posted by Mommy H.
From Samuel Rutherford's The Loveliness of Christ :
" It is impossible to be submissive and religiously patient if ye stay your thoughts down among the confused rollings and wheels of second causes, as O the place! O the time! O if this had been, this had not followed! O the linking of this accident with this time and place!
Look up to the master motion and the first wheel."
And from Jim Elliot :
Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Readings and Musings
posted by Mommy H.
I came across this quote by William Wilberforce in Real Christianity :
"Measure your progress by your experience of the love of God and its exercise before men...
In contrast, servile, base, and mercenary is the notion of Christian practice among the bulk of nominal Christians. They give no more than they dare withhold. They abstain from nothing but what they dare not practice. When you state to them the doubtful quality of any action, and the consequent obligation to refrain from it, they reply to you in the very spirit of Shylock, "they cannot find it in the bond."
In short, they know Christianity only as a system of restraints. It is robbed of every liberal and generous principle. It is rendered almost unfit for the social relationships of life, and only suited to the gloomy walls of a cloister, in which they would confine it.
But true Christians consider themselves as not satisfying some rigorous creditor, but as discharging a debt of gratitude. Accordingly, theirs is not the stinted return of a constrained obedience, but the large and liberal measure of voluntary service."
A debt of gratitude... and I have so much for which to be thankful. Should not the love which He freely bestowed on me flow out in cataracts of loving service to his saints, from Him, to Him and for Him?
Where is your heart?
I came across this quote by William Wilberforce in Real Christianity :
"Measure your progress by your experience of the love of God and its exercise before men...
In contrast, servile, base, and mercenary is the notion of Christian practice among the bulk of nominal Christians. They give no more than they dare withhold. They abstain from nothing but what they dare not practice. When you state to them the doubtful quality of any action, and the consequent obligation to refrain from it, they reply to you in the very spirit of Shylock, "they cannot find it in the bond."
In short, they know Christianity only as a system of restraints. It is robbed of every liberal and generous principle. It is rendered almost unfit for the social relationships of life, and only suited to the gloomy walls of a cloister, in which they would confine it.
But true Christians consider themselves as not satisfying some rigorous creditor, but as discharging a debt of gratitude. Accordingly, theirs is not the stinted return of a constrained obedience, but the large and liberal measure of voluntary service."
A debt of gratitude... and I have so much for which to be thankful. Should not the love which He freely bestowed on me flow out in cataracts of loving service to his saints, from Him, to Him and for Him?
Where is your heart?
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Benaiah is 5!
Posted by Gabrielle
Can you believe I'm several weeks late in blogging about Benaiah's birthday?! I can. :)
Can you believe I'm several weeks late in blogging about Benaiah's birthday?! I can. :)
In July, Benaiah turned 5! I clearly remember when he was born, and now he's 5! :)
Funny boy! He's definitely a family ham!
Gotta love those cheeks when little ones blow out candles!
Benaiah's dessert of choice - ice cream sandwiches
Happy Birthday, Benaiah! I pray you will grow up to be a mighty warrior in God's Kingdom!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Pepe's Birthday Party
Posted by Gabrielle
We had the privilege a couple weeks ago to celebrate Pepe's 87th birthday! The evening before, we all went out to our local Chinese buffet for a delicious dinner!
I found this interesting sticker on the dessert buffet trays and of course had to take a picture. After asking around, it turns out that what is meant by potentially hazardous foods include meat, dairy, and eggs, and more, which can go bad easily.
The next evening, we celebrated Pepe's birthday again with dessert at our home. Of course, we couldn't leave out the traditional tart (in this case, cheesecake!) with a candle
Since Pepe likes lemon, we tried to make most of the dessert lemon-flavored.
We had the privilege a couple weeks ago to celebrate Pepe's 87th birthday! The evening before, we all went out to our local Chinese buffet for a delicious dinner!
Since Pepe likes lemon, we tried to make most of the dessert lemon-flavored.
Lemon wafers
Lemon-flavored wafer rolls
A long-time family favorite - butter wafers
No, we didn't eat these! :) They were just table decorations
Lemon cheesecake squares
Happy Birthday, Pepe! We look forward to many more years celebrating with you!
Morning at the Park
Posted by Gabrielle
During a recent visit to a friend's house, we took some time out in the morning to visit the park while she and Mommy talked. It was a lovely morning - perfect for all sorts of fun! I'll let the pictures speak here. :)
We found a long piece of rope, which naturally suggested a game of jump rope. Elliot caught Christie in mid-jump - good job Elliot!
This reminded me of Spiderman! Elliot was on top of the slide and I took this picture looking down the slide the way you'd go down with the sun coming through the top
I can't believe I got the chance to catch this picture! Psst...don't tell anyone...yours truly tried one of these too. :)
During a recent visit to a friend's house, we took some time out in the morning to visit the park while she and Mommy talked. It was a lovely morning - perfect for all sorts of fun! I'll let the pictures speak here. :)
Sitting in wait for the next hapless victim to come down the slide unawares
Smile!
Pictures with the dragon
My lovely sister Christianna
Hard at work
Another little 'worker-man'
More pictures with the dragon!
In the fortress
Someone's having fun!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Weekend with the Family - Part 3
Posted by Gabrielle
The final climax of our weekend with the family in June was a Saturday evening outdoor celebration with friends for Pepe and Meme's 60th anniversary.
The beautiful wedding cake some dear friends made. Thank you, Valenti family! This cake was absolutely delicious, with each layer being a different layer - the top was coffee, the middle coconut, and the bottom lemon.
Our neighbor across the street kindly lent us his RV shelter to hold the party under, and lots of chairs. It was a 100+ degree afternoon that Saturday, so we took lots of breaks in the course of setting up.
Jedidiah and Tobias had the privilege of manning the drinks table, which included keeping the pitchers of fruit punch and water filled, with of course a frequent break for a cold drink themselves!
While decorating the shelter earlier in the afternoon, we realized we needed a welcome mat. My doormat from the basement fit the bill! :)
And of course, a Kaufman/Hellwig family picture was in order! Thank you Claytons for the pictures!
The final climax of our weekend with the family in June was a Saturday evening outdoor celebration with friends for Pepe and Meme's 60th anniversary.
Benaiah - one happy little boy!
Friends...
Friends...
Tonton Michael and Tata Becky looking through the photo album we put together
Cutting the cake...
And more friends!
We had a wonderful turnout, with about 50-60 good friends of theirs, with lots of food and fellowship. Of course, there was a circle of men!
It was such a blessing being able to celebrate my grandparent's 60 years of marriage which is so rare these days. Happy Anniversary, Pepe and Meme!
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