We have WiFi :)! Rog just set it up here at home. Now, I won't have to be trailing around a 50' phone cord whenever I want to use my laptop to get on-line... and Rog and I won't have to take turns using the internet. And people will actually be able to reach us on the house phone. Way COOL :)! Thanks, Baby -- and thank You, Lord, for the technology of wireless internet!
LiC ~
Friday, March 31, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Life is...
Life is a journey. As a Christian, I have come to realize that this earth is not my home – I’m only passing through.
Like vacations we take in this lifetime, we experience seasons of joy and laughter, seasons of frustration and disappointment… We can see new sights and learn new customs… But as much as we enjoy our times of discovery and adventure, something in our hearts tugs us toward “home.” And aren’t we glad to return home after a long, full trip?
I know for me, personally, as much as I enjoy traveling to Seattle or Colorado or Las Vegas or Hawaii, I always breathe a sigh of relief and utter a prayer of thanks as we pull into our driveway. A sense of contentment washes over me and I am ready to get back into my regular routine.
On this journey called “Life” – as enjoyable and exciting as it sometimes is – something in my heart longs for Home… My true home in Heaven, where there is a mansion with my name on it! I’ve seen this home many times over the years, deep in my heart... As mansions go, it’s not grand at all – certainly not by the world’s standards. The Heavenly Home I “see” is humble and cozy and rustic… It is a smallish log cabin, built on a bluff that looks out over the ocean and sandy beach below and is surrounded on three sides by towering, fragrant pine trees and majestic snow-capped mountains. I can hear the pleasing cry of the gulls and the pounding waves against the shore – the melodious birdsong in the forest and the gentle whisper of the breeze in the treetops… There is a small expanse of green grass and moss that covers the space between my front door and the edge of the bluff and a dozen varieties of wildflowers grow in clusters along the soft dirt path.
I’ve never seen this little home with my physical eyes, but in my heart, it’s a place I am homesick for… It’s the place I will find eternal joy, love, peace and contentment when my journey through this life is at an end.
I can hardly wait to get home.
Like vacations we take in this lifetime, we experience seasons of joy and laughter, seasons of frustration and disappointment… We can see new sights and learn new customs… But as much as we enjoy our times of discovery and adventure, something in our hearts tugs us toward “home.” And aren’t we glad to return home after a long, full trip?
I know for me, personally, as much as I enjoy traveling to Seattle or Colorado or Las Vegas or Hawaii, I always breathe a sigh of relief and utter a prayer of thanks as we pull into our driveway. A sense of contentment washes over me and I am ready to get back into my regular routine.
On this journey called “Life” – as enjoyable and exciting as it sometimes is – something in my heart longs for Home… My true home in Heaven, where there is a mansion with my name on it! I’ve seen this home many times over the years, deep in my heart... As mansions go, it’s not grand at all – certainly not by the world’s standards. The Heavenly Home I “see” is humble and cozy and rustic… It is a smallish log cabin, built on a bluff that looks out over the ocean and sandy beach below and is surrounded on three sides by towering, fragrant pine trees and majestic snow-capped mountains. I can hear the pleasing cry of the gulls and the pounding waves against the shore – the melodious birdsong in the forest and the gentle whisper of the breeze in the treetops… There is a small expanse of green grass and moss that covers the space between my front door and the edge of the bluff and a dozen varieties of wildflowers grow in clusters along the soft dirt path.
I’ve never seen this little home with my physical eyes, but in my heart, it’s a place I am homesick for… It’s the place I will find eternal joy, love, peace and contentment when my journey through this life is at an end.
I can hardly wait to get home.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
A Weekend to Remember
So, Rog and I spent the weekend at a Family Life “Weekend to Remember” conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage, from 6:30 Friday evening till 4:30 this afternoon. This was our first experience with a Family Life conference and I pray there will be more to follow. It was a wonderful, blessed time. It was a time of instruction, discovery, understanding, hope, reaffirmation and love. And fun! The speakers – Alan Hlavka and Barry & Pam Abell – were entertaining as well as informative. There were times of audience participation, times of reflection, times of laughter and times of tears. We were challenged and stretched; exhorted and encouraged; prayed for and loved.
All through the classes, we followed along in our own workbooks and, at the end each chapter, there was a homework or “project” section to work through individually and together, for the purpose of reinforcing the lessons learned in that chapter, and to help us begin to “live in” – or put into practice - those things which we had learned. It was great! Rog and I sat together and did our individual homework, then discussed the “couples application” portion. Because we could talk about these various topics in a non-confrontational, non-threatening environment, we actually listened to what the other one had to say. We were blessed. One of the activities that we did individually, then shared together later was to write a love letter. I know my Husband loves me, but to see his heart written out on paper, where I can turn to it for reassurance and a reminder of how much he truly does love me…it’s priceless. At the very end of the conference we were encouraged to fill out a form expressing how we felt about the weekend, the speakers, the hotel, etc. One of the questions asked was, “How do you feel that this Weekend to Remember Conference has impacted the relationship between you and your spouse?" My Beloved’s answer was, “Beyond measure.”
One thing I neglected to mention – Roggie surprised me with this weekend getaway. When it was first mentioned at church in mid February, the Holy Spirit directed me not to say anything to Rog about it. I didn’t make any little noises, didn’t nudge him in the ribs – didn’t even look in his direction. I just prayed, “Lord, if this is something You want the two of us to attend and experience, please make it happen.” He did!
Thank you, Jesus.
All through the classes, we followed along in our own workbooks and, at the end each chapter, there was a homework or “project” section to work through individually and together, for the purpose of reinforcing the lessons learned in that chapter, and to help us begin to “live in” – or put into practice - those things which we had learned. It was great! Rog and I sat together and did our individual homework, then discussed the “couples application” portion. Because we could talk about these various topics in a non-confrontational, non-threatening environment, we actually listened to what the other one had to say. We were blessed. One of the activities that we did individually, then shared together later was to write a love letter. I know my Husband loves me, but to see his heart written out on paper, where I can turn to it for reassurance and a reminder of how much he truly does love me…it’s priceless. At the very end of the conference we were encouraged to fill out a form expressing how we felt about the weekend, the speakers, the hotel, etc. One of the questions asked was, “How do you feel that this Weekend to Remember Conference has impacted the relationship between you and your spouse?" My Beloved’s answer was, “Beyond measure.”
One thing I neglected to mention – Roggie surprised me with this weekend getaway. When it was first mentioned at church in mid February, the Holy Spirit directed me not to say anything to Rog about it. I didn’t make any little noises, didn’t nudge him in the ribs – didn’t even look in his direction. I just prayed, “Lord, if this is something You want the two of us to attend and experience, please make it happen.” He did!
Thank you, Jesus.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Bible Study
How about that? Two posts in one day :)!
One of my favorite things to do is Bible Study. I love to read through the history of the world from a biblical perspective and what better place to learn from than the Holy Scriptures themselves? Also, by reading GOD's Word, I am able to learn more about my Lord - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and more about myself and who I am in Christ.
Given that, why is it I have such a hard time picking up the Bible and really settling down to read and study it? One of the best ways to truly discover Who GOD is and how He operates in my life, is to dig deep into the richness of His Word. Surface reading alone is not enough. I am currently involved in a Bible study program with a few Christian sisters (locally and via e-mail) and, when we are together and discussing the new insights and interesting questions, it is a very enjoyable and blessed time of learning and fellowship. When I'm at home and on my own, however, I read through the assigned book infrequently. Mostly because I spend too much time on this silly laptop (for which I am thankful, truly)!
To help me get the most out of my study time, I recently purchased four books that were highly receommended by a couple of the ladies in our group. The first book is Living by the Book by Howard G Hendricks and William D Hendricks. This book asks the question, "Why is it important for me to study the Bible?" Because A) it is essential to growth, B) it is essential to spiritual maturity and C) it is essential to spiritual effectiveness. Living by he Book explains that you need to "learn how to read," and gives you the tools to do it. Three important points I've learned so far are: 1) Observation - "what do I see?" 2) Interpretation - "what does it mean?" and 3) Application - "how does it work?" Once I begin to read the Scriptures with these points in mind, a whole new level of understanding will be opened to me and I will have a more complete view of Who GOD is and who I am in Him.
The second book is titled, Interpreting the Symbols and Types by Kevin J Conner. I just got this one last night in the mail, so have only glanced through it so far, but I can tell it will be a very useful book! Some of the chapters: The Language of the Symbol; Symbolic Objects; Symbolic Creatures; Symbols in the Tabernacle of Moses and many more. For example, the phrase, "palm tree" symbolizes Victory (Ps 92:12, John 12:13) -- when I learned this, the Holy Spirit spoke to me saying, "When you are in the palm of My hand, you are in a place of victory." This was a new insight for me and only came about because I had discovered the spiritual meaning for the word palm. I look forward to using this book in my studies!
The third book is called Biblical Mathematics - Keys to Scripture Numerics by Evangelist Ed F Vallowe. Although written in textbook style, this little book is also a very interesting one. In his Forward, the author writes, "One out of every five Scriptures in the Bible contains a number. Numbers are important to having a working knowledge of the Bible. The numerical structure is found everywhere in the Scritpures." Chapters include: God's Designing Hand Seen in Numbers; Numbers are the Secret Code of God's Word; One - Unity; Two - Union, Division, Witnessing; Sixty-Six - Idol Worship; One Hundred Forty-Four - The Spirit-Guided Life. By using Biblical Mathematics, I gain a better understanding of what GOD is saying to me in His Word -- numbers and digits in a given passage of Scripture is more than meets the eye. There is a prophetic message there as well, if I will only take the time and make the effort to search it out.
The fourth book is called The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names by Drs Judson Cornwall and Stelman Smith. In the Preface, it states, "Every Bible name has a meaning. So much so, that sometimes when God changed the nature of a person He also changed his or her name. For example, when Abram believed God's promise of a son, God changed his name to Abraham and changed his wife's name from Sarai to Sarah. Years later, after the angel of the Lord had wrestled with him all night, Jacob's name was changed to Israel." There are no specific chapters in this book, although there is a section with a list of the names of God, the titles for Jesus, the Jewish calendar and descriptions of the stones used in the breastplate of the Old Testament priest (and how they relate to the heavenly City). The names covered in this book are not only of all the people in the Bible, but also place names. I believe this will be an excellent resource for discovering more of God's truths and character. It also deals with the prophetic.
So... Having each of these books handy while I slowly dig into the rich soil that is the Word of GOD, I have faith that my spiritual roots will reach down into the foundation of His Truths and will cause me to grow tall and blossom brightly with my face toward the Son.
LiC ~
One More Time...
Okay, here we go again! Will do my best to keep up with my personal blog. I have another one at a scrapbook site and have only posted in it thrice... Would like to post photos here, so will try to figure out how to do that...
LiC ~
LiC ~
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