Kneeling Anniversary Memory

We were pronounced husband and wife on our knees... by accident, of course, but it makes for a perfect providence!! 
We hesitated, but Dr. Homer G. Lindsay, Jr. did not.  

32 years later, we'd go back and do it again!  

Happy Anniversary memories and joys...

JESUS: Keep me Ever Trusting, Resting

Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, 
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power, 
Thou has made me whole.

O how great Thy loving-kindness, 
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O how marvelous thy goodness, 
Lavished all on me! 
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,

And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, 

I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longing,
Meets, supplies its ev'ry need,
And surrounds me with its blessings;
Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting;
Fill me with Thy grace.

Refrain:
Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Words: Jean S. Pigott 

This has been sweet mediation for me this week as I've wrestled with some emotional struggles that linger and weigh me down.  What a comfort it is to desire rest and find it in meditating on the LORD and all He's accomplished for me, for my salvation.   Even if I have to pray and sing this song all over again in another hour, it's encouraging to have a song on my heart that carries me through the day.  

Endless Delight

Our JOY Bubble!

Happy 32nd Anniversary!

Happy 32 years together, My Beloved!  

September 25, 1987-2019

We can only rightly love one another if we love Him first.

"We love because He first loved us."  When we are told in the Ten Commandments that the "Lord our God is a jealous God" we naturally think that God being "jealous" must somehow be small minded or fearful of the competition of other gods.  

Foolish thought!  

No, He is jealous because He is the Lover who cannot for love's sake look upon anyone or anything which will despoil His beloved, His loved ones.  Therefore, our fullest felicity and the possibility of every pattern...anything less will lead to confusion and futility.  Addison H. Leitch, This Cup, Communion Meditations.  

The Seven Last Words

TARGET JOY!!

HAPPINESS IS...

being surprised by the squeals and hugs of special friends when you make an ordinary trip to the store!  I soo enjoyed shopping with these special companions!

He is your friend who pushes you nearer to God.
Abraham Kuyper

Sacred and Holy, Trusted Gifts

“Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her.”

― J.R. Miller

Unless the LORD Builds

The key is to understand that our children don't belong to us-
they belong to God.  
Our goal as parents must not be limited by our own vision.  
I am a finite, sinful, selfish man.  Why would I want to plan out my children's future when I can entrust them to the infinite, omnipotent, immutable, sovereign Lord of the universe?  
I don't want to tell God what to do with my children-
I want Him to tell me!  
Voddie T. Baucham, Jr.
Family Driven Faith: Doing What it Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God.  

Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.  
It Is vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
the fruit of the womb a reward. 
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children 
of one's youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.  
Psalm 127, ESV

Photo: And they're off together, again, to spend a few days w/friends at Disney World.  This is their third year in a row, plus some trips in between.  

The Dawn of Love

On June 10, 1854, Charles Hadden Spurgeon and Susannah sat together at the opening of the Crystal Palace.  While waiting for a large crowd of people to pass by and leave the rows of seating they were surrounded by, Charles handed Susannah a book and pointed to these lines, and asked her, "What do you think of the poet's suggestion in those verses?"


"Seek a good wife of thy God, for she is the best gift of His providence;
Yet ask not in bold confidence that which He hath not promised:
Thou knowest not His good will; be thy prayer then submissive thereunto;
And leave thy petition to His mercy assured that He will deal well with thee.
If thou art to have a wife of thy youth, she is now living on the earth;
Therefore think of her and pray for her weal!
Proverbial Philosophy by Martin Tupper
A quote from the chapter "On Marriage"


Then he asked, "Do you pray for him who is to be your husband?"
The Life of Susannah Spurgeon by Charles Ray,
Chapter 3, The Dawning of Love



I love CHS's question that follows the above quote...
"Do you pray for him who is to be your husband?", because I long prayed for my future husband, many years prior to ever meeting him.
As a young mom, I long prayed for the spouses my babies would marry.  I prayed for their mom and dad who would love and nurture their child through faith.  It was a joy to think that my prayers would one day be answered.

We have entered a season of waiting and watching to see who those individuals will be.  My heart swells to consider God's gracious gifts to my children, and our family.  I imagine each spouse, and added blessing of future children to be God's perfect gifts to each of us.  
We welcomed our firstborn son's wife in August, 2017, and they now await (8 weeks and counting down... SOO HAPPY!!) the birth of our first granddaughter.

We now await and pray for three additional spouses for our remaining children at home.  I can hardly wait to see who God will bring us, and bless our family with.
Yes, I pray for each additional member our family awaits, and with much anticipation look forward to seeing how God will perfect and strengthen our family, but I especially look forward to watching our children bond with "the one" they have long prayed for and waited all their lives to marry.
LORD, please bless and be glorified in their unions!



Photo: Matthew and Grace on their first official date, 070717.

His Providence: His Choice and Lovely Gifts

"It is a mercy that our lives are not left for us to plan, but that our Father chooses for us; else might we sometimes turn away from our best blessings, and put from us the choicest and loveliest gifts of his providence."  
Susannah Spurgeon
The Life of Susannah Spurgeon, by Charles Ray  

On this particular day, My Preciousness woke up and hit what felt like to her was a brick wall, a difficult reality, a hurt that may well turn the tide of her life. She said, "We've known all this time we were running toward this end, but today we hit a brick wall."  And yeah, it hurt!!  We both hit hard.  That brick wall made for a lot of uncertainty and concern, which also made for a long, wet day.  

Later in the day, she received more information that brought some ease to her heart, and which didn't seem as terribly negative as she first imagined.  However, she's still well aware that over the course of the next few months, she desperately needs to seek the LORD's face for grace to know His will, peace, and wisdom for her life.  

I read this quote today, and was comforted by it.  It was a timely and much needed reminder that the LORD has not left Katherine to orchestrate and scheme her own way.  Nor are we expected as her parents to orchestrate her life.  He has ordained each and every step she takes. 

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.  Proverbs 19:21  


A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?  Proverbs 20:24


I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.  Jeremiah 10:23


I pray her heart will rest at ease to trust He is leading her in paths of righteousness for His name's sake, whatever He calls her to.  I am comforted to rehearse this truth, though daily, my will is challenged, and my heart questions what is best.  Oh, LORD, not my will but Yours be done. 

I am praying and learning daily to be reconciled with God's ways for our daughter, even if His will is a painful reality as I imagine sacrificing our desires could require.  I trust He will help us as we learn to accept His will and way is best for her/us, now and for the future.  He has ordained and desires to give her/us good gifts.   

Oh, LORD, may our hearts be conformed to Your will.  Please help us to not be stiff and stubborn to reject your will, to deny Your choicest and loveliest  gifts.  Please help Katherine, and us as her parents especially, to have open hearts to readily receive what You are leading her/us to.  May we trust Your loveliest gifts are from Your most loving heart and gracious, merciful hands.  

Photo:  A precious, priceless, positive moment that day: capturing Katherine's smile.  It was a "Living on a Prayer" kind of day, all day long.    

Pre-Hurricane Beauty

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee'
None can be nearer, fairer, or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me. 
Words: Fairest Lord Jesus, written by German Jesuits...in he 17th century,... translated from German to English by Joseph A. Seiss, 1873 

We are anticipating another hurricane that is heading towards our state.  I am mindful of how much we depend on the LORD to protect us by His hand, just as He rules the winds and the waves.  
His mercies are great, and sometimes severe.  

Praying for everyone that is in the path of this major hurricane, that our hearts will turn to Him, and that we'll know Him more intimately while we watch and wait for his provision and protection.   The hurricane updates are looking better and better. Soo thankful.  Hurricane Dorian is shifting more easterly, and we pray, it will continue in that direction, off the coast. 

  












Update:  Dorian passed by us, far enough off the coast, that we felt very minimal effects.  It was a strange reality, after soo much waiting and watching happened over the course of several days.  Our city was well prepared, and many evacuated, including some of our family.  We're soo very thankful our city was spared again, from suffering what could have been a very devastating storm.  Many lives were lost in the Bahamas, as Dorian passed over and hovered as a category 5-4 storm, destroying the infrastructure of their island. LORD bless those who are responding and taking help and resources to many misplaced/homeless families there.  
Today, 090619, Dorian made landfall in the Outer Banks of NC, in Cape Hatteras, and then turned back out to the ocean to continue heading east as a category 1 hurricane.