"Explorer Spirit…Servant Heart…"
Jan 24th, 2011 by leigharev2
‘R’ amazes me with his ability to put together Lego sets, puzzles, etc. The boys each received a wooden 3D puzzle for Christmas. These were more sophisticated than the sets they are used to.
‘A’ made a decent effort, but gave up after a while. ‘R’, on the other hand, plugged away and did not want to do anything else….
The “directions”…this was all he had to work with!
Jan 13th, 2011 by leigharev2
We are currently reading the classic tale of “Robin Hood”. Last night, the boys came barreling downstairs in costumes they created, using construction paper and tape. I am DYING!!
Meet Robin Hood…check out the soul patch! ‘A’ has a “hat” with a feather, and green “tights”…He also is wearing a belt with a light saber attached to it…
…and Will Scarlett! ‘R’ made a hat with a little feather on top, an armored top, and green “tights”. He’s sporting pair of pens/daggers…
Jan 13th, 2011 by leigharev2
Recently, we were reading in a book about a crabapple. The boys wanted to know what crabapples were, and I described them as “little, sour apples we would eat as kids until our tummies got sick.”
A few days later while shopping for groceries, they were selling crabapples! I bought two so that boys could try them.
Here’s their reaction…
Jan 10th, 2011 by leigharev2
I recently ran across some pictures of when me, my mom, and my husband were baptized and the boys were dedicated. It was a special day, but I have come to realize that I underestimated how truly special that day was.
The first step in faith is inviting Jesus into our lives. This means granting Him access to every nook and cranny, the good, the bad, and the ugly. After years of following Jesus, He is still bringing to light areas in my life that I am too embarrassed, ashamed, or not ready to surrender to Him. Or, sometimes, He brings something to my attention that I forgot about and was happy to turn over to Him.
The next step in faith is to publicly declare that Jesus is Lord of your life. This is done through baptism. Jesus wants us to publicly identify with Him.
In Mark 8:38, Jesus says, “If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.” (The Message)
When I was a new believer, I would pray that God would keep me “normal”. I wanted to be an under-the-radar kind of Christian. You know, the one who looked, talked, and acted like everyone else in the world, but still had the Lord’s favor whenever I needed it.
(PRAISING GOD FOR HIS ABUNDANT GRACE!)
Very little about my life, (aside going to church), showed that Christ was my Savior, Redeemer, and Friend. However, God gently guided me, as one does a baby, spoon feeding me little bits here and there, giving me gentle promptings and revelations by testing my spiritual eyes and ears.
When we were baptized, we were ready to tell the world we belonged to Jesus! It is our visible commitment to this fact.
Romans 6:4 says,” We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
I have recently learned the importance that Jesus places on baptism. If you are a believer, and have not been baptized, as an act of obedience to our Lord, I encourage you to make that a priority this New Year.
Jan 8th, 2011 by leigharev2
We just had this for dinner. It is so good, I have to share the recipe. I got it from the Clean Eating Magazine. It was fast and delicious. I modified it a bit to make it a little more efficient for me.
Ingredients
1lb. butternut squash
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
olive oil (recipe calls for 1t. I use a little more)
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (recipe called for 1lb.)
1 bunch broccolini, coarsely chopped (the recipe called for rapini)
5oz. unsweetened dried cherries (recipe called for 4oz.)
1tsp. dried sage (I suspect I had a little heavy hand with the sage)
Instructions
Jan 8th, 2011 by leigharev2
“Ears that hear and eyes that see the LORD has made them both.”
Proverbs 20:12
A common prayer rolls off Christian lips…“Lord, give me eyes to see and ears to hear.”
What does this mean?
When we invite God into our hearts, the Bible says that we are born again. We are a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Cor 5:17
God provides us with eyes and ears that can see and hear what He wants us to see and hear. He instills a heightened sense of awareness of Him, the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Interactions, conversations, a profound piece of Truth from scripture, opportunities, insights, challenges…all are filtered through our God-given spiritual eyes and ears. For some, (like me), it may take a long to time recognize that this is how He communicates with us, but through time alone with Him in prayer, meditation, and Bible study, walking daily with Him, we come to recognize His voice, admire His handiwork, and trust His choreography in our life.
These spiritual eyes and ears are reserved for those who believe and surrender their life to Jesus. This is the beauty of faith! As someone who once was not a believer, I am aware of life without, but as I continue to learn and grow and develop, oh Lord, thank you for opening my eyes and ears! Thank you for allowing me grace and patience as I struggled with disbelief and distrust. And thank you in advance for the future when my faith will be tested.
So friends, let’s spend today marveling at His creation…let’s welcome each interaction with another as a possible divine appointment…let’s dive into His Word and pray that He speaks to us on a very personal level…let’s give thanks for His many blessings.
Jan 6th, 2011 by leigharev2
I just love how learning takes place anywhere and everywhere!
We are currently reading a book, titled, “Follow My Leader”. It’s the story of a boy who loses his eyesight from a firecracker. We follow his journey of learning how to navigate his surroundings, heighten his other senses, learn Braille, and train with a seeing-eye dog.
The book goes in depth on the origin of Braille and what it looks like. I tried to make semi-holes in paper to help the boys understand what it looks and feels like, but it just wasn’t the same. I remembered as a young girl that our school library had a few books in Braille. I would run my fingers over the pages. I figured at some point, we could see if there were any Braille books at our local library.
While ordering lunch at McDs, the boys noticed a sign that said that Braille menus were available. They asked if we could see them and the manager pulled the menus out. The boys were able to run their fingers over the menus and try to figure out which letters were which based on what they learned from in the book. Now they know exactly what Braille looks and feels like.
Today, while at church, they let me know that there was Braille on the baby changing table in the bathroom!
Jan 3rd, 2011 by leigharev2
While entering our standard noodle place for dinner, David received a call from our good friend, Scott, asking if we’d be up for having them come down for New Year. David said, ‘yes’, then a few minutes later realized New Years was three days away! We were so excited to have our friends come down for the weekend!
They arrived early evening on New Years Eve. We decided to invite our friends, Lori and Dan, over as well, since they too are friends with the Smiths. (The Smiths hosted Dan and Lori while they were in WA for their daughter’s wedding.) Of course, a party would not be complete without Eric and Crystal!!
Eric and Crystal
Scott brought with him a vertical of the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Chateau St. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. We had a terrific tasting and everyone agrees the 2004 was the best, with the 2006 second. The 2005 opened up nicely after a while.
We had a great time visiting and catching up. Dan, David, and Scott jammed for a while….
The kids decorated a gingerbread house…
We rang in the New Year…WOO HOO!! Had a group prayer, and said good night…
Cuties ‘A’ and ‘B’…
Thanks for the silly string, Eric. Game on…
Saturday morning, after sleeping in, Scott treated us to his stellar eggs…
We then went to the movies and saw, “Gulliver’s Travels in 3D”. It was pretty entertaining.
A little side trip to Toys R Us, and the boys used the gift cards from Grandma and Grandpa. Of course, they each bought a Lego kit. Liann also bought a few smaller Lego kits to acclimate herself to the world of Legos. She and Scott are becoming foster parents, possibly to boys, and they raised three girls.
We attended church service Saturday night and ran into friends, Chris and Katie, Randy and Sandy, and their kids. We all went out to dinner at Chopsticks, for Chinese.
Sunday was spent serving at the Broderick docks, building Legos, sitting in the hot tub, and watching a movie on TV. Monday morning came too soon, but we have some wonderful memories to look back on.
Jan 1st, 2011 by leigharev2
Capitalizing on the sunny morning, we journeyed out to our friend Shanti’s lovely farm. They recently moved to a 10 acre property, complete with chicken coop, pigpen, pond, and soon to be orchard…
Chasing the chickens…
Navigating the pond…
Enjoying the piggies. If you think about it, please pray for healing for the little red piggie. She injured her back legs somehow and could not walk without obvious pain. A vet came later that day and issued medication, so now it’s wait and see…
Almost the whole gang. Missing ‘M’ and ‘G’…
Chicken stalking…
On the drive home, we passed a field with llamas. We pulled over to get a better look and all the llamas jogged over to where we were; no fear, only interest. Here are a few of them posing for us!
Jan 1st, 2011 by leigharev2
Can you tell? No? Do you notice the frost on the window? No biggie, right?
Well, can you tell that the frost is on the inside of the car?!?!
I had the carpets cleaned in the car the day before and the condensation on the windows froze! Very inconvenient on a busy morning…