Last night the full moon was hanging high in the dark sky, shining all it's got! Big, round, bright and full!!! Then again this morning, I watched that big, round, flaming red sun come up through the horizon! Right now it's sun rays are beaming in through the bay window of our living room and it feels so warm!
I am still plunging away at my homework that comes along with our Ladies Bible Study. This mornings lesson was another breath of fresh air spiritually. Beth Moore takes the Bible stories that I have heard so many times and are so familiar with and turns them into studies that gets my mind spinning and in awe of God again. That's the word of God ... never dull, old or boring! In my workbook I underline statements that stick out to me and that I love. I have so many marks over all my book!!!
This morning, the lesson was about the story of feeding the 5,000. This is the only story that all four gospels record! That probably means it was an outstanding miracle! The lesson starts with reading in Luke 9:10 -17. Jesus and his disciples went 'away from the crowd' to get some quit and rest. When the people found out that Jesus was close by they came by the thousands. Jesus was moved with compassion and didn't turn them down. (When we are too tired and just need some rest, do we turn people down? Just asking.) Instead it says, "He was moved with compassion for they were like sheep without a shepherd." Jesus healed all their sicknesses and talked. Then Jesus asked a question. "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Then in John 6 in verse 6 it reads, "He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do."
Just before this, Jesus sent the disciples out into the cities to preach and heal and minister. When they came back to Jesus they were all excited and wanted to rest and tell Jesus all about their happenings. That why Jesus said to get away from the crowd and he wanted to talk and rest. But, after the crowd found them again, that's when Jesus asked about the food. Don't you suppose that after seeing demons cast out and the blind made to see again and the dead raised, these disciples would have immediately responded in faith? Weren't they with the man that could do "anything"?
"Philip answered him, Eight month wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Andrew said, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
Jesus told them to seat the people in groups of fifty and then He blessed the food and started handing it to the disciples to start passing it all around. Imagine getting the food and just passing it out? Then, then, when "they all ate and were satisfied the disciples picked up twelve basket fulls of broken pieces that were left over." I am not a rocket scientist here but don't you think having 12 baskets left over and there were 12 disciples had something to do with each other? Maybe each disciple got to take a basket along home? I guess after they saw everyone being feed they surely would have concluded that Jesus could not only heal the sick, cast out demons, but also feed the hungry. Jesus met their spiritual needs, their emotional needs, and their physical needs. He still does that to us today!!!
Beth tells us in the study to not forget that Jesus sent the "disciples" to go pass out the food. Jesus wanted them to feel the weight of the baskets and see the hands of those reaching in to be fed. She calls it "Real power in real forms in REAL LIFE." It doesn't matter how much we have or don't have, if we bring "only" what we have to Jesus, he can make something huge out of it!
OK, I feel like I am typing out a sermon! I just love it when the Bible comes alive to me and I know that Jesus did that miracle long ago to bring me today a reminder of his love, compassion, and how He can take a small thing and make it big for His glory!
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On another note, today Ashlyn is celebrating her 41st week of life in our home! I think that's makes her 9 1/2 months now?!?
She's a hoot! She's making more sounds and is trying to say some words. She knows what "no, no" means (she did for awhile), but she is trying to now say it too. She knows when she gets something that she's not allowed to have. For example, the laptop computer. If one of us is lying on the floor doing something on the computer, she just loves to crawl up and get the mouse. We always say "no, no" and then she pulls back and sits there for a few seconds and tries to get it again. We do the same thing over and over and now she started to say "no, no" back. She only did it a few times but we know she's repeating us!
We are still trying to get her to patty cake. She loves when we do this with her but she won't do it alone. Well, until this morning. Mike was clapping her hands together and then told her to patty cake. She did! Just a few times but it counts.
She loves looking at one of our children Usbourne books. We have one that has a horse in it and we always go, "Vee geit golly?" (We do not say a whole lot in Dutch to our kids but animal noises is one we do. This means, "How does the horse go?") Then we make a clicking sound for the horses hooves, a nay for the sound, and then roll our lips together to make a "pppssshhhh". (I don't know what you call this but if you were ever around horses it's another sound they make after they nay! Matthew loves to make this sound but he always has spit coming off of his lips!!! Hilarious.) Anyway, Ashlyn started looking at this book and now she makes that "pppssshhh" sound. It's too cute! She's learning new stuff! She's growing up so fast!
This is her at 41 weeks old ...
She loves digging in her little toy box and finding all her toys!
Polly Pocket dolls this morning!
Still putting everything in her mouth.
I love this picture!!! It's so her! She loves mirrors and seeing herself always makes her smile and say "hi".
She's hanging out around the computer again!
Have a great mid week!!!
