Author Archives: Ellen

All the Love

 

A week ago Sunday after we enjoyed the Sounders championship game Josh and Laura invited our dear friends over for dinner. Addy had so much fun with her friends. They enjoyed dress up and other games during the evening. We all ate together and Addy was sad when her friends had to go home. Some of my bloggy friends had the privilege of praying for David Daniel because of his very early birth and for all the complications along the way. He is such a sweet boy and we continue to pray for God’s touch on his life and for his whole family.

Hope you’ve all had a good weekend.

My Redeemer ~ Hymn

My Redeemer

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His wondrous love to me;
On the cruel cross He suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

Refrain

Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me.
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save,
In His boundless love and mercy,
He the ransom freely gave.

Refrain

I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I’ll tell,
How the victory He giveth
Over sin, and death, and hell.

Refrain

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.

Refrain

Words: Philip P. Bliss, 1876.

 

7 Months Old

I’m waiting for the official 7 Month Old photos to be messaged to me but in the meantime here is our 7 month old 4 days shy.

He’s enjoying rice cereal with peanut butter, squash and other pureed veggies. Applesauce is good, too. He is pulling himself up when there is something he can grip. His crawling skills are getting good and fast. Chords hold a curiosity that we all have to curb. His smiles are genuine and sweet. He can spot his mommy in a crowd. He loves singing, being sung to, and he’ll chime in with sounds that seem like he’s trying to sing, too.

Baba loves you, Jaymison Joshua!

The Prince of Preachers

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a preacher who stands out amongst many and one who I’ve enjoyed gathering books by lately. He was born in Essex, England in 1834. He was born again in 1850 at the age of fifteen. At the age of 16 he was known as “The Boy Preacher.”

He preached his first sermon at the age of sixteen. He became a pastor at the age of eighteen. In 1854 he became the pastor of New Park Street Chapel in London. He married in 1856. He had twin boys who later entered the ministry.

He often preached to congregations of more than ten thousand. The Metropolitan Tabernacle was built in 1861 to accommodate the large numbers who came to hear him preach. The Prime minister of England and members of the royal family were among those who came to hear him preach.

He went from the title of “The Boy Preacher” to be called “Prince of Preachers”.  Charles Spurgeon died in 1892 and was mourned by many.

From “A Passion for Holiness in a Believer’s Life” by Charles Spurgeon:

There is a way to God…

What that “way” is we learn from John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Believing in Jesus, we enter upon the way; receiving His Spirit into our hearts, we stand in the way; following our Redeemer’s footsteps, we walk in the way; holding fast to His leadership, we reach the end of the way. When we find Jesus, we find the way of truth, the way of life, the way of holiness. He is not only the way but also the end to all those who put their trust in Him. There is but one Christ, and therefore but one way of salvation. He is the same yesterday, today and forever; and those who pretend that He changes with the centuries talk as idle dreamers, knowing nothing of the matter. God has given us a way to Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. Why should he give us another? What other can there be?

Psalm 1:1-3:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers.

I took these photos of Mount Rainier in Washington State from the plane I was on traveling from Seattle to Spokane on Wednesday the 13th of November. It was nice to see this majestic (volcano) mountain clearly instead of shrouded by clouds. Rainier is a mountain in Washington state that stands out amongst the rest of the mountains so I thought it appropriate to add photos of it with this post about Spurgeon and one of his many quotes.

Here we are halfway into November. I’m getting settled back into the daily routine of country life after being exposed again to city life. I’ll have more catch up posts of my time on the “Coast”. So good to be around all our kids but one. It’s nice to have two more weekends before Thanksgiving weekend to get organized. We are not hosting on Thanksgiving Day this year. We will still make a Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings on Saturday of the long weekend. Having the aromas of a traditional Thanksgiving meal in our own home is part of Thanksgiving we don’t want to miss out on. Are you hosting?

HT: The facts about Spurgeon that I shared above I read in a book I’m beginning to read (Six books in one) called Spurgeon on Prayer and Spiritual Warfare.

We Are the Champions!

What a day. What an epic event. Victory is always sweet. Our day was fabulous from beginning to end. More to come from our dinner event after the championship game with our beloved friends!

I’m back home tonight basking in the comfort of our country bungalow reunited with Dear. I hope to catch up with your blogs soon.

Tuesdays With Moisi ~ Yorba Linda

From Wildomar to Yorba Linda. My parents decided to sell their home in Wildomar and move back to the “city” in 1987. They found a home in Yorba Linda which was in a good location for our family to gather more frequently. They lived in this home from 1987 until 1997 when they decided to sell most of their possessions to return to Russia as missionaries.

Their move was just before the time we were deciding on relocating from California to the state of Washington. This was also during the time of planning for our youngest sister’s wedding in July of 1988. July of 1988 moving vans loaded all our earthly goods and Dear’s mother’s goods to move with us to Washington State. Dear’s father had died in October of 1985 and we eventually had Dear’s mother move in with us and then she relocated with us to Washington state.

Father’s Day 1988. Moisi with all his grandchildren at this time plus our two nieces on Dear’s side of the family. At this time Katie was the youngest granddaughter.

A trip to Descanso Gardens in Spring of 1988.

We were in Southern California over Christmas and for Katie, Nina and Stephen’s birthday, December 27th, 1990. This is in the dining room in Yorba Linda.

 

 

We traveled from Washington State to Southern California for a few Christmases until it just wasn’t practical for us to continue.  For Katie’s fifth birthday since we were in Southern California we decided a trip to Disneyland was a good idea.

Moisi barbecuing meat for a birthday party in the backyard in Yorba Linda. You can see part of his garden to the left.

In 1994 we spent a good amount of time in Southern California for World Cup. We stayed with my folks in Yorba Linda.

The kids and I made a road trip during Easter break in 1997 to say some goodbyes to Moisi (Dzeda) and Nadia (Babushka) who were getting ready to spend an extended time in Russia.

 

My Tuesdays with Moisi posts will be fluid as I come up with more photos or memories.

Veterans Day 2019

They Did Their Share

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say “thank you” to every wearer.

By Joanna Fuchs

For the record and something I learned from family experience is that “soldiers” is not a term that describes all of our military.

United States Marines are not called soldiers. Unless you wish to cause mild offense, refer to them as Marines (usually capitalized). Members of the U.S. Army and National Guard are soldiers. Members of the Air Force are airmen. Members of the Navy are sailors.

Pub Night 049Every year, on 11 November at 11 am – the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – we pause to remember those men and women who have died or suffered in all wars, conflicts and peace operations.

Thank you to all those who have served and are serving our country in all branches of military service.

Marine Birthday BallThis is our Marine with our daughter. This was taken at the Marine Ball a few years back. Andrew is not in active service at this time.