Encouragements for Mom's with their Boys

Oh, I nearly felt I had found a pot of gold this afternoon.  :-)  I hope these articles will be an encouragement to other mom's that have been blessed with sons.

Sons . . . what a blessing they are.  Just this afternoon, when my husband came home for lunch,  he and Titus start sword fighting; we all were just sitting around smiling and laughing, I thought 'I love having sons, they add so much fun to a family'.  We only have three sons and they are 10 years apart but I am SO thankful for them.  Now I must admit that there are times that I have really struggled with different aspects of raising sons and being a wife too.  Pink and blue are truly different but, a wonderful different.  Well that is once we ladies begin to understand and appreciate the differences.  :-)  Dr. Emerson Eggrich in his book and video series called Love and Respect  says it is not wrong just different.  The more years that go by and the more I grow the more I love the differences and so appreciate them.  I still have a whole bunch more to learn about boys but I am SO thankful for my three and for my precious husband who is so patient and faithful in loving me and helping me grow.

I love you Seth, Tayte, Titus and Benjamin!  

You are treasures in my life!

Hope the articles are a blessing to you as they have been to me.  They are all from Lisa Jacobson's site club31women.com

http://club31women.com/boys-are-awesome-and-best-way-to-love-them/
http://club31women.com/15-things-to-love-about-being-a-mom-of-boys/
http://club31women.com/rite-of-passage-moms-boys/
http://club31women.com/how-can-a-mom-show-love-to-her-son/
http://club31women.com/how-to-instill-vision-in-your-son/
http://club31women.com/how-to-raise-a-good-son-in-a-decaying-culture/
http://club31women.com/12-lessons-want-son-learn-turns-12/
http://club31women.com/21-questions-son-really-needs-ask/
http://club31women.com/a-dozen-ways-to-reach-your-sons-heart/
http://club31women.com/raising-our-sons-to-seek-after-god/
http://club31women.com/mom-raise-boy-strong-godly-man/

Blessings!  ~Karen

~ One Month Old! ~

Our sweet little Benjamin is one month old!

He is such a precious gift from our gracious Lord!

~Brittany

God Moves In A Mysterious Way

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan His work in vain:

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.

- Poem by William Cowper, 1731-1800

~Brittany

Showers of blessing

“I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”
- Eze_34:26
Here is sovereign mercy-”I will give them the shower in its season.” Is it not sovereign, divine mercy?-for who can say, “I will give them showers,” except God? There is only one voice which can speak to the clouds, and bid them beget the rain. Who sendeth down the rain upon the earth? Who scattereth the showers upon the green herb? Do not I, the Lord? So grace is the gift of God, and is not to be created by man. It is also needed grace. What would the ground do without showers? You may break the clods, you may sow your seeds, but what can you do without the rain? As absolutely needful is the divine blessing. In vain you labour, until God the plenteous shower bestows, and sends salvation down. Then, it is plenteous grace. “I will send them showers.” It does not say, “I will send them drops,” but “showers.” So it is with grace. If God gives a blessing, he usually gives it in such a measure that there is not room enough to receive it. Plenteous grace! Ah! we want plenteous grace to keep us humble, to make us prayerful, to make us holy; plenteous grace to make us zealous, to preserve us through this life, and at last to land us in heaven. We cannot do without saturating showers of grace. Again, it is seasonable grace. “I will cause the shower to come down in his season.” What is thy season this morning? Is it the season of drought? Then that is the season for showers. Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers. “As thy days so shall thy strength be.” And here is a varied blessing. “I will give thee showers of blessing.” The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God’s blessings go together, like links in a golden chain. If he gives converting grace, he will also give comforting grace. He will send “showers of blessing.” Look up to-day, O parched plant, and open thy leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering.
Charles Spurgeon Morning and Evening Devotional (Feb. 24 Morning)

~ Special Annoucement! ~ New Baby! ~

One week ago today, the Lord blessed our family in an amazing way! 

Benjamin Seth Alexander

born on February 1, 2016

He is a beautiful, healthy little boy!  We are thanking the Lord for His gracious, loving hand, as we are welcoming in awe this precious little miracle!

~Brittany

"You will never find true faith unattended by true godliness; on the other hand, you will never discover a truly holy life which has not for its root a living faith upon the righteousness of Christ."  - Charles Spurgeon

"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."  - Charles Spurgeon

"It is always best to get blessings into our house in the legitimate way, by the door of prayer; then they are blessings indeed, and not temptations.  Even when prayer speeds not, the blessings grow all the richer for the delay.  That which we win by prayer we should dedicate to God.  The gift came from heaven, let it go to heaven.  Prayer brought it, gratitude sang over it, let devotion consecrate it.  Is prayer your element or your weariness?"
- Charles Spurgeon

~Brittany

Seeing Trials as Opportunites, Blessings, and Real Fulfillments

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). The question often comes, "Why didn't He help me sooner?" It is not His order. He must first adjust you to the trouble and cause you to learn your lesson from it. His promise is, "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him." He must be with you in the trouble first all day and all night. Then He will take you out of it. This will not come till you have stopped being restless and fretful about it and become calm and quiet. Then He will say, "It is enough."
God uses trouble to teach His children precious lessons. They are intended to educate us. When their good work is done, a glorious recompense will come to us through them. There is a sweet joy and a real value in them. He does not regard them as difficulties but as opportunities.
--Selected.

Not always OUT of our troublous times,
And the struggles fierce and grim,
But IN--deeper IN--to our one sure rest,
The place of our peace, in Him.
--Annie Johnson Flint

We once heard a simple old colored man say something that we have never forgotten: "When God tests you, it is a good time for you to test Him by putting His promises to the proof, and claiming from Him just as much as your trials have rendered necessary."

There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is to simply try to get rid of the trial, and be thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever had, and to hail it with delight as an opportunity of obtaining a larger measure of Divine grace. Thus even the adversary becomes an auxiliary, and the things that seem to be against us turn out to be for the furtherance of our way. Surely, this is to be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
--A. B. Simpson

- Streams in the Deserts, Vol. 1, for September 7th

"Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress" (Ps. 4:1).
This is one of the grandest testimonies ever given by man to the moral government of God. It is not a man's thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering. It is a thanksgiving that he has been set free through suffering: "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." He declares the sorrows of life to have been themselves the source of life's enlargement.
And have not you and I a thousand times felt this to be true? It is written of Joseph in the dungeon that "the iron entered into his soul." We all feel that what Joseph needed for his soul was just the iron. He had seen only the glitter of the gold. He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams; and dreaming hardens the heart. He who sheds tears over a romance will not be most apt to help reality; real sorrow will be too unpoetic for him. We need the iron to enlarge our nature. The gold is but a vision; the iron is an experience. The chain which unites me to humanity must be an iron chain. That touch of nature which makes the world akin is not joy, but sorrow; gold is partial, but iron is universal.
My soul, if thou wouldst be enlarged into human sympathy, thou must be narrowed into limits of human suffering. Joseph's dungeon is the road to Joseph's throne. Thou canst not lift the iron load of thy brother if the iron hath not entered into thee. It is thy limit that is thine enlargement. It is the shadows of thy life that are the real fulfillment of thy dreams of glory. Murmur not at the shadows; they are better revelations than thy dreams. Say not that the shades of the prison-house have fettered thee; thy fetters are wings -- wings of flight into the bosom of humanity. The door of thy prison-house is a door into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged thee by the binding of sorrow's chain.
--George Matheson
If Joseph had not been Egypt's prisoner, he had never been Egypt's governor. The iron chain about his feet ushered in the golden chain about his neck.
--Selected
-Streams in the Desert, Vol. 1, for September 8th

~Brittany

New Years Celebration in the Alexander Home

Bringing in the new year is a special thing in our house.  It's definitely a looked-forward-to highlight each year!  This year we really tried to put forth more thought into it.  Our family loves creating new family traditions, and we sought to do this this year both in a spiritual sense and with some fun activities.  So here's a little piece of what it looked like at the Alexander home bringing in the new year for 2015.

At our house, New Years Eve isn't complete without some special favorite treats. :-)

This was something new we did this year.  Mom placed a slip of paper inside each balloon.  Then she blew them up and wrote various times of the night on each one.  At whatever time it was, each person got to pop a balloon and read the slip of paper to see what activity was next.  It was fun, especially for the kids, and helped us keep our time structured enough to get more in.

Sarah had her turn first.

Bell helped her read her slip of paper.

First up was making the food preparations.

Titus melting chocolate...

...and Sarah and Brittany blending Oreos and cream cheese.

Oreo Bon-Bons are a favorite treat here, especially for Tayte.

Elizabeth preparing our tray of cheese and crackers and salami.

Definitely a stand-by treat for special occasions.

After the food preparations, it was Esther's turn to pop her balloon.

Our snacky dinner was next.

Daddy with us kids.

We're waiting...... not everyone's here yet.

Taste-testing, just to make sure.

Yep; definitely good. :-)

The table-full of family favorites.

Now everyone's here!

Titus's turn. - Love his smile. :-)

Dad and Tayte telling a story.

I know it's a little blurry, but I love the picture.  It was such a good story. :-)

It's always fun to go back and reminisce.

Bell popping her balloon.

Next is a jelly bean game.

 The goal was to transfer all of the jelly beans from one bowl to the other using the straw.

And Dad was the winner.

Haha.  Love the look on his face. :-)

 Tayte was next.

 

Mom found this idea of hanging doughnuts from a string and having everyone see who could eat theirs first.  It was comical to be sure, and fun.

 

Ginger Bread Houses

Ginger bread houses are a New Years tradition at our house.

This year we tried something new and used graham crackers.  That worked really well.  A lot better than the huge ginger bread house kits.  And it allowed everyone to make their own small house.  It was fun to see everyone's creativity and style.

As you can see, we had a lot of fun. :-)

We played cards.

Something new Mom and Dad have taught us this year that we enjoy doing from time to time.

Sweet Mom playing "War" with the little girls.

We decided to do sparklers this year, as something different and fun for the kids.

Keeping in mind, that up north in January it's too cold to be hanging out outside with sparklers.  We had never thought of such a thing. :-)

Love Essie's face in this one. :-)

 

We did a few other things as well, including a balloon release and devotion time.  As we watched the balloons  up in the sky for as long as we could, Dad read from the Bible about when Christ ascended to Heaven and spoke about watching for and being ready for Christ's return.  It gave a really neat thought-provoking analogy.

 

We also decided to do something special for New Years Day this year.

We took a family bike trip, only the second time we'd been out on our bikes as a family since our move, so it was a real treat. :-)

 

The place we went was beautiful!  It was so peaceful and quiet.  Their weren't a lot of people around, and it was a perfect day to be out.

That evening Dad and Mom took us all out for dinner.

We had a wonderful dinner, which happened to be our first experience at a southern buffet :-), and had a nice time of talking and reminiscing about the past year, seeing how the Lord has worked and blessed, and discussing goals, thoughts, and hopes for the new year.

The Lord has truly blessed us very much this past year, and we are looking forward to seeing how He is going to work in this year as well.

 

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him"

~ Psalm 34:8 ~

"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

~Isaiah 25:9 ~

"This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes."

~ Psalm 118:23 ~

 

~Brittany

Exhortation on Worry ~ Looking with Eyes of Thanksgiving and Faith

"Be careful for nothing."

Philippians 4:6

Do you cross rivers before you come to them, dread troubles that never come, expect evil from the Lord instead of good?  In other words is your soul full of unnecessary care?  For that is what the word "careful" means - unnecessary care.
"Do not worry" is a plain and simple command, but it is such a difficult one to follow.  M. D. Babcock has given a few beneficial suggestions for the person who feels defeated because of the common ailment of worry.  "The anxious Christian hurts more than himself; he hurts the faith of those who know him and the good name of his Lord Who has promised to supply all his needs.  There is nothing which we cannot pray about.  Go deeper into the text: 'But in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God.'  What we can take to God we can trust to God.  What we put our fidelity into, He will perfect by His faithfulness.  While we work for the best, He works the best for us.  We may not succeed as we hoped; we may have discipline we little expected, but the Father knows what His child needs.  What God has for us to do we can do, or to bear we can bear.  Is there not enough in His ocean to fill our pitcher?  With the need of every day will come His promised supply - 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'
"Do not forget the words further on in the text: 'with thanksgiving.'  Be on the lookout for mercies.  Blessings brighten when we count them.  Out of determination of the heart the eyes see.  If you want to be gloomy, there's gloom enough to keep you glum; if you want to be glad, there's gleam enough to keep you glad.  Better lose count in enumerating your blessings than lose your blessings in telling your troubles.
"Unbraid the verse into three cords and bind yourself to God with them in trustful, prayerful, thankful bonds, - Anxious for nothing, Prayerful for everything, Thankful for anything - 'and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.' "  (from Thoughts for Every-Day Living.)
- Steams in the Desert, Volume 2, December 10th
~Brittany

Christian Cheer

"Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds."

~ Psalm 149:5 ~

"Yes," said Amos R. Wells, "let all Christians sing, even on beds of pain.  Let all Christians sing, even songs in the night, even songs in prison, like Paul and Silas.  Few lives are so songful as they might be and should be.  Most lives are groanful.  Most lives are full of complaint, meditated if not uttered aloud.

"As Phillips Brooks once cheerily said, ' True religion sings here, and will sing more hereafter.  Distrust your religion unless it is cheerful, unless it turns every act and deed to music, and exults in attempts to catch the harmony of the new life.'  We read of the mystical 'music of the spheres,' that unheard anthem of praise made by the stars in their majestic march through the sky.  May it not be made, not by the stars at all, but by praiseful human hearts?

"It is always possible to find an excuse for good cheer, a fine reason for singing.  Here is an excuse that Oliver Herford once thought up:

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December;

A magnificent thing

And sweet to remember:

"We are nearer to spring

Than we were in September."

I heard a brid sing

In the dark of December.

"Yes, and in the same vein, however gloomy our surroundings may be, we can always remember that we are one day nearer heaven than we were yesterday - one day nearer our eternal joy and peace.

"What if it is dark around us now, and cold, and stormy?  The endless spring is drawing near!  Flowers are coming, bird songs are coming, soft breezes adn blue skies are coming!  Every dark day brings the bright days nearer."

",We cannont weigh or number our blessings, neither can we weight or number our feelings of gratitude to Thee, O God."

- Streams in the Dessert, Vol. 2, December 4th

~Brittany

Redeeemed . . . the song and a bit of history

It is often encouraging to look at the history behind hymns that we sing in our churches.  Many of them were born out of trials and difficulties, and others are written records of great truths taught by the Master in Heaven.  They are testimonies of God’s amazing grace.

Fanny Crosby, 1872

One of the most well known hymn writers in American history is Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915).  Blinded by an incompetent doctor at the age of six weeks, she found hope in Jesus Christ.  She wrote over 8,000 hymns, many of which are still sung in churches around the world.  By her songs and her life, she taught many to look unto Jesus; Miss Crosby once said of her blindness, “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all of my life, and I thank him for the dispensation.  If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow, I would not accept it.  I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”

In 1882, Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It! was published.  Its melody was composed by William Kirkpatrick.  The message of the song is filled with Gospel truth, and it has blessed many for well over a century.  The lyrics are:

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.

I think of my blessèd Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.

I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.

I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.

Chorus:

Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.

http://clintlewey.com/2011/08/15/redeemed-how-i-love-to-proclaim-it/

This picture was done per special request by Mom.  When some dear friends came to visit, they brought us this apple tree to plant in our orchard.  Every time we see it, it makes us think of them.  One day last month we were amazed to discover that it had a blossom on it!  Incredible!  So, Mom asked if I would try to get a picture of it and asked if I could put a verse with it about God doing the impossible.  We never know how He is working, but we do know that He works all things for the good of His children and for His glory.  So we can rest assured that, however difficult or impossible it may seem to get to the point of good and glory, nothing is impossible for Him and He is doing His perfect work!

~Brittany

~ A Precious Moment ~

A precious moment of Tayte and Martha reading the Bible together.

These two are so dear.

We could not be more blessed.

~Brittany

Random May Pictures

Here are some random pictures from May.  Though a little over-due, hopefully you'll enjoy seeing a little bit of what was going on for our family that month. :-)

Dad and Tayte working on the lawnmower together.

Such a precious sight.

These two have worked very hard together over the years.

Movie night at the Morton's -just we kids- the parents went out.

Here the guys were having a lively, intense discussion before the movie.

We'll spare the details, but all we girls did find it amusing. :-)

Breanna helped the little ones make a sweet banner for Mom for Mother's Day.

The hand print flowers stated some of Mom's character qualities.

The leaves told things that they were thankful for that she did for them.

We're so thankful for Mom and Dad.  The Lord has blessed us with such wonderful parents!

Working on setting poles for Dad's barn/shop.

We enjoy working hard together as a family.

It makes for very special memories. :-)

Mom and Sarah.

One of those sweet, fun moments. :-)

Such precious smiles.

(Gotta love the sticker on Sarah's forehead!)

Another precious, fun moment.

Esther ~ sweet and silly, ray of sunshine. :-)

Breanna playing ball with the kids.

(And our good dog, Daisy, always nearby.)

Mom and Dad taught we children how to play Hearts.

Elizabeth and Titus caught on really fast and enjoyed it,

and the little two like to help hold the cards and lay them.

I think this picture is just classic.  It makes me smile.

Mom and Bell with their sweet smiles, and Sarah with her big eyes like she's getting smothered. :-)

Tayte and Bree in his truck.

I thought this picture was neat.

And I must say, I think it's one perfect farm truck. :-)

The Lord is so good and gracious.  Sometimes we get caught up in the things that aren't going quite right, or how we wish they were, or think they should, or the things that worry us.  But when we look back and reflect, we so see the Lord's loving hand guiding and blessing, teaching and leading.  He has given us and blessed us with so much!   May we continue to look back, and ahead, and see the faithfulness of the Lord!

Our family also took a trip back up north in May.  Mom and I are working on a post for the trip.  Lord willing, we'll soon have it done. :-)

~Brittany