Family Flair

I do not remember the last time I did a family update. I think I did a brief one for when Ronn married Gayle. Gayle is a special lady who has become a Mom to me. She is a gift from God and I thank Him for her. She has stepped into that maternal role in the family without taking anything away from our precious Momma who went to Heaven.
March was the wedding and the uniting of another family to our rambling vine of kudzu. We welcome Mark and Amy and their boys Jordan, Luke, and Hayden. We also welcome Wayne Loving into the family although we haven't met him yet. In addition to those we are happy to also have Laura and her husband Jim and their children. We met Tim and Jennifer, but welcome the rest as well into our family and hearts. The wedding was beautiful and sweet with lots of laughter and tears. Ted and Tammy and Amy sung together "Rejoice in the Lord" (He makes NO mistakes).




We also celebrated March birthdays adding more celebrants to the month of March then we had before.

In April, we have been working overtime it seems. Schoolwork is starting to get finished up. Easter was happily celebrated with a huge family grill-out on Saturday. April birthdays were celebrated and enjoyed.
Sunday we hosted a dinner with lots of fun and drama and fatigue in between 2 amazing services at church.
Ted and I commemorated our 19th wedding anniversary yesterday as well. We so rarely get time together that we have snatched a few hours here and there. We did spend a day at a huge shopping mall together earlier in the month although we weren't sure if that was our anniversary celebration or not. Wanting and needing more time together, we are going to take a mini vacation in May to celebrate our anniversary properly. Then of course I will send Ted off fishing the end of that week. James is looking forward to going fishing with his dad as a Senior Class trip/ PE field trip.
James will be graduating from high school on June 5th at 6pm at Faith Baptist Church of Shelby, NC. We would love to have friends and family come and cheer him on as he finally finishes this great half of the race.
James works hard as the grounds keeper for World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. He does a great job and loves working there.
Justin is finishing his junior year and hopes to find a good summer job between weeks at camp.

We are racing through this year, and looking forward to many events and milestones in our lives, but we long for that great day when we will be caught up hither to meet the Lord in the air. Are you ready for that day?

By Name

We had glorious Resurrection Day Services yesterday. The whole theme that permeated the day and in my heart was that Jesus knows me by name. He is a personal Savior. Are you close enough to Jesus that not only does He know your name, but He calls You by name? Would you know Jesus by name if He came to your house? Jesus knows each and every one of us by name, but do we hear Him call our name? Are you listening?

Exodus 33:12 (Moses) "Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight."

1 Chronicles 16:41 "And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because his mercy [endureth] for ever;"

John 10:3-5 "To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers."

Have you talked with Him today??? Have you let HIM talk with you?

Day by Day by Grace Devotional

Bob Hoekstra
April 19th
Experiencing the Lord's Goodness

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8)
The Scriptures clearly declare that the knowledge of the Lord is for developing a relationship, not merely cataloging correct information about Him. Grace and peace are to be "multiplied to" us (2 Peter 1:2), not just memorized by us. "All things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3) are to be drawn upon for godly living, not merely listed to validate our orthodoxy. As we get to know the Lord, His goodness is to be experienced in our lives.

Our present verse is quite forthright concerning this point. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good." The Lord is good. He is merciful, kind, gracious, and patient. The Scriptures abound with declarations of God's goodness. "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 107:1). This goodness of God is to be experienced by God's people. "My people shall be satisfied with My goodness" (Jeremiah 31:14). We are to "taste and see" God's goodness, not only to hear of it and talk about it.

How does a person experience the goodness of the Lord? "Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" God's goodness is available for our personal experience whenever we trust in Him. "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!" (Psalm 31:19). When we rely upon the Lord, His goodness brings forth peace in our lives. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3). When we depend upon the Lord, His goodness brings forth rejoicing in our lives. "Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name" (Psalm 33:20-21).

It should not be surprising to us that faith in the Lord is the pathway to experiencing His goodness. We have noted in a number of these meditations that faith is one of the relational realities that allows a child of God to live by His grace. Faith accesses grace (Romans 5:2). "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:25).

We trust in the Lord the more we get acquainted with Him. We trust in the Lord the more we seek Him to demonstrate His faithfulness. "And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You" (Psalm 9:10).

From the Heart

Have I ever sent you through a valley
I had not already walked through?

Have I ever held your hand in Mine
Without walking next to you?

Have I ever set you on a mountain
Without lifting you up high?

Have I ever asked to give your all
Without being willing Myself to die?

O little child of wandering
I've been with you from the start.

When I said I'll never leave you child
I meant it with all My heart.

-Ted Corriveau 4/12/2011

Proverbs 10

What a beautiful sun-shining day the Lord has created! I sit here during a lull, sipping creamy coffee and feeling butterflies in my stomach. This week I arranged for James to take his SAT's, started downloading and printing out his college application, pushing him to finish his last month of course work, and wondering what the Lord has in store for him. This feeling reminds me of when he was learning to walk and I knew I couldn't always hold his hand, but I always felt better if I was there to help him minimize his falls. As I meditate on this, I want to make sure I am not worrying or being anxious about his safety or his choices, although I am probably falling victim to just that.
My mind is full of thoughts and comparisons, and I think I have just an inkling of what God must feel like with His children. He teaches us over and over and shows us how to serve Him and live for Him. Yet, no matter how many school lessons we have, it does not always seem to sink into our brains and our hearts. In the end, although I would love it if my boys would and could spell correctly, use proper grammar, compute math like a calculator, and spout off historical and scientific facts, my greatest yearning is for them to be so close in their walk with the Lord that it spills out all over their lives and everyone they come in contact with.
Proverbs 10 has resonated with me lately, read it for yourself and glean from it.
My yearnings for my children should be my yearnings for myself with my Heavenly Father as well.
~~R