Well, Praise the Lord for His mercies new and sweet every morning! this Christmas was special quiet, and wonderfull with just our small family- growing in size!! We are expecting a second child in early August! Hallelujah and Praise Jesus! we have been praying for this little one for over a year- and in His wonderful timing He has done it! What a reason for rejoicing! Thought you would all like to see some pictures of Ole Israel this CHristmas 09' as he is growing and more able to take in all the lights and fun aspects of the blessed holiday. You will thoroughly enjoy these I am sure! :-)

Happy New Year to all of our loved ones near and far- Let us look to our only hope and reason for joy in this dark and lost world we live in. Jesus Christ our Lord! Praise be to our God!

"My mind was ruled with small cares to-day,
And I said pettish words, and did not keep
Long-suffering patience well; and now how deep
My trouble for this sin! In vain I weep
For foolish words I never can unsay.

"Yet not in vain, oh, surely not in vain!
This sorrow must compel me to take heed:
And surely I shall learn how much I need
Thy constant strength my own to supersede,
And all my thoughts to patience to constrain.

"Yes, I shall learn at last though I neglect
Day after day to seek my help from thee.
Oh, aid me, that I may always recollect
This gentle-heartedness and oh, correct
Whatever else of sin thou seest in me."

-author unknown

Oh how this short poem quickens my mind to recall such days! I am ever aware, at times more acutely aware then others, of my tendancy toward sin. the sin of rash words, the sin of disquiet, the sin of boredom, the sin of discouragement, the sin of sluggishness, the sin of vanity, the sin of distrust, the sin of neglect, the sin of impatience, OH how full and lengthy the list could be! Yet what am I commanded to call to mind when sorrow gives way to self defeat? While I was yet in my sins Christ died for me!- and His blood is still the salve I must use to annoint my self inflicted wounds. His tears were shed while enduring the most furious wrath- that I might cry none, and His pain upon the cursed tree is the continual reminder that my sorrow is but for a moment, while favor and mercy endure forever. Hallelujah for the Redeemers blood! The sure testimony of forgiveness for innumerable transgressions!
And still Lord, may your chidren be zealous and repent.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Titus 2:11-14

Hi friends and family- I just wanted to help a friend out by bringing to your attention to this up and coming church planting conference in North Carolina- It begins June 4-6. All of your favorite speakers will be running the show! (just kidding- it is no show-) only God's Truth on display. John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler and more! Here is the website for you to take a look! http://advance09.com/

When tired, when unconsoled, when doubts todder close to insanities edge...
wait one moment more for His presence to rise and greet you.
When sorrows lay upon your shoulders, when pebbles line your path,
when sickness peers 'round every corner...
wait one moment more and light will shine at last.

The hope of the righteous will cause the heart to sing with lightness, and the soul to rest ever nearer to the One where hope is found.

"Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..."Isaiah 40:31
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.."2nd Corinthians 4:16-17

Today, Ann (my best and precious friend) and myself went to Pike Place Market to take in the city life- smell the fish and bump the people. We endulged in some lovely gellato, tapas, peanut butter mocha and red velvet cake... YUUUUMMMYY It was such a special girl time for us and to make it even sweeter- we met up with some precious ladies from Kodiak- our friends whom are dearly loved and much missed- Ursula, Iris and Borgie....and to top it all off we got to do it all in the sun! Praise the Lord.

Happy Lord's day!

here are some blessed nuggets of truth to ponder from the prophet Isaiah -chapter 40

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their sttength;
they shall mount up on wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."

Hope in the Lord today..and your joy will come rising like the dawn!

Today we had some precious friends come over for a few hours to help us with our blog- They are Aksanna and Tonia from the Household of Faith church fellowship where we are currently attending. They are both from Russia and so lively and fun! - Tonia takes pictures and so these are some that she took while she was here.

Hello friends and family! we are back in Washington from our trip to Alaska for fishing (some call it work =) It was a great trip. Fishing was better than usual and the weather was nice for a change (Ketchikan gets ALOT of rain, averaging between 165 and 180 inches a year!!!) I have chosen the title "Unsettled" for our blog for the time being, because that best describes our present situation. Because God is ultimate, we want our lives to be centered on what is most valuable and important, namely, Jesus Christ. And that means the local church where Christians are should be preeminent, of first importance. So, we are 'unsettled' because, we have yet to find our home church. Please be in prayer for us if you think of us. We are resting in his care for us and thankful that HE WILL make it plain to us in his time. I do plan on going to Alaska early next month for another short fishing trip with my brother for halibut, then back down.

punky playing peekabo with mamma

Hello ALL! Here we are this bright sunny day - learning how to Blog! we'll be keeping everyone informed on all of the happenings of this household and more! WE love you all - grace to you- here is punky not sure what he thinks about this..:-)