This is EmmaLee's friend Henry. Henry's mom and Dad, our good friends Ryan and Vicki, have known each other since they were two..........I wonder if it is in Henry's genes? :)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Measure of Success?
The other day was one of the busiest days on record at the Ferguson house. Oddly enough, I found myself with a few queit moments as I waited to hurl myself into the next activity of the day. I stood in the middle of the house......quiet. EmmaLee was finishing her nap. The kids were out on the trampoline (so what if I strapped them down to the trampoline and locked all the doors). School was done. My chores were done. My knees went weak as I prepared for the Second Coming of Christ......it had to be the end of life as I knew it because this NEVER happens (especially on a day like today). I stood in the quiet wondering what in the world I do in this strange situation??
AHHH. Perfect. The Lord whispered His gentle voice to me. I grabbed my Bible anticipating what I might read in the few moments I had. I was doubtful that I would glean much in such a situation. I mean, the straps holding the kids down on the trampoline could give way at any moment. Nevertheless, I found myself in Micah. I have always love Micha 6:8, but I felt compelled to read all of chapter 6 on this day. So casually, I began to read.......
"With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, o man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (vs.6-8)
You know, once I write down my list of "To dos" for the day........you can bet that I am going to do whatever necessary to make sure I get them done. I live by lists and schedules that I have set up for myself. I have a strict chore schedule, I have a strict school schedule, I have a strict workout schedule. You know what else......I get REALLY tense when it looks like I am not staying on schedule for the day. You know what is even worse......I get REALLY proud when I get everything done on my schedule. Yikes. Here comes the painful part.....
Back to Micah. So, I realized as I read Micah, that I am measuring the success of my day all wrong. "With what shall I come before the Lord"......my completed schedules. "Shall I come before Him" with near perfect organization of a busy household and a mopped kitchen floor? "Will the Lord be pleased with thousands" of meals in my freezer and "ten thousand rivers of" sweat poured out on the treadmill? Is this what I bring to Him. Well, sadly, this was how I measured the success of my days.
Here I am.....still seeking to stay on schedule. But now I find so much more freedom in my schedules rather than the oppression that I was feeling through them. Freedom to serve the Lord by doing what He has called me to do. He has shown me what is good and what He requires of me. He has called me to be a wife and mother and being organized is helpful for me in that. But, checking things off of my "to do" list is not the measure of my success anymore. At the end of the day, have I done justly, have I loved to show mercy to my children, have I walked humbly in the service the Lord has called me to that day? There is the right measurement!
All that in a few quiet minutes on my busiest day. I love how the Lord works.
AHHH. Perfect. The Lord whispered His gentle voice to me. I grabbed my Bible anticipating what I might read in the few moments I had. I was doubtful that I would glean much in such a situation. I mean, the straps holding the kids down on the trampoline could give way at any moment. Nevertheless, I found myself in Micah. I have always love Micha 6:8, but I felt compelled to read all of chapter 6 on this day. So casually, I began to read.......
"With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, o man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (vs.6-8)
You know, once I write down my list of "To dos" for the day........you can bet that I am going to do whatever necessary to make sure I get them done. I live by lists and schedules that I have set up for myself. I have a strict chore schedule, I have a strict school schedule, I have a strict workout schedule. You know what else......I get REALLY tense when it looks like I am not staying on schedule for the day. You know what is even worse......I get REALLY proud when I get everything done on my schedule. Yikes. Here comes the painful part.....
Back to Micah. So, I realized as I read Micah, that I am measuring the success of my day all wrong. "With what shall I come before the Lord"......my completed schedules. "Shall I come before Him" with near perfect organization of a busy household and a mopped kitchen floor? "Will the Lord be pleased with thousands" of meals in my freezer and "ten thousand rivers of" sweat poured out on the treadmill? Is this what I bring to Him. Well, sadly, this was how I measured the success of my days.
Here I am.....still seeking to stay on schedule. But now I find so much more freedom in my schedules rather than the oppression that I was feeling through them. Freedom to serve the Lord by doing what He has called me to do. He has shown me what is good and what He requires of me. He has called me to be a wife and mother and being organized is helpful for me in that. But, checking things off of my "to do" list is not the measure of my success anymore. At the end of the day, have I done justly, have I loved to show mercy to my children, have I walked humbly in the service the Lord has called me to that day? There is the right measurement!
All that in a few quiet minutes on my busiest day. I love how the Lord works.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friends
We are so thankful for the freinds God provides for us every where we go. Here are some sweet pictures of us with our freinds. :)
Beautiful California!!
The California Poppies are in full bloom right now!! They are breathtaking. The kids and I went with our friends, the Allens and the Boths, to hike through the poppy fields before they are gone for the season. It was a beautiful, but slightly windy (understatement) day. We were practically blown off the hills, but we still enjoyed ourselves very much. Hope you enjoy the pictures.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Birthday Season is over
Well, Iain and EmmaLee closed out birthday season for us. Iain turned 33 on Feb. 27 and EmmaLee turned two on the 28th of Feb. Whew!! I think we are officially professional celebrationists with all these birthdays going on!! We can't believe our littlest is 2!! How does that happen? She is such a joy. They all are. How thankful we are to have so many reasons to celebrate! enjoy the pics!
Easter
Oh the joys of family pictures. Maybe one day we will get a picture where everyone is looking at the camera. Until that day, enjoy these pictures. If nothing else, they sure do capture their little personalities. CUTE!!
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