God is SO Good! - Happy Birthday Yakobe!

Yesterday was a great day!  When I came down from my shower, Sam said, “Mom, Yakobe has something he wants to tell you.”  I turn to Yakobe who was searching for words.  Sam then whispered in Yakobe’s ear the words again.  Yakobe said, “I accepted Jesus into my heart”.  How awesome is that?!!  Then, Yakobe went down and told Mark.  While Mark finished up his Sunday School lesson, the kids played and sang God is So Good!  I thought it was fitting for the occasion and if you click on the link below, it will take you to view it on YouTube.   We had a born again birthday celebration last night with ice cream sundaes!

God is SO Good

Strawberries - Visual Lesson

I learn best visually. God knows this and teaches me through pictures. I have been praying a lot about unity. I have been picturing our family as a crew team in a big long shell, rowing together through rapids - and having fun! This past week I kept thinking about little white flowers on the sides of the river…and strawberries. I researched characteristics of strawberries and discovered some really amazing things spiritually.

The first thing that struck me in thinking on strawberries is that you need to get on your knees to pick them.  Humility.  And -  the tiny beautiful white flowers that bloom on the plant.  Purity.  They are also heart-shaped and red.  Love.

Strawberries need lots of sun in order to grow.  We need the Son, Jesus.  They only grow well in moist ground.  We need spiritual water - the truth, the Word.  They are full of Vitamin C and are known to prevent cancer.

Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.  The seeds are visible and can rub off easily.  We, bearing fruit for Christ should have visible seeds on the outside that rub off on people.

Strawberry plants propagate best by their roots.  They send out “runners” that then become “daughter plants”.  They spread like a ground cover.  This reminded me of children.  It could be our own children, but I think it relates also to the family of believers and people more mature in their faith strengthening ones younger in the faith.  We need to encourage, teach, send out runners so that “daughter plants” can cover more ground for the Kingdom.  In order to do this we need to be close to an individual, making sure they are abiding in the vine which is Christ Jesus.  Strengthening believers is not just a seed thrown and forgotten.  It’s like a family in unity, rooted in Christ, seeds visible and useful for evangelism.

So neither he who plants no he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.  1 Corinthians 3:7

New Year

Christmas Eve at Church

Christmas was amazing.  As I work on a book telling our adoption story, mostly for Yakobe right now, I am constantly reminded of God’s hand in it all.  Putting up the tree was emotional as I remembered putting it up last year listening to the song, “All I Want for Christmas” by Steven Curtis Chapman.  If you don’t know it, it is all about an older orphan boy who longs for a family for Christmas.  I am blessed to be able to sled with my kids, help them make snow men (Sam and Abbie) and snow animals (Katie, Tom, and Emily) and snow king chairs (Yakobe).  It was good to have Mark home.  As we embark on a new year, I pray that our family will continue to work on unity, especially among siblings, but also as Mark and I lead, that we would be one in purpose.  I also pray we will walk in the ancient paths.  These paths are ones that don’t seem right to man, they are not paths that we will be directed to walk by humans.  They are narrow paths where God walks alongside us.  May we all strive this year to walk where God walks, to fear Him, to obey his precepts, and to bring Him glory.

Jeremiah 6:16  This is what the Lord says, “Stand at the crossroads and look, ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.”

Jeremiah 8:15  (paraphrase)  Don’t forget the Lord - don’t burn incense to worthless idols - they will make you stumble off the ancient path onto by paths and muddy trails.

Isaiah 57:14  And it will be said, “Build up, build up - prepare the way.  Remove every obstacle out of the way of my people.”

Isaiah 62:10  Go through, go through the gates.  clear the way for the people; build up, build up the highway.  Remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples.

Twice Solomon wrote:  There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.  Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

Amen