(The fam welcomes Josh- 10 minutes after he’s been born!) Hear ye! Hear ye! Today, the Clan of Barclays celebrate one of our manly treasures: Joshua Charles- meaning “God is my salvation” and Charles (in honor of my Dad) “a good man”. Josh- Joshie- J-man- Skip- JC- Joshua- these are all the names we call […]
birthday, Joshua, sons, treasure
Birds serenaded us as we walked, hand in hand, through Finley Forest. (thus named by Finley of course 🙂 ) The breeze caused a shower of crabapple blossoms to swirl around us. Finley exclaimed, “Look Nana, God is making the flowers dance for us!” I hummed the old hymn- “This is my Father’s World” as […]
Adventure, Bethany, Cohen, creation, encouragement, Finley, found, life between the trees, lost, seeking, treasure, treasure hunter, wonder
God expects us to live authentic, open lives. We’re an Open House 24/7- ready or not.
authentic living, Bethany, God's love, honest Christianity, house of love, open house, openness, perspective, special needs, truth
Fear wants to help build my house! It has come to stay until I kick it out! Fear wants to be my contractor. I have to refuse to let FEAR dwell my mind and spirit. FEAR has to be dealt with. If left alone or given permission- fear will destroy the house of love God’s trying to build. Fear […]
Bethany, fear, inspiration, loveFear, disappointments, worry, depression- these are some of the things in life that try to build our “house”. You know, where we live and think, and breathe and play. These things try to surround us, define us, enclose us, and trap us. But God is building a different house, with a sure foundation that cannot be […]
children, encouragement, love, Safe, transformation, worryThe Pearl of His Presence In His presence is fullness of joy, and in His right hand there are pleasures forever more. Psalm 16:11 Restore to me the joy of my salvation. Psalm 51:12 Joy is the pearl Jesus gave me today. Spa days, vacations, camping, fishing, hunting (for some of you […]
encouragement, God's presence, green pastures, inspiration, Jesus will meet you there, joy, restorationOne of the most exciting places to discover treasure is children. Whether born of your womb or birthed from your heart, children are true wealth from the Lord. Sarah Joy- the gift she is, the joy she brings. “A tribute to Sarah on her “birth” day” Today, I celebrate Sarah Joy- our firstborn […]
children, Sarah, treasureFor the happy heart, life is a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 Woot! Woot! Road trip to Kansas City, ready to have some fun- cranking up awesome Christian music, the five of us- Jeff, Josh, Moriah, Bethany and I- were letting our cares fly out the van windows as we looked forward to an afternoon of shopping, malling, and […]
Bethany, encouragement, fun
We are the planting of the Lord! He sees what He created inside of us. He holds us in His nail scarred hands and lovingly buries our lifeless form under the warm, rich soil of His presence.
Christian family, down syndrome, God of Grace, joyful journey, planting of the Lord, retreatFor the past three days, anywhere from eight to twenty-four people have filled our home with warmth and laughter. We have eaten, laughed, played; encouraged one another, enjoyed each other, listened with our hearts; lifted up praise and worship, shared our needs, and prayed for one another. I guess you could say we got the […]
Bethany, forever, friends, living between the trees, mother lode, treasureI absolutely delight in those extraordinary days when home schooling goes according to my “Little House on the Prairie Dream World Scenario.” I greatly despair & admire the Duggars (you know- 19 children and counting- all home schooled- all playing violin – etc.) however, Michelle I am not!!! 🙂 I know I’m not supposed to compare myself to […]
Bethany, celebrate, Duggars, home schooling, partyI’ll let you younger moms and dads in on a secret I wish I had known thirty years ago when this picture was taken and we were just starting to raise our “heritage of the Lord.” [Tweet “Which definition of #success are you teaching your #children to live by? #values #authenticity”] There is an unspoken […]
Bethany, children, downs syndrome, love people, love the Lord, successSurprising Treasure (cont) A couple treatments later, the pain continuing to escalate, and my cry to God, yet again. “Are you sure we should keep going with the treatments?…I don’t think so!!! God- The pain is unbearable. Please talk to me.” “Psalm 103:1-5” was my answer. 1 Let all that […]
Holding back tears, my heart squeezes as I watch the other girls huddle, whisper, and talk. They play clapping games, giggle, and share secrets. Bethany stands alone in a corner- watching and biting her finger. I sigh. She bites her finger when she’s nervous and overwhelmed; unsure of what to do. It’s not that the girls weren’t friendly to […]
belonging, downs syndrome, encouragement, friendship, inclusion, social challenges, special needs[box] It’s not just that God transform us into something unbreakable and tough: Through His process, He forms us into a thing of beauty and usefulness.[/box] Diamonds are the most brilliant colorless stone, a reflector of light! A diamond’s intense brilliance is due to its density (the amount of atoms packed into it) Dare I say […]
brilliance, diamond, encouragement, fiery, transformation, treasure, usefulness