El Elyon and El Shaddai

By John Mitchell

El Elyon

The second name of God is in Genesis 14:18-22

In Acts 7:2 "The God of glory appeared unto Abraham when he was still in Ur of the Chaldees."

What kind of God did Abraham have? The first revelation to His friend Abraham was by the name El Elyon, the Most High God. 

God calls Abram out of Ur and he did. What made him follow?

Genesis 14:18-23 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for thyself.” And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God [El Elyon], the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe strap, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say,‘I have made Abram rich’.” 

Now, the offering of the king of Sodom seems nice, but Abraham is not going to fall for its trap. He knows his God is El Elyon, possessor of everything. It is God Who has made me rich, and he was not going to rob God of that glory. 

The Most High divided the nations.

Deuteronomy 32:8 When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 

Paul had seen that men were worshiping a god without name and explained to them who that God was,

Acts 17:26-27 And He hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us. 

God put the nations in the best place to find Him. 

History showed us that men was not satisfied with the place God gave them. Nations were not satisfied with the portion God gave them. That is why the history of mankind is plagued with war. 

When El Elyon separated the nations, He did it according to number of the people of Israel. Battling the Most High God will take you to destruction. 

Daniel 4:24-25, 32, 34-35 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen; and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen. And seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me. And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His hand or say unto Him, ‘What doest Thou?’"

Nebuchadnezzar found that a decree from the Most High God can't be changed. 

Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

What place could be safer than by El Elyon, the possessor of everything?

Now let us look at Jesus in the New Testament. 

Jesus is called the son of El Elyon.

Luke 1:32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David.

You find in the Gospel of Luke Jesus casting demons. You don't find this in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is the revelation of Christ as manifested in flesh. You find three miracles of creation, three miracles of healing, and one of raising the dead. He picks up seven signs to prove Jesus' sonship. But Luke's gospel is our Lord in the midst of men. 

Luke 4:33-34 And in the synagogue there was a man, who had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee and who Thou art — the Holy One of God!” 

Luke 8:30-31 And Jesus asked him, saying, “What is thy name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many devils had entered into him. And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep. 

Demons not only know Who Jesus is but know the power He holds over them. 

Acts 16:16-18 And it came to pass as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed by a spirit of divination met us. She had brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul and us, crying out and saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who show unto us the way of salvation.” And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that same hour. 

Interesting how she was right, but Paul hushed the demons just as Jesus had because demons have no right to testify concerning the Saviour. It is not in the providence of demons to bear testimony concerning the Son. This is the believers responsibility to share the precious story of redemption. 

We find that El Elyon is the possessor of everything, the One Who separated the nations, the safest place to abide in. And we find that reflected in Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds

He is the heir of all things! Jesus is the owner of the universe! And to top it of, He has made us heirs with Him.

Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God; and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so it be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. 

We have come into relationship with the One Who owns everything. My! How rich we are! And yet most of us live as paupers. Rich spiritually, not seeking treasure on Earth were the moth and thieves can ruin it but with and inheritance that is eternal, uncorruptible, held by El Elyon. What a great God Who would hold an inheritance for us in heaven, for He is the possessor of everything! 

El Shaddai

The Almighty God, the All-power One, the One Who is sufficient.

Genesis 17:1-2 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, “I am the Almighty God. Walk before Me, and be thou perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” 

God wants to reveal Himself with different names because He wants us to know what kind of God we have. 

Is your God big enough to meet your needs? 

Yes! He is El Shaddai, the Almighty! He has power to do His will. 

But man has made his own god; he has deified himself. Man doesn't want God to interfere with him. People are becoming more and more bold against God. They don't want to hear about Him and don't want others to hear about Him. We don't want Bibles in the schools! 

And mankind sows what he reaps. They sow corruption and reap corruption. And still man hold they don't need a Saviour. 

I may not understand all that God does. How could I when He is omnipotent, omniscient, all powerful, supreme, and unlimited? We are limited in knowledge, experience, in gifts. It's a gift that He has revealed Himself, so we can know Him. One day God is going to complete His purpose for men and for Earth, whether you believe it or not. Just as sure as He is on the throne, He is going to do what He wants to do.

People ask what kind of God would allow the things that happen on Earth. The answer is simple: men are reaping what they have sowed. 

He is the only One Who can deliver you from the bondage and the penalty of sin, from the fear and power of death, and sit you in the presence of God. He can use us to reach nations for Himself. 

When God revealed Himself as El Shaddai in Genesis 17:1 to Abraham and gave him the Abrahamic covenant, He did so to show that He is the nourisher; He is able to impart Himself, impart His power, and perform His precious will. 

Genesis 13:14-16 And the Lord said unto Abram after Lot was separated from him, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 

Abraham was 75 at this point and Sarah was 65.

And you come to chapter 16, and still no children. Abraham is 85 and Sarah 75 years of age. From chapter 13 to 16 God is promising Abraham descendants. It is very hard for you and me to wait God's time. We say and teach that God is always on time, but one of the hardest things is to wait for God's time. If He doesn't answer right away we assumed He didn't listened to us. Sarah couldn't wait and took her servant Agar and gave her to Abraham to procreate. Ishmael is born. And from that point you get 13 years of silence and no revelation between chapter 16 and 17. Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. In the next chapter, he is 99 years of age. For 13 years he is out of the will of God. He was given a promise at 75 years of age and for 11 years did not receive it. At Sarah's 89 years of age there is no hope for them to conceive. But we know that Abraham kept believing. 

Romans 4:18-19 Abraham, against all hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So shall thy seed be.” And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 

But up until chapter 16 of Genesis they both know God as El Elyon, the Possessor of all. In chapter 17 He reveals Himself as El Shaddai, the Almighty One. It was at this point that Sarah also believed. 

Hebrews 11:11 Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 

We can trust the All-sufficient God is faithful. 

Jesus is El Shaddai. 

John 8:56-58 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and He saw it and was glad.” Then said the Jews unto Him, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?” Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am!” 

He is the One Who never fails. Abraham failed, Sarah failed. And they got 13 years out of fellowship with God. How long have you been out of fellowship with God for not being able to wait? You might judge Abraham for not waiting though he had been waiting 11 years when he failed. Do we wait God's time? How much do we know about El Shaddai? How much do we wait on the All-sufficient, the One Who when He speaks He is going to keep His word?

He is the God Who is enough for you and for me. 

Dear Kaylee 11 months

My dearest Kaylee, 

I apologize for not writing more letters. Mom will definitely look into that. 

My sweet baby, I can tell from your early age that you are going to be "cariñosa." There is no satisfying translation of the word in English, so I will leave it in Spanish. You love to hug and kiss. I love how when mommy is around almost no one can take your attention from me. Mommy has never felt so important. Grandpa Rodolfo use to be that for your sister. You are such a smart girl. You gave your first steps before daddy's 27th birthday just as we had predicted you would. You were 9 months old. The curious thing was that you needed to learn to walk to master crawling, and now you prefer crawling to walking when you were so adamant in learning to walk before crawling. It took mommy to get on all fours with you to teach you to crawl. I am not going to lie, baby girl, but you had a funny crawl. There are video evidence to show you when you're older. Your first word was mommy when you were around 7 months. You later learned to say daddy after daddy constantly trying to get you say it. However, your favorite and most said word is "kiki" which means Mickey. At first I though you were imitating your big sister who had a huge Mickey Mouse phase at the time. The funny thing was when you'd wake up and point at the tv and exclaim "kiki." You definitely knew what you were saying, you smarty pants! Your funniest word is "No." It is funny because you say it in a British accent. It is probably all that Peppa Pig and Pocoyo we watch together. You do the silliest things, like try to bite mommy's belly or cheeks. You are the cutest at playing hide and seek. When mommy asks "Where is Kaylee?" , you hide and pop out exclaiming "Ahi ta!" ("There she is" in slang Spanish). It is adorable. You have been a light sleeper, mainly because mommy spolied you and lets you sleep with her too much. Poor daddy sometimes loses his patience when you won't sleep on your own. I explain to him that your high maintenance is due to teething. We blame everything on teething. You have three tooths and a half. The fourth is starting to show. Those two front teeth have taken forever to finally pop out. You gave us quite a scare a couple of weeks ago. You were waking constantly and when mommy when to check on you you had a really high fever. You had never had high fevers before. Mommy gave you a bath and medicine and nothing was working. We were about to go running to the ER when sweet Aunt Adina let us know what to do and how to help you. Mommy was glad it was a weekend and I could spend ithe day caring for you. Mommy works during the day and gets back at home at 3pm. You always brighten up when you see me. You have no idea how I wish I could spend my whole day with you. You and your sister have a love-hate relationship. You love to be together, but you fight for toys and parent's attention. You are caring of each other and that fills my heart so much. You are the perfect eater. Feeding time with you is so breezy and fun. Your sister would torture us trying to feed her. You just open wide and say "AMMMM" with every bite. You are not a picky eater and you eat so healthy. You are 11 months and mommy still manages to breastfeed you once or twice a day. You don't know how happy I am for that. Oh, my blue-grey eyed wonder, how thinking of you makes me smile! You seem more beautiful with each passing day. I love you so much. Just this morning you woke up when I was trying to sneak out of the room to go to work. Your uncles were still getting ready, so we had some alone time. I was holding you in my arms and you laid in my chest, and I was praying for your life worshiping God for how perfectly and wonderfully you were made. I love how you and your sister bring me closer to God. You have filled my life with gratitude and joy. I love you, my darling; I carry you with me. I carry you in my heart.

Joy of my life!

El Elohim

I did this Bible doctrine course available at BBN Free Bible Institute online many years ago. As I go over it again, I want to share it with you. You can take the course yourself by signing up here.

By John Mitchell

How has God revealed Himself to men?

Does He have an interest in me and you?

Job chp. 11

Can't thou by searching find God? 

Job 23:3

"Oh that I might know where to find Him?"

Does God know me?

Sin ruined man and gave him a nature that is contradictory to God's nature. 

You might say "But I am not so bad?"

Then I would ask you "Who is your standard?" When God is the standard, we see how far off we are. 

And so, we want to know Him to be more like Him, and God reveals Himself through His names. 

His name's reveal He is not through with men, even though man is ruined in sin. 

Rom.5:8 

"God loved us while we were sinners"

He loves us and has given provision for us to have fellowship with Him and know Him.

We find in the Bible that God does things for His name's sake. 1 John 2:12 we see the forgiveness of sins for His name's sake.

Psalm 138:2 "Thou hast underwritten ever word by Thy name."

We are going to connect God's Old Testament names and see how Jesus fullfills them all in the New Testament. 

Let us study His names and see what kind of God I am trusting and serving. 

While we study His names I will ask you "Is this your God? Is He big enough? Do you know without a question of a doubt that death is defeated, sin has been put away, and He is able to save you?" This is everything! You need to ask "Has He made it possible for you and me to have a relationshio with Him? Are you a fool for not knowing Him and not putting your trust in Him? How much interest does He have in you? How much interest do you have in Him?"

As I get to know Him, the more I bow to Him for His mercy, grace, and love and this produces worship, praise, and obedience. It's about time christians really know God. It is possible for us to really know God, and it is a tragedy so many of His people know so little about Him. 

Mstthew 16

Jesus asks His disciples what names people has used for Him, and the disciples said John the Baptist, Elijah, some of the prophets. He asked "What do you say?" and Peter said "You are the Son of God." Jesus said to him "Simon, you are very blessed for flesh and bones have not revealed this to you but my Father Who is in heaven."

What you and I will ever know about God will be given to us by revelation. This revelation has been given in the Word of God. How will you know Him if you don't go to His Word?

The very first name of God in His Word was given in Genesis 1:1.

"In the beginning God." 

The name God there is El Elohim. It means the mighty one, the creator. Used 2700 times in the Old Testament, connected especially with creation. 

John 1:3

"All things were made by Him and without Him was anything made that was made. In Him was life and that life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not comprehend it."

Heb 1:2-3

"... by Whom He also made the worlds, Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"

This is talking about Jesus. 

Col 1:16-17

"By Him were all things created.... by Him and for Him....by Him all things are held together."

He is the creator and the upholder of all things.

Interesting that El Elohim is God's name in the old testament especially used by gentiles. He was known as the creator. He is the living God in contrast to the dead idols

Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel and had a contest with the prophets of Baal. Baal's prophets are asking for fire, even cutting themselves open with knives. Elijah took 12 stones and built an altar, put his sacrifice in the altar, and drenched it with water. He, in a quiet prayer, lifted his hands and prayed "Let is be known that You are the God of Israel." And the fire of God consumed the altar, the water, and the sacrifice. 

1 Kings 18:39

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, “The Lord, He is the God! The Lord, He is the God!” 

The translation is "He is Elohim" and the usage of this name meant that He is the living God and He must be worship. 

So the question is raised, how do you worship Him, the creator and uplifter of all things?

The disciples asked Jesus that question. How can we know the way to the Father? He said to them "I am the way to the Father" and thus He also must be worshiped. 

When you worship God you must see His holiness and His rightfulness and see your own sinfulness. When you think that a sinful man can come into the presence of a righteous God, you ought to bow down and worship Him, especially when God has made a way in which we can come into His presence. 

How wonderful that Jesus came to make a way so that we may come into the presence of God acceptable to worship. 

Exodus 3:7-10

God met Moses in the burning bush. "I have seen. I have heard. I have come to deliver my people."

Elohim also means the ever faithful one. 

Job 23:3

"Oh that I might know where to find Him?"

This is a heart that is yearning for God. How wonderful that now the Lord Jesus says to us "Come to me all who are burden, and I will give you rest"!

Paul says in Timothy that now we have a mediator before God, and He has made it possible for you to become child of God. 

The Elohim, the creator, upholder of all things, the ever faithful one has made provision for us to be with Him. He must be praised! He must be worshiped!

Be a Vessel

We are having a lovely spiritual retreat at IST school for teachers. Here is the first talk:

Be a Vessel by Reed Skinner.

What can we do to keep our children from the bondage of sin that is at the door for them? 

Oil. Every time oil is mentioned in the Bible it represents the Holy Spirit. He is the only thing that will keep the next generation from bondage. 

2 Kings 4

A widow came to the prophet Elisha to help her because her acreditors were coming home to take her children to bondage to pay her debts. The prophet asked: "What do you have home?"

The issue to separate life from death, bondage from freedom, and heaven from hell is "Is there a vessel?"

The oil never stopped flowing to the vessel in the story with the prophet Elisha.

Elisha told her to go and get all the vessels available to pour oil. 

Oil was not in shortage. The vessels that could hold oil were in shortage. 

These vessels needed to be empty. 

The prophet tells her to shut the door and stay inside alone with her children.

To be an empty vessel there are things in your life you are going to have to shut out, including people. To be a usable empty vessel we will have to separate from the world. 

2 Cor 6:17

".. be separate, do not touch what is unclean..."

Also found in Isaiah 52 and Ezequiel 20. 

Three times the Bible mentions to be separate.

When we do this it is so that God can pour to us so that we can pour into the world. The purpose is not to separate for the sake of being separated; the purpose is to be filled. 

The oil stopped when there were no vessels available. As long as there are vessels, the oil kept flowing. 

The vessel does not give value to the oil. The oil gives value to the vessel. It is needed, but it is not the value. The glory is always God's, and we are just grateful He uses us and He needs a vessel and choses to use us.

But we must be clean and empty for God to use us. 

The Devil hates the vessel. He knows its power, and he is trying to destroy it. 

1 Cor 10:19

"Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in you Whom you have from God? You are not your owner; you were bought with a price."

Satan can't hurt the oil. His only tactic is to damage the vessel. 

This is why what we do matters. 

It matters what we are putting in our hearts and minds, the people we are sharing with, what our actions are doing.

You are either a vessel of treasure or a vessel of trash. 

You are a container, no matter what you do. 

Ezequiel 47: 9-11

The picture painted is an angel calling Ezequiel to a river. He is ankle deep in water, and the angel calls him into the river. And he is knee deep in the river, and the angel keeps calling him into the river. 

God is bringing us into the river of His Holy Spirit, and He wants us to go deeper in it. 

2 Cor 7:9

Paul is asking for perfection, but he finds that even after asking God three times to have that thorn removed God refuses to take the thorn. 

And the angel is telling Ezequiel that the river is going to clean and heal him, but he will have parts that remain with salty water.

Even Paul found that he couldn't clean completely from sin. 

Why?

Because it is for God's glory that we may know we need God's grace and we must remain in Him. 

But this doesn't mean we must not try to keep our vessel clean. 

1 Cor 3:4-5

"What is Paul? a servant...."

God can do miracles through you, show His power through you, and preach through you. You, a lowly creature, are chosen to be a vessel. 

Don't give your space away to things of no value limiting the place in your heart to have the oil poured.

You can think your role in the Kingdom is not important.

2 Timothy 2:20-21

In the house of God there are vessels of honor and vessels for more lowly things.

You might want to say what type of service or what things you want to do for God. 

You chose what you'll do and ask God to bless what you chose to do. 

And thank God He is merciful and forgives our stupidity. 

I can't chose what the Lord wants me to do. 

Rom 9:20-21

"Will the thing ask the Maker why have you made me this way?"

Your service to God is not about what you can or want to do.

God does not need superstars; He needs vessels. 

If you want a glamorous work, you are not fit for service. 

If you want to limit to do what you can do, God can't use you. 

The Lord chooses. 

Deut 1:15

If you can't clean a bathroom with the same love that you would preach in a big church, you are not fit for service.

The disciples are told by Mary on the Canaan wedding to go and do what He tells you.

Nonesensically bringing empty vessels and filling them with water was probably not what the disciples thought they were following Jesus for. And God showed His glory there, and they did what they were told. 

A missionary walks endless hours into a mountain to arrive to a tribe to reach a single man. But God cares about that single man being reached. 

When Jesus was about to die in the Cross He said "It is finished." He did not say I am finished. He descended to hell to take the keys from Hell. All that time, the vessel was in the tomb. He, the oil, was not defeated ever.

And by doing this, He bought me, He bought you, and He bought our children and students. 

The oil is not the problem; the problem is finding the vessel that will step out of his comfort zone and will tell what Jesus did in his life. 

You are the hope of the world for the Lord to deliver His message. 

You don't have to be talented or be a star.

You just have to be clean and empty. 

People prays "Give me anointing, give me a purpose" and God answers "Give me your vessel. Be my vessel, and I will be your power, strength, and my purpose."

Act 9:15

"But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel."

God is never wrong in who He choses, but you must be intentional to be a clean vessel ready to be poured into by Him.

When you empty yourself to be the vessel, don't be surprised to fall into attack. It will happen! 

2 Kings 6:15-17

"Do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are against us."

We are not trying to do this in our own strength. His strength and His forces for you are greater than those that are against us, including yourself. 

The God of angel armirs is for us. 

Revelations 17:14

".. the Lamb will overcome them for He is the King of Kings."

Isaiah 54:17

"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.

Bondage is coming for your children, your family, and your heart. "What is in your home?" the prophet asked. The oil is there. Be a vessel, clean and empty, so that it may flow. The oil is the only one that can save us and our children. Be an empty, clean vessel that the oil can be poured in. 

Peppa Pig Birthday for Emmalee's two years

Before I share to you Emmalee's birthday, let me open with a cinquain inspired by Kaylee's feet. 

Chubby

baby feet

tiny and sweet

Feel like taking a

bite!

It is poetry week in my seventh grade English class, and we were writing cinquains yesterday. 

Boy! Did I enjoy this birhday! Usually, I am always running late putting up decorations when guest are already arriving, and the girls and I are not even dressed. Most of the time I end up without make up on. I think the practice  and skill I've acquired from having my own bakery business had a lot to do with the organization and order everything had this time. I even had time to get ready calmly and go out for lunch with my mother before the event. 

I was absolutely in love with this theme. It is just so gorgeous. Now, I did not choose it. That was the fun of it. My daughter just went Peppa crazy. Having her have likes and dislikes made this birthday a lot different. I loved making something for the birthday and watch her light up when she saw me finish something and yell "Peppa!!!"

I totally loved the way the dessert table looked. The reason I loved this theme is that it ended up not being monotonous and very colorful.

The cake turned out adorable. I took a whole day to make it. It turned out better than I expected. It was a total hit.

But it was a hit mainly with the birthday girl and isn't that what you want from the brithday cake?

I love the favors and goodie bags. I was sad I had finished all the crafts for the birthday so I decided to throw in that personalized Peppa can to hold the fans that are also a whistle.

This were hand made to make the bags pop.

The cake pops are yellow "Wellington boots" that Peppa uses to jump in muddy puddles. 

The cupcakes where planned to have the Peppa and George characters done in white chocolate, but the government decided to cut out the electricity all day and I had to improvise.

But I loved how they turned out made out of fondant. They look fun.

The muddy puddles were chocolate pudding. There were a bigger hit than I thought they would. I had some wiggly gummie worms there that complemented my muddy puddles. 

A plain strawberry jelly turned into a conversation piece. 

I always like to include some healthy choice, specially since I had many lactating moms that need dairy free foods. 

The thing I loved most of this handmade banner was watching Emmalee go near it and start naming the characters she recognized. 

I love the simple-to-make and great looking backdrop. Some cloud poms and drops brought it to another level.

I was not planning on this intricate centerpieces. I found the pattern for the Peppa and George on pinterest and I really wanted to make them. I was going to have them sit on the table with a balloon in hand. I had a lot of Huggies boxes lying around (with two babies), and I recycled them into those lovely looking trees and fence and apples. Only the leaves and the grass did not come from the box. I love repurposing!

This is the Peppa on its own. I love her Teddy and Mr. Dinosaur on George also. 

The pattern was the same, but for some reason the Georges ended up looking chubbier.

This photoshoot backdrop was initially planned to have the characters faces with wholes to put your face in; but when I made the characters, I couldn't cut their good looking faces. 

The best thing of this birthday was having my mom there. And look at that great looking grandmother of two. Isn't she gorgeous? She used that photoshoot well.

I was not planning on making the piñata; but when I went to purchase the piñata, I didn't like the way the Peppas looked. They didn't look like Peppa, but they looked like any pig. The piñatas that did look like Peppa were way too pricey. I found a tutorial on pinterest to make the piñata and decided to go for it, three days before the birthday. I made it so fast that I was afraid I was going to hang it and the weight of the candies was going to rip the piñata apart. I could not be more mistaken. The piñata was so stutdy that grown ups had a hard time breaking it. 

It was all worth it to see that little one enjoy it so much. She even helped in making the piñata. It was messy so it was appealing to her. I was afraid she would feel bad beating Peppa with a stick. She had a problem initially and only hit Peppa three times. After she saw other kids beating her, she wanted another go. LOL.

We had a wonderful time. We love that girl like crazy.

We also loved having Aunt Lilly at the birthday. She and my mom live in Panama City. Aunt Lilly was a complete hit with my daughters. It was her first time meeting Kaylee. She was awesome and spent all the birthday with her. Emmalee kept asking for her Tia Lilly when she went back. She has a philosophy when taking pictures with babies. After trying to take a picture of Kaylee with her fingers out of her mouth, she decided that if you couldn't beat them, join them.

And the birthday was a great time to make friends. Here we see Kaylee and my highschool best friend's son Daniel. How wonderful to remain friends after so many years and have our children be friends.

The best friends life could give me!

I look into your eyes

I look into your eyes and lose myself in beauty,

and I marvel at how wonderfully you were made by our most loving God.

I marvel at every curve your face makes when you smile or

the serenity it portrays when you sleep. 

I look into your eyes and am filled with overwhelm

at the blessing that I was chosen to be your mother.

I am overwhelmed by the thought that you were once in me, 

growing with every prayer I made for you and every song I sang to you. 

I looked into your eyes for the first time and was shocked with love,

never knowing I could feel so much love, so instantly, so insanely.

Can this love compare to God's? A love without reserve, without conditions!

If it can't compare, it must be the closest one.

I look into your eyes looking back at me and I am humbled

that you are so small and barely know a thing 

and I need you more than you need me.

I learn from your inocence, your peace, your joy, and your faith in me. 

I look into your eyes and I wonder

Do you know how much you mean to me?

Will you remember that I once was your all?

Can you tell how happy I am with you?

I look into your eyes and I worry

that the evil in this world might touch that beauty.

Will this world reach that inocence?

Can my love shield you and always reach you?

I look into your eyes and I pray

that He may be your high refugee.

Love Him with all your heart, live to give him glory. 

Use me, Oh Lord, for this purpose and may my life show her how. 

I look into your eyes and I give thanks

that I am lucky enought to look into your eyes

and call you my daughter, my sweet baby girl.

That this undeserving human is called your mom.

I am not a poet, and I don't pretend to be one. This is not a poem. It is just my attempt at putting into words what it's like to look into your daughters eyes. I don't have a son, and I hope one day to write what looking into his eyes is like. For now, I revel on the joy of having girls that are soft, pink, beautiful, frail, lovely, and caring. 

Some days feel so hard to live. I want to go to bed without a late night waking or feeding. When we had our own house, Emmalee had a bedtime routine. I would bathe her and clothe her, give her her bottle, and send her to her room with the lights off and her turtle lamp shining an underwater ilusion light into the ceiling and play the sound of waves crushing. Now, with all of us sleeping in one tight room, she asks to be picked up and sleep in my bed. Sometimes we oblige and sometimes we send her to her bed; but since Kaylee is in the bed with us, we oblige more often. These past nights, however, she has been doing the darnest thing. She comes to my side of the bed and ask "sube, sube" (up, up). I pull her up on the bed and she wraps her arms around me, puts her head on my shoulder, and says "mami" (mommy). It's almost a sigh, like a relief or comfort that she is in her mommy's arms. I can't express what this does to my tired heart. It is filled beyond measure and it feels invincible. Kaylee does the darnest things too. She will fall profoundly asleep in my arms but will fully wake up the moment she touches the crib. This has resulted in sometimes constantly waking in the middle of the night and me finally surrendering and letting her sleep in my arms the rest of the night. But when morning comes and I wake up, I watch her sleeping so carelessly on my arms. And it is like she feels my eyes looking at her because I haven't moved or made a sound, and she opens her eyes to meet mine. She gives the softest, faintest, sweetest smile that makes my heart become a puddle of goo. 

And it might not be an ideal situation, but I won't have those moments with them forever. And for now, looking into their eyes is the best thing in the world!!!

Learning on submission

I don't know about you, but I was fiercely taught my place in the family hierarchy. I am second. I am not the head. I do not rule myself. I am to submit. This is God's command to wives: submit to your husbands. 

And yet, I don't. Not always. 

If you haven't realized by now, I am a little obsessive compulsive, analytical person. I analyze everything. I am glad I do. I think when I do the Spirit in me is able to reveal much truth. This is the Christian's walk: the search for truth. When all is said and done, truth is what will set us free. I am grateful I can analyze my actions and find revelation in them to change my ways, surrender to the Lord, and seek His glory. It reminds me of Psalm 139:23

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

I have found that I have been having trouble submitting to my husband because I have been resenting him. It is not hard for me to admit I do not submit to my husband. Just a few minutes with me will show you I am headstrong and independent. It is hard for me to accept I sometimes resent my husband. 

How can I admit that? Isn't admitting that chattering this image we try so hard to set of a great marriage? Very few wives will admit this, but all of my close friends that are married have expressed this same feeling to me. They resent their husbands for not being more helpful in the house, for not being more attentive or loving, for not allowing them to be stay-at-home wives, for not giving the green light for a new baby. These examples give birth to different levels of resentment, but they all pave a way for insubordination. 

Some wives' insubordination is rooted on their failed expectations of their husbands. We expected him to be stronger emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We expected him to be able to support the family financially on his own. We expected him to have perfect decision making skills, strong leadership, and a desire to spend his free time with the family. We expected him to be able to understand us. 

Men usually have the same complaint about their wives: They wish they were accepted and not feeling their wives want to change them. 

My insubordination has been rooted in me resenting him for our financial situation. As a couple we decided that I would work so that he could focus on graduating as soon as possible. Since he is studying an engineering career, working and studying would have taken forever to finish. We did that our first year of marriage and it was complete disaster. We worked non-stop and had very little time to ourselves or to rest. It took a toll on my health and my sanity. We decided I made enough money for our modest living so he could finish his career. Even with him just studying, we would go to bed late with his drawing assignments, calcutation assignments, or those all-nighters engineering careers are famous for. I never resented him for him not working because we lived comfortably and had more time to ourselves. I never felt I worked more than him. I always felt we both did our part equally. 

With two babies, though, things have changed. From our expenses to our living necesities, everything went to the roof, and I just couldn't keep the boat afloat on my own. He finishes his career next Moday. Completely finish. All he has to do is wait for him to defend his professional practice and graduate. 

He has been looking for a job. I don't know why my brain has interpret this as "not wanting to work."

"Of course he wants to work! He is up before you are bathed and clothed and packing YOUR meal. He is out all day giving out curriculums, sending emails, and visiting friends that might have a job lead. If he is not doing that, he is running errands, fixing the car, or caring for the baby that was sick this week and on time to pick you up from work" I had to tell my brain. I feel I had to tell my brain mainly because a lot of voices, unsolicited voices, have been weighing in on our financial situation. 

I promised "In riches and in need, in sickness and health" when I married him. I have always thought it is a blessing that we've struggled in the beginning of our marriage. Most people decide to get married when all their affairs are in place and they are in a stable place. This stability is not a promise of future stability. When that instability comes in the future, a lot of couples who have never experienced it and didn't know what "need" looked like do not make it through the rough patch. I, on the other hand, have been given the blessing and opportunity to honor my husband and look up to him and make him feel admired and honored, in tough times. 

I love to examine myself. It is the Christian practice rather than the more common practice of examining others. I have to redirect my thought to what God wants from me, to the appreiciation of all that my husband does, and to the beauty that will result from this tough time to keep my sinful, despicably human heart from unfairly resenting my husband and to falling into the horrible sin of insubordination this has brought forth as a result. 

Ladies, sometimes you might think you are in the right challenging your husbands' authority. You might even have a long list that "justifies" your challenging his authority or not submitting to him or resenting his ways. Maybe you need to examine your own hearts and not your husband's. God has so much truth for us there, under the light of His Word and the joy of communion with Him and a humble heart. 

We don't like to hear that if our husband is wrong we must keep submitting, and quietly nonetheless. 

In my case, I have believed in the Lord that He is our Jehova Yireh, the Lord provides. And my husband is doing what he can and even makes sure I get all the extra sleep I can at nights because 

I have to go to work. I have been sinning by not being submissive and by resenting him. Now that the Lord has lifted the veil of my sinful ways, I am making sure I make him feel appreciated, admired, and loved; and since I am aiming at making him feel that way, I am being submissive to him. I am learning submission has more to it than just obeying what he says and doing it with a quiet, gentle attitude, which is hard to do on its own, and I want to learn all that God has for me in this area.