Some posts to make you think and cry

I have read a few posts over the past week which have made me think and cry and I thought I would share them.

• This story about baby Ani in Africa is very heartbreaking, it's so hard to fathom how many little babies (and their mothers) around the world suffer like this little one did, praise God she is now in heaven. Here is the first post and here is the second one.

• This post cut deep to my heart, I can relate to it so much, it's about losing the joy of motherhood.

• This post looks at Psalm 131 and contentment, and I have decided that this Psalm is what's going to get me through these next 3 months as we do a lot of waiting on God for his provision and timing regarding our plans for America

• This post I read just today written by a policeman who has a disabled son made me very teary. He also wrote a letter to his 17 year old son, it too is well worth a read.

• And finally a happy post about John Piper's son and his wife.

Coming home

Today ends my 10 day holiday with my dad and sister in Malaysia and Singapore. It has been such an awesome time, the food, the sights, the shopping, the exploration of different cultures, lifestyles, the world is an amazing place! I will post more about my trip in later posts.

I wanted to take the opportunity on this being my last day, to savour the time away from my beloved family. It will be a long time before I am away from them again, and its almost impossible to really appreciate and cherish them fully until we step away from the craziness of 'normal life'.

When I am away from my children what I long for is the cuddles, the questions, the happy and grumpy looks, the playing, laughing, the goodnight kisses and hugs. These things I take for granted everyday. Each day they come so often, so freely, and yet so many times I don't cherish them like I do when I am away from them. I pray that when I go back I will adore them, that I will immerse myself in the grace of God so that His grace might overflow to them. All my struggles, weaknesses and imperfections constantly turn me back to the cross and how all my righteousness and goodness comes from Him alone through His death and resurrection.

The one I have missed the most has been my husband, such an amazing friendship we have, I miss just being with him....But time away from him makes me love and adore him even more!

I am so thankful to God for this life changing time away, it has opened my eyes to a new way of life, a way of life that has always been a part of me (from my dad's blood line!).

An inspiring mother

On the weekend we watched Gifted Hands the story about Ben Carson who is the the director of pediatric neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. It was such an inspiring movie for me in many ways. I have often seen the book Gifted Hands in Koorong and wondered what it was about, this movie has now inspired me to read it!

What inspired me most was his mother. Here is an interview with Ben Carson, she had such an influential role in who he is today, and he boldly testifies to that!

Here's what he says about her in the interview.

KW: This makes me think of the question Lester Chisholm had for you, namely, what can parents do to vaccinate their children against failure?

BC: For one thing, it's very important not to allow your child to adopt the victim's mentality. I think that was the most important thing that my mother did for us. And, if anybody could have felt like a victim, it was she. She was one of 24 children. She was raised in horrible conditions in rural Tennessee. She got married at the age of 13 to try to escape that environment. After moving to Detroit she discovered that her husband was a bigamist. Then, with only a third grade education, she had to raise two young sons on her own. She could have very easily felt like a victim. But she never did. Instead, she would always say, I can do something about this. She ended up working three jobs as a domestic, because she didn't want to be on welfare. She wanted to control her own destiny and ours. And she never allowed us to be victims. She always told us that if anybody can do something, you can do it, too, except that you can do it better

It made me realise just how true the words of Proverbs 1:8-9 are,

...And do not forsake your mothers teaching;

Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head

and ornaments about your neck.

His mother was continually building up and encouraging him and his brother to not give up, to have faith in God, to read as much as they could even though she herself couldn't read! The movie highlights how important his mother's words were to him later on when he has sit for exams in medical school and for when he performed a significant operation of separating Siamese twins.

The movie also highlighted how important childhood faith is. She faithfully took them to church, what they learned there had an obvious impact on him. There was a significant time in his teenage life where he clung to his bible and turned to God for help and hope.

There wasn't much focus on his wife in the movie, but in the little that they showed of her, she was portrayed as an amazing support to him in his career, especially during a time of extreme personal hardship.

Once again I have been reminded of the awesome responsibility I have as a mother to train up my children in the way they should go. Only God knows what is planned for their lives, I daily need His grace, His wisdom to lead them to Him, to want to do the best they can for His glory.

Crafty ideas

Whilst scrolling through posts on my blog list I came across a link to this blog. It has heaps of crafty ideas linking to other blogs (which have even more crafty ideas!).

Here are some projects I am interested in (not sure when I will get a chance to try them out..!)

Mini Easter Baskets

Denim Bible Carry case

Felt Mr Potato Head

Little girls ruffle dress

The domesticated skirt

Ruffle shirt makeover

The word humilty..

The word humility for me is such a confronting word. It cuts deep into my heart and forces me to examine every intention, thought, word or action. The past couple of years I have been faced with situations and exposed to situations where I have come to the conclusion, that these people or this person needs to be more humble....it doesn't take long before I am forced to examine my own heart and how I am going at 'humbling myself under the mighty hand of God' (1 Peter 5:6). Often it is so much easier to judge others and accuse them of being proud, conceited, unsubmissive, but in my assessment of them, aren't I being proud, conceited, unsubmissive before them and more importantly, before Almighty God.

When we refuse to submit to others, to be humble before others, to consider them better than ourselves, we are really being unsubmissive to God, God after all is in control of all things, including the hearts of others.

"Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. Psalm 135:6".

The past few months I have been reading through 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings. I have always struggled with David but reading through these books I have gained a new respect for him and his wholehearted devotion and love fore God, he truly was a man after God's own heart. The kings that followed him, including his son Solomon didn't love God like he did, in fact most of them did evil in the sight of the Lord.

These verses concerning kings came up in my KYB study in the Psalms today,

Now it shall come to pass about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statures, that his heart may not be lifted above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right or left , so that his sons may continue long in the midst of Israel." Deuteronomy 17:18-20

How does a king stay humble? By reading God's word every day, observing it, thus learning to fear Him. How does a mother stay humble and not think more highly than I ought to think of myself before my children - by reading, and meditating upon God's word so that i may learn to fear Him. The more I am confronted with who God is, who Christ is, and that my salvation is all His doing, the more I am humbled before Him and my thoughts, intentions, actions are dealt with.

I often think about how we as Christians desire to be Christlike, but how often do we consider Christ's humility, not only on the cross, but throughout his whole life on earth, the fact that

"He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:7-9)

Heart preparation for America

Autumn arrived rather dramatically on the weekend with downfalls of rain and hail. Driving down the main street of Handhorf on Monday I noticed red leaves on trees, it was a reminder that the days are passing by...

Lately, at least once a day, I have to stop and take a deep breath so as to not become overwhelmed with our move to America. Things don't always unfold the way we plan them to, I thought I would have got so much more organised by now!

But I think God has been working on my emotions... We haven't made much headway so far practically with our plans, (i.e fixing up the house, sorting through stuff, visas, plane tickets, financial stuff etc.) we are in a bit of a waiting period at the moment, but lots has been happening in terms of my mental and emotional preparation!

One example is my attitude towards my children and homeschooling. I have always loved the concept and ideal of homeschooling, but deep down have felt completely inadequate, impatient, and clueless about it. Since school holidays, I have pretty much begged the Lord each day to help me to love my children, I have found it a struggle...but He has proven Himself so faithful to my endless cries for help, mercy and forgiveness!

Consequently, amongst my bad attitudes and emotional ups and downs with my children I have these nagging thoughts in the back of my mind, so how will you cope with homeschooling, in a different country, away from family, friends and the familiar?!

Well, God has been working on my heart, in so many ways, I am realising that the best preparation for homeschooling for me is to prepare my heart for it first. If I don't' have a heart and a passion for it, then there's probably not much point to it.

I have been reading a few books, reading articles, blogs and listening to talks about other people's experiences and some of the 'philosophies' behind it. These resources are starting to inspire and motivate me and I am starting to become so much more excited about the whole venture. What I am looking forward to the most, is the time I will get to spend with my children and all the things we are going to learn together!

I am so thankful that He prompted me 3 years ago to start meeting with Him 5am every morning, those times with Him are often by far the best parts of my day, and it is an awesome time to sit, listen, learn and pour out my heart before Him.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

But he who trusts in the Lord mercy shall surround him.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous.

And shout for joy all you upright in heart.

psalm 32:10-11

Goodbye to Alvin

The reality of leaving has been setting in of late.

It especially hit home when we gave our doggy friend Alvin away to a beautiful older lady on the other side of town, I am still silently grieving over giving him away...

From the day we brought Alvin home, over a year ago, I prayed that he would be a blessing to others. To some I think Alvin was rather annoying, the barking, jumping etc. but for me I loved his cuddles and adorable face, and he was a wonderful blessing to me. And now I am praying that he will be a blessing to his new owner, a lonely older lady who has loved cocker spaniels all her life and was devastated when her last dog died a few weeks ago.

I am sure he will be very spoilt and will love being the centre of her attention, unfortunately he didn't get a lot of attention in our home (mostly lots of cuddles from me!).

So giving Alvin away is the beginning of packing up life as we know it over here in Australia and preparing for our move to the USA!

With around 4 and a half months to go, I sometimes get rather overwhelmed at what needs to be done and what we are waiting on the Lord for.

But I am learning to rest in and wait upon Him alone to provide, guide and strengthen me each day.

Make me know Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

For You I wait all the day.

Psalm 25:5

Parenting is not easy

I have been deliberately silent on my blog for a couple of months, apart from just feeling overwhelmed with busyness, I have felt overwhelmed with my role as a mother.

I have been confronted with so many of my weaknesses, struggles, sin lately...

I am thankful though for what God is teaching me about Himself. I have come to the conclusion that motherhood is definietly not something that comes natural to me (something I mention often!) and that my struggle with it is part of how God is sanctifying me, and that I will spend every day, for the rest of my life coming to Him depending on Him totally to help me!

I was encouraged by this in, Gospel Powered Parenting - by William P Farley, under the subheading, Parenting is not easy.

First you cannot be a perfect parent. I opened with the story of our troubles to emphazise this point. If you could parent perfectly, your children might not need a Saviour. But you are not perfect. From where you sit, you cannot even see perfection. Therefore, your children will desperately need Christ.

Your sins, your failings, and inadequacies produce conflict with your children and misunderstandings with your spouse. At times you will deeply feel this inadequacy.

In addition to your inadequcies, there are external stresses. Some of your children might die prematurely, others might enter the world with congenial defects, or still others, like ours, might go through difficult stages of rebellion. Some will be bright, talented, or good-looking. Others will be slow, average, or unattractive. Some will have easy personalities. It will take all your perserverance and tenacity to love others.

...Because parenting is difficult, and becuase you are imperfect, you will need the grace that comes to you through the gospel. God will use these problems to deepen your dependance on him. You will experience stress and obstacles. They will happen so that when your child comes to saving faith, your boasting will be in Christ, not your own best efforts. Like Paul, you will say, "I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the GRACE OF GOD that is with me" ( I Cor 15:10)

You will need grace, and you will need to know where to get it. Precisely because you are so flawed, the gospel, the saving work of Christ, must be your refuge.

I have been meditiating on the gospel and grace, so much lately, I know He is teaching me to live by His grace alone, and to remember He will always give me the grace I need at the time I need it.

Being organised for Christmas does not guarentee a 'Happy' Christmas!

Every Christmas I find myself saying, 'next year I want to be more organised for Christmas!'

I was doing this a few days ago while meandering around the shops trying to get my head around what else I need to buy. But after a few hours of feeling frustrated and despondent over everything 'commercially' Christmas, I came to the realisation that even if I was more organised, that doesn't guarantee a 'happy' Christmas.

I have thought a lot about being organised for Christmas this year, but honestly, Christmas hasn't been a priority, there are always more things that are more important to do or be involved in than being 'super organised' for Christmas.

I had to remind myself of that, and hand all my worries, needs, frustrations to God and simply trust Him to lead me, to grant me the peace and joy that only comes from resting and waiting on Him!

I long for a 'Happy' Christmas, that happiness can only come from God, from trusting in Him fully, and by spending time reflecting upon the amazing birth of the King of Kings.

He knows my needs, my desires and ultimately what is best for me and everyone else around me this Christmas.

So often when I am super organised for things I find that I can shut God out and take control of things the way I think they should go. I so easily forget that He wants me to come to His throne of grace, to ask Him for what I need....

I also easily forget that He has never failed me, and His ways are always good.

This morning I was humbled and overwhelmed at the birth of Jesus after I read this in the book I am reading, God in the Manger by John MacArthur.

When Christ entered the world, He came to a place that had some of the smelliest, filthiest, and most uncomfortable conditions. But that is part of the wonder of divine grace, isn't it? When the Son of God came down from heaven, He came all the way down. he did not hang on to His equality with God; rather, He set it aside for a time and completely humbled Himself (Phil 2:5-8).

Jesus did not merely humble Himself and agree to be born in a smelly stable, but He humbled Himself as a substitute for wretched sinners and bore the stench of their guilt in His own body on the Cross. He came down to the common people to bring them His glorious salvation. The picture of the infant Son of God tolerating a stables' dirt and foul odors is a fitting metaphor for the later scene of the Saviours bearing the stench of sin as He died at Calvary. What an amazing picture!

It's the grace of God that teaches us..

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2:11-12

I have been reading through Jerry Bridges, Discipline of Grace - God's role and our role in the pursuit of holiness, and these verses were at the start of chapter 5 entitled, Disciplined by grace. I read this chapter the other day, after a rather frantic and stressful week, and these verses have been plaguing my mind ever since!

I am coming to realise so very slowly, that my only hope in this life is the hope I have in the gospel of Jesus Christ! He is my only hope. It doesn't matter if I am having a good day, or a bad day, if my hope, my purpose, my understanding of all that happens in this life is not based on the gospel of Christ, everything can so easily fall apart and seem all so hopeless!

This past week I have been confronted so many times with my sinfulness, and I have easily become caught up in the trap of guilt and hardness of heart, but this chapter helped to release me somewhat, and remind me once again of where I need to fix my mind, my heart, my hope!

This chapter, and the above mentioned verses in particular reminded me that it is the grace of God that teaches me to life a life that glorifies God, the same grace that brought me salvation. And its only when I stop to consider this saving grace do I have the ability to say "no" to ungodliness, and yes to self control and godly living.

Bridges writes,

Paul said, though, that it is the very same grace - God's unmerited favor - that brought salvation to us in the first place that disciplines us. This means that all our response to God's dealings with us and all our practice of the spiritual disciplines must be based on the knowledge that God is dealing with us in grace. And it means that all our effort to teach godly living and spiritual maturity to others must be grounded in grace. If we fail to teach that discipline is by grace, people will assume, as I did, that it is by performance.

That is why we must not put the gospel on the shelf once a person becomes a new believer. he or she will have just as difficult a time believing that God saves by grace instead of by works. ...

He closes the chapter with this reminder.

Remember, the grace that brought salvation to you is the same grace that teaches you. But you must respond on the basis of grace, not law. That is why you must "preach the gospel to yourself every day."

So once again I have been challenged about my need to preach the gospel to myself everyday...I am so thankful that He is my only hope!

Christmas is all about worship

Lately I have been listening a lot to Chris Tomlin's new Christmas CD, Glory in the Highest - Christmas Songs of Worship. The CD is definitely all about worship! The way he sings the carols, and other songs he has written all draw me into a heart of worship.

My favourite so far is My soul magnifies the Lord. I just love the way he has Incorporated Mary's song of praise to the Lord when she visited Elizabeth. Luke 1:46-47 says,

And Mary said:

My soul magnifies the Lord

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour....

When Mary was told about the baby she was to give birth to she worshipped God. When the shepherds were told of the birth of Jesus, they came to worship Him. When the Kings saw the star they followed it to worship Him.

This is what Chris writes about the cd,

This is a record that is a long time coming for me. I love how this music and season breaks all the walls down. Rather than just listen to a performance of songs, I hope that this recording quickly invites you to join inthe wordshp of the Savior of the world.

Jesus is the only One who has ever chosen to be born. All glory and honour to Him, for He has come to bring us peace.

The great announcement from the Heavenly host has been made, 'Glory to God in the highest!'

Christmas is all about worship, to God who came to dwell with us, and die for us. There is just so much to worship Him for. I just love the opportunity Christmas gives us to worship Him.

I saw a blow up nativity scene today in Cheap as Chips, something I was surprised to see amongst the santas, trees and reindeer's, but my heart rejoiced to see the glorious scene of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals gathered around a manger, worshipping the King!

I pray that you will have many opportunities to worship the King this Christmas time, and every day of the year!

Homemade Christmas gift ideas

This Saturday I have set aside the whole day to help our kids make Christmas cards and gifts for their friends and teachers. I can't believe there is only less than 2 weeks left of school!

I haven't completely decided what they will be making, but I came across a few good ideas for gifts for teachers and lots of other inspiring ideas for
friends and family.

Spring Favourites

Here are some things I love about Spring... that is when it is 'normal' Spring weather (not like the hot days we had last week!).

You know those low 20 degree days when the sky is blue and there are a few wispy clouds floating around and there's a gentle breeze in the air....

I love lazing on blankets and cushions in the sun,

Going for walks to the park and friends houses

and..

Going to the park for dinner and watching our crazy, cute kids play cricket...

Flying kites (this one was a really groovy red octopus my dad brought us back from China!)...

Days at home with friends....they love painting the wall with water!

And one of my favourite things is tea parties on the back lawn!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

Justified by faith alone!

Justification is a word I don't spend enough time thinking about, and I am only just beginning to realise how vital it is for me to think about it more.

Recently I have had days when I feel like the worst mother, wife, friend...I have called upon the Lord constantly to help me with my attitude, my heart, but what I have failed to realise is that the reason I feel these things so much is because of my own self-righteousness.

If I were to examine my heart more honestly, I know that I am more grieved at my inadequacies rather than been grieved that God is not being glorified when my heart is not totally fixed on Him.

The cross is my only cure. The realisation that it's only by the blood of Christ that I have any worth, it's only because of what He has done that I have been made righteous before a Holy God.

The book I was reading today, Your Home a Place of Grace, by Susan Hunt reminded me of justification.

"Most of us struggle with accepting the people and circumstances in our lives and with feeling accepted by others. Our performance orientation is heard in statements as:

......If I do more for the Lord, He will love me more.
And the guilt-ridden hyperactive child of God eventually loses joy and grows weary of well-doing.

This type of thinking displays a theological problem - a failure to understand the glorious doctrine of justification by faith alone. Martin Luther said that justification by faith alone is the article upon which the church stands or falls.

...This doctrine is an essential building block in a haven of grace because our acceptance of ourselves, our circumstances, and others will be in proportion to our understanding of our acceptance before the judgement seat of God."

A few months ago, after reading The Cross Centred Life - Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing by C J Mahaney, I was challenged to read over passages about the cross daily, to help me keep my mind cross centred. I am starting to realise how essential this is. I have had Romans 5:1-11 pinned on my bathroom wall all this year and the times I have meditated and saturated my mind with it have been so enriching...but lately I haven't been focused on it....

I think I need to spend some more time in the bathroom!

Mahaney lists the following passages to help us preach to ourselves, that speak of God's work of salvation through the cross.

Isaiah 53:3-6
Romans 3:23-26
Romans 5:6-11
Romans 8:32-29
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Galatians 2:21

Link to great looking recipes

I have come across two yummy recipes on the back of Arnotts biscuit packets in the past week, so I decided to check out their website for more recipe ideas, and there were lots of them! I am am a bit of a fan of biscuits so lots of these recipes look very appealing to me!

Here are some I liked the sound of.

Black Forest Choc Ripple Cake

Sao Vanilla Slice

Malt O Milk Chocolate Layer Cake

Apricot and White Chocolate Granita Slice

Caramelised Strawberry Shortcakes

Butternut Snap Chocolate Ganache Tartlets

Our day at the Christmas pageant

We braved the heat on Saturday and went to the Christmas pageant.


I don't' have any clear memories of going to the pageant when I was a child and my husband has never gone, so this year I really wanted to go. It all seemed a lot more manageable now that we don't have prams and nappies to work around!


Another motivating factor was the possibility of us going to the USA next year, we wouldn't have the chance to go to the pageant again for another 3-4 years and our kids will be older then!


Even though the weather prediction was for 39 degrees, we went along. We managed to find a shady spot, and were thankfully in the shade for half the time, (the time we were waiting to start). When it did start we were so focused on the pageant that we didn't notice the heat too much, I had a little girl in a pram behind me who kept spraying me with water, which was wonderfully refreshing.


I am so glad we went, our kids loved it. When the nativity float went past, my son said to me quietly, "Do they know that story mummy?". Even though he knows that Christmas is all about Jesus, he is starting to realise that there are a lot of people who think Christmas is all about Santa, presents and parties!

After the pageant we went to the markets for lunch and then back to my dad's for a swim!

Here are a few snaps of the day, the kids loved writing with chalk all over the road, and the pink fluffy 'Bruto' and 'Toby the tow truck' were favourite floats!

The Young Mother

Just before I was pregnant with number 1 child, I listened to a sermon by John MaCarthur called Hannah: A Godly Mother . This was the sermon that gave me purpose for having kids!

It wasn't long (only a month or two) after listening to this sermon that we decided to start trying and then got pregnant!

I decided to listen to it again because I was teaching about Hannah in Sunday school last Sunday, and listening to this message again, now that I have children has been very inspiring and challenging!

I was moved by this story he read out, its a bit long, but worth the read!

"The young mother set her foot on the path of life.

Is the way long, she asked?

And her guide said yes and the way is hard and you will be old before you reach the end of it but the end will be better than the beginning.

But the young mother was happy and she would not believe

that anything could be better than these years.

So she played with her children and gathered flowers for them

along the way and bathed with them in the clear streams.

And the sun shone on them and life was good and the young mother cried,

`Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.'

And then night came and storm and the path was dark and the children shook with fear and cold and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle and the children said,

`O mother, we're not afraid for you are near and no harm can come.'

And the mother said,

`This is better than the brightness of day for I have taught my children courage.'

"And the morning came and there was a hill ahead and the

children climbed and grew weary and the mother was weary.

But at all times she said to the children,

`A little patience and we'll be there.'

So the children climbed and when they reached the top they said, `

We could have not done it without you, mother.'

And the mother when she lay down that night looked up at the stars and said,

`This is a better day than the last for my children have learned strength in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage, today I have given them strength.'

"And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth,

clouds of war and hate and evil.

And the children groped and stumbled and the mother said,

`Look up, lift your eyes to the light.'

And the children looked and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory

and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness.

And that night mother talked of Jesus and said,

`This is the best day of all for I have shown my children God.'

"And the days went on and the weeks and the months and the years.

And the mother grew old and she was little and bent.

But the children were tall and strong and walked with faith and courage.

And when the way was rough they lifted her for she was as light as a feather.

And at last they came to a hill and beyond the hill they could see a

shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And the mother said,

`I have reached the end of my journey and now I know that the end is better than the beginning for my children can walk alone for they walk with God.'

And the children said,

`You will always walk with us, mother,

even when you've gone through the gates to the Savior.'

And they stood and watched her as she went on alone and the gates closed behind her.

And they said, `We cannot see her but she is still with us,

a mother like ours is more than a memory, she is a living presence.'"

How do you enjoy your family and the ministry?

Over a year ago, my husband asked Randy Alcorn this question on his blog under his question and answer of the week.



I’m a full-time youth pastor with four beautiful kids and an incredibly supportive wife. It is so hard to juggle ministry and family and do it well. As someone who has reached the other side, and now with grandkids, does it get easier? How did you find the energy and time to really enjoy the kids AND the ministry?



He wrote back an answer on my husband's blog, and just a couple of weeks ago, he used that same question and elaborated more on his answer.



Here is a link to the post.



We found his answer very helpful.

What to do with a heavy heart

There are some mornings, days, weeks when whilst everything in life seems fine and rosy, but your heart feels heavy, empty, and its hard to pinpoint exactly what the problem is!

Well, I had one of those mornings...I am so thankful for God's faithfulness in drawing me to his throne of grace every morning (5am every morning!), even when I know deep down I would much prefer to still be in bed!

I started off with my bible reading, I am reading through Matthew. I am up to the crucifixion, and as I was reading I was ashamed at myself for reading over it all with such indifference, without it really impacting my heart, that was until I got to the part where Peter denied Christ 3 times and went away and wept bitterly.

I knew I needed to be on my knees praying, and that I am just as guilty as Peter of denying Christ in my heart. There was so much inside of me that wanted to resist God, I know that He hasn't been 'enough' for me these past few days, and I needed to spend time before His throne of grace, humbly asking for Him become 'enough' for me.

While I was praying I remembered something that John Piper talked about on his When I don't desire God DVD, when his heart doesn't feel right before God.

It is 4 prayers, IOUS.

I - Incline my heart to Your testimonies. Psalm 119:36a

O - Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18

U - Unite my heart to fear Your name. Psalm 86:11

S - Satisfy us early with Your mercy that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

I prayed through these this morning, and it didn't take long for my heart to start desiring God and recognise just how far my heart had been from Him these past few days.

Almost instantly that heaviness was gone, when I willingly turned my heart to Him and focused on Him and the cross, my burdens were lifted.

You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:11

Our plans to leave the country!

So my husband announced last Sunday to our church of our intentions to pull aside from full time ministry and study full time for 3 - 4 years. Over the past year his desire to study and know the Word more has grown and our dream of going back into study for a period of time started to become a reality!

We were married 11 years ago last month, and we have been involved in full time ministry our whole marriage. And after 11 years, my we are certain we don't want to be doing anything else with our lives (ie. secular work) but we are feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities of full time ministry and are seeking to be better equipped to withstand the coming 20 or so years more of ministry!

So what that all means for us is that we are applying to colleges in the USA because the options for study appear to be more appealing and suited to our needs and desires. We have considered options in Australia and a few other countries, but we feel more led to the USA at the moment.

For me, I have always wanted to live in another country for a reasonably long period of time. The thought of never living anywhere else except Australia is quite stifling for me. God has made this amazing world and I want to see and experience so much more of it!

These are some of the things I am looking forward to.

- The challenges of packing up and leaving the city I have lived in for the past 34 years

- The opportunity to be completely dependant on God for provision of everything

- The opportunity to home school our 4 children for 4 years

- Taking almost nothing with us and starting out new in a completely different country

- The opportunity to experience a different church

- The opportunity to meet many new people

- The opportunity to learn, from what my husband is studying and by being involved with the college we will attend

- The opportunity for all of us to depend upon each other, and God, as we will be away from the familiarity of family and friends

....and there are so many more things I could list!

People ask me if I feel overwhelmed by everything, and my response is, if I think about it too much I do! But I have chosen to not be overwhelmed by it all, to just take things one step at a time, one day at a time, to wait patiently upon the Lord to guide and provide for us.

God's will for me this day is to love Him with all of my heart, soul and mind, to love my husband and children, and to love others, I try not to get too caught up in the tomorrows!

We would appreciate your prayers for us over the next 8 months, as you can imagine there is so much to plan and organise.