Kristianity, Kreativity, Kraziness, and Kidz

Christ Has Conquered All ~ Kristie Braselton

2006-10-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

I don't usually like the newer gospel songs. Personally, I'm a lover of the old hymns which are so full of gospel truths, and I miss them a lot. Since we have moved to Arizona and started attending East Valley Bible Church, we haven't sung too many of the older hymns. However, I'm learning to appreciate and learn some of the newer gospel songs. We worship in what is called "The Conference Center" at EVBC where the worship is led by a gifted young man named Matthew Braselton. Recently we sang this wonderful new gospel song that captivated my heart, because in it, Christ is so highly exalted and the gospel is so completely portrayed by the words. I kept humming the tune over and over again and got frustrated trying to find the words on line, searching on google and other places.

At the John Piper conference this past weekend, we sang this song again and I learned from Pastor Shrader that Matthew Braselton's wife Kristie (also very musically gifted and a great writer) is the composer of this wonderful song. I searched again, attaching her name to the song, and found a way to contact Kristie. She is a young mother of two little ones. She willingly shared the lyrics with me and told me she has a CD at the church bookstore (which I plan to get next time I'm there). I wanted to share the lyrics here on my blog. Hope the words bless you as they do me. Wish you could hear the music that goes with it!

Christ Has Conquered All

Heavy-laden weary soul, bearing up a heart of stone
His Spirit comes to dwell in you, and Christ the weight of sin assume.
All my guilt is cast on Christ
And His righteousness is mine
What guilt should weigh upon my head?
For Christ has cleared it all!

The sum of all my sacrifice, though joyful fails to justify
I cannot pay for grace that’s free, nor add to work that is complete.
Jesus paid it all for me
This my ransom and my plea
What debt I labor to repay?
For Christ has paid it all!

Through the law comes sin and death, but faith is counted righteousness
So I will trust in Christ alone, my debt to pay, my sin atone.
And I’ll stand in confidence
Covered by His righteousness
What shall become of boasting tongues?
For Christ has done it all!

Where O death is now thy sting? Swallowed up in victory!
The Lord of Glory reigns on high, sovereign over earth and sky.
Yes He triumphed o’er the grave
And He comes again one Day
What lesser name shall draw our praise?
For Christ has conquered all!

From a Book I Just Finished Reading . . .

2006-10-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

"Here and there among men, there are those who pause in the hurried rush to listen to the call of a life that is more real. How often have we seen them jostled and ridiculed by their fellows, pushed aside and forgotten, as incompetent or unworthy. He who sees and hears too much is cursed for a dreamer, a fanatic, or a fool, by the mad mob, who having eyes, see not, ears and hear not, and refuse to understand. We build temples and churches, but will not worship in them; we hire spiritual advisors, but refuse to heed them; we buy Bibles, but will not read them; believing in God, we do not fear Him; acknowledging Christ, we neither follow nor obey Him. Only when we can no longer strive in the battle for earthly honors or material wealth, do we turn to the unseen but more enduring things of life; and, with ears deafened by the din of selfish war and cruel violence, and eyes blinded by the glare of passing pomp and folly, we strive to hear and see the things we have so long refused to consider." ~ Harold Bell Wright, The Shepherd of the Hills

What's Your Chariot of Fire?

2006-10-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

Elijah went to Heaven in a chariot of fire! Not having died physically, he was taken up into God's presence as Elisha looked on. The only other human that we know of to have been taken to Heaven without physically dying, according to the Scriptures, was Enoch, who "walked with God." But for the rest of us, there is only ONE way to get from here to there, and that is by physical death, unless we are still on this earth at the time of Christ's second coming ~ and what an amazing thing that would be!

I like to call a believer's cause of death his or her "Chariot of Fire." Jesus said, "Whosoever lives and believes in Me shall NEVER die." So what others perceive as our death is just a vehicle by which God transports us (as we continue to be alive in spirit) from this world to the next, into what Jesus called "Paradise" when He spoke to one of the thieves next to Him on the cross. ("This day you will be with me in Paradise.")

For some that vehicle is a car crash, for some it might be a plane crash, as was the case for my own brother Mike in 1992. For many it is a disease or old age or a "heart attack." Whatever the cause of a believer's death, God uses it as the vehicle by which He brings His children HOME to Himself. ("Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.") Perhaps for me, cancer is my "chariot of fire!" All of us who trust in Christ are definitely going HOME someday; it is going to happen! What will your "chariot of fire" be?

Why Me?

2006-10-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Many people when faced with a crisis in life, or when having to deal with trials and suffering, cry out "Why Me???" Our human nature is to think we should be exempt from trials and sufferings and when it happens to us, we wonder, "Why me? Why do these seemingly bad things have to happen to me while other people go untouched by trials and suffering? Is God fair? Why is it, as they say, that 'bad things happen to GOOD people'?" But I have learned to turn that question around and ask, "Why do GOOD things happen to BAD people?"

I am a sinner, and in light of God's absolute holiness, I fail miserably to measure up to His holy righteous standards. So by rights, I should suffer a lot more than I do! I should spend eternity in Hell! But because of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, I have been set free, forgiven, and made a child of God and a joint heir with Christ. When I have to suffer, I need to remember that for a believer in Christ, suffering is inevitable and it is GOOD. Jesus said, "In this world ye SHALL have tribulation." James said, "Rejoice or count it all JOY when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience" and other godly character traits. I am known to rejoice a lot when things are going well for me. But how do I do when things aren't going so well?

Earlier on in my cancer experience, when the first treatment I was given seemed to be working so well, I was praising God constantly for His goodness. Now that things don't look as good, humanly speaking, should I stop thinking God is good? Should I stop praising Him? Has He changed? Has he stopped being with me and caring for me? Not at all.

Even in the midst of suffering, I will still continue to say "Why Me?" But when I say it, I will mean, "Why is God SO GOOD TO ME!? Why does God still lavish me with His love and blessings day by day. Why has God shown me MERCY in Christ and given me the hope of eternal life? Why has He chosen to open my eyes to Himself and His truth, when so many of the rest of the world walks blindly on?"

I will always marvel at the goodness and mercy of God to me, and will for the rest of eternity be thanking Him for choosing me to be His child and will forever be saying, "Why ME?"

It's Hard Being Healthy

2006-10-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Trying to get healthy and stay healthy ain't easy!!! It's kind of like the second law of thermodynamics or the law of entropy. Everything in the universe tends to go from order to disorder! Left alone, without doing ANYTHING AT ALL to maintain or improve one's health, one would definitely deteriorate considerably faster than if one did all they could to maintain and improve one's health! Think about it. It requires getting out of your comfort zone and doing something! And not just something, but usually things that don't feel good! Or avoiding things that DO feel good!

You have to stop 1) sleeping in 2) sitting in front of the tv and being a "couch potato." 3) ingesting yummy foods and beverages like chocolate ice cream, Coke, milkshakes, popcorn, potato chips, cookies, pies, cake, cinnamon buns, Snickers bars, etc., etc., etc. 4) staying up late 5) smoking 5) drinking 6) exposing yourself to radiation via TV screens, computer screens, microwave ovens 7) drinking impure water or taking baths and showers in chlorinated water or swimming in chlorinated pools 8) using chemicals on your skin like sodium laurel sulphate in shampoos and liquid soaps. (I could go on.)

Not only do you have to STOP doing the above, you have to START doing things that sometimes don't feel good, aren't enjoyable, cost more money, or are actually painful! You have to start 1) getting up at a decent hour each day, 2) exercising somehow ~ walking, rebounding, jogging, aerobics, jump roping, tae bo, etc., 3) get to bed before midnight therefore miss out on all the late night shows and the quiet time you could have had alone while the kids are asleep, 4) drink 10-12 cups of pure water each day, 5) use safe products on your hair and skin which cost more and probably don't suds up as nicely, 6) eat more nuts and seeds and fresh fruits and vegetables, salads, whole grains, organic butter or milk, etc. etc., (If you've ever shopped for groceries you know that the healthier you try to eat and feed your family, the more you have to spend.), 7) taking nutritional supplements to make up for what is lacking in most diets today, 8) read more and feed your mind and soul with positive uplifting ideas, rather than the garbage you put in when you watch commercial television.

I'm not saying it isn't worth it, though. Even though it's HARD BEING HEALTHY or harder to do the right things regarding one's health. . . It takes a LOT of work, and it is sometimes painful or uncomfortable. . . in the end you really DO feel better! After a while, you develop habits that stick with you, and it isn't as painful or uncomfortable to do all those things that, at the beginning, were a real burden. Being healthy, feeling "well" enables us to function at our best and enables us to do the tasks God has assigned us to do in this world. Yes, we're all going to die someday. I'm not saying we should try to avoid death; that's impossible. (We need to be prepared for death at any time by seeking God and getting "right: with HIM.) But we might try to postpone a death due to poor heath, and we CAN improve the quality of the life we're living here and now for our own sake and the sake of those we love and those who need us!

Self-control is what is required. It's a positive character trait that must be worked on and developed. If you have children, you understand that they are not born with it! If you ever struggled with controlling your own thoughts and actions, you know how hard it is even to control yourself! It is always going to be a battle; we're always going to be fighting against the norm or what comes "naturally" to our weak human "flesh." But we all know that the things worth having in life (like one's health, among many other things) are things worth working and fighting for! So get up off that couch and get moving and doing the right things regarding your health! It's NEVER too late to make a positive change!

Kokopelli!

2006-10-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Since living in Arizona, we've noticed this Anasazi flute player everywhere we go! It's on the cement walls under bridges and along the major highways. It's on mugs for sale as souveniers in most stores and gift shops. (Gabe couldn't resist and bought one!) It's in people's gardens and landscaping and hanging on walls. I have found kokopelli earrings and pendants! We even found a "stuffed" kokopelli at a Good Will store and we keep it in our van on the dashboard for decoration! We think they're cute! The kids like to draw or color "kokopelli" petroglyph shapes! If we got a dog after living in Arizona, we would probably name him/her "Kokopelli!"

Here's some information about this mysterious petroglyph that I found on line:
"Known as a fertility god, prankster, healer and story teller, Kokopelli has been a source of wonder throughout the country for centuries. Kokopelli embodies the true American Southwest, and dates back over 3,000 years ago, when the first petroglyphs were carved. Although his true origins are unknown, this traveling, flute-playing Casanova is a sacred figure to many Southwestern Native Americans. Carvings of this hunch-backed flute-playing figure have been found painted and carved into rock walls and boulders throughout the Southwest.

There are many myths of the famous Kokopelli. One of which is that he traveled from village to village bringing the changing of winter to spring; melting the snow and bringing about rain for a successful harvest. It is also said that the hunch on his back depicted the sacks of seeds and songs he carried. Legend also has it that the flute playing also symbolized the transition of winter to spring. Kokopelli’s flute is said to be heard in the spring’s breeze, while bringing warmth...

...Whatever the true meaning of Kokopelli is, he has been a source of music making and dancing, and spreading joy to those around him. Even today, Kokopelli, with his hunchback and flute, is always welcome in our homes."

Just go to Kokopelli.com for "everything" Kokopelli!

Gotta Move Again!

2006-10-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

The house we're now in and have been for the past 15 months is going up for sale. The owner offered it to us at a good price, but we don't want to get tied down to a place so far from "home" at this late time in our lives, nor do we want a large mortgage to have to pay off for the next 15-20 years, nor do we want to have to "sell" a place down here, should we decide to quit coming down to AZ in the winter months. So . . . we have looked for and found another nice 4-bedroom home with a pool for the same rental price in Chandler. This house is six miles further southwest from where we are now. But it's exactly the same distance from my doctor and from Phoenix Memorial Hospital as this house is! (It's 9 miles from church, though, rather than 3.)

Our present address is: 1512 West Shawnee Drive. The new address will be 4512 West Butler Drive. On our return address labels (that I just bought to put on Christmas cards this year!) we can just change the first "1" to a "4," white out the word Shawnee, and put "Butler" in its place, and voila, our new address will be on the labels!

The house we'll be moving into next Wednesday through Friday is a one-story house (rather than a split level home like this one). It has dark brown carpet throughout, rather than taupe. The kitchen is a bit bigger and lets in more light. The family room has a fireplace. There are four bedrooms and a laundry room, like this place. The master bedroom in the "new" place has sliding doors out to the pool! And the bathrooms (especially the master bathroom) are so much nicer and newer. I think we're going to like the place. There's less of a back yard, no diving board or slide with the pool, but there is a built-in hot tub next to it and there's a basketball hoop on a pole next to the driveway. There's a very nice park (Mountain View Park) about half a mile down the main street into the development, so we will most likely spend a lot of time there when we want to "play" outdoors!

Glad we found a place so quickly and can move and get re-settled at the beginning of the school year and get back to a normal routine again as soon as possible! And hopefully, the owner of this new place won't be wanting to sell the place any time soon!

9/11 Mysteries (Full Length, High Quality)

2006-10-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

This is a brand new public domain 9/11 Truth documentary about the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center complex. It's excellent. Pass this link on!

World Trade Center WTC twin dowers controlled demoltion thermate thermite explosions 9/11 911 9-11 september 11 11th truth conspiracy theory theories theorist george bush dick cheney donald rumsfeld paul wolfowitz doctring PNAC project for a new american century NORAD FAA FBI CIA NSA cutter charges molton steel WTC7 building 7 larry silverstein pull it BYU physics professor steven jones loose change alex jones NIST pentagon flight 77 missile flight 93 shanksville PA lets let's roll put options gold emma e. booker elementary jersey girls

One Big Crazy Family!

2006-10-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

2006-10-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

We sang this during worship this moring. A newer hymn which blessed my soul. Wanted to share it here. . .

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders.
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought me life;
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything;
No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast inJesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.

Stuart Townend

Apathetic About Truth

2006-09-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

A Slice of Infinity by Jill Carattini
Apathetic About Truth

An acquaintance of mine recently voiced a deep frustration. He was troubled by the disinterest of his friends when it came to entertaining thoughts of God. He explained that his friends had no particular complaint against God, but also no interest whatsoever. "I cannot understand," he said, "the mind that has no need to know if God exists, what it means if Christ really is who He says He is, or whether any of it is even true or not true in the first place."

Herein lies the heart of his complaint. The greatest pursuit in life should be for what is true. It is upsetting, indeed staggering, to see so many give up the quest of truth for a lesser pursuit. Blaise Pascal and C.S. Lewis agreed. Pascal, like my acquaintance, was deeply frustrated by the human tendency to flat out avoid the truth, especially when it challenges our will or sense of comfort. Lewis, who was bothered by the human propensity to avoid thinking altogether, pointed to the fundamental difference between humans and animals. What makes a man human is his desire to know things, to ask, to examine, and to understand. When a person loses this desire, it is as if he has become something less than human. Indeed, there comes a certain responsibility to being human.

There are great and far-reaching questions we all must answer, questions we can wholly choose to ignore, but in so doing we must realize that even "not answering" is still in a very real sense an answer. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes a pointed statement. He says, "If you are not for me, you are against me." (Footnote 1: Matthew 12:30) For many, his words are hard to take in. We prefer not to think in such stark terms. Whereas during election time or at a sporting event we may be conscious of certain dividing lines, for the most part we do not think about who is on what side. In fact, we are largely indifferent to the majority of individuals passing by us each day. And yet, anyone who has ever suffered from any kind of racial or religious oppression is painfully aware of the truth that is spoken in Christ's words: Those who stand apathetically in the background of persecution, persecute by passivity. If you are not for me, you are against me—a non-answer very clearly becomes an answer.

So it is with Christ. In fact, someone once told me that the opposite of Christ-likeness is not sinfulness like we might expect, but apathy. The idea is that the sinner is actually closer to the heart of Christ than the apathetic person. And I think this verified throughout the Gospel. In fact, Zacchaeus comes to mind. Having climbed a tree so as to catch a glimpse of the One he heard was coming, the morally bankrupt, commercially prosperous tax collector came down from that tree at Christ’s invitation, and his life took a dramatic turn. Called by name, Zacchaeus saw not only the life of Christ, but also the life that was to be found in Christ, to be in immeasurable contrast to his own. And what he saw compelled him to follow. In contrast, the apathetic stance of Pontius Pilate led him to ask flippantly, "What is truth?" as he ironically looked Truth Incarnate in the eyes. He saw nothing because he sought nothing.

Seeking nothing out of fear or guilt or pride, the apathetic person becomes indifferent to life, such that truth becomes unrecognizable. Is the greatest pursuit in your life to seek after what is true? Jesus has asked, "Who do you say I am?" (Footnote 2: Matthew 16:15) Have you been apathetic about life? Christ invites, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Footnote 3: Matthew 11:29) Indeed, He calls you by name. How will you answer?

Silver Anniversary

2006-09-20T06:51:00.002-07:00

On August 29th, 2006, Gabe and I were married 25 years. At a Jacobs family picnic on August 20th, Gabe's sister surprised us with a large beautifully decorated 25th anniversary cake! She took our picture with the cake, everyone applauded to wish us "Happy Anniversary," and then it was served to 100 people or so? On the 29th, Gabe & I left our home in Poplar Ridge around 2 PM. Esther baby-sat for us. We traveled 22 miles or so to Skaneateles, NY, and checked into our "bungalow" at Skaneateles Suites (a place I would HIGHLY recommend!). We relaxed a little while in the beautiful suite, then got ready to go on a dinner cruise on Skaneateles Lake at 6 PM. Even though it was overcast, we still enjoyed the view out our lower deck window while we dined on prime rib or stuffed chicken breast, and sipped champagne! Took a lot of photos which are posted in an album on Dotphoto! Our boat docked at 9 PM and Gabe & I strolled down main street looking in all the quaint shops. We live so close, yet had never taken the time to visit Skaneateles...just drove through all the time. It was fun! We spent the night in the suite, enjoyed the ammenities and the snack foods that were provided for us, slept in, then checked out at 11 AM and frogged around Walmart and Lowe's for a while, got hoagies for lunch at Wegmans, and returned home at 3 PM on August 30th. Had a pleasant time away even if it was only for 24 hours! Thanking God for 25 years of marriage and the family He's given us!

We're Back!

2006-09-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Howdy folks! Back in Sunny Arizonia . . . for a while anyway. On the way here on September 12th we stopped in St. Louis and went up into the Gateway Arch! We also saw a film about how it was built ~ awesome! From there we went to Carthage, MO, to visit the Precious Moments Museum and Chapel on September 13th. Another wonderful experience! We stopped at the George Washington Carver birthplace and visitor's center near Carthage, as well. The rest of the way was pretty grueling, but we made it back late Thursday night (September 14th). We had wanted to visit the American Quarterhorse Museum in Amarillo, but learned they were closed for renovations until spring '07. Now that we're here, we're getting adjusted and settled back into the routine. Gabe is back at work at Phoenix Memorial Hospital. Loving the sunshine and warm temperatures and the pool!

Be Back in the Fall!

2006-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've been doing this for a little over six months now. It's been great fun, and if anyone out there in cyberspace has enjoyed or benefitted from what I've written, I'm thankful. "Ta Ta For Now," as they say! Unless I get an overwhelming number of people begging me to keep up this blog, this will be my last post for a while! Feel free to write me at momuvten@gmail.com ! I will pick it up again when we return to Arizona in the fall. We'll be busy this week, packing for the trip east. Then I'm sure we'll keep busy while there visiting family and friends, going to reunions, and celebrating our 25th anniversary on August 29th!

John Piper

2006-07-05T10:46:00.002-07:00

Piper Quote of the Day (from Desiring God web site) "There is a mind-set in the prosperous West that we deserve pain-free, trouble-free existence. When life deals us the opposite, we have a right not only to blame somebody or some system and to feel sorry for ourselves, but also to devote most of our time to coping, so that we have no time or energy left for serving others." (The Roots of Endurance, pg. 18)
Come see us October 20 & 21 and go to the "Desiring God 2006 Regional Conference." The theme: "God is the Gospel." It's being held at our church ~ East Valley Bible Church, Gilbert, AZ!

Cancer Update

2006-07-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been 41 days since my last dose of chemotherapy. I had a CT scan on June 15th. The doctor NEVER called me about the results! I waited over a week, then finally called her office. She got on the phone and told me the CT scan showed "nothing to worry about." I'm not sure what that means. She asked me to make an appointment to come talk with her and determine what course of action to take from here on. I'm scheduled to see her July 6th, 10 AM. I told her we'd be leaving AZ on July 13th. Sounds like she might want me on chemo again or for a longer amount of time. She mentioned they had to calculate how much adriamycin a person can have in a certain time period, since it's so toxic and can harm the heart! Lovely! I am going to ask her to let me take a break from the chemo until we get back to AZ in September. I could just REFUSE it. I really hate the side effects. My feet hurt each day when I get out of bed and when I get up from sitting down and start to walk around. It's probably "neuropathy" and Gabe told me it might go away after time...could take up to six months. Some people have permanent damage, if they're on chemo for a long time. Why is it that to get a person WELL, they have to make them sick and cause them bodily harm? Does it make sense to any of you? This is one reason I hated to go this route. I am sure there is a better way. It's just that I don't have the discipline to go that other way!!! I almost believe that it's the chemo that kills people before the cancer does!

My hair is starting to grow back. It's about a centimeter long now and quite thick! I still wear my wig. Probably won't stop wearing it until my hair is at least 3 inches long. That will be six months from now ~ next January! That is, IF the continued chemotherapy doesn't cause it to fall out all over again! I think I will stop coloring my hair from now on. When it grows back in, it will be half white! But I am 50 years old; maybe I should start acting and looking my age! ha ha ha! I'm faithfully taking "reliv" which is known to help people recover from all kinds of diseases, including cancer.

I've gained about 25 pounds and I feel so FAT! I look fat! My clothes are getting almost too tight! I have to wear skirts and dresses most of the time. Yet, I can't stop eating. I crave food all the time. I wake up each morning RESOLVED to eat less, or to not eat at all some days. But when I see everyone else eating, I can't resist temptation. I feel so weak in so many areas lately. I'm pathetic! I need to pray for more strength of will, more resolve, more self discipline. I think when I get back to NY, I'll get up early and walk around the high school track each morning before everyone else wakes up! Here in AZ, it is so HOT all the time, one hates to go out for any reason if they can help it...unless it's to swim!

I'll post again after I find out what Dr. Kadiyala has to say on July 6th.

Happy Independence Day!

2006-07-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

No big celebration for us today. No picnic. No outing. No family parties. Gabe is working, so we may not even see fireworks. (The kids might just go out in the dark for a little while to play with some "glow sticks" we bought!) But we are reminded today of our independence and very thankful to live in a nation where we are free. I'm especially thankful for the freedom to worship God without persecution. And while I thank God for my freedom to do so, I pray for those in other lands who are persecuted, put in prison, and even tortured for their faith. May God help us all to appreciate what we have, to take advantage of our freedom to preach the gospel and speak out the truth and say what we believe, to pray more for our leaders, friends, relatives, and neighbors. May He uphold those less fortunate than we, and give them strength to be faithful to Him when tried and tested in places where there is not the freedom we enjoy in the USA. (Flowers, courtesy of Gabe!)

A Series of Unfortunate Events!

2006-07-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Just spent Saturday and half of Sunday at Apache Lake, AZ. Lots of unexpected events happened. We drove a little over two hours (on rough dirt roads the second half of the way) to get down into the canyon where the lake and campgrounds were.

When we arrived to spend the afternoon with our friend Lou, we found out he and his brother Vince and son Dominic had spent the previous night trying to sleep in their boat bobbing around out on the lake in the dark, due to running out of gas. So they were all extremely tired. Early that morning, Lou had to swim to shore, walked about two miles over mountainous rough, cactus-y, prickly scrub-bushy terrain, (was chased by a wild pig!) and went to their campsite to get gasoline, then hitched a boat ride from a neighboring camper to get back to their boat to put gas in the engine. His legs were all scratched up and his clothes were tattered from going through the thorny bushes.

We arrived about 30 minutes after we said we would (around 12:30 PM ~ the hottest part of the day). And another friend (Tom from Tucson, with his 3-year-old daughter Sophie) who was supposed to come also, arrived about 4 hours later! I guess he had gotten lost and into some traffic problems. (So we waited much of the afternoon alone at the campsite while Lou and Vince waited a long time near the marina for their other friend!) We didn't realize Lou's campsite was only accessible by boat. They had to take two 30-minute round trips to get our family and our picnic and swimming things to the site (let alone the third trip to go back and wait for Tom to arrive and finally bring him to the site).

Later in the day ~ after everyone had finally gotten to the campsite, and just before supper, while the food was cooking ~ it got very dark and stormy to the east of us. It started to get very windy, so we had to batten down everything to keep it from blowing away. Vince had to go out in the water to hold the boat, since the anchor wasn't heavy enough to keep the boat in place with such heavy wind and choppy water. He ended up getting into the boat and driving it out away from shore and just circling in one area to keep the boat from blowing away.

Finally, after things calmed down just a little, Vince came to shore and told us he'd only take one trip back to the marina because he didn't want to chance getting stuck in the dark again and he didn't want to drive the boat on choppy water any more than absolutely necessary. We all felt it should be Tom and his daughter who went back. There was no service for cell phones at the lake, since it's in a deep canyon area far from civilization! Tom's wife would worry if he didn't come home that night. The rest of us ended up having to spend the night at the campsite with no pillows, sleeping bags, and just Lou's tent. (We felt it worked out okay, since we hadn't seen much of Lou all day, and if we HAD gone home Saturday evening, our trip there to spend time with him would have been for nothing!)

Vince, who owned the boat, took Tom and Sophie back to the marina so they could drive home, and he stayed there in his truck camper. But he had lost the keys to the camper in the lake earlier when he was in the water holding the boat steady, and had to break a window to get inside the camper! But it was too hot for him to sleep there, so he slept in the boat for a second night! He didn't get much sleep, because there was so much going on and so much noise all night long. Gabe and Lou ended up sleeping in camping chairs outdoors at the camp site, and Stephen slept on a picnic table bench using a life jacket for a pillow. Those of us inside the tent had nothing to cover ourselves except beach towels and very few pillows! (It was too hot anyway for blankets.) I used a duffle bag for a pillow! Lou had a generator running, which allowed us to have a fan blowing on us most of the night. Without that it would have been torture!

The next day (Sunday) we were all dirty, tired, and sore when we woke around 5:30 AM. Lou and his brother (who had returned by boat very early) decided to break camp because the boat was overheating and leaking water from the engine. So after we ate up as much food as we could ~ eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit cups, juice, cereal, pop tarts....we started taking down the tent and packing everything up to take back to our vehicles near the marina.

I think we finally parted ways around 10 AM Sunday. Ben and Rebecca had gotten car sick on the way to the lake, and Rachel got sick on the way out of the canyon. If you could see the winding roads and switch-backs, you'd know why! It took us over half an hour to go 10 miles on the last part of the way into the canyon, and the first part of the way out! (Don't know how those big RV's or trucks hauling boats made it over that winding road with steep drop-offs!) What a trip! What a weekend! Seems like it was one mis-hap and unexpected event after another.

We found out later that Vince (on his way home to Tucson) had gotten a flat tire on an inside dual tire, and had to drive 35 miles per hour the second half of his trip home. We got home Sunday around 1 PM and rested a bit and let the kids swim before going out to get some pizza for lunch. When we got back in the van to go get pizza, the battery had died! It figures! What else should we have expected after such a weekend???

Are You Prepared?

2006-06-26T22:42:00.000-07:00

"It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that, the judgment." Hebrews 9:27

The Work That Saves

Done is the work that Saves!
Once and forever done.
Finished the righteousness
That clothes the unrighteous one.
The love that blesses us below
Is flowing freely to us now.

The sacrifice is o'er,
The veil is rent in twain,
The mercey-seat is red
With blood of victim slain;
Why stand we then without in fear?
The blood divine invites us near.

The gate is open wide,
The new and living way
Is clear and free and bright,
With love and peace and day;
Into the holiest now we come,
Our present and our endless home.

Upon the mercy-seat
The High Priest sits within;
The blood is in his hand
Which makes and keeps us clean.
With boldness let us now draw near,
That blood has banished every fear.

Then to the Lamb once slain
Be glory, praise and power,
Who died and lives again,
Who liveth evermore;
Who loved and washed us in his blood,
Who made us kings and priests to God.
~ Horatius Bonar

He gives . . .

2006-06-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

For my sin ~ GRACE ("Where sin abounded, GRACE did much more abound." Romans 5:20 )

For my guilt ~ MERCY & PARDON ("Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have MERCY on him, and to our God, for he will freely PARDON." Isaiah 55:6-8)

For my bondage ~ LIBERTY ("Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the BONDAGE of corruption into the glorious LIBERTY of the children of God." Romans 8:21)

For my hatred ~ LOVE ("But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet SINNERS, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 ; "Herein is love, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." I John 4:10; "For if, when we were ENEMIES, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Romans 5:10; "Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to love one another." I John 4:11)

For my weakness ~ STRENGTH ("And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my STRENGTH is made perfect in WEAKNESS." II Corinthians 12:9)

For my sickness ~ HEALING ("Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who HEALETH all thy diseases." Psalm 103:3)

For my need ~ INFINITE SUPPLY ("But my God shall SUPPLY all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19)

For my poverty ~ AN ETERNAL INHERITANCE ("Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an INHERITANCE incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." I Peter 1:3,4 )

For my loneliness ~ COMPANIONSHIP and FRIENDSHIP ("Lo, I am with you ALWAY, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20; "I have called you FRIENDS; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." John 15:15)

For my foolishness ~ WISDOM ("But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us WISDOM, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." I Corinthians 1:30 )

For my worry and care ~ PEACE ("PEACE I leave with you, my PEACE I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27; "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your CARE upon him; for he careth for you." I Peter 5:6,7; "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God, and the PEACE of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6,7)

For my weeping ~ JOY ("WEEPING may endure for a night, but JOY cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5 )

For my trials ~ COMFORT ("Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all COMFORT; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to COMFORT them which are in any trouble, by the COMFORT wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." II Corinthians 1:3)

For my doubt ~ FAITH ("Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have FAITH, and DOUBT not, . . . if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done." Matthew 21:21; "And the apostles said unto the Lord, increase our FAITH." Luke 17:5)

For my fear of death ~ HOPE ("Christ in you, the HOPE of glory." Colossians 1:27; "Now the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in HOPE, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:13; "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through FEAR OF DEATH were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Hebrews 2:14)

Round # 6

2006-05-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

I just had my sixth treatment of chemotherapy yesterday (May 24th). My first one was January 24th, so it took exactly four months to get to this point. I felt really bad last night. I had a bad headache and couldn't do much. Today I feel some better. I'm fasting for the day in hopes it will help me to avoid the two-day-later sickness I've had at other times. I'm drinking lots and lots of water to flush my system. Will let you know if it helps. It did help one other time, so it should help this time also. Just found a poem that was a blessing to me during this time. Wanted to share it here:

"It Matters to Me About You"

My child, I know thy sorrows,
Thine every grief I share;
I know how thou are tested,
And, what is more ~ I care.

Think not I am indifferent
To what affecteth thee;
They weal and woe are matters
Of deep concern to Me.

But, child, I have a purpose
In all that I allow;
I ask thee then to trust Me,
Though all seems dark just now.

How often thou hast asked Me
To purge away thy dross!
But this refining process
Involves for thee ~ a cross.

There is no other pathway
If thou would'st really be
Conformed unto the image
Of Him Who died for thee.

Thou can'st not be like Jesus
Till self is crucified;
And as a daily process
The cross must be applied.

Just as the skillful gardener
Applies the pruning knife,
E'en so, I too would sever
The worthless from thy life.

I have but one sole object ~
That thou should'st fruitful be!
And is it not thy longing
That I much fruit should see?

Then shrink not from the training
I needs must give to thee;
I know just how to make thee
What I would have thee be.

Remember that I love thee!
Think not I am unkind,
When trials come to prove thee,
And joy seems left behind.

'Tis but a little longer
Until I come again;
What now seems so mysterious
Will all be then made plain.

Take courage then; and fear not!
Press forward to the prize,
A crown of life awaits thee,
Glory before thee lies!

~ Alice C. Lefroy

Luke 12:6,7
"Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Whiner's Guide to Chemotherapy

2006-05-20T23:57:00.001-07:00

I was looking up depression to see if it indeed IS a side effect of chemotherapy. Lately I've been depressed, paranoid, weak and tired, discouraged due to weight gain and my appearance after losing hair, the extreme irritation of the wig I wear, going through menopause, hotflashes, etc. etc. Found this fantastic web site which helped me a lot and made me laugh. I copied a small part of it here for your enjoyment. It's very practical and funny at the same time.

If you know someone with cancer, going through chemo, this will help you to understand what they're going through and how they feel. If you would like to know what you can do to help, may I suggest the following: visit them, take them a meal whether they admit they need it or not, send them encouraging notes or cards. Don't comment on their weight or appearance. Take their kids for a day so they can rest or just have time alone to do something they enjoy, like nap, take a walk, read a good book, or watch TV! It will really lift their spirits and be a blessing to them.

The Whiner's Guide To Chemotherapy
By Judy Hines

(Click on the bold letters to read the entire article with illustrations!)

Quality Whining--
To Whom, When, and Where
Let's face it, people, these next few months will never win your "My Favorite Period of my Life" Award. The best you can hope for is to get through it with ...hmm...perhaps just to get through it will suffice. A modicum of humor can be achieved through whining. We are not talking run of the mill griping here. We are talking Quality Whining. A few ground rules:

Pacifiers look peculiar in an adult mouth but considering what they do for babies, you might want to hide in your closet and go for it. Some of your finest whining can be done with others who are undergoing these Gestapo devised treatments. In fact you can hear six part harmony in an oncologist's office particularly if there is a delicatessen downstairs. Try not to whine to your husband during the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or the World Series. Otherwise consider him fair game. He did say "for better or worse," didn't he? If your wife is the whinee, the same applies to Oprah, a Good Book, and possibly the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals and the World Series. We live in a changing world.

Do your whining in small increments. The tolerance level for whining, even among those most sympathetic, will never approach your maximum ability to whine. I'd put it at about the same as your tolerance level when listening to a six-year old detail the plot of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie. So move right along when whining to friends. Alone is good. You don't have to worry about looks, noise, content, or time.

The best whining is done to God. Not only can He help, He loves you best. And, let's face it, He has--you should pardon the expression--all the time in the world.

Hair Today and Gone Tomorrow
You may think you are ready for this but, trust me, you are not. All really is vanity! If you still have hair, put down this book and dash out and get a wig while you have something to match. Ground rules here:

If you're going the denial route, try not to look in the mirror till your wig is on. Even askew, it helps keep denial a viable option.

If you're going the fantasy route, the girl in Star Trek is a good role model, You can combine fantasy and denial here by forgetting your face and weight.

If you're going the realistic route, the basin is a good place to cry--saves Kleenex.
A multi-colored wig is good for some laughs.

Do not--repeat not--expect your wig to stay comfortable all day, but try not to actually throw it at the family when you have had it.

God really does look on the inside and it's quite possible you look more beautiful to Him than you ever have before

Bones Versus Bulge
Do you think you will get intriguingly skeletal on your chemotherapy? Don't count on it. It's a possibility, of course, perhaps even a probability, but some of us gained thirty or more pounds on the stuff. Ground rules here:

If it looks like your body is going the bulge route, try to think positively. When else can you do guilt free eating regardless of what your scale reads?

If it looks like your body is going the bones route, try to think positively. Seldom are we blessed to have whipping cream and the like thrust upon us by the gallon.

If you can afford it, an escalating (or de-escalating) wardrobe is nice. Gobs of fat and bags of bones both look better in clothes that fit.

Try not to physically harm persons who rush up to you and say, "You're gaining (losing) weight!" Saying, "No duh!" is acceptable though they won't understand you if they have no teenage children.
Spitting in faces is unacceptable no matter how ill you are.

As with the hair, God does look on the inside and values every bone (bulge) in (on) your body.
(Continued on the Web Site!)

Triplet Connection Convention

2006-05-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine being with triplets of every age and sex and type all in one place at one time? That's what it must be like at the annual Triplet Connection Conventions! We've never been to one before, but this year guess where the convention is being held? Not Orlando, not Chicago, not California, not Tennessee! But right here in Phoenix, Arizona! We've always thought it would be super fun to go to one of them. But due to the distance and cost, we never could. Now that it's 15 miles from our home, we can register to participate, but don't necessarily have to pay to stay at an expensive hotel or resort. (We are staying at the resort though ~ Point South Mountain Resort ~ because they're giving attendees a great deal, and we aren't taking the whole family....which we WOULD have to do if it was farther away!) We'll be leaving all the boys home alone and checking on them Saturday afternoon during "free time" at the convention. We're so excited! And now that the girls are going to be six (June 1st), they'll really enjoy it more than they would have at an earlier age. And hopefully REMEMBER it too! It starts Friday, July 7th and ends Sunday morning, July 9th after a big brunch together. There is a big water park right on resort property which we'll be able to use for free. Not sure what other activities are planned; we should be getting the brochure soon. Check it out at the Triplet Connection web site . We'll be taking lots of photos and videos and will be posting the pictures on a dotphoto album afterwards, so keep looking for an update and a link to the photos after July 9th!

Round #5

2006-05-09T09:57:00.001-07:00

I went through my 5th treatment on May 3rd and two days later (Friday) felt sick as a dog. I had to lie in bed all that day. Saturday I was up and around, but still felt sick. I could function on Sunday and Monday, but STILL felt sick! I'm getting SICK of having to go thruogh this and can't wait to be done with it! Every smell makes me nauseous. It's like "morning sickness." It's been seven days since my treatment and today I'm finally starting to feel back to normal. Due to the heat in AZ right now, the wig is becoming very uncomfortable as well! It is taking God's grace to help me endure this whole ordeal. I have a CT Scan scheduled for June 15th, two weeks after round #6, to see if the chemo worked! We'll be leaving Arizona the middle of July, so I'm hoping that when we're in NY I won't have to go for treatments, just for blood tests to keep an eye on my condition. At this point, after starting chemotherapy, I'm 20 pounds heavier than I was when I started (I was told weight gain usually happens with the drugs for breast cancer ~ WONDERFUL!), I'm bald, I have very few eyebrows left (I have to use eye liner to fill them in), and hardly any eyelashes left! I've started using eye liner for the first time in my life! I feel like all of me is artificial! This is no fun! My family feels bad I have to go through this, but I realize that God has allowed it in my life for many reasons. I hope it makes me more compassionate toward others going through the same thing. I know it's making me more thankful for every day the Lord lets me live on this earth and remain with my family!

Red Hat Society

2006-04-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of the "Red Hat Society"???
It's just a fun way to share good times with other women 50 and over. You have to wear a purple outfit with a red hat while you go out with your friends. Some chapters allow women under 50 years old. If that's the case, those women wear PINK hats and lavender outfits. Each chapter has a QUEEN who is a contact person for the group and heads up the meetings. But there are no rules and the groups exist only for FUN and fellowship.

There are "chapters" all over the country now. My sister-in-law is part of a chapter in Moravia, NY. They go to lunch together, to the zoo, to museums, and stuff like that. I plan to start one when I get back to NY. I've invited a friend from Alexander, NY to meet me once a month halfway between our two homes and invite all the women she knows who'd like to participate. You can give yourself a name like "Red Hat Mamma's" or "Hat Flash Dames," "Valley Girls with Hattitude," "Purple Margaritas" or whatever. Now that I'm 50 and I have a red hat now (or two), I look forward to joining the "League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen" in their golden years of life!

Round #4

2006-04-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

I had my fourth round of chemotherapy on April 12th. I decided this time I would partially fast or totally fast for the day or two after I was given the drugs and see if it helped me to NOT get so sick. And it worked! I felt slightly weird but never really nauseous! So PRAISE the LORD! I have yet to experience any other negative side effects except for hair loss and the infrequent nausea.

Still no word about how the chemo is working or WHEN I will have scans to see what's going on. I did see a radiation oncologist a couple Thursdays ago to talk with him about whether or not I should undergo radiation treatments too. I don't WANT radiation treatments, and he told me (anyway) that it would be better to wait and see what the chemo does before doing anything else.

He did take the time to show me my films taken on November 7th, 2005. My oncologist never even talked to me about them. He showed me that there are no more spots on my liver ~ hurray! But there is one tiny spot on my right lung (on the outside) which he felt was insignificant. And there is a tiny spot on my right skull (in the front) that I never knew about. It is NOT brain cancer, but on the bone (bone scan picture). He said it might not even be cancer and no one could know without a biopsy. So I'm not worrying about it. I do have a couple spots on my mid-spine and of course the sternum is quite involved. Those pictures were taken almost six months ago. The new scans that I'll have in the future may show a big difference. (I sure hope so!)

I'm still not worried. I feel great and I'm alive TODAY! And even if I "die" I'll still be ALIVE! Just in another place far better than this one! Thanking God for all His blessings, which He daily LOADS me with!

Whatever Happened to Godly Music?

2006-04-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Here is an article by Terence D. McLean from "The Voice in the Wilderness" October 1998. I thoroughly agree with his opinion!

"What is wrong with 'Amazing Grace,' I ask you? Is there a problem with 'How Great Thou Art?' Are the words and melody of 'How Firm a Foundation' no longer beautiful or true? Must we set aside the great hymns of the faith and replace them with 'Who put the bop in the Bible shee-bop shee-bop?' and 'Ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong for Jesus.?' Now that we have 'Christian' rock, rap, regGAE, and jazz, can 'Christian' Budweiser be far behind? Must 'What a Friend We Have in Jesus' be replaced with 'The Dude Upstairs is So Cool, doo whoppa, doo whappa doo?'

And now that we have 'Christian' heavy metal, acid, and (get this) Christian New Age, can 'Christian' Marloboros wrapped in New Testament parchment be far behind?

And what of the people who write these new songs? Once upon a time, hymns were written only by the greatest of composers and the most devout of Christians. Compare that with Michael W. Smith, who, 'at the same time he was penning gospel songs, he was also using marijuana, LSD, and cocaine.' (Wall Street Journal, 9/11/91, p. A-11) 'I'm a singer, not a preacher, I'm not looking to convert anybody,' says Christian rock diva Amy Grant. (Los Angeles Times, 5/4/84, p.2-c) Grant goes on to demonstrate her spirituality by saying, 'I'm not going to say too often that I like a cold beer while watching a football game. That might bother some of my fans." (Greensville News, 5/4/94)

One Christian rock star (Michael English) gets caught fornicating and he converts to singing secular songs, including one in which he ridicules Christians. Then he packs an auditorium in Dayton as he does his 'comeback tour.' Another Christian rock star (Sandi Patti) gets caught fornicating and all her albums are recalled by the publisher, only to have them re-released after her divorce and subsequent remarriage to the object of her three-year affair. And of Amy Grant's lyrics, Billboard magazine and Face the Music both report that, 'The only difference between Amy Grant's love songs and those of Olivia Newton-John is that often Grant's pronouns come with capital letters.' To which AMy has been quoted saying, 'I want to be at the same level as Billy Joel, the Doobie Brothers.' (Time magazine, New Lyrics for the Devil's Music, 3/11/85, p. 60)

Well, Glory to God in the highest!

And what of the presentation of this new 'Christian' music? Michael W. Smith was seen as a hot number by the Wall Street Journal when it learned his sexy, steamy, sensuous video was produced by the same company that produces the rocker formerly known as Prince. 'I know if I am too blatant about my Christianity and talk about Jesus I won't succeed. But hey, I'm not an evangelist. I'm a singer." (ibid)

On 'Christian' metal group Bloodgood's video, one of the rockers enters with purple hair and sunglasses, carrying a giant Bible. Then he says, 'I'm not here to tell you about how Jesus loves you. I'm here to talk about ME!' (Metal Mardi Gras)

And now we have 'Chrisitan' Rave and 'Christian' Thrash music. Amen, brother. Split somebody's head fo Jesus!! You say, 'Splitting heads for Jesus would never be included on a 'Christian' album, not even Thrash trash.' Wrong-o my naive friend. 'Persecution' is a 'Christian' thrash group: and the chorus of one of that group's songs repeats over and over: 'Praise the Lord - Beat My Head In." And try these for lyrics giving honor to God on recent 'Christian' albums: "Drown the devil in the urinal." Or better still: 'I love my dog, and he loves me. He uses my leg when he has to pee.' (New York Times, 7/26/96)

Was there such a problem with 'What a Friend We Have in Jesus' or ' Nothing But the Blood of Jesus' that we must replace them with a dog doing his duty on some dimwit's leg? 'But you have to go with that stuff to keep the kids,' you say. To keep them what exactly?

~To keep them laughing at you because they see through your compromise?
~To keep them coming to church because they know they won't hear any more about Jesus and right living there than they will at the amusement park?
~To keep them convinced that you have absolutely no clue?

The Bible in my hand says that real Christian music has three purposes. Colossians 3:15 says 'Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Clearly, then, Christian music is to teach Bible doctrine, to encourage godly behavior and to give testimony to the grace of God that resides in us by faith in Christ Jesus.

Why did 'Moshing for the Master' replace 'Wonderful Grace of Jesus?' Was there something wrong with 'The Haven of Rest' or 'Trust and Obey?' No doubt when all you have ever listened to is sex-driven junk, really spiritual music feels like a bucket of cold water to a copulating canine.

Meanwhile, 'How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me."

AMEN . . . AMEN . . . and AMEN!

Death is Swallowed Up In VICTORY!

2006-04-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

"In the end of the sabbath, . . . came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. . . and the angel said unto the women, 'Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.'" Matthew 28:1-6

"And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.'" Matthew 28:18-20

". . . If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." I Corinthians 15: 17-20

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" I Corinthians 15: 55-57

"Jesus said unto her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.' " John 11: 25-26

Adrian Rogers

2006-04-12T00:39:00.000-07:00

It's been almost five months since Pastor Adrian Rogers passed away. He was a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of our favorite preachers, whom we listened to on TBN almost every Sunday for several years. We own several of his tape series. My favorite is "Redeeming Love" ~ sermons on the book of Ruth. We also want to get a video copy of his sermon entitled "The Captain and His Kids." It's about the story of Noah and the flood. Both Ruth and Noah are stories that are "types" or pictures of our redemption in Christ.

We visited Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, in May of 2005, hoping to hear him preach. But before our vacation, we learned he had retired two months earlier in March of 2005.(Click here to learn more about his "Retirement Party.") We did make it to the church on a Sunday in May, but not in time to participate in a worship service. It saddened us that we never got to hear him in person.

In November of 2005 we were driving back to Arizona from New York where we had spent Thanksgiving week with our family. During the whole trip we listened to the cassette tapes we had bought years ago of Adrian Rogers' sermons on the book of Romans. We were so blessed by those messages and they had a profound impact on our kids too!

Then just after we got back to Arizona the end of November, I got a devotional from the ministry that he started "Love Worth Finding" and it mentioned that Pastor Rogers had gone "home" to be with the Lord on November 15th. He had been battling cancer and later contracted pneumonia, and that is what he died from. I couldn't help but weep. I not only wept for his wife and family and church family. I wept for myself. I (and our whole family) had grown to love him and admire him for his excellent preaching and wonderful Christian character and his testimony. You could just tell he truly LOVED the Lord Jesus Christ! I wrote an email to a friend who once attended that church in Memphis, Tennessee, saying "Of him the world was not worthy." Then I checked out the "Love Worth Finding" web site to find out more about his death and funeral and memorial service.

Here is the link where you can read more about him and what he stood for and what he accomplished for the sake of Christ during his time on earth. You can also order books written by him or tapes of his sermons: http://www.lwf.org and http://www.adrianrogers.org

Coffee Substitude

2006-04-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

I love coffee! But because of my special diet and trying to overcome cancer right now, I'm trying to avoid caffeine and the acidity from coffee. Cancer thrives in a body with an acidic environment, so I began looking for an alternative that tastes good to satisfy my craving for coffee! I found it. It's called GANO coffee and is great tasting and good for you too! Check it out!

Nothing to Wear?

2006-04-08T08:55:00.002-07:00

The following is an article I recently submitted to the Women's Ministries Newsletter here at EVBC. Thought I'd share it on my blog, too!

In our home group meetings over the past several weeks we have been studying Colossians. When reading chapter 3, we came upon two verses instructing believers to PUT ON various things. I started to think about other places in Scripture where we are commanded to PUT ON something. If you are like me, you have a closet full of clothes and many times feel you have "NOTHING TO WEAR"!!! But if we consider all that God wants us to PUT ON, we will realize that we have plenty to wear; we just don't take the time to dress in the things God has commanded us to PUT ON! Most of the time, I take more tme fretting over what clothes or outfit to PUT ON than I do to make sure I am obeying these commands in Scripture. So I decided to type up a list and hang it on my closet door to remind me each day before I get dressed to PUT ON the following:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14 ~ "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts therof.")

2. The New Man (Ephesians 4:24 ~ "Put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Colossians 3:10 ~ "Put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him.")

3. The Whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6:11 ~ "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.")

4. The Armour of Light (Romans 13:12 ~ "The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.")

5. Compassion

6. Kindness

7. Gentleness

8. Patience/Longsuffering (Colossians 3:12 ~ "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.")

9. Humility/Meekness (I Peter 5:5 ~ "Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.")

Whatever we choose to wear each day, let us keep in mind that as Christian women, before we face each day with the duties and relationships God has called us to, we are never fully clothed until we have put on these things that God considers most important!

Allistair Begg

2006-03-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Allistair Begg is coming to East Valley Bible Church! We're going to go hear him on Thursday night in the Conference Center at 7 PM. His program "Truth for Life" is aired week days at 11:00 AM on 1360 AM, KPXQ, a Phoenix, AZ, Christian station. KPXQ is sponsering the special hour and a half "Radio Rally" and using our church. We listen to him from time to time on that Phoenix station and have been blessed by his ministry. Looking forward to seeing and hearing him in person this coming week. (He's not only a great preacher with a cool Scottish accent, he was also in a recent movie called "Bobby Jones" starring James Caviezel, playing the part of Bobby Jones' Scottish golf instructor!) Click the bold words for more info on the "Radio Rally." Here's an article about Allistair Begg playing the part of Bobby Jones' golf instructor in the movie "Bobby Jones."

Round #3

2006-03-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my third round of chemotherapy. I had to wait a week, so there were another four weeks between treatments. It'll be three treatments in 11 weeks. My white count was down again, but this time they gave me two shots of Neupagin to help my white count climb faster. One was last Tuesday, the second last Wednesday (a week ago). My white count went from 1.7 to over 5.1. Today I will go in again and have a shot of Neulasta (a longer lasting drug for the same purpose of increasing my white count). This way I will be able to have a fourth treatment in three weeks (April 12). The side effect of the Neupagin was severe bone pain for about 24-36 hours. I ached all over, but was able to relieve some of the pain with Ibuprofin. Last night after the chemo treatment, I felt fine except for a headache which I took Tylenol for. I was able to go to our home group Bible study and enjoyed it immensely, as I always do. Tuesday two of the ladies from our group took me to lunch at Garcia's. We had a terrific fun time. I'm so thankful and happy that God has allowed me to be here and to get to know more people and make really good Chrisitian friends. These two women are my age. Dawn Brown (a doctor's wife) just turned 50 on Sunday, and Sue Brenner will be 50 in July. I'll be 50 next month. They each have three kids all grown up (college age). I feel good this morning...no sickeness from the chemo . . . yet. It usually hits me on Friday. But maybe my body is used to it and I won't feel so bad this time. Everyone at the home group meeting prayed for me that I wouldn't get sick! We shall see!

Saturday Update: I have been SICK since Friday morning. Yucky! This is no fun!! Last night I was lying in bed in the dark when I woke (one of many times waking up in the night) either due to stomach upset, aching bones from the Neulasta, or hot flashes....thinking about the Lord and thanking Him that even when no one else on earth knows how I feel or knows what I'm going through, He is there. He is always with me. He knows how I feel and He cares. I am SO THANKFUL for the blessing of God's presence in my worst hours!

"On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." Psalm 63:6-8

Love God With All Your Heart, Soul, & Mind

2006-03-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

Christ said the greatest commandment was to love Him (God) with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, all our strength. It isn't that He is to take FIRST place among all the other things in our lives that call for our love and attention, but that He is to be our ALL! When we love God with ALL our hearts, then everything we do flows from that love to HIM alone. We will love our spouses because we love HIM and want to please and obey HIM (Christ). We will love our children because we love HIM and want to love and obey HIM. We will love our neighbor as ourselves, because we love HIM and want to obey HIS command to do so. At one time in my life I believed Jesus should have first place, my husband second place, my children third place, and everyone else fourth place, myself LAST. Trying to put relationships into categories and priorities. Now I have come to see and understand that it's all about HIM. If I love the Lord with all my heart, then all the other relationships in my life will fall into their proper place within that framework. My main focus must be on developing a greater knowledge of Christ and growing a deeper love for Him, finding all my satisfaction and fulfillment in Him. For from that, I will also grow in humility, in my obedience to Him, and in my love toward others.

Juggling Act

2006-03-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

My Life is a Juggling Act! I have to try to manage our home...keep things clean, keep up with laundry, manage the kids doing their chores and schoolwork, school activities, make and keep track of appointments and meetings and Gabe's work schedule, take care of the dog...feeding and letting in and out all day long, plan meals and make grocery lists and go grocery shopping, prepare meals and serve them on time, take the older boys to work and pick them up, teach the triplets Kindergarten, and Ben third grade, take care of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of all the children, make sure everyone has clothes that fit and can find what they need when they need it, pay the bills on time, reply to letters and e-mails, keep up relationships with friends and relatives, be a good wife, a good mother, a good neighbor, a good Christian, a good church member, a good friend, a good daughter, a good sister, a good steward of our possessions, etc., etc., etc. And all the while try to regulate my own private world...my attitudes, my thought life, my relationship to Christ, taking care of my own nutrition and health needs, including medical care, dental care, eating right and exercising, getting enough sleep, overcoming CANCER! I always marvel when I wake up each day and still can function and still have my sanity! I marvel that Gabe still has his sanity, too, despite the extreme stress of working nights in a big city ICU and coming home to our large family, getting very little (never enough) sleep, and also teaching the kids and helping to run things at home. I know it's only the GRACE of GOD that makes all this possible. Things aren't perfect, by any means. But for the most part, things are pretty orderly and peaceful in our home. And so I take this time and this space on the World Wide Web to give God thanks for all He has done in our lives and for keeping us from being totally disfunctional in this weird, wild, wacky world that we live in!

What if . . . ?

2006-03-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

The kids and Gabe and I were talking during lunch about a thought I had this morning. What if we had square heads? I tried to imagine what it would be like to sleep at night or put on clothing over a square head. (Being bald right now, and seeing the "real" shape of my head probably led to these weird thoughts!) What would it be like to hug or kiss someone if you both had SQUARE heads? We'd have to be more careful not to poke other people with the corners of our heads! What would hats look like? What kind of "hair-do's" would mankind have come up with if we had square heads?

From that thought, we went on to think about other body parts . . . like elbows! What would it be like to NOT have elbows? If we had such long arms and couldn't bend them, my first thought was, "How would we hold a baby?" How would we hug another human being? How would we feed ourselves? Imagine not being able to bend our arms when we are trying to eat. Our silverware would have to be a lot different, wouldn't it? My kids all stuck their arms out and tried to imagine holding a long long spoon or fork so it would reach from our hand to our mouth. With no elbows we couldn't bend our arms to dress ourselves or reach around to scratch itches in certain places, or wash our faces, brush our teeth! . It would almost render our hands useless in some cases!

From elbows, we went to knees. How would we live without our knees? When we sat in a chair, our legs would stick straight out in front of us. Our tables would sure have to be wider so we wouldn't be kicking the people across the table from us! Try getting up from a chair without bending your knees. It's almost impossible, unless you help yourself up with your arms. But if our arms had no capacity to bend, that wouldn't help much either! You'd be stuck until someone came along who could pull you up! (Maybe if we had no elbows or knees we would never sit down!?)

Next thoughts were, "How would we get by without two ears, eyebrows, nostrils, a tongue, teeth?" We couldn't even talk too well without a tongue and teeth, and how important are they both for eating or the ENJOYMENT of eating? Take away a person's thumb and that would certainly limit the things one could do, wouldn't it?

You could think about almost any body part and realize that without this or that part of our anatomy, life would be pretty difficult, or at least a lot different than we know it. The conclusion of the whole matter is this...."I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that my soul knoweth right well!" And that is just after thinking about the external body parts. Stop to think about how all the internal organs and systems of the body work in harmony to keep us alive and healthy and it boggles the mind!

There's no way anyone could convince me that my body wasn't designed by an intelligent Creator! I certainly am not smart enough to have come up with any better design, nor is any other human I'm aware of. And even if someone could design a human body better than what we've got right now, there's no way they could give life to such a being. How much less likely that it all happened by CHANCE?

Jacobs Brothers ~ Part 6

2006-03-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Luke Jacobs was born January 27, 1997.

Jacobs Brothers ~ Part 5

2006-03-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Noah Paul Jacobs, born May 19, 1994

Rebecca, Rachel, Ruth

2006-03-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

1, 2, 3....Ru, Ra, Re.
So glad that God gave YOU to me! :0)

Emmanuel's Land

2006-03-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

This hymn is one that was sung at our wedding almost 25 years ago. It's always been a favorite of mine. I don't think too many people have heard it nor do too many churches sing this one anymore. But the words are so meaningful to me, especially as the years roll along and I get closer and closer to the end of this life. I hope it'll bless you as it does me every time I think about it!

The sands of time are sinking,
The dawn of heaven breaks,
The summer morn I've sighed for,
The fair sweet morn awakes;

Dark, dark, hath been the midnight,
But dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

The King there in his beauty
Without a veil is seen;
It were a well-spent journey
Though seven deaths lay between:

The Lamb with his fair army
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

O Christ, he is the fountain,
The deep sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I've tasted
More deep I'll drink above:

There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear bridegroom's face;
I will not gaze at glory,
But on my King of grace;

Not at the crown he gifteth,
But on his pierced hand:
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Emmanuel's land.

Round #2

2006-02-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Had my second dose of chemotherapy yesterday afternoon. I sat next to a woman who was on round 2, just like me, same drugs, same dosage, same type of cancer. She had NOT lost all he hair yet, but last time, she said she was sick for five days and had a lot of negative side effects. Shows how everyone is different in their reaction to the treatment. I'm so thankful that I was spared all the nausea and sickness. I felt fine after the treatment last night and enjoyed our home group party at Dr. and Mrs. Brown's home. Today I feel good, too! It's funny they call it "rounds" of chemotherapy. Makes me think of a boxing match. Wonder which will win....the cancer or me! Actually, I know it's God who will determine the outcome. And I trust Him whichever way it goes!

Gabe and His Siblings and Mom Jacobs

2006-02-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Introducing Gabe's Family (or part of it)! This picture was taken at our niece's wedding in March of 2004, almost two years ago now. From left to right are: James Gabriel Jacobs (Gabe), Alice Joy Jacobs Wilcox (Joy), Edna Mae Nettleton Jacobs (Mom), Jacqueline Nettleton Jacobs Tamburrino (Jackie), and Raymond Jacobs, Jr. (Sonny) Another terrific bunch of family members whom we love and are thankful for! All Gabe's siblings are married to terrific spouses and have wonderful children. It's a blessing to be part of such a great family!

Sir James Galway

2006-02-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I love James Galway's flute music. Have you ever heard him play or listened to any of his CD's? Today on the Diane Rehm show on National Public Radio, Diane did an interview with him. He also has a terrific sense of humor and is a very "down-to-earth" human being. He and his wife Lady Jeanne Galway are going to be performing an all-Mozart concert (in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth) at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware on Wednesday night, performing with the Polish Chamber Orchestra. If I lived closer, I'd try to attend the event. He is one person I'd love to go hear LIVE before I die! Here's a site with a bit more about him and his wife Lady Jeanne.

Don't Waste Your Cancer ~ John Piper

2006-02-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Just read this article today, written yesterday, February 15th. It was such a help to me. Thought it would be good to share. (This can be applied to any trial, not just cancer!)

"I write this on the eve of prostate surgery. I believe in God’s power to heal—by miracle and by medicine. I believe it is right and good to pray for both kinds of healing. Cancer is not wasted when it is healed by God. He gets the glory and that is why cancer exists. So not to pray for healing may waste your cancer. But healing is not God’s plan for everyone. And there are many other ways to waste your cancer. I am praying for myself and for you that we will not waste this pain.

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God. It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God. The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death. We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ. Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God. It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection. When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope. Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope.

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before. Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25).

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ. Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.

Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Pastor John"

My Valentine

2006-02-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was reading through my blog entries to see if there were any comments, and it occurred to me that I haven't posted an entry about my hubby, James Gabriel Jacobs! For those of you who don't know Gabe, let me tell you that he is a wonderful human being...my very best friend and definitely my better half. He is the only person who has loved me through (literally) thick and thin! He has treated me like a QUEEN and loved me unconditionally for almost 25 years now. He's a gold mine that I wasn't expecting to find, but whom the Lord graciously allowed me to meet and fall in love with and marry on August 29th, 1981. His steadfast love and kindness are a living demonstration of Christ and His love for His bride, the church. That is what has made our marriage lasting and wonderful. I'm so glad I allowed the Lord to chose a husband for me. God gave me far more than I could have asked for, and way more than I deserve in a husband. Together, the Lord has brought us through so much, that I know there's nothing we can't do together or overcome with God's strength and help. I pray that our relationship is a testimony to the reality of true, abiding, and faithful Christian love to all those who know us!

High Calling of Motherhood

2006-02-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

The day is almost over and she's feeling rather "blue."
It's past the children's bedtime and there's still so much to do!

She's been racing since early morning as soon as the baby awoke.
If she doesn't find time to rest up soon, she may end up having a stroke!

It was time to make the kids pick their toys up from the floor,
But they all ran in different directions when she answered a knock at the door!

At times today she felt she was about to "lose her mind."
And if she doesn't before the day ends, it's because the Lord is KIND!

The laundry's overflowing in five baskets down the hall.
Her hair's a mess, there are stains on her dress...she's about to climb the wall!

The little ones need a bath tonight, and the baby wants to nurse,
But before she can do another thing, she hears, "The baby's getting into your purse!"

The dishes are half finished 'cause the phone began to ring.
And because of an "important" conversation, it seems she hasn't accomplished a thing!

She guesses she'll stay up past midnight as she usually has to do.
Or else she could go to bed now, and get up at half-past two. . .

. . .in order to get everything done before the next day dawns.
"If all these chores are left 'til tomorrow, they'll never get done!" she yawns.

When finally all the children are settled and everyone's gone to bed,
She has a quiet moment to think, to sit and rest her head.

Sometimes she wonders if the life she leads, in her calling of motherhood
Is all that she had hoped it would be. Is it really all that good?

To rear a family and stay at home, doing dishes and laundry each day
Is certainly not too glamorous! Could she have chosen a better way?

She looks into the bathroom mirror and "Lo," what does she see?
Could the person there on the other side possibly be she???

Where is the slender, lively girl that people used to know?
Now she beholds and wonders, "Where did that young woman go?"

She's given herself to her husband and kids, and for the past "How many years?"
Has experienced joys that were tempered by trials, laughter mixed with tears.

The wrinkles, gray hairs, and stretch marks tell of all the years gone by.
They remind her that she can never go back, and she heaves a gentle sigh.

"Is it worth it all?" she asks herself as she lays aside the broom.
She walks upstairs where the children sleep and peeks into each one's room.

The faces she sees in the dim night light glow seem angelic, so peaceful and calm.
She feels such a joy, just knowing these "blessings" wouldn't BE if it weren't for their MOM.

They are "gifts" from God she was used to create; it all becomes more clear.
Her job is important after all. It's a different kind of "career."

She's to be an example of godliness, to mold and influence their lives,
To be men and women of character, those who'll make good husbands and wives.

And it's in the daily, little things they're taught to do their best.
To obey, to be humble, to sacrifice, so that others' lives will be blessed.

"Oh Lord," she prays, as she closes the door, after giving each "angel" a kiss,
"Help me to understand that, for me, there is NO HIGHER CALLING than this!"

~ Linda C. Jacobs

The Brick Testament

2006-02-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

My kids recently discovered what is called "The Brick Testamant"!!! (It contains scenes from both Old and New Testament stories.) Have you ever seen it before? If you want to check it out . . . and I think you will enjoy it if you do . . . just go to the web site: BRICK TESTAMENT. It contains sections of the Bible illustrated with Lego's! The words are written in "bubbles" like in a cartoon. Some of the scenes from this on-line Bible are done quite well. Others border on disrespect. I suspect the person who authored this is NOT a believer, because in some sections he is almost mocking God's way of doing things. But check it out for yourself and let me know what you think about it!

Jubilee

2006-02-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

The Lord provided for a time for the slaves to be set free;
For the debts to all be cancelled, so His chosen ones could see
His deep desire was for forgiveness, He longed to see their liberty,
And His yearning was embodied in the Year of Jubilee!

Jubilee! Jubilee! Jesus is the JUBILEE!
Debts forgiven! Slaves set free!
Jesus is our JUBILEE!

At the Lord's appointed time, His deep desire became a man;
The heart of all true jubilation, and with joy we understand
In His voice we hear a trumpet sound that tells us we are free!
He is the incarnation of the Year of Jubilee!

Jubilee! Jubilee! Jesus is the JUBILEE!
Debts forgiven! Slaves set free!
Jesus is our JUBILEE!

To be so completely guilty and given over to despair,
To look into your judge's face and see a Savior there!

Jubilee! Jubilee.! .Jesus is the JUBILEE!
Debts forgiven! Slaves set free!
Jesus is our JUBILEE!

Jubilee! Jesus is the JUBILEE!
Debts forgiven! Slaves set free!
Jesus is our JUBILEE!

~ Michael Card

Come to the Table

2006-02-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Come to the table and savor the sight,
The wine and the bread that was broken.
And all have been welcomed to come if they might
Accept as their own these two tokens.

The bread is His body, the wine is the blood,
And the One who provides them is true.
He freely offers, we freely receive.
To accept and believe Him is all we must do.

Chorus:
Come to the table and taste of the Glory,
And savor the sorrow, He's dying tomorrow.
The hand that is breaking the bread
Soon will be broken.

And here at the table sit those who have loved Him.
One is a traitor and one will deny.
Though He's lived His life for them all,
And for all be crucified.

Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release.
Come to the table and sit down beside Him,
The Savior wants you to join in the feast!

Come to the table and see in His eyes
The love that the Father has spoken.
And know you are welcome, whatever your crime,
For every commandment you've broken.

For He's come to love you and not to condemn,
And He offers a pardon of peace.
If you'll come to the table, you'll feel in your heart
The greatest forgiveness, the greatest release!

Chorus:
Come to the table and taste of the Glory,
And savor the sorrow, He's dying tomorrow.
The hand that is breaking the bread
Soon will be broken.

And here at the table sit those who have loved Him.
One is a traitor, and one will deny.
Though He's lived His life for them all,
And for all be crucified.

Come to the table He's prepared for you,
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release!
Come to the table and sit down beside Him,
The Savior wants you to join in the feast!

~ Michael Card

Coffee in Heaven?

2006-02-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

I had never given it a thought. Until I read Chapter 30 in Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven." The title of the chapter is"Will We Eat and Drink on the New Earth?" When I thought more about it, with my fallen human reasoning, I concluded that if there is no coffee in Heaven, I sure would miss it! And so would a lot of other people!

We know we'll eat and drink ~ to the glory of God. I Corinthians 10:31 says "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." If we can glorify God in our eating and drinking here in this sinful world, we'll certainly be able to do it in Heaven where there is no sin, won't we?

Christ promised to drink wine with us at a huge banquet in His kingdom ~ the New Earth. The Bible SAYS there will be both food and drink, and I take that literally. So why not coffee? God made the coffee bean, didn't He?

Here is what Randy Alcorn has to say: "Consider the facts. God made coffee. Coffee grows on Earth, which God made for mankind, put under our management, and filled with resources for our use. When God evaluated his creation, he deemed coffee trees, along with all else, to be 'very good.' Many people throughout history have enjoyed coffee -- even in a fallen world where neither coffee nor our taste buds are at their best."

Later in the paragraph he asks, "Can you think of any persuasive reason why coffee trees and coffee drinking wouldn't be part of the resurrected Earth?" "Can you imagine drinking coffee or tea with Jesus on the New Earth? If you can't, why not?"

Well, I certainly CAN imagine that! I've had some great times of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ over a good cup of coffee, and I look forward to more good times like that in the New Earth! If there is no coffee in Heaven, though, I'm sure I won't be disappointed. And I probably won't miss it, as I think I might. With all the other wonders and beauties of Heaven, including being with Christ Himself, I know I shall be totally satisfied just to be there....with or without COFFEE!

Joseph's Coat of Many Colors

2006-02-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

Whenever I go through a severe trial, the first person in the Bible I always think about is Joseph. He was a son of Jacob...a favored son, because he was one of the youngest, and the firstborn of Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel. Jacob had 12 sons in all, ten of them being older than Joseph. Because Joseph was a favorite of Jacob, Jacob made him a coat of many colors. And because Joseph was shown favoritism, his brothers were jealous and despised him.

Many sermons have been preached showing how wrong it was of Jacob to show such favoritism, and how it led to his brothers' jealousy and the mistreatment of Joseph. But however one may view the motives and causes of the events in Joseph's life, one cannot help but see God's over-ruling sovereignty in the entire situation.

When Joseph was a young man, God gave him dreams which indicated that one day he would rule over his brothers. When he shared his dreams with his brothers, they hated him even more. But eventually, in the providence of God, these dreams, or what they depicted, would come true! And it was his brothers, motivated by their hatred of him, that were instrumental in Joseph's becoming co-ruler of Egypt, in fulfillment of those dreams!

When one examines the sovereignty of God even during times of great suffering, one can't help but see that even sinfulness and evil motives are used by God to accomplish His purposes. We can't see the end from the beginning as God can. I have always believed that there is no such thing as an accident or "fate." The Bible clearly teaches that not one single event in human history is outside the decree of God. If this was not so, God would be less than GOD! People look at hurricanes, floods, tragedies, and such things as beyond God's control. But I believe the Bible teaches that God causes or allows all things to happen for His own glory, even suffering, tragedy, sin, and evil. We may not understand it all, but that is what God has told us in His Word, and we MUST believe it!

When I go through a trial or suffer in any way, I think of Joseph, because he continued to do right and trust God for many years when it "seemed" that everything was going against him and that God had forgotten him. He was cast into a pit by his brothers and left to die. Then they decided to sell him as a slave and he was carried away to Egypt. As a slave, he found favor in the eyes of his master Potiphar and was exalted in Potiphar's house, only to be lied about and falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown into prison. He interpreted the baker and cupbearer's dreams and had hope that when the cupbearer to the king was released from prison, he would speak on Joseph's behalf and help Joseph to be released, too. But alas, the cupbearer forgot all about his promise to Joseph.

Think of the years of uncertainty, the years of loneliness, and the years during which Joseph must have been tempted to despair and think that God had departed, and that nothing good would ever come of all his trials. Think of all the hopes that were dashed. Yet, he continued to do what was right. Perhaps God allowed these things in Joseph's life because he needed to be humbled. There is no doubt that the trials strengthened his faith and made him into a better, more noble person, one more fit to be exalted to a position of rulership over Egypt. But whatever other reasons God allowed these things to happen to Joseph, we know for sure that one reason was so that Joseph would eventually be in a position to save the lives of the rest of his family (the nation of Israel), including the very brothers who had mistreated him.

In the end, Joseph forgave his brothers and told them, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for GOOD!" And the neatest thing about it all, is that this true account of a man named Joseph, is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was ALSO mistreated by his brothers, sold and abused, falsely accused, and though men meant it for evil, God meant it for GOOD! Just as Joseph's suffering led to the salvation of his family, the suffering and death of Christ was ordained by God to procure the salvation of all who trust in Him. His death brought ETERNAL life!

When I suffer, I also think of the suffering of Jacob, who for many years assumed Joseph was dead. He never stopped grieving for his son. When the final events were transpiring that would save Jacob and his family from starvation and reunite him with Joseph, Jacob said, "ALL THESE THINGS ARE AGAINST ME!" Little did he know that just the opposite was true! Very soon he would realize that all these things were actually FOR him!

So when I go through a trial, I remember Joseph's story and tell myself the following:

1. I will not be surprised by trials. I will recognize that because I am in a sinful world, and because I am a sinner in need of sanctification, they are to be expected. Even the best of God's children must endure trials.
2. I will recognize that the trial I am enduring came from God or was allowed by God. It was ordained by Him for a bigger purpose, mainly for His glory.
3. I will realize that when men do evil or sin against me, God controls even that. Though they may mean it "against" me for EVIL, God always means it for GOOD.
4. I will not get angry at God or men or my circumstances, but will rather "welcome" the trial as something that is for my benefit.
5. I will understand that there is no time limit on trials I might have to endure. I may think I've suffered too long or long enough. But God (like the refiner of silver) keeps me in the fire as long as is necessary to accomplish the work He wants to do in me.
6. I will trust God in my trial, so that when it FEELS like God is absent or has departed from me, I will remember that He has promised "never to leave me nor forsake me" and that the trial is not necessarily a sign of His displeasure.
7. I will continue to HOPE during trials, because many times, like the saying we've all heard before, "The darkest hour is just before dawn." There is an account in the Bible about a widow whose only son died. Jesus came to her and told her not to weep! But he didn't tell her He was going to revive her son, even though that was next on His agenda. He simply told her not to cry. Trusting in the goodness of God will comfort us and relieve us of much of our despair. How do we know that our deliverance isn't just around the corner?
8. I will take comfort in the fact that Jesus sympathizes with me in my trial and He cares about what I am going through! (The disciples once asked Him, "Carest Thou not that we perish?" Of course He cared! He came to their rescue and stilled the storm.) Jesus was "in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." He will stand with me and give me the strength and grace to endure until the trial is over.
9. I will have confidence that the trial WILL come to an end, either in this life or in Heaven. ("Weeping may endure for a night, but JOY comes in the morning.") Someday for the believer in Christ, there is a day coming that we can look forward to with great hope...when we will reign with Christ! And how many times in this life, have we despaired during a trial when the very next day or month or year, God brought about a deliverance or an answer to our prayers or longings that was beyond all we could have imagined!?
10. I will someday (when I look back on my life) see how God has woven into it the various "colors" (like Joseph's coat with the bright reds, greens, yellows, blues...along with the black and grays)...the good and the seemingly bad circumstances, the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows ... to make it into something beautiful for His glory!

A song came to my mind when thinking about this topic. Actually, Scripture verses put to guitar music, written and taught to me by my best friend in college, Robin Finkbeiner. Robin was my age, lived near Landsdale, PA, married Mark Eisenschmeid in 1998, and died of ovarian cancer in 2002. It's from Psalm 18: 31, 32 ~ "For who is God save the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect."

Journey's End

2006-02-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have breast cancer and have survived almost three years so far. I have great hope that I'll come through it okay and be allowed to stay here and serve God and my family a little while longer. But I AM going to die some day. It may not be in the next few years, but I AM going to die, even if I live to be 100 or more! Here is a poem I wrote after my older brother Mike died in an F-111 crash in September of 1992 in Lakenheath, England. He went "home to be with Christ." If I had a funeral, this is the poem I would want in the "program" distributed to those in attendance.

Journey's End

Do not weep for me, my friend,
For I have reached my journey's end.
I've entered into that perfect place,
And seen, at last, my Savior's face!

Christ has embraced me with His strong arms;
I'm free from pain and all that harms!
My faith has now been turned to sight;
I'm filled with rapture and delight!

God will comfort you in grief,
And from your sadness send relief.
In time, your tears will turn to praise,
And songs of joy once more you'll raise.

Please think of me with happiness,
Knowing that I am now at rest.
This is where I've longed to be!
Safe am I for ETERNITY!

I have one desire for you,
That you may be with Jesus, too.
Trust in Him with all your heart.
From the world and sin and self depart.

Live your life for Jesus' glory;
Tell the world the gospel story,
And VERY SOON we'll meet again,
When you have reached YOUR journey's end!

~ L. C. Jacobs

My Family

2006-02-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to show everyone a picture of our family. This was taken on November 21st when we were visiting "home" in NY. Here we are at a Pizza Hut in Auburn, NY. This is one of the few times over the last three years when all ten kids were with us at once!
Here are all your children in one place,
Enshrined behind some glass within a frame.
A picture's like a word, a sign, a name,
Symbolic of a much more complex grace.
Years of memories lie behind each face,
A wild sea no blessing can contain;
Years and years of love, of joy, of pain,
Of mysteries no heart can hope to trace.
Here are all the objects of your love,
A frozen section cut away from Time,
A summit between dreams and memories,
Which you need only look this way to climb;
An icon for domestic reveries
Through which a thousand answered prayers move.

Introducing My Girl Friends!

2006-01-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let folks know about some of the most important people in my life....my girlfriends! My mom is the greatest mother in the world. She became a Christian shortly after I did and we've had wonderful Christian fellowship for many, many years. When I grow up I want to be like her! :o) My sister is the best sister in the world. She is also my sister in Christ. We also have great fellowship in the Lord. (But I don't call her on the phone too often 'cause we talk way too long!) My niece, Michaela, is one of the best nieces in the world, and of course, my daughters are the best daughters in the world.

Since moving to Arizona, one of the things I miss most is the times we would get together for our monthly ladies' days out! I'm glad we had a chance to do it this past fall when we were visiting for a week. This photo was taken on November 23rd, at my parents' house in Towanda, PA before we all went out to lunch. I thank God for the love and support of my family! (Don't forget to check out the Archives! More blog entries that I posted in December are on another page. Look for the link in the sidebar on the right!)

Refiner's Fire

2006-01-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a Refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. This very moment,someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

*********************************

The Refiner's Fire

There burns a fire of sacred heat
White hot with holy flame
And all that pass through its embrace
Will not emerge the same

Some as bronze; and some as silver
Some as gold Then with great skill,
All are hammered by their suffering
On the anvil of His will

The refiner's fire has now become my soul (sole) desire
Purged and cleansed and purified that the Lord be glorified
He is consuming my soul; refining me, making me whole
No matter what I may lose, I choose the refiner's fire.

I'm learning how to trust His touch
To crave the fire's embrace
For though my past with sin was etched
His mercies did erase.

Each time the purging cleanses deeper
I'm not sure that I'll survive
Yet the strength in growing weaker
Keeps my hungry soul alive.

The refiner's fire has now become my soul (sole) desire,
Purged and cleansed and purified that the Lord be glorified.
He is consuming my soul; refining me, making me whole.
No matter what I may lose, I choose the refiner's fire.

~ Author Unknown

CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!

2006-01-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

Have you ever asked God to use you to further His kingdom, to help those in need, be a comfort to brothers and sisters in Christ,and be as Paul Tripp writes, an "instrument in the hands of the Redeemer"??? I have ~ and many times at that.

I fully realize that God isn't obligated to use anyone. He doesn't NEED me to do anything for Him. I know that all men are clay in the Potter's hand. He can chose to NOT use us, or to use us in any way He sees fit, according to His own will and purpose. But despite all that, there have been times in my life when I grieved that I was not being used by God in the lives of other people. I wanted to be God's instrument.There were times in my life when I felt like God had "put me on the shelf." Perhaps I was being used in ways I wasn't aware of, and in a small way He might be using me to influence the lives of my children. But for the most part, I felt like Moses when he was on the back side of the desert for 40 years, feeling discouraged, perhaps, and wondering if he would ever be "usable" to God.

I have also, at the same time as asking to be USED by God, asked that God would bless me with health, or heal me of my disease(s), rid me of financial hardship, give me a perfect husband and children, make my car never break down, and give me a "victorious" life. I'd LIKE to be able to tell people that I am free from TROUBLE... my kids are free from TROUBLE, and I am healthy, my marriage is good all the time, we always have all the money we need, we live in a wonderful house with wonderful neighbors,in a wonderful church, and that life, in general, is WONDERFUL for me! Some of those things ARE true, but not always. And some of those things may never be true of my life.

Now I realize that all these feelings and desires are simply a result of my human sinful PRIDE. It's called "the pride of life" in the Bible. I want to have others think well of me all the time. I want to be that person who is good looking, wealthy, has lots of friends, has a terrific spouse, has beautiful talented high achieving children who marry beautiful talented high-achieving spouses, and whom others look to for leadership and guidance. I want everyone to think I've "got it all together"! Don't you?

But you know what? . . . We "CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!"

The Lord said "in this world ye shall have tribulation." He said not to be surprised when we fall into various trials. He said if the world hated Him, it would hate us too! The Bible says God "resists the PROUD, but gives grace to the HUMBLE." And God works on our stubborn pride by sending us tribulation and trials that will work to humble and purify us and make us more into the image of Christ! Only THEN can we be used as pliable "Instruments in the Hands of the Redeemer."

When I stop to think about it, who is it that I want to go talk to or have around me when I am suffering? Who is it that offers me the most comfort or encouragement or instruction during times of testing and trial? Isn't it the one who has gone through the same thing I am going through? God most often brings us comfort in our tribulation through others whom He has already comforted in their OWN trials.

When I look around at the people whom God is using the most in our day, I realize it is the people who have come out of great trials and suffering who are most able to minister to others. It's the woman I met recently who has had breast cancer and is still fighting it after TEN YEARS, the home school mom in the wheel chair due to cancer of the spine. It's the single dad who is divorced and struggling with doing right in that situation who can feel for others going through the same thing and advise them how to deal with it, because of what God has taught him. It's the woman who lost her child or husband or who had a miscarriage who can minister to other women going through the same kind of loss. It's the man who was delivered from alcoholism who can help others struggling with severe temptations and addictions.

I think that is why God wants "elders" to rule in the church. Because they are oneswho have EXPERIENCED life with all its ups and downs and have most likely gone through many trials on their road to becoming an "elder" (older). They are the ones who can more fully minister to those in need of Christ, because they've had opportunities to see Christ meet them in their deepest need. And that's why God tells "older women to teach the younger"....because of the experience they have had in learning to love their husbands and children in this thing full of trials and testings called "life."

I have always known that I must suffer in order to be made more like Christ. Shame on me that I often complain about my problems, when He has told me to rejoice when I fall into various trials! Tribulation worketh patience, patience works experience, and experience produces HOPE! Next time I am tested or tried or have to go through suffering (or next time I lament over the sufferings I've had to go through up 'til now), I had better remember that! I will never grow in patience or experience or hope, nor will I minister or teach those things to anyone else if I don't endure the trials God sends my way.

And if I want to be used of God, I'd better be prepared to SUFFER and learn what it's like to hurt! Because the world is a place of great suffering! And who is going to listen to someone who doesn't have a clue about that? If things always went well for me, I'd be oblivious to the pain of those around me and would not be able to offer any comfort to those in need. How can men and women and children come to know the true God who cares about the sinful and the poor and the needy and those who suffer, if I am unable to relate to or empathize with sinful, poor, needy, and suffering fellow humans? If I was free from trials, I couldn't relate to the tired and sick and hurting people all around me.

So the next time you pray that God would use you, remember that to make you USABLE, God will probably cause you to suffer loss and experience severe testings and trials. Don't ask God to bless you with health, wealth, prosperity (or that you'll be free from trials), and at the same time expect Him to answer the prayer to be USED.

You CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!

The Tiger

2006-01-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

TIGER, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

~ William Blake

Pray Without Ceasing

2006-01-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

Been thinking a lot about prayer lately...because I'm hearing a lot about it, reading about it in e-mails and devotionals, etc. I have been concentrating on what it means to "pray without ceasing" and examining my own life to see if I am obeying that command in Scripture.

Often times I feel guilty for not praying enough. As a busy mother of many children, I don't always make time like I should for getting alone with God and pouring out my soul to Him. (There are times of severe trial and testing, however, when I am compelled to do so, and would to God I would do more of that without having to be tried and tested to get me to that point!)

As I was contemplating my life and whether or not I DO pray without ceasing, however, I came to the conclusion that, perhaps without even realizing it, I am constantly praying and in fellowship with Christ. I don't believe prayer always has to be on one's knees or at a particular time or in a particular location, although I think it is important to have a regular time of concentrated prayer...time to meditate on God and time to give Him thanks and praise for who He is and what He has done. There are also times when we may have a "prayer list" of people for whom we pray or circumstances which we lay before Him on a regular basis. But I'm thinking about the day to day activities of my life and remembering the many times I DO offer to God short prayers, or conversations with God that I've had that deal with the situations I find myself in.

When I wake up in the morning, I might whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for another day in which to live and serve Him. Then I might ask for help in dealing with something I must face that day or a situation that comes up with one of the kids.. a prayer for wisdom to know how to answer a question or deal with certain behavior or disobedience, a prayer for strength to do the duties before me when I'm feeling tired or lazy. Then someone in need might come to my mind and I'll ask God to help that particular person. Or if Gabe is on his way home from work, I'll ask God to give him safety as he travels. If Esther or Jonathan call and share concerns or needs, I'll ask God to work in their lives in their particular circumstances.

If I'm tempted to be angry or harsh with the kids, I might ask God at that moment to help me be patient, gracious, and gentle in my dealings with them, and often have to ask for forgiveness for dealing harshly or saying something I shouldn't have said. If I have an appointment or meeting with someone or a group of people, I'll pray just beforehand that God will either give me the words to speak or an opportunity to witness and be "salt and light" to those who don't know Christ (and sometimes I pray that God will help me to NOT speak so much!). If I am writing a letter, many times I'll ask God to help me say the right thing.

If I am blessed in any way throughout the day, I might simply say "Thank you, Lord." Or if I see something God made that amazes me and I'm struck with His awesome power and creativity, I might just tell Him so! If something grieves me, I might say something like, "Lord PLEASE come back soon! I'm tired of my own sins, the sins of those around me and the mess the world is in!"

I think "praying without ceasing" is a natural outgrowth of having an intimate personal relationship with Christ. He's a Person. He lives within me. His ears are open to the prayers of His children. He has called me "friend." He is my Brother, Savior, Lord, Spouse! Without being irreverent, I could say it's like having an imaginary friend! Though I realize He isn't just imaginary....someone I conjure up or invent in my own mind or thinking. But He's a REAL friend whom, though I don't see Him, I love!

Paul Tripp said something today that impressed me. Our job as parents is to stimulate the "imaginations" of our children. By imagination, he didn't mean that we are to help our children be able to imagine or make up things that aren't real. But we are to help them to be able to perceive the things that are TRUE but that we cannot see with our physical eyes.

Christ and I (and all His children) can have fellowship on a moment by moment basis. I can call out to Him at any time, be it by a cry or groaning in my spirit, a whisper, a silent thought, or talking out loud. And He speaks to me through His Word as I read it and as it comes to my memory. He speaks to me as His Spirit brings the truth to mind pertaining to the circumstances I might be in. And I speak back to Him in response to that. I can be reading a passage of Scripture or listening to a sermon on the radio or in "church" and in my heart I respond to Him by affirming that truth, or asking Him to apply it to my life, forgive me for not living it, or help me to live it!

Here's one example of the kind of fellowship one can have with the Lord. I remember one day many years ago, mopping the kitchen floor on my knees, thinking and grieving and praying about my sinful condition...saying things like, "Lord, how could I be your child? I do thus and so!" And "How can I be a Christian when I do this or that, or have these kinds of thoughts or attitudes?" I brought all these questions before the Lord concerning my failure to be what He wants me to be, giving Him a long list of reasons why I was unworthy to be called a Christion or one of His own. A day or two later, a young man at our church loaned us a book by Spurgeon, I think it was "Teachings of Nature in the Kingdom of Grace." As I was reading through the book, I came upon a section where there was listed the EXACT same questions I was asking God, the exact same reasons I was giving to God for my unworthiness, while on my knees mopping the floor. But after each question or reason (in this book) was written God's answer to that question as if He was speaking directly to me! I immediately perceived that as God's way of personally replying to the things I was praying a few days earlier.

Another time in the fall of 1995, Esther's little pet cardinal had just drowned in the kitchen sink, I was thinking about my brother who was killed in September of '92, and my dear grandmother who had just passed away, and I was mourning death. I was grieving over the fact that DEATH was in the world and I was crying. I went into the boys' bedroom in our house in Penn Yan to put some clean clothes away (and to avoid being "seen" crying). I was all alone and their radio was on, tuned to the Christian station we usually listened to. It was a Sunday afternoon and all of a sudden a song came on with the first words, "Mary, why are you crying?" Then the song went on to tell about all the incidents where Christ raised people from the dead, culminating in His own resurrection. It was such a beautiful song! It was like God was saying to me..."Linda, why are you crying?" I have conquered death, and one day I will raise my saints from the dead and DEATH SHALL BE NO MORE!" I felt as if God was speaking directly to me and my emotional state at that moment, giving me comfort. A couple days later, I called the station during "request time" and asked them to replay the song so Gabe and the kids could hear it. They said they didn't have a song by that title but played "Mary Don't You Worry" by the group "GLAD." It was NOT the song I had heard that Sunday afternoon. So I tried calling again and telling them the words and what the song was about. They didn't have any songs like that and couldn't find it for me. I have tried looking it up on the Internet over the years....still can't find it. It makes me wonder if it was just a one-time thing God wanted me to hear at that particular moment? Whatever the case, it showed to me that He is intimately acquainted with all my thoughts and all my ways and He knows and cares about how I feel. Me, one in 100 billion people who have ever lived on this earth...and God Himself stoops to pay attention to me. It is most awesome and amazing!

So when I consider the command to "pray without ceasing" I'm glad to report that YES, I DO PRAY without ceasing! It's quite easy to pray without ceasing when you are walking and talking every moment of every day with a real living Savior who has promised never to leave us or forsake us! And so, even though my time is limited so that I don't have too many long "appointments" with God, He is with me always, and I can talk with Him any time, any place! I think "practicing the presence of God" is the answer....we need to be always conscious of His presence, and that will cause us to be in constant communion and fellowship with Him throughout our day to day living.

When I die, I don't want to wake up and meet a strange Christ, someone I haven't known or talked with or thought about in this life.....I expect my death to be a continuation of the relationship that was established 30+ years ago, one difference being that, at that time, I'll step through the veil that has kept me from seeing Christ with my physical eyes, but hasn't kept me from seeing Him with my heart, through the eyes of faith.

Finding Favor with the King

2006-01-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Position and petition often shout their demands, but passion need only whisper. Jesus tells us simply to ask, seek and knock and it will be done. He also tells us that our heavenly Father will give good things to all who ask. Access is everything.

Have you ever noticed how people are always trying to get the ear of the important and the powerful? How they jockey for position in hopes of gaining the advantage over a rival?

Worldly wisdom says that the way to get ahead in life is by outworking, outwitting or out-shouting the other guy. This is not the way things operate in the palace of the King. The King's ear is not reached by shouting demands from a position of "legal" access. His ear is tuned instead for the whispered request of a passionate lover. Passion trumps position.

A religious mindset believes that God must be coaxed through persuasion or force of argument. Those who know the King know better. Someone said that prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance but laying hold of His willingness .

Relationship is the key. Relationship trumps religion. Relationship gives a level of access that no legal claim could ever hope to match. An old Scottish proverb says, "A pennyweight o' love is worth a pound o' law." Those who are comfortable in their love relationship with the King know that they don't have to plead or beg or shout louder than someone else. All they have to do is ask .

Consider Jesus' words in Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." What could be simpler? There is nothing here about shouting – nothing about a legal claim or demand – nothing about an attention-getting demonstration. Just ask, seek and knock. Jesus goes on in verse 10 to say that the Father willingly gives "good things to those who ask Him."

The King loves to give gifts to His children. Jesus said, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." He also gave us this promise: "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

There is more power in the whispered word of a passionate lover than in the loudest legal claim. Nothing stirs the heart of the King like the quiet voice of one of His own spoken in love.

Do you want to draw the ear of the King? Relationship gives you access and access is everything. His heart is already inclined toward you. Don't beg or plead. Don't shout or demand. Simply speak from a heart of passionate love and He will answer. Just ask!

Father, I'm so amazed that You love me so much that all I have to do is ask and You will answer! Teach me to know Your heart and mind so that my requests will always be in line with Your will.

True Faith

2006-01-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

(Edited from Thomas Reade's, "On Faith")

True Faith is not a mere passive impression, or an inoperative notion. It is a holy principle wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God, producing gracious habits, holy affections, filial reverence, and obedience.

True Faith is seated in the heart, influencing and purifying the whole inner man.

True Faith unites the soul to Christ, as the branch to the vine. It draws virtue from him, whereby the believer is rendered fruitful in every good work. The sweet fruits of the Spirit appear and abound in rich luxuriance on these favored branches, to the glory of God.

True Faith feeds upon Christ continually, as the true bread which came down from heaven, of which, whoever eats shall live forever.

True Faith works by love to God, his people, and his word. It evidences its vitality by its fruits.

True Faith purifies the heart from sin, waging war against all internal and external evil.

True Faith overcomes the world, both when it smiles and when it frowns.

True Faith views the glorious land of promise as its own, and triumphs over all intervening difficulties and dangers which bestrew its path to Heaven.

True Faith makes the believer confident, yet watchful;bold, yet cautious; aspiring, yet humble.

Confident , since the promises of God are kindly given him to rest upon;
Watchful , since he feels the deceitfulness of his rebellious heart.
Bold , since the honor of the Savior demands his confession;
Cautious , lest he should be only gratifying a proud spirit.
Aspiring after that honor which comes from God only; yet
Humble , since he remembers his own vileness and utter unworthiness of the least of the divine mercies.

If it be asked, how can Faith effect such wonders? The reply is, because Faith is the gift of God, and the power of God. The believer, abiding in Christ, and deriving continual supplies of grace and strength out of his fullness, becomes mighty through this power which works in him mightily. He is strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, to fight the good fight of faith, and to lay hold on eternal life. Weak and helpless in himself, he is strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus his Lord and finally obtains the palm of victory through the blood of the Lamb.

Thus, Faith in Christ leads it to all true holiness.
Such is the Faith of God's elect; a Faith which is according to godliness.

This Day

2006-01-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

"Take no thought for tomorrow."
This is what Jesus said.
"Don't worry about tomorrow;
You must live for THIS DAY instead!"

THIS DAY with its burdens and concerns,
With each blessing or trial I meet
Is enough for me to think upon,
As I cast all my cares at His feet.

Since the past cannot be relived or changed,
And the future by man can't be known,
I will trust Him THIS DAY with the needs of my life.
He will never leave me alone.

Though all my life from beginning to end
Is but as one day in His sight,
He still walks along with me in time,
Through my day or my darkest night.

Not one circumstance comes, be it good or ill,
Except by His sovereign decree,
So I dare not fear or worry or doubt,
For He knows what is best for me!

Now all I can do is live THIS DAY
For His glory Who reigns above.
I will do what my hand finds to do with my might,
By His grace, giving thanks for His love.

I'll rejoice in His mercy and sing forth His praise,
Who has given so much to me,
And live for THIS DAY, pressing onward until
His dear face in THAT DAY I shall see!

~ Linda C. Jacobs 1994

The Jacobs Brothers ~ Part 4

2006-01-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'll be writing about Matthew Joseph Jacobs soon!

Mouse Cleaning

2006-01-09T23:11:00.000-07:00

I asked the Lord to tell me why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been 'puttering', and I had to answer "yes."
He told me to get off my fanny and tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up...the smudges off my mouse.
I wiped and shined the topside. That really did the trick...
I was just admiring my work... I didn't mean to 'click.'
But click, I did, and oops I found a real absorbing site
That I got SO way into... I was into it all night. (Sigh)
Nothing's changed except my mouse. It's very, very shiney.
I guess my house will stay a mess...while I sit here on my hiney.
:oO

"If I Was a Pickle"

2006-01-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

If I was a pickle, here's what I'd do.
I'd jump out of my jar and yell "Whoop-de-doo!"
And roll on the floor until I was blue!

If I was a guinea pig I really would care
If somebody grabbed me and pulled out my hair.
I'd feel quite naked, with nothing to wear!

If I was a billy goat, t'would be my plan
To escape from the barnyard and hired hand,
Look for some garbage and start eating a can.

If I was a flower, I'd stretch toward the sun.
With the birds and the bees I'd have oodles of fun,
And sway in the breeze until day was done.

If I was a cookie, a gooey and sweet 'un,
After the trauma when my batter was beaten,
I'd hide in the pantry to avoid being eaten.

If I was a turnip, I'd be very bored,
Since most of the time I'm forgotten, ignored.
I'd have to make friends with a beet or a gourd.

If I was a marshmallow, all white and puffy,
I'd swim in a mug of hot chocolate or cuffy!
If I was put over a fire to roast,
I'd turn brown and cruchy, a little like toast!

If I was a frog all warty and slimey,
I'd eat flies in the mud and get myself grimey.
I'd visit a pet store and some kid would buy me!

If I was a human, it would be a shame
To write such idiotic stuff! It's quite lame.
I definitely wouldn't tell you my name!

His Sheep Am I

2006-01-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

I've shared a LOT of these "Grace Gems" with friends and family members over the past few years. I hope by now most of them have gotten their own subscription. If you haven't yet, I would encourage you to do so! http://www.gracegems.org There has not been one e-mail that hasn't blessed my soul deeply since I started receiving these daily devotionals.

Today's was particularly meaningful to me as I tend to have doubts about God's care and wonder if He really knows my deepest longings, fears, burdens, etc. He is faithful to constantly bring to my memory the truth that He always sees and knows "that which concerneth" me! How I praise Him for these truths:

"I know everything about every one of them!"

(From J. C. Ryle, "The Privileges of the True Christian")

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27)

The Lord Jesus Christ says of His sheep who hear His voice and follow Him,
"I know them." I know . . .
their number,
their names,
their particular characters,
their besetting sins,
their troubles,
their trials,
their temptations,
their doubts,
their prayers,
their private meditations.

I know everything about every one of them!

Be comforted, all you who are tried and buffeted with difficulties in your way towards heaven,
difficulties from without and difficulties from within,
difficulties abroad and difficulties at home,
grief for your own sins and grief for the sins of others

--the Good Shepherd Jesus knows you well, though you may not realize it.

You never shed a secret tear over your own corruption,
you never breathed a single prayer for forgiveness and helping grace,
you never made a single struggle against wickedness--which He did not observe and note down inthe book of His remembrance. You need not fear His not understanding your needs.He knows your particular necessities far better than you do yourselves. Your humble prayers are no sooner offered up than heard.

You may sometimes sigh and mourn for lack of Christian fellowship--but remember that the Good Shepherd is ever about your path and about your bed. His eyes are on all your movements. No husband, brother, father, mother, sister, friend, could take more tender interest in your soul's welfare than He does. If you sorrow He will bind up your broken heart and pour in balm. He is ever watching and observing and listening. The Good Shepherd is acquainted with all your ways.

Requests for the New Year

2006-01-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

What shall I ask for the coming year?
What shall my watchword be?
What should Thou do for me, dear Lord?
What can I do for Thee?

Lord, I would ask for a holy year
Spent in Thy perfect will.
Help me to walk in Thy very steps.
Help me to please Thee still.

Lord, I would ask for a trustful year.
Give me Thy faith divine,
Taking my full inheritance,
Making Thy fulness mine!

Lord, I would ask for a year of love.
O, let me love Thee best!
Give me the love that faileth not
Beneath the hardest test.

Lord, I would ask for a year of prayer.
Teach me to walk with Thee.
Breathe in my heart the Spirit's prayer.
Pray Thou Thy prayer in me!

Lord, I would ask for the dying world.
Stretch forth Thy mighty hand.
Thy truth proclaim, Thy power display
This year in every land.

Lord, I would ask for a year of joy,
Thy peace, Thy joy divine,
Springing undimmed through all the days,
Be they days of shade or shine.

Lord, I ask for a year of hope
Looking for Thee to come,
And hastening on that year of years
That brings us Christ and Home.

~ Author Unknown

Chronicles of Narnia

2005-12-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."
~ Clive Staples (Jack) Lewis

WOW! We just went to see the movie "Chronicles of Narnia" at the theater last night. We don't go to too many movies. But our daughter in NY (Esther) told us it was worth taking everyone to see and she was RIGHT! Even the triplets enjoyed it. (We were considering just dropping the boys off by themselves, but now we're glad we decided to go as a whole family.) We have the cartoon version on video which in story is very similar. But this is one film I'm urging my friends and family members to go see while it's in theaters (BEFORE it comes to DVD). You won't want to miss the terrific surround sound and visual effects on the big screen. We sat in row 2, which was perfect! I haven't enjoyed a movie like I enjoyed that one in a LONG time! Disney did a fantastic job of re-creating C. S. Lewis' first book in the series of the "Chronicles of Narnia," "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." The actors did a splendid job or portraying Peter, Edmond, Susan, and Lucy! I LOVED this movie! It made me cry during several scenes. It was very emotionally moving. Any time I think about the truths portrayed in this movie... that the world is under the curse and when Christ returns and the final battle between evil and good has ended, the curse will be lifted and we, God's children, will rule and reign with Christ in a perfect new earth, it overwhelms my soul.

"No longer will anything be cursed. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him. And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads." Revelation 22:3-4

I love how C. S. Lewis wrote this story. I am so THANKFUL for his work! One neat part that both Gabe and I commented on was when Aslan gave each of the children names in the end, and he called Edmond "The JUST!" Edmond, of all the children, was the one who was the traitor and seemed to be on the witch's side throughout most of the movie, yet when Aslan forgave him, he could call him "JUST." How awesome is that? That we, who were traitors and enemies of Christ can now be called "JUST!" All day long I've been saying to God..."Thank you, Lord, for justifying the ungodly!" The film evoked quite a few emotions that I can't even put into words. I almost want to go back and see it again before it leaves the theater! Go see it! And if you see it or already have seen it...please tell me what you thought about it! Want to know more about C. S. Lewis? Go to http://www.DODResource.org and request a free DVD or video of the story of his life! Here is some more information about the movie from Focus on the Family resources: http://www.family.org/topics/A0038810.cfm

Less Familiar Christmas Hymns

2005-12-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

All praise to thee, Eternal Lord,
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for thy throne,
While worlds on worlds are thine alone.

Once did the skies before thee bow;
A Virgin's arms contain thee now:
Angels who did in thee rejoice
Now listen for thine infant voice.

A little Child, thou art our Guest,
That weary ones in thee may rest;
Forlorn and lowly is thy birth,
That we may rise to heav'n from earth.

Thou comest in the darksome night
To make us children of the light,
To make us, in the realms divine,
Like thine own angels round thee shine.

All this for us thy love hath done;
By this to thee our love is won:
For this we tune our cheerful lays,
And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.

******************************************

From heaven high I come to you,
I bring you tidings good and new;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring,
Whereof I now will say and sing:

To you this night is born a child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
This little child, of lowly birth,
Shall be the joy of all the earth.

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will himself your Saviour be
From all your sins to set you free.

These are the tokens ye shall mark:
The swaddling-clothes and manger dark:
There ye shall find the Infant laid
By whom the heav'ns and earth were made.

Now let us all with gladsome cheer
Go with the shepherds and draw near
To see the precious gift of God,
Who hath his own dear Son bestowed.

Welcome to earth, thou noble Guest,
Through whom the sinful world is blest!
In my distress thou com'st to me;
What thanks shall I return to thee?
******************************************
Meditating on the incarnation of Christ recently. Contemplating the idea that the blood coursing through the teeny tiny heart and veins of that infant in Mary's arms, so dependent on her for nourishment and care, was the very blood that would wash away the sins of His people! The condesension of Christ, the HOLY One, the King of Glory, who left Heaven to come to this tiny dot called "Earth" to become a helpless infant, to grow up in a sinful world among sinful people, and then to purpose to die ~ to give His life a sacrifice for rebells ~ His enemies. To do that for sinful wretches (like me) that cared nothing for Him or even for their own eternal destinies? Who can comprehend or even describe that kind of love? It is awesome and wonderful!

The Jacobs Brothers ~ Part 3

2005-12-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Stephen Daniel is our thirdborn son and fourth child. He was born the day before Christmas 1990, at about 5:30 AM! Such a tiny little peanut. Now he is taller than me! He was always the smilingest kid when little. Happy all the time. I remember every time he went away from me to go play, he'd stop and turn around and say "See ya later mommy!" He sometimes did that a few times before finally leaving my presence. It was cute. Believe it or not he was a chubby little cherub and now he is lean and lanky!

Over the years we've been amazed at his artistic ability. He is another good artist (like his older siblings). He used to draw teeny-tiny little objects all over a piece of paper. Very detailed. Now he draws cartoons really well and has a great sense of humor. He is getting to be like Jonathan...has a nack for being able to fix things. (Maybe it's because they're BOTH like their dad!?)

Stephen has always been a willing and hard worker with a servant's heart. He's been a terrific baby-sitter through the past few years. We can trust him because he's dependable and honest. He's very shy though and reclusive. Many times when we go places, he says he'd rather just stay home. He doesn't like crowds. When in public, he hesitates to speak up ~ like when he's paying for something at the store. People often have to ask him to repeat himself. But he just picked up an application to work at McDonald's and he's going to HAVE to speak up and address customers and co-workers. This could be a really good thing for him. I'm holding my breath in a way, to wait and see if he gets hired, and then to see how it goes for him.

He's very intelligent and reads a lot, and he likes making games up on the computer using "Games Factory." That's what he'd like to go into ~ computer programming or doing computer animation. Is there a college for that??? ;o)

I love him a lot and am thankful we get a long and can talk about anything together! He's growing up to be another tall handsome lad like the rest of the Jacobs Brothers. I hope and pray he'll be a success in life and learn to love and serve God with his talents and gifts.

The Jacobs Brothers ~ Part 2

2005-12-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

Our secondborn son is Abraham Isaac Jacobs! How's that for a Biblical name? LOL Abe was born on June 21, 1988 ~ the first day of summer! Abe is also very special, tall, handsome, and talented! I think his best physical features are his thick curly hair and blue eyes. He gets compliments on those things all the time. He was a very affectionate baby and young child. (Unfortunately, his two older siblings didn't like him around and were a bit mean to him...he was a third wheel and they considered him a pest! But now they get along a lot better.) As he got older, he was great with all his younger siblings...loved babies and playing with them. He is still kind to his younger siblings, except when they get into his STUFF! Then watch out! Abe is a great artist. His drawings are more angular but they're very precise. I think he would make a great architect or draftsman. He's also very philosophical. You can get into lengthy discussions with Abe about all kinds of things...he loves to TALK!!! (Like his mother) He also likes to argue. You can't win an argument with him, so don't even try. Even though his arguments sometimes don't even make sense, he can talk his way out of anything and leave you scratching your head. (He should be a lawyer!) He loves history and knows a lot about history. So he enjoys history games like Axis and Allies. Abe us a good worker and his employers have always appreciated his hard work and honesty. (That has been true of all our kids who have worked outside the home.) Abe goes to work faithfully without complaining time after time. Most days he has a cheerful attitude. He's got a good sense of humor, is very sensitive/emotional (like me, too). I'm PROUD of Abe and thankful for our good relationship! Although there are times that, because we're so much alike, we get into some pretty good fights. If I was more mature, that wouldn't happen! LOL) I know that he'll accomplish great things when he figures out what he's supposed to do with his life!

The Jacobs Brothers ~ Part 1

2005-12-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

I think it's the most wonderful thing on earth to have SIX sons!!! They're all gifts from God whom we are thankful for every single day. They're all so handsome and talented! I 'm proud of them and I love them more than they'll ever know.

Our firstborn (Jonathan Benaiah Jacobs) is over 6' tall! He's also left handed, which means he's more creative and sensitive than most! LOL He has a great sense of humor, is very sensitive and loving and ever since he was a baby boy (before the age of 1) he has been a "drummer." In fact his first birthday party's theme was drums! My sister made him a little cake that was shaped and decorated like a drum, and we got him a Fisher Price drum set as a gift! (He was born on December 10, 1985.)

He is multi-talented. He plays the drums and the guitar and once played the "recorder" quite well. He's very artistic although hasn't been challenged enough in that area to go beyond drawing cartoon figures and guns! He is good with a gun. And he's great at multi-tasking, too! Jon, remember all the fun times we had out back doing target practice with rifles!

Jon passed his amateur extra exam (ham radio) advancing from beginning to as far as you can go in a year. His callsign is W2FLW. We all studied together and his dad and I got our technician licenses shortly after. Gabe's callsign is KC2FLN, mine is KC2MOM. Jonathan can fix almost anything. One time our cordless phone wasn't working, so we gave it to Jon and he fixed it! He's good with any kind of electronic device. He also works on cars and is very good at figuring things out. He once put part of a tractor motor together for Gabe when he was very young. He could also be a pilot or race car driver since he's so adept at controlling vehicles. He was trying to drive when he was two years old....once started the car when he was alone it it! He's good with people, too, and has a lot of friends, and I know that whatever he does in life he will do well and with success! He can accomplish anything he sets his mind to!

I Love My Daughters!

2005-12-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Esther is the best daughter in the world! She was a special gift from God ~ an answer to our prayers that our firstborn would be a girl! She was born late at night on August 17, 1983. She has always been helpful and generous. Recently she sent two big boxes of presents for all the kids for Christmas! All the kids are excited about opening them! We miss Esther a LOT! Looking forward to her visit in the spring.

And the triplets are wonderful gifts of God, too! They are also an answer to many prayers. I even dared ask God for identical twins back in the fall of 1999, and look at what He gave us!!! It's a miracle. (Ruth Hannah, Rachel Lydia, and Rebecca Abigail were born June 1, 2000, at 1:31, 1:32, and 1:33 PM.) Every time we look at them, it is a tangible reminder of the grace and love and mercy of God Almighty, for Whom nothing is too hard! Nothing is impossible with God! When I learned I was carrying triplets in February of 2000, I was walking on clouds, so happy. Probably one of the happiest times in my life, and feeling so blessed and loved by God. I'm thanking God for allowing me these five years with them and these 22 years with Esther, and all our kids!

Wherever we go, people tell us they've never seen triplets, especially triplets that look alike! Someday I will stop dressing them alike. They are actually starting to prefer to dress in different outfits some days. I recently bought them special holiday dresses at the Good Will stores in our area. All three are different, and they got to pick which one they wanted when I brought them home. There was no fighting at all. I had already guessed Rebecca would want the LONG one (she wants to be a princess!). Rachel would want the GREEN one! Her favorite color for some strange reason. And Ruth would want the one with RED in it, with the RED rose on the front! I was right!

They are now in Kindergarten, and it's my privilege to teach them. So much looking forward to teaching them, not only academics, but also all the things God has taught me about Himself, about life, about how to be a beautiful woman living for His glory!

(P. S. I love my SONS, too! I'll blog about them soon!)

Christmas Gifts

2005-12-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

This Christmas, we have been meditating on the gifts we have been given by God! Gifts that we didn't deserve or earn (FREE GIFTS) and that can never be taken away from us! (I just got to thinking . . . "Jesus is the GIFT that keeps on giving!")

1. The Gift of Christ Jesus (God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son!) John 3:16

2. The Gift of Salvation in Christ (We've been released from the bondage of and the punishment for our sin! Ephesians 2:8,9 ~ "It is the gift of God, not of works.")

3. The Gift of Eternal Life (We have the hope of GLORY, of being with Christ forever! "The gift of God is eternal life. . ." ~ Romans 6:23)

4. The Gift of Peace with God (We have been reconciled to the Father! We've been given the ministry of reconciliation!) II Corinthians 5:18

5. The Gift of the Peace of God (A peace which surpasses all understanding! Jesus said, "My peace I give unto you.") Philippians 4:7, John 14:1

6. The Gift of the Holy Spirit (We have His presence with us always!) Acts 2:38, I Corinthians 6:19

7. The Gifts of the Spirit (To each one is given a gift for the profit of all!)
I Corinthians 12:7

8. The Gift of Satisfaction or Contentment (Richly enjoying the good of all our labor! He has given us all things richly to enjoy!) Ecclesiastes 3:13, I Timothy 6:17

How should we respond when we are the recipients of such wonderful gifts? With nothing less than 1. A THANKFUL HEART ("Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!" ~ II Corinthians 9:13)
2. A GENEROUS HEART ("Freely you have received, freely GIVE!" ~ Matthew 10:8), and with
3. A DEDICATED HEART given over to God as a living sacrifice! ("I beseech you therefore, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." ~ Romans 12:1)

May your meditations of Him be sweet this Christmas!

Welcome to My New Blog!

2005-12-19T03:15:00.000-07:00

Hello People in Cyberspace!

I hope some of my friends and family will come to this site and post comments and suggestions and quotes and whatever else they feel like posting. I'm a Christian mother of ten kids ranging in age from 22 down to 5! I've changed over 54,000 diapers in a period of 20 years (non-stop). I'm just a diaper kinda gal. I have dealt with my little infants, toddlers, preschoolers, children, pre-teens, teens, and young adults through each stage of life and I have taught all my own children from Kindergarten through 12th grade (although not such a great job of it, I must say)! This is the eighth time I've taught Kindergarten, the seventh year of teaching 3rd grade, and I can't figure out the rest! So if you want to talk about raising kidz or teaching kids, I'd love to! If you want to talk about public school versus home school, try me. I also have TRIPLETS, so if you want to talk about that...great! I've been married for almost 25 years to Gabe, my gifted but humble hubby! So if you want to talk about marriage and the ups and downs of it all, that would be good too!

I've helped raise and sheer sheep, taken care of horses, turkeys, ducks, chickens, several kinds of dogs, a horned owl, pigeons, guinea pigs, hamsters, miniature rabbits....let's see...is there anything else!? Oh yes. . . and we've had goats and I've milked a goat! So if you want to talk about farming and animals, I have a tiny bit of knowledge of that subject, also. (My sister and her husband raise pigs for meat and have raised rabbits for meat in the past. They cut up and freeze a lot of venison each fall, too! So I know a little about that second hand!)

I also like to talk about theology and good books and health issues. (I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2003 and have done a lot of research into various aspects of cancer, particularly alternative therapies.)

I have a terrific family both immediate and extended. Gabe has a wonderful family, very loving and supportive. And I couldn't live without the love and support of my own parents and siblings, especially my sis, Jeanette! Hope she'll be on here a lot!

I may just post articles I find of benefit to my friends and family members. Sometimes I'll just post my own musings, sometimes poems, sometimes songs I find to be a blessing, sometimes theological questions I have. Sometimes I'll share about a sermon I've heard or a book I've read. I see there are gazillions of bloggers on the Internet and it looks like a lot of fun...a good way to "fellowship" and share all kinds of thoughts and ideas. I am open to all kinds of comments, and will not be unkind in my responses to your posts, even if I disagree with you! But I will be honest about what I believe and think! Hope you will too!