A man dealing with cancer

Love Love Love

Love God--Love People!

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."


Dear people,

We desire greatly to obey our Lord's commands to love Him and to love you. Please pray for us, because we need help. We often fall short of God's love, but believe us when we say, "We want to love Him and to love you."

If at any time we have failed to love you, please do not respond by not loving us. Forgive us...talk to us...rebuke us... and please pray for us, because we really need help from God.

Forbearance! Ephesians 4:2--"..bearing with one another in love". When we fail at loving you please bear with us. We want to love you, but sometimes in this flesh it is a struggle. You also are in the midst of this struggle as all followers of Christ are, so please be understanding and bear with us in love.

If, for some reason, some people refuse to love us when we are unloving, God's command to us is still the same--forbear in love. So when we mess up and you do not love us in the midst of our faults, we desire to love you when you are unloving and to forbear you when you lack forbearance. Pray for us about that...Because we need help from God!

If, we haven't loved you...and, in response, you didn't love us...and then, in response, we didn't love you...Let us both remember the love of our Lord toward us all--- Who stretched out His hand all day long to a rebellious people (a people who provoked Him to His face continually-Is 65:1-3), Who "while we were still sinners...died for us" (Rom 5:8), Who "laid down His life for us"! And if we dwell on the great love with which Jesus loved us, maybe, by God's help, we can stop this pattern of failed attempts to love each other. Pray for us all about that.

Here's where it gets tricky---Ephesians 4:15 says, "speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ". Speak truth (God's word is truth--Jn17:17) in love! So... Speak truth AND love each other. Teach each other using God's word (Col 3:16, 2 Tim 3:16-17, Heb 10:24-25) AND love each other ("Let all that you do be done with love." -1 Cor 16:14). We are asking God to help us grow in "SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE". Sometimes we are like awkward teen-agers trying to talk to a girl, we say dumb things that don't come across the way we mean. So have mercy on us. Sometimes we speak the truth but our hearts are not loving the person we are speaking to (1 cor 13:2 says this profits nothing). Sometimes we don't speak the truth and claim 'I just want to love them' (which in reality is not love at all, because if we loved you we would want to speak that which builds you up-Eph 4:15, Prov 27:5,6). So please pray that we would have a heart to speak the truth to you, to exhort you, AND to love you. Also, please speak the truth to us. And please love us. We want to be taught by you, corrected by you, and rebuked by you. And when you speak the truth to us we will know that you are doing it because you love us. And even if you are not loving us when you speak the truth to us, we will try to forbear you in love. Because we understand that this struggle is common to all believers. Pray for us all in this.

If you know us really well and we spend a lot of time with you, then know that in the future we are going to fail and you are going to fail and we are both going to get chances to practice the forbearance and love of Jesus on each other. Praise God! He will use these times in our lives to "conform us into the image of His Son". Biggest mistake we could make during that time would be to end fellowship with each other because of bitterness ("lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled"--Heb 12:14-15).

If you know us a little and we spend a little time together, give us more than one chance to love you. Remember: God said, "I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people". So please live out that love toward us. If we do something or believe something or say something that you don't like or disagree with, "put on love, which is the bond of perfection". We understand that we could be wrong in what we do, believe, or say, but know that we are trying our best to do, believe, and say according to God's word. Come and ask us if you have any questions about the things we do, believe, and say, or if you want to correct us..we welcome and need correction ("let the righteous strike me, it shall be a kindness. Let him rebuke me, it shall be as excellent oil"). You may help us in understanding God's word, we may help you in understanding God's word, or we may just disagree. But no matter what the outcome lets seek to "put on love, which is the bond of perfection".

If you don't know us at all. Don't believe everything you hear. We have many faults, but I hope this blog post has helped you a little to see our heart.

We love ya'll!

Nothing but the BLOOD!

Sweet Family Time!

I just got off the phone with a girl who is considering things of the Lord. The gospel was shared with her recently and we were talking about it and she said some of that stuff seems crazy. I asked her what exactly seemed crazy to her and her response was that we are not worthy and our good things that we do are like filthy rags before the Lord. She was referring to Is 64:6 "We are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.." It is crazy! Even crazier is that "..the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

Ryan asked me the other night to teach Samuel something during our family time and earlier that day Samuel and I were painting outside and we painted a cross. I told Samuel that we needed to put some blood on the cross and he said, "why we need blood mom?"

Samuel painting


Lil Keely playing in the paint

The blood! The blood is so important!
So...we talked about why the blood?
We looked at a few passages...but the main one we talked about was in Lev 14:2-7(a prophecy of Christ)"This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold,the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field."

Jesus Christ was killed in an earthen vessel (flesh) and we (the diseased, messed up leper) can be dipped in His blood and declared CLEAN and set FREE!

Samuel letting the bird dipped in the blood be set free. Yay!


Rev 1:5 - "Jesus Christ....Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."

Praise the Lord! Oh let us not consider His blood a common thing! May the Lord work in our hearts to be in awe of the blood He shed for us to be made clean!
Heb 10:29 "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?"

How to apply the blood?
Jhn 11:26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me (Jesus) shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Lydia

What is truth?

The Word of the Lord endures FOREVER!

We have a sweet friend, Carrie Kirk, (which is such a blessing to have friends who desire to pour the Word into my children, because the scripture is able to make them wise for salvation through faith in Christ) who taught Samuel this verse last week. "The grass withers, and its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever." 1 Peter 1:24-25 And the Lord has used it as a sweet reminder for me to live for things that are eternal. The only thing that seems to be eternal is His word and His work. Another verse that comes to mind is "I know that whatever God does it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it. God does it..." Ecc 3:14 Oh how I long to hear, "Well done my good and faithful servant" one day before His throne. I need MUCH mercy and help. Praise the Lord we have an amazing Father who is ready to give help! Heb 4:16 And that His Spirit works in those who believe. Col 1:29 Lydia

help needed

http://www.bradrick.org/helpalfamilies/

Samuel singing to Keely

I Challenge You To A Duel !!!

Samuel and Rollins sword-fighting



1 Kings 20

1 Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it. 2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’”
4 And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”
5 Then the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children”; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’”
7 So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.”
8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.”
9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’”
And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.
10 Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.”
11 So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’”
12 And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city.
13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”
14 So Ahab said, “By whom?”
And he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’”
Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?”
And he answered, “You.”
15 Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand.
16 So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post. 17 The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!” 18 So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19 Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. 20 And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry. 21 Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.”
The Syrians Again Defeated

23 Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; 25 and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.”
And he listened to their voice and did so.
26 So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside.
28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’” 29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. 30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.
And Ben-Hadad fled and went into the city, into an inner chamber.

Samuel liftin weights with me

Congo