He Took Our Punishment...

Real quick, a story.

So the other night I was watching my girly-girls which is always a favorite for me. This night in particular was quite hysterical. Ask me (if I haven't told you already) about the very interesting diaper Kenzers gave me. It was lots of...fun.

As I was putting the girls to bed, we were reading the most amazing children's Bible (a plug - every family needs this version). The girls were telling me the story they had just read when Jesus died on the cross. They started asking me questions (well, Katelyn did....Hallye just, well, she just did Hallye-stuff ;o) about why He had to die and why He didn't want to die. Me and my big mouth (shut up, Kathy ;o) decided to try my hand at explaining. So I came up with the amazing illustration of how Jesus had to take our punishment for our sin which would be like Katelyn telling Mommy that she would take Hallye's discipline for her. Hallye's ears perked up right about then and said she thought that would be great! Then we asked Hallye what she thought about doing that for Sissy and getting a discipline that SHE deserved. Hallye was quiet for a minute and then said, "No, I would scream."

I will leave you with that and the knowledge that I shall not try to explain the Gospel to children under five right now. ;o)

How Can I Keep From Singing?

Ok, so I know I just posted...and to hear from me twice in one week is astounding, let alone twice in one day (see post below). Suffice it to say I've had all day to myself. :o)

But all week, my theme has been 'How Can I Keep From Singing?' Day after day the Lord has lavished His love upon me by gently reminding me of His faithfulness to me, His plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11-14), His sovereignty over my life and His promise of provision for me (Isaiah 49:16). I have been overwhelmed by the lengths He has gone to get my attention and direct my gaze back upon Him. And I couldn't keep it all to myself!!!

He must find it fairly amusing to watch me scurry around and endeavor to make plans based upon my finite and feeble abilities. After weeks of attempts at plotting the course of this next season of my life, He has taken back the wheel (ugh, how unfortunate that this has become so cliche by a blonde-haired country chick :o) and I am much happier as a result. It has been a great lesson in putting my trust, and rejoicing, in the One who is trustworthy and in turn being filled with faith and confidence that all He has promised He will do. Really. I encourage you to try it. :o) I know I will most definitely need to be encouraged to 'try it' in the near future as temptations attack me from all sides.

Now obviously this does not mean I have 'arrived' or that I have not sinned (I am simply stating the obvious for any who have had the smallest interaction with me this week :o)! I am well aware that this is not the case - definitely not! Often it has been evident that:

I have been resentful...
I have been selfish...
I have been angry...
I have been arrogant...
I have been lazy...
I have been rude...
I have been easily offended...
I have insisted on my own way...

and this was a 'good' week! :o) However, I am not discouraged because I know the Lord is at work! He has won me small victories by enabling me to obey Him in an area where before I so quickly stepped in to 'do it better' (ahh, how arrogant!!). Now, though uncertainties still abound, it is with joy that I can say with the prophet Habakkuk that, "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

I WILL rejoice in the Lord...I WILL take joy in the God of my salvation!

My Lord will provide...He will change...He will save...HE WILL KEEP HIS PROMISES!

China's Stolen Children

I have intended to blog about this for quite some time. The plight of the children in China continues to break my heart. Here in America, with our advanced technology and our wealth, we daily kill children for the sake of convenience. In China, this is a lifestyle the government has enforced upon the people. With a generation now grown up of largely men, women are being stolen from surrounding countries due to the shortage of women resulting from the 'One Child Policy'. Incredibly, China has just announced its renewal of this foolish policy for another 10 years. This policy puts incredible pressure upon couples to give birth to boys because of the great value China's culture gives to men. Without a son, an older couple has no financial security. So, when a couple finds out they are having a girl, often times the girl is aborted so they can try for a boy. If a couple decides they want to have more than one child, the government requires the couple to pay for that ability which is something most cannot afford. Girls are given to orphanages, aborted, left to die...horrible. And all for the sake of controlling the population. Yet with the renewal of this policy a new generation of teen boys will grow up to find there are few girls available to marry. So very sad!

Recently I saw this video on Carolyn McCulley's blog. It documents how children are stolen from their parents and sold to other 'parents'. Please take a few minutes to watch it.

China's Stolen Children


How can people be so sick? How can a government continue to enforce such impossible requirements on their people - in a way forcing them to act in ways that otherwise would be so detestable to them? Please pray for this people. Pray for our Christian sisters and brothers. Pray for them as the whole country is in the spotlight as the host for the 2008 Olympics. I can't wait until the Lord enables me to visit this people and to bring home a little girl. :o) Until then, I pray...

UPDATE: Did you know you can actually write to a prisoner in China? It's so incredibly simple, it's ridiculous! The Voice of the Martyrs has put this together to make it easy for us to encourage, even if we don't know the language. I can write to Li Mei who has been imprisoned for almost a year (she has endured beatings and torture for showing the JESUS film) and let her know I am praying for her - thousands of miles away. If you're interested, click here www.prisoneralert.com and find out how you can also send a letter to someone who is truly suffering for their faith in Christ.