joseph life

Missing Lake Superior

jordan — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:55:28 +0000

There is nothing that compares to this big body of water…oh how we miss you Lake Superior!

All photos courtesy of Dennis O’Hara

31 days of prayer for your children

jordan — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:22:02 +0000

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children

by Bob Hostetler

1. Salvation—”Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2:10)

2. Growth in Grace—”I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 3:18)

3. Love—”Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them.” (Gal. 5:25; Eph. 5:2)

4. Honesty and Integrity—”May integrity and honesty be their virtue
and their protection.” (Ps. 25:21)

5. Self-Control—”Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do.”
(1 Thess. 5:6)

6. Love for God’s Word—”May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb.” (Ps. 19:10)

7. Justice—”God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do.” (Ps. 11:7; Mic. 6:8)

8. Mercy—”May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

9. Respect (for self, others, and authority)—”Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as Your Word commands.”
(1 Pet. 2:17)

10. Biblical Self-Esteem—”Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:10)

11. Faithfulness—”Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts.” (Prov. 3:3)

12. Courage—”May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions.” (Deut. 31:6)

13. Purity—”Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions.” (Ps. 51:10)

14. Kindness—”Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (1 Thess. 5:15)

15. Generosity—”Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.” (1 Tim. 6:18-19)

16. Peace-Loving—”Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace.” (Rom. 14:19)

17. Joy—”May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.”
(1 Thess. 1:6)

18. Perseverance—”Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them.” (Heb. 12:1)

19. Humility—”God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all.” (Titus 3:2)

20. Compassion—”Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion.” (Col. 3:12)

21. Responsibility—”Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load.” (Gal. 6:5)

22. Contentment—”Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength.” (Phil. 4:12-13)

23. Faith—”I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them.” (Luke 17:5-6; Heb. 11:1-40)

24. A Servant’s Heart—”God, please help my children develop servant’s hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men.” (Eph. 6:7)

25. Hope—”May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)

26. Willingness and Ability to Work—”Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work at it with all their heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.” (Col. 3:23)

27. Passion for God—”Lord, please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after thee,’ one that clings passionately to You.” (Ps. 63:8)

28. Self-Discipline—”Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.”
(Prov. 1:3)

29. Prayerfulness—”Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers.” (1 Thess. 5:17)

30. Gratitude—”Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:20; Col. 2:7)

31. A Heart for Missions—”Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among the peoples.” (Ps. 96:3)

We’re still here

jordan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:32:44 +0000

Yes we’re still here …we traveled to MN the beginning of July and visited for 2 weeks. Since then it seems like things are still going full speed. Hence, why I can’t believe it is already August!!! In the midst of all of that my computer stopped being useful so I’m having to adjust to working differently. Pray that everything on it stays safe until we can get it secure in something different as a good chunk of info we have is on it (mostly photos and addresses). I will update in more detail soon and hopefully will have some photos to accompany. Hope you are all well! Thinking of you.

Birthday Girl!

jordan — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:07:58 +0000

Mackenzie turned 4 on May 9!! Wow, she’s a full blown pre-schooler. We had a little celebration at home that day and then had a BIG celebration with lots of friends on May 22. We just had cake at a park and it was a beautiful day! She had been talking about wanting a “princess castle cake” since Christmas so we couldn’t let her down! She got her cake…it was a mutual effort, but most of the ta da is credited to Chris. (He learned from a pro ) We had a fabulous time watching her enjoy herself with all of her friends. She loves them all to pieces and wants to be with them ALL the time. She comes home and cries because she’s not with them! This girl is SOCIAL!

Her birthday this year fell on Mother’s Day, which was such a sweet time. What an amazing gift God has blessed me with. I feel as though it is divine, the timing of everything. He has really shown me what an amazing thing this is – motherhood. It is especially significant to me because of the dark and trying period it was transitioning into this new life stage. So praise Jesus for the ways he moves and works in our hearts and lives to be more like Him! Thank you for sweet Mackenzie! I want to make it a tradition to do something special with her each year her birthday falls on Mother’s Day, so this year we went to paint a special birthday plate. This is her own special plate, created by her, she can use on her birthday. As a mom it’s my goal to make lots of traditions to make every moment special and create lasting memories. So I pray this is something she will enjoy and look back and remember good times. What are some of your traditions? I love new ideas!

Click here for more photos from the birthday celebrations.

Spring is here!

jordan — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:27:13 +0000

Life has been passing by so quickly these days. We are nearing the end of the spring semester at AGTS, which means a week break before classes start up again for summer. Here’s some photos of life lately…

Mackenzie working on writing letters

Aubrynn so excited about using the big potty!

Helping with dishes. (Nana this one is for you!!)

silly girl

Daddy and his girls

Aubrynn's 2nd Birthday

Click here for more of Aubrynn’s birthday photos

Easter Day

For more Easter photos click here

ready for church

pinchable cheeks!

attempting to put shoes on "all by herself!"

all grown up

first day of painting outside for the summer

CHEESE!

Hope this finds you well and you’re enjoying this beautiful spring!!

Purifying Silver

jordan — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:00:52 +0000

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi.

As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…”. This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, how do you know when the silver is fully refined? He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy–when I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

(Copied from Purifying Silver)

January & February Happenings

jordan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:35:36 +0000

We arrived safely home from our trip to MN and life has been going non-stop since then. We had the privilege of spending a day with our good friends, the Drevlows, while they were on their way out to the “land of sunshine”. It was fabulous to see them once again before they moved to CA, pursuing a worship pastor position. We pray that God will use them as they step out in His leading. Also, that He will bring us back together someday! I said goodbye to the Drevlows and Chris the same day. He traveled to SD for the annual SALT conference for Chi Alpha.

While Chris was in SD I had some much needed “alone” time. I missed him immensely but it was nice to sit down and breathe when the girls were asleep and realize that no one wanted a piece of me. I was able to readjust to being home and organize new things accumulated over Christmas. I needed some time to get life back in order before it would all start again.

As we knew it, it did all start again. Chris returned home and back to school and work he went. The girls and I started MOPS again and all the other commitments we have with Chi Alpha and whatnot. Honestly it is all overwhelming when you think about everything that has to get done. But also very mundane in the same respect. You do it one day, just to wake up and do it again the next.

Fortunately we serve a God who is so much bigger than anything we have created in our small little worlds. We can feast on the person of Jesus, the words of our ONE TRUE God. We can spend time with the only one who knows every part of our being, the one who can only be the most perfect friend our hearts long for. We can ask Him to share His secrets with us, and He WILL! This is what excites me for each day. This is how I am able to wake up and keep going. Sure, there are times that are easier than others. But in reality, if I didn’t know God, I’m not sure I would make it every day. Even though I do know Him, yes, some days are a struggle. But in the end I have HOPE.

May your hearts meditate on this Psalm of David

PSALM 8

Oh LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels. And you have crowned him with glory and honor.

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen-even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Here are just a few photos of our happenings lately as these thoughts and ponderings (and many more) have consumed me to the point of putting most everything else aside, including taking photos. So hopefully more to come soon!

Christmas fun at Grandpa & Grandma Fleming's

A "big girl" bike!

Thanks for keeping us busy Grandma!

An accomplished artist, but watch out for her...

or she'll get ya!

Focused at work

So proud of Mr. Snowman

Happy Holidays

jordan — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:25:31 +0000

Pumpkin pie making

jordan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:07:07 +0000

Here’s what we started with…

Prepping ourselves

Dig in!

ooey, gooey

Aubrynn watching intently wondering if she should join in the mess

thoroughly enjoying playing with the seeds

wedges…

turn into puree…

turn into PIE!

let the feast begin!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

p.s. The pie turned out absolutely delicious!! I’m still working on perfecting my crust so it “looks” presentable. Looks don’t matter though, right?! As long as it tastes good

photo update

jordan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:32:09 +0000

Here are some recent (or somewhat recent) photos of our adventures in daily life!

Cleaning day. I have helpers now!

Mackenzie in her daily tasks of serving meals. What a mom!

Last days of summer…

family photo opp

My MOPS table this year

3 best buds!

A trip to the Farm