Her very own Bible

This morning I looked up from where I was standing in the kitchen and this is what I found.

I live for sweet moments like this.

She loves to carry around the chunky Beginners Bible that belonged to one of the boys a few years ago and find someone to read her a "Bible stowee." Every time I get out my Bible study to work on, she gets out her "Bible Stowee" too. This morning it was big brother Jensen who didn't mind getting cozy under a blanket by the fire with her. 





She gets a kick out of her brothers reading to her. And will sit still for a minute or maybe two....

Until she's ready to show off her skills.

She is no longer content to sit and LISTEN to someone else read her the stories. She wants to READ them herself! It is the cutest thing as she sits there and rambles on and on out loud about who knows what- although I am sure whatever she is saying is theologically correct! :) lol.


I love experiencing God through the eyes of a little child. At two, she is just beginning to discover the world around her and learning more and more about things like trust, obedience, sin, faith, and love. (not that she has any idea what those words mean, it is through life experience and relationships with her family and little friends that she is learning these things) I pray that as she grows, she would continue to have a hunger for God's word and want to know Him fully and deeply. I thank the Lord for 3 sons who love Him and their little sister enough to sit with her and take the time to read with her.


So glad I thought to catch this moment before it was too late.

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But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. Psalm 8:2

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."   Luke 18:15-17


*** P.S. Although we own the Beginner's Bible and obviously Elliana loves it, I recommend the Big Picture Story Bible if you are looking for a REALLY good Bible book for children that tells of God's redemptive plan from the beginning to end! We gave this to her on her dedication day last November. The one thing that isn't great about it is that it is a bit too heavy for chubby little hands to carry around- which is what two year olds like to do most of the day! But it is definitely worth investing in for your children anywhere from 2 to about 6 or 8. Thanks to my bloggy friend Noel for letting me know about this more than a year ago!

If you live in the area...

And have a heart for the city and for lives to be transformed...


Come down this Thursday night to the FIFUL Block Party!




This is going to be awesome! There will be good food, music, tours of the Leadership Training Center, and a fun kid's corner with games and a bounce house. Our family has been looking forward to it for over a month now! It will be like an open house, so if you can't make it at 5:30- come whenever you can until about 8:00.



Do you live in Fresno and have never heard of FIFUL?



You might remember the Urban Dip we did with a few high school students a while back. I blogged about it HERE. That was put on by FIFUL. Our friends Phil & Rici Skei are an amazing young family who have a huge passion for the city (he is the director of FIFUL) and just have this way of helping you catch that vision. Every time we see them, Randy and I are just inspired to live differently and have dreamed about relocating from our pretty wealthy upper class side of town to some of the poorest neighborhoods in Fresno. Not sure what it all means, but we know that God has used them to get us out of our comfort zone to get involved and start praying about what direction He is taking us!



Well, what can I say except that I LOVE this ministry! They have such a vision and passion to train young people (and some older) to develop God's heart for the inner city and the people who live here. They partner with others all over the city and are making a dramatic impact in the lives of not only those in the poorest urban neighborhoods, but those in the church as well. This is their mission statement:
FIFUL exists to develop leaders who transform (spiritually, socially, economically, and physically) communities (campuses, churches, neighborhoods, and beyond) by loving God and loving their neighbors.

This block party is a fundraiser for the restoration of this old house in downtown Fresno that will become the new Leadership Training Center. We are so excited about this training center and can't wait to see how God is going to use it to transform even more lives for His glory.

So COME and bring the whole family this Thursday night to the block party and be a part of something bigger than just your own neighborhood. Be a part of a city-wide transformation!

Click on this picture to learn a lot more about FIFUL and all that they do.

Wordless Wednesday {Bubbles}