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
Nitsa, Eugene, OR. “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” Exodus 14:14 NAS
Julie, Newton, IA
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9 NLT)
Ola, Woodbridge: Luke 9:23 (NIV 1984)
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
” This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.
Isaiah 66:2
Thine, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth. Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and honor comes from Thee, and Thou dost rule over all, and in Thy hand is power and might; and it lies in Thy hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious Name. 1Chronicles29:11-13
Lisa C. Miller Fairbanks, Alaska
‘All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”
Psalm 119:160 (NIV)
Cody * Houston, TX
“He came to the first [son] and said, ‘Son, go to work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went.” Matthew 21:28-29, NASB
Jennifer Fishers, IN
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.
Psalm 86:11 NIV 1984
Psalms 91:5-7 NIV
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20 NKJV) Brooke-Dallas
Dorian from Grimes, IA
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Colossians 1:15 NIV
PatW. GreenBank,WV.
Jeremiah 17:8
“..(To) be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Judy, Virginia “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:17
Michelle Bordelon, Prairieville, LA
Joshua 1:9 ESV
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do NOT be frightened and do NOT be dismayed for the Lord your God is WITH you wherever you go.
Becky Wang Ohio
And David shephereded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.
Paslm 78:72 NIV
Rebecca, Springfield, OH.
Psalm 27:13 NKJV~I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Lori from Athens, 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.”
Julie Luttrull, Muskogee, OK, 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
Romans 8:5-6 ESV
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Anne, Simpsonville, SC “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” Romans 8:1-2 NLT
Courtney, Houma, LA
Jesus answered “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6, NIV
Jennifer Craven in Winston-Salem, NC
O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all.
1 Chronicles 29:11 The NET Bible
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Psalm 118:6 ESV
Toni, Argyle, TX
Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Romans 8:33-34. NASB
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Jane, Cuba, MO
Eph. 6:12 NIV
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)
It is God’s will that you should be holy, that you should avoid sexual immorality.
You crown the year with your goodness; your ways over flow with plenty. Psalm 65:11, NIV
Nancy, Grand Haven, MI
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1 (KJV)
Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” NIV
Joy Nelson from Muskogee OK
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6 NLT)
Marcia from Windermere, FL
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:11 (NIV)
Andrea – Brush Creek, TN: And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power? Job 26:14, NIV
Lizz M.
Brick, NJ
The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
Ps 29:11 NASB
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline. II Tim 1:7 NIV
1John5:11-13 (NIV)
And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.
Anita
Justin, TX
Terri from Mechanicsville:
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’
Amber ~ Clarksville, TN
“Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” 1 Timothy 1:19 NLT
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near.
Phil 4:5
Andrea, Gardendale
Ephesians 4:29 NIV
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians1:13-14
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of the truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession.
Donna
Ponder, TX
Rhonda, Houston
Because you are precious in my eyes,and honored, and I love you,I give men in return for you,peoples in exchange for your life. Isaiah 43:4 ESV
Jennifer Kelley,TX
“Who among the gods is like you, Lord ? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11 NIV
Jamie, Crossett, AR
“More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things-indeed, I regard them as dung!-that I may gain Christ,”
Philippians 3:8 NET
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” –Ephesians 5:18, NIV
Madeline from Flagstaff, AZ
Jamie, Coupeville
Oh taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:8, NASB
Coral in Jacksonville, Florida
Scripture Memory Verse #13
Psalm 100:4 NIV
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;
give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NIV
Terry in Louisa, VA
Psalm 103:6-7 NIV
“The Lord works RIGHTEOUSNESS and JUSTICE for all the oppressed. He made know His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.”
Christina
Louisville, KY
Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:6 NLT