From Cows to Plows

As you can tell,

we are not in California.

We are visiting family in Washington

and having a splendid time!

The pictures speak for themselves. . .

Great is Thy Faithfulness

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope;

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,

"therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good

to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Lamentations 3:21-26

Like the Psalmist, I have to "preach" the truth to myself when my emotions get the best of me. . .

-The Lord's love will NEVER cease.

-His mercies NEVER come to an end

-In fact, tomorrow WILL BE a new day, with mercy anew.

-The Lord IS faithful.

-HE is my portion

-I CAN and WILL hope in HIM.

-THE LORD IS GOOD.

Father, I CHOOSE to trust you and not be afraid. Thank you that tomorrow is a new day and that I will receive mercy anew. THANK YOU that I am not in this Kingdom business alone.

"You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.

You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip."

Psalms 18 :35-36

In Jesus name, Amen

Baseball, Baseball, and More Baseball

Well, our weekend mostly consisted of. . . baseball.

We had "family movie night" on Friday,

and well, watched a baseball movie.

Saturday found our family watching

a live game, this time.

Drew "closed out" the game, pitching the last inning.

That night we had a dinner at the Nuttings'

with a number of other church families.

We cherish the fellowship. . .

Sunday I had the privilege of teaching the Story of the Cross

to my class of 4 and 5 year olds.

I love asking little ones if they are "hiding behind" Jesus.

The two younger girls were not feeling great,

so we actually came home from the service early

and laid low, closing the day with our family tradition

of watching Minute to Win it.

And tonight, we found ourselves once again,

watching baseball. . .

O the joy of raising little men!

We are sooo proud of our Drew.

Gratitude List (#1-25)

I've been inspired and encouraged the past few weeks by a gal name Ann Voskamp. She has a blog entitled "A Holy Experience" that I listed under places I love. Anyway, one thing she does with her family is, she has an ever running "gratitude list". Everyone can add too it. Sooo, here is the first (of what I hope to be many) Hitch-bunch gratitude list. . . .

the smell of rain

my brother and sisters

that my mom can teach me

princes dolls

playing with friends

books

sunshine

sports

my Bitta swing

friends

lemon meringue pie

school (math)

baseball and sons who play

music

animals

Nannie and the special heart she gave me

daisies

the toys Mrs. Wilder gave me

doctors

food

my telescope and vest

our Church family

all the creatures God has made

cousins

beautiful spring days

"Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!"

Psalm 107:8

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA

We got to ride horses at co-op today. . .

It sure does remind us of the country,

and Borderline Farm.

We love you so much Papa,

and hope your day was as exciting as ours!!

Memory Work

We've just about got Isaiah 40:21-24 down and are now moving on to verses 25-26. These verses are easy for children to make motions to, for visual reminders. Even Whitney and Toby are getting some of them down.

We are still reading in 2 Kings. Today we read a story about Hezekiah that I had never heard! He asked Isaiah for a sign that the Lord was going to heal him. Isaiah suggested that the sign from the Lord be that "the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps." Hezekiah chose that the shadow would go BACK ten steps. Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord preformed the sign for them! How cool is that? The children could so relate and understand about shadows. . . Tomorrow we read about Josiah, who also honored the Lord and became king at age 8!

The curriculum we have used this year is called My Father's World, and we have basically studied creation through the Greeks. We've been reading through Old Testaments stories along with V. Gilbert Beers' book The Victor Journey through the Bible. It has been interesting to realize where these very well-known Bible stories fit into other historical events.

We are also about to finish reading The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum. That has been a bit of a challenge to understand, but I do think the kids are getting a big picture view of some of the epic adventures of Odysseus and the fall of Troy. . .

I thought the new Isaiah verses fit well with my sunset pictures from last weekend. Blessings to you dear ones!!

"To whom will you compare me?

Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one,

and calls them each by name.

Because of his great power

and mighty strength,

not one of them is missing.

Isaiah 40:25-26

Weekend Highlights

Friday: We had cousin Chase over for most of the day.

So much fun to see the kids lovin' on her!

She is a JOY.

That night we had community group.

Including our family, we had 13 adults and 16 kids!

Sweet time of fellowship, singing, and praying.

Saturday: The pastor had Presbytery all day.

Drew's baseball team tied 4 to 4. . . (will post pictures of him real soon)

He pitched, and once again had 3 up and 3 down!!

These games have been so good for our family, forcing us to slow down.

We often take picnic meals and just sit for two hours and talk.

I loved watching Abby's creativity while her brother played. . .

That night, some dear friends took all 5 kids to a play.

So. . . once again, the pastor and I had a date night! We had

Philly Cheese-steaks & witnessed a BEAUTIFUL sunset over the ocean.

Sunday: A wonderful Lord's day filled with fellowship and rest.

Ellie had her good friend Maddie over, and the others

played with neighborhood friends. Whit had a LONG nap :)

The pastor preached tonight on 1 John 2:7-14. To sum it up:

1-The GOSPEL is made visible by our LOVE for one another.

2-Your adoption is SECURE through CHRIST.

Counter-cultural, gospel centered love is what God calls the church to!

I pray that your Lord's Day was a blessing and refreshment to you!!