constancy

\ˈkän(t)-stən(t)-sē\

noun

the state of being constant; changelessness

steadfastness, as in purpose or affection; faithfulness.

God is immutable. Sounds like a simple, easy-to-understand sentence, yet how can one contain God to a sentence? In Knowing God, Packer is right when he says that God's life doesn't change. Neither does His character, His truth, His ways, His purposes, and His Son. The earth and the heavens "will perish, but you [God] will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end." (Psalm 102:26-27).

We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,

And wither and perish - but naught changeth Thee.

(from the Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise Hymn)

Do you ever think about this...how CONSTANT God is? We're all busy. We've got places to go and people to see. You might read this blog post quickly and get on with your day. And that's fine. I do it too. But how often do I honestly sit still, and know that He is God? Turn off that blasted cell phone. Shut that to-do-list notebook for a second. Get up even 15 minutes earlier to be still and acknowledge who God is! Right now, there are so many things occupying my mind and yours. My natural tendency would not be to ponder God's constancy in the midst of my busy-busy attitude, but He has reminded me of it lately.

If God is steadfast, why worry? If God is unchanging, why set our minds on any earthly thing? If God is who He says He is, why must we wallow in discontent and sorrow? God's constancy provides us such comfort and HOPE. The hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ IS "big enough to cover the whole area of our need." (Packer) That's what this life is about.

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!"

(Revelation 4:8b)

Here's a good related song.

And an even better version of it by Maggie Rose Amini.

not you

Have you ever had a banner pop up and flash on your computer screen?

This is the banner that popped up in my brain yesterday. And I thought to myself, Okay.

Okay wasn't good enough.

Do we get it? It's not about you! It's not about me.

God raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in heaven. He placed Christ above all rule and authority and above every title. God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church. Christ fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:20-23.

Don't we get it? It's about Jesus Christ!

Related post: Crazy Love

our purpose....so what does it matter

We all want our kids to succeed and do well. But what exactly does that mean? Both of our kids walked well at 10 months old. Of course, we were so proud when they beat the walking-at-1-year standard. I'm sure our faces were beaming as they followed us like Frankenstein from room to room.

Years pass, and there are new milestones and standards to meet. We enroll Carly in tee ball and help her practice. We pitch to her, play catch, and play our own little tee ball games at home so she has some sort of idea of what's going on. We want her to do well.

Carly also started swimming lessons this week. She has never been a natural fish in water, but she doesn't mind it when we dump pitchers of water on her head in the bathtub either. One battle we face with beginner's swimming lessons is the fact that she does not like to go under. Maybe it's because we didn't dunk her when we took her swimming as a baby. Maybe it's because she's witnessed Isaac's wide-eyed "I'm drowning" face several times. (See the fish pond blog for one example of this.)

As parents, it's so easy to compare our children with others. Other kids her age are doing this...or that. We subconsciously try to form our kids to be the best. But what does it matter?! Sure, it is important that we teach our kids the necessary skills for survival. Swimming is one of those things that might be necessary. Tee ball is helpful in that it teaches our kids to work and play with other kids and listen to a coach's instruction. But wait, was the battle I picked yesterday with Carly at the pool really necessary? I strongly encouraged her to go under...to the point of her whining and crying. She's gone under twice at swimming lessons, but she didn't go under this time. My "encouragement" probably made matters worse.

This morning as I was re-evaluating that pool situation and every reason for signing kids up for activities. I was reminded of our real p.u.r.p.o.s.e. in life. Have you ever noticed that the Bible does not instruct parents on how to teach their kids to swim? It talks about patience. It doesn't say a word about batting techniques. It doesn't even tell you what to do if you feel like your $60 on swimming lessons might be wasted. God's Word teaches us how to live. It teaches us HEART issues. It teaches us our real purpose - knowing Him and glorifying Him. "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3).

The questions were asked to us on Wednesday night: How many years have you spent gaining knowledge (schooling, studying, etc.)? How much time / effort / money has gone into being physically healthy? How many years have you made money? ........... And the question of the day: If your ONLY purpose is to know God (and glorifying Him goes hand-in-hand with that), HOW DOES THAT COMPARE to the amount of time and effort you've taken to know God?

We can parent our children as best we know how, but that better include working on their heart a whole lot more than their motor skills.

hedgeballs

Done tromping in Texas. Hesitant to start a new blog. Unmotivated to formulate a fresh creative name. How about Hedgeballs? I'm not promising many blog posts, but we'll see what becomes of this writer's block.

we are

It was my last day of school at Jardine in Wichita. The kids knew every teacher was killing time until 3:10. I gave a quiz, but this one was supposed to be fun. A 20-question true/false quiz about the teacher - Ms. Hartter, given orally. "True or false...I grew up on a farm." "True or false...My mother was born in Germany." "True or false...My great-great-great grandma was the daughter of a Belgian prince." The last question on the test was, "True or false...I go to church." A snicker came from Taylor Murphy's side of the room. He looked at me, laughed, and said, "Yeah, right!" Now, Taylor Murphy was a big, squirrely eighth grader who often got in trouble, but he taught me an unforgettable lesson. Even after spending at least 30 minutes each day with him for 10 1/2 months, he would've never guessed that I was a church-going person.

Who are we? We call ourselves Christians, but do we act like it? Do we even talk like it? At Jardine, I had apparently done neither. Pray for us - that we would walk as faithful believers. Pray for boldness to seize every opportunity to spread the Word. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7).

words

A few days ago, Isaac sat on the pot grunting and pushing. Moments later he looked into the toilet bowl and exclaimed, "THAT was as big as a LINCOLN LOG!"

The things that pour out of kids' mouths are said with no reservation, no hesitation, no prior analysis. I have this problem too, saying too much and not thinking before I talk. Surprisingly, this is the exact opposite of what's going on in my head right now. When it comes to blogs, I get a little intimidated by other bloggers' creativity, wit and wisdom, especially when this blog doesn't fit into a "real blog" category.

We are here in Texas, having done the same thing this week that we did last. It's a good thing to have routine, but in a faithful blogger's life, you need something to write about. I do not have anything new to tell you today. Thus, you come to a boring blog entry. The blog topics for today are/could be so numerous. I could choose to rant and rave about controversial topics, but my opinions would probably make somebody mad or I'd say the wrong thing in the wrong way that is not at all politically correct. I could write about something, acting like I know a whole bunch about it, but the truth is - I know a whole bunch about a lot of nothing. So what good would that do? Some real bloggers try to entertain their readers. I am not a "real" blogger. Ree at The Pioneer Woman is considered a "real blogger." I cannot and will not do that.

When I think I know something or have any wisdom at all, I quickly realize my own lack of knowledge. My only words of wisdom and over-the-top great ideas are not my own words at all. So, instead of trying to come up with some ground-breaking knuckle-bustin' proverbs on today's blog post, I'll just tell you where you can find unlimited knowledge, wit, and wisdom. The Word of God. That is better than any blog. Try reading that everyday.

Those are my thoughts for today. So, how did I go from Lincoln Log discoveries to challenging you to read the Bible daily? I do not know. And the great thing is - it doesn't really matter because I have not claimed to be a true blogger. or a writer. or a profound thinker. So there you have it. :)

Also related to this blog: Proverbs 12

blog purpose

What is the purpose of blogging? That was Jared's question to me the last time I started a blog.

Oh, there are so many good blogs out there. I'm a faithful reader of only three: passage, intensely trivial, and holy experience. I encourage you to check out those blogs, but realize that this blog will be somewhat different for the following reasons:

1) My knowledge and wit are limited.

2) I am not a writer.

3) Blogging is not something I'm really passionate about.

I deleted my last blog a few months ago because it was a chore to update, and I didn't really have a reason to blog. What wisdom do I have? I would rather spend time with our kids than sit at a computer thinking of things to write.

This blog has a different purpose.

Starting this week, our family will spend six months in San Angelo, Texas. Jared has training at Goodfellow Air Force Base. We decided our family would go on an excursion and move down there with him. This blog is for grandmas and grandpas, moms and dads, sisters and brothers, and friends to keep up with what we're doing. It's exciting to think about a six-month "vacation," but we will dearly miss every one of you, I know that already.