Thursday, May 28, 2009

Talk about a timely message...

a small look at what we used to teach our children...means ALOT these days!!!




Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A really GOOD cup of coffee

I found this on another blog and thought it was really good...I hope you all enjoy it!

Please scroll down to my playlist before watching and pause the music...I want to be sure you all know how to make great coffee!!!




Monday, May 18, 2009

It doesn't get better than this

For school today...History...our assignment was to read selected passages of Scripture...I thought this was power packed, and decided to share it here...so you get two posts from me in ONE DAY...shocking, I know...but I hope you are as blessed as I was...


Ephesians 2-3
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions, 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 ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands--
remember that you were at that time separate from Christ,excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR;
for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.


For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you;
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery,as I wrote before in brief.
By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;
so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.
Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,according to the power that works within us,
to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.




Hymn Fix

Ok, Y'all...
I love Hymns...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them...and we did not sing ANY yesterday, which is very odd...(Unless you count Amazing Grace [My CHains Fell OFF]...which I DON'T)
So I thought I would get my hymn fix today and leave a little taste of glory here...now Hymns are not the only way to go, but there is something anchoring and deep about them in my opinion...so I am feeling deprived.

This Hymn Story comes from a book, the name of which escapes me, but I believe the author's name is Ken Osbeck...if you love hymns,. I would highly encourage you to buy his books. I believe he has two or three.

Saved By Grace

In the period of 1870 to her death in 1915, it is estimated that Fanny Crosby wrote between 8,000 and 9,000 gospel hymn texts. The majority of her lasting favorites were written in her mid-life during the decade of the 1870’s. These include popular hymns still found in our hymnals as “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” “Blessed Assurance,” Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross,” “I Am Thine, O Lord’” and “Praise Him, Praise Him!” Fanny Crosby’s favorite motto was, “I think life is not too long, and therefore I determine that many people will read a song who would not read a sermon.”
“Saved by Grace” was one of the later hymns written by Fanny Crosby, in 1891, when she was 71 years of age. It became one of the most widely used hymns, during the closing years of the Moody-Sankey evangelistic ministry. It was prompted by a tract, read to Fanny Crosby containing the final message of a pastor friend, who had recently died. The statement which greatly moved her was: “If each of us is faithful to the grace which is given us by Christ, that same grace which teaches us to live will also teach us to die.” Fanny Crosby completed the poem in a matter of minutes under a sense of divine inspiration. She titled her poem “Some Day” and often referred to it as her “heart’s song.” After completing the poem, she sent it to her publisher and received her customary two-dollar check. The publisher filed the poem and nothing more was heard of it for the next three years.
In the summer of 1894, Fanny Crosby was attending the Christian Worker’s Conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, a ministry that Mr. Moody had established in 1879. When it was learned that the noted poetess was on the grounds, there was a request for her to address the group. Amidst her remarks, she quoted her “heart’s song” – the poem “Some Day.” When she finished, there was not a dry eye in the auditorium.
“Saved By Grace” became one of the personal favorites of both Moody and Sankey and was used at nearly every service. it is said that you could see Moody sitting on the platform with a far-off look in his eyes, while tears ran down his ruddy, whiskered cheeks whenever it was sung.

Some day the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing; But O the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King!
Chorus:
And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story—Saved by grace; And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story—Saved by grace.

Some day my earthly house will fall—I cannot tell how soon ‘twill be; But this I know—my All in All has now a place in heav’n for me.

Some day, when fades the golden sun beneath the rosy tinted west, my blessed Lord will say, “Well done!” And I shall enter into rest.

Some day—til then I’ll watch and wait, My lamp all trimmed and burning bright, that when my Savior opens the gate, my soul to Him may take flight.

Highlights of the life of Fanny Crosby, often called the “Queen of Gospel Hymnody”:
Was blinded at six weeks old through an improper medical treatment. She never considered her blindness a handicap, but rather, a blessing.
Early in life, she began memorizing the Bible and couple repeat by rote, the entire Pentateuch, all four Gospels, many of the Psalms, all of the Proverbs, as well as the entire books of Ruth and Song of Solomon. She stated at the close of her life, “The Holy Book has nurtured my entire life.”
She was known for her musical abilities as well as her abilities to write poetry. She had a fine soprano voice as well as being accomplished in playing the guitar, harp, piano and organ.
Fanny Crosby was very small—less than five feet tall and she weighed no more than one hundred pounds. She is said to have been a physically unattractive person, yet when she spoke, it is said that there was an unusual charisma about her, as her face lit up with an expression that gave her great charm and attractiveness.
Though she had written a great deal of poetry as well as a number of secular songs in her early life, it was not until 1865 that fanny Crosby wrote her first gospel song. From that time on, Fanny felt that writing gospel hymn texts was her particular mission in life.
Fanny was always eager to hear any reports regarding personal conversions as a result of the use of her hymns. It was her continual prayer that God would allow her to be the means of leading a million souls to Christ during her lifetime.

I hope you enjoyed my hymn fix!
Love,
C~



Thursday, May 14, 2009

Swagbucks

I have talked about swagbucks a little, but I wanted to do a post on it here as well.
Swagbucks is a search engine, little google and ask, but you earn points for searching...how? I really don't know...but you do. When you save enough points, you can buy things with them. You also get points when you get friends in swagbucks, for shopping within their network of retailers and by using codes that they put out occasionally.
I pretty much am using it as a search engine right now. I have purchased a couple of things, but the retailer list is limited and I my finances are limited too!
So when I want to go to a website, I go to the Swagbucks page (it is not my home page, but it could be...I choose to go there from my home page) and I enter the name of wherever I want to go. This could be things I am looking for, places I frequently visit or I use it even to go to blogs of my friends...because it earns me points.
You do not get points for every search, it is about every five or so...I am not sure that it is that precise. The point values could vary, but of course, the most common is one point. You also get points when your referred friends get points. I think it is pretty cool and my goal is to get a couple of gift cards before Christmas. All for doing what I already do. If you think this sounds interesting, here is a link:
http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=389198
This link gives me "credit" for referring you...try it for a little bit at least...there are prizes at all point levels such as:
http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-home

This site shares a little bit about Swagbucks too:
http://masterswagbucks.weebly.com/index.html

Let me know if you join...



Sunday, May 10, 2009

Circling our Wagons and more...

Well, many of you are sick of hearing about this, so just skip it...I wanted to record this as a memorial stone for where we were and where I hope we will go...
So at the Christian Heritage Conference, one of the concepts I heard was Circling Our Wagons...this is a technique we are using to change attitudes for the better. It involves being together more as a family and less as individuals doing seperate things. We have been getting a lot of...why can't we do this? So and so can...and so and so this and so and so that...and quite a bit of questioning authority, rolling the eyes and refusing to get our things done...I won't bore you all with the details...but right now, no one is getting in (friends coming over) and no one is getting out (going to friends or to various events) and this does include facebook, etc...our children are in a sort of disbelief, but most of them have gotten a clue that the sooner I clean up my act, the sooner life can return to what we used to know...Oh, they are SO funny!!! But, one Mr. is not quite getting the hang of it yet...I think it will get much more painful for him as he gets told no longer than I am sure he wants to hear...
Another little thing I picked up from the Duggar's Book is the game they play to work on getting the children to do what they are asked immediately and cheerfully...so I will say to the Principessa, go into the kitchen and open all of the cabinet doors...she will say, "Yes Momma, I would be happy to." Then she runs off to do it and come back...It is just little fun and silly things to get her in the habit of having a right heart and doing what she is asked quickly...
So, today, after church, her Sunday School teacher gave her a little bit of praise and said that she noticed and was encouraged by her obedience in Sunday School...just a little tidbit to make a Momma's heart happy!!! So we will keep working on it.

I recently started a schedule where I have entered all of my major housekeeping chores into my Outlook with reminders and alarms...this way we know things are getting done properly, with regularity and more than just the surface. We all work together to accomplish the task, making lighter work for all of us. This is ONLY for major things, not daily picking up. I am hoping that once we have completed a full cycle, my husband will be greatly encouraged knowing that we are trying to make a happy home for him (For him, a happy home is not only one where there is no bickering, but that it is picked up...no clutter, clean, etc) We still have quite a ways to go, but I am greatly encouraged by the small steps...

Well, my task for Sunday afternoons is lesson planning, and it is done for this week...I am thinking, maybe I should do one more week, so I am not planning so close to when they need to accomplish their work...Just in case...I will see what happens...

So, I think that is all that is on my mind for today...I know, it is feast or famine around here...but such is the way it is!

Love,
C~


Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you precious Mommas...I hope you are all seeing how very blessed you are and I hope you are surrounded by a bunch of loving children...I have had my children around me for most of my day, but right now my husband and two of our older boys are at my MIL's helping her with yardwork. I am so happy that we are able to be a blessing to her, but need to be mindful of how much more we could be doing for our parents. Life gets so busy and we use that as an excuse to dishonor our parents. I am listening to a Vision Forum CD right now called The Promise: The Beauty and Power of the Fifth Commandment. It is very good, but I usually need to listen to things a few times for it to really sink in.
We also listened to Victory for Daughters and The Role of Children in the Meeting of the Church. I have been very blessed and convicted by these messages.


I am thinking that I would like to make my daughter a few skirts, so I went to Joann fabrics to see if I could find a nice pattern...well, that was really a joke...so I will need to do some searching online...anyone know of any good places to find beautiful patterns? I know I can look on my dear friend Pamela's website to start with.
So, back to Joann's, I made the Principessa a darling dress today...the top part was a piece of shirred fabric and the bottom was a piece of print fabric...very summery and needs a shirt under or a sweater over, but a quick and easy thing to make and she looks LOVELY!


LOVELY...
Isn't the word LOVELY such a LOVELY word...

Well, I need to get a little bit of lesson planning done. I may come back and post a little bit later, but for now...
So Long, Farewell....
Love,
C~