Perfection in Forgiveness & Grace ~ Thank You Mom & Dad

I love this. :-)  My parents are not perfect, and they would tell anyone that themselves.  But they always work through and resolve things.  I always know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they love and are fully committed to the Lord and to each other.  Thank you Mom and Dad for your commitment and godly example!  And I thank the Lord for His amazing grace that saved and gave me such wonderful parents!
~Brittany

"I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize the Lord is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me; for in the easiest positions He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient."

~ Hudson Taylor ~

~Brittany

Birthdays and Cakes!

Our birthday fella, the handsomely adorable...

TITUS!!!! 

Is he not all boy or what?!  He looks just like his big bro!  Love our fellas!  This precious little guy is already 8 years old!  Wow, can't believe it!

 Here those two are with Grandma that came clear down from Ohio!  We so enjoyed having her here and Ti loved that she was here on his birthday! 

Boy, did he ever love this birthday present, can you tell?!  That grin...my oh my!  What boy doesn't love a nurf gun, or any gun for that matter?!

 

And here's our precious little pumpkin Sarah on her 3rd birthday! 

She was so excited about her birthday presents...a beautiful new dollie, including the diaper bag (couldn't forget that!!!)  and a singing "radio".  It's always so fun to see the delight in their little eyes!  Sarah loves dollies!  She also loves music (she's a true Alexander! :-)) so she really took a liking to her new "radio", which she carries in her diaper bag.  Important stuff ya know.  ;-) 

And now for the promised pic of the experimental candy cake, which ended up being an m&m cake......

The theme for Sarah's birthday was smiley faces and m&m's.  Sarah loves smiley faces!  She can't recognize her name marked on a piece of tape on her cup, so we always put a smiley face on it so she knows that it's hers.  Thus the inspiration for a smiley face birthday party!  :-)

And like the last cake, this one was inspired by the below idea seen online....

We definitely went with our own twist, especially with not adding the Kit-Kats around it.  But we thought it may have ended up a little too pricey with the Kit-Kats, so we got creative.  Such fun!  And Sarah thought the m&m's were great! 

It's amazing how fast they grow up!!!!  Sarah is definetly a little sunshine!  And never gets any attention.  (You believe me, right?  ;-) )

And this is a special extra!  Britt made this beautiful cake for some friends anniversary.  Britt is amazing and so creative!  I love seeing her simply lovely creations!

And thus you have the parties that have been going on in the Alexander's home lately! 

I hope to post more fun pics and share about some of the other neat things that have been happening 'round here at some other time, but... bye for now!!!!  :-)

~Posted By Breanna

Cute and easy idea for a little gals birthday cake!

For Esther's 5th birthday at the end of last month we made her cake using cupcakes and arranged them in such a way to make them look like a beautiful dress.  It was so fun and so easy!  She loved it!  I had gotten the idea online a while back and was so amazed!  So cute!  And the cool thing is...the sky is the limit when it comes to how you beautify the dress-  it could be more cutesy or it could be extremely elegant!   You are the dress designer...only this time...no sewing required!  :D  Oh yes...and speaking of elegant....

....doesn't she look just elegant, adorable and totally precious?!  The birthday girl!  :-)  Love you sweetheart!  

A closer look at the cake....

You can't really see it, but I put silver sprinkles on it.  The bow is what really dressed it up.  

Here is the original picture that was the inspiration for me to try this...

Isn't that just beautiful!  Now you know why I wanted to try it!  I really liked that they used the large star tip to frost the top- much more elegant that way- but I didn't have my stuff out be that fancy due to our recent move, so just spreading the frosting on them worked too!  :-)

I'm really excited about Sarah's birthday coming up this week because I am hopeful to try to make a candy cake, another idea I saw online!  If I do indeed try it, I'll be sure to post the pics!  :-)

~Posted By Breanna

Following our Lord

I was very blessed and encouraged by this devotional yesterday.  It also made me think of a passage of Scripture that has spoken to me.  There is truly much joy to be had in resting in the will of our Lord and Savior, knowing and trusting that He has a perfect plan for His glory and our good in all that He brings us.  What more could we want?  May we rest in joy and peace in Him!  I hope that both will be a blessing and encouragement to you all as much as it has been to me.  May the rest of your week be very blessed!  ~Brittany

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us."

~Psalm 62:5-8~

“And they follow me.”  - John 10:27

We should follow our Lord as unhesitatingly as sheep follow their shepherd, for he has a right to lead us wherever he pleases. We are not our own, we are bought with a price-let us recognize the rights of the redeeming blood. The soldier follows his captain, the servant obeys his master, much more must we follow our Redeemer, to whom we are a purchased possession. We are not true to our profession of being Christians, if we question the bidding of our Leader and Commander. Submission is our duty, cavilling is our folly. Often might our Lord say to us as to Peter, “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.” Wherever Jesus may lead us, he goes before us. If we know not where we go, we know with whom we go. With such a companion, who will dread the perils of the road? The journey may be long, but his everlasting arms will carry us to the end. The presence of Jesus is the assurance of eternal salvation, because he lives, we shall live also. We should follow Christ in simplicity and faith, because the paths in which he leads us all end in glory and immortality. It is true they may not be smooth paths-they may be covered with sharp flinty trials, but they lead to the “city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant.” Let us put full trust in our Leader, since we know that, come prosperity or adversity, sickness or health, popularity or contempt, his purpose shall be worked out, and that purpose shall be pure, unmingled good to every heir of mercy. We shall find it sweet to go up the bleak side of the hill with Christ; and when rain and snow blow into our faces, his dear love will make us far more blest than those who sit at home and warm their hands at the world’s fire. To the top of Amana, to the dens of lions, or to the hills of leopards, we will follow our Beloved. Precious Jesus, draw us, and we will run after thee.

-Charles Spurgeon's Evening Meditation for September 18th

Joy, Peace, and Confidence in Trials

I was very blessed by this devotional this morning, and challenged yet again.  The Lord has been teaching me so much this year, and one of the things He has been helping me learn recently is to rest in joy in Him in my trials.  So trials seem bigger than others, but as I seek to have an overall attitude to joy in the providential happenings around me, it makes such a difference.  I hope that this devotional is a blessing and encouragement to some of you as well.  May your Lord's Day be blessed!

“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings.”  - Psalm 112:7

Christian, you ought not to dread the arrival of evil tidings; because if you are distressed by them, what do you more than other men? Other men have not your God to fly to; they have never proved his faithfulness as you have done, and it is no wonder if they are bowed down with alarm and cowed with fear: but you profess to be of another spirit; you have been begotten again unto a lively hope, and your heart lives in heaven and not on earthly things; now, if you are seen to be distracted as other men, what is the value of that grace which you profess to have received? Where is the dignity of that new nature which you claim to possess?

Again, if you should be filled with alarm, as others are, you would, doubtless, be led into the sins so common to others under trying circumstances. The ungodly, when they are overtaken by evil tidings, rebel against God; they murmur, and think that God deals hardly with them. Will you fall into that same sin? Will you provoke the Lord as they do?

Moreover, unconverted men often run to wrong means in order to escape from difficulties, and you will be sure to do the same if your mind yields to the present pressure. Trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. Your wisest course is to do as Moses did at the Red Sea, “Stand still and see the salvation of God.” For if you give way to fear when you hear of evil tidings, you will be unable to meet the trouble with that calm composure which nerves for duty, and sustains under adversity. How can you glorify God if you play the coward? Saints have often sung God’s high praises in the fires, but will your doubting and desponding, as if you had none to help you, magnify the Most High? Then take courage, and relying in sure confidence upon the faithfulness of your covenant God, “let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

-Charles Spurgeon Morning Meditation, September 15th

~Posted by Brittany

~Brittany

What Man Doesn't Want That?

I was so blessed when I read this post by the husband of a favorite blogger of mine, Matt and Lisa Jacobson.  I've been following Miss Lisa's blog for quite some time now and am always so blessed and challenged by her godly example and advice for women seeking to obey the Word of God in how He calls us to love our families.  When I am feeling like I need encouragement in my role as a lady and in loving my family, I go to her blog!  Just today I came across her husband, Matthew's, blog and was totally blessed again!  I have heard teaching after teaching encouraging men to, more or less, neglect their families in the name of serving the Lord.  Mr. Jacobson totally debunked that and gave Scriptural reasons why. 
~~~~~~

He was a dynamic missionary married to a truly beautiful woman – temperature-inducing, some might say.

And he was definitely “on fire” . . . but not for her.

He had “higher” spiritual priorities. Flying around in a hotshot bush plane, spreading the Gospel with unmatched zeal, he was the envy  of many others with his engaging personality and winning ways.

Then I met his wife. What was wrong with her?

Never smiling, her depressed countenance was a mystery. He seemed like a great guy. Why wasn’t she radiant, fulfilled, and happy?

Sometimes we men are so busy loving God, we’re walking in sin.

But, shouldn’t we be zealous for winning the lost, foreign missions, for youth work, or for the church’s inner-city ministry or . . . ?

No, we shouldn’t . . . not if our zeal for God gets in the way of obedience to what He told us to do.

If I’m the cause of a lack of radiance in my wife, I’m walking in disobedience to God. Papering over that sin with spiritual-sounding exploits might fool the guy in the next aisle on Sunday morning but it won’t impress God, or our wives.

When it comes to marriage, it takes two – both parties are responsible. Yet, when it comes to the contented, radiant, fulfilled life of your own wife, ask yourself a question:

Is my wife the most cherished, fulfilled, loved woman I know?

Better yet, what would your wife honestly say if she was asked, “Do you feel cherished by your husband?”

From a distance, the super-missionary looked like the apostle Paul – bold, zealous, caring, sold out for the Gospel. But his wife was downcast, dull of spirit, lacking joy.

A loved woman just doesn’t look like that.

Misplaced zeal for God had relegated her to a distant secondary status. We can be too spiritual, sometimes. There’s nothing godly or biblical about neglecting the needs and heart of our wife and calling it ‘putting God in 1^st place in our lives.’

Putting God in first place means doing what He says.

When it comes to your woman, He’s been pretty specific. Your wife is supposed to hold the same place in your heart as the Bride of Christ, the Church, holds in Jesus Christ’s: Husbands love your wives just like Christ loved the Church – Ephesians 5:25

Oh, yeah, that. We’ve heard it so many times it induces barely a yawn.

But, if my wife’s lack of radiance is due to not being cherished, it’s not just too bad for her, it’s wrong and, I need to change. A Church full of men who love God is a Church full of cherished wives.

If anyone asks your wife, “Are you a cherished woman?” do your part to make sure she can respond with abandon: Absolutely, I wish everyone could enjoy being loved as I am loved!

Chances are, if your wife is cherished, it wouldn’t occur to anyone to ask the question because a cherished woman is as eye-catching as a huge star burning brightly in the night sky.

What man doesn’t want that?

God told us men to get to it.

So let’s get busy!

Is your wife a cherished woman? What are some ways you are loving your wife today? 

 ~Posted by Breanna