Utterly and Completely

Imperfect.  That's me.  That's us.
Utterly and completely.

We all miss the mark and need saving.  Every last one of us.

But, all is not hopelessness and despair.  The Perfect One came,

and took on flesh, and lived the life we could never live.
He took all the sins of all of His people upon Himself.

And then, He paid the penalty for all that sin.

He died that all who come to Him in faith and repentance might live.

The Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and hell and sin and Satan.

He rose up from the grave victorious.  He is Risen and He lives!

In order that we might be victorious as well.  He is The Way.

If we cast ourselves on Him, we will live.  Truly live!

 It's only and all because of Him.  Utterly and completely.

We must come to Him for mercy and grace.  He is the One Who can give it.

He is the only way we can ever hope to stand before the Throne of God.

Clothed in His perfection.  Alone.

I am not perfect.  But, my Saviour is.

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost,
which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified
by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."  Titus 3:5-7

Because of Him, we can rejoice.  Because of Him, there is hope.

Forever and for always.  Throughout all eternity to come.  Are you rejoicing?

Do you have this hope?  Lasting hope and peace are only found in Christ.
Come to the Saviour while there is still time; He is faithful to do just as He promised.

He is mighty and powerful to save.
We all stand in need of the Salvation He brings.

In John 6:37, the Lord Jesus said ~
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me,
and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."

Cast yourself upon Him and live.
Outside of the perfect living and dying and rising again
of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no hope.  Absolutely none at all.
All the hope we will ever need is found in Him.

"Jesus said unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.' "  John 14:6
And, if we come, He will receive us.  Utterly and completely.

This is the most wonderful news of all.  It's the message of Easter.
May our hearts be found rejoicing in the Saviour now and forever!

With Love,
Camille

**Image in this post courtesy of Calvin from long ago ~
Thank you, my love XO

The Quotidian (21. 3. 16)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;
everyday; ordinary; commonplace.

A perfect gift ~ thank you, Miss R.

Twist on a classic.

For the girls.

Beauty springing up....

...in the midst of the rubble.

A day's worth of dishes.

Living (and precious) dishwashers.
 (Our mechanical one up and quit on us.)

We thought it was dead ~ rescued from the destruction.

One of my all-time favourites.

Emma got to bring two of them home!
(From the wedding ~ thank you, Auntie L.)

With Love,
Camille

Nursery ~ Encouragement for the Young Mum

Not long ago, I logged my first Sunday of nursery duty.

Emma was my helper, and what a blessing she was!

Little ones trickled in one by one and then, came in a flood.

Some mamas stayed for a few minutes to settle their own.

Others didn't need settling.

Some children refused to be comforted.

So, those mamas left, taking their little ones with them.  

In the end, Emma and I only had three to care for.

And, it felt like just the right number.  

This post is the result of my subsequent ponderings.

 And, the purpose of it all is to be an encouragement to the young mamas

among us.  I find myself in the position of being an older mum now.

Don't even ask me when or how that happened!  But, it did. 
And, I am finding that there are a few things pressing on my heart to share.

In the days of diapers and feedings and constant
demands on us as young mums, it's easy to imagine that things will remain
just the same forever ~ intense and exhausting and wonderful all rolled into one.
Life flies by and before we know it, our situation has changed.

We blink.  They grow up.

So, dear mama of littles, take heart.
These are precious days, weeks, months...years!  Truly precious.
Don't rush this time.  Don't wish it all away.  Before long, you too will be the older mama.
And, you will be the one doing the encouraging.  Give it time.  It will happen.

So, in these sweet baby days, don't ever feel badly that your little one
will not be comforted by anyone other than you.  That is how God designed it to be.
While they are little, you are the centre of your child's existence.  It is how they are wired.
And, it is good and right for it to be that way.  It's such a short season.

God does all things well.  And, this is one of those good things.

It is perfectly okay to refuse the nursery service and sit with your own
child in the mother's room.  Our church has two provisions for young mamas.
One option is the nursery, where some little ones are perfectly content to be.
And, the other is a sound-proof room with a view of the sanctuary
and a speaker to hear the service.

Whichever option you choose as a mama ought to be the right one for you.
There is no obligation to use the nursery if it makes both you and your child miserable.
If, on the other hand, it is a good fit for you, by all means, use it!
This may change from week to week.  There is no shame in that, either.

The nursery is available to use if you should require it and desire it. 

And, just be aware that these days will soon be behind you.
Time invested in your little ones is never wasted time.
 And, whatever you should choose to do, be assured of the fact
 that we older mamas are here, cheering you on!

With Much Love,
Camille

**Image courtesy of Calvin circa 2011 ~
Thank you my love!  XO

The Quotidian (14. 3. 16)

Quotidian: daily, usual, or customary;

everyday; ordinary; commonplace.

This past week has been anything but usual or commonplace.
In the space of five days, we attended two funerals,
celebrated Emma's birthday, and participated in a family wedding.

It was an incredible week full of all the emotions.

My friend's daughter's funeral took place just two hours
before our niece's wedding.  These two girls share the same
first name and have birthdays almost exactly one year apart. 

The Lord is gracious and daily gives strength.  His mercies are new every morning.
Our Saviour's ways are perfect and His dealings with His people are always best.  
Though at times the path may be painful, we rest our hearts in His Sovereign Plan.

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice,
and weep with them that weep." Romans 12:15 

 The cake.

Double kisses.

The birthday girl (fourteen) and her parents.

The bridal party's table.

May the Lord bless you with His peace
and presence now and always.  And, may you know
His loving hand to be upon you.  Forever.

With Love,
Camille

**Photos courtesy of Calvin and Howie ~
I took the one of the three kids  :)

This Morning

This morning, a sweet young lady we have been praying for

over the last few years was called home to heaven.  She was nineteen.
In recent months, she has been battling cancer for the second time.

We learned this distressing news early this afternoon,
and I couldn't let this day end without expressing our deepest sorrow. 
Her Mom is my precious friend.  So, we grieve with them and for them. 

The grieving process can be very intense.  And, intensely personal.
The family of this lovely girl knows the Lord and has Him as their firm foundation.
It is such a comfort to know that they are relying on Him in the midst of sorrow.
 
Would you join with us in lifting this family up to our Saviour in prayer
as they navigate these deep waters with the Lord, and with one another?
 Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;  and there shall be no more death, 
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; 
for the former things are passed away."  Revelation 21:4
 
With Love, Camille

**Image courtesy of our Emma ~
Thank you my little love XO