Praising God

“Sing forth the honour of his name, make his praise glorious.”

- Psa_66:2

"It is not left to our own option whether we shall praise God or not. Praise is God’s most righteous due, and every Christian, as the recipient of his grace, is bound to praise God from day to day."

Spurgeon

Elaina's Birthday

Last week Elaina turned 9!!

To look at Elaina now it is so hard to beleive that when she was born she weighed only 1lb 6oz and had an apgar score of 1. The Lord healed her and she has developed into a beautiful, strong and very smart girl.

We have a rule in our home that when it is someone's birthday we all have the day off from school and do something fun together. So we took a picnic lunch and went to Queeny Park in St Louis. We spent the afternoon climbing trees, playing at the playground and getting a little lost on a walking trail.

Michelle

Passport Photos

We knew we still needed to get passport photos taken but were in no hurry as we can't apply for their passports until their registrations come back, but last week we found a deal we couldn't turn down.

Normally passport photos at Walgreens cost $7.99 which multiplied by 6, plus tax would come to just over $50. Last week Walgreens had a sale for buy one get one free. That was a good deal, but what made it a great deal was on Friday and Saturday they had a coupon for $5 off $20.

So what normally would have cost us over $50 ended up (after sale and coupon) being only $20.17.

I thank the Lord for allowing me to find that great deal.

Michelle

Awesome!!!

Listen to this! We have been checking into a trip to Branson MO to see the Christmas lights at Silver Dollar City theme park. We have wanted to go for many years now. With us headed to the mission field, we figured this would probably be our last chance to go. So, we have been looking at hotels and such to see what kind of a deal that we could get; we even have a package saved online, while we check other things out before making a decision.

This morning at Church a friend climbed all the way up the hill to tell Michelle that they wanted to offer us their time share in Branson to use in Nov/Dec and then risked life and limb to go back down the hill to their car (this is not an easy hill to navigate). When Michelle told me, I was speechless. This is so awesome! (I reserve the word "awesome" for God and this deserves that treatment) For no one knew we were thinking about this except our Father. God does stir the hearts of people.

Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow.

James 1:17

Our Father is sooooo GOOD to us!

Gary

Fighter Verses

Recently the Lord has laid it on our hearts to get serious about scripture memorization.

I have really enjoyed memorizing scripture - it has not been easy, but the truths that I have discovered are incredible. It is wonderful to be able to meditate on these during the day and learn more and more about the nature of God and what it means to live a Christian life.

We have found the Fighter Verses from Desiring God a helpful tool in this endeavor.

While it is good for me to memorize scripture, I have to admit there is something very sweet about hearing your children recite scripture - especially when it comes from the mouth of a 2 year old!


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:10, 17

Michelle

Bike Riding

Last week we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together riding bikes in a local park.

The park wasn't close enough to ride to and our van isn't big enough to transport 7 bikes (Deanna rides on the back of Gary's). Thankfully our neighbor lent us his truck so we could transport the bikes to the park.

We had a great time in the near perfect temperatures, enjoying each others company and marvelling at God's beautiful creation, except the swarm of crickets that jumped all over us as we rode past a field. Thankfully Elaina wasn't hurt when one cricket jumped on her arm and scared her so much that she fell off her bike!

Michelle

God's Provision for Jeremiah

On Saturday we were at Walmart buying shoes for Elaina and Naomi. While we were there Jeremiah saw a pair of cowboy boots and asked if he could get them. Cowboy boots weren't in my budget so I suggested that he asked God if He would allow him to have a pair. Little did we know the Lord would answer so quickly.

The following evening at church a friend approached me with this question "What is Jeremiah's shoe size?" I told her I thought he was about a size 12. Her reply was "Someone has just given my son a pair of cowboy boots that their son has grown out of - so would Jeremiah like my son's boots?" They were a size 12 - perfect! Jeremiah was so excited that he had to take his shoes off during church so he could wear his new cowboy boots.

What a loving Father we have that he is concerned about and provides for His children.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights

Michelle

Still Waiting ...

We have had several people ask recently if there is any news regarding the children's registration applications. The answer is still 'no'.

The paperwork has now been in England for almost 2 months. The process could take up to 7 months so we are still waiting .... as patiently as we can ;-) and still praying for the Lord to bring it to us sooner.

We looked on their website today to see if they had posted anything and the following is what we have found:

Since the announcement of the proposed changes to the route to British citizenship (earned citizenship) we have been receiving significantly more applications than usual.
All applications for citizenship are subject to enquiries to ensure that the statutory requirements have been satisfied. These enquires can take some time to complete. The additional applications will result in slightly longer waiting times and we anticipate that applications made since January will take up to seven months to complete. Someone who applied in June 2008 should not expect to hear from us before the end of December 2008. However this is only an average waiting time and some applications may be dealt with more quickly and some may take longer, depending on the nature of the enquiries to be carried out.

We sent our applications in the middle of July.

We want to thank those of you who have been praying with us.

Michelle

God's Providence

He says to the snow, "Fall on the earth,"
and to the rain shower, "Be a mighty downpour."
So that all men he has made may know his work,
he stops every man from his labour.
The animals take cover;
they remain in their dens.
The tempest comes out from its chamber,
the cold from the driving winds.
The breath of God produces ice,
and the broad waters become frozen.
He loads the clouds with moisture;
he scatters his lightning through them.
At his direction they swirl around
over the face of the whole earth
to do whatever he commands them.
He brings the clouds to punish men,
or to water his earth and show his love

Job 37:6-13


In this very active hurricane season it is good to remember that God is in control of ALL things.

Michelle

This isn't right!

You know you live in a hi-tech world when your 2 year old is using the laptop!

Michelle

Oppressing the Orphan

This post was written by Summer who is serving the Lord in Uganda with her husband and six children (ages 6 and under!). She shares my heart for the orphans and eloquently shows what most of us in the West don't normally see or hear about.

I am going to be very upfront in this post. I live in a country which is a lot like the "degenerate city" spoken of in the book of Isaiah.

"It was full of injustice, righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers. Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless (orphan)..."

We have been called to defend the orphan. It is a command, not an option with a clause.

I have been meeting quite regularly with the local chief of police pleading the cause of the orphan. As far as we knew, there were no Christian orphanages in the area. However, the police mentioned there was word of "something" in a near by district. So, setting out by foot yesterday, I found what words can not describe.

As I entered the gate of this place, I was aghast by what I saw. Initially I thought that maybe they were fixing up the place--kids could not be living in such conditions. But I was wrong. It looked like a garbage dump/jungle. A dead stork has been nailed to the front of the house?? Your guess is as good as mine as why this was so.

I was first led upstairs where a teenage girl showed me her wild monkey sleeping in her bed. Do they not know that wild monkeys carry all kinds of diseases? Trying not to look too obvious, I began to take in all that I saw. One bedroom had over 10 beds in it--some being occupied by big, dirty dogs. Next, I was led outback where 12 children (all under the age of 3) ran about. Some were dressed but most were naked. It was nearing lunch time and 10 of the children sat down on the ground where a platter of food was set before them. 20 grubby hands began stuffing food into their mouths. All the while, cats were helping themselves to the platter, too. No one paid attention. No one is pleading their cause. More than likely, the little girls in this home will begin "selling" themselves as young as the age of six in order to pay for school fees...and this is just one home. There are 100's just like it.

When I told this story to a local friend, her response was, "this is how it is, and this is how it will always be." Everyone turns a blind eye.

Who is going to plead the cause of the orphan??

Please pray with us.

If you are interested in reading more of what Summer has to say, you can find her blog HERE.

Michelle

Taking a Look Back at Summer

Well, it is Labor Day weekend here in the US (the end of Summer) so I thought it would be a good idea to update our slideshow (on the right sidebar) with some pictures of what we got up to over the last 3 months.

If you would like to take a look at a larger view of the slideshow please click HERE.

Michelle

True Contentment - My Conclusion

So what have I learned through this experience of examining my life through the lens of true contentment?

I have discovered that most of my periods of discontentment were born out of sin. Whether, jealously, as I see a pregnant woman; envy as I long after that bigger home, dream vacation, or just plain disobedience as I say to God “I don’t want what you have planned for me”. I say most because I do believe God can cause us to be discontent in order to lead us to action. For example, we can be discontent with a political or social situation that will cause us to act for change.

I am learning that when I am discontent with a situation I need to go to God and ask Him if it is because I have already sinned (and therefore need to repent) or will do so if I don’t follow where He is leading. In many places throughout scripture we are told that if we turn to Him and seek Him first, He will direct our paths. He knows what’s best for us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight.

Isaiah 48:17-18 This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”

When I look at some of the saints that have gone before, I am ashamed at my selfishness in my desire for an easy life. The apostle Paul suffered so much in his life yet in Philippians 4:12-13 he says "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

I really believe that part of that secret is that contentment cannot be just a feeling it has to be a choice. In the same way that we chose to love our spouse through the tough times of our marriages, so we need to choose to be content, in Christ, through the tough times. James tells us in Chapter 1 to "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I think the primary part of the secret of contentment is knowing Christ. Paul could be content because he knew his Saviour and therefore trusted Him. I have also found that the closer I am to Christ the more content I am in my circumstances. I need to love the Lord my God, with all my heart soul and mind. To be ready to daily pick up my cross and follow Him. Not always easy, not always fun, but there is a deep, deep contentment in knowing Him.

Finding our contentment in an easy life is a sin – we need to find our contentment through our relationship with and obedience to Christ. With this I will always struggle but my desire is to continue to strive for a godly contentment.

Michelle

True Contentment - Finances

Finances - who has not struggled with this one? I definitely have.

When I accepted my life here, in America, I also wanted to accept, and obtain, the ‘American Dream’. I wanted a bigger home, vacations, more money. There is no other way around it but to acknowledge that I didn't (and don't) need those things. My desires were based in envy, I saw what others had and wanted it. I was sinning. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that. Wow! It amazes me every time I read that verse to realize how much God has given me and how rich I am. We, in the industrialized world want and expect God to provide so much. We need to be content with little and when we receive much we need to ask God why he has blessed us so abundantly and how does he want us to be good stewards of it. John Piper (in his book Desiring God) suggests that we adopt a wartime lifestyle, because as Christians we are at war. It is a spiritual war. Piper goes on to suggest that God gives us more so we can use our excess to fund God’s work.

While God has brought me a long way in my desire to be content with less I still have a long way to go and often find myself slipping back into discontentment as I desire what I see around me. I wish I had the courage and faith to pray like Agur did in Proverbs 30:8-9 "Two things I ask of you, O Lord, do not refuse me before I die. Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."

I know from my own experience that when I have had plenty I am tempted and often do stray from God, yet when I am in need I cling close to Him as a child who is desperate for their Father to provide. There is nothing like being in a situation where you are about to lose everything or where you don’t have enough food to feed your family to bring you back to God. The best part of all is that God is always faithful and always provides what we need (NOT always what we want).

About 3 years ago God starting changing our attitudes toward money and possessions. Gary had owned his own business for several years, but was slowly becoming more and more discontent, not because of a lack of money but he was thinking there had to be more to this Christian life than what he was doing at the time. He began to believe that God was calling him to serve Him in someway, but the concern kept arising of how to provide for the family. The Lord led him to Matt 6:31-33 "So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and you heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Gary knew that the Lord had a lot to teach him through these verses, but neither of us were quite ready for the changes that would follow.

So far the Lord has led us on an incredible journey and I am sure there is so much more ahead. One of my favorite verses in the bible is 2 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him". This has certainly been true in our lives. This is not the place to go into detail about the amazing way God led us to join WEC (the mission organization we will be go to England with) except to say that you can find it on the left column of this page under “The Call”.

One of the things that the Lord used to lead us this direction was Christian biographies. We both read the biographies of George Mueller and Brother Andrew. I also read a book from Voice of the Martyrs about women in the last 20 years who have suffered for Christ. All these books really made Gary and I examine our lives. We became very discontented with the ‘normal’ life and now long to serve God. I want to make my life count for Christ. It isn’t easy leaving people I love, and a place I now call home. Some believe that we are leaving here so Gary can take me home. That is certainly not the case. When Gary told me we were going to England I cried. I didn’t want to go. If God was going to send us into missions, why couldn't we go somewhere different, somewhere new? It will be nice to be closer to my family again but, I no longer call England home as the country has changed so much in the last 15 years. I left there a single girl and return, to a totally different part of the country, a married woman with 6 kids. I don’t know how to live in England anymore. Even my Mum warns me about how much the country has changed and how I will experience culture shock.

I want to be obedient to God but have struggled coming to terms with leaving. I had life easy here. We owned a home on 38 acres (or at least shared ownership with the bank), Gary had the flexibility of his own business, we had two vehicles and more importantly a great church and wonderful friends. We no longer own our home, gave the business away, sold the truck and are preparing to leave church, family and friends, But God never said it would be easy. I have to constantly remind myself that I do not need to store up treasures (especially money and possessions) here, but treasures in Heaven, where they will last for eternity.

One of the books that has recently challenged me is “Hard to Believe’ by John MacArthur. In this book he really made me see that the Christian life is not just about calling Jesus our Saviour and then living life for ourselves. The words of Jesus from Mark 8:34-38 made me decide I want to be obedient to Christ, no matter what He calls me to do or how hard it is.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels" Mark 8:34-38

Part 4 Conclusion - tomorrow

Michelle

True Contentment - Infertility

Another area in which I have struggled to be content is with infertility. This has been a huge battle in my life, and to be honest one that I still fight occasionally. I know that God is in control of creating life Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. And I know that His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts not my thoughts, but sometimes I still ask why? It is not fair that millions of babies are aborted by mothers that did not want them, when I have desperately wanted to be pregnant. Often I’ve wondered why can they get pregnant and I can’t.

I recently was encouraged in this area. A friend shared that due to an illness she was told she would probably be unable to conceive, but each time they tried they conceived in the first month. After hearing this, the first thought I had was "Lord, why? They were told they probably couldn’t but did, yet there is no reason why we cannot conceive, yet in over 11 years we haven’t." Immediately afterward I had an amazing sense of peace as I really felt the Lord remind me that as much as he has opened her womb, He has purposefully closed mine, because that is not what He wanted for me. In that I have to be and am content … yes, occasionally I still struggle, but I can honestly say that I would not change anything in the way the Lord has built our family. He has blessed us by bringing us 6 wonderful children through adoption, for who I am so very grateful.

Part 3 (finances) - tomorrow

Michelle