Archive for August, 2008

Measuring

Just yesterday we took a trip out to the home we are in the process of purchasing. We needed to take some measurements so we could do some pricing. We will be knocking out a wall and redoing the kitchen. We are also going to be replacing a lot of flooring and eventually redoing the bathrooms. Out came the tape measure and the measuring began.

The day before, hubby and I went to rent a movie. The cashier pointing to my ever enlarging belly asked if I was just about ready. I chuckled and said, “Oh no, I still have 3 months.” With a look of surprise she asked if I was having twins. Now I am used to that, it was a suspicion with the last child too. I told her no that there was just one little baby in there. Her response….. “Oh, it must be a really big baby, I will pray for you!” I smiled and simply said thank you. After leaving the store, I promptly asked my husband if I really looked 9 months pregnant already. He said no and we chalked it up to the fact that this isn’t a first baby (like many tend to assume) but is baby number nine. I would like to add that as of 4 weeks ago I was measuring right on, remeasuring will happen in a couple of days at my next appointment.

Measurements are pretty important and aid in guidance. There are all kinds of measurements. The most important measurements however are those by which we measure our lives. So by what standard do we measure our lives? Imagine trying to redo a kitchen when the concept of an inch was not an actual standard measurement but an eyeballing of what an inch should be. Everyone will be a bit different and in the end the cabinets and woodwork will not fit. If we listen to our culture then standards will be whatever each individual decides. But this is not something that in the end will work and fit together because everything is relative. There is one standard for life that has proven the test of time. This standard was set before the foundation of the world by the creator of the world. Do you not think that the one who placed this world in motion knows best how this world should function? God has set the standard! He tells us of this standard in his word. It is a standard we can bank on. It is a standard that brings about joy and peace . What is your standard for life??

I encourage you to not listen to the beat of the culture but to listen to our creator and live your life according to his standard.
Filed under Christianity, house, pregnancy

Binoculars

Filed under Alaska, Wordless Wednesday

Please Pray

One of the ladies who writes for the Heart of the Matter Online homeschool magazine is in need of prayer. Her name is Marsha. Their three year old son, Christian, went missing. Two and half hours later divers pulled him from the pond behind their home. Marsha, her husband, and two other children need prayer. Please lift them up today and in the coming days and months ahead
(even longer). Heart of the Matter is celebrating little Christian’s life today, stop by and let Marsha and her family know that you are praying for them.

Filed under grief, Heart of the Matter, Prayer

Pray For Max

I would like to ask you to please pray for my nephew, Max. He is having surgery tomorrow to have a tracheotomy. He is a sweet little baby. He has what most likely is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. He has also been neglected. He is very weak and fighting for his life right now and a tracheotomy is the only option the doctors see for any improvement. He is 15 months old and tops out at a whopping 11 pounds! He can not even hold up his head, roll over, and only hums. Please, please be in prayer for this little one. No matter what the problems are, he is still a precious creation of God! Our family would love to adopt him, love, nurture, and care for him! Please pray concerning that and if it be God’s will. Thank you all for your prayers!

Filed under Family, Prayer

The Wrangell Garnet

Along our ferry trip, we made several port calls. We only ventured onto land twice though. Our entire family left the ship to go into Ketchican, Alaska. Then my hubby took a few of the older children ashore in Wrangell, Alaska. In Wrangell the Presbyterian church owns a parcel of land, the Garnet Mine, that is full of garnets. These church gave the town access to this land and the garnets with the condition that all proceeds went to benefit the children of Wrangell. Due to this, when you enter into Wrangell from the ferry there are children selling garnets. The children can dig, clean, and sell them to tourists. My husband blessed me by purchasing one for me. The garnet he purchased is still on a small piece rock. I have thought often on this little treasure that we picked up on your travels. The garnet is pretty yet still partially set in the stone. It is a reminder of myself. I strive to be that ruby, that jewel among jewels, something pleasing, precious, and glorifying to God. Most jewels are formed by time and pressure. This is the same in our spiritual lives as well. Over time walking with the Lord and working with him through the pressures and trials in our lives is what turns us into the jewels that he desires to transform us into being. The jewels are still stuck in stone however. This is a reminder that not only do I need to trust and lean upon the Lord but I must also allow him to chip away at the stones of sin in my life. This is a painful process but a necessary one.

As I look upon my treasured Wrangell Garnet, I smile at the fact that it was a church that offered them to the community. This is what the church is about, not only sharing the Gospel of Christ with others but also the discipleship, work, discipline, growth, dependency, pruning, and commitment that comes along with being a recipient of such amazing grace. It takes time, pressure, molding, chiseling, and chipping to be transformed into and to reveal the great jewel that the recipients of this amazing grace are to become.
Filed under Alaska, Christianity

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Filed under Alaska, Nature
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