Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints

Rights Vs Christian Testimony

2012-01-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

I have been pondering, what are my personal "rights", and when should those "rights" be set aside in deference toward others? Are some "rights" so important that we should fight for them to the point of making Christianity stink unnecessarily in the eyes of those who know we are Christians? In determining what rights are worth fighting for shouldn't we take into consideration whether or not it will build up and strengthen other believers in faith or will it be a stumbling block if those rights are fought for, and exercised?

My friend Karen points out that I Cor. 8:9-10 has something to say regarding your "rights" and when to lay them aside. Also see chapter 9:19-23.

Devotional: God is in Our Darkness

2012-01-25T20:21:00.001-08:00

The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 20:21 ESV)

I am intrigued by the fact that God was in the thick darkness. There are other passages of Scripture that talk about God dwelling in darkness.

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water. (Psalm 18:11 ESV)

He made darkness around him his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water. (2 Samuel 22:12 ESV)

Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. (Psalm 97:2 ESV)

I find great comfort in the fact that God dwells in my darkness. There are times when the trials of life seem to envelope us in a shroud of darkness. We don't know which way to turn and may feel trapped in the darkness.

We may feel like the writer of Lamentations.

I am the man who has seen affliction
under the rod of his wrath;
he has driven and brought me
into darkness without any light;
he has made me dwell in darkness
like the dead of long ago. (Lamentations 3:1, 2, 6 ESV)

The end of Psalm 18 gives great encouragement for us when we are surrounded by darkness.

For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 18:28-30 ESV)

Bridal Shower Devotional Talk Resource ebook~Reduced Price!

2012-01-25T19:19:00.000-08:00

Bridal Shower Devotional Talk Resource ebook~Reduced Price!

On Amazon.com Kindle Store, in 24 hours the price should be reduced to $1.00.

http://www.amazon.com/Bridal-Shower-Resource-eBook-ebook/dp/B0053TDI16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327520476&sr=8-1

On Lulu.com the price will be reduced to $1.79 for the PDF file download.

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/bridal-shower-devotional-resource-book/18836376?productTrackingContext=search_results%2Fsearch_shelf%2Fcenter%2F8 Copy and past this link in your browser if you want the PDF.

I wish I could price them both at $1.00, but Lulu won't let me price that low and I needed to set a price where I would make some profit.

Bridal Shower Devotional Talk Resource ebook~Reduced Price Coming Soon!

2012-01-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

On Amazon.com Kindle Store, in 24 hours the price should be reduced to $1.00.
On Lulu.com the price will be reduced to $1.79 for the PDF file download.

I wish I could price them both at $1.00, but Lulu won't let me price that low and I needed to set a price where I would make some profit.

I will post a link to each one once the prices are live.

2012-01-18T10:06:00.001-08:00

We are getting a little snow today!

Devotional: Mirrors

2012-01-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Genesis 20:2:
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Genesis 26:8:
And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.

I've been reading in Genesis lately, and was struck recently by the fact that Isaac committed the same exact sin as his father by lying about his wife and saying she was his sister.

It points to the fact that our children are watching what we do and they are learning from us. This takes me up short. As my children have grown to be teens, sometimes I see things in them that I don't like and then I realize, that very thing has been something that I do! It's like looking in a mirror. Horrors!

One remedy is to look to the Word of God...it is a mirror that we need to look into and then let God show us where and how we need to change.

James 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

I need to point out that Christian parents whose children have not turned out the way they brought them up are not always at fault for how they turn out. I don't want to unnecessarily lay guilt on those who find themselves in this spot. Our children are sinners like the rest of us and unless God converts them, they may go their own sinful way.

I am only pointing to the fact that sometimes as we raise our children, we see them saying or doing things that we don't like and sometimes if we step back and look at what we do and say, we might find that they are only mirroring our behavior. This is most obvious with toddlers. Let's be mindful of what our bad habits and actions are so that we set good examples for our children.

Devotional: He Will Complete What He Appoints for Me

2012-01-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

"But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind. Job 23:12-14 ESV

Do you ever feel like you are spinning your wheels and nothing you want to accomplish gets done? Maybe you are dealing with chronic illness which prevents you from having the energy you need to do what you want to do. Or perhaps it is interruptions in your day that keep you from getting those things done.

God, on the other hand does whatever He desires and no one can thwart His purposes. What is interesting to me is that these verses say that he will complete what he appoints for me. What does He have appointed for me? I Thessalonians 4:3 says, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality." John 17:19 says, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

God's purposes for us is that we be sanctified. When our day doesn't go as planned, and we are able to yield to His shaping and molding us through those circumstances then we are right in the center of His will even if we aren't able to get done what was on our agenda. He is completing in us the work that He has set out to do.

This should give us great comfort in knowing that He is in control of our days. No matter what happens in our day, He knows what He is doing and He will carry out and complete what He has appointed for us.

Something New for Me

2012-01-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

I just discovered Blogger for my iPod Touch! This is really handy!

Teaching

2011-12-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

A Quote from the Costco Connection Magazine:

"If you're not spending 90% of your time teaching, you're not doing your job."~Jim Sinegal

Ouch! I guess the question is, WHAT am I teaching?

Chronological Bible Reading Plans

2011-12-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

After posting yesterday about the chronological reading plan I had found, I was thinking about how much it jumped around in the Bible. It seems to do much more of that than other Chronological Bible Reading Plans. So I decided to check out the one that Joni Eareckson-Tada talked about on Facebook yesterday. It doesn't so much jumping around and I am thinking I might go with her plan since it will afford me the opportunity to have my iPod or Kindle read to me at times without so much interruption to skip around. Here is the link to Joni's plan.

Would it Be Acceptable for Me to Live with My Girlfriend Before Marriage?

2011-12-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

Answer:

Thank you for writing and asking me your question. I am glad to hear that you are a believer and that you have strong boundaries regarding sexual purity before marriage. That is a good start.

As I have studied the Bible to see what it has to say about the issue of "living in" with your girl friend, I find that the Bible is clear on the fact that sexual temptation is very strong. See the following verses:

1 Corinthians 7:1-2 ESV
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Ephesians 5:1-33 ESV
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ...

It seems to me that living with a person of the opposite sex to whom you are attracted is just inviting temptation. Scripture is clear on what we are to do with temptation:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

By living with your girlfriend you are not fleeing temptation but rather inviting it in.

Further, what example will this set for other believers?

1 Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.

The Bible says that marriage is to be held in honor among all. Would living together before marriage cheapen marriage and dishonor it?

Hebrews 13:4 ESV
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Can you do this and honestly bring honor to God before others?
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I realize your concern is that you would like to learn more about your girlfriend, her daily needs and how to care for her better. Does she currently have a care-giver that you can talk to to learn more of what her needs are? Can you spend time with her, taking her to dinner or having a meal in with her and her family or doing other activities so you can see how she must deal with things?

I truly believe that God will bless you if you continue your commitment to be pure before marriage by doing all you can to "flee temptation". I believe your girlfriend will have a higher respect for you and frankly, if she doesn't, then both of you need to do some serious soul searching about the relationship.

Ask Me a Question About Christian Living

It doesn't matter how slow I go, just so long as I don't give up!

2011-12-20T19:00:00.001-08:00

Wow! December 20 and my last post was on the 14th. Time's a flyin' these days. I spend so much time running from one place to the other, trying to keep up with Sarah's work schedule and Nathaniel's once a week volunteer schedule that I barely have had time to get everything together for the holidays.

I've been keeping up with daily Bible reading, but sadly, not with blogging my thoughts about what I am learning and what God has been teaching me. Nor have I been writing devotionals either. The time just hasn't been there for me.

By the time I get to evening, all I want to do is sit down and kick my feet up and play some Angry Birds to unwind. Yes, I said Angry Birds.

Something I am excited about is reading through the Bible in chronological order of the events that are recorded in it. I have searched for a plan that is not dated because I know I can't keep up with a dated plan and will become discouraged and quit.

Well, my search was not fruitless. I found a plan that is not dated. It goes by Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 etc. I downloaded the pdf onto my Kindle so that I can read the scripture in order, and highlight the references that I have completed. This way I can go at my own pace and not lose my place. If it takes me three days to read one day's worth of reading, so be it. It doesn't matter how slow I go, just so long as I don't give up!

Since this plan is not dated, I can start right now instead of waiting until the New Year to get started. I like that.

Would you like to join me in reading through the Bible in chronological order too? I'd love to have you join me in this! Click the link above for the pdf file that has the plan and let's get started!

Disclaimer: I find it interesting that the author of this Bible reading plan discourages against using a Bible with study notes because they are often biased according to who put the study notes out, yet, he goes on to add numerous study notes to his Bible reading plan. Since I have not reviewed this author's study notes, I can not vouch for their doctrinal integrity. I recommend doing the Bible reading, meditating on it and recording your own notes and thoughts before you read the author's notes so his opinions do not color your thinking as you read.

Where Has the Time Gone?

2011-12-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

The last time I updated my blog was on December 4th. I have been so busy! Since Sarah started working two part time jobs and does not have a driver's license and I'm home schooling Nathaniel, my days have been full to the brim.

I estimate on any given day I might spend anywhere from half an hour to over an hour going from one place to another and waiting one or the other of the kids. On days when Sarah works both part time jobs, I spend at least an hour and a half going to and from and waiting. Of course it is all split up into four different runs, so I between helping Nathaniel with school in the morning and running her around in the afternoon, I rarely can work on anything without interruption, hence my lack of devotional blogs lately, and posting on Facebook.

I did get an early Christmas present that I have been working at getting set up so I can it can help me out with organizing my life....an Ipod Touch. I love this little device.

I have my calendar, reminder notes, health notes, exercise logs, budget, shopping helps, Bible, math references for home school, gluten ingredient lists and more all one handy little device that I can slip in my pocket now.

Now it's easy to check my budget and record spending the minute my posterior hits the car seat from the store. I even have a UPC code scanner in it, although it doesn't always work too well, the few things I have managed to get it to read, I've learned I can get some items I've been buying at Walmart cheaper at Walgrens.

Well, I need to get moving through my day....it's sneaking up on me all too fast!!!

Devotional: You Laid a Crushing Burden on our Backs

2011-12-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

Psalm 66:10For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

I was struck by verse eleven in this passage. The Psalmist tells us that God is the one who brings us to trials. Sometimes I think we give the Devil too much credit for the trials and difficulties we have.

God is in sovereign control of all that comes our way. Satan may have a part in it, as we see in Job, but God is ultimately in control of what He allows and what happens. He has his good purposes to accomplish in each of our lives through the trials He allows.

Sometimes we can't make sense of the trouble we are going through, but God knows and has a special purpose for each one. We may never realize the purpose until we are in heaven and able to look back. Then we will understand it all. In the mean time, we need to respond in a godly manner to the trials that come our way. In this way, we will become more sanctified and bring glory to God in the process.

Asking the Wrong Questions

2011-11-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Psalm 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.

The question is often asked, "Why does God allow good people to suffer?" Yet, this Psalm indicates that there is none who does good. How can this be? We see people who are kind hearted, who do good deeds all the time. Are they not good people? Why do people like this suffer? And why does the Bible lump all of mankind into the same category as the fool? (Romans 3:12)

Questions like these accuse God of being unfair. What we don't think about is the fact that if God were "fair" then He would not have sent His Son Jesus to take the punishment for our sin. By human standards, this was completely unfair.

God is not "fair" as we think of fairness. God is just and righteous. He required a just punishment for sin because He is holy and can not allow sin in His presence in heaven.

Another reason we ask questions like the ones above is because we are using the wrong standard for good. We compare people with people and come to the conclusion that there are good people and bad people based on their actions. Good people shouldn't have to suffer and bad people should be punished. But the standard for good set forth in the Bible is God. Against the back drop of God's righteousness there is none that do good.

Instead of asking, "Why does God allow good people to suffer?", we should ask, "Why does God choose to show mercy on anyone?"

I think the words to the song "Justice for All" says it best:

Justice For All

by Ron Larson and Bob Kaufflin

how many times have we cried
out to God
saying life just isn't fair
complaining we don't get what
we deserve
wondering if He cares

somehow we're not so amazed anymore
by the grace that has
brought us this far
but we feel God owes us
explanations
for the grievances in
our hearts

but there is justice for all
measured by One
when innocence received
the wrath
for the wrongs of everyone
justice for all
so the guilty could be spared
and be thankful that this life
is not fair

grace is given and grace
is withheld
but grace is never owed
and out of His goodness He
gives where He wills
not where He is told

where were we when the world
was formed
shaped by the sound of
His voice
and have we forgotten,
forgiveness is free,
but it's offered to us by
His choice?

do you think you've been
mistreated
and more than paid the cost?
then gaze upon the Son of God
in the shadow of the cross.

Devotional: Is God Pleased with Our Sacrifices?

2011-11-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Psalm 51:16-17 for thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, though wilt not despise.

Men and women by nature feel they should DO SOME THING to gain God's favor. So they light candles, pay for indulgences, attend temple ceremonies, offer food offerings to idols of a deity, do good works or they simply attend church at Christmas and Easter. Others just pour themselves into the work of the church thinking they are pleasing God by their busyness for Him while their relationship with God suffers. There are many other things people do to earn God's favor besides these.

In a sense, these are all just sacrifices to hopefully earn God's favor. David, in this Psalm, realizes this is not what God really desires or else he would give it. David realizes that God does not delight in any of our sacrifices unless our heart is right.

God wants first, a broken and contrite heart. He wants us to be broken over the sin our lives. He wants us to have humble hearts before Him. When we offer the sacrifice of our time and pleasures, but are not broken over sin, then it is an act of pride because we think we can please God by what we do for Him.

Ah, but there are those who will cry, "Faith without works is dead!". It takes faith to realize that all my works are tainted with sin and cannot please God apart from a heart that is broken and contrite before Him. Once the heart is broken over sin and contrite before God, then works will come as a natural result out of love for God and His mercy. Good works in any other context are useless for gaining favor with God.

I must confess that often, I find myself going through the motions but my heart is not broken and contrite before God. All those works done with a heart not right before God will be burned up. Only those works I do from a heart right with God will survive the fire of His judgment in the end.

How is your heart? Are you busy for God but neglecting your heart attitudes toward sin in your life? I find one way to gage this is to listen to my thoughts and words. Am I grumbling? Am I wanting to be noticed for what I do? Do I have the martyr complex? This is very convicting to me. God help us with our hearts!

Child Sponsorship Through Compassion International

2011-11-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

Please check out Compassion International's Website. There are a list of children shown there that need sponsors today. Consider sponsoring one of these children.

We have been sponsoring Melisa for the past 14 years or so. She lives in Bolivia. She loves getting letters and pictures from us and we so enjoy her letters. I have kept a scrapbook showing how she has grown and matured. Her love for the Lord is an encouragement to us.

It costs $38 a month to sponsor one child. Extra is sent for Christmas and Birthdays. Children who are sponsored are able to attend school at the Compassion Center, have their medical/dental needs cared for, receive nourishing meals and are taught the Bible and learn about God's love for them. It is well worth the investment. Won't you sponsor a child today?

Our Refuge and Strength

2011-11-15T07:50:00.000-08:00

Psalms Chapter 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

It seems like we have been hearing of more and more earthquakes lately. They say it's just because they have more equipment around to detect them, and that maybe be true. They are detecting more and more of the smaller ones that otherwise would go unnoticed. But it still seems to me that we are seeing an increase in the big earthquakes that cause lots of damage.

Scripture talks about this and many other signs that will come to pass before the end comes.

Matthew Chapter 24

[4] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. [5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. [6] And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. [7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
[8] All these are the beginning of sorrows. [9] Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. [10] And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. [11] And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. [12] And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. [13] But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. [14] And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Many of these things are already happening. For a long time I used to get upset when I would see these things happening. It is still disturbing to me, but our pastor pointed out that it should strengthen our faith because Jesus told us these things would happen. When we see them happening, we know that Jesus was telling us the truth and we can trust Him.

It will not be a pretty picture by the end. But we can take comfort in our Refuge and Strength. He is a present help in trouble. We can be still and know that He is God.

Devotion: Stretching Our Hands Out to Strange Gods

2011-11-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

Psalm 44: 20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; 21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

I've just begun reading a book titled "When A Nation Forgets God" by Erwin W. Lutzer. He compares what happened in Nazi Germany to what is happening in our nation now. He traces the downward spiral from a nation that acknowledged God and allowed prayer in schools and freedom to worship Him to a nation that took prayer out of the schools, removed freedoms little by little from Christians until it was a nation devoid of God and killing those who were "unfit" to live in society.

Our nation is moving in that very direction. Prayer has been removed from our schools. They are removing Christian principles from our government. Some states have voted to allow euthanasia for those that are ill and desire it (just one small step away from killing those who are a "burden to society"). Unborn babies are already being killed if they are going to be an inconvenience. Little by little Christian churches and Christians are having their freedoms removed.

We are a nation that is in the process of forgetting God. We have stretched out our hands to strange gods. They are the gods of convenience, selfishness, pride, greed, money, man's own wisdom and a whole host of others.

We may try to fool others. We may try to fool ourselves. But God knows our hearts. He searches our hearts and knows what our gods are. I am as guilty as the next person of allowing things to come before my relationship with God.

What can become a god in our lives? Anything that becomes more important to us than living a life with a conscience toward God and keeping our relationship to Him first is a god to us.

What might that look like in our lives? It might surprise you, but church can become a god. I've been there before. At one point in my life I became so involved in the church that I did not have time to maintain my relationship with God in daily prayer and Bible reading. The activities of the church took the place of all that. I was "serving God by serving my church" while my spiritual life...the time I actually spent with God, studying and soaking in His Word, praying and communing with Him became almost non-existent. My church became my god.

Things can become your god. The internet, sports, recreation, your home, money, your job and the list goes on and on. If any of these things take the place and time you should spend in prayer and studying the Bible to learn how God would want you to live and behave, then you have stretched your hands out to strange gods.

This is an area that I constantly have to keep vigilance over. It is so easy for these things to creep in and push out the time I should be spending in the Word and prayer. It's like exercise. If I don't make it a priority in my life it doesn't happen. What I am writing here is very convicting to me. I so often fail and so often have to repent. How about you? Do you have some strange gods crowding out the true God?

We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are

2011-11-08T08:44:00.001-08:00

Psalms Chapter 39:4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

This verse comes in the context of watching the tongue while living among the wicked. Verse 1 says:

I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.

It reminds me of the words of a song by Rich Mullins.

Well, it took the hand of God Almighty
To part the waters of the sea
But it only took one little lie
To separate you and me
Oh, we are not as strong as we think we are

And they say that one day Joshua
Made the sun stand still in the sky
But I can't even keep these thoughts
Of you from passing by
Oh, we are not as strong as we think we are

CHORUS
We are frail
We are fearfully and wonderfully made
Forged in the fires of human passion
Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
And with these our hells and our heavens
So few inches apart
We must be awfully small
And not as strong as we think we are

And the Master said their faith was
Gonna make them mountains move
But me, I tremble like a hill on a fault line
Just at the thought of how I lost you
Oh, we are not as strong as we think we are

CHORUS
And if you make me laugh well I know
I could make you like me
Cause when I laugh I can be a lot of fun
But we can't do that I know that it is frightening
What I don't know is why we can't hold on
We can't hold on

CHORUS
When you love you walk on the water
Just don't stumble on the waves
We all want to go there somethin' awful
But to stand there it takes some grace
'Cause oh, we are not as strong
As we think we are

Devotional: Our Riches

2011-11-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Psalm 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

I have appreciated this verse many times. The wicked have their riches only in this life time. Those whom God has made righteous through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, may not have riches in this life but will in eternity.

Indeed, we already have them according to Ephesians 1:3-5.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Not only can we be content with what we have because our riches are stored up in heaven, but we are rich because God will never leave us.

Heb 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Indeed, God's people are the richest people on earth even if they are poor by the world's standard.

As I have been trying to sift through the abundance of stuff we have collected over the years, I find that earthly riches are not really all they are cracked up to be. Some times they get in the way. They cause extra worry and they don't last and often have to be fixed. Our heavenly riches will never cause us these troubles. We so much to be thankful for!

Using the Familiar to Teach Truth

2011-11-03T08:06:00.001-07:00

Psalm 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

A friend pointed out to me that Psalm 37 is the prelude to Matthew 5. Compare Matthew 5:5 with Psalm 37:11. I believe Jesus was actually quoting from Psalm 37:11 because He knew that the Jewish people were familiar with the Old Testament and could relate to it.

Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Often, it is helpful to draw from what a person already is familiar with to bring out spiritual truth. They can relate better to what you trying to show them when you can make a connection between something they are already familiar with and the truth from Scripture you are trying to convey.

Jesus did this often. He used lamps, wine, water, harvest, farming, money management, prejudice and many other things that were familiar to his audience to make spiritual truth more clear to them.

Devotional: Dealing with Difficult People

2011-11-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

Psalms 37:1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Psalm 37 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It tells me how to deal with stress and stressful people. We've all seen those books with titles like, "How to Deal With Difficult People". Well, here in a nutshell, we have instructions for dealing with difficult people! We don't need a full length book on this subject, we just need to do what this says.

Often the key is how we respond to difficult people. How often do I react with harsh words or anger when someone crosses me up? This scripture says to fret not and cease from anger. If we took this to heart, think of how the outcome might be different in our relationship to difficult people?

This is an area that I really need to work on. It's so much easier to just react with the first thing on our tongue then to hold back and respond in a more godly way. Lord, help us!

Devotional:Our Attitude Toward Those Who Mistreat Us

2011-10-31T11:45:00.001-07:00

KJV: Psalms Chapter 35

[12] They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. [13] But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
How often do I secretly and openly gloat over those who are against me when things don't go well for them?

The Psalmist gives us an example that we should follow. He prayed for those who mistreated him and was sad when they were sick. This is the opposite of what we usually think to do.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44,

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; “

How often do I practice this? To my shame, I often think the opposite way. I believe in coming days we will have ample opportunity to practice this. We are in the last days and we will have many that will be against us. Will we curse them or will we do good to them and pray for them?

The Lord's Counsel Stands Forever

2011-10-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

KJV: Psalms Chapter 33

[11] The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. [12] Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
I love the fact that the Lord is dependable. His counsel stands forever. It will not change. We can read His Word and know that what He says is what He means and it will not change. We don't have to wonder if He might change His mind on us like those who trust in modern day prophets and modern day revelations do. He is not going to tell us one thing and then some time later change His mind on it. His revelation is given and complete. It contains everything we need for salvation and Christian living.

His mercy is on those who fear Him and trust in His name. We don't need to fear the "prophets" of today and what they say. We only need to fear the Lord and trust in Him. He is the one we have to do with. It is His mercy that we need to save our souls, not these others who try to take His place.

Getting In the Way

2011-10-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Psalm 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

The Psalmist is talking to God in verse 7. He is our hiding place. He will preserve our souls from trouble, but He doesn't necessarily preserve us physically from trouble here on earth. Those who teach that if we have enough faith God will preserve us physically/emotionally from trouble here on earth are sadly mistaken.

We know this is not true when we look at the Apostle Paul. He had a physical affliction in the flesh that God would not remove even though Paul begged the Lord three times to remove it. I wonder sometimes how the "health and wealth" preachers explain this. Do you suppose they say that Paul didn't have enough faith?

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye

It appears the speaker changes in verse 8 and now God is speaking. I just realized this verse can be taken two different ways. Until today I always thought it meant that God was going to tell me which way I should go...what path to be on. But as I was reading it today, it came across that God will teach me and instruct me on the path that I am on and will guide me in it. It brings to memory what the servant of Abraham said when he went to find a wife for Isaac.

[KJV] Genesis 24:27
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.

The servant was already on the path ("in the way") and the Lord led him. Is the path that we are on honoring to God? Scripture says to do all things to the glory of God. Can we glorify God on the path we are currently on? If so, then keep on moving and the Lord will lead and guide you in it. If you can't glorify God on the path you are currently on, then get off it and get "in the way" where you can glorify God and then the Lord will guide and direct you in it.

Tolerance

2011-10-26T15:35:00.001-07:00

"What is "tolerance" in the face of terror? Isn't it surrender? Isn't
it social suicide?"~Jason Rosenburg

Evil Unchecked

2011-10-26T15:34:00.001-07:00

"For evil, unchecked, is the prelude to genocide. You (are) either on the offense, or you (are) losing. Fast or slow, it (doesn't) matter, and time is not on your side."~ Jason Rosenburg

Evil

2011-10-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

"To misunderstand the nature of evil is to risk being blindsided by it." ~Jason Rosenburg

God's Goodness; Our Courage and Hope

2011-10-26T08:45:00.001-07:00

KJV: Psalms 31:1. In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. 19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! God is good all the time to those that fear Him. Even when the chips are down and it seems He has hidden His face from us, He is good. We may not see it in our circumstances, but He is working His plan in the storms of life and when we come out of the fire He will have made us more fit for heaven than when we went in. He has laid up goodness upon goodness for us in heaven. Yes, God is good all the time. 24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.It is easy to become discouraged when we are in the storms of life. But we have a hope in the Lord that is far more than an "I hope so" hope. It is a sure steadfast hope of an anchor. It's an "I know so" hope. We have good reason to be of good courage. We have a hope beyond the grave in God's goodness. He will strengthen our hearts to persevere.

Dangers of Prosperity & Poverty

2011-10-25T13:20:00.002-07:00

KJV: Psalms Chapter 30

[6] And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. [7] LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. [8] I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication. [9] What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? [10] Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. [11] Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; [12] To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Verse 6 shows what can happen when we are in a condition of prosperity. We can become self-sufficient and proud. Then verse 7 shows us that it's only by the Lord's favor that we stand strong. When He hides His face from us it all comes tumbling down and we find ourselves suddenly dependent on Him.

We must be careful in times of prosperity that we remain humbly dependent on God and not on our riches. Our pastor has been going through James and pointed out that being well-to-do is a trial as much as being poor. There comes certain trials and temptations with riches and those who are rich must pray for wisdom as much as those who are in trials because they are poor. This can be seen in this Psalm.

Sometimes when the rich become too self-sufficient, God has to take them down a notch or two to get their focus and priorities straight. On the other hand, the poor have their trials too. Here is a good prayer in regard to riches or poverty:

KJV: Proverbs Chapter 30

[8] Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: [9] Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Worship & Loving the Lord

2011-10-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

Psalm 29:1 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

I used to wonder, when I read this verse, why we needed to give the Lord strength when He had all the strength He ever could need. I think I had it all wrong. We are to give glory to the Lord using our strength to do it.

Luke 10:27 explains: "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself."

This is how we are to love the Lord and worship Him---with our whole being, not just on Sunday but every day of the week in whatever we lay our hand to do.

I have to admit that it is not my first thought as I work on the chores of the day to do it in an attitude of worship toward God. I need to work on this a lot.

Wait and Be of Good Courage

2011-10-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Psalms Chapter 27

[13] I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. [14] Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Ah, I love these two verses! With all that is going on in our world and the sleep/health issues my husband and I deal with it would be easy to "faint" and lose sight of the goodness of the Lord. But He is good. When we wait on Him for strength He gives what we need for the moment. Our job is to wait and be of good courage. He does the rest.

Assembly of Evildoers

2011-10-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Psalm 26:2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites. 5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.

Couldn't help but think of the Occupy protests going on when I read this passage. They have some valid complaints but they are not helping the problem any.

They are mad at the corporations for running the country with their big contributions to politicians and they are mad at the government for bowing to the the corporations. So what do they do?

They go set up tent cities on Wall Street and incite protests in other cities and even across the globe, some of which become violent. They leave their trash all over the place and refuse to move so the city employees can clean up the mess. They require the cities where they are to spend more money on police force to keep things from getting violent. They disrupt the public peace in various ways and in various places and they think this is going to help solve the problems they are complaining about?

How is causing a ruckus, and making a nuisance of themselves going to solve the problems of big corporations running the country by their huge political contributions? I was invited by a person to go find a group near me and join the cause in order to help solve the problems they are complaining about. Psalm 26:4-5 spoke to me in this regard.

A local DJ is in New York right now. He held his cell phone up for people here to hear what is going on. It sounded loud and unruly from what my daughter said she heard. He said he was just on the fridge of the protest. Asked if he would go into the middle of the crowd, he said, "No, are you kidding me? These people don't look friendly!"

5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.

My Bible Reading Today

2011-10-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

Psalm 25:4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths

Psalm 25:12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

Psalm 25:14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and he will shew them his covenant.

The key idea is fearing the Lord. Verse 4 has a condition to be met in verse 12. If I intend to be led by the Lord and shown His ways then I must fear him. It carries the idea of fearing Him in the sense that I do not want to displease Him. It's not a matter of just going to church on Sunday and paying homage to Him but rather living my life with a conscience toward Him.

Devotion: "Yet You are Holy..."

2011-10-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Psalm 22 is a prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ. There are several verses that parallel the words of Christ at His crucifixion or that describe what happened.

Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

Written hundreds of years before Christ's death, this is just one small piece that shows us the trustworthiness of God's Word.

In the past weeks I identify only in a fraction with the following verses:

2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.

After weeks of waking in the middle of the night to be up for a couple of hours due to sleeplessness, I began to feel like what verse two says. I pray for good sleep in the day time, but it's as if He did not answer and I found no rest at night.

But I especially like verse three. That word, "yet" says a lot. "Yet you are holy...". There is a temptation when you lose your sleep for days on end or when you have unrelenting health issues to begin to think that God is unfair, that He is not being righteous in allowing these things to happen.

When we are in these circumstances that we don't understand, when we feel that God is not listening or being unfair to us somehow, we must come to terms with His righteousness and holiness in spite of what we feel and see. "Yet you are holy...".

In His holiness, He is sovereign and he has a special purpose and plan for everything He allows to come into our lives. We do not see how all the tangled threads of our lives will come together to make anything beautiful, but He sees the pattern He is weaving in our lives. It is through these times that He seeks to sanctify us and change us more into the image of His Son. "Yet you are holy...".

Burning the Mid-Night Oil

2011-10-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

Well, not actually the midnight oil, I'm burning the 3am oil....here is the Psalm that stood out to me tonight:

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

In our day, some trust in themselves, others in doctors, some in education, science and the list goes on and on. That is not to say that these things do not have their proper places in our lives. For instance, sometimes we need to see a doctor or we need to get some education etc. But these things should not take the place of God's authority and direction in our lives.

Many get it upside down and they trust in these things more than they trust in God or maybe even to the exclusion of God in their lives. This is happening in our nation as it pushes God out of everything. We are becoming a nation devoid of God, trusting in our own might and knowledge.

Night unto Night Reveals Knowledge

2011-10-15T03:13:00.001-07:00

I just read Psalm 19. I had to chuckle because it talks about night again and I have been up for almost an hour. Got up at 2am.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.

This reminds me of something in Romans....

Ro 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Man is without excuse before God. He can not claim he didn't know there was a God because creation shouts it in the day time and the night time shows His knowledge.

For me, that is literally true. It seems the night time hours have been when God shows me His knowledge as I spend time with him in his Word in the wee hours of morning.

Psalm 19:12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

The Darkness

2011-10-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

It is 4:30am. I got up at 4. Hoping for some more sleep before I have to begin my day as it will be a busy day. I've spent some time in Psalm 18 since I woke up. There are several verses that I like from this.

v.11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

Darkness and night seem to be the themes that keep coming up in my reading and since I keep waking in the night, this has significance to me. I do feel as if I have been coming into His secret place in these dark quiet hours of the night....all is quiet and free from the distractions of the daytime activities. It's just me and Him.

v18 For thous wilt light my candle; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

In a spiritual sense He has been enlightening my darkness in these night time hours....I had felt like I was spiritually dry and He is using this time to light my spiritual candle.

v30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.

Waking up in the middle of the night every night isn't my idea of perfect, but God's way is perfect. It has been His way to bring me into a closer fellowship with Him and even if it isn't my idea of perfect due to lack of sleep, it is perfect because it is accomplishing the purpose He wants in my life and that would be sanctification.

The Night Seasons

2011-10-13T03:01:00.000-07:00

Here I sit. It's 2:47am. I've been awake since 2am. Once again, I decided to read my Bible and once again the Lord has used this time to teach me. Here is what I read:

Psalm 17:3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

God knows my heart and how much I complain...especially when I lose out on my sleep! So here He is testing me in the night. I can't say with the Psalmist that he shall find nothing, I need sanctifying in this area of my tongue. I see that the Psalmist had to PURPOSE that his mouth would not transgress. It's not a "let go and let God" proposition here. We can't sit back on beds of flowery ease and expect God to carry us through to sanctification without some effort on our parts. We have some work to do...we must PURPOSE what we will do or not do as the case may be and then ask God for the strength to carry out that purpose. God's work of sanctification in the believer requires active participation on the part of His children.

It is interesting, I was thinking to myself how dry my spiritual life has become lately. And now, God has been waking me up in the middle of the night and I'm finding it a most profitable time to read my Bible as all is quiet in the house and I do not have the distractions of the day before me. Granted, doing the night shift and the day shift too is wearing and I trust at some point God will give good sleep again, but I am making the most of these night time wakings.

The Night Hours

2011-10-12T04:29:00.001-07:00

I've been awake since 2am. It is now 4:30am. I decided what is the point of laying in bed if I can't sleep? So I decided to read my Bible. Here is what I read:

Psalm 14:7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

In the night also, my heart instructs me. What does this mean? I read elsewhere that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. The key to this verse is the first line....the Lord gives me counsel. It is the Lord as He speaks to my heart through His Word and thus "my heart instructs me".

So here it is the wee hours of the morning or late at night, whatever you want to call it, and my heart through God's Word is instructing me.

Oh, Lord, please help to go back to sleep. I can't manage on so little....but thank you for giving me instruction in the night time hours.

Bible Reading/Thoughts

2011-10-11T10:28:00.001-07:00

I love how the Psalms (almost) always begin with depression, sorrow, lamenting over evil etc. but by the end of each Psalm the tone turns to praise and thanksgiving.

So often my feelings are of melancholy of the same sort. I identify with the negativity and questioning of God in the opening of most of the Psalms and so it is good to have this example of turning the heart and mind toward praise and thanksgiving.

Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

God has been merciful to me. He has saved my soul from destruction.

Psalm 13:6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

With all that is wrong in the world and my life~I have so much to be thankful for!!! He HAS dealt bountifully with me. If I go what I deserved I would be in a whole world of hurt. But God has mercifully not given me what I deserve. I have so much to be thankful for in Him! So many blessings in the heavenly places that He is preparing for me.

Devotional: God Will Preserve His Word

2011-10-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalm 12:1-7

There are many groups out there that like to cast doubt on the Bible. They say that there are parts missing or there are parts that have been changed, therefore it isn't completely trustworthy. Since this is so, they say, we need to join their church or group so they can tell us what really should be there. We don't have to listen to these people.
Satan has placed them in our way to cast doubt in our minds about God's sovereignty over His own Word.

These verses in Psalms are only part of the Scriptures that tell us God's Word is preserved by Him. His is faithful and we can trust Him and His Word.

Footnote Verses: Ps. 18:30; 119:140; Prov. 30:5; [Ps. 19:8]

Seasons of Life

2011-10-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been going through a season of life that has kept me very busy. Trying to balance household, school, trying to be frugal by getting things for Christmas through auctions, being on the Port Cities Home Educators board, and all the other things that go along with motherhood, and running a household, I have found myself either not taking the time or getting the time, one or the other to sit down and write weekly devotionals like have done for some many years. I feel badly about this.

I read my Bible each day and little things jump out at me and I share them from my Kindle to Facebook and Twitter, but I never seem to get back to really sitting down and fleshing them out into a devotional to share here. I feel like I was better at this when I kept a devotional journal on paper.....perhaps I should go back to that? I don't know. I am just struggling these days to balance life.

I wonder if this is just a season or if I am mismanaging my time? It's hard to tell sometimes.

Journal Entry Oct. 8,2011

2011-10-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday AM. Hard time getting up since I was awake for over an hour from 2:45 to somewhere past 4am. It's cloudy out again. We had several days of rain this past week. Yesterday was gorgeous.

I've won several things to give for Christmas on Listia.com and am auctioning several things off now. It's a fun way to get rid of stuff and get stuff. I'm getting the hang of auctions now. You wait and see how high it goes and then at the last 15 seconds throw in your bid if you are willing to go that high. I've won several things that way.

Just been trying to keep up with everything and not doing a very good job of it.

Today I need to do some reading on Anabaptist history and theology to see how it differs from ours. We are using a literature curriculum put out by the Mennonites and I see mention of Martyr's Mirror and Calvinist areas where they lived. So I want to see what the deal is with that, so I can explain it to Nathaniel. From what I gather, the Catholic church did it's share of burning people at the stake and persecuting those who went against them, but I'm learning that perhaps the Reformers did the same. So I'm on a quest to sift out the truth from the fiction.

Later today:
Rick did not make it to church. He did not sleep good last night either. The kids and I went. Zach came to the second service and sat with us, then he came home with us and ate lunch with us. He stayed until around 4pm. S and N went to see a DVD at Grace Reformed Church tonight and took a friend with them.

Rick fixed my computer this week end. It was deader than a door nail. He could not get Windows to work on it anymore so he was able to install Ubuntu on it instead. So I have a whole new operating system to learn and get used to but, hey, my computer is usable now. That is nice.

We had an extremely good sermon at church today from James 1:2-4. It had a lot to do with our perspective during trials. Trials will come and what matters is how we view them. If we view them as tools in the hand of God to sanctify us then we will find joy in the peaceable fruit of righteousness that will result. Much to think about from that sermon. It's a good thing I take notes each week!

Journal Entry Oct 5, 2011 Stuff

2011-10-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

First day we have rain in some time. It was so hard to get going this morning! Just felt all sluggish all day.

Went out driving with S this morning. Practiced left hand turns at controlled intersections and parallel parking.

N had an orthodontic apt. They forgot to give him more bands, so now I have to go back up there tomorrow to get more.

Rick stayed home today. He did'n't sleep good last night. He spent the afternoon and evening working on my little computer because it died over the weekend. He got it going again, but it's still slower than snails and something isn't quite right. We can't get it hooked up to wireless internet either. So it's kind of a tease. I think it's a hopeless cause myself.

In my Bible reading today....

2011-09-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today I read in Joshua where the Commander of the Lord's army appears to Joshua.

The Commander of the LORD’s Army
¹³When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" ¹⁴And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" ¹⁵And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

Some might think it was an angel, but I don't think so. Angels are never worshiped in scripture. In fact whenever someone tried to worship and angel the angel always told them to get up. I believe this was a manifestation of Jesus Christ.

You see Christ allowing men to bow down and worship him while men are forbidden to worship angels everywhere in the Bible. In Joshua he is called the Commander of the Lord's army and in Hebrews 2 he is called the captain of salvation.

¹⁰For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Journal Entry Sept. 29, 2011 A day never the less.

2011-09-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today it was me and N home alone all day. Rick had a lunch meeting and S
went fishing all day with her friend.

So N and I did school. I worked on menus and shopping list. I finished setting up a Facebook Group for my home-school support group and I spent a fair amount of time searching for and bidding on auctions in an effort to get some things to give at Christmas.

Not a terribly productive day, but a day never the less.

Journal Entry Sept. 26, 2011 God's Grace is Sufficient

2011-09-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Been struggling lately. Seems since I banged my head I've been having headaches every day. I decided to go see the chiropractor about it. She said I hit my head right where the two bones of the skull come together. She called it the suture line. I suppose that is the anatomical term for it. She said that makes it more painful. She also said that I messed my neck up when I hit it two. I believe that. My neck has been hurting me more since then. :-(

Today I decided to listen to President Obama at his live streaming town meeting on LinkedIn. He was supposed to telling us about his Job's Bill that he is trying to get through. I heard a lot of stuff that people would want to hear but he didn't say a whole lot about what the Job's Bill would actually have in it or do. It was a great performance but that is all I can say for it.

Well, this is what I got done today....washed sheets, got the budgeting caught up and paid bills, ordered more medication & picked it up, had an appt. with the chiropractor, pulled goat head weeds in the driveway, checked the moisture situation in the trailer, picked raspberries and tomatoes, made meals, did some internet stuff and now I'm getting ready to make iced caramel decaff coffee for Rick and I and after the kids clean up the kitchen we'll watch a movie.

So in spite of the headache, God's grace was strong in my weakness.

Journal Entry Sept. 25, 2011 Busy Sunday!

2011-09-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday! My favorite day of the week! Today Vic Bottomly spoke from Hebrews 2. Jesus is the captain of our salvation!

S and Z went to the fair all afternoon after church. N went to pm church at his friends' church.

We got our fair winnings tonight. I got $13. I would have been happy with $6, so now I am really happy. I only entered six items.

Now I am printing N's school schedule for the week, trying to get things organized for Monday.

We had a dust storm this morning and then it began to rain. So we are thankful for the rain. It has been so long since we had a good rain. It will help slow down the wild fires and keep the dust down. God is so good.

Journal Entry Sept 24, 2011

2011-09-24T20:42:00.002-07:00

We got up a little earlier than usual for a Saturday because we drove to my parent's place, two hours away so S could get some good photos of them for their 60th Anniversary celebration coming up in November. I think she accomplished the quest.

The day started with a headache but I took Tylenol and God was gracious to take it from me. I'm thinking when I banged my head earlier this week I must have knocked my neck out of whack because I've had headaches each day since and my neck hurts.

It was fun to have lunch with them and my sister and her hubby.

When we drove in there were two baby squirrels in the neighbor's yard. One of them came out from the fence and sat on S's foot and she got a good photo of him. He was so cute!

S drove most the way home and sat in the back seat. I had my Kindle with me so I put my book on and set it to read to me. I was a wee bit disappointed to find that I fell asleep and missed some of my book. We got back to town around 6pm and ate dinner at Costco.

Journal Entry Sept. 23, 2011 Fair Day/Listia.com

2011-09-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today was fair day! I entered several items and was going to be happy if I came home with just $6 in winnings. I was pleasantly surprised with $13! Of course we don't have it yet. We will get it on Sunday. It was a very warm day for the fair. We enjoyed visiting with friends and just wondering around looking at the entries.

Nothing was accomplished at home today. But I was glad to get all but two home school yearbooks to their rightful owners now.

Tonight I am hoping to win an auction at Listia.com. I've won a couple things so far but am not at liberty to say what as they are gifts for certain individuals. Listia is fun and almost addictive! But you can get things just for the price of exact shipping.

Journal Entry Sept 22, 2011 Not Much Going On

2011-09-22T19:55:00.001-07:00

Woke up with a headache today but it left me in time to do my afternoon grocery shopping and driving with Sarah.

Didn't too much done today other than that. I did post a few items on Listia.com auctions. Be interesting to see how that goes.

My bruise is still sore on my head. Turning ugly green now. Not much happening today.

Journal Entry Sept. 21, 2011 Insomnia;Job Offer;Bible Verses

2011-09-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

I woke up much too early...4am. I finally napped for a little bit before having to rise for the day. But I only got about 4 to 4 and a half hours sleep last night. Not enough.

My goose egg has gone down and now I have a lovely shade of blue above and to the side of my left eye. I thought about getting blue eye shadow to make the other eye match, but most people wear eye shadow on their eyelids not above their eyebrows. I'm afraid I'd get put away if I did that. Someone suggested I could shave my eyebrows off and pencil in new higher ones and put the eye shadow below them. N remarked that I would have skyscraper eyebrows then. S said they would disappear if I wrinkled up my forehead. So I guess I'll just settle for lopsided until the bruising goes away.

S got a call from SEL and they offered her the job. But she turned them down. After looking into the transportation options we discovered she would be away from home 12 hours a day. All she would be doing is working, eating and sleeping. There would be no time to enjoy the fruit of her labors as she would be too exhausted to be able too. She politely told the gal that while she was extremely interested in wanting to work for SEL, it would not work for her in P... She needs a job locally. They told her to reapply in three to six months and maybe something would be open here at their local plant. S and us had mixed feelings about turning away a good job, but we figured it was better she turn it down then to start work up there and realize after several weeks that she just couldn't hack the hours and quit. We are praying the Lord will provide her with a good job else where or open up a spot for her in the local SEL plant. It is discouraging to say the very least.

I liked my Bible reading today. Two verse that were good: "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." and "It is the Lord who goes before you. Her will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. do not fear or be dismayed."

Journal Entry Sept. 20, 2011 Goose Eggs, Baking, Fairs, Spiders

2011-09-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

This has been quite a day. Who would have thought doing the laundry could be dangerous? I had the laundry shoot door open (the base of it is eye level) and had leaned over to pick up a stray sock. I mis-gauged where the door was and when I raised up I bashed myself just above the eye with the corner of the door. Ended up with a pretty big goose egg and a bruise in spite of lots of Arnica Gel and ice. Had to take four Tylenol today for the headache too.

Today was a baking day. We were baking for the fair, hoping to win some ribbons and prizes. S made a Huckleberry Buckle and I made a gluten/dairy free cornbread and Gluten free cranberry muffins. We both entered some scrapbook pages and S entered some photography and crafts as well. N didn't enter anything.

S was disappointed to get a call letting her know she did not get the job she applied for at the yogurt shop.

When I went to the mail box this afternoon my heart jumped into my throat as I opened a bill from the county treasurer for $887 plus taxes that had not been paid. We just refinanced and switched mortgage lenders, so a few phone calls cleared it all up. Sigh.

This has been the week for spiders here....BIG spiders. A hobo spider in the kitchen and tonight outside a spider to dwarf the hobo. It's body is the size of a marble! S took photos, so I'm sure they will show up on Facebook in the not too distant future.

S drove us to the fair grounds and to run an errand across the river. She did quite well. Only a couple times I wanted to dig my finger nails into the door and put my foot through the floor. She is improving.

We had such good messages at church Sunday. One of the points our pastor made was that we are not as strong as we think we are...referring to the disciples, especially Peter when he said he would never forsake Jesus and then ended up doing that. It reminded me of a song by Rich Rollins by that title: We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are. It's a very thought provoking song.

And to what is this astonishing change to be ascribed?

2011-09-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

And to what is this astonishing change to be ascribed?

(James Smith, "The Love of Christ! The Fullness, Freeness, and Immutability of the Savior's Grace Displayed!")

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears--we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!" 1 John 3:2-3

Let us endeavor to realize our present sonship; it will produce . . .
boldness at His throne of grace;
contrition at His cross;
confidence in His Word;
love to His person;
contentment with out lot;
victory over the world,
zeal for His glory; and
encouragement under all our trials and troubles!

We are either children of God--or enemies of God! Every child of God . . .
mourns over sin,
flies to the Savior, and
departs from iniquity!
God is now his Father.
All the promises are his.
The eternal inheritance is his.

Let us look back to the rock from whence we were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence we were dug:
How base our origin--the dust!
How degraded our condition--slaves of sin and Satan!
How fearful our character--enemies to God!
How dreadful our eternal doom--the lake which burns with brimstone and fire!

Contrast this with . . .
our present relation--children of God;
our high standing--in heavenly places in Christ;
our glorious privilege--justified from all things;
our fixed destiny--to be forever with the Lord!

And to what is this astonishing change to be ascribed? To love--the love of God in Christ Jesus! "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us--that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

What a mystery of mercy is this!

But if we are unbelievers--then we are . . .
God's enemies,
children of wrath,
under the curse,
in imminent danger!
Satan is our father!
Sin is our element!
Hell is our eternal portion!

Reader, are you a child of God?

If not, then you are the child of Satan!

Journal Entry Sept 18, 2011 Church!

2011-09-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

This morning we were nearly late to church. I forgot to set my alarm and I woke up at 4am and took a sleep aid. Church starts at 10am and I bailed out of bed at 9am.

S did the majority of the driving today and did very well.

The messages at church today were so good! I never thought of the fact that we pray in Jesus' name because of His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to His Father. It is because of what He has done that we are able to approach the Father in prayer at all and so we pray in Jesus' name because He is the perfect mediator between us and God the Father.

Then tonight our sermon was about the holiness of God. We often compare ourselves to others and come away thinking we aren't all too bad. But when we compare ourselves to God's holiness we find that we are undone.

Journal Entry for Sept. 17, 2011 And so we wait...

2011-09-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Last night was a bad night of sleep. I got to thinking about the fact that if we haven't found transportation for S before SEL calls, if they want to hire her, she can't very well take the job since they will be offering her a job in P...not in L.... There is no way I can be expected to drive three hours a day to transport her to work and back. Rick is looking at this from a guy standpoint. He looks at it that it's too good a position to pass up if it's offered so she needs to do anything possible to get it even if it means moving to Pullman and riding public transit. I on the other hand am looking at it from a safety standpoint. It's a great opportunity but not in the location that she thought she was applying for. To move up to Pullman and ride public transit to work would mean she would be walking either to or from a bus stop (depending on which shift) in the dark by herself. This is not an acceptable option in my mind for any job, no matter how good it is. S seems to feel the same way I do. Rick understands better since I explained it to him that way. He wasn't looking at safety at all. All he was seeing was a good job opportunity that needed to be taken almost at all costs.

So, if she is offered the job, and we are thinking she will be since they were calling the library for recommendations from her bosses, it all hinges on transportation to and from the valley. The website for the van pool has a broken link and we can't seem to find anything out until Monday when we can call them. The suspense and stress is driving me to distraction.

Her interview at the yogurt shop went well. She also hear about it in a few days as well. And so we wait and learn to be patient and trust God to come through with whatever He deems best.

These life changes and adjustments to growing up are as hard on us parents as they are on the kids.

Today, I spent a good share of time in the car. Driving practice with S. Ferrying kids to work and ultimate Frisbee, more driving practice w/ S.

In between all that I attempted to get the school records caught up and assignments set up for next week and next week's schedule printed off of Cozi.com.

I also lost out on another auction. Got outbid on a pair of brand new watches that retailed at $249. Ugh. Some day I will win an auction....

Journal Entry for Sept 16, 2011 Shopping Day

2011-09-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I took care of my email and PCHE email. Then I worked on my shopping list. By the time I got all that done it was time to get lunch ready for the oven. I barely got it done in time. I miscalculated how long the recipe would take and shorted myself some time. Oh, well, I just cranked the oven up a notch and cooked it on a higher temp for a shorter amount of time. It worked.

After lunch N and I went grocery shopping, S and Rick went to work. We started off at Albertsons. I was hoping to take advantage of a rain check I had on tomato sauce, but found it had garlic in it. Rick is allergic to garlic. So I bought four cans of it and donated it to the American Legion guys outside who were taking donations for the Veterans Home.

I absent-mindedly left my day planner and pocket PC in the grocery cart at Albertsons. I didn't discover the mistake until I got to Walmart. We quickly headed back to Albertsons in somewhat of a panic. There are still honest people in the world. Someone turned it in at the customer service desk. Thank you Lord.

Back to Walmart where I saw a guy with at least 20 body piercings on his face alone. I was glad he was wearing long sleeves and long pants. I didn't want to see what else he had pierced!

We got our purchases and headed to Costco where we took advantage of the free food samples they had out. Chocolate! They were giving away free chocolate!

Headed home to unpack the cooler and start dinner. Pizza for dinner. Z picked S up after her interview at the local yogurt shop. She felt good about it. She also said when she was working at the library that her boss and coworkers had all been contacted by SEL. That is a promising sign.

Z ate dinner with us and has been here since playing games with S and N in the basement.

Read the news tonight about the airplane crash into the stands at the air races in Nevada. Sad way for a fun time to end. Many were injured and about a dozen or more killed. My prayers go out to them and their families. It was a gruesome ending to what should have been a fun thrilling time.

Devotional: Small Judgments Foreshadow the Ultimate Judgment

2011-09-16T20:17:00.001-07:00

Acts 2:19-21 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.'

Last evening we came home from an afternoon up on the praire. As we drove to the edge of the hill before descending down into the valley, our gaze was met with a wall of smoke from the east. The entire valley was covered with a layer of smoke. We wondered aloud if we really wanted to go down into that mess.

Since we have had lots of smoke over the last week or so here, sometimes the sun rise looks fiery red and at night the moon sometimes has an eerie orange/red glow.

A young friend from church told me he was reading a book that said that the small judgements we have each day are shadows of larger judgements to come. The smoke in the valley is the small judgement that foreshadows the ultimate judgement of the Day of the Lord when He will judge unrepentant sinners.

Those who call upon the name of the Lord in repentance now will be saved from the judgment of God on that day. Don't let that day come to you without coming to the Lord in repentance for salvation. Psalm 2:12 says, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."

Journal Entry Sept. 15, 2011 Mama Bear Struggles

2011-09-15T20:21:00.002-07:00

This day has not been a day for accomplishment. I helped N with his math. Took care of email and phone call and that is about all I did this morning. I was to nervous about S's interview this afternoon.

We left around 1:15 and got up to P... with enough time to stop at the bank. Got S to her drop point on time, went back and filled the car with gas, then back to SEL to wait for a group of home school people who were going to join us on a tour of the SEL manufacturing building.

It was fascinating to see all that they do there. But I think I was most impressed with how they treat their employees. The employees are the owners of the company, so all of them take pride in their work because the better the company does the better off they are. Each employee gets shares in the company based on their pay. If the company does well their shares do well.

They are concerned that the employees do well and succeed. An example: One employee was making a lot of mistakes. He was called in and it was discovered that because he was so friendly and liked to talk to everyone he was getting distracted in his work and making mistakes. So they told him to put ear buds in his ears and listen to music while he worked so he wouldn't be distracted and want to talk to his fellow workers. His productivity and accuracy rate shot right up. That was a great solution...instead of firing him.

S learned that they already hired for the L... plant, so if she gets hired it will be for the P... plant. I was disappointed to hear that. If she gets the job it will be like putting my child on a school bus and sending her off into the big wide world. I think this business of parenting gets more difficult when they start growing up and getting jobs then easier. When they were young it was physically difficult. But when they grow up it is emotionally difficult.

I'm beginning to identify with Ken Davis' tongue in cheek statement about thinking every man his daughter had to be around out in the world was a pervert. I found myself looking at some of the guys on our tour and thinking, "Oh, if she gets this job she might have to talk to that guy. I hope he is nice....he better not make any passes at her!"

Lord, help this old mama bear to adjust and roll with whatever is Your perfect will even if it is difficult for me.

We'll know in a few days if she has the job. They will call. She said she passed the test and got the second interview. So we sit on pins and needles for a few days and wait for the verdict. In the mean time, she has another job interview at Spot On Yogurt for the Lewiston store. And she need to finish up her app for C.... We'll see what door the Lord opens to her, and pray that this mama bear can be still and know that He is God.

Journal Entry for Sept. 14, 2011 Feeling Accomplished

2011-09-14T21:07:00.003-07:00

I'm feeling accomplished today. I learned some new math concepts with N today, things that either I never learned in school or I have simply forgotten. Like what it means to cube a number and being able to figure out where and how they got the answer for certain other problems that had us bugged.

I also cleaned out one of my kitchen cupboards and organized it. Now I have a pile of papers that I found in there that I need to most likely shred because I'm sure they are older than the hills and no longer needed.

Baked potatoes for lunch...Rick's boss is in town, so he won't be home for lunch.

There is something about shredding documents that gives me a feeling of pleasure. I just love shredding papers.

S and N went to the library to volunteer this afternoon then their friend picked them up and they first went to his house where his mom gave S some pointers on job interviews. Then they all went ice skating. After ice skating their friend's mom took S to Ross' Dress for Less and helped S pick out a new outfit for her interview. She bought it for her! How thoughtful!

I went to Ross' earlier after I left the kids at the library and bought a flame-less candle with a timer. They sell the same thing exactly on Amazon.com for $19.99 and I got one for $9.99. My friend had one and told me where she got it. I loved it, so I bought one for the mantle.

I did a little research looking for ways to use the huckleberries S brought home from huckleberry picking with her friend and his family. I think I want to try the gluten free huckleberry scones. Actually the recipe is for currant scones but I bet huckleberries will work out great.

Spent about half an hour listening to and reading along in the book I have been reading on the life of Elizabeth Prentiss. It is a very long book, but I have really been enjoying it.

We had a good laugh at DJ this evening. He was chasing a fly. He looked like a crazy dog running from one part of the room to the other all wild eyed, ears twitching and turning this way and that and periodically jumping into the air to snap at it.

Tomorrow is the big day for S's interview with SEL. I also have organized a tour of SEL for the home school group. Seems we have more adults for this tour than students, but that's ok. It should be a busy but fun afternoon.

Was reading in the Old Testament how when Balaam cursed the Israelites God turned the curse into a blessing and was thinking about times in my life when bad things have happened and God has turned them for good, exchanging a "curse" and turning it into a blessing. Has he done that for you?

Journal Entry for Sept. 13, 2011

2011-09-13T21:31:00.001-07:00

This was a day for email. It seemed like I had so many emails to attend to. They all take so much time. Being the email coordinator for our home school group seems to be taking more time than I every imagined. But maybe that's just because I am coordinating a trip to SEL this week and I am having to write several emails in relation to that.

The smoke seems to be clearing out some here. Very nice.

Got rid of two more year books today. Only have about 7 or 8 more to get rid of now.

Took S driving. Today we practiced parallel parking and uncontrolled left hand turn lanes and changing lanes. I wonder if I took my blood pressure during these driving exercises if it would be high?

DJ and Daisy seem to be getting along much better now. We have DJ in in the evenings now and they don't seem to fight much at all.

I lost out on several Listia.com auctions lately. It's discouraging but I should soon have lots of credits that I can bid with, so maybe then I can have a running chance at winning an auction sometime.

I'm enjoying reading the "Life and Letters of Elizabeth Prentiss". Her book "Stepping Heavenward" is so down to earth and encouraging and her life is much the same way. I love reading her letters. So good.

Journal Entry Sept. 12, 2011 Evening

2011-09-12T22:04:00.002-07:00

I got quite a bit done today. Cleaned up the mess of groceries from the basement.Cleaned my kitchen some. Spent some time on the home school email. Helped N with his math & learned some new math concepts too. Added a post to my blog. Mailed a package. Took the kids up to Z's house to swim this afternoon. Rick and I went up later and had dinner with them and watched a movie afterwards. It has been a very good day for accomplishments and spending time with friends.

I'm tired and ready to hit the hay. I'm anxious to close my tired eyes. They are burning from the wildfire smoke tonight. Nasty stuff. At Z's house we were above the valley looking down and the smoke is just thick all over the valley. It look s far worse from up there than it does down here when we are in it. Ugh.

A friend at church said he was reading a book that said the small judgments we have (wild fire smoke) are just a taste of the bigger judgments to come. We can give thanks for our salvation, that God will save us from the ultimate judgement and we should let these smaller judgments remind us to share the gospel with those who are headed toward the bigger judgment.

Journal Entry Morning of Sept. 12, 2011

2011-09-12T08:56:00.002-07:00

It's been a couple of days since my last entry. We had a good Sunday yesterday. The sermon was about focusing on our eternal realities and Christ in order to maintain our joy. We can't have lasting joy in things and circumstances. Our perspective is important to maintaining our joy.
The text was John 16:16 and following.

Saturday was a good day to stay at home. We didn't have to go anywhere if we didn't want to. I like those kinds of days. S and I did go out to the fabric store. It was very quiet, laid back day. I like those kinds of days.

I'm attempting to limit my computer time. I tried leaving my pages up all day and just checking things periodically but I kept getting tempted to sit down and before I knew it I had frittered away an hour or more. So I have set my computer monitoring program to shut me out of all my programs after I have been on for an hour and enforcing a break of at least 30 minutes before I can do anything again. We'll see how that works. If I find myself running back every 30 minutes then I'll lengthen the enforced break where I can't access anything.

I hope to accomplish a lot today.

Journal Entry for the Day after 9/11/2001

2011-09-12T07:20:00.001-07:00

I have been in tears off and on all day as I listen to the news in the aftermath of the attack on our nation yesterday. It's not so much that I am weak in my faith and afraid. I know God is in control ultimately. It's just that I don't know what to feel. I feel almost numb. I cry, but it's for different reasons. My emotions change so quickly, one minute it's awe for the fact that it's only by God's mercy we aren't all wiped out, then next it's grief for those who died and those who lost them, then it switches to anger and outrage and then my emotions swing over to being at peace knowing if I died where I will be with my Lord.

My emotions are so mixed up. All I can do is trust in God's Sovereignty~knowing He will be with me no matter what happens. He understands what I'm going through.

Marsha's Musings: Has Anything Changed for Me Since 9/11?

2011-09-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

In rereading my journal for that day I wonder if anything has changed for me. I wrote:

"The ordinary things of life. So easy to be lazy and undisciplined in the ordinary household duties of life. No wonder I feel I struggle when it comes to Christian disciplines....

As I look at where I am at right now in the ordinary things of life, I am ashamed to admit. Very little has changed. I am still lazy and undisciplined in the ordinary household duties of life. I guess I go in fits and spurts. Sometimes I am well disciplined and other times I am lazy.

In the area of Christian disciplines, I find it easier to read my Bible each day, but setting aside time for concentrated prayer is a struggle and it doesn't happen often. I pray short prayers through my day as things come up that need prayer. I could use improvement in my prayer life for sure.

The big crises~Rick just told me our country has been attacked! The Pentegon has been bombed. World Trade Center attacked and almost knocked down (the buildings had not collapsed yet) by 3 airplaines crashing into it. All our government has been shut down.

The big crises is hitting close to home! Help our nation Lord! It's uncertain times. Protect us~please!"

In the years since 9/11/2001 I have learned to trust God more. I have learned that He is in control no matter what is going on in my world. I have learned that whatever happens will ultimately be for my spiritual good. I have learned that even though the specific events were not predicted in the Bible, these events in general are and so I can take comfort in the fact that Jesus warned me these evils would happen and therefore gives credibility to my trust in Him. Jesus even predicted Jihad.

John 16:1 "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.
2 "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
3 "And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
4 "But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

I have also learned that I am as big a sinner as those who died in the Twin Towers. They were no worse than me and I am no worse than them. We are all sinners alike who need to repent.

Luke 13:4-5 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

So, has anything changed for me since 9/11/2001? I have to say yes and no. In some areas I still struggle a lot. In other areas I've changed in my attitudes and matured a little in my faith. I'm still a sinner saved by grace alone by faith alone.

Devotional: 9/11 Thoughts & Memories

2011-09-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
(NKJV)

On that fateful day of 9/11/2001 I had just finished reading from My Upmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. He was talking about how we need to be faithful in the common place things of life, but we "get played out in the first ten yards, because God compels us to go where we cannot see the way, and we say---"I will wait till I get nearer the big crises." If we do not do the running steadily in the little ways, we shall do nothing in the crises."

Here is my journal entry for 9/11:

"The ordinary things of life. So easy to be lazy and undisciplined in the ordinary household duties of life. No wonder I feel I struggle when it comes to Christian disciplines.

The big crises~Rick just told me our country has been attacked! The Pentegon has been bombed. World Trade Center attacked and almost knocked down (the buildings had not collapsed yet) by 3 airplaines crashing into it. All our government has been shut down.

The big crises is hitting close to home! Help our nation Lord! It's uncertain times. Protect us~please!"

As we come upon the anniversary of that day, there is a fear in the back of my mind that something terrible will happen. The verse above keeps coming to mind. If God has not given me the spirit of fear, who has? Clearly the Devil and his minnions use fear to intimidate and bully God's people around.

God is in control even when we can't seem to wrap our minds around it.

Daniel 4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?"

So be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10)

Journal: Grocery/School Records Day

2011-09-09T19:53:00.001-07:00

It was another very warm day today. We thought Fall had begun last week when it was cold in the mornings, but Mother Nature has fooled us yet again. It's been very warm in the 90 to 99 degree range this week.

It's very smokey in the valley due to a big wildfire near Winchester. Too bad it had to burn down a historic railroad trestle that we always enjoyed seeing on our way to go camping up there.

My day started with a headache at 4:30am. I got something to drink and took 1/4 of a sleeping pill and slept it off. I've felt good the rest of the day.

I went grocery shopping this morning. Spent a bundle on groceries.

This afternoon I took S for her driving practice. She drove to the fair grounds and then back across the river to the post office and home.

I mailed off a package. I put a Nerf Target game up for auction on Listia.com and it went for 3322 credits. That will give me something to be able to bid on other auctions. Maybe I can get some Christmas presents for a small price in money this way. It's an interesting website where you don't use money to bid you use credits. The only money involved is postage to mail or receive the items and that is even optional, depending on which auctions you bid on or if you choose to charge shipping or pay for it yourself.

Now my basement is a mess again with groceries strewn about. That will be my project tomorrow.

Rick had a new mattress delivered tonight. He hopes that will afford him a good night's sleep. I hope so too!

I spent the rest of this afternoon working on school grading and record keeping.

The kids are at a football game tonight and should be home sometime after 10pm.

Journal:Dinner for a friend, Paperwork

2011-09-08T18:46:00.003-07:00

This was a school day, so I have some work to do. I need to grade English and Math and record it in my Home School Tracker program. Right now N is just reading for history and science.

Today they had a 13 hour sale at R.... I was able to get a lot of gluten free cereal and 2 gal of milk real cheap. I also went to G.O. and got quite a few things I needed there for a lot less than usual.

I worked on my menus/shopping list for my regular Friday shopping trip today. I got smart and set up a document on my pocket PC with my list divided up according to store. I can cross off things as I get them or delete them if I want. Items I get every week I can just cross off and then later uncross them off but not have to retype them every week. Why didn't I think of this a long time ago??? I guess I got a stormy brain this afternoon.

S tutored this afternoon. She is tutoring a girl in photography, photo editing etc. She gets paid $10 an hour.

While S tutored I made dinner for us and another family. We have a family at church that recently had a baby. So I was making a meal for them tonight.

S drove us to deliver the meal. I drove us back home.

It's been real smokey in the valley. There's a big fire by W... that got out of control. It burned a historical railroad trestle. That is disappointing. We always have enjoyed seeing it when we went there to go camping. Now it won't be there anymore. :-(

We thought we had Fall last week because it was so cold in the mornings, but now we are back to summer. It was 99 degrees today!

I didn't get as much done today on my house cleaning/decluttering. But this is my paperwork day, so that is what got done today.

Journal: Coat Closet Discoveries

2011-09-07T20:44:00.003-07:00

Today we had school at home. Math continues to be the challenge. Actually, N isn't doing as bad as he thinks. He gets a lot of problems right when we go over them and most of the ones he gets wrong he is able to see where he made his mistake. He gets frustrated about all the rules in math. He tries to make up his own rules and we go round and round about that. He says that's not his truth, that's their (curriculum writers) truth. Then we "argue" over who's truth is better until we start laughing and Sarah has to come down and see what is so funny. We have fun making fun of today's philosophy that what works for you is your truth and what works for me is my truth.

S had a social outing today. She spent lunch and part of the afternoon with D and A at her house playing Wii and watching You Tube Videos that she posted from camp.

I picked her up around 3:20 and she drove to the library and her and N volunteered for a while. I went home and came back less than an hour later to get them. S drove home.

She drove where ever we had to go today. I am seeing steady improvement in her driving skills. She still gets a little flustered when there are too many options presented.

I cleaned out my coat closet today. No wonder we couldn't fit things in there! We between jackets, and snow suits a total of 34! I pulled it all out and laid it in stacks according to who they belonged to and had them weed them out. We have quite a pile to give away now. Now I still need to put everything (not everything!) back in the closet in a more organized fashion.

I also cleaned the cobwebs and dirt off the front porch today. I do feel good about the few things I am getting done these days. Week before last I loaded the trunk and went to the 2nd hand store. I'm glad we are weeding things out.

It's getting dark sooner and N took off for a walk to D's house around 7pm. He forgot the cell phone and was wearing dark clothes. It was getting pretty dusk so I got in the car and found him half way home. I could barely see him. I was glad to have him get in the car! We had to make rule: No walks after 7pm now. It bummed him out because he says it's to hot to walk earlier. Oh well. Seasons change.

Marsha's Musings

2011-09-07T10:08:00.001-07:00

Been reading in the Old Testament about how God chose a certain people for Himself over others and wondering why it is that people today think that was ok, but get upset if you suggest that He might do that now. Romans 9 seems to be pretty clear that this is what He does today as well.

Romans 9:14 ¶ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion."
16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth."
18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?"
20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"

Journal:First Day of School/Work Trip w/ Rick

2011-09-06T10:20:00.001-07:00

September 6, 2011
Today Rick had a meeting in T...C.... It was also the first day of school for N. So we packed up the books and went with Rick. He got out at the office and N and I went on to the public library in K.... On the way we passed the church that Daddy helped build and that Pastor Piper had been the pastor of, so I pointed that out to N.

We got to the library and set ourselves up at a table that I thought would be a good place. I didn't realize how noisy it was going to be. It was too close to the children's section. We ended up having to move. I found a place with desks in cubicles and I thought it would be perfect. Well, between cell phones ringing, people talking on cell phones and a man playing Farmville with sound on in the next cubicle, it didn't prove to be a good place either. We finally went outside, ate our lunch and finished school at the park next door.

With the four weeks break from math N and I both have forgotten how to do some of the math in his book. So we are having to review. Math was a struggle for us today partly because of that and partly due to the noise in the library.

Rick got done early at the office so we went back to get him around 2pm. He was 20 minutes later than he thought, so we sat in the shade while Nathaniel finished his reading and I listened to my Kindle read to me.It was an uneventful ride home. I drove part of the way.

S was going to fix dinner for us, but when we got home she wasn't here. I made a phone call. She was with Z and on her way home. I was a little bit miffed as I had expected she would have it on the table for us. Her and Z came driving in about 20 minutes after we got home. He came in and they both worked at getting it fixed and on the table. Anyway, dinner got made and we ate closer to six than 5:15 like I had hoped. Oh, well. I'm glad she was willing to cook cause I was tired. I was kind of crabby with her and felt bad later. I guess we both had made assumptions that were not communicated to each other. I had to apologize to her.

Z ate dinner with us and watched Alex Rider Stormbreaker and ate popcorn with us after dinner.

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day of "freedom" before the routines of school begin again. I look at my pocket computer and see my To-Do list and wonder how I will ever get it all done between schooling, taking Sarah out for driving practice so she can get her license, traveling with my husband one day a month, the possibilities of Sarah landing a job that requires early morning risings or late night pick ups (I am getting panicked about getting her her license so I can be free from being tied down to her schedule...my schedule is enough!)

I want to do the FlyLady thing, but can't seem to stay on the wagon. But I have to somehow get control of my schedule. The Chaos is driving me crazy. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). And yet, the stress of trying to stay on a schedule and having my pocket computer nag me all day drives me crazy too. Oh if life were simpler!

I wonder how much I sabotage myself by the choices I make? Perhaps more than I want to admit. I know that this computer is a huge time waster for me, yet I can't stay away from it. I am the email person for our home school group. I'd have a few people upset with me if I ignored it and didn't send the stuff out that comes in. But I always get so distracted and sidetracked when I get on the computer. I only intend to spend 15 minutes and before I know it I've frittered away an hour or two.

Oh wretched woman that I am! I am like the Apostle Paul when he said the things he should do he doesn't and the things he shouldn't do he does. Priorities. I have got to get my priorities straightened out! Would it help if I kept my dying day in view? What would I do if I knew I was going to die at the end of this week? Would I spend the time sitting at the computer messing around? I think not. At least I hope not! Oh, Lord, kick me in the hinney and get me going in the way I should go!

Laura Story – Blessings Lyrics

2011-09-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

I heard a portion of this song on the radio for the first time yesterday in the car & had to come home and search the internet for it so I could hear the whole song. It really says a lot and hit a cord with me. I wanted to share it with you today. Perhaps it will speak to your heart as it did mine.

Laura Story – Blessings Lyrics

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

As long as we have faith to believe

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not our home

It’s not out home

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy

What if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are your mercies in disguise

Frugal Tip!

2011-09-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

I recently joined this website. It looks like a lot of fun as well as a way to try to stretch the Christmas budget and get rid of stuff I don't need anymore that is in good to new condition. Check it out!

Devotional: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

2011-09-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

Our pastor has told us to always compare Scripture with Scripture rather than take a verse here or there and build a doctrine around it. Here is a verse that lends itself well to this.

I have found that as I read Scripture, I find that God is a Triune God. He is three, yet one. The verse above tells us that He is one.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;...". Notice God uses the plural form. He doesn't say let me make man in my own image, but uses us and our.

Something that is interesting to note is that in the next verse the narrative shifts from God speaking to Moses speaking and he says, "God created man in His own image;". He shifts to singular, showing that God is one.

Usually, when the Bible uses the name God by itself, it denotes God the Father and so we also have the Father involved in creation.

We see in Colossians that Jesus had an active part in creation. Colossians 1:13-17

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."

We also see that the Holy Spirit was involved in creation.

Genesis 1:2 "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

As you study the Bible you will find many places where Jesus either claims to be God or is doing acts only God can do. You also find the Holy Spirit doing things only God can do and the same for the Father. Yet we are told that God is one.

It is a difficult concept for our finite minds to grasp, yet that is what the Bible teaches. Some would say it's impossible to know a God like this. But that is precisely why He gave us the Bible, so we can know Him.

I'm thankful I can't "explain" God. A god that can be explained away isn't big enough to be sovereign over my life, our God is.

My Birthday

2011-08-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Bible tells us to number our days. Why? That we might gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 ¶ So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
(NKJV)

How does numbering our days do this? If we live with out dying day in mind, then we will act more wisely in the things we do and say. We will be more inclined to do those things that are more important and of lasting value if we realize our time is limited.

I can't say that I have succeeded in doing this. But with God's help, I hope to do better at this. Each birthday is a reminder that our time is limited. (Why is it that when we are young, each birthday makes us think we are going to live forever, but when we get older we realize each birthday means our time is limited?)

I am looking forward in anticipation to what God wants to teach me this coming year. I hope that when my next birthday rolls around (God willing) that I can look back and name the thing He he has taught me this year.

Devotional: Think on These Things

2011-08-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.

It was scheduled to have a 40% chance of rain the whole time we were on our vacation in Western Washington. So you can imagine our delight when God gave us the most beautiful weather we could ever ask for the whole time we were there. While we were on the Washington State Ferry enjoying the cruise through the San Juan Islands, we made a comment about how nice the weather was especially since we expected rain. The tourist standing near us said, "I always look at this way. If the forecast says we have a 40% chance of rain, then that means we have a 60% of sunshine!"

I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to put the worst construction on things. The glass is half empty instead of half full. It's a 40% chance of rain instead of a 60% chance of sunshine. Murphy's Law seems to rule the day.

Paul in his letter to the Philippians tells us we are to meditate on whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue and praiseworthy. Yet, how often do we do just the opposite? We walk around with long sad faces because things just aren't going our way. I'm as guilty as the next person!

Perhaps we need to sit down with pen and paper and write down everything that has gone right with our lives. Maybe we need to do this daily until we can get in the habit of obeying Paul's admonition in the verse above. I think it would make an impact on how we feel, our outlook on life in general and it will make being a Christian look a whole lot more appealing to those who need Christ.

How about if we encourage each other to look on the bright side. When you see or hear me complaining, say something to help me see what I am doing. I'll try to do the same for you.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2011-08-17T22:03:00.004-07:00

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity, fun and exhaustion. Rick and I left home at 7:30am Saturday, drove to Spokane and across the state from there.

We drove through Bridgeport, where my parents were home missionaries early in their marriage. The place looks like it could use a new missionary. It was an extremely rough looking little town. We were desperate to use the restroom and eat lunch but every place was filled with rough looking characters who stared at us as we drove through town. So we kept right on moving as we didn't feel welcome there.

We stopped in Brewster, my birth place, for lunch. The faces looked more friendly there so we felt safe to stop and eat at the McDonald's there.

From Brewster we traveled on up through Twisp and on to Winthrop. It is a busy little Western Town that is complete with Old West store fronts and boardwalks. We passed on through there so we could pick the kids up on time at camp a few minutes out of town.

We arrived at Camp Hope just as everyone was loaded up and ready to roll on out. The kids showed us around the camp a little bit and we were the last ones to leave the camp.

We back tracked through Winthrop to our motel, The Winthrop Inn. It was a comfortable place with a small room for four people. We ate dinner out of the cooler and then went back into Winthrop to do the tourist thing. We shopped at some stores that were still open but didn't buy a thing. Took a ton of pictures instead. Those are the best souvenirs because they are inexpensive and don't have to take up space or be dusted all the time.

Our favorite shop Winthrop was the hat shop. We saw all kinds of hats there and kept picking up hats and saying, "That hat looks just like Brenda Taylor. Here's one looks just like Karen Rathbun. Here's a hat for you S!" and so on....

We got up on Sunday morning and started over the North Cascades Pass. What is a three hour drive to Mt. Vernon from Winthrop, we turned into a six hour drive. We stopped several times after switch backs in the road to look back over where we had just come and take pictures. We had to stop and take pictures of the kids in their tank tops or shirt sleeves standing in a snow bank. And S got some great photos of motorcyclists speeding up the mountain with the background all a whir.

We took a break above Diablo Dam to take in the scenery and get more pictures. We were disappointed that there were no chipmunks. As a child I remember going there and the chipmunks would come sit at your feet and beg. This time there was not one chipmunk in sight. I was sad because I wanted S to be able to get some pictures of them and experience that.

After our break at Diable Dam we dropped down to Newhalem where we had a picnic lunch and then took a short hike across the suspension foot bridge through the woods to one of the power houses. Rick and N had a good time dancing a jig on the bridge, trying to make it bounce or rock. It's a pretty sturdy bridge held up by heavy cables, so they were not very successful in making a lot of movement. The dog that came across after us made more movement then them.

We drove on down through Marblemount and had planned to stop at the Cascadian Farms ice cream stand until we saw the line was out the door. It looked to be about a half hour wait to get anything. So we took a picture and moved on.

Rockport State Park was next on our trip. We were anxious to show the kids where we enjoyed camping with our trailer and maybe hike the trail we enjoyed so much. Sadly we were very disappointed. The road to the camp sites was blocked off with a sign that said, "Campground Closed to protect our visitors and the environment." The only area that was open was a small picnic area and we weren't sure if the bathrooms were open as the buildings looked unkempt and in disrepair. They had signs up that said, "15 Minute Parking". We wondered how anyone could have a picnic in fifteen minutes. It was a big disappointment.

We passed a number of other towns on our way down to the Skagit Valley including, Concrete, Hamilton, and others. We also passed by Cape Horn which is known to have witch covens. I once knew the chaplain for the Sheriff's dept. in Skagit County and he said they had a lot of trouble with the witches around Cape Horn. Also troublesome to the Skagit County Sheriff were the Tar Heels that had stills up in the hills where they could make their own hard liquor. Skagit has them to thank for importing the opossum, common road kill in Skagit County. Of course we couldn't go there without seeing at least one dead opossum on the road.

We were amazed at all the commercial development as we came into Sedro Woolley. It was once a sleepy town of Rednecks when we lived there. You weren't anyone unless you owned a pickup truck with a gun on the gun rack, a dog and had stuff covered with blue tarps around your property or had a blue tarp for a roof. Now it has all grown up and gotten citified .

We took the kids to see the first home that we bought and lived in for five years. We drove down Main St. and saw some of the murals on the buildings. I pointed out several that Fred S. had painted. I worked with his wife at the egg farm (that no longer exists) and knew him. They were nice people but fairly rough around the edges. They both smoked like chimneys and it wasn't uncommon to get your ears burned by a string of swear words in every other sentence.

Fred had painted a number of murals for the town of Sedro Woolley that depicted old fashioned photographs from long ago and showed what the town was like in the early days. The paintings he did were so faded with time it was hard to make them out. Fred got mad after he painted the murals because the city of Sedro Woolley had agreed to pay him a certain fee for doing them and then after he got done they went back on their word and paid him less than what was agreed upon. So he didn't bother to tell them that he did not put the final sealant coat over the murals since they didn't honor their end of the deal. So the faded murals leave testimony to the fact that he got them back.

After we left Sedro Woolley we drove down the road a pace to Burlington and showed the kids our second apartment that we lived in. It was a townhouse. It looked much like it did when we lived there.

On to Mt. Vernon and Jamba Juice, one of our favorite places to go for a smoothie. Peanut Butter Mood is our all time favorite smoothie there. After we finished there we went to our old neighborhood in hopes of visiting our neighbor lady, Virginia, but sadly, she was not at home, so we left her a note. We took a look at our old house on Carmel Ave. It is the same color as we left it 12 years ago. The fence is broken and they took out the shrubs by front of the house. N noticed they took down the basket ball hoop too. Other than that it is much the same.

I was hoping to see my old friend Jan who had lived just up the street from us there and had moved before we moved. I got to talk to her on the phone for a few minutes, but they had just gotten back from a trip to Pullman and were too tired for company. But it was so nice to hear her voice and visit again.

Mt. Vernon is so busy and has grown so much! We found our motel and did the kid's laundry that was dirty from camp. The kids and I went and relaxed in the hot tub for a while before bed.

Next morning we caught the Anacortes Ferry to Friday Harbor. It was a beautiful day to be sailing through the San Juan Islands. One of the kid's friends from camp came and met us at the terminal and rode the ferry to Friday Harbor with us. Our object was to just ride over and back for the fun of being on the ferry, so we were only in Friday Harbor long enough to look at a few shops and then get back on the boat. It was such a relaxing time.

We gave Nick D. a ride home to Oak Harbor. It was little farther than we had planned on going since we had to back track to get back to the freeway, but the kids appreciated getting to spend the time together and meeting his mom and seeing their beautiful home with a view of the water.

We stopped at Mexico Cafe in Mt. Vernon for dinner. We enjoyed eating there when we used to live there. Unfortunately, Rick's belly didn't handle the food like it used too and he got a bit of a bellyache from it.

We came into Monroe a bit later in the evening than we originally planned since we had the extra detour to Oak Harbor, but we had some time to relax before bed. I walked over to the Staples store to browse for a few minutes.

Next morning I came down to breakfast and here was a man and a lady eating and at first glance I thought it was my friend Debbie and her husband from Lewiston! The lady wore her hair the same way, looked like her and even had a shirt on like she would wear! The man from the back looked like my friend's husband.

Later I saw them getting on the elevator and I remarked how much she looked like my friend Debbie. She replied in a British accent, "Oh really? My name is Debbie!"

We left Monroe and drove through Duvall and came to Carnation Farms Road where we turned and went up to Camp Gilead where I spent many happy childhood times. As adults Rick and I went to Family Camp there and up until S was about eleven years old we went to Family Camp each year. Distance, diets and sleep issues finally put an end to our trips to Family Camp. Those were happy times.

S spent about two hours or a little less taking photos all around camp (I did too) and remembering all the good times had there. All was quiet there except for the sound of a backhoe and some workers putting in a new water system. All the camps are done for the summer unless they have some rental camps coming later. It was strange walking around there without the sound of children playing gutter ball, or the dinner bell ringing or the chapel bell clanging that it was time for chapel. The canoe pond was quiet except for the ripples the water striders made or the occasional fish that jumped. The rhythmic sound of paddles on the pond couldn't be heard as the paddles sat motionless on shore with the life jackets. It was just a bit too quiet as I could only imagine the activities and sounds in my head as I walked from place to place.

Heading on down the highway we came to Snoqualmie. Here we stopped at the Snoqualmie Candy Factory that is owned and operated by my childhood friend Wes Sorstokke and his wife Sharon. It was so fun to sit down and catch up with each other after not seeing each other for 10 years. We swapped a few stories from our growing up years and had some good laughs. We ate at their shop and I spilled a large glass of water all over their floor and they had to mop it up. How embarrassing...but Wes took it in good humor and teased me about it.

Before we left they stocked us up with sweet/salty popcorn, caramel popcorn, peanut butter fudge and salt water taffy. They make the best around and sell it all over the state. Check out their website...they do mail orders.

We headed home over the Snoqualmie Pass. I drove from just before Ellensburg to TriCities where we ate dinner. Then Rick drove to Dayton where we traded again I drove the rest of the way home. I didn't mind driving too much. I had my Kindle set up with an ear phone in my ear so it could read to me. So I got in several hours worth of "reading" that way.

Home was a blessed sight around 8pm when we drove in and my pillow and bed were an even more welcome sight! There is no place like home.

I will add more photos to this later when I have a chance to get some off of S's camera. So stay tuned!

Devotional: Reminders for Us

2011-08-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

Numbers 15:37-40 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
"Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners.
"And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined,
"and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.

I finished the New Testament some time ago and have been working my way through the Old Testament again.
As I have been reading I have been struck again and again by the fact that God's holiness,and justice are the focus. This is in stark contrast to the New Testament where God's mercy, love and brought more to the surface. This is not to say that these attributes do not show up in both Old and New Testaments, just that the focus seems to be heavier on these in each section of the Bible.

It is amazing to me how the Old and New Testaments fit perfectly together to make the whole like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. We must know about the law and God's demand for holiness in the Old Testament, or we can not fully appreciate what Christ did on the cross to secure our salvation in the New Testament. No one can satisfy God's demands for holiness and keep the law perfectly. Only Christ could do that and He did it on our behalf to save us from the wrath of God against law breakers like you and me.

God told Moses to have the people put tassels on the hems of their garments with the express purpose of reminding them to obey God's commandments and be holy for God. As Christians, we should desire to be holy and obey God out of a heart full of love for what He has done for us through Christ, not out of fear for what might happen to us if we displease God. Like the Israelites, we tend to forgetfulness and need reminders. What can you use as a visual reminder to you to seek to obey God and be holy for him?

Stuff

2011-08-05T18:40:00.002-07:00

August is school "vacation" month. Well, the kids get a school vacation. I don't. I have to finish up the grading, record keeping etc. for the year and print the reports. After that is done I have to sit down and decide what we are going to cover next year and get started on planning our plan of attack.

August is also my catch up month for things around the house that have been neglected the past 11 months while we have been doing school

August is also family vacation time and kids camp. Kid's is when I have the house to myself and can hopefully concentrate on getting a lot of stuff done. S will be gone and I won't have to drive her around back and forth to work or go do driving practice with her. That is next week. I'm hoping to make good use of the time.

We hope to take some family trips after the kids are done with camp. So I've been busy making plans for that.

I've joined the PCHE board of directors for this coming school year, so that should also serve to keep me busy.

We are trying to figure out what S should be doing come this Fall. We decided to go ahead and make application at Academy of Art University and see where that leads as far as financial aid and all. But we have run into a snag with that. They are not sure they want to accept her application because, basically, our home school doesn't fit their mold for what California has specified a home school should be. That is not what they told us per say, but knowing now what CA requires of home schools and the rules AAU has in their catalog and what I was told on the phone, that is the problem. I faxed them her transcript but they don't give me much hope they will accept it. Home School Legal Defense is looking into their rules for what constitutes a home school. We'll see where it leads. We are going to need a hefty chunk of financial aid, however, if she is going to be able to take classes there. We look at it this way, if God wants her taking classes from them, He will provide a way. If not, the doors will close.

So anyway, this is my life at the moment.....

Sunday's Sermon Notes

2011-08-01T08:38:00.001-07:00

I'm just going to list the main points here:

John 15:1-11

The message of the Gospel is free grace. We are saved by grace through faith alone, apart from works, however our faith is a working faith.

We are to produce fruit if we are connected to the Vine. If we do not produce fruit, then we are not connected to the Vine.

"If you love me you will keep my commands." IF

1. Obedience is necessary for effective prayer. (v. 7)

This verse is much abused. Jesus is speaking to his disciples and telling them that whatever they need to do the work of spreading the Gospel He will give them. Read this verse in the context of the last chapter and present chapter. It isn't a blank check for us to get whatever we want from God. The desires of this verse are of one connected with the Vine in accordance to God's will. Prayer is not lining up God's will with our will.

2. Loving Christ is loving and abiding in His Word. (-10)

You can not love Jesus if you do not abide in His Words. You must abide in His Words...not the words of a saviour you have constructed in your own mind. If you do not love Him as He is revealed in the Bible then you do not love Him.

3.Much fruit proves our conversion. (v. 8)

We work, we bear the fruit but only in accord to haow He is working in us. We don't work to gain salvation, but our salvation works. Those given salvation by grace alone through faith will work as a result. If you are too busy to read and absorb the Bible into your life, then you are too busy.

4. God's love toward us does not exempt us from duty. (9)

Keep yourself in the love of God. God is love but that is not all He is. Our responsibility is obedience to God. If you love God you will be a bearer of good fruit. We are not to invent our own ways of loving God. Obeying His commands is how to love Him.

5. Christ is our righteousness. (10)

He has kept God's commands. We are to do so as well in absolute perfectness. That is our duty. We can't attain that. Christ has and He is our righteousness before God. Only thos in Christ can stand before God on judgement day and be declared righteous.

6. The Word of God and obedience to that Word is the only way to experience full joy. (11)

Jesus calls it "My joy". There is no account of Jesus laughing or being giddy. It's a joy that is solid and sober and it's found only in Him through His Word. His joy is full and our joy must be in Him if it is to be full. We see joy in all kinds of things and they are all temporary. The only true lasting joy is in Christ.

Devotional: Taking Scripture Out of Context

2011-07-31T19:45:00.003-07:00

2Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

I was looking for a baby congratulations card the other day. I finally found one that was really nice and had a scripture verse in it. The verse was "Precious in the sight of the Lord..."Psalm 116:15. I thought, how nice! But something just didn't seem right. I looked the verse up and here is what the whole verse says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." This really changes the meaning! It also ruined the card. I can't send that card to anyone with a newborn now.

This is just one example of taking a Bible verse out of context. 2 Timothy tells us we are to rightly divide the word of truth. Take a verse or a portion of a verse and lifting it out of context to fit our own desires is wrong.

Our pastor has been telling us this in relation to John 14:14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." Many people lift this verse out of the Bible and think that anything they want or desire, God is going to do it for them if they ask. This makes God some sort of cosmic genie. They fail to read the rest of scripture where it says, 1 John 5:14 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

God is not promising us anything we desire or want. He is promising what we need to do the job of spreading His Gospel to the rest of the world. He is promising spiritual blessings, spiritual fruit, spiritual strength to endure and persevere. All these things are according to His will.

It is unfortunate when we take his Word out of context like described above because when people don't get what they want in prayer, then they begin to doubt God.

Let's strive to be Christians who rightly divide the Word of truth and who don't seek to build doctrines around verses that are teaching something entirely different.

Devotional: Seasoned with Salt

2011-07-29T11:03:00.002-07:00

Leviticus 2:13 'And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
(NKJV)

I've been reading through the Old Testament lately. The other day I came across the verse above.

The Old Testament grain offerings were to be offered with salt. It was called "the salt of the covenant of your God" and it was not to be lacking from the grain offerings.

Fast forward to the New Testament where we are told that our speech is to be seasoned with salt.

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

But what does our speech have to do with sacrifices? Check out Hebrews 13:15

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Praise to God and giving thanks is our sacrifice to Him. It isn't human nature (at least not mine!) to give thanks and praise to God. It is human nature to complain, gossip and sin with our lips in other ways, so when we mortify our natural tendency to sin with our lips and give praise and thanksgiving instead to God, this is a sacrifice.

We are to let our speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt. A little salt on your food causes you to crave more. When we season our speech with praise and thanksgiving to God it causes others to want to know more about what causes you to do this. It acts as salt in our conversations.

The Old Testament grain offers were to always be offered with salt. I would venture to say that God did not consider it a sacrifice if it was not completed with salt. Our speech is a sacrifice to God. If we fail to include the salt (praise and thanksgiving), then it is not an acceptable offering to God.

Book Review: The Mormon Menace: The Confessions of John Doyle Lee, Danite

2011-07-28T11:57:00.002-07:00

Reading this book brought home to me the truth of the following quote from Blaise Pascal. He said,
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."

John D. Lee was executed for the murders done at Mountain Meadows but he was only one of a whole list of men who were involved in this crime.

Why he was singled out to take the blame for the whole thing, is beyond me. What is sad in this whole things, besides the fact that innocent blood was shed, is that John D. Lee went to his grave maintaining his innocence in this horrible deed because he was acting out of a zeal and fervor for God and sincerely believed that his superiors in the church who order him to take the lives of these people were speaking as God's mouth piece and therefore what he did was not wrong because he believed God commanded it.

Blaise Pascal's statement that "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." certainly rings true in this book. It is a chilling book to read especially when you realize the extent of evil men will go to in the name of obedience to God.

Sunday Sermon Notes July 23, 2011

2011-07-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

God is Unchangeable

We live in a world of change. It makes it hard to grasp the truth that God never changes. God is immutable- latin root meaning to change or mutate. With "im" add to the front it means unchangeable. The Greek gods changed constantly. God doesn't change His actions according to circumstances.

Our security in our salvation lies in this immutability. God doesn't give us salvation one day and take it away the next.

Psalm 102:25-27

Malachi 3:6

Hebrews 13:8

James 1:16-8

Exodus 3--I AM tells us God is the way He always was and always will be. He is perfect, lacking nothing.

Jeremiah 17:9 the heart of deceitful, wicked. The unregenerate heart can't trust in anything but its own abilities.

8 Lessons

Because God is immutable, His promises do not change. We promise many things but don't follow through. God's promises stand. Hebrews 6:13-15: Romans 14:8 Abraham trusted God's promises. Hebrews 10:36 Only those who persevere to the end will receive God's promises. Mark 16:16 those who do not believe will be condemned. This is also one of God's unchangeable promises. Romans 8:1 We stand on this promise as believers. God intervenes in the lives of His own and saves them completely 100%. It's all His work, not 80% His work and 20% our's...salvation is all of Him, so one can boast.
Because God is immutable His purposes do not change. 1 Samuel 15:29. God has planned the course of human history and nothing changes His plans and purposes. Our plans and purposes change continually. God never has to "debug" His plans.
Because God is immutable, His character never changes. God always cares, always forgives His own, always works all things for the good of His own. Romans 8:28
Because God is immutable His love for His own will never change. He is consistent and will always love us. Romans 8. Do seasons of difficulty mean He no longer loves us? No. Nothing can separate us from His love. See the end of Romans 8.
Because God is immutable our moral and ethical convictions should never change. Our moral and ethical convictions are what makes us like our God. Our moral convictions must exceed the unbeliever's. Matthew 5:20. Our moral/ethical convictions must encompass more than what they eye can see. Matthew 5:48 "Be perfect..." sets the standard so high it's out of reach but it should be our goal. Philippians 3:12-14 "...press on toward the mark..." Never sacrifice moral/ethical convictions.

For the sake of your reputation. 1 Timothy 3:7 Elders must have a good reputation. Proverbs 22:1
For the sake of your character. The real barometer of what we are is what we do and think when no one is looking. Matthew 15:19 Our own mind is where the battles will be won or lost. Matthew 17:18
For the sake of our testimony. It's what our character says about God. Prov. 15:8; Psalm 51:6; If we forsake our moral/ethical convictions we are lying about who God is to the world. We are taking His name in vain.

6. Because God is immutable, our personal responsibility does not change. We can't shift our shortcomings on our past, parents, circumstances etc. Galatians 6. Do not be deceived. What we sow we reap. The world calls sin a mistake, a lapse in judgement. God calls it sin! God will not grade on a curve. He won't compare us with the next guy and determine we aren't so bad.

7. Because God is immutable, His truth never changes. Society tries to redefine truth. Psalm 119:89 God's truth never changes. Isaiah 40:8 All truth is God's truth--it's not determined by the whims of man. God is the source and sole authority of truth. It doesn't matter what man says. Romans 3:4; Satan is a liar --the father of lies. Psalm 119:160; Psalm 145:18 If we claim to know truth but don't live it, we lie. 1 John 3:18. Psalm 86:11; 1 John 1:5-7; Our salvation is sure because God's truth does not change.

8. Because God is immutable, our hope does not change. Our hope rests in the Christ who never changes. Hebrews 6:19-20. An anchor for the soul. An anchor holds the ship so it does not drift or crash into other vessels. Sometimes the anchor is thrust forward to pull the ship into deeper water. Our anchor is thrust forward into heaven and pulls us toward God.

Disclaimer: I have tried to copy my notes exactly, however, sometimes a slip of the finger or an accidentally skipped word happens that I don't catch that changes the whole meaning. If you see something like this please let me know so I can fix it.

Saturday Night

2011-07-23T21:37:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is the Lord's Day. I'm looking forward to church and the encouragement I always find there. I never go home "empty handed" on Sunday. There is always spiritual encouragement, or challenge...something to think about and chew on.

I'm so thankful we attend a church where the preaching of the Word of God is emphasized and entertainment and frivolity is absent in the worship service. I've been involved in both types of churches, and I have to say that where the sermon is reduced to a mere 20 minute devotional talk and the music and entertainment is the majority of the worship, I always went away spiritually starved.

I'm so thankful for our church leaders and the emphasis on preaching the Word of God. It has been life changing for me.

Lessons from the Decorah Eagles: The Unseen Witnesses

2011-07-22T09:33:00.001-07:00

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (NKJV)

On June 15-16, 2011 the Decorah Eaglets one by one left the nest and flew out to a nearby branch for the first time. This is called "branching". I didn't get to see the first two branch. But I watched the last one. He had been alone in the nest for some time and seemed quite agitated about it. He kept flapping his wings and bouncing from one side of the nest to other. It seemed he was trying to work up the courage to leave the safety of the nest and join his siblings out on the branch.

There were thousands of unseen viewers watching from their computers, cheering the eaglets on and heaving a sigh of relief once they witnessed the last one landing safely on the branch. Since February 23rd when the first egg was laid, there have been 152,642,176 viewers captivated by this family, but unseen by the eagle family.

The Bible tells us that we as Christians are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, those who have gone on before us. No doubt they are cheering us on like we all cheered the eaglets on in their quest for freedom to fly. We are admonished to lay aside every weight and the sin that would ensnare us and press on toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

These eaglets have spent ten weeks growing, maturing, strengthening their wings and legs by flapping their wings and pushing off and propelling themselves across the the nest. Their hard work has paid off and now they are able to leave the nest and sit on a branch. Before long they will take their maiden flights.

We too, need to work at Christian maturity and growth. The only way to do that is to dig deep into the Bible, study it and spend time in prayer. We also need to fellowship with people of like faith who will spur us on and cheer us on to greater maturity. Are you ready to "branch out and fly like an eagle" in your Christian faith?

Lessons from the Decorah Eagles: Beautiful Feet

2011-07-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

Eagle's Feet

by Marsha Iddings

Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Eagles are equipped with very special feet. They have three front toes and one back toe and each toe has very long claws called talons. The purpose of these feet are two-fold.

They catch their prey with their talons
They use their talons to carry their prey and nesting materials

An eagle can carry as much as 8 pounds in its talons. Eagles themselves weigh 8 to 15 pounds. The females are the heavier ones. They are very strong birds. Eagle's feet are beautiful to them because an eagle with an injured foot is not able to capture prey and will starve.

Scripture talks about the feet of those who preach the the gospel of peace and good tidings. Their feet are beautiful feet. The gospel of peace is the good news of Christ's work on the cross to pay the debt for our sin so we can have peace with God. God must punish sinners and because of what Christ did by taking our punishment, He satisfied God's justice against us. This is indeed the gospel of peace and tidings of good news! Are your feet beautiful?

Poor Choice of Scripture Verse for Baby Congratulations Card

2011-07-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's an attractive card that says, "A New Baby! A new little bundle? How Wonderful! Congratulations on your new little life." Then there is a scripture verse: "Precious in the sight of the Lord... Psalm 116:15".

I decided to look the verse up before I sent the card. Here is what it says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."

Wow. How would you like it to receive a card that has that verse in it to celebrate the birth of your baby? Someone obviously wasn't thinking when they put that one in the card.

Lessons from the Decorah Eagles: Mantling

2011-07-08T19:02:00.001-07:00

Mantling

by Marsha Iddings

Proverbs 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure with trouble.

The juvenile eagles are almost as big as their parents now. They have a wing span of almost five feet across and spend much time flapping their wings and hopping from one side of the nest to the other in preparation for the day when they will branch and then later fledge.

They have been learning the art of being aggressive and snatching food when a parent comes in with a food drop. When one is lucky enough to grab the whole meal he/she will mantle the treasure by spreading their wings around the prey in order to keep the others from seeing and getting what they have. You can see an eaglet mantling in the photo above.

Of course when one refuses to share, then the others will begin to think of ways to steal the food and they wait in anticipation of the first chance to grab it. Take a look at the other two eaglets. You can almost see their wheels turning as they try to figure out how they will get the food away from their sibling. There is often trouble that comes with great treasure.

The old adage, "Little is much when God is in it" is very true. It's better to be content with little knowing God will provide then deal with the troubles that come with great treasure.

Hidden Treasures: Making Gods

2011-07-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Today I read Exodus 32 where Moses is up on the mountain with God and the people demand of Aaron that he make them a god since they don't what has become of Moses. Aaron pleases the people by making the golden calf and then had the audacity to tell Moses later that he just threw the gold in the fire and out came this calf. How absurd is that?

The take home lesson for me in this, is the fact that we are a people of weakness and passions. We are easily swayed by error. We need to be on guard that we don't make gods of our imaginations to worship instead of worshipping the one True God. It's so easy to allow things, people or agendas to take the place of God in our lives. But the most dangerous thing is to mold God into what we want Him to be in our imagination instead of letting God be God as he is revealed in Scripture.

I know many who insist that God is a a God of love but don't want to hear or accept that God also is a God of justice and wrath. The God that they manufacture would never allow anyone to end up in Hell (which means, by the way, that heaven will be full of unrepentant sinners....won't be much different than what we live with now if that be the case.)

Let's be careful that we take our ideas about God to the bar of Scripture and see if they are right. This means looking at Scripture as a whole and not just cherry picking the verses that support our view.

FDA unleashes end game scheme to outlaw virtually all dietary supplements formulated after 1994

2011-07-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

PLEASE, PLEASE read this article and take action by signing the petition. I have been able to stop going to PT and chiropractic and live a more pain free life because of my access to Curcumin. Under this new regulation I will not have access this supplement any more. There are many supplements that we depend on that we will not have freedom to buy anymore if this regulation goes into effect.

FDA unleashes end game scheme to outlaw virtually all dietary supplements formulated after 1994

www.naturalnews.com

FDA unleashes end game scheme to outlaw virtually all dietary supplements formulated after 1994

Hidden Treasures: Sabbath Rest

2011-07-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

I read Exodus 31 today. It talks about the Sabbath Rest. Many ignore the idea of taking a Sabbath Rest. Sure they go to church but then the rest of the day they continue on with their chores as they would any other day of the week.

I was struck today as I read what the purpose was for the Sabbath Rest. Verse 17 says, "It is a sign forever between me and the people...that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed."

1. It is a reminder of the origins of our world.
2. It is a reminder of Who created our world.
3. It is an institution created by God for the good of His people to refresh them for the next six days.

Tabletalk Magazine

2011-07-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

Our family has been blessed by the daily devotionals in this magazine. It also has some very thought provoking articles as well. I am curious to read some article in the August issue that just came in the mail. Here is a sample of some titles:
"The Unholy Pursuit of God in Moby Dick"
"Law, Grace and Redemption in Les Miserables"
"Good and Evil in The Lord of the Rings"
"Truths and Lies in The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus"
If you check this website in August, they may post some of these articles that you can read for free. I can't be sure though. You never know what articles they will post from the magazine.

Christian Thumbnails: A Survey of the Core Beliefs of Christianity [Paperback]

2011-07-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

I was able to download this book free from Amazon Kindle a few weeks ago, but it has since disappeared. However it is available in paperback. This little book has been a pleasure to read. It is written in a concise easy to read manner. It has been a blessing and a comfort to me to review these things. I think you will find it equally so.

At Church Sunday

2011-07-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

Our pastor was preaching a sermon on Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? The sermon was on humility.

He made a point saying that if we neglect prayer and Bible reading it is a sign of pride because we think we can get along without God. I was writing notes fast and furiously. When he said that, I wrote in parenthesis, "My schedule is more important than God."

Really, if I don't take time to pray and spend time getting God's perspective for my day, and I just blow past Him so I can get on with my day and my schedule, isn't this like saying, my stuff and my schedule is too important to take time out with Him? Isn't this a form of pride?

Absolutely. You know, that kind of stung when I realized the application here.

Check out my Kindle Book!

2011-07-02T13:57:00.002-07:00

Product Description

If you have been asked to give a Bridal Shower Devotional Talk, this is the resource for you! I have included three complete talks that I have done, a resource section with scripture verses, marriage quotes, and internet resources. I have also included a section on public speaking to give you tips for settling the butterflies down that come with public speaking. I have done the bulk of the work for you in this e-book.

Lessons from the Decorah Eagles: Wing Exercises

2011-07-01T09:50:00.004-07:00

Exercise

by Marsha Iddings

1Timothy 4:7 ...exercise yourself toward godliness.

1Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

(NKJV)

Here we see two pictures. One is one of the eagles at a very young age and the other is possibly the same eagle grown up quite a bit. The baby was not able to fly yet in either of these photos. In fact, the very young eagle may have just discovered his wings! We saw some really humorous wing displays at the very young stage.

In this picture the juvenile eagles are almost as big as the parents, and almost ready to fly but not quite. They would flap their wings and bounce up and down on the nest in the wind like they are on a trampoline. One day they managed to "fly" a few feet from the nest and perch on the tree limb near their parents. This is called branching.

Before they could branch they had to exercise their wings with lots of flapping and hopping around so they would be strong enough when the time came to leave the nest.

The Bible tells us bodily exercise profits our bodies a little. It is good to exercise and keep physically fit. But we are told that it is far more important to exercise ourselves toward godliness. The young eagles exercise themselves toward the goal of becoming independent and leaving the nest one day. We are to exercise ourselves toward the goal of becoming a godly people, pleasing to God. We exercise our spiritual wings by studying the Bible daily to learn what His will is for us and then doing it.