Meditations and Musings

For the Love of Reading

2012-03-02T11:24:00.003-08:00

Nevertheless...

2012-02-29T14:54:00.002-08:00

Psalm 106 lists the many iniquities of Israel and their rejection of God in favor of serving idols. Yet, even after all their sin and high handed disobedience the Psalmist ends with verse 44 -

Nevertheless He looked upon their distress...He remembered His covenant...He made them objects of compassion.

Nevertheless is a lovely word. Even though we sin God chooses to remember His grace for the sake of His name and glory; not because of anything we have done but because of who He is. He looks upon our distress and remembers His grace and provides a way of redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ! He makes us "objects of [His] compassion"! God's love is never deserved but it's always freely given! He is forever faithful to Himself and so remembers His covenant and compassion even to those so undeserving! And so we give thanks to His holy name and bless the Lord from everlasting to everlasting!

Laboring in Vain!?

2012-02-27T05:17:00.002-08:00

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. ~Psalm 127:1-2

As I read this psalm this morning I reflected on the vanity of all things not done in the Lord. We wake up each morning with a "to do" list a mile long of all the things we believe we need to get done in a day. How often do we stop to contemplate the vanity of all done in our own strength and not in the strength and according to the will of God!? All is in vain if it is not of the Lord and done for His glory and according to His plans and purposes for the day and the lives of His beloved! My "to do" list is nothing if it is MY to do list and not HIS. Looking back to Psalm 123 I am reminded that "as the eyes of a maid [look] to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until He is gracious to us." May I look to Him today, to His grace for this day and submit myself to the work and plans He has for this day that all would be done, not in vain, but to to His glory!

Sunday School Friends

2010-08-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

We have enjoyed getting involved and getting to know the people of Grace Bible Church. Here is a glimpse of childrens' Sunday School.
My sweet Jamesy

Isabel, Madeleine, and Katie

Joel Jarmulak

Kathryn Figliozzi, Jonathan and Joshua Farmer, Thomas Figliozzi

I've Fallen Down a Rabbit Hole!

2010-08-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

Walking by the play yard at our apartment complex I was sure I had fallen down Alice's rabbit hole after the White Rabbit when I encountered the biggest mushrooms I've ever seen.Truly I expected to see a little blue caterpillar blow smoke into my face and ask me "Whoooo are Youuu.?"

My Baby's not a Baby anymore

2010-08-01T01:39:00.000-07:00

Baby Brenton just turned 2. He's a delight and his personality has blossomed and we are seeing more and more of who he is everyday. He's "Mr. Mischief" for sure and it's all I can do to keep him out of finding trouble. I'm sure we'll be memorizing many verses in the future about avoiding mischief.

Brenton is a Worsley through and through and is a big fan of Mickey Mouse. He calls him "BoBo". Not sure why as the sound does not occur anywhere in the word. But we all know that name very well. Being a Mickey Mouse fan and a family who loves Disney we gave him a little family Mickey Mouse Party.

We used our many sets of Mickey Mouse ears from our trips to Disneyland as party hats. We invited our sweet friend Micah, who also recently moved here from Santa Clarita and whom Brenton adores; and we had a blast swimming, playing "pin the nose on Mickey", and "mystery Mickey", having cake, opening presents and, of course, watching a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode.Mystery Mickey Mouse - I hid these little Mickey Mouse heads all over the house and the kids went looking for them. When they found them they added them to their chart. Micah was partners with Brenton.
Happy Birthday Baby!

Fourth of July Favorites

2010-07-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

I wrote this blog entry a year ago and was waiting to get my first picture of Cade and Isabel transferred from old fashioned negatives to a disc to download (since I don't have a scanner). And so here I am a year later, waiting again for the same thing. Maybe I'll never get it transferred but I still love these sweet Fourth of July memories and so want to share them. This year we celebrated our first 4th of July in Texas and so missed our annual picture with Cade, but he was not forgotten as you'll see at the end.

Nearly every Fourth of July for the last 8 years we have been with our good friends, the Lycklamas. Beginning in 2002, when Isabel was 2 months old and Caedmon was 7 months old, we got together for a BBQ, and watching fireworks and all the fun that comes with Independence Day. That year we took a picture of the two of them along with another good friend, Pearson Gardner. Ever since that time we have been doing the same thing every July 4th. We have many other friends who get together too and we always enjoy swimming, BBQing, and fireworks; and we always try to get in an annual picture of Isabel and Cade. We have only missed one year in the last 8, 2006, thus no picture here. Enjoy watching the kids grow below.

2004 - I think Caedmon had just eaten a cookie.

2005

2007

2008

20092010 - our first Fourth in Texas

Rockn' Rangers

2010-06-15T14:22:00.001-07:00

The youth group at our church was selling tickets for a Texas Rangers game. Jason took advantage of this to take James to his first ever Major League Baseball Game: Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners. James had a blast hangin' with his daddy and Mr. Kiningham and his three boys and all the other people from Grace Bible Church. He ate...and ate...and ate...Jason's means of keeping him awake through the whole game. When he came home at ELEVEN O'CLOCK that night he proceeded to tell me about the cotton candy and the Spiderman fruit snacks from Mrs. Zeller. Oh what a happy night that was. Oh what a happy boy (and daddy) to get to enjoy a baseball game together.Here the boys are checking out the Dallas Cowboys stadium across the way from the Rangers stadium. I guess it was pretty impressive!

James with the Kiningham boys - Caleb, Nathan and Grant with the Cowboys stadium in the background.

New Haircut

2010-06-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Where has my baby gone!?
(Just in case anyone is confused, this is
Brenton, not James)

Fun at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens

2010-06-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

A few days ago our family went to the Grapevine Botanical Gardens. It's not a very big garden; it's actually more like a nice park. But, our family had a lot of fun, before it got too hot.

The girls had a fun time trying to chase down this bird.

Love This Boy!

2010-05-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

Easter Splendor

2010-05-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

While Easter was nearly a month ago already it is good to think daily of the death and resurrection of Christ and the new life bought for us with His blood. It seems that new clothes at Easter goes well with the celebration. We buy a new dress or new shirt for the girls and boys and wear them proudly. What a great symbol of our lives in Christ! With His death and resurrection our new life has been bought. We are able to put on the new clothes of His righteousness and wear it proudly, not because of how nice we look but because of the beauty of His mercy poured out upon us. So, every Easter we put new clothes on our kids. It's fun for them and I hope as they grow older they learn to recognize not only the pretty new dress but the glorious new life found in Christ!

Thoughts on Anguish and Praise

2010-04-22T13:40:00.001-07:00

I read Psalm 22 this morning and was struck by where the meditation on this scripture led me. David is so real! He's so like me. He goes back and forth with his faith and perception of God. "Why have You forsaken me God?" he asks, and catches himself with what he knows to be true - "Yet, You are holy; You are enthroned upon the praises of Israel; our father's trusted you, so should I; You delivered them, You do not disappoint" These are all thoughts that were likely running through David's mind, heart and pen as He honestly conversed with His God. Then, so like me, he turns again, to focus back on himself. Yes, God is all those things, He was all those things to those people, but "I am a worm". Those truths of God don't apply to me. I am in despair, I am discouraged beyond comfort, I...I...I... and suddenly the truths of our great God get buried under our pain and hurt and feelings of loneliness and we're sure we've been forgotten.
This is where it is imperative that we know and understand the character of God. He IS faithful, He can be trusted as or fathers have trusted Him before us. He is always the same and therefore true to Himself and His promises to those who love Him. In Isaiah 49 God promises to faithfully bring His people back to their promised land and He promises them that He could never forget them, for they are inscribed on His hands. Our hope in Him will never be put to shame.
How do we come out of the place of despair, the dark recesses of our hearts where we live; and the more we focus on them the darker they become? Both David and Isaiah tell us how to turn from our anguish - it is through praise. Psalm 22 verse 22 says "I will tell of Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You." And Isaiah 49:13 says "Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted." The remedy for discouragement? Praise! Oh that I would put my eyes, heart and mind on God and allow His light to shine into my soul, chasing away the darkness of discouragement. When we praise God, we can no longer feel discouraged for our eyes have been taken off of ourselves and lifted to the heavens to see His glory. And David adds a little insight into it - not only does he praise but he tells others about God's greatness and he praises God in the midst of the assembly. Try speaking of God's greatness to others and see if it doesn't lift your eyes to Him. We can't speak of Him without it lifting our hearts because it is out of our hearts that we are able to speak. And speaking it aloud also speaks to our own hearts as we hear for ourselves the greatness of our God. Praising God in the midst of others who love Him can also lift the clouds from our hearts, if we will allow for them to be lifted and not choose to dwell in the dimness of our circumstances. Hearing voices raised in praise and joyfully joining in replaces the anguish with rejoicing.
So, I seek to have a greater heart of praise that I might sing the goodness of my God, remember the truths of who He is and encourage others to do the same!

At home in Hurst

2010-04-08T14:58:00.001-07:00

Well, we've been here for about 4 weeks or so. We've hung our hat in Hurst, Texas for now, staying with some very lovely people, Pam and Randy Buster, while we wait to get into our apartment in Grapevine. We were a little like Abraham when we left California. I say a little because we did know where we were going generally, but details for where we would land had not been worked out. We knew God had called us out of Southern Cal. into a land that He had shown us but just not exactly where in that "land". The Busters graciously offered us their home as a resting place while we searched for our own home since searching from California was a little tricky. We thankfully took them up on their offer and were grateful to have a place to arrive at when we got here four weeks ago. We put our belongings in a storage unit and have made ourselves at home in the upstairs of the Busters' home. Our kids have quickly fallen in love with Mr. and Mrs. Buster and look forward daily to when they get home from work. Pam is a generous with her home and kitchen, willingly sharing all with me. And to make all things great, Randy let the girls play some of his instruments last night. It can't get any better.
While we love them and their hospitality, we can't stay with them forever and we have reserved an apartment in Grapevine, just blocks from the church offices and school where we meet. That move will come in May. Until then we are loving our home in Hurst and the Busters will always be special in our hearts as people who made our move to Texas welcoming and pleasant.

Cowboy James

2010-04-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

My dear, sweet Jamesy was playing Cowboy today. While riding his pretend horse, holstering a squirt gun in his pocket and using a jump rope as a lasso he turned to me and said "Good cowboys live in Texas!" So there you have it. We had just had a discussion about playing good cowboy instead of bad cowboy and as James says "Good cowboys live in Texas".

Transition

2010-04-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

This morning at the breakfast table Isabel declared to Jason that she loves living in Texas. Why? For no other reason than that there is a mall and Red Robin. We chuckled at this but realized for our kids it's these little things that help a transition from California to Texas to be a little easier. It's different here, but not that different, after all we can still go to the mall and eat at our favorite restaurant. Those little things are important.
Transition is never an easy process and there are days where it's no big deal and then days when the entire family shuts down. On those days we go to our Great God for strength and then put the kids to bed. In their case it's usually a culmination of new places, new people, new schedules and too many late nights. We have enjoyed dinner with a number of families in our new church and the kids have made some new friends. We have spaced out our evenings away from home but it doesn't get past the girls' perception. "Why do people keep having us over to their house Mom?" Isabel asked last week. She loves to go to people's houses and has enjoyed each evening out but noticed that it's been happening rather frequently. I explained to her how people want to get to know us and we hope to return the favor when we get into our apartment next month.
Acacia has always been very observant and from an early age was able to recognize where we were, where we were going and if we were taking an alternate route, which bothered her greatly. With that type of mind, it took Jason taking her once to his office for her to be able to recognize the street and know where we are. Even driving through downtown Grapevine at night Acacia (and Isabel both) were able to spot the church offices before Jason and I even saw them and shouted out "Daddy's office". So, they're starting to know where we are a little more and I am incredibly grateful for my GPS system that tells me where to go as I learn my way around Hurst, the city we currently live in, Grapevine, the city where the church is and where we will be living next month, and Dallas, the city where the zoo is, as well as a number of our new friends.
The girls have also taken to home-schooling fairly well. We began talking about Texas a little last week as an introduction to their new state. We've done the basics like a map of Texas and the state flag. In discussing the state flag we talked about what the colors symbolize and what the lone star means. It is not difficult to find the Texas state flag around here. It's flown from many buildings, is used as part of companies signs and labels and painted on sidewalks and door fronts of people's homes as well as flown on their front porches. So I now hear as we walk or drive around town "The Lone Star Mom!" Even James joins in, excited every time he spots it. Unity for God and Country - that's what the lone star stands for. Well, we are here to help people learn more about having a heart after God and are excited for any way in which He wants to use us for His glory at Grace Bible Church. If you think of us, please pray that our transition will continue and that our move to our apartment in May would be smooth. We are still adjusting to the time difference, the weather and driving the speed limit but enjoying our time here in Texas.

Gettin' Our Kicks on Route 66

2010-03-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Raise your hand if you know the old song by Nat King Cole. That song has been running through my mind for the last week. As we pulled out of Santa Clarita I started to notice names of towns that were familiar to me but where I had never been before and I realized that I was traveling down that classic road, route 66, just in the opposite direction from the song. "You'll see Amarillo; Gallup, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona; Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino..." Well we didn't hit San Bernadino and we didn't drive through Barstow but we were in that general direction as we headed out of California. Theresa Bischoff supplied us with Trip Tiks from AAA and those were fun to read as we drove and, being a map lover, I followed where we going on the map and found the little towns mentioned in this song along with the big ones.

Arizona had some fun topography and there were times I felt like I was in the middle of the Disney movie "Cars". I kept looking out my window expecting to see rock formations the shape of old cars. But this was as close as it got.

I also saw this beautiful mountain side and thought it looked like a man's face.

Our God is amazing, making beauty abound in many ways. It's a different kind of beauty than the Great Northwest which I have been more familiar with up to now, but beautiful just the same.

We drove through Arizona and stayed our first night in Flagstaff. We had checked weather ahead of time and knew that it had recently snowed and was supposed to be cold. We weren't disappointed. The kids were excited to see the snow and really wanted to touch it.

On Saturday, we left Flagstaff and began our longest driving day, planning on driving all the way through New Mexico and into Texas, spending the night in Amarillo. The sign for New Mexico as we crossed the border stated that it was the land of Enchantment, but I have to say that maybe they were talking about another part of New Mexico. Where we were driving was not all that enchanting. But the miles rolled by and the kids traveled well that day. God gave grace to everyone in the van so that Brenton didn't cry his day away, no one got car sick (Isabel got pretty car sick the first day on the way to Flagstaff) and we had minimal potty breaks considering we were traveling with three potty trained kids and two adults. James and Brenton loved seeing the many trains along the way and Brenton sat in the back seat saying "choo choo" over and over again. Michael kept his own pace driving the big moving truck and the kids looked forward to every stop that they might be able to see him. We saw a couple of other Penske trucks as we drove along and each time the kids would yell out "Uncle Michael!" Sometimes it was him, sometimes it wasn't. We met up in the end in Amarillo and enjoyed dinner at Red Robin before heading to bed.
Sunday was our final travel day and the kids eagerly anticipated arriving at our new home. We left Amarillo and drove through the great state of Texas all day, some 350 miles, in order to reach home in Hurst, Texas. Along the way we saw miles and miles of open ranch land, many small towns that were once oil towns but now that the oil is gone they are little more than ghost towns.

People who have stayed on because that's where their family has always been, even though there is no oil industry there anymore. We chuckled a little as we came through Wichita Falls. I hadn't thought about a town in Texas having the word "falls" in it's name before but once considering it it did seem a little out of place. Thanks to Trip Tiks I found out that the original falls was a mere 5 ft. falls but so unusual to find in the area that the first settlers named the city after it. But 5 years after settling the area a giant flood washed the falls away and the falls that you see now as you drive through Wichita Falls is a man made falls in memory of the original 5 ft. falls. The things you learn as you go...
It was a great opportunity to see and learn about things we haven't seen before, never having traveled that way. We enjoyed our trip on route 66, but enjoyed even more arriving at our destination.

Musing on Moving

2010-03-18T13:11:00.001-07:00

The Lord recently picked us up and moved us out to Texas. This has been an amazing process of watching His hand at work and resting on His sovereignty in all things. We loved our many years (for Jason, his whole life) in Southern California, and now we are looking forward to what the Lord has for us here in Texas. Should anyone who doesn't already know the story like to hear about all the details that God orchestrated to get us to where we are today, staying with a lovely family in Hurst, Texas not far from Dallas, we would be happy to bring you up to speed at any time. Suffice it to say that there has been no doubt in our minds as we have taken each step east.
Last Thursday we had a number of good California friends come and spend their day helping us pack a giant moving truck - thank you to those who came. Amazingly enough, even though our house was a mere 1,100 sq. ft. there was much that got left behind - Thank you Mary for having a garage sale for all of our homeless things. But I guess that's how we're supposed to move ahead, saying good-bye to those things which are going to hold us back. Jason did come into the house at one time last Thurs. to tell me that I was going to have to decide between my rocking chair and the red chair that his mom gave us, that my kids love; and that really we wouldn't even get to bring our chair and a half as nothing was fitting. At that moment, I realized that I had to give my "stuff" to the Lord and if nothing came with me to Texas than He would give me what I needed. After all, it's just stuff. It was all the living room furniture we had as we got rid of our couch already. As I wrestled with letting go of my things, those great men out in the truck wrestled with my furniture and just as I gave it up and said "ok Lord, I trust you to give me what I need" Jason came in and said "They did it, they got it all in." Thank you men and thank the Lord that He gives us all good things and we didn't come empty.
We said good-bye to our dear neighbors and friends early Friday morning, loaded the van up with children, snacks, books, movies and music and drove out of our neighborhood. It's a great neighborhood and we were blessed by our years there. We will miss Miss Sherri, the kids preschool teacher just down the street. And we will miss seeing the Gutmans backyard from our front yard. We will miss our wonderful teachers Mrs. Reimbold and Mrs. Goossens, two of whom couldn't have been more wonderful for our girls. Yet, forgetting what lies behind we press on to what lies ahead. Not forgetting what was good as we will always love these dear people who are still in Cal., but not letting such dear memories hinder us from following the hand of God.

We are excited to be here in Texas. We will gladly welcome, as I am leaning most Texans do, anyone who wants to come visit us here. Maybe you'll find God's hand moving you here too. You never know what He's going to do. I read in James this morning that verse that many of us know, "Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'" Jason and I never saw Texas coming but when the Lord wills and we obey then we are pleasing to Him and we trust His hand of blessing. Love to our dear friends in California and love to our new friends in Texas. May our roads merge to make a path that follows after God and brings Him pleasure.

Sweet Six!

2010-03-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

So, Acacia turned six two months ago. I have been a little behind in posting but I wanted to celebrate her, even if it is a little late.
Acacia is my planner. She desires to know all things in advance. When she wakes up in the morning she asks me what I've put in her lunch and then proceeds to question what our plans are for the evening. With this character trait well established, Acacia planned her birthday party last August.
One early morning in Aug. of 2009 my friend Katelyn Urban came to get the girls ready for school and drop them off for me as I had an all day work meeting. When Acacia saw Mrs. Urban's magic fingers when it came to her hair she enlisted her services for her "hair style" party planned for January 2010. Mrs. Urban was happy to comply and so began the planning of Acacia's 6 year old salon party. We enjoyed having a number of girls come over and Mrs. Urban was there with all the hair supplies, her sister, Courtney James helped as the make-up artist and Auntie Christine was the nail lady. Each girl got to have a turn at the foot spa, having her hair and make-up done and choosing her favorite color for her nails. While they waited their turn they played princess bingo. We had a wonderful time! And I am very thankful for Mrs. Urban, Miss James and Auntie Christine for their help as could never have done all of the salon stations on my own. Here are some pictures to remember our fun spa day.

Acacia's invitations were lipstick tubes. I made the cake to match the invitations.All the pretty princesses - Kennedy Lycklama, Jenna Tyson, Acacia, Nicole Hartung, Isabel, Noelle Olsby, Kate Brown. Acacia's little friend Lindsey had to leave early but she joined Acacia for a princess picture before leaving.

Fun With Lilo!

2010-02-27T18:53:00.001-08:00

Recent trip to California Adventure!

Taking Me Back

2010-02-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

How many of you can remember wearing these 20 years ago (or more)?

Isabel and Acacia watching "Sharkboy and Lavagirl" in 3-D

The Fun Of Boys

2010-02-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

It is so much fun to watch our boys grow up together. God has blessed Heather and I with daughters that love each other and now with sons that love each other as well.

Isabel Is Growing Up

2010-02-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, the picture below is of Isabel going down the waterfall on Splash Mountain at Disneyland. We were shocked she wanted to go on it; even more shocked when she asked go on it a second time!

Fun at the Magic Kingdom

2010-02-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. And today as I write this the sky is gray and the ground is wet and it's a little cold outside. Not only is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas in my living room but it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas outside too (today, not sure about tomorrow but we'll take it when we can get it.). As is our custom, the day after Thanksgiving we began our festive preparations. We didn't actually finish them until the next day, Saturday, but then it's fun to spread it out. This year, with an extremely active 17 month old in our house we opted for a smaller tree that we could put up out of his reach. The kids actually really enjoyed it because as they decorated the tree they were able to decorate all the way to the top. When they were done we put it up on the table and have been able to enjoy its beauty without little hands always pulling everything off. In fact the first time Isabel came out of her room after resting and seeing the tree completed and up on the table she drew in her breath and said "Mom, it's so beautiful!" I love my childrens' easy ability to appreciate what is beautiful even if it's simple! As she looked at the tree she said "Mom, I'm so excited! We get to celebrate Jesus' birthday!" Again, an appreciation for what is simple and yet true. May she always keep the love of Jesus at Christmas!

One of our favorite family decorations are my Nutcrackers. I have collected nutcrackers since I was in high school. I love their festive, beautiful look and have enjoyed having them as a theme to my holiday decorating. Pulling the Nutcrackers out of their box and newspaper wrapping every year is a highlight. The girls, and this year James helped a little too, enjoy being handed one in it's newspaper and gently unwrapping it and seeing which one they got. Then we line them up on our hall tree and they fit perfectly, surrounded by beautiful lights.
We are now enjoying our Christmas home, spreading cheer throughout the house all the month of December. I hope your holiday decorating has been as fun and memorable as ours has been; and may your holidays be filled with celebrations of the coming of Jesus to save His people from their sins!
Merry Christmas!

Boys and Their Hats

2009-12-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

There is something about boys and hats that just go together. And as most men will tell you the attachment that men have with their hats never goes away.

Climbing part 2

2009-12-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

How could I possibly forget to add this little shot of my boy climbing up our slide?

For those of you unfamiliar with our backyard; we have a pretty steep hill out past our yard. The people before us built a playhouse on the hill with a slide that comes down to the yard. The kids have to climb a brick wall to get to the playhouse and they love being up there. When I discovered that Brenton could climb the slide he was banned from that portion of the backyard. Recently I tried putting a chair in front of the slide so that he could play out there with his big brother and sisters without being in any danger of falling off the slide. However, with the slide blocked he decided to give the brick wall a try and I found him up on the porch of the playhouse. So...once again, he is banned from that portion of the backyard for now, until he's older and safer or I can be outside with him. Some say that "necessity is the mother of invention", in Brenton's case it's "curiosity is the mother of invention". He will figure it out given enough time. Again, keeping me on my toes and I'm surprised that I haven't been to the doctor or urgent care more often with him.

Just like his Mom

2009-11-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

My Mom tells me that my fourth born is just like me in one specific way: he climbs on any and everything he can possibly get to before I can get to him. I can remember two pictures of me as a toddler which prove her point. In one I am standing on the first shelf inside the refrigerator and in the other one I have managed to climb on top of the table (or maybe it was a piano, mom you can correct me) "conducting" or singing to anyone available to listen. And with that I present to you the many ways which I have found my dear Brenton as he has become more mobile.

Helping me do the dishes.

One of his favorite places is on the top bunk in the girls' room. I really have to watch him there.

As you can see, he really likes climbing into the back of this truck and hangin' out.

Thanksgiving Fun With The Gardner Family

2009-11-27T17:14:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of spending Thanksgiving day with our good friends Danny, Hallie, Pearson and Zach Gardner, as well as Danny's mom Marilyn. We also got to meet some new friends Jeremy and Noel. The weather was nice, the food was good and the company was great.

Recent Trip to Great G-Ma's House

2009-11-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday the Worsley clan drove down to Heather's grandparents house to celebrate her 91st birthday. It was a great time of hanging out with her family and enjoying the wonderful temperatures of Palos Verdes.

James' New Favorite Toy

2009-11-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

As most of you know our daughters have always loved to play dress-up. Well, that addiction is spreading to other members of our family. Recently, James was given a $5 gift and he spent it on a cowboy hat. With his new hat and his recent halloween costume, James is now dressing-up almost every day.

Man he is cute!

Our Boys

2009-09-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

One of the blessings that Heather and I have enjoyed over the years is watching Isabel and Acacia develop into best friends. Our girls, for several years now, can hardly take doing anything apart from one another. They play dolls together, they read together, the play outside together, they get into their dress-up together... If one gets an invitation to a birthday party the other instantly assumes its for them as well. They can't fathom being apart.

Well, Heather and I are now watching the same thing develops between our boys. Brenton is now getting to the age that he wants to play more and more with his bigger brother. It is so heart warming to watch as James gets down on his knees to chase Brenton. He even takes into consideration that Brenton crawls much slower than he does so he waits for his younger brother. Our prayer is that these two boys will continue to grow up becoming the best of friends.

Pre-School Here I Come!

2009-09-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

James started pre-school today! It was with mixed emotions that I walked him down the street to his first day of school. He was very excited to start school and "sit on the rug, and hear stories, and play outside..." He finally got to carry his lunch box, with a lunch in it mind you, and walk to "his" school not Acacia's and not "Tinkerbell's" as he lovingly calls his oldest sister. He's become such a big boy just in the last month and I am excited to see all he will learn. And yet, Brenton chose to take an exceptionally long nap this morning and the house was strangely quiet. I don't know if I will be able to get used to having three kids in school 2 days a week. As my grandma told me many times a few weeks ago "enjoy them while they're young because they grow up way too fast". You're right Grandma, every moment with my precious little ones is a blessing. And now I get a new blessing: a few precious quiet moments with just Brenton. That will be fun too.

James and his teacher, Miss Sherri.

James is Three

2009-08-29T08:36:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago are oldest son turned three years old. It's hard to believe that he has grown up so fast. So many memories come flooding back to mind as I sit and think on this little guy. We had such a rough start as he cried for the first 6 months of his life. For some reason he started crying at 3 weeks old and didn't stop for months. He would cry for hours and hours and hours. We thought it would never end. And yet, it did indeed end. It didn't take long for James to start showing that he was a kid with a big heart. He went from crying all the time to loving all the time. If you have ever been around him you know what I am talking about. His favorite thing to do is give people hugs. He especially loves to give hugs to his mommy, his sisters, his grandmas, and his Sunday School teachers (Mrs. Mailander most of all). We are very thankful for this little guy and can't wait to see how God uses James' loving heart.

Summer Fun Part 2

2009-07-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

The second free day activity we planned was an outing to the Griffith Observatory. Again, Jason and I had gone once before in the evening on our own and I wanted to give the kids an opportunity to experience it. Isabel had learned a little about what a planetarium was from one of her favorite books Fancy Nancy Sees Stars and I knew they'd enjoy learning about the planets through the hands on exhibits at the observatory.
The girls loved walking through the planet room where there is a scale of the solar system. They were able to learn a little about each planet and see what they'd weigh on each one. I think on half of the planets my kids wouldn't even exist, they weighed about 1/2 pound. The girls were also able to attend the planetarium with Jason. Unfortunately, children under 5 were not permitted so I walked around with the boys while the girls and Jason watched the show. This was a great teaching opportunity for Jason too, to discuss with the girls the truth of the creation of the universe as opposed to what modern science might say.

The kids "orbiting" the sun. Out in front of the Observatory they have a solar system on the ground showing the orbits of all the planets. The outer planets orbits go almost all the way to the parking lot. Here Isabel and Acacia are following Earth's orbit and James is walking on Venus.

The balcony allows for a view of the famous "Hollywood" sign.

Isabel and Acacia examining a miniature of Jupiter.

Isabel and Acacia getting a lesson on the universe from Albert Einstein.

Brenton was happiest getting out of the stroller to crawl around at lunch time.

Summer Fun

2009-07-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Jason had been scheduled to teach summer school this summer. We found out two days before school was to start that his district decided to cancel summer school due to the education budget issues in the state. We greeted this news with excitement, knowing that God would provide all we needed and that included time for Jason to be home with the family for the summer. With a whole summer ahead of us I sat down and considered activities that I would like for us to get to do together this summer and places I'd like to take the kids (that didn't necessarily cost money to get in). I put together a calendar with activities placed throughout giving us some days out and some days at home. The following is a summary of our first family excursion.
A few months ago Jason and I went out for a date night to a restaurant down in Glendale in an open air mall called the Americana. At that time I knew I wanted to come back with the kids some time. It's a beautiful open air mall that has a fountain programmed to music and a trolly. So, on July 2nd we packed up a lunch and headed down to Glendale. We ate at one of the many tables outside next to the fountain and got to watch it perform to a Frank Sinatra song.

The girls watching the fountain dance to the music. It was really fun little show.

The Americana is across the street from the Glendale Galleria. We walked over there after playing at the fountain for a little while. Jamesy loves the Lego store and enjoys the boy dress-up that can be found there. Here is my little Knight, Sir Smilesalot!

Friends Enjoying One Another

2009-07-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

Recently we spent some time with our dear friends the Gardner's. Our kids had a great time swimming with Pearson and Zach.

Meet Fiona Bergin

2009-07-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

At the recent Moore Family Reunion (Heather's side of the family) our girls spent a good amount of time with their 2nd cousin Fiona Bergin. Her parents are Mark and Acacia Bergin (Acacia is Heather's cousin and our Acacia's namesake.) Fiona is a darling little girl that we got to take home with us on Friday night for a "cousins" sleepover.

Fiona feeding the rabbits at the cutest little petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano.

The girls eating their lunch outside, under a tree, just before Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Moore's 70th Wedding Anniversary.

He's Just So Cute!

2009-06-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

ji'ijl

My Two Babes

2009-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Obviously Heather is my babe in one sense and Brenton is my babe in another. This picture was taken at the zoo, just before the bird show.

Tide Pools in Dana Point

2009-06-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

This past week we were in Dana Point for a Moore family reunion (Heather's side of the family). Wednesday afternoon the family went out to the tide pools close the hotel. Unfortunately, the tide was still in and no creatures were to be found. Good pictures of the family were found though.

Heather and the kids walking down the stairs to the beach. Unfortunately, the tide was still too far in for us to find anything in the pools.

The girls had a fun time walking along the rocks to the tide pools.

Oh wait! We did find something in the rocks. We found Brenton.

Future Photographers

2009-06-22T11:05:00.001-07:00

Heather purchased two digital cameras for our duaghters. They weren't expensive, they're not that nice and they take horrible pictures. But, it gives Isabel and Acacia the experience of taking pictures and learning how do to it properly (ie. not putting their finger in front of the lense).

(Acacia took this picture)

(Isabel took this picture)

Acacia and Amalia

2009-06-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

We are so thankful that the cousins get along very well, especially Acacia and Amalia.

Just For Fun

2009-06-22T10:54:00.001-07:00

You might be able to tell that Acacia loves having her picture taken.

Brenton Having Fun

2009-06-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Lately Brenton has shown a propensity for having a bit more fun. He still cries a lot, but he does seem like he is enjoying life a bit more.

Zoo With The Best Family

2009-06-20T07:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we were able to use our Los Angeles Zoo membership and many of our guest passes to spend the day with the Best family at the zoo. Surprisingly, they have never been to our great zoo. We had a good time at the Bird Show, looking at animals and surviving the heat.

Acacia's Promotion

2009-06-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right, Acacia promoted out of preschool and into kindergarten last night. She is very excited to start kindergarten in the fall.

Before and After Part 2

2009-06-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

The pictures of Acacia below are her 1st day of preschool this year and her last day of preschool. Can you see a difference?

Oh! There You Are.

2009-06-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Before and After Part 1

2009-06-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Isabel on the first day of school for 1st grade compared to Isabel on the last day of first grade (today).

Acacia Says "Hi" To Everyone

2009-06-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Jamesy's First Taste of Mickey

2009-06-06T17:45:00.001-07:00

James had his first Mickey ice cream at Disneland recently.

I guess he liked it.

So, Brenton Was A Bit Tired

2009-06-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

Swimming at Uncle Billy's

2009-06-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went swimming at my Uncle Billy's house for the first time this season. Uncle Billy and Aunt Karen have a wonderful pool and are very generous in allowing us/inviting us over to enjoy it.

Brenton wasn't so sure about all this water stuff!

Heather and the Kids

2009-05-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Part III

2009-05-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, the girls' favorite place at Disneyland is Fantasy Land.

What other kids ride on earth starts off by going through a very scary looking whales mouth.

The line at It's A Small World was a bit out of control.

I'm trying to remember what time we were in line at It's A Small World? Alas, It's not coming to me.

Dumbo is always a big hit with our kids. Timothy looks great at the top looking down on all of us.

It has become our tradition to eat lunch at the Hungry Bear Cafe. It's amazingly beautiful to watch the Mark Twain sail by as we eat.

Isabel's favorite new ride is Pirates!

Disneyland Part II

2009-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

It has become our tradition to get our family photo with Mr. Disney in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle

James didn't start the day well. He was scared about everything, including this harmless tea cup.

Isabel got a pretty new set of Minnie Mouse Ears

Both girls looking in great anticipation of riding It's A Small World.

Just To Wet Your Appetite

2009-05-23T15:32:00.001-07:00

This is just one of many pictures from our recent trip to Disneyland that I will, by God's grace, post over the next few days. It's going to take a little while to pour through our 300 pictures.

Mother's Day In Ventura

2009-05-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Heather wanted to spend the afternoon in Ventura for Mother's Day. Although the weather was a bit cool we still enjoyed the time. Isabel, Acacia, James and Brenton all agree that they have the best mother God has ever created.

Jamesy's Photo Shoot

2009-05-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Last week at the beach Heather and the girls went out to the water while Jamesy, Brenton and I walked about the harbor. I had a blast taking pictures of Jamesy. However, sometimes he didn't feel like cooperating.

Isabel's Mother's Day Bouquet

2009-05-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Isabel made this nice bouquet for Heather for Mother's Day.

Welcome To Our Home

2009-05-16T11:46:00.001-07:00

I was watering the plants this morning and I found a guest in our bushes.

Isabel Turns 7!

2009-05-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

Isabel turns 7 today. Heather and I are so thankful for her. As a bit of review: Isabel's 6th year of life has been one of tremendous growth. She has learned so much this past year that Heather and I are amazed and what God is doing in our little girl.

Isabel and her friends sharing some birthday ice cream sandwiches at school.

I Know I Have Said It Before, But...

2009-05-13T17:56:00.001-07:00

Heather is the most beautiful woman God has ever created.

By the way, Isabel took this picture.

Nothin Like Ice Cream

2009-05-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

We have three different kids, who are at the age of Ice Cream accountability, who all love ice cream, but love very different flavors.

Jamesy Havin' Fun

2009-05-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

When James was born we didn't think he would ever have fun. He cried for the first six months of his life. Now, he is an entirely different kid. He has more fun than any other kid I know.

I Love Watching My Kids Play

2009-05-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

Heather and I are blessed to have kids who love each other. Isabel and Acacia are the best of friends and the first thing James wants to do when he wakes up in the morning is to see his sisters. God has blessed us indeed.

The Travails of Having Long Hair

2009-05-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Acacia loves having long hair, until it is time to brush it. Here she shows us all the joy she has in her heart while mommy works out all the tangles.

Walker Extraordinaire

2009-05-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was a fund raiser at Isabel's school. They decided to incorporate their p.e. department and have a walk-a-thon. Now, I echo Jason's post of a few days ago in wondering about the fun found in running. But Isabel anticipated participating. She is a very good runner and truly enjoys this activity. Parents were told when the kids would be walking according to grade level and were invited to come and cheer on their kids. So Acacia, James, Brenton and I went and did just that. We had a nice time cheering for Isabel every time she came around the bend, however, James was quite frightened of the school mascot, The Mitchell Eagle. These pictures were all taken one handed as I held onto James while he clung to me for dear life. (I think we'll skip meeting any characters when we go to Disneyland in a few weeks.) Thanks to you who supported Isabel as she did her walk(run)-a-thon. Acacia can't wait to do it next year. By the way, Isabel brought home her lap card today informing us that she completed 16 laps. Way to go Isabel!!

One of Isabel's teachers, Mrs. Goossens, joining her class in the walk-a-thon.

Cheering Isabel on! Acacia is Isabel's greatest fan!

Look What I'm Doing!

2009-05-03T18:47:00.001-07:00

Running = Fun! ?

2009-04-30T17:12:00.001-07:00

I can't imagine a more painful and "unfun" activity than running. But, my girls think it's the greatest thing ever.

Just Hangin'

2009-04-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Brenton and Keagan hangin' at the park recently. Both are properly representin' UCLA pride.

Something's Moving In Our Pantry

2009-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

The other day I heard a rumbling in my pantry. Frightening emotions flooded my mind as I thought about what type of terrible beast would be rummaging through our plates, cups and Tupperware lids. The banging and clashing became louder and louder. I started to hear moaning and groaning...

And then....

Sweet Relief

I Can't Believe He's Only Two

2009-04-26T16:31:00.001-07:00

Gotta Love Him!

New Car

2009-04-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Heather and I just traded our Honda Odyssey in for this:

What Brenton Is Thinking

2009-04-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what Brenton was thinking after he ate his dinner?

Fun Times at the Beach

2009-04-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Recently we were able to spend an afternoon in Ventura; enjoying the cool weather, the sun and the surf.

Coolest Baby In Town

2009-04-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

'nough said

A Few More Pictures From The Zoo

2009-04-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

Our kids had so much fun on a recent trip to the zoo. Our kids have a special love for animals. They enjoy, even though they have been to the zoo many times, looking at all the animals. Their favorites are the animals they recognize from the movies they have seen.

I love my Auntie!

2009-04-19T11:14:00.001-07:00

Brenton and I recently took a little trip up to visit Heidi and her family. He loved watching the big kids play and they loved playing with him. But he loved his Auntie too and I had to include this very sweet albeit somewhat fuzzy picture of Brenton adoring his Auntie Heidi.

Brenton sends his love!

Recent Trip To The Zoo Part I

2009-04-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of my job is Spring Break. There is nothing like having time off from work to hang out with the wife and kids. This year our school board blessed us with two weeks off. The first week Heather went to visit her sister Heidi and her family. The second week was spent hanging around the house doing chores, taking naps, watching movies and reading. One break from this routine was our trip to the Los Angeles Zoo. It was a beautiful day to go. The temperature was perfect for the animals to be out and about and for us to walk through the zoo without passing out from heat exhaustion

James was very exited about visiting the animals

The kids enjoyed the Dinosaur Display

This particular Meercat enjoyed having his picture taken

Everyone enjoys Flamingos, until the wind shifts!

It seemed as if these Birds of Paradise were lifting their heads up high singing praise to God!

There's nothing like a picture of our beautiful Acacia

Greatest Woman God Every Created!

2009-04-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Some of you have often wondered who the greatest woman God ever created. Some would say Joan of Arc, other would say Mother Theresa, and some current people would shout loudly Hillary Clinton. I have news for all of you. I have found the answer. I actually discovered the answer some 9 years ago. The greatest woman God every created - Heather Worsley, my wife!

Shots From Our Easter Celebration

2009-04-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

After an wonderful few hours at church on Sunday, by the way if you are looking for a wonderful sermon that explains the essence of the Gospel check out his sermon titled "Victory", we had our Bible Study over for lunch and dinner. Here are some highlights.

Easter Morning

2009-04-13T00:01:00.001-07:00

Easter morning is always a bit frantic. No matter what time we get up, we always seem to be in a hurry. We were able to accomplish eating breakfast, reading our Resurrection Egg, that was empty representing the empty tomb, and opening Easter baskets before getting ready for church.

Easter Preparations Continued

2009-04-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

I gladly admit that all I did was take pictures. My amazing wife did all of the baking and designing for our Resurrection Day party.

Preparation For Easter errr Resurrection Sunday!

2009-04-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we had a lot of fun getting ready to celebrate our Lord's resurrection! We plan to have our Bible Study and Family over for lunch and dinner on Sunday. Preparation included getting treats ready for the kids and coloring eggs.

Holiness

2009-04-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

The following quote is from the introduction of J.C. Ryle's book titled Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, & Roots. (By the way, the older authors really knew how to title a book.) May this be the start of a revival in my own heart to holiness and to your as well.

“I have had a deep conviction for many years that practical holiness and entire self-consecrations to God are not sufficiently attended to by modern Christians in this country (England). Politics, or controversy, or party spirit, or worldliness have eaten out the heart of lively piety in too many of us. The subject of personal godliness has fallen sadly into the background. The standard of living has become painfully low in many quarters. The immense importance of ‘adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour (Titus 2:10), and making it lovely and beautiful by our daily habits and tempers, has been far too much overlooked. Worldly people sometimes complain with reason that ‘religious’ persons, so-called, are not so amiable, and unselfish, and good-natured, as others who make no profession of religion. Yet sanctification, in its place and proportion, is quite as important as justification. Sound Protestant and evangelical doctrine is useless if it is not accompanied by a holy life. It is worse than useless; it does positive harm. It is despised by keen-sighted and shrewd men of the world, as an unreal and hollow thing, and brings religion into contempt. It is my firm impression that we want a thorough revival about scriptural holiness...” (Ryle, J.C. Holiness 2001 pg. XVI-XVII)

Future All Star

2009-04-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Recently our family joined the Gardner's and the Lycklama's at a local park to enjoy the sunshine, eat some lunch and play some baseball. This was James' first time on a baseball diamond and he had a blast. He doesn't know all the fundamentals yet. But one fundamental he does have down is to have fun!

Grandma Sherry

2009-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Our kids love seeing Grandma Sherry. We were so thankful she came out from Illinois for a few weeks. We can't wait until she visits again.

Worldliness

2009-04-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Recently I was reading through a book edited by C.J. Mahaney titled Worldliness. This quote jumped out at me. I pray that it convicts you as it did me.

“Are the lines between Christian and worldly conduct blurry in your mind – and more importantly, in your life? To put it another way, is your lifestyle obviously different from that of the non-Christian? Imagine I take a blind test in which my task is to identify the genuine follower of Jesus Christ. My choices are an unregenerate individual and you. I’m given two reports detailing conversations, Internet activity, manner of dress, iPod playlists, television habits, hobbies, leisure time, financial transactions, thoughts, passions, and dreams. The question is: Would I be able to tell you apart? Would I discern a difference between you and your unconverted neighbor, coworker, classmate, or friend?” (Mahaney, C.J. Worldliness 2008 pg. 23, 24)

My Dancing Queen

2009-04-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love Isabel for many reasons. One of them is her "mad dancing skills." She and I had the pleasure of attending Mitchell Elementary School's First Father/Daughter dance. We had a blast. She loved dancing and loved me dancing with her, even though I am a terrible dancer. The two and a half hour dance was filled with organized dancing games and a little bit of free dance time. Most father/daughter couples didn't dance together much. But my Isabel wanted to "break it down" with her dad as much as she could. This morning she told me that she wanted to go to another dance with me this Friday night. I'll have to see if there is one planned!

Our Horticulturist!

2009-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Our Wonderful Kids

2009-03-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

Evolution? Whatever!

2009-03-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Many parts of creation point to evolution being a bunch of junk. This flower is one of them. I can't imagine how this happened by chance. Such a beautiful flower can only point to a beautiful creator.

Picture taken in the parking lot of my school.

My Grandpa Jerry

2009-03-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

As many of you know my Grandpa is dying. He has advanced stages of cancer and a aneurysm on his aorta. My grandpa means a lot to me. Many of my favorite memories from my growing up years involve him. I love and will miss him greatly.

My family and my sister's family have been able to spend a good amount of time lately with him. Below are two of my favorite pictures of recent trips to his house. The first one is of James with Grandpa Jerry and the second one is of cousin Cooper and Grandpa Jerry.

Jason

Whose View Really Matters? (Reflections on space particles)

2009-02-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

Last week, while sitting in the urgent care waiting room (for reasons that wound up not being all that urgent and would be too tedious to recite here)I overheard an episode of "The View". While I sat there with three of my four children my attention was drawn to the opinions being espoused by Whoopie Goldberg. She commented on how she couldn't see how any religion that stated that their way was the only way could be right. How dare anyone say there was only one way to God! Following her statements about what she believed about religion the studio audience erupted in applause at her great "wisdom". It occurred to me at that moment the enormity of one's self-importance. Here were a group of ladies sitting around a table with their cups of coffee, discussing their opinions on every topic under the sun. And as they did this in front of both a studio audience and thousands of TV viewers, their opinions suddenly took on a greater importance to both them and their listeners. Now it matters what Whoopie Goldberg believes about religion and she, along with other hosts of such programs, has now placed herself in a position of her opinion dictating what is true. In the end her "view" of what makes religion right will not matter at all. The only view that matters is God's. What prideful people we are to think that simply because we can't understand something or don't agree with it, it couldn't possibly be true. Because of this mindset we invent a truth that we can understand and is pleasant to believe. But will that change what is true? No, just because people express their opinions passionately and other people listen does not changes God's truth - that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God but the free gift of salvation is found (only) in His Son. (Rom. 3:23 and 6:23).

On the heels of this encounter with "The View" Jason and I spent an evening at the Griffith Observatory. Here we discovered, not for the first time, views of seemingly intelligent people on the formation of our universe. It was espoused all through this beautiful museum how 13 billion years ago our amazing world was formed through the "Big Bang". Forgetting that it is called the "Big Bang Theory" it was written on walls and stated in videos as fact. Such a view, that takes God our of the picture and does not give Him the glory and praise He so richly deserves for His creation, is both maddening and saddening. Think of Romans 1, verse 20 - for since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. And then in verses 22-23 it says professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image...
As Jason and I peered through the giant telescope on the roof to view a cluster of four stars just below Orion's belt, and saw photographs taken of the sun and read the facts about the planets and the history of astronomy we were filled with awe at our great God! We marveled at His creative genius and beauty. We thanked Him for Earth, the perfect planet for habitation, because He made it so.

Is it the view of the scientists that matters because they are educated and talk with such certainty about how they believe the universe was created? What then? If some did not believe their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar... Rom. 3:3-4

God IS true regardless of the views of fallen mankind. Praise Him for being so! I choose to believe His truth. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth - words that seemed all the more beautiful to me as I re-read Genesis 1 today, because of the greatness of their truth. No matter what man tries to do to make God fit his personal view of how he thinks He should be, or remove Him altogether, it does not change that His if found true. And, all will acknowledge that some day. Praise Him!

*Incidentally, I encourage all to go the the Griffith Observatory! Regardless of the views of man portrayed one cannot escape the beauty and greatness of God at a place where His creation is on such wonderful display! And thank you to Jason Hartung for leading us last week at Bible study in "God of Wonders" and "Indescribable"! Those thoughts were on my heart and I appreciated those songs!

Sad Realization

2009-02-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

I'm in a class right now that I don't have to teach, I only have to supervise them. It is my yearbook class and it is supposed to be student led and run. It is their job to put together our school yearbook with my supervision. I just caught myself sitting at my desk looking out over the class. This is what I saw: 1. several students working hard on the computers to put together their yearbook pages, 2. A couple of kids doing some homework while they wait for a free computer, 3. A good number of them sitting around socializing and hanging out because their pages are done, 4. Most of these students know nothing of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for our sins. This is not the saddest thing that I see. The saddest part of what is before my eyes is that I know the best news these kids can ever hear and the law says that I am not allowed to share it with them.

"This guy is smarter than me!"

2009-02-21T08:08:00.001-08:00

So I was at this party last night and this guy kept announcing to everyone that I was smarter than him! It got to be very embarassing. His name was Albert Esomething. I cant' remember his last name!

Sweet Isabel

2009-02-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

While standing at the bathroom counter this afternoon and doing our nails Isabel said the following: "Acacia, I like you the best." She's such a sweetie.

4x4

2009-02-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my good friend, Mary, to post the fourth picture from my fourth folder in my picture file. It just so happens that my fourth folder is all of Brenton when he was first born. This picture was taken by Emily Lycklama when Brenton was a mere 5 days old. It's one of my favorites and honestly shows a little of his personality as he has one eye open. Heaven forbid that he should miss out on anything that might be going on while he naps, thus one eye open so as to catch anything important. Thanks Emily for the beautiful pictures of my beautiful boy. Now I'm tagging Mom, Dena, Heidi and Acacia. Let's see your fourth pictures from your fourth folders. I can't wait to see what you all have.