A Good Day

Yesterday was a good day. Mother's Day. A day to enjoy my family and reflect on God's goodness and the gift of being a mother. What a great gift! What a great joy! My heart has been grieving for a good friend this week who found out that her mother is dying of cancer. I had a hard time during church as I knew she was at church with her father and sister without her mother yesterday morning. She is so close to her mother and my heart just hurt..I had a hard time keeping the tears from flowing as I interceded on her behalf throughout the service. I love how the Holy Spirit connects God's people. We were 14 hours apart yesterday in distance but my heart and my prayers were set on her and her family as if she was right beside me. I know that He is working in her midst. He is working and bringing her joy and glory to himself through the storm. The storms are His mercies in disguise. His arms around us. His voice singing over us and drying our tears as He reminds us He is faithful. He is the only thing that lasts. Mother's Day. I am not a good present receiver and thus I always ask for useful things. I am not a collector of stuff so things that I can use are a blessing to me. This year my family gave me a new electric can opener, coke, cookies, and a trip to buy the weekly groceries by myself! On my trip out I splurged and bought myself some dumbells to walk with and a bottle of nail polish for a total of $8.58. The best gift of all yesterday was Claire finishing her #2 challenge in the potty three times in a row! I got to take her to Wal-Mart to buy a baby doll! We spent an hour fishing at the pond and then at dusk I got a glimpse of a Mommy and two baby deer coming in from the forest to get a drink. Precious. Perfect. A Good Day. So thankful.   

Celebrating 13 years!

"I have found the one whom my soul loves." Song of Solomon 3:4

 

Officially it is tomorrow, May 12, 2013, but we are celebrating today because tomorrow is Mother's Day. A night alone with my love! I am so excited. The time has gone by so quickly and the Lord has been so very good to us. We have seen times of tears and struggle but the joy and good times have far outweighed them. We are continuing to grow and learn in our marriage relationship too. This past spring I did a bible study that really challenged me to look at my marriage relationship on a daily basis just like my walk with Christ. It is daily. We have also been teaching and mentoring a bible study with a young couple getting ready to marry and it has been so good for us too. It has been good to remember the difficulties and to recognize the underlying issues. It has been good to share and grow together as we continue to walk through this life together as one. I feel so blessed to be Mrs. Dustin Cupp and I am so thankful the Lord created me just for him and him just for me! Truly, what an awesome God we serve. All knowing. Constant. Faithful. Always working in us and through us.  

Just a bit of fun

This was at Carson's class on Wednesday for a special mother's day program, gift and tea. We all loved it!


On Thursday the whole school went to the Cincinatti Zoo. Daddy was able to get off so we all got to go!






Andrew insisted that I took this picture of the bear. :)


And then the surprise! We stayed overnight in Cincy and took the kids to Kings Island on Friday. It is a big amusement park like six flags.We got to do all of the kids rides before the rain came. A fun time was had by all and they are already talking about bringing our friend Mike back in June when he comes!














- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Homeschool Starts in Two Weeks!

Well, the learning center is officially ready and these kids are pumped. T3 academy starts in two weeks but the girls have insisted on doing school every day so far until we start homeschool for real. It is so fun to see their excitement. I sure hope I can keep them stimulated!

Salt

Salt. It's on my heart today. The Lord is really speaking to me how I "am the salt of the earth." Matthew 5:13 What does that mean? Strange. Salt. So I have been studying. Salt is a force that changes an alien environment permanently. Salt enhances flavor. (I really like salt on my food....probably too much) Salt slows decay only if salt is kept pure. Salt cannot lose its saltiness but it can lose its effectiveness by being diluted.

Okay, so Jesus said to his believers, "You are the salt of the earth." What does this mean for me?

As a follower of Christ I will be a force that changes an alien environment permanently. I will leave the mark and fragrance of Christ wherever I go.

As a believer in Jesus I will enhance the flavor of the body of Christ. I can do this by truly being a committed follower, unified in growing and serving with fellow believers in a church body not just a fan of Jesus sitting in a pew occasionally on a Sunday morning.

If I am kept pure I can help slow the decay of worldly desires and influence on people around me by exposing God's truth and wisdom.

Tasteless, diluted Salt is worthless. Luke 14:34 "Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" I am the salt of the earth. If I allow my life to be diluted by things of this world then I will lose my effectiveness for the Kingdom of God. There are so, so many things that work hard to dilute my focus and my daily walk with God. One thing specifically on my heart is in things I, we, hear and support. We did go and see Audio Adrenaline in concert last weekend and while it was great I was so sad to see the small crowd. Maybe 300 people. I stood listening and worshiping to good lyrics filled with God's truth, I heard two personal testimonies of redemption in Christ, and I heard about a way to connect and support orphans. I saw musicians proclaiming Christ through music and ministry. I kept thinking, Wow...in this huge town of Cincinnati where approximately 300,000 people live only 300 people came out? Interestingly this is 0.001% of the town.

Here is my thought: why? Philippians 4:8 says "Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things." Why do we not embrace and support musicians who proclaim Christ in music and testimony? Perhaps we are letting the world dilute us by romancing us with a catchy rhythm or tune that is filled with anything but God's goodness, truth and encouragement. Perhaps we don't even notice the way the enemy has entangled us as He dilutes us in many ways not to be effective in our walk with God.

Hebrews 12:1 says "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Salt. Believers, we are the salt of the earth. May we not allow anything in our daily walk to dilute our effectiveness to share His grace and His love at every opportunity He lays before us. What a challenge! He alone is worthy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The best day ever: NEW SAND!

Oh, where...oh, where are Abigail's feet?...




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

After Awana's Treat

It is 82 degrees today and lovely! We are enjoying our yogurt treat at Chickabiddy. I love to see Andrew and how sweet he is to Claire...she always suckers more ice cream out of him!









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone