Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

  Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

 Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

 For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

The entire Rhodes family - every child, grandchild, and in law! We really miss Ray's dad! We didn't get a family picture of my side of the family.

Does your family memorize Scripture? 

That has been by far the most encouraging thing that I have done as a parent. The younger the child, the easier it is for them to memorize. Our "Charlotte Mason Scripture memory card files" are invaluable to us and help keep 
what we've memorized fresh for years to come.

Us with Nana, and I'm not sure what caused all of this.

Waiting was the hardest part! We found a few things to do while we waited.

Selfie with Grandma

Playing in the yard

Just sit

Sleep is a common way to wait

Be really foxy

A generation picture

Read..notice her eyelashes match the hat's

Take lots of pictures

It was worth the wait!

Are You Thankful?

At our church, this week's sermon came from Colossians 1:3-9, examining thankfulness. Our pastor, my sweet husband, did a great job arguing that a Christian will be thankful. He said that there is no category in Scripture for a Christian to be unthankful. In fact, Romans 1:21 says:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

So being unthankful was a sign that they were not Christians.

We learned-

• Thankfulness is rooted in the Gospel of Christ and directly linked to prayer. Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  
• The Gospel of Christ is the foundation for our living - our salvation and sanctification. Colossians 1:5-6 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.  
•  And the Gospel of Christ is rooted in people - the Trinity Colossians 1:1 an apostle of Christ Jesus, Colossians 1:3 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1:8 in the Spirit. - the Church Colossians 1:2 saints and faithful brothers in Christ. - close friends Colossians 1:1 Timothy our brother, Colossians 1:7 Epaphras our beloved fellow servant

What the table looked like after we were thankful for this bountiful meal!

Colossians 3:15-17

My Thanksgiving prayer for our body of believers and the church universal.

 

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Traditions I Can't/Won't Abandon

 It's always just us for Christmas, and I'm starting to finally appreciate it. Neither R. or I have parents. R.'s siblings always celebrate Christmas with their spouses extended family. My half siblings are much older and are not close by, so they also celebrate Christmas on their own.All our friends also have big Christmas gatherings with their extended families.At first it bothered me. I felt left out or that I was missing something. I have always not completely "FIT IN" but now I understand it and have peace.
If you have huge glorious gatherings with extended family or friends then I am so happy for you and I hope you know how blessed you are.
But, we are blessed too! We will enjoy a lovely Christmas Eve service tonight with our family. We will praise and worship the birth of our king together. We will read Luke 2 together. We will prepare cookies in the oven and snuggle a bit before bed. We will awake with gifts and celebrations of joy in "THE GIFT" from above. We will stay in our pajamas till noon. We will have a simple dinner. But most importantly we won't get lost! We won't be lost in the busy-ness of a holiday. We are not frantically shopping, stressed out cleaning or perfectly preparing a meal of great design. We are not running from one household to the next making sure to see everyone in one day.
I pray that as we all enjoy our different celebrations of Christmas that we all make sure to not get lost. Enjoy and celebrate "God's Gift" and may you all be as blessed as we are!!! - copied post from a friend's Facebook status update

Sometimes, I've been a little jealous of those families. They have the freedom to relax or go on a vacation or invite friends over. They have freedom. They aren't bound by tradition so they can do whatever they'd like to do. When the holidays come around they can choose their plans for the day.

Let's face it, sometimes there's strained relationships in families and it's easier to run away and hide. Maybe not hide, but just avoid the issues, we can make our own plans. Or maybe we would just like to spend the day passing out coats to the homeless, or go hiking the Appalachian. We don't necessarily want to avoid, just do something different.

But what about those traditions? What about the, "We always go there on Christmas Day" statements?

I looked at a friend's Thanksgiving pictures this year of her family with another family all dressed up like pilgrims and Indians. There was no fudging on the outfits, it was the real deal with the food fixins' to match. I was really jealous. There was no way I could pull that off in my family but I thought it would be so fun.

But when I saw this picture, I was reminded of why I love our traditions too. This is the first real belly laugh that I've seen from Nana in two years., since her husband of fifty-one years passed away.

What joy it is to be in a huge crazy family with all these traditions! Without the awkward, uncomfortable strained relationships, we wouldn't get to experience so much confession, repentance and forgiveness.... and yes, love.

My family won't be dressing like Pilgrims next year, but we will be meeting with lots of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and as many cousins as our family can produce. There will be turkey, dressing, and every  kind of pie served. But there will also be lots of love poured out. Easter will have all the cousins meeting together to see if they can beat Aunt Anna to the prize egg. Christmas will be Nana's yard filled with children on their new bikes, throwing new balls and staining the knees of their new clothes.

And their will be more pictures like this...examples of God's love poured out on us. Love, forgiveness, strained relationships, joy, friendship, and reconciliation.

There will be hugs given freely with hearts full of love, tears shared over all of our losses, and joys multiplied because of our Gracious Heavenly Father who bestows Love on us all.






So I probably will never go on an exotic vacation over Christmas break or donate the season to feeding the homeless, but I will know that God gave me this wonderful family. I can't wait to continue sharing holidays, making more memories and cooking up the same pork roast at New Year's Day. I'll know that when one of the sisters says, "When the family gets together, it's just too precious of a thing to miss. I want to be here," she means it as much as I do.

And I'll truly enjoy my friends' stories and pictures of whatever it is that God is allowing them to do.

Psalm 147

Praise the Lord!For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the Lord!

Privileges

O Lord God,

Teach me to know that grace precedes, accompanies, and follows my salvation, that it sustains the redeemed soul, that not one link of its chain can ever break.

From Calvary's cross wave upon wave of grace reaches me,
deals with my sin,
washes me clean,
renews my heart,
strengthens my will,
draws out my affection,
kindles a flame in my soul,
rules throughout my inner man,
consecrates my every thought, word, work,
teaches me thy immeasurable love.

How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus!

Without him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast; in him I draw near and touch his kingly scepter.
Without him I dare not lift up my guilty eyes; in him I gaze upon my Father-God and Friend.
Without him I hide my lips in trembling shame; in him I open my mouth in petition and praise.
Without him all is wrath and consuming fire; in him is love, and the repose of my soul.
Without him is gaping hell below me, and eternal anguish; in him its gates are barred to me by his precious blood.
Without him darkness spreads its horrors in front; in him an eternity of glory is my boundless horizon.
Without him all within me is terror and dismay; in him every accusation is charmed into joy and peace.
Without him all things external call for my condemnation; in him they minister to my comfort, and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving. 

Praise be to thee for grace, and the unspeakable gift of Jesus.

Something To Be Thankful For

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 

3 John 1:4

This past Wednesday our church had one of the most meaningful services that we have every year. It was our Thanksgiving service. Yes, we ate our fill of turkey, dressing, and pie, but what was most meaningful was the testimonies. We started the tradition when our church was small, only a few families, of each person having the opportunity to voice thanks to God in front of the whole group. There were so many beautiful testimonies of God's grace in so many was to the people personally, their families and our church. My heart was filled with love for the body of Christ as I heard them share.  I knew the time was coming for me to voice my thankfulness and I couldn't think of what I wanted to say.   I have so many things to be thankful for - 

• Godly husband
• Salvation
• Great friends
• Church in unity
• Family

But my mind kept going to this verse in 3 John. I am so very grateful to God that He has brought our children out of the darkness of sin and into a saving knowledge of who He is and what He has done for them. They aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but they walk in their faith. They walk according to the truth of Scripture and try really hard to serve their gracious Savior. 

And that is what I wanted to say that am most thankful for. (I am praying diligently that He will save my sweet two year sinner, Abigail at a very young age!)

A Thankful Turkey

On November first our family started a fun way to show how thankful we are for one another. I saw an idea similar to this in magazine and adapted it to fit our family. (I think it's like the "elf on a shelf".) We have a small turkey with a note that says this:

I’m sharing this turkey with you

To let you know that I’m thankful for all you do.

But that’s not all, by far,

I’m also thankful for who you are.

Each day of this month, you do the same,

Pass along this turkey and play the game.

Hide the turkey for someone else to see,

How special they are, just like you are to me.

Write a brief note here to show what you’re thankful for.

At the end of the month together, we’ll all thank the Lord.

It has shown up all over the house and the babies who can't write are getting a little help. It's amazing how many things we have to be thankful for when we try to think about it.

Thanksgiving Day Pictures

Happy Birthday to Abigail and Aunt Amy! Abigail loves "singing" anytime anyone else does.

 Graham (Robin's oldest), Hannah and Aunt Christy (Ray's youngest sister)

 Mary and Catherine (Robin's second)

Just some of the men.

Josh, Corey, Graham, Lane, DJ, Ray

Robert, Timothy, Micah, Steven, Luke, Noah, Andrew

Grown up sisters often get silly too.

Christy, Robin, Amy, Anna, me, Tammy

There was some serious basketball played on Thanksgiving Day.

We didn't get a picture of the tables before we ate, but I think this is pretty typical of what most families' tables look like after a huge feasting.

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

 Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

 Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Thanksgiving Pictures

Abigail's first Thanksgiving was all about getting admired!

The whole Rhodes family except Josh

Here's a few of our favorite boys!

I love what's going on in the background of this picture. Nana and Granddaddy's house is so fun with all those cousins.

My Favorite Photos from Thanksgiving

Pictures from top to bottom - The entire Rhodes family (except Nicole's husband Ryan), My family with my parents and sister JoAnne, Hannah in a last minute run to get that weird gelled like substance people call cranberry sauce, Rachel with Andrew and Anna's baby Noah, Sarah with Tammy's grandson and Nicole's baby Brody, Hannah and Lydia with Robin's son Timothy.

What is God's Supreme Attribute?

While we were visiting Faith Bible Church in Sharpsburg, GA, this was the question the teacher asked. My first thought to the question was holiness because of Revelation 4:8. The teacher read a quote by A. W. Tozar that said basically if we consider one attribute of God above another then our view of God may be lop-sided. God is the God of Love and Grace, but He is also the God of Justice.
The attribute the class focused on this week was faithfulness. He had some great points about how faithful God is in His promises and when we are so unfaithful. He read aloud the words to the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness. How appropriate is was for the Thanksgiving week!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

Family Worship for the Thanksgiving Season

It's here! Ray's newest book in the Family Worship Series is still in a daily reading format that works well for family or private devotions. There is a separate section for family activities and it is packed with historical and biblical devotions. Contact us if you'd like to buy a copy. There is a price break when you buy at least 10. Email ray@nourishedintheword.org for inquiries.