Noah Asked Jesus to Live in His Heart!

Every night at bedtime we pray with Noah. We say, "Thank you for..." and he fills in the blanks. Then we finish off, and I always make sure I pray that Noah will ask Jesus to be his Saviour and live in his heart. Well tonight, after Noah thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, Adam and "me", I prayed the same thing again, and Noah asked about Jesus living in his heart. I asked if he wanted to ask Jesus to live in his heart and he said yes! So we prayed together. Noah prayed (repeating after me, of course!), "Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me. Please live in my heart and be my Saviour. Amen."

Then Noah wanted to tell Daddy about Jesus living in his heart! I know he's only two and this is a first step to a relationship with God, but I'm so thankful that he's on his way to knowing and loving Jesus. Ian and I made a big deal out of him doing this, and reminded him that now Jesus would always be with him. He went to bed very happy!

I'm thankful to God for allowing us to lay this foundation with our children. I just pray that both Adam and Noah will grow to be men of God, standing up for truth and standing strong in their faith. Praise the Lord for these first steps!

Our {Spiritual} Family Heritage

This summer, Ian's parents took us all to Jamaica for a family vacation. And by "all", I mean Stephen, Twyla, Ivy, Davis, Spencer, Wendy, Andrew, Heather, Graham, us and Locksley and Margo. What an amazing trip!

It is so amazing to see a country from the perspective of someone who was born and raised there. When you think of Jamaica, usually you think of the tourist-y beaches and hot weather. But Locksley showed us about the people. He took us on some tours of some amazing places there (still tourist tours, but amazing to see with him).

We are so fortunate to have been able to do this. Our boys are so lucky. I hope they will remember, though I know Noah is pretty small. I really appreciate that Locksley wanted to share that part of his life with us and show our boys about part of their roots.

It is so important to know our family heritage, especially being a child of God. We are heirs with Christ. God sees us as His children. We need to remember our spiritual heritage as well as our earthly heritage so that we will not become tangled in the things of this world. This is a lesson God has been trying to show me this summer (I say trying because I haven't been listening very well). But I think I'm starting to get it.

I find that during the summer, I tend to put God on the backburner because Ian's home and we're not in our regular routine. I've been letting busyness get in the way of my relationship with God. I need to get back to my roots and learn about my Family Heritage by spending time in God's Word and spending time with my Father.
What a treasure to have the whole family together.

{I've posted more photos here.}

On Motherhood

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted. My mom was just visiting us from B.C. She left this morning. We were all sad to see her leave, as it was nice to see her. It's weird how much you realize you need your mom when you become a mom! The boys just love her too. She had special time with both of them, and I think it made them feel really important.

Adam celebrated his fourth birthday this weekend. Where has the time gone? He is no longer anywhere near being my baby. I can't believe he's starting preschool in the fall. Time really should slow down as we get older instead of speeding up! I really need to make sure I take the time to enjoy every minute I get to spend with my boys, especially since right now they still want to spend time with me. I know that will change, and then I'll wish they were small again and still needed me!

But for now, they're still my little boys who need their Mommy. I'll enjoy it while I can.

Patience and Poop!

Well, yesterday morning when I went to get Noah up, his diaper had overflowed up the back and there was poop all over his crib. What a way to start the day! He ended up getting a bath, and I had to wash all the bedding - sheet, pillowcase, bed cover, crib pads, etc. Fun, fun.

Well, I didn't think anything else of it until after nap time yesterday afternoon. When I went in to get Noah up from his nap, he had somehow managed to get all of his clothes and diaper off, and guess what? Oh yes, there was poop all over the place again, even on the walls! Well, Noah looked at me and said, "Bath!" Who'd have thought that a 22-month-old could be so clever? He loves baths, and he had discovered a way to get one!

Suffice it to say that it was more of a hosing off than a bath that time, and I was a lot less patient than I had been in the morning! Again I had the joy of washing all of his bedding again, along with the wall.

Oh, the joys of motherhood. I should have taken a picture, but I wasn't feeling very "capture the moment-y" at that time! (This photo is actually from last week, not yesterday.)

Hugged by God

I had the most amazing time of prayer this morning. It wasn't anything long or out of the ordinary. It has actually been awhile since I've had a good prayer time - I've been too "busy" to stop and talk to God, so I've been missing Him. (Of course, it's my own fault - I chose to do other things... why don't I ever learn?)

Anyway, I had a lot of dreams about my dad last night, and I was just thanking God for being my Abba Father, "Daddy God". I suddenly felt God hugging me. It was the most surreal, amazing, fantastic feeling I've ever had. I felt like I was just curled up on His lap and I could actually feel His arms around me. Does that sound bizarre? I just sat there and basked in His presence and enjoyed my hug from my Daddy. He really is the Father to the fatherless and the loving Father.

I just had to share my wonderful moment from this morning. I pray that I never forget that feeling or forget how much God loves me and just wants me to trust Him as my Daddy. What an awesome God.

My Birthday

Well, today is my 34th birthday. I have to say that this has been one of my best birthdays ever! My mom sent me flowers yesterday and we had a great chat on the phone.

This morning, I went out for a bit, and when I got home, this beautiful picture was in my mailbox. My sister-in-law, Twyla, drew this for me. It's a picture of my dad with Adam and Noah. Since he passed away ten years ago, he never got to meet my kids. I know he would have made a wonderful grandpa. I had tears in my eyes when I saw this. It's amazing how much my boys look like my dad. What a wonderful gift. I know we'll all see each other in heaven and my dad will meet his grandsons, but for now, this is a wonderful reminder of my dad.

Then at noon, my friend, Sherri, showed up with lunch for me and we had a great visit. Later, my other sister-in-law, Wendy, stopped by with a vase of lilies for me. She had decorated the vase with Stampin' Up! Rub-Ons! A woman after my own heart! LOL!

My boys actually slept this afternoon so I had some time to myself. Very nice!

When Ian gets home, we're all going out for supper. It will be nice to not have to cook!

All in all, a great day.

My Boys - Brothers and Friends

It just brings a smile to my heart to see my boys getting along. On Saturday morning they were in their "jammies" playing. They kept hugging each other, falling on the ground, laughing and wrestling. It was so much fun to watch, and it brought such joy to me! Although they do have their moments when they fight with each other, so far they seem to like each other.

This is such a relief to me, as my sister and I were never close. I remember even as a very young girl that I didn't want her around (how horrible is that?). My mom tells of a time when I was four and my sister was two, and she got lost at a store. While my mother panicked, I kept talking excitedly about how wonderful life would be now that she was gone. My mom did not appreciate that very much. I would like to just explain that I was not a Christian until I was an older teenager, so I didn't have a lot of Christian virtues!

As we got older, we tolerated each other. We played together, but we never really had much in common. I was the "brain" and she was the "jock", although we both did well in school and enjoyed sports (these were just the personas we adopted and our activity choices reflected this). I looked out for her as an older sister, but we were never really good friends.

When I became a Christian, we grew even further apart as she became involved in Eastern philosophies, New Age practices and an immoral lifestyle. The death of our dad also threw her into a tailspin and she pushed away from our family almost completely.

I really believe that without a common belief system, it is more difficult for siblings to really be friends. Of course I love my sister, but we don't understand each other at all. My prayer for my boys is that they would both come to know the Lord and grow close in their walk with Him. I pray they will look out for one another and be genuine friends. I pray that they will get along and help each other as they grow in their faith.

On Joy

I've been catching up on my "Living Beyond Yourself" homework (Beth Moore) for Renew. I missed a bunch while I was sick, so now I'm trying to get a few lessons done each day.

JOY:
Today's study was about joy, specifically the joy that comes from knowing our names are written in Heaven. Wow. Beth Moore emphasizes that salvation belongs to God. I never really thought about the significance of that until today. "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne..." (Revelation 7:10). Why is it important that salvation belongs to God and not to us? Because it is His gift to us. If it didn't belong to Him, then He wouldn't be able to give it to us. "It is a gift of GRACE that we have the privilege to accept." (Beth Moore)

Beth also states that "recognizing that salvation belongs to Christ helps to get us out of ourselves." How often do I focus on me, me, me? It's not about me!

SALVATION:
Here's another other sobering thought from Beth based on 2 Peter 3:3 - 7: "A moment will come, at the ushering in of eternity, when every lost man and woman will be confronted with the staggering loss of his or her salvation... The lost will suffer a horrible threefold realization: they will realize that He is LORD, that they are LOST and that it's too LATE."

That certainly puts things into perspective. Why do I worry about "offending" people by sharing the gospel with them? This life is but a breath. Eternity is forever. Do I want the guilt on my conscience of knowing some of my friends and family could be facing an eternity without the Lord just because I'm afraid of offending them? The joy they could have of knowing their names are written in the Book of Life pales in comparison to my discomfort. Again, it's not about me!

Adam's First Spending Spree!

Adam received his first piggy bank for Christmas this year, and Grandpa King was more than happy to fill it up with coins for him! So Adam was very excited to go to the store with Daddy and spend some of his money.

I gave him two dollars in quarters to spend when he and Daddy went into the city. Ian was picking something up for me at Michaels, so Adam was very excited to be able to buy something crafty!

He found this balloon paper in the scrapbooking section, and he had to have it! It cost $0.99 ($1.05 with tax). He went up to the till, and the sales lady was very obliging! Adam said, "I have eight monies!" and plunked all of his quarters down on the counter. Well, he was so excited when the cashier gave him some of it back (and some dimes and nickels as his change too!).

He was so excited to come home and show me his purchase and to tell me that the cashier had given him some money back as well.

It is so wonderful to see him excited. I just can't believe the maternal happiness when my kids are happy. It thrills my soul. Is God this happy when I'm excited about something? If God loves me half as much as I love my kids and is half as excited for me when I'm excited about something, then that's a whole lot of love!

The Flu Strikes!

I've been sick for the past two weeks. It's amazing how being sick takes precedence over everything! The flu literally struck me down last Tuesday. I was fine in the morning, then by after lunch I was in bed with a fever sleeping the afternoon away. Ian had to take Wednesday off of work to look after the boys, and my mother-in-law took them on Thursday. I was too dizzy to stand up. I slept for almost four days straight.

By Friday, the fever had left, but I was still really sick. I had to miss the all-day scrapbooking at church on Saturday. I felt awful - I was supposed to be helping with the day, but I had to leave it with Heidi and Eva. They did a fabulous job, but I always feel guilty when I'm supposed to be helping and can't. I was also really bummed to have to miss the day. I look forward to it all year!

I was finally better by Tuesday, but still really tired and weak. I've been sleeping in the afternoons while the boys nap, then going to bed right after them in the evenings. I feel like I've lost two weeks.

The good news is that I lost seven pounds! I know I'll gain most of it back, but it's still the only good thing about being sick! LOL!

The bad part is that I haven't really been spending time with God, other than to pray that I will get better quickly and that my family won't get sick too! I'm really hoping to have my strength back soon so I can stay awake when the boys are asleep and get back into my routine.

I'm thankful to be feeling a bit better now. This one hit hard. Being sick really helps you prioritize what HAS to be done and what can wait! I guess that's something else to be thankful for.

On Daniel 4 - Remembering God at All Times

Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that is interpreted for him by Daniel. Basically, God is telling the king that if he doesn't acknowledge that everything he has is from God, then the king will become insane and live like an animal, eating grass and being soaked with dew until he gives glory to God. Daniel advises the king to renounce his sins and be kind to the oppressed so that this punishment will not fall upon him.

I find it so strange that after all Nebuchadnezzar has witnessed from God - Daniel's interpretations of his dream, Daniel's friends being spared in the fiery furnace - he still won't acknowledge that God is supreme and in control of everything.

Of course, Nebuchadnezzar does not humble himself, and God's punishment falls upon him. When the king finally raises his eyes to heaven and gives God the glory, his kingdom is restored to him. He writes a letter to all the people of all the nations declaring that God reigns supreme over all.

It is easy to judge Nebuchadnezzar for his lack of faith, but how many times do I forget that God is supreme. I go about my life until something bad happens, then I pray and ask God for help. He helps, I say thank you, then I move on and forget about Him until the next crisis. Lord, help me to remember always that You are in control. You are God. You reign supreme. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords. Help me not forget to praise you at all times.

Fingerprints of God

Adam received some fingerpaints in his stocking for Christmas, and he loves to use them! I just love to see the joy on his face when he's playing with them. The bottom photo reminds me of the Steven Curtis Chapman song "Fingerprints of God". It basically talks about how we are God's masterpieces. The chorus says, "I can see the fingerprints of God when I look at you." And that is so true. Looking at my boys, I can see God's masterpieces. They are fearfully and wonderfully made. I feel so blessed and thankful that God gave them to me to be their mother. They are such special boys. The joy they bring me is indescribable.

Held

This is just a song that reminds me of God's presence and strength in difficult times. The melody is lovely, and the words are so poignant.

"Held" by Natalie Grant

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling

Who told us we’d be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We’re asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It’s unfair

Chorus:
This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held

This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it, let the hatred NUMB our sorrow
The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow

(Chorus) ...
This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held

Bridge:
If hope is born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held

On Daniel 3 - Paradox of Faith

"King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon... Then the herald loudly proclaimed, 'This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down adn worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.'" (vv. 1, 4, 5)

I find it so strange that after King Nebuchadnezzar had just hailed Daniel's God as supreme, he set up an image of someone else and ordered the people to worship it and declared that they would be thrown into a furnace if they refused. Had he forgotten God's dream and interpretation?

Nebuchadnezzar summons Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to him when he learns that they will not worship the statue. He offers them one more chance to do so before he throws them into the furnace. Now here's the funny part: He says, "'Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?'" (v. 15) What God indeed? Hadn't he told Daniel that his God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings? (2:37) I'm still incredulous that he had forgotten.

But it is another time that God revealed His sovereignty. The three men said, "'we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not... we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (vv. 17, 18) I love this. Look at their faith. They KNOW that God is capable of saving them. They also know that He may choose not to, but they still trust that if He doesn't, there is a reason for it, and they'll serve Him anyway.

WHAT FAITH! Oh, Lord, give me that kind of faith. I'm so afraid to go through the fire because I don't like suffering. Help me trust that You are working Your perfect will and plan for the good (not necessarily of myself, but for Your glory) in the midst of my trials. Help me be willing to sacrifice for Your glory. I think that's my biggest problem with allowing God to work. I know in my head that everything is going to be for good, but I'm not willing to be part of the sacrifice it may take. I already lost my dad because of that.

Way back before we had discovered that my dad had cancer, I prayed that God would do whatever it took for my parents to come to know Him - to remove what was preventing them from accepting His salvation and to give them whatever they needed to accept it. Well, He answered my prayer in a doozy of a way, and I never expected it. He took away my dad. My mom relied on my dad and my dad relied on himself. So God took that away. It was for the best in hindsight. My dad is now in Heaven, and I know that I'll see him again one day. But I still struggle to pray those really big faith prayers for fear of what I could lose. I still miss my dad terribly. I wouldn't trade his eternity in Heaven for more time with him here on earth, but I'm afraid of losing more people that I love if I pray those big prayers.

I don't know if that makes any sense, but I know that God is not going to work really big things in my life until I am willing to surrender everything to Him. I have to be willing to lose everything for His glory, and I'm not there yet. But I want to be.

I know in my head that being willing to surrender everything doesn't mean that God is going to take it away. I know He wants to bless me and have a fulfilling, beautiful life. I'm just so afraid that He's going to take more people away from me (even though I know that's not the kind of God He is.) It's such a struggle. Please help me, Lord. Increase my faith. Move my head knowledge into my heart.

My Savior My God

Another one of my all-time favourite songs!

My Savior My God by Aaron Shust

It's about 5 minutes long, but worth the listen. Powerful lyrics and I love the music.

On Daniel 2 - God's Sovereignty

After God revealed to Daniel what Nebuchadnezzar's dream was, Daniel went to the executioner and asked him to bring Daniel to the king. I find it interesting that when the king asks Daniel, "Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?" (v. 26), Daniel responds by saying, "No wise man, enchanter, magician, or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about," (v. 27.) When his life is on the line, wouldn't his first response be YES! But even in this dire situation, Daniel gives the credit and glory to God. "But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come." (v. 28).

Daniel goes on to explain the king's dream to him. When he is finished, "King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, 'Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.'" (vv. 46 - 47)

God used this situation to glorify Himself. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful ruler in the world at the time, and he acknowledged that God was supreme. What a testimony to the people. Their king worshiped the Lord. What else would they do? Daniel and his friends were given high positions in the kingdom. God had established Himself within the kingdom of Babylon through the faith of his servant Daniel.

What more can I do but to acknowledge the Lord among men and seek Him in all things, especially when things are difficult. I also need to remember to give Him the credit and praise when He helps me through those tough times.

On Daniel 2

One night, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. "His mind was troubled and he could not sleep." (v. 1) How many times has this happened to me? I lie awake going over and over things in my mind. No matter how tired I am, I just can't sleep! Sometimes God just wants to tell me something, as He was trying to tell Nebuchadnezzar something. If I will just stop and listen to Him or do what He is asking me to do, peace will come.

"The king replied to the astrologers, 'This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces, and your houses turned into piles of rubble.'" (v. 5) This seems a bit severe! Imagine having a sleep-deprived dictator tell you that if you don't tell him what he just dreamed about and what it means, he will not only kill you, but cut you into pieces and destroy your home (not that you would care after you've been cut into pieces!). Those servants must have been shaking! I think it's funny how they handled it. They nervously replied, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it." (v. 7) Do you think their voices were quivering? I think mine would have been!

I like how God used this to glorify Himself and help the king see He is the only God. The astrologers set things up nicely when they responded, "Who one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men." (v. 11) Don't they? There is One who does, as He is about to reveal! (But not before the king, in his anger, orders the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. Unfortunately, this included Daniel and his friends, who weren't there at the time.)

When the commander of the king's guard showed up at Daniel's place to execute him, Daniel, of course, asks "with wisdom and tact" (v. 14) what's going on. Again, God is in control, and the king allows Daniel some time to interpret his dream. Daniel and his friends "plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." (v. 18) Daniel and his friends are the only ones who turn to God. Even the wise men, who said that the gods could reveal the dream to the king, did not turn to their gods. How hopeless and depressing is it to believe in gods you don't feel comfortable turning to in your time of need?

And of course, God, being the sovereign, holy, wonderful God He is, revealed the dream to Daniel in a vision. And what is Daniel's response? "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His..." (v. 20). This prayer of praise and thanksgiving goes on until verse 23. How often do wonderful things happen in my life, and I forget to thank God? I am usually pretty quick to turn to Him when I'm in trouble, but when the trouble's gone, my tendency is to forget to thank God for His help. I need to follow Daniel's example instead.

On Daniel 1 - God is in Control

God is leading me to Daniel this month. It seems a strange place to re-ignite my spiritual walk. I was thinking that He would have me read one of the gospels or the epistles. Why an Old Testament book of prophecy? I questioned this all morning until I started reading today. God knows what He's doing (was there any doubt?).

Why do bad things happen? There are a myriad of reasons. But no matter what happens, God is always in control of the situation. He allows challenges to happen to us to increase our faith, shape us into His image, force us to trust Him, teach others that He is sovereign, as punishment for our sin. These are but a few reasons I found just reading the first chapter of Daniel.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, beseiged Jerusalem in about 605 B.C. Daniel 1:2 says, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." Why would God deliver the king of His nation into the hand of the enemy? Because of Jehoiakim's disobedience. This shows that nothing happens without God's hand in it. God was still in control of the situation, even though it seemed hopeless. This was punishment for the disobedience of His people - which they had been warned about (see Isaiah).

Again, God shows He is in control in verses 8 - 9 when Daniel asks for permission not to eat the royal food and wine. Verse 9 says, "Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel." God is still guiding events to work out according to His ultimate plan.

Daniel and his friends were healthier eating vegetables and water than those who were eating the royal food. God takes care of our bodies and our spiritual well-being. He allowed Daniel the opportunity to eat food that was good for him.

God again showed His sovereignty in the successes of Daniel and his friends. "In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom" (v. 20). Even in His people's captivity, God shows He is in control and is far superior to any other "god".

A New Year, A New Commitment

This past year has been very challenging for me on a personal level. I have been more physically tired than I've been in my life (I'm wondering if it's medical - I'll be going to the doctor later this month to find out). But this has taken a toll on me as a mom and a woman of faith.

I have been lazy and neglected my time with God and my personal health. So this weekend, I spent some time in prayer and asked God to help me focus myself to see what goals I should have for this year. I have started a Health Journal to help me with my physical, social, spiritual and marital goals in an effort to become more healthy.

This means that tomorrow I will be starting a healthier "diet" plan, exercising and making sure I spend time in prayer every morning. I will also be working through a book of the Bible each month to help me become closer to God. How can I know His heart if I don't spend time in His Word?

The verse God keeps calling me back to is Deuteronomy 8:3b, "...man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." This is going to be my life verse for 2008, to keep reminding myself that I need to spend time in the Word and that food is not all-important!

For January, I will be looking at the book of Daniel, since that's the book I'm feeling led to right now.

I'm trusting God that 2008 will be a year of tremendous growth for me on a spiritual level and on a physical level. I know that means I will likely go through some difficult stuff, but I know God will help me through it and teach me as we go through it.

I made this pretty Health Journal to help me stay motivated to journal what I'm doing! Hopefully that will help keep me on track!