I've enjoyed reading a blog I discovered by a link on our daughter-in-law Meggie's blog. Meggie is Josh's wife. She's a sweet evidence of grace in our son's life...and a precious addition to our family.
Anyway...this blogger, Elizabeth Esther, does a "Saturday Evening Blog Post" where her readers can post the link to their favorite blog post from the previous month. It's a great way to meet new friends in the blogosphere...and introduce yourself! Check it out...
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
It's Friday. Tomorrow is an excursion...
I don't know about you...but, I LOVE surprises! ...even though I drive my sweet husband CRAZY by trying to guess what surprises await.
But...not this week.
Last Saturday my sweet husband asked me to not plan anything for this coming Saturday because he was planning an "excursion". Doesn't that sound fun and mysterious?!
I have no clue where we're going...I have no clue what we'll be doing...I have no clue WHAT TO WEAR! Oh, my goodness!!
But...I'm not going to guess.
I'm going to savor the anticipation...of spending the whole day with my sweet husband.
I'm feeling quite giddy!
But...not this week.
Last Saturday my sweet husband asked me to not plan anything for this coming Saturday because he was planning an "excursion". Doesn't that sound fun and mysterious?!
I have no clue where we're going...I have no clue what we'll be doing...I have no clue WHAT TO WEAR! Oh, my goodness!!
But...I'm not going to guess.
I'm going to savor the anticipation...of spending the whole day with my sweet husband.
I'm feeling quite giddy!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
When all around my soul gives way. He then is all my hope and stay...
The following article is from the Desiring God Ministries blog. It spoke to me as I often struggle with doubt, perseverance, faint-heartedness...even though God has demonstrated His steadfast love and unwavering faithfulness time after time after time. I love the story of Joseph...mainly because of his staunch trust in God's goodness and faithfulness being far more powerful than man's sinful lawlessness...ultimately displayed by the crushing of His Son on the cross. May my hope be built on nothing less...
"Staying Faithful When Things Get Worse"
By: Jon Bloom
Genesis chapters 37-41 only tell the low and high points of Joseph’s Egyptian slavery and imprisonment. But he spent at least 12 years there before he suddenly became Prime Minister. And during that terribly lonely, desolate time, things seemed to go from bad to worse.
This imaginative reflection takes place about 9 years into his sojourn.
* * *
Darkness had swallowed the light again. Joseph dreaded the night in this foul Egyptian hellhole. It was hard to fight off the relentless hopelessness as he awaited the escape of sleep.
Day after monotonous day passed with no sign of change. The familiar desperation surged hot in his chest. His youth was seeping out the cracks of his cage. He was pacing in his soul. Joseph wanted to scream.
Fists to his forehead he pleaded again with God in the dark for deliverance.
And he remembered. It was the remembering that kept his hope alive and bitterness at bay.
He rehearsed the stories of God that had filled him with awe as a child. God had promised Great-grandfather, Abraham, a child by his barren wife. But he made them wait an agonizing 25 years before giving them Grandfather Isaac. And God had promised Grandmother Rebekah that her older twin, Uncle Esau, would serve the younger twin, Father Jacob. But God had mysteriously woven human deception and immorality into his plan to make that happen.
Jacob’s smile filled Joseph’s mind. O Father. He covered his mouth to choke back his sobs. It had been 9 years since he last saw that dear face. Would he ever again? Was Father still alive?
He felt something crawl across his leg. Leaping up, he brushed himself off. He shook out the mat. A shiver ran down his spine. Joseph hated spiders.
Laying back down he remembered how Father Jacob had been caught in his Uncle Laban’s manipulative web for 20 long years. Yet God was faithful to his word and eventually delivered Jacob and brought him back to the Promised Land a wealthy man.
And then there were those strange dreams. They had been unusually powerful, unlike any others before or since. He felt ambivalent about them. They likely were the reason he was now in Egypt. His brothers’ envy of his father’s favor turned homicidal when he inferred that he had God’s favor as well.
Distant screams let Joseph know another fight had broken out in the barracks. It made him grateful for his private cell, the favor bestowed on the chief scribe to the warden.
He smiled at the irony of this “favor.” His brothers would love this if they knew. He seemed about as far away from what those dreams foretold as he could be.
Yet, as foolish as it seemed right now, Joseph could not shake the deep conviction that God meant to bring those dreams to pass. And he could not deny the strange pattern he saw in God’s dealings with his forebears. God made stunning promises and then ordained time and circumstances to work in such ways as to make the promises seem impossible to fulfill. And then God moved.
The common thread Joseph traced through all the stories, the one thing God seemed to honor and bless more than anything else, was faith. Abraham trusted God’s word. Isaac trusted God’s word. Rebekah trusted God’s word. Jacob trusted God’s word. All of them ultimately saw God’s faithfulness to his promises, despite circumstances and their own failings.
Faith-fueled peace doused the anxious fire in Joseph’s chest. “I trust you, my God,” he whispered. “Like my forefathers, I will wait for you. I have no idea what my being in an Egyptian prison has to do with your purposes. But I will keep honoring you here where you have placed me. Bring your word to pass as it seems best to you. I am yours. Use me!”
* * *
In the biblical account it’s tempting to only see Joseph’s heroic character and achievements. But God does not want us to miss the largely silent, desperate years Joseph endured.
Imagine the pain of his brothers’ betrayal, the separation from his father, the horror of slavery, the seduction and false accusation by Potiphar’s wife, and the desperation he felt as his youth passed away in prison.
Sometimes faithfulness to God and his word sets us on a course where circumstances get worse, not better. It is then that knowing God’s promises and his ways are crucial. Faith in God’s future grace for us is what sustains us in those desperate moments.
We all love the fairytale ending of Joseph’s story. And we should, because Joseph’s life is a foreshadowing of a heavenly reality. God sent his Son to die and be raised in order to set his children “free indeed” (John 8:36). There is coming a day when those who are faithful, even to death (Revelation 2:10) will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).
Our current circumstances, however dismal or successful, are not our story’s end. They are chapters in a much larger story that really does have a happily ever after.
"Staying Faithful When Things Get Worse"
By: Jon Bloom
Genesis chapters 37-41 only tell the low and high points of Joseph’s Egyptian slavery and imprisonment. But he spent at least 12 years there before he suddenly became Prime Minister. And during that terribly lonely, desolate time, things seemed to go from bad to worse.
This imaginative reflection takes place about 9 years into his sojourn.
* * *
Darkness had swallowed the light again. Joseph dreaded the night in this foul Egyptian hellhole. It was hard to fight off the relentless hopelessness as he awaited the escape of sleep.
Day after monotonous day passed with no sign of change. The familiar desperation surged hot in his chest. His youth was seeping out the cracks of his cage. He was pacing in his soul. Joseph wanted to scream.
Fists to his forehead he pleaded again with God in the dark for deliverance.
And he remembered. It was the remembering that kept his hope alive and bitterness at bay.
He rehearsed the stories of God that had filled him with awe as a child. God had promised Great-grandfather, Abraham, a child by his barren wife. But he made them wait an agonizing 25 years before giving them Grandfather Isaac. And God had promised Grandmother Rebekah that her older twin, Uncle Esau, would serve the younger twin, Father Jacob. But God had mysteriously woven human deception and immorality into his plan to make that happen.
Jacob’s smile filled Joseph’s mind. O Father. He covered his mouth to choke back his sobs. It had been 9 years since he last saw that dear face. Would he ever again? Was Father still alive?
He felt something crawl across his leg. Leaping up, he brushed himself off. He shook out the mat. A shiver ran down his spine. Joseph hated spiders.
Laying back down he remembered how Father Jacob had been caught in his Uncle Laban’s manipulative web for 20 long years. Yet God was faithful to his word and eventually delivered Jacob and brought him back to the Promised Land a wealthy man.
And then there were those strange dreams. They had been unusually powerful, unlike any others before or since. He felt ambivalent about them. They likely were the reason he was now in Egypt. His brothers’ envy of his father’s favor turned homicidal when he inferred that he had God’s favor as well.
Distant screams let Joseph know another fight had broken out in the barracks. It made him grateful for his private cell, the favor bestowed on the chief scribe to the warden.
He smiled at the irony of this “favor.” His brothers would love this if they knew. He seemed about as far away from what those dreams foretold as he could be.
Yet, as foolish as it seemed right now, Joseph could not shake the deep conviction that God meant to bring those dreams to pass. And he could not deny the strange pattern he saw in God’s dealings with his forebears. God made stunning promises and then ordained time and circumstances to work in such ways as to make the promises seem impossible to fulfill. And then God moved.
The common thread Joseph traced through all the stories, the one thing God seemed to honor and bless more than anything else, was faith. Abraham trusted God’s word. Isaac trusted God’s word. Rebekah trusted God’s word. Jacob trusted God’s word. All of them ultimately saw God’s faithfulness to his promises, despite circumstances and their own failings.
Faith-fueled peace doused the anxious fire in Joseph’s chest. “I trust you, my God,” he whispered. “Like my forefathers, I will wait for you. I have no idea what my being in an Egyptian prison has to do with your purposes. But I will keep honoring you here where you have placed me. Bring your word to pass as it seems best to you. I am yours. Use me!”
* * *
In the biblical account it’s tempting to only see Joseph’s heroic character and achievements. But God does not want us to miss the largely silent, desperate years Joseph endured.
Imagine the pain of his brothers’ betrayal, the separation from his father, the horror of slavery, the seduction and false accusation by Potiphar’s wife, and the desperation he felt as his youth passed away in prison.
Sometimes faithfulness to God and his word sets us on a course where circumstances get worse, not better. It is then that knowing God’s promises and his ways are crucial. Faith in God’s future grace for us is what sustains us in those desperate moments.
We all love the fairytale ending of Joseph’s story. And we should, because Joseph’s life is a foreshadowing of a heavenly reality. God sent his Son to die and be raised in order to set his children “free indeed” (John 8:36). There is coming a day when those who are faithful, even to death (Revelation 2:10) will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).
Our current circumstances, however dismal or successful, are not our story’s end. They are chapters in a much larger story that really does have a happily ever after.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
They're moving on out. To the west side...
Today was moving day for Bethany and Peter. What a joy to be able to help them...along with many other able bodies! Kudos to Bethany and Peter for having everything packed and ready to go! With several trucks and trailers and various and assorted vehicles everything was loaded and moved in one fell swoop...AWESOME! Enjoy some photos of the day...
Poppa Simmons surveying some of the job to be done.
The kitchen stuff, mostly glassware, awaiting gentle transport.
Well...that didn't take too long...an empty kitchen!
Where did it all go?
Oh! There it is...at least some of it...
Voila! From the trucks, trailers and vehicles to the new garage.
Bethany and Peter actually close the loan on their house Monday at 4:00PM. The owners were very gracious to allow them to put all their things in the garage so they wouldn't have to move it twice.
After they sign on all the dotted lines (hand cramps!), everything will be moved into these lovely rooms...
(captions are underneath photos)
The family room...yes, the wallpaper will be coming down...SOON!
Can you say, "Wallpaper Party!"?
The library / office...nice.
The dining room...yes...more wallpaper to be removed.
But, a lovely room nonetheless. Can't you see Hudson, his siblings and buddies enjoying delectable PBJ sandwiches in here?
The kitchen...thankfully, no wallpaper.
The downstairs powder room...YIKES!..more wallpaper.
Then upstairs to the bedrooms.
The master bedroom...it's really nice and roomy with a walk-in closet
and bathroom...and no wallpaper!
The guest bedroom...lovely room...uh-huh...covered in wallpaper.
There must've been one heck of a sale!!
The hall bathroom...no wallpaper...but...interesting counter-top.
Master Hudson's soon-to-be nursery.
The wonderful, level, fenced-in backyard...and deck.
I think I overheard something about cigars...aka "Man Time"...
Here's a back view of the house. The tree in the right of the pic is
a dogwood that has buds on it. How fun to discover what color it will be! We saw daffodils already pushing their shoots up through the soil anticipating the warmth of spring...
I just love reminders of new life! ...buds, tender shoots, pregnant bellies...smile...
Here's a front view of the house.
Here are the proud soon-to-be-home-owners.
CONGRATULATIONS, BETHANY AND PETER!
May you enjoy many days, months and years in your new home!!
Whew! We're pooped! Let's have some pizza!!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Ten weeks to go. How time flies...
A few weeks ago I announced we are soon to be grandparents. Well, we are at 10 weeks to go and counting!! The excitement in the air is becoming electric (around our family and Peter's family anyway...smile) Hudson Jude Hedger is going to be surrounded with grandparents, aunts, uncles and 1 cousin (at this point), who are looking forward to loving on him, playing with him, pretty much just acting foolish around him... Isn't it funny the lengths people will go to solicit some sort of response from a baby? Decorum totally goes out the window. Facial contortions and baby voices commence. All for a few little spit bubbles or maybe a full diaper, if you're lucky! I don't care! They'll be the most awesome spit bubbles and poopy diapers ever made!!!
Bethany has been a trooper during this pregnancy. After a very hard, very sickly first trimester, she has felt really good. I'm very impressed with how she has taken care of herself. When I was pregnant, rumor had it the GoodYear people were considering flying me as their new blimp. Whoa!! I was HUGE!! Bethany, on the other hand, truly has that "pregnancy glow". She looks beautiful! Don't you agree?
We had the opportunity to see the inside of Bethany and Peter's soon-to-be new house this afternoon. The Lord has BLESSED them abundantly with a wonderful house in which to make their home!! It is in a great neighborhood...only a couple of miles from Jake and Loren (one of our sons and his wife)...and in very close proximity to many church friends who also have young children and will be great sources of encouragement! The house has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a nice living rooom, dining room, family room, kitchen, two-car garage, a great deck for outdoor entertaining, a nice concrete patio / slab (potential b'ball court), and a wonderful level fenced-in back yard that Dublin (their boxer) will LOVE! I'm sorry there are no photos of the house at this time...I forgot the camera! ARGH!!!!!! But...here's the main man...Dublin! Doesn't he look excited about his new yard?!?
It's so sweet to be able to experience these precious moments with our children. We are truly thankful that God in His incredible mercy has allowed us these days. How I desire to be ever mindful that they are evidences of God's grace...totally undeserved...and given as reminders of His tender loving care for us. He is the giver of all good gifts! May I be quick to be thankful and slow to forget...fixing my eyes and my heart not on the gifts but on the Giver. He alone is worthy to be praised!!
Bethany has been a trooper during this pregnancy. After a very hard, very sickly first trimester, she has felt really good. I'm very impressed with how she has taken care of herself. When I was pregnant, rumor had it the GoodYear people were considering flying me as their new blimp. Whoa!! I was HUGE!! Bethany, on the other hand, truly has that "pregnancy glow". She looks beautiful! Don't you agree?
We had the opportunity to see the inside of Bethany and Peter's soon-to-be new house this afternoon. The Lord has BLESSED them abundantly with a wonderful house in which to make their home!! It is in a great neighborhood...only a couple of miles from Jake and Loren (one of our sons and his wife)...and in very close proximity to many church friends who also have young children and will be great sources of encouragement! The house has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a nice living rooom, dining room, family room, kitchen, two-car garage, a great deck for outdoor entertaining, a nice concrete patio / slab (potential b'ball court), and a wonderful level fenced-in back yard that Dublin (their boxer) will LOVE! I'm sorry there are no photos of the house at this time...I forgot the camera! ARGH!!!!!! But...here's the main man...Dublin! Doesn't he look excited about his new yard?!?
It's so sweet to be able to experience these precious moments with our children. We are truly thankful that God in His incredible mercy has allowed us these days. How I desire to be ever mindful that they are evidences of God's grace...totally undeserved...and given as reminders of His tender loving care for us. He is the giver of all good gifts! May I be quick to be thankful and slow to forget...fixing my eyes and my heart not on the gifts but on the Giver. He alone is worthy to be praised!!
Friday, February 19, 2010
It's Friday. It's time to slide...
Perhaps I'm a bit behind the times...but, just last night I was introduced to the "Sanctified Slide". The video I really wanted to post is not allowed to be embedded anymore because it was getting more hits than the original. Just between you and me...if you go to You Tube, search for "Sanctified Slide," and select the Paul Eugene aerobic version...you'll see why I prefer that one.
But, since Paul Eugene is on restriction from being embedded, you'll enjoy "sliding" with this video. You gotta "walk in the Spirit...shake the devil off...stomp Satan lower...dance like David danced!!"
Don't wait another second...press play and slide with me!!
But, since Paul Eugene is on restriction from being embedded, you'll enjoy "sliding" with this video. You gotta "walk in the Spirit...shake the devil off...stomp Satan lower...dance like David danced!!"
Don't wait another second...press play and slide with me!!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Celebrating a half-century. No, make that an eternity...
On February 8, 1960 a precious bundle of boy was born to Mike and Janice Simmons. They named him Michael Marlon Simmons...yes...as in movie star Marlon Brando. Michael Marlon's mother (say that three times fast!) was quite the fan. The name Michael, of course, is the formal version of the nickname Mike...the name his dad went by...even though his given name is Robert Milton Simmons, Jr. So...not really sure from whence they got "Mike" . But, it got passed to first son, Michael Marlon...also affectionately known as "Mike".
We celebrated Michael Marlon Simmons' 50th birthday on February 6, 2010. It was a precious time of family and friends. It was a wonderful time of encouraging and honoring words. It was a celebration of the redeeming power of the gospel. It was a time of exalting Jesus and exulting in God's handiwork to the praise of His glory.
Thanks to my co-conspirator, Mike's boss, I was able to whisk my birthday boy away for a surprise night at The Whitestone Inn followed by February 8...the big day...the birthday...to be spent together...just the two of us. It was a sweet time of rest...in the spa tub, reflection...over what it would be like to have a spa tub, reminiscing...about the gently massaging spa tub bubbles, and rejoicing...that we now know a little taste of heaven (called a spa tub) is but a 45 minute jaunt from Brewer Street. (sorry...no photo...it wouldn't do it justice!)
As I prepared and planned for my sweet hubby's birthday weekend, the words "Welcome Home" kept going through my mind. I believe it was the Holy Spirit's way of helping me shop for the perfect birthday present (pictured below). See, I have had the privilege of witnessing the miracle of God's grace in my husband's life. Just as the father ran to embrace the prodigal...the Father scooped up His child, Michael Marlon Simmons, cradled him to His breast, and said, "Welcome home, my son. You were lost...but now you're found!" Michael Marlon Simmons hasn't been the same since...the old has passed away...the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Here is Michael Marlon Simmons at 9 months old.
Whew! He takes my breath away!!
Is it the onesie? ...or maybe the thigh rolls?
Book him...he's mine!!
We celebrated Michael Marlon Simmons' 50th birthday on February 6, 2010. It was a precious time of family and friends. It was a wonderful time of encouraging and honoring words. It was a celebration of the redeeming power of the gospel. It was a time of exalting Jesus and exulting in God's handiwork to the praise of His glory.
Blowing out the candles proved a bit challenging...
you gotta love some trick candles!
Thanks to my co-conspirator, Mike's boss, I was able to whisk my birthday boy away for a surprise night at The Whitestone Inn followed by February 8...the big day...the birthday...to be spent together...just the two of us. It was a sweet time of rest...in the spa tub, reflection...over what it would be like to have a spa tub, reminiscing...about the gently massaging spa tub bubbles, and rejoicing...that we now know a little taste of heaven (called a spa tub) is but a 45 minute jaunt from Brewer Street. (sorry...no photo...it wouldn't do it justice!)
As I prepared and planned for my sweet hubby's birthday weekend, the words "Welcome Home" kept going through my mind. I believe it was the Holy Spirit's way of helping me shop for the perfect birthday present (pictured below). See, I have had the privilege of witnessing the miracle of God's grace in my husband's life. Just as the father ran to embrace the prodigal...the Father scooped up His child, Michael Marlon Simmons, cradled him to His breast, and said, "Welcome home, my son. You were lost...but now you're found!" Michael Marlon Simmons hasn't been the same since...the old has passed away...the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Thanks to Christopher Koelle for expressing the parable of
The Prodigal Son so beautifully.
(pretend the slight reflection of the photographer isn't there...)
So...Happy 50th Birthday, my love! Thank you for loving Jesus more than me. Thank you for encouraging me to love Jesus more than you. I am deeply honored to be your wife. I am profoundly thankful to be your sister in Christ.
I love you more today than yesterday and less than tomorrow!
You're still just as cute as that 9 month old a few paragraphs up!!
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