Lovers of the Word

Dear Children,
One of my favorite quotes is from George Mueller:
"I believe that the one chief reason that I have been kept in happy, useful service is that I have been a lover of Holy Scripture. It has been my habit to read the Bible through four times a year; in a prayerful spirit, to apply it to my heart, and practice what I find there. I have been for sixty-nine years a happy man. "

Dad and I wholeheartedly agree. You might think it is simplistic to say that this sums up our lives, that it captures our hearts, and that it dictates our days, but it is true. At the root of our days is this pursuit - to be lovers of the Word, and to be in fellowship with our precious Lord.

In the Word, I have found every answer to every question, even if not clearly spelled out at first glance. In the Word, I have found every encouragement that is worth its weight and truly makes a difference. In the Word, I have found every goal that is worth setting. In the Word, I have found every comfort for my deepest heartaches. In the Word, the Spirit has repeatedly touched me deeply with those simple words written out on the pages before me.

Are they just words on a page? Oh no! Never believe that for a moment! They are treasures! They hold the secrets to life. They are complete, absolute truths that you can find no where else. They are God's very words, His very thoughts, His every bit of wisdom that you will need for your entire lives.

Some goals might be worth setting for a season, or even for a year. But make it a goal for your entire lives to daily pursue the Lord through His Word. The world has many exciting and fascinating adventures to offer you, but they all will pale in comparison to the treasure hunt and adventure laid out daily for you as you sit down to the Holy Scriptures. His Spirit will intercept your heart as you read, pray about, meditate on, and memorize those words and will fulfill you more than anything else you will ever encounter in your entire lives.

You want to live a happy, blessed life? Put in sixty, seventy, eighty years of reading God's truths over and over again. Be a lover of the Word.

Love,
Mom

Getting It Right at Home

To my Sweet Kiddos,
The Lord places us in a family for many reasons, but one of the most important ones is to live out our faith - to encourage one another daily, to serve others daily, to pray for one another daily, to practice unity daily, to forgive daily, to tolerate one another daily, to be an example to others daily, to practice humility daily, and to lock arms and reach out to this lost world daily.

Is it important what daily goes on in our home? Critically so. Is it important to win and make right choices in our home? Absolutely. Guys, if you can't do it successfully here in our home, you aren't going to get it right in a different environment. We can be tempted to think, "Oh, it's just these people. Give me different relationships and I will do better. Oh, it's just this setting. Give me different circumstances and I will do better." It's far more about us and our hearts than about others, than about our circumstances.

1 Peter 1:22 "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."

"Getting it right in your home IS getting it right." Prioritize practicing your faith in your closest relationships. The fruit will be sweet.

You guys are doing great! Keep pressing on.

Love you all so much,
Mom

Take It up with the One in the Mirror

Dear Children,
Age is a great teacher of so many things. One thing I have learned as I have aged is that the answer to a lot of my wrestles is the same: “Take it up with the one in the mirror”. He or she is the one that can make the difference in so many situations. Of course, our lifeline is the Lord. Never to downplay our Lord, His grace, and His wisdom for every situation, but after your conversation with the Lord, the mirror is always the next stop. The person in the mirror is the one that needs to settle down and walk in faith, the one in the mirror needs to do the next right thing, and the one in the mirror needs to “let it go”. It can be very tempting to go “wrestle it out” (i.e. - blame everyone else) with the people around you. Yet after you have done that a while and possibly damaged several relationships for the day, the answer is the same that it was at the beginning of the day – TAKE IT UP WITH THE ONE IN THE MIRROR.
I dearly love you all,
Mom

About Kathleen

May I introduce myself? My name is Kathleen. I am 41 yrs old. I'm a wife to Steve (for 16 1/2 yrs.) and a mother to seven children: a 13 yr old son Blaise, an 11 yr old daughter Hope, a 9 yr old son Silas, a 7 yr old daughter Keziah, a 5 yr old daughter Malia, a 3 yr old son Jireh, and a 4 month old daughter Jazaniah. We live in the western United States. I am a mother that stays home raising the children. Most importantly, I am a woman that has had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus for 31 years.