homegrowing

These past weeks, my main prayer and belief has been that we would “hear from God” regarding our move / sale / purchase  of  homes.

I don’t have details to share,  as  this life-chapter is still unfolding.   But I must thank you for your prayers for action.

Buyers, talks, decisions to be made, and final steps to take.   Please continue to pray!

We’ve heard… and I’m so crazy excited that I have to share.

Yesterday morning, the Biggies and I were doing Special Time with Mom at our homeschool table.   We are discussing the character trait and fruit of the Spirit, patience, this month.   At the end of our devotional for Patience at Home, there were two verse references noted.  I assigned them to the boys to look up in their Bibles and we them read them aloud and discussed their application.   As Ving read,  I felt God’s Word penetrate my heart.  I immediately grabbed my sticky note pad and carefully wrote the verse down as he repeated it a few times.

Psalm 37:7  Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.

Mid-day and again in the evening, I asked Ving where my stickie-note verse went.  We couldn’t find it, so I planned to find it or look it up again later.   Evening passed and I went to bed.

This Tuesday morning during my quiet time,  I wrote in my prayer journal.  It helps me to write my thoughts and emotions out to God, and I was on a roll.  There are occasional scriptures on the pages in the margins, and I was trying to write around one verse.   I was prompted to stop and read it, and to honest this isn’t a normal habit for me.  I tend to just keep writing away.   My heart did a little gallop as the words jumped off the page, and I  read it again and again…

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait paitiently for Him to act.  Psalm 37:7

We’ve been believing we would hear from God, and have been fighting anxiety of decisions with the time passing.

Wow.  I knew I was hearing from God.   I went out to the kitchen to find Irv with the boys.

“Hey, you know what, I think I just heard from God!” I announced.  (That definetly got their attention.)

I shared my double verse revelation, and Irv looked it up in his BIble and read it aloud.

As he was reading, I got this crazy idea….

Sunday night, while desiring to blog with you all, I forced myself to clean up my  inbox with 500 emails dating back to June.  I printed some prayer requests and things to put in my folder to use during my quiet time.   On Monday I discovered that due to a printer issue, I had many blank print-outs reading “data not found”.    I assumed it was a divine act in providing me less papers to keep, and moved on without my printouts.

But, as Irv was reading the verse aloud,  God brought one particular email to my mind.   I couldn’t remember the fine details, but I told Irv we had to go search through my email trash bin and find it an email from J.M.  We headed to the computer room…

We finally found this short, obedient email from December 20th!

“The Lord put this chapter number in my head for you this morning, when I was driving over. I forgot to tell you. I don’t even know what the chapter says but I need to be faithful to relay it to you. Psalm 37″ -J.M.

I told you I am crazy excited.  All day I was singing… we’ve heard from God!  We’ve heard from God!  I mean, come on people, I can’t make this stuff up!  I don’t remember ever reading Psalm 37 before!  Of all the verses in the Bible (31,102), there is no coincidence,  just GOD-INCIDENCE, that without me even looking, all three of them were placed before me, so the Creator of the Universe could speak HOPE, LOVE, and ASSURANCE into our hearts.

I wrote out the scripture and hung it on the fridge.  Praise God.  He cares and hears.  Thank-you for praying.

Three o’clock finally arrived and I made it to quiet hour.   As I laid on the couch,  I told God “I’m being still in Your presence and waiting (and trusting) for You to act.”    I talked to Him about how I knew He was there, thanked Him for revealing Himself to us in a mighty,  exciting way.   I thanked Him for the assurance that He is with us and acting on our behalf with so many details beyond our control.

Then I got to thinking… I prayed and believed that we would “hear from God”.   And yes, I could see that we just had!  But as usual, my prayers aren’t answered in ways I imagine.    I had prayed that we would hear from God, meaning it would be obvious to us what directions to take with decisions.    So what now?   I heard from God, and He told me to be still in His presence and wait patiently for Him to act!   Just.Like.God.    He’s got it all in control and working things out greater than I could ever ask or imagine.

It’s Wednesday night and I’m still crazy excited just typing this out!  I’m encouraged to keep believing God and asking to hear from Him in so many areas of my life.  I know He speaks to us always as we read His Word, and we must be in it.   But, it’s exciting to know He loves fellowshipping with us so much that He reveals Himself to us in so many different ways….

And, I imagine He likes my little, I’ve-heard-from-God-crazy-excited-dance, too.

I’m purposing to be still in His presence,  praying for help to wait patiently, and knowing and believing that HE will act!

What’s He got you dancing, singing, and praising Him about these days?

“Hope you read this.  It’s a good story.  You can ceep it if you want.”  -H.S.

19. Judgment and Warning.

Mornings, after family Bible Time the big boys have the choice to silently read and journal in their Devotion for BOYs binder or read out the ROCK devotional series from Vision Forum.    One morning, Hunter brought me these packets he made.   He has a special place in his heart for a boy at one of his activities.   He photocopied, stapled, and wrote a note on these specific short devotionals that he wanted to give to his friend.

“Relly would like you to read it.  It is a good story.  You can ceep it.”  -H.S.

14. Caught in the Net!

The day he chose to deliver these special packets, the boy was not present at class.  Hunter used the mail folder system and left it under the boy’s name.  When Hunter told me this, we felt it best to notify the boy’s parents of Hunter’s plan, as mail folders at a place of business might not be the best place to share religious material…

I received a delightful email reply from the boy’s family with appreciation for Hunter’s generosity and that the boys was enjoying reading them.

I love witnessing God stir in Hunter’s heart with this endeavor.   He did it all independently.   It’s fun talking with  him about hearing God’s still small voice, responding with obedience and his follow-up.

The next time he saw the boy, he asked him  “Did the evil all come out of your heart?”   While I know what he meant,  we were able discuss how we all are sinners and need JESUS as our Savior,  to live in our hearts and be Lord of our lives.

Hunter also thought he was a missionary only if the boy asked Jesus to live in his heart.  It was great to be able to explain that we are all missionaries when we share Jesus with the people around us and those God directs us to.  It is never our job or responsibility for people to ask Jesus to live in their hearts…  it’s just our job to share the greatest- GOOD NEWS ever.

We share and lead, the rest is between them and God.

Cool stuff.

I read this scripture today, and it reminds me of Hunter’s heart mission, and it encourages me to be aware of the fragrance I elude to my divine appointments! (I’m not always fresh and lovely!)

“But thank God!  He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession.  Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.  Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.   But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom.  But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.  And who is adequate for such a task as this?”  2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Sweet fragrance sharing, my friends…

My big boys were interviewed for  their cousin’s school project.  Their answers (dictated below) were thought provoking.   Some had depth I did not expect.  Others lacked the response I hoped for.  Overall, I was encouraged to live out my faith.   Continue calling on the Lord out-loud throughout my days so the boys can see my relationship with Jesus in action.  Encouraged to take them to the Cross with me as I seek the Lord, praise Him, ask for forgiveness and repentance.  We’ve covered the “material” multiple times in faith education,  but today I was reminded it takes much more to assimilate and hide God’s Word and truths in their hearts.  By God’s amazing grace,  may these homegrown boys become  mighty warriors for Jesus, men of valor.

7.5 year old.

1) How important is God in your daily choices?

A Baby Dedication is a ceremony (intentional moment) in which believing parents, and sometimes entire families, make a commitment before the Lord to submit a child to God’s will and to raise that child according to God’s Word and God’s ways.

Practical applications may include:
1) Dedicating a child acknowledges God’s sovereignty over the child and the parents.
2) Vow to raise the child in a godly way: teaching and training them in God’s word and ways.  Church attendance, family devotions, prayer in the home.
3) Raise the child in the ways of God, not according to our own ways. Be an example of Christ’s love to them. Discipline them as the Bible instructs.
4) Pray for this child.  For them to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and glorify Him with their lives.

I’ve had six of my  children dedicated at our church.  After Tucker’s death, I delayed Isaac’s dedication ceremony.  For one, because the first opportunity was on Mother’s Day – which is already a difficult- bitter-sweet day for me.   Especially in that first year of grieving.  Second, because I had to complete the conversations in my head and heart with God about baby dedication in my grief.

A baby dedication is a purposeful time of prayer in entrusting our children to the Lord’s care.   I had entrusted Tucker into the Lord’s care, and he died.  His death caused me anguish.   Yet, despite my sorrow and grief, I came to terms and believed that the Lord has perfect plans for Tucker, that all Tucker’s days were ordained by the Lord before one of them came to be (Psalm 139) and that Tucker was still in the Lord’s care:  secure, hope-full, whole and well in Heaven.

Children are a gift from the Lord. Psalm 127:3 proclaims that “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.”
They are not a personal possession that we have rights over.  Or, control over.    They are gift from God above to love and cherish for as long as He sustains their life on earth.

The Lord girded me up, and I had Isaac dedicated in 2007.

This past Sunday, September 27th, 2009, I once again stood before my Lord, friends and family in another baby dedication.   Isaiah and Eden Grace.    I am honored and grateful  that the Lord has chosen ME to mother these children.

Irv and I prefer the entire family participate in the dedication. We discussed with the Biggies the meaning of a dedication and how they can choose to agree in their hearts before the Lord  to help raise the Littles,  by being good examples and leading them in righteous living and loving kindness.

Our sweet Grandma’s and friends the McO’s were witnesses to this divine event, along with our WBC congregation.

We celebrated afterwards at our home.  Sandwiches from Grandma Wegmans.  And my sister-friend Julie blessed and surprised us with the MOST STUPENDOUS cake ever …. thank you UpperCrust!

isaac participated as well at the front of the sanctuary

the most beautiful cake I've ever seen!

half -and - half ... by the UpperCrust

princess Eden

yummy butter cream frosting cones

my beautiful princess!

Some of the above thoughts I wrote in 2007 to myself.  At that time, I also collected info online, so some of the words might not all be mine.  If any words are indeed not mine,  I don’t know who’s they are…. but I wouldn’t want to claim them on accident  I can’t remember details from yesterday, let alone 2007!

Isaac:  “Eden Grace, do you want me to read you my Bible?”

Mom:  “I’m sure she’d love that!”

in Jesus name, amen.

Isaac: “In Jesus name, amen. In Jesus name, amen.  In Jesus name, amen.”

And off he went. All day, all over the house, reading his Bible…  “In Jesus name, amen.”

I love it.