Archive for April, 2008
Apr
14
Posted by Amber
In Prayer
O Lord, in prayer I launch far out into the eternal world, and on that broad ocean my soul triumphs over all evils on the shores of mortality. Time, with its gay amusements and cruel disappointments never appears so inconsiderate as then.
In prayer I see myself as nothing; I find my heart going after Thee with intensity, and long with vehement thirst to live to Thee. Blessed be the strong gales of the Spirit that speed me on my way to the New Jerusalem.
In prayer all things here below vanish, and nothing seems important but holiness of heart and the salvation of others.
In prayer all my worldly cares, fears, anxieties disappear, and are of as little significance as a puff of wind.
In prayer my soul inwardly exults with lively thoughts at what Thou art doing for Thy church, and I long that Thou shouldest get Thyself a great name from sinners returning to Zion.
In prayer I am lifted above the frowns and flatteries of life, and taste heavenly joys; entering into the eternal world I can give myself to Thee with all my heart, to be Thine for ever.
In prayer I can place all my concerns in Thy hands, to be entirely at Thy disposal, having no will or interest of my own.
In prayer I can intercede for my friends, ministers, sinners, the church, Thy kingdom to come, with greatest freedom, ardent hopes, as a son to his father, as a lover to the beloved.
Help me to be all prayer and never to cease praying.
Apr
11
Posted by Amber
Haiku #1
Spring forth from earth and dew
Young buds lift your faces to
God and Heaven
Robin’s challenge this month is a Haiku about spring. Spring! Well, that’s easy enough, right? And surely I can pull off a Haiku.. I used to write tons of poetry in high school. Ahhh, but will it be any good? Therein lies the real challenge.
Haiku #2
Rebirth of flora,
Fauna too, New birth of life,
Of love, and of hope.
Haiku #3
Dead brown to living
Green with pink, yellow, red, and
Purple - God’s canvass.
***
For more Spring Haiku, read here. God Bless!
- (Each photo is linked to it’s source.)
Apr
10
Posted by Amber
Today I am so very thankful for protection and providence in the midst of fear and trembling.
I’d like to share a portion of my favorite scripture passage, Psalm 18. It’s always hard for me to take an excerpt, because I love the whole thing. But the whole thing is rather long.
Enjoy this excerpt and then read the whole thing here. GOD IS GOOD!
Psalm 18: 1-6
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies
The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Thankful Thursday hosted by Sting My Heart.
Apr
09
Posted by Amber
14 year old girl gives birth in Junior High bathroom and then attempts to flush the baby down the toilet.
2 Year Old Singing The Lord’s Prayer
Terry at Ornaments of Grace ponders the issue of modesty.
Jennifer at Et Tu? writes about our “Daily bread, for the next twenty years.”
My pastor shares this clip of Obama: Punished With A Baby?
Apr
07
Posted by Amber
I know this may sound a bit odd coming from a girly girl like me… but I actually quite enjoy the Star Wars movies. Especially the newer three. So of course when they came on last weekend, I recorded them on our DVR. And when the next three come on this weeked? I’ll DVR those too.
Now, I know, I know, I KNOW that all analogies break down,… and I’m not really sure how far you can take this one before it falls to pieces… but as Princess and I were watching Revenge of the Sith, I seized the teachable moment to analyze how the dark side is like sin.
I don’t know if it’s intentional (which I doubt), or just really convenient (probably), but think about it.
- When you give in to the dark side, it will consume you.
- You are no less angry and sad when you switch to the dark side, now you’re just angry and sad and on the wrong side.
- Being consumed with personal gain only gets worse when you switch the dark side.
- Those on the dark side are surrounded by death and evilness.
- When on the dark side, you don’t have love, not really.
On the other hand:
- Those in the light put others above themselves.
- The good side of the force is used to help others.
- If you’re on the good side of the force and become sad, you will draw strength from the force to still do what is right.
- On the good side, the Jedi are commanded to have compassion and love others.
- Those in the light are happy servants of the light.
Just a few verses:
So I guess you really can make a teachable moment out of just about anything. 
Apr
06
Posted by Amber
Another beautiful Puritan Prayer. May your heart rejoice in God today and may you be blessed by His grace and glory.
Consecration and Worship
My God, I feel it is heaven to please Thee, and to be what Thou wouldst have me be. O that I were holy as Thou art holy, pure as Christ is pure, perfect as Thy Spirit is perfect! These, I feel, are the best commands in Thy Book, and shall I break them? must I break them? am I under such a necessity as long as I live here?
Woe, woe is me that I am a sinner, that I grieve this blessed God, who is infinite in goodness and grace! O if He would punish me for my sins, it would not would my heart so deep to offend Him; But though I sin continually, He continually repeats His kindness to me.
At times I feel I could bear any suffering, but how can I dishonour this glorious God? What shall I do to glorify and worship this best of beings? O that I could consecrate my soul and body to His service, without restraint, for ever! O that I could give myself up to Him, so as never more to attempt to be my own! or have any will or affections that are not perfectly conformed to His will and His love! But, alas, I cannot live and not sin.
O may angels glorify Him incessantly, and, if possible, prostrate themselves lower before the blessed King of heaven! I long to bear a part with them in ceaseless praise; but when I have done all I can to eternity I shall not be able to offer more than a small fraction of the homage that the glorious God deserves. Give me a heart full of divine, heavenly love.
Apr
04
Posted by Amber
The Story of Me is the first book in a series by Stan and Brenna Jones called God’s Design for Sex. This book for ages 3 to 5, with lovingly written dialogue and soft, appealing illustrations, explains how life is created and how babies are born as a young boy asks his parents to tell him the story about when he was born. Read the rest of this entry »
Apr
03
Posted by Amber
I’ve been thinking about my children a lot lately, about how I’m not only teaching them, but how God is teaching me through them. He teaches me about patience, love, sacrifice, mercy, pride, trust, faith, sin, joy… I’m sure there is even more than that.
- God thank you for my children, each unique and wonderful in their individual ways.
- Thank you for my Princess who teaches me about compassion and loving life.
- Thank you for my Drama Queen who teaches me about patience and adventure.
- Thank you for my Little Prince who teaches me about providence and joy.
- Thank you, God, for showing me the blessings of children, the joys of motherhood, and the wonder of life.
- Thank you, God, for revealing to me that teaching them is more about you teaching my spirit than it is about me teaching them through books.
- Thank you for also teaching me that teaching them is more about training them in character and teaching them about You.
- Thank you for drawing Princess to you as your child, and I pray you’ll do the same for the other two.
- Thank you, God, for every blessing.
Thankful Thursday hosted by Sting My Heart
Apr
02
Posted by Amber
Welcome to Wednesday Link Love!
I ride the internet wave, searching for good information and discarding the rest. See what caught my attention this week.
Apr
01
Posted by Amber
Before Spring Break we had a scare here at our house. A scare that taught me a valuable lesson, and reminded me of some infallible truths.
We live in the country, and while I was making lunch my three children were playing outside together. I keep the doors and one eye open while they do, but in one brief moment Little Prince had followed a big sister who went too far and then wandered down the long driveway and into the county road.
In a terrifying moment I heard Princess screaming for me at the end of the driveway and hollering for Little Prince to come back because a car was coming. As I flew out the door towards my baby, I couldn’t see him through the trees that line the road on either side of the driveway, I couldn’t see the car, I knew nothing.. except that my baby was in danger.
Read the rest of this entry »
