Living for Him.

We are reading through the Bible as a family for the second time. Last year we read straight through. It was the first time my husband and I had both read through from cover to cover. We have both been Christians for a long time, but had only ever read a book here or a chapter there. It was such a different experience to read straight through and to share that with our children was a very powerful thing. We have wondered, since we finished, how many people in our church have read the entire Word of God. We are giving our children an incredible gift of biblical knowledge that we hope and pray will be heart knowledge as well. I stand amazed at how much they have taken in and how much they can recollect.

Our reading yesterday was from the book of 2nd Kings chapters 22 and 23 where Josiah reads the Law of Moses. He rents his clothing due to his sorrow at having disobeyed God as well as understanding that his forefathers had completely abandoned what God had told them. Josiah tries to honor God by tearing down idols, killing idolatrous priests, tearing down the high places, and cutting down groves. He then holds a Passover as had never been seen during the reign of the kings of Judah nor Israel. Verse 25 tells us,

"And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him."

It is heart breaking to read through the kings and see opportunity lost, defilement, and when a king decides to tear down an idol yet leaves up the high places and the asherah poles. I am reminded of how simple we are as we try to live for God. Today's Christian accepts a feel-good, watered down, simplified version of the Holy One and the Bible. We have exchanged the truth for a lie. Romans 1:22-25,

"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beast, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."

We have prayed that the Lord would show us the high places, the idols, and the asherah poles in our lives so that we may tear them down for His glory, not to seek salvation through a set of rules, but to love Him, to honor Him and to walk humbly with Him. As though we didn't already draw attention just being the family the Lord has made us, now we are setting different standards for modesty, movie watching, sheltering of our children, teaching to serve, standing for truth, and going against the flow of societal and even Christian norms. We don't want diet Christianity. The importance of knowing God and His Word is the absolute. Don't those all sound like good things? But when they challenge a friend, or make someone feel judged just by being near us, even though these are our convictions, our standards, our choices and not imposed on anyone else, that is when it becomes a testing ground. That is when it becomes hard. That is when we remember: Who are we trying to live for? Who are we trying to please? Colossians 3:22-24,

"Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God; And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

We know we live to serve God. That we, like Josiah, would love Him with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might and that our lives would be a testimony to His faithfulness, His love, and His grace...that is my prayer, that is my hearts desire.

Busy, busy.

The Daddy-Husband-Pilot is at work.
The holy ones are currently lying on the floor surrounded by books.
The Wife-Moma just finished reading several of said books to said holy ones
We are busy living life, rather than writing about it! I know you understand.
However, a quick update as to what the happenings are around here...

We arrived home Monday morning (so early it was really Sunday night!) after a wonderful week learning more about our Lords creation at The Creation Museum and His word at the Sufficiency of Scripture Conference. We enjoyed the museum so much that we decided to purchase a year long pass even though the facility is located an almost 10 hour drive from our house. Want to come along with us next time we go? The SOS conference was wonderful and so affirming as to what God has been showing us in His word this year. I mentioned at the beginning of the year that we had committed to reading through the Bible in a year. We have read everyday but with five little ones just recently started the New Testament. We are all loving it and learning so much. If you have never read the Bible cover to cover, I highly recommend it.

Peter is on reserve for Christmas so we will celebrate with the children a few days early. This has my mind reeling with what needs to be wrapped and possibly purchased. The following week my cousin is getting married and Daniel will be the cute, tux-wearing, flower girl escorting ring bearer. It will be a fun time.

That's it for now. Blessings to you and yours. Possibly more on the conference later. It was really good!

She Likes Scripture

It was right after breakfast when we noticed she was missing. Someone must have let her out to "do her business" and there she remained while we ate our oh-so-yummy scrambled eggs, sausage links and apple butter topped toast. Breakfast was over and it was time to let 'Minnie' have a couple bites of leftover eggs. "Minnie! Minnie! Come here Minnie!" She was nowhere to be found. After realizing we had not seen her since before breakfast we decided it was time to find her. We donned socks, shoes and bike helmets and proceeded to cover The Island in two different directions. Girls one way and Daddy with boys the other way, all yelling, "Minnie!" Mommy driving the Jeep and checking with neighbors. Over an hour passed and still no dog. She never goes that far so this was highly unusual. We checked at Papa and Gramommy as perhaps she wanted better food? No dog. We decided to give up and just wait as we were hopeful she would return. Daddy looked downstairs, Mommy looked upstairs checking each room thoroughly...one...more...time. No dog. No barking. Nothing. We decided to start Family Bible Time and in ran the dog, straight to her water for a big drink and straight to the door to go out for her "business," then back in to curl up and listen to Isaiah (the prophet, not the son). If only we had started Family Bible Time sooner...

We are giddy from giving!

Yesterday we drove ourselves to the Amish Market to have a hearty breakfast and pick up a new 50lb bag of Hard Red Winter Wheat. We discovered our Amish waitress was getting married in 12 days. Peter and I engaged her in conversation for a bit and then we both got a certain look in our eye. We were thinking the same thing. Just this past Sunday our Pastor decided to show Dave Ramsey's video about finance. He told a story about a couple who started their own Waffle House ministry. They decided to pray and ask the Lord to give them a waiter or waitress who really needed money and then they would leave a huge tip. Peter and I knew we were being told to give our waitress a big tip. It was so fun and so fulfilling to walk away seeing the huge smile on her face. What a blessing it is to share what is not really ours anyway! God owns the cattle on a thousand hills!

I challenge you to do the same. I promise, it feels so good!

Extravagant Worship

What does extravagant worship look like to you? To me it is not worrying about what others think. I only want to worry about what my Lord and King thinks. I can't feel self-conscience if I feel pulled to my knees in worship at my occasionally-a-few-people-hand-lifting-church. I enjoy worship at my church. It is good. People just need to get outside themselves and give God "the glory due His name." (Psalm 96:8) Extravagant worship will cost you. It will not be easy. You may be criticized. You may be rebuked. But you will be remembered by our great God! (John 4:23)

No Compromise

With every thought and deed I am an example. I can be an example of what to do or what not to do. Whether my actions glorify my Father in heaven, or whether they come from selfish indulgence, I am an example. What do my children see? Do they see their Moma living a life of white lies, bad character, disobedience and strife...or do they see their Moma living her life to the glory of her Father in heaven? It is easy to let little things slip. It is easy to say, "Tell them I am not home" in order to avoid a call or "Just say you are only 11" in order to skip paying the adult price on a ticket. But to what end? Why compromise? If you haven't read the 10 Commandments in a while, here they are, from Bible Gateway, for your review. Read them, consider them. As for me, I want to be light for my children. I will not call evil good and good evil. I will not compromise.

Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

¹ And God spoke all these words:

² "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

³ "You shall have no other gods before ^a]">[a] me.

⁴ "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

⁸ "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

¹³ "You shall not murder.

¹⁴ "You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ "You shall not steal.

¹⁶ "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

¹⁸ When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance ¹⁹ and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."

²⁰ Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

It's All Good

I have a problem with the title Good Friday. I know it is good. But I have a hard time calling it Good. How can it be good when my Lord and King suffered and died on a cross for my sins? That is exactly it. It is good because he hung there for me, for my sins, for my redemption. But the Good news doesn't end there. Hallelujah! In three days, He rose again, conquering death, proving himself Lord and is seated at the Fathers right hand. Do you know him? Have you not heard? Below is the beginning of the story of the next three days... Read it and know what He has done for you, how He can wash you white as snow and how there is nothing that is too big for Him to forgive. He has already died for you and for any sin you have committed. Accept Him and know Peace.

Matthew 27

Judas Hangs Himself

¹Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. ²They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

³When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴"I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."
"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility."

⁵So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money." ⁷So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."^a]">[a]

Jesus Before Pilate

¹¹Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

¹²When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" ¹⁴But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. ¹⁷So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" ¹⁸For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."

²⁰But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.

²¹"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor.
"Barabbas," they answered.

²²"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"

²³"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"

²⁴When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"

²⁵All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"

²⁶Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

²⁷Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. ³⁰They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

³²As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). ³⁴There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^b]">[b] ³⁶And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ³⁸Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

⁴¹In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴²"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " ⁴⁴In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,^c]">[c] lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"^d]">[d]

⁴⁷When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

⁵⁰And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵²The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son^e]">[e] of God!"

⁵⁵Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁷As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶²The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³"Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' ⁶⁴So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."

⁶⁵"Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." ⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

*The above scripture was found on Bible Gateway.

Kid Quote

Abigail (left) and Ashley (my oldest)

I took Ashley shopping to pick out her birthday party plates, napkins and treats for guests. It was so nice to have a bit of time with my eldest. We shared a Kit-Kat and had 2 hours to talk and shop. We spoke of the possibilities that a farm would bring if we were to actually purchase one. We would like to be able to raise our own vegetables, have room to run/ride and raise our own beef as well. Here is how the funny part went:

Me: We would raise cows and slaughter them...

Ashley (gleam in her eye and huge smile on her face): So that we could slaughter them for the blood sacrifices!

My girl is too quick. She really made me laugh and also made me very proud of her as I realized she is paying attention as we read through Leviticus! Yea!

Bible in a year

As part of our family's "new year resolution" we decided to read through the Bible in a year. We have completed Genesis and Exodus. Just yesterday we began Leviticus. We gather together after breakfast or before bedtime and I read aloud to the children. When Peter is home he facilitates our reading time. It has been enlightening for all involved. This week was the first time we missed a day. The day completely got away from us and I was disappointed that we allowed that to happen. The next day Daniel was walking with me to do a load of laundry. He stopped and said (remember he is only 4 and you need to read this in a 4yo voice), "Mom, we forgot to read the Bible yesterday." I said, "I know, I am disappointed that we missed it." Daniel questioned, "Are we gonna go to Heaven now???" Me: "Yes, Sweet Boy, we are gonna go to Heaven. God wants us to read His Word, but He won't keep us out of Heaven because of missing a day. We have to believe that Jesus came, died for our sins and rose again in order to go to Heaven." Daniel: "Oh, okay Mom. But why did Jesus have to die on the cross for our sins?" "Because He had to reconcile us to the Father and it could only be done through His death on the cross. Now we can go to Heaven." Then, today while reading the sacrifices in Leviticus we were able to discuss that without blood there is no remission for sin. Jesus blood was the final sacrifice; the final blood sacrifice needed to reconcile us to himself. How wonderful to get to discuss these things with my children! God is so cool. He orders our days so perfectly.

HPV Vaccination follow-up

Readers:
I love your comments! Thank you for your encouragement and the links to information I had not previously read (I am assuming that "Kim" was my wonderful cousin who is always on the ball with this kind of info!). I am posting the comments below for your information. I hope that more concerned women will speak up and that we are able to keep this conversation going. I am sure that many of you have seen the proposal to make this vaccine mandatory for public school. This could have serious implications. I am grateful to have the opportunity to homeschool my children and only have to deal with telling our Doctor, "No thanks." Scripture speaks to God's plan for our bodies in 1 Corinthians 6:9-7:40. It is a long read, but do it! Read what God had Paul write to the church in Corinth about immorality and the freedom in the gift of marriage.

Marianne said:
Besides the obvious of putting a dangerous chemical into our young daughter's bodies. We are saying ( in my humble opinion) that our daughters WILL be promiscuous. Where is our trust in God and in the power of the Holy Spirit that He will lead them down the right path.
In our house our daughters are being taught what Jesus says about promiscuity. Prayfully and with the knowledge that both parents walked down the isle wearing white-- Married at 36 yrs and 38 yrs old.

Justme27 said:
That is terrible! I still can't believe that people vaccinate 10 year olds against STDs.
Stand firm. :)

Kim said:
Vaccines are full of poisons, animal viruses, and when they don't use African green monkey kidneys, they are often manufactured using aborted fetuses. Hpv vaccine only effective against small percentage of cancer-causing viruses.
See Barbara Loe Fischer's Vaccine Information Clearinghouse for more info; especially, the very serious side effects produced by this new vaccine in some of the young girls who were given the shots.

HPV vaccine

Article on HPV vaccine

How do you feel about the new HPV vaccine?

Our Dr. talked to me about giving this vaccine to our 10 year old daughter. When she realized that she was 10 she shrugged it off and said we could talk about it next year. I had the other children with me and decided to not address this issue in front of them. My discussion will bring up our foundational belief in Jesus Christ and His Word and how that relates to our views on promiscuity and being chaste.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Ladies Retreat, Donna Partow, Mothers Day, Homeschooling

I have been out of town on a Ladies Retreat with my church. My Mom and Sister went as well and we had a nice time. Peter was with the kids and gained a new appreciation of me. My favorite quote was a text that he sent, "I am amazed at how long it takes to unload the dishwasher when all the other things of life take a second here and a minute there. I sure appreciate you!" Isn't that so nice?! They all faired well. Events of the two days for Peter and the kids included: one doctors appointment, a trip to Costco, marigolds being planted around the garden and a Daddy Daughter luau for Girl Scouts. I even came home to an orderly house. Yea Babe!

My retreat was led by a woman named Donna Partow. She wrote a book called This Isn't the Life I Signed Up For. I have not read it, but many women from my church had and enjoyed it, which led to our hiring her to speak. Our theme was Hope. Hope for the past, present and future. Donna talks about not being a Porcupine: A creature with a lot of good points, but no one wants to be around! Isn't that great? She also mentioned being a real jar of clay for Christ. In biblical times if a jar was cracked they would put wax over the jar so that it seemed perfect. Donna encouraged us to not pour wax over our cracks, but rather to let the cracks (painful things) in our life show so that Christs light can shine through. That is being real. My Mom, sister and I were able to help with the design and decoration of the prayer tent. This is something that our church does at the retreat every year. We set up one of the hotel rooms (emptied out) with a white tent, flowing sheer material, flowers, an altar and prayer request cards. It is a place to go and be at peace before the Lord. We were blessed to be a part of that. We filled it with hundreds of daisies (this was the retreat theme flower) and babies breath. The room and altar over-looked the ocean. It was amazing. I was also able to be a part of the worship team this year. I haven't done that in a few years and was so blessed to get to know the other ladies and help in that way.

Mother's Day was yesterday. It was such a nice day for us. We went to church in the morning. our Pastor had asked me to say a few words about my Mom in front of the congregation. It was so neat to be able to talk about her and the wonderful woman she is. She really loves the Lord, is a prayer warrior and serves with hr hands. You are great Mom! My husband and kids showed me that I was great by planting marigold around the garden for me and purchasing me a Roomba. I used the Roomba (robotic vacuum) all day today. I am so grateful for it and my husbands kindness to me in getting me exactly what I wanted. I think it will definitely save me some time. I put it downstairs today and let it run. I sat down with the kids and colored (insert huge Mom smile here because I actually just sat and enjoyed simple time with them). I went downstairs to see how the Roomba was doing and found that the entire floor was spotless! Yea!!!

We are heading into our final week of school as of today. Our co-op was actually canceled due to our wonderful east coast storm. It is still hovering overhead. The wind was so amazing that it tore the top off of our hot tub. We also had some siding slapping against the house (makes for a nice night sleep), chairs in the neighbors yard and trash cans rolling around between houses. From the sound of the wind I thought we would have lost something or had more damage, but all was fine and/or recovered.