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
Mary Ellen in Laurel, MT
“O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come.”
Psalm 65:2 NIV
Connie, Longmont, CO
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6 (NASB)
Billie, Greenville, KY “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah” Psalm 32:7 ESV
Kathy, Birmingham, AL
I Kings 12:24 NIV
This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for THIS IS MY DOING. So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.
(Please read Streams in the Desert – Feb. 1)
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. (Psalm 67:1-3 NIV)
Anne, Minneapolis
Psalm 61:4
I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. NIV
Sarah Spencer, Marion, KS
the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ~Ephesians 1:6, NIV
Ashley Pointer from Spring, Texas
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
Psalm 139:15 NIV
Mitzi from Long Beach
Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days are written in Your book and planned before a single one of the them began.
Psalm 139: 16 ESV
Crystal, Livonia, Michigan
“He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding”
Proverbs 14:29 KJV
**so sorry if this is a duplicate…I honestly can’t remember if I submitted it or not:-)**
Susie, Garland, Tx
“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Tim. 1:7 NKJV
Debbie, Marion, IN. “For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 NIV
Landry, Georgetown, TX
Acts 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household.”
James 1:5 NIV
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
“When I cried out for help You answered me. You made me bold and energized me.”
Psalm 138:3 NET
Anna – Conroe, TX
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 Peter 1:22 NIV
Ouida in Trenton,TX
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers….Romans 8:38 (HCSV)
Hannah,
Lake Charles, LA
“Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.”
Psalm 149:3 NIV
Kaitlyn from Tampa
1 Peter 4: 12-13, NIV
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Sandie from Red Deer AB
Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
Psalm 61:4
Indianapolis, IN
I Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”
Emily from Houston~
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.
Jeremiah 31:25 NIV
Tracie, Albuquerque, NM.
“For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever.” Philemon 1:15 NIV
Debbie from Universal City, Texas.
“Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.” Proverbs 4:23 CEV
Betty, Austin, Texas Psalm 25:13, NIV
He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
Ruth, Austin, Tx
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
1 John 3:13 NIV
Carrie
Prior Lake MN
John 8:34-36 (NIV)
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Karin from Clinton, NJ
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV
Karol Ozark MO “Oh Lord, you are great, mighty, majaestic, glorious and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the Ruler of all.
1 Chronicles 29:11 NET
Allison L. Tulsa, OK
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17, ESV
Kathy Carenza
New Port Richey Florida
Philemon 1:6 “I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.” The NET Bible
Karen, Hartselle, AL
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone…
I Timothy 2:1
San Bernardino Ca
Ps:40:1 Esv. I waited patiently for the lord he inclined
To me and heard my cry.
Elvira, Grande Prairie, Alberta
Matthew 10:39. NIV
“Whoever finds their life will lose it,
and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Heather from Atlanta, GA
Isaiah 48:17 NIV
“This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”
Shari Valdez says:
Shari from Long Beach, California
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am The Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. (ESV)
Amber-Norman, OK
Psalm 32:7 NIV
You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Sarah, San Diego
“Satisy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
Psalm 90:14
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” Acts 16:31 NLT
Melanie of Greenbrier, Tn
SSMT #12 (forget to post)
Romans 14:17 (NIV)
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
SSMT #13
Romans 15:13(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.
This is my beloved , this is my friend
Song of Solomon 5:16
Wendy, Wilson, NC
The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him. The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God’s word]. It is good that one should hope in and wait quietly for the salvation (the safety and ease) of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:24-26 AMP)
Psalm 34:3-4 NIV
[3] Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. [4] I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Kathy Bryson
Albuquerque, NM
1 Peter 1:13 NIV84
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Stephanie McKenzie
Red Deer, Alberta
O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. (Psalms 59:9, 10 ESV)
Esther, Alburquerque, Spain
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:3, 4 NASB)
Summer J., Crystal, MN
“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
and taken up in glory.”
I Timothy 3:16, ESV
Pamela from Round Rock
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7 ESV)
Pam D., Hendersonville, TN Psalm 100:4 (NCV)
“Come into His city with songs of thanksgiving and into His courtyards with songs of praise. Thank Him and praise His name.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!
Psalm 51:10 ESV
‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.’