Lainey is 4

 

Our spunky little Lainey is 4.

She is a whole lot of fun 

and keeps her family on their toes.

Lainey knows what she likes: tutus, dresses,

 Barbies, dress up, playing store or house.

She loves outside time.

And snack time.

Lainey's older siblings love to help her celebrate.

You can't beat a unicorn cake.

Marking time with mom and dad too.

This little family is figuring out new places 

and making memories wherever they go.

May the Lord bless this little lady as she keeps us 

ALL in line.

Worship into the Week- Proclaim God's Glory

 

Worship into the Week-

Isaiah 66:18-23

Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord

God has a final plan for his people as witnesses

to the nations. He will bring them to Jerusalem.

They will hear of God's name and see His glory.

The worship will include people from all nations.

There is also not good news with the prophecy of 

eternal punishment for the rebels.

 

The promise of the new heavens and earth

tells where God's people will

 worship from new moon to new moon and 

from Sabbath to Sabbath.

This is a testimony of God's enduring Kingdom.

Supplies:

Visual Church Year Printable

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Neocolor Wax Pastels

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One in a Million

 

One day in the past week it

 slipped quietly by without notice.

I had kind of mapped it out 

and thought perhaps the numbers would tag

along by Christmas or early 2026.

The One Million Mark.

A progression of blog views-

one at a time.

For years.

I began this blog on August 20, 2011.

Fourteen years ago.

Telling the story of God's faithfulness for our family

in a written form.

Each year I turn the blog posts into a hardcover book.

Pretty much the way I am "scrapbooking" these days.

It has never been about the numbers or views.

It has been about capturing the family events and 

observations of garden and yard.

Then it morphed into the story of Visual Faith practices.

A creative outlet for figuring out the nuances and intricacies

 of God working things out in my life. 

A place to figure out the words with meanings

 that make sense out of my thinking.

If you have stopped by multiple times, or just a very few-

thank you!

One in a million.

One in a million views.

One at a time.

I appreciate the encouragement 

and responses along the way.

Hopefully, you may find encouragement and hope

with the light pointing to Jesus.

He is the reason to keep telling the stories.

One post at a time.

Times a million.

Psalms with Stories- Jesus- Our Priest and King

 

Psalms with Stories-Lesson 8

Jesus - Our Priest and King

This is the last lesson for the Summer Bible class

 from Visual Faith® Ministry.

The study was designed to tie together a story, 

(in this lesson it is Matthew 22),

with the supporting Psalm connections.

I have learned some great pointers about how

 God's Word is written to make ONE GREAT STORY. 

Psalm 110, a Psalm of David,

 is highlighted in Matthew 22.

It is set up earlier in Psalm 2.

Then it is pulled together in Acts 2:29-35 

and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

right into the New Testament time.

Ancient conquerors had dominion over defeated kings.

Jesus sits at the right hand of God as risen king

 and will fulfill this prophecy at the end of days.

He will claim us in victory.

Jesus will crush every opposition.

His power transforms how we live and move

 in His kingdom here on earth.

The VFM practice of "Counterpanes" was introduced.

On a half sheet of paper rewrite parts or all

 of the Psalm in the study.

Can add other notes or meaningful take aways.

We started with an ink stamp and some doodle lines.

A simple way I add meditation time

 is to fill in the a,e and o

vowels with a colored pencil shade.

Maybe also the o's are purple.

The e's are pink.

The a's are blue.

This brings me back to look over

 the words scribed once more.

Making wonky lines adds a space to color in also.

In the WORD- Bible Study time.

In the WORD- heart reflection time.

In the WORD- prayer time.

The very best when a practice combines

 both head and heart to send us out as 

everyday missionaries in the Kingdom.

Hadley Grace is 6

 

Well this young lady knew EXACTLY 

what she wanted for her birthday party.

Flowers in her hair, dress-up and 

 the neighbors over to celebrate.

We pulled out the dresses made by 

Great Grandma Florene Denninger 

for her mom- Laura and sisters.

Hadley chose the menu:

Shrimp cocktail and sauce,

lemon cupcakes and lemon tea.

Strawberries and poppyseed and lemon tea cakes.

Everyone was on best behavior.

                          Lainey really liked the little cupcakes.

                                   Papa and Gigi helped with making the 

flower wreaths to wear.

Donuts for breakfast and silly siblings 

made for a great birthday #6.

Surrounded by a family that loves Hadley- 

that's the very best.

May God bless you sweet little girl.

Oh, and we have to wait for "nighttime"

for a photo of the favorite birthday gift-

Batty.... for a girl who loves bats.

And as far as bats go...

she really is a cutie.

Worship into the Week- No Hiding

 

Jeremiah 23:16-29

"Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, 

and not a God far away?

Can a man hide himself in secret places

 so that I cannot see him?

declares the LORD. 

Do I not fill heaven and earth? 

declares the LORD.

This section of Scripture focuses on the consequences

 of listening to false prophets who distort God's word.

The passage condemns these prophets 

for speaking visions from their 

own minds rather than God.

They have misled the people with empty promises 

of things like peace and prosperity.

But, our God stands in contrast.

God is both near and far. 

He knows our secret places.

We can't hide from God.

God sees everything.

His word brings the power of both 

fire and hammer.

This highlights the dual nature of God's Word.

It can purify like fire.

It can break down obstacles and strongholds 

 We must never forget that we hold this amazing tool

 in our hands when we are in times 

of struggle and hardship.

Supplies:

Visual Faith Ministry printable

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Worship into the Week- Fear Not

Worship into the Week-

God's Covenant with Abram

Genesis 15:1-6

Abram has been busy rescuing people- Lot and family.

He begins to wonder about his own offspring and heir.

Then the word of the LORD comes to Abram in a vision.

"Fear not, Abram, for I am your shield."

But, Abram is concerned about being childless 

and his heir is Eliezer who lives in Damascus.

Then the word of the LORD came to him,

"This man shall not be your heir, your very own

son shall be your heir."

Then he takes Abram outside and says,

"Look toward heaven, and number the stars,

if you are able to number them.

so shall your offspring be."

Then Abram believed the LORD.

This act of faith was counted as righteousness.

There isn't a "promised by" date on this, so Abram would 

simply have to wait patiently and trust.

Isn't that the hard thing about God's promises?

We always want to know when and how......

Lord, give me the ability to wait for your timing.

This is God's covenant with Abram, 

emphasizing faith and righteousness.

This passage highlights the concept of 

justification by faith, which is a foundation of 

Christian theology.

Supplies:

Visual Faith Printable

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Magazine cutouts

Colored pencils 

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Worship into the Week- Chasing after the Wind

All is Vanity

 Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 18-26

The words of King Solomon here reflect

 the repetition and cycles of nature.

There is such vanity in chasing 

worldly pursuits and possessions.

Nothing lasts.

None of that is eternal.

Even human wisdom has limitations.

The only reality is our own ultimate death.

This leaves so many human beings despondent 

with the emptiness of life without purpose.

True fulfillment is not found in earthly pleasures or achievements.

There is something "beyond" this venture of pursuit.

Solomon in his wisdom is tied to the divine center-God-

 the source of meaning.

Reading this passage makes me think of the U2 song-

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.

So much of the world is chasing after the wind

in pointless endeavors.

How much better when our time is spent seeking 

the things of eternal value.

Lord, keep my focus.

Help me when I lose sight of the worthy things.

Amen.

Supplies:

Visual Church Year Printable

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Colored pencils 

Postage Stamps

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