Summer Is Almost Here And....

.....Ryan is off to Ironwood Christian Camp until the beginning of July! The Lord opened the door for him to be part of their Leadership Live! program for young people, and left this afternoon! We will very much miss having him around but are grateful for this exciting opportunity to serve! Keep him in your prayers while he is gone!( We miss you already lots Ryan, and love you!!)

My son, keep my words,
And treasure my commands within you.
 Keep my commands and live,
And my law as the apple of your eye.
 Bind them on your fingers;
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
And call understanding your nearest kin,

 

 Proverbs 7:1-4

Happy 46th Birthday, Daddy!!

Michael John Sebo

Born: May 23, 1968

Michael: ( Hebrew origin) "One like unto the Lord, Who is like the Lord" 

John: ( Hebrew origin) "God's gracious gift"

Favorite Verse (s) In Scripture:

He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.
                                                             
                                                                                                Proverbs 28:25

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early,to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

                                                                                                          Psalm 127

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!:)

 

What a gift God has given us! We are so grateful for her!:)

 ( A mother's day serenade from our new friends the puppets...)

 Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also and he praises her....

Many daughters have done well but you excel them all! Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing but a woman who fears the Lord she shall be praise. Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates.

                                                  Proverbs 31:28-31

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!! We love you!!:)

Camping at Lake Perris

(Caytlin worked very hard to film this and put it together and we liked it so much we wanted to share it! God has really given her a talent for capturing life!)

Resurrection Sunday

This year for Easter Sunday our church had a few special performances in celebration of the Lord's resurrection! How wonderful it must have been to be there and witness such a victorious ending to the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Death cannot keep it's prey, Jesus my Savior. He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Daniel and Caytlin singing a duet....."Oh, weep no more in sorrow! He is risen and conquered the grave! He's alive! It is true, as He promised! Oh rejoice, for He lives today!"

The Chrispens (our cousins) came for the service and so we enjoyed introducing them to our new church family and playing Ping-Pong with them!

A few weeks ago our Pastor had a scary accident with this tree, but God was very gracious! Some of the guys were working on cutting it down on a work day, when it fell on top of Pastor's back! The way the tree fell at an angle and  with just enough room for him to drop to the ground, as no one could lift it off and get out from under it. While he had to go to the hospital, the injuries he received were very minor compared to what could have happened and we were all very thankful for the Lord's protection.

Visiting after the service....

The boys and Sammy playing Ping-Pong...

A fun round of foosball with some of the girls and our cousins, Janelle and Lindsay!

The guys introducing Uncle John to Pastor....

More Ping-Pong players-this is a very popular game at church!

A picture with Janelle and Lindsay. We were so glad they were able to come as we don't get to see them as often as we'd like!

We had to take advantage of this opportunity, so we all went to lunch!

Everyone always enjoys spending time with Uncle Johnny-especially when he shares stories about his real life adevntures!:) He has a way of making simple things fun for everyone!

Very good friends and cousins!:)

A group picture before parting our separate ways!:) We are missing a few people in this picture as some of them had already gone to the car.

Praise the Lord for family, and for the truth of the resurrection of Christ! The resurrection of the Lord is a core piece of our lives as Christians. The Apostle Paul says in the Bible that if the resurrection was not true, then all his work would be in vain, our faith would be in vain and everything that we hold onto as believers would be useless. However, it is true, and we praise God. Jesus Christ rose from the grave. He is alive today and because of it, we can face anything that comes our way, trusting our Heavenly Father for His best in our lives in this world and the next to come!

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.  Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.   For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.   And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.  But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
                                             1 Corinthians 15:14-28

Happy 6th Birthday, Timmy!

Timothy Donald Sebo

Born: April 7, 2008

 

Timothy: (Greek origin) "Honoring God"

Donald: ( Scottish/Gaelic origin) "Great Chief"

 

 

Favorite Verse:

 

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

                                                              John 3:16

April Birthdays!

Timothy and Nathanael celebrated their birthdays this past month! Timmy turned 6 on the 7th and Natey celebrated this year again with Opa, turning 11 on the 28th!

 

Timothy's birthday started out at the beach, bright and early! We all enjoyed swimming, playing in the sand, and walking the beach. After that we hurried back home, got all cleaned up and ready to go, and ate a quick lunch before heading to the theatre to watch a new movie called, "God's Not Dead." We really enjoyed it! (Last year at Christmas time we had received some gift-cards for movie tickets from some relatives. When we first heard about this movie we wanted to see it. This provided the perfect opportunity to use them!)

A quick birthday lunch before leaving! :)

The movie poster....

Heading down the escalator after the movie....

 This year, Timmy requested a vanilla cake with, strawberry frosting and sprinkles. Mom found some colorful nerds on sale and they substituted nicely for the sprinkles! Timmy was very happy with his cake! Happy Birthday, Timmy!

Mommy found an idea online to make ice cream clown heads, using, whipped cream, M&M's and cones! Here Timmy was building his..:)

The finished results..:)

 

For Natey's birthday, we celebrated it twice! Once with Opa and then on the actual date camping at Casper's Wilderness!

Opa visited us the Friday before, and we enjoyed an evening with him! He brought with him an album of old pictures from when Daddy was a little boy! That was a lot of fun to look at!

We enjoyed a yummy dinner of homemade pizza, fresh watermelon that Opa brought, and for a special treat: root beer floats and hot Cheetos (a special favorite of Natey's!;).:)

Evie sharing pictures on Daddy's ipad with Opa....;) She really enjoyed swiping across the screen. A little too fast sometimes, but Opa was very patient and kept us all laughing!:)

Preparing to sing to the birthday men...:)

It was pretty late before we actually sang to them, and although they look tired here-it was a very fun night!

Saying goodbye to Opa-sending him off with lots of waving!;)

Nathanel's actual birthday was Monday. So we drove up to Casper's Wilderness park Sunday afternoon  to camp for the night. It was yet another one of our very last minute trips, which added to the fun and excitement!;) It turned out to be a good brief trip and the weather was just right for it!

Having pancakes beside the fire for breakfast...

Washing the dishes....

Everyone enjoyed playing at the playground most of the morning.....

...even us older ones!;)

We went camping here some years back for other birthdays and had taken a picture like this. This year we wanted to take another picture like that original one. How the Lord has blessed our family!;)

We are very blessed to have eachother!

It's really funny to see how the height differs even though we are in age order! It's only fair to say that as a general rule the guys usually pass us girls up, despite their age!:)

A family tree. See if you can locate everyone!

Here is the couple that God used to start our family! We are so thankful the Lord gave them a vision for children, or else there would be no Natey or Timmy or anyone else!

Once we got home, we celebrated with a German chocolate cake! Happy Birthday, Natey!!:)

We are very grateful for these two young men who are growing up fast! It is our prayer and hope that they would grow up to be godly men! We love them both so much are thankful to the Lord for the wonderful thing additions they are to our family! It wouldn't be the same without them!

My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.
                                                                                                        Proverbs 7:1-3

"Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
                                                                                                       Deuteronomy 5:16

Oak Glen 2014

This year we were able to go to Oak Glen again for a weekend of encouraging fellowship and get away from the busyness of city life!

 We invited some friends of ours, the Weston family to come and though some of them had to work, Mr. and Mrs. Weston and Emily were able to come up with us! We had a really neat time of fellowship!

A line of hungry people eagerly awaiting breakfast...:)

Morning greetings....:)

Finding a seat for everyone.:P A neat praise was that originally we thought Daddy would not be able to join us until Saturday morning due to work. However, Friday morning he surprised us all! He enjoyed getting to visit with Mr. Weston again!

A picture with Jerome the camp director of Oak Glen. Daniel has been interested in ventriloquism ever since we returned from Higher Ground last summer, and has since then been mastering his skills and working on creating his own puppets. This is one of four he has made which he named Jerome after the camp director.

Emily put her camera to work almost as soon as we got there. This is a picture of the walkway in from of our cabins....

Several of us  young people rotated watching the very small children during sessions. We had a lot of fun this particular morning simply observing these kiddos! You certainly can learn a lot from children playing!:)

A beautiful flower that Emily photographed on a break between meetings...

The meetings always began with a  time of singing which "Uncle Joe" always led. His clear strong voice has always been a familiar bit of nostalgia for our family.

After the singing, the children went with an older couple to sing, learn verses, play games and hear a Bible story.

In the afternoons, we ladies enjoyed the craft room very much! This year the crafts were making jewelry, and decorating mugs....

Caytlin had been looking forward to this all year! She worked whenever she could and very faithfully too! By the end of the weekend she had made several pieces of jewelry as gifts for friends.

Mrs. Weston working on some earrings, while visiting with Mommy.:)

At each meal, Mr. Osborn picks someone different to pray for the food....

Friday afternoon, preparing for the talent show......a big highlight of the weekend!

Songtime before getting started...

The children's group sang a song and recited some verses.....

Natey-doing his ventriloquism act. (Daniel has inspired others to this new hobby!)

Uncle Paul played his saw.....

Introducing Jerome!

Breakfast time was always a treat with so many yummy choices.

A game of air hockey in the gymnasium....

Isaiah dodging his pursuers in a round of British-Bull-Dog.....

Waiting for the lunch bell to ring....;)

Mr. and Mrs. Weston hanging out with Mom and the little ones...

 This is the closest picture we ever got to a group picture and it's missing some people!

Visiting with one of the speakers, Jesse Gentile. He spoke on the covenants in Scripture, what they mean, and how they relate to Israel, as well as us believers. It was really good! Something he said, in pointing out God's role  in history was "God just keeps coming back with goodness!"

 Emily and I were very excited to have this weekend to visit! We had so much fun!;)We were very grateful for the opportunity to spend time together! The Lord knew we needed this time of fellowship and it was a real blessing!

Ryan got this neat picture of a resident, passing by....:)

The last day, Saturday, they had a pinada for the younger children! (Normally they have the pine derby race, but the track owner realized the track was not fit for racing and there wasn't time to build a replacement.)

A game of volleyball....

Timmy keeping himself occupied with blowing up balloons...

Josh was determined to get the candy out! Later on the broom they were using was broken by a very eager someone!;)

Evie bringing us ladies some of the candy......

Before we knew it the weekend was over and it was time to pack up and say goodbye! This year we were once again blessed, encouraged and challenged in our walks with the Lord. The Lord did a lot of cleaning in our hearts. The fellowship was refreshing and the time was well spent. We were so very thankful to be a part of it and really enjoyed having the Westons with us!!;)

One of the men who spoke talked about the story of the woman who washed Jesus feet. This was one of the best messages of the whole weekend! He asked us to consider if we were really giving all for the Lord Jesus like she had? Are we a "50 or a 500?" Is He really everything to us? Is He at the center of our hearts?

This is what life is really about, and this weekend was yet another powerful reminder to us to set our affections on things above and remember what's really important: Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him. In eternity, nothing else will count. Nothing else will matter.

 

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

                       Colossians 3:1-4