Overwhelmed by Mercy

Jesus, I feel so overwhelmed by your mercy.

So amazed that You would invite me into relationship simply for the joy of being my friend.

That each day You meet me, offering vulnerability, asking me only to trust .

I find it so hard to leave behind my striving and to simply accept Your love.

And yet, in grace You keep inviting me, drawing me.

Asking me to let go of me and  to allow You to meet my needs.

Thank You Jesus for mercy and grace.

Thank You for pursuing me, for wanting me. 

Thank You for a love that melts my defenses.

For my Sunday School Class

 "How I  praise God, the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because I belong to Christ. Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved me and chose me in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt me into his own family by bringing me to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So I praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on me 
because I belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that He purchased my freedom through the blood of his Son, and my sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on me, along with all wisdom and understanding."-Ephesians 1:3-8 (NLT)

"... I have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though I am guilty of many sins..." -Romans 5:16 (NLT)

Sugar and Spice

Alaia decided she wanted cake.

Mommy decided to let her try her hand at mixing one.

 Dumping

Mixing

This takes a lot of concentration.

Looking good

Wonder what it feels like?

 Tastes good too.

Yes, I like this!

 She ran upstairs to tell daddy she was making him 

 cake as soon as she was done mixing.

 We had one very proud little girl, one very happy daddy and five siblings who eagerly helped eat every crumb!

Catching up

  
 Chad surprised me with a birthday party last night. And I have to admit I was truly surprised. The kids must be growing up because they didn't drop a single hint. Grandma Dorothy had volunteered to keep the children overnight so Chad and I planned a date. In the rush to get the kids out the door they forgot one of their bags and needed us to bring it to them. Chad and I had a wonderful meal at Cafe Lalibela and then went to drop off the bag. I was shocked to find a party waiting for me. And even more shocked to open my gifts and find this darling little notebook that I am now happily typing away on. I never thought I'd be so excited about an electronic device. It's going to be quite difficult to keep to my rule of no computer until school is done!

 Really looking forward to Thanksgiving next week! And then Christmas! I've already begun my Christmas season planning and today hit a couple of stores for garlands and craft supplies. I can't wait to decorate and get Christmas in the air with lots of baking.  


 But that's not to overlook the fact that we are in the middle of a mini remodel. We had great excitement a couple months ago when we walked in our front door and discovered our floors covered in several inches of water. Did I say excitement? I think it was more like despair. Whatever it was, after working frantically for over an hour to remove the water, all we could do was look at each other and laugh. Oh, I forgot to mention that this was during our first week of school. Yeah, excitement is never ending around here. Anyway. We had to tear out most of our flooring and are now in the process of picking out and installing new flooring. And, dear husband that he is, Chad is also painting my cabinets for me before we do the actual install.

 Now, some of you may know that my cabinets are actually pretty new. And some of you may be tempted to judge me for the statement above. Don't. Just love me. And hope I don't live to regret this decision. I love white cabinets. I practically drool when I see white kitchens. I thought I would like hickory too, but it just isn't white. I was all set to live with my choice though, until my sweet and patient husband talked me out of it. Alright. I admit it didn't take much. And yes, I do know how incredibly blessed I am. 

 So, that said, our holiday season is going to be packed full. But that's what makes life so much fun!

 We were in Ohio for about 2 weeks the beginning of this month. Spending time with family and attending a John Reiger conference. Really enjoyed both although I was miserably sick most of the time. Big thanks to Keith and Emmy, Matt and Carmen, Aunt Jean and Aunt Betty, Gary and Teresa for sharing your homes and food with us. We love you guys!!   
 

Marriage Retreat

We spent last weekend in Prescott with a group of amazing people. We enjoyed cool weather, starry night skies, late nights and laughter, and most importantly the sharing of our hearts with God and each other.

 Thanks to all of you for the great time!

Nakedness and the Holiness of God

                           http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/nakedness-holiness-god
                       There is a glitch in this recording and it repeats itself so begin at 26:22.

      This is for our Sunday School Class. Just in case you wanted to reference it before next week.

...As I have forgiven you

  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

 When I hold onto the hurt caused me by my brother, when I take offense and count his sin as against me, when I care more about my feelings than my brother's heart,  I inevitably find I have taken my eyes off of Jesus and placed them on self. The love of God calls me to lay my life down. Not as a martyr for my brother, but in response to the sacrifice of Christ for me.

 Does this mean I ignore my own heart? Not at all. In fact it is vital to search our hearts. We cannot forgive another without first acknowledging we have been hurt. But we take that pain to the cross understanding that another's sin is between them and the Father just as my heart's response to it is between me and the Father. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 1Cor.4:5

 What is the motive of my heart? I am so quick to judge another and to think his actions so woefully against myself. How often do I miss the fact that my reaction to someone may be because of sin or wrong thinking in my own heart? Or if there is wrong doing, do I care about the sin in my brother's heart simply because it has wounded me or, because it stands between him and the Father. I find that when I don't believe or understand the nature of God's love for me or my brother I am much quicker to take offense. When my eyes are on the cross and on His gift of love for me I do not count the cost of forgiveness and restoration. It is simply a response to my Saviour's love.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8