Devotions for Luke & Mama

Luke is getting to such a cute age. He just turned 3 and has added so much to his vocabulary. I love to listen to him pray. At bedtime tonight we had the sweetest time. I got him "The Jesus Storybook Bible ~ Every Story Whispers His Name". Can you feel how precious this Bible is just by reading it's name? I LOVE this Bible. Let me just share my absolutely favorite line about God's love, it is:

Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking,

Always and Forever Love!

I love it!

So we are reading a story of how God makes a way. It is the Moses & the Red Sea story. At some point in the story I turned and asked Luke, do you think that sea can stop God? He came at me with such a ferocious "NO", that I was almost startled. When I asked the question I really didn't really expect an answer, but boy, he did not disappoint me! I loved it. We enjoyed our little devotion song and sweet prayers before tucking my little man in. I walked out of his room with my spirit re-energized.

Sweet times with Jesus!

My Girls & The Word

Tonight's bedtime was precious. Trust me, I can't always say that. But nights like tonight are what I pray for. As Abbie is getting ready for bed, she tells me just as casual as picking out her clothes, "Mama, Jesus died for MY sins. That just hit me again tonight. I love Him Mama." Of course this Mama is melting. I tell her, "Oh, I know what you mean, Baby! Mama realizes it all the time too, and I love Him more & more. You will realize more & more His great love for you, Baby." So we just loved talking about Jesus until she jumped into to bed. I left them to do their devotions for a few minutes and cleaned up in the kitchen. The Spirit was in that sweet room while I was in the kitchen. :) I went back to tuck them in and Abbie was so excited about her devotions for today. She said, "Mama, you have got to hear my devotions today. It is so me." She reads me part of James chapter 3, you know, the whole "taming the tongue part". *Note~there is little that melts me more than my babies reading the Word for themselves(and gettin' it).* So Abbie is asking good questions about the passage and then reads her devo to me. She reads the first three sentences and glances up at me; we both crack up. It begged the question, "Gee, who is that?" Abbie, "It is so me, Mama...it gets better!" She proceeds to read her devo with her attitude thrown in, which has me in stitches. She is getting it. She acknowledged things in her life that she wants to change because she loves Jesus. I can't stop praising Him for working in her life.

All this time precious Hope is listening, because they share a room, and is doing her thing in the Word. Hopie said she wanted to be like Mama one day and started underlining things in her Bible. She didn't really understand what she was doing, she is just copying her Mama. She has sat through sermons and just marked away. She marks all the words she can read. It is precious to me to watch & listen to her read the Word. This Bible will hold a very special place in this Mama's heart.

I love the Word of God!

CBS Leadership Retreat

• Laughter
• The Word
• Laughter
• Friendship
• Laughter
• Fellowship
• The Word
• Food
• Laughter
• Games
• The Word

It's Not About ME....It's all about Jesus!

This was our theme of our CBS Leadership retreat. We had a fabulous together growing in our love for Jesus, waistlines, laugh lines, and friendships. A very sweet time with some fabulous sisters in Christ!

Melissa Bloemhof, Amy Bloemhof, & I in the kitchen.

Why I can't wear the "fashionable" BIG glasses!

2009 CBS Leadership Team

CBS - Community Bible Study

One thing I love about my fall schedule is getting back to CBS after the summer break. I miss it during the summer but love the break. This year Aaron & Abigail have joined CBS too. Aaron attends Monday night with Rob, at a small group. Abigail is doing the home study with Mama at home and enjoying being in His word. I have been out of leadership at CBS for a few years but have loved being back with the ladies that lead this Bible study. Here is a picture of most of the leaders in our aprons that our director made us this summer.

This year I took on the position as the Primary/Junior age Children's CBS. I teach the home schooled children the same lesson their moms are doing but at their level. I have loved it. I have a great group of children who faithfully do their lessons and come ready to learn. I love doing the object lessons, crafts, & snacks to match the lessons. We are studying Genesis this year. The children have loved some of the snacks we have made. When we did creation we made dirt out of pudding, Oreos, and gummy worms ~ they loved it. We also had fun studying the tower of Babel. For snack we made towers out of marshmallows & frosting. *Note - I served snack last ~ I didn't want to deal with children on a "sugar high" & the crash! * Sorry Moms!

My children have had their own fun with the leftovers from class.

Random Mayness

There were a couple things I don't want to forget, so since my blog serves as an electronic scrapbook, I want to record these memories. These are random but yet important to me. My poor brain forgets so many things that I think, "I won't ever forget that!" Silly woman, I know, hence the blog!

• Abbie loves to read. I love watching Abbie read! Probably because I am a reader and find such enjoyment in reading. I hoped my children would enjoy it too. So I caught this picture of her that I thought I'd keep in my mind's eye, but we have already established that that is not a reliable source for me. So here is Abbie reading a difficult but true story to our wonderful dog Bentley.

• Luke loves to be read too. My girlfriend got him these great Little Einstein books that he loves to flip up the tabs. I caught him in my chair reading them today WITHOUT me! Silly boy! But faithful Bentley shows up for all the good stories.

• More May Randomness, some friends of our traveled up north to celebrate their anniversary. When my girlfriend came home, she came bearing gifts. We had watched their puppy, Cupcake. This koala made of sourdough was one of the thoughtful and yummy gifts. I never thought a koala could taste so good. I have had parts of this bear the past several days for breakfast, with the best freezer jam I ever made! :)
  
• Today I worried my poor husband as I came down our bedroom stairs behind him. I was holding on to the banister and going very slowly. He turned and asked if I was okay. I said I would be if my calves would work! On Monday our aerobic teacher decided to change up things! Ouch! My body has been sore this week. I beleive the "burpies" put my calves over the edge. I have been moving better once the blood & coffee started flowing. I won't complain about the workouts since I am comsuming that great tasting koala bear.
• BUT it was what my friend shared with me after exercise that just blessed me. She was so excited about all that God was showing & teaching her. I really thought she might burst as she shared things with me. She is experiencing God's grace & love like she never has. She has been "set free" to live in this scandalous freedom that Jesus has given us. John 8:32 - "you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." It was fabulous to listen to her. I know what she is talking about! I have been there. Once you have been set free, you will never want to go back. As we were parting ways I told her, "You look great in freedom!" Thank you Jesus ~ You are so gracious! I pray He continues to workout this thing inside me though it may hurt. I want only Him.

Jammin' is good for the soul

Yesterday was a true blessing to me. I got to spend the day with a dear friend, doing one of my favorite things. We made strawberry freezer jam, from fresh, local strawberries. A day of busy hands, open hearts, and pure joy. We each did certain jobs and things went so fast & smooth. We got to share with each other what God is doing & teaching us both. It was a precious time for us.

Upon tasting the jam this morning on my toast, I believe it is the best jam I have ever made. Maybe it was all the love that was poured out of it!

It is yummy!

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him.

Celebrating Our 15th Anniversary

Fifteen years ago today we entered into our marriage covenant between God & us. It has been an amazing time. God has seen us through so many seasons on this journey of marriage. We have so much to be thankful for. As two young adults we entered into the most serious commitment you can enter into ~ marriage.

We have, in a sense, grown up together. We are a true testimony of God's grace in two messed up lives. Left to our own, we are a recipe for disaster, but left in His hands, our lives are a portrait of grace. It is an unfinished portrait ~ at that. We can't wait to see what the Lord will do in the next 15+ years of our marriage as we seek to glorify Him!

One of the best quotes we have heard on marriage is ~ "A good marriage is the union of two good forgivers". This is so very true. Some of the best moments in our marriage are when we extend the grace the other person needs. We pray we continue to grow in grace & love on this journey of marriage.


Ecclesiastes 4:12b
"A cord of three strands (Jesus & us) is not quickly torn apart."

Happy Thanksgiving in April

Last week we received a wonderful frozen turkey from a sweet neighbor that was moving. We could have had turkey for DAYS with our little family or have a Thanksgiving meal in April! We have so much to be thankful for. We enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving in April with Liz's folks, our sweet neighbor Terry, and Bob our buddy.


A table full of thankfulness & fellowship!

Hopie ~ relaxing on Bob & watching Papa play wii tennis.

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good
Psalms 106:1 (ESV)
Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!

"That Woman!"

A few years ago I (Elizabeth) was reading through the book of Proverbs. I ran across a certain woman that bothers me. She is the woman that all women dread. She is the adulteress woman in chapters 5-7. I got to thinking about "this woman" and what I could do to protect my home & marriage from "her". So I asked Aaron a question that caught him off guard. I asked him, "Honey, do I captivate you?" He really didn't know where this was coming from; at least that is what his eyebrows said. Was he thinking, "Is this loaded question?" I explained to him my readings and thoughts regarding "this woman" in Proverbs. I told him, "Honey, if I don't captivate you, she will and wants to!" He assured me that I captivate him and that his favorite view is "from my front porch looking in". It has become a sweet thing at our home, that I have received several spontaneous notes that read "You captivate me" from Aaron. Those sweet words just grow my love for that man.

As I read through Proverbs this year, when I came across "that woman" I sent a text to Aaron and wrote him "that woman is back" to which he replied "you captivate me". It is a way we keep those lines of communication open. Today, I received an email from Family Life Today that goes right along with this and thought I'd share it.

March 10
The Power of a Woman
by Barbara Rainey

I have come out to meet you, to seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, with colored linens of Egypt.Proverbs 7:15-16

Few things are more abhorrent to me than seeing women make sexual advances toward married men, either on television or in real life. We should recoil at this kind of behavior. But just because flirtation is often corrupt doesn't mean there's anything wrong with making sexual advances toward one married man -- the one you're already married to.

I believe we can learn something from the powerful woman described in Proverbs 5–7. Although she is an adulteress and would not typically be seen as a positive role model, perhaps there is a pure use of this power when these tactics are directed toward a woman's own husband. For example:
*Her lips "drip honey" and are "smoother than oil" (Proverbs 5:3). There was a time during the dating season when gentle, soothing speech came easily. But now in marriage, it's all too easy to gripe and complain. Words are powerful. Use yours well, and you'll melt him like butter.
*"She seizes him and kisses him" (Proverbs 7:13). What would be the look on your man's face if, when you first saw him at the end of a day, you grabbed him around the shoulders and really planted one on him? There's not a man alive who wouldn't wonder what you'd had for lunch that day -- and who wouldn't hope you'll have it again tomorrow.
*She captures him "with her eyelids" (Proverbs 6:25). We wives can tend to get sloppy with our appearance around the house. That's understandable. But every once in a while, make sure you look good when he comes home. Really good. Use your eyes to engage him. "Capture" him with your physical attractiveness.

A wife who understands her allure as a woman is protecting her husband from temptation. She's like a magnet, drawing him home from the seductions of his day.
She's got power. And she knows how to use it.

*Discuss: Wives, find out from your man what would really make his day.
*Pray: Pray that God will never let Satan, who knows how to twist it, steal the joy of sexual attraction and romance from you.

The Word

I have always identified with Acts 4:13.

Acts 4:13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

I always identified with the "uneducated & untrained part" but my desire is that I would be identified or "recognized as having been with Jesus". It is my heart's cry is to have more of Him and less of me.

The Word

I have loved watching God be who He is in His Word. As I read through Genesis this month I went through many thoughts as I read the adventures of God's people. I kept thinking, why did that happen that way or why would they do something so stupid & wrong! I am just thankful that no one is taking note of my life and shortcomings and printing them in a bestseller for the world to read. I watched scandals unfold, poor decisions being made, sinful people & faithful people, and God's hand at work ALL over the place. He is keeping His covenant in spite of us! Praise Him! There is NOTHING stopping Him from keeping His promises and keeping His covenants! I am so thankful for a faithful God. I am so thankful for a God who loves me in spite of myself!

The Word

Reading in Genesis 11 the other day I was stopped at vs 4. It was a certain part of the verse that stayed with me that day, "let us make for ourselves a name". I could not escape that God wants to fill every empty place in this heart of mine. I don't want to be of myself but of Him. He revealed some places in my heart that He wants back and I gave them to Him. I was making a mess of them! I am so very thankful that He is faithful to reveal to this heart of mine who He is, how great His love & mercy are, and how intimate & safe He is.

The Word

It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how many times I have read a passage that the Holy Spirit is ever faithful to teach this heart of mine. I recently started my Bible in a year reading and always look forward to Genesis. I was surprised at the things that the Spirit brought to me this morning. I have read through the creation story a number of times and it struck me just today that after each day of creation "God saw that it was good" yet after creating us "it was very good". That very had been all the other times but for some reason it struck my heart

in such a sweet way this time.

~ Elohim, thank you for creating me and seeing it as very good.

It also struck me that in Genesis 2:25 that the man & his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. It may sound crazy to you but I wanted that! I want to be able to stand naked in spirit before my God and be unashamed. I want to know & feel that I can stand, sit, sing, praise, or play before God. That He can see me exactly how I am (the mess and all), and I be unashamed in His presence. What an amazing place to be. I know it in my head, it is the 12 inch drop that likes to fool me into believing otherwise. I am His and He is my Abba ~ may I live naked in spirit and unashamed before you Abba.