Claire and the Catechism

Children's Catechism:

Q 1. Who made you?
A. God made me.

Clairesy's version:

Q. Who made you?
A. My God

Ooh, I like that even better!

His and Hers

Just a few of the reasons he is are found here.

Mirthful Monday~Are You Ok? That Was Awesome!

Have you ever watched "fail" videos?

It's great to have your own. Why always be a spectator? Life's too boring that way.

Notice the difference between Luke and Emma as they react to Jake's...well, just watch. (Be sure to turn off the music before playing video, and be prepared for some LOUD commentary. :))

Kudos to Jake for being such a good sport and letting me share the video. :)

Eruptions of the Most Useful Kind

I'm such a Little Man, and Mom puts me in a pink bib. Injustice, I say!! Look at these teeth, and there's more coming in. Just you wait. I'll be eating steak in no time.

I am Jedediah. Watch me bite.

Expect Him to Answer

"We find a powerful reason for expecting prayer to be effectual in the fact that it is an institution of God. In God's Word we are over and over again commanded to pray. God's institutions are not folly. Can I believe that the infinitely wise God has ordained for me an exercise which is ineffectual, and is no more than child's play? Does He bid me pray, and yet has prayer no more result than if I whistled to the wind, or sang to a grove of trees? If there be no answer to prayer, prayer is a monstrous absurdity and God is the author of it; which it is blasphemy to assert."
~C.H. Spurgeon
"Prayer Certified of Success"

Missing Irene and Loving the Green

Thanking God for the many blessings He's bestowed on us today!

****

My Mom and siblings live in the path of Hurricane Irene. It was expected to hit late today, and we've been praying for God's mercy upon them. How wonderful to talk with my Mom just now and hear her say that the damage has been much less than expected.

Praises:

~While many are without power, they still have theirs.
~My Mom's neighborhood, though it has some flooding, is still ok to drive through.
~Other than yard debris, everyone's home is intact.

Thank you, Lord, for your kindness and mercy!

***

Mountain Man's faithful Hyundai has 270,000 miles on it. And it's been in serious need of some repairs. With much trepidation, he and Jake headed to get the brakes fixed this morning. We were expecting hundreds of dollars in repairs. What a blessing that it cost just a little over a hundred to get his brakes in great condition.

He was then able to spend the rest of the day getting other things done....oil change, tires rotated, etc. It was apparent, though, from one of the parts he had replaced, that God has been ever gracious in protecting him each day to and from work.

***

It's been a great day of catching up on some deep cleaning, enjoying a 2 mile run/walk with Mountain Man, savoring the green, green landscape and the lovely sunflowers, finishing many loads of laundry, putting things away from the trip, and watching Cap'n try to walk.  And dinner? Well, that would be homemade bacon cheddar burgers. Yum!

Now he thinks he's invincible. :)

Home

What a welcome home we got when we arrived late Tuesday evening! Clairesy actually came to me this time. When I returned from being away for my Dad's memorial service, she didn't want much to do with me that first week. It was heartbreaking, so I specifically prayed that God would not let that happen again. And He answered with a big, "Yes."

Cap'n. Well, he was the picture of surprise. He looked at me, perhaps remembering that he had heard my voice in the previous days, then looked at Mountain Man, and then at Corey. Within a couple of minutes, his little arms were wrapped around my neck, embracing me AND the reality that I was really there.

Jake did a super job of managing things, and he told me he would be glad to eat my "substantial" meals again. :) The following morning, Emma, upon seeing me sitting at the table where I have my Bible study, declared, "It's so nice to wake up and see you sitting there."

There's a lot of living that goes on in just nine days. While I was gone, Cap'n took his first steps! Jake was so excited when he shared the great news with me that I felt like I was right there. His delight so warmed my heart, and I was reminded that he's going to make a great Daddy one day.

Then there was the invasion of "The Vampire Bull." Never heard of such a thing, but don't worry, he was lured by Emma's lovely red cape and quickly disposed of.

There were also a couple of collisions while I was away. Clairesy was just standing there looking super-cute when a gun-fight came her way, and she was injured in the commotion. Poor thing...just a little while later, she walked into a table.

As I looked around and saw how well the children kept our home together, I told them what a blessing it was to have such dependable, trustworthy children. They blessed me and their Daddy and Michele and David with their willingness to serve and carry a heavier load.

Reaches Up did a great job of looking after Mountain Man, getting up to make his coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Emma did much of the cooking, and mastered my Southern Biscuits, to the delight of her siblings.

And Ella, Elisabeth, and Claire provided great support with their smiles and laughter and little helping hands.

Most importantly, they did what needed to be done graciously. Not once did they complain to me while I was away. I'm sure there were hard days, but they managed things well, and that is a glorious testimony of the grace of God. 

He is good. All the time.

Love,

The Invisible Fruit of Our Suffering

"It is sad beyond all expression when affliction serves only as an opportunity to vent pride and murmuring as an expression of atheism in men's hearts against the Lord. Men may give God a hearing, but are resolved in their own courses. After affliction, the swearer is a swearer still, and the drunkard a drunkard still. God's day is coming when things will be judged by another standard; not after sight, but as they really are. If the children of God in affliction would sit down and consider the fruit and advantage that God knows how to bring out of their sorrows, this would keep them from undue despondency and dejections of spirit. Do not look at the suffering, but the invisible fruit. This holds up the head, keeps the heart, and makes the soul patient. It glories in tribulation, knowing that tribulation works patience, experience, and hope.
(Rom. 5:3-5)."
~Thomas Case,
Select Works, A Treatise of Afflictions

Why You Shouldn't Leave Tea on Your Desk...

while you're camera is hooked up to the computer.

Because when you see the opportunity for a great picture, and you grab your camera, forgetting it's still connected, you'll inevitably knock your tea cup over and have lovely watercolored note pages.....

I'm thinking this was judgment for loving my camera too much. :)

How Brothers Bond~Backscratching and Pillow Rides

It's amazing what children imitate. Cap'n demonstrated well that he knew what to do with those "happy hearts." (That's what the blue thing is called.)

And when his hard work was done, he asked for a carpet ride. But since we don't keep flying carpets around, Cap'n settled for the scenic tour on a pillow.

We think he liked it.

How Brothers Bond~iPods and Earbuds

"Listen to some music with me. It will help us get our chores done faster."

"No, I'd rather eat those Oreos that are sitting on the counter. Besides, Mama's warned me about the risk of hearing loss when one indulges too much time on those iPod thingys."

"I'll let you choose the songs. I've got everything from Bach to Nevue to Mayall to Newsboys. You get the picture."

"Ok, let me give this thing a spin."

"Your selection is good, but I'm not finding much in the way of Mary Had a Little Lamb or Twinkle, Twinkle. That's ok, though, we'll work on it."

When You're Impatient

As my Mom approaches almost 3 months since having her surgery, almost 3 months of home health care visits and doctor's visits and everything else that comes with waiting for healing, it's challenging to not grow impatient.

"Please, LORD, heal her quickly!" Of course God's timing is not ours, and His grace is sufficient. These words from John Flavel in his very helpful book, Facing Grief, are a perfect reminder to wait on the LORD and not grow weary and impatient.

"Surely the Lord of time is the best judge of time; and in nothing do we more discover our folly and rashness, than in presuming to fix the times either of our comforts or our troubles. As for our comforts, we never think they can come too soon; we would have them presently, whether the season be fit or not, as Numbers 12:13, 'Heal her now, O God'; Oh, let it be done speedily. We are in post-haste for our comforts, but as for our afflictions, we never think they come late enough; not at this time, Lord; rather at any other time than now.


But it is good to leave the timing both of the one and the other to Him, whose works are all beautiful in their seasons, and who never does any thing in an improper time."

Did Someone Say the Circus Was in Town?

or we could also call this post, "The Adventures of Cap'n and the Chinese Ink Kit," or "What Happens When Everyone Thinks Someone is Watching the Baby and No One Really Is."

I don't know if Cap'n thought The Barnum and Bailey Circus was in town, but he sure was working hard to be a clown. He even has that happy, happy grin!

And how can you be mad at a face like this? After all, it was only a Chinese Ink kit that was supposed to be tucked away in an anonymously named brother's drawer. :)

And it was only a brand new outfit. And what guys don't want a bit of red all over their carpet? I guess it will make those sword fights a bit more realistic. 

We interrupt this beautiful mess to announce a BIG DEAL!! Cap'n, 13-1/2 months old, has finally had his first tooth erupt. Yay! He can't wait to get to the steak.

After lots of screaming from the bathroom, and several, "I've tried to get this off, Mom, and it's not coming off," we finally got Cap'n back to looking more like himself.  These are the times that Vaseline comes in very handy!

His Impression

"Whatever thy grief or trouble be, take every drop in thy cup from the hand of Almighty God. He with whom 'the hairs of thy head are all numbered,' knoweth every throb of thy brow, each hardly drawn breath, each shoot of pain, each beating of the fevered pulse, each sinking of the aching heart.

Receive, then, what are trials to thee, not in the main only, but one by one, from His all-loving hands; thank His love for each; unite each with the suffering of thy Redeemer; pray that He will thereby hallow them to thee. Thou wilt not know now what He thereby will work in thee; yet, day by day, shalt thou receive the impress of the likeness of the ever-blessed Son, and in thee, too, while thou knowest it not, God shall be glorified."
~E.B. Pusey
quoted in Keep a Quiet Heart
by Elisabeth Elliot p.61

Prisoner of Love

Captured by his adoring sister and taken away in a pink stroller...

Cap'n contemplates Divine Providence

He struggles to submit

Thinking life must be greener on the other side of the stroller.

(And why would you want to be anywhere else when you have such a lovely sister right by your side. :))

Seeing Green and Other Blessings

Well, here it is August, and we're finally seeing some green! Thank you, Lord, for the rain. We jump up and down around here when it's time to pull out the mower. :)

We're thankful, too, for a host of other gifts from God's loving Hand.

~Mountain Man had a dental emergency last week and was able to get in with the dentist that morning. The pain relief has been slow, but MM is finally starting to feel better.

~Last week, my Mom was preparing herself for a tornado to sweep through their area. I'm so thankful God spared them that potential destruction.

~It's truly amazing that Mountain Man has never been in an accident in all these years of traveling so far to work and back home each day. Last week, God protected him from a three car crash that happened right behind him.

~I'm thankful for those big orange carpet cleaners available at the grocery story. Who would have thought you could rent happiness? Our carpet has seen a lot of living, and I'm thankful that big tank erased some of it.

~I'm praising God for providing my cousin, Michele, with an affordable place to stay while she's having tests done and waiting to see her cancer doctor.

~The guys love swords around here. That means there might be the sight of blood on occasion. You'd think I wouldn't freak out be unsettled at the sight of it, but I'm still a work in progress. Last week, Reaches Up walks into the house, a bit upset, with blood running down his face. Ah, those head injuries are always deceiving.....bleeding way more than you'd think for the seriousness of the injury. Praise God it was just a little wound, and Reaches Up quickly recovered after being cleaned up a bit. :)

~I'm thankful lovely Marissa came to our rescue and helped Emma finish the pants she had started last week. She even coaxed Clairesy to eat lunch. After all, OREOS were on the line!

Aren't these cool? And Reaches Up says they're the warmest pajamas ever. :)

~I'm thankful that the Photography Bug has bitten Miss Emma. She loves to grab the camera when she spies God's glorious handiwork in the evenings.

"In this life of each of the redeemed there is a world of wonders, and therefore from each there should resound a world of praises."

~C.H. Spurgeon

With love,

Who Wants to Eat Lunch

when you could sleep instead?

My Life's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

What are these things? And why do all the Big People in the house have them?

I don't think this is quite right. It's fun though!

There we go. Hey, I'm really handsome in these. I'm the Cool Cap'n.

Now if someone will just get all these fingerprints off...

Where Are You Hanging Your Faith?

"In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion."

~Psalm 71:1

Preaching from Isaiah yesterday, our Pastor (have I ever mentioned we have the BEST pastor in the ENTIRE world? Not perfect, I know, but truly the BEST. I know some church goers roast their Pastor at the Sunday meal. But, we're thankful to be given another reason each week to praise God for His provision in giving us our Pastor) reminded us there are several ways to trust in an arm of flesh instead of completely in Christ alone. We can trust in precise theology, our worldview or knowledge of Scripture, our abilities or college degrees. The list is endless.

None of those things are worthy of our trust. Only God will never fail us. I was studying through Psalm 71 this morning and found these words from Spurgeon to be timely reinforcement of our Pastor's reminder to trust in Christ alone.

"Jehovah deserves our confidence; let Him have it all. Every day we must guard against every form of reliance upon an arm of flesh, and hourly hang our faith upon the ever faithful God. Not only on God must we rest, as a man stands on a rock, but in Him must we trust, as a man hides in a cave. The more intimate we are with the Lord, the firmer will our trust be. God knows our faith, and yet He loves to hear us avow it; hence, the psalmist not only trusts in the Lord, but tells him that he is so trusting."

~Spurgeon,

Treasury of David

Vol. 3, p.294

I think it's wise to ask God to show us what we've been trusting in instead of Him. He's faithful to do that, and He's faithful to pour out His grace to help us trust in Him alone instead of any arm of flesh.

With love,