Scavenger Hunt Sunday

The scavenger hunt themes for this week were

• The Weather Today
• R is for...
• Green
• Joy
• Drink

The weather today is cold [relatively speaking] and clear

which is a welcome change from the weather we had most of last week...

cold...

A leaf with frost on it that Grace found for me

wet...

and generally dreary-looking.

R is for...reading, of course!

Josiah (11) and Grace (7) reading on our new sofa

Josiah and Grace reading in the dark in the van

Here is Grace peeking around the green Christmas tree before a skit during this morning's worship service.  I may be a little biased, but she was the prettiest of the "wise men."  

Joy has much less to do with this

No, this is not my house.

or this

Yes, this is in my house...from December 2010.

and everything to do with this.

For a child has been born—for us!

    the gift of a son—for us!

He’ll take over

    the running of the world.

His names will be: Amazing Counselor,

    Strong God,

Eternal Father,

    Prince of Wholeness.

His ruling authority will grow,

    and there’ll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.

He’ll rule from the historic David throne

    over that promised kingdom.

He’ll put that kingdom on a firm footing

    and keep it going

With fair dealing and right living,

    beginning now and lasting always.

The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies

    will do all this. 

Isaiah 9:6-7 (The Message)

I don't have a photo for drink, so why not another sky shot?  This was on Friday at our homeschool group meeting.  I spotted a sun dog in the sky as we were packing up to leave.

 Click on the link below to see others' photographs or to join in on the fun!  

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

The scavenger hunt items for this week were

• Relaxing
• Inspiring person
• Written words
• Memories
• Best friend

Relaxing

 How about a beautiful, relaxing sunset?

Grace (7) is relaxing while watching a video with her "new" horse, with our puppy Bono feeling a little left out and wondering, "Who's this guy?"  (Correction:  Grace says it should read "Who's this girl?" because the horse's name is Lady Rose.)

Inspiring person

Well, for me, that would be Jesus Christ.  He is "God come looking for us" and is our example.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV, emphasis added)


Written words

How about the written word of God?  

This is an idea I've used in our church nursery/preschool ministry...Bible verses on wristbands.  More often than not, the verse at least makes it out the door with the child.  :)

The photo features one of my favorite verses:

My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:2)

Make sure the verse is printed off-center to allow an overlap of the ends, and secure with dot stickers.  

Memories

Memories come from the everyday things, like exploring at the edge of a parking lot...

Grace

Grace...airborne!

as well as the special things, like camp.  (Click on the link to see photos from Josiah's camp experience last year.)

Josiah's and the other campers' bags outside their cabin

Best friend

Josiah's best friend came to camp with him this year.  These two will talk and talk and talk and talk...

Josiah (11) and his best friend

Here's a better photo of the two of them that I took in April 2013:

Click on the link below to see others' photographs or to join in on the fun!  

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

This week's scavenger hunt items were

• Stripes
• Dots
• Sweet
• Motion
• Tools

STRIPES

This Bible verse immediately came to mind when I took this first photo:

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 KJV)

And the same verse in a modern translation:

This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived.  He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.

       He never did one thing wrong,
       Not once said anything amiss.

They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back.  He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right.  He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way.  His wounds became your healing.  You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going.  Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls. (1 Peter 2:21-25 The Message)


DOTS

Can I call the droplets of water "dots"?  'Cause this is a cute shot of 7 year old Grace with one of her friends at his 7th birthday party.  :)

SWEET

Here's our own birthday boy, Josiah, celebrating his 11th birthday with a bunch of sweet stuff.

See that huge plate he placed in front of him?  Wishful thinking...

And he is a sweet kid!


MOTION

I caught these bees' motion as they were busy checking out each of my friend's flowers.

TOOLS

Our oldest son, Robert, got an important tool this week...his learner's permit!

Click on the link below to see others' photographs or to join in on the fun!  

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

It's time for Scavenger Hunt Sunday again!  These are my interpretations for this week:

Fun and Arts and crafts

I'm combining these two--my kids have had a lot of fun at VBS this summer, and have gone to more than a couple of them already this summer.  (They go to ours, of course, as well as ones where they have friends who go to church there...and others, well, just because they enjoy it!)

I think this is Grace's favorite kind of arts and crafts:  the kind she can wear...at least until bath time.

Grace (7) with a bit of sparkly face paint on her cheeks and wet chalk rubbed on her hair.

Messy

These are some messy baby birds.  Don't worry--I won't show you how they are messy.  Nobody wants to see that.  ;)   My porch and I will be glad to see them leave the nest.

Effort

...or lack of effort, in this case of this next photo.  I just liked this shot, so I thought I'd include it.

Blessing 

With this prompt, I'm reminded of the song by Laura Story, "Blessings":

What if Your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights 

Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When tears and pain blur the world around us...

and the world distorts our view of who God really is and blurs what truth really is...

may we intently focus on what is Truth.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  

No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 14:6 (NIV)

Click on the link below to see others' photographs or to join in on the fun!  

Anticipation

Long before there was this kind of anticipation

Until our Christmas tree goes up, the presents are stacked--not quite like this now--in our bedroom. Grace (6) artfully stacked these.

there was this kind of anticipation.

Jesus talking with Jewish children.

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas!


This post is linked to 5 Minutes for Mom and Sarah Halstead at The Naptime Momtog for Wordless Wednesday, and to Ashley Sisk  for Wittle People Wednesday.

Grace reciting the Lord's Prayer

I've already posted this video before, but you get to see it again.  :)  This is, in my opinion, the best one!

The video was recorded in October 2009, when Grace was 3 years old.

Happy Memorial Day!

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 (NIV)

Good Friday

He was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our sins.
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds we are healed.

(Isaiah 53:5--written over 700 years before Christ's birth)

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Watch the video of "By His Wounds" from the CD Glory Revealed here on YouTube.

Happy Easter!  He is risen!

In Christ Alone

The photos in this post were taken during a recent trip to the Explorations in Antiquity Center. 

A mosaic of loaves and fish near the entrance to the Explorations in Antiquity Center.

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe

A rock-cut manger.  Caves were often used as stables.

This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

The inscription "King of Jews"--the written charge against Jesus--was written in three languages:  Hebrew, Latin, and Greek

A shadow box filled with a description of crucifixion, lots like the soldiers used to decide who would get Jesus' clothing, and an example of a crucifixion nail through a foot

They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing (Psalm 22:18 NIV)

'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied

Existing trees were often used instead of an entire movable cross in areas that did not have an abundance of sturdy trees.  The condemned criminal would carry the horizontal piece rather than both the vertical and horizontal pieces; that is what is depicted here. 

For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

To the left and behind the cross, you can see the sponge on a hyssop stalk that is similar to what Jesus was given vinegar to drink from while he hung on the cross (John 19:29).  When the crucified person was on this type of cross (using an existing tree as the vertical piece), they were not very high off the ground.  Hyssop plants grow to be up to 60 cm long.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain

A body prepared for burial in a tomb

Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

The empty tomb

Empty burial cloths (center), as well as a wrapped body and ossuary boxes

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of @#!*% , no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand


Listen to one version of "In Christ Alone" here on YouTube.

 More photos from our visit:

An example of a city gate on the right.

Bells hung from a doorpost.

Inside a home

A millstone:  But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6 NIV)

 

For perspective on the immense size of the millstone.

 

The entrance to a tomb was small enough that an adult would have to crouch down to enter.