Thursday, June 19, 2014

Toby + Kijah =

Remember the puppy poll post I did two years ago? Well, that puppy, Kijah, has had 10 beautiful puppies so far this morning, starting around 6am until about 10am (though she might have more). It's gone very well, and it will be so exciting to watch them grow up. Kijah is a very happy, exhausted, and a bit obsessive mother (in a good way!), and she did a fabulous job with each of them. There is a wide range of color from dark brown to beige. I like the dark ones best. ;) They're quite active, and they all sound like little seals. I'm sure you'll see more pictures here and there, but I'd just thought I'd post a few now. :) Enjoy!








Wednesday, June 18, 2014

His Names!


All the earth shall worship thee,
and shall sing unto thee;
they shall sing to thy name.

Psalm 66:4

Who is God? All His character is summed up in the names given us in Scripture, and I think many of the deeper meanings are in the Hebrew names. Like El Shaddai (all-sufficient One; Lord God Almighty), Jehovah-shalom (The Lord is peace), or Jehovah M'Kaddesh (The Lord who sanctifies and makes you holy). 

I now have five full word document pages with the names of God and their meanings, and it's been a good reminder just to read the Scripture passages and think on Who God really is. It's a reminder that, if just His name encompasses something about His character, how much more can His Person do? If His name means peace, is He not the Author and Giver of Peace? If His name is Advocate and Intercessor, will He not plead before the Father's throne for us? If He is the Rock, will He not provide security for His children? 

Ellerslie Ministry recently released a video on the names of God, and I thought it was very well done. I would encourage you, if you have not already done so, to watch all 11 minutes, and just remember and reflect on Who your Savior is. 

Who is God?

He is...


 Know ye that the Lord he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:3-5

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Blogging Change


Life is a funny thing. Sometimes you think you're on the right path and everything's going fine, and then you just stop and analyze the situation to find out that you've been missing (or avoiding) the problem all along. Life throws you curve balls--those little "plot twists" in your life's storybook. It can throw you fast balls--changes that come at you so fast and you have to make a quick decision on something. Life can even throw you ground balls--things that you can avoid by just stepping out of its way and it's a very minor life changing event.

Life has thrown me a curve ball and I've had to make a few rather large decisions. One being that I will not be co-authoring Facing the Waves any longer. It has been a great two years hearing your comments, being able to write my thoughts down and sharing them with you. But there comes a time in your life when you just have to say "no". The older I get and the more activities I find myself saying "yes" to, the more I am realizing that two blogs to keep up with is one of those "I can't handle it anymore; 'no'" decisions.

If you would like to keep up with me and keep in touch, please follow my personal blog here: Anna's Insights. I try to post weekly (Fridays), but don't be surprised if it's longer. As with FtW, I have always appreciated your input, comments, and prayers as we wanted this blog to bless you, the readers. I ask you to do the same if you follow my personal blog.

As my final words, I pray that this blog ignites a fire within you to be a light in this dark world, to passionately follow Christ, to encourage one another in the Lord, and to spend time in God's Word. My desire for you is to find true peace through following the Savior.

God bless,
Julianna

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Run to Christ


The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10

Scripture holds many names for the Lord, but the one that I immediately thought of as I read this verse was this: Faithful and True. This is the name John recorded when he saw heaven opened to him and Christ in His majesty.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)

In a culture where inconsistency and error are prominent, the Lord provides a place of refuge for His own. Even His very name impresses upon us the inherent qualities that are part of His nature, that of faithfulness and truth. His whole character is that, for He cannot go against His nature. He is not just faithful and true in His actions and word; He is Faithfulness and Truth itself.

The Lord provides a tower, a strong tower for us: one that cannot be taken or destroyed by enemies. We are completely and utterly safe there, because He is our protection. “Here is God’s sufficiency for the saints: His name is a strong tower for them, in which they may take rest when they are weary and take sanctuary when they are pursued, where they may be lifted up above their enemies and fortified against them…The strength of this tower is enough to protect them; the name of the Lord is all that whereby he has made himself known as God, and our God, not only his titles and attributes, but his covenant and all the promises of it; these make up a tower, a strong tower, impenetrable, impregnable, for all God’s people.” (Matthew Henry) Safety is of the Lord, and not only does He provide perfect protection, but He also provides Himself as the strong tower.

It is the righteous that run to it for shelter. The enemy advances upon it seeking to destroy it, but the saints seek it out for comfort, healing, and refreshment. The weak are strengthened. The discouraged are renewed in spirit. The broken are healed, and the just ones rise up yet again. This strong tower imparts a security that is never uncertain. We reach that security through prayer and through the Word of God. When we meet with Him and commune in His presence, He is there to renew our spirit and provide us with His sufficient grace.

You will not find this type of security or comfort in men, nor in anything the world has to offer. Only by fleeing to the one Faithful and True—to His strong tower—will you be fortified against the father of lies; against the fiery darts of the wicked; and against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness which pervades our old nature and the rest of society.

“Here is the saints’ security in God. It is a strong tower to those who know how to make use of it as such. The righteous, by faith and prayer, devotion towards God and dependence on him, run into it, as their city of refuge. Having made sure their interest in God’s name, they take the comfort and benefit of it; they go out of themselves, retire from the world, live above, dwell in God and God in them, and so they are safe, they think themselves so, and they shall find themselves so.” (Matthew Henry) 

Run to the Rock, your Cornerstone, to find safety. There is no shame in seeking security and refuge from the God of all comforts. He gives freely of His peace and provides repose from all trials.

                The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27a)

                The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. (Psalm 9:9)

The Lord’s tower cannot be shaken. He will never be moved, and His children are secure in Him.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy hield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt though trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

~Psalm 91~


In Him,
Kaleigh