As most of you know our amazing family of 5 is going through a transition period. My husband is the new head football coach at Richland High School, I am technically unemployed for the first time since I was 12, beginning the homeschool journey this fall with my 5 year old, our home is for sale, and we are opting out of traditional insurance and going with Christian Care Medi-share (Christians sharing medical bills group), and a few more things I will choose not to mention. So, for obvious reasons, money, bills, needs, etc. tend to crowd my mind. Being a believer in Jesus Christ, I know the scriptures regarding anxiety and worries (Matt 6). I have been reading them for as long as I can remember. I do love the Lord so much and I do trust Him. But sometimes the world and what is around us seem to drown out the ever present presence of our Savior, that presence He promises to all who believe and love Him.
It is in these times when He seems to speak through the strangest surroundings :) When I was jogging this week I began to notice the wild flowers. Then I began to notice the flowers and flower beds wrapped around every house on the street where I was. It was then that sweet Jesus spoke to me. He said, "Precious child, have you ever noticed that every flower planted by human hands relies completely on human means for life but the flowers that I plant rely completely on me? Look around beloved, the wildflowers are blooming despite the lack of rain, they come back every year, they do not worry about where their life giving nutrition will come from, and if they are blown away or drowned out by the storms of life, they come back next year even bigger and more beautiful."
I replied, "Yes, Lord, I do notice. And thank you for loving me in spite of my doubt. Thank you for meeting all of our needs, and more. You are the wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace, Jehovah Jirah. Thank you for the beauty of your Creation, that shouts of your majesty and provision! Help me Father, to be wild and free in You."
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A little something extra
Just thought a few of you would like a little update on the Cook family :)
This month will end a 6 year era at Ridgeland High School. Jason will be the new head football coach at Richland High School.
I am officially unemployed :) I am coming home to help my husband (which is what we are supposed to do anyway) and homeschool my 5 year old! Along with caring for my 2 other babies.
Our house is for sale and we are looking for a nice place with a little more space and maybe a tree or two the kids can climb in :)
This month will end a 6 year era at Ridgeland High School. Jason will be the new head football coach at Richland High School.
I am officially unemployed :) I am coming home to help my husband (which is what we are supposed to do anyway) and homeschool my 5 year old! Along with caring for my 2 other babies.
Our house is for sale and we are looking for a nice place with a little more space and maybe a tree or two the kids can climb in :)
Friday, April 29, 2011
The Royal Wedding
As I sit on my couch watching this royal wedding (well, the end of it) I am reminded that one day there will be a wedding celebration much larger and more beautiful than this one. And it is not just for the elite! It will be for all those who know the Prince and worship Him! It will have more viewers, in fact, the whole world will see and all will marvel and bow. Phil Wickham sings:
When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears will be no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
The bride will come together and we'll sing
Your beautiful.......
and the Bride of Christ will be white as snow and the Bridegroom will be beautiful beyond description!
Friends, RSVP now! Don't let this world keep you from being an honored guest at the REAL royal wedding that is coming soon, very very soon!
When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears will be no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
The bride will come together and we'll sing
Your beautiful.......
and the Bride of Christ will be white as snow and the Bridegroom will be beautiful beyond description!
Friends, RSVP now! Don't let this world keep you from being an honored guest at the REAL royal wedding that is coming soon, very very soon!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
To Hunt or Not to Hunt...
I must preface this post by issuing this statement:
"You are reading a personal blog, that has my personal thoughts and reflections. I am in no way judging or criticizing anyone." :) And I know that there are MANY different opinions on this subject...that is one reason why I blog about it and not post it on Facebook!! In fact, no one may agree or relate at all, and that is ok. But I have to bring it up - because it is a REAL issue.
So, to hunt or not to hunt? Now that we have children these kinds of questions come up every holiday. Of course we don't hunt Easter eggs at Christmas, but I am sure you get my drift. There are so many "secular" ways to celebrate "religous" holidays that I just can't keep up with them all.
I personally don't think that hunting Easter eggs will send your kids down the "wide road that leads to destruction" but I do think that teaching or training your kids the truth and history of EVERY holiday (including Halloween) is wise. Remember, if you don't tell them someone else will!
Actually this year we did not participate in any "secular" Easter traditions. Mainly because I have a 4 month old, potty training our 2 year old, my husband has a new job, I work part time and our house is for sale....seriously, there was not any time to anything but clean mouths, bottoms and floors :). But I did make sure that Jesus and his resurrection was and is talked about a lot. Katie is almost five and very interested in knowing this Jesus. She is also almost five and very aware of eggs and bunnies and pink and purple decor that is EVERY where this time of year. So I wonder what that is like to a 5 year old seeing the world all around tell her something different about the Easter holiday than what her parents tell her and what is read to her from the Bible. Just a thought. It seems (in my cirlce of influence) that more and more we are talking more often about eggs, bunnies and hunts leading up to that miraculous day and leaving the details of that day to our Pastors and Sunday School teachers for Sunday. The bible tells us to write His word upon our hearts, over our door posts, when we go out and when we come in, when we wake up and when we lie down. I am not sure if I just have really bad time management skills or what but after we spend time talking about the Lord and training them in His word there just doesn't seem to be that much time left for the other stuff - and yes, we do get out of the house and do things - you know what I mean :)
Will we ever take our kids to an egg hunt? Probably so. Will we ever give them something special for Easter? Probably so. But as my uncle sings so perfectly in a VERY children's old song, "Santa clause didn't die for anybody's sins and the easter bunny never rose again...." That being said, or sung, what I do know is that we will teach our children the truth about EVERY holiday and celebrate it in a way that the Lord would have us.
We have been given a HUGE responsibility with 3 precious souls - souls that will spend eternity somewhere. We just want to make sure that in our training we are speaking truth and Jesus as real as possible - because He is!
"You are reading a personal blog, that has my personal thoughts and reflections. I am in no way judging or criticizing anyone." :) And I know that there are MANY different opinions on this subject...that is one reason why I blog about it and not post it on Facebook!! In fact, no one may agree or relate at all, and that is ok. But I have to bring it up - because it is a REAL issue.
So, to hunt or not to hunt? Now that we have children these kinds of questions come up every holiday. Of course we don't hunt Easter eggs at Christmas, but I am sure you get my drift. There are so many "secular" ways to celebrate "religous" holidays that I just can't keep up with them all.
I personally don't think that hunting Easter eggs will send your kids down the "wide road that leads to destruction" but I do think that teaching or training your kids the truth and history of EVERY holiday (including Halloween) is wise. Remember, if you don't tell them someone else will!
Actually this year we did not participate in any "secular" Easter traditions. Mainly because I have a 4 month old, potty training our 2 year old, my husband has a new job, I work part time and our house is for sale....seriously, there was not any time to anything but clean mouths, bottoms and floors :). But I did make sure that Jesus and his resurrection was and is talked about a lot. Katie is almost five and very interested in knowing this Jesus. She is also almost five and very aware of eggs and bunnies and pink and purple decor that is EVERY where this time of year. So I wonder what that is like to a 5 year old seeing the world all around tell her something different about the Easter holiday than what her parents tell her and what is read to her from the Bible. Just a thought. It seems (in my cirlce of influence) that more and more we are talking more often about eggs, bunnies and hunts leading up to that miraculous day and leaving the details of that day to our Pastors and Sunday School teachers for Sunday. The bible tells us to write His word upon our hearts, over our door posts, when we go out and when we come in, when we wake up and when we lie down. I am not sure if I just have really bad time management skills or what but after we spend time talking about the Lord and training them in His word there just doesn't seem to be that much time left for the other stuff - and yes, we do get out of the house and do things - you know what I mean :)
Will we ever take our kids to an egg hunt? Probably so. Will we ever give them something special for Easter? Probably so. But as my uncle sings so perfectly in a VERY children's old song, "Santa clause didn't die for anybody's sins and the easter bunny never rose again...." That being said, or sung, what I do know is that we will teach our children the truth about EVERY holiday and celebrate it in a way that the Lord would have us.
We have been given a HUGE responsibility with 3 precious souls - souls that will spend eternity somewhere. We just want to make sure that in our training we are speaking truth and Jesus as real as possible - because He is!
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