Ten Years!!

Tomorrow is our 10 year Anniversary. It's so hard to believe that ten years has gone by, and boy, has it gone quickly!! These were some of my favorite photos (I tried to limit the photos of just the kids). We have had many adventures these last ten years. I wrote along letter about it, but decided it would be just for my hubby. But, here's the short video of photos I made for him, I am not a pro at this, but just thought it would be nice to look back on some of these things. (hopefully, it will load for you, but it may take a while!!)

The song playing in the background played at our wedding.

In the last ten years, we have

laughed

cried

prayed

worshipped

sinned

forgiven

obeyed

disobeyed

repented

rejoiced

And so much more...

I can honestly say that I love my husband more than I did ten years ago.

And I love Jesus more than I did ten years ago.

And I will say that again in ten more years, if He should give them to us.

Praise You, Jesus.

Oh Father... thank you so much for these last ten years with my husband. Thank you for how how much our marriage has taught me about You, and Your faithful love, Your never-stopping, never-giving up love. Teach me Lord, to be a good helper for Ben, more and more with every year you give us. May our marriage reflect You, and Your tender love for Your bride!!

The perfect Servant-Leader

"Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, 'Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.'"

(These are the words a Master would use, not servants!!!)

"And He said to them, 'What do you want Me to do for you?'"

Mark 10:35-36

Jesus, the perfect Servant-Leader. He is so good, so kind, so gracious. I am not nearly as gracious to the little people who constantly speak to me with the words a Master would use.

Oh Lord, make this the attitude of my heart!! May the words, "What do you want me to do for you?" come quickly to my lips and my heart... to the little ones who make demands of me, and most importantly, to You, my Lord. When I sense the movement of Your Spirit, may I be quick to be Your servant, and to not think of myself as a master.

Prayers for Haiti

I don't have much time, but I also don't want to forget. So I am going to pound out this post real quick!!

Bible Study Thursday mornings that I attend with some of the ladies from Reality...

Leader=Joy

Her husband is the head of the Board for Child Hope International, an orphanage in Haiti.

Here's a link, awesome story how they started. At the top of the page is a link to read updates on the earthquake in Haiti:

www.childhope.org

Bill and Suzette=the couple who started the orphanage, due to a vision and a mission that God set within the heart of their nine year old daughter. She is now 17, here is a link to her blog, it is worth reading!!!

http://ari-haitilife.blogspot.com/

As we have been praying as a family for Haiti, I have been blown away at the Holy Spirit's work in the kids' hearts...

"Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have established strength.." Ps. 8:2

Caleb's Prayer:

"Dear God, please help the people of Haiti to stop worshiping idols."

Emma's Prayer:

"Dear God, please don't let the people of Haiti die in their sin, but help them to believe in Jesus and be saved."

We asked the kids to pray with us, because the people of Haiti are in need of food, and water and medical supplies. There are needs EVERYWHERE you look... and yet, the greatest need in Haiti is the greatest need of every man, woman, and child... to have the wrath of God removed from them through the precious blood of Jesus.

They are seeing an increase in violence, as resources become scarce, distribution is unorganized, and people become desperate and feel hopeless. We have heard MANY stories of miracles, too many even for me to share here. God is making His name known!! Pray for the faithful servants of Jesus, that they would not lose hope. Pray for protection, for provision, for God's grace and mercy. Pray that God would continue to make His people distinct, as they give all praise and glory to Him, that others too would be drawn to the One True God!!

Please join with me in praying this Psalm for those in Haiti:

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh,

My enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.

Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.

One things I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

When You said, "Seek My face,"

My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek."

Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.

When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path,

because of my enemies.

Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;

For false witnesses have risen against me,

And such breathe out violence.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

I love this book!!

This was a reader that the kids read for school work. They each read it in about...twenty minutes, maybe less. There aren't a lot of words on each page. But man, it is amazing. I loved it. (67 pages)

This is the book synopsis from amazon.com:
Other people crowded into the house, and Kuri heard them whispering. "Look what happened to him. Surely he is being punished."

Kuri's eyes flew open in alarm.

Kuri's father has planted their yams without praying to the spirits. The Head Men insist that the yams must be planted in the right way, but Father declares, "God is mighty," and he continues to plant their garden in the name of Jesus Christ.

Kuri can't help wondering whether the Head Men are right. Are the spirits punishing him and his family? If the yams don't grow, what will they eat? Does he dare to be like Father and trust only in God? The day comes at last when Kuri must decide.

"Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom." Job 36:5

Seasons...

Sometimes, you have to remind yourself that life goes in seasons. And although we may like some more than others, they are all necessary, and carry their own beauty in different ways. Sometimes, it is peaceful in our home, and everything is fun, and it feels like summer. Sometimes, there is a lot of bickering and it seems more chaotic... but I have been trying to remind myself that those are the times where the ground is being tilled, and weeds have to be pulled, and it is all in preparation for growth.

We all want to see growth. That is encouraging and hopeful. But, God is just as gracious, just as faithful, and just as much in control and at work when we don't see the growth... when all we see are weeds that need to be pulled and ground that is harder than a rock. Sometimes our season is lonely. Sometimes it is lonely because we don't allow others to walk beside us.

I am learning some things about myself. I can't even put them all into words right now, but I am just reminding myself that there are seasons in this life. To be honest, we have experienced so much blessing, and so much of God's abundant grace, that I really just need to sit with my face in the carpet. And we have experienced some difficulties, here and there, but God's mercy has always covered it. And I am not entirely sure what my point is, why I am rambling here on my blog... except to say, that in this wonderful season, in whatever God is bringing... I am aware of some weeds, and some hard ground. I am aware of some things in my heart that will need to die, if new life is going to come out of what's there. I am... humbled.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." John 12:24-26

Big Boy...

This was at Daddy's request, and Noah's as well. So, we're giving it a try. (He got a haircut)

Crazy Times!!

Seriously, I don't know how anyone can blog in the month of December. Only those who are highly organized and talented. I don't think I fall into that category this month. However, I am so aware of how quickly time is passing, I at least want to try to give an overview!!!


We've decorated cookies....

gone "dumpster diving" (well, some of us, anyway...)

had some good, clean fun with the cousins....


had ourselves a sleepover!!


did some Bible reading along with our advent calendar....


saw the new Veggie Tale movie (Saint Nicholas) with friends over...


went to church...


loved on Grandma...


decorated Grandma and Grandpa's tree with the cousins...


more fun with more cousins...


sang songs about Jesus!!...


decorated MORE cookies!!...


were SO thankful for SO many things....
played games, delivered apple butter to neighbors and friends, and so much more...
It's a wonderful life.
The only words I have come from my current favorite worship song......
"I can't sing loud enough, when I'm singing for You my God...
I can't bow low enough at the vision of You my God....
I can't lift my hands high enough when I'm reaching for You my God."

Deja Vu

Sorry, I couldn't add the little marks on my post title. =)
But, seriously, don't you get the feeling, you have seen this face before??

Rockin' My World...

Life seems to be flying by! Also, pictures take forever to upload to the blog, so it makes taking the time to blog something that more daunting. I will try to catch up soon, but for now, I just wanted to share the lyrics to a song. A couple of weeks ago, we had a Women's Night of Worship at our church. It was a perfect opportunity to stop amidst the business and just refocus our hearts on Christ. This song does that for me too... Emma and I sing it at the top of our lungs in the car, over and over. No other songs right now, since if I don't start it over, Emma will ask me to.

"God is With Us" (on the Casting Crowns Christmas CD)

The skies don't seem to be as dark as usual

The stars seem brighter then they've been before

Deep within I feel my soul a stirring

As though my hope has been restored

The shepherds say they've heard the voice of angels

Confirming rumors spread across the land

That a child protected well from Herod's anger

Is our Father's Son, and the son of man

Love is raining down on the world tonight

There's a presence here I can tell

God is in us, God is for us, God is with us

Emmanuel

He's the Savior we have been praying for

In our humble hearts He will dwell

God is in us, God is for us, God is with us

Emmanuel

I feel compelled to tell all who will listen

That peace on earth is not so out of reach

If we can find grace, mercy and forgiveness

He has come to save, He is all of these...

You're the Savior we have been praying for

In our humble hearts You will dwell

You are in us, You are for us, You are with us

Emmanuel

Click this link to hear the song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2e4nIIMN1I

Point of View...

For school work, the kids have been preparing to rewrite a fairy tale from a different point of view. I was printing out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears for Emma, and she wanted to tell the story from the point of view of Goldilocks. As I was printing it out, I was telling Emma that she might need to pick another point of view, since the story is kind of already told from her point of view. Emma said, "No, Mom, it is told from the point of view of the Narrator!"
Oh. Okay.

My Update...

It's always hard to know when you're blogging, if people want to read about the kids, or if they are interested in what goes on with me too. But, I figure that one of the main reasons that I try to keep up with the blogging is for my own personal record keeping. =) So, here is the update on me.

I recently finished reading a book called "Created to be his Help Meet." (Sorry, I still don't know how to underline on here!!) Anyhow, I finally figured out what was bothering me about the book... I just felt like there was not nearly enough Jesus in the book!! She had some really, really good things to say (hard things to hear) about the relationship between a husband and wife. So I didn't disagree with the end point, so to speak, of what she was talking about, but I don't think that I agree with the path to that end, in the way it was presented. I really feel that as I whole-heartedly pursue Jesus, and treasure Him above all things, that He will bring me into a relationship of submission to my husband that will look radical to some, and her portrait of this beautiful submission was a good one. I just felt like there was not enough emphasis on the personal relationship I MUST have with Jesus Christ, and allowing His Holy Spirit to empower and enable me to submit in a loving way. And, if I am submitted to Christ, and sensitive to His Spirit, then I can be the helper that my husband needs.
But, I got some really beneficial things from the book as well. One great thing was just a reminder that the husband is the head of woman, as Christ is the head of the church. I am still thinking about the far-reaching implications of this... But, it was funny to me that I have always prayed that God would cause my heart to care about the things that He cares about... I just never correlated that concept to my relationship with my husband. God graciously gave me a chance to practice this. Ben came home and was really excited about Kettlebells. They are these cannon-like balls, with handles on them used for exercise, and primarily concerned with correct body movement. There was a free 3 hour workshop on kettlebells and he wanted me to go with him. I decided to put what I had been reading into practice and attend the workshop with Ben. As we were done, he was SOOO excited, telling me what great fun he had with me, and that I was his best friend. We really had a great time, and needless to say... I'm into kettlebells! =)

I read Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ (John Piper), which was perfect as a daily devotional-type reading. Each short chapter focuses on an aspect of Jesus, like his wisdom, his sufferings, etc. It was a great way to start the day, really thinking about my dear Savior.

Now, I am reading 50 Reasons Why Jesus Had to Die (Piper) as another devotional. The chapters are really short, only a page or so of reading.
I am also reading Finally Alive (that's a lot of John Piper!!!) which is all about what it means to be Born Again. It's also been so encouraging, and really interesting to be thinking about what really happens in the process of regeneration.
"The research is not finding that born again people are permeated with worldliness; the research is finding that the church is permeated by people who are not born again."

Ben and I have been reading through the Bible chronologically. We jumped in towards the end of the year, so we will really just read the New Testament chronologically, and then pick up the Old Testament next year. But, it has been so neat, and so interesting, and a great fit since the kids and I are reading Genesis.

And last, but not least, Ben and I just signed up for a course called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. It looks like it will be pretty intense, and we will be going Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:30 pm. We just really felt like this was such an awesome opportunity, and such a great fit for the other things that God is working out in our hearts. Plus, it will be so neat to go through this together!! I am so excited.

So, that's what I've been reading.... what are you reading??? =) I'd love to hear.

Updates...

This morning, we were reading the beginning of Genesis, chapter 24. This is such a cool story, of how Abraham's servant goes to find a wife for Isaac, and the Lord leads him to Rebekah. We had a great time talking about it this morning, and it provided a great opportunity to pray for the future spouses of the kids. Emma and Caleb prayed for their future spouses, and then Noah said, "I didn't say MY prayer!" So, he took his turn praying....
"Thank you God for giraffes, and knights, and ninja turtles."
What a blessing it is, to enjoy these special moments with them. I am so privileged to share in their learning adventure, and it has been quite the adventure for Ben and I as well. I don't think a day goes by where I don't learn SOMETHING. Even if it is just a reminder that my own heart is desperately wicked and in need of the regenerating power of the Spirit of Christ!!


Anyhow...Here are some pictures of our recent days. Emma was my special helper for our little family Thanksgiving. We had turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, and pumpkin pie.
We had a great family bike ride to the park, and had a little picnic while we read our missionary story (about the Tila Indians in Mexico). Emma had met a little friend, so she came and joined us for a snack and to listen to our story.

Quotes of the morning...

....From Noah
(Praying at breakfast)
"Thank you God for Christmas trees, and guns. Thank you God, Amen."

Coming out of the bathroom:
"My bottom smells MINTY!!"

This is a few weeks ago, Caleb had to scrub the kitchen floor as part of his discipline. When I was putting him to bed that night, I told him what a wonderful job he did!! This was his response:
"Mom, I'm glad I learned how to scrub the kitchen floor well, so that I can learn how to be a good daddy!"

Emma, praying before bed:
"Dear God, please help us to get lots and lots of money so that we can adopt an orphan from another country."

And Caleb, on the way home last night (we have been studying Egypt in schoolwork):
"Mom, I think we should adopt an orphan from Egypt."

Haircut...

It was long overdue. We actually were going to cut more, but momma's heart just wasn't ready. =)

The Surfer Psalm

We have been studying the Shepherd's Psalm, which was also the theme for the women's retreat I went to (isn't it neat how God works those things out??). Anyway, we didn't go to Groups (our homeschool co-op) because Ezra had developed a little fever. So, we ended up taking the kids down to the beach for some scooter time. We marveled at the power of the waves, and we sat in awe and praise of our Savior, Jesus. And so, as we sat there, we all worked together on this, our little Surfer Psalm:

The Lord is my strong ocean,
Beautiful and blue,
The birds fly over it.
In the midst of Your presence, I am satisfied.
Your Spirit guides and directs and pushes me in the ways of righteousness,
For Your name's sake.
If You did not draw us, clothe us in the wetsuit of Christ's righteousness, and set us firmly upon Your truth,
Who, O Lord, could stand?
Yea, though I paddle, and paddle, and catch no waves,
I will fear no sharks!!
The waves and the creatures of the sea,
They bow to You, O Lord!
Your wetsuit, a garment of warm comfort and peace,
And your surfboard, which is Your truth,
They comfort me, they protect me, they prepare me to go out!!
You plant my feet firmly in Your truth,
So I am not tossed about by the wind.
You anoint me with Your Holy Spirit,
Which lovingly, and powerfully carries me upon Your truth.
The long, enduring ride,
And the totally awesome barrel,
They restore my soul.
My "stoke" runs over!
Surely, your waves of mercy and the power of Your might shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in Your presence and declare Your splendid glory forever.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.

Long overdue...

Well, what can I say??? I think I am too busy to blog. I'm going to try to catch up, we'll see how that goes.

I went to the Women's Retreat with Reality, and we had a great time. It was not at all what I expected, but it was a good time of putting into practice the things God had been teaching me. Our theme was Psalm 23, and so I don't think I will ever look at that Psalm in the same way. The kids and I have been enjoying a Scripture Songs CD, which includes Psalm 23.

Verses for my season in life:
"Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!" Psalm 90:14

"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; In You I take shelter. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness." Psalm 143:8-10

God has really convicted me (personally) that I have to be with Him first thing. I have to come to Him to be satisfied EARLY. I would never intentionally or knowingly expect my children to meet my needs. But, as I stood back and thought about it, I realized that it meets my needs when the children obey and behave well...etc. So, God really has worked in my heart, that I need for Him to meet my needs, and to satisfy me early with His mercy, so that I can be a person who is free to meet the needs of others, instead of needing others to meet my needs.

"In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul." Psalm 94:19

One of the most disturbing side effects of my medication was anxiety. But, I was learning to trust God, and work on taking my thoughts captive in the midst of this anxiety. BUT, I've been completely off the medication for about a week now, and I'll see the neurologist Wednesday to make sure I'm doing okay. I am so thankful... It seems so silly, but I never did ask God to heal me. Not because I didn't believe Him for it, but because there was such a strong part of me that believed there was a purpose in it, that I didn't want to ask for it to be taken away. But, in the end, God was gracious to answer the prayers of those who have been praying for healing on my behalf. And I don't know how long I will be off the medication, but for now I will just rejoice in the time God gives me without it!!! Thank you Jesus!!

Other than that, we obviously had a busy month with four birthdays just in our immediate family...
And, here's what we ended up with for Halloween. The kids picked out some Bible verses, which I printed on address labels. They labeled all the candy for us to hand out. It was a great "quiet time" activity for Saturday. Caleb said, "Mom, we get to pass out candy AND tell people about Jesus? This is the best Halloween EVER!"

We didn't buy any costumes, just used what we had. We ended up with a penguin, a princess, a Buzz Lightyear, and a Knight. We had to have one!!

3 Years

Noah, our family just wouldn't be the same without you. Today, you are three years old. You are so full of energy and life... we call you the "goofball" of our family. You have what we like to call the "million dollar smile." Tonight, after I was putting you in your bed for... the fourth time, I glanced at the clock and had a quick thought, that maybe I might be just a wee bit tired of getting up and down and up and down, and putting you back in your bed. Just as I got to the doorway, you said, "You are pretty, Mommy." You love trains, and you love when I read stories to you. You LOVE your brother Caleb, and you copy just about everything he does. You two play weapons together and have caught many a bad guy. It will be interesting when Ezra comes in on that scene. =) You LOVE your red blankie, and so far it seems to be the only way we can keep you in your class at church or group solutions.
We are praying that your smile and your "goofiness" will just add to the way that God will use you in the lives of many, to speak the truth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We love you Noah Benjamin.
P.S. Sorry, Noah, I only had the more recent pictures of you on this computer, but perhaps soon, I can post some of you when you were little, too.

Dear Baby

Ezra, tomorrow, you will be a year old. Everyone always tells you, "It goes by so fast!!" Even when you start to believe it, you just don't realize that a moment (or many moments) will come where your heart will ache in your chest, wishing you could slow it all down, or freeze time, just for a minute. You are growing up too fast. It seems like yesterday, when we were waiting in anticipation for you to come. And then you surprised us all, by coming here at home. Daddy tied off the cord with dental floss. And we marveled at God's grace and mercy as we held you. I remember when Daddy covered me with a blanket, and ran and got your brothers and your sister, and they all came in to see you for the first time. I remember that small gathering the night you came, of people who love you and had been waiting for your arrival. I was going through, wanting to post a bunch of pictures of you. I chose a few... but there are so many. You have grown so quickly, and every picture I looked at seems like just the other day. And now, I have been looking at pictures for too long and it is bedtime. I love you so much. You are such a joy and a treasure to our family. We have prayed for you, that you will belong to God's elect, that you will love Jesus fiercely, and with all your heart. We have prayed that you will be a Knight, and a warrior... and a servant for the kingdom of God.

We love you, Ezra Lucas Knight Hester.

Reality Ministry Conference

This weekend our church is hosting a ministry conference. People from all over came to attend, and it was totally full. Ben was on night shift, so I knew that neither of us would be able to attend. But, it was so cool, they did a live feed, so I got to "attend" from home. Tonight's session really rocked my world... I will be spinning on that for a while. But, here is a link, in case you want to watch tomorrow (sorry for the late posting!!)

Highlights from tonight:

Topic: Refresh: Keeping Jesus preeminent

Ministry flows from intimacy

The reason that some of us are not growing in holiness is because we think too highly of ourselves apart from grace.

"We slander God by our very eagerness to work for Him without knowing Him."

-Oswald Chambers

"The main difference between a moralist and the true Christian is that the true Christian obeys out of sheer delight."

-Jonathan Edwards

The main text was Romans 8:1-17.

First session tomorrow is Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 9am!!

www.realityministryconference.com

Noah was having trouble getting into our bathroom so that he could go potty. Ben opened the door for him and Noah said, "Thanks, Dad. You'we my supew hewo."

Ezra has taken three steps, I think four is the most. But for the most part, still seems content crawling around.