A HEART FOR GOD

THE LORD'S PRAYER

2011-05-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

CHALLENGING THE LORD'S PRAYER

I cannot say Our if I live only for myself.

I cannot say FATHER if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child.

I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if I am laying up no treasure there.

I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I am not striving for holiness.

I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful event.

I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I am disobedient to His word.

I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN if I will not serve Him here and now.

I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD if I am dishonest or seeking things by subterfuge.

I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately place myself in its path.

I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I do not put on the whole armor of God.

I cannot say FORTHINE IS THE KINGDOM if I do not give the King the loyalty due him from a faithful subject.

I cannot say AND THE POWER if I fear what others may do.

I cannot say AND THE GLORY if I am seeking honor only for myself.

I cannot say NOW AND FOREVER if the horizon of my life is bounded by the things of today.

~Author Unknown~

The Tea Cup

2011-05-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

~ THE TEA CUP ~

"I want you to know that I have not always looked like this. It took the process of pain to bring me to this point. You see, there was a time when I was just clay and the Master came and he pounded me and he! squeeze d me and he kneaded me and I screamed: "STOP THAT!". But he just smiled and said, "Not yet".

Then he took me and put me on the shelf and I went round and round and round and round ... and while I was spinning and getting dizzier and dizzier, I screamed again and I said, "Please get me off this thing... please get me off!!!" And the Master was looking at me and he was smiling, as he said, "Not yet".

Then he took me and walked toward the oven and shut the door and turned up the heat and I could see him through the window of the oven and it was getting hotter and hotter and I thought, "He's going to burn me to death!".

And I started pounding on the inside of the oven and I said, "Master, let me out, let me out, let me out!", and I could see that he was smiling, as he said "Not yet". Then he opened the door and I was fresh and free and he took me out of the oven and he put me on the table and then he got some paint and a paintbrush.

He started dabbing me and making swirls all over me and I started to gag and I said: "Master, stop it... stop it... stop it please... you're making me gag". He just smiled as he said "not yet".

Then very gently he picked me up again and he started walking toward the oven and I said, "Master, NO!! Not again, pleeeease!!". He opened the oven door and he slipped me inside and he shut the door and this time he turned the heat up twice as hot as before and I thought, "He's going to kill me!!", and I looked through the window of the oven and I started to pound on it, saying, "Master ... Master, please let me out ... please let me out ... let me out!".

I could see that he was smiling but I also noticed a tear trickle down his cheek as I watched him mouth the words, "Not yet!"

Just as I thought I was about to die, the door opened and he reached in ever so gently and took me out, fresh and free and he went and placed me on a high shelf and he said: "There, I have created what I intended. Woul! d you li ke to see yourself?" I said, "Yes". He handed me a mirror and I looked and I looked again and I said, "That's not me, I'm just a lump of clay".

He said, "Yes, that IS you, but it took the process of pain to bring you to this place. You see, had I not worked you when you were clay, then you would have dried up.

If I had not subjected you to the stress of the wheel you would have crumbled. If I had not put you into the heat of the oven you would have cracked. If I had not painted you, there would be no color in your life. But, it was the second oven that gave you the strength to endure. Now you are everything I intended you to be - from the beginning." And I, the teacup, heard myself saying something I never thought I would hear myself saying, "Master, forgive me, I did not trust you. I thought you were going to harm me, I did not know you had a glorious future and a hope for me. I was too shortsighted, but I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for the suffering. I want to thank you for the process of pain. Here I am! I give you myself - fill me; pour from me, use me as you see fit. I really want to be a vessel that brings you glory within my life."

The Reality of Suffering on the Cross

2011-04-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

What was a crucifixion? Let us try to realize it, and understand its misery. The person crucified was laid on his back on a piece of timber, with a cross-piece nailed to it near one end – or on the trunk of a tree with branching arms, which answered the same purpose. His hands were spread out on the cross-piece, and nails driven through each of them, fastening them to the wood. His feet in like manner were nailed to the upright part of the cross. And then, the body having been securely fastened, the cross was raised up, and fixed firmly in the ground. And there hung the unhappy sufferer until pain and exhaustion brought him to his end – not dying suddenly, for no vital part of him was injured – but enduring the most excruciating agony from his hands and feet, and unable to move.

Such was the death of the cross. Such was the death that Jesus died for us! For six long hours He hung there before a gazing crowd, naked, and bleeding from head to foot – His head pierced with thorns – His back lacerated with scourging –His hands and feet torn with nails – and mocked and reviled by His cruel enemies to the very last.

Let us meditate frequently on these things. Let us often read over the story of Christ’s cross and passion. Let us remember, not least, that all these horrible sufferings were born without a murmur. No word of impatience crossed our Lord’s lips. In His death, no less than in His life, He was perfect. To the very last, Satan found nothing in Him. (John 14:30.)

~ J.C. Ryle

Giveaway from Francine Rivers!!!

2011-03-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know about this....

Francine Rivers is giving away

First Place Prize (1)—1 copy each of Her Mother’s Hope/Her Daughter’s Dream

Second Place Prize (2)—1 Mark of the Lion boxed set

Third Place Prize (3)—1 copy of A Lineage of Grace

Fourth Place Prize (4)—1 copy of Sons of Encouragement

go here

Good luck all...she is one of my favorite Christian authors......

Been quiet for too long here...

2011-03-10T11:03:00.000-08:00

Good Morning dear blog readers

Yes, it is really an update. A lot has happened since I last posted. First of all time just gets away from me. It is already the middle of March. Didn't we just enter the new year?

Amy was sick off and on since January and now the latest bout with bronchitis has finally ended, I hope. My MIL came for a visit. She is from Minnesota so she wanted to leave the frozen tundra for a few weeks. I really enjoy her visits. Paul is who he is because of such a wonderful Christian mom.

It is getting warmer here. I just took the dogs out for their long walk of the day, and people were already around the pool. It is heated by wow... time is flying by here. The apt has a ton of sidewalks that go around the whole complex here and it is a pleasure walking. I feel safe here.

This move has been the best thing for all of us. I for one have learned to lean more on Jesus than ever before. The apt is still a work in progress. It is still hard to sort things out to what I really need here. Thank goodness we have a small storage room here that we rent out. I think we will use it for a lot longer than I had imagined.

I just have a few things out. We have not gotten a new apt sized couch yet. We have 3 rockers that we use and thank God we have those. My kitchen is done. Just need a few things on the wall there. The dinning room needs things on the wall. The biggest thing left is Paul needs to sort out his books. We could have a room devoted to all his books he has so many. I know he really doesn't want to get rid of many, but he will have to think of something soon. Our dresser top has 8 or more boxes of books to look thru. Daunting task for him.

But all in all it suits me fine living here. If anything breaks, they fix it. I really love that part. They keep the grounds well and new flowers are popping up. We do have a patio we some of our furniture from before out there to sit and relax on. We need to get some sort of a wire fence to attach all around the wood border so the dogs can be out with us. There is a gap big enough for them to sneak out. Can't have that.

Funny how we see people walking huge dogs here. The rules are small dogs only and people don't obey the rules. But then isn't that the sin nature in all of us. What we can get away with we can...I do....you do if you are honest.

It is Lent season here. I don't "give up" anything like I did as a child. I was reading one of my favorite authors Lysa TerKeurst on her blog about how she is "giving more". It is an very enlightening blog post. Go read it and tell me what you think.

Blessings on your Thursday..

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2011-02-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

We love because He first loved us. 1Jn4:19

Within the Shadow of the Almighty

2011-01-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

Wow~~it has been a long time. So many things on my plate and I need more hours in my day as do most of you too. I need to get ready for church but I was reading my email and found a wonderful devo from one of my favorites Psalms...91.

Psalm 91:1

We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods.

(If I want to be sheltered by the God who is above all gods, I need to LIVE within His shadow -- I need to LIVE in HIM, not running to other things that can so easily become a functional god for me.)

91:2 This I declare, that He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him.

(I need to focus on Him being a refuge for me and remember what safety there is in dwelling in Him. I need to remind myself that HE is my God, and I WILL trust in Him, instead of focusing on my problems.)

91:4 His faithful promises are your armor.

(There is no armor like the armor of God. I need to be meditating on His promises because they are the armor that will deliver me from the fears that assail me.)

91:9 For Jehovah is my refuge! I choose the God above all gods to shelter me.

(The word "choose" really stood out to me in this verse. It is MY choice how I am going to respond to the daily frustrations and fears. Am I going to run to the refrigerator and gorge on junk food? Am I going to escape through watching TV? Am I going to play on the Wii for hours just so I can focus on something besides my problems? It is MY choice.)

91:12 They (the angels) will steady you with their hands to keep you from stumbling against the rocks on the trail.

(When I'm on a "rocky trail," those angels are there to help me and keep me from stumbling and losing my way.)

91:16 I will satisfy him with a full life and give him my salvation.

(Nothing on this earth has the ability to satisfy me and give me a full life like the Lord.)

When we tend to go to other things to satisfy our needs and desires, they do indeed become a god to us...an idol. I don't want that. So reading the Word first thing in the morning with my coffee....of course...before anything else.

Blessings to all~~

Wounded Saints in the Body of Christ

2011-01-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

I really don't know how to start this one out. Mainly, I like you are one of the many wounded saints out there. Oh, I don't hardly talk about it much and choose who I tell. I have my Sunday Smile on just like the rest of you. Over the holidays, it was so hard to think I was going to have to have to see family members that really don't give a crap about me and in fact have hurt me deeply in the past and continue to do so.

This year was very different~having moved and not having any decorations up. Oh, I take that back, we had a real poinsettia. LOL The time was getting closer when we would have to decide whether we were going. We go thru this every year only to give up and go. We always take Mom and now with her dementia even worse and thinking this might be her last Christmas with us.

Now that we are in an apartment, we don't have any backyard for our doggies to be out in. Dilemma solved. Such a perfect and simple reason for us not to go. We cannot leave the doggies for hours on end!!!! Forever God is Faithful!! We just had to move and He blessed our socks off!!!

We went to Mom's and made her pancakes on Christmas morning, and waited until my niece came to pick her up to take her over to the get together. We spent a very low key day with just us 3 and even took in a movie in the afternoon. I have never felt freer.

We serve an Awesome God!!!!!

Happy Start to a New Year

2011-01-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

There is always something refreshing about starting anew. For Christians, there is no end to the number of fresh starts we are given. Every moment we have a new opportunity for forgiveness and restoration.
God promises in His word that if we come before him and ask to be set free from the burden of sin, our slate will be wiped clean and our sin will not be held against us.
“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:7,8)

Have a blessed day!

GOODBYE TO 2010

2010-12-31T12:33:00.000-08:00

As the sun sets on 2010 I have some random thoughts to share with you all. I don't know about anyone else, but this time of year is a time of reflection for me. We are living in interesting times. Our country is experiencing major changes and is at a crossroads. People are losing their homes. Some of these people never should have gotten the mortgage because they couldn't afford it, but it doesn't change the disruption of their lives and well being. Many are still out of work and having very serious financial problems.

We just witnessed a watershed election that has historical significance to it. We are asking our government officials to the job that they are supposed to do instead of what they decide they want to do. Trust has been broken.

There is fear that the U.S. is going bankrupt and we will lose our way of life in this country. We are afraid of the type of country we are leaving for our children and their ability to reach their "American Dream".

I think of all the ways I fall short...

the corners of the house uncleaned.

the corners of my heart that are the same.

I whisper prayers about feeling too small, about things seeming impossible, of never being able to grasp that word that haunts the Daughters of Eve--perfect.

On the horizon of my heart a half-remembered Scripture slowly appears. I search for it. When I find it, I look in wonder...

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. Psalm 138:8 NKJV

I hope for all that are going through issues right now no matter how big or small have found one safe place in Him..He is our only Hope with the troubles of the world.

Recipe for a Happy New Year!

Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free

from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them

completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of

pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed

from all the past—have them fresh and clean as when they first came

from the great storehouse of Time.

Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one

equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time

(so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day

at a time.

Into each day put equal parts of faith,

patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so

spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness,

prayer, meditation, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil

out of the salad dressing—don't do it), and one well-selected

resolution.

Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits,

a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a

sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.

My prayer for you and me in the new year

"Heavenly Father, for this coming year

Just one request I bring.

I do not pray for happiness or any earthly thing.

I do not ask to understand the way you lead me;

But this I ask—teach me to do the thing that pleases You.

I want to know Your guiding voice,

To walk with you each day.

Heavenly Father,

Make me swift to hear and ready to obey;

And thus the year I now begin

A happy year will be,

If I am seeking just to do

The thing that pleases You. In Jesus Name, Amen

Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com

11 rules your kids did not and will not learn in school

2010-12-29T21:36:00.000-08:00

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

by Bill Gates

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL

2010-12-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

This was too cute not to share...have a blessed day all

GROWTH IN CHRIST

2010-12-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

Without pruning there is no growth. Without growth there is no life.

In Christianity we are not given a free pass to escape the woes and trials of this world. There may be times when we feel like persecution and discipline are pressing down on us from every angle. But, "As sure as God puts His children in the furnace he will be in the furnace with them." (Charles Spurgeon)

“These [trials] have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:7)

God not only promises us that He will stand in the fire with us, but also that He will refine us like pure gold and silver.
Don’t run away from the fire or hide from the shears. Let Him burn away the impurities and cut off all the dead branches in your life so that you can continue to grow in Him.

Have a blessed day!

HAPPY FRIDAY

2010-12-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:6-9

Do you think God was trying to tell Joshua something?

This world can be intimidating. Life can be overwhelming. When you lose your leader, your land, and your direction- a friend, a job, or a home- remember that you will not be stepping out on your own. Be strong and courageous.

Have a blessed weekend!

Good Morning Wednesday

2010-12-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

There's much excitement in the air as Christmas is just 10 short days away! Where did the time go? What are your Christmas plans? Some are traveling away from home, and some are staying right where they are. But wherever you plan to be on that day, it will no doubt be a fun-filled day of friends, family and lots of good food.

As always, let's not forget those around us who are alone or need some help. Do you have an elderly or ill neighbor who would love a home-cooked meal or a little company? Is there a small child in your neighborhood who is feeling too small to join in all the fun? Look around you for opportunities to help others and show the true Christian spirit of love and forgiveness, just as Jesus displayed whenever he spent time in a town or city. You'll feel so much better about yourself and your special place in this world!

Remember the words of the Apostle Luke when he said, "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35

Have a blessed day!

TRYING TO BREAK ME DOWN.......

2010-12-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

Such a haunting song....this Christmas is not like our usual. We are almost packed and ready to go. Mom's dementia is getting worse. But~~He is on the Throne!! It is the only constant!!

A SNAPSHOT OF MY LIFE

2010-12-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, we are moving to an apartment since this house is just too much work and money for us to stay in. So for the past few days, I have been shredding some papers we no longer need~receipts, old credit card bills, etc. I have stopped to look at some of them and I am shocked at how frivolous we have been with our spending. I don't even know if we still have the items we had bought.

It reminds me of that old saying of when you are in an accident, you see your life pass before you. Well, I have been seeing my "life" pass before me. I did not like it one bit. Where was my self control?

This move is a sort of "new beginning" for us. We will not be so tight with money...not that we will have gobs extra...it will just be nice not to pinch so much. We will have downsized alot. I had to get rid of my six chair large dinning table and my hutch. I know it is just wood and glue but I liked my "stuff". I bought a new set at Walmart that is about 40 inches round and has 4 chairs. No hutch can fit in the new place, but I am bringing my antique tea cart and pie safe. I have gotten rid of so many clothes and linen items. Salvation Army, Veterans Association and Good Will all know us by name now. LOL

I am going to make the best of this new beginning in all things. I am more than able to put God more first...sorry if that is not the right English....I am going to read more and stay off the computer more...I have been downsizing that already, I am going to give me more time to exercise in our pool and then relax in the jacuzzi....my fibromyalgia really has needed this for years now. I am going to give my marriage more importance....God has blessed me with a terrific husband and sometimes I just take him for granted. I don't want to do that anymore. Like right now, I am taking a break from packing and cleaning, and he is still hard at work. I love him so much.

Since this has been such a shake up of our lives, I am going to take full advantage of what God is telling me here.....just what is important and what is not. Lives are more important than things...always was and always will be.

What has God shaken in your life lately? Care to share? What did you learn?

COMPASSION

2010-12-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

Compassion can be tricky. On the surface, it seems commonplace and easily attainable. We all have experienced a tinge of compassion at one point or another in our lives: when we witnessed a friend in mourning, a child in distress, or an innocent bystander being victimized. But is that all there is to compassion, a single pang of empathy?

Jesus demonstrated a much more complex version of compassion. For him, compassion was an action. It involved feeding the hungry, caring for the widows, reaching out to the sick, and aiding the poor. Perhaps these commands weren’t just meant as metaphors, but as real-life instructions for “hand-dirtying” compassion.

Jesus also made it clear that compassion has no boundaries. It’s easy enough to care for those who we call our friends and family, but what about people who are different from us, people who make us uncomfortable, and people who we do not like- are they beyond the limits of our compassion?

In his book, Abba’s Child, Brennan Manning wrote, "The heartfelt compassion that hastens forgiveness matures when we discover where our enemy cries."

One of the truest tests of our faith is our love and compassion for those around us.

Have a blessed day!

SHOUT, WORSHIP, COME AND ACKNOWLEDGE

2010-12-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Psalm 100

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
      Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
      He made us, and we are his.
      We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
      go into his courts with praise.
      Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
      His unfailing love continues forever,
      and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

FAITH

2010-12-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

“Faith is not what some people think it is…They think that, when you hear the gospel, you start working, creating by your own strength a thankful heart which says, ‘I believe.’ That is what they think true faith is. But, because this is a human idea, a dream, the heart never learns anything from it, so it does nothing and reform doesn't come from this ‘faith,’ either.

Instead, faith is God's work in us, that changes us and gives new birth from God. (John 1:13). It kills the Old Adam and makes us completely different people. It changes our hearts, our spirits, our thoughts and all our powers. It brings the Holy Spirit with it. Yes, it is a living, creative, active and powerful thing, this faith. Faith cannot help doing good works constantly. It doesn't stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing…

Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God's grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace.”

– “An Introduction to St. Paul's Letter to the Romans” from Martin Luther’s Vermischte Deutsche Schriften.

Have a blessed day!

WHAT YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOLER WANTS YOU TO KNOW

2010-11-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

The tween and teen years are hard. Even at forty years old, I can recall the continual self-doubt, the mirror peeking, the obsession over performance, and the conflicting emotions of those transitional years. It’s hard all over again as the parent of a tween to see my daughter struggle through this stage.

Every child is different, but most middle schoolers would like to say these things to their parents. Listen to what they have to say to you, mom and dad.

1. Don’t expect too much of me.I know I look grown up, and sometimes I even act grown up. But I’m really still a kid.

2. Spend time with me.Homeschool doesn’t count. I want time with you just talking, especially with you just listening. There is a lot I want to say to you and ask you, but sometimes you are so busy. I think you don’t have time for me.

3. Give me ways to remember.I know I say, “I forgot” a lot. I’m sorry. I really try to do what you say, but I honestly forget. My mind moves from thing to thing so quickly. Help me to remember by using lists or other reminders.

4. Don’t talk about my flaws to others.
This humiliates me and makes me not want to open up to you.

5. I love to play.
Give me time to hang out in my room, doing what I consider fun even if it seems juvenile or a waste of time to you. Growing up scares me. Will I not have any more time to play? Will I stop wanting to play? For now I still love play.

6. Tell me the hard stuff about God.
I am questioning my faith. I need to know God is real – real for me and not just for you. Tell me how we know that Jesus is real.

7. Let me explore my passions.
I know that my passions change from month to month. I really am passionate about them at the time. But I’m trying things out, and I need to test out my interests to see which ones really fit me.

Did you hear your child’s voice in any of those? Do his behaviors say these things even though he may not vocalize them?

These are pivotal years, not just in our children’s development, but also in our relationship with them. Be proactive to keep the relationship strong. Listen to their hearts.

Jimmie is a former public school teacher turned homeschooling stay-at-home-mom. A sense of humor, faith, and creativity keep her “pressing on” in her unique situation — living and traveling abroad with an only child in a bilingual environment. Visit her blog at Jimmie’s Collage.

Thankfulness

2010-11-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

Have you lost sight of what you are thankful for? Does this time of year wipe you out so with all the preparation of the "season". Are you really grateful for what you have? Or are you more concerned with what you don't have?

No coveting your neighbor's wife. And no lusting for his house, field, servant, maid, ox, or donkey either—nothing that belongs to your neighbor! (Deut.5:21, MSG)

As most of you know we are moving and downsizing ALOT. Who knew we have accumulated(hoarded) all this stuff!!?? It is mind-boggling. Even our daughter is like us now. This has got to stop. Why is is that we have to wait until something really big happens for us to change and look at what God has been telling us all along.

The funny paradox is that often by coveting something we hinder the exact thing from happening in our lives. God is ready to bless us but he wants us to obey him.
He wants us to be free of lust, greed, and fantasizing about what we don't have.
He wants us to look for him for answers.
He wants us to focus on Him and not on what we don't have.

I repent of my ingratitude Lord. Let me see what You see. Let me not be coveting anything but You and Your love for me.

What are you thankful for??

Happy Monday

2010-11-22T09:25:00.000-08:00

A woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’
‘No one, sir,’ she said.
‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’" (John 8:3-11)

Sadly, Christians themselves are one of the main reasons so many non-Christians are turned off by Christianity. They see the same people who speak a message of love and forgiveness acting out in judgment and condemnation.

A huge part of being a Christian is swallowing a dose of humility each morning. Try to think about where you would be without Christ. When we accept Christ into our lives we become grace. All that we are is grace. What right do we have to boast or condemn?
What first drew you to Christ? Was it a message of fear and disapproval or was it an offer of unconditional love and forgiveness?

D.T. Niles once said, “Christianity is just one beggar telling another beggar where he found the bread.” As objects of mercy we can offer nothing but a humble extension of God’s love and grace along to non-Christians.

Have a blessed week!

GOD IS FIRST

2010-11-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

How does God fit into your life? As human beings, we are faced with the never-ending task of organizing and prioritizing our earthly obligations. But as Christians, we often forget that God is not just another aspect of our lives that needs to be compartmentalized. Jesus wants to be Lord over our entire lives; he wants a hand in all of it.

Oswald Chambers, author of the My Utmost for His Highest sermon devotionals, wrote, “Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, ‘In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You.’”

When the earth passes away and life is no more, what, from your life today, will remain? Let’s invest in things that last, rather than things that are only here for the moment.

Have a blessed day!

JUST HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD

2010-11-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

How big is your God? We say that God is over all things, but do we truly believe it?

There are many times when we, as Christians, try to place God in a box. Like the Pharisees, we deem things “clean” and “unclean.” We profess a God who is made in our image and who meets our standards, rather than the reverse. By withholding love and acceptance from certain sectors of society we demonstrate our belief that God’s love is only available to persons or things deemed “righteous.”

Is this the God of the Bible?

Not at all. Remember, it was Jesus who said that he came to call the sinners, not the righteous. He ate dinner and stayed in the houses of “the morally corrupt.” He found beauty in the things that the Pharisees considered sinful and disgusting. He engaged in the world without becoming consumed by the world. And He chose us, the lowliest of sinners, to enter into His kingdom.

God is not limited by our human perceptions; He is everywhere. Let’s lose the man-made labels that we place on everything and remember that we too were at one time objects of wrath. Let’s seek God out wherever we go and look for His hand in the things that the Pharisees have deemed “morally corrupt.” Let’s sit back and see what God can do when we leave our expectations and prejudices behind.

"'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'" Matthew 15:8-11

Have a blessed day!

It's Monday!!

2010-11-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

November 15th, 2010:
Good morning, and happy Monday!

It’s easy to be grumpy on a Monday morning. It’s even acceptable, by society’s standards, to be annoyed or irritated when things aren’t going our way. But what does it tell us about ourselves when we allow our circumstances to dictate our attitude? Are we seeking out joy from God or from the things around us? We often pray that our circumstances will change and sometimes, even trick ourselves into believing that if just one aspect of our life is fixed, then we’ll be perfectly happy.

“May all your expectations be frustrated. May all your plans be thwarted. May all of your desires be withered into nothingness that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.”

True joy can only come from one source. Let the circumstances of life fade away today in the light of knowing the God of the universe.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Have a blessed day!

Ten Point Manifesto for Joyful Parenting

2010-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

(any text in turquoise links to posts for more explanation & encouragement)::

1. Today, I will make our home a house of prayer. I will pray at set times. And I will invite our children to come move into an interior space that lives with God.

2. Today, I will transfigure all things into beauty, and I will refuse to see anything else.

3. Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies! Only amateurs hurry.

4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling!

5. Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words I breathe are death words.

6. Today, I will pray to be consistently consistent. I will create safe rhythms that our children can find security in. I will create daily ceremonies because everyday we are CELEBRATING the gift of now!

7. Today, the moment when I am most repelled by a child’s behavior, that is my sign to draw the very closest to that child.

8. Today, I will hug each of my children as many times as I serve them meals — because children’s hearts feed on touch. I’ll look for as many opportunities to touch my children today as possible — the taller they are, the more so.

9. Today, my priorities will be all Things Unseen.

10. Today, I will laugh! And I will let the little children laugh! I will create a culture of JOY!

thanks Ann from www.aholyexperience.com

New Seasons of our Lives

2010-11-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

You know we are moving in one month. I have been going thru all my "stuff"....wow...so many memories of how and when I got it and ya know what?...there is no way I can keep it all. And I refuse to get a storage place and pay rent each and every month just to keep it.
Most of it is kitchen platters, bowls, etc and some of my living room furniture I cannot even think of fitting it all in my apt.
But He blessed us with a very nice place with a heated pool and jacuzzi which my achy body needs so badly. So what is my stuff compared to His blessings.....just dust catchers....a few months ago I could not say this....I am thankful that now I can and only because of Him...

THE DAY AFTER

2010-11-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

I am thankful that my phone has finally stopped ringing and those terrible ads are off the TV.

Election Day is over here in California. I never take for granted the many privileges of living in a free society. I am grateful for those blessings and am indebted to those who serve and sacrifice to protect them. I am also very thankful that God has called some of His people into the political arena to be salt and light in places of government.

I confess that I have been inclined to pay a lot of attention to politics and I do exercise my right to vote. I believe that God requires me to submit to the governing authorities with humility as unto Him whether I agree with them or not.

"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities

for there is no authority except from God,

and those which exist are established by God."

Romans 13:1

I am thankful that it is my duty to pray and give thanks for all who serve in government so that I may lead a peaceful and quiet life.

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,

petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,

for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead

a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,"

I Timothy 2:1-3

I am thankful that Christ's kingdom is not of this world.

"Jesus answered, " My kingdom is not of this world.

If My kingdom were of this world,

then My servants would be fighting

so that I would not be handed over to the Jews;

but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."

John 18:36

I am thankful that my citizenship is in Heaven.

"For our citizenship is in heaven,

from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ;"

Philippians 3:20

With all that said, I am thankful that God is on the Throne and I do not need to worry about who is in office because He is greater.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself

2010-10-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

10 Questons to Ask Yourself Right Now

1.) How many times have you been thankful today and expressed that?

2.) How many times today have you thought of others instead of yourself?

3.) How have you blessed your spouse today?

4.) How have you blessed everyone around you today?

5.) How many times today have you thanked God today for the pain He's brought to your life?

6.) How often today have you smiled in the midst of the most excruciating emotional pain, because you know God loves you?

7.) How many times have you chosen to respond in love today, instead of anger, resentment, or bitterness?

8.) How many times have you told your spouse you love him/her today?

9.) How many times have you been an example of Jesus to your spouse today?

10.) How many times today have you treated your spouse with as much love as Mary Magdalene treated Jesus?

Big Time Virus is HERE! Please read, do not ignore!!!

2010-10-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

I checked with the greatest resource and found that there is no doubt that this Virus has already permeated many hard drives. It will affect anyone within earshot, email, or phone conversation. It is disguised as a harmless processing chip that goes haywire. It will shut down all communication and it is worse than the 911 bombing. Lives are at stake, this virus is no respecter of persons.

Even those who have been known to be wise and hold a track record for navigating the world of technology are prey to this virus, there is no one who will be spared from the danger this virus causes. The main sector of your life will be destroyed; all vital communication and information will be wiped away with no physical opportunity to reboot.

Copy this email to everyone you know. The Virus is already wreaking havoc in homes across America and into the utter most parts of the world.

Be on the lookout for this Virus, it is simply known as J.E.A.L.O.U.S.Y and the only hope you’ll have of being spared complete devastation is through the master builder of your life. Only He can restore your hard drive and the relationships J.E.A.L.O.U.S.Y. destroyed.

It has been awhile my friends

2010-09-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

You have probably been wondering what has happened to me. Unfortunately, it is called life. It has not been a fun time for our family in the last few months. My mom's dementia is getting worse and she fell again. She did not break anything, this is a good ad for taking your calcium. She had to stay in a skilled nursing center for a week so her 22 stitches on her left knee could heal. She was so confused to where she was at it was not funny.
I had to go often to see her so she would feels comfortable. She is now home and seems to be better.

With the economy like it is in So. Calif anyway, we are going thru the process of losing our house. We have been here for 11 years. It stinks. We already went thru a mortgage reduction process and the bank really never gave us any breaks. So for the past month, we have been looking around our area for apartments. We will have to downsize to a 2 bedroom place. I have to give up a lot of my furniture. I do plan to sell my stove and refrigerator. I hope to bring my own washer/dryer with me. There is a very nice place that has a garage with it, so I hope my washer/dryer fits. There are no openings yet. There are a few more places we have looked at that are also nice. So we really have 3 or 4 to chose when one of them become available.

My husband makes very good money. We are not ones to just buy stuff and we have no credit cards. So where did it all go? I think the Lord is showing us we can live with a lot less. We do anyway since I am a stay at home mom/homeschooler. In today's economy, it is hard to make it with one paycheck. Our cars are even paid for. So I take this as an opportunity to see just how thrifty we can be.

Don't get me wrong here, I don't want to say the wives out there have to work, but I do believe most of us are called to be in the home. Just my opinion. And you have to remember, I did my "time" working right out of high school and did my 25 years. That is a funny story....it was with the same bank as our mortgage....LOL

So, I am still here and homeschooling Amy. I love it. We are doing a new program on line thru Learning by Grace. There are no books, justs e-books on line. There are some DVD's and other web sites to go and learn extra about whatever you are learning. It is Christian based and every day your homepage starts with a devotional. I really like that. We go thru that together and it is sweet times.

So, I promise not to be gone so long again.....love you all.

Top 10 Ways You Can Choose Hope and Claim Peace

2010-07-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

By Melissa Taylor

10. Begin by living in the light. Of course the light of Christ, but also light up your world. Open the blinds. Take a walk in the sunshine. Turn on some lights in your house. Listen to music that brightens your mood, not dampens it. Get rid of the misery around you and let light surround you. Invite hope into your life.

9. Spend time in God’s Word. I know Christians tell you to do that all the time. And you probably wish you had more time to do so don’t you? I get that, I do. But it’s true that God’s Word is a “lamp to your feet and a light to your path” (Psalm 119:105) And since #10 instructed you to get a little more light in your life, well then give it a try. Romans 15:4 says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”(NIV) The knowledge of the Scriptures affects our attitude toward the present and the future. (Life Application Bible) Attitude is half the battle in gaining a hope perspective that leads to peace. God’s Word can help.

8. Dismiss depressing thoughts quickly. Be aware of what you are thinking. Do your thoughts tend to be negative, condemning, or gloomy? Not much room for hope in the company of those characters. Next time you find yourself dwelling on something depressing, stop it! You don’t want to do that. 2 Corinthians 10:5b, “…We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” (CEV) So, catch those thoughts, give them up, and listen to Jesus who says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”John 14:27 (NIV)

7. Here’s a practical one. List 5 things that bring you hope or 5 things you are hopeful for. Read them when you need to. Can’t think of 5? Then make them up. You gotta start somewhere.

6. Don’t give up. “You feel hopeless because you have been using your own power, not because there is no hope. You feel hopeless because you have been headed in the wrong direction, not because there is not hope. You feel hopeless because you have cut yourself off from others who could help you and guide you, not because there is not hope…You are not hopeless because there is not hope. There is hope for you, if you will just persevere long enough to find it.” Stephen Arterburn (from Tammy Maltby’s bookConfessions of a Good Christian Girl) Choose to persevere long enough to find hope.

5. Choose to be hopeful even when you don’t feel it. I struggle with this so I remind myself to choose hope. I wear a bracelet almost every day that says “HOPE” on it. I have a Willow Tree Angel of Hope in my den. I have Scriptures of hope posted at my desk at work. I’m choosing hope and hope brings me peace. ****When I’m struggling greatly with this, I get help! I talk to a friend, ask my Bible study gals to pray for me, or when it’s been too overwhelming, I have sought professional help. Do whatever it takes, but don’t live life based on your feelings. They can be so fickle. Choose hope. Live in peace. Don’t settle for less.

4. Thank God for your trials and hardships. Believe me, I know that sounds crazy. These next verses give big time purpose to our trials and suffering, therefore offering peace. Romans 5:3b-5a, “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” (NIV) I’ve been through many trials where hope seemed lost and these verses have restored that. And that brought me peace. Take it for your own.

3. Take a time out for yourself. Psalm 46:10 instructs us to do that so we will understand Who is in control. Remember, when life is chaotic and peace seems far away, get quiet where you can hear God and God alone.

“Be still and know that I am God.” (NIV)

“Calm down and learn that I am God.” (CEV)

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything.” (The Message)

2. Pray hope and peace for yourself. Like this:

“Lord, when my peace is broken by problems that come, remind me that You are always there caring about anything and everything that concerns me. I want to praise You through the painful places I walk through so I can rest in Your perfect peace. Thank You for giving me hope and being my peace. Please help me have hope and peace today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen (portions of this prayer are from Prayers to My King by Sheri Rose Shepherd)

1. Accept God’s plan for your life. When you’ve lost hope, you have nothing. Nothing to look forward to. Nothing to believe in. You begin to question if God exists for you or just other people. This verse tells us very different. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God does exist for you. He has plans for you. He has a purpose for your life and it is good. But you have to choose to trust Him. Choose to accept the hope God offers. Take it for your own. Look ahead with hope. As you do, soak in the peace it gives you.

God loves you. He created you and He had a good reason in doing so. I pray that you will give Him a chance. Never lose hope.

Once when my marriage was on the verge on ending, I asked my husband, “Is there any hope for us?” He replied, “Just an ounce.” I immediately took that “ounce of hope” to the Lord and asked Him to multiply it. That was my prayer for the months ahead where we fought for our marriage. The restoration process wasn’t easy, but because I had hope, I was able to hang in there and claim peace. Peace that didn’t come from my circumstances. Peace that wasn’t a part of my surroundings. It was inside of me. It came from God. I had to choose it and I’m so thankful I did.

I don’t pretend that life is easy. It’s not. Hope and peace are available to us at all times, but we have to take them. In the middle of our sometimes raging world I’m praying that you will claim them for your own and live life how God intended, with His peace in your heart.

2010-07-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Susannah Wesley (1669-1742)

Susannah Wesley’s 16 RULES on child rearing

Susannah Wesley was the mother of 19 children, including John and Charles Wesley. Through much adversity, she dedicated her life to instilling a sense of Christian Destiny into each of her children. Her children went on to change the world.

Here are 16 rules she laid down in her home.

1. Eating between meals not allowed.

2. As children they are to be in bed by 8 p.m.

3. They are required to take medicine without complaining.

4. Subdue self- will in a child, and those working together with God to save the child’s soul.

5. To teach a child to pray as soon as he can speak.

6. Require all to be still during Family Worship.

7. Give them nothing that they cry for, and only that when asked for politely.

8. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is first confessed and repented of.

9. Never allow a sinful act to go unpunished.

10. Never punish a child twice for a single offense.

11. Comment and reward good behavior.

12. Any attempt to please, even if poorly performed, should be commended.

13. Preserve property rights, even in smallest matters.

14. Strictly observe all promises.

15. Require no daughter to work before she can read well.

16. Teach children to fear the rod.

ON DISCIPLINE

Susannah Wesley believed that for a child to grow into a self-disciplined adult, he/she must first be a parent-disciplined child. To her, the stubborn flesh was the hardest battle for Christians to fight, and Godly parents would do well to equip their children to overcome it early. She writes:

“When the will of a child is totally subdued, and it is
brought to revere and stand in awe of the parents, then a great many childish follies …
may be passed by. . . . I insist on the conquering of the will of children betimes, because
this is the only strong and rational foundation of a religious education … when this
is thoroughly done, then a child is capable of being governed by reason and piety.”

What say you????????

Be Diligent

2010-07-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Remember, thy soul is the habitation of the
kingdom of God. Therefore, be diligent to keep it clean, quiet, and
peaceable, - clean from guilt and defects; quiet from fears; and
peaceable in temptations and tribulations. And with these intentions
work, pray, obey, and suffer (without being in the least moved),
whatever ...it pleases the Lord to send unto thee. ~

M. De
Molinos

Personal Resolutions

2010-07-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

"To make a good wife to my dear Husband in all its several branches; to make all my actions Corrispond with that sincere love and Duty I bear him…And next to my God, to make it my Study to please him."

"I am resolved to be a good Mother to my children, to pray for them, to set them good examples, to give them good advice, to be careful both of their souls and bodys, to watch over their tender minds; to carefully root out the first appearing and budings of vice, and to instill piety, Virtue and true religion into them."

Personal resolutions written by Eliza Lucas Pinckney, 1723-1793,
which she read to herself each day,
and resolved "by the Grace of God assisting me to keep."

You can read more about Eliza here. I always thought I was born in the wrong time period where women were women and men were men and they knew what their God given talents were to used for. But then again I do love my microwave and my dishwasher and indoor plumbing......LOL

Am I really content?

2010-06-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Be careful which sins you allow yourself to think you don’t have a problem with…

I tend to think of myself as not a covetous person. After all, I don’t crave fancy cars, high end jewelry, or a huge mansion. I certainly don’t need the latest gadgets, the newest computer, or designer jeans.

But I have come to realize, during the wee small hours of this morning, that I still do have a covetous spirit…

I think of the strawberry and raspberry plants that I managed to kill, and I wishI knew how to garden.

My four year old daughter tells me that she’d like to make a little yellow jacket for the baby, with little canary yellow buttons sewn on, and I wish I was a knitter, a seamstress, or both.

I visit friends’ homes that are beautifully well kept, with a place for everything, and everything in its place, and I wish that clutter wasn’t a constant battle for me. I wish it would come to me as easily as it seems to come to them.

I think of women I know whose husbands have home businesses, and I wish we could spend that much time together as a family.

I wish the zoning board would allow us to keep chickens.

I wish I weren’t allergic to cats.

I wish I weren’t such an untrained housewife, having to learn so much of this as I go, reinventing the wheel along the way, and wondering if I’ll even be able to learn how to keep order, and garden, and knit, and sew, in time to teach my daughter.

Not exactly the conventional definition of coveting, but coveting nonetheless.

I recently read a piece written by a woman, describing all the amazing things her mother did as a homemaker while she was growing up. The list was designed to show just how happy and productive a woman’s life inside the home can be, but it put me to shame and brought me to tears. How can I possibly be a good wife and mother if I can’t can vegetables, keep a beautiful flower garden, sew dresses for my daughter, and teach my children how to play piano, all the while keeping the house company-ready, just inviting opportunities for drop-of-the-hat hospitality?

I’m not good enough. How can I ever be good enough?

Then, it hit me like a train…

Comparing my weaknesses to the strengths of others, while neglecting to be grateful for the gifts and abilities God has given to me, is coveting at its lowest, and truly smacks of idolatry.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

While I’m pretty sure there isn’t a spiritual gift of house-cleaning–and if there is, I certainly don’t have it–I think the same principle can be applied. God did not create me to be the clone of Martha Stewart, June Cleaver, or anybody else for that matter. He made me, with all my weaknesses and shortcomings, to honor and glorify Him.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9a

Grace. Ah, yes…it all comes back to grace. How could I be more blessed than to be an object of His grace? Father, forgive me.

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9b

Boast about my weaknesses? I confess that I don’t think I’m there yet. I’m not even sure what that would look like.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; 2 Corinthians 12:10a

I read these verses, and words like “distresses”…”persecutions”…and a lump forms in my throat. When have I ever experienced real distress or true persecution?

Content…for Christ’s sake…am I?…could I really be?

For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10b

LORD, I believe. Please help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)

May it be so, according to Your Word. Amen. By Tiana Krenz

Be Comforted: Christ Knows You Well

2010-06-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

Be comforted, all you who are tried and buffeted with difficulties in your way towards heaven, difficulties from without and difficulties from within, difficulties abroad and difficulties at home, grief for your own sins and grief for the sins of others: the Good Shepherd Jesus knows you well, though you may not think it. You never shed a secret tear over your own corruption, you never breathed a single prayer for forgiveness and helping grace, you never made a single struggle against wickedness, which He did not remark and note down in the book of His remembrance. You need not fear His not understanding your needs, you need not be afraid your prayers are too poor and unlearned to be attended to; He knows your particular necessities far better than you do yourselves, and your humble supplications are no sooner offered up than heard.

~ J.C. Ryle

Think on these things

2010-06-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phillipians 4:8

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Colossians 2:8

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16)

Are you reading good stuff, watching good movies and watching good TV programs? Why not?

idea from A Wise Woman Builds Her Home blog...made me think....... A LOT

Nail in the Fence

2010-06-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Yes it has been a while. School has been intense lately. Also this house has had its share of illness and the ever dreaded and present allergies. This really has been the worse year in a long time that I have been so down with the allergies. School is winding down...we have 8 more days left to get to the 180 days that California requires. So I will get back to blogging regularly soon.

NAIL IN THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. ” A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us. YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I AM HONORED!

Now send this to every friend you have! And to your family.

Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole.
Author Unknown

It is Mother's Day

2010-05-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Exemplifying spiritual and physical beauty requires time and effort. To “dovetail” the two consider using
this spiritual grooming routine as you dress daily . . .

As I physically: Spiritually I will:
Cleanse my body …………………………. Ask my heavenly Father to create a clean heart and renew a steadfast
spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).
Apply my foundation …………………….. Recall that as God’s child I was chosen from the foundation of the
world and that my standard of living for this day is to align with His
Holy standard (Ephesians 1:4).
Accentuate my eyes………………………. Keep my eyes focused on Jesus, the object of my faith
and salvation (Hebrews 12:2).
Color my lips …………………………….. Purpose to say and think those things that are accept able
to my heavenly Father (Psalm 19:14).
Arrange my hair …………………………. Recall that my heavenly Father has numbered the hairs
of my head (Matthew 10:30).
Put on my garments ……………………... Meditate on the clothing of the Christian soldier and
purpose to put on the full armor of God today (Ephesians 6:10-20).
As we exemplify spiritual and physical beauty, we will fulfill Peter’s instruction of not allowing our
adornment to be merely external because we have chosen to cultivate a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
precious in the sight of God (1 Peter 3:3-4)!

~~taken from A Women of Worth

The Task of Laundry

2010-05-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

The story is told of three women washing clothes. A passerby asked each what she was doing.

“Washing clothes” was the first answer.

“A bit of household drudgery” was the second.

“I am mothering three young children who some day will fill important and useful spheres in life, and wash day is part of my grand task in caring for thes souls who shall live forever” was the third.

The Shaping of a Chrisain Family, Elisabeth Elliot

Which woman are you?

The Invisible Woman

2010-05-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

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ever feel like this?????????

What are you doing here?????

2010-05-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Have you snuggled your children today?

Played the game they have been begging you to play?

Read them the story they wanted you to read?

Had a heart to heart chat with your teen?

Done something to let your husband know how much you love him?

No?

Then what are you doing reading this blog? You have better things to do.

A Woman of Godly Character

2010-04-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Has an “Others First” Attitude
Philippians 2:34
Romans 12:10

Is Kind
Proverbs 11:17

Is Trustworthy & Truthful
Proverbs 12:22

Is Energetic
Proverbs 13:4 Proverbs 28:19

Is Patient
Proverbs 29:22 Proverbs 19:11

Is Prudent
Proverbs 8:12 Proverbs 27:12

Is SelfControlled
Proverbs 9:13 Proverbs 25:28

Fears the Lord
Proverbs 9:10 Proverbs 22:4

Watches Her Words
Proverbs 21:23

Dresses Appropriately
I Timothy 2:9 I Corinthians 8:9 I Corinthians 8:12

Me~ Getting Healthy???

2010-04-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yup..that is a big pot of veggie soup. I took low sodium chicken broth and added onions, carrots, kale, spinach, celery and zucchini and a can of rinsed off white beans. I used a smidgen of tomato paste and some Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning.
Have you seen those tubes of tomato paste that look like a tube of toothpaste?? Gourmet I am not...LOL

Since losing 35 pounds since the first of the year, I am trying to find different ways to have fruits and veggies. This is an excellent way to get more veggies in your day...the dietitian says we need at a minimum 5 servings a day. I had 2 1/2 with one small bowl. Now to put it in separate containers to enjoy until done.

How are you taking care of the body that God has entrusted to you????

~ THE TEA CUP ~

2010-04-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

A couple vacationing in Europe went strolling down a little street and saw a quaint little gift shop with a beautiful teacup in the window. The lady collected teacups and she wanted this one for her collection, so she went inside to buy the teacup, and as the story goes the teacup spoke and said:

"I want you to know that I have not always looked like this. It took the process of pain to bring me to this point. You see, there was a time when I was just clay and the Master came and he pounded me and he! squeeze d me and he kneaded me and I screamed: "STOP THAT!". But he just smiled and said, "Not yet".

Then he took me and put me on the shelf and I went round and round and round and round ... and while I was spinning and getting dizzier and dizzier, I screamed again and I said, "Please get me off this thing... please get me off!!!" And the Master was looking at me and he was smiling, as he said, "Not yet".

Then he took me and walked toward the oven and shut the door and turned up the heat and I could see him through the window of the oven and it was getting hotter and hotter and I thought, "He's going to burn me to death!".

And I started pounding on the inside of the oven and I said, "Master, let me out, let me out, let me out!", and I could see that he was smiling, as he said "Not yet". Then he opened the door and I was fresh and free and he took me out of the oven and he put me on the table and then he got some paint and a paintbrush.

He started dabbing me and making swirls all over me and I started to gag and I said: "Master, stop it... stop it... stop it please... you're making me gag". He just smiled as he said "not yet".

Then very gently he picked me up again and he started walking toward the oven and I said, "Master, NO!! Not again, pleeeease!!". He opened the oven door and he slipped me inside and he shut the door and this time he turned the heat up twice as hot as before and I thought, "He's going to kill me!!", and I looked through the window of the oven and I started to pound on it, saying, "Master ... Master, please let me out ... please let me out ... let me out!".

I could see that he was smiling but I also noticed a tear trickle down his cheek as I watched him mouth the words, "Not yet!"

Just as I thought I was about to die, the door opened and he reached in ever so gently and took me out, fresh and free and he went and placed me on a high shelf and he said: "There, I have created what I intended. Woul! d you li ke to see yourself?" I said, "Yes". He handed me a mirror and I looked and I looked again and I said, "That's not me, I'm just a lump of clay".

He said, "Yes, that IS you, but it took the process of pain to bring you to this place. You see, had I not worked you when you were clay, then you would have dried up.

If I had not subjected you to the stress of the wheel you would have crumbled. If I had not put you into the heat of the oven you would have cracked. If I had not painted you, there would be no color in your life. But, it was the second oven that gave you the strength to endure. Now you are everything I intended you to be - from the beginning." And I, the teacup, heard myself saying something I never thought I would hear myself saying, "Master, forgive me, I did not trust you. I thought you were going to harm me, I did not know you had a glorious future and a hope for me. I was too shortsighted, but I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for the suffering. I want to thank you for the process of pain. Here I am! I give you myself - fill me; pour from me, use me as you see fit. I really want to be a vessel that brings you glory within my life."

HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIVE

2010-04-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

I love this! The author talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world. Too bad we really don’t know who said it in the first place!

Rule 1 : Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now… They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

A Letter from God to Women

2010-04-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

If you ever look at yourself & feel
that you don't measure up, read this & your outlook
will change before you finish reading it!

This is good to keep, not just to read from time to time,
but to also keep stored in your heart!
Enjoy, & remember who you are!!!

When I created the heavens and the earth,
I spoke them into being.
When I created man, I formed him and
breathed life into his nostrils.
But you, I fashioned
after I breathed the breath of life into man
because your nostrils are too delicate.
I allowed a deep sleep to come over him so
I could patiently and perfectly fashion you.

Man was put to sleep so that
he could not interfere with the creativity.
From one bone, I fashioned you.
I chose the bone that protects man's life.
I chose the rib,
which protects his heart and lungs and supports him,
as you are meant to do.
Around this one bone, I shaped you .......
I molded you.
I created you perfectly and beautifully.
Your characteristics are as the rib,
strong yet delicate and fragile.
You provide protection for
the most delicate organ in man, his heart.

His heart is the center of his being;
his lungs hold the breath of life.
The rib cage will allow itself to be broken
before it will allow damage to the heart.
You are my perfect angel....You are my beautiful little girl.
You have grown to be a splendid woman of excellence,
and my eyes fill when I see the virtues in your heart.
Your eyes......don't change them.
Your lips -- how lovely when they part in prayer.
Your nose, so perfect in form.
Your hands so gentle to touch.
I've caressed your face in your deepest sleep.
I've held your heart close to mine.
Of all that lives and breathes, you are most like me.

Adam walked with me in the cool of the day,
yet he was lonely.
He could not see me or touch me. He could only feel me.
So everything I wanted Adam to share
and experience with me, I fashioned in you;
my holiness, my strength, my purity,
my love, my protection and support.
You are special because you are an extension of Me.
Man represents my image, woman my emotions.
Together, you represent the totality of God.
You are loved, respected and fragile.
Give this to all of the wonderful women you know -- to bless their day...
"Keep shining, Keep running,Keep hoping, Keep praying.
Keep being exactly what you are already
in God's eyes.

WHAT IS REAL

2010-03-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

“What is Real? Asked the Velveteen Rabbit one day…..

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin horse. “It’s a thing that
happens to you when someone loves you for a long, long time.”

“Does it hurt?

“Sometimes....when you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once?....”

“It doesn’t happen all at once…..You become. It takes a long time.
That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break too easily, or have
sharp edges or who have to be carefully kept. Generally by the time you
are Real most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and
you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter
at all, because you a re Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t
understand….”

This famous quote from the Book, “The Velveteen Rabbit” has been an
inspiration to me over the years as I’ve walked in the Christian faith. Many
times I have asked myself, “Am I a real Christian?”

There have even been times when other people have questioned my
walk. Some people have criticize me by saying, “If you were a real Christian
you wouldn’t do this or that.”

So I ask myself, “Am I a real Christian?”

I know that I have asked Jesus Christ into my heart as my Savior; that assures me of Salvation. Still, the Bible does not have a chapter on “How to be a Christian!” or “The Ten Steps to Successful Christianity!” Does this mean that there is no way to know how to be a Christian?

The answer to that is simply: the whole Bible is a set of instructions to follow if you want to be a real Christian. Have I achieved this status? No! I have fallen backwards. I have not perfectly followed all of God’s Commandments.

Believe me; I would love to stand in front of a mirror and say, “I am a Christian based on the things I do, but these things do not make me the perfect Christian.

If you have more than one child, you can understand that every child cannot be treated the same as another. Usually we find that certain actions work on particular children, and other actions on different children. So we judge, punish and reward them in ways unique to their personalities. Christ understands our unique personalities also. Therefore, I believe He judges whether we are a Real Christian strictly by Grace: giving each one who is trying to become a Real Christian mercy for their failures. So, how do we become a Real Christian? It is much like what the velveteen rabbit said:

“Being a Real Christian isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you when you love Jesus for a long, long time. Sometimes it hurts. But when you love Jesus you don’t mind being hurt. It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges or who have to be carefully kept. Generally by the time you are a Real Christian, you have had many of your old friends and some family members rubbed off. The old habits you have suffered with have finally loosened from your life and fallen off. You feel a bit bruised and beaten from the trials you have walked through but you know you wouldn’t have made it without Christ to guide you. You see though, these things don’t matter at all, because once you are a Real Christian you can’t ever be lost to Christ.”

God sees you, like a child sees a much loved toy. And as a child say’s
to his father at night, “ bring me my old Velveteen Rabbit that I love so
much,” Christ will say to His Father, “Bring me my Christian followers
that have loved me so much.” Then Jesus will take you to Heaven where
you will be Real forever. ( by Teresa Lilly)

EASTER DECOR AND STEW????

2010-03-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a pic of my Easter stuff. I have to keep it up high this year because I have a terrier. Those of you with terriers should well understand this. Terriers are into everything. If they see it, they want it. It is a good thing, Casper is such a cutie.

Ok on to the devo I received a while ago.

The Spoon and the Stew

A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, ‘Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.’

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table.

In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly.

They appeared to be famished.. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.. They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.

There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.

‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. The greedy think only of themselves.’ When Jesus died on the cross, he was thinking of you.

WHO HAS YOUR HEART????

2010-03-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

have a confession to make. Here, among friends I can trust, I need to be open and transparent. Here goes –

My husband Rick does not have sole ownership of my heart. My thoughts stray. Yes, my mind wanders, in dreams and in visions.

I can see myself walking beside another, reaching out to grasp his hand as our legs step in unison. We are on a windswept beach, or in a meadow, or climbing rolling hills. I look into his eyes and know that they gaze directly into my heart. There is nothing he cannot see and in that knowledge of total exposure comes unexpected freedom. I have nothing to hide. I am simply who I am, and loved despite any of my faults. He knows my questions before I ask and answers with wisdom and truth. He is the one I come to with my fears and my sorrows. I pour myself out in his presence and he picks me up and puts me back together.

He doesn’t mind that am I married to Rick, in fact, he has blessed our union. Yet he continues to make plans for another wedding. A feast. A celebration unlike any ever known before. He himself will be the bridegroom and his desire is for me to be a perfect, spotless bride.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Revelation 19:7 NIV

: Image by irwandy via Flickr

I am awestruck that he would choose me. I am lovesick. This One, this Jesus, has captivated me and He is my Lord.

This is the only way our marriages will thrive. Our love and devotion must first be to our Lord. As we hunger for Him, our focus unites on the same goal. We meet each other there and fall in love all over again.

Who has ownership of your heart today?

~~came as a devo from a friend...loved it...wanted to share it ♥♥♥♥♥♥

SIMPLICITY IN MARRIAGE

2010-03-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

Webster's dictionary says If you simplify something, you make it easier to understand or you remove the things which make it complex.
In Genesis God said that it was not good that man should be alone. So He created Eve from the rib bone of Adam. Talk about really being a part of each other.... wow. God created that first marriage. The thought was and still is that a man and woman will leave their parents houses and cleave to one another. Simple enough, right? Yes, until one day when Eve was walking in the garden and confronted by Satan. Complications set in.

Satan messed with Eve and she started to look outside of God and her marriage for fulfillment. Satan tried to boost her self esteem saying she would be like God if she ate of the fruit of the tree. Eve was deceived by his lies that God and her husband was just not enough. She ate and she gave some to Adam also.

This sin that was committed so very long ago by Adam and Eve complicated their lives for their lifetime and it continues to plague us even today.

OK, let's get back to simplicity. How do we simplify our lives and marriage? How do we untangle ourselves from outside influences? First we must seek God above all else. He is our number one. We have to spend time with Him and in His Word every day. How else will we come to a meaningful relationship with Him if we do not spend time with Him. We spend time with a friend to get to know them better, don't we? It is the same in our relationship with God. As we do spend this time our trust will start to grow and our doubts subside. We have to replace the lies of Satan with the Truth of God Almighty. We are so greatly loved by God...go read Col 3:12, Rom 1:7, IThes 1:4, Eph 2:4

We can simplify our marriages by getting rid of other thoughts and opinions of what our marriage "should" be like. Don't listen to Oprah, The View or what the soap operas view as a "wonderful marriage". We are to submit to our God given husbands and we are to both seek after His will with our whole beings...our hearts...our minds...our souls. Follow the Lord in His leading and His plan for our lives with our husbands....not some romance novel story you have read and by the way there are some great Christian novels our there....please read those. My favorite so far is "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. Can I say awesome, ladies??!!

To wrap this up, a simple marriage to me is God, your man, kids if that is His will for you. What else do you need?

Posted this after reading an article from Exemplify magazine....no Plagiarism intended

A B C's

2010-03-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

A lthough things are not
perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are
hard
F ierce winds are bound to
blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His
love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all
the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of 'Camp
Complaining'
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the
power
P raise can do alone
Q uit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with
worship
T o 'thank' is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e'll run the race with
gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there'll be good times
and yes some will be bad,
but...
Z ion waits in glory...where
none are ever sad!

I thought I would update you all

2010-02-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

Wow..it has been too long here not posting.

My laptop , less than 2 years old, just up and died on me. Now being the completely organized family that we are, NOT, we all scurried around to find the original sales slip and look to see if we really bought the extra warranty. Finally after a day and a half....I told you we were super organized, we found the sales slip and we did indeed buy the extra warranty.

So off to the shop it went. It has been almost 2 weeks. Funny how one gets so used to your own laptop or whatever and when one has to share the only desktop in the house.....wow....fireworks erupt!!! Funny how I got so used to my routine with said laptop. I would turn it on even before I had my first cuppa!! What a friend it had become.

I am now still using the only computer in the house. Amy is begging me to be done already!! Ha

Now I was thinking.....yes, I do on occasion...about how used to our routines we get. Wow...it that a good grammatical sentence? Yes, I do homeschool....but I have the answer book!!

Then I turned my focus on .... Jesus. Am I in a rut(routine)with my Lord also? So I switched up my rut..hmm routine. Instead of starting out directly reading my devo in the morning....I am really never awake to really concentrate anyway...I have been doing all my morning stuff on my(the)computer, writing up a game plan for Amy....read school day schedule. Then when she is hard at work and the house is quiet, I have my devo with the Lord. It has been such a blessing lately.

Do you need to switch up your rut....aahh... routine?

2010-02-17T09:19:00.000-08:00

“Why me Lord? What have I ever done to deserve even one of the blessings I’ve known.
Why me Lord, what did I ever do that was worth love from you and the kindness You’ve shown?
Lord help me Jesus I’ve wasted it so, help me Jesus I know what I am.
Now that I know that I needed you so help me Jesus my soul’s in you hands.”
   a song from Johnny Cash

I was pondering this when I awoke this morning. I know what I was in my past life and it certainly wasn't godly by any means. So why did He choose me?!

Just because He wanted to. Not because of anything I did or ever could do. He chose me before the creation of the world, that I would choose Him and desire to live my life for Him. This is such a humbling truth, and all I can do is thank Him and praise Him for choosing me.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." Ephesians 1:3-6

Here is another explnation

If God Chose Me to Be Saved, Did I Ultimately Have No Choice?
by J.W. Hendryx
"Who then can be saved?"But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man
this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt 19: 25, 26
The question at issue here is the apparent contradiction between God’s sovereign election and man’s responsibility. I believe that the best way to solve this is to take a close look at the various passages that speak of these issues to see if they can be reconciled as friends. Too many evangelicals have the tendency to be unwilling to take the time to meditate and think on the whole counsel of Scripture and thus quickly (and falsely) conclude we have to wait to resolve this when we get to heaven. But I want to challenge your thinking and prove to you that this isn’t impossible to understand. The Bible speaks extensively about this topic and is actually quite revealing.
The difficulty, I believe, arises when people automatically conclude that our responsibility to believe the Gospel necessarily means that we therefore have the moral ability to do so. This is our natural way of thinking when using our reactive human reason. However, when we put our minds to it we will discover that this is not true. Responsibility does not necessarily mean ability and here’s why: Imagine a CEO of a big corporation who borrows $5 billion for investment purposes. Instead of using the money to grow his business he succumbs to his old habit of gambling. In a short period of time he manages to squander the entire amount. He now is not only faced with the sheer horror or embarrassment he must endure from his colleagues but must find a way to pay it back. Unfortunately $5 billion is more than he could ever pay pack even if he had many lifetimes to do so. In this case he is responsible to pay back his debt but is unable to do so. His inability does not alleviate him of responsibility because it is a moral responsibility. I would argue that this is our situation before God. If it were a physical inability that hindered us then we would not be culpable but we are culpable for our moral inabilities. We have sinned against an infinitely holy God and have fallen into spiritual death as the consequence of our actions. We have squandered the beautiful life that God gave us by trading it for a lesser glory. Our inability to do anything to please God does not alleviate us of the responsibility to do so. God’s requirement of holy perfection still stands even though we are impotent to carry it out. If we suppose that somehow we have the power to do what God requires of us, and that includes exercizing our faith, then we render the grace of God and Jesus’ work on the cross void.
God requires repentance of faith but the Scriptures also testify that these are above our capacity to produce on our own. “…A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Cor 2:14) “…the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.” (Rom 8:7) To claim that we can create a right thought, generate a good affection, or originate a right volition, without being born again is to misapprehend the purpose of the gospel. God does not compel us to be so hostile toward Him; we choose to reject God of our own free volition. As fallen creatures we naturally incline toward loving sin and hating the light.
Now if we could go back to the original question: If God chose me to be saved then ultimately did I have no choice in the matter?  To answer this we must consider what an unregenerate man does when given such a choice. When we were merely left on our own to choose then clearly none would be saved because there is no person who fits the description of desiring God while still in his graceless, fallen state. Sure, I believe God has the perfect right to leave us to our own devices – He could justly pass over us all and let us grope around in the darkness. But our end would be the lake of fire; all of us without exception. God is also a merciful God, however, and He is not willing that we suffer the lake of fire so He extends his gracious offer of salvation to all. But since none come, or create a right affection for God on their own when left to themselves, He seeks out His own, the people He has set his affection on and delivers them from His wrath.   He graciously and mercifully bestows on his people His lovingkindness. God, therefore, gives to us freely, what He demands from us. What we had to have, but could not create or perform or supply (faith and righteousness), God grants us freely. He reveals, as a gift in Christ Jesus, the faith and righteousness that was once only a demand. This does not mean that we do not choose God of our own volition. We make choices based on who we are by nature. Jesus said, "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit." The nature of the tree that determines the fruit that comes out of it. When left to our old fallen natures we naturally and freely chose to rebel against God. But when we heard the word of Truth, the Holy Spirit disarmed our hostility by granting us the new birth. With new eyes and a new understanding we most freely desired to embrace Christ as our Savior. Our affections and dispositions were changed so that this is what we want and all those who God chooses will desire Christ. No one comes kicking and screaming. Jesus teaches that without exception all whom God called from eternity will infallibly come to faith and repentance:
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
John 6:37 (emphasis mine).

EXCUSES FOR HOSPITALITY

2010-02-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13

People often come up with excuses for showing hospitality. Let us look at some of them, shall we?

“I cannot cook well enough.”

Remember, dear one that the purpose of hospitality is not to impress, but to serve. You do not have to make an impression. You only have to cook what you would normally serve your family. The early believers ate simple foods together. Many times they only had bread, salt, olives and fish. It is the fellowship that matters.

Acts 2: 46, “Breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicityof heart.”

Romans 12:8, “He that gives, let him do it with simplicity.” Hospitality is a giving ministry and we are exhorted to do it with simplicity.

If you prepare an amazing four-course meal when you invite people over, they will think they could never keep up with that standard. However, if you cook a simple meal but make it look attractive, they will feel that it is something they could cope with and will also be motivated to reach out in hospitality. Remember…

We do not offer hospitality to impress,
Our motive is to encourage and bless!

“I do not have enough food in the cupboards.”

God does not say, “Practice hospitality when you have enough food in the cupboards.” He says, “Practice hospitality without grudging.”

I have always been challenged by a quote I found years ago: “Inviting people when you know you have nothing to serve, but depending on God to always supply, is adventurous living.”

One saint of God wrote, “We learn about Christ by giving to others. By emptying ourselves we are filled with Christ. To be open-handed and generous-hearted is the surest way to learn more of the wealth of Christ. The man who knows most of Christ is not the intellectual scholar, not even the saint who spends his days in prayer, but the man who moves in loving, generosity among his fellowmen.” I see God’s power, provision and presence with those who have hospitable hearts. God loves to join sides with hospitable people because this is the nature of His heart.

I remember one time some friends calling in on us about lunchtime. We were going through a low financial time and all we had in the house to eat were potatoes. I could have chosen to do either of two things: 1) refuse to offer them hospitality because of pride and not having a proper meal to serve them, or 2) welcome them to join us for our simple meal of potatoes. I welcomed them of course, and we had sweet fellowship together. They said that they enjoyed their meal of potatoes immensely and have never forgotten that meal we spent together. If I had served them a normal meal, they most probably would have forgotten about it!

When I first started teaching the ladies in my Bible Study the biblical truth of hospitality, one young mother came to me and said, “Nancy, I want to start showing hospitality but I never seem to have enough extra food.”

“Sue, I replied, “Do not wait until you have enough food in the cupboards. Go ahead in faith and ask someone for a meal to your home. You will be surprised what God will do.”

She did this. She invited a family to come the next week. She wondered how she would feed them all. God honored her faith. Before the day arrived for her to cook the meal, a huge box of groceries arrived at her back door. She did not know who put them there! She was excited. She got hooked on hospitality. She constantly welcomed people to her home, and God continued to show His great faithfulness to provide for them.

It is impossible to out-give God. We have always found that the more guests we have in our home the better we eat! That is how it works! So if you are going through a lean time, ask some folks over to share a meal with you. God will wondrously provide for you and them!

Then there is the practical side. When you want to get together and fellowship with friends that you know well, you can feel free to ask them to bring a dish so you can share the meal together. However, when you are inviting new people or strangers, you need to minister to them from your own store.

“I cannot afford it. We have a strict budget and hospitality would upset our carefully planned budget.”

I admit that you will have to forget your budget when you begin your lifestyle of hospitality. Do not worry! When you reach out to people and feed them from your table, God will supply all your need. He will never let you down. Try it and see.

Psalm 37:21,25-26, “The righteous shows mercy and gives… I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed.” I like The Message Bible translation of this Scripture:“The world of the generous gets larger and larger, the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”

Proverbs 11:24-25 TLB, “It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.”

Proverbs 21:26 NAS, “The righteous gives and does not hold back.”

Proverbs 22:9, “He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.”

Proverbs 23:6-8 NIV, “Do not eat the food of a stingy man… for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.”

Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Romans 14:23, ”Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

1 Peter 4:9, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.”

TLB, “Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay for the night.”

JBP, “Be hospitable to each other without secretly wishing you hadn’t got to be!”

“He might have doled His blossoms out quite grudgingly,

He might have used His sunset gold so sparingly,

He might have put but one wee star in all the sky,

But since He gave so lavishly, why should not I?”

“I cannot cope with feeding a lot of people.”

Some people have a bigger physical and emotional capacity than others. Some have a stronger constitution than others. There are many women who cannot cope with a lot of people. If you are one of those, what should you do?

You do not have to ask a large family to your home or a lot of people at the same time but you can always add one extra to your table. Often this can be more meaningful than a large crowd. There are lonely students, widows, widowers, singles and single mothers who long for the warmth and security of a home. They long to sit around a table with a family. What a beautiful ministry to reach out to the one here and there that God lays on your heart.

Jesus fed the multitudes but he also ministered to the one woman at the well. Remember what happened through that incident? A whole town came to the Lord! Read John Chapter 4.

“The situation in my home is too difficult.”

Perhaps your husband will not allow you to have hospitality in your home. However, where there is a will there is a way. When you take your children on a picnic to the park, invite another mother with her children and minister to them in this way. Perhaps your husband does not like having someone for the evening meal. Why not invite a lonely widow or mother and her children for lunch? If you have a hospitable heart, God will enable you to devise a way to do things even in difficult situations. Release your God-given ingenuity. God will give you ideas as you wait on Him.

Isaiah 32:8 CJB, “But the generous person devises generous things, and his generosity will keep him standing.”

“I get stressed out.”

Do not worry too much about all the little details. People may not always remember what they ate at your home for the meal, but they will remember the warmth and the atmosphere. If you make people feel welcome, you do not have to worry about anything else. In fact, the greatest thing you can do is aim to have a relaxed atmosphere. People are not worried about a fancy meal and everything perfect in your home. They want to relax. They need to feel wanted. If you can make a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere, you’ve succeeded. If you can make them feel loved and welcome you get 10 out of 10!

But remember, they won’t feel welcome in a dirty home. You may not have everything perfect, but you must have it clean!

Keep your eyes upon the Lord, rather than worrying about all the problems. My favorite Scripture is Isaiah 26:3-4. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusts in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

“Our house is too small.”

Do not wait until you have a big enough house. Fill up the little house you have. As you fill your house with God’s people and even those who do not know Jesus, God will bless you with a bigger house. Often we are bound to small houses, because we live to ourselves. God is looking for hospitable homes. God is looking for hospitable people. He will bless those who fill their homes with people.

I would exhort you to take up this challenge. Squash people into your home. It makes the atmosphere very cozy too! As you run out of space, God will miraculously enable you to build on to your home or provide for you to get a bigger one.

It depends on your vision. Do you have a vision for a home to accommodate just your own family? Or do you have a vision to have a home that will accommodate many people? We have lived in a lot of homes. Each time we have had to go to a new home, we check it out with the thought of how many people we can fit in it, not just our family, but all the extras that we know God wants us to bring into our home.

When we lived in New Zealand, we lived in a home that was 80 feet long. We then extended it to 100 feet. I can remember having a sit-down meal for 60 people one evening. When we moved to the Gold Coast of Australia (in the surf, sun and sand!) God wondrously provided a large home for us that was perfect for hospitality. We did not own it but we enjoyed it and used it for the Lord and His people. We welcomed hundreds of people into this home. It was constantly filled with people--people living with us, and people sitting around our table for meals.

When we came to America in 1991 we lived in an apartment for the first time in our lives. Wow! It was a new experience. But did we stop having hospitality? No! There was hardly breathing room between the table and the wall but we squashed people in. The focus was not on our home, but the table. It was at the table that we fellowshipped and lifted up the name of Jesus. It did not matter that it was a rather dismal apartment.

As we were faithful to fill that little place, God blessed us with a bigger place. He provided the opportunity for us to live in a little country church where we lived for five years. We made an apartment in the roof of the church (with no windows), but we had access to the sanctuary below, which was a work-room during the week, a church fellowship hall on Sundays, a hospitality lounge when we had too many people to fit upstairs, and a function room for all kinds of wonderful feasts and celebrations. It was a tremendous provision from the Lord. Now we have our own home again, once again with lots of room. God will always make a way for us when we trust Him.

“We haven’t got enough chairs for people to sit on.”

Find something else instead. Be creative. When we were first married, we did not have enough chairs for all the people we invited, so we used fruit boxes. In those days we could buy 40 pounds of fruit (peaches, pears or apples) in wooden boxes and we used these empty boxes for extra seating.

“My house is a mess.”

What a good incentive to get it out of a mess! There’s nothing like inviting people to your home to get it clean and tidy!

“Hospitality is not my kind of deal.”

Hospitality is not an option. It is not a ministry for certain believers. It is a commandment to all. Begin in a small way. Take a step of faith and invite one extra to your table. Then ask a family. As you seek to obey God and live the lifestyle of the kingdom of God, you will find that God is on your side.

“We find it hard to get the conversation going when people come.”

If you find this difficult, a good idea is to invite two couples or two families at the same time. This provides more people to flow in conversation and makes less strain on you.

If you have only invited one family and you are just getting to know them, ask questions about their lives. Find out what they are interested in and encourage them to share about the things they are interested in. This will get them talking and you will learn new things too. Even better, try and find out what they are interested in before they come. Get information about this subject yourself, so that you can intelligently talk to them on their wavelength.

“I’m too busy to prepare for extra guests.”

When you make a big pot of soup, freeze some. When you make a casserole, make two, and freeze one. When you make muffins or cookies, freeze some. This enables you to have something on hand for unexpected guests, or even invited guests. By the way, you have to cook for your own family so it’s not too hard to make extra!

“I’m not used to it. We never had people in our home when I grew up.”

I know it can be a big challenge for you if you have not grown up this way. Ask God to help you. He is the hospitable One and He lives in you. So you can do it!

“People do things I do not approve.”

When folk come to your home, they come into your home. God gives you the authority over your home. You are the one who sets the standard. I take my precedent from Leviticus 24:22.

“Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: I am the Lord your God.”

I keep the same set of rules for people living in our home as I do for our own family. I do not allow TV on during the day. The habit of our lives is to go to church and fellowship with God’s people every Sunday. Therefore if there are people living in our home, we expect them to join with us. If people have a smoking habit, they have to go outside to smoke and so on.

“Things in our home get broken.”

This is a difficult one. Sometimes we have to take charge of children and give strict guidelines if their own parents do not discipline them. Even so, there will be times when things can be broken or wrecked. I remember a child who used to come to our home every week with his mother. Colin had made a beautiful three-level plant box for me. I grew lovely pot plants in each of the levels. Every week this little child would climb up and stamp on all my beautiful plants. I nearly despaired, but God was faithful! They just kept growing again and not one of them died.

This Scripture is always a challenge to me:

Hebrews 10:34, “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.”

“It sounds like too much hard work for me!”

Read these exhortations and promises that God has given to us:

Romans 16:6, “Greet Mary, who bestowed much labor on us.”

For nearly 2,000 years people have read about this Mary. She was recorded in the Scriptures, not because she preached great messages, led worship or had a big healing ministry. No, she was recorded because she worked hard in ministering to the saints, helping them with their needs and offering hospitality. She did not do it when it suited her. She “labored” at it constantly.

1 Corinthians 3:3-9, “Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God.”

We have established the fact that God is a hospitable God. He longs to embrace the saints and the unbelievers into His welcoming and loving arms. He can only do this through us! We labor together with God to accomplish His purposes. You will notice it is the word ‘labor’, not laziness. It does take extra work, sometimes a lot of extra work, to invite people to a meal, or to have them live in our homes. It is a serving ministry. But we are not laboring on our own. We are working together with God. Doesn’t that make it sound exciting? To work together with God? Surely there’s nothing better we’d love to do!

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work for the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Hebrews 6:10, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”

Do you notice that it is not a labor of drudgery, or a labor of necessity, or a labor of grudging, but a labor of love? Allow the hospitable God to flow through you. Ask Him to fill you with His love for the saints. Ask Him to fill you with His love for the unsaved and the unlovely. When love is operating, it will not even seem like labor.

1 Thessalonians 1:3, “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love…”

“I feel used and abused.”

There will always be people who will take you for granted. We have felt ‘used’ many times. There are people who have put their feet under our table who have turned against us. There are folk who have lived in our home for months and months, who have turned against us. This is not a new occurrence.

Job experienced it:
Job 19:13-19, “They whom I loved are turned against me.”

David experienced it:
Psalm 41:9, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Read also Psalm 35:11-14; 55:12-14,20-21.

Paul experienced it:
2 Timothy 4:16, “No man stood with me, but all men forsook me.”

Even Jesus experienced it too:
Mark 14:50, “They all forsook Him, and fled.”
John 13:18, “He that eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.”

Even God faces this rejection. He experienced it with His people, Israel, and still does with us today.

Isaiah 63:9-10, “He bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit…”

Does God stop loving and reaching out with His salvation, just because people reject Him? No. Do we stop showing hospitality because some folks do not appreciate us? Of course not. We do not do it for what we get out of it, but to reach out with God’s love and acceptance.

Keep a forgiving and generous heart. Along with the rejections you will also reap loads of rewards!

“Nobody ever asks us back anyway.”

We do not ask people to be invited back! That is not the point at all. Our vision is to serve others, not to be waited on. Remember, you will only receive a reward for the ones who cannot return your hospitality. (Luke 14:12-14)

I still have a very hard time with this. I always feel my house is not clean enough or people really won't want to come over.

I ask you, dear readers, do you have a problem with any part of hospitality and what do you do to overcome that obstacle?

2010-02-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

WHERE IS JUSTICE?

Part 1

Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

One of the primary attributes of God is that He is a God of Justice. Oh yes, He is a God of mercy and compassion too. But, if He were not just, He would not be God. The Bible says that…

He is called the God of justice. (Isaiah 30:18)

He is known by His justice. (Psalm 9:16; Exodus 7:5; Ezekiel 5:8)

All His ways are justice. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Proverbs 8:20)

He loves justice. (Psalm 33:5; 37:28)

His throne is established on justice and judgment. (Psalm 89:14; 97:2;

He guards the paths of justice. (Proverbs 2:8)

He is exalted in justice. (Isaiah 5:16)

He lives in justice. (Jeremiah 4:2)

He exercises justice in the earth. (Jeremiah 9:24; Ezekiel 5:8, 15)

He is filled with justice. (Micah 3:8)

He delights in justice. (Jeremiah 9:24)

Because we are created in His likeness, He wants us to be just people too. Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” If justice is to be part of our lives, where should it start? God wants it to start in the home.

In the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God said that he would not hide from Abraham what He was going to do. Why? Because of the way he parented his children. Genesis 18:17-19 says, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment…” Abraham ordered his household and trained his family in the ways of justice. Justice is close to God’s heart. It is the foundation of family life. It is the primary principle of parenting.

Justice is the use of authority to uphold what is right and fair. It is acting as a judge and rendering the proper verdict—God’s verdict. Because justice is missing from many homes today, it is missing in the nation. Often people do not understand justice because they have not experienced it. They have not experienced godly discipline in the home that teaches them right from wrong. They may have been spanked, but out of frustration and anger, and therefore have not understood righteous judgment.

Children need to know true justice growing up or they will never understand who God is. Many people have a god of their own imagination. He is whoever they want Him to be. He is tolerant of whatever they want to do. He has to fit into their ideas. We can all be guilty of falling into this trap. But God is God. He is who He is. We must understand this and give this understanding to our children. We do this by teaching them to have a clear demarcation of what is right and wrong in the sight of God.

In the book, Surveying the Evidence, the authors state, “If atheism is not normal, why do certain people become unbelievers? First of all, it is well known that the seeds of atheism can be planted early in life. One of the most dangerous contributions a parent can make toward the spiritual delinquency of his child is a failure to instill within him a wholesome respect for authority. If the parent neglects to set the proper example as an authority figure, or refuses to exercise discipline with love, he might well be rejected as an authority-figure by his child, and thus, by transference, the child ultimately may come to disdain all authority, including the Supreme Authority, God.” *

The Bible tells us that if we do not discipline our children, we honor them above God. Read 1 Samuel 2:29 and 3:13.

PRAYER:

“Oh God, please teach me to know who you are. I want to know you and to be like you. Teach me the balance of justice and mercy. Amen.”

justice from a devotional I get....from Above Rubies

Creative Discipline

2010-01-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination,

your creativity, or your curiosity.

It’s your place in the world; it’s your life.

Go on and do all you can with it,

and make it the life you want to live.”

–Mae Jemison

I have been talk to other moms with more than one child. Funny, some are disciplining each kid the same. Others are really trying to know their child and discipline him or her according to their personalities.

Since I am a MOO...mom of one...I have not had this problem.

Those of you who have more than one...how do you discipline?

HALF WAY THROUGH 7TH GRADE

2010-01-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

Wherever did the time go? I just finished grades for the first semester of 7th grade. Amy is doing so well. Can I brag here?

She got A's in History, Bible, Science....B+ in Math(algebra and geometry)English Literature, and grammar. This program is suiting her so well. She loves the DVD program. It also makes it alot easier for me. I couldn't teach Math anyway. I never understood algebra. I love English and History and Science though.

I am very proud of my "little girl". She is taller than me now. I went to the doctor recently and found out I am 5' 1" I always thought I was an inch taller...maybe I have shrunk?? LOL

If you are homeschooling, let me know what is going on with you all??

Ok wasn't going to do this but the accountability will be good for me. I have another blog about my weight loss. Go here

WILD WEATHER

2010-01-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

Who says Souther California doesn't get any seasons?? Not me anymore. We are now under a severe thunderstorm warning. See that big yellow spot....we are in that right now.

I went and lit candles. Now I wish we had a wood burning fireplace. We have gas logs. We always wanted a "real" fireplace.

There have been wind gusts of up to 80 miles an hour.

We still have power. At least dinner got done. .... meatloaf, corn and mac and cheese...Amy wanted that.

How is the weather where you are??

EIGHT GIFTS

2010-01-11T08:22:00.001-08:00

Eight Gifts

1) THE GIFT OF LISTENING...
But you must REALLY listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just listening.

2) THE GIFT OF AFFECTION...
Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.

3) THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER...
Funny pictures. Share articles, funny stories and funny greetings. Your gift will say, "I love to laugh with you."

4) THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE...
It can be a simple "Thanks for the help" note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.

5) THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT...
A simple and sincere, "You look great in red," "You did a super job" or "That was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.

6) THE GIFT OF A FAVOR...
Every day, go out of your way to do something kind. Helping elderly cross the road can be nice.

7) THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE...
There are times when we want nothing better than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give the gift of solitude to others.

8) THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION...
The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone, really it's not that hard to say, Hello or Thank You.

~Author Unknown

NEW YEAR'S DAY

2010-01-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

New Year
(prayer from The Valley of Vision, Puritan Prayers & Devotions)

O Lord,

Length of days does not profit me
except the days are passed in thy presence,
in thy service, to they glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth they praise;
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters
of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O Son, at my helm,
thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me thy grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to teach,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.

May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

2009-12-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

My New Years prayer for each of us is that we are literally bowled over with the knowledge and experience of God's powerful and personal love. One thing is certain for 2010: God will be glorified and the pride of men will be humbled.

It's Another New Year...
...but for what reason?

"Happy New Year!" That greeting will be said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets under way. But the day celebrated as New Year's Day in modern America was not always January 1.ANCIENT NEW YEARSThe celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).
The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.
The Babylonian new year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.
The Romans continued to observe the new year in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.
In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the new year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.
THE CHURCH'S VIEW OF NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONSAlthough in the first centuries AD the Romans continued celebrating the new year, the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities as paganism. But as Christianity became more widespread, the early church began having its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations, and New Year's Day was no different. New Years is still observed as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision by some denominations.

During the Middle Ages, the Church remained opposed to celebrating New Years. January 1 has been celebrated as a holiday by Western nations for only about the past 400 years.
NEW YEAR TRADITIONSOther traditions of the season include the making of New Year's resolutions. That tradition also dates back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.
The Tournament of Roses Parade dates back to 1886. In that year, members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers. It celebrated the ripening of the orange crop in California.
Although the Rose Bowl football game was first played as a part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902, it was replaced by Roman chariot races the following year. In 1916, the football game returned as the sports centerpiece of the festival.
The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.
Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.
The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to early America by the Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.
FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEARTraditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.
Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

AULD LANG SYNEThe song, "Auld Lang Syne," playing in the background, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year. At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700's, it was first published in 1796 after Burns' death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scottish tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

HAPPY BOXING DAY

2009-12-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day is celebrated on December 26^th. It is a statutory holiday in the federal jurisdiction and in Ontario. If it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the working day immediately preceding or following Boxing Day is considered a legal holiday.

Boxing Day, also known as the Feast of St. Stephen (after the first Christian martyr), originated in England in the middle of the nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts, usually given in boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing Day".

Also related to the origin of Boxing Day is the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents of these boxes were distributed amongst the poor, by the clergy, the day after Christmas.

Today, Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. It is a time for family and friends to gather with lots of food and fun. Outdoor sports such as soccer, horse racing and hunting are popular on this holiday. Retailers offer huge savings on many items on this day, making it the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada.

Throughout the Christmas season, many organizations keep the original tradition of Boxing Day alive by donating their time, energy, and money to fill the Food Bank and provide gifts for the poor.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL

2009-12-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas

by Peter Marshall

We yearn, our Father, for the simple beauty of Christmas -- for all the old famliar melodies and words that remind us of that great miracle when He who had made all things was one night to come as a babe, to lie in the crook of a woman's arm.

Before such mystery we kneel, as we follow the shepherds and Wise Men to bring Thee the gift of our love -- a love we confess has not always been as warm or sincere or real as it should have been. But now, on this Christmas Day, that love would find its Beloved, and from Thee receive the grace to make it pure again, warm and real.

We bring Thee our gratitude for every token of Thy love, for all the ways Thou hast heaped blessings upon us during the years that have gone.

And we do pray, Lord Jesus, that as we celebrate Thy birthday, we may do it in a manner well pleasing to Thee. May all we do and say, every tribute of our hearts, bring honor to Thy name, that we, Thy people, may remember Thy birth and feel Thy presence among us even yet.

May the loving kindness of Christmas not only creep into our hearts, but there abide, so that not even the return to earthly cares and responsibilities, not all the festivities of our own devising may cause it to creep away weeping. May the joy and spirit of Christmas stay with us now and forever.

In the name of Jesus, who came to save His people from their sins, even in that lovely name we pray. Amen."