“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
Numbers 23:19
Have you ever thought over the true and beautiful promises of God? His promises are what I have been dwelling on & studying lately! Such a huge and extensive topic, I know. I don’t believe I will ever truly be done studying it! :) No, He doesn’t promise a pain-free life without heartache or loss, He doesn’t promise fame and fortune, and He doesn’t promise to give us exactly what we want right when we want it. In all honesty, His promises are so much more greater!! :) For those who the Lord has saved, we are told to deny ourselves and take up our cross DAILY{Luke 9:23}, we are promised chastening{Heb 12:6} and trials{James 1:12}, we are told we will be hated{John 15:18-20} & rejection, and when we endure persecution we are called “Blessed”{Matthew 5:11-12}…. At the same time we are promised grace & glory{Ps 84:11}, strength & peace{Ps. 29:11}, a lively hope{1 Peter 1:3}, righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ{Romans 3:22}! We are promised mercy, faithfulness, and loving-kindness from our Sovereign Savior{Ps 36:5-7}. He promises to supply every need according to His riches in glory{Philippians 4:19}, eternal life through Christ Jesus{Romans 6:23}, and victory over death{1 Cor 15:54}!! And as if that was not enough, when trials come we are promised that “ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God”{Romans 8:28}. We are promised that chastening will yield ” the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” We are called BLESSED{by the Almighty God, the great I Am, who Himself bore our sins} when we are rejected by the world and persecuted for righteousness sake! He promises that”He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”{Philippians 1:6}. And {how beautiful is this? :)} we are promised “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”. My friends, take heart! (: Whether you are being despised & rejected by the world for your allegiance to Christ, going through trials, or physically persecuted, rejoice and be exceedingly glad! :) He is Jehovah Jireh{God our Provider!} We in ourselves can not persevere/overcome/endure to the end on our own but He will provide the strength needed for each new day. Take hold of the Father’s hand trusting in His promises, hoping in His mercies, and remember:
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.”
Psalm 84:11-12
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10
“I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end, but by His making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly pray what He taught His disciples to pray: Thy will be done.” -Elisabeth Elliot
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Psalm 23:1
“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”
Psalm 18:30
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12
Goodbye Summer, hello Fall! To all who are as enthusiastic about this grand season as I am, aren’t you excited?? :) I am!! Joyfully welcoming the golden leaves, warm sweaters, brisk morning walks, rather extensive assortment of everything and everything pumpkin in the baking realm, hot chocolate, extremely large delightfully green hedge-apples, and all the beauty this God-given season entails! Hello fall, so so very glad you are here. Please stay… FOREVER! ;) May your leaves be ever so golden, mornings brilliantly brisk, and fall extremely blessed! (;
A little peek into my first Fall day for y’all from the Camera and a few random iphone photos! We enjoyed a breezy day trip, lots of food, and fun! :)
Sing to the Lord…
YUM! :)
Bakery stop for Red velvet cake. Yes, it was good!
Doin’ Dishes
Everlasting Strength
Morning walk
My dinner! :) :)
Abel’s collection! ;)
“O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.”
Psalm 96:1-4
Returning home after a long day, feeling tired and a bit worn, and finding this face at the door waiting to greet me = Complete day maker! ;) God in His graciousness fills each day with blessings, sometimes little and sometime big but always so appreciated! (: “Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you”
” This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:21-24
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Believe it or not, there is only a short 48 hours until Summer is over!! Do y’all remember when you were little and summers seemed to last FOREVER? :) Most of the country has already plunged into Fall with their pumpkin spice lattes and cute sweater/scarf combinations and HobbyLobby has even put out Christmas decor but I am savoring the last few hours of this marvelous season! Don’t get me wrong, Fall is my FAVORITE of all seasons and the splendid colors of the changing leaves and brisk weather that accompany fall are probably the things I will miss most since moving from Missouri to South-central Texas last year, but for today God has given me Summer! And instead of rushing on to the next beautifully grand season, I am enjoying the last hours of this sunny hot season with it’s watermelons, sandals, icecream cones, sunburns, and all the other simple pleasures it brings{if your from South-central Texas that would include scorpions, fire ants, and-the newest find- coral snakes ;) }! And then, once Fall is truly here{only 48 hours!!!}, I will most likely pull out my sweaters and scarves {even though we are still having 90degree days here… I will have to turn the A/C down ;)} and thoroughly enjoy a pumpkin spice latte! (; Perhaps I will break open my {non-existent;)}penny bank and finally take that road trip that I have thought about for several years to the east-coast to take in some of those beautiful fall colors I hear are so magnificently exploding?!! We shall see but for today God has given me lovely Summer and summer is saying “goodbye”. Goodbye summer with all your sweetness, until we meet again next year, Lord willing! :) Happy Summer y’all!! ;)
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24
“The hope of the righteous shall be gladness…”
Proverbs 10:28
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Romans 5:1-5
“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:3
Oh my! My randomly & overly frequent posts have been non-existent the last 5 days. ;) Here we are at Friday, again. God’s mercy has been abundant and His grace sufficient! Each heart beat is a gift from Him and each breath breathed a demonstration of His amazing handiwork! Each new day is filled to overflowing with spiritual blessings and I am constantly reminded that I deserve nothing but death and eternity in hell and yet He has given me everlasting life. He has clothed me in His righteousness! Apart from Christ there is no good in me. Apart from Christ, our hearts are “exceedingly wicked above all “{Jer 17:9} and our sin is deserving of death{Romans 6:23} “There is none righteous, no, not one” {Rom 3:10} but Christ, King above all kings and Lord of all lords, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” He freely offers this salvation to all who repent and call on the name of The Lord{Rom 10:13}. Seek the Lord with all your heart and He promises you will find Him! “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Deut 4:29
As God is the author of my days, each step is directed by Him and there is really no randomness, accidents, or “chance”. :) Each new day is an exciting adventure as He leads His children in the path of righteousness and yes, it is easy to forget that but it is so true! What joy we have knowing all we have to do is hold His hand and He will lead us every step of the way! So, below is randomness from my week that was perfectly ordered by the Lord{yes, even the hurdles/trials!} Lots of baking, work, coffee, crazy kiddos{as usual ;)}, rainy days, and rainbows. God is good!! :) Seek the Lord, Friends for “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” {Hebrews 11:6}!
Too many Random pictures{mostly from the phone}! Hover for description and, as usual, my apologies to mobile views cause this is going to load super slow for y’all. ;)
Yum! :) Micah
Yes, it was delicious! :) Grace
Emmi & Lydia! :)
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land”
Making hamburger buns!
Love bread baking!! :) :)
Genius at Work ;)
Rainbow!!
Bike riding :)
Photoshoot in the works!
Packaging
Kitchen help :)
School days
Evening walks
Handsome Abel
Breakfast ladies :)
Homemade frappe!! :)
Emmi
Rain!!!
Work. :)
Bread bakin’
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.”
Psalm 34:1-3
“Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
John 7:37-38
“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. Believest thou this?”
John 11:25-26
“One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. That I will seek after.”
Psalm 27:4
Are you seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Random thought that popped into my head about a week ago as I was walking and I quickly typed it out onto my iphone note pad as I often do when random thoughts pop into my head. :) Psalm 27:4 is a verse I love! One thing I have desired of the Lord and that will I seek. :) Then I was reminded of Matthew 6:33:But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Yes, a random thought, I know, but as has been my theme for the last few posts, I want to encourage you to seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness! :) Seek the Lord. “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” The promises in His Word are exciting, aren’t they?!
My room isn’t always squeaky clean, dessert isn’t always picture perfect {I failed miserably at an attempt to make peach muffins… they looked extremely bad annnd the smoke alarms went off! :-| ;)}, dinner is very often unglamorous and never on time, I hardly ever have a “perfect” hair day and really never have an easy time picking out an outfit{fashion isn’t my forte. Thankful for sisters with fashion sense!} I am well known for my typos and if you haven’t already noticed, I’m not a perfectionist but have an uncanny ability to extremely annoy those who are! ;) And no, I don’t live the “average” life of a 24-year-old. :) It’s my hope that my random from the phone posts demonstrate not a picture perfect person{cause I’m not:)} but God’s grace and mercy in my daily life! He has redeemed my soul and each new day He gives me is a day to praise Him! He has blessed me and I am humbled by His goodness!! (: So, randomness from the phone and a few camera shots! :) Happy September everyone!!
“For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.”
Psalm 86:10
Side note: I do have brothers… somewhere! ;) Didn’t make it into this post somehow. Next post, I promise! ;)
Em & Mom
Girl’s trip out! :)
Dad Working hard!
Stair building :)
Sendin’ off cards!
Be not Troubled Matthew 24:6
Blueberry face! :)
Work!
Finally Rain!
Seek the Lord
Emmi and me out for a Morning walk
Just talkin’!
The Solid Rock
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
’cause the whole world is talking in hashtags and capitalization is sometimes overrated. ;) first time in 10 years that my mom and i randomly & unknowingly show up in the kitchen for bible study…. matching! blog-worthy? i would say so. ;) yes, #random. #i♥mymom ;) happy saturday y’all!
posted from the iphone. forgive all typos. ;)
“my son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:for they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.”
proverbs 1:8-9
An impromptu 10 minute photoshoot amidst the quickly setting warm summer sun, with my little blue-eyed friend in her new dress. :)
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
Psalm 37:25
“Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.”
Psalm 37:27-29
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till He come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Hosea 10:12
“But if from there you shall seek the LORD your God, you shall find him, if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Deuteronomy 4:29
Yes, its true, today this girl turns 5 years-old!! Where has time gone? How can it be? It seems like just yesterday she was a rolly-poly newborn and now she is all grown up! ;) Rebekah is in shock too. All week she has been going around saying, “I just can’t believe it, I’m shocked ’cause I’m really really going to be 5!!!” (: Life is all the more sweet with Rebekah around!
Plans for Bekah? Well, she has made her plans clear for the last 2 years or so. She plans on getting married at the ripe young age of 16{because she says that’s a good age to get married} having 20 “babies”{and yes, she already has all their names picked out}, and starting an orphanage! The more babies the better, right?! ;) With her take-charge attitude and simply perky outlook on life, I do believe one day she will make a great mother to many but for today she is extremely satisfied making it to McDonalds before they stop serving their breakfast menu. ;) Time will tell what the Lord has in store for my little blue-eyed friend but today I am counting my blessings as I get to be her big sister! :)
Happiest of Birthdays to you Bekah!! It is a great joy being your sister!
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
{The last picture was requested by Bekah and the cat, though very annoyed, went along with it! ;) Ahem, and the song happens to be Bekah’s favorite. Enjoy, Bekah! ;)}
“I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
Proverbs 8:17
