O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

1 Corinthians 2:7-9 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.   None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,  nor the heart of man imagined  what God has prepared for those who love him”— Heaven "is our fondest desire, and yet it is such a mystery".  Any time that I envision Magdalena is heaven she is always wearing a tu-tu.  I am sure she is singing praises with her voice to God, but since her body held her back on this earth, I see her praising God through dance with her healthy body.  There are many mysteries to heaven, but I am confident that she is radiant with the reflection of God's beautiful design.  She was the most beautiful baby girl on this earth, so I am sure that she is even more beautiful in heaven while her face is lit up in praise.  Randy ...

Our bathroom sink this past week. One lonely toothbrush... She's back!!! This past week, Julie was in San Diego to do some training for her I.T. job from Sunday morning to late Friday night. It was a long week without her! Mimi and Papa were so helpful and Walt, as always, loved his time with them. Walt developed a fever towards the end of the week, but seems to have fully recovered today. We are so thankful to have Julie back safe and sound!!! Noah

I have let The Healing Path  by Dan Allender sit on my heart for a little while now, and I am still unsure of how to write a summary in just one blog post.  It was like nothing I have read before.  So many books on suffering deal with the heart, which is the main part of it all, but this book takes it to the next step.  It takes the reader through dealing with the issue.  Right above Dan Allender's picture on the back of the book it says "Don't Waste your Pain.", and that is the book explained in it's simplest form.  God has used Dan Allender's words to make me reflect on how I act and make decisions on my loss.  Most days it has been easier to turn off my mind off to a situation so that it will not acknowledge what my heart feels.  By ignoring it my life seemed normal, but it wasn't. I can only cover it up for so long before my actions show what my heart truly feels.  It is so hard to find a balance in dealing with loss and still living ...

Noah is always an eager student in the kitchen, and throughout our marriage he has perfected a few items which have become his specialty.  One of his favorites to make is delicious pancakes, and despite the fact that he hates berries, he makes some with blueberries for Walt and me to enjoy!  For Father's Day, Walt gave him a double griddle pan and a cool pancake tool, and to the joy of our taste buds he has been using them a lot!  The pancakes are delicious, but what I enjoy the most is that Noah does it to make me happy.  He enjoys surprising me and giving me the gift of a Noah-made meal, which I adore about the man I married.  

We had a fun filled day!  We were able to spend some time with sweet friends swimming and eating lunch!  Walt enjoyed playing with his new friends, and I can't believe that I didn't take pictures of him with the other boys!  Then, after nap time we joined together with the neighbors for a cookout.  Walt stood on a little boy's scooter and smiled so big for the picture. Hmm...I wonder what he will want for Christmas this year! I tried out a new recipe, but it will definitely need some tweaking.   Please let me know if you have ideas on how I can make some good sweet potato fries!  I tossed them in Italian dressing and red pepper, and then, I baked them for about an hour.  They were good but could use some improvements.  I got a good beginning point from a friend while we were there, but this may be a continual growing process.  I love french fries, especially the sweet potato ones, so it is worth the time! Walt and his Daddy getting read...

To help welcome the new students to seminary, we had pizza and a worship time.  I couldn't resist pulling out my phone to take this picture of Walt trying to help Noah play the drums.  Walt enjoys music just like his Daddy! Walt's blocks are one of his favorite toys!  He stacked them all up for the very first time, and before knocking them down, Walt showed them off to his Daddy!  Good job, Daddy, on grabbing the camera!

Every Friday Ligonier Ministries has $5 deals ONLY for 24 hours!  I noticed that they had Surprised by Suffering for $5 today!  Click on the link for the info!