Support for Sunni and Joel

We are so proud of Sunni and Joel and the strides they are making in life and ministry. They leave in May for their mission trip to Vietnam. We encourage you to continue to pray for God's continual guidance and direction in their lives. Pray that God will greatly use them on this trip to encourage the hearts of the people there. Also pray that He will use this experience to confirm His will for their life, and that they will walk in confidence knowing they are in the perfect will of God.

This Wednesday we'll have a love offering for them in our youth service, so Ignite Students be prepared to give! Ask God to speak to your heart about what you should give. If you don't have any money, ask Him to provide you with something to give and watch how He'll work through that. Remember, when you give your money toward God's Kingdom, it is an act of trust on your part. When we trust God with our money, He is able to bless us beyond measure. Not just financially, but in every other aspect of our emotions, relationships, calling, and life.

Sunni and Joel visited our youth service a few weeks ago to share their heart for missions. Ignite students were so excited to see them!

Kylee and Zaccheus

I promise not to make every post about my little darlings, but I was just so blessed yesterday by them that I HAD to share this story! About two weeks ago we were sitting at the table for Sunday lunch with the staff of our church, and Kylee starts singing and dramatically pointing her finger saying, "You Come Down!" over and over again. It took me a while to catch on that she had learned the story of Zaccheus in Sunday School that day. I thought it was absolutely precious then, but yesterday really topped that. I walked into her room to wake her up to find her already awake and reading her baby Bible to her dolls. She was reading all about Zaccheus wanting to see Jesus! Later that day, my sweet girls were having a snack, and Kylee decides to read the story again, this time to little sister. My heart could not have been more proud in that moment. I'm so thankful for the relationship she is already building with our Lord in her own little 2 1/2 year old way. You know I had to take pictures, so enjoy!

These pictures were taken later in music class.
The girls are learning songs about transportation.
They are riding an imaginary train!

The train is going through a tunnel.
They are singing, "Comin' through in a hurry, Alabama girl!"

Little Shoppers

Are they adorable or what?

Kylee and Aubrey sitting outside the store with their new dresses.

We know many of you want to see pictures of "those babies" so we thought we would share what a great time these sweethearts had over the weekend! Friday began with an overnight stay from GramGram. We don't have a guest bed, so they had fun jumping on the air mattress we set up of course! Saturday they went shopping with GramGram to get Easter dresses. They got to try them on and you could tell they felt so pretty. They are such a blessing in our lives. We thank God every day for letting us raise them. Just thinking of that brings Psalm 127 to mind:
Children are a gift from the Lord; babies are a reward. Children who are born to a young man are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. Happy is the man who has his bag full of arrows. They will not be defeated when they fight their enemies at the city gate. Psalm 127:3-5

Josh and I love you all and pray the Lord encourages you as we begin a new week in Him!

~Josh and Jill

Ashleigh's Healing

Kylee visiting Ashleigh in the hospital yesterday

So many of you who read this blog know Ashleigh and love her to pieces! For some of you, this is your first opportunity to put a face to the name you've been praying for! Ashleigh McIntyre is in the hospital this week, and has a minor surgery today so continue lifting her up before the Father! Let me share with you a verse Ashleigh's been memorizing and challenge you to pray this scripture and speak it over her life to our Father!

He is (Ashleigh's) constant source of stability. He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; He gives this to (Ashleigh) who fears Him. ~Isaiah 33:6 (NET)

We are believing for Ashleigh's complete healing, and praying for a joy and peace to sustain her while she is in this waiting period. God's timing is perfect even when we don't understand it. I'm so thankful we can simply trust Him! This week pray with us that she will have no complications during this hospital stay, and that she will be able to continue her treatments AT HOME next week during her Spring Break!

And just because I know you will read this.... We love you, Ashleigh! God is faithful to bring the work He has started to completion!

We are so thankful for all our friends, brothers & sisters in Christ reading this blog and partnering with us in prayer! You make the journey so much easier and bring so much joy to us! We love you!

Times of Refreshing

Something Josh and I have committed to do as a couple is memorize scripture. So, we each have a spiral of index cards we write our verses in and are committed to memorizing. Yesterday, I had my spiral on the counter top and I was memorizing out loud while putting away some dishes. The girls just thought it was the most hillarious thing. Kylee called me a "crazy mama." It really was a precious moment. They are already developing such a love for Jesus. We took a car ride to the post office and I had some praise and worship turned up. I looked in the rear view mirror to see Kylee dancing in her seat while Aubrey was on the verge of sleep. Kylee looked over at her sister and said, "Wake up, Aubi! We're singing songs to Jesus!" Then she went on singing, "You are beautiful my sweet, sweet song!" Thank you, God for my precious children, and thank you that they feel your love at such a young age!

I added a verse to my spiral that's not on our "couple" list to memorize, but it has especially captured my attention this week. I've pondered over this one a lot in between church services, play dates at the park, trips to the grocery store, & the many other responsiblities of life. It's found in Acts 3:19-20:
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus."
I think about times we know a sermon is about to be all about repentance. How many times do we automatically begin to tune out because repentance is such an uncomfortable subject at times. We know it may hurt, and we'd rather avoid the pain. What if we began to repentance for the gift that it is?

This passage of scripture was written to the Jews on a national level. God's promise to them was if they would turn to God as a nation, He would send the second coming of Christ, and His Kingdom would come to earth. They did not repent then, so now the promise is carried over to us as well.

Notice how when we truly repent in that we turn away from our sin and turn to God, our sins are wiped out. I looked this up in the Barnes' Notes Commentary, and to wipe out means "to wholly remove the record, the charge, and every trace of the account against us. In this way, God forgives sin." He doesn't just take away the punishment, He makes it as if it never even happened! When we fail to go to God in repentance for the sin that imprisons us, we dwell in a place of guilt, shame, and condemnation. God promises us in Romans 8:1 "That there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Satan tries his best to convince us that repentance will bring bondage, shame, and punishment, and he does a pretty good job of it. Just the opposite is true... repentance brings freedom. According to Acts 3:19 - 20 it will bring the times of refreshing that will come with the millenial reign of Christ. I don't want to overload you with too much scripture, but I just have to share promises I read in Isaiah the other day about the time when we will reign with Christ for a thousand years. So, please stick with me and ask God to speak to you through His word.

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
Be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard no more.
Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth;
he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
They will build new houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.
They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but dust will be the serpent's food.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the Lord.
Isaiah 65

Times of refreshing... aren't you ready for that day? When I read promises like that, I feel like I have a heavenly Father looking at our earthly condition through His eyes of love promising, "I'm going to make this right one day." He sees your present condition, and His heart is moved with compassion. Pain and suffering were never His plan. Death was never His plan. Be encouraged, dear one, that while the trials we have now were not in His plan, He has a plan to overcome them. In the end, victory over death, hell, and the grave are His. If we are in Him, that same victory is ours. So, what are we waiting for? Let's ask God to search our hearts today, and show us the hidden areas that we need to find repentance in. I believe in the same way He will bring times of refreshing with the second coming, He will also bring times of refreshing to our lives in this present age when we turn to God.