Getting Ready to Graduate

I try every day to send my kids a scripture verse. I usually pull it from www.biblegateway.com. I copy their verse for the day and paste it into the email. Then I try to give them a brief application of how that verse works in our lives. It is always a good reminder about the importance of God in our lives.

Today’s note is special because we are just about ready to see two of our three kids graduate. Our youngest daughter will graduate from high school. She has done extremely well, pushing herself to achieve great grades, while being a cheerleader and then a member of the marching band color guard. She is graceful, thoughtful of others, loves people, and a hard worker. She plans to attend college to major in business. We know she will carry her Christian principles she has been taught with her.

Our son graduates from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He has been accepted into the pilot training program and will begin in 2008. He has had some challenging times in this rigorous environment, but he has made it and we are proud of him for that. He will be home with us most of the summer and we’re looking forward to seeing his feet on the table and dirty dishes in the sink. Kidding! (I have all kinds of tasks ready for him when he gets home—he just doesn’t know it yet!)

Here’s my note to them. Warning – it’s a tear jerker, at least to me:

This is one of the last days before we're all together again for 2 months! Wow! We have not had that in 4 years.

Here's today's verse:
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”- Romans 12:10

We'll be honoring each other in different ways in the next few weeks, helping each other with tasks and recognizing achievements. We are SO proud of all of you. We said in Sunday School last week that our lives are so much better with all of you. We would not have wanted to go through life without you as our children.

We love you and look forward to a busy, noisy house this summer! Love, Mom

Seeking God's Face-- Part 4

I hope you were able to see some real tulips this spring. They are one of my favorite flowers!


“Woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips and am living among a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

During King Uzziah’s reign, Isaiah had used him for a spiritual measuring stick. But after Uzziah’s death, Isaiah turned to God. Only then did he become aware of sin in his life.

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.’”

After seeing his sin, Isaiah confessed it. No sooner had he made his confession of uncleanness than there came to him cleansing at the hand of God.

It is still true today that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to clean us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9

When we seek God’s face for a heightened sense of sin and grace, He rewards us by cleansing us and bringing us closer to Him.

That's reassuring, isn't it?

We'll wrap up this subject next time.

Have a great day!

Seeking God's Face-- Part 3

Welcome!

I've been hearing that my photos are cheering people. Here's another. I hope you enjoy it!


We've been thinking about what it means to 'seek God's face.' If you've just joined this blog, you'll want to jump back a couple to read the introductory thoughts about this topic. Here's the third section:

3. We seek God’s face as an act of obedience.

“When Thou didst say, “Seek My face,” my heart said to Thee, “Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek.” Psalm 27:8.

Growing up, my mother told me to brush my teeth twice a day. If I wavered, she would say, “It’s for your own good!”

It didn’t benefit her if I brushed my teeth (except for possibly lower dental bills!). My mother wanted me to brush my teeth so I wouldn’t experience pain from tooth decay.

God wants us to seek His face so we will be pure and not experience decay – sin -- in our lives. Seeking God’s face is His idea, so we, His followers, must obey. In doing so, we will reap benefits.

Are you seeking God's face today? You will never regret doing so.

If you’ve got any thoughts on this subject, let me know. This is an important subject to me as I value my relationship with God highly and want to do everything I can to please Him. Therefore, I will continue to ‘seek His face.’

In the next section we will talk about ‘seeking God’s face for a heightened sense of sin and grace.’ Please join me to learn how seeking God’s face can bring spiritual cleansing and forgiveness into our lives.

Until next time,

Kayleen

Seeking God's Face-- Part 2

2. We seek God’s face as an act of thanksgiving

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face continually.” I Chronicles 16:11; Psalm 105:4.

After the Israelites safely delivered the Ark of the Covenant to the city of Jerusalem, King David wrote a psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord. He gave the words to the Levite ministers and told them to sing it at the victory celebration, which they did. Later, those words became a psalm.

Notice that those words are smack dab in the middle of that thanksgiving psalm. All around them are words of praise and adoration to God. Why did David take the focus off of the Lord at this point? A possible answer can be found in an episode from the Civil War.

In Sept. 1862, the North was taking a beating in Virginia. No one knew how to stop the defeated Union troops from retreating. Then Lincoln had an idea. Against the recommendations of his highest advisers, Lincoln commanded Gen. George McClellan to head towards the battle and lead the troops to victory.

That’s just what McClellan did. He rode into the midst of his discouraged soldiers on his great black horse and encouraged them to persevere.

That was all. He didn’t try to do their job or offer additional supplies. He simply got in their midst so they could see his face and hear his words of encouragement. Civil War historians agree that this was the turning point of the War, in favor of the North.

Every leader knows that people need to see their leader. The closer the people get to their leader, the more excitement they feel. The Yankee soldiers were inspired to persevere because they had seen their leader’s face.

David knew that, in order for his people to survive and their praise to flourish, they needed to be close to God. In the same way we need to continually look to God for strength and wisdom in the midst of our praise. When we do, we will see God’s face in our lives through blessings that could only come from the Lord.

In Part 3 we will learn how to gain our identity through seeking God's face.
Have a great day! Here's more tulips to brighten your day.

Seeking God's Face-- Part 1

“I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Isaiah 6:1

Imagine you’re at the mall with a friend and the two of you become separated. You begin walking around, trying to find her. Do you look for your friend’s elbow in order to find her? Do you look for her knuckle as a way of finding her? Do you look for the soles of her feet, shins, or ribs in order to find her?

No. What you look for is your friend’s face.

The words to a lot of choruses used during worship services in churches today often talk about “seeking God’s face.”

What does it mean, to seek God’s face? Is this merely a phrase that’s popular and used so often that it’s become glib? Or is seeking God’s face something that has the potential to deepen our walk with Christ?

The Old Testament uses the phrase “seek God’s face” in several places. A look at some of these verses will show us what God wants us to know about seeking His face.

1. We seek God’s face in order to know Him.

When God tells us to seek His face, He’s saying, “Seek my unmistakable, personal presence. Gaze at me. Behold. Know me intimately.” God wants us to seek His face so we can have closer communion with Him.

The face is what we use to recognize someone. God designed us so that, except for multiples, we all look different from each other. We each have a unique combination of eyes, nose, mouth, chin, forehead, eyebrows, and cheeks. By learning to recognize those combinations, we can pick out a friend’s face from every other in the world.

Are you seeking God's face today? Are you looking to make sure that what you're doing, thinking and feeling are from Him? Ask Him for help in this. He will come through for you.

More about Seeking God's Face in the next entry!

Have a good weekend!