God's Treasure in Earthen Vessels

Jesus Trumps Santa

2011-12-13T16:22:00.002-06:00

“Is Santa coming to your house this year?” A Dad at the Play Place asked my 3-year-old son, Kendrick.

“No.” Kendrick replied.

The Dad looked concerned, “Oh, have you been naughty?”

“Yep.” Kendrick said as he ran away to play.

I gave the Dad a half-smile. His questions along with my son’s replies could have given me a perfect segue into the gospel, but as I looked at him and the children that were playing around him, I was at a loss for how to graciously explain why we don’t believe in Santa and why we do believe in the gospel. How do I explain this without ruining the mystery of Santa for these children that are listening to our conversation? I wondered. And how can I not say anything when I know that Jesus is so much better than Santa? My thoughts ended there because Camden, my 1-year-old son, came toddling up to me proudly displaying snot on the tip of his finger, and I led him over to the diaper bag where I found some wipes with which to clean his finger and nose.

I walked away from the Play Place determined not to botch an opportunity like that again. But how? How does one graciously maneuver through the Santa/Jesus minefield with unbelievers while little ears are present? I’ve mulled over this question during the past week and have come to a few conclusions.

First of all, as a parent, why am I teaching what I am? Why am I teaching Jesus and not Santa at Christmas?

Here are a few excerpts from Titus 2 -“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine . . . admonish the young women . . . to love their children . . . that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” My interaction with my children at Christmas should be no different than my interaction with them throughout the rest of the year. I need to love them by teaching and living the gospel. The most loving thing for me to teach them is that they are sinners, just like me, in need of saving. Jesus is the answer to that need, and Christmas is when we celebrate His birth.

Teaching about Santa instead of/or alongside of Jesus could just confuse my children. “He’s making a list, he’s checking it twice, he’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice . . .” The doctrine of Santa teaches moralism. If we are good we will be rewarded; if we are naughty we will be punished. This is such a far cry from all Jesus is. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ died for me because I am a sinner. The free gift of salvation is offered to me as a result of nothing good that I have done. Jesus loves me in my sin and has come to rescue me from it. As a mother, when I attempt to apply Titus 2 and love my children, I want to be as clear as I can in explaining and exemplifying the gospel. I don’t want anything to get in the way of them understanding how wonderful Jesus is.

Secondly, I should not be surprised that the world embraces Santa. My husband and I were watching Christmas clips online the other day and we watched the Peanuts video clip of Linus explaining the true meaning of Christmas. I watched, somewhat surprised, as he recounted Luke 2. You would be hard pressed to find this in any cartoons being produced today. Our culture has changed and will continue to change. It is no longer common to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas time. How can this be? And yet, how can it not be? 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Jesus is folly to the world. His gospel is offensive to the world. As a mother, be preparing your children for this. Of course the world embraces Santa. He is the best they have to offer. Of course the world rejects Jesus – His gospel requires that we admit to being sinful and in need of a Savior. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Do not be surprised that unbelievers are acting like unbelievers. They can do no less. Have compassion on them. Remember that you used to be just like them. Pray for them. Share the gospel with them. Teach your children to do the same.

To summarize my first two thoughts: One – I teach Jesus at Christmas because Jesus is the gospel. Two – I’m not surprised that the unbelieving world I live in teaches Santa and frowns on Jesus. My third thought answers the following question: How do I teach my children & myself to share these truths with unbelieving children and their parents?

There isn’t an easy, pat answer to this question. I don’t have a quick answer to give to the next Mom or Dad at the Play Place who asks my son if Santa is coming to his house. Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Do this as you interact with unbelievers. Teach your children to do this. No, they won’t always do this, and yes, they will embarrass you as a result. When you’re tempted to be angry with them for humiliating you, remember how often you have humiliated Jesus by not living out the gospel. Redeem the time – praise God for the extra opportunities that Christmas brings to talk about spiritual things. Be grace-filled in your speech and teach your children to do the same. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel and then be bold to take them when God presents them.

Titus 2:11-15

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”

Does Santa come to our house at Christmas time? No. Is it because we think we’re better than others, taking the “spiritual high road”? No. It’s because we realize that we’re NOT better than others. As sinners we are in desperate need of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer. And Jesus is so much better than Santa. He came to earth, lived, died, and rose again for me while I was still sinning. This is an important truth for me to understand, and it is an important truth for me to teach my children.

Hope That Won't Disappoint

2011-08-08T15:20:00.004-05:00

Romans 5:1-5
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

There are so many awesome truths in these verses; it would be impossible for me to get to all of them in one blog post. A couple of truths that blessed my heart today . . .

In the Greek, the word for rejoice and glory is the same, meaning to boast. We are to boast, not only in our future hope, but also in our tribulations (present troubles, physical hardship, suffering, distress, etc.). How can I possibly boast in my tribulation? Because by God's grace and through His Holy Spirit, my tribulations produce a hope that does not disappoint. Awesome.

A couple of ways in which this hit home for me today . . .

Last week I began weaning Camden - and it has been a much greater struggle than I anticipated. It has been good in the sense that it has humbled me and reminded me how much I need God's help in every life circumstance. As I was reading this passage this morning I was reminded of the importance of glorying, rejoicing, boasting in this trial and of the importance of me praising God for the hope that He is producing in my character.

The second way in which this passage hit home was in regards to our waiting to hear back from the church that we interviewed with last month. We will be hearing back from them within the next few weeks, and I have been struggling to keep my hope in God and not in this ministry possibility. As I read these verses in Romans, I was reminded of the greatness of the gospel and of the greatness of the God in which my hope is placed. My commentary stated, "The hope that believers have of their future glory with God will not disappoint them by being unfulfilled. They will not be put to shame or humiliated because of their hope. The reason the believer can be so confident is that the love of God has been poured out. The moment a person trusts in Christ, that person receives the Holy Spirit who constantly encourages them in their hope in God."

When my hope is in anything other than my God, it will be disappointed. That hope, or expectation, will at some point not be met. When my hope is in God it can never be disappointed. I'm praising God for this truth today!

Cling to the Cross

2011-07-20T08:51:00.002-05:00

While we were on vacation in Colorado, I had the opportunity to read "Loving the Little Years" by Rachel Jankovic. My dear friend and Pastor's wife had given me a copy of this before we left, and I was so grateful she did. I will probably post a few quotes from it in future blogs.

Anyway, yesterday while I was browsing through old blog updates I had missed, I found this one by Rachel and it was such a blessing to my heart. It's entitled Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank). In case you don't have time to read all of it, here is a paragraph that encouraged my heart last night and again this morning.

Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.

Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.

Waiting on God

2011-07-19T22:35:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post. We've been a bit busy here. We've . . .

Visited Kyle's parents over Father's Day
Taken our Sr. Highers camping
Celebrated my b-day #30
Traveled to CO for the National Conference and a Johnson family vacation
Traveled to interview for Pastoral position

and now we're home. Yay. I am truly grateful for all of the things the Lord has allowed us to do over the last month. I am also weary and ready to get back into a "normal" routine. (As a side note, as a result of all of our busyness, Kendrick is no longer potty trained. Bummer.)

I've been challenged and encouraged during my time in the Word, and there is much I could share regarding that. I've also read some books that have been a blessing to my heart. But, I thought I would share this encouragement from Paul Tripp on waiting.

We've been in a perpetual state of waiting for the past 2 years as we've searched for a ministry position. After interviewing with another church this weekend, we get to wait and see if God will direct us and them together. I was encouraged by this reminder that this waiting is part of God's purpose for my life right now.

"Waiting on God isn't about the suspension of meaning and purpose. It's part of the meaning and purpose that God has brought into my life. Waiting on God isn't to be viewed as an obstruction in the way of the plan. Waiting is an essential part of the plan. For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what I'll receive at the end of my wait. No, waiting is much more purposeful, efficient, and practical than that. Waiting is fundamentally about what I'll become as I wait. God is using the wait to do in and through me exactly what He's promised. Through the wait He's changing me. By means of the wait He's altering the fabric of my thoughts and desires. Through the wait He's causing me to see and experience new things about Him and His kingdom. And all of this sharpens me, enabling me to be a more useful tool in His redemptive hands" - Paul Tripp

The Only Thing Ronnie Freeman

2011-06-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

I was so humbled by the responses I received from the last few blogs I've written. God is so good. I'm just praising Him that He can use my sanctification struggles to encourage others. This is what being a believer is all about. We can't go it alone. Proverbs 18:1 says, "A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment." All too often I am tempted to refrain from transparency in order to keep a "christian" facade in place. God says this is pure foolishness. He created us to change and grow within a community of believers - in our families, in our local churches, and in the universal church. I'm praising God for this today!

As my husband and I were reading through some comments, this song by Ronnie Freeman came to mind. Maybe some of you are familiar with it. I love it - "The Only Thing"

The only thing that's good in me is Jesus.

Husbands, Love Your Wives

2011-06-13T14:51:00.003-05:00

Ephesians 5:25-27
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."

1 Peter 3:7
"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life,"

Thursday was Day #2 of my elder son's potty "boycott". But this time I was ready. By God's grace, I was mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared to be the gracious, patient mommy I knew He could help me be. And I was. Only by God's grace. Let me say that again, only by God's grace.

However, I did fail to be the gracious and loving wife. My husband called on his lunch break when we were in the middle of another tantrum at home. He didn't read my mind and respond with the comforting, encouraging words I desired. And so, I deemed it appropriate to chew him out over the phone. Yes, I was once again sinfully angry, but this time it was with my husband. The conversation didn't end so well, but I put it out of my mind and returned to my tantrum-throwing toddler.

Imagine my surprise when my husband walked through the door an hour earlier than he regularly did. He greeted the kids and gave me a huge hug. He then proceeded to pull a $20 dollar bill out of his wallet and told me to go get out of the house and buy myself some dinner.

I was immediately humbled and convicted of my sin. I didn't know what to say. Kyle knows how long the weeks get for me in our little apartment. We share a car, so I truly am a "stay-at-home" mom. When I do leave the apartment it is rarely without the boys. I gave him a huge hug and started crying, asking forgiveness for the way I had spoken to him earlier in the day.

Later as I was driving to Panera to eat dinner and spend time reading my Bible, praying and journaling, the verses I listed above came to mind. Kyle was living these out today. Then Romans 5:8 came to mind - "But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." My husband was being Jesus to me. He was tired after working all day, and the boys wouldn't be "easy" for him to watch that evening. I had been angry, selfish, prideful (I could go on) in my words to him. I had sinned against him greatly, yet he intentionally came home from work early, gave me his extra spending money, and allowed me to have some time alone, away from the craziness at home. Kyle was loving me like Christ loves the Church, he was dwelling with me with understanding, he was demonstrating love towards me when I was his enemy.

Wow. I was overwhelmed with God's love for me. First of all because He loves me so much more than Kyle ever could. Secondly, because He gave me Kyle to point me back to Him. And thirdly, because only He could enable my husband to love me this way. What a good God I have.

Strength in Weakness

2011-06-10T09:20:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share a quick example of God's sovereignty in my life on Wednesday.

I don't know what happened, but for some reason, when we woke up on Wednesday morning, Kendrick decided he was not going to be going potty in the toilet anymore. He decided to go everywhere BUT the toilet. Yay. Camden was fussy and teething. Kendrick had an "accident" in his booster seat and another one on the couch.

This resulted in Mommy responding by being sinfully angry and in Kendrick throwing a 45-minute tantrum.

Needless to say, it was not a very good day. Here is what my husband said, "Your circumstances make you a perfect candidate for God's grace."

He was right. Unfortunately, I responded to that truth with some more sinful anger.

Later I was attempting to make pizza for dinner and was trying to have it ready to put in the oven when we got back from picking up Kyle from work. I kept pounding/kneading the dough while both boys were screaming in the other room. I couldn't get it to roll out without making holes in it. The harder I tried the worse it got. I decided it would have to wait and just left it on the pizza pan and loaded the boys in the car to go pick up their father.

Due to my failed dinner attempt, Kyle graciously took us to Subway to eat quickly before church. I definitely didn't want to go to church. I had to nurse my infant, and I had to try to decide what to do with my 2-year-old that was on a potty strike. Earlier in the week I had promised one of our teens that I would be there on Wednesday night for youth group. I knew I had to keep my word, but wow, I was not going with a good attitude.

When we arrived I noticed that one of our girls was distressed. We went into the other room to talk, and she shared what was going on while I bounced Camden on my knee. We prayed together, talked through some things and even cried a bit. God is so good. If I had not gone to church, I would not have had this opportunity. All I could think of was 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." I knew that I was in no position to offer counsel or spiritual guidance. I had spent the majority of my day with a very angry heart towards my sons, my husband, and my God for the circumstances He allowed. I was a sinner full of sin. And yet, isn't this the beauty of the gospel? It's never about us. In and of ourselves, we are never able to give godly counsel or advice. God's strength and wisdom in us via His Spirit is what does the work.

I'm so grateful that God used a difficult day to remind me that it's not all about me and that HE wants to work through me - especially when I am at my weakest - so that HE can get all the glory.

Blessings

2011-06-08T14:13:00.002-05:00

Last night while Kyle was preparing his youth group lesson I was sitting across the table from him reflecting on the day. It was full of so many blessings, I thought I'd share a few of them with you . . .

Waking up at 6:30 to the smiling face of Kendrick who just crawled into bed with me (along with Buzz Lightyear).
Kyle & Camden joining us in bed and the 4 of us hiding under the sheet - giggles were had by all.
Watching Kendrick try to pick Camden up and hearing him say, "Camen, I just can't carry you all the time. You're too heavy." Never mind the fact that Kendrick is physically unable to lift 20-pound Camden.
Throwing Camden into the laundry basket of freshly dried clothes and listening to him giggle.
Drawing pictures with Kendrick . . . pictures of family "hanging out with the cows" ?? (Naturally, what else would we want to hang out with?)
Stepping on the scale and seeing the number 136! This is what the Wii says my healthy weight is.
Hearing, "Mommy, I have to go potty!" and finding underwear that is still dry by the time we make it to the potty.
Hiding under our huge orange blanket so that Daddy couldn't find us when he got home from work. The giggles of 2 little boys gave away our hiding place.
Kyle complimenting the dinner I made for him.
Sitting on a park bench with Camden watching Kyle & Kendrick swing. Kyle was being ridiculously silly while Kendrick laughed uncontrollably.
Giving Kendrick underdogs while he laughed with excitement. Camden giggled in the swing next to him, trying to copy his big brother.
Finding out the gender of Chad & Erica's baby #3.
Kisses from my Kyle.

None of these blessings are inherently spiritual, while at the same time they are. All the blessings God gives us are designed to point us back to Him, the Giver of good things. I was reading in Psalm 112 last night. Verse 1 says it all -

Psalm 112:1
"Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who delights greatly in His commandments."

Thank You, Lord, for evidencing this truth in my life today. You truly are a good God.

Eternally Grateful

2011-06-07T14:35:00.002-05:00

This weekend we had the opportunity to travel to Cedar Rapids for my cousin's wedding reception. What a fun trip we had. While Curtis and I were the only Johnson kids able to go, and my hubby had to stay home, I really enjoyed getting to spend time with my Laird cousins.

It's been a long time since I've seen some of them - Jenna in particular. We hadn't even met each others children! What fun it was to meet little Analie (their miracle baby) face to face. What a sweet time to see our children "playing" together, along with Ashley-Nicole's son, Jeshuah. I was overwhelmed with God's goodness to us.

Kendrick is currently in love with cows. He thought it was amazing that Uncle Doug had cows and LOVED getting to see them and the barn. Curtis generously offered to walk around with Kendrick longer than I would have. While Jenna and I were walking back to the house, each of us with a baby on our hip, I was just marveling at how quickly time has passed. It seems like just yesterday that we were little girls, running around in that yard, trying to hide from our little sisters so we could discuss big, important topics - like boys.

Time is passing so quickly. I LOVED getting to see our babies rolling around, running and crawling where I had spent hours fellowshipping with their mothers. Some favorite memories of mine include - the traditional cousins' pyramid, time spent singing around the piano, watching Uncle Doug move the tv upstairs and hooking it up so we can all watch the thrilling All-State concert, sharing what we are thankful for at Thanksgiving time, listening to Grandpa sing and share God's truths with us . . . I could go on and on.

As I was reflecting on the day, God brought this verse to mind:
Psalm 102:18
"This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD."

As much as I want my kids to be able to have what I had/have - awesome relationships with godly cousins - I want them to know God more. I want them to be the "people yet created" that will praise the Lord. And the cool thing about this is that this is what our parents wanted too. Not only did they provide godly friends for us in our cousins, they taught us about God - how to know Him and how to praise Him. For this, I am eternally grateful.

Days Like Grass

2011-06-02T15:24:00.002-05:00

Psalm 103:13-18
"As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,
To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them."

Last weekend I had the opportunity to play the piano (along with my mom) for a wedding. The church was decorated so beautifully. They had this gorgeous purple fabric draped from the ceilings. It was canopy-like and it reminded me of how Jewish weddings take place underneath a wedding canopy. That made me think of the wedding that will one day take place between Christ and His Bride, the Church. Imagine how beautiful that will be?

As I was reading this passage in Psalm 103, I was kind of excited that my days here are like grass. I'm so thankful that life here on earth isn't all there is. Everything here is pointing to something greater, Someone greater, over there. Weddings definitely do that.

I also read this amazing article by Mary Kassian about female beauty. You can find it here. I was so encouraged by the way she wrote about the fact that everything here on earth is pointing us to something greater in eternity.

All of our days are like grass, but the mercy of Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. Praising God for this today!

A treasure

2011-05-17T08:53:00.003-05:00

Deuteronomy 32:46-47
"Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe - all the words of this law. For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life,"

I was reading in Deuteronomy this morning and these verses were a blessing to my heart. It was a reminder to set my heart on God's Word as I go throughout my day. The encouragement in verse 47 is that this is not a futile endeavor because it is my LIFE. Awesome.

On Sunday night after church our small group met and the topic this week was meditating on God's Word. It was great to discuss what this meant and how we could be encouraging and praying for each other to do it throughout the week. I love it that God's Word is living and active. In Hebrews 4 it says that it is able to discern the thoughts and intents of our hearts. What an amazing treasure we have in God's written Word.

On another note, I haven't blogged any since Easter because we have been so busy. God has allowed several different conflicts, circumstances and decisions to come across our path. I'm grateful to know He is sovereignly allowing all of these things and that they are a part of His plan for our lives. I'm also grateful that "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." (Prov. 16:9) If you could, pray that God would give us wisdom and discernment as we seek to follow His direction in our lives. We decided that I need to stop babysitting Caleb - this was a huge decision that we didn't take lightly. We're also mulling over decisions on housing and future ministry. Thanks for any prayers/wisdom any of you readers have to share! :)

Easter Pics

2011-04-25T20:57:00.006-05:00

Here are a few more Easter pics for the family to enjoy . . .

Hunting for Easter eggs

Kendrick with his full basket

Camden as happy as could be and Kendrick refusing to smile for the camera.

Here they are enjoying their Easter treasures.

Happy Easter!

Passover

2011-04-22T09:30:00.005-05:00

Each year we celebrate Passover on the Thursday before Easter. We use "Christ in the Passover" by Ceil & Moishe Rosen as our guide. It has been another great opportunity to teach our boys more about the gospel.

Here's the table - all ready with the Seder plate.

Here's Kyle washing the boys' feet. We do this in remembrance of Jesus washing the disciples' feet during the Last Supper.

I think Camden's feet are ticklish. :)

Here's a summary of the events that took place on the Thursday and Friday before Easter. I'm so grateful that Christ went through all of this so that we could be saved.

Thursday
Jesus and His disciples prepared the Passover lamb, and they had their Passover meal in the Upper Room. Jesus shared powerful truth with His disciples and offered an intercessory prayer in their behalf. They arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus suffered in agony awaiting what was to come. Later that night Jesus was betrayed and arrested. He was tried first by Annas and later by Caiaphas and other religious leaders.

Friday
Early in the morning, Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod Antipas, and Pilate again. He was led to the cross and crucified at 9:00 a.m. and died at 3:00 p.m. and was buried later that day. Christ the Paschal Lamb died at the time with the Israelites were sacrificing their Passover lambs.

Easter Mountain

2011-04-21T21:04:00.009-05:00

Yesterday we made our Easter Mountain. This is an idea I got from a book by Noel Piper. We've done it every Easter since Kendrick was born, but this is the first time he's actually participated. The idea is to make a mountain out of play dough and then bake it. You can use it as the hill for Jesus' crucifixion and for his tomb. On Friday, Jesus goes on the cross, and later in the day you place Him in the tomb. Sunday morning you take Him out - He's alive! What an awesome tool to teach your kids about the gospel.

Here we are making the play dough.

After it has baked you can color it. This was a highlight for Kendrick. He got to use markers instead of crayons - very exciting!

Camden watched interestedly.

Today we added the cross and read "What Is Easter?" We got to share the gospel with Caleb as we read the book - awesome. (I know, Caleb looks thrilled.)

Later I had Kendrick "read" the book again to Camden. His interpretation was precious. "These eggs are not Easter, Camen," he said, pointing at the Easter eggs. "Jesus on the cross," he pointed to the cross, "This is Easter. Jesus is alive!"

Love it!

Psalm 78:4, 6-7
"We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments."

Easter Application

2011-04-20T09:22:00.008-05:00

Yesterday the 2 oldest boys had a rough morning. It was one of those mornings where EVERYTHING was an issue. Kendrick would hit Caleb. Caleb would take a toy from Kendrick. Kendrick would yank the toy back and Caleb would run away crying. Repeat this. Over and over . . . I was definitely feeling like a police officer. I would finish correcting one only to have to turn and correct the other.

What a fun morning God had planned for me. There was a point where I lost my temper. And then I put Kendrick in the bathtub for a bath so that I could separate the two of them. I called my hubby, and then I meditated on who God is and what He has done for me and for these boys. It was a sweet moment of the application of the Gospel - what we are attempting to celebrate this week with Easter approaching. I confessed my anger to God and the boys, asking their forgiveness and we started over.

The second half of the morning didn't go any better circumstantially, but God sure enabled me to have an attitude that was more pleasing to Him. Colossians 2:13-14 says, "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

Just as Christ was dead and is now alive, so am I. The same power that resurrected Christ from the dead is the same power that works in me to make me more like Him. It is the same power that is able to change my boys' hearts and help them become more like Christ by choosing to obey.

Last night we dyed eggs. Kendrick loved it. Dad was a great teacher.
Camden enjoyed watching.
This morning I found him gnawing on one of these. His tongue and mouth were all green from the food coloring!

Easter Week

2011-04-19T17:17:00.004-05:00

Luke 24:5
"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!"

Easter is almost here - woohoo! We are doing a few extra things around the Noll house this week to celebrate Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Last night we baked some cookies to give to our neighbors. We included cards with the plates and invited them to our Easter breakfast and service on Sunday.
Here is my little chef - quite the assistant. We didn't get a picture of Kyle or Camden. Kyle was taking these pictures while trying to keep Camden occupied. He would have loved to chew on a few of these cookies.
Kendrick couldn't wait for the cookies to come out of the oven. I think that adding the sprinkles was his favorite part. My favorite part is hearing his answer when I ask Him why we celebrate Easter.

"Jesus is alive!" He yells excitedly, at the top of his 2-year-old lungs.

Yes, yes He is. This is the reason we celebrate Easter. Bunnies and eggs are all good, but this is not what Easter is about. Jesus died, was buried, and on the third day He rose again. Because of this we have a reason to live. We have hope. We can have victory over sin and assurance of eternity with Him. I can think of no better reason to celebrate.

The Satisfaction of My Desire

2011-04-15T09:01:00.002-05:00

Psalm 145:15-19
"The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them."

Last night something my 2-year-old said reminded me of this passage, and I wanted to share it with you. Let me give you a brief background . . .

I feel like we have been running a marathon. Last week we potty trained. Over the weekend my brother's family was here from Colorado and we celebrated my niece Aubrie's 1st birthday (and found out Erica is expecting #3 - woohoo!), Monday and Tuesday we traveled to MP to visit my in-laws and attend the State Meetings, Wednesday I babysat, had teens over and went to church, and then we come to Thursday.

Thursday - yesterday - God enabled me to take care of 3 little boys, do 6 loads of laundry, make dinner, balance the checkbook, and make a grocery list. I had to get all of this done before my hubby got home at 5:30 so that I could go grocery shopping and be back by 7:30 before Camden needed to nurse again. (We were in desperate need of groceries. I usually go shopping on Mondays, but with all that was going on I wasn't able to go until Thursday.)

When I returned home with the groceries, I went straight to my screaming, hungry infant and began to feed him. I had left all of the groceries in the hallway, and Kyle and Kendrick began to bring them into the apartment. Then Kendrick started to help put them away. He was so thrilled with each new item he pulled out of the bag. "Jelly! It's jelly, Mom!" and "Cheese! More cheese, Dad!" and my favorite was, "Gel - for Daddy's hair!" he yelled this as he ran to the bathroom carrying the gel.

As I was sitting on the couch nursing Camden, listening to Kendrick's joy over each and every grocery item I had just purchased, God brought these verses from Psalm 145 to mind. Sometimes I forget to be grateful for the food God gives us to sustain us. Or for the money He gives us to buy the food. Last night, I was definitely seeing grocery shopping as a chore, wishing I didn't have to go and could somehow have all of the groceries I needed magically delivered to my door. Watching my 2-year-old's enthusiasm over our food reminded me that I need to be thankful for each and every grocery item the Lord has given us from His open hand.

Not only does He satisfy my physical needs from His open hand, He meets my spiritual needs. These verses say that He is righteous, gracious, near to me; He hears my cries and fulfills my desires.

We have received so many blessings through this busy season. God continues to prove Himself to be the satisfaction of our desires.

God of My Salvation

2011-04-07T14:33:00.002-05:00

I was just reading in Psalm 68. Here's verse 19 -

"Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!"

It has been a roller coaster week for me, emotionally speaking. I've had several highs and several lows. I LOVE how God uses His Word along with His Holy Spirit to feed me with just what I need. I needed to be reminded of God's goodness, no matter what my circumstances. Don't you love how this verse describes our God? He is the One who daily loads us with benefits. He doesn't just give us a few - it says He loads us with them - every day. Awesome. As I was reading the commentary I loved what they said about the latter part of the verse:

"The God of our salvation is a great title for the One who saved Israel from Egypt, who saved Israel from their sin, who continues to save His people in their daily lives, and who will glorify His people in the future."

This really helped me to put things into perspective - into God's big picture perspective. If God is the God of my salvation (and He is), then why do I doubt His goodness or doubt He would care about the "small" circumstances in my day? If He is big enough to handle my salvation, is He not big enough to handle my daily struggles? Of course He is. And I am so grateful for that reminder today.

When I am tempted to be discouraged by my disobedient toddler, by my screaming infant, by the closeness of our living quarters, or by the lack of communication from a friend, I need to remember that my God is the God of my salvation. He has loaded me with blessings, and one of those blessings is the ability (through His Holy Spirit) to think and act right no matter what my circumstances.

Thank You, Lord, for being the God of my salvation today and every day.

Attempt #2

2011-04-06T14:44:00.004-05:00

This week is our potty training attempt #2, and I am so excited to share that we have success!!

Here is a photo of where we have spent most of our week . . .

My hubby surprised me by taking Monday off work to help with our endeavor. What a blessing that was! I don't know what changed that made Kendrick "ready" to go in the potty, but whatever it was, I am so grateful that it changed. I never imagined I would get so excited to see potty in a potty chair instead of on the floor!

Kyle spread a huge sheet of plastic out on our living room floor, and Kendrick was only allowed to play on the plastic or on the kitchen floor. (We pretended the carpet was hot and he couldn't touch it.) He also got to run around with only his big boy undies on - this was very exciting for him.

Now we are to the point where Kendrick is telling me every time he has to go potty! He even likes doing his yuckies in the potty and then helping Mommy flush them bye-bye. Yes - we are definitely praising the Lord for this one.

On a spiritual note, we are preparing to celebrate EASTER this month! I love Easter, and I love teaching Kendrick, Caleb and Camden all about it. We made paper chains to count down to Easter and soon we're going to make our play-dough mountain and act out the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. I read these verses in Psalm 66 yesterday and was just reminded of how awesome God's work through Jesus Christ truly is. He has done everything for my soul. I want to teach this to my boys and I pray that when they are old enough to understand, they will allow Christ to do the same for them. I want to use the celebration of Easter to declare what God has done for my soul.

Psalm 66:5, 16
"Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul."

Risen

2011-03-24T22:23:00.002-05:00

I have to share - I am so excited that this new cd, RISEN, is out!!! It is put out by Sovereign Grace and their music has been such a blessing to us. Just this week I was thinking and praying over what our chorus of the month should be next month at church. Lord willing, we'll be doing one from this cd. You can order the cd and sheet music for just $12.00. Pretty good deal for 13 beautifully written, biblically sound songs.

Love it. Praising the Lord for this tonight. The end. :)

Contentment

2011-03-22T10:28:00.003-05:00

Numbers 21:4-6
"Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.' So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died."

This was the passage we looked at in our ABF on Sunday morning. I'm so grateful that God knew just what I needed. Our teacher noted how the Israelites became ungrateful for the manna God had blessed them with. The very thing God was using to meet their needs became something they loathed. Our teacher then asked us how we were like the Israelites. What things have we loathed that God has used to meet our needs?

For me, over the past few weeks, it has been our apartment. Over the weekend we had the opportunity to stay with a family from our church - to watch their teens while the parents attended a marriage conference. We had such a great time, and I loved the opportunity to get to stay in a home and enjoy having space, having more than one bathroom, and having satellite tv (to name a few). However, as the weekend went on, instead of being grateful for these extra blessings, my heart grew discontent because God had not chosen to bless us with those things. Instead of being grateful for the housing God had given us (our apartment), I was coveting the housing He had provided for our friends.

As I sat through our ABF I realized that I was just like the children of Israel - loathing the apartment that God has given us, instead of seeing it as the blessing it is. God brought to mind the recent events in Japan and my heart was convicted again. At least I have housing - it hasn't been turned to rubble by an earthquake, or swept away by a tsunami. God is so good. I'm so thankful for the ways He continues to use His Word and His Spirit to convict my heart of sin on a daily basis. By His grace I'm putting off discontentment and putting on a grateful, content heart today.

In what ways have you loathed the manna God has given you?

Humble Community

2011-03-17T16:17:00.003-05:00

I have been so blessed this week by interaction with my church family. Today I was reading in "How People Change" and I love the way that Tripp and Lane described the Church.

"Humble community is not the icing on the cake of the Christian life. In a real way, it is the cake. Relationships of love are a means of personal growth, a mark of God's people being purified, and a clear argument to the world for the truth of the gospel."

I love how God uses relationships in our lives and how He designed us to function best in relationships. This week He has brought me sweet fellowship with family and friends - using all of it to grow and change me to become more like Him. It's amazing that as a result of our relationships, the truth of the gospel can be displayed to the world. Awesome.

We've been quite busy over the past few weeks and I haven't made time to blog. It's not because I haven't wanted to, that's for sure. God is still at work here at the Noll house. The 3 boys are still making me scramble, and my hubby is still such a blessing to me. Actually, 2 weeks ago he came home early from work to rescue me from a whole lot of naughtiness. Then, last week, he made me go to bed early while he did the laundry. Sigh. Have I mentioned I love my husband? :) We are still loving our church ministry here in Norwalk and are actively looking for a full time position. We trust God will provide just the right one in His timing. He is a good God.

Random - my newest challenge with the boys is meal time. Camden is now eating solids. I did not realize what a challenge it would be to feed 3 boys that are 2 and under - 2 of which need to be spoon-fed. What fun we have at breakfast and lunch. I will just be extra prepared whenever God decides to bless us with our #3. :)

Here are a couple of recent pictures . . .

A new favorite activity. Making a tent with Daddy and watching Man v. Wild while under the tent. A variation on this which Kendrick LOVES is when all the boys watch without their shirts on. (Just like Bear.)

Camden and Mommy. He is getting so big! He now has his 2 bottom teeth. He rolls his way around our apartment and is just itching to crawl. It won't be long now.

Silliness

2011-02-25T09:31:00.006-06:00

We had a wonderful evening at home last night. It was our first night home since our family trip with absolutely NOTHING to do. And it was amazing. We had macaroni and cheese, laid around, played hide and seek, Kendrick got to jump on his bed AND in Camden's crib, and we were just generally silly.

Here's a picture of something Kendrick was up to last night . . .

Yes, he is attempting to feed Woody. He has all the right tools - a boppy pillow, nursing cover and burp cloth. But alas, he is not a female and has no milk . . . and how should one go about explaining this to a 2-year-old boy who thinks it is cool to "nurse" like mommy? :)

Here's Camden in his newest Chinese outfit from his Uncle Gabe. The top fits him perfectly, but the bottoms are really wide. I found this funny because I just assumed that Chinese babies would be a lot smaller than American babies. Especially this American baby that has been wearing 9-month clothes since he was 4-months old.

In other news, by God's grace and through a lot of hard work, I've lost 20 pounds in the past 6 1/2 weeks. Pretty awesome stuff. Praising the Lord for that. I'm grateful to be almost back to my pre-Kendrick weight. God is good.

Destination Living

2011-02-21T16:06:00.002-06:00

"Your destination is secure. All of the things that are truly worth living for cannot be taken away from you! You can be at peace even though you do not know how today's drama will end or what tomorrow will bring. You can live with joy even when things make you sad. Christian joy is not about avoiding life while dreaming about heaven. It is about taking an utterly honest look at all earthly life through heaven's lens. There we find real hope." - Paul Tripp & Timothy Lane

This is a little of what I read this morning from "How People Change." I am so grateful for these truths. I'm so grateful that Christ's work on the cross makes me complete in Him and that can never be taken away. Oh, that I would live with this in sight, every moment of every day.

We just spent 4 days with Kyle's family. It was a wonderful time. Spending time with family usually gets me excited for heaven, and that's one reason why those quotes above hit home this morning. Saying goodbye is so hard. I really don't like saying goodbye to my siblings that live in other states - like Jess & Walt, and Chad & Erica. Getting to see them and their children only once or twice a year is difficult. BUT, if I'm living with my destination in sight, goodbyes here on earth should only remind me that there will be no goodbyes in heaven. Yay!

Random . . . as I'm typing this, my 2-year-old is sitting across the table from me munching on a snack. He just let out a really juicy "toot", informed me (with a sly grin on his face) that he just tooted and also said, "Excuse me." I love this boy. :)

I love how God uses my kids to convict me. You'd think that after being so inspired by my reading this morning, that it would stick with me all day, and that I would have heaven in view as I went through the day, right? Haha. This sinner still has a long way to go. A few minutes ago I was working in the boys' room, unpacking their bags and sorting through laundry from our trip. I was also changing sheets and taking the bumpers off of Camden's crib (he became a rolling machine today). While all this was going on, Camden decided to throw a little temper tantrum. I have no idea why - he is usually so happy. I was a bit frustrated and was attempting to encourage him to stop. I picked him up and began to change his diaper. Kendrick came over and stood on his bed (right next to the changing table). As he did, Camden stopped crying.

"Oh, Camen," Kendrick said. "Camen, you stopped crying. God helped you stop crying. Praise the Lord!" He exclaimed as he patted Camden's head.

This was such a sweet moment for me. I was convicted of my bad attitude and overjoyed with the fact that, by God's grace, Kendrick is learning what we've been teaching him!! We have been working so hard lately on teaching him that he always has a choice, and that he can always choose to obey because God can help him. When he doesn't want to, it's because he's a sinner living sinfully instead of a sinner living dependently upon God. As I was thinking through all of this I was overwhelmed by my own sinfulness and how I had seen Camden's little fit as an annoyance and just wanted it over with, instead of living with an eternal mindset and seeing what God would have to teach me through it. God is so good. I'm thankful he used Kendrick to remind me to keep eternity in sight, and I'm thankful He's used me to teach Kendrick that.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T15:24:00.004-06:00

Last Friday we got to go on a date for Valentine's Day. Yay - what a blessing this was! :) My hubby surprised me by getting a babysitter and taking me to one of our favorite restaurants - PF Changs. We went there 3 years ago on Valentine's Day, and it was special to eat there again . . . 3 years and 2 kids later. We also got to go see a movie - The King's Speech - which we thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks to the Schumacher family who watched our boys for us.

Since we celebrated over the weekend, I wasn't expecting anything special yesterday, especially since Monday evening was my bi-monthly grocery shopping day. What a surprise it was to return home around 8:30 p.m. from shopping and to be greeted by Kendrick holding a rose saying, "A flower for Mommy! A flower for Mommy!" I turned to Kyle, who also had a rose, and then looked over at Camden. He was sitting on the couch in his boppy pillow with a rose against his chest, slobbering all over the stem. Be still my heart. I LOVE these boys and my man. God is so good to give them to me.

As we've been reflecting on Valentine's Day, I have been pondering anew just how great God's love is for me. My love for my husband and sons pales in comparison to His love for me.

1 John 4:9
"In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

I have the privilege of planning the worship services at our church. A few months ago I came across this video clip on Bob Kauflin's website entitled, The Prodigal. (Just tried to upload it but blogger wouldn't let me.) We were able to show it on Sunday and include it in the worship service. Before we watched it, Kyle read the passage in Luke about the prodigal son. God not only cleansed me from my sin, He made me His daughter. There is no greater display of love.

"For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found . . . and such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God . . . Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"

Grace Is Not Earned

2011-02-01T09:03:00.002-06:00

Last week I was introduced to a new song entitled, "Grace Is Not Earned" from this blog post. It is a new favorite. On Sunday morning I got up at 5:00 to feed Camden and read my Bible. I even got to exercise before the other 2 boys woke up. I spent some time just meditating on these lyrics. I've been playing them over and over because they're straight from Scripture and they've been such a blessing to correct my thinking when I'm struggling to respond with grace. Much grace has been given to us. How can we not respond with the same grace to those God has placed in our lives? I pray these lyrics will be a blessing to you today.

GRACE IS NOT EARNED
Grace is not earned, nor deserved,
It is a gift from God.
Saved by Your mercy alone,
Rescued by Your great love.
Grace is the heart of the Father,
Grace is the gift of the Son,
Grace is the work of the Spirit,
Revealing the wonder of an amazing God.

You know how often I fail
And all that I can’t undo,
Stains I’ve no means to erase,
How can I stand before You?
Christ takes the cross on His shoulders,
Steadfast to Calvary’s hill,
Leaving my sin in the grave
He rises, the conquering Son,
Such amazing love!

Raised by Your life, now in Christ,
Chosen and dearly loved,
I am now seen through Your eyes:
Righteous through Jesus’ blood!
Ransomed, restored and forgiven,
My sins are remembered no more!
Though still I’ll stumble, You’ll keep me.
By grace, I’ll continue on in unending love!

Oh the mercy, oh the mercy of our God, of our God. (repeat)
By Kate Simmonds. Copyright 2010 PhatMusic. Admin. by song Solutions CopyCare

God's Higher Ways

2011-01-28T08:55:00.003-06:00

This morning I was beginning to have a bad attitude because my "plan" for the day was already being ruined by circumstances that were beyond my control. I was immediately convicted by my wrong thinking because these verses will still on my mind from yesterday's reading.

Psalm 19:12-14
"Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."

I had just spent time confessing my sins earlier that morning and these verses were my prayer. It didn't take long for the meditation of my heart to become unacceptable in God's sight. I put Camden down for his morning nap, Kendrick and Caleb were playing somewhat happily and I turned to the sink full of dishes. My thinking was spiraling downhill and I remembered this awesome cd that we got that has a bunch of hymns and choruses packed full of good doctrine. I went over to the laptop and turned the album on. It Is Well began playing . . .

My sin - O, the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin - not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

What a blessing to my sin-filled heart to hear these words this morning. Thank You, Lord. I'm so grateful that Christ's sacrifice covers ALL my sin. The album is one of my favorites, from the Together for the Gospel Conference we attended last year. I LOVE hearing Bob Kauflin lead the worship and the sound of thousands of men singing along makes me long for heaven when we will all sing praise for eternity. The next verse of It Is Well increased that longing . . .

And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
"Even so" - it is well with my soul.

Can't wait for that day! I'm so grateful that God's ways are higher than ours, and that even when my "plan" is ruined, He can change my thinking and make me joyful in Him anyway.

On a completely different note, last night my hubby let me escape for a couple of hours. I got to go to a Starbucks with my Bible and journal and spend some time with the Lord. It was amazing and I'm so grateful for a husband who allows me to get away from the craziness every once in awhile. God is good to give Kyle to me. When I arrived home, the train set covered the majority of our living room floor and Kendrick informed me that they had been playing trains and watching Bear (Man v. Wild). Here's a couple of pictures that Kyle took of their time together. God is indeed good to give these boys to us.

Please

2011-01-26T15:01:00.003-06:00

For the past couple of weeks Caleb (the 16-month-old) and I have been battling it out. And this week, I am thrilled to announce, he said AND signed "please" for his food!!! Yay! He had been signing please and more for awhile, and then all of a sudden a couple of weeks ago he decided he wanted his food, toys, etc. when he wanted them and was throwing tantrums when I didn't give in to his demands.

I know, you can't imagine that this cute little angel would ever throw a tantrum, but alas, he can. :) Although the training process has been intense and emotionally taxing, I am so grateful to have Caleb in our home. What a great opportunity to get to share the Gospel with him and show him Christ's love.

I just read this awesome quote off the Girl Talk blog which I have to post here. It was a blessing to me today.

“Oftentimes parenting can feel like a battle. And the “enemy” is your two-year-old who’s just thrown their dinner on the floor (again); or your fifteen-year-old, who’s just slammed the door on you (again). But still your job is to show them what our Father in heaven is like. Yes, they need to learn to live under authority. But they also need to learn of a God who welcomes His enemies, loves His enemies and gives His life for his enemies.” (Gospel Centred Family by Tim Chester and Ed Moll)

Pictures of the Boys

2011-01-20T08:29:00.004-06:00

Camden at 3-months

Kendrick at 2 years

All of these photos were taken by the lovely Aunt Elena. Thanks to Elena, and glory to God for these wonderful boys!

Waiting

2011-01-17T16:02:00.002-06:00

Psalm 34:8-9
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing."

I've been encouraged by these verses lately. There is a song about verse 9 on one of our Seeds cds, and it keeps playing over and over in my mind . . . those who seek the Lord shall lack no good thing. Awesome truth.

I've been tempted to be impatient and discontent lately. See, my hubby has been actively searching for a full time ministry position for a year now. It was a little over a year ago that he had his first interview for a position that didn't work out. There have been several since then - via email, phone, in person, even a Skype interview. But no ministry position for him yet. For some reason unbeknown to us, God has not allowed the right position to "fall into our laps" yet.

Sometimes it's hard to be patient, but then that Seeds tune pops into my head and God's Word tells me that those who seek Him shall lack no good thing. I'm so thankful and grateful for that truth.

I've been reading through Genesis this month and I've been encouraged/challenged by God's working in and through Abraham and Sarah. They waited for a long time for Isaac. And not always patiently, sometimes taking the situation into their own hands. I'm so thankful for the work God did for them - in His timing. And I'm thankful He's doing the same for us.

Genesis 21:1-2
"And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him."

Notice how much of those 2 verses is about what God did. He always keeps His promises. His Word is always faithful and true. Those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing.

Fear Not

2011-01-13T08:24:00.002-06:00

This morning when my boys woke up at 5:30 I cried. Yesterday was a "bad" day with all 3 boys and I didn't think I was ready to face my 2 yet. Kyle held me and prayed with me as I cried, calling out to God to give me strength, reminding me that God is sovereign and this is what He designed for me today and that I need to give thanks in all things and be full of joy.

Sigh . . . easier said than done. But, I was so blessed just a few minutes ago as we were listening to Veggies Tales music together. The song from Daniel came on called, "Fear Not Daniel". Here are the lyrics:

Fear not, Daniel.
Don't you know you're not alone?
There is One who is watching you,
He listens when you pray.
And though it seems this time you won't get through,
God has made a way.

I was struck by the simple truth of this song and so thankful that it is true. God is so good. I am not alone. He is watching me and hears me when I call out for help. He is faithful to provide a way of escape - 1 Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." Yay! God is faithful - what hope I have in this today. So, when my friend dropped Caleb off at 7:30 and said he had been up since 4:00, I didn't have to despair when I was tempted to because God is faithful - He will help me to bear it today.

On another note, I was reading Genesis 25 this morning. I noticed that Keturah (wife of Abraham) bore him 6 kids. I thought - it could be worse - I could live in a tent in the middle of the desert with 6 children running a muck. But I don't. I live in a nice, cozy apartment, and only have 3 children running a muck. Thanks, Lord. :)

Potty Training - First Attempt

2011-01-06T08:13:00.004-06:00

We've been attempting potty training here at the Noll house this week. And our first attempt is officially over. I think that Kendrick has gone to the bathroom everywhere in our apartment except for in his potty. Well, at least he likes his Thomas the Train and Toy Story underwear.

One of my favorite quotes from the experience:

I was sitting on the couch nursing Camden, and Kyle was in the bathroom with Kendrick trying to get him to go potty in the potty. We promised him colored marshmallows as an incentive for going in the potty, and Kendrick really wanted to get one of those. I heard him pass some gas and say, "I tooted, Daddy! I tooted!"

Kyle replied, "Toots are good, but they don't count."

I was laughing so hard at this. Ahh, the things you find yourself saying to your children that you never thought you would say.

Kendrick and I had a sweet moment the other day during this whole process. He had been whining and complaining a lot and I sat down to talk with him about it.

"Kendrick, you are whining and God says that we're not to whine but we're to be full of joy."

"No Mommy, not full of joy. No joy."

"I see that you're not full of joy. Did you know that makes God unhappy?" As I was talking to him I was convicted that I had not been very joyful that day either.

"Mommy hasn't been full of joy today either, has she?" I asked.

"No, Mommy, no joy."

My heart dropped as I realized that my attitude and actions hadn't been pleasing to God either. How quickly I forget that I need to be exemplifying Christ to my sons as we go throughout our day. "Will you forgive Mommy for not being joyful?"

"Yes, Mommy, I 'give you," Kendrick replied as he wrapped his little arms around my neck. We prayed together then. We prayed that God would fill our hearts with joy even though we didn't feel joyful. And then we sang some songs together about joy.

And do you know what? It worked! After confessing our sin to each other, praying to God for help, and then rehearsing who God is through song, we were both joyful.

Ephesians 4:22-24
"that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

A photo of my non-potty trained 2-year-old that God is using to make me more like Him.

A Heavy Heart

2011-01-04T14:09:00.004-06:00

We had a wonderful evening last night welcoming Kyle's brother, Gabe, back into the country. What a blessing to have him home from China. The whole family was together (minus Walt, Jess & Levi), and we enjoyed fellowship over dinner.

When we got home I noticed I had a couple of missed calls from my parents, and so I called them back. Mom shared with me that my cousin Peter passed away yesterday. Peter was a cousin on my mom's side of a rather large family. Peter was a few years older than I, and I can't say that I knew him well. We played together some as kids, and had exchanged a few emails during his recent bout with leukemia. Even though I didn't know Peter well, I have been praying for him, as I do all my family, for several years. And when Mom told me he was gone, my heart sunk. You see, Peter openly rejected Jesus Christ. For years I have been praying Romans 10:1 for him - "My heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." I was praying that God would use the leukemia to soften Peter's heart towards Him, and that he would come to know Christ as Savior. For reasons only God can know, He chose to allow Peter's life to end as a result of the leukemia. And because God is God and I am not, I need to be okay with that. But my heart is heavy today. I love my family. God has been so good to give me such a rich christian heritage, and it saddens me to see one of my cousins not only reject that but reject the God who gives it.

I was crying this morning as I was thinking about Peter spending eternity without Christ. Kendrick came up to me and said, "Mommy, sad?" He wrapped his little arms around me and said, "Mommy, I love you. Don't be sad." Then he went to get me a kleenex.

Please pray for my extended family today. Pray for my Aunt Mary who lost her son. Pray for Rebekah and Deborah who lost a brother. Pray God's grace and strength will sustain them today and the next day, and the next.

Lamentations 3:25-26 encouraged me this morning - "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

Christmas Blessings

2010-12-31T13:40:00.003-06:00

Well, there are far too many blessings to mention in just one post, and I do hope to be blogging about more of them in detail in the future. But, there are 2 blessings I wanted to mention today. They are:

"The Faithful Parent: A Biblical Guide to Raising a Family" by Martha Peace & Stuart Scott
"Don't Make Me Count to Three! A Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline" by Ginger Plowman

Many thanks to my parents and my sister-in-law, Jessi, who got me these books. I've already started reading them. If there's one thing that God has used my children to teach me, it's humility. Realizing I have no idea what I'm doing and that I desperately need His help is a daily occurrence. I'm so grateful for other godly believers that have studied Scripture and have written books on how to apply Biblical truths to parenting. I'll keep you posted on the truths God teaches me as I read these books.

Here are a couple of "blurbs" from each of the books:

"Parents and children need help from the One who is perfect, who understands our need, and who can really help us - God Himself. Because of that, the most important relationship in your family is your relationship with Him. That's the relationship The Faithful Parent emphasizes."

On Don't Make Me Count to Three! - "Through personal experience and practical application of Scripture, Ginger Plowman encourages and equips moms to reach past the outward behavior of their children and dive deeply into the issues of the heart."

I'm so excited to continue reading both of these!

Mormons and a Sibling Date

2010-12-22T08:02:00.003-06:00

The boys wore me down yesterday. You know it's one of those days when you don't get to shower until 4:45 p.m. And I really wanted to shower because we were planning to go out with all of my siblings last night. So, I was praising the Lord that I was able to take a quick one. Anyways, while I was finishing up blow drying my hair and getting ready I had Kendrick watching Thomas the Train and Camden was in the bathroom with me in his bouncy seat. Kendrick came running to the bathroom saying, "Someone's here, someone's here."

I rushed to the door to look out the peephole and discovered there were 2 Mormon missionaries standing outside our door. I rushed back to the bedroom to put the rest of my clothes on and then opened the door. As soon as I did the oven timer went off - indicating that our dinner was ready. After I took that out of the oven I was able to talk with the missionaries for a couple of minutes.

Later, after Kyle got home, we set up a date with them next week. They're going to come back so we can talk some more. I'm so excited. You never know when God is going to drop a witnessing opportunity into your lap. I certainly wouldn't have guessed it would be yesterday evening when everything was crazy around here. Some would say it's crazy to try to "argue" or discuss Biblical truth with the Mormon missionaries that come to your door. But I'm excited about it. Who knows what God could choose to do. This morning I was reading in Revelation 7:10 - "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" I'm so grateful and humbled that God used the Holy Spirit to draw me to Himself and that I do have true salvation. I know the true God, the One who sits on the throne. He's my Father, and His Son has redeemed me with His own blood. How can I not want to share that with those coming to my door to discuss that very topic?

After the missionaries left we ate dinner and headed over to Mom & Dad's in Indianola. Chad, Erica, Isaac and Aubrie are back from Colorado for the week - yay!! We were able to talk the grandparents into watching all 4 of our kids while all of the siblings went out for coffee. I seriously cannot remember the last time we did this, and it was such a blessing! Thank you, Dad & Mom! Carrie introduced us to Smokey Row, a coffee shop in Des Moines, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

I love my family. Each time I get to spend time with all of them it makes me miss them more. God is so good to give them to me. It definitely made me homesick for heaven. I couldn't help but think of that this morning as I was reading Revelation. It will be a wonderful day when we won't have to say goodbye to loved ones, when we'll be reunited with loved ones that are already there, and with believers from all the ages. And the most exciting things - no more daily sin struggles and getting to meet Jesus - I can't even begin to imagine how amazing those will be.

Revelation 7:17
"for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Maybe today?!

Christmas Happenings

2010-12-21T12:00:00.003-06:00

It has been crazy busy around our house this past week. Monday morning when we got up I let out a huge sigh of relief . . . all of our extra activities were DONE, and we only have family events left. Yay! As much as I LOVE all of the extra activities, they are a lot of work, and it is good to have them done and to get ready for some much needed family time.

Since I don't have a lot of time to blog right now, I thought I would just post a few pictures of our extra activities and blog about them later. :)

Here are the youth group boys and Kyle at our house for the Christmas party.

And the lovely ladies.

Kendrick napping - he was worn out - love how he is sleeping in his Christmas sweater with Buzz and his blankie.

Camden's Christmas photo shoot while Kendrick was napping. My little baby is getting so big!

A Picnic

2010-12-21T11:44:00.004-06:00

We've been stuck inside a lot lately due to the cold weather, so we had a picnic the other day in our awesome tent that Grammy Noll made for us. Here are a few pictures of the boys enjoying themselves . . .

Caleb enjoying his milk

Kendrick hamming it up

Both boys in the tent - what fun!

More from Isaiah

2010-12-14T11:37:00.004-06:00

This morning has been quite eventful . . .

Caleb found my exercise ball and had the plug pulled out and water everywhere before I could stop him.

While Caleb was napping Kendrick was "helping" me make sugar cookies and we ended up with flour all over each other and Camden. (Camden looked like an old man with gray hair) This resulted in Camden getting a bath, which actually went quite well because I did not get peed or pooped on. :)

Kendrick decided to "color" on the oven with his snot, and while I was cleaning it up he tried to lick it. I am certain he learned this from his father, not me. Or, maybe it was one of his uncles?

I truly love the variety these boys bring to my day. They make me laugh with their antics, and I praise God for them.

On a more serious note - tantrums and disobedience have been abounding here in our home. I felt like God did (though on a lesser level I am certain) in Isaiah 65:2-3 -

"I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts. A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face."

On Sunday morning I was discussing tantrums with a friend in the nursery, and she shared some godly wisdom with me. She shared with me the importance of true forgiveness. For example, after I've administered discipline, and if my children are repentant, the issue is done. I need to be God-like in my response to their repentance - Psalm 103:11-12 - "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

So often I sin in response to continued disobedience because even though we've been resolving issues all day, I hold an account in my heart. I keep a tally - I've already spanked you X amount of times today, you should be obeying by now. If I am truly living in the Spirit and attempting to imitate Christ in this, I will not keep account after I've already forgiven my son.

The other aspect of this is to remember that my children will never come close to sinning against me as much as I have sinned against God. I don't want to be like the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 who didn't have compassion on his fellow servant. "Each of you, from your heart, forgive your brother his trespasses." May God enable me to forgive my children from my heart on a daily basis.

Croup at the Noll House

2010-12-09T08:25:00.002-06:00

It's currently 8:25 a.m.
Camden is fed and is now napping.
I have exercised and read my Bible.
Kyle got breakfast, his lunch and left for work.
Caleb & Kendrick have clean diapers and have eaten breakfast.
I just finished my breakfast.
Kendrick & Caleb are playing happily.

Therefore . . . I get to blog :)

We've had an interesting week here at the Noll house. God decided to allow us to get sick, and I had no idea how crazy that would be with an additional child. Never really thought about it before, but now I know. It started last Friday and we are still recovering. Kendrick had croup, and Camden had an upper respiratory infection. I've had a cold, and since I'm nursing, no drugs for me. What a week . . . snotty noses, coughing fits, diarrhea, getting puked on more than I can count, green poo, irregular eating habits, no sleep . . . sigh . . . this has caused me to be much more grateful that my children are usually healthy. Praise God for that!

Early Sunday morning I was attempting to nurse Camden - praying he would keep some of the milk down so he wouldn't get dehydrated. I hadn't slept much and was weary, and I was trying to figure out how Kyle & I could fulfill our responsibilities at church that morning with our 2 boys being sick. As I was sitting there reading my Bible, this is what I read:

"Have you not know?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

Wow. How awesome. I was so overwhelmed with emotion, tiredness and gratefulness to God for these truths that I just cried. How good God was to allow me to read this passage in Isaiah. These truths are what has gotten me through the past week. God is good. He is the everlasting Creator. He has designed my circumstances for my good and His glory. Of course I will grow weary and faint, but He will not. That is the whole point. I need Him. I am nothing on my own. I can only find strength in Him. Any strength that I have is because of Him. I am so grateful He allowed us to be sick this last week. I needed to be reminded of these truths. Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. Thank You, Lord, for teaching me again to wait on You.

Called to Be A Blessing

2010-12-06T12:43:00.003-06:00

1 Peter 3:8-9
"Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."

I was reading this on Friday and thought it was cool how Peter words this. As believers, we are called to be a blessing to others. Whether they are doing us good or evil, our response is to be the same. It's our job, one of the reasons God has left us here on this earth. It was awesome too, how as my day went on, God allowed opportunities across my path for me to endeavor to live out these verses. It also made me more grateful for those He allowed to bless me that day. Whom have you endeavored to be a blessing to today?

Christmas is Coming

2010-12-02T11:45:00.007-06:00

Kyle helped me put the tree up last weekend, and so far it has survived the 3 boys. I didn't do a tree last year because Kendrick was into EVERYTHING and I didn't want to fight him on a tree. This year I decided to brave it, and Kendrick & Caleb have been doing great. Praise the Lord!

Here are all 3 boys together.

My two - Kendrick and Camden

Camden - smiling away

Kendrick - all too willing to pose for the camera.

Yesterday I listened to a sermon by Jerry Bridges on "Trusting God." It was very good. Here's a quote that encouraged me - "The promises of God are as real as the circumstances you are in." I'm praising God for this today.

Hebrews 13:5
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Kendrick-isms (funny things Kendrick does)

2010-12-01T15:39:00.002-06:00

This morning I overheard Kendrick in the bathroom, playing with his trains on the toilet. He had his Percy and James trains sitting on the toilet lid.

"Percy, have a yucky? James is tooting. I'll help you."

A few seconds later, "Percy, all done? Done with your yucky? James, all done tooting?"

It was all I could do to not burst into laughter. I love this boy. I think he's ready to be potty trained. Lord willing we will begin that endeavor after Christmas.

Later today I found Kendrick staring up at the Christmas tree. I said, "Are you looking at the tree?"

"Oh yes. Looking up in the tree." Then he lifted up his finger and pointed at the tree. "Zaccheus, you come down! Going to your house today."

Did I mention that I love this boy?

Camden is doing well - growing like crazy. He had his 2 month check up today. He weighed in at 14 pounds, 11 ounces and is in the 99th percentile. My mom said he's taking after his Uncle Chad. Camden also got his first shots today, poor boy. Kendrick wanted to hold his hand while the nurses were giving him the shots. I let him sit up next to Camden - it was so sweet, how protective Kendrick was of his brother. We're having fun here in our little apartment. I'm praising God for these wonderful boys He has given me.

Thanksgiving Blessings (cont.)

2010-11-30T08:29:00.004-06:00

The second half of our Thanksgiving holiday was spent with my side of the family at my parents' house in Indianola. Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday growing up. We usually spent it at our house or at the Lairds. Every year we would have a special time of thanksgiving and praise God for what He had done in our lives over the past year. We would spend time singing too. I love music a lot, and it was awesome to share in that with my family.

It has been a few years since we have been able to "Do Thanksgiving" as we call it with the Lairds. Most of the cousins are 'all grown up', some have moved away, married, had children, etc. But this year a few of the Lairds were able to come to my parents' home, and Grandma Richardson & Grandma Johnson were both there. Stephen & Ashley-Nicole brought their son, Jeshuah, whom we hadn't met before. It wasn't the same since a few were missing, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. I am so grateful for an immediate and extended family that loves the Lord and lives for His glory. Thanks to Mom & Dad for hosting and for all of the work they did to feed us. And thanks to Grandpa & Grandma Richardson who are now reaping what they faithfully sowed - a family that loves God and lives for Him.

Thanksgiving Blessings

2010-11-29T14:17:00.002-06:00

We had the opportunity to travel to Galena, IL to be with Kyle's extended family over Thanksgiving. What a blessing that time was! It was a little different this year because none of Kyle's immediate family were there. Walt, Jess & Levi had just moved to WV and weren't able to make it. Ron & Diane took a trip over to Ireland to visit Elena, and Gabe is still in China. So, I must admit that I was a bit uncertain as to how the trip would go, but God was so good.

The boys traveled really well, and nursing in the car wasn't too bad. :) Don't worry, the car was parked, I didn't nurse while driving. Grandma rented an old farmhouse and some of us spent the night there. Neither of the boys slept well, but they didn't keep the rest of the family up, praise the Lord!

My favorite time was Friday morning when we got to sit in on some family time with the Hoover family. Kyle's cousin, Ryan, left today for Iraq. He is a helicopter pilot. His father, Bruce (Uncle Goose according to Kendrick), has served in the military too. Bruce led a special time, challenging his son, sharing Scripture, and leading the family in prayer. It was such a Deuteronomy 6 moment -

"These words which I command you shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

I was grateful to be able to witness and participate in this special time. I'm so grateful for those that serve our country, and I'm even more grateful for family that is living out God's Word.

Lunch & the Gospel

2010-11-23T14:25:00.004-06:00

Kendrick & I had an interesting conversation during lunch today. He and Caleb were both in high chairs eating as I nursed Camden. Out of the blue, Kendrick looked over at me and said, "God has yuckies too."

I couldn't keep from laughing as I said, "What?"

He repeated it, "God has yuckies too." (Yucky is our word for dirty diaper.)

I said, "No, I don't think He does, but baby Jesus did."

"Mmhmm." He replied.

Where does he come up with this stuff? I have no idea, but I love how he keeps me laughing.

Later on he held up a piece of his hot dog and yelled, "It's a basketball!"

"No, honey, it's not. It's a hot dog. But you could pretend it's a basketball and that your mouth is the basketball hoop."

"Oh yeah!" He proceeded to slam dunk the rest of his hot dog pieces into his mouth while Caleb clapped. He even let me shoot a couple in when I was done feeding Camden.

Earlier in the day we were listening to his Seeds cd, and the song "Grace" came on. (I LOVE Seeds because their music is awesome and is comprised of pure Scripture.) This song is Eph. 2:8 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God." I overheard Kendrick singing, "Not self, gift of God, not self, gift of God."

I loved hearing him sing, but it was also awesome how God allowed him to be singing that particular song. We had a rough morning. I lost track of how many times I had to discipline him and Caleb. After disciplining them we pray that God will help them to obey, because God is the only One who can. Sometimes I take the time to share the Gospel with them too. How cool to be able to get to share with Kendrick & Caleb as Kendrick was singing these lyrics that this verse teaches exactly what they had been struggling over this morning. The only hope we have for obedience, for true salvation from our sins, is through God's gift of His Son Jesus. It is not of ourselves.

What a good reminder to me as a mom that my son is a sinner just like me. He is not capable of pleasing God without God's grace in his life, just as I am not capable of pleasing God without His grace in my life.

Humility

2010-11-20T08:10:00.002-06:00

Last week I listened to a sermon by Rick Gamache on 1 Peter 5:6-11. God really used it to convict me of worry and lack of prayer. Here is the passage, and I'll share a few of Rick's thoughts along with my own.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

"My greatest enemy is my pride! There is nothing worse than having God opposing me." Rick went on to explain how pride is evidenced in our lives via worry and prayerlessness.

"Humility positions us to receive God's grace, and there is nothing better than God's grace."

As I listened to this message and studied out the passage, the Holy Spirit began to show me where my own pride had been evidenced in worry and lack of prayer. I'm so thankful for God using His Holy Spirit and Word to convict me of sin - what a blessing this is! He cares for me. His desire is that in humility I would cast ALL of my cares upon Him, instead of foolishly holding on to some of them through worry and fear. Thank You, Lord for this truth today!

Things You Have Learned from Childhood

2010-11-09T15:33:00.008-06:00

This morning I was reading 2 Timothy and was encouraged/challenged by these verses:

2 Timothy 3:14-15
"But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

First of all, I was encouraged to CONTINUE. I was reading at 6:00 a.m. this morning after waking up at 5:30 to breastfeed. I was planning to exercise at 6:30 and then prepare for the boy I babysit to arrive at 7:30. It was just one of those mornings that I felt too tired to continue, and God directed my heart to these verses. Thank You, Lord!

Secondly, continue in what? Well, I know that Paul was writing this to Timothy, and earlier Paul tells us that Timothy has the same genuine faith that his mother and grandmother did. Those verses, along with these, would suggest that his mother and grandmother taught him God's Word and the Gospel, and that was what he was to continue in. I'm so grateful that my parents did the same. How awesome to be able to have learned God's Word from childhood. The very Word that makes me wise unto salvation through Christ. And not only a one-time salvation from an eternity in hell, it is a day-to-day salvation from indwelling sin and my desire to live for myself instead of for God's glory. Like I said, awesome!

Thirdly, I was challenged to (by God's grace) be the kind of mother that teaches her children these things. My desire would be for my sons to "continue in the things which you have learned . . . from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures." What a great reminder this morning as I prepared to live another day for God's glory with 2 toddlers and a baby.

Speaking of the children, let me show you a few photos of them. Here they are at lunch time. Lunch time is either amazing (all 3 are contained, strapped into seats and cannot go anywhere, and are happily filling their tummies with food), or awful (I am breastfeeding one while another is throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat his food, while the 3rd one is throwing food on the floor). Today, God allowed it to be amazing. :)

Kendrick - the oldest - the leader, instigator, and occasionally the temper tantrum thrower.

Caleb - the "middle child" - the follower and thrower of the food.

Camden - the youngest, and for now, the innocent one.

Kendrick is giving the younger 2 their orders - probably plotting against me.

Kendrick Makes Me Laugh

2010-11-03T16:21:00.004-05:00

Kendrick is becoming increasingly verbose these days. Now, this is not always a good thing, but it does have its entertaining moments. Here are a few things that happened today.

While I was changing his diaper earlier this morning he was wearing a couple of beaded necklaces that he had gotten from the 4th of July parade.

He was playing with them and kept saying, "I need a blue one. I need a blue one."

I misunderstood and replied, "You need a balloon?"

"No, I need a blue one. Need to go shopping."

I laughed, "I don't think your Daddy will let you go shopping for a blue necklace."

Later today he came up to me with a small piece of something crusty on his finger and said very proudly, "I picked it from my nose," as he held the crusty booger up for me to examine.

Hmmmm . . . . lovely. I replied, "Why don't you go throw that away?" He walked promptly to the kitchen trash and threw it away.

What a fun boy we have!

Halloween

2010-11-02T17:29:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures of my boys in their Halloween outfits.

Kendrick the giraffe. Not too thrilled to be in a costume. :)

Camden as a pea in the pod - so cute!

I was able to get them to sit next to each other for a few seconds.

My boys - LOVE them so much!

God's Provision

2010-11-02T17:17:00.002-05:00

Philippians 4:19
"And my God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

I was reading Philippians 4 in my devos a couple of weeks ago, and I've been wanting to post this ever since the day I read it. It was just amazing how God sovereignly allowed a couple of neat things to happen the day I read this verse.

I tend to struggle to trust God to provide for us financially when things get tight. After reading this chapter I was very convicted about that and prayed that God would enable me to trust Him instead of myself or my husband's paycheck.

So, later that day we received the OB portion of the bill from Camden's birth. I was very nervous to open it, as I had no idea how much our insurance was going to cover. The bill from my doctor was $3,200.00. Wow. The amount we have to pay? $40.00. Wow. I was in tears. I couldn't believe it. I am so thankful for health insurance. I know everyone says the system is broken, etc., etc., but we have never had any trouble with ours. I don't expect to get services for free, and I am so thankful for any portion our insurance covers. I'm grateful that God used our insurance to help supply our needs. We haven't received the hospital portion of our bill yet, but I can't wait to see how God provides for that too.

That same day I received a package from my cousin, and I couldn't believe what was in it! It was a new outfit for Camden. One that I had been looking at from Target and I really wanted to buy for him. It wasn't a need, and he has all of Kendrick's old clothes, and we didn't have money for it, so I didn't buy it. But it was so cute . . . how awesome of God to use my cousin to bless me with a want, giving me above what I need. And my cousin didn't even know I wanted that specific outfit. I love how God does things like this. He is so good!

To-Do List

2010-10-19T15:33:00.002-05:00

I am sitting at my kitchen table right now. I can't see it though - it's covered with bills, statements, coupons, my planner, thank yous that are in the middle of being written, Camden's baby book, etc. I was just reviewing my To-Do List for today and thought I would take a break and check the blogs that I follow. I love it how God knows exactly what I need and when I need it. This was evidenced again today as I read a blog by Carolyn Mahaney entitled "How to Survive a Busy Season".

The concept that struck me was some instruction that her husband gave her. He said, "Only God completes His to-do list. We are not God. We are finite creatures with serious limitations. Therefore we need to humble ourselves by accepting our limitations and draw upon God's strength to simply do what we can."

Wow. What a simple concept - duh - of course only God can fully complete a to-do list. And again - duh - I am not God. I am definitely a finite creature with serious limitations. Just ask my family. How cool that God reminded me of this today. I was just trying to decide which items I could put off until tomorrow because I know that once the boys wake up from naps I won't be able to get everything on my list done. And I was feeling a bit guilty that I wouldn't be able to get everything done. The end of her blog addressed this too - "Trust God for the things on the list that don't get done."

Again, another simple, profound truth. May God enable me today to accomplish what He would have me accomplish for His glory and my good, and may He enable me to entrust the unaccomplished items to Him.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-16T21:16:00.005-05:00

It was beautiful outside today, and we had a great time with the boys at Williamson's Pumpkin Paradise. Here are a few pictures from our afternoon.

Kendrick checking out the pumpkins.

He really liked this one - actually tried to kiss it - have no idea why!

He loved getting buried in the corn by Daddy.

Posing with Mommy . . . :) Just realized we didn't take any pictures of Camden today. He spent the afternoon sleeping in the stroller.

Delight

2010-10-12T18:23:00.003-05:00

Proverbs 27:9
"Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel."
Proverbs 27:17
"As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

I was reading Proverbs 27 today and as I read these 2 verses I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for giving me friends that delight my heart with godly counsel and sharpen my spiritual countenance. It also made me want to be more intentional in my relationships and to purpose to be a delight as a friend. I'm grateful for the different women God has brought in and out of my life, and I know He has intentionally placed each of them there when He knows I need them.

I'm also grateful for my best friend whom God has placed in my life permanently. We had some great iron sharpening iron conversations this weekend during our drive to and from Mt. Pleasant, and I couldn't praise God more for a husband that delights my heart and sharpens my countenance. I love you, Kyle Adam.

Big Brother

2010-10-05T09:50:00.004-05:00

I've been pleasantly surprised by Kendrick's joy in being a big brother to Camden. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from him when we brought Camden home, and I guess I had prepared myself for the worst. However, he simply hasn't stopped showering Camden with hugs and kisses. I know this may not last, but I'm enjoying it while it does.

Here are a few funny things that have happened around our house this last week:

"Mommy, Camen nose broken." - Kendrick when he discovered that Camden's nose does not make a honking noise.
Kendrick really likes lotion, and he is quite distressed that I won't let him help me put diaper rash cream (lotion) on Camden's bottom.
Kendrick was trying to unwrap Camden's clenched fist to teach him how to give five, and didn't understand why Camden would not want to learn this awesome talent. In the end he settled for the fist bump.
This morning I found Camden covered with Kendrick's farm animals while Kendrick was picking up one at a time and trying to teach Camden the appropriate noises to go with each animal.

God's Been Good

2010-10-05T09:17:00.008-05:00

Psalm 119:68 -
"You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes."

Yesterday was my first day home alone with my boys. And I loved it. Several times throughout the day I was just overwhelmed with God's goodness to me. I am so blessed. God is so good. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be here today, I would not have believed you. God allowed me to do full-time ministry as a single, brought my amazing hubby into my life, gave us 2 incredible extended families, generously gave us 2 healthy boys, and let me be a stay-at-home mom. This song keeps running through my mind. I love it's simple truth.

God's Been Good

Lately I've been looking back along this winding road
To the old familiar markers of the mercies I have known
I know it may sound simple, but it's more than a cliche
There's no better way to tell you than to say

God's been good in my life
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams when I go to sleep each night
Though I've had my share of hard times I wouldn't change them if I could
Cause through it all God's been good.

Times replay and I can see that I've cried some bitter tears
But I've felt His arms around me as I faced my greatest fears
You see I've had more gains than losses
And I've known more joy than hurt
As His grace rolled down upon me undeserved

For God has been my Father
My Savior and my Friend
His love was my Beginning and His love will be my End
I could spend forever trying to tell you everything He is
But the best way that I can say it is this:

God's been good in my life
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams when I go to sleep each night
Though I've had my share of hard times I wouldn't change them if I could
Cause through it all God's been good.

God's goodness displayed in giving me Kyle, my husband and best friend, who works so hard to faithfully provide for our family.

God's goodness is evidenced in my firstborn, Kendrick Adam, whose infectious smile fills our lives.

God's goodness in allowing us to have a 2nd son, Camden Gabriel, whose mild and sweet temperament has been a joy to our hearts.

Psalm 119:68 -
"You are good and do good; Teach me Your statutes."

Camden Gabriel

2010-10-02T20:47:00.003-05:00

Camden Gabriel has made his arrival!

Camden was born on Monday, September 27th at 5:06 a.m. He weighed 9 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20 inches long. We are praising God for his safe arrival, for Mommy's quick delivery, and for the new blessing He has given us. WOW - what a beautiful baby boy. We love him so much already!

Eagerly Waiting

2010-10-02T20:35:00.002-05:00

This is a post I had meant to do last week (before the baby was born) about some things God was teaching me.

Romans 8:23-24
"We also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope . . . we eagerly wait for it with perseverance."

2 Corinthians 5:4-5
"For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, because we want to be further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has also given us the Spirit as a guarantee."

As I had been preparing and awaiting the arrival of our baby, I had been convicted of my lack of preparation and excitement for the arrival of Christ. The last month of pregnancy is one of the longest and most uncomfortable. It seemed I was growing larger by the second, the contractions were increasing, and the back pain little baby Noll was creating was incredibly painful. And yet, all of this was bringing me closer to his arrival. Similarly, as the burden of life in this sinful world wears on me, I should be groaning and eagerly waiting for the ultimate redemption of my body at the return of Christ. I should be eagerly waiting for it with perseverance. How many days go by that I do not once anticipate His return?

This last month of pregnancy has renewed my desire to see Christ, for Him to return and have the ultimate victory over my sin, and to completely glorify my sinful body "that mortality may be swallowed up by life."

Clothing

2010-09-15T11:37:00.002-05:00

I've been reading "Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild" by Mary Kassian. What a great book! I just finished the chapter on modesty, and she had a couple of great quotes about clothing. I love how she details the reason we wear clothes. I'll never forget the first time this concept was introduced to me by Pastor Duke when he preached a message on "The Theology of Clothing". It definitely takes modesty to a whole new level. Here are a couple of quotes I appreciated:

"Our clothes are a witness both to our past and present failure and to our future glory. They testify to the chasm between what we are and what we should be. And they testify to God's merciful intention to bridge that chasm through Jesus Christ and His death for our sins. . . . Those who try to reverse this divine decision in search of the primal innocence of the Garden of Eden are putting the cart before the horse. Until all sin is gone from our souls and from the world, being clothed is God's will for a witness to our fall. Taking your clothes off does not put you back into pre-Fall paradise; it puts you into post-Fall shame. That's God's will. It's why modesty is a crucial post-Fall virtue." - John Piper

"A Christian woman clothes herself with Christ. That's what she wears. The clothing of Christ is the most important item in her wardrobe. Her external appearance should display, and not deny or distract from, the righteous clothing of Christ that she wears. The visible should point to the invisible. The temporal should point to the eternal. The symbol should point to the reality. In the final analysis, your clothing is not meant to be about you - it's meant to display deep and profound spiritual truths about the gospel. That's why it's highly important that you wrestle with the practical question of what and what not to wear." - Mary Kassian

On another note - Baby Noll should be here soon, Lord willing. I've been having a lot of contractions lately, and at my appointment today I found out I'm dilated 3 cm! Who knows when God has his arrival planned . . . I'll keep you posted. :)

Blessed cont. . . .

2010-09-10T09:48:00.003-05:00

These are the 2 pics I wanted to post at the end of my post yesterday, but I couldn't get them to upload, so here they are. Kendrick & Isaac with their Great-Grandmas, and also at the park.

I finished listening to a lesson by Carolyn Mahaney yesterday. It was about teaching Biblical Femininity in our churches. Here is a quote I enjoyed:

"What our sinful, corrupt society needs is the gospel which alone can change human hearts. What we learn from Titus 2 is that as we live godly lives in this evil world, as we cultivate the qualities of Biblical femininity, we will actually adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ and we will have a platform for verbal witness that points sinners to God's grace in the gospel."

Blessed

2010-09-09T14:39:00.005-05:00

We had an amazing Labor Day weekend and were blessed to get to spend time with both sides of our family. Ron & Diane came down for a visit during the first part of the weekend, and we joined the Johnson side for the latter part. A few blessings from the weekend -

A garage!! With the help of Dad & Mom, Kyle was able to move all of this from Kendrick's bedroom into the garage. I still can't believe we had all of this crammed in there. We had to make room for this . . .

Kendrick's new bed! Dad & Mom brought Kyle's old bunk bed with them, the boys assembled it, and here it is all ready for use. Praise God for this blessing! This week I was able to get everything organized and even got the crib set up for Baby #2.

What a relief to have this done. There were many factors involved, but a major one was learning this weekend that we won't be moving to CA. We heard back from the church there, and they decided not to have us come. We are grateful for God's clear leading and still excited to see what He has for our future. I didn't take any pictures of Ron & Diane from this weekend, but I can't say THANK YOU enough for all they did. We love you guys! Here's Kendrick enjoying a few new things they brought . . .

An easel from Aunt Elena,

And a trike from Grandpa & Grandma. What fun!

The second major blessing of the weekend was getting to spend time with both of my Grandmas, my brother Chad and his son Isaac. He had the brilliant idea to surprise the family with a visit, and we had a great time together. I love watching our boys interact. I can't say enough how good God is to give them to us. Several times during the weekend the thought would come over me that I can't believe we are parents . . . we're old enough to do this, and God has chosen to give us these little souls to impact for eternity?! Wow, crazy, huh? I'm so grateful for God's grace in our lives that equips and enables us for the parenting task. What a challenge and privilege it is. We LOVE you Chad & Isaac, and praise God for you. Chad, you are an amazing father, and I'm grateful to have you for my big little brother.

For some reason I can't get the pics of Kendrick & Isaac to upload, so I'll have to try again later.

No Eye Has Seen

2010-09-02T00:09:00.002-05:00

So . . . I tried going to bed. It's now 12:10 a.m., and my restless legs are driving me crazy. So, here I am wide awake blogging. Soon I'll be up at 12:10 with my new baby. I'll take that over my restless legs any day - can't wait! :) In the meantime, here's one of my favorite verses that I read today in my Bible reading.

1 Corinthians 2:9
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

Awesome! I'm so grateful for God's sovereign hand in my life, grateful that He is in control and I am not, humbled that He has amazing things in store for me - things that He has hand-picked just for me to make me more like Him and to bring Him glory. What an awesome God I serve.

Salt & Light

2010-08-26T09:05:00.004-05:00

Matthew 5:13-14,16
"You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Last night we had a picnic with our teens during youth group. It was an "End of the Summer / Beginning of School" type of thing. Yesterday was their first day of school, and I am so excited for them to get back into their "world" and be lights. These kids are amazing, I love them all. The testimony that they will/do have for God and His glory in their public schools is great, and I can't wait to see how God is going to use them this year.

We will be praying for each of you as you "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."

This little light (Kendrick) doesn't get to shine in the public schools yet. He has been quite the helper to Mommy though - providing opportunities for Mommy to shine amidst our neighbors, the checkers at Fareway and Wal-Mart, and of course with the librarians. I pray for the day he will come to know Christ as Savior and shine his light just like our teens that he now looks up to.

Only 6 weeks to go . . .

2010-08-24T12:35:00.004-05:00

This is a pic from our 20-week ultrasound - I'm sure he's a little bigger by now. I can hardly believe that he is almost here! God is so good to bless us with another boy, and we can't wait to meet him. I was sorting through Kendrick's old clothes this morning and found a couple of newborn diapers stuck in the pile. Wow, those are so much smaller than the size 5 he is in now. I forgot how small newborns are. What fun it will be to watch Kendrick interact with his baby brother when he arrives.

There have been many unknowns surrounding the arrival of this baby. Kyle has been interviewing with a church in CA for an Associate Pastor position, and for awhile there was a chance that we could be moving before the baby was born. Now we know for sure that we won't be. I am just praising the Lord for this. We can finally start to get the boys' room ready by putting Kyle's things in storage and moving in a bunk bed for Kendrick. We still may be moving to California, we don't know yet, but at least it won't be until after the baby is born. We will be nice and snug in our little 2-bedroom apartment, but I am so grateful that God has provided that for us.

Galatians 6:9

2010-08-10T14:54:00.004-05:00

"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

I am struggling to believe and apply this verse today. And this is the kind of day where I need it the most. I was checking some blogs I follow and found this Girl Talk post which God used to greatly encourage my heart.

I've been struggling to be consistent with parenting this week. This pregnancy is really beginning to wear on me. I haven't been sleeping, I've been having a lot of trouble with my back, and it's getting difficult to chase a screaming toddler around so that I can catch him to spank him . . . :) I was a bit discouraged this afternoon when both of the boys only took 30 minute naps and have continued to be quite naughty. I'm so thankful that God directed me to this blog and helped to correct my thinking and encourage my heart. Here are a couple of quotes, in case you don't have time to link to the blog and read the entire post.

"May I encourage you to hold onto this verse (Gal. 6:9) as you seek to faithfully sow into the lives of your little ones? The harvest won't come today. And it won't come tomorrow. Maybe not even next year or the year after that."

"But we must be faithful to sow today. Faithful to train. Faithful to teach. Faithful to discipline. Faithful to love. Or, as it says in this passage, faithful to "do good." And we must trust God that He will fulfill His promises, that we will reap a harvest in due season if we do not give up."

God, help me to be faithful today.

Playing at the Mall

2010-08-06T14:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took Kendrick to the Play Place at the Mall so he could run off some steam. I've been doing that more often since it has been so hot and my pregnant body can't handle the heat very well when he plays outside. Anyway, God brought a very friendly Indian mom across my path, and I'm hoping I will see her again. She has twin girls that are 2 and full of energy. They are from Bombay and her husband works for Microsoft. For the next few months he has a job in Des Moines, so they all get to stay in a hotel while he works. It was fun to talk with her, and I couldn't help but wonder what her spiritual state was as we talked.

Amazingly enough, God allowed her to ask me some questions about parenting. Kendrick had come up to me and said, "Please, water." This led to her wondering how I got him to do this, and how I get him to obey/share with others/etc. What an awesome opportunity to share Christ with her. It is only because of God and the Gospel in our lives that I have any hope in helping to teach my child to obey. Yes, I could change his behavior without God and the Gospel, but I would never be able to get to his heart. I was able to share a little bit of this with my new friend before we were interrupted by one of her girls' cries. I hope and pray I will see her again during our next visit to the Play Place. The concept of God being able to help us in our parenting endeavors seemed completely foreign to her. Maybe He is beginning to draw her to Himself. Maybe she will come to know Christ soon. You just never know when God is going to give you the opportunity to give an answer for the hope that is in you. What a privilege it is to share Him with others.

A Trip to the Zoo

2010-08-05T20:07:00.002-05:00

Last week we had the opportunity to take Kendrick to the zoo. We had taken him last year, but it was so much more fun this year! His vocabulary has been exploding lately, and of course Kyle has been teaching him about as many animals as he can. Kyle is an animal lover, and at the rate Kendrick is going, he will be too. I was thankful that the Des Moines zoo is small, as this pregnant mama gets warm quite quickly, and we had an enjoyable quick trip. Some highlights were the wallabies . . . Kendrick kept finding "one more", the tiger which was taking a nap, and of course, the giraffes which are Kendrick's favorite animal at the moment.

I enjoyed watching my husband, who was just as excited (if not more so) than Kendrick, and who loved every minute of our time there. It truly is amazing all of the different creatures God created - just for fun. What an amazingly creative God He is.

On a totally different note, I am still reading through "Lord, I Want to Know You" with my friend Ashley, and I loved the opening paragraph in our chapter for this week. Kay Arthur puts it so well:
"In my walk with God, I long to develop a spiritual disposition that causes me to seek Him immediately in every situation of life. I want to come to a place where I always think of how my God would have me respond because of who He is and because of what He has said. But often I simply react to a situation. . . It is one thing to know about God and another to live in the light of that knowledge. . . I pray that we will not react to the natural, but that we will respond to the spiritual."

Oh, how I want this to be true of me more often. It is far too easy to react in the natural man instead of by the Spirit, displaying the fruits of the Spirit in my reaction. May God enable me to grow by His grace and increasingly respond to life because of who He is and what He has said.

The Toddler Bible

2010-07-26T11:07:00.002-05:00

We've been reading through the Toddler Bible with Kendrick since he was born, but lately he's added some interesting insights that we enjoy . . .

While reading the Creation Story, I pointed out Adam and Eve.
Kendrick - "Oh no. No clothes! Oh no . . . belly." (while pointing at Adam's belly) I didn't think I would have to explain to my 20-month old why God created Adam and Eve without clothes!

Jonah is a favorite of his. Jonah gets swallowed by a big fish because he didn't obey God.
Kendrick - "Jonah, night-night, wish?" (wondering if Jonah went to sleep in the fish's belly) And then, "Blankie?" (How could Jonah sleep without one?!)

In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as "Baby Jessi." And so far, his favorite miracle is when Jesus helped the disciples catch a lot of fish. At first they didn't catch any - "Oh no. No wish!" But then Jesus did a miracle and there were hundreds of fish. "Woah! Wishes! Yeah!"

What fun it is to see Scripture through the eyes of a child. I'm sure this will only increase as he becomes more vocal and grows in understanding. :)

Discipline

2010-07-13T14:44:00.003-05:00

Proverbs 29:15 & 17
"The rod and reproof give wisdom,
but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;
he will give delight to your heart."

These verses were/are such an encouragement to me, and I love how I can already see the truth of them in my son. God is so good to give us parenting truths in His Word so we don't have to wonder if we're doing the right thing. A friend and I were discussing these verses this morning, and even though they are not always easy to apply, the result of their application is much more desirable than not applying them (besides the fact that they are a command and God requires us to!).

So I was working with Kendrick on returning evil with good this morning - for example, when a playmate steals the toy you were playing with, don't hit them, try to share with them, even though you were "wronged". I know, a difficult concept for a 20-month-old to understand. As I was explaining it to him, my friend and I started laughing because we realized how hard it is for US to respond correctly in our difficult "adult" circumstances in which we are wronged, or don't like the circumstances God has allowed. I know I have not been the best example to my son in this, but I am so grateful for the Gospel and how because Jesus' blood covers my sin and His Holy Spirit enables me to live to please Him, I can offer that same hope to my son in his endeavors to return evil with good. Even in something that seems silly - like a stolen toy. What awesome opportunities God gives me to give my son wisdom, while sharing with him my own sin struggles and the hope I have in the Gospel.

My Family

2010-07-09T14:55:00.004-05:00

Here is a pic from our amazing 4th of July weekend with the entire Johnson family. I'll have more pictures later after I get them from my Dad, but here is just a preview. Chad & Erica came back from CO with their 2 kids, Carrie managed to get a few days off work, and Lynn was able to sneak away from Camp. What fun we had together. God is good to have given me such a wonderful family!

Marriage

2010-07-08T22:01:00.002-05:00

Tonight I had the privilege of meeting with an old friend to discuss marriage. I love marriage. I love the beautiful picture it is of Christ and the Church, and that God allows us to display the gospel to the world through our marriages. What an awesome thing this is! How humbling that God chooses to use sinners to do this. Who are we to deserve this awesome blessing?

I just finished reading Paul Tripp's book on marriage, "What Did You Expect?" Wow. What an awesome read. Here are a couple of quotes that impacted me.

"Marriage is meant to be a tool in God's hands to expose your heart and drive you to the end of yourself. It is meant to convince you that you are needier than you thought you were and to encourage you that God's grace has more power to transform than you thought it did."

"God's goal is that your marriage would be a major tool in His wise and loving hands to rescue you from claustrophobic self-worship and form you into a person who lives for nothing smaller than His kingdom, His righteousness and His glory. God's goal is to transform you at the casual core of your personhood - your heart."

I'm so grateful that God designed marriage this way - to make me more like Him.

My Committed Redeemer

2010-06-23T21:56:00.002-05:00

"Your Redeemer loves you enough to be more committed to your holiness than your comfortability. This is GRACE."

I just finished listening to "When Life Makes No Sense" by Paul Tripp from a message he gave at the 2010 Biblical Counseling Training Conference. It was such a good sermon. Okay, "good" doesn't do it justice, but I was challenged and encouraged. I was convicted that too often I attempt to understand God's purpose in trials and find rest in that understanding, instead of finding rest in the Person of Christ. Tripp also highlighted the fact that God sovereignly using difficult circumstances is an evidence of His grace in our lives.

So thankful tonight that God is more committed to my holiness than to my comfortability. If you'd like to listen to Tripp's message, you can find it here. Thanks to my hubby for recommending it to me in the first place.

Conversation with Kendrick

2010-06-21T18:46:00.002-05:00

After hearing a suspicious sound coming from Kendrick's backside -

Me: "Did you toot?"
Kendrick: "Yucky, toot."
Me: "You tooted?"
Kendrick: "Yeah"
Me: (grateful to not have to change another dirty diaper) "Yay for tooting!"
Kendrick: "Oh yeah!"

Sovereign One

2010-06-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm listening to Awesome God, a kids album by Sovereign Grace, with the boys this morning, and this song has been such a blessing to me. I LOVE all of the music on this album, but was especially encouraged by these lyrics today.

Sovereign One
You work all things to Your plan
Sovereign One
You hold all things in Your hands

When I don't get to have my own way
I will trust in You
For You know what is best
When tears begin to roll down my face
I will trust in You
For You are good, You are good

Perfect in power, You control all things
Perfect in wisdom, You know everything
Perfect in goodness
Jesus, You're so good to me
So good to me

Precious

2010-06-11T12:41:00.002-05:00

Psalm 116:15 -
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."

This is part of what I read during my devotions this morning. It brought to mind the first time this verse became special to me - it was about 6 years ago when my Grandpa Johnson went home to be with the Lord. His funeral was on my birthday. Two years later God used it to greatly encourage me again when He took my Grandpa Richardson home to be with Him a month before my wedding. What special memories I have of these 2 men, and how grateful I am to God for giving them to us for the time He did. How wonderful to be reminded that their deaths were precious in His sight.

World Cup

2010-06-11T12:32:00.003-05:00

The World Cup started in South Africa today. Kendrick & Daddy have already watched one of the games online.

Somebody wants to be just like Daddy - loving soccer and his Bible!

18-month pics

2010-06-10T22:08:00.005-05:00

These are a few recent pics of Kendrick - courtesy of Craig Johnson Photography.

Kendrick has been "praying" for his Uncle Goober who is in China right now, I wish I had it on video. He says - "God . . . Booger . . . na" for "Dear God, please help Uncle Goober in China." I'll have to try to get that on tape. :)

My Stubborn Son

2010-06-10T22:07:00.000-05:00

So, this is week 2 of the "Pacifier Weaning" process. And I'm just wondering, Dad, did you pray God would give me a strong-willed child? Cause He sure did. You'll probably read this and laugh, Mom & Dad, hope you're enjoying it. :) But yes, I did not realize how special and important Kendrick's pacifier was to him. He still says, "Bye, Bye" to it every night (even though it is nowhere to been seen), and spends quite a bit of time crying for it. Who knew he held such a deep attachment to a little piece of plastic. I shudder to think what the response would be if I tried to take his blankie away. Most evenings he also throws a temper tantrum and starts kicking the wall. I keep thinking one of these times the pictures are going to fall down on him, or our upstairs neighbor is going to come knocking on our door. Thankfully that hasn't happened yet.

At first I was not thankful for this "teaching experience." But as it has stretched on, God has grown a gratefulness in my heart. I can see myself in my son - I struggle with sin on a daily basis, just as he does. And sometimes I am just as stubborn as he in my desire to hold on to it. I'm so thankful for God's grace in my life, and thankful that I can extend that grace to my son. I will admit, I am praying that the pacifier withdrawal will end tonight. But if it doesn't, I know that God's grace will be sufficient for me again tomorrow.

Fellowship with a fellow Mom

2010-06-04T14:02:00.002-05:00

Most Fridays I get to meet with my friend Ashley for "Bible Study." I put this in quotations because I must admit, with anywhere from 3 to 6 children running around an apartment, there are times when not much study gets done. :) BUT - what a blessing it is to meet on a weekly basis and share life together.

Today I took Caleb along with Kendrick & I. Caleb is an 8-month-old that I've been able to watch since he was 6 weeks old. I usually just watch him a couple of days a week. Today I was feeling very pregnant and was thankful that God did not give me 3 babies w/in 10 months of each other! Anyway, Ashley and I have started going through "Lord, I Want to Know You" by Kay Arthur. Amidst 4 toddlers and a baby we discussed what we had been challenged/encouraged by in the chapter we read. Here are a couple of quotes -

"You are a unique creation of God, one of a kind, created for His glory. . . You are to live in such a way as to give all of creation a correct opinion or estimate of who God is."

What an encouragement and challenge this is. I am one of a kind. God created me to be the Mom my kids need to point them to who He is. I pray He will enable me to do this today.

On a completely different note - Kendrick & I made strawberry jam yesterday from some strawberries that my mother-in-law left us. It is sooo yummy - mmm!

A Brief Update

2010-06-03T19:01:00.000-05:00

I'm back to blogging - yay! After 2 years without internet we are finally able to have it at home - praise the Lord! It has been such a blessing this past week to "reconnect" with the online world. I'm excited to be able to blog again too, and share what God has been doing in our lives.

So . . . a brief update . . . since I last blogged a bit has changed in our home. Kendrick is now a whopping 18 months old - crazy! He is growing so quickly and I praise God for each day I get with my precious son. I am expecting baby boy #2 - due on Oct. 3rd and currently 22 weeks along. Kyle & I celebrated our 4 year anniversary last month. Kyle has been actively looking for an Associate Pastor position somewhere in the States. We are praying God will direct our steps and lead us exactly where He wants to use us. Kyle has had interviews with a couple of different churches and we'll be visiting one in July. We'll see where God leads.

I finished reading "A Sweet and Bitter Providence" by John Piper this afternoon. What a blessing this book about Ruth was to me today! I have been a bit overwhelmed and discouraged this week as my hubby has started a new work schedule that I don't care for, and we've taken Kendrick off his pacifier during his sleeping time. I knew these things would be difficult, I just underestimated how frequent my struggle to respond correctly would be. God used this quote from Piper to help me put my day into perspective:

"Serving a widowed mother-in-law, gleaning in a field, falling in love, having a baby - for the Christian these things are all connected to eternity. They are part of something much bigger than they seem . . . For the Christian there is always a connection between the ordinary events of life and the stupendous work of God in history. Everything we do in obedience to God, no matter how small, is significant."

So this means that how I respond to Kyle's new hours changing every aspect of my daily schedule, or to Kendrick's endless crying about how his pacifier went bye-bye, that response is significant to God. When I choose to respond correctly to these seemingly insignificant things it can bring God glory. What a blessing to know that as a Christian I am part of something bigger - a part of God's plan for eternity. Thank you, Lord, for this today!

I Love My Boys

2009-09-09T13:46:00.002-05:00

God is so extremely good to give me these 2 boys - My hubby and my baby. I love them dearly and praise God for them!

Psalm 107:1 - "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!"

Parenting

2009-08-07T17:37:00.003-05:00

I've started reading through "Shepherding a Child's Heart" again. A friend of mine and I are going through it together. I read it once before when I was pregnant, and it definitely takes on a new meaning now that we have a child. Tripp says that the person my child will become is the product of 2 things - life experience and how he interacts with that experience. He said, "You must be concerned with providing the most stable shaping influences, but you may never suppose that you are merely molding passive clay. The clay responds to shaping; it either accepts or rejects molding."

What a good reminder that I can never make my child's heart respond in a certain way - he must choose to do so. Also, a good reminder to provide God-honoring shaping influences in Kendrick's life.

What a joy it is to teach this little one about our Savior. I pray his heart will be tender towards spiritual things and that he will one day come to know and love His Redeemer.

A Busy Summer

2009-08-06T10:23:00.009-05:00

Wow, so much has happened since my last post! This post is long overdue, I know, and at the prompting of my big little brother (Chad) I am finally making time to type it. :)

We enjoyed an awesome vacation with the Johnson side in Colorado for a week in May. After a long drive home we learned that our beloved Pastor's family was leaving us to pastor their home church in Oregon . . . what sad news! Our families enjoyed some final Iowa moments together:

Slaughters, you are deeply missed, but we are very excited for your new ministry in Oregon!

At the end of June Kyle made a trip to NY for Isaac & Amanda's wedding, and Kendrick stayed home to help me celebrate my birthday. The next big event of our summer was the 4th of July. Kendrick enjoyed his first parade, a trip to the zoo, a concert at the Capitol and a Tea Party.

After all of this excitement, I had the opportunity to counsel our Jr. High girls at IRBC - what fun! Mom so graciously volunteered to help Kyle with Kendrick that week, and he had a blast with his grandparents and Uncle Curtis. Upon arriving home from camp, we began to prepare for our trip out to NY for Micah's wedding. Kyle was a groomsman, and we had a great time driving out and back. God allowed us to see many friends and family and to do a little sight-seeing during our drive.

With all of the changes and extra activities that have taken place in our lives this summer it has been tempting to doubt God's sufficiency and to attempt to accomplish things in my own strength. God keeps bringing me back to 2 Corinthians 3:5 - "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."

Vacation is Coming . . .

2009-05-14T13:26:00.002-05:00

We took this "family" picture at graduation, but were very much missing Chad, Erica, Isaac & Lynn. Well . . . in just 10 days we will ALL be vacationing in Colorado - yay!! I was talking with my brother Chad on the phone today and it made me miss him and his family even more. I am very much anticipating spending a week with them. Christmas was a long time ago - it's definitely time for the cousins to see each other again.

Here's a random shot of Kendrick with Kyle's hat on. I know, before we know it he'll be wearing his own graduation hat . . .

I read a really sweet quote by John Calvin on change yesterday -

"I am here subject to many changes, which may cause me to lose courage. But what of it? The Son of God is my Head, who is exempt from all change. I must, then, take confidence in Him."

Good stuff. I'm so thankful our God is exempt from change.

Unbelief

2009-05-12T12:18:00.002-05:00

I've been reading through the book "Because He Loves Me" by Elyse Fitzpatrick (yes, Kyle, I've been working on it for the past 5 months), and it is an excellent read. In the chapter I was reading yesterday she makes the statement that unbelief is at the root of all sin. A particular paragraph resounded with my heart -

"At times we still wonder if He is really there, if He is really good, if His Word is really reliable, if He loves us. We wonder if He can make us happy."

I must admit these questions were spinning around in my mind after a few recent changes in "my" plan for our lives. I know truth. I know Jesus, or am striving to know Him, yet I am a sinner and my thoughts and desires are not yet completely aligned with His. As my husband and both of my parents would tell you, I struggle with change. Especially the type that broadsides me. The change I couldn't even see on the horizon.

But here is the beautiful truth about all of this, the truth I must keep saturating myself in:

"All the different circumstances you face are tools in the Master Sculpter's hand. He is using these tools to shape and mold you. Each trial, difficulty, joy, struggle and tragedy is a precious instrument of His love . . . God is so confident in His awesome power that as He sovereignly rules and overrules in your life, He knows He WILL accomplish the inconceivable task of recreating you to be like Christ . . . God wants to teach you that eternal happiness will be found only in Him because He alone is the fountain of true joy."

In my sinful heart of unbelief, I attempt to find my happiness in people or circumstances, instead of in my God who created me to find joy in Him. What wonderful hope I have in the Gospel - my God loves me enough that He desires to "accomplish the inconceivable task of recreating me to be like Christ." This truly is an inconceivable task.

My heart echoes the cry of the father in Mark 9:24 - "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

Graduation

2009-05-11T14:21:00.003-05:00

Congrats to my wonderful hubby on graduating with his Bachelor's - yay! I cannot put into words how excited and thankful I am that he is finished with school (for now). Now instead of splitting time 4 ways (family, school, church, work) he only has to split it 3 ways! I am very proud of him and thankful for the ability God gave him to excel in his studies and to finish his degree.

Of course I must post a recent Kendrick pic . . . Here is one that Aunt Elena took after he got out of his bath. What a cutie. I love him so much!

A Heavenly Perspective

2009-05-05T14:45:00.003-05:00

One of the older ladies in our church passed away last week. She had been suffering with cancer for a little over 3 years and went home to be with the Lord. I had the opportunity to play the piano this morning at the funeral, and then Kendrick and I stayed for the dinner with the family. It's amazing how a baby can bring a smile to anyone's face. I almost didn't stay because I thought we would just be in the way, but I'm so thankful we did. I was able to talk with people that may not have otherwise spoken with me because of the baby - what a great conversation starter! :)

So today I was reminded of my need to have a Godward focus, as far as eternity is concerned. Pastor shared some verses from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 -

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

Oh how I long for this day - when we will always be with the Lord! Our lives here are so short, and I often forget this. May God help us remember there is more to life than our life on earth.

Here are a few Kendrick pictures . . .

Lounging in the hammock at the Slaughters.

These next 2 are a result of Kyle's antics. For some reason he enjoys putting Kendrick in our bathroom sink . . . I have no idea why. :)

Oh the Deep, Deep Love

2009-05-01T12:28:00.003-05:00

Last night I got to go out with a couple of my friends to celebrate one of their 30th birthdays. We had a great time. However, unbeknownst to me, my husband was having quite the struggle at home with our son. The look he gave me when I walked through the door was priceless. I wish I could show you. Apparently, teething is not meant to be a "fun" parenting experience . . . Tylenol does work well though. :)

After rocking our screaming baby to sleep, I was watching him sleep in his crib. Kyle was playing the one of our Sovereign Grace cds, and "Oh the Deep, Deep Love" came on -

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Spread His praise from shore to shore
How He came to pay our ransom
Through the saving cross He bore
How He watches o’er His loved ones
Those He died to make His own
How for them He’s interceding
Pleading now before the throne

Oh the deep, deep love
All I need and trust
Is the deep, deep love of Jesus

As I sat there in the dark, on the floor by our baby's crib I was overwhelmed with love for this child. I prayed that through our love he would come to know the deep, deep love of Jesus, that he would learn about Jesus paying our ransom by dying to make us His own. And then it hit me that my God loves me so much more than I love my son. How can this be? And yet it is true. Because of this, Jesus is now interceding - pleading before His Father's throne for me - just as I am pleading before the throne for my son to one day know Him.

What a good God we have.

Oh the deep, deep love
All I need and trust
Is the deep, deep love of Jesus

A Heart Set on Pilgrimage

2009-04-30T10:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my hubby for his previous picture and video posts. He updates his blog far more often than I do mine. (Something I am striving to improve on!)

So, my baby is teething, and yesterday we had a very trying morning. I sat down to read my Bible and was excited to find that one of my passages for yesterday was Psalm 84. This is one of my favorite Psalms, and it was such a blessing to my heart yesterday. Psalm 84:5 says, "Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage." I must admit, my heart was definitely not set on pilgrimage yesterday. I had forgotten that I am a daughter of the King and that this world is not my home, but all that I do in it can bring Him glory for eternity - even mothering a cranky baby. :)

God providentially allowed a friend from church to call, and she reminded me of the same thing. She laughed understandably when I explained my situation and said, "You're not getting much done this morning, are you?" I replied that I wasn't. Then she said, "Oh but remember, you're accomplishing much for eternity." How true that is - I was overwhelmed with the goodness of our God in giving me the opportunity to be a mother, to be able to have an impact on another soul for His glory, to be able to raise up a young man that will one day, Lord willing, come to know Him as Savior and impact the world for Christ.

When my heart is fixed on Him - remembering that I am just passing through this world, and all I do needs to be invested in people and things for eternal benefit, and if I'm not focused on that the things I'm doing are in vain - that is when I am truly living.

I love being a mommy. God is so good to me. I praise Him for being my strength and for allowing me the opportunity to know Him more through the adventure of parenting.

Kendrick eats, giggles, reads books...

2009-04-28T16:37:00.007-05:00

Long-overdue video update of Kendrick

2009-03-30T14:59:00.005-05:00

Love

2009-02-19T10:27:00.003-06:00

Last week I got to attend one session at the Conference. My husband was gracious enough to offer to stay with Kendrick while I attended. I was thrilled to get to hear Paul Tripp speak on the topic of love from 1 John 4. (They also had a half hour of worship before the message, which was simply amazing!)

"Love is willing self-sacrifice for the good of another that doesn't demand reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving." Tripp expounded on 1 John 4 and called us to cruciform, or cross-shaped, love. He discussed 1 John 4:21 in which we are commanded to love:

"And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

The original word for "must also" or "ought" in some translations of this verse carries the meaning of obligation, but also that of design. God designed us to love. He created us to love as He loved us. Not love in the way our world would define it, but Christ-like, self-sacrificing love.

After hearing this message, the Holy Spirit convicted me to step it up in the arena of love - to purposefully increase my self-sacrificial love in the relationships God has given me.

On another note, we had Kendrick's second photo shoot with Grandpa Johnson on Monday. Praise the Lord Kendrick was full of smiles and we were able to get several good shots. I've tried to upload them, but the files must be too large. I'll try again later. :)

Sunglasses

2009-02-12T16:19:00.003-06:00

Kendrick got some sunglasses from Aunt Lisa (Slaughter side of the family). I was trying to get him to smile with them on today. He just kept looking at me like, "Mom, what are you doing?" I love this kid!

A Heavenward Focus

2009-02-12T09:01:00.002-06:00

"I will always have unfulfilled longings this side of heaven. The deepest longings of my heart cannot be fulfilled by any person or thing. My unfulfilled longings can help me look forward to heaven."

Wow. I was reading "Lies Women Believe" this morning, and these truths jumped off the page. This is what Paul says:

"Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.
For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their appetite, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
But our citizenship is in HEAVEN. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends."

As I was reading this morning I was convicted that setting my mind on unfulfilled longings here on earth is living as an enemy of Christ. Wow, that's tough. And I was also convicted and encouraged by the fact that I should have unfulfilled longings that will only be fulfilled when I meet my Savior face to face. When I am tempted to be discouraged or discontent, I must remember to eagerly await my Savior from Heaven who is more than enough to fulfill my heart's desires.

Biblical Counseling

2009-02-11T15:50:00.003-06:00

We're in Indiana this week while Kyle is attending the Biblical Counseling Conference at Faith Baptist Church. It's so awesome how God provided for us to be able to come. I had mixed feelings about the trip. It was our first time to travel this far with Kendrick, but praise the Lord he has done well thus far! I also had mixed feelings about not being able to attend the Conference. I absolutely LOVE this Conference. It is my favorite! The speakers, people, content, facilities, music, everything is amazing. They just started childcare this year, but infants aren't included. Both Grandmas had volunteered to babysit, but I wasn't ready to leave my baby for a whole week. (I've done overnight and that was hard enough!) So, rather than be separated from Kyle for a week, we decided to all go, and Kendrick and I have been hanging out in our hotel room during the day.

I've been able to take Tracks 1-3 already, and Kyle is in Track 2 this year. Tomorrow night Kyle is going to stay with Kendrick so that I can go listen to Paul Tripp - I can't wait! There are so many amazing speakers here, but he is one of our favorites. Now if I could just hear Elyse Fitzpatrick, my week would be complete.

Each night when Kyle returns we've been reviewing his notes from the day and he's been sharing with me what he has learned. There is so much good information - kind of like drinking from a fire hose - and you come away with a fresh realization of what a wretched sinner you are and how desperately you need the grace of God on a daily basis. The topics of the sessions cover many life issues: Parenting, Marriage, Annorexia, Cutting, Pride, Moral Failure, Prayer, Will of God, Depression, Misscarriage/Infertility, Singleness, Communication . . . I could go on and on. I love it that the Gospel is applicable to all of these issues. I love it that God's Word has the answers to anything that happens in our lives and that we can trust it, counsel with it and live it.

Psalm 25:4-5
"Show me Your ways, O Lord,
Teach me Your paths;
Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are my God and my Savior,
And my hope is in You all day long."

Mother of 7?

2009-02-11T10:44:00.003-06:00

A week ago Kyle, Kendrick & I had the privilege of babysitting our Slaughter nieces and nephews. Pastor's grandmother from Oregon went home to be with the Lord, and he and Tracy flew back to be with family and do the funeral.

So, for 4 days we had an additional 6 kids - what fun! After the initial overwhelmed feeling, we really did enjoy ourselves. I think Kendrick loved having siblings for a few days. Kyle & I would love to have as many children as God will give us, and it was fun to get a glimpse of what that could be like in the future. :)

A 3 Month Update . . .

2009-02-10T07:58:00.004-06:00

Once again, it's been far too long since I've posted on my blog. I truly do intend to update more frequently, and I hope to update at least once a week in the future. Much has changed since my last post.

Kendrick Adam made his arrival on November 16, 2008 at 12:42 a.m. He weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and he has been such a joy to us. Praise God for the safe arrival of a beautiful baby boy!

I was put on bedrest the month before Kendrick was born due to high blood pressure. The day before the doctor induced me I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, which made my birthing experience a little different, but God was so good to bring Kendrick and I safely through it all. Maybe I will do a blog in the future on that day - it was one of the most amazingly difficult experiences I have been through, and the miracle of birth is beyond words. It was wonderful, and I'm so grateful to get to be a mother. What a good God we have to allow us to bring another human being into this world.

Our little man has changed so much over the past 3 months. His cone head is gone, his hair is still falling out, he smiles, giggles and coos, and he's holding his head up now. What a joy to watch him grow daily. Kyle and I are constantly amazed at the good gift God has given us in Kendrick. We pray we will never forget that - as we love and adore our son to love and adore even more our Creator God who gave him to us.

Precious: Of High Price or Great Value

2008-10-22T11:06:00.005-05:00

On Sunday evenings the ladies from our church are going through the book, "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. The teen girls are doing "Lies Young Women Believe" along with us (great book for teen girls!). I love this study and have benefited so much in being among a group of women that are older and younger than I - both physically and spritually.

We were discussing 1 Peter 3:3-4 - "Do not let your adornment be merely outward arranging of the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." The lie that this truth addresses is the lie that outward beauty is more important that inward beauty. Scripture clearly teaches contrary to this lie, but it is one that I would dare say all female believers struggle with. God's Word says that a gentle and quiet spirit has incorruptible beauty - beauty that lasts. Also, He says that this spirit is very precious to Him. How many times does God say something is precious? I was curious, so I did a little research.

In Scripture the word precious is most often used to describe stones, jewelry or possessions. Other than its use in 1 Peter 3:4, I found it 6 other times in reference to something God says is precious:

Ps. 72:14 - the blood of souls He's redeemed

Ps. 116:15 - the death of His saints
Is. 28:16 & 1 Pet. 2:6 - Christ, a precious cornerstone

Is. 43:4 - Israel

1 Pet. 2:4 - Christ

So, this gentle and quiet spirit that we as women are commanded to cultivate is precious in God's sight - along with Israel, Christ, the death of saints, and redeemed souls - Wow! May God give us grace to cultivate gentleness and quietness of spirit so that we as women can be precious in His sight.

On another note - here are a few photos of the precious gift God has given us.

A Nephew

2008-10-21T14:24:00.002-05:00

My brother & sister-in-law had their first baby! Early this morning Isaac Ryan breathed his first breath. We are so excited for Chad & Erica and for the miracle God has given them in Isaac.

Chad emailed me a picture of his son earlier today. I got all choked up just looking at it. Such a tiny miracle - truly amazing. And the fact that my little brother is a father is just as amazing. I can't believe it. Life is flying by. It seems like just the other day that my brother and I lived in the same house with all of the rest of our siblings. Now we are the ones having children that will one day have siblings.

I praise God for my brother and his wife today. I praise Him for their faithfulness to His Word and for their love for Him. I praise Him for blessing them with the heritage of a child. God is so good.

Psalm 127:3
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward."

Valuable for All Things

2008-09-26T15:55:00.002-05:00

1 Timothy 4:7-10
"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe."

I read this passage this morning while I was eating Cherrios and drinking V8. I've been eating healthier over the past 7 months, and in some aspects this has been "physical training" for me. Giving up Pepsi on a regular basis, denying my ice cream and chocolate cravings, and substituting juice, fruit and veggies has not been easy. But . . . it will be profitable in the end, and, Lord willing, produce a healthier baby.

Paul says this physical training is of SOME value, but godliness has value for ALL things. It is of greater importance that I train myself, my spiritual body, in godliness. This benefits me now and later. How awesome is that? I was challenged to evaluate my spiritual training - to analyze whether or not I am spending as much time and effort in that arena as I am in the physical arena in preparation for Baby Noll's arrival. By God's grace, I hope to continue to improve in my pursuit of Him.

Overflowing with Blessings

2008-09-25T10:26:00.006-05:00

Two of my dear friends from Mount Pleasant came to visit this last weekend. We had such a wonderful time! My awesome hubby let us get a hotel room for the evening and we stayed up late and slept in. On Saturday we went shopping for most of the day at Jordan Creek and got to eat at Bravo - one of our favorite restaurants. I didn't take any pictures from the weekend, but it was an amazing time. (Probably my last girls weekend before baby!)

Saturday evening was our third annual Laugh Olympics (a youth event we adopted from Pastor Dave Tebbenkamp), and although I was exhausted after spending a day on my feet, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the time spent with our teens. Here are a few photos from the night:

The girls posing with their bubble gum sculpture.

The boys working on their sculpture (made from bubble gum they chewed).

The highlight of the evening - Our pastor allowed us to use the baptistery for the final event. The teens got to bob for giant pickles in ramen noodles - mmm - yummy!
Another blessing I experienced this week was getting to see Kyle like this . . .

We've been taking a birthing class at the hospital, and on Monday night our teacher brought the empathy belly! Don't you think he looks great as a preggo? All of the husbands tried this on and it was quite entertaining. We are in the final weeks now, and that is very exciting for us! Nine weeks to be exact, and only seven weeks of work left for me - yay!! Baby Noll continues to grow and we can't wait to meet him/her!

Here are a couple of verses that have been a blessing/encouragement to me this week as I have been thinking more about giving birth, the baby arriving and having no idea what to do with it, etc.

Isaiah 26:3-4
"You will keep him in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal."