The Beauty of God's Mercy

I will begin this post by saying that I do not understand all that the Bible says and I will probably never will. I don't post about serious things very often because I am just sure that I am not understanding something the way that it is really meant to be understood. However, last night at church our pastor used an illustration that was so clear and so beautiful that I have to share it here. I really don't know that I will be able to do it justice.

The lesson was on guarding our hearts against guilt. I could say so much, but I will limit it to this illustration that he used in his closing.



The verse used was Matthew 12:20 - A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgement unto victory. (KJV)



He talked about how a shepherd would go to the river to find a reed that he could whittle into a flute so that he could call his sheep and they would come to him. In the process of finding the perfect reed, he would come across reeds that were bent, or broken, and he would rip them up from the ground and throw them out of the way until he found just the right reed that he could use.

Then he told of how the flax (or wick) in a lantern would smoke up a tent or room when lit, if it was bad. People would take the wick and toss it out and replace it with a new one that would give off the light that it was meant to give.

He then told us how God grants mercy to the bruised reed and will take and guide it and nurture it until it grows up past the bent and broken parts and becomes a healthy reed again. After that he will whittle away the broken parts so that it can be used. The wick, God will trim and trim some more until it is able to give off the light that it was meant to give. He does not toss them away, he works with them so that they can be used, just as He does with us. He guides us, trims us, whittles away the "bent and broken" parts and then uses us for His glory.



We have been bruised, bent and broken. I think it's probably safe to say that we have all "smoked up" a room or two! The good news is that God's mercy is greater than any sin. We must make the choice as to whether or not we want to accept that mercy in our failures so that we may be used for His glory.

I am thankful for God's mercy.

Vote For My Ugly Mug!!

The day has arrived for you to head over to 2nd Cup of Coffee and vote for my ugly mug! You can see it on my sidebar OR if you want to read my post about it, you can click here.



Thanks for taking the time to vote.... and for supporting my habit of massive coffee

consumption. :)

Photo Tag!!

This is our youth pastor, Pastor Brian, getting ready to show off his "mad putt-putt skillz" at our annual Putt-Putt PGA activity that we do at church. (2007)


Here are the rules:
1) Go to where you store pictures.
2) Open the 4th folder.
3) Open the 4th picture.
4) Post that picture with NO EDITING AND NO CHEATING NO MATTER WHAT!
5) Tag others.

How fun!! Let me know if you're going to do this so I can come by and see your photo!

That Is One Ugly Mug!

Linda, over at 2nd Cup of Coffee, is having a little contest. I thought, "Why not join in on the fun?" I just knew that I would find a use for the white elephant gift that we got at a Christmas party this year.

I guess I should first explain what a white elephant gift is. It is something in your home that you don't use or need anymore. For example, one person got a shoe box full of mismatched socks with holes in them. Another good one was a pair of Santa boxers that had "ho, ho, ho" written across the rear. One of the best ones was the one we got (of course). It was a box with a baggie full of pieces of a broken mug and a bottle of superglue.

Nice.

ANYWAY....my husband felt the need to glue that stinkin' thing together.

He apparently needs more to do! ;)

As you will see from the pictures, a few pieces were, um, not there. I wanted him to pitch it, but he would have nothing of that. Now I am glad that he didn't because it makes the perfect entry for this wonderful contest!! See for yourself:

Don't think for a minute that this bad boy won't be revisiting the white elephant Christmas party next year---Someone else is going to have the pleasure of owning it for a whole year! I just thought that if it was going to be hanging around MY house this year, it was going to have to serve some purpose. I am hoping that purpose is winning this contest for me! As the next picture portrays, it's not good for much of anything else:

If you would be so kind as to do me a favor and on January 26th go over to 2nd Cup and vote for my ugly mug. I would very much appreciate it!!

Ben's Baptism

I am finally getting this posted! I have been waiting for the pictures. I think the batteries were dead in my camera, so I had to use someone else's and I now have the pictures from Ben's baptism.

Ben was baptised on Sunday, December 14,2008. He is the last of our three children to do so. What a thrill for us to see all three of our children confess to know Christ and be baptised!

What an awesome responsibility we have to teach and direct our kids in their christian lives, all the while making sure that we are doing what is right in our own.
One of the best things that we as bloggy friends can do is pray for one another as we seek to honor God in our lives, especially in the area of parenting. It's one of the hardest jobs that we have. It is also one of the most rewarding!

I love being a mom. I love being a mom that strives to please the Lord, even though I fail more than I succeed. I love being a mom that is forgiven and, in turn, is forgiving. I love being a mom who is learning and growing daily. Thank you, Lord for entrusting these three beautiful children to us. We have been truly blessed.

I know you can't see him, but he's in there somewhere!

Our pastor and Ben after the service.

Yet Another Blessing

As I was making coffee at work this morning, I was thinking about how fortunate I am to be working in a place that I love, surrounded by people that I love. Not everyone can say that.

I certainly don't deserve it. The Lord has been very gracious to me.

I have been officially working at the Academy at our church for 2 two days now. I volunteered there last semester and was there a lot, so I have been able to enjoy this blessing for a few months already. There is nothing better than to be able to work in a godly environment. We have so much fun; we laugh, we joke, we go through enough coffee in one day to fill a bathtub.:) We also listen to one another, share praises, and discuss issues that we face, finding the answers that we need through biblical counsel...no, actually I think that's just me! :)ha.

The kids are great. It is fun to watch them learn not only the academics, but also the character qualities that are so beneficial in their spiritual lives.

I am so thankful for this opportunity.

Happy New Year

So yeah, I am the biggest loser in bloggyville right now! I have just not had the time to dedicate to this blog lately...and I hate that. Ugh! I feel so bad about it. I have missed it, and you! :)

I was busy yesterday getting ready for guest that we had over for New Year's Eve. We had a ball with friends we know very well and some that we would love to know a little better. I hope that you all had a great New Year's, too.

My goal for 2009 is to be more attentive in all aspects of my life. I know that I can improve in so many areas.

What about you? What do you want to work on in 2009? Leave a comment for me. I would love to hear from you ALL!! I haven't heard from anyone for awhile!

The slideshow is from last night's party. Enjoy!