Happy 5th Birthday Luke!

Luke turned five on July 29th! Wow, it seems like just yesterday he came into our lives and yet the years between have been filled with many memories. Five seems like a pivitol age in many respects. The toddler and preschool years are left behind as one embarks on the school age years. Our time with Luke under our roof is God willing already a fourth of the way past. We rejoice in the fullness of these past five years and wait expectantly on the Lord to see how He matures Little Luke into a man who fears Him.

On the evening of Luke's birthday, Darien led our family in a devotional from the passage below:

Proverbs 2:1-10 "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul"

As Luke's parents our sincere desire is that he would grow into a boy who loves the Lord and looks to God's Word for instruction in all knowledge and wisdom.

God's Good Gifts

" Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." Job 1:20-22

These are Job's words after losing his livelihood and all his children and grandchildren.

Last week in Sunday School Darien taught a "biblical one-liner" on Job 1:20-22. The past week afforded many opportunities to reflect in renewed and abundant thankfulness for the many good, unmerited gifts God has given. When each of us were born we "popped out" (Noelle's terms) with nothing on and devoid of any possessions. Within moments of our entry we were lavished with love and affection from our parents, given gifts such as toys, clothing, and other infant paraphenalia. Nourishment and a place to call home came without our earning it or deserving it and God has kept on giving for these many, many years.

The more compelling thing I was challenged with in looking at Job's example of many losses and his God honoring response was how he responded to the wonderful, abundant God-given gifts being taken away. Are the gift that God has given mine to keep? How tightly do I grip these gifts? If our dwelling place burnt down, our child was diagnosed with terminal illness or injury, my physical or mental capacities were crippled, or Darien was called home to glory...what would my response be? Would I, like Job, grieve and in my grief worship God for His immutable goodness? Would my heart turn to seeing these wonderful gifts as returning to their Author and Provider.

Below are some pictures of God's good gifts from the past couple months (sorry I fell off the face of blogspot for a while):