Cupcake!

This photo was taken today with Madison's little camera - Daddy and she took a break to go down to the playground, and do some playing around. We brought a nerf ball, and Daddy found a few tennis balls as well - first thing we did was play catch over on the tennis courts. Madison wanted to do that first. Then, it was time for the slides and the playground equipment, where we had some more fun. It was such a pleasant day, comparatively speaking to other days weather-wise. It was cool, although not so cold that we wanted to stay indoors completely. To that extent, Mommy, Nana and Ba-Ba were doing some cosmetic work outside, clearing out some of the brush to the side of our yard. And watching out for thorns!

This morning started the way all mornings start when Nana is here: with cards. Madison grabs the cards and wants to play games with Nana all the time, and different ones too.

Here, you can see her playing a variation of the game "Snap," which we call "Cupcake!" I think we changed the name so that we could practice some speech along the way. Regardless, it is fun for both Nana and Madsion: they have a great time together.

Meanwhile, Daddy still labors away for this new series:

Medieval castles still stand to this day, monuments of stone filled with memories of an era long ago. Inside these castles, loyal subjects served their king, and valiant knights stood ready to defend their kingdom. A moat of water usually surrounded the castle’s high walls; it’s only entrance a drawbridge heavily guarded. Castles were very hard to for enemies to take, although history is filled with many attempts – some successful and others not. The battles seemed continuous!

They still are. The Bible tells us that people who have no self-control are like a city with walls broken down. The meaning is true: forces of darkness can invade, and take over a person’s heart if it is not carefully guarded. That’s why we should be vigilant, and keep alert at all times.

In a castle, the deepest and most protected area was called the keep. It was where the items of most value were placed, and defended heavily. Imagine your life as a castle, with your heart in the keep. God wants you to protect it from the impure thoughts and actions that will try to attack.

But how can we do that? Easily. The best way to guard your keep is to remember His commandments. These are the weapons we use to drive off the forces of darkness. Practice with his Word, a sharp two-edged sword that cuts to pieces any disbelief, slices away at sickness and disease, stabs through the heart of unforgiveness, and hacks away at moments of temptation.

There is much to lose if you lose the keep! Read carefully this warning from the Bible, about those who let their guard down: “They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing. And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.”

Picture the end scene of Sleeping Beauty, a castle surrounded by thorns and brambles – and a lurking dragon. It isn’t a pretty picture. Yet that is what our hearts will be like when we let our guard down, and let evil overrun our once pristine castle.

Don’t let dragons and thorns lurk in the deepest parts of your heart. God is not pleased when we allow evil into our hearts. We must fight off the enemy long before he tries to sneak in and take over. We must defend the keep!