So that you know...

Abigail, Benjamin, and Elizabeth~ 

Because sooner than later you will be challenged concerning your faith in Christ and because we want you to understand God according to His Word in oppose to the god of popular opinion. 

This is the why for me. 

Because I have put my faith in Christ and believe that my body is now the temple of His Holy Spirit I cannot justify any lifestyle that is contrary to His purpose for me. 

Homosexuality is just one of many contrary purposes He has prepared for my redeemed life. 

According to Paul the Apostle the "contrary purposes" for my redeemed life in Christ do not stop there; he includes all sexual immorality, idolatry, stealing, greed, substance abuse, verbal abuse, and hypocrisy in his first letter to the church in Corinth. "And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of our God." 

So now, as a washed, sanctified, and justified child of God I except His prepared purpose for my life. My body is now for the Lord and the Lord is for my body. 

Everything contrary to Him is now contrary to me. 

The purpose He has given me now is to glorify Him with my life as a whole. 

I cannot expect any person who has not received Christ Jesus into their hearts and lives to live the way I now live. 

The fact is that I cannot live this way without faith in "the way, the truth, and the life" John 14:6. 

I do not expect the world, my country, or my neighbor to understand this without a knowledge of Christ. 

As a new creation in Christ I cannot glorify God if I begin adopting purposes contrary to His Word. 

So, according to the Word of God that I now carry in my hand and my heart and because my body is His holy sanctuary, I live for Him. 

Everything I do, I join Him to. 

I stumble and fall and fail and struggle, but,by grace, I will not stay in a place that does not glorify Him. 

The world will continue to comfortably conform and even some of my brothers and my sisters in Christ will re-write His Word and ride the waves of popular opinion and governmental freedoms all in the name of tolerance to excuse lifestyles that cannot glorify their Creator but, 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" Hebrews 13:8...

and no amount of marching or flag waving is going to change that or for that matter change His mind about His purpose for me. 

"Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone-except God." Billy Graham 

1 Corinthians 6:9-20 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

9 Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,[a]10 no thieves,  greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorifying God in Body and Spirit

12 “Everything is permissible for me,”[b] but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything. 13 “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them.[c] The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 15 Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.[d] 17 But anyone joinedto the Lord is one spirit with Him.

¹⁸ Run from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.”^[e] On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.^[f]

  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Hello Summertime

Summertime here. 

The girls have discovered a love of baking and making yummy treats together from the garden to the kitchen. 

The quiet pond down the road is the ideal spot to perfect your cast and work on patience. 

A  midday hike in the mountains can offer views of sleeping volcanos. 

Silver Creek is the place for catching crawdads and memories. 

The attic is a sea of legos. 

Giant boxes become a "town" and an unexpected education in economics. 

Daddy sets up our very own backyard swimming hole and you all grow fins. 

Summertime here also means another year to celebrate the beginning of our love sixteen sweet years ago that has grown into all of this happy. 

Summertime here is less hurry, sleeping in, reading, reading, and more reading. 

Summertime here imagination liberty...

creation becomes our teacher and our playground. 

Summertime here is falling into your beds exhausted...traces of light on the edge of the evening sky...curtains dance with gentle breeze...critter sounds sing you to sleep and dream carefree. 

Linger long light filled days you are always welcome here.  

biscuits and smiles

Our raspberry crop inspired these sisters to make "Raspberry Cordial" from my old Anne of Green Gables cookbook. Even Marilla Cuthbert would have approved. 

The Garden

The cordial

The sisters

Perfect night to catch nothing but time together

He makes my heart smile

Mt. Jefferson from Triangulation Peak

Catching memories at Silver Creek

Ben is the legomaster

Box Town

Our very own swimming hole

16 years of love 

and we celebrated here...because greasy burgers are our favorite..

well...hamburgers, beer, and sunsets to be exact. 

And the first little bird spreads her wings...

"Well, today I had my last recess as a kid at Evergreen. It was weird to think about that. Kind of sad you know. I mean, I'm so ready to go be in High School...I'm really excited about the new things ahead, but today I just thought about how my friends and I have played out in the field since we were five years old and I got a little sad that this time in our lives is over now. So, today we played our old games, just for the fun of it. We said goodbye to the field. I know I'm too grown up too stay, I really am ready to move on, but I will always love my little school." ~AbbySue 8th grade 13 years old

Thank you Evergreen. 

 Her very first day at Evergreen...only four years old at Kindergarten round up

Halloween

 Pie Social

and The Magic Field...

no wonder that it's hard to say goodbye

Eight

Sweet Zibby,

Today you are eight. You were born right here on this hill, in our little town,  across the street from The Old House at "your hospital".

Today you said, "My favorite birthday gift is hugs and kisses from you."

You love to love.

You have a musical heart. You play your piano everyday because you want to.

This weekend you will be dancing in another recital. You love to dance out what is inside your heart.

You still love ballet and you can't wait to start tap dancing. (thank you Papa & Gramma)

You also love outside. You still love to collect rocks. You love the moon. You love making daisy chains. You love to dress up and pretend. The backyard is your very own dream world.

You love to work. You love aprons and serving.

You have a diary.

You are beginning to come out of your "shy shell".

You love your daddy. You love to sit outside on the porch together and critique pipe tobacco smells.

You love to get letters from your friend Tegan in the mail and you can't wait to meet her this summer.

You love your family so well.

You are still stubborn.

You love art.

You love books...especially The Little House series.

You are almost done with second grade and you had a hard year...but so did the rest of us.

You don't smile unless you mean it.

You are honest.

You embrace your life to the fullest and you inspire us.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth Jane!

it's true what they say about the "it goes by too fast" part...

Abigail is graduating from eighth grade this week, Ben will be a seventh grader next year, and our Zibby is turning eight years old in just a few days. It seems to me that God jam packed a lot of letting go into just a few days and I must admit, my mama heart is heavy and sentimental with it all. 

I love these little stinkers so much it hurts.