Maybe it was just a suggestion, not a rule.


I never say ...

1.  God was just joking when He said that.  He was being sarcastic.  (Yes, I have actually heard that argument against following God's laws.)

2.  Oh well, God will still love me.  When I don't obey him, all I have to do is ask for His forgiveness.


No ... I WANT to obey HIM.  I desire to do ALL that I can to bring honor and glory to HIM with the daily choices of my life.

God was not being "legalistic" when the Bible was written.  He did not create rules just for the sake of having rules.

No ... God's rules were written so that WE might live the very BEST life possible.

Christianity is NOT what you do.

Christianity is WHO you are.

Salvation is NOT earned

by what we do.

Salvation is GIVEN by grace,

through relationship.

If we are truly in relationship

with the Heavenly Father,

than our hearts should desire

to live just as He asks us to live ...

no less.

Our focus should not be on ...

"God gives me the freedom to do what I want".

No, our focus should be ...

"How can I live the very BEST life,

bringing honor and glory to Christ

in ALL that I do?"

Freedom in Christ vs. Legalism

Over the past few weeks, I have read multiple blog posts, comments, and even magazine articles that bring up the question of living a legalistic lifestyle, or living under the covering of God's grace, in Liberty and Freedom.  This has caused much pondering for me, so I want to write about it ... process it with you ... and see what you all think ...

My ponderings began with the following blog posts.  I am not here to debate the specific topics of these posts, but rather to look at the responses that were given to the posts.


First, Bridget wrote THIS POST about Halloween.  Have you met Bridget yet?  She is a young homeschooling mom who is about to embark on the Adventure of a Lifetime.  Some of what she said was ...

"I just don't like this holiday, and feel kind of convicted in letting my kids be a part of it.  As Christians are we compromising?  Are we doing the things of this world?


I guess it's a personal decision and it's up to us as parents and our own heart convictions.  As a Christian do you celebrate Halloween?  I'd love to hear your take on it."

When I read this, I saw a young mom who was really searching for answers, and was wanting to hear what other Believers felt about Halloween.  She started a good discussion, with many varied opinions.  While there were many comments that agreed with her, I'd like to first look at a few of the comment that did not agree.

"I went trick or treating when I was a kid ... and I think I turned out okay."

Personally, I do not think that that reasoning should be the basis for how we make life decisions.  Just because we "turned out okay" doesn't mean that the Lord might not have something even better for our own children.

"We do let our children trick or treat ... As for Biblical support about how we made our decision, mainly Romans 14 in which Paul is explaining about Christian liberty.  We usually feel like it's the more liberal Christians that are weak, but that's not what he says.  The weaker Christian is the one bound by a law that is not God's.  In the case of Romans 14, eating meat that is "unclean".  Whereas Paul says in v. 14 "there is nothing unclean of itself".  In other words, as Christians we know God is Sovereign, Lord and Master of the Universe.  We know that Satan and demons are confined to the limits of God's will.  We know that there is no power in the dressing up in costumes just as there is no power in idols or the eating of meat sacrificed to idols. ... We allow them to dress up and trick-or-treat, because we're free to do so and we believe we do it in a way that does not dishonor God in any way.


"All things are legal, but not all things are profitable."  1 Cor. 10:23  And remember that while man looks on the outer appearance, God looks on the heart.  Our heart's desire is to honor God in all we do.  ...  Remember, if it's not prohibited by Scripture, we have freedom to make our own decision about it.  Also, we are not supposed to judge another Christian on how he chooses to celebrate or not celebrate Halloween because he is God's servant and to his own master he stands or falls. (Romans 14:4).

"Sometimes, we as Christians get so caught up in these things that we forget Colossians 2 where Paul says not to get caught up in legalism.  Specifically verse 16 and 17 say, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however is found in Christ."  In other words let us not say that we are more holy or more right for not celebrating Halloween.  We are free in Christ and do not need to add our own rules to the Bible and say that we are more holy for doing so. ...  We need to be careful as Christians not to become legalistic, make up our own rules, and attribute them to God."

"My 7 year old is going to be a witch this year.  Black pointy hat and all.  She has no idea what a real life pagan witch does ... and really, I've never encountered one myself ...We really do have freedom and liberty in Christ."

Now, for her very last comment, someone who decided to take on the topic of legalism ...

"The one problem I do have with some of the comments are peoples' shouts of LEGALISM, just because they celebrate it and are assuming you are calling them bad Christians, which you were not.  We must remember that in almost every promise of freedom, there is an underlying responsibility.  We must be responsible Christians.  We are free, but we are not.  We are free from sin and condemnation, but we are not free from Christ.  Christ has some mighty strong words to say about things, and we are his "slaves", his "servants".  We fall under His headship.  We must, in our freedom, not forget that.  Most people who are accused of being "legalistic" are just people who are truly desiring to follow our Lord and Savior with our lives."


A week later, I read THIS POST by Bianca ... about Is Drinking A Sin?  Have you ever visited Bianca's blog?  She is a young, single woman who is passionate about loving and serving the Lord.  I LOVE her style and so appreciate that she is willing to tackle the tough stuff on her blog.  Here is just a peek into Bianca's thoughts on this.  I hope you'll pop over to her blog to listen to her 3 minute video, and to read more about the Biblical research she has done on this topic.

"Some Christians think of alcohol as up there with adultery, idol worship, and South Park.  I met a fundamentalist who argued that the "wine" drunk in the Bible is not wine at all, but actually grape juice.  I simply asked for a scripture reference which bans alcohol.  He couldn't provide one.  I wasn't lobbying for the alcohol industry; I was simply advocating for a balance of scripture."

She went on to ask ...

"So, what do you think?  How can we have our liberties, yet be mindful of our weaker brothers?  Comments, suggestions, stones to throw?"

And ... a look at some of her 43 comments ...

"Paul talks about becoming all things to all people to win more for Christ, and I believe having the freedom in Christ to enjoy a drink occasionally falls under this Scripture (1 Corinthians 9:22)."


"In general, being legalistic and making rules for people (rules based, more often than not, on our own personal likes and dislikes) bothers me more than giving people grace where there is no clear indicator that sin took place."

"We are given choices.  We do have freedoms and what we do with those freedoms is between us and God."

Now, I'm not saying that I disagree with every part of every comment.  I just wanted to give some examples of the "Freedom" side of things.

Then ... I read an article in World magazine.  Andree Seu wrote, "Control That Tongue" for the October 10, 2009 issue.  I'd like to share some of Andree's thoughts, now ...

"Brothers, can we talk about legalism?  I wrote a blog sharing that God is teaching me to be careful with my mouth, and that there are no such things as inconsequential words.  Then I was knocked off kilter with a thread of comments charging legalism.  Unless we settle this question right away, I'm afraid we won't get anywhere.


Yes, we rest in the grace of Christ.  And it is a costly grace, and costly discipleship does it require.  It is a grace secured at a great price, and it asks in return, for all we have.  It is a grace to relax in as regards our secure eternal destination, but a grace to strive in as regards our efforts to live for Him:  "Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue"  (2 Peter 1:5).  It is a grace with plenteous forgiveness when we sin, but it does not logically follow from this that it is an iota less serious to sin. ...


Sure, we should always be careful of creeping legalism.  The Apostle Paul was the first to say so ... and also the first to command, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths"  (Ephesians 4:29).  In the same letter famous for his anti-legalist preaching, Paul gives counsel like "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Galatians 6:7)  ...


Or has the doctrine of the sovereignty of God swallowed up human responsibility? ...


If exhortation to godly speech is rebuffed as incipient legalism, then all preaching is impossible.  Then your pastors are all legalists when they instruct you to any change of attitude or behavior.  If the charge of legalism is the knee-jerk response to all advice, it puts a chill on everyone who has a word from the Lord for the building up of the saints - though Paul spent all of 1 Corinthians 14 urging such mutual edifications. ...


Must I refrain from testifying lest it be construed as legalism? ...



So ... what do you think?  How do we find the balance between Freedom in Christ and Legalism?

Where do you fit?  How do others see you?  Do you find yourself more on the "Freedom in Christ" side of things, or do you tend towards the "Legalistic"?  I'd love to hear your thoughts ...

I hope you'll pop on over to Bridget's and Bianca's blog posts, too.  There, in the comments section, you will find some of my thoughts ...

The Greatest Cause of Atheism

My 19 y.o. son, Joshua, has this quote at the bottom of his emails.  Today, I thought I'd share it with you.

The single largest cause of Atheism,

in the World today,

is Christians who proclaim Christ with their lips,

and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.

That ...

is what an unbelieving world finds ...

simply ... 

unbelieving.

- DC Talk -

My Rescuer

Last night, one of our "adopted big kids" wrote a blog post that touched my heart.  She is walking through the Tough Stuff with us, so this post may have been written with  me in mind ... but, she also may have been thinking of someone else, or another situation.  It's applicable for whomever is walking through the storms of life.

Not only did Vicky share a powerful scripture passage, but her interpretation of the scripture was definitely God-inspired.  I hope that her post will encourage you, as it did me.

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,

and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death entangled me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the LORD;

I cried to God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears.

The earth trembled and quaked, 

and the foundations of the mountains shook;

they trembled because he was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils;

consuming fire came from his mouth,

burning coals blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down;

dark clouds were under his feet.

He mounted the cherubim and flew;

he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his covering, 

his canopy around him,

the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,

with hailstones and lightning.

The LORD thundered from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.

He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,

great bolts of lightning and routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundations of the earth laid bare

at your rebuke, O LORD,

at the blast of breath from you nostrils.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 18:1-19

Vicky went on to say ...

"I read this last night and was struck by God's response to our cries for help.  Go back and reread those last two paragraphs.  WOW!  When we cry out to God for hlep, He does not sit idly by.  No, He unleashes all His majestic power to rescue us.

One thing that hit me today as I reread it:  When we are in the midst of trouble, we imagine God's rescue looking like sunshine and rainbows.  Yet from the looks of Psalm 18, it sounds like an awful storm.  The clouds are dark and full of hailstones and bolts of lightning.  His covering is a dark rain cloud.  He soars on the wind.  He thunders from heaven.

Can you imagine what this must have looked like initially from David's perspective?  There he is, in the midst of battle with his enemies, and he cries out to God for help.  Suddenly, things seem to go from bad to worse as the storm-of-the-century starts brewing overhead ... I doubt David was thinking, "Thanks God!  I'm so glad you're here!"  Somehow, I think his prayers initially turned to, "Oh you have got to be kidding me, God?!  I ask for help and THIS is what I get?!"

But then ... at some point, David realizes that God is in the storm.  The storm is a signal that God is showing up in a powerful way.  He fights David's battle and brings the victory.  He rescues David from his foes.  He does the impossible.

And did you catch that last verse?  WHY did God react this way when He heard David's cry?  Why did God rescue him?  Oh, just because He delighted in him.

The next time you are in battle for your life and  you cry out for God to rescue you, don't be surprised if you begin to see storm clouds overhead.  It might look like things are going from bad to worse, but don't worry, that's just God showing up.  Drop your sword and fall on your knees in reverent awe.  Then watch as God fights your battle, rescues you from your powerful enemies, and brings the victory.

Wow!  Thanks, Vicky!  Thanks, Lord!  I KNOW that the LORD is right here in the middle of the storm with me ... fighting my battles for me.  What a comfort that is!

Bittersweet

Tonight

Hurting Hearts

Seeking Answers

Fervently Praying

Working on J.'s Blog Book

Bittersweet

See:  A Very Difficult Task  to Read About the Blog Book

Please Pray

Please pray for us today ... for wisdom, for strength, for comfort.  


We are walking through some Tough Stuff.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit would guide our every step.

A Busy ... but Good ... Day

Wow!  It's been a very long day ... but a good one.

I spent the past 4 days "off island" (the Islander term for being away from home).  I spent two days at "our other house" and a day and a half at a Women's Retreat.  I left the retreat at 10:00 last night, and returned to "our other house" so that I could get an early start this morning.

Jeremiah, Josh, and Hannah (Josh's best friend) left our place at 7:00, to catch the ferry in time to make it to church this morning.  They headed south and met up with Vicky (our "adopted big kid") who was heading north, so that they could carpool and only pay one ferry fee.

Ben (who had gone "off island" with me, in order to snowboard with Gregg) and I left home at 9:30, did a quick Wal-Mart trip, and a  quick trip to the mall, before heading south to the ferry.  We arrived home on the island at 1:30.

Josh had planned this trip to the island so that he could make Pad Thai for Sarah for her birthday dinner. What an awesome big brother!  Thanks Josh!  Yummm ....

We ate dinner at 2:00, put Vicky's car in the ferry line at 2:30, and then headed out for an adventure to Shark Reef.  Papa and the younger ones had been there before, but this was the first time for me, Vicky, Jeremiah, Josh, and Hannah (also her first time on the island).  We ran through the woods.  Papa played hide & seek from the kids.  We walked along the rocky cliffs over the water.  It was a great time of playing, visiting, and enjoying some of our big kids.

At 4:00 it was time to head towards the ferry, and say, "Good-bye." to all of the big kids.  We sure enjoyed having them join us for the day.  It was a special surprise for Sarah.

So ... what did we do to end a long busy day?

We ate Popcorn and Apples for supper,

because the Pad Thai filled us up.

(sorry, forgot to take pictures)

We let the kids watch a movie on the computer.

(We are either highly technically challenged,

or else T & T's dvd player is very confusing.)

This was the kids' first movie in 2 weeks.

Sarah got to choose tonight,

since it was her birthday.

They watched, "Invincible",

a football movie.

Then Sarah opened her Cards and Presents.

Did you notice?

Sarah has a new hairstyle.

I took the yarn braids out last week;

and both girls' hair was long enough

to do some fun stuff with.

They've enjoyed their twists;

but, I think we'll put the yarn

braids back in, later this week.

Our Cozy Kitchen

Have you ever moved into someone else's fully furnished house?

While we moved much of our clothes, and all of our school books, the one area that we left most things at "our other house" is ... The Kitchen.  Since T & T left their kitchen fully "furnished", there obviously wouldn't be room for all of our "stuff".  And, since our Big Boys are still living at "our other house", they need the basics for their own meal prep.  (However, they don't need much if they have Papa Murphy's Pizza every night.)

It was so hard to pack for our kitchen move, since I didn't know what they had ... and, because anything we brought had to fit alongside everything that they left for us.  So, I brought a LOT of food on the first load (much to my Big Boy's disappointment, as I left their cupboards nearly bare), and then immediately began making lists for Jim to bring after his next trip to the mainland.

What I've also found is that Jim and I tend to be a bit "picky" about our kitchen appliances.  T & T have great "stuff" ... but we miss some of our stuff.

Jim made applesauce in their crockpot ... and said, "I need MY crockpot."

I made an apple/blueberry pie and thought ... "Oh how I need MY rolling pin."

Before I made the pie, I realized that not everyone makes pie crusts, so I was worried that I might not find a Pastry Blender in their drawers ... but they had one.

I brought all of the ingredients for our fresh ground whole wheat bread, but I didn't bring my Kitchen Mixer.  T & T have a NICE KitchenAid.  But, I've never used a KitchenAid.  I need my K-Tec.

Hosanna used their can opener and said, "Mom, you need to bring our can opener."  But ... I think the big boys might need a can opener, so I'd better leave it for them.

I made my first 9 x 13 pan-sized dinner tonight, in MANY years.  I knew I didn't need to bring all of my 11 x 15 glass casserole dishes because I wasn't bringing all of my kids.  So sad!  We all just kind of stared at the "little" lasagna in T & T's 9 x 13 pan.  But, it fed us ... and we had leftovers.  Weird!

Anyway ... I thought you might enjoy a few more pics of our "Little House in the Big Woods".

Our BEAUTIFUL Cozy Kitchen

The WAY COOL Wood Stove

Yes, there is also a "real" stove.

(It will be our source of heat, 

if the power goes out this winter.)

I spent all of my childhood summers,

in a little Cabin by the Lake,

where we cooked and baked

in a stove just like this.

Fun Memories!!!

What?  Hosanna got new glasses?

No!

Sometimes ...

in other people's kitchens ...

you find things that you have never heard of.

Introducing ...

"Tear-Free Onion Goggles"

How many of you,

have such COOL goggles

in your kitchen?

(Hosanna reports that they really work.)

I hope you don't think I'm complaining, about this sweet Cozy Kitchen.  No, not at all.  I just thought I'd let you know that the strangest part of living in someone else's home ... is getting used to someone else's Kitchen.  I had no idea how attached we were to our "kitchen stuff".

I'm back on the mainland for the weekend (for a church women's retreat), so I'll be filling up the back of my little station wagon with MY kitchen stuff before I head HOME to the island.  We'll just need to move things around a bit, for all of it to fit.  Then ... when T & T return in the Spring ... we get to sort through every drawer to find out what is "theirs" and what is "ours".  We'll probably have to buy our own Onion Goggles then, too; since we'll have become so attached to them.  Do any of you know where you would buy such a thing???  (T ... won't you please let us in on the secret?)

The View from Our Little House in the Big Woods

When T & T moved here,

they had a beautiful view.

Then ... the trees grew.

This past summer,

 a few branches were removed,

to open up a Peek-A-Boo View.

(see upper left corner)

Now ...

this is the View,

from the Back Deck,

from the Living Room,

from the Master Bedroom.

Ahhh ...

the Water ...

that I LOVE so much.

and ...

the Ferry Boats

Yes ...

I love the woods,

but I LOVE the water,

and the Ferry Boats, too.