Wednesdays-Changing a Bit, for Awhile

Wednesdays have been a day set aside, devoted to walking through the Word and penning what the Lord taught me on my trek through Israel this summer and what He is still teaching me today!

The Lord is shifting what my days are looking like for this season. I will have the privilege of hanging out with Julianne as she works on school from home for rest of this semester. I will sit side by side on Wednesdays with Julianne, she with Chemistry, me with the Text, but will not have the same quiet or time to devote to blogging as before. I will still journal the pilgrimage Jesus has me on and will retrace the steps I took while in the Promised Land, but definitely won't be as consistent as before.

I am grateful the Lord is present and intimate!

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5

Joyful Wednesday!

Good Morning! Today is the day I sit before the Lord for the whole morning, simply basking in His love and hungering for more of Him! O how I long for the Lord!

I had the pleasure of sitting for a while, meditating on Psalm 84. The Lord uses the process of memorizing His Word for me to soak in the Truth and that's when He causes it to permeate to my heart, all the way to the tips of my toes.

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Psalm 84:10 (I think)

I have been weekly going back through and walking through the Word, my memory, and with the Spirit my time in Israel, but today, I just couldn't leave Psalm 84.

O the PRESENCE of the LORD God Almighty!

Julianne was in the hospital last week and went through a plethora of tests to determine some health things going on in her body and was so thankful for the real presence of my King and my God! The Lord's love enveloped my whole being. I experienced His continual Presence and Power. I didn't have to journey to Jerusalem to get close to Him. He is in me! The veil was torn! Praise You, Jesus! I have His presence every second of the day!

My long slow paced time with the Lord on Wednesdays has been shortened today because Julianne called and her face is swelling again, so my encouragement to us as we journey together to know the LORD, our Covenant Making and Covenant Keeping God, is to remember and include Him in every moment of the day...He is present, right here, right now. We don't have to enter the Holy of Holies to find Him. He dwells, lives, resides in us as believers!

A Lesson To Be Learned In Nit Picking

What's up with the Downs? Last week some pesky little bugs jumped into our hair...literally. Half of the Downs household ended up with little nits, the eggs that lice lay, in our hair. Of course they were sweet eggs because they were from some precious friends of ours, but we wanted to get rid of them as fast as possible.

After shampooing with chemicals to kill the nits, bleaching every nook and cranny, ferociously vacuuming, pulling every article of clothing, bedding, rugs, etc. and piling it high in a corner to be fed to the washer turned to "hot water" we gals sat in the master bathroom (it had the brightest lights) to begin the long process of nit picking.

Not until this last week did I understand the phrase, "You are so nit picky". Now, I get it-someone who finds every minutest thing to be critical of. We looked through every particle of every hair of the four of us Downs who had these critters not wanting to miss one egg. We wanted to be extra safe and pulled each hair out that had a nit. Over the course of 5 days, approximately 7 hours were devoted to looking at each strand of our luscious nitty locks.

What's the lesson? PATIENCE! Multiple times a day this thought circled through my mind, whether I was putting in the 20th load of laundry, vacuuming for the 7th time, or picking nits--

"LORD, You are so very patient with me!!! Thank You! You take time to pick all the nits out of my hairy soul and do it with such love, and patience. Never do You get riled up if you find another nit, but You are the God who sanctifies and You promise that you will sanctify me through and through so that all of me is kept blameless. My heart is grateful to you the God Most High for teaching me about Yourself through a little sticky bug."

We are lice free and grateful. My heart is filled with gratitude that I have a washer and dryer and access to lice shampoo, because so many live with these critters, because they don't have the means to get rid of them.

I simply need to be still for chunks of time while the Lord sifts through my bugs, so I can praise Him with purity.

May God Himself, the God of Peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Change

I am anticipating the change of season to fall, so that it cools off in Fresno! Change in our lives was a big part of summer for the Downs Family. Summer flew by as we enjoyed and savored moments with family and friends. Here is a recap as well as new things the Lord is doing in our lives:

My Grandma went to be with Jesus.

We bought a new car with the "cash for clunkers" program. Never have we owned one that didn't have at least 100,000 miles on it.

The Lord provided a home to buy and closed escrow in less than three weeks. We are overwhelmed with grateful hearts as it has enough room so that Melody and Charlotte can live with us still. Kylen is excited about the lemon tree. We all love that there is a pool to cool off in. Precious friends are our neighbors. Come visit us!

Kylen started high school.

The Lord is changing my heart in different ways, growing my love for Him with increasing measure!

Ashlyn is leading her first Bible Study with 5-8th grade girls, studying Philippians on Thursday afternoons.

I have the privilege of volunteering at The Well Community Church office about 10 hours a week. I love it!

Meghan, who lived with us when we first moved down from Hume, moved back to Fresno after spending last year in Virginia. Yippie!

Melody and Charlotte are in the Residency Program with our church, studying God's Word four mornings a week from 6-7am.

Julianne has begun to babysit and enjoys loving on the kids.

Brian and change don't go together...he is the most consistent and loyal man I have ever met. Not saying he doesn't change or things in his life don't change, but when I think of him...a rock comes to mind. He is steady and solid and firm and a safe place to stand...and oh how thankful I am for Him.

Huge news that we would love to be covered in prayer is that 6 of the 8 Downs' are going to Kenya in December! We are believing the Lord for gigantic things, which is a piece of cake for Him. Will you join us in praying that He would grow our love and faith in Him? Only He can do that! We have a lot of heart preparation and practical prep before we leave the country. We are believing the One who Provides to provide for every penny of our trip. What a joy to be able to spend Christmas time with missionaries as well as the Kenyan people and love them through word and deed.

That is the quick update...there is so much more that the Lord is doing and changing in us for His glory. Thank you for taking time to share in it with us.

Firsts and Lasts

I get sentimental as I recount different seasons of life and today is no different. It is the last day of school for Ash, Ky, and Ju. Kylen is about to complete his 8th grade year and is promoted to the high school world. Wow! We now have two college gals, two high schoolers, and one junior higher dwelling within the four walls of the Downs home. I LOVE it! (This is a quick hello because school gets out in 30 minutes and I am going to pick the munchkins up for Clovis North Educational Center and then off to get some lunch as a special treat.)

As for a "first"...I wish I had the video from Charlotte's phone because I have thought about the sweetest interaction between two animals that we witnessed yesterday. (I'm not really an animal person and usually don't get all gooey over them, but this was precious.) Charlie, our orange, long haired cat met his first non human friend. Bella, a golden-retriever/lab came over yesterday and she and Charles became instant best friends. Bella is four times as big as our cat, but they didn't care. Charlie purred the entire time and never got scared of this big puppy dog. They kissed and hugged and wrestled while both of them were intentional about not hurting the other. This went on for a good 15 minutes. Priceless.

Quick side note on what the Lord is impressing in my soul: We are enabled by the Lord's grace and power and FREE to love every person with the Love of Jesus...it is true and our calling in life. Let's believe Him for it. (Galatians)

Newest Addition

Charlotte Teisinger has joined the Downs family. She has lived with us for two weeks and we have decided we love having a big family. Char thinks she is making a goofy face in this picture, but I think it shows her fun free spirit and this amazing picture that she just completed painting as a gift for her sister who is getting married this month.

If anyone missed a memo along the way, there are 7 of us under the Downs roof at the moment. Brian, Ashlyn, Kylen, Julianne, Melody, Char, and me. Meghan, the gal who lived with us last year, is in VA at Liberty University. We love every person the Lord brings our way.

Other updates:

*Julianne just began badminton and has her first game tomorrow. Go Broncos!

*Kylen got his wire off his teeth after almost knocking them out a couple of weeks ago.

*Ashlyn has blessed me as I have watched her reach out to people again and again and love them unconditionally.

*Melody is almost done with her first semester of college! Great job!

*Brian is as handsome as ever! That sums it up...

It's Tuesday!

I was going to check my email quickly and decided to say hello to our beloved family and friends who keep updated on life via the blog. At this very moment I am sporting hot rollers in my hair because it's a quick way to make the hair look fairly good because I didn't wash it this morning. In an hour I am off to serve at Chick-fil-A and hand out lots of food and make sure the drive thru orders are accurate so peoples' tummies can be happy. This afternoon I head to Tulare to share with a sweet group of ladies about what it means to rest in God's tenderness. Upon arriving home I will be greeted by my family and the Schuler family who is staying with us tonight. I think I should be overwhelmed, but thankfully the Lord has given my heart strength for today, this moment, and every moment after. I have the joy of resting in the strong and gentle arms of our Sovereign Lord who carries me close to His heart. It is a wonderful Tuesday!

Highs and More Highs and a Low for the Week

Our family regularly sits around the dinner table and shares what has been a high for the day and a low for the day. The rule is that you have to have a high (there is always something to be thankful for in a day), but you don't have to have a low.

So here are the things that have made my heart soar and given me a chuckle and smile this week:

**Ashlyn is an official Clovis North High badminton player. She was so cute this week, or was it last week, when she jumped in the car after school and said, "Mom, you are going to die, I am going to play badminton as a sport." I can't wait for her first game! I think it will be "great fun" to watch.

**Julianne sat in bed with me last night and we watched "Super Nanny", which is a show about children who need a little and at times a lot of love and discipline. She said, "Mom, you and Dad are the perfect parents...you discipline us, but aren't too strict and you let us have fun." Now, I am sure I don't have to break it to you...we are so far from perfect, but to hear my 13 year old daughter share that with me did give me warm fuzzies and thankful that we have a sweet relationship with her. Shall I remind her that she told me that when she doesn't like something I have asked her to do?

**Brian challenged me today! I love when he does that. Definitely a high! I am teaching in a little over a week on "covenant" and I bounced downstairs and shared with him how much I am learning and-- how in the world am I going to fit it all in 45 minutes. He wisely said, "Keep it simple. Give me one sentence on what you are trying to get across." He sharpens me...I think I have my sentence...is it ok to use three semi-colons in a sentence? I haven't told him the sentence yet.

**I loved hearing Kylen play with Legos in his room today and yesterday. Can you picture his hand filing through his Lego bin trying to find the right piece? I love his creative mind. It still blows me away that he will make an elaborate Lego masterpiece only to break it apart when he is satisfied that it is complete.

**Melody shopped for "Taco Tuesday on Thursday". What a blessing!

**I am thankful the Lord was so evident in how He orchestrated some time with a neighbor this week and witnessed her hunger for the Word.

I am trying to think of a low...the only thing that comes to mind is that Charlie, our outside cat, has a permanant kitty cold that has lasted three months. This week he sneezed on me more than once and yellow boogies sprayed.

It has been a great week...I have a lot more highs than I stated, but would love to hear some of your highs and lows...Will you share them with the Downs clan?

Getting Ready For Disney...

On Monday morning we, except for Melody :(, will be flying to Florida to enjoy a twelve day vacation with the whole Downs clan. There will be 17 of us in all! The kids are retrieving their independent study work from school, I am highlighting my hair as I write this....quite necessary...Brian is...o yes, taking care of all the details like where we are staying, purchasing a GPS so we can go geocaching while we are there, bought a camera. You also have the privilege of hearing the day by day accounts of our trip via Brian, the awesome writer, so prepare yourself for fun. You can go on our trip with us via the blog. It would be "great fun" (as Laurie Lamb would say), if you all could join us.

Our Covenant God

I haven't checked in for awhile, and this will be a quick post, because Brian is taking part of his 12 month fire test right now and when he is done, we are going to meet up and celebrate at Chick-fil-A...because it is always, "a wonderful day at Chick-fil-A". (That is what we say at the drive through.) Another reason to eat there today--Brian is in his uniform and any "service person" gets their meal for half price.

I am in awe of the Covenant Keeping God to whom I belong. All morning long, actually for years now, I can't stop thinking about the Lord's faithfulness. He is completely trustworthy! What a gift He has given us in the New Covenant, the promise of Jesus, our Redeemer, Messiah, Savior, and the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in our lives! I just have to shout Hallelujah! Hallelujah! No one can set aside or add to this covenant that the Lord chose to bind Himself to. He has done all the work. I am a recipient of His grace and am oh so thankful. May He enable us to believe Him each moment today because He has given us a clean heart and we are pure and holy because of Jesus' finished work on the cross. O, I am getting way to excited to be sitting in my seat. Let us, as followers of Christ, glory in Him.

Thankful for clean trays & first week reflection!

After finishing my first week as an employee of Chick-fil-A, I am overwhelmingly grateful for the trays that food comes on when I go to fast food places. I never knew that someone stood in the back sanitizing trays for hours on end. I have two bruises on my left arm that I got as a result of rotating the trays, spraying, scrubbing, wiping...and so on. The Lord has much to teach me and I love that He takes time to instruct me experientially.

I walked away with a greater appreciation and love for people. By golly, I thought that I loved people a lot, but the Lord sure did some increasing of it in me this week. The people I have the privilege of working with are truly treasures.

I am working during the busy busy time of the lunch hours and can't talk deep with anyone, so I pray for them and I wipe...I pray for myself as I learn how to push buttons on a computer register and..boy do I feel nervous. I know this wouldn't be efficient to do, but if only I could write every one's order on paper, I would feel ecstatic.

Those of you who know anything about me know how I long to know the hearts of people and to love them with the love of Jesus and for them to know and believe the love of Jesus as well...I long for this with everything in me.

Can I just tell you how impressed I am with the philosophy of this company? The chicken they sell is just the vessel to go deeper in relationship with people! Wow!

I have had quite the variety of responses from people when I tell them I am working at Chick-fil-A. Some have said, "I can totally see you doing that...serving people and such." Others have been quite surprised because they feel as though I have been alive awhile and would be better fitted doing something a little more "prestigious". Whatever the responses, I am confident the Lord has directed me to this place at this time to love others with His love by serving them and know the the LORD with greater intimacy.

Glorify Yourself, Lord, as I serve chicken sandwiches, wash tables, smile at guests and team members, pray for those who come in and out between 11-2 o'clock on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Newest Chick-fil-A Employee

I am so excited, I just had to tell you all that I get to work at Chick-fil-A, 3 hours a day, 3 days a week. The Lord has given me such a desire to be there...it seems strange, even to me, but I am ecstatic to be able to love on the guests as well as my fellow team members.

Kylen's 14th Birthday and other September Tidbits

Look at that smile! This is who Kylen is! He brightens my day with that smile. 14 years old and growing into his manhood. Ky has a zest for life and loves to play. If he has his choice, everything he does would have "fun" in it. He has a sensitivity for others and comes up to me at times and says, "Mom, do you need a hug, are you sad?" Can you believe the Lord gives us such precious gifts?! We had Taco Tuesday yesterday and our friend, Erin, baked him a Funfetti cake (see...everything is fun with Kylen). We will have his birthday party on Friday and go disc golfing at Woodward Park. Kylen, you are a treasure and a it is an honor to be your mom.
Kylen's first ever cross country race...a little less than two miles. He placed 11th in the district. We cheered him to the finish line. He did an amazing job.
This was at the wedding of my best friend, Eugenie's daughter, Emily. It had a western flair and was an absolute blast. Emily is not pictured here, because I didn't have the camera most of the time (the kids did), so I only have a picture of Emily and Cody's backs.

We are pleased to announce...the newest addition of our family--Melody Sleezer. We have the privilege of sharing in life together for the next nine months to a year. We met Melody at Hume a couple of years ago, and as I write this she is taking the kids to youth group and is bowling with them. How special that is for me as a mom to have others invest in our kids lives!

Oh, another new thing to share with you all, we are beside ourselves that my Grandpa has moved to Fresno. He is living at an assisted living facility and I get to visit him a couple, few times a week. This has been a treat, because we haven't had too much time together in the last ten years.

The Lord continues to bless our socks off. Thank you, Lord for today, and for September of 2008! We worship You, for you are the One who is in control of everything every second of the day.

3rd Day's the Charm

This was Day 3 of school. We have amazing kids that would even allow me to take their picture in Jr. High and High School. Gone are the days of pony tails and cute dresses and polo shirts, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love being a mom of adolescent kids. I treasure my time with them. Ashlyn didn't have to leave at 6:15am on Wednesday, which was perfect to snap this shot.
Would ya believe it...I even jotted them a quick note and made Ky and Ju whole wheat turkey wraps and Ash a pb & j.

The first week of school is drawing to a close. Tomorrow we head up to Hume to enjoy the Country Fair and see our beloved friends.

2nd Day of School

It is tradition to take pictures of the kids on the first day of school, but this year it didn't happen. I was gone for the weekend with my friend Christina and we got home on Sunday evening and school began on Monday, so I definitely wasn't on top of the ball...the ball was pretty much on top of me, bouncing on my head.

I didn't even get a note in their lunches to let them know I love them and I would be praying for them...hmmm. My mom was so consistent with this and it blessed me, maybe it blesses me more now than it did when I was in high school. How thankful I am for the Lord's grace...because I surely didn't live up to my expectations for myself. :) I chuckle as I write this because you are reading my stream of conscience and my mind jumps from place to place rather quickly.

So, the title of this post is "2nd Day of School"...and no pictures or notes today either. I did get up early enough to make lunches, spend time with Jesus, and give the kids breakfast...all with a joyful heart, too.

If all goes as planned...then day 3 of school, I will get notes in their lunches, take a picture of them before they go to school...Ashlyn leaves at 6:15 because she has 0 period Spanish II...on second thought...maybe an afterschool picture will have to do this year, when Kylen gets home from cross country track practice and is all hot and sweaty. This would be a picture that is more the reality of our lives. You might want to sit at the edge of your seats...

My Day with Tristan...

There is a lot on my heart and mind because this was a big week for me in the way of "endings", coming to conclusions of things precious to me. I will blog about those when I have a chunk of time, but in the meantime I have had the pleasure of watching Tristan, my friend, Danyel's, almost two year old little boy. We have had a blast! He is taking a little nap at the moment, so I thought I would share my day with you. My adolescent kids wouldn't let me follow them around with a camera, but Tristan didn't mind at all.

We began our morning by playing with his toys and then he helped me finish getting ready. I put make up on, he brushed his cheeks with a eye brush. I don't have pictures of that because the batteries were dead. He loved rocking in the rocking chair that my mom rocked me in when I was a baby. We sat outside on our swing for awhile, too. It was sweet to sit side by side and listen to the birds.

Off to the store we went, to buy supplies for Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats and of course batteries. (Julie, my sister-in-law had posted this recipe on her blog and I thought we would try it out.) Tristan helped me by holding our grocery list. He was excited about the batteries.

We got home and here is the play by play of Rice Krispy making. Meghan helped us out by mixing the marshmallows and butter on the stove while I made sure Tristan stayed put on the counter. We measured the ingredients, buttered the pan, read the recipe, drizzled chocolate, and tasted a few of the marshmallows.

Pushing down the Rice Krispies

Drizzling them with chocolate (Can't ever go wrong with chocolate.)

We finished up the treats, played a bit more, ate some lunch, and then off to meet Julianne up for her walk to Starbucks. Julianne's sixth grade class had an award for their Jog-a-thon and so now at 1:36 there are 32 6th grade students on a sugar high. Julianne got a Vanilla Bean Frappucino, me a coffee frap, and Tristan, a chocolate milk. On the way home Tristan fell asleep. I think I tired him out. He is precious, made in God's image.

Meghan and I tried the Krispy Treats. We must have done something incorrectly, because they aren't chewy, they are definitely Krispy.

Ice Cream & Hot Dogs & Such

Yep...that's right. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce first and then hot dogs . It was a backwards unhealthy dinner tonight and I thoroughly enjoyed each bite.

We heard our neighbors next door in their backyard cooking up some good 'ol BBQ and they were making sausage, ribs, hot dogs, and hamburgers...sure smelled good. We dropped Ashlyn off at church this evening and grabbed us some of our own meat...cheap dogs, with Ketchup and mayo and onions for me.

Just wanted you loved ones to know the finer things of life in the Downs home. Funny thing is, I may have a hot dog twice a year, so wanted to capture it while it happened.

I was going to get up at 6am this morning and take a picture of our neighborhood rooster, but after waking up at 3am and dozing off at 5:30, I thought it best to sleep in a bit and take a picture of the rooster another day, to show you.

A verse that has been on my heart today, "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6 I so desire more than anything to walk as my Savior did.

May you know the richness of God's blessing for you today.

Hard Week So Far...but Thankful

After being at Hume. in the majestic mountains, this last weekend (we all had a fantastic time), we are now in the valley in more ways than geographically. The kids love Hume, miss Hume, are grieving the loss of "normal" life, so if you think of us, will you pray that the peace of the Lord would reign in the Downs home as some of the kids are sad or angry? Would you ask the Lord to deepen our love for Him through this hard week and increase our faith and as parents that the Lord would give us His supernatural wisdom? I am thankful for each of you who I know loves us and lifts us up to Jesus.