Play? Date?

My good friend, Brooke, and I had a nice time visiting a local pumpkin patch. Landon really enjoyed his time with Sophie. I was laughing as I looked through these pictures - it really looks like they are on a date :)

Happy 4th Birthday Samuel!

Dear Samuel,

Happy 4th Birthday in heaven sweet boy. I often wonder what it's like for you to spend every moment hand in hand with Jesus. He's here with us too, but not in the same way. I'm sure you've realized this, but where you are there is no sin, sadness, or pain. There is only joy and complete peace. Here on earth we cry tears of sadness because we miss you. I know there are no tears in heaven and I'm so glad you will never feel this kind of sadness. You probably wonder why we cry as you know all too soon we will be there together.

I often wonder what it was like for you to fall asleep here on earth and wake up to see Jesus' face. He was the first face you ever saw! That is an amazing thought. You never had to see a world that is spoiled by sin. Don't get me wrong, there are many beautiful things here too - like the ocean, the mountains, the flowers, the trees with their colorful changing leaves, and I could go on. But I'm sure even the most beautiful things here on earth don't even compare with the beauty of heaven.

God gives us little glimpses of heaven through the Bible, enough for us to know that it is an incredible place. He let us know that there is no need for the sun and the moon in heaven because His glory fills heaven with light. He let us know that nothing impure will ever enter, but only those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, those who have been cleansed by His blood. The Bible tells us there is a beautiful river as clear as crystal and that the great street in heaven is made of pure gold as clear as glass. What a perfectly beautiful place it must be! I can't wait to join you, sweet boy, there in heaven. Until then, I will miss you here.

So, today on your birthday, we will not only celebrate the brief life you had with us here, but the eternal life you have in heaven with our Lord Jesus. I love you so much!

Love,

Mommy

A Gift for Samuel

Samuel's birthday is just a couple days away. It's hard to believe he would be 4 years old. We really want Landon and Olivia to know who their older brother is. We always want Samuel to always be a part of our family.

So, we decided to go pick out a present for Samuel. We had gotten a couple of coupons for free accessories at Build-A-Bear and thought that a present from there would be perfect. We picked out a pair of shoes for "Sammy Bear" and a shirt for "bear bear" (Landon's bear from Samuel). We had a nice time as a family and it felt good to buy something as a present for our little boy in heaven.

When we got home, we said to Landon, "Let's go find Sammy bear and put his new shoes on!" Landon ran to his room and on his way shouted, "Samuel's in there!!!" with the most excitement I've seen him display in a long time. He thought he was finally going to meet his big brother. We had to explain that Samuel wasn't in there. We wish he was...

It's so hard to explain to a 2-year-old that heaven isn't somewhere that we can go visit for a day. Samuel can't come "home" to live with us here. Oh, how I wish he could...

Yet, I know that there is no better place that our little boy can be. He is in the Lord Jesus' arms. He is safe. He is perfect. He is loved. He is happy. He is worshiping our Lord.

Even though I wish I could be getting the last minute birthday plans together for our little boy and buying things that 4-year-old boys love, I know that he already has the best gift of all. An eternity with our Savior. I can't wait to join him!

Abiding in the True Vine

I have been involved in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) for almost 4 years now and I love it. This year they introduced a new study, one of Isaiah. Last week we covered Isaiah 5 and there are a few thoughts that keep coming to mind that have really challenged me to examine my heart.

Isaiah 5:1-2

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

This vineyard was given everything it needed to bear GOOD fruit, and yet it bore fruit that was BAD. This vineyard had the best soil, a place where it would get sun and rain. The best vines were used. There was even a watchtower built in expectation of a good crop that someone would need to keep watch over in case of intruders. Yet, the vines yielded bad fruit... This doesn't make sense! Why would it yield bad fruit when it was given everything it needed to flourish and potentially bring forth some of the BEST fruit?

Then it hit home. I have been given God's perfect word. I have been given the ability to come before the Throne of Grace and bring anything before the very God of the universe. I have been given forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ. I have been given the Holy Spirit who lives in me. I have been given so much! I should bring forth GOOD fruit...

Yet, when I examine my heart, my motives are so often selfish, my attitude is so often wrong, my heart is often prideful...BAD fruit.

I produce bad fruit when I rely on myself instead of relying and abiding in Christ alone.

John 15:1-5 says,

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

He desires and expects us to bear GOOD fruit based on what He has given to us. This is my prayer, that I would abide in the True Vine that through Him and through His pruning I would bear GOOD fruit that will last for eternity.

Menu

M: Recuperating from vacation to Topeka (we had a great time!) - pick something up...

T: Pasta Primavera with garlic bread

W: Enchiladas with chips and salsa

Th: Chicken Lo Mein

F: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

S: Oven Fried Fish with tarter sauce

S: Chili with corn bread

These verses encouraged me today to look beyond the temporal to the eternal:

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18