Wednesday, October 28, 2015

A Caution to Adamancy



“Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”  - 1Corinthians 10:12
It is a curious fact, that there is such a thing as being proud of grace. A man says, “I have great faith, I shall not fall; poor little faith may, but I never shall.” “I have fervent love,” says another, “I can stand, there is no danger of my going astray.” He who boasts of grace has little grace to boast of. Some who do this imagine that their graces can keep them, knowing not that the stream must flow constantly from the fountain head, or else the brook will soon be dry. If a continuous stream of oil comes not to the lamp, though it burn brightly to-day, it will smoke to-morrow, and noxious will be its scent. Take heed that thou gloriest not in thy graces, but let all thy glorying and confidence be in Christ and his strength, for only so canst thou be kept from falling. Be much more in prayer. Spend longer time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God. Take the best examples for your pattern. Let your conversation be redolent of heaven. Let your hearts be perfumed with affection for men’s souls. So live that men may take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of him; and when that happy day shall come, when he whom you love shall say, “Come up higher,” may it be your happiness to hear him say, “Thou hast fought a good fight, thou hast finished thy course, and henceforth there is laid up for thee a crown of righteousness which fadeth not away.” On, Christian, with care and caution! On, with holy fear and trembling! On, with faith and confidence in Jesus alone, and let your constant petition be, “Uphold me according to thy word.” He is able, and he alone, “To keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.”

“I will take heed to my ways.”  - Psalm 39:1
Fellow-pilgrim, say not in your heart, “I will go hither and thither, and I shall not sin;” for you are never so out of danger of sinning as to boast of security. The road is very miry, it will be hard to pick your path so as not to soil your garments. This is a world of pitch; you will need to watch often, if in handling it you are to keep your hands clean. There is a robber at every turn of the road to rob you of your jewels; there is a temptation in every mercy; there is a snare in every joy; and if you ever reach heaven, it will be a miracle of divine grace to be ascribed entirely to your Father’s power. Be on your guard. When a man carries a bomb-shell in his hand, he should mind that he does not go near a candle; and you too must take care that you enter not into temptation. Even your common actions are edged tools; you must mind how you handle them. There is nothing in this world to foster a Christian’s piety, but everything to destroy it. How anxious should you be to look up to God, that he may keep you! Your prayer should be, “Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” Having prayed, you must also watch; guarding every thought, word, and action, with holy jealousy. Do not expose yourselves unnecessarily; but if called to exposure, if you are bidden to go where the darts are flying, never venture forth without your shield; for if once the devil finds you without your buckler, he will rejoice that his hour of triumph is come, and will soon make you fall down wounded by his arrows. Though slain you cannot be; wounded you may be. “Be sober; be vigilant, danger may be in an hour when all seemeth securest to thee.” Therefore, take heed to thy ways, and watch unto prayer. No man ever fell into error through being too watchful. May the Holy Spirit guide us in all our ways, so shall they always please the Lord.

- Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Devotional for March 14th
~Brittany

Monday, October 12, 2015

Random Family Moment...

Tonight while kissing the children goodnight, we realized that we are pretty much stair-steps. :-)  Oh the joys of family!
~Breanna

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Not Sure What To Do?

This morning I was blessed by yet another message from Elisabeth Elliot called Strongholds of my Life.  Here are just a few of the gems that I am taking with me into this day. 

stronghold of my life elisabeth elliot

Download this message from here

O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 
(2 Chronicles 20:12)

A poem quoted by Elisabeth Elliot
Do The Next Thing

"At an old English parsonage down by the sea, 
there came in the twilight a message to me. 
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven 
that, as it seems to me, teaching from heaven. 
And all through the hours the quiet words ring,
like a low inspiration, 'Do the next thing.'

Many a questioning, many a fear, 
many a doubt hath its quieting here. 
Moment by moment, let down from heaven, 
time, opportunity, guidance are given. 
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King, 
trust that with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer, 
do it reliantly, casting all care. 
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand, 
who placed it before thee with earnest command. 
Stayed on omnipotence, safe 'neath His wing, 
leave all resultings, do the next thing.

Looking to Jesus, ever serener, 
working or suffering be thy demeanor, 
in His dear presence, the rest of His calm, 
the light of His countenance, be thy psalm. 
Do the next thing."

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Mid-Year Family Pictures Post

It's time for another picture post. :-)  May, June, July, and August.  A little delayed, but better late than never. :-)  It is amazing to look back over the months and see what all has happened.  The Lord is so good and so merciful; he blesses us in innumerable ways.  Here we would like to share with all of you some snapshots into our lives over these past four months.  Truly, family is one of His greatest blessings, complete with the daily tasks and joys of life.

May
Roasting Hot Dogs
Campfires are a family favorite. :-)
Daddy and his little girlies standing at the entrance to Lowes
Through all the years of house remodeling, since the time we older three children were little, we have developed many fond memories connected with this store.
Martha's first Mother's Day
(as an expecting mommy :-) )
Special Mother's Day Brunch
The blueberry lemon scones have become one of Mom's new favorites. :-)
I cannot express enough how thankful we are for our mom.
Truly, we have been blessed with a godly, virtuous mother, and we are so thankful for her example.
And then our Dad :-)  He is an amazing guy and a wonderful dad.  We are very grateful for his godly example as well.
And then there is them as a couple.
We feel like we have the most wonderful parents in the world. :-)  Truly, thanks to the grace of the Lord, we would not be the people we are today without them!
Beautiful Lilies
Mom's Mother's Day gift from Tayte and Martha
 
Baby bunnies the kiddos found.
 Our Beautiful Little Flower Waterers :-)
 Green Beans from the Garden
We were so thankful for all the produce the Lord provided from our gardens this year.
We have a lot to learn about gardening in Georgia, but the Lord is so gracious to provide.
Elizabeth trying her hand at Calligraphy
One of our many snake adventures. :-)
Our faithful dog is always on the spot.

Family Trip to Ohio & Indiana
 On the way there.  It's a long haul, but we have a lot of fun just being together.
Now is that face cute or what?!  :-)
 Our uncle brought Katie over to Grandma's to spend an extra day with us.  The kids all had so much fun. :-)
Here they all are in the U-Haul we rented to bring some things back home in.
 Family get-together at the Frame's
We so enjoy these precious times of catching up.
 And so do the guys. :-)
This is a very typical capture of amusement among our guys.
 Lilacs - Mom's Favorite :-)
:-) Best Buddies :-)
On our way to Grandma Webster's
 Mom and Great Aunt Jenny
sweet conversations
 Grandma and Elizabeth
 Mom and Aunt Tonja ... and Sarah
Playing "Mother May I?"

Traveling back home we made a stop to get out and walk around a bit.
 These two are so much alike! :-)
 These two are best friends. :-)
 Who wouldn't want to be together? :-)
Curious little minds :-)
 These two little girls love their big brother!
And he's very fond of them as well. :-)
 Repainting Bedrooms!
Titus was a phenomenal helper.
Enjoying the outdoors, their playset, and a snack. :-)
 Dad and Titus working together making a gun rack.
 Our Gardens and Chickens
 There's something so special about being a big sister. :-)
We sure do love all our little siblings.
 Pruning Rasberries
 Sunday afternoon fellowship with two precious sisters in the Lord.
We are so thankful for their friendship.
A stop on our way home from church to see the newest little member of our congregation.

June
While painting bedrooms we girls received a sweet note.
Titus is a sweet little guy. :-)

Setting up the swimming pool!
Very happy kiddos!
They enjoyed many, many a day this way.
 Such a sweet thing to see.
Bell working on crocheting her first baby blanket.
Giving Daddy his Father's Day gifts.
We have such a loving, caring, faithful, godly dad, and we're so thankful for him.
Setting up Martha's Co-Sleeper for coming baby!
Produce is coming in from the garden.
Canning tomato juice and spaghetti sauce.
The two little girlies making cookies together.
They both love being together and in the kitchen.

July
Family Get-Together at Uncle Trent & Aunt Deena's
 Jake taking the kids on one of many rides.
Watching "Audacity"
Playing a game of Hearts
Water Balloon Toss
 Water Balloon Fight :-)
These two were definite ring-leaders.
 Group Photo
We so enjoyed getting to spend this time together.
Grandpa and three of his four children
 Picking Elderberries

Little Sarah sweeping the kitchen floor.
So tickled with her new hair things.

Sweet Bell is so creative, and very grateful and joyful.
One evening we found this precious little note written on a piece of bark in our dresser drawer.
We wouldn't know what to do without our younger siblings.

August
Some neighbors were kind and shared their abundance of pears.
We had fun picking, and just being together.  Even Tayte and Martha came along.
Canning up Pear Sauce
We so enjoy the times when we're able to do projects with Martha too.  She is a precious sister-in-law.
Bell was so excited to start her own kumbucha.
She even made the little cover for it. :-)
 Mom and Dad's 26th Anniversary
opening all their gifts
 Their special dinner, set up out in the camper.
 A friendly turtle made his way into our yard.
The kids were so thrilled. (and the dog was intrigued)
 Esther's 7th Birthday!
For each of the children's birthdays up to 12, Mom and Dad give them a dollar for each year and let them pick out whatever they like at the Dollar Tree.  It's always so fun to see what each one comes up with.
Here Mom and Esther are getting ready to leave.

Thus ends the overview from these four months.  A very long post, I know, but I think it's neat to be able to look back, see and reflect on the happenings of life.  I hope you all have enjoyed getting another little glimpse into our lives as well.



“O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!  Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.  The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.  Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”
~ from Psalm 72 ~

~Brittany