Adam Asked Jesus Into His Heart!

Praise the Lord! Adam asked Jesus to come and live in his heart this morning at church! We were listening to the message (I didn't think Adam was listening), but Pastor Shane said something about Adam (of the bible) and my Adam said, "No, I'm three!" (Lately he tells everyone that he's three years old!). So I explained to him that Pastor Shane was talking about a different Adam - the one in the Bible.

Then Adam listened some more, and Shane mentioned God. Adam said, "Where's God?"

I said, "Where is He?" (because Adam knows the answer).

Adam said, "He's everywhere." Then he said, "Jesus is everywhere too."

I said, "That's right. And He can live in your heart too if you want Him to. Do you want to ask Him to live in your heart?"

Adam said yes, and I told him that we would ask after Pastor Shane finished speaking.

So after the service, I asked Adam if he still wanted to ask Jesus to live in his heart, and he did, so I told him he had to pray and ask Jesus himself. So he did! He was so excited, he told Daddy right away. Then Shelley K. came to talk to him after church, and he told her too!

I know he's young and he doesn't understand all the implications and sin and his need for a savior. But he does know that Jesus is in his heart, and for a three-year-old, I think that's pretty good. I just pray now that God will grow the seed that's been planted and produce tons of fruit for His Kingdom in Adam. I pray that God will make Himself more and more real to Adam and increase Adam's understanding of Him.

I pray the same thing for Noah, of course. When he's a bit older, I just pray that he will ready to ask Jesus into his heart too. My greatest desire as a parent is to see my children in Heaven with me one day. I'm so happy that Adam is on the right track so far.

By the way, he behaved so well at church today that he got a slurpee on the way home! He was fantastic today! Praise the Lord!

"Mercy in the Wilderness"

I've obviously been listening to a lot of music lately. I do that when I'm struggling! Steve Camp wrote a song called "Mercy in the Wilderness". I always loved it for the melody, but every time I listen to it, the words hit home more and more.

Every day that I walk with You
You break me down and You make me new.
Though my faith is tried, this I know is true:
There is mercy in the wilderness.

Through the valley deep and the mountain high
You have been my strength and Your Word my guide
I have known Your grace through the tears I've cried
There is mercy in the wilderness.

In the barren place where the harsh winds blow
Oh my flesh cries out, "Lord refresh my soul!"

Oh the Lord is kind and the Lord is good
He is faithful to His children
Through the fire and flood He has with me stood
He gives mercy in the wilderness.

Oh the chastening of the Father's hand
Yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness
Though our hope is born in sorrow there'll be joy at last
There is mercy in the wilderness.

So I thank You, Lord, for my every trial
The Father's love confirms me as His child

Wow! It is easy to get down and depressed when things are tough, but then we wouldn't learn what God wants us to learn. It is through these times that He can groom us to bear the most fruit. Granted, my tough times aren't that bad! I mean, just being tired and having a rough day with the kids hardly qualifies for hardship when you look at what many people in the world are going through! But it was a tough time for me. I guess it was the feelings of hopelessness, uselessness and emptiness that were getting to me. But I know that I have hope, purpose and fulfillment in Christ. Satan really wants to get me down and put me into a pit (I've been reading Beth Moore!). But I know the truth, and the truth will set me free!

I was looking at Steve Camp's blog (yes, he has one too!), and he says this about the song:

"The Lord uses times of deep sorrow and trial to make us, yes, make us run to Him and Him alone. There is mercy in the wilderness; and the wilderness is the merciful thing. God uses those wasteland experiences to conform us to Himself. "All things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose" not because at the end of the day everything is nice and neatly problem free. NO! But because "we are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son!" (Romans 8:28-29)

We are servants with scars.

Though all may forsake you there is One who will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5); who will love you to the uttermost (John 13:1); who will stick closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24); who knows every one of our needs (Matthew 6:25-34); and will be attentive to the prayers of His children (1 John 5:14-15). If you ask Him for bread He surely will not give you a stone (Matthew 7:7-11).

He will lead you to the rock that is higher than you. Like David the Lord will raise you high above the tempest - to the rock that is higher than your storm; higher than your loneliness. Praise be to God David found a place of sanctuary and shelter in God Himself and you may as well if you place your faith and trust in Christ alone!"

I know this is a long post, but it's such an important lesson. Life is hard. The enemy is a roaming lion seeking to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). God will allow us to go through these times so He can teach us what we need to learn to grow closer to Him and more fruitful in our walk with Him. And there is MERCY in that WILDERNESS. He will be there through it all with us, upholding us with His love.

What a wonderful God we serve!

Music Speaks

I'm finding myself listening to lots of Christian music lately and really thinking about the words.

Shelley had a link today to a great song (Word of God Speak).

Here are a few more:

I Can Only Imagine

How Great is Our God

The Potter's Hand

These songs speak so beautifully of God's love and plan for us.

I Could Sing of Your Love Forever - Martin Smith

Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the Spirit set me free.

I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing of
When Your love came down.

I could sing of Your love forever.
I could sing of Your love forever.
I could sing of Your love forever.
I could sing of Your love forever.

Oh I feel like dancing
It's foolishness I know
But when the world has seen the light
They will dance with joy
Like we're dancing now.

I absolutely love this song. I was playing it on the piano today, and I couldn't get it out of my head. I started singing it with Noah, and tears came to my eyes as I worshiped God. It's amazing how music can unleash something in us. I can always feel the Spirit moving in me when I sing a worship song to the Lord from my heart.

Joyful Children

The boys were in swimming lessons for the past two weeks. They had so much fun! Look at those smiles!

This was Adam's first time in lessons by himself, and he was pretty nervous at first. The first lesson, he cried the whole time and refused to go in the pool! Eventually, he relaxed and enjoyed himself. He likes splashing and jumping into the pool (though the teacher did not always share his enthusiasm for splashing!).

This was also Noah's first time in lessons. Ian and I took turns going with him in the pool. It is so much fun to take him in. He's fearless! He went down the slide with me with no problem! He loved jumping to me into the pool, and had no problem with having his head dunked underwater (although he needs to close his mouth when we do that!).

They both had tons of fun. It is so nice to see them smiling and laughing and having fun. God must see us that way when we are joyful. If I delight in my kids' happiness this much, then how much more must God delight in us when we are full of joy and exuberance for Him? I'm so glad I have a loving Father God who has given me these great kids and who loves me as His own child.

Being a parent has helped me understand God's love so much more (though I am still far from understanding completely - and will be until I get to Heaven!). I love my kids so much, and if God loves me even more than I love them, then it's a pretty big love!

The Thrill of God - Continued

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him." Isaiah 30:18

Okay, so this Thrill of God thing is so not what I expected! I haven't actually been thrilled yet, but God is bringing me to a lot of realizations that I have been avoiding or ignoring!

I am completely at the end of myself. And while it's not fun, I am surprisingly thankful and relieved. I have been living so long on my own strength that it is a complete relief to have to just rest in God and rely on Him. And stupid me, that's what I was supposed to be doing all along! I am really so thankful that God has forced me to just give over control to Him. I don't have the strength to do anymore by myself. It is amazingly freeing to live like this. And the more I rely on God, the more I'm seeing Him in everything!

And believe it or not, Adam has actually been more obedient lately. Coincidence? Probably not. I'm still waiting for my "God Thrill", but I know it's coming, and what I've been experiencing is so valuable already, so I can wait.

Thank you Shelley for this challenge!

Flowers at my Door

Look what was on my doorstep this morning! What a great surprise. I really needed this after the weekend I had! Thank you so much to whoever left this for me (I think I know who...). You made me smile!

I appreciate Shelley's comment from my Thrill of God entry:

Oh how I feel your pain - we have great expectation and then the enemy who prowls around looking for someone to devour TRIES to discourage us!! I learnt in my post that my Thrill was not the experience but it was God Himself -I am going to pray for you this week that God Himself would just Thrill you - and like I have found it is definitely in the unexpected moments.

I really appreciate that perspective - I was looking for the thrill in some experience or part of my day, but it is God Himself who I should be thrilled with. Thank you for reminding me of that, Shelley! I know God is amazing, and I need to rely on Him.

The Thrill of God

Last night Shelley challenged us to ask God to thrill us. He delights in giving good gifts to His children! So I ran off to pray and asked God to just thrill me.

I was full of anticipation this morning when I woke up and prayed for the day. I again asked God to thrill me today, and to open my eyes so that I would know it when it happened (I have a tendency to miss things as I get busy and focus on other things).

So first off, I weighed myself, and I had gained a pound. Not so thrilling. Okay, so God was going to thrill me another way (although losing five pounds would have been a great thrill!).

Noah cried all morning. He's teething and nothing would comfort him. I gave him Tylenol and sent him to bed for a bit, but he continued to whine. I contemplated just staying home from church since Ian's out of town and it's challenging enough having two kids there by myself, let alone when the baby is teething! But I prayed, and God told me to go. I thought, "Okay, God is going to thrill me at church... the kids will behave, I'll actually get to sing an entire song and maybe hear most of the message." Wrong again. Noah was actually pretty good. Adam, however, behaved terribly. He wouldn't stop talking, he had to go the bathroom three times before the singing was even finished. I had to take him out for "discipline" during the special music. And when we went back in, he still wouldn't stop talking and disobeying me when I asked him to sit on his chair and play quietly. So I ended up leaving church before the message even started so we wouldn't disrupt all the other people around us. Not so thrilling.

On the way home, I thought, "My day is going worse than usual. Why aren't you thrilling me, God?" I started to cry. (I know, poor me!)

The rest of the day didn't go much better. It was a constant battle with Adam to get him to obey me when I asked him to stop hitting his brother, stop banging things on the table during supper, stop yelling at me from his room during quiet time, etc. etc.

I feel so empty right now - physically, emotionally, spiritually. I have nothing left to give my family. I'm not being fed spiritually at church because my kids won't be quiet during the service. At home, my three-year-old is constantly challenging my authority. He blatantly disobeys when I ask him to do something (or to stop doing something). It's especially hard when Ian is away because there's no rest. I'm at the breaking point.

I guess God has brought me here to this point to teach me to lean on Him. Like the song says: "His strength is perfect when our strength is gone." I need God to fill me now. Is this the thrill I asked for? I know God sometimes answers prayer in unexpected ways, but when I asked Him to thrill me, I didn't mean tear me down to nothing in one day! But I guess that's what He needed to do to force me to rely on Him again.

So I'm not feeling thrilled today, but I know that God isn't here for my amusement or to perform for me when I ask Him to. I know He delights in giving good gifts to His children, and I know that He wants me to be ready for it when He gives them. I am thankful that He is bringing me to the place where I will be ready for Him, even though it's difficult. I know one day He will thrill me, and we will both delight in it because of what He's bringing me through today.

Precious Face

How precious is this face? Okay, I'm a little biased... But come on! Look at those blue eyes!
I was trying to take a picture of Noah, and he ran at the camera, so this is what I ended up with. But I actually love this picture! Just wanted to share! (Yes, Mom is bragging.)

On Romans 7 - Being a Slave

"How many times have I fed on ashes instead of feasting on the Word? How many times has my deluded heart misled me?"- Beth Moore

I read this today from Praying God's Word Day by Day, and it really struck a chord with me. Beth Moore then goes on to a prayer based on Romans 7:15 - 21.

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my ming and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." (Romans 7:15 - 25)

Wow! I always have to read this passage very slowly. It is so confusing! I guess it comes down to the fact that there is a battle being fought in the heavenly realms, and I have to choose who I will be a slave to - God's law or the law of sin. It is a constant struggle for me. I know what I want to do - to follow God's law and be what He wants me to be. It is so difficult sometimes to do that, though. It is so much easier to just be lazy and not spend time in the Word or in prayer. But then I am being a slave to sin.

Paul sums it up so well: "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (v. 15) If Paul struggled with this, what chance do I have?!

Fortunately, Romans 8 goes on: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (vv. 1 - 2) Hallelujah! Even though there is a battle waging within me and around me, I am set free from the law of sin. I don't have to be a slave to it and I am not condemned. God has given the Spirit of life to give us victory over sin. I just need to allow Him to work through me and stop being lazy!

On Colossians 3 - Work for the Lord

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (vv. 23 - 24)

How often I forget this. I have to stop seeking the approval of others. God is the One I should be concerned with. I need to ask myself constantly if what I am doing is for His glory.

I've been feeling rather purposeless lately. When I was a teacher, I had a noble calling - to shape the lives and minds of today's children. I could be their role model and impart knowledge on future generations! (Wow, that sounds good!) Every day was different - new challenges, new lessons, new conversations.

Being a stay-at-home mom is much less glamourous. But now that I look at what I just wrote about being a teacher, being a mom is pretty much the same thing. I just don't have to dress up in nice work clothes and do my hair everyday, and there's no janitor around here to clean up the mess! Plus, it's FULL time, not 8:30 - 4:00. There are no summer holidays around here!

I need to constantly remember that my calling is to be a Mom, and I need to work at that with all my heart. Adam and Noah are so precious, and I have a huge role in seeing that they follow the Lord. When I don't feel like playing with them or reading to them or listening to their whining anymore, I need to get off my rear and be a mom! This is for God's glory. I pray that God will help me fulfill His purpose in my life.

Adam's Song

I have to start journaling what my kids are doing since I'm not very current with my baby books or my scrapbooking. I want to make sure I don't forget, so I think I'll blog them here.

This morning at breakfast, Adam made up a song. Cleverly titled "Where's the Toaster?", its lyrics were as follows:

Where's the toaster?
Where's the toaster?
Where's the toaster?
Oh, where's the toaster?

Now, this in itself was cute, but then Noah started bobbing along in his highchair as Adam sang over and over again. I had to laugh. Noah seemed to think it was the greatest song ever sung, so he kept rocking away! Of course, my laughing only egged Adam on, so we had to listen to several choruses.

Ian thought we were all insane as he ate his bagel while Adam sang, Noah danced and I laughed hysterically. Lots of fun!!

Oops, I Did It Again...

Wow, I don't have much resolve. We're back from our vacation in B.C. and I again haven't been spending much time with God. I had some good prayer times while we were away on holidays. In fact, my prayer life is pretty good right now. I'm praying a lot for my boys. I'm very thankful for God and His blessings.

Where I'm falling short is in spending time in His Word. I need to set aside time each day to spend learning more about God, along with talking to Him. How else will I grow if I don't learn anything?
Once again, I resolve to spend time seeking God in His Word and in prayer.