why do i do what i dont want to do?

we have all been dwelling on this scripture the last 2 weeks. it's been kind of a mantra lately.
we all strive to be Christ-like, but inevitably we fall so short.

Romans 7

New International Version (NIV)

Released From the Law, Bound to Christ

7Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? ² For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. ³ So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

⁴ So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For when we were in the realm of the flesh,^[a] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. ⁶ But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

The Law and Sin

⁷ What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”^[b] 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. ⁹ Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. ¹⁰ I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. ¹¹ For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. ¹² So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.
¹³ Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature^[d] a slave to the law of sin.

just random everyday stuff around here

so esther was pouting or whining about something so i snapped a picture to show her how "adorable" she looked.

abigail at the ballfield....just being cute.

Asher in the yard being ...well......cute!

and a real shot of esther being adorable!

clay was putting shingles on a new rabbit hutch he recently built & levi needed to get in on the action. he is a man's man. he is constantly following clay around the yard trying to do exactly what he does out there. levi's favorite things are a tape measure and a hammer.

could he be any cuter?

 uh yes he can!!!

abigail waiting on her birthday cheesecake.

levi waiting on some of abigail's birthday cheesecake.

silly asher

i have been calling elizabeth "princess pouty" because she has had major attitude lately. but
in this picture she was being a normal almost 14 year old....showing a little attitude! she's so beautiful.

elizabeth & foofie taking selfies!

ok we have had issues with a possum eating our helpless animals. we have lost an almost laying silkie chicken that i had hatched out of my incubator. this possom climbed in the coop...ate the silkie, minus it's wings & left. but it also hurt my leghorn (who is recuperating nicely).
so we moved everyone around so we wouldnt lose anymore of our chickens to the wild night life.
well sadly, the possom came back & ate one of our baby runner ducks THRU the cage bars. i was so mad!!! so we went to tractor supply and bought a "catch & release" trap. there wont be any releasing!    if we actually catch the critter it's a dead critter.

anyway, we were testing the trap out.... notice rachel's face in the back ground. we have laughed so much over it. she said "maybe we can catch an armadillo" in her best "target lady" from SNL voice. it's pretty funny. i made this picture larger than the others so you can see rachel's face. makes me laugh.

i figured out how to catch wild boys!! m&m's!!

and this was foofie while this was going on. she is thinking, "i'm surrounded by crazy."

blue-eyed foofie

have to post a whole lot of pics of foofie. i think her eyes get bluer by the minute if that's possible.

abigail turns 8

abigail turned 8 on the 20th of April. i cant say enough good things about her. she is so encouraging, probably the most of anyone i know. she always has an encouraging word for one of her siblings or her father & i..."good job," "way to go," "i knew you could do it." "i love you".....etc. 

she is also waaaaaayyyyyy to smart for her own good. her reading level is off the charts. she can read between the lines better than a lot of adults. she is also very good at reading people. i think she might have a career in the investigative field. if not that, then her children wont get by with much. 

Anyway, Abigail Grace....you are loved & adored. 8 years have flown by & we are so proud of the girl you are &  the young lady you are becoming. Thankful that you love the Lord first and share His love every chance you get with others. 

we have started a new tradition of taking the birthday child out by themselves with mom & dad. Abigail wanted a good grilled cheese sandwich for her birthday dinner so she decided on Cracker Barrel. It was between Cracker Barrel & IHOP. I was happy with the choice of Cracker Barrel.

Also, Abigail being a bit different than most kids her age, she only wants cheesecake for her birthday cake. For as long as she could decide what cake she wanted it has been cheesecake. Rachel actually made them this year & Abigail said they were the best she had ever had.

we were high fiving over her blowing out all 8 candles with one breath! oh to be so young!

when did she get so big?

this girl has gotten so big. she is sitting beside me on the bed, sitting up, playing with her toys, happy because she is sitting beside her mommy. this season flies by...so i am trying to enjoy every minute.

play ball!!!

"there are only two seasons - winter and baseball" - bill veeck

asher is now playing baseball. he loves it. he is on the Mets. he has a great coach who has TONS OF PATIENCE!!!
here are a few shots of asher at his first game.

edited to say..."rachel & i think these little boys in their baseball uniforms are so cute & cool looking. they are little men in training. so darn cute. all of them! we just love watching them. such machismo in one place...lots of testosterone with these little guys & they have no clue what to do with all of it! too fun!! God in His infinite wisdom knew how to make girls fall in love with boys....put them in baseball uniforms at 6 years old!"

esther turns 4!!

esther is such a special kid. she is so independent and will not be left out of anything with her siblings. she turned 4 on saturday. i cant believe 4 years have gone by so quickly. but she is so much fun!! we all adore this girl.

we got esther a bike for her birthday & she requested fairies for her cake & she demanded a card that plays music!