Abba, Father! Daddy!

How cool is it that we can call Him "Daddy"?!? This is not a new concept to me. And since I'm a "Daddy's girl" and have had a wonderful example of daddy-ness in my life from my earthly father, it has never been hard for me to view God as my Heavenly Father. Still, in my Bible study today, this statement just LEAPED out at me:

"When God's Throne Becomes a Rocking Chair"

Wow!

See if this verse gives you an even better picture:

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Does that not sound like a loving parent cuddling with their child in a rocking chair? Taking delight in you. Quieting you with His love. Singing a lullaby.

Take time today to just allow Him to be Daddy. Let Him soothe your feelings, your fears, and your hurts.

Abba, Father!

Stuff

Well, it has been awhile since I posted -- sorry! Life just gets busy sometimes. We had a trip to the eastern coast of the island the weekend before last (Tamatave, for those who are familiar with the island). It was nice to "get away" and enjoy the ocean breeze for a few days. But car troubles made the trip a bit tiresome. We're still trying to get that all sorted out. We visited one of our churches while we were there -- pictured below (this is where Bro. Ernest is pastoring now...again, for those who know who I'm talking about):


This past weekend we visited the church where Bro. Lucien is now pastoring. Danan, we thought of you guys since this is the church where Mike preached the first time in Mad. :O) They even sang your favorite song: Faly aho, Rabiko o". Nearly brought tears to my eyes. :O) Bro. Lucien & Sis. Nety are doing great there - of course - and we had a great visit with them.
This week Chris is busy with board meetings. Richae and Jared are doing semester exams. And since I'm stranded with no vehicle, I'm getting some work done: book editing, PIM newsletter, website update, planning for a Kids Day this weekend, end-of-the-month paperwork...there is plenty to do!

While the weather back home is cooling off...we are warming up nicely here! Enjoying the balmy temperatures...and all the pretty blooms that come along with it. Soon the rains will start, so we enjoy these few weeks of warmth without rain.

Well, just wanted to catch you up on our life! May God bless you...wherever you are!

How Great Is His Love

Who can fathom the LOVE of God? Does it ever just grab you by the throat...to sit and think about just how awesome His love is? This morning I was reading in Psalms and my study directed me to Psalm 104. But my eyes were drawn to the previous psalm, where I had highlighted most of the verses. I began to read...and weep. Here are some portions (emphasis mine):

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not ALL his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals ALL your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion... (I love the words ALL!!!)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as HIGH as the heavens are above the earth, so GREAT is his love for those who fear him; as far as the EAST is from the WEST, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Not sure if you're familiar with the song "East to West" by Casting Crowns, but it goes right along with these verses. Just how far is the east to the west? One scarred hand to another. That pretty much covers it all. Jesus paid the price for our sins on Calvary, so I don't have to carry that weight.
In Colossians 1 it talks about "peace through his blood shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies IN YOUR MINDS...but now he has reconciled you...to present you holy in his sight, without blemish, and FREE FROM ACCUSATION."

I've blogged before about how God is greater than our heart. Well, He's greater than our minds, too! :O) You know, those little "nit-picking" accusations that bombard our minds sometimes. We should have prayed more, we should have done this or done that...or should not have done this or that...but through His blood, we are free from accusation.

How great is His love? As high as the heavens above the earth...and that's pretty high!

Book Editing

One of my 'jobs' here is doing book editing for our printing department. I really enjoy this work...it's very fulfilling to see the finished product and know you are putting the Word into the hands of hungry people! But this one book has taken FOREVER! It's a new Bible School book...and I've been working on this book for months now! And it seems no matter how many times we go through it, I still find errors. Ha! However, the end is in sight...I'm on my LAST run-through. Any mistakes missed will just have to be there. We'll correct them on the next printing -- ha!

Joy Quenchers

If you haven't figured it out already, my study this week has been about joy. :O)

The psalmist tells us that it is in the presence of the Lord that we find FULLNESS of joy. This is not talking about fleeting moments of happiness because of a 50% sale at your favorite store, or the warm fuzzy feeling you get after eating your favorite chocolate dessert. This is talking about inner joy that comes only through Him.

But in life, there are plenty of joy quenchers. My study named a few...let us take a look. A good example of all of the following joy quenchers can be found in the life of Elijah (specifically in I Kings 17-19). We may lose our joy:

...when our outpour exceeds our intake.
...when our talk exceeds our walk.
...when we become "wonder junkies" - failing to hear the still, small voice.
...when we are exhausted.
...when we feel alone.

Maybe you find yourself in one of those places. If you've lost your joy, it is right where you left it...IN HIS PRESENCE.

The Best of God

In my Bible study today the scripture reading was in Acts 16. This is the passage about Paul and Silas in jail...singing at midnight. One of my favorites!

The study went on to surmise that the presence, purpose, and power of God are best discovered through difficulty. Wow!

Paul discovered something great ~ NOT the strength to leave his circumstance, but the strength to STAY.

The BEST of God's presence, purpose, and power is discovered in the WORST of circumstances.

So move over, Paul. Make room for another voice in your midnight concert.

Bible School

Bible School is in full swing with two classes studying full-time. Here are a couple of pics...one is year one and the other is Chris teaching in year two. (As always, you can click on the picture to view it in larger format.)

Mountain Update

Well, it has been awhile since my last mountain update. :O) Here are a few pictures of the progress being made. It is still exciting to see the changes as the work continues.

Life and Love

Well, I have not posted much lately ~ sorry! We are enjoying the spring weather here and the ability to get outside. Now that things have slowed down a bit, both Chris & I are focusing in losing some weight and firming up some of the flab. :O) Since we still have to do six months furlough next year, we want to get control of things before heading back to the states. Otherwise, life is busy with school, book editing, household stuff, and church activities. Bible school is in full swing and Chris has a pretty full schedule with that during the week.

So that is life. God is good! I am involved in a ladies Bible study about the fruit of the Spirit. Enjoying that very much. I know that so often we live beneath our potential in Christ. He desires so much more for us. This week we are studying about love. God is love. It is not an emotion that He feels or a passing thing. But He IS love. Wow! That is hard for us to comprehend. For us, love is an emotion, a feeling. But for Him, it is who He is. I am so thankful for His love!

I am also blessed with so many in my life who love me.

A husband who loves me in spite of, because of, crazy things I do.

Two children who love me even when I'm grumpy.

Parents who love me unconditionally.

A brother who loves me even when he teases mercilessly.

In-laws who love me unconditionally. (I think!) :O)

Friends & family who love me in spite of quirks and differences and distance.

You know who you are and I thank God for you!

And I love you, too!