I have been thinking quite a lot about God's movement in my life.  I remember as a very small child having a great desire to know the Lord and an excitement about His return.  I was blessed with a twin who also had those same passions.  We can remember having a great love for the church people at the age of 5 and 6.  I praise God for His calling on our lives very early in life and as well to those brothers and sisters in Christ who showed us the Love of God.  We were intrigued by their passion for truth and God's Holy Spirit!
We are seeing many of those beloved ones growing older and know that it will not be long before they will not be with us, but we have a great hope that we will be reunited at the the return of our Savior.
It is so discouraging to live in a world so full of Godless entertainment, education and government.  One can feel so tainted just by living amongst it all and I wonder how can God love me when I am polluted by the culture that has inevitably tainted my moral judgments. I pray almost daily for a pure heart and mind.  Reading God's word and practicing what I read definitely helps, but I know I am still not where I should be.  This is when God's grace means so very much to me.  Grace for those sins I do not know are sins and for the understanding He has about the fight to stay pure in a generation of moral decay.
So as I ponder these things I can understand all the more why the angels message to the shepherds at the birth of  our Redeemer, "peace on earth and good will towards men" is so profound and full of hope! Our Father really loves us and desires for us to live an eternity with Him!  It truly is an amazing love from the God and Creator of not just our planet, not just our galaxy, but the Holy Almighty Creator of many, many galaxies.  How amazing that he cares about his disobedient human creations who live on a tiny planet that exists, not in the center of it's galaxy, but in a tiny space between bands, of a far reaching arm of the Milky Way galaxy, one small galaxy amongst many, in the vast and endless universe!

Anna is finally showing signs of consistent healing. She has had fever for over 2 weeks but they are lessening and her strength is slowly returning. Her ears are still filled with fluid behind the ear drum. The ear specialist said we are doing all the right things to help, he will check her hearing in a month. Her hearing is poor at this time.
I hope you are enjoying these beautiful days of unseasonably nice weather and that God's perfect love encourages you each day!

Anna is much better after starting new antibiotic! Thank you for all your prayers on her behalf !

It seems as though I often post when things are troubled and we need prayer.  I am hopeful today that Anna (our 7yr old) will mend soon, but we could use your prayers on her behalf.   She wakes every morning with 102.6-8 temp I usually work to get it down and them it gets bad in the afternoon many times after it is above 104.F.  Today another 104.2 temp. I have been doing the motrin - tylanol dosing and  I was giving her azithromiacin (antibiotic they called in to pharmacy without seeing her) since wed., today they finally took a look at her and found her ears are terribly infected (one was bleeding) and chest congestion. They think it is a pneumo-coccal? (msp) bacteria, resistant to normal antibiotics for pneumonia. 

I have never seen anything like this!  I am simply worn out! I made a big batch a chicken corn soup today with lots of garlic, fresh parsley and celery today! Thankfully she loves it! 

Poor kid she got up this morning and begged to go to school, she was dressed so pretty.

Anyways that is life here for now, the doc thinks she should be good enough to go to school by wed. with the new antibiotic, it kind of worries me.  Even if her fever is better, a whole day of school so soon could wear her out to much.

I have heard of a lot of serious flu like sicknesses right now. I pray you and your family are well!

Becky's shower was a good time for fellowship and seeing dear ones we miss.  We expected 50 people but I think more the 60 arrived!
I hope you all are doing well and staying safe and warm during these winter storms!