Letterneau Life

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Faithfulness before Frutifulness

Pictures can be deceiving.

I love how they capture the beautiful moments in life...and there are so many beautiful moments every day.

But in between there is plenty of "hard"

We pour all we have into our children and when we see yucky things in their hearts, it's discouraging.

Raising and discipling kids is HARD.

But we don't give up because these beautiful souls are worth it!

THEY ARE!

Faithfulness before fruitfulness, a wise friend once told me.

We pray that God will grow their hearts in love for Him through our faithfulness.

"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."

~Galatians 6:9

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

New School Year

After a beautiful summer break, we are ready for the school year to begin.

And this year will be twice the fun as we have a new student...

(Oh the sweetness of this precious boy. I know it's not Kindergarten but preschool feels pretty big to Mommy right now.)

We are excited for ALL the growing that will take place this school year.

(We love you Ava! Yay big fourth grader!)

We adore this sweet tag along. Learning as he watches.

Goodbye summer...

It's been a blast!

Friday, July 24, 2015

In the Secret of His Presence

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." -Psalm 91:4

Sometimes hiding and taking refuge in the Lord is all I can do.

I cannot always manage a prayer or a even a thought.

I just have to be with him, cling to him, rest in him.

This image of being covered under God's wing has been a powerful one for me.

I like to visualize and create.

That's how I process and connect.

And since alone time is rare, I include my kids, inviting them to learn and experience along with me.

We've created a little bird sanctuary in the corner of our yard.

It reminds me of that quiet meeting place that I can have with the Lord.

It reminds me of that he protects and provides and that he is a safe place of rest for my soul.

"In the secret of His presence how my soul delights to hide!
Oh, how precious are the lessons which I learn at Jesus’ side!
Earthly cares can never vex me, neither trials lay me low;
For when Satan comes to tempt me, to the secret place I go

When my soul is faint and thirsty, ’neath the shadow of His wing
There is cool and pleasant shelter, and a fresh and crystal spring;
And my Savior rests beside me, as we hold communion sweet:
If I tried, I could not utter what He says when thus we meet,"

-In the Secret of His Presence (Absolutely gorgeous new hymn I just heard for the first time. Wow..just beautiful.)

Thank you God for meeting with me!

Saturday, July 11, 2015

The Rhyme Bible

For the past few months our family has enjoyed reading through the Rhyme Bible during our family worship time.

The stories are short, the colors are bright, and ... it rhymes!

All these things make this a great fit for our little ones.

We finished the book tonight and I asked the kids to think of their favorite story.

Then, we got to work creating whatever came to mind...

Finger painting is about all that Thatch can do as far as crafting.

Plus, he likes to tell us all what sound a lion makes so I thought Daniel and the Lion's den was an appropriate project for him.

Ava picked the story of baby Moses.

I loved this for lots of reasons.

Ava and Daddy worked on paper weaving a basket.

And Judson...

my favorite craft of the night.

He was set on making a snow globe depicting Noah's Ark.

Due to a lack of supplies, we have several animals inside a mason jar filled with water.

He also added an army man and some purple glitter (we were out of blue)

Maybe his snow globe shows the animals that didn't make it on the ark :-/

And I enjoyed my succulents...growing in my backyard

My family...growing together as we learn about Him

And the beauty of God's word that stirs growth in our hearts.

"But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance."

Luke 8:15