It's almost THANKSGIVING!!! I hope you have taken the time to reflect on the goodness and blessings that God has poured out on you this last year. There are times that we get caught up in all that is going on around us and the craziness of our world...and we tend to lose sight of who we are, where our citizenship is, Who paid for our redemption, Who holds our future, and Who firmly sits upon the throne. I pray that this Thanksgiving will be one of true thankfulness, regardless of your earthly situation...
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Here are two videos from Amy's dance performance this past Friday. The first one is her ballet performance and the second is her tap. They performed in the lobby of the YMCA and there were quite a few people there watching! I don't know who was more excited that morning...Amy to perform...or Jason and I to watch! :-) Hope you enjoy them!
I could have danced all night...ballet performance
Second hand rose (not a great song!)...tap performance
Several of my friends are pregnant right now and there are quite a few women at church that are pregnant also. One of my friends called me this last week to let me know that she is having a boy. Of course I got excited with her on the phone and the kids wanted to know what the excitement was all about. So, after my phone call the kids and I talked about all the different babies that were coming soon. We were talking about who was going to have a boy and who is going to have a girl, etc. Then, naturally, they wanted to know what baby was in my tummy. (Hm, I guess I could take that several different ways but I refuse to read into that!!!) Well, no, this is not an announcment blog...I am NOT pregnant...so I told the kids that there are no babies in my tummy. They were both trying to decide what they would want to have...a baby brother or a baby sister (obviously my comment about there not being a baby in my tummy was completely forgotten!). I told them that they needed to pray because God decides how many babies a mommy will have.
Tyler got up from the table and thought about this in the corner. Come to find out...he was praying. I asked him what he had prayed for...a baby brother or a baby sister...
Those of you that do not go to Calvary Church will not understand Tyler's prayer and so I will have to explain. But here was Tyler's response:
"Mom, I want to be like the GONGONS!!!"
Hm...well, the Gongons have SEVEN children. :-) So we'll see how God answers Tyler's prayer!
This is a picture of the chapel at The Cove in Asheville, NC. We had a mini-retreat up there for the pastors and wives of Calvary Church. It was a sweet, precious time of fellowship, edification, and growth. I could probably blog about the retreat itself...but I wanted to show you a picture of this chapel and share what I learned there.
I drove up by myself and had a lot of time to pray, think, sing (at the top of my lungs), and of course...call my moms! (mom and mother-in-law). While driving up, I was amazed at the vibrant array of colors splashed all around the mountains. Being from Tucson, colors range from brown to tan and maybe on occasion a slight variation of that. Arizona is blessed with gorgeous sunsets and scents from the desert...but as far as seasons changing, it doesn't really go out with a bang. But here, it is absolutely breathtaking. I can not recall how many shades of red, orange, and yellow I saw on my drive up. It was like a kaleidoscope of color...varying in depth and distinction. Beautiful! Absolutely stunning.
When we reached The Cove, we all took a walk (down a crazy, twisting, steep hill) to the Chapel. Ruth Graham was the one that specified what she wanted in the Chapel. We were told by the tour guide several interesting stories about the involvment she had during the building process. But the one comment that resonated with me was about the windows. Several people had wanted stained glass windows put in the Chapel. The response? Absolutely not...the windows allow all to come into the Chapel to view the splendor of God's creation. The splendor that is all around us and we fail to acknowledge. The amazing beauty of His vast creativity at the end of our nose. All that I had seen on my way up to the Cove was within sight in the Chapel.
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power
and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has
been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20
His eternal power and divine nature are still visible for all to see. We are without excuse to praise and acknowledge Him in our life, come what may.
I have been facsinated with John 15 for the last few days. Meditating on it each day and holding it up to the light I have come to the realization that my life is sorely lacking. What is true abiding? How do I abide in the Vine? I am now sure that abiding in the Vine looks different then scant devotions here and there, a prayer lifted up in time of need, casual thoughts of our amazing God. No, abiding in the Vine means moment by moment thought captivation, daily discipline for words and actions, deep satisfaction and security in the will of the Father. It means that we submit ourselves to Him and await His pruning in our lives. Understanding that removal of our dead branches is His process of sanctification.
I know, this is not a new concept but it is one I tend to forget. While I was reflecting on this I remembered a worship song we used to sing in Tucson. The words are below and I put it on my little mixpod here on the blog. I hope it blesses you and reminds you to stay in the Vine!
Satisfied In You
by Scott Cunningham
I'm satisified in You, my God
So I will abide, in You, in the Vine
I want to live, to live for Your pleasure
And I want to run, to run for Your fame
And I want to dwell, in Your house forever
To seek Your face, as You call my name
To hear You say, "Well done."
For I am not my own You bought me with Your blood
No I am not my own You bought me with Your blood, Your precious blood
Here is Tyler singing this past Sunday night at church. He is getting more and more comfortable with performing...I think this time he actually enjoyed it. His friend, Matthew, was sitting in the front row watching and I think Tyler was more distracted with him than being nervous! :-)
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise. Psalm 8:1-2
The other day we were at a friend's house and I heard Amy and her friend, Abbie, singing while they were coloring. I came into the room and saw this... He has ORDAINED praise from the lips of my children! And they love to sing about their Lord. What a sweet example it is to us! Tyler will be singing tomorrow night with his choir class in front of the church! Hope he's as excited about praising...
Last night we had a fall festival at our church. The kids have been looking forward to this night for quite awhile. Amy was Snow White (along with about fifty other little girls last night!) And Tyler wanted to be a police officer (actually...I "persuaded" him into being one...it was the cheapest costume I could find! :-) He really liked the firefighter costume...but I told him it would be too hot to wear all night long!
Jason helped out with the festival so we had to meet him there. As you can see in the pictures below, the kids weren't too excited at first. They were more concerned about the location of the candy than anything else!
There was a magic show, games, hayride, cake walk, and a live animal show (w/a real alligator!!). It was a fun night! Quite a few of our high school students came out to help with all of the games...and of course, to help consume candy! They took some time out to hang out with Tyler and Amy.
It was a late night but definitely worth it. I am so thankful our church had a fun safe place for our kids and our students! Hope you guys had a great Halloween too!
Uh...where's the candy...
Amy playing a game...but looking at the candy!
Tyler loved the games!
Some of our students...
Finally...CANDY!!!
