Pictures from Family Time

Drew taught one of the kids classes on Wednesday night last week. He put so much effort into preparing that he decided to give us his lesson for family time last Thursday. He taught Daniel 12.

Here are some of the pictures I took while he was teaching.

Random Thoughts and Happenings

I have really been enjoying reading through the prayers of Paul in the New Testament.
Challenging!
I am stuck on Romans 15. Asking myself where is my hope, who is my hope. what is hope.
HE, God is my hope. Scripture, God's word alive, Jesus - perseveres and encourages me.

I have had a little more time for reading blogs and have found great encouragement in these posts:
January's Joy Dare on Holy Experience
Feeling Like a Terrible Mother from Anne's Coffee Break
7 Thieves that Rob our Time


Oh I started flying with flylady again. I haven't done this since the late 90's. They, she, whatever have revamped and instead of your inbox being over inundated with huge amounts of emails you get one BIG email. I am ONLY reading the Fly Plan, when I receive the email's which is working great.

My dad's birthday would have been Thursday. I feel the pain of losing him 7 1/2 years ago. I feel that pain often. That is when I cling to God, His Word and am so thankful for His indwelling Spirit. Well, I will be cracking the whip around here in just two short days :). Since I just can't fit blog updating into the daily routine (unless something changes) my blog updates will dwindle immensely. I have really enjoyed our break but am ready to be back to the routine!

Hope

There are situations and circumstances in life that bring me to the conclusion - it's hopeless, life is without hope, or this person is without hope.  When I believe this, I am believing a lie.  I have been encouraged by Paul's prayers for the Romans "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (15:4) Life holds much hope if I am finding my encouragement in the Scripture. Where do I go when I am hopeless?  Too often, back to bed.  I should be going to God's word.  He is the God of HOPE! He can fill me with joy and peace.  I am so thankful to be filled with His Spirit, to be alive with Christ!  "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13) I really wanted to share something besides bloggy - life is all sunshine, roses, lollipops and rainbows. Because life isn't all the smiles we have on our faces in front of the camera, it is hard, but not without hope!

Sharing the Word I've Heard

This is sort of an experiment.  I am really enjoying Chip's preaching and am wondering if I can link to his sermons so any of my friends and family can listen.  Click the scripture below and let me know if you can listen.  If you can, be encouraged by the preaching and teaching of God's word!!

Galatians 6:6-10

The Greatness of the Master

Encouragement when the daily grind gets me down

"could it be right," Amy had asked, "to turn from so much that might be of profit and become just nursemaids?" The answer was yes. It is not the business of the servant to decide which work is great, which is small, which important or unimportant - he is not greater than his master.

A Chance to Die by Amy Carmichael p. 183

Snapshot Summary #43

Thursday
14 - July, 2001

Our neighbors came over to play today. Their dog came to play with Banjo. Everyone had a fabulous time. I loved watching the dogs interact and I will tell you Banjo slept well after Lundy went home.

Wednesday
20 - July, 2011
We floated leisurely down the Wapsipinicon River today in our tubes, stopped at just about every sand bar we came across, enjoyed an amazing lunch and plenty of nourishing snacks ;). What an enjoyable way to spend one of the hottest days of the summer!

Thursday
21 - July, 2011

Abi's Amazing Squash plant!!


Friday
22 - July, 2011

We enjoyed having Gilbert, Russel and their mommy here for a couple hours this AM. They even brought cookies!! 

Gilbert and Mary

Russell

Saturday
23 - July, 2011
Drew is rebuilding our rotted out cellar doors.

Baruch still enjoys catching birds bare handed!

Chloe's in her new shades

I started painting the dining room today! It is a cornflower blue. Pale with a touch of periwinkle! (I know it's not the most flattering picture of me - but I wanted you to see the beautiful color!!

Sunday
24 - July, 2011
Yeah!! We see the new baby again!!

Drew really enjoyed getting know Russell's papa - Jonathan. It is so sweet to share fellowship with other like minded believers. Thanks for spurring us on Dylhoffs!

Mary and Russell

Monday
25 - July, 2011
If you come to the fair before 3:00 - you get in free. Free is our language so we were there!! It was HOT, it's always HOT on the fair free day. It was SO HOT it might have been unbearable if we hadn't shared the good time with friends. Hannah, Rachel and Elizabeth (and their mom) joined us.

Our friends took off around noon. They had been helping us look for the Marine both as a couple years ago the Marine recruiters were handing out water bottle to people who could do "X" number of pull ups OR if you were a girl hang with your chin above the bar for "X" number of minutes. Anyway we couldn't find it and I didn't know where else to look.  Drew suggested one of the buildings and low and behold - there it was. Abigail has been thinking of that water bottle AND practicing her pull ups for the past month. She blew their socks off by setting the record for hanging - chin held high for 1 minute and 40 seconds!! WAY TO GO GIRL!!

Tuesday
26 - July, 2011
Finished paint AND started new curtains!!

Friday
29 - July, 2011
Family Time - enthusiasm lacking OR is it just bed time??

BTW - notice the three colors on the wall behind the couch. I bought little sample bottles to help me decide what to paint the living room as it is next on my project/painting list.

Sunday
31 - July, 2011
We went tubing again today with the addition of Cob's new Kayak and Pa and Grandma's canoe. The river was much higher since we had that huge rainfall last week. It was a blast for the kids who weren't worried about losing someone in the current like Drew and I were :)!!

Here is Cob in his new kayak - before he lost his glasses. No really, this was taken just moments before a tree grabbed them off his face and threw them in the water - no kidding.

And here is a photo of Mary just moments AFTER losing her glasses to the rivers amazingly strong current. Here one minute, gone the next!! Wow did this turn out to be a pricey tubing trip! Seriously, two pairs in one day, in less than four hours. Thankfully Walmart was having a lens sale and their replacement cost wasn't out of this world.

At the end of the trip

Chloe changes out of her wet swimwear into her dry clothes

Abram, embarassed to be caught changing. He got his underpants up JUST in the nick of time.

Memory Verse

John 6:63

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.

The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 6:63

Memory Verse

If we have a scrawny puny muscle and we want to be a weight lifter what should we do?

If we have trouble memorizing God's word but know it is by His word our minds will be renewed we need to start small and work to memorize. By taking little chunks of the verse and repeating them or writing them down, then adding a bit more and a bit more we can memorize entire passages of scripture!

Here is our family memory verse for the week. It coincides with the bible study we are working on - The Blueprints. This one goes with study 5. Happy renewing!

1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.
1 Peter 3:18

Snapshot Summary #35

Sunday

10 - April, 2010

Drew took all the older children to a bike park while Chloe and I rested. I guess staying up to put the third coat on the bathroom wore me out!

Monday

11 - April, 2010

Wednesday

13 - April, 2010

We had a great time visiting with our friends the Langlois Family!

Thursday

14 - April, 2010
Mrs. Kretz came today and I was happy the children did well.  Their spelling continues to improve so that is a blessing

Friday

15 - April, 2010
Stevenson's came for science today.  We did an experiment to help solidify what we learned about the lymphatic system.  I focused on the fact that the lymph nodes filter out the bad things from the lymph, so for our experiment we sent muddy water through a coffee filter.  I think it will help them remember!

Sunday

17 - April, 2010
Chip is preaching through Ezekiel and this mornings message convicted me on several counts. The main one being the importance of continuing to search, and know scripture. According to 2 Peter 3:16 - 18 some things are hard to understand, but if I am to keep from being destroyed and distorting reality I must be growing in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It's the word growing that really got me. My growth needs to be continual, day by day.

<< 2 Peter 3 >>
16as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Monday
18 - April, 2010

Mary makes an awesome lentil stew every Monday!

Tuesday

19 - April, 2010

Abigail started a club and passed out the crown to Chloe and breastplates and shields to Baruch and Abram as reward for memorizing scripture for the club.  What a good sister!

Thursday

21 - April, 2010
In anticipation of a busy Friday we got errands and baking out of the way today. Click here to see a video of Chloe helping put away groceries.

Friday

22 - April, 2010

We ate breakfast

As Drew read to us about Christ's Crucifixion from John 19:1 - 30

Then Drew, Cob and Baruch headed to his office to wrap some things up while the rest of us enjoyed some sweet fellowship with sweet friends.

Gracie and Mary (above)  Rachel and Abram (below)  Hannah and Abi were too busy for pictures!

More wonderful fellowship in the evening!  The Tuttle's, a missionary family from Peru came to visit while in Dubuque. 

Drew really enjoyed talking with Micah (who I don't think even noticed Josiah on his shoulders)

We all enjoyed some homemade pizza (Cob made the crusts yesterday!)

After supper we got in some more fellowship!

Javen and Cullen were GREAT face makers!

At the end of the evening the girls were pretty zonkered.  Abigail said "It seems like 3 weeks ago that Hannah and Rachel were here, was that really just this morning."




Saturday

23 - April, 2010

We took a trip to the park and then over to see the river.  Several children wanted to bike.  I for one was glad when Drew said we were taking the van as winds ran high - which was great for kite flying! btw, the river was very high.

Sunday
24 - April, 2010

Chloe Ruth

We celebrated a wonderful Resurrection Day surrounded by our church family at CCDubuque and Drew's parents! Our church had a wonderful fellowship meal which started with the Lord's supper. Mary and Jacob both partook of the Lord's table for the first time, creating a very memorable day!


Baruch William

Abram Glenn

Abigail Ione

Mary Elisabeth