Right now the afternoon sunlight is flooding through my window, bathing me in it's warmth and light. I am completely surrounded by the love and goodness of my God. I looked up the meaning of "happy" in the dictionary and one of the definitions was "blessed"... I am definately happy today. I am so very blessed. God is always good, and He makes all things beautiful in its time- His perfect time.

"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you: I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2

One of my favorite songs is a scripture played and sung by a friend and sister in the Lord named Jill Moore. I am very blessed by it, and I want you to be blessed by it, too.

   In life, there are times when we come to the very ends of our ropes. Sometimes we find that our lives are spinning out of our control and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. For some, the struggle is inward; for others, it is outward and physical. Everyone goes through times like this, but not everyone responds in the same way. There are those who press on, and there are those who give up.

   There comes a time in each of our lives that we realize that what we know and what we can do is no longer enough. We come to the place where we find the ends of ourselves and it is a horrifying discovery if we have nowhere else to turn. Where do we turn when life suddenly takes a turn for the worst and we find ourselves on a downward spiral? Who can we go to for help when we suddenly discover that we are not in control after all? There is but one answer- God.

   There is nothin ...

One hundred fingers, big and small;
One hundred toes; and that's not all-
Count the noses: ten in all;
Twenty ears hear Mama call.

Ten pairs of lips; ten pairs of eyes;
Ten voices that can laugh or cry.

Twenty hands inside another;
Ten hearts that all love each other.

Twenty elbows; twenty knees;
Ten tongues licking melting treats.

"Boys against girls!" ten voices call
to start a game of basketball.

Ten birthday cakes every year;
Ten birthday songs sung loud and clear.

Ten children love their Dad and Mom...
Ten voices lo ...

" I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done in China... I don't know who it was... it must have been a man... a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing... and God looked down... and saw Gladys Aylward... and God said- 'Well, she's willing.'"
                                                            -Gladys Aylward (1902- 1970), Missionary to China

   I read this passage this morning from God's Word that I wanted to share with you. It paints a beautiful picture of God's love and mercy toward us, even though we are so undeserving.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits-
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
H ...

   To all of you dear readers who have waited so long for us to update our website- thank you for waiting so patiently!

Copyright ©2007 Madison Berkemeyer

   These last two months have been very exciting and busy for our family. We are now finally moved in to our permanent (Lord willing) Missouri home. What a blessing it is to be home!

   We have celebated twelve birthdays this year, moved three times, welcomed a new member into our family, done many new and exciting things, and made tons of great memories as a family.

   Our days are full to overflowing with all kinds of activity. Things like unpacking boxes, getting rid of old junk, cleaning and re-cl ...

(This was originally written on September 18, 2007)

   Just now I came across a beautiful verse in the Song of Songs that I had forgotten. This beautiful verse is found in chapter five: "His mouth is sweetness itself; He is altogether lovely. This is my lover, this is my friend." (verse 16). Every time I read this verse, I think of Jesus: my Lover, my Friend. He is indeed altogether lovely.But as I read it this morning, this verse took on a whole new meaning for me! Did you catch it? Read the first part of the verse again: "His mouth is sweetness itself"

...are you thinking what I'm thinking?

   If His mouth is sweetness itself, and I am His child, seeking to be conformed into His image-

shouldn't my mouth be sweetness, too?

   Immedietly a conversation I had yeste ...

   Outside, I may have appeared perfectly calm, but on the inside, I was really cracking up. I watched the young cashier pause his scanning, glance at the buggy on his left that was now full of bagged groceries, and back at the items on the belt that he still had left to scan. Then he looked up at me with a look that showed either suspicion or intense curiosity (I couldn't tell which) and asked, "Uh- got big plans for the weekend?"
 I fingered the pages in my hand- one, an extensive grocery list, and the other a complete menu of every meal that would feed my family for a whole week. "No, not really." I cracked a grin "Just had to get a few things." Then to satisfy the young man's curiosity, I went on to explain that I was doing the shopping for my mom today because she was ill and would be bed-ridden for the week, and that the reason for all the groceries was because she had ten kids.
 The man eyed me kinda f ...