Thank God for You

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. — 2 Thessalonians 1:3

I always thank God for my mom.

Her birthday would have been yesterday.

The same day my neice Maggie turned 30.

She helped my faith grow more and more each year.

Answering all my questions about God, why bad things happen in our world, how we should live, and more.

Even as she suffered from small-cell lung cancer, her faith remained strong.

As she was dying, she prayed over each of my siblings and me.

Then she prayed over our children.

A wonderful example of God's love.

Helping our faith grow more and more.

I Will Come Back and Take You With Me

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." — John 14:3  

Jesus died and came alive again.

He then left to sit at the right. hand of God the Father in heaven.

Now He reigns there today.

And He prepares a place for us.

But He also promises to return.

And to take us to be with Him in heaven one day.

What a glorious promise.

We Have Not Stopped Praying for You

Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. — Colossians 1:9

We continually pray for each other.

And we ask God dto fill us up with His Holy Spirit.

And with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

Giving us the understanding that the Spirit gives.

You Are the Son of the Living God

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” — Matthew 16:15-16 

Jesus asked Peter who people were saying He was.

The answers were all over the board.

But then Jesus asked Peter directly.

Who do you say I am?

And Peter knew immediately.

Lord, help me to know you as Messiah.

And as the Son of the living God.

My Savior and Lord.

You Will Find a Baby

"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” — Luke 2:12 

The angels told the shepherds where to find baby Jesus.

They said there would be a clear sign of the Christ child.

The shepherds were told to look for a baby wrapped in cloths.

That baby would be lying in a manger.

The feed trough for oxen.

From this humble birth our Savior came.

We anticipate His come with expectation and joy!

My God on Whom I Can Rely

You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. — Psalm 59:10

Yesterday I got to work at home.

Once a week now I can work at home, save on gas, and get lots more done without the commute.

Today we sent our baby pictures to our social committee at work.

Sounds like we'll have a baby photo contest to see if we can name the babies.

Mine will be fairly easy since it will probably be one of the few black & white ones.

Very fun idea.

God is the one on whom I rely.

He is my fortress.

The Truth WIll Set You Free

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. — John 8:32 

When Herod asked Jesus, "What is truth?"

He replied, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

"No one comes to the Father except by me."

Jesus also told us, "You shall know that truth, and the truth will set you free.

God' Word holds the truth for us.

Following God's laws points out where we're falling short.

So we learn to rely on God instead of on ourselves.

Today we're heading to the zoo to admire God's creatures.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I Always Thank My God for You

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Corinthians 1:4

I try to pray throughout the day, thanking God and asking for His wisdom.

I often fail, but it's humbling.

God gives me everything.

He watches over me and comforts me.

He keeps His promises to me.

There is nothing he cannot do.

I always thank my God for you.

He has given us His grace through Christ Jesus.

We are blessed.

Like Living Stones

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. — 1 Peter 2:5

Today I met my friend Lainie for lunch.

She treated me to Greek food at cafe Athena. Yum.

Then we walked around her neighborhood, admiring the new construction.

And the tangerines on her tree.

She has a green thumb.

Here are some of the air plants she grew.

We are being build into a spiritual house.

To be a royal priesthood, offering sacrifices to God.

I will Have Compassion on You

With everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer. — Isaiah 54:8

The Lord has compassion on us.

His kindness reaches to the farthest corner of the earth.

His radiance shines through the darkest night.

The Lord God is my Redeemer.

Today is Pi approximation day, 22/7.

We celebrated my colleagues' birthdays with a potluck.

I made pound cake and scones for Krista's birthday tomorrow.

One big celebration all week long!

 I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. — Isaiah 41:9b

God has chosen me.

He has called me by name.

I am His, and He has not rejected me, in spite of my sin.

I keep missing the mark, but He keeps hanging on to me, correcting me, and bringing me back to His side.

Here is the view from our room in Palm Desert.

This is the golf course where Kirk golfed during our stay.

Even at 6:00 a.m., it was already 90º outside.

As one of our friends mentioned, this beautiful scenery reminds us of God's presence.

It is comforting to know that He is with us wherever we go.

He has chosen us!

Working With You

 We work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. — 1 Corinthians 1:24

God gives us great joy.

Even in sorrow, His joy overcomes our tears.

You can see the joy of Jesus reflected in our faces.

We work with other Christians for God, giving Him the glory.

We stand on His promises.

And God gives us the strength to stand firm.

I Thank God for You

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. — Romans 1:8

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day.

After church, Kirk smoked two tenderloins.

He thought it may have been overcooked, but it was really moist.

And it tasted delicious.

We ate outside — the day was gorgeous.

So thankful for my family.

We Are Temporary Residents

For we are strangers before You, and temporary residents, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. — 1 Chronicles 29:15

We are strangers before God.

Our days on earth are as a fleeting shadow.

God's plans for us are much greater than we could ever imagine.

Here's the brisket Kirk smoked with Oak.

It was delicious.

But it is simply a brief part of our even briefer life here on earth.

We are temporary residents here.

Just as our forefathers were.

And we are thankful that God has prepared an even better place for us in heaven.

All glory to our Father God.

 

All Things Come From You

 For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given to You. — 1 Chronicles 29:14

All things come from God.

And we are blessed that He bestows His blessings on us.

This weekend I made bread, which we've been enjoying for several days.

Kirk worked outside to prune our roses and water our plants.

The house looks amazing.

We are blessed.

God Rules Over All

Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.  — 1 Chronicles 29:12

God has the power to strengthen me.

He can lift me up when I feel like falling.

He gave me the ability to go for a two hour walk after my chemo treatments.

And he helped me recover from cancer.

His hand is power and might.

He created the world and put us in it to do His will.

Riches and honor come from Him.

He rules over all.

We Give Thanks to God for You

 We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers. — 1 Thessalonians 1:2

Yesterday I hiked Tecolote Canyon with some friends.

It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

Partway through, we came to this tree.

Suzy had to hang from it while we got a picture.

Then we all stood  near it for a group photo.

The flowers were blooming and the sky was blue.

The day started out overcast so it didn't get too hot.

We always give thanks to God for friends, including hiking buddies!

A Savior Has Been Born!

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” — Luke 2:11-12

Merry Christmas!

Today a Savior has been born.

Jesus, the Messiah,  our Lord.

The shepherds found Him lying in a manger.

Then they rushed off to tell everyone of the miraculous birth.

Christ is born!

Love Each Other

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. — 1 Thessalonians 4:9

Halloween night we put candy on our courtyard table so children could help themselves.

Kirk lit a fire in the firepit and propped open our gate to welcome them.

Abby and Kirk watched from the living room as the children entered our courtyard.

Then they wished them "Happy Halloween" and the children called back, "Happy Halloween."

One girl told her little brother, "The sign says to take 2 so just two!"

Lots of parents came dressed up, too.

We had about 25 children, which was a lot for our neighborhood. 

I got home from church in time to see the last few.

They were very kind and loving to each other and very happy to have candy!

Sharing Our Lives

Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. — 1 Thessalonians 2:8

When we have people we love, we want to share things with them.

As Christians, we want to share the gospel with others.

And we want to share our lives, too.

In this time of anxiety and loneliness, we have a source of comfort and love.

We have faith in God, which gives us hope.

Hope helps us get through our struggles and tough times.

And hope in God leads us to want to share our relationship with Jesus with those we meet.

God has blessed us.