Fathers and Sons: Made to be Warriors

Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

Psalm 24:8

I love the fact that my husband is a man's man. He is fearless, considerate and loves spending time with the family. He is my knight in shining armour. One Sunday afternoon he and some of his friends took all their sons hunting and skeet shooting. Rifles, shells, 'skeet' and snacks were all loaded in the trucks for a father/son bonding time on a beautiful glorious day.

There is just something about a father teaching his sons true life skills. Having fun side by side.Training them up to be men. My sons watching their dad continuously and wanting to be just like him. The Lord made these precious boys to be warriors. Mighty in battle. Brave. Champions. Heroes. Confident, yet adventurous.

"The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name. Exodus 15:3

Undauntingly courageous and bold. Positioned to be men themselves one day. My prayer is these two warriors will fiercely display loyalty to their wives and children. Just like their daddy. Tender in steady compassion looking to the Lord Jesus as the ultimate Father. True to themselves and their purpose.

I pray they will take the road less-traveled. Doing things not because they are easy, but because they are right. Walking fearlessly and steadfast down the ancient paths. Radically committed to Christ and to each other. Just like their daddy.

To make wise choices and for God's intentions for their future to burst forth in fullest measure. Forerunners with the Gospel wherever their paths may take them. Eyes fixed on Jesus.

Made to be Warriors. Just like their daddy.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Bloom Where You are Planted

My husband and I spent one Saturday morning cleaning out a flower bed that was imploded with weeds...you know the kind....roots 3 feet long proliferated 2 feet wide that you feel a backhoe would be the only suitable way to remove. After 3 or more hours of intense heat and soreness starting to set it, we called it a day. We placed a pile of our 'weeds' and other unwanted materials, that had once called our garden home, into an unwanted heap.

Several months later, we noticed several beautiful crocuses and iris foliage peering out of 'throw aways.' The Lord immediately spoke to me that they were content in where they had been tossed. They still bloomed even if they weren't in the greatest of circumstances. It reminded me of Paul singing hymns and praises while in chains in prison. Contentment.




But godliness with contentment is great gain:
for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out
I Timothy 6:6-7

It is an indescribable happiness with one's situation in life.
Whatever that is. I do pray these crocuses continue to bloom where they were 'planted' that blistering summer day...I need that constant reminder daily. And when that reminder withers away, those determined irises peeking through will probably bloom just in time.

For He is an on-time God.



Once again, the Creator of the universe, has used His creation to teach me a tangible lesson. Thank you, Lord.

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:7

Love Never Fails

We have put a challenge out there for our children. To walk in love. Sounds easy, but we have an enemy who desires to divide and conquer families. Trust me, he didn't skip over ours. As a family, we are memorizing the entire chapter of I Corinthians 13...the LOVE chapter! We couldn't have thought of a better month than February to dig into the Word to see what it said about walking in love.

We even spiced it up with a temporal incentive to go with the eternal and everlasting one...a gift card to Best Buy!

Jesus wants to set us free! When we walk in love, the world sees that and more than likely they will ask what is different about you? Walking in love is a testimony and a reflection of the One who has come to live inside and represents the greatest gift of LOVE the world will ever see!

Walking in love, according to Corinthians, is displayed like this:

Love suffers long and is kind

love does not envy

love does not parade itself

is not puffed up

does not behave rudely

does not seek its own

is not provoked

thinks no evil

does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth

bears all things

believes all things

hopes all things

endures all things

Walking in love. Sure, it sounds effortless, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic...even easy. The Good News is....IT CAN BE! Once again, we must die to ourselves daily and allow Jesus to fully rule and reign in our hearts.

I'll let you know which child receives the gift card. I trust our entire family will be better off for once again taking the Lord at His Word.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

January Snow Beauty

January 2009

What a beautiful surprise we woke up to in the Piedmont of North Carolina.

Refreshing. Pure. Exhilirating.

My rosemary bush accessorized fittingly in her snow beauty.

I treasure old things. This vine seems as if it has perished, but come spring it will revive out of it's dormant stage and display it's graceful and stunning bouquet of life.

The enchantment of the picket fence greeted by the lavender is inviting, still and poised.

Our 1800's house appears to stand erect surrounded by a blanket of fresh snow.

The woodpile managed by my husband and teenage boys needs some more 'friends' (logs) from pawpaws winding and zigzagging woodpile. The pattern of snow on each log whispers Creator.

I am curious to know what various and asundry birds and animals has called this idiosyncratic* tree home.

*Another wonderful discovery of the ministry of homeschooling..you learn cool words with your children!

Our sons love the freedom of riding their bikes on the abandoned, tranquil and snow-covered city street.The innocence of the day complemented childhood innocence and child-like faith beautifully.

Our dogs, Peyton and Zealy, patiently wait for their family to come out and trompse in the snow with them. They seem to know 'no school today!" Yes, homeschoolers even take a day of 'school' off to explore the magic and purity of the Lord's gift of snow. (I actually had someone ask me do we take snow days...gimme a break.) LOL

The ending to a beautiful, matchless and untarnished snow day of January 2009.

Pure. Still. Stunning.Glorious. All praise given to the One who displayed His majesty for a moment of much needed change of routine. A welcomed interruption. Thank you Lord.

Psalm 147
Praise to God for His Word and Providence 1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful. 2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. 4 He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. 5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. 6 The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground. 7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God, 8 Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. 9 He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry. 11 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy. 12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! 13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you. 14 He makes peace in your borders, And fills you with the finest wheat. 15 He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. 16 He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.

Basketball Ministry

A 'Shiner"

Matthew 5:16 (The Message)
14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

My husband came home last night from his weekly basketball ministry with a small red place on the corner of his eye. He told me one of the high school boys accidentially head-butted him. Much to his surprise early this morning, he woke up with a 'shiner.' His eye is encirled with hues of maroon, brown, blue, black and red. OUCH!

Three years ago the Lord put it on my husband's heart to start a basketball ministry for a local ministry here in Monroe called Restoration House Ministries led by Pastor Dom Duarte.

The purpose of Restoration House is to reach out to lost and broken people with immediate focus on the homeless, men and women who have been released from the prisons, jails and are coming off the streets. The ministry seeks to provide them an environment conducive to building and discipling them for the Lord Jesus.
It is the desire of this ministry to see all those who enter Restoration House touched radically by the hand of God. It is the expectation of Restoration House that the love of Jesus Christ, flowing through the staff and those who take part of this ministry will change lives for society, but more importantly, will change those lives for the Kingdom of God !

When my husband began the basketball ministry for the men at RH, the Lord immediately began showering His blessing on it. Men, teenagers and even some women attended the Tuesday Night Basketball, playing ball side by side of men that many see have no purpose or use for society. Doors began opening where former prosecuters, judges, sheriffs and arresting officers of these men got into the game. Shoulder to shoulder shooting 2 and 3 pointers..... and realizing the RH guys weren't any different than they were....just made some poor choices and got 'caught.'

Tuesday night basketball has become something our family looks forward to. Our teenage boys attend with their dad along with alot of their friends who bring friends who bring friends. A time opened in prayer, individual ministry done as the game is played and lasting mentoring of unlikely relationships for eternity. All because my husband said yes to God. Thank you Kent. I pray your 'shiner' heals quickly as you go public being a light bearer for Him; with the various colors dancing around your eye a reminder that the Lord colors many paths for many purposes.

Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help.If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook?Someone is watching you closely, you know— Someone not impressed with weak excuses.