Pictures of Vacation!

What a wonderful week we had! My sweet husband surprised us with a week long trip to sunny, Myrtle Beach, SC. It has been one of the most relaxing vacations that we've had in quite some time. My sister, her husband and their son were there in another condo. Here are some of the pictures that I think you'll enjoy!


My Son is the one on the left, his older cousin is in the white shirt. My 6yr old daughter is in the surf behind them.


Nothing like riding the waves on your boogie boards!


Skin Boarding, it's the latest rage with all of the boys at the beach.


Relaxing in the surf, bonding moments.



No trip to the beach is complete until you have the sand castles.


Father and daughter, aren't they sweet!


My youngest two making mud pies.


Thank you, my wonderful husband! You are a gift to me and our children. I am a blessed woman.

Vacation

Hello all!

My husband has surprised us with a special vacation to sunny Myrtle Beach, SC.

I just assumed I would be blogging and keeping up with my blog reading this week, but I really feel like the Lord is telling me to sign off and just take time to enjoy every moment with my precious family. So, I'll be praying for all of you, and I'll be back next Monday.

If you think of it, pray for us, for safety and that we'd really bond as a family.

PS. This is a picture of my oldest daughter walking to the ocean to check it out when we first got here. There will be more photos to come next week.

Inside

Have you ever heard any of the following statements:

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Intel Inside

What's in your wallet?

Ok, so the last two are commercial ads. The point is what do you do when you meet someone new? Do you judge them by their appearance? the way they look, smell, dress, or speak?

We've been searching for a new church and consequently we've had the opportunity to meet many new people. How have we judged them?

According to God's Word, we are only supposed to look at the heart.

Joh 7:24 Don't judge by appearances. Judge by what is right.

I've decided to try and be careful as I meet these new people. I've asked the Lord to let me see only the good in them. This is difficult because we don't really know them, and whether someone is good or not is a heart matter. But God has been good enough to help me not judge them based on appearances. I want to see them the way God does. With loving eyes, not harsh eyes.

Here's another one:

The truth is in the pudding. (Where did this one come from?)

Anyhow, once we get to know someone, then we can make a true judgement and determine if they are exhibiting the fruits of the spirit - or not. Until then they will be:

Innocent until proven guilty.

Believing God Thursdays

This is so much better than I could have ever imagined. Ladies, if you have not yet done this study, DO IT! If you feel God's calling on your life in any way at all, DO THIS STUDY. I am simply in awe at how much meat is in this on-line study!

For week one, it really is about one thing: We had to write out a pledge of faith, memorize it and say it often. Here it is:

1) God is who He says He is.
2) God can do what He says He can do.
3) I am who God says I am.
4) I can do all things through Christ.
5) God's word is alive and active in me.

We hold up our fingers one at a time as we say each one.

Seems easy enough, and at first quote I thought, I believe this. But then the clincher. She challenges us to step up our level of sanctification over the next nine weeks.

It just so happened that God was dealing with me in an area where I've fallen short for as long as I can remember. So I knew in my heart that this was the area I should be committed to step up in.

The first thing I began to say was, "I can't do it, I've tried so many times before" But the Holy Spirit stopped me and I looked at finger number 4 on my hand and instead I said, "I can do all things through Christ!"

If you quote these five things often then you will begin to believe them.

This is going to be an exciting nine weeks ladies! I'll be posting each Thursday, so be sure and check in. If you want to start the study it's not too late. Just go to the lifeway site to sign up. It's not too late.

Also, if you want to read what others on-line are saying than go to Diane's blog and check out the comments. :) God Bless you all.

Sunday Update

I wanted to give you all an update on how our last two Sunday's have gone. If you aren't familiar with what I'm referring to, please go back and read my post titled, Looking for Patterns.

The first Sunday we were armed and ready for battle! We had the kids set out their outfits for church and we all went to bed at a descent time. Then we woke up and my hubby said, "lets home church today". That was weird but we went with it. Turns out he wanted to take us all on a nature walk through the woods to a beautiful field where we had church. It was a special bonding time we will all remember.

It was during this last week that we both realized maybe God was trying to move us away from our current church. We had experienced such difficulties getting there and no one seemed to really miss it, not even the kids! After much discussing and praying we've decided to look for another church to call home.

Looking for a new home church is not fun, and not easy. This past Sunday we went to one of four possible churches. We were still prepared for battle and we had the kids set out their clothes and we all went to bed on time. The morning flowed so smoothly! We were actually laughing instead of bickering! It had been so long since we've had laughter on a Sunday morning. Turns out that this first church isn't the home for us. That's OK, we intend to keep searching until God shows us where He wants us to worship on Sunday's.

The exciting thing is that we have BROKEN the evil pattern that had gripped our lives for so many weeks! Victory is in Jesus! YEAH!!

Folks, if you have found a similar pattern of attack, pray and ask God for a plan to overcome the enemy. God is faithful to do according to His word!! Hallelujah!

Please continue to pray for us as the search for church is on. We will be out of town next Sunday and the following two we will be serving in the children's ministry at our old church. (We wanted to finish out our commitment there). So, I'll keep you all updated as the Lord shows us where to hang our hats.

Friendships Part 3

We've been looking at some of the characteristics of Jesus' friends according to the New Testament. Today we'll finish up by looking at one more friend.

Let's take a look at Thomas.

John 11:16 Thomas (called the Twin) said to his fellow disciples, "Let us all go along with the Teacher, so that we may die with him!"

This sounds like a very loyal friend. He was actually willing to go with Jesus even if it meant dying with Him. We all need friends like this! Let's see if there's anything more about Thomas:

John 20:25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

Unbelief! This is where the phrase, doubting Thomas, came from. So how did Jesus handle this situation:

John 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!"

Jesus gave Thomas the proof he needed in order to believe. We need to remember to be encouraging to our friends when they are going through times of unbelief in their lives. There was a time when I struggled with unbelief. Thankfully, I had encouraging friends, like Chatty Kelly, who came alongside me to lift me up!

Here is an important group of verses that can help us learn to be better friends ourselves:

John 13:12-15 After Jesus had washed their feet, he put his outer garment back on and returned to his place at the table. "Do you understand what I have just done to you?" he asked. "You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you.

John 13:34 And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

What a powerful example of Love Jesus has left us with. No matter how our friends might treat us, we are to show them unconditional love. Encouraging them, and even cleaning their feet - a servant kind of love.

I hope this leaves you looking at your friendships and examining your own hearts to see if you are showing the kind of love Jesus commanded us to.

I'd love to hear if you've had to encourage one of your friends in a time when they were doubting, or maybe you were the friend in need. Please share with us so we can all learn from your experiences. Thanks for stopping by today!

I've Been Tagged!

If you are a part of this blogger world eventually you are bound to get tagged.

Yesterday, Amy Jo over at Living a Blessed Life tagged me. Amy Jo is a precious sister in the Lord. I met her at the She Speaks conference in June and we are in an on-line writers critique group together. Since then I've enjoyed reading and sending long e-mails, just getting to know each other. She has a sweet heart and loves God with all of her being. We are connected through the wonderful journey of adoption. The Internet is so amazing, God is able to connect people from all over the world!

O.K. Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you (see above)
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up (Thanks Amy Jo)

Six Random things about me......

1) I never got into reading books until this year. Now I can't seem to get enough reading in. I'm reading 3 books, and multiple magazines all at the same time (sort of). I feel like I've deprived myself for so long that I must make up the time.

2) My favorite animal is the bird. Any and all birds, I love them all! I'm an avid bird watcher and I own 3 parakeets and 19 chickens. For some reason I can just sit outside and watch my chickens for long periods of time, it seems to be a soothing thing for me.

3) My husband is my closest friend. I long to tell him everything that's going on in my life. Just hearing his voice seems to give me strength and make me feel secure. I love just being in the same room with him. He really does complete me.

4) I am truly blessed to have six children. I love spending time with each one of them. I enjoy studying their differences and encouraging them in the Lord. I home school them and while it is difficult, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

5) I long to become a published writer. It is the thing God has called me to do this year! I am finding out that writing takes a great deal of work and commitment. Because God has called me to do this, I will persevere and move forward in His strength.

6) If I don't have my quiet time with God first thing in the morning (before my sweet kids wake up) I won't get to it. Life gets busy very quickly at my house! If I don't have any quiet time with God, I just feel frazzled the rest of the day. For some reason when God is my first priority, He seems to stay on my mind all day long. (You should try it sometime!)

Here are the six people I am tagging (Really ladies, this is just for fun and optional!):

1) Anjanette at Anj's devotionals. She is a passionate woman of God. We are in the on-line writers critique group and I've enjoyed reading her insightful posts. So deep for such a young lady.

2) Linda over at 2nd cup of coffee. Linda's blog is where I go when I want to laugh! I mean laugh out loud and spit your coffee across the room! If you haven't been there, go check it out. (If you spit your coffee on your computer, don't say I didn't warn you!)

3) My ADHD Me. This is my friend, Chatty Kelly's sister. I am so glad she has started blogging. I always smile when I go to read her posts. They are real life laced with humor. Laughter is medicine to the soul! Keep writing.

4) Starr over at Threshold Moments. I met star at She Speaks and she is a sweet sister in the Lord. She has an interesting family with an older teenager and a young son. Never a dull moment! Her extended family needs prayer right now as they are going through a physical crisis. If you get a chance pop on over to her site and encourage her with your words of encouragement and your prayers. The more prayers the better! Love you Starr!

5) Sue J over at CREATE: Making something of today. What an encourager you are, Sue. I love reading all of her encouraging comments on others blogs. Her own blog is full of great ideas and real life lessons. She has an amazing love for her family and for God. She has a servants heart, it really shines through!

6) Jennifer over at Summer Missionary. Jennifer is my newest bloggie friend. She is a young lady who Loves God and wants to serve Him any way she can! So young and so precious. I'm enjoying getting to know you and I always appreciate your sweet comments on my posts. I'm glad we're bloggie friends! :)

Ok, that's six bloggie friends. I encourage you to check out all of their blogspots. They are all fun and encouraging.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony.