An Evening Among Good Friends

Here's Johnny hangin' out with one of his big guy buddies, Colin W.

Whatever was all over the camera lens sure showed up in this picture, but since it caught the action I thought it was worth posting anyway.

This was an extremely physical game of basketball! (Notice Daddy wearing his notorious knee brace.) We spectators found it to be quite amusing.

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. ~Psalm 103:1

p.s. If you would like to see more pictures from the church picnic out at the Hickle's place, visit our family blog!

from "A Shepherd's Heart" by Paul C. Brownlow

"The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a wilderness."

~ Havelock Ellis

"In Scripture, a man had a hundred sheep, lost one of them, and went after it. And when he had found the runaway, laid it on His shoulders and travelled home.

But the lambs He carries in His bosom. The shoulder is not for them, but the bosom. There they lie, with His arms folded about them - there, where His kind eye can keep its glance upon them. In His bosom, where they can feel the great full heart beating in its love, where He can hear the first mutter of their fear, and they can catch the gentlest whisper of His loving care. He carries them in His bossom.

Close to Him, cradled in His arms, we are sustained and safe."

~ M. Guy Pearse

Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. ~ Psalm 100:3

He brought His people out like a flock; He led them like sheep throught the desert. ~ Psalm 78:52

"We have been blessed recipients of God's benevolence, not so we can gather it up for our own contentment, but so we can joyously and freely distribute it to others. We have been comforted to comfort, blessed to bless, loved to love." ~ from A Shepherd's Comfort

Sister for a Week

Our family had the priviledge of having Alida stay with us while her parents were visiting Esther and the new baby in Oregon. The kids and I really enjoyed having another sister thrown into the mix for a whole week!

The varsity volleyball tournament in Lebanon happened during her visit.

It was so nice to have someone to do schoolwork with everyday!

Even though she's living back at her house now, Alida will always remain our precious sister in Christ.

Thanks for lending her to us for a while, Hazells!!

from Psalm 139

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.


You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.


Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.


You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.


Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.


Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?


If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.


If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,


even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.


If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"


even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.


For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.


I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.


My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.


How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!


Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.


Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.


See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

More Vacation

On the last day of Bair Lake Bible camp, there was a rocket launch! It was the big event that everyone anticipated and came to watch. Anyone who had wanted to participate had made a rocket (their own design) and entered the "competition". Of course, David had to make a rocket, and he was very excited to see it launched across the ball field!

LtoR: Ethan (one of our counselor friends), David, Daddy, and "The Rocket Guy"

The launching system was pretty neat... although I couldn't tell you exactly how it worked! If you really want to know, ask Josh - or even David - it's more of a guy thing! The girls were mostly there to ooh and ahh over the rockets and their builders.

Mrs. Hazell with Johnny and Steph

I'm not sure what it is about this picture, but it turned out to be one of my favorites. It just captured the moment so well.

By the way, that's Gabe Q. holdin' the little guy.

Adjustments

LtoR: The Oetjen twins, Josh, and Megan

The Pros

Hey Caleb! (He's an Oetjen too)

Stephy and her good friend, Sonja

Philippians 3:7-14

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

May you be filled with the joy and peace that come from walking hand in hand with the Savior, my dear friends! Blessings to you in His name.

~ Ashley Louise

Faces in the Van, vacation part 1

Quite the face...
That's my hoodie, by the way.

One of my favorites of the whole trip!

This is what Stephanie considers to be a comfortable long car trip riding position.


The Navigator

In his own little world, with a straw. That thing was a life-saver.

Ohh... I love that expression! The one on the right, that is.

The first maybe two hours of the trip they were laughing and actually enjoying the ride (in the cool huge rented van).


My sister, the rebellious one.

This is kinda random... it was late at night, and the kids behind me were entertaining themselves by taking pictures of people unaware.

And here they are, fully aware of the picture that was being taken of themselves. They weren't aware at the time that it would end up on my blog, though. Hehe...

Stand Still, by the Isaacs

The Father has a plan, though it's hard to see it now
You feel you're walking all alone, but He is there no doubt
When the storm around you rages, and you're tossed to and fro
When you're faced with life's decisions, not sure which way to go

Stand still, and let God move
Standing still is hard to do
When you feel you have reached the end, He'll make a way for you
Stand still and let God move

When the enemy surrounds you, and the walls are closing in
When the tide is swiftly rising, and you wonder where He's been
Friend, there never was a moment that His arms weren't reaching out
You can rest assured and be secure, God is moving right now

Stand still, and let God move
Standing still is hard to do
When you feel you have reached the end, He'll make a way for you
Stand still and let God move

The answer will come, but only in His time
Stand still and let God move

from Lamentations chapter three

"He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver... So I say, 'My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.' I remember my affliction... and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction on the children of men."

Guard Your Heart

What appears to be a harmless glance
Can turn to romance
And homes are divided
Feelings that should never have been
Awakened within
Tearing the heart in two
Listen, I beg of you

Guard your heart
Guard your heart
Don't trade it for treasure
Don't give it away

Guard your heart
Guard your heart
As a payment for pleasure
It's a high price to pay

For a soul that remains sincere with conscience clear
Guard your heart

The human heart is easily swayed
And often betrayed at the hand of emotion
You dare not leave the outcome to chance
You must choose in advance
Or live with the agony
Such needless tragedy

Guard your heart
Guard your heart
Don't trade it for treasure
Don't give it away

Guard your heart
Guard your heart
As a payment for pleasure
It's a high price to pay

For a sould that remains sincere with conscience clear
Guard your heart

~ by Steve Green

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." ~ Proverbs 4:23

Travels

So, we stopped off for a break on the way to Michigan and the whole family had some fun messing around Wal-Mart. We were all like, "Woah! Mom, this is a super Wal-Mart! We're really in the city now!"

Big Brother

Well hello! How's the weather up there?
(He's taller than I am.)

We Two

Becky is an incredibly precious gift from God in my life.