Scripture Memory Monday

Although it is still Sunday, in 12 minutes it will be no longer be. I feel as though our Monday will be rather busy. I thought it wise to go ahead now and post a new verse for the week, lest time slip away tomorrow.

In praying about which verse to meditate on for the next few days, my heart was greatly encouraged and challenged by today's "Verse of the Day" on the sidebar of the blog. Each day a new one is automatically displayed, and it makes me smile that almost every day it is exactly what my heart needed to feast on. I decided to personally extend the feasting of today's verse for the rest of the week.

So, for verse 3:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)

Happy Feasting!

Meditations on Lamentations

I am celebrating God's faithfulness tonight

And rejoicing that with the morning light

His mercies will be new once again

As we rise tomorrow to worship Him.

Our Heavenly Father reminded me afresh today

- in His kind and very personal way -

That each day of my life He has planned for me

Even before any ever came to be.

All things concerning me He knew before there was time,

And the same is true for these dear children of mine.

He holds each circumstance in His hand;

I know I can trust His wise, Sovereign plan.

So tonight I can lie down and sleep,

For I know that in His hands He will keep

my family, my future, my fears, my frets.

But His words to me I dare not forget...

To cast my burdens and cares upon Him

To stay my mind on His Truth for daily battles to win.

So, yes, tonight I can lie down and sleep

And enjoy quiet rest and indescribable peace,

Meditating on the blessed promise true

That His faithfulness is great and His mercies are new!

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Scripture Memory Monday

Happy Monday! I hope last week was a great one and that you were able to focus more on God's Word by working on memorizing it. I sure was. Like I mentioned before, I am doing this primarily for my own sake and accountability - not to sound selfish - because consistently working on memorizing Scripture is a spiritual discipline that I struggle with. But according to some of your comments, I am not alone in this. So I hope that we can help each other.

I am excited about starting to work on another verse for this week. I was praying about which verse to post...I mean, EVERY verse is God breathed and "living and active", and the Bible is full of golden nuggets to chew on and have stored in our hearts and minds, right!?!

Well, our family is spending the week in Disney World. The Pugh family LOVES Disney World! And since I have become a Kizziah, my love for Disney still remains, and now my husband has joined the club. But, as my sweet mother often reminds us when experiencing enjoyment and luxuries (some of you may not consider a trip like this a luxury, but we sure do!), "Just take a whiff, don't inhale." That has benefited me in so many situations. Just enjoy the whiff of such "pleasures" but don't inhale, or it may overwhelm you...it may even make you sick. We don't want to get too accustom to such things where we find ourselves seeking our joy and satisfaction and contentment from them. We know that joy comes from Christ, for "in HIS PRESENCE (NOT the Magic Kingdom) is FULLNESS OF JOY, and at HIS RIGHT HAND (NOT that of Mickey Mouse, dining with him and his friends around the breakfast table) is PLEASURE FOREVER!" (Psalm 16:11). In Christ we find contentment, not in vacations and "get aways", not luxury and short-lived thrills. So, as mom says, although it's not wrong to experience these things, we don't want feel as though we HAVE to have them. We enjoy them when we are able to, and we aren't depressed or unfulfilled when we can't. It will make us sick if we are seeking our pleasure in anything else save Christ Himself. Other things may bring momentary pleasure, but they are only that...momentary, not eternal or soul fulfilling.

So, in my ponderings of which verse to post for week 2, I found Psalm 84:10 to be quite appropriate:

"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."

Psalm 84:10 (ESV)

A day in His courts is better than a thousand days at Disney World (or insert the name of any other place that you LOVE to go!) In His presence is fullness of Joy and eternal Pleasure! (memorize Psalm 16:11 if you don't have it down yet...)

The Smiles of a Mother

There are so many fun parts about being a mom. So many little things that make you smile. One of my favorites is getting to see your children's personalities develop and blossom.

Right now, John David really loves Bible stories and characters, and he really loves to reenact the stories (or parts of the stories:) with his daddy. He and David just got through with another session role playing "David and Goliath" and "Moses and Pharaoh". I absolutely love to be the audience during these entertaining monologues. GREAT ACTING, I might add!

I had to snap a few photos during their time reenacting the story of Jesus walking on the water. David and John David took turns acting as Jesus and Peter, who - when he got out of his boat to walk to Jesus - started to drown because of his lack of faith.

So here are some scenes:

John David, pretending to be

Jesus walking on the water

David, as Peter, drowning because he took

his eyes off of Jesus

Then switching roles:

David as Jesus, helping Peter as he began to sink

Sure wish I was able to post video...we are working on that. My favorite is probably Moses and Pharaoh. But hearing John David say "Daddy kill me" while pretending to be Goliath was pretty humorous...and a bit disturbing. Had to remind myself it was all pretend!

Scripture Memory Mondays

Now that I am too old for Awana or the Bible Drill team, Scripture memory is something that I have definitely struggled with since being a part of such valuable programs. I often have good intentions - for I know how crucial this discipline of meditation and memorization is for the believer's heart, soul, and mind - and I even have a stack of Scripture cards that I wrote out months ago in hopes of beginning a new "plan." Well, I figure a new year is as good a time as any to begin following through with such intentions. So I decided - for the sake of personal accountability - to begin Scripture Memory Mondays. Every Monday, I hope (key word) to post a verse(s) of Scripture to work on memorizing during the week. I am thinking that posting this on the blog will help me be consistent. Like I said, I AM DOING THIS FOR MY OWN SAKE, but if you find yourself identifying with my struggle to consistently memorize God's Word, hopefully doing this will prove helpful to you as well. And if you'd rather, work on memorizing a different verse than the one I posted - one that may be a bit more relevant to a struggle, situation you may be facing, etc. But if not, join me in memorizing the same, and hopefully by the end of the year, we will have 52 verses in our spiritual "tool box" to chew on or pull out during times that we must battle the lies and temptations of our enemy.

So, for Verse 1 . . . I read this yesterday morning and received great encouragement. I thought it may refresh the soul of another mother who too is overwhelmed at times with caring for children or being concerned about their tomorrows. If you can't relate to that, I KNOW you will be encouraged as well; for God's Word is living and active and meets us exactly where we are.

(*NOTE: You can click on the words highlighted in brown.)

"But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head."

Psalm 3:3 (NASB)

And If you are really ambitious, go ahead and memorize the rest of the chapter (5 verses total.) I didn't want to be too overwhelmed though and therefore not do it - (I tend to struggle with an "all or nothing" mentality at times...definitely working on that!) So I thought starting with one verse was a good goal. But if we get this down easily, why not shoot for more!

May God's Word be our Bread of choice in 2010!

Davids Devotion Blog

I (David) decided to pick up my "devotion Blog" again. I did this for half of the year last year and then quit adding to it because I did not feel as if it was the most effective use of my time. I know what you are thinking, "How can diving into Scripture, turning it over in your mind, and regurgitating it out for other's benefit not be a good use of your time?".

Well, it is complicated. Or maybe it is not. Maybe I am just lazy, hence the reason for hijacking my bride's blog to make this post. I hope that the more people I make aware of this blog the more solid will be my commitment to work hard every week at it. In other words I am trying to foster a little accountability here. I am doing that because the work I put into it last year was so beneficial to my own soul. Thats right, i am doing it for....ME. I know, I know selfish. Well, I will be the first to admit that no one loves David Kizziah like David Kizziah, and I love him so much that I really want him to be conformed to image of the Son and have all the remaining vestiges of sin rooted out of his heart. Knowing that some might expect a word from time to time will keep me at it when I dont "feel" like digging and working.

I really do, however, hope that the Lord uses it to bless others as well! I am not THAT selfish :) Who knows maybe the Lord will use the blog to conform others into His image as well. That is the prayer. Oh, and feel free to comment.... that will further help in the mutual encouragement and sanctification!

The blog follows Robert Murray M'Cheyne's bible reading plan which takes one through the NT and Psalms twice and year and the OT once. Hopefully the blog will spur others to dive into the word itself as well. I totally stole the idea from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God. (A totally legitimate thing for a preacher to do). The first weeks devotions are already posted and since i just decided mid-week to pick it back up this first week is a repeat of last year's first week (another totally legitimate thing for a preacher to do, right? :)

May God take us all further up and further in to His heart as we travel there via His word!

Okay, Katie will be back now :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I cannot believe that we have reached the year 2010. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at the lunch table with fellow high school classmates discussing "Y2K." I vividly remember New Year's Eve 1999, anticipating the change of the clock. Although things did not change as drastically as we had thought possible, no doubt so much has happened in our lives since!

I have been thinking over my goals for the new year - many having to do with organizing and de-cluttering! - but I pray that they would go much deeper than that. I pray that I would give of myself for the sake of loving Christ and loving others, in order that the Lord may be honored. May my number one resolution be that Christ be glorified in how I spend each moment of this new year. "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15).

I was reading some of our friends' blog and was very encouraged by what Amy had posted in regard to thinking on the new year and reflecting on the one past. I wanted to pass this on. Click here to read. Thank you, Amy, for taking time to share.

MAY CHRIST BE EXALTED IN 2010!

And Happy Birthday to my brother K.J.!! January 1st has always been extra special to our family because we also celebrate K.J. on this momentous day. We are so thankful for your life and ministry, my brother. You are greatly loved!