Hey, Everybody!
I am writing to you on Sunday afternoon since this post needs to go up first thing Monday morning and I am typing away on my laptop from Jackson and Annabeth’s room in our home. It’s the room where Keith and I get the best internet hookup. I like it anyway because it is filled with expressions of the only two kids on the earth I love as much as the two that I birthed. From Annabeth’s twin bed where I’m sitting, I can see a pink and green doll house, a blue and yellow race track, a dark green, fairly-convincing rubber lizard, a kids’ brightly colored exercise bike, a cardboard playhouse and a cardboard castle. It’s full on here in this room and, boy, has it had a work out in the last week.
Keith and I are blessed out of our minds to do lots of life with our grandkids because they only live about 20 minutes from our front door. Delightfully, their voices often reverberate off of these walls and their sweet feet are slap-happy on these wooden floors on a regular basis. We get to have sleepovers on occasions through out the year but once every summer Keith and I have them for the better part of a week and let their darling parents get some time together all by themselves. This last week was that segment of time – Camp Bibby we call it – for the summer of 2013. We kissed them goodbye on Friday night after a good, solid 5-day dose of them. I hate to admit to a small lump in my throat when they drove off with Amanda and Curtis, although I needed a nap in the worst way. Grin. It may be of some encouragement to you mothers of young children that, on Day 1, I did not shower until 3:00 PM. Yes, I do indeed remember what it was like to be a busy young mom whose life is not her own and when I forget, my two sweeties help me remember. Good grief, I would not trade them for anything in this world.
We do not have the time or space here for all the new quotes that have been added to my repertoire in the last week. Jackson and Annabeth are each hilarious, even when they don’t mean to be, so I try to have a pen nearby at all times. Annabeth announced to me on Friday afternoon that, when she grows up, she most definitely does NOT want to have a baby. “Why not?” I asked. “Because you have to go to the hospital,” she replied. And I thought to myself, whoa baby, that’s not all you have to do. As my mama always said, you also have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Translation: you think you’re going to die but, ordinarily, you do not, although at times your husband could be in considerable harm’s way if he spouts another word. Of course, I kept these thoughts to myself.
Annabeth paused for just a moment then spoke back up. “I just want a chihuahua and a cat.”
And that was that.
Jackson asked me how old I was while he was here because I recently had a birthday. He’s asked me that kind of thing before and it always ends up following the trail of whether or not I will still be his Bibby when he is in college. Curtis’s grandmother died a couple of years ago and I think he’s got it in his seven year-old head that grandmothers are tenuous creatures, here today, gone tomorrow. So, I said to him, “You know, Jackson, both your grandmothers are actually pretty young to have a grandkid as old as you. Because we all started so early, I think you can probably assume we’ll be around a while and see you grow up.” He sat on that a few moments then said, “Bibby, that makes you a rookie grandma. Do you know what a rookie is, Bibby?” Ah, yes, I do, Mister. I was a rookie mom with your mommy and a rookie grandma with you and I cannot think of two people on the planet through whom I’d rather be cast into those auspicious, busy, and often humbling roles.
I guess you’re wondering what all of this has to do with our Scripture memory. Well, I am getting to that right now. We have a daily verse at Camp Bibby and Psalm 32:9 out of the New Century Bible was our verse for Day 3 and the immediate favorite and clear winner for the fastest memorization. I taught the whole verse to Annabeth and Jackson but we only memorized part of it. Perhaps you will see why Jackson all but claimed it as his life verse. Kids totally love this kind of thing:
“Don’t be like a…donkey.” Psalm 32:9a
It made them almost as happy as talking about bathroom sounds. If I heard this verse once out of their mouths since Wednesday, I heard it 50 times. They could tell you what it means, too. I’ll stick the phrase back in the wider Scripture segment so that you’ll know what it means, too:
8      The LORD says, “I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you.
9      So don’t be like a horse or donkey, that doesn’t understand. They must be led with bits and reins,
or they will not come near you.”
Jackson would tell you that it means that God doesn’t want to have to tie us all up, or sit on us, or be all hard on us to get us to come to Him and to walk in His gracious and good will for our lives. He doesn’t want to have to make us obey Him so He can bless us. His deep desire is that we’d want to go with Him because we know that He is always for us, always leading us to triumph, always trustworthy, always right, and forever wanting to crown us with love and compassion and lead us away from bondage and such unnecessary harm.
I know it’s basic. But my mind’s been on the basics this last week with a seven year-old and a four year-old either one foot from me or on my person. I guess the question I’m throwing out on the table this week is this: Why do we continue to fight God and lash about in His grasp like He’s a big Taker instead of a Giver? What is it we think He’s trying to rob us of? To whom have we compared Him so that we’ve assumed we cannot trust Him?
Don’t be so stubborn, the psalmist is saying. Cooperate and go with God some place beautiful. Some place almost magical.
Revel in the two preceding verses in the same psalm (32), this time from the NIV:
6Â Therefore let all the faithful pray to You
while You may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
7Â You are my hiding place;
You will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Surround sound. Oh, if our spiritual ears could only be opened for a few glorious minutes, what a musical score we’d hear all around us. To go with Jesus is to go the way of deliverance. The way of music. The way of symphonies. The way of ascent amid mighty rising waters. So, I’m going with Jackson in my memory work this round:
Beth, Houston. So don’t be like a horse or donkey, that doesn’t understand. They must be led with bits and reins, or they will not come near you. Psalm 32:9 NCV
So, what’s yours?
You are loved around here, Sister. We are honored to serve you.
Tags: Scripture Memory 2013
Kiersten Griffith, Wake Forest, NC
“Why are you down in the dumps dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God-soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God” Psalm 42:5 (The Message)
Proverbs 15:4
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit
Kim Cliatt, Loganville, GA
“Her heart is secure, she will have no fear;in the end she will look in triumph on her foes.”
Psalm 112:8 (NIV)
Laura, Englewood. even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:10 NIV
John 1: 12. NIV
” yet to all who have received him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God-“
Kathleen, Georgetown, TX
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:33-34
Gwen, Muskogee, OK. Daniel 9:18b NIV. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
Jean, Platte City, MO
Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)
“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”
Carol
Carthage, NY
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19 NIV
2 Cor 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Betsy, Westerville, Ohio
Psalm 92:1-2 NLT
It is good to give thanks to The Lord, to sing praises to the Most High! It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening!
Debbie from Fort Thomas, KY
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
Ronda from Tennessee,
” On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.”
Psalm 138:3, NASB
Shelby from Indiana,
“May the Beloved of the LORD dwell securely in Him,
Who shields him all the day,
And he dwells between His shoulders”
Deut 33:12 NASB
Big Lake, MN
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.
Psalm 139:1-2 nasb
Kari
Amery, WI
Job 12:10
In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
Angel Varney Knoxville Tennessee
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Karessa, Peoria, IL: My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock; my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:7-8 NIV
Rachel Ravellette, Lafayette, Ind. – – “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 36:7, NIV
Lisa Pack, Charleston, WV
…or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
I Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)
When I cried out for help, you answered me. You made me bold and energized me. (Psalms 138:3 NET)
Kelly Haigler, Wingate NC
The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. Psalm 29:11 NLT
Livia
Wick
Scotland
Deuteronomy 30:6
New International Version (NIV)
6 The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.
And, in Hungarian
5 MĂłzes 30:6
Hungarian New Translation (NT-HU)
SzĂvedet Ă©s utĂłdaid szĂvĂ©t körĂĽlmetĂ©li Istened, az Ăšr, szeretni fogod Istenedet, az Urat teljes szĂvedbĹ‘l Ă©s teljes lelkedbĹ‘l, Ă©s Ă©lni fogsz.
Elizabeth Pack, Charleston, WV
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. I Chronicles 17:34 (NIV)
Jennifer from Leesburg, GA:
“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalms 19:7 NASB
Emily Pack, Charleston, WV
The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
MaryJo, Indianapolis, IN
I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me. Song of Songs 7:10 (NIV)
Andria from Northern Virginia:
James 1:3
Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
NIV
Kara C, Aurora, Il
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23, 24 NIV)
Ashley Sullens
Kings Mountain, NC
Psalm 27:10 (NASB)
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up.
Oak of Righteousness- Largo, Fl
Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV
The Spirit of the LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our GOD, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, and a planting of the LORD for the display of HIS splendor.
Carole from Webb City, MO: Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV)
Ellen, Chattanooga,TN
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all of our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For His unfailing love toward all who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:9-12 NLT
Paige from Lincoln, NE
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Katie, Harrisonburg. “Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen,” 1 Peter 4:11 (ESV).
Tiffany Tennant
Muskogee, OK
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 1:19, 20 NLT)
Cynthia, Massanutten, VA
If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
I Pet 4:11 (HSBC)
Lindsey, Scenery Hill, PA
2 Samuel 7:18 (ESV)
“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”
Michele, Cumming, GA
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. 1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV
Natalie Dawes, Calgary, AB, Canada
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2 Tim. 3:16 (NIV84)
Kim
New Port Richey, FL
Proverbs 3:23 NES
…”Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.”
“Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,” Deuteronomy 11:20 (NIV)
Karin Smith
Pittsburgh, PA
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
NIV
Kathryn, West Palm Beach, FL: “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” James 1:13NIV
Kim B. Thatcher, Az.
You are my refuge and my shield; i have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114(NIV)
Tammy, Platte City, Mo
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, (2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV)
James 2:13 NLT
There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
Jean, Platte City, MO
Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV) “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”
Sara, Sioux City
Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
Psalm 139:20 NKJV