26 Bible Songs

When Charis was learning the Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"  (see this post), Joshua and I looked for a song to go with the verse. We found this "CD" (we bought it on Itunes with some of my birthday money). These songs seasoning the air have been revolutionizing for our little family. There is something powerful about the word of God in song.  As Charis listens to the songs she will pipe up "I want a clean heart" or "I want to be kind."  Gabriel tries singing along "do, do, do ..." It has also brought up spiritual conversations like what it means to "Quench not the Spirit". These truths have convicted my heart on more than one occasion. It was the best $5 we have spent on our family in a long time!!!

Summertime is for...

Sunglasses and No Shirts

Bubbles and Swimsuits

ICE ... LOTS of it!

Swimming

Sitting together on the floor with cold drinks

Eating Watermelon

Lilies of the Field

God's provisions are beautiful. They come in ways we don't expect and don't deserve. They rarely look the same as before. Sometimes they aren't what we need but are a real treat. Over this past year overseas, God has provided in sweet and beautiful ways. It has been a hard year ... there have been many plain meals (I have made canned tuna in just about every way possible!) and there have been times I struggle to not want to focus on the wrong thing. But also numerous times I have seen God's hand in such sweet and unexpected ways that I can't help but share a few of God's provisions:

Fresh veggies & fruit given to us from a local vineyard

Beautiful clothing given & lent to us from family & friends

(This dress was from Joshua's mom)

An invitation from my cousin & husband to stay

several days at an amazing villa at the Sea (Spain)

Thrifty friends that informed us about a wholesale store

to buy the least expensive eggs, chicken, mozzarella & pepperoni 

And a few others...a crib and car seat for Gabriel, new earrings, 1lb of yeast for baking, passing the MOT (a vehicle inspection on a very old and beat up car)... I could list more than anyone would want to read, but I want to publicly bless God for some of His gifts! AND I want to remind those reading that God's word is TRUE:

 “...do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air... Consider the lilies of the field..."

Celebration !?!

As we passed a year since we left home for Spain, Joshua and I found this day to be bitter sweet. Anyone knowing how we dreamed to do what we are doing or how we had to fight for our visas to stay in Cyprus would probably wonder how could there be any sadness in this day. One word: Homesickness.  A "canker-worm" in our line of work as Vaughan in 1875 aptly called it. There are days I can't imagine being anywhere else. Then there are the days I fight myself not to beg God to take me back home. Even as we reached the one year mark of being overseas, Joshua's family was gathered for an annual beach trip. While our hearts rejoiced for them to be together, we fought the emotions of missing being with them. I found myself facing and wondering how do I fight homesickness?  The best resource I found like with anything was soaking myself in truth - in the word of God. One of the messages to the Israelites was to REMEMBER. Just like remembering and trusting that God brought me together with the person I am married to or that God gave me the children He planned for me so it is with homesickness. I have to remember why we are here. So we remembered ...and we celebrated with cake too! Celebrating being gone? Well, maybe not that, but celebrating all God did to help us on this journey he has taken us on thus far.