New family photos

This photo was taken just before Christmas in front of my favorite oak tree in our backyard. So, there you have it - all seven of us. Eight including the tree :)

Really?! No guesses at all! Okay, well here's another picture of the same animal, but from a slightly different persepective. :)

Now let's see who gets it!

Where've I been?

Well, like most everybody around the blogdom I've been taking it easy on my blog. Colin's invoked a media fast this week, and I'm feeling detached. He's made one exception so that I can post on here. We've been busy hanging doors, eating pies, opening presents, visiting the zoo, playing with cousins, fighting pink-eye, etc... On the other hand we had a visit from a very strange creature. Here's a picture of it. Ten points to the person who guesses what it is:

The Value of a Friend

Ecclesiastics4: 9 Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

This passage is one I had not come across for a long time but I heard it in two different places today. My prayer is that I can be a blessing to someone as a friend.

Tagged

Thanks to KimC for this tag. It's actually my first:) !

I love games, so I'll play along with this one... I like this ornament alot although I'll have no use for it anytime soon. You see, my husband and I haven't actually had a tree since we've been married. However, my favorite ornament(s) are the ones made by my late Grandpapa. He got a bunch of those eggs from the Leggs pantyhose and made twelve beautifully handpainted ornaments symbolizing each of the twelve days of Christmas. They were split up among the children after he passed away, but there are a few on my parents tree that we all take special notice of each year.

Daddy's back!

Yahoo! Just a couple of more hours until Colin's plane arrives, Lord willing. Colin says the pics on here have been great - just like he was here - isn't that dishonest, err, nice of him! It's been a really good week thanks to my mom, and my brother and his wife. They came around just in the knick of time to save me from the brink of loneliness! I am thankful to them and to God for them!

Anyways, see y'all later. We'll try not to hurt Colin when all five of us tackle him at the airport :)

Party!

Here's Molly all decked out in festive gear.
The spread - can you believe the kids came home telling me they were starving?!
Noah being cheesy.
Gracie and Knox eating by the swing.

Knox and Molly dancing at Grandma's.


Bath time! They soaked two bath sheets full of water on the floor!


Noah and his light sabers (notice Knox "dead" on the floor behind him) :)

Daddy's girls

Molly flashes a grin. Gracie finishes schoolwork while I cook dinner.

Anonymous knows his stuff

I found this in the comment section at Amy's Humble Musings. It was written by anonymous which is a real shame because it is excellent. I couldn't resist sharing:

Sarah and others,
If you will permit the Dad of a few kids to interject here…
You have the most important job in the world. It is also one of the hardest.
When you signed up for duty, you committed yourself to a lifetime of service. Your performance in the vocation that God has given to you cannot possibly be evaluated in the midst of the day-to-day routine. It cannot be judged based on your response to any one particular situation or based on your execution of any particular day. It is hard to keep the focus on the long-term when the immediate is so tyrannical.
The enemy will do everything he can to keep you from seeing the ultimate goal of your vocation. If he can trip you up by discouraging you with your bad mood on a particular day or even reminding you of your sharp answer that you gave to one of the kids, he wins the battle.
And occasionally he does win a battle – but we will win the war, by the grace of God.
Keep your focus on what God has said about what it is you are doing. The best works that we do are most often done when we are unaware of them. Think of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”
The good works that the Good King commends are those that are done faithfully, that are just a part of every-day life that most people, yourself included, never realized were good works at all.
As a mommy, you labor faithfully every day to serve the “least of these,” the covenant children that God has entrusted to your care. All of the feeding, clothing, drink making, spilled drink cleaning, diaper changing, room straightening, laundry folding, spilled drink cleaning again, all-night sick child comforting, mud-track mopping, book reading, diaper changing again, and bed making are all works that the Good King calls good because they are done to the “least of these”, our children.
Keep up the good fight and do not loose heart.

Gone but not forgotten...

Colin's out of town this week in San Francisco. Here's a picture so he won't feel like he's missing out on the fun!
Yes, it's December, but it's also Texas. What'd you expect snowball fights?

Manic Week?

On Monday, I blogged about how my precious two year old was keeping us busy. He is a truly amazing young man. So full of energy, so independent, so fun. I love him dearly, but I must say, he gave me a run for my money this week. Monday's already been said, we won't go there again - see I'm already blocking out the bad memories. Tuesday, we woke up to a freshly painted bathroom and a freshly painted son. Only problem was he'd used red nail polish. Another day I walked into the kitchen to find him guzzling syrup. Another day, he played trivial pursuit by himself by spreading ALL the cards around the playroom. Did I mention I love him dearly? Did I mention sometimes I have to say that to myself through gritted teeth?

But that wasn't the only excitement around here. So far I've had one chest xray, one purse robbery, and one gas leak in the house. I'm not gonna lie to you, there were a few crying babies around here, and one of them was of the thirty-something age. It's been a real struggle in faith to maintain composure and patience and perspective. I've failed that test often enough, but God promises that all things are for my good. And He never lies. I've seen that as I go through this trial, I have to cry out to God to give me grace, to give me strength, to give me ability, and to give me a heart that wants to obey. None of those things are innate in me, and the excitement around here has only been the wave-maker that surged my sin to the surface. It's taught me to cling to Christ, to pray when it's hard, and to thank Him for forgiving me and taking care of my children's hearts despite me.

Thank you Lord, for the lesson - I had so easily forgotten.

More on the Law

Okay, now that I've blogged on the "why" we obey. Now it's time for the "what" we obey.

I believe that God's law as stated in the Old Testament is still our standard for today. This includes the civil law and the moral law but not the laws of cleanliness, sacrifices, and diet. The latter were abrogated by Christ's sacrifice. In Him we have been made clean for He was our ultimate sacrifice. The dietary laws were clearly stricken in the New Testament.

As we live under Christ's grace, we must ask ourselves how we are to practically govern our everyday lives and our society. We must chose a standard of morality from which we derive our civil laws today. Where will we get that standard? We could try and make it up on our own, but that will invetiably be a flawed standard. Also, everyone will have different opinions on what said standard should be, so it will be difficult to come to a satisfactory conclusion. Why not, logically, chose God's standard set up for us in His Holy word? It is the only one that will be truly without sin.

I understand that for some of the laws, people may think the penalties too harsh. But we should not forget Who was the author of these laws in the first place. Could enforcing these penalties be sinful if it was God who set up the penalties in the first place? I think not.

We should not forsake the law of God solely in order to guard against the sin of pride. We should not teach moral standards to people to guard them from thinking we are prideful, nor to abstain from pride ourselves. Would it be better for a woman to go to church showing her cleavage and causing dozens of men to lust in their hearts, rather than to admonish her to dress modestly?Would it be better for parents to send their kids to school were lies about God were taught, rather than to teach them to homeschool their children. Having moral standards is not a sin, nor should it be treated as such when people are getting those standards from God's perfect law.

Manic Monday

Sorry there's not much to report today. For what I've been up to lately, see my reading list here.
Today started off not so grand. My two year gave us a rude awakening this morning by spilling a box of granola all over the living room and pooping his pants - all before 8 a.m.! I understand poopy diapers, but poopy big boy pants are completely awful! So, by noon he had spilled three full boxes of food, two cereal and one carton of raisins, all over three separate floors. He'd also pooped his pants three times and wet them two other times. Did I mention, potty training wasn't going so well? By lunch time I'd all but decided to quit, but Amy assures me that baby steps are what we need! I bet I'll buy that better after a good night's sleep! See! If only he wasn't so cute!

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Cor. 12:9-10

Legalism

I'm sad to say that the church is getting away from the teaching of obedience. By calling it "legalism" pastors are preaching against God's law as a prescription for how to govern our lives. We are under grace it's true, but that does not take away from our Lord's teachings:

Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. Ex 12:24

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Ex. 19:5

The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. Deut 6:24

...be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today. Deut. 11:32

Be care to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. Josh 1:7

And there are dozens more at least.

And lest you say, that's just the old testament. Jesus says:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matt 28:19-20

Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Luke 11:28

If you love me, you will obey what I command. Joh 14:15

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. John 14:21

It is clear to me that even though Christ paid for our sins, we are still required to obey the law. We do know that we are not ever going to be capable of keeping the law in its entirety while on this earth, but that does not mean that we should give up trying. As pastors today forego the Westminster Confessions teachings in the nineteenth chapter, they will say that the laws only purpose is as a mirror, and not as a moral standard to guide our lives, and not as a means to restrain the wickedness of all man. We are freed from the curse of the law, but not of the duty to God to obey.

People today, even Christians, treat God's law as a burden to obey, but have completely forgotten the blessings that come with obeying Him. Throughout His Word He teaches of the joy of the law, of the blessings that He pours out on those that obey Him. In the law we see the perfection of His character and also the perfection of what life could be. We don't just obey God because we are grateful that He saved us, all that's part of it, but we also obey because it is the best way, the perfect way, the only way that we should live.

VII. Neither are the forementioned uses of the law contrary to the grace of
the Gospel, but do sweetly comply with it; the Spirit of Christ subduing and
enabling the will of man to do that freely, and cheerfully, which the will of
God, revealed in the law, requires to be done.