Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

Thank you for demonstrating my heavenly Father's love and wisdom to me in so many ways! I miss you and love you, Daddy! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but know that I've been thinking about you and thanking God for you throughout this special day! I hope you have a very, very happy and blessed birthday! My 8th grade class wanted to wish you a very happy birthday, too!



I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. . .
Philippians 1:3a

Point Them to Christ

We just completed the first week of the last school term!

The kids and I are continually praying for perseverance and endurance as we trek through these final weeks. I would also really appreciate prayer as some parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for next week.

I keep praying, in addition to their understanding the math, that my students would see Christ. I was gratefully reminded by a Paul Washer message that our knowledge and love for Him explains Him with a glory that the superficial does not understand. May we know Him and love Him more so that we may find all our satisfaction in Him. . . but, also, that others know Him and love Him, too, and He gets all the glory!

"Point men to Christ. If you're a missionary, if you're a member of [a] church, if you're witnessing to people in your factory or in your business or in your schools, point them to Christ, to Christ, to Christ! Magnify Christ! That is one of the reasons why you should know Him deeply -- so you can love Him deeply -- and in knowing and loving Him deeply you can explain Him to others with a glory that the superficial does not understand."

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
I Timothy 4:10

I Need to Be So Utterly God's

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1

I found this during the weekend and was very humbled and convicted. May He give us the courage and grace to surrender every facet of our lives to Him!

Helen Roseveare, a missionary doctor to the Congo for twenty years, writes:

"To be a living sacrifice will involve all of my time. God wants me to live every minute for Him in accordance with His will and purpose. . . No time can be considered as my own, or as 'off-duty' or 'free.' . . .
To be a living sacrifice will involve all of my possessions. . . All should be available to God for the furtherance of His Kingdom. My money is His. . . He has the right to direct the spending of each penny. . . I must consider that I own nothing. All is God's, and what I have, I have on trust from Him, to be used as He wishes.
To be a living sacrifice will involve all of myself. My will and my emotions, my health and vitality, my thinking and activities all are to be available to God, to be employed as He chooses, to reveal Himself to others. Should He see that someone would be helped to know Him through my being ill, I accept ill health and weakness. I have no right to demand what we call good health. . . All rights are His -- to direct my living so that He can most clearly reveal Himself through me.
God has the right, then, to choose my job, and where I work, to choose my companions, and my friends. . .
To be a living sacrifice will involve all my love. . . I relinquish the right to choose whom I will love and how, giving the Lord the right to choose for me. . . Whether I have a life partner or not is wholly His to decide, and I accept gladly His best will for my life. I must bring all the areas of my affections to the Lord for His control, for here, above all else, I need to sacrifice my right to choose for myself. . .
I need to be so utterly God's that He can use me or hide me, as He chooses, as an arrow in His hand or in His quiver. I will ask no questions: I relinquish all rights to Him who desires my supreme good. He knows best. "

Hungry to Grow

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation -- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
I Peter 2:2-3

School is out for two weeks for Easter Break!

Last week we were given extended homeroom periods to help the students understand why we celebrate Easter. I really enjoyed spending time contemplating and discussing the significance of the gospel with them. They asked such great questions!

Easter gets more meaningful every year as Christ just keeps getting more and more beautiful. But, then again. . .is Christ really getting more beautiful? He has always been that beautiful, and will always be that beautiful -- the type of beautiful that I can't really wrap my mind around. He has always perfectly been about the Father's will, perfectly radiated His glory, perfectly shown unfathomable love to poor, broken, miserable, undeserving sinners. . .
So, it must be my marred understanding of him that is changing as God, in His mercy, grows me and opens my eyes to behold more and more of Jesus. And the more I see, the more I want and need this beautiful Jesus! And the more I want and see my need to grow!

I was really reminded of growth today.

It had been a while since I'd spent time at the Crisis Nursery. I have been thinking of Teresa a lot lately. She was the first baby I held there -- and I will never forget her. She was so tiny, and her eyes so full of fear. It broke my heart. Today I was excited to see the babies. . . but especially little Teresa!


When I walked inside, I didn't see her in the main play area. So, I ran to the room where she usually sleeps. I still didn't see her! I panicked, and ran up to one of the workers, asking if Teresa was still there! She laughed, and said, "Yes, she's in the big room."

I went back to the main play area, and I couldn't believe it! I had definitely seen her earlier, but I had not recognized her because she had grown so much!

And though this is physical growth, it was a beautiful picture of God's mercy and grace in growing his children spiritually. So I praised Him for little Teresa's physical growth and prayed for her spiritual growth! And then prayed that He would grow me more and more in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)


Mom, what do you think about a 7th child????

Too Wonderful for Words

Psalm 40:5
You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.

One of my favorite things about reading through Psalms is the way it seems like the psalmists are peeking into my own heart and transforming what I never would have been able to articulate in just plain old words into beautiful poetry. My heart gets so excited. . . "I'm not the only one that has felt like this? It is said so perfectly -- and I didn't know how to verbally explain it, but that is exactly what I am feeling! Amen and amen!"

I came to this particular portion of Psalm 40 today, and my heart became really excited as I resonated with David! Verse 5 struck the chord. . .

During these last few weeks, especially, God's goodness has been driving me crazy! And when I say that, I mean it in a good way. Every morning at school I have homeroom with my 8th graders. . . and every morning I try to share with them just how good and wonderful and glorious is the LORD. I want them to see just how beautiful He is, that they may treasure Him!

But it doesn't matter how hard I try. . . Anything I say, more could always be said. It would really be quite frustrating if it were not so wonderful!

Today I had an opportunity to speak to the women in Maria's village -- same thing! How oh how can I proclaim how wonderful my Savior is when there is more than can be told?

And that's why I love how David states it. In the same way my heart says: "O LORD my God, I will proclaim and tell of your wondrous deeds! I will proclaim and tell of your thoughts toward me! But, they are more than can be told because there is nothing in the world that even compares with you."

And so, it's really wonderful.
Wonderful because that's my God. His goodness can never be exhausted. . .
He is, literally, too wonderful for words.

Maria's Village

Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.



Today was one of the most unforgettable, humbling experiences of my life.

Remember Maria?

God blessed me with the opportunity to take Bibles into her village!!!

I love how He chooses to use us though He doesn't need us. . .

It makes me feel like the little kid making a mess in the kitchen who wants to help with the cooking so badly! "Oh, please will you let me have a part in this?"


My housemate dropped me off at the side of the paved road closest to Maria's village. Maria and I walked together to her part of the village. She insisted on carrying all of the Bibles herself all the way, and in the way most Malawians carry things -- on top of the head!




On our walk over, Maria told me that the people were waiting for me! When we arrived, they all began singing! I couldn't understand what they were saying, but Maria told me they were welcoming me and rejoicing:







Maria's husband had everyone sit down. He said that they were all so grateful to have a copy of the Bible! Then, the pastor of Maria's church led us in prayer.





Afterwards they asked me to please say something to them. . . and so I did! And I got to remind them of how precious and powerful the Word of God is.


Maria's husband called everyone up individually, and asked me to hand the Bibles out one-by-one.



This is a picture of Maria and the pastor:



And some pictures of those who received the Bibles:








And here's a video clip of them dancing and singing with their new Bibles. Maria told me they were singing that they once didn't have a Bible, but now they do!

Would you please pray that these people will feed upon the Word of God and grow closer and closer to Him?

And may we also be so joyous that God has indeed given us His Word!

To My Knees

Jesus says:
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"
Matthew 7:7-11


Thank you, Mr. Watt, for blessing me with your music once again!
This song has been such an encouragement for me to get on my knees.
May it encourage us all to pray more fervently!


TO MY KNEES
by John Watt

I am but a blade of grass that's blowing in the breeze,
In the sun I'm growing fast but in the dark I freeze;
The sun shines on my time alone spent praying to my Lord,
But darkness reigns when I'm off somewhere to seek my own reward.


CHORUS:
Lord, I am the strongest when my own strength fades away,
I know I see the clearest when I close my eyes to pray,
And Father, I am the tallest when You bring me to my knees,
So bring me to my knees, Lord, today
Bring me to my knees, Lord, to pray.


Often I am overcome with burdens and with fears,
Heaven seems so far away, and I wonder if God hears,
Then I hear a still, small voice that calls me from within,
That says, "I'll never leave you, nor forsake you, even to the end".