I am SOOO thankful that it is May. I am excited for lots of sunshine and warmer days. Spring is my very favorite time of the year. The new fresh green leaves in all of the different brilliant shades of green. Flowers are blooming everywhere and the smell is just heavenly! I have a huge lilac bush near my mail box and everytime I go out to get the mail I bury my nose in the blooms and breath deep. The newness of life in Spring makes me think of the newness of life we have through Christ.
I am so thankful for this time of year. I feel alive again. Yay!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
My thankful for list
1. A gracious God who gave His son as a perfect sacrifice on my behalf so that by faith in Him I would be a child of God and inherit the gift of eternal life and forgiveness from my sins.
2. Sanctification, the process of being made more and more into the image of Christ and less and less like the fallen sinful man I am.
3. My family both immediate and extended.
4. My friends who in many ways are like family too.
5. My husband who is a faithful man, a hard worker, and good dad, and who through the years has learned patience with me. It doesn't hurt that he is easy on the eyes too : 0 )
6. My three beautiful unique healthy daughters.
7. A roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, running water ( hot even ), food in my fridge and pantry, and all of the modern ammenities that we are all so spoiled with. I hear my dish washer swishing in the back ground. How cool to be able to sit here and make a post on my blog while my dishes are being washed and noone will have dish pan hands as a result!
8.Candles. I love candles. Apple scented and warm spicy food scents are my favorite!
9.My fur children, especially my dog Annabelle. She is my constant companion and friend. I love her big brown eyes.
10. My health. I woke up thanking God for the ability to get up out of my bed and to be able to just move and walk. Not everyone has that ability. It is a gift.
11. Exercise. It is hard and sometimes I don't want to do it but the result is so worth it. I feel so much better each and every day that I do work out.
12. Warm weather
13. Sun shine
14. Beaches
15. Tropical concoctions melting in my hand
16. rest/naps
17. cute clothes
18. coffee oh my I can't believe it took me till #18 to think of it. Not just regular coffee though, oh no! It must have "Coffee Mate French Vanilla" creamer in it. YUM!
19. Coffee dates with my husband. They are few and far between these days with his schedule but when they happen I am so thankful. All it is is a cup of coffee together sitting in our bed first thing in the morning.
20. Employment
21. Being able to look out my sliding door from my dining room at a horse and horse barn that is my neighbor's.
22. Seeing fruit trees out side by my barn and anticipating the beautiful Spring time blooms that will be there in a few weeks.
23. Chocolate
24. Bonfires, smores, sitting on hay
25. Cook outs and oh the wonderful cook out food! BBQ chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, fresh fruit salad! YUM again!
2. Sanctification, the process of being made more and more into the image of Christ and less and less like the fallen sinful man I am.
3. My family both immediate and extended.
4. My friends who in many ways are like family too.
5. My husband who is a faithful man, a hard worker, and good dad, and who through the years has learned patience with me. It doesn't hurt that he is easy on the eyes too : 0 )
6. My three beautiful unique healthy daughters.
7. A roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, running water ( hot even ), food in my fridge and pantry, and all of the modern ammenities that we are all so spoiled with. I hear my dish washer swishing in the back ground. How cool to be able to sit here and make a post on my blog while my dishes are being washed and noone will have dish pan hands as a result!
8.Candles. I love candles. Apple scented and warm spicy food scents are my favorite!
9.My fur children, especially my dog Annabelle. She is my constant companion and friend. I love her big brown eyes.
10. My health. I woke up thanking God for the ability to get up out of my bed and to be able to just move and walk. Not everyone has that ability. It is a gift.
11. Exercise. It is hard and sometimes I don't want to do it but the result is so worth it. I feel so much better each and every day that I do work out.
12. Warm weather
13. Sun shine
14. Beaches
15. Tropical concoctions melting in my hand
16. rest/naps
17. cute clothes
18. coffee oh my I can't believe it took me till #18 to think of it. Not just regular coffee though, oh no! It must have "Coffee Mate French Vanilla" creamer in it. YUM!
19. Coffee dates with my husband. They are few and far between these days with his schedule but when they happen I am so thankful. All it is is a cup of coffee together sitting in our bed first thing in the morning.
20. Employment
21. Being able to look out my sliding door from my dining room at a horse and horse barn that is my neighbor's.
22. Seeing fruit trees out side by my barn and anticipating the beautiful Spring time blooms that will be there in a few weeks.
23. Chocolate
24. Bonfires, smores, sitting on hay
25. Cook outs and oh the wonderful cook out food! BBQ chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob, fresh fruit salad! YUM again!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
A Reminder
So I am totally tempted to be so over all of this snow and to be sick and tired of it. Instead I will take the reminder that "Though my sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."Isaiah 1:18b
"Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead".
I poured my cup of coffee this morning and brought it to my dining room table to sit where I could watch the fat fluffy snow flakes fall in my back yard. It really is beautiful. Thank you God for the beauty and the reminder.
"Oh praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead".
I poured my cup of coffee this morning and brought it to my dining room table to sit where I could watch the fat fluffy snow flakes fall in my back yard. It really is beautiful. Thank you God for the beauty and the reminder.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Greetings from "Iceland"
Winter is hear with a furry! I know that most people out there are experiencing some sort of Winter weather. Today we have ice. No new snow yet, but rumor has it we could get 9 to 18 inches. It is cold out. It is grey out. But.... the ice on the trees is pretty to look at. I just hope none of the big branches break and do any damage to our roof or our barn.
My husband took the day off because he drives an hour to work and has to go through small towns and on back country roads. He agonized over the decision to call off this morning for almost 3 hours. I kind of did too, only from our bed. He did it up watching the news, and calling a guy that lives close to where he works to check on the weather there, and watching the weather outside the window and the cars driving by our house. You see where he works I think they want to play a real life game of fear factor. There are alwasy rumors flying around about the dreaded lay offs. So from one Friday to the next we really never know if he will have a job. God has been so gracious to us for a long time with my husband being employed. It has been over a full year since he was last laid off. We just never want to assume that another lay off won't happen. We have exeperienced a few so far. I do want to rest and have peace in God as our ultimate provider because He is. So that is a thing I struggle with internally alot. It is sin for me to not trust God at His word. Lord, please help me to trust and to be content with whatever circumstance you bring our way.
My girls are so tired of snow days. They don't really like to go out and play in the snow and the colder weather. I used to play in the snow all of the time, but we had a great sledding hill in our back yard. We live in Illinois and it is flat here. Cabin fever has struck our house, along with some real fever too. Today noone is sick yet. Two of my girls have had the fever, sore throat, cough, and body aches. The cough hangs on and on and on.
I think we are all looking forward to Spring. 48 days till the first day of Spring!
Happy February 1, 2011! We have successfully made it through January 2011 by the grace of God!
My husband took the day off because he drives an hour to work and has to go through small towns and on back country roads. He agonized over the decision to call off this morning for almost 3 hours. I kind of did too, only from our bed. He did it up watching the news, and calling a guy that lives close to where he works to check on the weather there, and watching the weather outside the window and the cars driving by our house. You see where he works I think they want to play a real life game of fear factor. There are alwasy rumors flying around about the dreaded lay offs. So from one Friday to the next we really never know if he will have a job. God has been so gracious to us for a long time with my husband being employed. It has been over a full year since he was last laid off. We just never want to assume that another lay off won't happen. We have exeperienced a few so far. I do want to rest and have peace in God as our ultimate provider because He is. So that is a thing I struggle with internally alot. It is sin for me to not trust God at His word. Lord, please help me to trust and to be content with whatever circumstance you bring our way.
My girls are so tired of snow days. They don't really like to go out and play in the snow and the colder weather. I used to play in the snow all of the time, but we had a great sledding hill in our back yard. We live in Illinois and it is flat here. Cabin fever has struck our house, along with some real fever too. Today noone is sick yet. Two of my girls have had the fever, sore throat, cough, and body aches. The cough hangs on and on and on.
I think we are all looking forward to Spring. 48 days till the first day of Spring!
Happy February 1, 2011! We have successfully made it through January 2011 by the grace of God!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sticks in a Bundle are Unbreakable ( Kenyan Proverb)
Happy Sunday all. At our house it is church day, but two of us won't be going. I have a sick one. My youngest daughter has "something", maybe the flu. She has a 100 degree temperature, head ache, runny nose, her stomach hurt this morning, and a cough. It is going around here. I hope to avoid it. I am going to stay home with her today. She is on the couch resting. We have been reading "Little House in the Big Woods" aloud to each other. This morning I read a couple of chapters to her until she fell asleep.
I don't really like to miss church. Not because I think that going to church makes God like me, only Jesus can do that for me. Not because I think that going to church gives me a better standing before God, only Jesus can do that for me. I enjoy going to church for many reasons. I enjoy singing praises to God with other people who are doing the same thing. I think going to church is important if you are a Christian. God called us out and set us apart when He saved us to be the church. To be His body, to be a community of people who are all a part of the same mission, to tell others about the gospel. When God saves you and you become His child you are part of a new family. Guess who they are? The church. Yep it is a family reunion every Sunday. If you are a "stand alone" Christian, when the wind blows you will fall over, when the trials come, you won't be as strong as you would be if you were standing with your arms linked with others. I realize that we can have good "Christian" friends and that does help, but it doesn't take the place of going to church and being part of the body and family of Christ regularly. We are called to serve one another, to love one another, to pray for one another, how do we do that if we are not involved with one another? Yes, we can serve our friends, families, and neighbors and we should do that, but that does not take the place of church.
God is a triune God, Father, Son, Spirit. He always has been and always will be. He has had eternal community. We are created in His image. We need community. We need to be involved in a church. Yes we can commune with God in our gardens, when we look at His creation and praise Him for it, when we sing a praise song to Him from our heart. We are always to be in a state of prayer and worship. None of that takes the place of gathering together as saints. None of that takes the place of going to a church. We are called to give of our first fruits, how do we give if we are not an active part of a church. We are called to serve with our gifts. How do we do that if we are not involved in a church?
Internatinal Standard Version of the Bible 2008
Hebrews 10 : 25
Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord coming near.
Jesus is coming back, every day that passes brings us closer to His return. Noone but God knows when He is coming back. We need to be encouraged and to encourage as we anxiously wait His return.
Normally I would say something like, "okay now I am going to get off of my soap box and go on with my day". But you know what, preachy or not, I am only sharing the truth from God's word. You are not getting my own personal opinions here today. You are getting what I have learned through sermons and from reading God's word. So if you are offended by reading this, talk to God about it. See what He has to say.
Hebrews 3:7-19
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers tried me by testing me, and saw my works for forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with this generation, and said, 'they always go astray in their heart; and they did not know my ways'; 11 as I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" 12 Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; 15 while it is said, "Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked me." 16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
Below is a link to a sermon about the above passage from http://www.desiringgod.org/
Sermon link
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/do-not-harden-your-heart-in-the-day-of-trouble
I don't really like to miss church. Not because I think that going to church makes God like me, only Jesus can do that for me. Not because I think that going to church gives me a better standing before God, only Jesus can do that for me. I enjoy going to church for many reasons. I enjoy singing praises to God with other people who are doing the same thing. I think going to church is important if you are a Christian. God called us out and set us apart when He saved us to be the church. To be His body, to be a community of people who are all a part of the same mission, to tell others about the gospel. When God saves you and you become His child you are part of a new family. Guess who they are? The church. Yep it is a family reunion every Sunday. If you are a "stand alone" Christian, when the wind blows you will fall over, when the trials come, you won't be as strong as you would be if you were standing with your arms linked with others. I realize that we can have good "Christian" friends and that does help, but it doesn't take the place of going to church and being part of the body and family of Christ regularly. We are called to serve one another, to love one another, to pray for one another, how do we do that if we are not involved with one another? Yes, we can serve our friends, families, and neighbors and we should do that, but that does not take the place of church.
God is a triune God, Father, Son, Spirit. He always has been and always will be. He has had eternal community. We are created in His image. We need community. We need to be involved in a church. Yes we can commune with God in our gardens, when we look at His creation and praise Him for it, when we sing a praise song to Him from our heart. We are always to be in a state of prayer and worship. None of that takes the place of gathering together as saints. None of that takes the place of going to a church. We are called to give of our first fruits, how do we give if we are not an active part of a church. We are called to serve with our gifts. How do we do that if we are not involved in a church?
Internatinal Standard Version of the Bible 2008
Hebrews 10 : 25
Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord coming near.
Jesus is coming back, every day that passes brings us closer to His return. Noone but God knows when He is coming back. We need to be encouraged and to encourage as we anxiously wait His return.
Normally I would say something like, "okay now I am going to get off of my soap box and go on with my day". But you know what, preachy or not, I am only sharing the truth from God's word. You are not getting my own personal opinions here today. You are getting what I have learned through sermons and from reading God's word. So if you are offended by reading this, talk to God about it. See what He has to say.
Hebrews 3:7-19
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as when they provoked me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 where your fathers tried me by testing me, and saw my works for forty years. 10 Therefore I was angry with this generation, and said, 'they always go astray in their heart; and they did not know my ways'; 11 as I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" 12 Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; 15 while it is said, "Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked me." 16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
Below is a link to a sermon about the above passage from http://www.desiringgod.org/
Sermon link
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/do-not-harden-your-heart-in-the-day-of-trouble
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Keeping it real
Hello, I used to have a blog but I closed it because I spent too much time blogging. Not so much posting on my own blog but browsing all of the other blogs out there. I also recently got on face book for the first time, like a year or two after everyone else was already on. I lasted 6 weeks and closed that too. Why? Well, I had not run my vacuum for a week and I am not sure if I spoke to my children much then either. I have a golden retriever dog and you just cannot go a week with out running your vacuum with a dog like that. It was bad. I have 3 daughters 9, 12, and 15 and they need me to be present when I am present. I am good at being here, but not really being here. Not a good parenting traight. I want to work on that.
When I start something like blogging or face book or what ever, it becomes an escape for me. I understand that is okay, once in a while, for a little bit. But for me it was a LOT of the time for long periods. My desire to escape the every day real life is not much a traight to have either. My life is not bad. It is probaby pretty normal. But sometimes I think that everyone else's life looks better than mine. We are pretty good at wrapping things ( good or bad ) in pretty paper so that they look good from the outside. Well I am going to attempt to unwrap the things in my life and keep it real. Wish me luck....
So, I am starting this blog hoping that I can use it for a place to go to be real. A bit like a journal I guess. So watch out. It may get more "real" then any of us want, me included.
When I start something like blogging or face book or what ever, it becomes an escape for me. I understand that is okay, once in a while, for a little bit. But for me it was a LOT of the time for long periods. My desire to escape the every day real life is not much a traight to have either. My life is not bad. It is probaby pretty normal. But sometimes I think that everyone else's life looks better than mine. We are pretty good at wrapping things ( good or bad ) in pretty paper so that they look good from the outside. Well I am going to attempt to unwrap the things in my life and keep it real. Wish me luck....
So, I am starting this blog hoping that I can use it for a place to go to be real. A bit like a journal I guess. So watch out. It may get more "real" then any of us want, me included.
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