Book Quotes

Wow...the book I'm currently reading, Humilty "True Greatness" by C.J. Mahaney, is so real & so convicting.

I just had to share some quotes from the 1st 3 chapters:

* God is decisively drawn to humility. Contrary to popular and false belief, it's not "those who help themselves" whom God helps; it's those who humble themselves. (p.20-21)

* Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness. (p.22)

* Though (humilty) shows up in different forms and to differing degrees, it infects us all. The real issues here is not if pride exists in your heart; it's where pride exists and how pride is being expressed in your life. (p.29)

* From my study, I'm convinced there's nothing God hates more than this...there's no sin more offensive to Him than pride. (p.30)

* Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. (p.31)

* Jesus does not categorically criticize or forbid the desire and ambition to be great. Instead, He clearly redirects that ambition, redefines it, and purifies it: "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all" ~Mark 10:43-44. (p.43)

A Transformed Mind

Disappointment, bitterness, anger, resentment…all these words describe my attitude this week. There are things that I had planned this week but couldn’t do them because Christian had hives, Carysse caught a cold, and then Christian caught Carysse’s cold. So, I’ve been serving my children instead of being able to do what I wanted to do.
My kids’ conditions really aren’t the culprits. The root is my sinful heart. I still need to die to self, selfishness, & self-centeredness. God is “killing” me in this sanctifying process. He’s teaching me that it’s not about me, but it’s ALL about Him. Until I get that, I will continue to go through test after test after test. God doesn’t grade on a curve. We just have to keep being tested. He wants us to be “mature, complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). So, He will continue to take us through the fire of sanctification until we come out looking more like Him.
Being more like Christ, takes a renewed mind. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Many of us know this verse by memory, but really haven’t focused on the word “testing”. We don’t become saved and automatically have a renewed mind. As we are tested, we come to the knowledge of God’s will.
After reading Romans 12:1-2, I made myself 5 Transformed Mind Accountability questions.

1. Is this thought holy and pleasing to God? (verse 1)
2. Am I worshipping God with this thought? (v. 1)
3. Is this thought worldly or godly? (v. 2)
4. Is this thought helping me to have a renewed mind in Christ? (v. 2)
5. Will this thought help me to discern God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will? (v. 2)

We must surrender to God’s transforming power and humble ourselves through our personal sanctification processes. Remember, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). May we all stand firm in this life as we look forward to the day when our Savior gives us the crown of life.

Christian has hives!

He had a few bumps on his chest yesterday, but we thought they were bug bites. But after his nap, they covered his whole torso. They look terrible. Kempton took him to Urgent Care last night. While he was there, God once again showed us His favor. Christian was in a lot of discomfort & constant itching. A mom walked up to Kempton & said, “We’ve been waiting here a while, but my son wants your son to go in his place when they call our name.” Kempton saw that her little boy was also in discomfort due to a rash.
What an example that boy was to us all! I wondered if I could do the same. His act reminded me of a verse that my church has memorized. Each week, we memorize & meditate on a different verse. A recent verse was Romans 12:10 which says, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” The Lord used that young boy to show love & honor to Christian. To follow this example, we are going to have to put our needs on hold for the sake of another. It may mean we’ll have to wait a little longer & suffer a little longer. Jesus is the ultimate example of this! He suffered and laid down His life for us. I John 3:16 tells us to do the same, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” So, today look for ways that you can “out do” someone in showing love & honor for the sake of God’s glory!

By the way, Christian is doing well. We found out that the hives are quite common. He was given medication to control the itch. Please pray that he gets over this quickly & won’t be in any discomfort. Thanks!

May 15th...A Special Day!

Daddy's Little Girl...What an honor for a daughter to share a birthday with her Father!





Happy 33rd Birthday Kempton!
Happy 1st Birthday Carysse Nicole!

A Mother's Heart

A year ago, I carried you in my womb.

Today, I carry you in my arms.

Always, I will carry you in my heart.




The most important way I carry you in my heart is upon my knees in prayer. Most people who see you comment on your appearance. Our God saw fit to bless you with outer beauty. We praise Him for the way He made you. However, outer appearance is only temporal. It is fleeting! In a world that is totally external focused, you get lots of compliments for your looks. But this doesn't matter to God. As I Samuel 16:7 says, "For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." The hard & sad truth is that many pretty faces will see Jesus one day and He will say, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME...into the eternal fire" (Matthew 7:23, 25:41). So, my heartfelt prayer is that, one day soon, you will accept Jesus into your heart, live a blameless life, and love the Lord with all your heart, soul, & mind. Only then will your heart be even more beautiful than you are today. My ultimate desire is for the Lord Jesus to look at you one day and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21).

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

Praise Jesus for 1 year Baby Girl!

Praise Her In The Gates: The Calling of Christian Motherhood

I recently finished this book by Nancy Wilson. It gave me so much insight and got me thinking about many parenting convictions that I never considered before. Here's a recap of just a few of the key points that caught my attention.

Chapter 1 - The Big Picture: "When mothers faithfully obey God in this very precious and demanding role, they can expect God to fulfill His promise of blessing in their families" (p.11).

Chapter 2 - The Church Our Mother: "The Church is fruitful. While evangelism brings more worshipers into the Church, childbearing brings more disciples into the home. Children are not to be viewed as a hindrance, an intrusion, an interruption, or a burden" (p.19).

Chapter 3 - Conception, Pregnancy, Childbirth: "We cannot play God...It is all of God's doing. We must be humble when we consider what He ordains to do in & through our bodies, & we must look to God for His sustaining grace..." (p.24).

Chapter 4 - When the Kids are Sick: "Sickness is a good time to teach our children about compassion & mercy, as well as about the frailty of life. Use all these times for spiritual profit" (p.34).

Chapter 5 - Loving the Kids: "God supplies us with motherly love for our children. We should be praying that God will give us a godly, self-sacrificing, rejoicing love for our children, even when we think we have enough already" (p.37).

Chapter 6 - Manners: "We must model Christian courtesy to our children, not simply expect it of them without showing them what it looks like" (p.48).

Chapter 7 - Respecting Sons: "When a mother respects her son, she verbalizes it. She praises him for his achievements. She expresses her admiration to him for his accomplishments. She gives him responsibility and expects him to fulfill his obligations" (p.58).

Chapter 8 - Loving Daughters: "Daughters primarily need love & security. Mothers must be diligent to praise their daughters, not for their achievements primarily, but for who they are. They needs lots of love, hugs, understanding, and reassurance" (p.66, 67).

Chapter 9 - Setting Standards: "God has given us our children as our "ministry". Our children are our disciples. Godly discipline is focused on the long-term goal of maturity, not a short-term desire to make life easier for ourselves now" (p.73-75).

Chapter 10 - The Importance of Education: "Christians have the reponsibility & opportunity to educate their children in a God-honoring, God-glorifying way. Whether parents choose to enroll their children in a school or homeschool, oversight is required by the parents" (p.83, 84).

Chapter 11 - The Pleasant Home: "A pleasant home should be full of joy and full of beauty--the beauty of holiness. Our homes should be pleasant, happy, lovely reflections of the joy we have received in Christ" (p.91, 92).

Chapter 12 - The Domestic Arts: "Domesticity is a devotion to home & family life. God created marriage, He creates homes, He delegates the management of the home to the wife, & He gives us the desire & the ability to imitate Him in "creating" lovely surroundings for our families in our homes" (p.97).

Chapter 13 - Letting Them Go: "We want to train & equip our children so that when they are of age, they will be able to leave our homes to lead productive, godly lives on their own. We do not live for our children; we live to glorify God" (p.103, 104).

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
Proverbs 31:30-31