Good and Gracious

by lisa leonard

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7

We are in need of a Savior. We are broken and sinful and willful. Thank you heavenly Father for choosing to place your love on me and cover my sins. It's not because I deserve your grace, but because you are good and gracious. I pray you will be glorified in my life. Amen

Make a Joyful Noise...

by lisa leonard



Make a joyful noise to the Lord. Psalm 100:1

I love to hear Matty's little voice singing. He knows (most) of the words to Amazing Grace and it is one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard. David is our little noise maker...banging cupboards, clanging pots, and jingling bells. He loves to make a racket!

We continue to work on having grateful hearts--both teaching our kids to be grateful and reminding ourselves in the process. Making a joyful noise is a natural result of being grateful. Sing loudly, play (or bang) on the piano. Lift up a voice of praise and thanksgiving because God is good and gracious.

gratitude

by lisa leonard

gratitude.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, be thankful unto Him and bless His name. Psalm 100:4

How do we teach our kids to be grateful? This has been on my heart the last few weeks. We are so blessed by material things in this country. We've been talking about having a thankful heart. We've been praying for thankful hearts. We've been practicing saying, "thank you", even when we didn't get exactly what we wanted or things didn't go the way we planned.

I am also praying for my own heart. I want to model gratefulness to my boys and to have a joyful heart before the Lord.

Lord, please take my heart and make it yours. Mold me into who you want me to be. You are my provider and Savior. Make my heart grateful. Amen.

The Lord Provides

by Lisa Leonard

Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them." (Matthew 6:26)

The Lord provides for our needs. We can cast our cares on him and TRUST that he will lovingly care for his children. How are you seeing the Lord provide in your life?

Strength in Weakness

Strength in weakness.

Being a mommy is so fun and such a blessing, but sometimes I feel like it is a day-by-day guessing game. So many little decisions to be made. So many big ones, too. If I am tired or stressed these feelings are magnified.

Being a mom has made me much more aware of my weaknesses and my pride. Before I had little ones, I was less aware of my selfishness. After our boys were born I quickly learned that parenting demands sacrifice and selflessness. Of course we sacrifice for our children, because we love them. But our main purpose in sacrificing is to honor the Lord. The beauty is, he gives us the strength to love our children well and covers our sins with grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What Honors the Lord?

What Honors the Lord?
by Lisa Leonard

Husbands love your wives. Wives submit you to your husbands. (Ephesians)

These probably aren't the most popular verses in the bible. My college girls and I have been talking quite a bit about these verses and WHY should we submit ourselves? We aren't less important than our husbands!! Here are a few conclusions we have come to...

*Husbands love their wives and wives submit to their husbands, the two actually aren't that different! It's easy to submit to a man who loves his wife and puts her first.

*We still have to submit even if he isn't loving us well or putting us first. This honors the Lord.

*Christ was willing to submit to the Father. If he was willing, shouldn't we be?

*When picking a mate, choose wisely. This make the journey much easier.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and practical ideas for loving our husbands by submitting to them.

Comfort of His Word

Comfort of His Word
Lisa Leonard

Psalm 139:13 & 14
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

These verses (actually the entire chapter) brought me so much comfort when David was born. I had planned and dreamed of a healthy baby. To be honest, I was devastated that we had a child with so many needs and felt my entire world crumble around me. Although it was such a difficult time when David was born, God has wonderful things planned for him and for us.

The Lord continues to show me his grace and beauty. This boy has brought more joy into our lives than we could have imagined. His body, although broken by human standards, was created by a loving God who doesn't make mistakes. I hadn't planned for this child, but the Lord planned for him. And he is wonderfully made.

Taking Time

Taking Time...
lisa leonard

our younger son, matty has been frustrated lately. he gets angry quickly, then is quick to apologize. his fuse is short and his coping is limited. it's not completely his fault. life has been busy. work, school, weekend trips, time with friends...it starts to feel like our days are packed from sunrise to twilight. we've been working on using gentle words and a gentle touch. we've been praying for a tender heart that loves others and desires to be obedient. we've been trying to be more consistent with consequences and making time to focus, and play and snuggle. sometimes parenting feels like a guessing game and i am consistently reminded of my need for grace. i need to take time to sit before my heavenly Father making my needs known to him. so, in the busyness of life matty is reminding us to take time to take time. what do you need to take time for today?