Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The Christmas Story

Luke 1:26-38
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel* forever; his Kingdom will never end!" Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God. Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." And then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:18-25
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet:
"Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means 'God is with us.'"
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Luke 2:1-20
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancĂ©e, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,* and we have come to worship him." King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?" "In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:
'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'
Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!" After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

John 1:1-18
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.'" From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

The 12 Days of Christmas-
This is funny!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Going rate to kill pastor: $250


This is horrible! Please pray for our brothers and sisters in India. I have posted the article below.

Going rate to kill pastor: $250
Rewards offered for murdering Christians, destroying homes, churches
Posted: November 20, 2008
11:30 pm Eastern
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Hindu extremist groups are offering money, food and alcohol to anyone who murders Christians and destroys their homes.

The violence is nothing new in Orissa, India, where India's Communist Party estimates that more than 500 Christians have been killed by Hindu mobs in Orissa since late August, 12 times more than official government claims of only 40 homicides.

But now the stakes are even higher – and pastors have a bounty on their heads.

Faiz Rahman, chairman of Good News India, said Hindu militants are targeting Christian leaders, the Christian Post reported.

"The going price to kill a pastor is $250," he said.

Rahman, a head of several orphanages in Orissa State, said he's helped 25 pastors to leave refugee camps, but 250 Christian leaders are still in shelters.

"All of the pastors are high value targets," Rahman told the UK-based Release International. "We've got to get them out of the refugee camps."

An All-India Christian Council spokesman said, "People are being offered rewards to kill, and to destroy churches and Christian properties. They are being offered foreign liquor, chicken, mutton and weapons. They are given petrol and kerosene."
One official said he personally authorized "cremation of more than 200 bodies" found in jungles after Christians were blamed for the death of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on Aug. 24. They continue to be persecuted even though Maoists openly admitted to murdering Saraswati.

Thousands of homes and churches have been destroyed, and an estimated 50,000 Christians have been forced to flee the violence. Mission Network News estimates 5,000 Christian homes have been burned and 200 churches ruined. According to the Christian Post, 30,000 people remain in government-operated refugee camps. Tens of thousands are living in forests – many seriously wounded.

Father Manoj, based at the archbishop’s office in Bhubaneshwar, said Christians remain in hiding.

"They are too scared to go home. They know that if they return to their villages they will be forced to convert to Hinduism."

Religious rights group Barnabus Fund told the group Hindu militants "forced" Christians in Orissa to "convert" to Hinduism by threatening them with rape if they refused.

Neighbors reportedly gang-raped a Hindu woman after her Christian uncle refused to renounce his faith, according to reports.

Another Christian woman named Jaspina was told by neighbors, "If you go on being Christian, we will burn your house and your children in front of you." She and her family were forced to eat cow excrement to "purify" themselves of Christianity.

Other Christians were doused with gasoline and told to participate in conversion ceremonies or be lit on fire.

This week, Hindu extremists said they have set a deadline for the capture of Saraswati's murderers. If the killers are not caught by Dec. 15, they promised to begin a massacre on Dec. 25, Christmas day.

According to the latest report, Orissa's Catholic bishops wrote an ominous letter to the state's chief minister. It read, "This conflict is a calculated and pre-planned master plan to wipe out Christianity from Kandhamal in order to realize the hidden agenda … of establishing a Hindu nation."

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Have you read your Bible lately?

Have you read your Bible lately? I know that is something that you may not want to talk about. Either because you do not read the Bible, maybe it has been a long time, or maybe you think you are too busy. I admit, that sometimes it is a struggle to read my Bible with all that is going on, but I do try to daily spend time with my Lord, through His Word.

All of that to say... I watched a very interesting show the other night on PBS. It was part of a series called Secrets of the Dead. This particular episode was called Battle for the Bible.  I would encourage you to watch it, just check your local listings. It was very educational. The show walked through how the Bible was translated and survived. "The dangers faced by religious reformers and those who translated the Bible into English are examined in this compelling episode," according to the site.

My husband and I have listened to MP3s that deal with this and I am blown away. People sacrificed all they had to get God's Word. People at one time could not have a copy of the Bible and when it was translated into their language it was outlawed. May people were killed by burning for even having a copy of the Bible.

That just causes my heart to be so burdened. I think about how many Bible's we have today and in a variety of translations- all at our fingertips- and what do we do with it? Nothing for the most part. We have God's Word in our hand and we are too busy for it. It seems like some people have reverted back to Catholicism in the fact that they only hear God's Word on Sunday from the pastor. Where is the passion? Where is the desire to read His truth? To know God?

I want to encourage you to read your Bible. We have so many resources out there that were bought with blood. Don't neglect your freedom to own and read God's Word.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Only Jesus

I have mentioned before how much I have enjoyed listening to the Valley of Vision CD. (By the way- it is on sale now!) There is a song that I love (I love them all- but this one is different)! It is called Only Jesus. You can download the lyrics or read them below. It brings my heart to worship every time I hear it. Not to mention the fact that my son comes running in the room when he hears it saying "only Jesus only Jesus mommy". What more could I ask for? 

If you want to hear part of the song, then click on the link above and you can select a song to listen to.

Only Jesus LYRICS
Item # M4175-09-58

By Doug Plank
These lyrics accompany the song "Only Jesus" from the Valley of Vision album.
Lyrics

Father of grace, You’ve sacrificed
Your only Son for us, the crucified Jesus
Enlarge our hearts to love Your Son
O grant to us the grace to walk with Him always
To make Him our great delight
Bringing worship with our lives

Only Jesus! Only Jesus!
Give us Jesus, we cry
Only Jesus! Only Jesus!
The Pearl of greatest price

Spirit of grace, You’ve shed Your light
Upon our darkened eyes, unveiling Jesus Christ
Come change our hearts, conform our ways
To honor Jesus’ Name, His glory our refrain
Let His love compel our own
As we worship at His throne

Jesus, our great Savior,
Lord of heaven, Son of God

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Baby things!

Here are two sites that have great baby things!! The LBS site has all handmade things from someone I went to college with. The Etsy site is all handmade as well.


 Little LBS. Design
 This site has great things for babies and children. All of it is so cute.




                                  
Etsy -Cocoon Prop Swaddle Wrap Blanket

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Baby Picture

I am going to brag a little. Abigail was chosen (along with 19 other babies) to have her picture on the wall at Parkridge East Hospital. The hospital remodeled the labor and delivery area and picked 20 babies to have their pictures taken by a professional photographer. If you live in the Chattanooga area you can go and see my baby on the wall!! She is close to room 130- which happens to be the room that we stayed in while we were there with Ezekiel. 
                                                           So here is her picture!!!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A Look at Titus


One of my pastors has been preaching through the book of Titus. I have learned a lot through this study. All of the sermons so far are on-line. Click HERE and listen through the book of Titus.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Another Book Giveaway!


It is time for another giveaway. The book is called Opening up Ephesians.

"Peter Jeffery leads young people into a careful study of the glorious book of Ephesians. Each chapter concludes with thought provoking questions which will challenge the reader to dig deeper and think harder about how these truths apply to their own lives."

Peter Jeffery began his ministry in South Wales, before serving Rugby Evangelical Free Church in the Midlands during a period of remarkable growth and then moving to the famous Bethlehem Church in Sandfields. Now retired, he continues to be in demand as a gospel preacher on both sides of the Atlantic.

So if you would like to enter the give away, just post a comment and leave me your e-mail address. You can blog about it if you have a blog, post me the link in a comment, and that will get you two entries! Sorry, but you need to live in the USA to win.
                                                      I will draw the winner on November 28Th

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Books I am Reading

 I have had this book for a while and not really read much of it. I am at a point now that I NEED all the biblical help I can get with training and disciplining my son. This is an excellent book. I found I was doing some things right and that I also need to work on some things. It is great because it helps you with discipline at different ages. Some much needed encouragement and focus.
You can gohere to see it.


 This is a book that shows research and gives plans for sleep with babies and up. I have only read a little, but this is needed as well right now. My two year old has decided to sin and rebel against sleep. Which as you can imagine is not good for anyone involved. He is overtired and that makes it even more difficult. I am reading to get him back on track for good sleeping habits. It started with the freedom of a toddler bed and has just escalated from there. He used to sleep 12 -13 hours at night and we are down to 7-8. That drastically has affected his behavior. Keeping him in bed at night is another issue. So if you want to know more about how often your child should sleep and other information this is a great tool. Here is the book.

 I am also reading this for fun. My husband gave it to me a while ago. I love Jane Austen. Peter Leithart does a great job of looking into her novels.

Monday, October 20, 2008

How To Go To Jail For A Speeding Ticket

How Horrible!! What was he thinking?

Well I did it


I finally did what I was not wanting to do. I joined facebook. I have debated doing this for a while now and decided it was time. I had several reasons for joining and several for not wanting to join. 
Reasons for:
1. To keep up with people that I do not have a lot of time to see or talk to.
2. To try and stay up-to-date with things going on on-line that my children may one day be a part of.
3. To try and understand why everyone loves it.
Reasons against:
1. Not a lot of extra time.
2. I want to be more intentional with people face to face and not just read about their life.
3. It will be something else that I have to figure out.

So I thought about the good/bad and realized that I am just going to have to try and see for myself what it is all about and hopefully it will be useful for staying "connected" to those I really want to minister to. Hopefully I will figure it all out.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Suffering for the Sake Of...

I just finished listening/watching this video. I would encourage you to take the time to watch. It comes from the 2005 Desiring God National Conference:   Suffering and the Sovereignty of God

Author: Joni Eareckson Tada
Topic: The Sovereignty of God

You can download it here.

It is Here!

Finally the ESV study Bible is here! You have many choices and the WTS book store.
Calfskin Leather, Black                 
Bonded Leather, Burgundy                                                   
Tru Tone Classic Black                    

Monday, October 6, 2008

my other blog


I have started another blog. I have been and will be posting things related to the home- cooking, recipes, funny stories, and other things. I will still be blogging here, I just wanted a separate blog for more domestic things!
So feel free to go to Everyday Living and enjoy!

Friday, October 3, 2008

There is a Day

I came across this video  on this blog and thought I would share it. What hope we have in Christ! The song is "There is a day" by the UK band Phatfish.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Three Years and Counting

Yesterday was our anniversary. We have been married three years! It seems like only yesterday. God has shown me so much in these past three years...I will save that for another post!  

My love gave me three different sets of flowers! 


Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Terrible twos....I think not

I always have heard about the "terrible twos" as if it is something that we are just to accept and allow in our children's lives- it is normal. How your child will pitch fits, say no, and act completely crazy as they break away and form some new independence that they did not have before. Well to all who believe that behavior is acceptable and normal I have something to say. NO WAY!!!

I would like to label these "terrible twos" for what it really is SIN! I feel like today was WW3. I love my baby boy and for the most part he is very compliant, but today we had a battle. To start things off he did not have a nap- something that is always needed and enforced daily. From there it just got worse. As I was in the middle of what seemed like a never ending crying, screaming, discipline, eternity- God spoke to my heart.

I have learned so many things about the character of God from being a parent. I have also learned to depend on Him for everything. Some things that I learned today- or was reminded of I should say are:

1. God places people in our lives (and uses suffering) to form us more into the image of Christ.
Through the book study I am doing, I read last week about how the suffering in our lives makes us more like Christ. That has really been on my mind. Christ had to suffer and did suffer for God's glory. He suffered with His family, friends, and everyone else. So why should I expect anything different in my life. I can see how different people are in my life to make me more like Christ. He uses it all for His glory. Even enduring a day I never wish to have again. (Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:18, Philippians 3:8-11)

2. God is so gracious to sinners who are found in Christ.
My sin is so great and His grace is even greater. (Romans 5:18-21)

3. I am in my "terrible twos" and will be until I am glorified.
I am a sinner. I sin all the time and am in need daily of grace and mercy.( Romans 8:22-25)

4. God never stops loving His children.
No matter how much I blow it and sin, because I am His child, I cannot be separated for Christ.
(Lamentations 3:22-24, Romans 8:31-39)

5. We must be broken to be made new.
(Psalm 51)

6. God disciplines His children because He loves them.
It is not always easy to discipline my children, but I do it because I love them. I do not want to leave them in their sin. I am to teach them and bring them up in the instruction of the Lord. That is the same thing that my Heavenly Father does with me. ( Ephesians 6:4, Hebrews 12:7-11)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

I did it!

I made my first baby food! I had wanted to in the past, but we did not have a food processor. We got one when I was pregnant (it also can make milkshakes!!) and have finally made some food. It is not as hard as I thought, nor time consuming.
I am sure that many out there have done it. This is my first. I knew it would save money...so here is what I did.
I got a one pound bag of peas for $0.88.  I made a cup of peas (with plenty left over for later) and put them in the processor. One cup filled up half of an ice-cube tray.  They are now in the freezer ready for when I need them. I only made a little just to experiment for right now. One cube should be enough to feed her at each feeding so I have 9 meals ready to go. I just hope she eats the peas!!!

Pass on any tips you have!!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

So Funny

He had so much fun with this. He did not need any presents!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Book Talk

I told you earlier that I would be reading the book Helper By Design. Well, there are several ladies that I am meeting with at church and we are reading this book together. We have had great discussions and I am looking forward to finishing the book. I just thought I would post some of the things that the Lord pointed out to me in this chapter.

1. The Lord has commanded my husband to love me (Ephesians 5:25) How am I making that easy for him? It is my obligation to help him in doing this!

2. I long to be known by my husband, but I know that I do not always long to know him as I should. She says, "we wives have been called to help and companion our husbands, a task that will be impossible if we aren't growing in our knowledge of them."

3. The only one who will ever completely know us is the Lord.

There are many other things that I have been challenged by in this book. Hopefully I will post more later. If you are reading this with me, feel free to comment on some things you are learning.

Blog Loving

My friend Betsy sent me the I heart your blog award. Thanks Betsy! I am supposed to send it to others so here are my awards!


I do not personally know each of these women, but I enjoy their blogs. You should read them!

Monday, September 8, 2008

something to ponder

While on vacation I was thinking a lot about keeping my children safe. Anytime we are in a new environment I am always in that protective mom mode. You know.. watch for cars, little things they can get into, staying out of the water/ocean (when a hurricane is coming!), just about anything. I want to keep my babies safe and protect them from anything that would harm them.

But it struck me. What I need to protect them from most is themselves! My son was into a lot of things. Being almost 2 (on Wednesday) he never stops! But his sin is what is doing the most damage right now. Not climbing on things or falling. We always want to focus on this external things, but it is the heart that needs to change. 

It is not always easy to deal with. Especially when he acts like he has never heard the word NO. But if I am to protect him from the most harmful thing it is not going to be easy.

back from vacation

I have not been posting because we have been gone and my parents have a very SLOW connection to the internet. Plus, it is always good to take a little break from the computer. It does monopolize too much time- if allowed.

Going on vacation is often needed, but here are some reasons I am thankful to be home:
1. No mosquitoes the size of small birds and stripped like tigers ready to attack.
2. No flooding
3. No tiny frogs overpopulating everywhere (though they were very cute!)
4. Getting back to schedule and a routine.
5. Sleeping in my bed (not sharing a room with the entire family!)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Updated Pictures of my Babies!

They grow up so fast. I know that they are still babies, but time goes by so quickly.
Abigail is almost 4 months!
Ezekiel is almost 2!!

New Furniture!!


Well, we have been married almost three years now so we decided to get new living room furniture. All of our other furniture was mine that I had accumulated over the years and most of it did not match. We wanted to get something that was ours!! We had some extra money and decided to get new furniture. It came yesterday! Here are a few pictures.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Raspberry-Chocolate Cheesecake

I usually do not make dessert, but I love cheesecake. I found this recipe and thought it looked easy enough. It was so good! I got it out of a Family Circle magazine and then found it on-line HERE. Enjoy!! (Sorry I forgot to take a picture-next time.)

Makes: 12 servings Chill: 4 hours
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes; at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes

Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups soft macaroon cookie crumbs
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Topping:
3 Tbs. seedless raspberry jam
1 Tbs. milk chocolate chips

Directions
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Crust: Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap foil around bottom of pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes. Coolon a wire rack. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
3. Filling: In a medium-size bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips over the bottom of the cooled crust and spread the cheese mixture evenly over the chips.
5.Topping: Heat raspberry jam gently, until just liquid enough to drizzle over the top. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon of chips over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is set.
6. Remove cheesecake to wire rack and cool completely. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours until completely chilled. To serve, remove from refrigerator, let stand 15 minutes, then remove side of pan.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Watch Your Man

I just listened to this and would encourage other wives to listen to Watch Your Man By Carolyn Mahaney  

Click HERE to download and listen. This message was delivered at Sovereign Grace Ministries’ 2007 Leadership Conference.

Here is a description of the message:

Part of a wife’s biblical role is to bring faithful, gentle correction to her husband when necessary. True friends are willing to humbly correct one another, but if a wife does this poorly, she can damage her marriage.

In this seminar for women, Carolyn Mahaney explain’s a wife’s responsibility to lovingly watch over her husband. She gives biblical advice on questions such as how to correct in humility and love, when to forbear patiently, and when to prayerfully persist and appeal for change. Most important, Carolyn encourages wives to rely on God to change their husbands’ hearts and actions. It is God’s favor and approval—not change in their husbands—that wives must ultimately seek.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Olympic Junky?

I am not sure about you, but we have been watching the Olympics every night. I usually am not so interested, but this year I cannot get enough! I have enjoyed the swimming, volleyball and gymnastics so far.  Ezekiel has enjoyed it too. He keeps saying "swim, swim" or "run, jump, flip".

For those of you who have been following, here is what Michael Phelps eats each day, amazing!

"Phelps lends a new spin to the phrase "Breakfast of Champions" by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.
He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

At lunch, Phelps gobbles up a pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread - capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

For dinner, Phelps really loads up on the carbs - what he needs to give him plenty of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen - with a pound of pasta and an entire pizza.

He washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.

That's 12,000 calories a day--six times what the average man should have."

[HT: JT]

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Poll: Homeschooling a constitutional right

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--More than eight in 10 Americans were at odds with a California appeals court that ruled in February that parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children, according to just-released data from LifeWay Research.
It seems the California appeals court now agrees. In a stunning move Aug. 8, a three-judge panel of the court reversed itself, saying the state legislature has implicitly accepted homeschooling as legal. "We ... conclude that California statutes permit homeschooling as a species of private school education," the justices wrote in their unanimous decision.
LifeWay Research, in an April telephone survey, found that 86 percent of the respondents agreed that, "Parents have a constitutional right to homeschool their children." ...

read the rest of the article here.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

My Favorite Scripture!

I had seen these and wanted to make one, so I did. Just click HERE and make your own.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Helpful Reminder

I listened to this and thought I would share it with all the wives out there. Very simple, but how true. Click here and listen or read what John Piper has to say about "How can wives encourage their husbands?".

U.S. government: We know parenting better than you

I just read this article that I have posted below. Pray that this may not happen!

Proposals would give Washington unprecedented control over kids
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to debate two bills that could give the federal government unprecedented control over the way parents raise their children – even providing funds for state workers to come into homes and screen babies for emotional and developmental problems.

The Pre-K Act (HR 3289) and the Education Begins at Home Act (HR 2343) are two bills geared toward military and families who fall below state poverty lines. The measures are said to be a way to prevent child abuse, close the achievement gap in education between poor and minority infants versus middle-class children and evaluate babies younger than 5 for medical conditions.

'Education Begins at Home Act' – HR 2343

HR 2343 is sponsored by Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., and cosponsored by 55 Democrats and 11 Republicans. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementing the Education Begins at Home Act would cost taxpayers $190 million for state home visiting plus "such sums as may be necessary" for in-hospital parent education.

While the bill may appear to be well-intentioned, Pediatrician Karen Effrem told WND government provisions in HR 2343 to evaluate children for developmental problems go too far.

"The federal definition of developmental screening for special education also includes what they call socioemotional screening, which is mental health screening," Effrem said. "Mental health screening is very subjective no matter what age you do it. Obviously it is incredibly subjective when we are talking about very young children."

While the program may not be mandatory for low-income and military families, there is no wording in the Education Begins at Home Act requiring parental permission for treatment or ongoing care once the family is enrolled – a point that leads some to ask where parental rights end and the government takes over. Also, critics ask how agents of the government plan to acquire private medical and financial records to offer the home visiting program.
"There's no consent mentioned in the bill for any kind of screening – medical, health or developmental," Effrem said. "There are privacy concerns because when home visitors come into the home they assess everything about the family: Their financial situation, social situation, parenting practices, everything. All of that is put into a database."

Effrem said it does not specify whether parents are allowed to decline evaluations, drugs or treatment for their children once they are diagnosed with developmental or medical conditions.

"How free is someone who has been tagged as needing this program in the case of home visiting – like a military family or a poor family?" she asked. "How free are they to refuse? Even their refusal will be documented somewhere. There are plenty of instances where families have felt they can't refuse because they would lose benefits, be accused of not being good parents or potentially have their children taken away."

When WND asked Effrem how long state-diagnosed conditions would remain in a child's permanent medical history, she responded:

"Forever. As far as I know, there isn't any statute of limitations. The child's record follows them through school and potentially college, employment and military service."

Effrem said conflicts could also arise when parents do not agree with parenting standards of government home visitors.

"Who decides how cultural tolerance is going to be manifested?" she asked. "There's some blather in the language of the bill about having cultural awareness of the differences in parenting practices, but it seems like that never applies to Christian parents."

'Providing Resources Early for Kids'

The Pre-K Act, or HR 3289, is sponsored by Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and cosponsored by 116 Democrats and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla. Estimated to cost $500 million for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2013, the bill provides funds for state-approved education. Government workers would reach mothers and fathers in the hospital after a baby has been delivered to promote Pre-K programs.

"They give them information about Child Care Resource and Referral Network so they can get the child into a preschool or daycare that follows the state standards and get the mom working as quickly as possible," she said. "It's always that sort of thing: It's a list of resources, it's intruding on parental autonomy and authority and it's not necessarily accurate or welcome information."

While parents may choose to be involved in preschool programs, Effrem said the Pre-K Act poses similar concerns about government trumping parents' rights.

"Once they are involved, they don't have any say over curriculum," she said. "There's plenty of evidence of preschool curriculum that deals with issues that have nothing to do with a child's academic development – like gender, gender identity, careers, environmentalism, multiculturalism, feminism and all of that – things that don't amount to a hill of beans as far as a child learning how to read."

Effrem said the Pre-K Act extends a "really messed-up K-12 system" to include even younger, more vulnerable children.

"This is an expansion of the federal government into education when there really is no constitutional provision for it to do so."

Note: Concerned individuals may contact their representatives and senators.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Good Post

As I posted about before, our family has talked a lot about having our children with us in the worship service. I gave a few links for you to read and look at the comments here and here. Today Nancy Wilson at Femina posted a great post about Little Ones in Church. I would encourage you to read it.  Here is something that her husband wrote about it too.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Good Movie(s)



We have been renting movies and watching the newer and older versions. I must say that The Manchurian Candidate is a great movie. I enjoyed both of them. The older mover stars Frank Sinatra and the star of the newer is Denzel Washington. I would recommend that you watch the 1962 version first. It gives more detail and explains more of the story. But the 2004 remake has a little more action and the plot is a little bit different. I must say that watching these movies during an election year is very interesting!!


Monday, July 14, 2008

Beach Pictures

Here are a few more pictures of our vacation.





Friday, July 11, 2008

Pray for Your Children

Like most parents, who are believers in Christ, I want to pray for my children. I especially want to pray scripture over them. There are many books out there that can help you do that- but I am not promoting any book. I did come across this article that I found encouraging. The Bible is full of scripture that we can pray over our children. I am not talking about the "health, wealth, and prosperity gospel" prayers. I am talking about scriptures to pray for their souls, thoughts, dreams, protection, maturity, obedience, and attitudes.

Many of these are the same scriptures that we should/could be praying for ourselves. We should pray not just when our children are in trouble or need, but daily pray for them. I just want to encourage all parents to pray for their children. You will have to change the wording a little and include your child's name- but pray the meaning of the scripture for them and over them. 

Here is an example: Colossians 3:20 "Lord please help____ to obey us in everything for this is pleasing to you. Help him to want to please you in all things, especially through his obedience to us. He is struggling with ____. Please change his heart and guide him into obedience."

I have listed a few scriptures below to help get you started.

Obedience:

Love:

Other:

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Vacation

Sorry not to be posting, we just got back from vacation! Here are a few pictures of our fun time in Florida. I have more pictures but they are not downloaded yet. I will post those later.
Hi turtle!
splash
Happy 4th of July
Grandpa and Abigail
Grammie and Abigail