Our Joyful Life: September 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Sick baby :-(

Megan woke up about 2am throwing up till about 5:30... It give's me another tiny peak into how Paul & Lisa must feel so often and make's me want to pray all the more for Caleb.

Getting some practice with my new camera

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Cousins :-)

playing peekaboo with Christopher

Playing piano with Lyvi

Beka teaching Megan how to share..

SCRIPTURE: "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
loving kindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV)
"Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love;"

God's love is like Himself: Sovereign, Unchangeable, and
Everlasting. He says, "I have loved thee". Think of it! The Almighty
God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, the King of kings and
Lord of lords; The God of infinite purity and holiness; He who does
whatever He pleases both in heaven and in Earth; The Great I AM that
changes not: "loved" - not only now, but shall hereafter; not for
some time past only, but for all eternity; not only has He loved,
will He love, but with that same love, does He love us now! ETERNAL,
EVERLASTING . . . Oh, I cannot fathom such wonderful love, can you?

Vile and sinful are we; transgressors from the womb - and yet,
openly and through the evidence of the spirit: we are loved "with an
everlasting love"! Get this . . . God's love for you and me was from
everlasting. That means that it didn't commence in time with our
faith, repentance and new obedience(although they were the fruits of
his love for us and our response to such love). But His love was
from all eternity and through the eternal everlasting covenant made
with mankind on the person of Jesus Christ. His love will endure to
everlasting without any variation or change. Is that a powerful WORD
or what?

He goes on...

". . . therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee;"

Imagine if you will, being in captivity, and working your fingers to
the bone. Imagine being in a heathen land that wars against your
spirit where the daily decadence of the sin-nature is all about you
enticing you to sin and live a life that is unpleasing to the God of
your youth - let alone the God of your parents and your parents
parents. This is where the children of Israel were; in a state of
natural man; in the grips of Satan's works of iniquity; out of the
pit wherein is no water, the horrible pit, the mire and clay. How
devastating and cold; how dark it must have been.

It was for them, and all of us today who are in a similar world of
darkness, that Christ came. Can you see the parallel? From the
depths of captivity in a world that beats a pathway to our heart's
door on a daily basis, testing and taunting us to sin - came Christ
- the evidence of God's eternal Love! Oh how He loves you and me!
This is Our Father's act regarding the work of conversion and the
influence of His Divine Grace. Even through the supposed weaknesses
of mankind, especially through the supposed weaknesses of mankind -
He draws us through the power of His Holy Spirit. It is this love
that draws our soul to Christ, and manifests that love to others
through the declarations of His grace in our lives. Lives set free
from our once miserable "captive state"; lives of despair and
certain death and destruction, to the everlasting freedom of the
Gospel.

It doesn't matter what you are going through today. Your heritage in
Christ is to experience God's everlasting love right where you are.
Even now, in the midst of some of the deepest sorrow and the darkest
most desperate times of your life . . .through His precious Holy
Spirit He is drawing you to Him. What will your answer be? Repeat
the following verses as your prayer this morning will you? Mean it
from your heart.

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to thee; Out of
my sickness into thy health, Out of my want and into thy wealth, Out
of my sin and into thyself, Jesus, I come to thee.

Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of thy cross, Jesus, I come to thee; Out of
earth's sorrows into thy balm, Out of life's storms and into thy
calm, Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus, I come to thee.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Megan's 9 month check up

She weighed in at 19.4lbs and is 28" tall :-) She had one shot. What does a 9 month old do with the bandaid they put on her leg?? that's right... eat it lol

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it! Proverbs 15:23

It's not easy to be joyful during hard times. At times like these, I believe the Lord is saying to us: "Rejoice in the Lord- today!" One of the most joyful people I've ever met was a Native American woman from Arizona. She grew up in a large and terribly poor family. Still, they shared everything they had with their friends and neighbors. When they were down to their last five dollars, her father would always say: "Let's have a party!" He'd spend that five dollars on ice cream and invite all the neighbors to come over. By God's grace, her family always had all that they needed. Even in the pits of depression, we, too, can throw a party. We are the children of a loving God! We can rejoice in the sure hope that God will get us through any trial or tribulation. Joy is a decision. We need to decide to rejoice today, whatever our circumstances or feelings.
Ask the Lord to release the Spirit of Joy within you. Decide to do things that are rejoicing (i.e. have a party, give gifts, dance, sing, etc.). Be persistent. Make the following the foundation stone of your growth in Christian joy: personal daily prayer, repentance, friendships, service to others, leisure, play, and a sense of humor.

John Boucher

A 19th-century preacher was once asked to explain the doctrine of election. He said: "Well, brethren, it is this way: The Lord is always voting for a man, and the devil is always voting against him; then the man himself votes, and that breaks the tie.

Arthur Tonne

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Psalm 117:2

For his merciful kindness is great toward us:
and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever.
Praise ye the LORD.

Dad surprised us by mowing the lawn at the apartment building! I was worried that he would get hurt, but he didn't. God is so good and I am so thankful for how much he has healed Dad.