Family Pictures

Here are just a few of the family pictures that my sister took about a month ago. As you can tell by the last one, the boys had alot of fun! :) The apples weren't planned props, they were actually just an attempt to keep the boys happy as they were hot and tired...but it ended up working out great and I love the ones she got of them eating. So precious! We had alot of fun and marvel and the way God has gifted my sister. Thank you Cheryl!!!

Best Buds

The Meaning of Grace: But God . . .

I just finished a wonderful book by John Piper titled, Finally Alive. He spends the whole book unpacking, from Scripture, the glories of our new birth in Christ. I love this section describing the meaning of grace.

The Meaning of Grace: But God . . .

Then comes one of the most precious phrases in the Bible (verse 4): “But . . . God.” We were foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to sinful pleasures, malicious, envious, hated and hating. But . . . God . . . “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God appeared, he [God!] saved us.”

This is the same amazing sequence that we saw in Ephesians 2:3-5: “[We were] carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” We were dead, but God made us alive. This is the meaning of grace. The dead can do nothing to make themselves live. But God . . .

That’s what we have here in Titus 3:3-5. We were slaves to desires and pleasures that were so powerful we could not taste and see that the Lord was good. So far as our ability to know and trust and love God was concerned, we were dead. But . . . God. Verse 4-5: “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” (Finally Alive, p. 90-91)

Only one life, twill soon be past...

Song by CT Studd — Missionary to China, India, and Africa, after hearing this quote by David Livingstone: "Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last."

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done; Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat; Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice, Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears; Each with its days I must fulfill, living for self or in His will; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When satan would a victory score; When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep; Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn; Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne; Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, "Thy will be done"; And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all"; Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Spurgeon on treading the clusters of truth...

"I will meditate in Thy precepts."
--Psalm 119:15

There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for labour in His service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if we would have wine from it, we must bruise it; we must press and squeeze it many times. The bruiser's feet must come down joyfully upon the bunches, or else the juice will not flow; and they must well tread the grapes, or else much of the precious liquid will be wasted. So we must, by meditation, tread the clusters of truth, if we would get the wine of consolation therefrom. Our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process which really supplies the muscle, and the nerve, and the sinew, and the bone, is the process of digestion. It is by digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with the inner life. Our souls are not nourished merely by listening awhile to this, and then to that, and then to the other part of divine truth. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly digesting to complete their usefulness, and the inward digesting of the truth lies for the most part in meditating upon it. Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God's Word. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but they will not stoop to drink it. From such folly deliver us, O Lord, and be this our resolve this morning, "I will meditate in Thy precepts."
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Entry taken from Morning and Evening, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892).

Proverbs 3:7-Turn Away From Evil

My brother passed this along. What a helpful illustration that the Lord is already using to bring conviction to my heart of ways I need to be actively trusting the Lord and turning away from evil.



You can also find it on Josh's blog here

Guitar Time

All our boys love music but Joshua has a particular love for playing the guitar and the piano. Almost everyday when I put the twins down for their morning nap, Joshua asks me if he can play the guitar. Here he is singing a few songs of his own (made up on the fly by an almost 3 year old kind of songs)...and then a little bit later in the video he sings mixed up fractions of Amazing Grace, Morning by Morning & The Gospel Song. We pray one day his heart will know the God he sings about and that he will live a life that sings praises to his Savior. :) (You will have to scroll to the bottom of the blog in order to pause the music that is already playing.)

Just a few months ago...

Just a few months ago we were still in Maryland, Aaron was fininshing up with the Pastor's College, we were getting ready for a graduation celebration and starting to say goodbye to those who had grown to be such dear friends over the past 10 months. What a gift this past year was for us and how faithful the Lord was to work in our hearts all that he had prepared for us...and now, how faithful of the Lord to bring us home and to make this transition so full of joy! In all of the challenges and new responsibilities, there has been much grace and Aaron and I marvel every day at the privilege it is for him to be able to serve in this way.

I can't even begin to think of where to start with an update, so I think I'll just pass on that and sum it up by saying that we serve an awesome God, who's mercies and goodness are always overflowing through Christ & who's grace is sufficient and altogether wonderful! :)

Here a few recent pictures of the boys.

What have our boys been up to?

What happened to the animals Joshua?... Juice time laughter... Peek-a-boo with Caleb... Bowling in the hallway... The field outback... Tyler & Caleb's first time playing the piano... Where's Tyler?... Tyler standing on his own... Our family... AND A SURPRISE...first steps :)

Book Review: A Gospel Primer - Learning to See the Glories of God's Love

I just finished reading A Gospel Primer - Learning to See the Glories of God's Love by Milton Vincent. What a gift this book is! A picture comes to mind to describe what Milton has done with this book. The gospel is indeed precious, like the most beautiful of diamonds. Milton takes this precious diamond and keeps turning it so that the light of the sun reflects off it and leaves you standing in awe of it's beauty. We could never exhaust the glories of Calvary! The more I learn about the gospel, the more I stand in awe of God...in awe of His glory, His mercy, His patience, His goodness...and on and on I could go. Rehearsing the gospel has a humbling and gratitude producing affect on my soul. And, since I will never grow beyond my need for the gospel or my daily need to be reminded of the gospel, this is not a book I plan on putting away. Not only is it drenched with Scripture references, it also includes two gospel narratives (one prose version and one poetic version). I heartily recommend this book as a helpful supplement to your feasting on God's Word.


Just to wet your pallet:

Thankfulness Enriched by Relief
"The more absorbed I am in the gospel, the more grateful I become in the midst of my circumstances, whatever they may be.

Viewing life's blessings as water in a drinking cup, I know that I could discontentedly focus on the half of the cup that seems empty, or I could gratefully focus on the half that is full. Certainly, the latter approach is the better of the two, yet the gospel cultivates within me a richer gratitude than this.

The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath (Revelation 14:10 & Psalm 75:8). This is the cup that would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day. With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude. If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me. That God, in fact, has give me a cup (Psalm 116:12-13 & Psalm 23:5) that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ," (Ephesians 1:3) and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy. As for my specific earthly circumstances of plenty or want, I can see them always as infinite improvements on the hell I deserve.

When I look at any circumstance that God apportions me, I am first grateful for the wrath I am not receiving in that moment (The empty part of the cup never looked so good!). Second, I am grateful for the blessings that are given to me instead of His wrath. (Life's blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve.) This two-layered gratitude disposed my heart to give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18) and it also lends a certain intensity to my giving of thanks. Such a gospel-generated gratitude glorifies God, contributes to peace of mind (Philippians 4:6-7), and keeps my foot from the path of foolishness and ruin (Romans 1:21-22, 28-29)."

Several friends have told me lately that I just have to take time to listen to the testimony of a woman named Rachel Barkey. I now know why.

If you just passed Rachel on the street, you would have no idea the turmoil and suffering she is facing. Rachel is a beautiful woman who is a wife and a mother of two children. After fighting with cancer for over 4 years, she has now been diagnosed with terminal cancer and is not expected to live to see her 38th birthday.

Several weeks ago, Rachel shared a message with a group of women entitled “Death is Not Dying: A Faith that Saves.”
As quoted on the Girl Talk Blog...Many people have asked Rachel, “Why? Why is this happening to you? To Neil? To Kate and Quinn? To your family and friends?”

“I don’t ask ‘why?’” says Rachel. “Because I know.”

Please watch or listen and learn what Rachel knows.

I have been deeply impacted by Rachel's hope and joy in the Lord through Jesus Christ, her Savior. Although I have not personally suffered with cancer, I have lost a brother I love and I have walked with others through painful trials and I am confident that there is no other way to explain such peace in the midst of suffering other than the power of God, imparting eternal hope and genuine joy through the gospel. What amazing grace is ours through Jesus Christ! We don't have to minimize our sufferings in order to make him great. In the face of real, deep, intense suffering, He is our peace, our joy, our hope, our salvation.

If you do not yet have peace with God through Jesus Christ, or, if you don't even think you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to have peace with God, please take a moment to visit Two Ways To Live to learn more about the most crucial decision you will ever make.

My Sweet Pappy

This picture was taken back in August 08 as we were able to stop by for a short visit on our way to Maryland.

My sweet Pappy (my mom's dad) has been in the hospital for 3 weeks now. To not go into too much detail ... he has been having heart trouble, has been in and out of consciousness and has lost oxygen to his brain which has resulted in having much difficulty even being able to talk or to swallow on his own. It has been very sad for me as I would so love to be able to be there with them during this time ... but they’re in South Carolina and I'm in Maryland … I am resting in the Lord’s wisdom and in the boundary lines He has set for me. (Psalm 16) I’ve written him and was just able to talk over the speaker phone to him today for the first time. I broke down crying towards the end because it is hard to hear him struggling like he is. Gratefully, he knows our Savior and so there is comfort and peace even in this time of trial.

I've heard, which I'm not surprised about, :) my Pappy has been very joyful and sweet during this whole time of trial. Even though he's been unable to talk well, he's been making everyone laugh by doing his silly forehead trick and just by being his sweet self.

We would be so grateful for your prayers...for healing for my Pappy and for comfort and rest in our Savior during this trial.

One of the main scriptures that has been precious to me through this time is Psalm 23:
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever."

Joshua

He's learning and growing so fast!


I can't remember what we had going on this day but Joshua missed his nap and was so sleepy, he started falling asleep at the dinner table. What a precious little boy we have! We just had to take a video of him and laugh a bit before putting him straight to bed. :)

Happy 1st Birthday Caleb & Tyler!

Yesterday was Tyler & Caleb's 1 year Birthday! Here are several short clips from their party. We celebrated early so that my mom could watch them smash their cakes in their faces while she was still in town visiting. (on the video's Tyler is on the left and Caleb is on the right) We thought Caleb would be the one to down the cupcake first but it turns out that Tyler is the carrot cake lover. :)

What is Joshua up to these days?

Still loving music!

He loves playing the piano!

And a new favorite...chasing down the ice cream truck with Daddy. :) If you can't hear it in the video, Aaron says, "Ahh, just like I remember it."

If all beneath me falls away

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, while I was just sitting & coloring with Joshua, something (not so shocking since it had looked like it was about to give way since we got here) happened! A crayon started rolling off the table and I lunged really fast to grab it and then all beneath me fell away. :) I didn't get hurt and it was actually pretty funny. The lyrics to the song below came to mind and I thought I'd share this picture and the song with you all for your laughter and encouragement.

How Good It Is

VERSE(1):
O God of love, I come to you again
Knowing I'll find mercy
I can't explain all the things I see
But I'll trust in you
In every moment you are there
Watching over, you hear my prayer
You go before me
You're behind me
Nothing's hidden from you

CHORUS:
How good it is to be loved by you
How good it is
How good it is to be loved by you
How good it is

VERSE(2):
O God of strength, your hand is on my life
Bringing peace to me
You know my frame, you know how I am made
You planned all my days
Hand of mercy, hand of love
Giving power to overcome
If all beneath me falls away
I know that you are God

CHORUS

BRIDGE:
Who can stand against us
In my weakness, you are strong
Your love's everlasting
I will praise you, faithful one

What's Inside A Huggies Diaper? :)

What's inside a Huggies Diaper? Joshua knows. :) It's one of his new favorite hobbies...trying to take his diaper off during nap time or in the morning. We've come up with a few ideas to help him and the times are becoming less and less frequent now that I walk into his room to get him and end up getting my feet wet because he has sprinkled on the carpet. :)
Here's Joshua with his mischievous smile...getting a bath after one of these times.
And here is another one of Joshua's favorite things...filling his mouth with juice and then spitting it out onto his tray or into any container he can find. (In all seriousness, I really am grateful for his creativity and desire to experiment. He just needs these creative juices to be channeled a bit.)

Valentine's Day Weekend

Aaron and I were so blessed this Valentine's Day. Amber had a valentine's party that her and Stephanie planned for the girls in their caregroup. It worked out really well since Aaron and I actually don't prefer to go "out" on Valentines Day since it's so crowded...so we planned to have a quiet dinner at home. Okay, so it wasn't quite "quiet" at first but it was sweet! Aaron grilled some delicious steaks that my Pappy and Nana sent us for Christmas. We had a yummy dinner over candle light as we were surrounded by our precious boys. Once we put the boys down for bed, I was able to surprise Aaron with chocolate fondue for dessert. (Some sweet friends, Shelly Day and Brandi Lenfestey had sent me a package in the mail filled with a fondue pot, chocolate, candles, special valentine plates & napkins ... all so that I would be able to bless and surprise my hubby with it!) Thank you Shelly and Brandi!!! We also had received a huge basket FULL of goodies from the Wyzga Caregroup which we got to open together (one of the 2 caregroups who have adopted our family during our time here for the PC). Thank you Wyzga Caregroup!

Then, on Sunday night had the joy of attending a Sweetheart Banquet for all the PC couples. It was incredible! They had so many fun surprises for us (which I can't give away in case any of you get to be apart of it in future years)...but let me just say, we were amazed once again by the care, creativity and joy of those who served us by putting it all together.

We don't deserve any of these blessing but they are definitely icing on the cake...all coming from our great God, who has given the most precious gift of all, our Savior, Jesus Christ!

A Visit From Noelle & Brynn :)

Last week I got a phone call from my sweet friend, Noelle, asking if she and her baby girl, Brynn, could come for a visit. What a fun surprise! We have been good friends for MANY years but have not been able to spend as much time together over the past couple of years just with seasons of life changing and us each being called to serve in different ways, etc. They were able to come up this weekend and it was such a sweet time to be able to laugh together (something that we do very well together), catch up a bit and play with our babies together.

Thank you, Noelle, for taking the time and effort to bring you and your sweet baby girl all the way up here for a visit! What a precious gift your friendship is from our gracious Heavenly Father! Thank you too, George, for letting your beautiful bride come!

Snow Sledding

First, just a few pictures of Caleb & Tyler with their daddy. :)

Today is our family day! Here are a couple clips of us sledding...in our laundry basket...it worked great! :)

Snow Day!

Last Monday it snowed again, which is all still new for us Floridians! Aaron was studying for the day but decided to come home early so that we could play in the snow together. I was so excited! I had just put Joshua down for his nap but we got him up, bundled him up and headed out. As you'll see in the pictures, Aaron found a nifty alternative for a sled. Him and Joshua both tried it out and it actually worked pretty well...except for the time Aaron flew off the front of it. :) We had snow ball fights, made snow angels and ate snow! I was so grateful that it snowed like this on a day where Aaron was able to come home and enjoy it with us.

Our sweet Joshua!



Yup! That's my love and I kissing in the snow. :)


Amber with her snowball