Melody rode in the bike-a-thon to raise money for her school. She amazed me...I had no idea how far she could ride. They rode out at the city park and she did 14 laps which adds up to 7 miles. We are very proud of her.

Thoughts...

I’ve been struggling with some personal things and I reminded myself of some verses that I put on note cards a few years ago about fear and trusting God and wanted to share these with you. I realized that if I am having trouble trusting and feeling close to God it is not because He has gone anywhere…it is because I have neglected to meet with Him and talk with Him and allow Him to give me what I am seeking. I need to seek first the Kingdom…

“I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD ; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD , and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”
Ps 34:1-4

“The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?”
Ps 27:1

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose…
If God is for us, who can be against us? …

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Rom 8:28, 31, 38-39

This is a familiar passage. But I was reminded of how I like to look at other versions to get a new take on a passage and I really like the way The Message deals with these verses…
“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” (Phil 4:4-8)

Time Flys....

Wow!
We've been here two years, that's a record for us. Those of you who know us, know that we have moved around a lot due to schooling and job choices. And now that we have kids we wanted to not move as often ... well, here we are, and it's hard to believe we have been in this house two years. If we stay in the same town past April of next year that will be another record for us.
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We have learned a lot in our moving around. Some easy lessons and some hard ones. We are good packers and have learned what size boxes to ues for what items, etc... We have friends in many places, but also have found it hard to make friends at times, when we have a sense that we will not be in a place for a long time. That is when trusting God comes in and believing that He has a bigger plan in mind than we can understand.

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As we look back we can see a few reasons why we were at certain places at certain times. And we would not have wanted to miss out on meeting some of the great people we have had a change to share live with.

So when I start wondering what the plan is and feeling unsettled – I have to trust God and believe that even when we don’t understand what is going on that He has a plan. He has been faithful to guide us and provide for us in the past and I’m sure He will in the future.

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I have learned that God’s timing and my timing are usually not the same and He knows best and wants the best for us. So we will press on and see what is in store for us over the next year. I’m sure it will be a challenge, but hopefully we will be stronger for it.