The Glory of God

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth! Tell me, if you have understanding, or who stretched the line on it? On what were it's bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" -Job 38:4-7

In the verse above, God is talking. This verse encompasses something that I was reminded of this week. I watched a video with some friends and it started out talking about our galaxy and the wonders that surround our planet. When you look at the stars, do you see the handiwork of God, or just some small points in the night sky? I often think of the stars as so small compared to our big planet. How wrong I have been. There are many stars that are much bigger than earth. The largest star that we have discovered is called Canis Majoris and it is huge! Compared to that star, we are tiny. Can you believe that God would stoop to live among us? This is just a tip of the iceberg though, because God is intimately involved with each one of us.

We may know all of this, but do we understand what this means? It means that we are but a vapor, yet God loves us; our planet is a spec in the universe, but God knows me. How do I know all of this? My answer is Romans 8:38-39:

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So, how can we apply this to our trials and hardships? Because we can see with our own eyes how great our God is, we can have confidence that God will care for us; and because God created all with just a breath, we can know that He is able and will take care of us because He takes such an interest in us and loved us so much that He sent His only son to die for us. Those who don't believe this will find no comfort and those who refuse this will not have true peace.

Give praise to God for He is great!

Psalm of the day

Psalm 47

O clap your hands, all peoples;
Shout to God with the voice of joy.
For the LORD Most High is to be feared,
A great King over all the earth.
He subdues peoples under us
And nations under our feet.
He chooses our inheritance for us,
The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
God has ascended with a shout,
The LORD, with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits on His holy throne.
The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham,
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is highly exalted.

A New Week

It is sometimes difficult to start a new week. Thoughts of the last week still linger and this can be especially true during the hard weeks. This last week we put our dog down. As hard of a decision as it was, it was the right one and God gave us wisdom to know when the right time would be. It's been a few days, so things are getting better, but there will still be hard times.

But all of that was last week! Yesterday morning I heard a sermon on not being childish but childlike. I think it is very childish to keep looking back at the week before. Yes, when the hard weeks come you should mourn, weep when it's time, and cry when there is sorrow, but don't dwell there. Our Savior was crucified on a dark, black Friday; but on the first day of a new week, He rose! Hallelujah! That is our hope. That is what we should emulate. Be sorrowful, but don't let it last. It can't and mustn't last.

Let your laughter soar! Shout out your joy!
So, how will you begin your week? Will you begin it with backward-looking and tears, or will you let your tears be dried and give yourself over to the joy and hope that we have been freely given?

Rejoice, because a new week is here!

SAVE BABIES! STOP ABORTION!

This was our local Walk for Life.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, (O Lord) for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. Psalm 139:13-16

For the Unborn

This coming Sunday we are attending our annual "March for Life". I want to encourage each and every one of you to find out if there is one in your area. If there is, then you should definitely go! This is a very important way that we show others what we believe and one very small way that we can show what God thinks of abortion. I am looking forward to marching and to attending the rally afterwards as well. I pray that you will think about this seriously, because it is a very important issue that we cannot just let sit.

On the Other Side of the World

My guys checking out the historical sights

Charles Schulz Museum- Santa Rosa, Ca

We loved going to this museum last week! Charlie Brown welcomed us! Since Schulz played and enjoyed the game of hockey, it was a big theme here. There is an ice rink next to the museum. It was all decorated for Christmas, complete with a Christmas tree in the center of the ice.

We learned that Schulz loved Beethoven and we were able to listen to many music clips and some history of Beethoven. We learned that Schulz actually wrote parts of Beethoven's music right into his Peanuts comic strips. You see Schroeder playing some above, with Molly listening attentively.

Of course we had to see Snoopy and Woodstock!
The whole gang was there!
It was complete with the Red Baron!