To our family and friends,

As has been Lana’s and my custom at the end of each passing year, we look back and reflect on the happenings of the past 12 months and look forward with hope to the year ahead.

We are still blessed to be leading “traveling lives”. Lana continues to commute each Monday morning from Seattle down to Orange County and returns home on Thursday evening. She is now in her 26th year in the securities and financial planning business. She has weekend work functions every six weeks or so and I will usually go down to So Cal for the weekend on these occasions. I continue in and enjoy my job as an operations manager for a fire sprinkler systems supplier and fabricator to the trade.

Sprinkled amongst our work travel in 2009 was our annual trip to Spring Training in Phoenix (we love the “get close to the players” atmosphere and $20 box seats), Memorial Day and early December visits to Dallas to spend time with family, and an 8 day July driving and hiking tour in Alaska. We loved this trip. The wildlife, vistas, and calving glaciers were simply awe inspiring. My camera bug wife took over 1,100 pictures! I thought I would need to call all the media outlets when she saw her first moose!

Even with our travels, it is always great to come back to the Seattle area. The Puget Sound, downtown skyline, Olympic and Cascade Mountains are welcoming sites out the airplane window. We continue to find time to enjoy our friendships here and just being at home.

We wish each one of you a blessed 2010!

Steve and Lana

 

This week, Heather is hosting “In ‘Other’ Words” at her site, Titus 2 Woman. She has chosen a quote by Jeremiah Olson:

“Momma prayed, momma cried, momma laid awake at night.
She would fight my battles while I slept away
Cause momma knew life is hard
without somebody on your side
I don’t know how, but there is power in the way,
The way my momma prayed.”

Words and music by Jeremiah Olson of 40milesNorth

The words of this song remind me of the story of Samuel and Hannah in the Old Testament.  Hannah is Samuel’s mother and through the faithful, fervent prayers of Hannah, the Lord answers her prayer and her closed womb is opened and she bears a son – Samuel.  Hannah made a vow to God that if He would provide a son, she would give him to the Lord’s service and she did just that.

Hannah continued to pray for the boy and saw him once a year when they would come to offer the yearly sacrifice. Could you imagine!  You know this woman prayed for her boy every minute of the day and her prayers were answered.

1 Samuel 3:19 Thus Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.

Wow, what a testimony of sacrifice, dedication and faithfulness. I see that in my own parents as well.  There were so many times that I would walk by their bedroom and there they were on their knees praying.  They prayed for each and everyone of us kids and we knew it. 

Now, that is not to say that we were all angelic little prophets – far from it!  We were brats! But, today all eight of us kids can say that it was through the faithful prayers of our parents that we all know Jesus. 

My parents were not ashamed to pray with their bedroom door open so that we could see them.  They were bold in their prayers and they wanted to instill in each of us the importance of prayer.  We are a pretty close knit family and that is one of the things I so appreciate – we pray for each other. Here’s a picture of my mom and dad:

So, pray for your kids. Let them see you praying for them and pray with them. 

For more In Other Words, head on over to Titus 2 Woman.

 

This week, Sarah is hosting “In ‘Other’ Words” at her site, To Motherhood and Beyond. Sarah has chosen a quote by Elisabeth Elliott. This week’s quote is:

“One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.”

~ Elisabeth Elliott ~

My favorite line in this quote is “There is always time to do the will of God.”  The question is am I doing the will of God today?  That is when I must turn my day over to God and start asking Him what is His will for me today?  Open my eyes, ears and mouth for you today Lord.  Is there someone that needs to see the love of Jesus? Is there someone who needs a listening ear?  Is there someone who needs to hear a Good Word? 

I think busyness keeps us unaware of our surroundings.  Our surroundings are the people in our lives.  When we are too busy to see a need, hear the sadness in a voice and not respond, then it is time to hand over our busyness to God.  This is so hard to do in our fast paced world, yet so necessary. 

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Lord, may I do your will today and everyday till you take me home. May I spur someone on toward love and good deeds today.

For more thoughts on this quote, head on over to To Motherhood and Beyond.  Be blessed today.

 

 

“In our lives the darkest times, the days that are bleak and black, add depth to every other experience. Like the dark bits of color in a mosaic, they add the contrast and shadows that give beauty to the whole, but they are just a small part of the big picture.”

~ Amy Grant~
Mosaic: Pieces of My Life so Far

Like Paul says, It’s all on where we fix our eyes…

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

This quote describes our lives here on earth as we journey homeward.  The key is on where we have fixed our eyes.  What are we focusing on – the temporary or the eternal?  Are we focusing on the dark times that are just a small part of the big picture? Or are we focusing on the eternal glory that far outweighs our momentary troubles?  

John 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

This is my month of Thanksgiving and today I choose praise! Praise to my King who has it all under control! Praise to my God whom I trust. Praise to my Lord who is preparing a much better place than this!

Psalm 150:1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Let’s focus on the eternal shall we?

For more thoughts on this quote, head on over to Extravagant Grace