just some pictures

So, I had my camera with me on Sunday, so I decided to take some pictures...Here they are!

Amanda laughing at James, who is hiding under the blanket.

Here's me and Amanda, with James in the background.

James being....James....

the enemy

Don't we do this with our sin nature, sometimes?! "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26: 41). We give in to our sin nature, to temptation, which is then "fed" by our submission to it. The more we submit to it, the more it dominates in our lives. But if we submit to God and the "spiritual" nature, then God will dominate in our lives. We just have to make sure that we yield to the right nature.

"Yield Not to Temptation"
Horatio R. Palmer

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s Name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kindhearted and true,
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

To him that o’ercometh, God giveth a crown;
Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down;
He Who is our Savior our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He’ll carry you through.

Ask the Savior to help you,
Comfort, strengthen and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through.

Psalm 81:13-16

"Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee."

If Israel had followed God, what blessings He would have given them! I wonder how often that happens in our lives...God would do so much for us if we follow Him and do what He wants us to do. We miss so many blessings and triumphs when we try to do things our own way. This is something that stuck out to me the other day as I was reading. It made me think.

Garfield

Ok, Garfield is the absolute best picture of laziness! He never gives up a chance to be lazy!

some verses that have been important to me

Acts 17:6 ...These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also."

I was just reminded of this verse a week and a half ago. (Thanks, Nate!) It makes me get my focus right: What am I doing (with God's help) to make a difference in this world? Anything that might "turn the world upside down"? If not, I need to re-evaluate my life and see if I'm missing anything, and not doing all that I can and should for God.

II Cor. 5:7 "(For we walk by faith, and not by sight:)"

Thanks Dr. Bu! We sang a song in Madrigal that is based off of this verse...beautiful song, even MORE beautiful message! We do not know what God has for us in the future, even just a few days, hours, minutes from now. We cannot "see" God's path for us, but we can still walk on that path "by faith," trusting that God's way is best for us.

Acts 13:22 "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart."

God is speaking here, and what a statement it is! David's heart was going the same direction as God's heart! Wow! What a rebuke. My heart seems to go so many directions, but David's heart is described as being like God's heart. Even though David sinned, he confessed his sin and tried to do what was right.

Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect..."

Of course, this is the verse on the top of my blog page, and one of my all-time favorites! It has helped me during SO MANY hard times when I don't know what is going on, and I hate the situation that I'm in. It reminds me that I can learn through these situations and that God has a purpose for these situations, even if for no other reason than for me to turn my eyes to Him and trust COMPLETELY in what He is doing in my life, because He knows what is best for me SO MUCH better than I could ever know.