Calling all Crafty People

I am not crafty -- I know, I'm a teacher of young children so I should be crafty -- but I'm not. Anyway, this year we're taking the holiday season and adding a new twist. We're celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah. I've never done Hanukkah before so I've been researching like crazy. In my teacher mind, I've come up with the "theme" for the holiday -- "Light." I know, not a hard leap. So, in my effort to make sure that we squeeze as much fun into this as possible and not miss out on anything we could have done -- I'm making a lesson plan (for lack of a better word) for the season. I have a theme for each day involving Scripture and Light -- oh, there are so many! Now, I have to come up with a fun activity and/or craft to go with each of my days. For example -- one night will be focused on "God said, Let there be light" and we'll do lots of star/moon/sun stuff (like what?) and decorate the apartment with Christmas lights. Or while reading about how the righteous shine (Matt 13:43) we will gift them with flashlights and then play hide-and-go-seek with them. Are you getting the picture? I think this could be tons of fun, will help to focus the season on Christ, and maybe they'll learn something. I know -- I'm such a teacher! I can't help it.
Anyway -- I'm going to list my themes for each day and if you know of a good craft or activity that would go with each then please let me know!
1 -- Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12)
2 -- God said, "Let there be Light" (Gen 1:2)
3 -- Light reminds us of God's presence (Ps 89:15 or PS 27:1 or Ex 13:21)
4 -- We reflect God's Glory (2 Cor 3:18 or Matt 5:16)
5 -- God's Word is Light (Ps 119:105)
6 -- The Rightous Shine (Matt 13:43)
7 -- God's Kingdom of Light (Col 1:12)
8 -- Light reminds us of the World to Come (Rev 21:23)

Also, another idea that I wanted to throw into the mix:
While driving around looking at Christmas lights this year -- I want to give a "Candy Cane" award to houses that particularly bless us. I'm thinking something like a cute note with a candy cane tied to it that we can place on their door. Trouble is -- I can't come up with some cute little poem kind of thing. Any poets out there?

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah,
mickie

Our Thanksgiving

For the last many, many, many years Jason and I have celebrated Thanksgiving with his family -- usually lots of Thanksgivings driving from house to house . . . This year we stayed at one house (yea!) and celebrated with my mother's side of the family. It was such a nice day -- great food and even better company. The kids played non-stop.

When we got home we had "movie night" and ate flavored popcorn. I'm thinking that it might be a new tradition.

Jason got into our boxes of books this weekend. We have a lot of books -- it was so much fun. I was very impressed at our collection and wished we had a bookshelf so that I could easily re-read some of them. Alas, I just pulled a few loved ones and now have enough to get me through a few more weeks. If you're trying to find a good read then you might want to consider some of these -- remember these are just a few and definitely not my only favorites.

1. The Screwtape Letters -- CS Lewis


2. The World According to God -- Greg Johnson


3. Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free -- Nancy Leigh DeMoss


4. Bringing Up Boys -- Dr. James Dobson


5. Discipline -- Elisabeth Elliot


6. Shadow of the Almighty -- Elisabeth Elliot


7. Passion and Purity -- Elisabeth Elliot


8. and the Bride Wore White -- Danah Gresh


9. The Mission of Motherhood -- Sally Clarkson
10. The Holiness of God -- RC Sproul

Oh, and Michael Ann -- I found your Captivating book. Such an awesome book and I'm glad that it wasn't lost forever. I'm going to read it again, too.

I just finished reading Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom. I was telling my friend, Vicki (who has been so awesome to mentor me this last year) and she shared how they had a private tour through the house/shop while they were serving in Europe and showed me a pocket watch that they had purchased from the shop. Wow! Maybe someday I'll get to go there, too. I love Corrie Ten Boom like I love Elisabeth Elliot (Chloe's middle name is Elisabeth if that is any indication.)

Love you!

mickie

Quote of the Morning

About 7:00am this morning Luke was eating candy corn (ugh!) I was just about to get on to him when he said, "It's tasty in my mouth." Cute, so I left him alone. This afternoon we were at the mall where we were trying (unsuccessfully) to get Abigail some shoes. I shared some of Chloe's goldfish with Luke and he broke out in a full dance. He said, "Eating a goldfish makes me want to dance." Another cute one -- especially if you had seen how elaborate his dance was. He's enjoying some junk food today (his favorite.)

I'm putting a picture of Chloe up for Aunt Ashley. She sent Chloe this outfit for her birthday and I wanted to let her see how she looks in it. I know how to put a picture here but not how to do it in an e-mail. So, here she is -- so sweet! Thank you, Aunt Ashley.

mickie

Halloween

On Friday, Mikaela had a Halloween Party at her "school." The parents did it up well -- pizza and Krispy Cream doughnuts decorated like pumpkins. Then they did a parade where the parents would pass out candy and they got to trick-or-treat. She got so much candy that she was able to share with her brother and sister. Luke was even caught in the closet with her bag and she still had some left over! Mikaela was a cheerleader. She wore my cheerleading uniform from when I was in the 5th grade. Scary.

We have always done Halloween -- either at a church or more recently in our old neighborhood. This year we opted out and spent a quiet evening at home toasting pumpkin seeds and enjoying a nice dinner and dessert. My aunt had a Halloween party today and I am sure it was tons of fun. She promised it would be full of really scary stuff. She did introduce me to my first Haunted House as a child -- so I'm sure it was. Instead we went to the Kimball Art Museum to see the Impressionist paintings.

I've loved the Impressionists since I was in High School/College and was excited to see them in person. I was looking forward to introducing my children to them. This weekend was the last time the collection would be in Ft. Worth and we ended up joining all the other procrastinators (and there were a lot!) Parking was crazy but we ended up with a good spot. I heard someone say as we were walking in that the line for tickets was about 45 minutes -- looking at the line I believed them. As we were making our way to the line one of the employees told me to go to the members only line and tell them that he sent me. Wow, he must have felt sorry for the woman with four small children and a stroller. We went to the line and a lady questioned if we were members. I explained what "John" had told me and she looked at me and then passed me two (free) tickets and directed me where to go. Such generosity! I'm very impressed with the employees at the Kimball! We made our way through most of the collection but it was really too crazy to enjoy much. I think the kids, especially Abigail, got a good introduction and I got to see some of my favorites paintings up close. Nice day.

Love to you all,

mickie

Update on the Brown Kiddos

We had Abigail's parent-teacher conference on Friday. Basically, she's reading like crazy but at the wrong times. She has a tendency to read while the Mrs. Taylor is teaching! We discussed how strange it is for a teacher to tell a child to put the book away. Mrs. Taylor also said that Abigail talks a lot -- we know, she's got Whitehorn blood in her. But, she said that she doesn't necessarily talk to anyone -- just talks (and sings) to herself. I'm sure it can be quite distracting. Makes me smile, though. Her desk looks like it blew up but honestly, after seeing her room I would have been surprised if it had been orderly. Mostly, we're going to step-up in the math facts department. She's developed some bad habits (using fingers!) and we're going to work on getting things a little more mental. We're so glad that Abigail is in a place where she's happy, loved, and safe. She comes home each day (happily) talking about her day -- something that wasn't happening before. Even though Gram decided not to pay for her school, Jason and I are going to try to keep her there as long as possible. We're grateful that God has given me a job that is allowing her to stay and not have to start another (4th) new school (since January.)
Mikaela wakes up each day happy -- and she's so excited if it's a school day. She has always made friends easily but has developed a "friendship" with a boy named John. Apparently, John likes a certain shirt that Mikaela wears and I have to really watch her so that she doesn't take it out of the dirty clothes hamper. She's still gets in our bed each night but we love it -- that's why we bought a king-size bed. Some day she'll stay in her own bed, so for now we're going to enjoy the snuggles. We went camping about a week ago. We went with some friends and celebrated our first Feast of Tabernacles. We had so much fun! There were lots of Christians there and obviously Jewish people. Mikaela told me the other day that she didn't realize that Yeshua was a real person. Yeshua is the Hebrew word for Jesus and we use them pretty interchangeably around here. I was starting to be impressed that our trip had such an effect on her. When I questioned her further, she said that she had seen him when we were camping. Really? She then described a man with a beard, small hat on his head, and a thing over his shoulders. Ha, Ha -- that could have been 1/3 of the men there! So sweet. We're going to have to talk a little more about Yeshua and Jesus.
Luke has finally settled down with the potty words. Seriously, he would find a way to work "booty" into every sentence -- whether it fit or not. We tried to replace it with "buzz" but it didn't quite work the same for him. He's pretty much given up naps -- ugh! And has decided that he will be the pickiest eater around. He would live on peanut butter if he could (Jason loves peanut butter, too. Must run in the family.) I had enough last night and forced all of them to eat the homemade chicken-noodle soup. You would have thought he was dying! I don't see the issue -- he likes chicken and he likes noodles. But he wouldn't do it. I made him have it for breakfast and he still wouldn't budge. He got a regular lunch only 'cause it was a school day and then he got it again for snack (nope!) and supper again. Finally, he ate a few pieces of chicken. I can't decide if I'll let that count or not.
Chloe is big! She's fitting into her 18 month outfits VERY nicely -- she just turned one! All of my other children weighed 18 lbs. at one year but Chloe weighed 21 lbs. She uses three words -- mama, dada, and snack (how appropriate.) Oh, and she "signs" for snack, too. Just in case you didn't get it the first time. The rest of the time she just screams -- usually at Luke or Mikaela (they love to smother her.) I think her next word might be "stop." She's not interested in walking. At childcare they said that she needs to wear shoes -- my response, "Why? So she can ruin the top of them?" She'll walk if you hold her hands and force her. I have noticed her letting go of things a little and standing on her own -- so I'm not worried. In her own time (as long as it's not too much longer.) Oh, one more thing -- we've been singing "God, Our Father" for our prayer at dinner and she can "sing" the tune. Pretty neat. She's a reader -- like all my children. That's a good thing.
We love you all and hope to hear from you.
Many blessings,
mickie

I Hate Fundraisers!

I've been in school way too long. If you think about it -- I've pretty much been there in one form or another since I was five years old. I remember doing my first fundraiser at Plemons when I was in fourth grade. (My sister and brother loved going door to door to sell cantalopes (sp?)-- I didn't inherit their business gene.) As a teacher, I would cringe every time they would take time out of my teaching day to do an assembly where they could get the kids all excited about earning junk if they would just sell ________ to their family. I felt guilty about passing out the packets to the kids because it made me feel like I was a part of the whole system. If I had the money, I'd just donate the 40% to the school instead of getting some magazine that I don't have time to read. I've always been able to ignore it (pretty much) for Abigail. But now that she's at the new school they've got me cornered. Next week, they are having a Walk-A-Thon. It's during the day so all the students have to attend (and they let out early, too. A real pain!) So, if Abigail goes to school that day she will be walking and if she doesn't then she'll be counted absent. Ugh! I hate for her to walk for no reason. They got me! So, if you would like to sponsor Abigail in the Walk-A-Thon (the money will go to buy Accelerated Reader books in the library) then let me know. She's walking next Thursday and has to turn in the money the beginning of December.
Oh, and if you're in the mood for a magazine subscription then she's selling those, too. I'm starting to think that private schools are worse than the public ones!
Love to you all!
mickie

He is always with us

Matthew 28:19-20
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

i had to share what happened to me this week at my job with UPS. It is no secret that i battle depression and when it creeps in, i feel like curling up in the fetal position and dying. The pain i have experienced while working 70 hours at two jobs and only sleeping 4-5 hours a day has been enough to take me out and i have a high tolerance for pain. Okay, enough about me because my lovely wife says that i write too long and it is too much of a theological treatise for our intended audience.

Long story short, Christ manifested to me the verse above (20) the other day as i was loading package cars. i was depressed and feeling like i wanted to quit the world when i see a white sticker stuck to the belt that moves our packages down to us for loading. On the sticker was handwritten, "Jesus Luv U". i know not of any believers on the side of the belt i was working on and only those workers and myself have access to the belt and could have placed that sticker there. It was perfectly placed where you could read it like you were going to grab a package off of the belt.

Freaked me out! It was one of those where you think about it for a why and the weight of it crushes you. "Lo I (the I AM) is with you always, even to the end of the age." Yes, LORD this true; you made that apparent clear to me the other day and saved me from the depths of my depression and sinfulness that causes it. May His name ever be praised and bring on the Sabbath Rest.

Killer Parakeets

My mother and sister, Sidney, bought the kids the best gift for their birthday -- Zoo passes. That means we get to go to the zoo anytime we want and it's something that Chloe can honestly enjoy, too. Side note -- if you ever go to a birthday party and want to know what to bring small children can I suggest something that is disposable? Paint, play dough, tape, chalk . . . My children, at least, do not need something else cluttering up their room. Most of the time they'd rather play with paper anyway. So, truly -- Zoo Passes are the best! Thank you Grandma and Aunt Sid!
Today we dropped Abigail and Mikaela off at school and Luke, Chloe, and I went to the zoo. We went to the parakeet cage first. You can walk in and the birds will land on you -- especially if you buy the $1 stick of birdseed. Usually we get there late and the birds could care less about us. So today we were going to beat everyone. We managed to get there first and the birds saw us coming. They were flying to the side of the cage while we were still outside parking the stroller. This should have been a sign. We bought our stick of food and I walked in first and Luke was supposed to follow me in. I managed to get in but as Luke tried to come in (holding the food) the birds swarmed him and landed on the stick (and his arm.) He screamed and dropped the stick (I cannot express how loud the scream was!) The rest of the birds saw their chance and went for the stick. There were at least 40 birds on the ground between Luke and me -- I couldn't get to him if I had wanted to (at least not without damaging any parakeets.) By the time I got him to step back (he wasn't coming in!) and closed the doors several birds had escaped -- they walked right out! (they did catch them and return them.) He finally got brave enough to come in but never got close to any birds. Chloe, on the other hand, loved the birds! She did her best to grab them but was, thankfully, unsuccessful.
I laugh each time I think of it.
Love to you all!
mickie

First Impressions

Abigail is in heaven. She LOVES her school. The first day she came home and said, "I wasn't bored all day!" Poor baby, I'm sorry that she has been bored at all. Let's see, what are some more Abigail quotes . . . "I was busy all day. * In Spanish class we played games around the room. I was pretty quiet 'cause I only know the basics of Spanish. * I don't know what it is about this school. Something's just different than the other schools I've been at. Maybe it's that the kids have manners.* I had so much fun at recess today, I played with . . ." (she never played at the other schools -- the teachers said she would always bring a book outside with her) That's all I can think of for now.

She has been excited to go to school each day. On Wednesday they have Chapel and so Abigail has a special uniform that she wears on that day. We got her a jumper and she was able to get away with using some of the shirts that she wore in FWISD. She was pretty bothered with the combination but said she would "get it together" so that she could go to her school. After a few minutes she was beaming -- I took some pictures that I will try to put on here and you can see what I mean.

As a teacher, I've been pretty impressed with the level of homework (and the organization) that she's been bringing home. As a mother, I'm so glad that she is in a place that is happy to see her each morning and is kind to us. Still getting used to having people being nice in a school -- too bad.

Anyway, thank you Gram and Pops for allowing Abigail to continue her education in such a wonderful place. It's making a difference already.

All Glory, Honor, and Praise to our Father,

mickie

New Church

I got so busy telling everyone about Abigail that I forgot to mention another way that God has been providing for us. We finally found a church!!! The Austin Stone changed our lives and we were no longer satisfied with just any old church (and there are a lot of them around here.) We tried driving to The Village but it was an hour one way. As awesome as The Village is it was just too far to develop any sort of community. I guess if I want to listen to Matt Chandler I can always do it on-line. Well, The Village planted a church in Keller -- City View. www.cityviewchurch.net It reminds us of what The Stone must have been like in the early years. We went to the new members class last week and were encouraged by the Pastor's heart and vision for the church. Keller is a little bit of a drive but it's worth it. (At least it's close to my cousin, Jodi's house -- it might give our families a chance to get together some Sunday afternoon.) Best of all, there are several couples that live around the seminary and they will be starting a small group down here close to us. Yea! The Worship Pastor, Adam Crawford, knows some other good friends of ours (Phillip and Lindsey Walleck -- Phillip lived with us for a summer before Mikaela was born. He was instrumental in discipling Jason. Adam referred to Phillip as "a rock." Yes - yes you are, Phillip.) If you get the chance to hear some of his work you won't regret it. He writes beautiful songs that we get to sing at Service on Sundays and he has a beautiful voice. So, another connection -- that's nice.
So rejoice and sing for the Lord is good!
Love to you all,
mickie

Abigial's New School

As most of you know, Abigail was not being challenged at the school across the street from us. So, we researched and found a Special Interest Program at another school across town. It is called "Science, Mathematics, and Technology Academy" at Morningside. It's a kind of school within a school. The work samples were great and they have the most beautiful garden where most of the work was supposed to be based. For a Science girl like Abigail this would be perfect. Plus, it was ethnically diverse -- well, she was one of the few white children but that would be good - right? Once we started school we realized that the academic rigor was not what was portrayed and to make things worse, there was a girl in Abigail's class that bullied her. Most days she would be hit or have her foot stomped on and then there was the verbal . . . Things did not improve even after speaking with the teachers and administrators. In fact, they continued to put the two of them in small groups together and to have their desks together! We just didn't know what to do.
On Thursday, Jason's mother (Gram) called and I was sharing about Abigail's days at school. She's a teacher, too -- so she understands. Anyway, Gram volunteered to pay for Abigial to go to another school (both for safety and academic reasons.) *this is kind of sweet because when Jason was little his grandmother paid for him to attend a private school as well. So, Sherri is following in great footsteps* I was very excited about the possiblilies but doubted I would be able to find a (good) school that would have a spot open at this time of the year or that would be willing to accept a new second grader into their program.
I called, researched, and asked for recomendations. . .(did I mention lots of prayer!) No place was open. I kept hearing about one school and one of the teachers at my school suggested that I just walk in and talk to them. I did and Abigail will be starting at St. Paul Lutheran School on Monday! A girl had just left and they had one spot -- Abigail's name even fits in alphabetically on the class list! I could go on and on about how wonderful this school iS but I'll let you read the website for yourself: http://school.stpaulfw.com/index.php
Another perk of the school is that it is only blocks away from The First Presbyterian Church where I teach pre-school.
I am most amazed at how genuinely nice everyone was -- very peaceful. They had some gently worn uniforms that we were able to get so she is all set for Monday. (I'll try to get picture for everyone -- maybe Monday.) I took Abigial up there to see things and meet her new classmates and when we left she said that she "just couldn't make her mouth stop smiling."
We know that God has totally paved the road for Abigail to be at this school. There were too many obstacles for it to have happened any other way. So quickly, too -- I talked to Gram on Thursday night and by Friday at noon she was set -- unheard of! Abigail told me this morning that she knows that God has done this for her and that now she knows that He is really real.
My heart is so full and I feel like I just want to give God a big hug and never let go.
Love to you all!
mickie

Tired But Blessed Beyond Measure

So it has a been a while since we have posted and I have to no avail been able to find time to post or to tutor mickie in logging on so we apologize for the delay. i am still burning the candle at both ends working 70 hours a week and taking 6 hours of class, but it feels like i will end up in glory sooner than later. New Testament Greek is the bomb and it is highly recommended for extreme Bible nerds.

i say that i am blessed beyond measure because everyday when i look at my beautiful bride and our amazing children i am humbled by my true unworthiness of such a blessing. Not false, superficial feelings, but revelational truth of my sinfulness and God's amazing outlandish love for sinners. It has caused me to ponder how much i and anybody really knows about Yeshua and His Father.

The questions have been running through my head:

Why does the present day church not look like the disciples?
Why do we not eat with sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors as Christ did?
Why have we made up rules which Christ never gave to us?
And why have we forsaken the rules He has given us for a more comfortable life of faith from our own personal perspective and not the Bible?

mickie and i have been reading a book by mark driscoll called The Radical Reformission and it has rocked us to our core. we have both been appalled by the closeness and unprofessional way in which pastor driscoll speaks about Christ and at the same time we see the intimacy it would take to treat Christ like your friend as He says that He is. i must agree that the gospels are scandalous when you look at them closely without present-day blinders on.

How can we been in the world but not of it if we remove ourselves from the world whether physically or by unmentioned sanction of certain people? Is the Holy Spirit not powerful enough to allow us to dig deep into the unsaved person's life and connect to their core for the purpose of leading them toward the answer to their deepest longings for significance? Why are we not infiltrating the camp of the unsaved for the purpose of redeeming it for Christ?

we are Free!............. we are Free!

We are free to live radically and go therefore making disciples in all situations, not just in church or at revivals. We have power to go behind enemy lines and take back what is God's creation turned evil; a human soul with a tarnished image of God.

Enough preaching though. we love each and every one of you who have supported us and read this blog. we miss you all dearly and pray that God prosper you ministries no matter what the shape. i will get mickie to write next time so you do not have to listened to me preaching. Shalom and may the Ancient of Days bless you socks off!

The Shack Attack

Okay, so i have heard so much about this book "The Shack" that i am sick of it and must say my piece. i never get to write in our blog anymore because i work two jobs (make that three as i just picked up another one), so this is exhilarating.

i am not sure where all the confusion is coming from and maybe i am being to simple, but this book is simply not worth entertaining. The formula for truth is such: 1) Take anything you encounter and weigh it against Scripture 2) If it does not agree, THROW IT OUT!!!

Don't fill your mind with worthless material that does not honor God nor make room for God to make you more like Yeshua. This i a war, not a rehearsal and our time is something we do not get back. The enemy wants you dead and he will stop at nothing to get you off track.

Deuteronomy 28:11-15
11 "The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your beast and in the produce of your ground, in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
12 "The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13 "The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,
14and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Consequences of Disobedience
15 "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

This book offers nothing in the way of helping you obey all that God has commanded us. God is not a self-explaining black woman. He is Spirit and no man has seen the living God except in the person of Yeshua who is the radiance and exact nature of God (Hebrews 1). He offers no explanation for His ways because they are higher than ours (Isaiah 55) Allegory of the likes of C.S. Lewis (which does not alter Scripture or expound on it unnecessarily) is one thing, but this book pretentiously places characteristics on the Trinity that they themselves have not allowed for in the Bible.

What saddens me is that i feel the people who are being duped by this book are the very ones who know very little about THE BOOK (Bible). When you have Scripture hidden in your heart and are seeking to obey and align yourself with the will of God, His word is your only ally and protection against the lies of the world. Scripture is very clear about what happens to those who lack the knowledge of God's word:

Hosea 4:5-7
5 So you will stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.

This passage deals with false prophets and God's people who are lead astray because they did not remember the commandments of God. God loves all His creation, but not all of His creation are loved as sons and daughters of the King. God is not a universalist and not all will be saved. Not my words, but from His word.

You must hear and obey like Abraham because he is the father of all who are of the faith (Romans 4). The way of salvation started in Genesis:

1) God intervened into Abraham's life (see Ephesians 2 for our story)
2) Abraham heard God's voice and believed (Genesis 15:6)
3) Abraham obeyed and left his homeland for somewhere he had never been (Matthew 28:18-20; pay attention to verse 20 for the obedience part)

Wheewww! That was a keyboard full and i won't bore ya'll any longer. Bottom line is that "The Shack" is a dangerous book for those not versed in Scripture and not something unexpected in these last days when men will want their ears tickled rather than hearing truth (2 Timothy 4:3). Test everything and you will be fine.

On a lighter note: the third job i am getting is as the Religious Director of Education for the Naval Air Station here in Fort Worth. Sweet! i get to work in the chapel and hag out with chaplains. The kids are doing great and getting so big. Pray that God grants us the strength to prepare them to stand in the gap for the dark days ahead. God bless and shalom!

Short Update

Just a short post for it is time to go to bed so i can wake and run 10-12 miles. The kids are at grams in Austin so Chloe is hamming it up being the only one. She seriously has no concept that she ever had siblings and may even be mad when they return. She is Army crawling everywhere and starting to pull up on things. She looks too small to be doing these things, but she has been an overachiever from the womb. She loves the Johnny jumper that we hang from the door jamb and she may even give Luke a run for his money at bouncing and swinging in it.

Seminary is tough and i have to spend about four hours a day cramming all the aspects of the Greek language into my head. i just got hired on with UPS to work in their hub from 3am unto 8am with 100% of the benefits paid for my entire family so that is a blessing. It will be my second job and i am not sure how i am going to do it working at Office Depot and UPS, but God will sustain or i will go to glory early.

We are still look for a church home so pray that God will guide us where He would see fit to use us or let us rest at. We had a great visit with Michelle when she returned from Zambia and got to see God working in Stephen's life as he talked non-stop about what God was doing in Zambia. i told Michelle that he had never talked to me that much before. It was very exciting to see the passion in him.

i don't know what the weather in Austin is like, but it has been hot as hell up here. That word is in the Bible so no gasps. i am growing used to being wet everywhere i go in my car and i continually get the "I don't know how you do it." from my co-workers.

Here are some pics:

Turbo Greek is not for wimps

i am in Turbo Greek now and that means six-eight months worth of Greek done in Two Summer months. It is extremely demanding but i am learning a lot. The family is doing good and it is hot as hades up here. My car a/c does not work and i am learning to get to work like a nomad (no work shirt or shoes on the way there). i am trying to get a job closer to the house because gas is outrageous.


i think our entire family is learning what it means to go and take nothing with, not even an extra tunic.


Mark 6:7-9
7 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits;
8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff--no bread, no bag, no money in their belt--
9 but to wear sandals; and He added, "Do not put on two tunics."


The LORD provides our daily bread:

Matthew 6:11
11 'Give us this day our daily bread.

i have heard it said that He provides just enough for us to not be tempted to steal to eat and not more than we need so that we do not forget the LORD as the nation of Israel did when they were prosperous (unfortunately, we forget the LORD also when things are well and remember Him when times are hard). Thank God that He is merciful and loves us as a Father would.

Here are some new pics:

The Sound in All of Us

i have been listening to the new Leeland album (Thanks Corey for introducing me to this band) and there is a song called "let it out now" that is exquisite. i will share the lyrics in their entirety:

It’s like you got to walk like him
Got to talk like her
Got to be like them
Everybody knows you follow the crowd
Or get singled out
But God says who you are
Not the world or movie stars
Don’t you know He holds the answers in His hands?

We’re stuck in a system
Is there anybody different?
Is anybody listening?
Is anybody listening?

Everyone has their own sound
Let it out now, let it out now
There’s nothing wrong with living loud
Let it out now, let it out now

I’m drawing the line between
Being them or being me
I’m not ashamed
To call myself one of Yours, Lord
But it’s a narrow path
I’ve got to break from the pack
No turning back
No turning back

Yes, God’s looking for a people
With a passion in their hearts
We’re God’s children
We need to shine bright
We need to shine bright

Everyone has their own sound
Don’t you know all
God’s children have their sound?

What a beautifully contradictory idea to what we are taught in Christianity today; that we all have to look alike and follow the same rules if we want to please God. Only one problem: that idea is not in the Bible. No where does God create robots that worship the same and serve in the same manner. Each of us has a unique fingerprint of God on our lives. Many think they have to be in the ministry to be spiritual or only pastors are close to God because of their calling or training. A pastor just sings one of the notes in this symphony to God called the Body of Christ.

Each is to serve in their unique individual giftedness and make beautiful music to our King. If you have not read it already, read "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. Pay attention to the music he hears while in heaven. A symphony of uniqueness yet harmonizing in praise of Elohim.

Let your song out
Let it out now!
Let it out now!

Here's the You Tube Acoutic version of "Let it Out Now" by Leeland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgqUrti0ZgE

Psalms 66:1-2 . . .

The most amazing things have happened in the last few weeks. I've just wanted to shout from the rooftops about how wonderful our God is -- I keep asking Jason, "Have you blogged about this yet?" and he keeps saying no. It's driving me crazy 'cause I just want everyone to praise God with me! I think this may be his attempt to get me to start adding my thoughts to this blog -- so I guess his procrastination has worked in his favor 'cause here I am posting my first-ever blog.
Anyway, for starters . . . someone (and you know who you are -- thank you!!!) bought us a new mini-van!!!! Did you read that correctly? Yes, someone (anonymously) bought us a mini-van! For those of you that don't know, we lost our Odyssey because we were not able to make the payments -- BIG, HUGE, humbling experience! Anyway, we were making due with Jason's car and hanging around the apartment a lot. Jason mentioned this to one of his professors and he gave him a suburban that we all lovingly call "Joseph" 'cause it is the suburban of many colors. I was so grateful to have it and was determined that we were going to do something memorable in it (although driving with the windows down - no AC - and having stuff blow all over you and the children is pretty memorable. . .) It's just the way things were and I wasn't going to grumble. I was happy. THEN, what seemed to be a random, rainy, Monday afternoon I got The call. I was only half-way listening to a girl that said her name was Shanna. I was waiting for her to get through what I assumed was her sales pitch when I started picking up on parts of what she was saying. It went something like, "You don't know me but we have a mutual friend and this friend has just bought you a mini-van." Excuse me?!!! After she repeated herself (laughing -- can you imagine how much fun this must have been for her!) and gave me the name and phone number of a guy at a dealership. I figured out that we really had a van -- wow! Are you getting this?? I'm still jumping out of my skin -- God bought us a van!!!! It may not seem like much to you but I'm just amazed that the God of the Universe saw fit to give us a van! I mean, really -- He tells the stars what to do and here He is thinking about getting my children to the grocery store and church and the park . . . I had wheels -- Joseph's wheels were old but they moved and I was grateful. Case closed -- or so I thought. No, the God we worship didn't just give us basic wheels -- He gave us a van with AC and cruise control, a gas-gauge that worked . . . . Our God is extravagant. I was already feeling pretty loved but now I'm just in "Wow!" mode. Are you saying "Wow" with me? I mean, really -- Praise our God -- He is Amazing.
Here's a kicker -- my kids were like, "hum -- cool, a van." Don't get me wrong they really liked it but they weren't turning cartwheels the way I was (or at least I was in my heart -- I never did learn how to those things.) Finally, a day or so later, Abigail said something about this van going away, too. That's when it hit me. She was too afraid to get excited about our nice van 'cause she was afraid it would be gone, too. I had tried to explain the first day that this was ours and that someone else had bought it for us but apparently it didn't sink in. Poor baby! I told her, again, "No -- all the payments have been made on this van for us. We did nothing to earn it but it's ours and can never be taken away." Finally, she got it and her smile was beautiful. You could see the relief and, at last, the excitement. Then we had a wonderful talk about how Christ purchased us on the cross and how we don't deserve salvation or being allowed in the presence of God but that Christ made all the payments for our sin and it can never be taken away. Wow, such peace. Someday, when Christ calls her name, maybe she'll remember. Right now, it's so beautiful to see how He's laying out the path for her to follow.
So, are you wondering what happened to "Joseph?" Well, I was talking to a group of neighbors trying to find someone that could use some dishes that had been given to me (thinking I could find someone that could use them.) I mentioned them to one women and she said no. Then, without even thinking, I said, "Well, do you need a car?" This is such a God-thing! She started crying and told me that when they had their next baby in August that they would no longer have a vehicle large enough for their family and they just didn't know what to do about it. Her husband later told me he had only told God of their need and was just amazed at His answer to their prayer. We decided that someday we would be in the position of having to tell others that God can be trusted and to encourage others to know that He is alive and active. If we had not experienced this for ourselves then it would just be theology. But, we have -- and we KNOW.
Well, I guess since Jason has finally got me writing on this blog that I will have to continue (later.) This is only the tip of the ice-burg (although, a large tip) at what God has been doing since we've been here. I'm still just as convinced as when we got here that this is where God wants us. He's such a great encourager -- and creative, too. Who would have guessed a van?
Love to you all!
mickie

Survived

So the semester is done and i am registered for the summer and the fall already. we were given a suburban from one of my professors and it is properly named "Joseph" as it is the suburban of many colors. we are going to take a picture of it with the family and i will post it. We survived our first semester of Seminary and are looking forward to brighter days. The family is rolling along and Chloe is turning into a little chunk.

She is already 16 pounds and has cut her first tooth at 7 months. The other three did not reach 17 pounds until they were a year old. And they did not cut their teeth until about that time also. She is shaping up nicely to be able to defend herself from her siblings.

Here are some updated pics:

Home Stretch

The end of the Semester is right around the corner and the days are a blur right now. My head is filled with questions about the authorship of the Gospels, how i am going to pay my rent and my tuition, what classes i can afford and handle this summer, and will we ever see just a little prosperity during this season? i find myself not necessarily wondering if God will provide, but what we are to learn as a family being this far down the edge of the cliff?

God is ruining our dependence on finances and i believe He is doing it on purpose and with a future purpose in mind. mickie and i have always been poor to some degree all of our thirteen years together, but we are hitting an all time low. Now please don't misunderstand; we are not poor at all compared to the world, so i mean lack of money only. It would be ridiculous to not recognize how overwhelmingly blessed we have been in all areas aside from finances. Praise be to God cause His ways are higher than our ways!

We are blessed in what i consider to be the things that really matter:

1) Children

Psalm 127:3-5
3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one's youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

2) My Beautiful Spouse (i am not speaking for mickie causes the LORD knows i ain't beautiful!!!)

Proverbs 18:22
22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the LORD.

Proverbs 12:4
4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones.

3) Most important is a growing relationship with Yeshua our Messiah

Philippians 3:7-9
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

O' LORD let that be my aim today, tomorrow and forever; to forsake all things for the surpassing greatness of knowing You. Let me never grow distraught for not having the things that the world seeks after. But instead let me remember what is important to Your heart. May You be glorified in all we endeavour to do and say. By the blood of Yeshua in the power of the Spirit and for the Glory of the Father, Amayn.

Colored Chickens

Here are some cute pics of the kids and their cousins. Check out those colored chicks:

Heavy thoughts needing rest

It has been a long work week for me. Six days in a row and i finally got a couple of days off. The kids got back from their gram and pops and they were asleep when i got home tonight. i had to go into their rooms and look at them. i missed them even though they were only gone for a few days. Baby chloe stayed with us and she gobbled up the love of both her parents. The three of us went to Red Robin last night for dinner and the nice waitress told us that one day we would get really good at eating with one hand. She said this because mickie was holding chloe as she ate her dinner. we bothed laughed knowing that we had learned that lesson six years ago with Abigail.

It is strange to think that we have been parents for six years now and i wonder where the time went. It is as if time doubled or even tripled in speed once we had children. Years go by like days and yet i can recall less about the past than i would like to. i was listening to a derek webb cd, "The Ringing Bell" today on my way home and was hit full force by a fact that our lives if not lived for the right reasons are a waste.

He sings: "They say we are just trying to stay alive, but it looks more like a way to die." i wonder how much our lives look like this? i started to think that just "existing" is really just a miserable way to die while living. No chance of going in reverse during this life. Yesterday is gone, today is here, and tomorrow has enough trouble on its own. This world is full of people finding different ways to die. They die with toys, houses, money, fame, acceptance, being right, feelings, and a whole host of facades.

May we never settle for "existence", but push onward into the upward calling of Christ. Tomorrow do not just exist, but live. And life is only found in Yeshua because He came to give us life and life abundant. Not existence, but life!

The worse thing would be to get to the end of your life and find out you missed it; you missed the point of God forming you in your mother's womb, counting the hairs on your hand, and breathing His breath in you so that you could glorify Him through a relationship with Him. Life is only found in God and anything else is just another way to die.

Shalom!

Well needed time off

Well, we finally got some well-needed family time this weekend. i scored a three day weekend and enjoyed many naps with Luke and baby Chloe. Today was great as Abigail excelled in playing catch with a football. She even got hit in the face and it didn't phase her. Momma was proud as she is extremely scared of catching a ball in the face and thus avoids all such games. We enjoyed some evening wrestle time and if you have not played horse with three children on your back, you have not lived. Going to see the chiropractor soon!!

Church at the village is great and we are looking to join a small group or start one for those that commute from Fort Worth. After that we are going to join the Village as Covenant Partners. The kids are looking forward to seeing their Gram and Pops this weekend and Abigail is jazzed about looking for fossils as she will be spending some time in Austin with her grandparents. I am going to try and make Jame's confirmation the following weekend. And if i am correct, he and some others are planning to join us here to celebrate the Passover Seder in April.

Here are some new pictures of the kids:

We love cause He loved us

Psalm 9:9-11
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.

As i was driving to work today, i was listening to Matt Redman's song God of our Yesterdays and he has a bridge where he quotes this Psalm about how we can trust God cause we know His name. We can trust Him because He is faithful when all are not. We can trust Him because He has been, is , and will forever be.

Praise be to Elohim, the mighty, mighty God of all the nations; the unwavering giver of good and the Father of Lights. You are worthy O' LORD of our Fathers and their sons and daughters. You are worthy of our days, minutes, and seconds. Every breath should utter praise to You.

Have you ever felt the love of God so strong that you are compelled to share as if you would burst if you did not? Today was one of those days. i know what John meant when he wrote that we love because He first loved us. Man, what an overwhelming feeling God's love is when it comes on you like a breaking wave. When we are with Him for eternity, how amazing it will be to drink in His love, shaken, pressed down, and over flowing the measure.

It has not been a particularly spiritual time for our family as my work duties have increased and my time at home has diminished. Seminary is a day to day struggle and one day is never like the next.

Our kids are amazing! My bride is amazing! Abigail has learned how to read and she is devouring her kids Bible. Praise God for His mercy in extending grace to her six year old body. The kids absolutely love Shabbat and they get very serious when the blessings are done. mickie says it is funny to watch them dance around when Shabbat Shalom is playing. They love the Challah bread and the Grape Juice that symbolize communion and the bread and wine or Christ.

What an amazing blessing Shabbat has been. my family has been learning so much from Torah and to see them taking joy in celebrating communion as such a young age is joy. Yeshua said:

Matthew 18:2-4
2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,
3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Yeshua says that whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom. What did that child do? What exactly was Yeshua praising this child for? i wonder if it was not his complete trust in Yeshua? Maybe he had never even met our LORD before and here Yeshua was beckoning him to come forth and be a part of a teaching for the generations. i imagine that the child without hesitation walked into Yeshua's loving arms. That is what we must do to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven; walk in faith into the loving arms of Christ.

i pray that my family walks in faith right into the loving arms of Christ. Father, i ask for mercy and grace to lead my family into the loving arms of Your Son. i pray that same blessing for all that we know and love. May you grant them grace and faith. Father use us to bless Your name. Here we are LORD, send us!!!

Blessings over Daughters

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since our last post and boy is it busier than ever in the Brown house. i just completed my first Marathon running 26.2 miles in 5 hours 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Not too shabby for only training for five months. Unfortunately it has turned me into a running beast where i feel the need to feed on more races. i am not sure mickie is all that excited because races=money if ya know what i mean. Anywho, it was a whirlwind tour in Austin for the race and we enjoyed getting to see Lewis and Jackie was a lifesaver at the race by encouraging me and providing much needed Tylenol.

we are excited about this weekend because mickie's youngest brother sean is going to attend The Village with us and he is not an attender of church. we believe him to be a believer, he just has not found a church home as he is going to school at North Texas. he said it will give him something to look forward to each week, so we are stoked.

What a blessing i received this evening as i put my daughters to bed. grandpa and grandma came and bought them separate twin Ikea beds and so praying with them has become an Olympic event hopping from one bed to the next. i prayed with one and then prayed with the other. After that i stood in the middle and raised my hands to pronounce a blessing on them and my oldest moves forward so that my hand would be on her head. Incredible! we have been observing Sabbath and there is a blessing for the daughters in which the father lays hands on them and pronounces a blessing or rather sings it, but to see it sinking in and her eagerness to receive the blessing of her father almost brought me to tears.

Time has been a scarcity in our house and i do not really get to see my family during the week which has been hard. It is a season and not forever. Seminary is getting better and i see everyday that God brought me here to minister to the future Pastors of the world as i have been engaged in many conversations. The spiritual climate here is very warm and it has taken some getting used to coming from Austin. From Office Depot and Sonic, to Starbucks everybody loves that you follow Yeshua. They openly talk about it and engage you about it.

Ba-ruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher na-tahn lanoo et deh-rech ha-ya-shoo-ah b'Meh-shee-ach Yeshua.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has given us the way of salvation in Messiah Yeshua.

we found a church, YEAH!!!!

So life is in full swing here at the Brown abode. Our time together has been shortened due to my newly aquired work schedule and Seminary. i am currently at the training store in Las Colinas so the drive is shorter. But the hours are longer and i am growing more and more tired.

mickie seems to be holding up great. she is a rock of faith amidst our financial storm and she serves to bolster my strength more than she probably is aware of. she is calm when i am freaking out and she helps to align my thoughts when i am like a cat trying to avoid falling into the barrel.

The children are settling in, but my being away has made them more restless and when i am home, they are like spider monkeys on a small tree if you know what i mean? they cling to me for dear life afraid that i might leave again. we know that it is just a season and we will be silent and trust in YHVH.

we have been praying and fretting over finding a church home and the LORD was gracious to answer us this week. we had considered going to The Village Church, but worried about it not being a Baptist Church. The Seminary only gives me a break on tution as long as i attend a Baptist church. So we had pretty much written off The Village until i started to look over their website and found out that they are what i would call a "Reformed Baptist" church; one that started out Baptist, First Baptist Highland Village to be exact, and then re-wrote their constitution and by-laws as well as changed their name. All the while, keeping their relationship with the SBC. SWEEEEETTTTTTT!!!!!!! Open up mouth cause here comes cake and i am a eaten too. Incredible sermon last weekend and good music. Matt Chandler, who reminds me of Matt Carter, even mentioned Torah several times in his sermon. The families' soul was fed well.

Psalm 34:1-3
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

One Month Anniversary

Today marks our one month anniversary and we are still here and not run away yet. This was also the first full week for me of working and going to school. A bit rough i would say and i am a little ragged now. That may be because i spent every hour on the hour last night tending to my sick middle children (Mikaela and Luke) as they celebrated a festival of vomit. Sorry for the descriptive. My job is great (BORING!; which is good for school) and everyone up here is so open to talking about church and God. It is a little weird for us coming from Austin because it seems that you are almost expected to have faith up here.

Lo and behold, we have not found a church home yet and i can honestly say that now we see just how much Austin Stone rocked the house. The contemporary services up here are more like hymns on crack rather than screaming guitars and hearts on fire for Jesus. we were treated to a God-honoring, but horrendous rendition of Tomlin's song "How can I keep from Singing". Imagine that song done in high-speed opera style. Don't get me wrong, those ladies were worshiping; this i know for sure. i am just not sure they intended for us to join in. All kidding aside, we miss our Stone family and how we rock it out. we are praying for a church home and it has definitely been a burden for me given that i have been sufficiently inundated with Baptist thinking, God love em.

Seminary has been difficult. Kind of how i thought it would be, but i did not expect it to be this painful. Can't wait to see what God has planned because with pain comes spiritual growth so we take joy. The hardest part has been the theological ideas that are being taught however unintentional they may be. i am just not one for titles and especially denominational titles. we are Christians,followers of Christ, no Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, etc.

Okay enough ranting. The kids and mickie are doing well. It stays pretty busy here, but mickie has found a great Bible study she can attend with her sister (i am really excited that they get to spend time together). abigail told me that she studies a piece of Scripture every night before she goes to sleep. she is doing phenomenal with her reading and it will shortly be time to start memorizing Scripture. i told her that we are going to work on memorizing The Shema together. The Shema is thus:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Deuteronomy 11:13-21
Numbers 15:37-41

Shalom!

YHVH; a God of Compassion and Provision

Psalm 27:12-14
12 Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.

Wow! Does King David nail it or what? This Psalm of his speaks to our experience this week and God's gracious provision in the lives of the Brown Family. We moved here in faith and that belief in God's provision has not wavered...until yesterday as i registered for Seminary classes. One by one came the questions: Do i sign up for full time or just the amount i need to keep our apartment, six hours? i need full time to be a Chaplain candidate, but how am i going to pay for it? When are they going to call me so that i can start my job and get some income coming in? Have i made a mistake and not been a good steward and if so how am i going to clean up what i have done? Will we end up on the streets? What else can i do, second job, student loan, giving plasma, etc? Why am i sounding so afraid in my thoughts?

i apologize for taking you all on a journey through my though process, but it is necessary to see that we all get scared even when we are sure of God's call. i am but a man and i get afraid and any man who chooses to follow God that says he does not is a liar. Okay, so sorry for the rambling, bu not sorry for the transparency; i pray it encourages someone.

So i get my bill for my classes and it is $1942.00 + cost of books. i sign up for the FACTS program which allows me to pay for it in increments. So first monies that will be due is a payment of $485 on February 5th. No problem, i start my job soon and income will be flowing. Never mind that we have only enough money in the bank for rent and some groceries. i am registering in faith or folly depending on how you look at it. i wait and no call from Office Depot on Friday last week, no call Monday, and so i call yesterday. Turns out my background check is taking longer than usual. Think the enemy is not working?

He wants to destroy my faith that God will equip the called. he was doing a heck of job yesterday, but God, always faithful God answered him with a "not this time sucker!" i spent the afternoon exhausting myself online looking for ways to pay for the just the first payment coming up. i guess i felt like that is what a good steward does; do all he can and trust God to make it happen. i was awaiting a call from Matt Carter at the Austin Stone as i had contacted him about supporting me while i was in Seminary. He had not said whether they we going to or not and yesterday was the day to find out.

Long story short, The Stone felt lead to pay for my first semester and all the books i would need for that semester. As i looked for Scripture that spoke of waiting on the LORD, i found this passage in Isaiah. i think it is fitting.

Isaiah 30:18-19
18 Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
19 O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.

Oh how our God longs to be gracious to His children. How our Father longs to answer us as i long to answer the cry of my children. It says that He waits on high to have compassion on us. HE WAITS ON HIGH TO HAVE COMPASSION ON US!!! Amazing! Last time i checked, we all could use compassion.

1 Chronicles 16:25
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.

Psalm 48:1
1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain.

We praise you Adonai LORD God Almighty! We cry Abba Father and we hymn the Father, Son, and Spirit. You are a great God and worthy to be praised above all else. we lay our lives down for your purpose and pleasure.

Amen and Amen!!!