The Change

Well I got myself a T-shirt that says what I believe

 I got letters on my bracelet to serve as my ID

 I got the necklace and the key chain

 And almost everything a good Christian needs

 I got the little Bible magnets on my refrigerator door

 And a welcome mat to bless you before you walk across my floor

 I got a Jesus bumper sticker And the outline of a fish stuck on my car

 And even though this stuff’s all well and good

 I cannot help but ask myself …

 

What about the change

What about the difference

What about the grace

What about forgiveness

What about a life that’s showing I’m undergoing the change

I like Steven Curtis Chapman. Really.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Africa

*Warning* Ramble ahead.

We finally sat down to watch Blood Diamond the other night. I lasted about three minutes…it was brutal. I will probably watch at some point because I really think it is critical that we not look away in the face of brutality and oppression. Or child prostitution. Or slavery. Or murdered unborn babies…

A friend really thinks I need to watch this. I think it might be because she thinks that if I understood the level of brutality going on in Africa, I would never let my kids go there. Anthony came over one night before Jacob went to Ethiopia & saw the movie Hotel Rwanda on the bar. He suggested that it might not be helpful to watch that before Jake went. Why? Because it would scare me? While the first few minutes of Blood Diamond sickened me, it did nothing to dissuade me.

Go to the hungry ones and fill them with His bread

They’ll leave their darkness as you shine the light He shed

Point to His promises, believe in all He said

And His joy will be manifest in you

And the lost will be found as He works through you

Jesus commands us to go. Do we stay because “it’s hot there” or “you’ll get kidnapped by pirates” or “those people are diseased” or my personal favorite “those people are uncivilized” Oh really? The people that come to the mill every week to murder their children are civilized because they have clean clothes & air conditioning? We’re civilized outside of Christ?

Yes, there is great spiritual darkness. Africa needs Christ. America needs Christ. We need Christ.

“How are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”

Romans 10:14,15

O.K. so suppose the worst were to happen. What is the worst? That we die in Christ? Sharing Christ with those who are dying in their sin? That our children die? To gain Christ?

Out on the highways, there’s so many passing by

Step out in boldness and watch the family multiply

Pray up some miracles, let’s open up the sky

And His joy will be manifest in you

And the lost will be found by the things you do

Stonewall Jackson said ” My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me.That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave”.

We can trust our children to an ever faithful Father who loves them so much more than we can imagine. Wherever He calls my children, it is my prayer that I will rest in that trust.

 

 

Daily…

“He looketh to what I desire to be, and not to what I am.”

Rich in mercy that is new EVERY morning…..

 

Listen to your mother!

So the knots on the back of Em’s ankles are NOT rheumatoid nodules (whew!), they are caused by damage to the Achilles tendon(?) from… drumroll please…wearing heels. There. I won’t gloat. But. I was right!  You girls are ruining your bone structure for the sake  of vanity and to look, shall I say? Nope I shall not say it. I think you know.

Some of you know that I have more to say on the subject ,but I must away to Jackson. Sorry to disappoint.

Appointment went great & Emily goes back for yearly monitoring now. Thank you Lord for your never ending mercy!

 

God is faithful-always

Busy day ahead. A very excited crop of small Riley’s are packed & ready. Audobon Society field guides-check, specimen collection kits-check, various bags,back packs, baskets and jars-check. We are off to Trace Lake later this morning.

 This morning I was thinking of/praying for a family with a sick baby. I was remembering the times I have been where this mom is now- even the many times at that same hospital. Emily- gastrointerologist/Rheumatologist, Trey-neurologist, Ellen-Nicu,Ben-cardiologist,Sarah-endocrinologist,Abby…,Annie-neonatologist,Mercy-Nicu/failure to thrive/feeding intolerant/sleep apnea, Josiah-cardiologist.

I have been there & remember the prayers of a mothers heart for a sick child. It was a sweet time to reflect on God’s faithfulness. We have stood beside a child (Ellen)when the only thing keeping her alive were the frighteningly noise machines that were in various ways connected to her-we have been told she would not live through the night. We have been told that a daughter(Emily) would not survive without a liver transplant. We have looked on helplessly, pleading with God in anguish for our daughter(Abby Grace) when the time of death was called. From where I am now I can truly say that God has been faithful. Why is that so easy to see looking back?

Emily has a Dr. appointment at 3:30 and it is my prayer that she will be released to our family physician. It was this month 19 years ago that we arrived at Leboneur Childrens Hospital at 4 am with our firstborn daughter and a bag full of presents from various friends and relatives. I was great with child and heavy of  heart.Two days before I had walked in the kitchen door after our weekly trip to Leboneur to find the phone ringing. It was Dr. Whittington- Dr. Whittington had never called before-he is famous for his terrible bedside manner. A nurse usually called with the results of Emily’s weekly liver panel. I was shocked and terrified to find Dr. Whittington on the other end of the phone. We were out of time. She was heading into full blown liver failure & we needed to report to the hospital in two days for a pre-transplant workup. If I told the whole story it would be a very long post so I’ll just say that that hospital stay was not happy and things looked very bad. But God. God had other plans for Emily and granted miraculous healing. It could never be explained and we were eventually told that she was in remission and we would now wait for it to come back as it surely would. But it didn’t. God granted complete healing. Wow. So we head out to see Dr. Asa this afternoon and we are trusting God for great things. Again.

 

It’s a blessed life

“Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.”

 

Babywearing 1 oh 3

It is a Ergo day at the Riley house. Y’all know I strongly believe in meeting my babies needs. O.K. so you might call it something else. You say tomato, I say tomatoe. No, really, I am trying to work on his royal spoiledness. Really. By executive order.

Josiah hung on mommies back while I straightened up the house this morning. It worked better than having him hang on my leg. When he finally decided he would live through the next moment if I put him down, Mercy came along. “Mommy, wear me.” Awww. Who could resist? I think I may have to wear her down the aisle when she gets married.

 

Public Service Announcement

Just a reminder that there are disgusting people on the internet. I put up a post a few weeks ago about Brown Mercy and made mention of the fact that I was not going to post a picture of her in her under clothing.
I am getting really dispicable searches that I won’t defile you with but please remember moms- ANYBODY CAN LOOK AT YOUR BLOG! Be careful what you put up about your children.

 

Song for Josiah

Yesterday Les & I were running errands when the subject of (extended) family gathering came up…then the silence when we remember and realize…and we again lay down our plans and count it all loss so that we may gain Christ. And there is JOY!

meeting Josiah

 

A Song for Josiah

Keith Green

Oh my son, you were born in a world that hates you,

And I swear I will never forsake you.

But there was a father centuries ago,

Who watched his beloved son die. Oh, die.

Oh my son, I am weak and I’m trembling,

For the Lord I am always remembering.

Oh what a strong shepherd holds you in His arms.

He’ll break you and make you His own.

And then take you home.

Well if I could I would protect you from what you will see.

This world will promise love and beauty, but it lied to me.

And I will show you, if you will listen.

And I will promise, to listen too.

Oh yes, there are some who love the lies, they will kill you if they can.

Though you speak the truth in love, they will hate you like the man,

Jesus, although he was God, he allowed himself broken for you.

Well if I could I would protect you from what you will see.

The world might seem so alive, but it’s dead to me.

And I will teach you, if you will hear me.

And I will promise, to hear you too. Yes I do.

Oh my son, I am only your brother.

For a sister, God gave me your mother.

But just like a mother, so long ago, had to watch her beloved son die,

Oh son, we will try, to let you go.
 

If

I become entangled in any

“inordinate affection”;

if things or places or people hold me

back from obedience to my

Lord,

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

Amy Carmichael

 

 

Riley meets Upchurch

We took the weekend off Personhood Mississippi to travel to Tennessee to meet new friends. We had a wonderful weekend of food, volleyball, fellowship, volleyball, worship, volleyball & a new game called Pit that was loud & rowdy enough to be right up the Riley’s alley. Emily was having a bit of a flare-up with her knee so she, I & Becky(Upchurch Mom) spent alot of Saturday evening holding down lawn chairs and soaking in Hannah Kate’s incredible sweetness. Saturday evening we had about seventeen pizzas, give or take a few (did I mention that we have 20 children between us). If you have never had smoked sausage on a pizza you really should try it.  Les took a little time to check out Tyler’s vast library (BTW-if I knew who rearranged certain books I wouldn’t tell). That night the Old School Hymnals came out. Yay! I love the Old School Hymnal. I love our little welsh hymnal too but I do like to mix it up some during family worship. It was a sweet time of fellowship in the Lord.

Sunday-worship at Grace Church. I was able to sit through prayer meeting (thank you Ellen!) but missed the sermon. My family told me a little about it & I’ll check out their site to see if I can download it. Josiah usually goes to sleep during the singing at Christ Church but Grace has a little different worship style and he was way to interested to go to sleep. Sooo mom walked the halls with alternately cranky & silly baby during the service. We did see Laura D. &  that was a blessing. We miss her and hope she’ll visit New Albany soon.

After Church we went back to the Upchurch’s for an incredible spread for Sunday Dinner. Thank You Bruce & Becky for your amazing hospitality! We had a GREAT time.

 

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.  Psalms 133:1

 

Somehow, in a family that obnoxiously (no, really) flashes a camera in everybody’s face, we didn’t even get the camera out of the car. Mercy became very distraught shorty after we pulled out of the driveway to head home & we had to go back to get her shoes. While in the drive Trey remembered that he left his shades in Tyler’s truck. You know Trey can’t live without those shades. I finally pulled out the camera just as Les returned with Trey’s shades. Enjoy the only picture we took all weekend.

Whew. How’s that for the grandparents version?