Last time I posted was before I went on the staff retreat to Creel, MX. I kept thinking I would get the pictures up before I posted and therefore again kept waiting and waiting and… you get the idea. Well, I am having some issues with my photo site, so I am going to post without them.
The trip to Creel was amazing and when I Read the rest of this entry »
A couple weeks ago we were all piled into the bus ready to go to church in Juarez and the bus wouldn’t start. One of the kids had been playing in there and turned several things on and drained the battery. I am not sure exactly what they did, but they eventually got the bus going and Read the rest of this entry »
A few weeks ago the interns and I went to Juarez after chuch to visit the market and have lunch. The night before Anthony and I asked Teo for directions and after 30 minutes we walked away with a two page hand drawn map, a mexican cell phone and 30 minutes of verbal directions from both Teo and Lety. Well, we missed the first main turn and ended up Read the rest of this entry »
The girls have been begging us to take them to the pool this summer and so we got a date arranged with Dean and started making plans. We were going to be gone all day, so I had to take lunch also. I started asking what we should bring…thinking burritos or sandwiches or something and ended up cooking tacos and rice. I stayed up till almost 11 the night before cooking it all up and then we had to take charcoal and pots to cook it over the BBQ. It was a lot of work, but the food was good and I think I won extra points for doing things the Mexican way. Lety told me I cook good enough to marry a Mexican guy. 
So we had a great day playing in the water, eating lots of food and getting sun burned…especially Sarah and I…the only white girls at the pool. But I learned my lesson and will be much more diligent in the future with the sun screen.
I didn’t take any pictures…but here are the ones from Sarah’s camera.
My home group here had a picnic one night to celebrate several of the men’s birthdays for that month. It was a themed picnic and all the food and drinks were favorite recipies from past presidents. We had quotes of things they had said and then also this game to see who knew the most about the birthday boys…I was kind of handicapped in that game considering I didn’t know most of them at all…but I asked lots of questions and actually got third place.
Here are a few pictures from that night…my camera died so yes, there are only four.
Ok, so this is a little out of order. The church from Gilbert, AZ had a water play day on their last day here. They turned the school yard into a water park, complete with a water slide and everything. They also brought in pizza for lunch which made me very happy. I have found that one of the foods I crave the most here is pizza… So anyways, it was lots of fun and I took lots of pictures. I hope you enjoy them.
It has been a crazy summer and I am way behind on blogging. It makes me laught thought because I have been following one of the interns blogs and she post almost every day all the little things the kids did and said and all our little adventures and “mis”adventures. I am hoping to do better, but I always say that and well…here I am again with piles of pictures and more stories than I will ever get online. So for now, I have decided I will just start with the oldest pictures and adventures work my way forward. I am hoping to be caught up by the end of next week…we will see how that goes. Read the rest of this entry »
So, a couple weeks ago we had a team here from Gilbert, AZ. I actually got to spend a lot of time with them because I was in charge of one of the work groups. My new office needed tile and since I had an experience (not experience…just one experience) laying tile here last fall…Dean asked me to put the floor down. After 5 days, pulling up half the floor and literally scraping off the ends of my fingers…I now have an office floor. I am moved into the office and this week someone is going to put in the trim Read the rest of this entry »
Juarez: The Ranch takes all the kids into the Sovereign Grace church in Juarez the first Sunday of every month. For various reasons we haven’t been able to go the past couple months so this was my first time going with the Ranch. We all loaded into the school bus for the 45 minute drive into town. The message was on “Taming the toungue” from 1 Peter and they talked a lot about gossip. I got the general idea, but didn’t understand as much as I would have liked. The bus ride was fun and we also stoped Read the rest of this entry »
Well, this past week was such a blessing to me. The Lord opened the door so I could attend the NEXT conference and also to go early and spend a couple days with the group from El Paso as well as some of Read the rest of this entry »
Ok, so for those of you who have been wondering where I was…I have tried to write this post several times already and every time I get it almost finished…something goes wrong on the internet and I loose everything I have written. So this will just be a short recap because I don’t have much time, but I did put up a bunch of pictures.
So, several weeks ago we received 50 brand new bikes for the kids here. We built them and gave them to the kids on, of all days, “Dia de Nino” or Kids day. It was like Chrstmas in summer, we had moon bounce, relay games, presents, and special food. Oh, and I ate menudo…it is some sort of cow intestine or something. The flavor was ok, but the texture…I can’t even describe how Read the rest of this entry »
(This was written on Friday) I am writing this while sitting in the school computer lab. Last night I found out I was “teaching” la clase de computacion this morning. Basically I am just babysitting and problem solving as the kids Read the rest of this entry »
I was so blessed to be able to go home last week. Silas is already talking so much more, but refuses to talk to me on the phone. Evalyn has grown like two inches and blabbers and coos all the time. I also got to attend one of our singles meetings and was very blessed by Phil’s teaching on pursuing and giving Read the rest of this entry »
This past week was full of new adventures and projects. I had several opportunities to hang out with people from the El Paso church and have noticed several “cultural” differences. One…there is a lot of hugging. Hugs hello and hugs goodbye and hugs sometimes just because. I have to admit that it is taking some getting used to. Also, the singles play a lot of sports…literally, this is what they do every Sunday afternoon. Basketball, volleyball, dodge ball, kick ball. Last week Read the rest of this entry »
Life here at Rancho 3m is much slower in many ways, but some how it still seems to be flying by. My schedule has started to change over a little and I spend at least a few hours in the office every day. I have also been doing some random projects with pictures and flyers etc. I am going to pray for the Lord to provide a decent computer and some software in the coming months because I have been very frusterated at how long a simple project can take without a decent computer and software. Read the rest of this entry »
I am putting up this link to let you know about a give-away. If you are interested you can check it out here (http://www.christianpf.com/christmas-giveaways-two-ipods-and-more/).
They are giving away an ipod and some other stuff including 6 months of “Neo Budget” online budgeting system. It was designed by a friend of mine and is much cheaper than other similar systems.
Anyways…check it out.
I was reading in “Morning and Evening” and this really stuck out to me, so I thought I would share it in hopes that it would bless someone else also. Praise the Lord that he doesn’t call us to live the Christian life in our own strength.
Divine power will rend asunder all the toils of our enemies, confound their politics, and frustrate their knavish tricks; he is a happy man who has such matchless might engaged upon his side. Our own strength would be of little service when embarrassed in the nets of base cunning, but the Lord’s strength is ever available; we have but to invoke it, and we shall find it near at hand. If by faith we are depending alone upon the strength of the mighty God of Isreal, we may use our holy reliance as a plea in supplication.
“Lord, evermore Thy face we seek:
Tempted we are, and poor, and weak;
Keep us with lowly hearts, and meek.
Let us not fall. let us not fall.”Morning and Evening
by Charles H. Spurgeon
These video’s and pics are from a party at the Coda’s a few weeks back. At the time these videos seemed really funny, but looking back they may only be comical to those who were actually there. I have been so busy lately that it has taken me a while to catch up, but here it is for those who care
On Thursday night we met up with some friends from church to watch the Garner firework show and symphony orchestra. We brought lots of food and games and had a great time just hanging out. I didn’t take many pictures till it started getting dark and the kids got out a bunch of glow sticks. I took way too many pictures of the dancing lights. It was fun and they made really cool effects. I didn’t upload all of them or all the firework pictures…but a few is always fun.
On Saturday, we had our family celebration. We made shish kabobs, pita bread, rice and grilled corn. The kabobs and pitas were both a new experiment for us and they came out great. We also made blue mint choc. chip ice cream in honor of the day. Next year we plan to make it more blue and also add whip cream and cherries (red, white and blue) to make a truly patriotic desert. We spent the day cooking and playing games and just enjoying the general merriment
For all the July Celebration pictures…click here.
Saturday evening we celebrated Abbey’s 15th birthday. She decided she wanted a bearded dragon this year so we all went in on it. I am personally not a big fan of reptiles, but she likes the little guy. He has yet to be named, but I am sure it won’t be long. It wasn’t a very eventful evening, but was a nice time of just hanging out together. After a huge pot roast dinner we all watched the little dragon sitting on his rock and then ended the evening with a new game…Uno Spin. Here are a few pictures…to see the rest click here.
Recently Silas has figured out the idea behind the camera. So now, instead of running away from the camera, he will sit and pose himself to try to get you to take his picture. Last week he got Grandma Theresa to take his picture and he was putting his hands under his chin and tilting his head and …. you get he picture. I heard the story this morning and wanted to see if he would pose for me. This is what I got. Enjoy!
A couple weeks ago I attended a conference called New Attitude 2008 with a bunch of friends from my church. Every year this conference is an encouragement and inspiration in my walk with the Lord, but this year blessed me more than any other. The entire conference was on the Word of God from it’s inspiration, canonization and translation to it’s authority in our lives and our response subjectively and objectivly to it’s truth. I won’t attempt to explain it all, but will instead give you this link (http://www.newattitude.org/conference). Please take some time to download these and put them in your car or on your mp3 player. I know the Lord will bless you through this passionate and sound teaching.
For the sake of getting these pictures online…that is all I am going to say right now. Here are a few pictures and links to the rest of them on my web site.
Last week John called to announce that they are expecting again. Yeah!!!! We are all so excited. John and Deana want twins…but we will see what the Lord brings. We were planning a celebration that evening when my dad’s boss offered him tickets to the Durham Bulls game. They gave us great seats, dinner, drinks and t-shirts. Ball games don’t get much better than that. I must admit though that though the game was fun and interesting, Silas was still the main attraction.
This video is so cute…Silas is actually watching the game, cheering for the batter and even waves goodbye to the camera. He is a bit of a ham, but we love it!
Enjoy the video here and the rest of the pictures on my site
My apologies for procrastinating on getting these videos up. Grandpa…I know you will enjoy this!
My younger sister Abbey had her first piano recital a couple weeks ago. She has been playing for about a year or so. I am honored to have been her first piano teacher, though it was only for a few lessons. She is now taking lessons from a lady in our church…this recital was a joint recital with her students and her daughter’s students. Abbey started “real” lessons only a few months ago and has advanced rapidly since. For the recital she played the “Moonlight Sonata”…a piece that we worked on together in the beginning, but I hadn’t ever heard her play the whole thing. She did great and also performed a duet with a friend of hers from church.
I hope you enjoy the videos!
Yesterday was Easter…or as my pastor prefers we call it…Ressurection Day. We had a beautiful Sunday service with a special choir and a time of worship reflecting on not only what Christ accomplished through His death, but also the hope we have through his resurrection. After Phil taught on faith and how we are saved by grace alone and not on works, we closed with the song “Jesus, Hope of the Nations.” It was such a great reminder that the resurrection was not just an event in history but an ever present reality in our daily lives as we remember that Christ rose from the dead an is “the hope living in us…”
…
In history You lived and died
You broke the chains You rose to life
You are the hope living in us
You are the rock in whom we trust
You are the light shining for all the world to see
You rose from the dead conquering fear
Our Prince of Peace drawing us near
Jesus our hope living for all who will receive
Lord we believe
————————————————-
After church we returned home with an entourage of family and friends for a fun time of food and fellowship. You can see all my pictures here.
Grandma Burton brought some eggs for Silas to have his first Easter egg hunt. He didn’t really get the point and enjoyed taking the eggs our of the basket more than putting them in.
After LOTS of good food…we played some games. Ben and Anne Elizabeth took up their ongoing Jena tournament. Anne Elizabeth lost…again.
ohhh…and the news paper game…
We ended the evening with roasting marshmallows and a time of singing praise and worship songs around the camp fire. It was the perfect end to a great day. I also had alot of fun playing with my new little camera and the fire sparks…see my website for all the pictures.
This afternoon I went the the museum with some friends from my church. While I can’t say I was totally impressed with the museum, it was a fun afternoon of interesting conversations as we looked at bugs and dinosaur bones. We also walked around downtown a little and since I rarely get down there, I enjoyed the downtown feeling of being penned in by all the tall buildings.
Here are some fun pictures from our day out.
To see all the Musuem pictures – click here
Last night we celebrated Silas’ first birthday. Deana planned a cowboy theme and made this teddy bear cake with overalls and a hat and everything. It took a while to open the presents…and in the end, John and Deana had to open most of them, but he had a good time running around entertaining us all for the evening. I threw a few of the pictures and a couple video clips into the little slide show. I didn’t have time to collect video/pictures from everyone and make a really nice show, but thought some of you all out west would still enjoy this.
I may be biased, but this little dude is the cutest kid I have ever seen.
I remember when I was a kid and 25 seemed so old. Even in my teen years I had several if _____ by the time I am 25, then____ .
Somehow it seemed so far away and grown up. Well I am pleased to find that 25 really isn’t any different than 24, except that I can now rent cars. I went out with my family to TGI Friday’s and we had a nice evening out together. I got a small digital camera for my birthday and then had to stand on a chair, swinging a bandanna over my head while the waitresses sang about how old I was. We had a great time.
Here Nick and I are testing out my new toy.
For more pictures…click here.
The single guys at our church hosted a semi-formal Christmas party again this year. We are so blessed to be continually served by the guys in our church and this year they out did themselves with valet parking, a full Christmas dinner and fun entertainment. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story, but I wanted to give a special “thank you” to all the guys who worked to make such a nice evening.
Oh, in case you are confused about all the pictures of crazy bow ties. The event of the evening was to create “bow ties” out of the craft supplies we were each given. Each team then presented their “tie” and it was critiqued by the judges. It was rather comical to watch as we all tried to justify our ridiculous projects.
Click here to see all the pictures.
Our youth group had a contest for the youth to make a short video with the theme “All I Want For Christmas.” Ben and Abbey were on one of the two groups that actually did the assignment and as soon as I get it online, I will put it up here for all to see. They did an excellent job! For the YG Christmas party this year, they hosted a “film festival” to honor the film making projects. There was a red carpet, announcers, live music, and movie themed table settings. Click here for all the pictures.
Here are some pictures I took last month at our fist meeting in the new auditoium. The construction still wasn’t finished, but it was looking pretty good. We are almost done! The offices are the last to be finished. It has been an interesting couple weeks…with alarms going off, electricity getting cut, fake smoke being pored into the building, broken a/c, and the tile chipping right outside our door, but only a couple more weeks and it will all be done. Yeah!!!
Anyways, here are the pictures I have and I am sure there will be more to come with the Grand Opening (with CJ Mahaney) in February.
Click here for all the pictures.
Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. I can’t believe it is December already. Time seems to be flying by and I for one am not ready to face another year yet. I am praying for the Lord’s grace to be able to slow down and enjoy this busy season of life.
I promised grandparents and relatives to do better about putting up recent pics/events from our family life, so here are a few fun pics from Thanksgiving weekend. The rest of the pictures are on my web site.
Ben and Anne Elizabeth playing Jenga (by blowing on the blocks…no fingers.
Abbey and Anne Elizabeth making new jewelry.
Our traditional family turkey hunt.
Anne Elizabeth went to great heights for this hunt.
Prize winning turkey (full of chocolate).
We enjoyed an evening of music as Nick (guitar) and Mr.Shelor (violin) played worship songs and hymns.
Christian Audio gives away a free audio book each month and this month it is Jonathan Edwards – The Religious Affections. Click here to find out how to download it.
It has been a while since I last updated this blog, but life hasn’t been boring. I have several picture galleries to post so….Enjoy!
Grandpa & Grandma’s 50th Anniversary
For those of you who never heard the story about this trip…the short of it is that our flight was delayed for hours and hours and then eventually canceled. We couldn’t get another flight out of town so we ended up driving…36 hours straight through to get to Arizona in time for the anniversary part. Dad even let me drive! It ended up being a rather complicated ordeal, but that was the essence of the hubbub. We had a great time (though it was way to short) and even got to see Grandpa dance with Grandma…dispite a hip replacement and recent stroke. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!
Click on any title for the whole photo gallery.
I keep putting off blogging, because I got so far behind and at the moment the pictures/stories I promised to people aren’t ready, but I figured instead of staying silent I would fill the gap with a couple crazy items that recently came across my path.
First, check out the new (or not so new) art medium… This guy uses his dirty rear car window as his creative canvas.
Scott Wade’s Dirty Car Art Gallery
Check out this Japanese tv tetris game show. What will we do next…
Hey all, I will try to update again soon but in the mean time…
Desiring God is putting all the books in their online store on sale for $5 on June 27-28 (next Wednesday and Thursday). I hope some of you can take advantage of this great deal!
Well New Attitude has come and gone. I am still trying to process the mass of information received over the weekend. I think this year more than any others I felt the “fire hose” experience. I hope to have some time in the next couple of weeks to write more, but everyone has been asking for the videos from the van ride, so here is my video collection and pictures. Enjoy.
Photo Album: nothing exciting, but they’re up if you interested
Enjoy these crazy videos:
Group Story Parts 1 & 2
Here are a couple parts of a group story our van wrote. Each person contributed three sentences and what follows is part the final story.
Joe’s Crab Shack – Table Talk and Table Football
Rapping with Curtis Allen
Joshua Harris had the whole audience making a beat with their chairs and stomping in the bleachers and then invited Curtis Allen to rap along.
Van Ride Home – Chatter, Country Music, Rap Dancing and Wrestling
Panning around the van:
Adam Dancing and Driving:
Random Conversation:
Kenny and Matt Promise take on Matt Noel in a back seat wrestling match…something about cotton candy and resisting temptation. (Guys: please feel free to explain in the comments)
Three Cents Lacking Discertment about a Miriad of Rancid Muffins -
Cent 1 – Kenny Jenkins
Cent 2 – Matt Noel
Cent 3 – Matt Promise (dosen’t join till third video)
aka Penny for Short
We tried to talk Jim into the fun…
Serenading Kristin with country music (Kristin hates country Music):
I just wanted to thank everyone who was praying for my Grandpa. I’m sorry I haven’t posted an update on him. I just got a letter from my Grandma today and Grandpa was able to come home this past Friday. After the stroke he didn’t have any movement in his left side, but he is now able to move his left leg and is beginning to more his left arm also. His speech was not affected at all…Praise the Lord! He will be in therapy tree times a week for a while, but we are all thankful that he is regaining his mobility. He plans to be driving by the time we visit. We are all excited to see each other for Grandma and Grandpa’s 50th Anniversary party the end of June.
I just wanted to share this praise report with all of you.
My parents are currently in England on a canal boat for their 25th Anniversary. I will put up their pictures when they get back!
A couple weeks ago, I took pictures for Phantom of the Opera put on by Christian Youth Theatre. I always love being asked to do drama pictures and I had a great time both taking and eding this HUGE batch of pictures. This was a great play that used the story of the Phantom to draw out the principles of sin and temptation. I don’t know who might be interested, but here is a link to the pictures from the play.
Enjoy
ooops…I forgot the link
Most of you don’t know, but my grandfather had a strok last week and he is still in the hospital. My Dad is out there now with his family and Grandpa is doing well under the circumstances. We would all appreciate your prayers for his quick recovery and the Lord’s encouragement in His life. It is great to know that we trust in a Sovereign God who works everything for His Glory and our ultimate good. Thanks for your Prayers.
Nick also made this little video of Silas to send to Grandpa and I thougth some of you might enjoy it. (Especially Grandpa and Grandma Brooks…..Your grandson is absolutly the cutest little guy ever!)
Ok, video embeding didn’t work. Try this link: http://www.brightcove.com/title.jsp?title=770030897
This past weekend our singles group went on a camping event/retreat. We were in the far corner of the Arnold’s back yard so I don’t know if most would actually even call it a camping trip, but we had a good ol’ time anyways. Friday night we enjoyed roasted hot dogs and smoores as Steve led us in discussing how God is reflected in creation around us. Saturday morning Chuck talked about finding our joy in God alone and referenced one of my favorite verses from Philippians.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
Saturday afternoon we went hiking at Raven Rock. Luckily for Hannah and I, it was more like a nature walk. The trees were still kind of bare, but there was still so much of God’s creation to see. It was a great follow up to Steve’s discussion as we had so much around us to remind of God’s power and creative design. After that Sarah took us off road (well, down a dirt road) to a place where a creek runs over all these large flat rocks and we got out to run around in the water. It was great fun!
Later that evening we enjoyed steak and baked potatoes (I helped cook the potatoes over the fire!). Matt spoke about recounting God’s faithfulness and shared from the Psalms, but I don’t remember which one. We also had a great time of worship and praising God for his faithfulness in our lives. It was a weekend of fun and a time of meeting the Lord as He was so faithful to gently remind me of the lessons he has been teaching me over the last few months. I had begun to let go and haven’t been pressing into the Lord as much lately and He was so faithful to orchestrate the devotional times to refocus me on the areas he has been working in my life. So praise to our faithful God and thank you to Matt, Chuck and Steve for being faithful to follow the Lord’s leading.
I hope you enjoy these pictures from the weekend.
Ok, so it’s been a crazy couple of months and I didn’t exactly keep up with it much on this blog. I hit the highlight (Baby Silas), but there were a couple other nice little diversions from normal life.
I filled out a basketball bracket…I got seven out of the eight and three out of the final four…which isn’t bad considering I have no clue what I am doing and won’t even get to see a single game. Phil and Bethany were proud of me. I picked Florida to win, I guess we will see how far my I go.
In bigger news I got to go to a rodeo with my family back in February. Lots of Fun! They had everything, bull riding, bronc riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, and barrel racing. I was reliving my childhood dreams of bring a cowgirl. (Yes, I did wear my boots…but not the shirt and am still working on finding the right hat.) I know, secretary, photographer and wanna-be cowgirl…interesting combination. Anyways, we all had a great time and my parent, who have been to lots of rodeos when they were younger, explained it all to us as it went. For those of you who don’t already know…my mom used to race barrels in the rodeo when she was in high school. I’m rather proud of that fact. Somehow I think it gives me greater claim to holding on to my western roots.
We also went to the beach while my uncle was here. It was a short (and cold) trip that we spent mostly indoors just looking at the beach. It was too windy even to play in the sand. We had all these grand plans of building some huge sculpture on the beach…we hadn’t decided yet, but a vw bug and a snow man were top of the list. I don’t actually have many pictures of us…just the sunset and a few random pictures. (I have to get better at the family vacation pictures…I just get to relaxing and forget.) The crazy part was when we got up the first morning to find that all the plants in front of our rental place were icicles. Our yard was the only one that had the sprinklers on and it had been below freezing the night before. It was pretty funny to walk out the front door on our beach vacation and find a field of icicles. (pictures below) We also checked out the wind surfer shop and got to see several of the guys fly past the house . I think I will add that to my list of things to try someday.
The New Attutude blog has published an interview with Dean Adamek, the director of Rancho 3M. You all know I love anything to do with them and so I thought I would pass this one for you to read. They also used some of my pictures…I was so excited when they told me they were going to be doing this post and have been waiting for almost two weeks for it to come out. Well, here it is….enjoy!
Ok, now you will really think I’m a dork…but if you are a Star Wars fan you’ll understand. Health food or not this is really funny.
See for yourself:
Well, here they are. Sorry it took me so long to get the pictures up. It has been a crazy week. The first pictures are from the hospital the day he was born and the other ones were from yesterday. We went over with the Burtons yesterday to cook them a steak and potatoes dinner. Little Silas gets cuter by the day. He is just perfect and makes all these cute faces. It is a shame I have to share him with so many people, but I guess it comes with having a big family. Thankfully John and Deana are GREAT about letting us hold him.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. If you would like to see them all…click here.
Silas Nordell Schlax was born yesterday at 1:11pm. He was 7lb 2oz and 20.5 inches. He is of course the cutest baby I’ve ever seen. Here are a couple of pictures from Nick. I will get my batch up on Sunday, but couldn’t wait that long to share the good news!
Told ya he was the cutest….
Well, the baby still hasn’t arrived. I never even thought that it would be possible for John and Deana’s baby to be born on my birthday, but here it is…February 21 and as the baby hasn’t been born yet, I am thinking it should be born today. What do you think? Getting to see my new niece or nephew for my 24th birthday would be quite the present. I was going to say I would get to be an Aunt on my birthday, but as I want to start helping myself and others remember that life begins at conception, I became an Aunt nine months ago. I just haven’t seen the little guy or gal yet.
Well, just for the record, I am hoping the baby will be born today. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
“When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but incresased.”
~ C.S. Lewis
This was just a great and timely reminder for me about keeping my priorities straight. I have started reading a new book, Relationships – A Mess Worth Making by Time Lane and Paul Tripp. It looks like it is going to be a really good book. I will let you know when I finish it.
Today at work the pastors were listening to a recording from a mental health hotline. It was so funny I just had to pass it on for you.
To listen to the audio recording click here.
To read the recording click here.
So…which buttons would you push?
Sorry it took so long….but the videos are finally here.
House #1 – Third Place
House #2 – First Place
House #3 – Second Place
Dry Ice House – clip 1
Dry Ice House – clip 2
Charlotte House – clip 1 (explosion)
Charlotte House – clip 2 (post fire)
Panning the Croud
Ok…I know, I know…I have a weakness for cute videos. But, this one is just to cute not to pass on.
Everyday News Network:
Daniel, age four (barely), reports on three ways he takes care of the ladies in his family. (http://www.visionforum.com)
Well, we did it again. Our old family tradition of blowing up our ginger bread house has turned into a big annual event. This year we blew up six houses. There were three teams competing agains each other, one pre-rigged hosue from Charlotte, and two my Dad rigged.
First Place – Team 2
Second Place – Team 3
(This house had a firery parachute that shot out of the “chiminy”.) 
Third Place – Team 1
Dad’s House – Dry Ice in a pop bottle
(This house blew pieces from the middle of the yard to the cars in the parking area and allegedly threw pieces up to the tree line. It was pretty exciting.)
Charlotte House
(Tim, Andrew and Daniel pre-rigged their house and brought it down from Charlotte. It was at least 4 times the size of the other houses and made a great show. My favorite part was the little donuts on the lg. pretzle polls and each went off before the house went…Great job guys.)
So, have you ever wondered what I really do when I hang out with my friends? Well, here is a peak into a night hanging out with three of my little friends. (pk Hannah M. isn’t quite as “little” as the others) It all started out when Hannah M. and I were letting HannahK. and MacKenna “fly” on our feet. After a while we began to wonder if I could make Hannah M. (the bigger one) “fly”. It took a couple tries, but the pictures that follow show how it worked. If you would like to see the whole gallery of our evening with Hannah and MacKenna please click here to see more pictures.
I also have pictures and videos (coming soon) of my Dad playing with the girls. They are so cute and it reminds me of when I was a little girl. We would play hide and seek with my Dad, but this was a little different. My dad would jump out and scare us (like most dads) but he would also change his hiding place regularly while we were looking for him so it took us forever to find him because we had to check the whole house over and over. And then when we walked by somewhere we had already checked and thought he wasn’t there, he would jump out from behind us growling like a lion and we would all run screaming back to mom for a big hug.
Anyways, these are are just some new and old memories that I hope my grandparents will enjoy.
Here are a couple random quotes I collected about just not having any real purpose in what you are doing. They are actually kind of depressing, but something in them captured me. They reminded me that I do have a purpose in life…God set it before time and He daily give me the grace I need to live it.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do…to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
- Ephesians 2.10 & 5.7
May, 2000
An Irish Man Foresees His Death
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above
Those I fight I do not hate
Those I guard I do not love
My Country is Kiltartan Cross
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor
No likely end will bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before
- W.B. Yeats
(Lord let this not be true of our mission.)
6.5.2000
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? “
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the Cheshire Cat.
“I don’t much care where” said Alice
“Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.” said the Cat.
~ Lewis Carroll – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
So my brother said I should put more quotes on my blog. I thought I would randomly start posting quotes from this book I have been collecting them in since high school. These are rather recent, but I will randomly start pulling old ones.
These are several quotes from a book I have been reading. The chapter was on election and I found these quotes encouraging. I hope you enjoy them.
1.15.2007
“It seems that there is something about the truth of God’s free and sovereign election that stands guard over the mind and heart of the church and keeps her alert to tendencies and shifts that swing wide from the plumb line of God’s word.”
“Election is the guarantee that God not only invites people to be delivered, but also actually delivers them. (Matthew 1.21) God undertakes with omnipotence to save his people. He plans it in election and he achieves it through the work of His son, and he applies it infallibly by His Holy Spirit through faith. The predestined are called, the called are justified, the justified are glorified (Romans 8.30). The destiny of God’s people, rooted in election, is unshakably sure. And that is good news.”
“Election is the final ground of assurance because, since it is God’s commitment to save, it is also God’s commitment to enable all that is necessary for salvation.”
~ John Piper – The Pleasures of God
For those of you who don’t know, I am a part time photographer. I don’t do much during the winter months, but plan to start picking up more work in the spring. I am working on a new site for my business and thought you might like to check it out. (www.melissajoyphotography.com) Nothing exciting, but it was a big deal for me since I did most of the work myself. Nick helped me set it up and get things going and then answered all my questions as I went along, but I actually added and deleted html and css! I still have no clue what I am doing, but it has been a good learning process. Let me know what you think of my new site.
Asked The Lord
1. I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace
Might more of His salvation know
And seek more earnestly His face
2. Twas He who taught me thus to pray
And He I trust has answered prayer
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair
3. I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He’d answer my request
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins and give me rest
4. Instead of this He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry powers of Hell
Assault my soul in every part
5. Yea more with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Cast out my feelings, laid me low
6. Lord why is this, I trembling cried
Wilt Thou pursue thy worm to death?
“Tis in this way” The Lord replied
“I answer prayer for grace and faith”
7. “These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly joy
That thou mayest seek thy all in me,
That thou mayest seek thy all in me.
- Song from Indelible Grace
My brother got a new CD for Christmas and the lyrics from this song just stuck out to me. I don’t know that God always uses these means to answer this kind of prayer, but it is usually this way in my life. This song just gave me renewed hope for the struggles I am in. God uses even my sin and temptation to help me grow in grace and faith. By His grace I can persevere and one day my joy of earthly things will fade and I will seek my all in Him.
Ok, you probably already saw this commercial, but I didn’t and I thought it was so cute. Dumb I know…but it makes me giggle every time I watch it and I thought maybe some of you might like it too.
I do have my alliances with Pepsi (it’s a family thing), but did switch to coke during my years away from home. When in Europe it was Coke or seltzer water…not much of a choice there.
I’m not trying to start a riot here…I just think it’s a cute commercial. (Though come to think of it I probably wouldn’t post it if it was a Coke comercial.)
Yes, you guessed it…I got cowboy boots for Christmas. Not just any mind you, those exact ones in the picture, and that’s me in them…not that you can tell. I wanted a quick picture to put on my blog so I asked Nick to take one….not bad for a 5 min. photo shoot. These boots were my little brothers and I’ve tried to talk him into selling them to me for over 6 months, but he wouldn’t give in. You can imagine my suprise when I opended this big box Christmas morning to find them all cleaned up just for me. Isn’t he so sweet.
Pictures from Christmas DayThese are for you Grandma and Grandpa!!!
The guys in our singles group have always been great at serving and leading in so many ways, but last night they exceeded themselves. They hosted a dressy Christmas dinner for the singles group at one of the guys homes. It was all decorated with garland, lights and candles. They arranged entertainment for the whole evening from a snowflake making contest to skits, games and a walk around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. The evening was well planned and the food was amazing. These guys can cook!!! We had turkey, ham, potatoes, homemade bread, the whole works. They even made cheesecakes and ice cream for desert. It was so much fun to have an excuse to get dressed up, but not have to try to cook and clean at the same time.
The whole evening was so delightful, but in particular the time they took to thank all the girls. One of the guys got up and thanked us all for the way we serve and our pursuit of biblical womanhood and then we were each given cards with notes of encouragement. This was such a blessing to me in so many ways. I also really enjoyed the skit and have included a video clip to share it with you all.
So, thanks guys. Not only for the beautiful evening, but for your everyday example of biblical manhood and leadership. Thank you for the way you lead in initiating and planning events, your faithful pursuit of biblical fellowship (not just occasionally, but every time we are together) , and for guarding our hearts in treating us as sisters in Christ. Thank you for walking us to our cars and opening doors, giving up your seats and the many other little ways you serve by helping us with whatever we happen to be doing. Chivalry is not dead!
So, after 10-12 years of not having a Christmas tree, we added it back to our family traditions and got a tree this year. We all went out got an artificial tree that we all liked brought it home, set it up, and decorated it. End of story? Not quite….AFter a series of events about a week later, my Dad decided we really did need a REAL tree. So we undecorated the tree packed it back in it’s box, returned it and went out and got a real tree…set it up and decoarated it. It is a little sparse on decoarations. We haven’t been collecting them for the past 10 years so I guess that’s to be expected, but we will make up for it in the next few. This was Ben and Abbey’s first time decoarating a christmas tree, but they started making up for the lost years by getting to do it twice this year!! So anyways, it is actually a longer funny story, but that is the short of it. What do you think of our tree? Not to bad for all our years of inexperience…if I do say so myself.
“And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
– Dr. Seuss, How The Grinch Stole Christmas
I just ran across this quote and thought it was a fun reminder not to get caught up in how the world defines Christmas.
I need reminders to keep things in perspective. Before I know it life is just flying by and I am not taking time to reflect and enjoy all that God has done. I forget that we are celebrateing how God because man, lived a perfect life and died in our place. There is no greater gift. And though it be cliche, it is such a great reminder for me. I didn’t come to God. I didn’t do anything to deserve my salvation. God chose me from before time to be His child, brought me to himself, gave me the desire to love him. He gave me my salvation. I take that gift for granted so often, but I pray to an all powerful God for grace to know and love him more.
Ok, so I was going to put these videos up ages ago, but….well, they’re here now. I know many of you have already seen this by now, but they made a second video that maybe you haven’t seen. (The first is better!)
My Dad always tells me that “simple minds are easily amused” and I may be advertising my simple mindedness (is that even a word?), but I think every one should see these.
Have fun!
FIRST VIDEO
SECOND VIDEO
English Camp, Lighthouse Camp and A New Song Friends… (and anyone else intersted)
I have made a new page on my blog that has links to pictures and stories from our times together. (Click on the TRAVEL tab at the top of the page) I couldn’t just leave them sitting on CD’s in my closed anymore so I thought I would upload them so everyone could have fun remembering the good times and especially what God did in our lives during those summers and tours.
I hope you enjoy them and will leave comments. I would love to know how you are doing and what God has been teaching you.
Sorry, it has taken me so long to get back on here. It always takes me a while to move on after I get back from Mexico and this blog has reflected that. But this year things have been a little different. It has still taken me a while but even as God answered all my prayers for Mexico he continued answering them even after I got home. These past six weeks have been filled with the Peace of the Lord. I have been able to really rest in His sovereignty, in a new way. Things haven’t always been easy, but looking back I still wonder at the faith he has given me to move forward and rest in his will for my life. This isn’t just with the idea of living in Mexico, but with marriage, other friends and my job situation.
When I look back over the past month or so I know things have been really busy and a little stressful, but looking back the main thing I see is the peace God has given me. As I was reading through Philippians I found this passage and though I have pressed on in my reading I have been coming back to these verses every day for weeks.
Philippians 4.4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Rejoice! – Be Gentle – God is Near – Don’t Worry – Pray with Thanksgiving – God’s peace will guard my heart and mind.
This continues to encourage me, challenge me and inspire me to grow in finding my joy in God alone, trusting in His sovereignty, praying for the future and thanking God for everything I face each day, even the hard things…especially the hard thing. His peace has been guarding my heart and mind and it is an amazing place to be.
This has been on my heart to share for a couple of weeks now, so I hope it is encouraging to you.
I will update with more pictures and random stories…hopefully this weekend.
So…why the new site.
Well…I just like change. For those of you who know me well, this comes as no suprise. I mean…I am the kind of person who rearanges and reorganizes my room every few months, just because I need a change. My hair occasionally suffers from this habit also…thankfully I haven’t had any disasters this year.
I do find hope for myself in the fact that I have had the same boring e-mail address for the last 8 years.
Ok, anyways…This is the new site. Let me know what you think. I am still playing around with the options here, so don’t be supriesed if you come back and it looks a little different. I am thinking about regularly changing the photo on the top…since I have so many to choose from. Let me know what you think of them.
“What matters is not that we do all we might have done or all we dreamed of doing, but that, while we live, we live by faith in future grace and walk in the path of love. The times are in God’s hands, not ours.” – John Piper
This is a quote from a letter John Piper wrote to his wife on the occasion of their adopting a daughter from China. He was refering to the fact that they might not be able to give her the perfect life they dreamed of giving her, but that by doing what God called them to, by His grace, they could bring glory to God and a better life to their new daughter.
Though I am not currently able to consider adoption, this quote really spoke to me about the way I sometimes approach life. It is so easy for me to get caught up in what I want to do with my life, that I am tempted to live for those goals and not for what God has for me today. God’s goal in my life is not for an orphanage or marriage, but for me to live each day in faith for His future grace. If I am delighting in my God and living for His glory, it won’t really matter what the future holds because I know He will mold my will to be able to fully embrace whatever he calls me to.
It is such a simple lesson, but I have to be reminded of it over and over. My prayer is that God will use this season of my life to help me grow in my love for my Him, His word, my family and my local church. The first chatachism says that “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matt. 6.33
For those of you who don’t know my parents very well, they are from the west and have always tried to keep the more laid back ways in our family. Dad used to dress in the western duds and mom used to ride in rodeos…she has trophies and everything. Well, the other day dad saw a sign for an Old Fashion Farm Day and Horse Pull. The last couple of years have been really busy and we haven’t done a whole lot of our usuall random events…but we all decided it would be great fun to try watching a horse pull. We showed up too late for the molassas making and the running steam engine mill, but the Horse Pull was great. The horses were massive and the heavy weights were pulling between 13,000-14,000 pounds. It took me a while to figure things out, but after that it was quite exciting.
They had these huge blow up slide (10-12ft) things for the kids and after walking by them several times I thought…what the heck…I’m still a kid, so I took take Ben, Abbey…we didn’t realize we were supposed to go down at different times…we ended up landing on top of eachother. It was a memorable experience.
Last Sunday the single girls hosted an Italian dinner to honor and thank the single guys in our group. We wanted to encourage them with our thanks and appreciation of the way they treat us and serve us. We are so blessed to be surrounded with guys who lead in humility. They are constantly serving us through their gentelmanyly behavior, treating us as sisters in the Lord. I especially appreciate how they are always initiating biblical fellowship.
Thanks guys…
Several of the girls put together a skit to honor/roast some of the guys and I have several great picures of Jenny dressed up in army gear…make sure you look at those. My parents helped us completely rearange our living area to look like a little italian cafe…and my dad pulled out all the stops to help me set things up so nicely. Thanks Mom and Dad for being so much fun and all your help with this, we couldn’t have done it without you.
Click here to see more Italian Dinner Pictures
Thy bounteous goodness has helped me believe,
but my faith is weak and wavering,
its light dim,
its steps tottering,
its increase slow,
its backslidings frequent;
It should scale the heavens but lies groveling in the dust.
Lord, fan this divine spark into glowing flame.
When faith sleeps, my heart becomes an unclean thing,
the fount of every loathsome desire,
the cage of unclean lusts
all fluttering to escape,
the noxious tree of deadly fruit,
the open wayside of earthly tares.
Lord, awake faith to put forth its strength
until all heaven fills my soul
and all impurity is cast out.
– Valley of Vision
This puritan prayer is really the cry of my heart this week. I love the language of the puritans and it feels as though the writer has seen into my heart and somehow put its deceitfulness on paper. I am so thankful that he doesn’t stop there, but starts by reminding me of God’s sovereignty and ends with hope by reminding my that he has the power to increase my faith to conquer these sins.
So tonight I pray as the puritan did…
“Lord awake faith to put forth its strength, until all heaven fills my soul and all impurity is cast out.”
I pray that this poem/prayer blesses you as it did me.
This past weekend I went canoeing with some friends. We had a great time on our little adventure (this is as close to a real adventure I have had in a while) As you might expect I chose not to take my camera in the boat. Considering the company it was a wise idea. I did get a few pictures before we left though and several funny video clips …includeing on of Jenny contemplating who should drown on the trip, and one of the girls practicing their rowing…on land.
The best part of the trip was towards the end when we found some ropes hanging out over the river and several of us got out and jumped in the river…the dirty, nasty neuse river. I have always wanted to do that…I just can’t believe it took me this long to get an opportunity. Unfortuanly I didn’t have my camera so you will just have to imagine that part.
Special thanks to Kristin for coming into town to inspire this little trip, to Bethany for braving her fears and coming anyways, to Matt for ummmm…enduring the unforseen difficulties in bringing the canoes, and to Jenny for all her planning to make this trip possible.
Funny Video Clips
Here are a few random pictures from the Singles Picnic. (There are even some of the milk egg thing…Yuck!!!)
http://melissajoyphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/1717484/1
For those of you who just received my e-mail and fall under the “long lost family and friends” category, here is a brief update on what is going on in my life.
I moved back home to North Carolina back in September of 04′. The last two years have been two of the hardest and best years I can remember. It took a while to adjust back into my family and church, but after about a year, it was like I never left. I worked at several jobs and tried starting up my own photography business, but I didn’t like the stress and now I only do it on the side. I am currently working as a secretary at my church and I have to say that this is probably the most enjoyable job I have ever had. So far it has been very slow and easy, but next month things should start to pick up and my multitasking abilities will be put to the test.
I still do some photography on the side…mostly children and a few weddings. If you are interested in seeing my web site go to… www.melissajoyphotography.com.
Since moving home our church has also become involved with an orphanage in Guadalupe, Mexico. It is called Rancho 3M www.rancho3m.com. This has been an answer to many family prayers and it is such a joy be able to serve in this way with my church. We are planning our 3rd annual trip this October. My parents lead the teams and that means that I get in on a lot of the planning/organizing also. We have a great time together and it is fun to work together on something we all love so much. I usually get to plan the game time with kids at the Ranch, but last year ended up without a translator most of the time. So…I started taking Spanish classes this year. I hope it helps!!!
This past January my brother John got married. John and Deana are having a great time. They just (well, a month or so ago) found out that they are pregnant. !!!I am going to be an Aunt!!! My other brother Nick, also started courting a girl from our church a couple months ago. It is really an exciting time for our family.
Ben (11) and Abbey (13) are still home schooled by my mom. They are doing really well and recently put down a brick patio in our back yard. (Talk about some talented kids)
The biggest mark of the past two years has been God’s amazing grace and mercy. He has so faithfully led me through all the joy’s and difficulties of the past couple of years. It is been a marked time of growth for me as I have been challenged to fight for my joy and contentment to be found in God alone. By His grace, I am thankful not only for the joys of the past couple of years, but also for the difficult times and hard lessons. I can look back and see how each step has brought me closer to Him. I am excited for this next season and look forward to everything that God is going to do in my life and in those around me.
I look forward to keeping in better touch with you all and I hope you will leave comments. (If you are new to blogging…please note that all comments are public. If you want to e-mail me please send it to…missy@schlax.net)
I can’t really retrace the rabbit trail, but our dinner conversation turned to pumpkin cannons last night. In curiosity we all gathered around a laptop and googled it. We were suprised to find that this isn’t just a random hobby…they have world championships for these things. Air powered, ones with some sort of engines and catapults. They compete for distance and accuracy. They have shot out doors on cars and have set records of shooting pumpkins over a mile…10-12 lb. pumpkins.
Needless to say we found this intriguing, so I thought I would put up some links in case anyone else out there could be as easily ammused.
Video – shooting car
World Campionship Site
misc. pics of cannons
http://www.idahopumpkinchunkin.com/
(all pictures from – http://www.punkinchunkin.com/gallery.htm)
Thanks to everyone who prayed for me on Saturday. Things went well, and while I am never satisfied with the results…I think I got everything the bride wanted. They are not super creative pictures, but I got good clear basic shots. The lady I was working for was happy and everything went smooth. It was an interesting experience to be the only white person in a group of African Americans. They were so much fun and I really enjoyed all the jazz music.
Thanks again for your prayers!!!
Tomorrow marks another first in my photography career (such as it is). It will be my first time shooting a wedding for someone I don’t know. It should be interesting. This will be my fourth wedding, though it is actually the first one I committed to working at. The verdict is still out on exactly how much I dislike photographing weddings, but I am happy to say that with each one it does get easier. I completely dread the thought of going, but I know that once I am there I will switch into production mode and it won’t be so bad.
I have put off even thinking about this until yesterday…but now it is upon me. I would appreciate your prayers for this event…I want to glorify God through this and relate in a humble yet professional manner. I also need prayer for boldness in relating and setting up pictures and on the spot creativity and ingenuity.
I will let you know how it goes.
July 3 at the Hinds
Unfortunately, I had some problems with my camera for the first part of that event (ie. I forgot to put a memory card in the camera) and I lost most of the best game pictures, but there are still a few fun ones. The ones I like are the weird light and sparkler pictures towards the end. There are also a couple pictures of Eric teaching some self-defense moves to the girls.
Click here to see more July 3 pictures.
“I emplore you, learn to know and trust your God now. Say to Him, ‘My God, I am willing that You should make me willing.’ If there is anything holding you back, or any sacrifice you are afraid of making, come to God now and prove how gracious your God is. Do not be afraid that He will command from you what He will not bestow.”
- Andrew Murray, Absolute Surrender
This statement from Murray’s book really encouraged and convicted me. I was going to write something about it, but as it takes on so many different issues in my life, I decided just to put it up here in hope that it can have the same effects on you. Pray that prayer “I am willing that you should make me willing.” Pray that with an open heart and see where God leads you. — May I never forget that God will not ask of me anything He will not give me the grace to do.
click here to see all my
New Attitude Pictures
Special Thanks to our community group leader Phil Sasser. (who also happens to be my pastor and boss) This was by far the best experience I have had with community groups. Thank you for your commitment to helping us get the most out of New Attitude and especially the morning devotional times. Your passion for the Lord, and your desire to see that passion spread are an inspiration to me.
This was my family group….hey guys…
Isaiah 45.9-12
Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?” Does your work say “He has no hands.”…Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled the stary host.
The other day I was struggling with being content with how life was going. (Don’t get me wrong…my life is about as close to perfect as it could get, but I have had specific plans that I really struggle with God’s timing on. And…no…it wasn’t marriage.) So there I was complaining to God, when he directed me to this verse. What a slap in the face. I wonder at my audacity…coming before God and implying that he isn’t doing a good enough job with my life. It was so good to be reminded that the Maker of the universe has perfectly planed out my life from eternity past. He knew what kind of person I would be…my strengths and my failings. He knew what my dreams would be. He knew how I would struggle. And in his infinite knowledge he has put right where I am to live my life to His glory. It isn’t about me or my plans…it is about using the time God has given me where ever I am to bring Glory to His name.
“God give us all the grace to look past our circumstances to you and even if we can’t see your big picture, to trust that your plans are perfect.”
This is my friend Amanda. She is leaving for Africa this sunday evening to serve on Mercy Ships for the next 5 months. If you would like to keep up with what she is doing her blog is… www.amandabradley.blogspot.com
I love you girl and I am praying for you!!!!!
“My people have commited two sins:
Thay have forsaken me, the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water”
– Jeremiah 2.13
As I was reading these verses this morning I was reminded of how often I go looking for my joy and peace, when I already have the source of it right here. Why is it that we can know with our minds that all contentment is found in God alone, yet still pursue other people and circumstance to fulfull our desires. Are we really that stupid?
Right in front of us…God’s word, the church, spiritual disciplines…we have a “spring of living water”, what makes us go out and dig our own cisterns?
