My son and I drove over a bridge we’d driven over a hundred and one times. It happened to be dark. Very dark.
Son, let me ask you a question, “How do you know that water is still there?”
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I appreciate having a good idea what the core beliefs are of the people I allow to speak into my life. It's not because I think they need to have the same beliefs as me for us to be friends, not at all, but I do think it's wise to be aware of the filter someone is using when considering the influence I'll allow that person to have on me. It occurred to me, recently, that you, dear readers, might appreciate the same thing from me. @@Until now, I haven't had a statement of belief on this blog. I've fixed that!@@ Here's what I believe....
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I remember well the wondrous anticipation I experienced every Christmas Eve throughout my childhood. I couldn’t wait to get up the next morning and run out to the tree to see what was under it. In those years, it would still be dark outside when my brother, sister, and I would wake our parents on Christmas mornings.
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Making much of Jesus over Christmas isn’t only about commemorating our Lord’s birth. Making much of Jesus is about following his example and living in a way that brings glory to God. As Christians, this what we are called to year-round, but the holidays are a special time of year, where people are often particularly sensitive to the things of God. @@We can use the holidays as an opportunity to be a light in the world for Jesus@@ and we can lead our kids, through our example, in what this looks like.
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We had been trying to teach our four-year-old the importance of telling the truth.
Jokingly, Derek told Trent that his nose would grow long, like Pinocchio's, if he told lies.
If only we had known then, what problems this would cause. Poor Trent. He really believed Derek- and no matter what else we said, he was still scared of his nose growing long. He also started checking out everyone else's noses. It wasn’t a healthy fear.
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When I was a little girl, there used to be a little plastic box (that looked like a loaf of bread) sitting on my kitchen table. It was full of cards that I would pull out and read while I was eating breakfast. Each card had a different Proverb on it. Those were some of the first scriptures I remember reading on my own. I have always loved the Proverbs. They're straightforward, practical, and all about wisdom.
I was thinking about that box of cards the other day when I got the idea to make something for you, dear readers, a free printable booklet with Proverbs. I've combined my love of designing graphics with my love of scripture in a way that I hope will be useful to you.
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“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:2-3
Joy is not usually the first word that comes to mind when I’m frustrated and overwhelmed. I’m still a work in progress. Self-pity is too often something I struggle with. But I want more joy in my life. I read the words of Jesus’ brother, James, to “count it all joy” even in trials, and I know that these hard words were inspired by God. They’re true and they’re helpful. The testing of my faith does produce steadfastness. I’ve experienced it and I’ve seen it experienced in other people’s lives. By the grace of God, I trust, that as I grow and mature in Christ, someday it will become ever more of a part of who I am. I want to be the kind of person who counts it all joy, even the trials. I pray the same for you.
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"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. " Lamentations 3:22-23
These words of encouragement from Lamentations were first written by Jeremiah, a prophet during the last years of Judah before Babylon plundered the country and took its people into captivity. Jeremiah had a hard and dangerous job, a lonely job- but he trusted in the faithfulness of God. God had sent him to warn the people of what would happen if they continued to follow the evil ways they were living. Jeremiah was imprisoned and tortured for speaking the truth, and he eventually did witness to the destruction of his country.
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“For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice,” Zechariah 4:10
God spoke those words of comfort and encouragement in a vision given to Babylon’s appointed prince of Judah, who was attempting to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem after it had been destroyed. God’s people had spent many years in captivity, but Cyrus, King of Babylon, had decreed that the Israelites could return to their land and rebuild the temple. The man in charge of this was Zerubbabel.
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