God's Family

Sisters in the Lord

Here we are sisters in the Lord

Coming together in one accord

Singing and shouting together in praise

For our Redeemer our voices we raise

A family we are through God’s great love

How precious how pure a love from above

We bow and we worship before our King

We laugh and we cry but still we sing

Jesus our Saviour we will not deny

Coming together to testify

Of all the things which God has done

He made us anew through Jesus His Son

How precious how sweet sisters we are here

How great and wonderful a gift so dear

Singing and praising not one without the other

How grateful we are for our Heavenly Father!

Where to Turn?

I wanted to share some “thinkings” I had through the night. I was up with kati-Lyn pretty much the whole night because her mouth is full of blisters and she was in a lot of pain. It seems with her in the last year it just goes from one thing to another.
As I was trying to soothe her no matter what I did, it all didn‘t help. I got thinking how even though there isn’t anything I can do, I could never just leave her there crying and go to bed. As a mom we have that compassion for our kids! I have watched our kids suffer quite a lot I would say. The most severe being our 2 boys that passed away, through their time of breathing difficulty. David would turn completely blue and then suddenly take that breath again. Aj was never able to eat at all and was too weak to move. In both cases there wasn’t anything we could do to help, but we could never leave there side! Emily had cast on both her legs all the way to her hips for the first few months of her life and I remember those painful times well. Her legs had been bent to a position she wasn’t born with, before the cast were put on. Then there are all the ear infections and teething. I am not saying all this to complain and I will get to my point here. We as parents can not ignore the suffering of our children, no matter how big or how small. When they hurt we hurt. We always want what is best for them.
So then, how does our Heavenly Father feel through our times of hurt. There are pains we will go through in this life because we do live in a world that has been touched by the devil. Often the suffering here is because of what man has done. Like children suffering because of wars, abuse of little ones and rape, the 9/11, was that not the devils work? Shootings in schools and the list goes on. These are all things that get everyones attention. This is when people start asking, if there is a God why does He allow these things to happen? A good God would prevent this. Isn’t it funny how the world wants to push God out of the way. The world wants to live without any morals, and be free to do whatever makes them feel good for the moment. Rather that be hurting others and God along the way or not. The world does not have time for our creator. Our countries want things like abortion and gay marriages to be legal but then when awful things happen people will say “where is God in this?”
God had the best for us. Even in a fallen world we can live for Him and raise families the way He intended. However, he did not make us as puppets who are forced to do exactly as He says! We are free to choose His will or continue along the road of destruction. If we look around us we can clearly see there is much hatred and sin in this world. But if we look to God, He has a much better way for us and He will guard His angels over us. No as long as we live here we will not get away from the suffering , sickness and pains that has come into this world. If we look to Jesus as our Lord and Savior though, He will walk us through it and eventually take us to a special place he is preparing for us right now! Praise be to God for He is good and will help us get through what the devil destroyed. He does not walk away and ignore our pains! And he is able to fix our messes but he only will when we surrender to His will. He offers His help to each individual, every family, every body of believers, every country and yes the whole world but sadly its been rejected far and wide!

Bible Passages:

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way (Isaiah Ch 53 verse 6).

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians Ch 2 verse 14).

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Roman Ch 5 verse 12).

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. (Romans Ch 8 verses 6 & 7)

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.....believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John Ch 3 verses 18 & 36

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew Ch 10 verse 28)

In Our Storms

Sometimes life is like being on a rocky boat in a big storm. Here is an example of that.

Matthew 8:23-27

23And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Jesus could have prevented the storm from ever coming, but He didn't . He allowed the storm to come and and it showed His disciples their need for Him.

Our rocky boats show our need for Jesus as well. Often we only call out to Him when He is the only one who can help us.

It is also a time of testing to see if we will really trust Him. Can we depend on Him even when we do not understand what He is doing?

This came to me today because, it seems like we are in the middle of a storm. God is showing me to trust Him alone in these times, to rely on Him alone above all else or anyone else. So often I relied on people instead of going straight to my savior. Though He calls us to encourage one another and weep together and laugh together, and these things are wonderful; only He is always there, always faithful, always trustworthy. Noone should come above Him. He is my best friend.

He had to take me through some aches to engrave that on my heart. I must say it is a relief to not have expectations from people anymore. (that was always very selfish of me)

I am so blessed in my relationship with Jesus. With Him being such a good friend, I also want to be a good friend to Him. ( we love Him because He first loved us) It's not all about me, it's about Him....

Romans 12
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In saying these things, I know I will also be tested in them yet again!

Learning from families

I was at church this evening to learn from another christian family, as they share their gift in music and also share from their experiences in walking with God, marriage and raising children. This is their website if you are interested in seeing who they are and their resources. http://www.titus2.com/blog/ . I plan to go back tomorrow for a few of the studies yet.

A few weeks back we also had the Wissmann family come as well. I think we can learn a lot from big families, and they are a real blessing. Here is also the Wissmann's site. http://wissmanns.blogspot.com/ .

Here are a few verses that I think are very important to remember:

Matthew 18

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Jesus Warns of Offenses

6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Some, I know are not able to have their own children, but I believe even if that is so, they too have children in their lives who need them.

Being a Blessing to Others

Earlier today, I was in the middle of making buns and talking to God at the same time. I started to feel so inspired to write, that I just dropped the buns for a bit and started writing in my journal. Sometimes it’s like God is talking so fast that I can hardly keep up. I’m sure he never talks to us too fast but it can feel like it at times. I want to take it all in and write things down too, but so often don’t get around to it.
One of the things I have seen lately is how God’s will for me or purpose for the day might sometimes be so different from my own desires.
One of my own desires and also something God has blessed me with often is close friends. Most of us (especially us woman) like to have friends that we can talk to about almost anything and friends who will come to us when they need an ear or a hug. Those things I think are good and I am glad God brings us friends. However, even though I think this is an added blessing to our lives, it’s not God’s will for us to become depended on such things, and it is also not our main purpose in life to go find that friend or group of friends.
I think we need to be ready and willing to show ALL people God’s love. To be a good neighbour and a helping hand to whosoever will need it each day. The more I see that the more my days just become about serving God .

Saved By Grace

All of us are born sinful. People might do good things but we are not born good....because to be good would mean to be perfect, never breaking God's commands, always doing God's will. So first we have to acknowledge that we have all sinned. Then we can cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness and repentance. God has paid the price of sin through Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. If we believe in Jesus, confess our sins and turn from it, He will forgive us.The bible says to seek God and search for Him with your whole heart. If we do this and ask Him to fill us with the holy Spirit, He will and that gives us a new life. This is what it means to be born again. There is no other gift as great as the gift of the holy Spirit! We then will want the things of God. We will love God and He will become the most important thing.This does not mean now you will be perfect. This just means that God will teach you and show you day by day what he wants or does not want you to do. It will not make life easy, and there will still be temptations and mistakes. So we just have to continually pray and ask for His guidance.When a baby is born they need time to grow and learn . It does not happen all at once. The same thing when we are born again, we will grow each day, and become more like Jesus. God will show us bit by bit. Only God is able to do all this in our lives. .It is not the things we do that make us Christian, it is faith. We can not make ourselves Christians no matter how hard we try. By faith though he will bring us to Himself and we will want to live the way God wants us to and the things we are doing will often show that we are Christians. God will make us a light in the dark because of what he has done in our lives.

Salvation Verses

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
—Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
—Romans 6:23


But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
—John 1:12
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
—John 3:16-17

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
—Ephesians 2:8-9

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
—Romans 10:9-13


Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
—1 Peter 1:8-9

Fast Growing Weeds

A negative thought is like a fast growing vine or more like an ugly weed. It very quickly spreads into many areas, and this is what I have done these last few weeks. It started with me feeling like I couldn’t keep up with everything that was going on. Felt like there was just too much to take care of. I could go into all the details and come up with a bunch of reasons why I felt like this, but I’m not going to do that, because the fact is God’s grace is always sufficient and somewhere in there, this was my own fault, and God had a better way for me then what I was taking. With negative thinking, it’s funny what it can do… A little self pity and suddenly you have a huge unwanted weed!
So I’m thinking, this is all too much, then I start thinking it’s not fair! Oh, AND then wait a minute…My husband should do this and that and the this and maybe this…..(oh,I could give him a long to do list ) Do you see how this could grow into bitterness towards him and well anyone else who isn’t doing things according to MY list. I know! As I’m writing, I’m thinking what kind of a woman would be like that…Oh ya me. Well, this weed started to go into other areas as well. I started to think well it’s not like anyone else cares either. The only reason people talk to me is because, I always make the start. You see how one thing led to another? I think I was beginning to believe some lies here and being ungrateful for God’s many blessings.
Well, I needed to get down on my knees and ask God for forgiveness for my attitude and not being thankful in all things. I needed to let Art (Hubby) know that I had been wrong and ask him to forgive me. God changed my thoughts and feelings as soon as I repented.
Then my eyes were opened again to all the things I needed to thank God for. Art goes to work in an over heated paint booth everyday for his family, he is always the one to clean our van, yesterday he cleaned up all th junk in our basement, he cleaned the pool for the kids.(and he does all these things without me asking him to) I started to feel bad because I saw he was doing way more then I deserve. The greatest blessing of all is he often reads and prays with the kids now. He is always telling me he loves me and makes me feel like I’m worth so much to him. God has done so much in both our lives! I know! How could I ever complain! It’s embarrassing to think about it now!
Then as for other people go, I have received a number of calls and an email this week from friends just checking in to see if Kati-Lyn is okay now (she was sick) I have a mom who is always there and a dad whom I talk to more now then ever. Many sisters and sister -in- laws who do care. Also thankful for my prayer sister I have now who also really brightened my day. Thank s to the people who pray for me even though I don’t always know it So all around I just needed to be thankful and apologize for not weeding this garden.
I am so grateful for the mercy and forgiveness and grace God has for us if we as!

O what a wonderful, wonderful day- day I will never forget;
After I’d wondered in darkness away, Jesus my savior I met!

Happy Birthday Mom-Grandma

This is my mom, holding my youngest sister. Today was her birthday. In this picture they are singing, Joyful, Joyful will the meeting be. Joyful it will be! I realized again today as I was watching her how much she means to me.She has endured so many things that seem impossible to bare. She does so much for the family. Her hearts desire is that all her children will live to serve and love Jesus. I know my mom well and know that she is praying for me, for my 7 sisters and 4 brothers. She is praying for her son in laws and daughter in laws. She is praying for her grand children. I don't want to take her for granted. I thank God for her and may He answer her prayers according to His will. She is a woman after God's own heart.

Love Is A Mother’s Gift

When God made mothers, He took great care

To fill their hearts with love so rare.

Their children are their greatest prize;

You can see the great love in your mother’s eyes.

Love, love is a mother’s gift

To their precious children, their hearts to lift.

Warm, tender and giving love

That grows them up healthy and happy.

Thank you, mother for all you give

To help me grow and to help me live.

I will love you forevermore,

My mother, my mom, whom I adore.

Love, love is a mother’s gift

To their precious children, their hearts to lift.

Warm, tender and giving love

That grows us up healthy and happy.

By Joanna Fuchs