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These cousins first met
at Jacob and Jenna's first birthday
Maddy was five and Reagan was one year
That's Gracie at one month
Then they grew to be this big
Jacob and Jenna are four
Maddy is eight and Reagan is four
Now Gracie has a little brother Evan
Things are going well. And most days are fine.
I struggle with being a consistant parent. And I want to be able to not worry where our gas and clothes are coming from. I have my own idea of what I want my family to look like and I struggle with the reality that its not up to me. What God wants to do with my life and family is far better than the life and family I try to create. I know that seeking God's will is where to find refuge from stress and worry. Most of the time these days I feel like I'm dating a book - the Bible. It doesn't seem real to me sometimes. And I know that's not a requirement of a relationship with Him.
The kids are in school full time now. Its a really long day for them but they are adjusting. I have lots of time at home to study and fellowship and work with Debbie who is at home taking care of her mom, Nora. When I get the kids, I'm more refreshed and focused on interacting with them and playing and getting them into the evening routine at home.
I look forward to the series about what God designed the church to be. Ever since VBS I've been eager to find another spot where I can serve the church. Its way more rewarding to serve others than myself. I love having a purpose and a way to give back to the people who love on us.
I'm excited to see God work in the lives of other families in our church. There have been wonderful developments. Its just neat to do this life thing along such cool people.
My study of the Beloved Disciple John blew me away last night!
Revelation 5:5-6
Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed! ... Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne...
The Lion triumphed as the Lamb that was slain -
the imagery of the Lamb throughout the Bible is intensive and deliberate!
Revelation 13:8
... written from the creation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb that was slain
The plan of redemption was already set in motion before humans were even created!
Genesis 1:24-27
Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds... and it was so. God made the wild animals, the livestock, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God created the animals before He created man - that includes the little lamb.
His Plan was set in motion from the very start - from the moment He said, "Let there be Light". It meant, Let there be a Plan! Humanity's fall did not take God by surprise.
Genesis 3:21
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them
As soon as man sinned, God allowed the animals to be sacrificed and killed for us to use as food and clothing. It had to have been a goat or sheep that was slain for the first clothing. Because the Lamb covers our sin. So the coat of the Lamb covers our body. May we wear it well.
GLORY!
HAPPY PASSOVER TO YOU
PRAISE GOD FOR TAKING CARE OF HIS PEOPLE
Deuteronomy 16:1-8
Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
1“In honor of the LORD your God, celebrate the jPassover each year in the early spring, in the month of Abib, for that was the month in which the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2Your Passover sacrifice may be from either the flock or the herd, and it must be sacrificed to the LORD your God at the designated place of worship—the place he chooses for his name to be honored. 3Eat it with bread made without yeast. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, as when you escaped from Egypt in such a hurry. Eat this bread—the bread of suffering—so that as long as you live you will remember the day you departed from Egypt. 4Let no yeast be found in any house throughout your land for those seven days. And when you sacrifice the Passover lamb on the evening of the first day, do not let any of the meat remain until the next morning.
5“You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of the towns that the LORD your God is giving you. 6You must offer it only at the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored. Sacrifice it there in the evening as the sun goes down on the anniversary of your exodus from Egypt. 7Roast the lamb and eat it in the place the LORD your God chooses. Then you may go back to your tents the next morning.8For the next six days you may not eat any bread made with yeast. On the seventh day proclaim another holy day in honor of the LORD your God, and no work may be done on that day.
The Passover (Hebrew pesakh) was the festival marking Israel’s deliverance from the tenth plague and from bondage in Egypt (see Exod 11–12).
Lev 23:5-8
Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
5“The LORD’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the LORD continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. 8For seven days you must present special gifts to the LORD. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.”
The Exodus was such a significant event in Israel’s history that the month of Abib, when the Exodus took place, became the beginning of Israel’s annual calendar
Exod 12:2
2“From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you.
Leviticus 26:14-39
… if you do not listen to me or obey all these commands, and if you break my covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt, and refusing to obey my commands, I will punish you.
A. The objective of God’s punishment of his people is to change behavior and restore relationship. God responds to his disobedient people as a perfectly righteous and loving parent would to a child.
B. The punishments designed to curb rebellious behavior gradually increase, giving Israel the opportunity to repent at any time.
Leviticus 26:18-28
“… if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me, I will punish you seven times over for your sins. I will break your proud spirit by making the skies as unyielding as iron and the earth as hard as bronze. All your work will be for nothing, for your land will yield no crops, and your trees will bear no fruit.
“If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey me, I will inflict disaster on you seven times over for your sins.
… if you fail to learn the lesson and continue your hostility toward me, then I myself will be hostile toward you. I will personally strike you with calamity seven times over for your sins.
“If in spite of all this you still refuse to listen and still remain hostile toward me, then I will give full vent to my hostility. I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins…. I will make your cities desolate and destroy your places of pagan worship… Yes, I myself will devastate your land… I will scatter you among the nations… Your land will become desolate… Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies.
C. Even when Israel was punished with exile from the land in 722 and 586 BC, God was working to restore his people (Isa 40–66; Jer 29:10; Amos 9:11-15).
First Day of Preschool! We are in the Head Start Morning Program. Class is from 8am to 12pm.
We had a hard time getting up this morning, need to make more time to wake up, go potty, and get dressed. I put them in the top they wear the next morning for bed like I do for church and that helps.
Jenna was really wanting to go back to sleep so she just didn't want to go, didn't want to talk to the teacher, but once she had some breakfast, she was fine. But she just wasn't herself because she was tired and not feeling well.
Jacob was the one who was really excited. He ate a lot of breakfast. All he wanted to do all day was play with the trucks inside and the bikes outside. He's feeling better than Jenna.
The teacher does a healthcheck every morning. Looks at hands, noses, throats, and hair. She gave them the go ahead. I prepared though, by wiping up the noses and crusties with wipes in the car.
They sit down to breakfast first thing, they are taught to clear their own dishes and throw away their own garbage. They brush teeth - toothbrushes provided. Then they have freeplay until the teacher sits them down for circle time. I left during freeplay because Jenna was still kind of sluggish and clingy.
I told them that they were going to be in school until after lunch and then I'll pick them up. They were totally fine with that. I would recommend to any new parents to get the kids used to being in a classroom environment early on to practice like church or library lap sit or gym class. Its only an hour or so at first. This was the first extended time they were without someone they know.
We had an hour of downtime at home before going to the doctor. Dr Emily is so great. She is so encouraging to the mother and handles the kids well.
She says leave the boy alone to use the potty when he is ready to do it. I will never again think there's something wrong with the mother when I see a child that seems too old to wear diapers. Well, instead of buying breakfast and lunch food, I'll be buying diapers.
Even with the colds, the kids are healthy as can be. Right on track in height and weight. Jacob wouldn't cooperate so we got inaccurate weight on him. I've weighed him recently and he's still a pound or two less than Jenna. She's just big and healthy. She's ever so slightly shorter than Jacob. Dr Emily calls him a bean stalk.
We had to get blood drawn and that was a cinch. Neither of them flinched. The nurses were so relieved to find good veins. Jenna is just like me - calm through the hard part then breaks down after the trauma. After they put the bandaid on, she just let it go... all the way to the car. I gave them juice and they both just crashed on the way home. Jenna laid down and slept all the way to dinner time.
Friday afternoon we have a WIC appointment. No more worries about milk, cheese, eggs, cereal, juice. If only they have a diaper voucher. I'm wishing my cloth diapers still fit. He uses the underwear, just chooses to mess in them. I just don't know what his deal is. Why he is choosing to refuse the potty. I've asked, I've reasoned it out. Nothing makes sense. He just doesn't want to do it.
Psalms 44:22
But for your sake we are killed every day;
we are being slaughtered like sheep.
Paul quotes this verse as an aside in his list of things that cannot separate us from Christ’s love
Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love (Romans 8:31-39)
31… If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
35Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the hlove of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing can separate us from His Love
We’re His children, we’re the ones He’s thinking of
Nothing in the past and nothing yet to be can keep Him from loving me
