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
Kimberly from Carlsbad, CA
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name. I will do it.” John 14:13-14 (ESV)
Nancy, West Grove,Pa.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves,it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8 NIV
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
Missy, N. Myrtle Beach. Psalm 32:9 (NCV)
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
Sounds good to me!!!
Kelley Mansfield, Sharpsburg, GA
1 Chron 29:11 NIV
O Lord, You are Great, Mighty, Majestic, Magnificent, Glorious and sovereign over all the Earth. You have dominion and exalt yourself as ruler of all.
Liz from Hilliard, Oh shares:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything gives thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
Tracy from Aurora, CO
Ephesians 6: 17-18=Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. (NLT)
Meggie, Winnipeg, Canada
“If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” Luke 11:36 NLT
Joan, Dousman, WI
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Heb 13:15 NIV
Pam, Brighton, CO
Colossians 3:14 ESV
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Deborah, Augusta, GA
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being…”
-Ephesians 3:16 (NIV)
Susan G., Overland Park, KS
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, …”
Hab. 3:17 NIV84
Carol, The Woodlands, TX.
“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:16 NIV
Marsha G., Jefferson, ME
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)
Megan, St. Louis…John 15:16-17 ESV
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
Barb N., Philadelphia
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSVB)
Betty M ND
Ps 71 Vs 1 NKJV “In You do I put my trust, let me never be put to ashame.”
Linda Delray Beach FL
“Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Then I will go to the alter of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.”
Psalm 43: 3-4a (NIV)
Dawn, Silver Spring, MD
John 15:4 (NIV)
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
Karie-Phoenix
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, then Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28 19-20 NLT
Jonah 2:8
“Those who cling to worhthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
Julie from Granbury, TX
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Heather from Hayden,al: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isa 30:21 NIV
Psalm 62:8 (NIV)
“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.”
Oops, forgot city – Kathy from Syracuse, NY
Psalm 62:8 (NIV)
“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.”
I like the donkey verse too!! Kathy, Festus MO 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
Holli from Corona, Ca.
Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. ESV
Nancy, Sanger, TX
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Diane E., Charleston, IL
“The Lord your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zeph. 3:17 NIV
Rachael Clark, jersey shore, pa
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13-14 (NIV)
Melissa Fort Worth, TX, “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,” John 17:1 NASB
“Feed the hungry, and help thosein trouble. Then will your light shine out of darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” Isaiah 58:10 NIV
Jodell, Frankfort, “God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 NIV
LaDonna. Hammond, LA
God delivers me and exalts me; God is my strong protector and my shelter.
Psalms 62:7 NET
Kelly, Glenwood, MD
“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.” 2 Thess. 1:11
NIV
Tammy from Gravette, AR
Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, NIV
Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3 HCSB
Alison, Richmond, VA
You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.
Psalm 18:35 NIV
She is clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh at the days to come.” (Proverbs 31:25 NIV)
Rhonda
Gilmer
But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. (Philemon 1:14 NKJV)
MacKenzie, St Louis. MO
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. James 4:13-14a ESV
Melissa, San Antonio, TX
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. Eph 4:3 NLT
Susan,Tallahassee, Fla.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 1 Peter 1:4 NIV
Hanna Wahlbrink from Lexington, Ky
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)
Cindy, Fort Worth, TX
Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim. Proverbs 15:4 (MSG)
Amie, Honolulu HI
Psalm 8:4
“what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
Sherilyn, Warsaw, IN
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 1:23
Carolyn, Terrace BC Canada
Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice:
In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait
in expectation.
Cindy
Chandler, OK
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
Sarah, Elkhart, IN Isaiah 30:21 NIV
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”