Saturate Yourself In The Word

Monday morning before Alan and I headed out to Crossett, Arkansas we had our prayer time together and we always ask one another how can I pray for you today. I don't remember what his request was probably to have the correct message for Monday night since he was preaching. However mine was that I would keep focused on Christ. I tend to have difficulty with this, and seem to struggle daily with this matter and my mind goes back to things of the world. His response was to me to saturate yourself in the Word, saturate, saturate,saturate.

I have not been able to get his words out of my mind and have been trying harder this week to do this. I love to read and have a Kindle (electronic book reader) that I have many books on and I also have the Bible on my Kindle. I carry my Kindle with me when I travel and do a lot of reading in airports, motels, houses where we stay. This week we have not had TV, or a car to go anywhere so I have had a lot of reading time. I am on my third book for the week. So all during the day I have been saturating myself in the Word. Right now I am reading a Psalms a day (well every couple of days actually). I read the same one over and over and over, I am currently reading Psalms 2. I started with Psalms 139, then went to Psalms 1, and now I am on Psalms 2.

Do you want to join me reading a Psalms a day over and over all throughout the day.

In, With, Through Christ
Joan

Saturating myself in the Word, has really helped me keep my mind more focused on Christ.

"End of the Spear" by Steve Saint

As you know last week I read a book "Through Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot. A must read for all. I wanted to know more of the story so I have just finished "End of the Spear" by Steve Saint.

The first book was wrote by the widow of Jim Elliot who was killed in Ecuador while trying to reach the Auca (now know as the Waodani's) This book that I just finished was wrote by the son of one of the men that was killed with Jim Elliot. Nate Saint was the pilot for the group of 5 missionaries and their families. These 5 men were dropping gifts by plane to the Waodani's in attempt to make friendly contact with them so they could take the gospel to them. They had made several drops but were attempting to actually make physical contact with this tribe. All five men were killed.

Elisabeth Elliot one of the widows, and Rachel Saint the sister to Nate Saint went to live with the Waodani's and won many of them to the Lord. Steve Saint also grew up with them in the jungle of Ecuador and has worked with them for many years. This book is his story and some of the work he has done, and you get to see and feel like you know some of the members of the tribe. I highly recommend this book also. If you want to know more about this story google it and you will find some basic information.

I wonder how many of us would not become bitter, angry or just plan mad at God and think it was not fair. But, you can see through this story that they knew more about God than most of us do, and knew that Gods ways are not our ways. And His ways are always best.

In, With,Through Christ
Joan

Psalms 139

Alan preached from Psalms 139 Sunday night. He had told me over the weekend that he was planning on preaching this chapter of Psalms. I must say that is was not from the angle that I was expecting, however I have not been able to get this Psalms off my mind and it was a very good message.

I enjoy reading and read a lot while traveling with my husband from place to place, and sometimes we are waiting in the airport and we both read. Well yesterday I kept reading Psalms 139, over and over to try and saturate my mind and self with the Word so I could keep my mind on Christ.

Sunday night and yesterday and today while I have been reading the Psalms the part that has been jumping out at me the most is the last 2 verses of the chapter.

Psalm 139:23-23
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

That is my prayer I want to live a clean life before the Lord and I want Him to show me where I fell Him and how I can be more like Christ.

In, With, Through
Joan

WOW....

Alan and I both just finished reading the book "Through Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliott this afternoon. We both started this book just a couple of days ago. It is the story of the authors husband "Jim" and four other missionary men that were working to reach the Auca Indians in Ecuador. These five men lost their lives in the first attempts to make contact with them.

If you read at all this book is a must. I must say it has reminded me of how slack and worldly we really are, especially me. (Boy, are we spoiled) The widows were not angry, upset,nor did they think it was unfair what they and their families experienced. Instead they knew that God was in control and they were happy with knowing God had it in HIS hands and not theirs. They continued the work of their husbands which was Christ's great commission "Go ye therefore and teach all nations" and were able to reach the Auca Indians in Ecuador. These 5 families knew their bible and knew the author of the Bible and they lived it.

I would like to read more books about Christian Heroes of the past. Which ones would you recommend?

In,With,Through Christ
Joan

You Would Think We Would Get It....

As I was praying and thinking today this thought kept coming to my mind. "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee". God was reminding me that He is always there and no matter what He will never leave me. He is always with me and He is always there for me. He always understands what I am going through or how I feel at the moment. And some days my thoughts and feelings can change like the wind. I am a female after all, however I do try to keep my emotions in tact and on a somewhat level course.

Friends can come and go and they do as life happens. For most of us our best buddies in High School we never see or talk to or keep up with them for that matter. Our families can be spread out all over the country, we change jobs and our work friends are no longer a part of our lives. We change churches and our church friends are different people. Immediate family members come and go for many different reasons, heartache, death or just distance of miles.

Life happens and our cirlce of intimates change but God said He was always with us, and I was curious how many times that He says this and assures us of this. You would think if it was in the Bible one time that would be enough for us after all this is Gods love letter to us. But if it is in the Bible more than one time he must want us to really get it. I have listed only a few that I found and He says it many more different ways and times in His Word.


Deuteronomy 31:6
...or the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Joshua 1:5
...Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

Hebrews 13:5
...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.


So when I feel alone or noone knows what I am going through I need to go back to the above listed scriptures and be reminded that God is always there and near. And if God is with me and for me that should be enough.

In, With,Through Christ
Joan

This Morninngs Bible Study

AS Alan and I were doing our Bible Study this morning we ran across something that the author wrote that has been on my mind ever since and I felt like it was worth sharing with you. Because I know all of us deal with this problem from time to time. The whole lesson was on understanding the attacks on our faith by worrying.

"Worry by definition is a lack of faith in God. It is, as one writer has said "Practical Atheism". In fact worry quickly becomes idolatry of the self: I am more concerned about myself than I am about trusting God's Purposes."
-Putting on the Armor by Chuck Lawlass

I don't think I had ever really thought of worrying as self idolatry,or practical atheism, but how true it is when we worry that we are more concerned about yourself than trusting God. (Ouch....)Let's see what the Bible says about worry.

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.


Striving to live worry free today, because God is in Control

A Day At The Park

Church spaghetti for lunch after playing in the park.



Learning to slide.



Poppa and Clayton


Well it being Friday, and that means Clayton is at our house again today. Before lunch we took him to the park. We all had a ball. We stayed and played about 30 minutes and then home to church spaghetti.


Clayton enjoying the swings, he loved it.

Sorry the pictures are jumbled up, but I am learning. I hope you enjoy them anyway.
Joan

"Uh-Oh" and a Kodak Moment

Today being Thursday Clayton has been at the house for the day. Yesterday he weighed in at the doctors office for his 18 month check up and shots at 26 lbs and 32 inches tall. A skinny little boy but not Nazi concentration camp skinny. Give him more time in this family and he will be like most of the rest of us.(a little fluffy) Pants are a hard thing to stay on his diapered body. His mom had him in shorts and a t shirt(play clothes for a normal day at the rents house) On several occasions this morning I would look around and his pants would be around his ankles. LOL. Of course the camera was not close by. One time before taking them off for the day he was stopped in the kitchen saying "YU-OH". I looked around and his pants were around his ankles again. So Gram just took them off and he has been in the daiper and t shirt ever since.Sorry Mom, but a gram and a boy have to do what they have to do sometimes to make it through the day.

Here at the Carr household we look forward to Thursdays and Fridays with the PRINCE, as I know the Carswell house looks forward to Mondays and Tuesdays.

Until next time
Joan

Puritain Prayers

Alan recently purchased a book full of Puritian prayers and devotions "The Valley of Vision" and it has intrigued me. I ran across one yesterday that has got me thinking about my confessions and prayer life. I try not to be repetitious in my praying but you can see from this prayer that the author knew something about God and knew himself.

Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, of failure to find Thy mind in Thy Word, of neglect to seek Thee in my daily life. My transgressions and short-comings present me with a list of accusations, but I bless Thee that they will not stand against me, for all have been laid on Christ. Go on to subdue my corruptions, and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but do Thou rule over me in liberty and power.

I thank Thee that many of my prayers have been refused. I have asked amiss and do not have, I have prayed from lusts and been rejected, I have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness. Go on with Thy patient work, answering 'no' to my wrongful prayers, and fitting me to accept it. Purge me from every false desire, every base aspiration, everything contrary to Thy rule. I thank Thee for Thy wisdom and Thy love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.

No trial is so hard to bear as a sense of sin. If Thou shouldst give me choice to live in pleasure and keep my sins, or to have them burnt away with trial, give me sanctified affliction. Deliver me from every evil habit, every accretion of former sins, everything that dims the brightness of Thy grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in Thee. Then I shall bless Thee, God of jeshurun, for helping me to be upright.

I am afraid to be able to pray like this they spent much time in prayer and in the Bible. Lord help me to love you more and spend more time with you.

In, With, Through Christ

Hi...

I just thought I would check in and let you all know that I am still alive. But, that at the moment I have nothing to blog about. I'm just not one of those girls that can blog about anything or nothing. All is well, and I am still praying and reading Gods word daily and experiencing the goodness of God on a daily or minute by minute basis.