Hi there!

I'm moving and packing and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Sonoma County is getting quite the deluge of rain. I'll try to get a picture of the back yard so you can get an idea of how bad it is. We are in a pretty good spot here, but there are a few areas close by that are needing to be evacuated because the Russian River is flooding. You can just tell this rain is serious!

Still trying to get it all done by Sunday. That means I have to get off my duff and get busy! See you later!

Packing and the Blueberry Girl

Ok we are packing and I am bushed for the night. I am going to blog, crochet, read my Bible, and go to bed. We plan to be all packed into the trailor by Sunday, then relax a couple of days and leave on Thursday. A few days in Santa Maria, and then Mexico!!!!

Now the bluberry story. It begins with a confession. I let my three year old daughter watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with me last month. A mistake. I had foolishly thought that it would be as appropriate for children as the last one, and Ruth has never been afraid of anything on TV yet. Excuses excuses.

Well, I was disturbed by the creepy Willy Wonka guy--a childlike, effeminate, pale-faced man invites children into his wonderland ranch, I mean chocolate factory. This is way too close to the Michael Jackson hearings for me to enjoy that kind of stuff, but I digress; this is about Ruth's reaction, not mine.

She was alarmed when Violet turned blue. She started to shake, and I reasurred her everything was fine. She seemed to be ok, so I didn't think anything of it. (Except nothing scarey on TV for her!) Back to today. She and her two year old sister were playing in their room, and Ruth runs in to me, "Mommy! Becca's blue!" Of course that kind of thing is enough to send me running. Sure enough there was Rebecca-blue dyed popcicle stick in her teeth, studiously trying to eat it. Her lips and cheeks were bright turquois. Ruth started to cry. I cleaned Rebecca up, took away the stick, and then proceeded to try to reassure Ruth, but she was really upset. She kept coming to me crying. I was a little out of sorts as to how to deal with this because Ruth never gets emotional. When she does, it's usually fake and obvious, but this was real.

I told her Rebecca was fine. I told her to stop being scared. Then she saw that somehow some of that blue dye had gotten on her hands. She freaked. "I BLUE MOMMY! I BLUE!" I picked her up, washed her hands and set her on her feet. Then I quietly told her to look at me. It took a while, but finally she did. I took her chin in my hand to reinforce the eye contact and said slowly, "Mommy will NOT let Ruth turn into a blueberry. Mommy will NOT let Rebecca turn into a blueberry. Do you understand?"

She looked right into my eyes, then said, "OK!", jumped down, and ran into her room, completely fine!

That just made me think of when Jesus said we need to have childlike faith in God to come to Him. When we are terrified and don't understand what's going on, God does, and He tells us, "Be still, and know that I am God!" When we sit still to listen, there He is with a promise like, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." We can try to figure it out on our own-and we can't, or we can just trust Him like Ruth trusted me.

The other thing it made me think was, "Wow! What a responsibility to have someone trust you like that!" Yeeks. I wish I was more like MY heavenly Father.

Happy Christmas to you!

Last Sunday we had a birthday party for Jesus at church, and they asked everyone to tell what Jesus means to them. I was all set to fight tears during my testimony, because I was struggling already, but my daughter saved me from that by puking on me at the beginning. Everyone laughed a little and it was easily wiped up with a paper towel. Then I started again, and suddenly everyone screamed, "NOOO!"

My Elisabeth had found a partially digested fragment of apple on my skirt that I'd missed and delightfully popped it into her mouth.

No chance of crying there.

I will blog again about what I said, just wanted to "share"

We are visiting my dad's church--as you can see, they aren't stuffy people at all.

The picture is Becca and her new haircut!

Another Good Picture

before I get back to work:

My parents have a cool dog, Lasha. Here she gives the baby a kiss. Surprizingly, Elisabeth does not mind getting licked with a warm, slimey tongue the entire length of her face. I think she likes it, which is kind of odd.

Yipeee! Feeling Much Better!!!

And getting packed too! I cannot begin to express the excitement as I get our trailor filled and know that the next time I see those things we will be IN MEXICO!!! Well, got to get back to work, but I wanted to share a good picture with you all before I go.

This is the girls with my parents: proud grandparents!

'Tis the Season,

To be sneezin'! Oh wow did that bug hit us! I am struggling with a little frustration over not being able to pack. But we are all just trying to get lots of rest.

You never know if you can do what you plan. Sounds like a verse I know, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." I don't know the address and I'm too lazy to look it up right now--read Proverbs, you'll find it!

So without boasting, Lord willing, we will get the work done next week!

Have a great day!

Lots of family!!!

I'm having a great time visiting with family at my parent's place. My sister Becky is here with her three children, and her husband is driving out and will be here next week. My brother stopped in today. There are lots of changes going on with my family right now, My brother in law is planting a church in Santa Rosa California, and we are going to Mexico next month, so there is a lot of moving and visiting going on. We are busy, but blessed! Now if I can just get it all done!

Thanksgiving Season!

Oh Thanksgiving was wonderful this year! I think I've recovered from the self-inflicted abuse, and I'm looking to the next day of memorial before me. Thanksgiving is the perfect introduction to a season celebrating Christ. There is no more appropriate attitude we can have when we consider the greatest Gift of all, so in my opinion, this is the Thanksgiving Season. It begins the last Thursday in November with a feast and a day set aside for giving thanks for all God's blessings. Then we have a month to think about the wonderous gifts of God. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, in whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Then on December 25, when we single out the most importent Gift of all. Without the Gift of Christ, nothing else matters, all is vanity and emptiness. I praise God for His rich blessing, but nothing compares to the cross. In it I find my salvation, hope, and value.

The Bible holds a great many feast days and seasons of rememberance. Jesus faithfully celebrated them all. While we are not under the law, I think sometimes we forget the importance of remembering God. A holy day is a day set aside for God. Let us not fall victim to the deceptive materialism in the world's Christmas. There is no substance to the celebration in the world. Anyone saved through the gift of God truly has something great to celebrate and rejoice over!

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord"


I typed this out the day after Thanksgiving for my blog, and didn't finish it. Then the kidney stone distracted me a little. I do not, however, want the stuff of life to take away what God has placed on my heart here. It just underlines the message of thankfulness for God's Son. When Ryan took sick so quickly, I had no idea what was wrong with him. I sat in the hospital room with him watching his distress, and the thought came to my mind that he could have something serious, and I could go home alone. All I can say is, the peace of having God's gift keeps me sane day in and day out. I knew that if something horrible happened, God was sufficient. He had saved Ryan, and would take care of me and my babies. The same holds true for our future plans. I have no idea what is ahead of us, but I know that God gave eternal life. I rest on His promises; It's all I can do.

So, to everyone, Happy Thanksgiving Season! Thank God for Jesus!

Is God Really So Good?

Do we really believe God is good? The proof is in how much of our lives we trust Him with. What do we risk for Him? How much of what He gave us do we invest completely for Him, trusting that He will reward us? The Apostle Paul was one of those who did everything with God's reward in mind. Althought he suffered for his service for God, he didn't seem to think the suffering was a big deal. In fact, when he made a list of the sufferings and sacrifices in writing, he was embarressed. No, all of those things were nothing because he knew something about God, and this thread is woven from cover to cover in the Bible. GOD IS GOOD! God wants people to know Him. To know God, is know He is good. Even in His justice and terrible judgement, He is good, and full of mercy.

If we believe God is Who He says He is, we will take what He gives us and do what He wants with it. It's that simple.

Jesus told a story about this. A rich man entrusted three servents with various amounts of money and left on a long journey. Upon returning, he found that two of the servents had put his money to good use and had twice as much money as he left with them. He gave them the rule over their profit. One man now had twenty talents, and the other had ten.

The last servent was a different story. When asked for the money back, was ashamed. He whined and squeaked that the master was a hard man. He said that he was afraid, and he had buried the talent in the ground. When he had retrieved his talent from the dirt where it was buried, he brought it back, wrapped in the dirty napkin, all alone. The master had trusted his servent with what he knew the man was capable of handling, and he was angry. Then, it turned out that the master was indeed a hard man. He took away the talent from the unprofitable servent and gave it to the one who had twenty. He had wanted to reward this servent, but the man had no faith in his master, and had stripped himself of all the blessing he could have had.

God has been dealing in my heart this year about the meaning of this parable. There was a time that I was afraid to submit to God's will for my life. I looked at certain things that others suffered in serving God and concluded that God was hard. That in serving Him, I would have to go throught things that were beyond me. I have seen this attitude in others also. They are willing to live their lives for Him. As long as they get to decide things. In other words, "As long as I'm calling the shots, what I do will be for God. Because if I give God the helm, He's going to take me where I don't want to go." I lived this way for a long time, thinking that God would have to accept me because I wasn't holding back much. There were only a few things that I wasn't willing to do for Him. only a few pieces of myself that I wanted control of. I didn't believe God was GOOD.

There are so many ways that this attitude affects our lives. Sometimes, we hide what He gives us to serve Him with. We pretend it doesn't exist. Sometimes, we try to change God's plan to be more to our liking. Sometimes, we do His bidding, but we hate it. We think God might have a cruel streak for the demands He has made of us.

This attitude is a lack of faith, and it is sin. It will seriously hinder anything we can do for God, making us unprofitable to Him. The essence of faith is believing that God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

The truth is, God is good. His goodness, grace, and mercy are such a part of our everyday lives, that we don't even recognize that every good gift is from Him. Let me just go through some of the things He has done for me.

*He saved me! I am going to live forever in Heaven!
*He wants me to know Him--me! Know HIM!
*He has a plan for my life--one in which I have
-perfect peace all the time
-protection
-a Companion (God Himself) to comfort me in trial
-a Guide, and not just any Guide-this one actually made me to do the things He is guiding me to do!
*a calling, and a good one
*a wonderful, precious family
*confidence-not arrogence
*a promise that God can do something good, even with my gunk! "and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose."

That's the short list. After the first one, I could stop! He still owes me nothing, I still owe Him everything--He could only have saved me from my sins if He was GOOD, but the rest-He is very good.

Hebrews summs it up nicely: "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb. 11:6

Going back to Cali!

Lots of work to do! We will be going to California Monday, and then packing for Mexico in January.

I can't begin to express how wonderful my Lord has been to me. This has been an emotional time, a tired time for my family, and I am the biggest sap amongst us! I have so needed the Lord's sustaining grace to keep me in joy. I am tender, but not torn, because my tenderness is protected by God's hand. There, I can trust him to use these times to bring me closer to His side. The sweetness of an emotional down season with Christ at my side is beyond words to describe. What would I do without Him?

Today in church I heard a description of grace: stooping in kindness to an inferior or weaker person.

The weaker I get, the stronger He is in me. I treasure these times, knowing that they will NOT last forever!

Kidney Stone Update

OUCH!!!! My husband's pain went back up last night and he finally fell asleep this morning at 7am, and slept for an hour. He's not in the very best of spirits. Poor guy. Wish I could do something to help. I like to charge in and relieve pain and fix the problem, but I just can't. Stink.

On a lighter note, Elisabeth was watching Dora the Explorer this morning with the girls and when the backpack song came on she concentrated and said, "Backpack!" She was so proud of herself! She's been saying it all day now. Baby genius. (I am not biased! OK Yes I am.)

Ryan is feeling better. The pain is under control, and we are just waiting for the kidney stones to pass so we can go back to California. Thank you all who prayed!

We expected something to happen. Ryan and I talked about it a few weeks ago. We haven't seen one missionary family go to the field without a trial right before they go. We have seen it over and over, and we know that the devil hates it when missionary gets to the place God wants him. So here we are, and there may be more to come, as the Lord allows. We know that He is in control and that He will provide. We are praying that this will not set our date of departure back, but we know that God knows what He wants us to do and He will lead.

We are just waiting to see what the Lord is going to do with this trial. One thing is that we are both of us more dedicated to having a healthy diet.

Thank you again for praying!

Kidney Stones

My dear hubby took sick as we were getting ready for church this morning. He was vomiting with severe pain. We went to the hospital, and they say he's got kidney stones. I'm thankful it wasn't something worse! It isn't easy to see someone you love in so much pain when there is nothing you can do about it. I've heard that passing kidney stones is similier to having a baby. I have to disagree. No matter how bad the pain is, there is a much greater reward at the end of having a baby! That is not something I can say of my husband right now.

I will update with any changes in his condition as they come.

Confessions of the Slothful Christian

Appologies to William Walford and William Bradbury


Sweet munute of prayer, sweet minute of prayer
I put my time in and left you there,
So when I close my eyes to sleep,
My concience hardly even makes a peep.
I've filled my life with so many things,
I don't recall how my heart used to sing,
When I would kneel and to God's throne reach,
humbling myself, letting His Spirit teach.

A minute of prayer, how do I dare,
To tell myself what I do is prayer,
For prayer is entering the presence of Him,
Who can't stand the sight, the shadow of sin.
It's been so long since I have thought,
To ask Him to tell me the wrongs I have wrought,
I just take a moment to stifle the sting,
Of conviction before it begins to ring.

A moment of prayer, just a moment I give,
Because my busy life I must live,
I cannot miss my TV show,
I ignore every day that they reach a new low.
Entertainment fills my mind, my heart,
Thoughts of Christ don't have a part,
My spirit is weak, my flesh is strong,
Because in prayer I don't linger long.

Sweet passing thought that I should pray,
Before I go on about my day,
God's Spirit speaks, and the thought of Him,
Makes me fear, for His voice is growing dim!
Oh God! How could I neglect you so?
Forgive me, Lord, let Your mercy show.
YOu're my love, my life let me walk with You,
And "sweet hour of Prayer" will again ring true!

Blessed Thanksgiving!

Off the top of my head, things I am thankful for:
1. The Gift of God is eternal life! Through Jesus Christ I am saved.
2. Heaven, not Hell; hope, not perishing.
3. Jesus, God is with us!
4. The Bible, God shows Himself to me.
5. The Holy Spirit, God leads me.
6. God is good, wise, and all-powerful.
7. I get to serve Him every moment of every day!
8. He gave me a wonderful husband, Ryan.
9. Bright, cheerful, open Ruth.
10. Sweet, tender, funny Rebecca.
11. Happy, lively, easygoing Elisabeth.
12. Godly parents.
13. Grandparents in heaven.
14. I am not done growing!
15. God's promises!

While I could go on and on, I think God has emphasized to me this past year that He is shaping us and changing us. He is making us more useful for Him, and He uses every last thing that has taken place in our lives. Nothing that happens can be wasted if we give it to God. He will always make something beautiful, but only if it is placed in His hands.

This past year I read "Hind's Feet In High Places". The pilgrim, Much Afraid, carries a stone for every lesson she has learned in her journey. At one point, near dispair, she considers throwing them away because all seems lost and hopeless. So she looks at each one and decides that every one of those lessons is too precious to cast aside and she goes on her journey with her stones. In the end, when she is glorified, those stones become precious gems to be placed in a crown she can wear to bring glory to her Saviour. Then she thinks with horror about how very close she came to throwing them away.

God is good! I am thankful for what He has done with us this year, and I wouldn't trade one moment of it. He has shown us that He is great, faithful, and loving!

God bless you all and have a great Thanksgiving!

Giant Sequoia Trees!

We took a trip to the GREAT BIG GIANT TREES near Visalia recently. The colors were so beautiful, it was just the right time of year. Like driving into fairyland. The General Sherman Tree is supposed to be the largest living thing on land.

Hi there!

Ruth likes to hide in little places. I guess you might say she's anti-clausterphobic. This is just one of the places she loves to huddle down in.

To Snow, or Not To Snow...

Oh my, I did wait a long time before posting this story. Sorry!

Our trip up the Northwest to Vancouver was one of those we will remember for a while! I think the Lord was trying our patience a teensey bit, just to see if it was still there.

We piled in the van and started out in good time early in the morning, and ran into a little snow in Northern California. The roads were nice and clear, so we weren't worried. Well, the snow started to thin out and go away, but there were signs all over the road saying we would be turned back at the border if we didn't get snow chains, so we stopped in Yreka and got them. (Note, these were chains that must be cut to fit the car, and the place was really busy and didn't do it.)

At the border, sure enough, there were cars parked everywhere putting on their chains and stop and go traffic through it all. We stopped and then Ryan realized the chain problem. He put them on and drove a little, and the chains were crashing against the van, so he stopped again and took them off. When we got to the border, we were turned back, and the guard told Ryan to loop the extra chain through the rubber central band. (Sorry, I don't know the technical speak for it!) He did, but after driving for thirty seconds, the chain cut through the band and it snapped. So we stopped again and then took them off, then waited in the line again. This time when we got to the border they just waved everyone through. "There's no snow, you can go!"

Whew! Four hours behind schedule, but LET's GO right? Well a couple hours later, the front of the van said, "SNAP! PING! CLANK!" and under the van, "CLANK CLANK CLANK!" A pully system just flew off and into the road! Now we stopped, in the dark and I said, "Ryan, I think our patience is being tested!" He agreed.

That all said, it was amazing just how God took care of our every need. I could have been desperately worried, I suppose, wondering how we were going to afford this, what are we going to do, where are we going to stay, etc. But that would just be so ungrateful and ungracious to the Lord! He never let us down before, and sure enough, God provided for what we needed and more. We got a comfortable night's sleep and were on the road the next day, with the van in better working order than before.

While my husband came down with a ferocious cold shortly after and we are all a little puney, we are sure counting our blessings! Don't we serve a wonderful Saviour?

Happy Veteran's Day!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and every veteran reading this, especially my personal favorite veteran, my dad. The time you gave willingly to your country means so much to me. I got to live with one of America's verterans growing up, so I know a little about the honor and goodness of these people. It is that courage, selflesness, and love of right that God has used all through our history to preserve this country for me to live in, and for my kids to know what freedom means. Thank you, and God bless!

Off to Washington!

We are going to slosh through the state of Oregon tomorrow. It's a twelve hour drive from here to Vancouver, WA. There is snow here and there, so I will be happy when we arrive. I got all packed up already! I am often racing around with a desparate gleam in my eye grabbing things at random two hours after our departure time. Did I say that I have a very patient husband? He is. It's good, too, because if he wasn't I would have driven him bananas a long time ago!
God bless all!

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!

God is moving us to push our departure date for language school up to January from March!!! I am so excited to go, I can't stand it! Just two months.

Lots to do between now and then, and I'm not too organized right now, so I deeply appreciate anyone who wanted to pray for me!

Praise the Lord!!!!

On a side note, I have been told that I am too long-winded for a really interesting blog. (Note study on fear.) I would like to do a couple posts on Thanksgiving. Sorry if I get too verbose. I do love to talk, but I'll try to cut it back! LOL!

Have Faith!

What does the fear of God produce in our lives? Dread? Stress? Anxiety? Psalms 2:11 says, "Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling." That is as unlike the fear of man as you can get! Why, when we fear God, will we have reason to rejoice?

The reason for joy is God's love! He really does have our best intrests at heart--first of all our salvation, which He provided for; and next He has laid out promise after promise in scripture to provide for those who serve Him. Psalms 23:4, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Knowing that God is there to correct our path as well as protect us from harm will keep us fearing Him as we should, much like a small child is afraid of playing in the street. It's not because someone explained to him how it is dangerous and left the decision to him. No, he's afraid of playing in the street because he will get in trouble! Hebrews 12:5b-6, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

Now with all this, there are still days and moments that we succumb to the fear of man. I know I once polluted my mind with a truely disgusting movie one time and it gave me the creepy crawlies for a long time. Long after I repented of it, I lived in regret that I had scarred my innocence with that garbage. (I make no bones about it-horror movies will distroy something precious and innocent in you. Protect your heart and mind from that dirty fear!) So what do you do when day after day you live in real or imagined fear? Tell yourself you are being stupid? (Hint; that doesn't work!) Reminding yourself even of God's power and control of your life will not take fear away when you are in its grip.

I called upon God to deliver me from my fear. This is where He took me.

Psalms 56:10-13 "In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?" (emphasis mine)

Here it is: I trusted God with my soul's eternal destiny. His vows are upon me-He saved me with His blood, something only He could do. If I trusted Him to save me from Hell, why am I afraid of the boogey man! Or poverty? Or sickness? Or death? Or tragedy? Or failure? Or my own weaknesses? What an insult to God! It insults His power to sustain and care for us, and it insults His great love. So what is man's fear? It is SIN! What is the verse talking about, "wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling..."? If the worst thing I am afraid of comes true, God is still in control. This verse is not asking God to deliver us from what we fear. It is asking God to deliver us from falling into sin.

When I repented of doubting God, and asked His to deliver me from my fear, He was so faithful to respond with strength for that moment! What peace and joy it brought me! He gave me faith to know that He would give me power in abundance over this sin. That is not to say that I never have trouble with it. No, this weakeness in me keeps me continually casting myself upon God to deliver me from it, and for that I thank God-that He didn't just remove my fear like I asked Him to. He left it there, so I would know my need for His strength.

Finally, what if you do not know the fear of the Lord? Have you never thought on His holiness, reflected on your life and trembled at the comparison? Do you live your life the way you want with no thought of God's justice? When you read the verse about God chastening His children, did you wonder what that was all about? Let me show you what the next verse says about that! Heb 12:7-8 "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." I'll be honsest, I'm not comfortable with that fourth to that last word! But it seems that God wants us to know that not everyone who says they belong to Him really is a child of His. If you are wondering about this, please read my second post, where I give my testimony about how I became a child of God.

God bless you all!

We're Back!

We are back from our trip, and what a wonderful meeting it was! The Lord was really working. I am going to take some time later on and let you all know just how God moved in our hearts and what He is doing with us right now, but that is a post for another day. Maybe tomorrow. As of now, the Case family, missionaries to Mexico, is beat! I am amazed by just how tired everyone is. Becca has a low fever and seems to feel yuk, and the rest of us are kinda dragging. So we are taking some time "off" this week. I will post later with NEWS!

We're off again!

We will be on the road for another couple of weeks. I may be able to finish my fear series on the road, but if I can't get online, or don't have time, I will get to it when I get back. Will definately try to get it in by Halloween! I am excited about the last entry. The Lord taught me a precious lesson on how to deal with fear in my life, and I can't wait to share!
Blessings to you all!

*Thought I needed another picture. Sorry it isn't very clear, but my subjects were squirming and giggling. Ryan is taking a nap. Ruth is the pillow, Rebecca's the blanket, and Elisabeth is the teddy bear!

What is the Fear of God?

Contrary to politically correct opinion, God greatly desires His own to fear Him. The problem with the world is, it is so inundated with unholy fears on every side, biblical fear is a foreign concept. God does not want the world to cower in petrified terror at His greatness. (We know one day that it will.) His desire is to SAVE the world, that the world will repent because it fears Him.

The fact is, God is real. He is not a liar. He must judge sin, and He can. The only reason that He withholds His hand from judgment is His love, and in that love He provides for everyone from all time to be saved. Many make the mistake of thinking that mercy will override everything else that God is. They think God is what they think He should be. May I say, that is the biggest game of pretend man ever played? God is going to judge the world by Jesus, the One Who paid to save it, and all will be judged by what they do with His gift. Act 17:31 "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. "

Who is God to you? Is He holy? (1 Peter 1:15) Righteous? (Psalm 145:17) Just? (Deaut. 32:4) True? (John 14:6) Does He love you more and better than any other? (1 John 4:16) If you answer "Yes", then you must fear God. 2Ch. 19:7 "Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it; for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts."

The difference between fear of man and fear of God is the result of that fear in our lives. Psalm 111:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth for ever." Fearing God, because we know He is what He says He is, will bring wisdom into your life. Understanding will follow. There will be joy. Ps. 2:11 "serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling." God defends those who fear Him. Psalms 34:7 "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."

Will fear of man do this for you? NO! It will not guide, comfort, or protect anyone. It will only ensnare us in our service of God. A brief look at a concordance in Proverbs tells you more of what the fear of God will do for you. It is the beginning of wisdom; will prolong you days; is strong confidence; is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death; is the instruction of wisdom, it tends to life; gives riches, and honor, and life.

The Conclusion will be, "Have Faith!"

My Three Little Angels

No reason for this, I just thought my blog needed a new picture, and this is my current favorite.

The Snare of Fear

The Bible only mentions the phrase "the fear of man" one time. (There are 30 mentions of "fear of the Lord".) I think God might be telling us that it's much better to focus on the fear of God rather than the fear of man! (More on that later.) Proverbs 19:25 says, "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."

This covers much more than the horror-type fear. All fear of man is a snare. A snare is, *"An instrument for catching animals, particularly fowls, by the leg. It consists of a cord or string with slip-knots, in which the leg is entangled." an animal is just going along, doing its own thing and suddenly it can't go any farther. This is what fear of man does to us. We cannot go farther for the Lord when we fear man, or possess his fear.

In our thinking, the fear of man plagues us (especially us females!) through worry. Anxious thought robs us of God's peace. Phil. 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." I get the distinct impression that every time I worry about something I am disobeying this command. Worry takes place in the absence of faith, and without faith, we will never fulfill our eternal purpose. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Can you imagine when we get to Heaven and see all that God wanted us to accomplish for Him, and we didn't do it because we were worried that God would not provide? We will be looking right in His face that day. He will wipe away our tears, but there will be tears!

The fear of man is inevitable. Proverbs 10:24 says, "The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him..." The people of this world fear real things. Ecc. 9:11b, "time and chance happeneth to them all." Sometimes they happen to all of us, and this fear can ensnare us as well. Do not let worldly thinking cloud your judgment and be a snare to your witness and the job God gave you to do. Let them worry about things they cannot change. God gave us a better way than ungodly fear!

*Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary of American English

Next is, "What is the Fear of God?"

TAG!

5 Things I Plan to Do Before I Die:

1. Learn about nutrition and give my family really healthy food
2. GET ORGANIZED LOL!
3. Learn to sew and sew my girl's clothes
4. Get a good German Shepherd Dog
5. Learn to play the piano

5 Things I Can Do:

1. Write
2. Teach
3. Cook
4. I'm good at reading stories out loud
5. back/neck massage

5 Things I Can’t Do:

1. Cartwheels (I was NEVER able to do this!)
2. Belch on purpose
3. unpack stuff in an organized way :(
4. Jump rope more than twice
5. Stop laughing when I want to if I'm tired. (grrrrr)

5 Things That Attracted Me to My Husband:

1. HUNKY MAN (tee hee!)
2. He is a real person-no pretense. What you see is what you get.
3. He is very easygoing-not much upsets him.
4. Completly surrendered to the Lord--I can trust his leadership.
5. He accepted and loved me unconditionally

5 Things I Say the Most:

1. I hate to admit this, but I cannot stop saying "like". Especially when I'm nervous.
2. Sorry
3. No problem
4. Yo! (Got that one from my hubby)
5. oops

5 Celebrity Crushes:

Ok this one is going to show that I know NOTHING about pop culture. We didn't have a TV in the house, so I couldn't "get to know" any of those guys at all. I do remember wondering where all those crazy girls left their brains every time Brad Pitt came around. I gotta think....I thought Harrison Ford was cute, because we had a Star Wars fan in the house, and I liked the Han Solo character.

I think that's it. Sorry! (My brother's friends don't count here, I suppose...)

5 People I’d like to tag:
Stephanie, Nikki, Jennifer, Don't know any more who haven't already been tagged.

Is Fear Good?

October is "Fear Month" to the world. During this month the world celebrates fear, spine-tingling, adrenalin, and dread. Horror shows abound, and many see nothing wrong with delighting in fear.

While I have never had the joy of enjoying the liver quiver some get from fear, I guess some people think it is harmless fun. So is it harmless? I could do some research and come up with the medical results, but I want to focus on something else. Suffice to say the rush you get is a response from your body, thinking it is dying or in danger. Your blood rushes to vital organs (in case of an injury) and you feel very aware of everything going on (in case you are attacked). You make up your own mind whether or not that is physically healthy.

My question is this: Is fear a good and right thing for us to play with? Is it ever good? Are there different kinds of fear, and what does the Bible say about it?

The Bible has much to say about fear. Most of it is fear of the Lord; who had it, what its value is, and how to get it. What you see everywhere look in October is another kind of fear. God's Word addresses this also.

Contrast any of those Halloween horrors to what God says about good fear: "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever." Psalms 19:9 I think we can safely say that stuff is unclean. Think about how it makes you feel inside. Is it clean? Does it stay with you because it is based in truth? It doesn't really does it? It needs darkness and night to be strong and it fades in the light of day and reality doesn't it? That's because it is NOT legitamate fear. Legitimate fear will be clean, and will endure forever. That does not mean it is not real. But we need to seek God's rememdy for fear when we find ourself ensnared by it. He provided power over all sin, even fear.

I will post on this more all through this month. Next will be "The snare of fear"

The blessing of giving

My husband was going to preach one of the nights of the missions conference. He was burdened and praying about his message while driving to a meeting on Sunday night, and God impressed on his heart that he needed to give one of the missionaries a certain amount of money during his sermon to demonstrate giving by faith. His first thought was, "Wow, can I
DO that?!!" But he told God that he would, and the he told me about his decision on the way home. When he opened the love offering from the church we visited, he just grinned. It was easily more than three time what a church of that size normally gives, and it covered the gift we were going to give to the missionary, the gas for the trip, and a little more.

Isn't that just like God? Some people think that God is a big meanie! They think they can't surrender to Him what He wants because they think He is hard and demanding and life will be horrible. He is GOOD people! Good, good GOOD! Life is amazing when it is in His hands!

Missions Conference

Someone said, "A missions conference is a church business meeting where they determine the fate of the lost world." We are right now in the third night of our Church Missions Conference at the Santa Maria Valley LIGHTHOUSE Baptist Church. I would just love to give you all a play-by-play of it, but I'm just a little too busy. I did want to stop in here and say that I am expecting great things. I am expecting God to touch our hearts and show us a little of His own heart for all people everywhere. I am expecting God to show us ways we can affect missions that we never dreamed. There is more, but I need to get the family ready to go.
Will fill you all in as soon as I can!

Excerpt from our prayerletter!

We are now all together on the road again, and the Lord is blessing. Please pray for continued health and for our spirits to be in tune with God’s heart. Please continue to be in prayer over the gas price situation, as this is a big part in the planning of every trip we take. As always, our Lord is faithful, and we have absolutely no lack. I hope to encourage any who want to obey the Lord; He takes care of His own! I am witness to His faithfulness, and I stand with every one of His servants from the beginning of creation when I say that God has never let a servant of His down. He has never been less than perfectly faithful. When you trust in God you are putting faith in a FACT. It is a fact that has been proven over and over from the time that God made the world. There is no greater thrill than proving Him personally!

On the road again!

Just can't wait to get back on the road again! Honestly, I love the meetings! The kids love them too. In fact it has come to be a problem sometimes. They think they are the special guests everywhere we go. Walmart. Fast food. Walking down the street. They do the princesses on parade move. Telling everyone "hello" and making sure everyone can see them saying "bye bye!" fifty times. Everyone thinks it's cute, but it does get a little embarrassing!

I enjoy it though. I get to spend time with my favorite people in all the world, and serve my best Friend at the same time.

So anyway, enough rambling. We are going to be gone a couple of weeks. I might be able to get on once in a while, but not too often. See you when we get back!

Elisabeth--10/18/04

And here is Elisabeth. She is the most happy baby I have ever seen. She loves to talk to people. (Doesn't matter what you say.) She loves to make you smile, always looking at your face and enjoying lots of time with you. She is amazingly tolerent of the affections of her sisters! They just love her, and are always trying to make her smile. Her favorite game is peekaboo, she will hide my face with my hair and jerk it away (ouch) and go "bah!"

I love Sundays!

I just love Sundays. I love getting up in the morning and thinking about serving and worshipping the Lord. I love seeing the excitement on my daughter's faces and they get ready for church and shout to each other, "goin' ta CHURCH!!" I love singing with my bretheren the praises of the Lord, and getting into ministry wherever I can. I love hearing God speak to ME in everything, from the music, to serving, but especially through the preaching. God speaks to my need each week, and most of the time, it is the need I will experience during the week.

God sure created a beautiful thing when He established His church. I have seen His churches all over the west coast of the United States, and let me tell you; every one is different! They are different sizes, have different kinds of pastors and different kinds of members. Some poor, some rich, some very wise, and others struggle with foolishness. Not one of them was perfect. Every one of them was a priceless jewel in the eyes of God, and He loves each one more that I can possibly imagine. When I think about how great God's tender love is for His church, I can only wonder at it. The time that I have spent contemplating how very precious God's church is to Him has given me more to think about than I ever will be able to, and I am still in the shallows of an ocean.

It is a precious and special thing to be a part of God's church. To be a member in a body that suffers together and joys together. If I see a weakness, it is my weakness, and my strength can help that weakness. Where I am weak, the church may hold me up. This was God's plan, and it is good. I pray that wherever I am, I can be that part of the body that God meant me to be, so that it is not lame, or deseased, or blind; but where I am concerned, it will be whole by God's grace!

Rebecca--02/19/03

Rebecca is sweet, sweet, sweet! She has a tender heart, and is always thinking about how others feel. She also has a sense of humor that you have to watch out for! Becca needs lots of hugs because God gave her such a sensitive spirit. I think now I am filling her up, and when she is grown, she will give it out in helping others!

Ruth--3/12/02

This is Ruth. She is our oldest and full of energy all the time. We like to joke that she has two gears: "TURBO" and " OFF". She is a perfectionist and determined when she does anything. Ruth has surprised me with just how unthinkingly generous she is. She loves to get in the mix and help. She is a "doer". I know that the Lord has big plans for her!

Let me introduce...us!

This is my husband Ryan and me. We met at Bible college. We got engaged in the summer before our senior year, and were married four days after graduation. (Wasn't that a whirlwind!) Ryan is called to be a missionary in Mexico City, and I am called to be his wife. Before I met Ryan I long believed that it would take an exeptional man to put up with me! Ryan is just that. I could not ask for a better, wiser, more steady husband than Ryan. God put us together, and I am seeing more and more that God knew just what He was doing! I thank God for him often!

First things first: my testimony

I was raised in a Christian home. My dad has been a pastor since I was five years old. At that time I had seen a lot of people get saved and all I knew about it was that,
1.) Everyone ought to get saved.
2.) People getting saved made my mom and dad real happy!
3.) When people got saved they went to the front of the auditorium, prayed, and then they were saved!

I thought, "Hey! I can do that!" So I did. I went forward, prayed the prayer everyone prayed when they got saved, and then excitedly told my parents that "I got saved!" My mom and dad gave me a funny look and said, "oh, that's nice." and dropped it. That was very wise of them. They never told me, "Now you're saved!"

Years later, we went to a showing at a church nearby of some movies about the end times. The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back, and that He will come like a thief. This knowledge convicted me because I knew that if I did not prepare for His coming, I would be left alone. This thought really gripped my imagination. I couldn't sleep. I knew some new things now.

1.) If I had to face God right then, He wouldn't let me into Heaven. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:23 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone..." Rev. 21:8
2.) When He came to get the saved, He wouldn't get me. "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Matt. 24:40

This is not a plesant prospect, but the Bible is very clear on this matter. Sin ends up in a place of judgement, and we are in our sins without Christ.

I had a problem, though. So much of the Bible is about God's wonderful provision for this need we all have, and I FORGOT ALL ABOUT IT! I spent night after night dreading the morning in case I was going to wake up to an empty house. I would check the beds every night, sometimes several times.

Then after one night of desparate bed-checking, I lay in my bed pondering my misery and the Lord began to speak to my heart.

The still small voice of God's Spirit asked me if I thought God wanted me to spend my life in this kind of despair. I knew that He didn't. Then it hit me like a load of bricks. "What! That's what Jesus came for!" Right then, I knew I had to get saved right away, and I knew the best thing of all.

3.) "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" Rom. 6:23 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." II Cor. 5:21--John 3:16 says it better than I ever could, "For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I jumped out of bed and ran to my parents bedroom. They did not greet me enthusiastically this time either! In fact they were downright groggy and confused. I was not. I knew that I had to get saved before another moment passed. So I prayed and asked God to save me from my sins and from hell. I accepted His wonderful gift of eternal life. The relief and peace was amazing. The first thing I thought was, "finally! I can sleep!" How wonderful to be able to rest in peace in this life! "I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, oh Lord, only makest me dwell in safety."

Reader, God loves you so much that gave His own blood to pay for your salvation. If you are trying to get it by being a good person, please remember, it's a gift! Your sins will keep you from ever being good enough to have peace with God. You have to get rid of them! Jesus is how. When He died on the cross, His blood paid the price to remove all our sin. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgivness of sin." Col. 1:14 God says that if you turn from those sins and believe on Christ, you will be saved. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Rom. 10:13

Hi friends!

This little spot is going to be where I talk about my life, and what I learn along the way. I can get a little sappy sometimes, so bear with me. Thank you for taking the time to come here! God bless!