DeGoede's 2012

~erica

Yesterday we made our annual trip to DeGoede's in Mossyrock to see the Tulips. Between baseball, rain, and everything else going on its been hard to find time, our church had Community Serve so we had an early service and then we had to be back mid-afternoon to start dinner. The kids weren't too happy to have to go, in some ways outings were easier when I could just pick them up and strap them in their carseats and the promise of a treat made them compliant. Now they want treats like "can we go to lunch at Spiffy's in Morton and get burgers as big as our heads?" Umm, no....

Last year we took Grandma Hendrickson so she could see the tulips for a last time. My mom, grandma, and great-aunt also went with us.

The Troll at the end of the bridge... "Mom, this is my happy face!"

Arin's Senior pictures will be fun, he likes to dress up and pose for the camera.

The gift shop/ nursery was closed since it was Sunday so we couldn't buy any tulips to bring home, however Jonah has a game in Glenoma Tuesday night so we can stop on our way out and buy some. Then just he and I will eat at Spiffy's on the way home after the game.

Your love never changes

~Erica

Rush, Arin, Isaac, and Jesse at the wreck of the Peter Iredale, Ft. Stevens, OR

I don't have to be afraid-

There may be pain in the night

But joy comes in the morning

Since Sunday I've been singing these 3 lines to myself, over and over. I just couldn't remember the rest of the words but these are the ones I needed.

 

He Cares

~Erica

Tonight it seems like all the worries and cares of the week are piled on top of me. I was burdened with someone else's situation today and it's not one that I want to carry. My aunt's bone marrow transplant seems to be taking but I worry if it will really work and then what, I worry as my dad recovers from donating to his sister. I worry about Nathan in Afghanistan and the world situation. I worry about Grandma who is 90 and can't live forever. Because I am a fixer by nature its hard for me to not try to solve these problems even though I know they are all bigger than I am. I have to remind myself that God is in control and He is bigger than all of these.

I cast all my cares upon You
I lay all of my burdens down at your feet
and any time I don't know what to do
I cast all my cares upon You

I review His promises to me...

1) Hebrews 13:5 God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

He is there even if we aren’t looking for Him

2) Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I may not understand what is happening but I am assured that He does and I can refer to Promise #1

3) 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
He will never give us more than we can handle and He will provide a way of escape for us. Job was tested beyond my imagining- he lost all his children at one time. Mother Teresa said once that she knows that God will never give her more than she can handle, she just wishes he didn’t trust her quite so much.

4) John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
He loves me so much He sent His Son to die for me.

5) John 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 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."
This world is not my home. He has gone to prepare a place for me and He is coming back to get me. I don’t know when but I’m ready

6) Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
ALL things! Not some things, not only in certain circumstances, ALL things. Check your Bible, its there.

These are promises we can rely on- Jesus told us that trials will come, trouble will seem to prevail, we may lose life, liberty, and happiness but God is still standing there saying, “I won’t leave you, I know what’s going on, I know you can handle this, I love you so very much, your home is almost ready and I’ll come for you, it’ll all work out for good, trust me in this.”

So before I go to sleep tonight I'll hand each and every worry over to him and trust him to take care of them. And tomorrow I'll do my best not to take them back and fix them....

Awesome God

Nathan's Battalion left the relative safety of the base for convoy duty this week. Rush went kayaking on the Sound in rain squalls, high waves, and winds of 20 mph. I know that my children are not mine- they are God's but He's already taken 2 and Job lost all 6 of his in one fell swoop. Maybe I'm in denial, maybe I'm not dealing but I have to ignore the dangers and trust God to take care of them and to take me through what life brings. He is an Awesome God- with wisdom, power, and love our God is awesome.



Rush used to sing it, "Our God is an awsome God, with whiz, dumb power, and love, our God is an awesome God."

Anger

Not a very uplifting title for my Sunday post is it? Today's sermon was on anger and one of the points that stood out for me was that anger is a symptom of a deeper rooted issue such as fear, frustration, selfishness, fatigue, bitterness, or whatever. I know that I react in anger towards those I love when I am faced with a situation that is fearful or I am frustrated or I am selfishly not getting my way. Not very lovely or admirable is it?

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whater is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Phillipians 4:8

Man's anger, apart from God, does not bring about righteousness and leads us to sin. Anger itself is not the sin but it becomes sin when we improperly act upon it.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20

"In your anger, do not sin." Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27

So my prayer for this week is to identify why I'm angry and go to the root cause not the petty issue that triggered it.

From the Inside Out

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out, Lord
Let justice and praise, become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise
From the inside out, o my soul cries out to you

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

We had our very first baseball tournament this weekend in Mossyrock, a benefit tournament for Remington Stanley, a local boy with Septic Hip who is undergoing treatment at Seattle Children's. Jonah had a great time, his team had 2 wins and 2 losses. Jonah doesn't hit a lot of balls and usually gets walked to First but once he's on base he steals like crazy. He got a couple runs for his team and twice he was stranded on Third when the inning was over after his team scored 5 runs. Tonight is their first regular game if the rain holds off (we've had monsoon-like rains the past 2 weeks)

In lieu of a hymn this week I looked for a link to Nat King Cole's The First Baseball Game. I couldn't find a copy of the song but I did find this poem.

My sermon today, said Reverend Jones,

is baseball and whence it came.
Now, if you take the Good Book and you take a good look,
you will find the first Baseball Game.
 
read the rest here

Easter Sunday

On Easter I miss the Traditional or Classical service. Don't get me wrong- I like contempory worship music (maybe not quite so loud) but I miss the hymns from when I was a kid. When my folks were in SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics- part of Wycliffe Bible Translators) on Sunday nights they often had hymn sings and we must have sang mostly Easter songs because those are the ones I know almost all the verses as well as the choruses. (I bet you can't read this post without singing these songs and going away humming)

Alas! and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovreign die?
Would He devote that sacred hear For such a worm as I?
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

or

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

or

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.

or

I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today;
I know that He is living, whatever men may say:
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him He's always near.
He lives, He lives
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives
Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

or

Low in the grave He lay- Jesus, my Saviour!
Waiting the coming day- Jesus, my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign;
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

And to show our completely heathen side we came home today to eat candy, lots of candy (there is tons more where this came from but we have to pace ourselves...)

Eternal Father

Thursday we went to Ft. Lewis to attend Nathan's Battalion's Casing Ceremony. The Battalion's flag was wrapped and covered and will remain cased until the Battalion returns to the States.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidst the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

Christ, the Lord of hill and plain,
O'er which our traffic runs amain,
By mountain pass or valley low,
Wherever Lord our brethren go,
Protect them by Thy guarding hand
From every peril on the land!


O Spirit Whom the Father sent
To spread abroad the firmament,
O Wind of Heaven, by Thy might
Save all who dare the eagle's flight,
And keep them by Thy watchful care
From every peril in the air!


O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them whereso'er they go.
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,
Glad praise from air, and land, and sea!


~William Whiting
 

I know this is traditionally the Navy Hymn but it's the one I think about the most when I think about Nathan (or any of our country's young people) going into danger in a war zone.
 

He had the rest of the day off so we took him to Applebees for burgers for lunch.

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

This week I’ve been thinking about the whole concept of giving things up. I guess my question is- if the Holy Spirit is working on me to give something up that I’m holding as an idol in my life then have I really repented if I only give it up for 40 days? Or am I saying to God, “Yes, this may be an idol in my life, but it’s more important to me than you are. However, to make me look good, I’ll give it up for 40 days.”


Is acknowledging that something may be a sin but not addressing that sin making the sin worse? James 4:17 says “Therefore, to him who knows to do good, but does not do it, to him it is sin.” Isn’t just by saying I’ll give it up for 40 days admitting that you know it’s a sin?

I know that God’s salvation is a free gift, Christ died for me and nothing I do can earn it. I’m not saying that I have to work for my salvation, but as a growing Christian I am to become more Christlike and to put off the sin that ensnares me.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,

there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God's grace,

grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

grace, grace, God's grace,

grace that is greater than all our sin!

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
threaten the soul with infinite loss;
grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?

~ Julia H. Johnston

Amazing Grace

GRACE- unmerited favor from God

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.


T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.


Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.


The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.


Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.


When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

~John Newton

I've been thinking about Grace a lot today. My Aunt Jane was hospitalized with suspected leukemia and had AML confirmed on Wednesday.
As Jane's diagnoses came back it unearthed a lot of pain and memories of being without control. But I know that Taryn's diagnoses and death touched lives and hearts and souls in ways that we can't imagine. For all the pain our family felt God was able to use us to further His work. I'm not the same person I was 17 years ago, I think I'm a different mom and wife because of Taryn. Ryan and I grew closer. I learned to hold tightly but also to let go. I learned that I can handle BIG things but small things drive me over the edge.

Today as I sit here and ponder I have to praise God, Jane's husband, my Uncle Dwayne returned to God and grew to love Him deeply. And his salvation was instrumental in bringing Jane and Sarah into a closer and deeper walk with God. Even if Dwayne's is the only soul that was saved then who am I to wonder as to how God works?

God showers grace upon us not because of the good things we do but because He loves us. His grace and favor is unmerited- I can't earn it and even if I blow it and don't extend grace to those around me He still loves me and  is gracious to me. God's grace has showered us with 5 Boys and a Princess (2 Princesses counting Cheyney). And in the end, His Grace will lead me Home...

Now, because I don't want to leave you in tears- Enjoy!

Count Your Blessings

I am blessed by mud- for it means that we have rain to make things grow and to enjoy the green that makes this truly the "Evergreen" State

I am blessed by mud tracked into the house- for it means my children are active and healthy and can be outside enjoying the day

I am blessed by picky eaters- for it means that my family has plenty to eat and has never had to wonder where their next meal is coming from.

I am blessed by laundry- for it means that our home is full and our lives are blessed with God's exceeding abundance

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings- name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings- name them one by one;

Count your blessings- see what God hath done;

Count your blessings- name them one by one;

Count your many blessings- see what God hath done.

~ Johnson Oatman, Jr.