Caroline's Speech and Debate Tournament

Here is Caroline's Speech from her first NCFCA Speech and Debate Tournament.  (You'll  have to turn up your speakers, because the sound is very low)

*Don't forget to scroll down and pause the music on the right side before watching the video*



Caroline placed 1st in Round 1, 1st in Round 2, and 7th in the Finals!  We are so proud of her hard work and dedication.  We pray that this is a stepping stone for Caroline to learn how to speak in front of others and ultimately, articulate the gospel and her faith and be used for His Kingdom!

We joined Club 19:14 in the Fall, and it has been such a blessing to be a part of!  The students are amazing representives of Christ and glorify God through their word and deed.  What an amazing group of peers... true Godly influences. 

We were truly blessed this weekend by seeing Christ shine through the lives of these youth during the tournament.  Can't wait for the next one in January!

The Truth

Pastors Mark Driscoll, Voddie Baucham, John Piper, Matt Chandler, and of course, Barry Keldie all have something in common: Unabashedly preaching the truth.

When any of these men get the opportunity to talk about Jesus, no matter if it's on CNN, Nightline, etc., they don't "water down" the truth. They know that there are no careless words, but that every word will be accountable to God. They know that the Bible is God-breathed, useful for training in righteousness. They know that God's Word will not return void and that only by preaching the truth may people be saved.

Time and time again they preach the truth of God's Word... and time and time again they honor God and proclaim the wondrous grace of Salvation through Jesus Christ.

This month, Mark Driscoll gets an opportunity to have a column in the Washington Post, and he makes sure it is NOT "chicken soup for the soul" advice. It is biblical truth... simple, honest, God-honoring biblical truth. What an encouragement in this day in age when "whatever you believe" is the most popular religion.

I'm in awe of these gentlemen. I thank God that He has given us wise, responsible pastors who love Jesus and have a heart for the lost sheep. May we love God and His Word enough to proclaim His truth no matter our audience! :)

Here's the article: Mark Driscoll Washington Post

Have a blessed, truth-filled day!

Buy a Mug... Save a Life!

Ava's 6 year old best friend, Noah, is having his grand opening today for his fantastic ministry that he's started: http://www.noahsmugs.com/

For every mug sold, someone gets clean water for the rest of their life by the purchase of water filters through http://www.watermissions.org/

*Please support this fantastic ministry and pass the news on...


Here's how it all started:

When Noah was 6 years old, he heard about kids all over the world who had to walk miles to get drinking water which made them sick. Noah was disturbed by this news, and hoping that he could do something to make a difference, he talked with his dad, Mike, about everything he had heard. After Noah updated Mike on the poor drinking water situation, the conversation went back and forth like this:

“Dad, we have to do something about this!”

Mike replied,“Well, what do you suppose we should do?”

“We should sell coffee mugs because when people drink out of them, they think about drinking and when you think about drinking stuff, you’ll think about water. Then all of the money we make can go to help kids get water that doesn’t make them sick.”

“Well, what is going to make your mug different then every other mug out there?”

“Dad, our mugs are going to help people get clean water, and I’m going to make some really cool themes and drawings.”

“Really?”

“Yea, I already thought of it all; I’ll draw Castles, Wild Bears, and Flowers – ‘cause girls like flowers.”

“Noah, can you draw a wild bear?”

“Yeah, I’m a real good drawer. So can we do it, Dad?” Noah asked excitedly.

Mike answered his anxiously awaiting son, “Sure, I’d love to go into business with a 6 year old!”

As Noah’s dad was teaching Noah how to put together a business plan, they did research and realized that the profits from just one mug would pay for someone to have clean drinking water for the rest of their life!

That is the story of how Noah’s Mugs began. Noah, his dad, and the whole family now print and press mugs and ship them all over North America. And, for every mug sold, another person gets clean drinking water.

Teaching Children about Giving

Giving tithes and offerings is an honor and a reflection of our hearts as Christ-followers; so how do we instill this into our children’s hearts?

~We need to emulate cheerful giving in front of our children: They need to see our words put into action by giving graciously (whether it is to church, charity organization, someone in need, etc.).

~We need to study scripture with our children on tithing: For younger children, stories about the widow’s mite from Mark 12:41-44 would be good. For older children, I would suggest a more in depth study using the Sermon on the Mount from Matt. 6:19-21 as well as reading Exodus 36:3-7 to describe how the Israelites gave more than enough needed and the blessing in that.

~ We need to train their hearts to be givers: We should start by cautioning them against being like the Pharisees; who gave everything according to the law, but their hearts were not it in (Matt. 23:23). Then, we should impress upon them how we are to give; that Jesus says it was better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), and we also know from 2 Corinthians 9:5-15 that we are to give cheerfully. That cheerful giving not only supplies ministry needs & shows obedience, but the text tells us it brings about thanksgiving and glory to God.

If you have a child that is reluctant to give, pray with them that God will change their heart. Teach them that Jesus gave His life for them, and that everything we have is God’s in the first place; we are just entrusted with His gifts to be shown faithful stewards and advance the Kingdom. For older children, you may read them 1 John 3:17-18 and James 2:15-16 to further instill the purpose of giving.

This is how it looks in our home: we pay our children “contract labor” for optional duties above and beyond household chores. Erich will sit down with them on “paydays” to help them divvy up their allotted tithe portion, savings portion, and earnings portion. Any “gift money” that they receive falls under the same instruction. The children then get the privilege of giving God’s money back to Him by supporting the church, and they will personally put their tithe portion in the offering box on Sundays. We also encourage them to give when they feel led to other ministry needs to help instill that it’s not just about “Sunday”.

*Remember to pray with your children thanking God for entrusting us with money, giving us opportunities to advance His kingdom with our tithes and offerings, and asking Him to work in our hearts that we may be cheerful and gracious givers.

Be Blessed by your family's giving to God!

My Fav Devotionals

Somehow, I can't get the picture any larger, but these devotionals are my latest and greatest find... truly my favorite kids devotionals that I have found! They come in Old and New Testament flavors (and you can view excerpts from them from the below link).

I first saw Faith Factor devotionals at Sally Clarkson's Whole Heart Mom Conference; but by the time I went to purchase them, they were already sold out (that stuff always happens to us procrastinators).

So, instead, these became "Resurrection Day" gifts to the girls. :)

Can I just tell you the HUGE excitement upon opening their gifts... it was precious! I praise God that He has given them a desire and a value for His Word and for the study of it!

Ava was especially thrilled when she saw that the book's recommended age was for 9-12 year olds. I told her that since she can read like a 9-12 year old, then she gets the honor of reading books written for 9-12 year olds (that's a testimony to Charlotte Mason's curriculum).

And, boy... did she feel honored! She opened it up that very minute and started her devotional. Caroline was running to grab her bible so she could start hers too.

And the verdict is...

They both said, "This is the best devotional I've ever read!"

"Why?" I asked.

Caroline answered first, "Because it actually teaches you what the bible says instead of just giving you stories about life and trying to apply a bible verse to it."

Ava echoed, "I learned so much and they have more to say in this book."

They hit the nail on the head. That's exactly why I picked these.

It is VERY hard (and trust me, I spent an hour sitting on the floor of Mardel's one day looking through ALL of their kids' devotionals) to find a devotional that actually TEACHES God's word and what to learn from it. Most of the others simply give you a practical story (some of which would never apply to your child) and then add a bible verse to it (most of the time out of context).

I was thrilled that the girls were so ecstatic about their new books.

I overheard Ava tell Caroline, "I can't wait until the morning... because I get to read another chapter from Matthew out of my devotional!"

I then saw Ava writing down some things... when I asked her what it was, she said, "My devotional told me to write down things I want to ask/tell God. So, I wrote 'How can I be more like You?' and 'Thank you for the resurrection'."

Wow! Now, those are the blessings that I pray for my children! Thank you God for the work that You do in their hearts through reading Your Word. It is truly divine transformation!

Every day since, the girls have been excited to tell me what they've learned from their morning's quiet time... these are truly great devotionals teaching God's truth, using the only Truth: His Holy Word!

Have a blessed day instilling God's word in the hearts of those He has entrusted to us... our children!

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Glorious Resurrection!

He is risen... He is risen indeed!


Over the weekend, we have listened to the story of Jesus' death & resurrection from Adventures in Odyssey, we made Resurrection Cookies, went through the Resurrection Eggs, & read our favorite Easter story re-telling in The Very First Easter.




Most importantly, we have had some precious time in God's Word, the true and exact account of Jesus's ministry, sacrifice and resurrection.




Today is a magnanimous day! Today is the day we celebrate Jesus' power over death! He is risen... He is risen indeed!




Easter is also a blessed day because it marks the anniversary of Ava's salvation. Two years ago, she received Christ as her Lord and Savior. I remember her praying to God thanking Him for Jesus' death on the cross that paid for all her sins; past present & future. I remember seeing tears stream down her face and Ava asking me, "Mommy, where are these tears coming from?... I can't stop crying for some reason." Her little heart was touched greatly by God's redeeming spirit and it was truly a joyous day we will always thank God for.



Jesus said in John 11:25-26: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die."



What an amazing gift of grace! Because Jesus conquered death, and was raised again to reign ALIVE in Heaven on the throne... we are promised that same eternal life when we place our faith in Christ alone.



Thank you God for your indescribable gift of Salvation! We serve a risen and glorious Savior!



Have a blessed Easter!


*Before watching "On Christ Alone", remember to scroll down and pause my "Music Playlist" (red box found on the right-hand side of the page)

Happy Pesach!

Today is an amazing day... the celebration of Passover (Pesach)!

In Exodus, God saved the Israelites from their bondage of Egyptian slavery with one thing: the blood of a lamb. (Exodus 11-12)

God had previously used 9 plagues upon Egypt to glory over Pharaoh and prepare the freedom of His chosen people, Israel. The plagues not only showed God's power and sovereignty, but proved Egypt's false gods to be a mockery.

The 10th and final plague was to take the life of the firstborn sons in Egypt. God spoke through Moses and told the Israelites that in order for their firstborn to be saved from this plague, they had to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and cover their door frames with the blood of the lamb.

That's all: just the blood. When the angel of death saw the Israelite's house covered with the spotless lamb's blood, he would "passover" that house knowing it was set-apart for God's salvation. Thus, they were saved by their faith in the blood covering the door frames of their homes.

Over 1,400 years later, God sent His fulfillment of Gen. 3:15 to be the Passover Lamb for all who put their faith in Him. In John 1:29, John the Baptist acknowledges Jesus as that Passover Lamb when he declares, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Just like the Israelites were saved when they covered the door frames of their homes, we are saved when our faith declares that Jesus' blood covers our sin and gives us right standing before God in Heaven.

You see, the Israelites could have thought, "I'm sure the blood of the lamb isn't going to work... so, let's do something else" OR "I'm sure the blood of the lamb isn't enough, let's add something to it." But, that's not how God arranged it. The ONLY thing they had to do to be saved was to cover their door frames with the blood. That's all!

Jesus, (the spotless Lamb) being the perfect and sinless Son of God (Rom. 1:4), died on the cross for the sins of the world, rose again (Mark 16:19) and now sits ALIVE at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven (Heb. 12:2). The ONLY thing that saves us is faith that His blood covers our sins and gives us salvation. (John 3:16)

Some will say, "I'm sure faith in Christ alone isn't going to work, I'll just do something else like try real hard to be good" OR "I'm sure Jesus' sacrifice isn't enough, I'll add something to it to assure my salvation".

But we have to remember who we are: We are "dead in our trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1) "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23)

What was the same for Israel's Passover then, is the same as it is for us now: Christ's blood (like the spotless lamb) is the ONLY atonement for our sin. Our faith in Him is the ONLY security for salvation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “God made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

And Ephesians 2:4-9 says: But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

So, as we think about Passover and the mighty miracle God bestowed upon the Israelites who put their faith and obedience in the blood of the lamb, I have to ask:

Have you put your faith in the mighty miracle that God bestowed upon the World?: Jesus' sacrifice... his blood... will cover all your sins and your faith in that alone covering you will be your salvation.

Sunday we will celebrate His glorious resurrection... He is risen indeed!

Praise God for His perfect plan of salvation... Thank you Jesus for your death on the cross that paid the penalty for my sins. You are truly Mighty to Save!

Be Blessed by putting your faith in Him! Happy Passover!

*Scroll down and pause my "Playlist" music on the right toolbar before watching this video of Hillsong's Hosanna*

Managing Her Home

Caroline has proved herself over and over again by maturing in her faith, her academics, and her domestic abilities. This week, something wonderful happened: I got sick.

That's not necessarily the wonderful part; but through the sickness, Caroline rose to the occasion and completely and entirely ran the household.

She woke up and started her laundry as usual; and I have to mention that she does it cheerfully and excellently, without any reminders.

When she realized I was sick, she made breakfast for the family and did all the dishes on her own accord. After that, she brought me some Airborne & orange juice in bed and said that she was going to start school and teach Ava.

WOW! Can I just tell you what a HUGE blessing that is to wake up sick and have your 11 year old daughter tell you that not only is she going to do school on her own, but she's going to teach her younger sister's lessons too! Praise God for giving her such self-initiation and diligence!

She and Ava had a very productive school day including Caroline teaching Ava a new math concept and finishing Ava's geography book, Paddle to the Sea. Caroline crawled up into bed and read her geography lesson to Ava and me... how sweet! (We're studying Saudi Arabia from Explore His Holy Land)

She, of course, continued her running of the household by making lunch for everyone and keeping herself and Ava occupied while I took a nap to try to sleep off the illness.

Dinner was spectacular, too: Caroline ended up making a wonderful chicken dish & roasted red potatoes all by herself, while following a new recipe. After the fantastic meal, Erich smiled proudly and said, "Caroline can truly run a household all by herself."

It is so encouraging to know that little Caroline, at 11 years old, possesses the skills of cleaning, cooking, organizing, teaching, diligence, focus and most importantly, she "...works at everything with all her heart as working for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23).

She was happy to serve the family that day... and I was happy to be sick so that I could see her gifts and talents SHINE forth excellently!

God has truly blessed us with Caroline! May she be used to further His Kingdom!

Free Rice

I came across the most wonderful website and I had to share it: Free Rice !

You and your children play games and earn *free rice grains* (that are donated to the UN World Food Program) for every correct answer given. There are several subjects that they can play from including art (our favorite), vocabulary, grammar, math, foreign language, etc.

Ava played so much this morning she got over 4,000 grains of rice donated!

Caroline got so excited about it and she said, "I love this site because we're learning, playing & helping people all at the same time!"

Go play, learn and get rice grains donated... you will be blessed by blessing others! :)

http://www.freerice.com/

Sin and Weeds

Let me take you on a walk... the same walk I was on with Caroline last week when she said something so biblically wise and insightful, that it will forever permeate my heart. Let's start walking...

Ava found some dandelions and commented on how beautiful they were, even though they were mere weeds. She picked up another strange flower and looked at it ever so intently and admiringly, only to be disappointed that it was yet another weed.

Caroline looked thoughtfully over at the carefully handled weed and said, "That weed reminds me of Satan."

I asked curiously, "How so?"

She replied, "Because Satan takes sin and twists it to make it look beautiful. But, just like that weed will overtake the ground, sin will take over our soul. You know, he was the most beautiful angel, and he likes to trick us by making things that are ugly look beautiful."

Silence... more silence... then I uttered a huge, "WOW! That is such a deep thought for a little 11 year old girl!"

Caroline can be very insightful and wise beyond her years sometimes. She humbles me and God uses her to bless me in more ways than I can count.

So, back to sin and weeds: How many weeds do we have overtaking our garden? How many garden destroyers have we mistaken as flowers just because they might look pretty? Satan would love none other than for us to fall for his twisting and marring of sin into something that looks enticing or harmless.

It's like the balloon guy... you know the one that wears the HUGE button that says, "I WORK FOR TIPS". He takes a common balloon, and with some air (or a pump if he wants to work less for his tips) and some twisting and turning... voila! You have a crown, or a sword, or a puppy dog... but it's still just a balloon prettied up a bit.

Satan takes our sins and twists and turns them into something that seems "OK"... and next thing you know, we've bought into the lie; hook, line & sinker... and our sins don't look like sins anymore... they look like: "No big deal, because everyone does it," OR "I feel fine about it, so it must be fine." OR EVEN, "God will forgive me later for it."

Romans 6:1-2 declares, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

IT'S A WEED! Call it by name, pluck it out of your life and ask for God's forgiveness. Don't be fooled by Satan's craftiness... he will do his best to put his weeds of sin in the garden of your soul so that you will be overtaken.

Paul continues in Romans 6:11-14 saying, "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

Praise God for being mighty to save us from the deception of the tempter! Col. 1:13-14 says: "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Today, I got a very timely devotional written by Charles Spurgeon which illustrates Caroline's point very well:

"Sin ... exceeding sinful."
-- Romans 7:13

Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God.

But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life, too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin.

The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, "Is it not a little one?" Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: "We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it has been consistent."

So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names. Christian, beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin. Take heed lest thou fall by little and little.

Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness?

Sin, a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual droppings wear away stones?

Sin, a little thing? It girded the Redeemer's head with thorns, and pierced his heart! It made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe.

Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be "exceeding sinful."

Have a blessed, and weed-free day!

Prayer

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:4-7

Prayer... sigh... I just don't pray enough. :(

I ran across a wonderful blog, Bring the Rain, back in November and was so moved by her commitment to pray over her children 7 times a day. I was so in love with her challenge for us mothers to commit to pray faithfully for our precious gifts from God, that I forwarded her link to lots of friends. But, I failed to take on the challenge myself... instead trading the praying aloud over our children 7 times a day for the quick bed-time prayer that sometimes I fall asleep doing.

Yep... you read it right... I have this horrible habit of praying quietly in my head before bed, and then falling asleep in the middle of it. Ugh!

Quoting from Charles Spurgeon regarding praying while we are distracted, "Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?"

How insulting to God that I go to His throne in half-hearted, half-wakeful prayers!

Romans 12:12 teaches us to: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

And, as we read how to put on the armor of God in Eph. 6:10-18, the bible instructs us to pray at all times.

Hmmmm... be constant... praying at all times... about everything. OK... I finally got it!! :)

So, I have taken on the "7x7" challenge. It is an honor to go before God's throne and petition for my children. God desires my whole-hearted prayers. I long for that close relationship with Him. And, how wonderful to pray His words over my children!

This week, I "personalized" the scripture by adding Caroline's and Ava's names and printed them out on card stock. Then, I told the girls ahead of time that I would be praying scripture over them throughout the day. They seemed very flattered and almost giddy about it. I prayed aloud over them when they woke up, when they ate, and when they took their bath, when they left the house and when they were going to bed.

The best part was that Caroline came downstairs and said, "Mom... I'm about to get dressed, will you pray over me?" Wow!!! She was so touched by it all, that she actually asked for more prayers! She had the biggest smile on her face and looked so honored as I prayed for her. What a blessing and praise to God!

So, I challenge you to the same thing: Go to Bring the Rain, personalize God's Word with your children's names... and run to the throne of God to petition Him on behalf of your children. You and your kids will be blessed by it!

And, I have to post Charles Spurgeon's entire devotional about prayer... it's just too good:

"But I give myself unto prayer."
-- Psalms 109:4

"Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and pleaded before the great King himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the exercise-threw his whole soul and heart into it-straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so that supplication, in which a man's proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would give it force.

"Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?

Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation.
As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing.

Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication."

Mighty to Save

I read a wonderful devotional authored by the brilliant Charles Spurgeon this morning and wanted to bless others with it:

"Mighty to save."
-- Isaiah 63:1

By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word.

Christ is not only "mighty to save" those who repent, but he is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but he is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of his name to bend the knee before him.

Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by "the Mighty God." The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep his people holy after he has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven.

Christ's might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but he who begins the good work carries it on; he who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory.

Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is "mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength.

Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for his strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is "mighty to save;" the best proof of which lies in the fact that he has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found him mighty to destroy!

And, if you scroll down the right side of my blog and *pause* the Playlist music, you may play the below YouTube video and listen to Hillsong's "Mighty to Save".

Be Blessed because He truly is Mighty to Save!

The Santa Religion

re⋅li⋅gion
-noun
1. Something one believes in and follows devotedly
 
Santa Claus is a religion… yep, I’m going there. This is such a taboo subject. Here's the irony: we preach that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life… but we get all up in arms when people try to take away our Santa Clause… who is NOT truth. Why is that?...

When Caroline was little, Erich asked me why I wanted to teach Caroline that Santa is “real”. I said “Because it’s just fun.” He explained to me that using logic like, “it's just fun” or “that’s what everyone does” is simply NOT biblical. Then, he threw the clincher in: “Have you ever prayed about it or searched scripture on the subject?”

Ooohhh…that did it for me. Surprise, surprise… there is NO scripture ANYWHERE that promotes lying to our children!!! Especially not relating to a religious holiday. The Jews had specific instructions how to worship God through their offerings, feasts, rituals, etc…. and NONE of them included adding a mythical creature, who steals God’s glory, wrapped in a package of a lie to children.

I even tried to convince myself that I wasn’t lying to my kids… gasp! I’m just pretending, right? Wrong! Not only am I lying but I have to tell lie upon lie… sometimes very complex ones, to try to get the innocent children to buy into it all. But, I didn’t want to believe I was telling lies to them…it’s amazing what you will do to convince yourself about something that you don't want to give up.

Why was I holding on to this Santa Clause myth?... It was against scripture, against Truth, promotes selfishness…. Yuck! The truth of the matter was: I was holding on to it for my pleasure. Yep, that’s right, MY PLEASURE! It must be more fun for me and the kids to wake up Christmas morning to see the many presents that Santa gave them. I mean, without Santa… Christmas would just be… well, um… hmmmm…

Christmas would be about Christ!

Funny… it’s not called Santamas… it’s called Christmas. Isn’t it strange that any person, regardless of their Christian beliefs, can participate in a religious holiday that’s supposed to be about Christ’s birth, all because they can do Santa?!

Do you hear any non-Muslim people celebrating Ramadan?... non-Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah?... NO… because those are sacred holidays only participated by followers of that religion.

But, add Santa in the mix… and ANYBODY can celebrate Christmas… and they’ll tell you it’s even better with Santa.

What?... something BETTER than Christ’s birth alone?...

Ohhhh, I get it… is that what God had in mind when he commanded us not to have any other gods before Him and to not fashion any graven images? (Exodus 20:3-4)

Wait… if I’m not willing to give the Santa Claus lie up… then that makes Santa Clause… an IDOL. Yep, it’s that simple! If I’m confronted with truth that I’m lying to my kids, that I’m trying to “share” God’s glory with a false image during Christmas, and that it’s completely unbiblical, then I MUST give it up. Otherwise, it’s an idol!

SHOCK OF ALL SHOCKERS: Let’s look at what the Santa religion teaches vs. what God is:

~Santa is always watching you.
~Only God is Omnisciencent (Psalm 147:4-5).

~Santa gives gifts when you are good and coal when you are naughty.
~God freely gives grace to us because our good-works won't save us (Eph. 2:8-9) and He gives us forgiveness when we’ve sinned (Psalm 103:8-12)

~Santa promotes indulgence and selfishness.
~Christ promotes sacrifice and selflessness (Luke 14:27).

Wow… Santa is the OPPOSITE of Christ… AND he’s a lie!

Why did I ever think teaching my children Santa was real was a good thing?... Why did I ever think adding his myth into Christ’s REAL birth would be a good thing? If I try to convince my children that Santa is real, then I am truly and simply teaching my children to believe in a false religion that completely contradicts God’s character and His Will and His Word. WOW!

I was disillusioned by the World in thinking that Santa was “OK”. But we are to be set apart from the World (Romans 12:1-2). We are not to look to them and how they celebrate Christmas, or Santamas, and mimic what they do.

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

So, after much prayer and bible study… I was strongly convicted that low and behold, I shouldn’t be lying to my children about Santa. And, in case I wasn’t fully convinced, God orchestrated something beautiful that year:

Caroline came up to me, looked me dead square in the eyes, and asked with a heart of searching and sincerity: “Mommy, tell me the truth… Is Santa really real?”

Oh, yea… that was it. There is no way I could look back into her sweet eyes and lie. There is no way when she asked for truth, that I should give her something false.

Why should I tell her to believe in Santa?... the Santa Religion teaches that he gives you gifts when you’re good, that he has the power to watch you always, that he will fulfill your every Christmas present desire… all of these attributes go against everything I’m teaching about God’s goodness. And then, there will be a day I say, “Oh, I was just telling you a story about Santa… but God is really real, and He is watching you always… TRUST me this time!”

Oh, and don’t even get me started on the Elf on the Shelf… gosh, those marketing geniuses got bonuses that year for their creepy invention. Even a quick Wikipedia search will give you the background on why the world gets so Santa-crazy… it’s commercialism! Santa promotes over- indulgence and consumerism. No wonder retailers put Santas up everywhere and I don’t see any pictures of Jesus decorating the store shelves.

How about this one: WWJD? Yea, what would Jesus do? Luke 18:16 reads, "But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Would Jesus turn to those kids and lie to them about Santa? Would He promote good works for gifts… would He promote selfishness?... Nope… I’m sure on this one: Jesus would NOT be lying to the little children about Santa. He would be telling them that He is the way, the truth and the life and only through Him can they come to the Father. (John 14:6)

So back to the moment of truth with Caroline asking me for an answer on Santa's "real-ness": I gulped and replied, “No sweetie, he’s not real,”. She said with a smile on her face, “OK, that’s what I thought.”

That was the end of Santa being “alive” in our house. I am confident God was pleased with that Truth!

So, how do we celebrate Christmas?... with LOTS of CHRIST! We do an Advent bible study each night preparing our hearts for the story of Christ’s birth . We have an Advent Calendar and Wreath that we do with the girls. We teach the children that Christmas is about celebrating Christ’s birth and sacrificing to help others, like he sacrificed to save the world (John 3:16). We spend the month finding ways to serve others to show Christ’s love for them… either local charity ministries or abroad. Christmas morning we wake up, read Luke Chapter 2 about Christ’s birth, sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and sing some Christmas carols. Then we open 3 gifts each that symbolize the 3 different gifts the Wise men brought to Jesus.

Are we doing it perfectly?… no way! We re-evaluate our hearts, motives, spending, gift purchases, etc. each year to see what we can improve on to honor and glorify God. As the imperfect people we are, we find something each year that we could do differently to match up with God’s Word. Our goal is to celebrate Christ's birth in the most God-honoring way possible.

Christmas is a wonderful season of truth and life. And we celebrate Christ and Christ alone. We promote loving sacrifice for others, and we thank God for sending His Son for the purpose of teaching us more about Him and for sacrificing His life for ours! What a glorious time!

Santa is just a character to my girls… he has no power, only God has power. He is the same as Frosty the Snowman and Jack Frost… just a story, a myth, a legend.
God is TRUTH… Christmas is about that TRUTH ALONE!

Here are some wise words from John Piper on the subject of Santa Clause being a diversion to Christ: How we See Christmas Symbols

John MacArthur Jr. has something to say about Santa Clause being Evil during this sermon: Santa Clause is Coming to Town

R.C. Sproul’s Ligonier Ministries has a wonderful article about are we really worshiping Santa or Jesus in: Santa-Christ


I pray this post encourages you to focus on Christ this Christmas… to remove Worldly myths… simply celebrating Jesus’ birth. What would Jesus do?...

John 4:24: "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Have a truly blessed Christmas!

So Thankful...

I have so very much to be thankful for...

My husband who is such a Godly leader, my precious children who give me such joy to teach, my wonderful friends and family that give me such wonderful memories, and my God who has given me blessings beyond measure in my eternal salvation and security through Jesus Christ.

Isn't Nicole Nordeman's song Gratitude just perfect for Thanksgiving?! I just love her lyrics!

In lieu of the upcoming holiday, last night we made our Pumpkin puree from organically-grown pumpkins. It was so fun... messy, but fun! You can look at The Pioneer Woman's blog for more details and pictures of how to make your own pumpkin puree. She also has lots of Thanksgiving Recipes that look scrumptious!


Here are the soon-to-be carriages, I mean, soon-to-be pumpkin purees. (Our Fairy Godmother was busy, so we had to make a plan B)



Singing "The Farmer in the Dell"... "we chopped off their tops with a carving knife"



Caroline and Ava scooped out all the yummy (or should I say yucky) insides. We saved the pumpkin seeds so we can roast them later to eat. Yummy recipe here!



Ava showing off her hollowed out pumpkin. (she really wishes it had been a carriage)



Caroline showing off hers, too. (she's not thinking about carriages... only the pumpkin pie)



We then cut the pumpkin into quarters. Ironman (aka Daddy) had to use his brawn to get the job done. (Isn't he cute?!)




We roasted the pumpkin quarters in the oven on 350 for 45 minutes...



Then peeled and cut off the skin...



And chopped it up in the food processor to make the yummy puree. (Of course, Ava had to eat some of it immediately)



We measured out the puree in cupfuls, and bagged them up. (Notice Ava's dish-washing gloves she's donning).

Next, we will make homemade pumpkin pie with our purees... oh, and I have to go make the crust. I guess it would defeat our purpose of making all the ingredients from scratch and then pour it into a pre-made crust. We're going to try Mrs. Klause's recipe for the crust. Whew!... more baking fun upahead. (how did the Pilgrims do it all?!)

I found out that Mrs. Fuentes has a precious recipe for the cookies pictured below. This will be the girls' fun project while I finish brining and preparing the turkey.



This morning, the girls and I awoke to finish our Thanksgiving day preparations... we pulled out our recipes, started making a plan of action, and then I said:

"STOP!"

"We are trying to prepare for Thanksgiving without preparing our hearts first!"

So, Caroline grabbed some pillows and we curled up by the blazing fire place and read 1 Thess. 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

We discussed how we can be joyful, prayerful and thankful... always. Ava, who is our voice of reason, kept telling us that we can't do it always. But... we CAN!! We are AmeriCAN, not AmeriCAN'T!! (rip off of Beverly Hills Chihuahua... lol!)

So, we made a list of everything we are thankful for. I won't publish the whole list here, but I'll recap a few of them:

Some of Ava's thankful list: Mommy, Daddy, Caroline, ability to read the Bible, Jesus, home, dogs, friends and family.

Some of Caroline's thankful list: Mommy, Daddy, Ava, Jesus, pets, a mommy and daddy that teach her the bible (Awwww!), a mommy that homeschools her (double Awwwww!), food, safety, home, friends and family.

And we ended our devotion by praying to God thanking Him for all He has given us, as well as asking Him to help us when we complain or are ungrateful about things we want and don't have. We asked for help to replace those thoughts with a thankfulness for everything we do have!

What an Awesome, Loving and Giving Father we have... may we choose joy, prayer-fullness, and a heart of thanksgiving... in ALL circumstances... ALWAYS!

Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

We are just sheep

Sheep

n. pl. sheep

-Any of various usually horned ruminant mammals of the genus Ovis in the family Bovidae, especially the domesticated species O. aries, raised in many breeds for wool, edible flesh, or skin.

1. Leather made from the skin of one of these animals.
2. A person regarded as timid, weak, or submissive.
3. One who is easily swayed or led.

Something funny happened the other night when Erich and I were at the movie theater watching Fireproof (Awesome movie by the way. If you haven’t seen it, run to the theater RIGHT NOW and go see it… no, really, stop reading this post and GO!)

After the movie was over, I started clapping (yep, I was being cheesy). But, I kept clapping even though I was the only one doing it in the whole theater (I was determined to get the whole crowd following my lead). After a good 5 seconds or so of my "clapping solo", sure enough, the other “clappers” came trickling in. One by one they came until almost the entire theater followed suit and we had a chorus of clapping.

Erich looked over at me, rolled his eyes, shook his head and with a sigh, he said, “Just a bunch of sheep… following the crowd,” And he was so right!

In this case, it was harmless clapping that they followed (or since it was me, should I say awesome clapping?!… lol). But, how often do we follow the flock when it’s not so harmless?

~How often do we allow our children to participate in activities just because everyone else is?

Especially when it’s not beneficial to the family’s purpose in discipling the children, giving the gospel to the community, and glorifying God?

~What about the trends and fashion of the season?

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a pair of UGG boots. I literally went “Ugh… those are weird looking!” Now that I’ve seen them worn by so many people for a while, I think they’re cute and I want a pair… gosh, I’m such a sheep! :)

So, what about the clothes that aren't honoring to our husband, role-modeling respectfulness to our children, or representing Christ? Do we wear them to follow the crowd? (or even try to draw attention from the crowd?)

~How about the things we purchase and get into debt due to the commercials we see?… the body image we think we need to have by looking at the "super models"… or even... the way we think our life is supposed to be because, well, don’t the advertising slogans tell me that I should “just do it” and “it’s all about me”? Note to self: they must be right… they wouldn’t be leading me astray, right?... WRONG!

The list goes on and on... you can fill in the blank with whatever we choose to imitate and follow.

Whether it’s our actions or our thoughts that follow the crowd… in the end, we’re just a whole bunch of sheep following the flock. No doubt, as sheep, we’ll follow somebody, so we better choose to follow the only Good Shepherd and His ways.

We need to set our minds on things of Him: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Col. 3:2

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Phil. 4:8

You see, God’s calling of us as “His sheep" and "His flock” describe perfectly our character flaws as weak, helpless beings in need of a Shepherd. We will follow the flock, even if it leads us to the wolves’ den. We get anxious when we are away from the flock, and even more important, without a shepherd, we will go astray and be in imminent danger.

Left to our own sheepish desires… well, here’s what the Bible says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Prov. 14:12

We need to have a total dependence on our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14-15

My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." John 10:27-28

~So, Mr./Ms. Sheep: Who is the Shepherd that you are following…?