HoveyServinGod

Many people may not know this, but Memorial Day weekend marks the anniversary of my (Phyllis') dad dying unexpectedly 17 years ago.  It's amazing to me that some of the memories are still so fresh and real....almost palpable....and others?  Others have faded with time. It is always sad to realize that the good memories are fading.  However, I am thankful that some of the uncomfortable memories have become gray in color rather than stark black and white.  The vividness of both of those kinds of moments are now lightened with God's grace and time. I was surprised this year to miss my dad and the fact that my husband and children will never get to meet him.  It caught me off guard, and I was tempted to have a pity party, if I am honest.  In the quiet moments, another thought caught my mind too.....but this one?  It tempted me to put a stake in the ground, a visual, tangible reminder that I can come back to and lay ahold of to recall the lesson I learned.  In the Old Testamen

One of my (Phyllis') all time favorite songs by FFH is entitled "Lord move, or Move me."  I love how it speaks to the idea of pleading and asking the Lord to move in a certain way, and yet humbly realizing that maybe the Lord doesn't need to move at all......maybe the I do .  It isn't easy either way.  However, I'll admit that generally, my way is the most attractive to me.  I share those words in light of our recent move into a new house.  While the Lord moved me (literally), He was also working behind the scenes and in ways I can't even comprehend to accomplish His purposes for our family.  There is such beauty and hope in realizing that this side of things. For example, ideally we were supposed to have the house finished before arriving on the field.  For many reasons, that was unable to be our reality.  However, there have been a great group of PNG students at the Bible college that have helped Brian and the other guys to complete our home.  What an o

The David of the Bible is often known as "a man after God’s own heart" (1 Sam.13:14; Acts  13:22 ).  Brian and I have been reading through 1 and 2 Samuel as well as 1 and 2 Kings as of late.  We are nearing the end of 2 Kings and it has been an eye opener to read the account of "only a boy named David" to the development of the "warrior David" and onto him as "King David."  What has struck me most has been the latter part of David’s life.   While this may sound backwards, the latter days of king David have been especially encouraging and challenging to me....as a mom.  King David encountered all sorts of trials as a parent.  Perhaps one of the most challenging was when his son, Absalom, forms a conspiracy against him to oust him as king, kill him, and then take over the throne.  Wow.  How tough!   As Brian and I wrestle with the challenge of raising toddlers, I (Phyllis) often feel overwhelmed at their tendency and bent to disobey and go thei