The Sound of His Faithfulness…
Over and over again in the old testament as we have been reading together, we have seen God’s people build alters…stones of remembrance…that thank Him and honor His faithfulness in their lives. When they would pass it, they would remember how the Lord delivered. They would remember His faithfulness.
I have often thought of what that would look like today. To have little reminders in my home that remind me, too, of God’s faithfulness during my journey. After losing the necklace Richard gave me in the delivery room and finding it again months later—I am reminded again how He wants us to not only receive, but to also remember. So today…the children and I set out to find our stones…
And where might one (if you know me;) go to find such treasures? Well, Hobby Lobby of course;). As we walked the aisles, the four of us talked about God’s faithfulness and what treasure we could find to mark His faithfulness in our family’s journey. Parker said crosses. Laney said bells. And Frank—well, Frank just wanted the banana I had in my purse. And we needed to agree on the same thing, so throughout the years we could add to our beautiful collection representing His faithfulness.
I told the children that I needed something to “stand for” each of them—for the Lord had been so faithful to me to answer my prayers to be a mommy. Almost 13 years ago I knelt in my college apartment closet and as I prayed for my future children and begged God to one day pour His grace down and make me a mommy—I heard a baby crying. This isn’t a sound you hear after 9pm on a Wednesday night on Glenn Avenue in Auburn, Alabama. I have it marked in my journal, and I believe it was assurance from the Lord that He heard my prayer and to turn this request over to Him. So today, 13 years later as I walked the aisles with two preschoolers tagging behind and a toddler in my arms…we squatted together to discuss and tried to agree on crosses OR bells.
Then–a lady in a yellow jacket excused herself by us and as she did, her windchimes sung the sweetest sound. Parker and Laney looked at me and chanted, “Those mommy! We want those!”
“Outside?” I thought. I was really wanting to put this inside to remember, but immediately I thought about that old closet and I knew this was the perfect thing. Richard and I have been dreaming about a garden—and I can’t think of anything sweeter than sitting outside one day in our garden and HEARING the Lord’s faithfulness. Indeed, these would make great stones of rememberance! I let Parker and Laney each chose the windchime that they loved…and we all chose Frank’s for/with him:). 
While we drove home, we talked about how each windchime represented each child that God had given mommy, and as the Lord did great works in our family’s life—another windchime would be hung. (I know…I know—you are sad that you aren’t OUR neighbors, aren’t you?!) We were all so excited that we could hardly get home fast enough to hang them! 
As the years go by, I know I will begin to recognize the different sounds. Which chimes belong to Parker…
…and which belong to Laney and Frank…and our future children. I was so excited over dinner telling Richard about our windchimes—imagining us sitting in that garden one day when all the kids are grown and gone…but we’ll hear the chimes…”Parker, Laney, Frank, our baby from Africa…a new opportunity chime, an unexpected miracle”…and as time goes on we will know each sound and what it represents. And this will be our song of His faithfulness.
Laney got the best of both worlds when she found a windchime that made bell sounds but was also a cross. She picked it out herself, and I couldn’t help but smile as I read it…
Oh sweet girl—this is my prayer for you. What a sweet whisper from God to have her pick this one! 
Psalm 36:5 “Your love O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”
Lent Day Two: Ornament – The World (The Story of Creation)
If you are just reading my blog, we are walking through the 40 days of Lent by doing a Lent Tree. You can go to Crafts and look under Easter where you can download the ornaments we are hanging along with the scripture we will be reading with our family each night. 
Hang in their friends…today’s reading is another day of instructions for offerings and cleansings for the Israelites. The things that really stuck out to me most today as I read these chapters is how messy this all actually was. As I read Chapter 8 and tried to visualize Moses sprinkling oil all over the alter, sprinkling oil all over Aaron’s head, slaughtering a bull and pouring it’s blood on the base of the alter, and we haven’t even gotten to the part where he’s taking the fat out and burning it at the alter. Then out come the rams…it just isn’t pretty. I imagine priests getting ordained and I picture the black robes and holy water—but not this. But this is how the priests, the leaders of the church, were ordained. In this ordination, they were showing their submission to the Lord. And again we see the God of details who never leaves His people in the dark–He left them exact instructions for the ordination ceremony.
We are no longer the old covenant as Jesus Christ brought the new covenant and was the final sacrifice for our sin. Today’s church leaders are also offered clear instructions in God’s Word how to lead the church. Pray for those leading the church that they would be in God’s Word. We are given clear instructions how to live. This is why it is SO important for us to not give up on being in God’s Word. These chapters create in my heart a holy reverance for who God is and how I should come before Him.
Let us not give up on the reading of His Word!
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