Winter Scenes Captured by My Emma

January - In Scriptures and Images

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
Psalm 133:1

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever."

1 Peter 1:24-25a

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."

Psalm 12:7

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

The Jones Family - 2010

"Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified."

Psalm 40:16

The Magnitude of Grace

My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

"Our weakness should be prized as making room for divine strength. We might never have known the power of grace if we had not felt the weakness of nature. Blessed be the Lord for the thorn in the flesh, and the messenger of Satan, when they drive us to the strength of God.

This is a precious word from our Lord's own lip. It has made the writer laugh for joy. God's grace enough for me! I should think it is. Is not the sky enough for the bird and the ocean enough for the fish? The All-Sufficient is sufficient for my largest want. He who is sufficient for earth and heaven is certainly able to meet the case of one poor worm like me.

Let us, then, fall back upon our God and His grace. If He does not remove our grief, He will enable us to bear it. His strength shall be poured into us till the worm shall thresh the mountains, and a nothing shall be victor over all the high and mighty ones. It is better for us to have God's strength than our own; for if we were a thousand times as strong as we are, it would amount to nothing in the face of the enemy; and if we could be weaker than we are, which is scarcely possible, yet we could do all things through Christ."

C. H. Spurgeon ~ November 8

Faith's Check Book, Daily Entry

A Note of Encouragement and a Psalm of Praise

For the past month this note has been tucked inside my Bible... a precious letter from a dear older woman in my life, a woman that has weekly (for several years) encouraged me by seeing her love for the Lord and her love of His ways. After the great influence of my dear mother, few woman have encouraged me more than Mrs. S. in seeking first His kingdom. What follows is Psalm 145 that was included in this note.

Psalm 145

"I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.

They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.

Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever."

If You are Blessed to have Amy Grace as Your Sister...

you might find a bloom gracing your desk...

or a bud and note on your laptop when you return to study.

A Date with Daddy

This Friday evening there are interesting events happening all across America. Scores are engaged in serious business and pursuits while others are involved in temporal pleasures and trifles.

But there is at least one little boy in America that is with his daddy this evening enjoying time spent solely in his company. This is not a small event. This is one of the biggest sparkles and joys in the life of this little boy.

~ Father and Son ~

The Hidden Symmetry of Mathematics

From the time that several of the Jones daughters were tiny girls, numbers fascinated them. Writing and calculating numbers was considered an activity of choice. From before bed, mental-math games to enthusiastic conversations, both my parents passed on a great appreciation for God's design and order in the area of numbers. However, it wasn't until after I had finished my high-school math studies, that my parents introduced me to Mathematics: Is God Silent? In this excellent book, the author articulates many details of a distinctively Christian worldview, education and mathematics, including the "hidden" patterns of equations and sequences. Then several years later, my father shared the following symmetrical equations with our family.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888


1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

From the compostition of an atom and the diveristy of each snow flake to the order of the solar system and the miracle of life, each aspect reveals our Lord's majesty and power.

"Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite."

Psalm 147:5

Psalms of Praise

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Psalm 90:2

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

Psalm 36:5



Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalm 150:6

Celebrating 25 Years of Blessed Marriage

"...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Joshua 24:15b

Thoughts on Daughterhood

You and I are living in a time when many women lack understanding of true duty, when it is common for women to forsake God-given duty in favor of “self-fulfillment.” All around us, we can see the sad legacies of women who have rejected the roles which God has given distinctly to us. The time when it was assumed that young women were actively and fruitfully engaged in the daily affairs of their households is a thing of the past. Where are the faithful, visionary and productive daughters? From the lost and broken culture, the Lord is raising up daughters, young and old, who are true daughters, pure, devoted and faithful. Because of His mercy and grace, these young ladies are leaving behind legacies of faithfulness as they follow the Lord. This is the time in history which God has chosen for you and me to live.

I haven’t always understood my role as a daughter in the home. The Lord has been very gracious in showing me through His Word what my appointed duties are and how delightful it is to be in the center of His will. He also has given me something very special, and He has given many of you this gift as well. That is Christian parents, who can direct, encourage and help us to maintain a clear understanding of what God requires. While I daily continue to learn the many facets of what it means to be a daughter in our home, I would like to share with you what I have learned and how I am purposing to use this valuable season with eternity in mind.

A glimpse into our family’s life and vision

When my parents first began home educating, they had three desires for their children: number one was that we would love God and serve Him (Deut. 6:4-7); number two was that we would love people (John 13:34); and lastly, that we, as their children, would love learning, that we would delight in being life-long learners for the glory of God.

It is a beautiful thing to be part of a robust home whose purpose is to love the Lord and learn for His glory! From my parents, who have both been blessed with creative talents, to our littlest ones, who are ever eager to discover, our home abounds with opportunity to learn and serve. In fact, there are so many possibilities, that we are learning to carefully choose how we redeem the moments (Eph. 5:16)

Discerning the needs of the hour, day and year

Around the time that I completed my high school studies, my parents and I continued our discussions of how to productively use this season as a grown daughter. Here are some of the questions that we considered: “Where am I lacking in spiritual training?” “Am I prepared to equip the next generation with the necessary academic and social skills?” “How can I begin to ‘strengthen my arm’ for future projects and plans?” “Where am I weak?” “Does our family have needs that I can meet using the abilities that God has given to me?” In essence our questions where, “What are the true needs of the hour, day and year?”

Due in part to these discussions and plans, my life has only increased in ways to minister to others and gain knowledge. Some areas I am naturally inclined to pursue are working by my mother’s side and learning from her, hospitality, helping our younger children, shopping for our family, hair cutting, the home arts, our family assisting with conferences, further academic study, dress design, helping young mothers, writing and more. However, other areas I have come to enjoy, and by God’s grace, embrace and value. By applying diligence to these areas our family can more effectively achieve our goals, diverse as they might be, from learning Spanish to processing animals and understanding HTML code.

Areas of great importance to me are encouraging my father and learning from him. My daddy enjoys doing many things, so even though I have little natural talent in these avenues, I am learning how to carve leather, play tennis, “know the times,” understand entrepreneurial concepts and more. In the last several years, I have also had the opportunity to help my father more directly with his internet marketing and have been encouraged by other daughters who have done the same. On the topic of practical training in our fathers’ business, we may meet several challenges. In today’s society of diverse vocational occupations, this type of training may not always be practical or even possible. Might I mention though, that as daughters in our fathers’ homes, we are living and breathing in the very center of our fathers’ most important sphere of ministry, the home. The battle is real for our fathers’ attention, so let us seek to build up our fathers (and our mothers) with encouragement and by being faithful in our duties, however small.

Another need of this season is faithfully caring for our physical bodies. Both of my parents, and particularly my mother, have stressed the importance of health, nutrition and fitness, especially in the formative years of transitioning from a girl into a woman. The Lord’s design for our bodies is beautiful and perfect, and the time and energy we put into eating well and exercising can only help to tone it for the blessed rigors of life. There is much information on these topics, so our family purposes to focus on the basics of appropriate rest, enough water, hearty exercise and as much fresh food as possible. Our family accomplishes most of our exercise from swimming, gardening and jogging; a half an hour of daily exercise can have the wonderful impact of additional energy on a busy day. All of this can be an exciting and tasty adventure, too. Many mornings, my two-year-old brother, Timothy, will happily sip down a whole glass of green smoothie and say, “So good…so ‘healfy!’”

Give, don’t take

During this time many lessons are being learned, and one in particular that is important for me to remember is to give, don’t just take. The world’s message to us is one of selfishness and ease, but in the Scriptures we read of a more excellent way; it is actually more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). In this time of being actively involved in the daily happenings of our households, we have a tremendous opportunity to invest in our parents and siblings. We must give what we have, our talents, time and resources to be used of God; they are not ours anyway. Sometimes I believe we underestimate the value of giving the “small things” such as a warm, loving smile or time spent massaging a weary back. This is a special season of life to be used to the fullest, living that radiates the teaching and doctrine of Jesus Christ in every area of life.

In closing…

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:23

What a marvelous privilege and duty we have in seeking and obeying our Lord. We must live for His glory and rejoice in the way that He has perfectly created us as women for a very special and specific purpose! May we faithfully use every moment and day for Gods’ glory, and may it be said of each of us, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

Originally published in Virtuous Daughters, 2009

A Moment of Grace's Girlhood

Missing teeth, baby goats, ribbons and giggles...

Timothy's Tour through the King William District of San Antonio

"Come with me and my family for a walk through the King William's district of San Antonio; I love walks, and I love seeing all the animals, leaves, and nuts along the way."


"This is the San Antonio River, and beside this river is where we are walking today."


"Daddy is our official guide, reading the history of the homes to us. I am still little and can understand very little of what is read, but I like to be with my family seeing new things."

"My family stops to read almost every historical marker; history is important and interesting to my family."

"This was one of my Daddy's favorite houses."

"Mommy and my sisters often talk to me about all the different types of animals we see; I really like watching the water birds."

"My sister recognized this bed and breakfast from her cookbook."

"This is my sister Anne; I love her very much, and she held me for part of our walk when my legs became tired...she's the best Anne in the whole world!"

"My sisters and brothers like to take pictures of houses, trees, flowers... and me, but sometimes I get to practice taking pictures, too."

"On to more adventures..."

Waiting for Daddy

When Daddy is finishing his office work at the end of the day and an adventure is ahead...

Happy New Year's Day 2010

The Jones Family

~ ~ ~

For a personal glimpse into our family's life through the seasons, click here