Ethan & Elysia Larson Family: grace

Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Clay

by Elysia Larson

A poem for Ethan Larson on the occasion of his 49th birthday

Big Springs, Island Park, Idaho

Loving God, You formed this man,
Chosen, steadfast heart;
Created through You, for You,
A life set apart.

We don't go looking for God
You came down to us;
Complete in Him, Head of all,
Making Christ our trust.

Gripped on the mountain alone,
Lewis book in hand,
Your glory, truth, purpose first,
Creator 'fore land.

"Two things, my son, last in life:
Word of God and man,"
His mother spoke. O what joy!
A clear purpose, plan.

Steadfast heart, redeemed, chosen,
Appointed to bear,
Holy fruit that will remain.
Help him persevere.

O Lord, You are our Father;
You made him Your clay.
You are the Potter, forming
This man till that Day.

Glory, Savior comes again
Speaking to His clay,
"Well done, my good, steadfast heart.
Enter into joy."

-Amen. Come Lord Jesus.

Love to Ethan,

Elysia

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Give Thanks to God in ALL Circumstances

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7

Our Present Circumstances…

Today is Dad's 65th Birthday! We wish we could be at his party, but we have obligations here this weekend. Dad is a multi-talented man with a heart for God's Kingdom. He devours books and articles (that is where our third child gets it from!). He keeps serving and is a recipient of the Grace of God towards him in Jesus Christ. We love him!

6:20 a.m. Eat breakfast, 6:42 a.m. catch the bus

Cheering on the Otters at the Wrestling Tournament at Spectrum
We had such great fun seeing our friends from Fergus Falls! PJ got to be the towel-tapper for Mat 2 keeping track of the time for the referee earning him service-learning hours for his class at Spectrum.

1st Grade Science Fair Presentation

Ethan finished up a week of teaching in Iasi with the added blessings of meeting with church leaders in Moldova on Thursday and witnessing the graduation ceremony for the pastors and lay leaders in Iasi on Friday. It was a personal blessing to him to have been a part of their training for the past three years. Lord willing, TLI will begin teaching church leaders in other parts of Romania and Eastern Europe. This weekend he is scouting out another site in Romania where pastors are interested in being trained. Pray for that opportunity.

We miss Daddy. He will be home Tuesday night.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

God's Providence and Goodness

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. -Ephesians 2:8-10

Praise God for the gift of eternal life that Jesus freely gives to all who come to Him in faith. We were truly lost in all the sin that filled our hearts and defined our sinful nature. Now we have been brought near to God through the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all our sin and unrighteousness. Thank you for the freedom that we have in You, Jesus Christ. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who is freely given to all who ask. Thank you for the home that is waiting for us in heaven where God dwells. Thank you for the abundant life that all believers in Jesus are given. We love you, Lord.

These verses are a truly great reminder of the rest that we have in knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior. We do not work for our freedom nor for our salvation. We live by faith in the Son of God. The works that He has prepared for us are something that we simply walk in.

God is doing a great work in this world full of lost, sinful people, whom He loves. He has given Ethan works to do by His grace in Kenya and Ukraine this July and August. These works are not something that we have earned or gained by our righteous life, but they are works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in. I pray that God will use Ethan to encourage people and bring people to the truth of God's greatness and His great love and mercy. Please pray for us as Ethan prepares for this short-term teaching trip.

The preparations for the trip are going well. So far, Ethan has applied for his Kenya visa, and he has also gotten most of his vaccinations taken care of. The books and other preparations are currently in the works. God has already provided for the costs of going to Ukraine, and, to our knowledge, 1/3 of the costs for Kenya have been provided so far. Praise God, and all glory to our Redeemer and King.