Celebrating Love

Today we celebrate the love between our Jen and Benji! Happy Anniversary! I am so thankful the Lord brought the two of you together and it blesses me that you allow Him to use you and mold you into what He would have you be everyday. Thank you for the music that you make everyday of your life. I was listening to your new songs with Kristi, Steve and Sawyer and was so blessed! We enjoyed your music so much.

We rejoice and celebrate with Jeremy and Crystal as they found out yesterday that the Lord is blessing them with a little boy in December. A Christmas baby boy.....hmmmm. How special is that! God has demonstrated His love for us in amazing ways and this child that he is giving the Barker family will be "awesome"! His two big brothers will have so much fun with this precious little guy.

I celebrate family and friendship. Such fun days with Steve, Kristi and Sawyer! Sawyer was so good with Logan and Elijah, playing baseball, swimming in the ocean, reading to them at bedtime, and on and on. Oh, and he even had time to play Rook with the rest of us. We made new fun memories together. Yes, we laughed alot! And cried a little too! So wonderful to see Sheila Doe and her four lovely daughters. I will never be able to express what a blessing she, Dave and their family have been and continue to be in my life. Thank you, Lord, for family and friends.

I also celebrate that the "steadfast love of our Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness" Lam 3:22,23. Thank you for Your love, Lord, and that You walk with us every day. Help us to follow hard after You. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" Psalm 103:11,12. Thank you Lord for demonstrating what true love really is.

Oh, and thank you for Lonnie who showed his love to us all in big and little ways every day. Thankful for handwritten notes. I celebrate love today!

My Hero

Lonnie Bruce Barker....my Hero.

My precious friend, Terri, gave me this special figurine on the 4th of July. The words read "Hero, we honor thee, keeping safe your memory."

The Lord blessed me years ago by allowing me to meet, love and marry my Lonnie. I can't imagine life without him here on earth. Even now I see glimpses of him in the eyes of his children, the words they say, the way they stand, their mannerisms and, most of all, their hearts for the Lord. I see their wisdom and strength of character during very difficult times and know that our Lord who said He would never leave us nor forsake us is with them as He always was with our Lonnie (Daddy).

May we always remember to keep our eyes on Jesus and to point others to Jesus as well. That's what Lonnie (Daddy) would have wanted above all else. May we "trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths." And "the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

On that note, let's remember the phrase we heard so often in the prayers and sermons of a very wise man...."may we live each day with eternity's values in mind." Let's do it, one day at a time.

"The Spirit of Demandingness"

Hi my sweet family...this is new for me. Jeremy has set this blog up for me to jot down my musings or, I guess, whatever. So here goes. I was reading a book today that Daddy had given me shortly before he passed away. It is entitled "Every Day With Jesus" by Selwyn Hughes. He makes reference to a woman who was suffering and she said that if God didn't do what she asked Him to do, then "He is not as faithful as He says He is." The author goes on to say that her "faith in God was based not on unconditional confidence in His character and sovereign purposes, but rather in the hope that He would relieve her suffering in the way she thought best."

My prayer is that, as we experience deep hurt in our lives, our hearts will be tender before the Lord and, as we express our prayers and desires, let us not cross that thin line into becoming demanding of our own way because we think we deserve it. He has given us His all and we must live totally dependent upon Him. "Search me and know my heart." Psalm 139:23

How's that for a note from mom?