My Life and Ponderings

Question Posed on Facebook Regarding the KJV

2010-03-02T09:34:00.002-05:00

On Facebook I am a fan of the page I Am A Independent Fundamental Baptist (soon to be moved to I Am An Independent Fundamental King James Bible Believing Baptist). He posted the following:

"QUESTION THAT BOTHERS ME MUCH- Why is there so much fighting over the KJV Bible? It is either inspired or just another "best they could do". Men that use, quote, or refer to versions otherwise are not brothers we can still support. I want to make myself VERY clear. I believe and will die standing on the fact that God w...as able to give us a perfect copy of His Word!!! What do you think?"

There are three things that I make no sense to me regarding the issue of Bible translations. First, if there are differences in the versions, only one can be right. How do you know which one is right? If you say that the KJV is wrong on verse x, how do you know that? How do you know that your version is correct? Which leads me to the second thing that makes no sense to me. If you say that there are errors in the translations, how can you be sure that any of the Bible is correct, including the plan of salvation?

But mostly what makes no sense to me is this. If God is able to keep the universe going. If He is all powerful, why then is it impossible for Him to preserve His word? He used mortal men to write it, and they wrote it perfectly, why can't He use men to properly translate and preserve it?

I'm back - sorta

2010-02-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

I decided that I wanted a place to post the occasional theological type musings, or other musings for that matter.

My Life Through Food will still be my main blog, but I'll be posting here occasionally.

New Blog

2009-05-23T16:21:00.000-04:00

My Life Through Food

Wednesday in the Word: Wisdom

2009-04-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm posting over at the KJV Blog Directory today - come on over and join us.

Conflict Resolution

2009-04-21T11:47:00.000-04:00

It is interesting sitting in a class about conflict and conflict resolution and hearing them come up with all sorts of explanations for it. The professor even blamed the Japanese. When in reality the problem is that people have removed God from their lives. We removed God from the schools and when those kids joined the workforce we started to see a rise in workplace conflict.

If people stopped looking towards themselves and instead looked to God there would be a lot less conflict. And people would be a lot more content.

The professor kept talking about how we deal with conflict is what we learned by modeling our parents and siblings when we were between the ages of 3 and 9. He fails to take into account the learning we receive at the hand of our heavenly Father or the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He also tends to blame every difficulty we have with conflict on events from our childhood that are buried in our subconscious. When in reality, for a lot of people, the problem is unconfessed sin and a lack of salvation.

It makes me so sad to see someone so steeped in the humanism and secularism of this world. He doesn’t know the joy of living in Christ.

I will say that it was quite interesting and a bit entertaining to listen to someone spout off such a humanistic world view.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - April 20

2009-04-20T11:19:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... a toner explosion

Reading to learn...I want to start re-reading Square Foot Gardening and get my garden planted

From the kitchen... Deconstructed Asian Lettuce Wraps and Jamaican Beans and Rice

I am wearing...a brown and black plaid skirt and an orange pullover

In my Bible I am reading . . . 1 Kings

I am hearing...Rejoice With The Wife Of Thy Youth from Charity Ministries

A verse to share. . .Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Dangerous Cooking. . . Am attempting lacto-fermented carrots again. Will know if they turned out later this week

A picture to share . . . This is from my backyard, either last summer or the summer before. I think that they are plotting against us humans. :)

Home Sweet Home Saturday

2009-04-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Come on over to The KJV Blog Directory to read my latest installment of cheap and easy meals.

Weekly Menu - April 17

2009-04-17T11:48:00.002-04:00

Saturday - Steak
Sunday - Breakfast
Monday - School
Tuesday - School
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Pork Chops - either on the grill or in gravy
Friday - Hamburgers or Beef Patties in Gravy, depends on the weather.

Last week we ended up having to run out and get more ground beef and had burgers on Saturday. Not only did we forget to buy the salad, we forgot to buy the chicken too.

The Lord is My Shepherd - Psalm 23

2009-04-14T13:24:00.002-04:00

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - April 13

2009-04-13T08:34:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... leaves are starting to appear

I am thinking...that there are only 6 more classes to go

From the kitchen... Deconstructed Asian Lettuce Wraps

I am wearing...a dark denim skirt and an orange pullover

In my Bible I am reading . . . 1 Samuel

I am looking forward to...a much less hectic week

I am hearing...a Sister's Workshop from Charity

A verse to share. . .Matthew 28:5-6 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

A picture to share . . . Here are my great-grandparents (my paternal grandmother's grandparents). I believe that this is their wedding picture

Weekly Menu - April 10

2009-04-10T15:34:00.002-04:00

Saturday - Fried Chicken Salad
Sunday - Easter. We're having my FIL and SIL over for lunch, we'll decide what to have tonight when we go meat shopping. Dinner will be at my mom's
Monday - School
Tuesday - School
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Hamburgers - hopefully on the grill
Friday - Ham

As we come into grilling season, you'll start to see hamburgers a lot on the menu. It tends to be a weekly staple, especially since it's quite cheap.

Marking the Death of Jesus

2009-04-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

We are studying the life of Christ in Sunday School. We are currently studying His death and we recently discussed the day on which He died.

In John 19:31 we read that they wanted to have the bodies taken down because the next day was a sabbath day, but we also read "for that sabbath day was an high day" which would make it a day other than Saturday.

In Mark's account we read in chapter 16 verses 1 and 2

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

Now we can see from above that they bought the spices on one day and went to the grave on another. We know that Sunday is the day that they came to the grave. Since Saturday was the sabbath, they could not have bought the spices then, so they would have had to buy them on Friday. And since they were bought after the sabbath was passed, that would put the high sabbath on Thursday and Christ's death on Wednesday.

This is also the only way that the prophecy of the sign of Jonah could be fulfilled. Christ spent 3 days and 3 nights in the grave. Which would break down like this:
- Wednesday night - night #1
- Thursday day and night - day #1 and night #2
- Friday day and night - day #2 and night #3
- Saturday day - day #3

Now we know that Christ was risen before the Marys get to the grave, so He rose sometime in the night, therefore there was no 4th night.

Since Resurrection Sunday is this coming Sunday, a day when we celebrate His resurrection, that would make today the day to mark His death.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - April 6

2009-04-06T09:04:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... watching billowy clouds fly across the sky

I am thinking...a busy week ahead

From the kitchen... Chop suey with chicken over rice - it was so good I made it again this week

I am wearing...a black flowy skirt and a red sweater

In my Bible I am reading . . . 1 Samuel

I am looking forward to...school being done - only 8 more classes

I am hearing...the sounds of the office waking up

A verse to share. . .1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Thinning Thursday - April 2

2009-04-02T12:43:00.000-04:00

I'm proud of myself. Instead of a cookie the other night I had some grilled veggies and some pasta salad. I'm still probably eating more on Monday and Tuesday nights than I should, but I'll be done with school in 4 weeks and can get back to regular dinners.

Once school is done I also want to start exercising again. The weather is improving so I should be able to go walking in the evenings with Jim and I also want to do some strength training.

John 19:30

2009-04-01T14:40:00.004-04:00

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, "it is finished:" and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.

It is finished. What powerful words! The price has been paid for our transgressions and the gift of salvation is offered to us freely.

When Jesus said "It is finished" that's exactly what He meant. It is done, complete, there is nothing to add. No works that we can do can add to it. No ceremonies are needed. Nothing.

We don't need the sacraments of the Catholic Church, or obedience to the governing body of the Jehovah's Witness, or the good works of the Mormons. If any of these things (or anything else for that matter) was needed, then Jesus' death was not sufficient and didn't really do anything. It's either all or nothing.

What are you trusting in for your salvation? Are you trusting in your religion or your good deeds? Or are you trusting in Jesus as your Savior.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13)

And lest you think that I'm discounting His resurrection, I am not. His resurrection is the proof of the acceptability of His sacrifice.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - March 30

2009-03-30T09:42:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... cold and cloudy

I am thinking... about driving to Ohio on Friday

From the kitchen... Chop suey with chicken over rice

I am wearing...a flannel skirt. Probably the last time this year (I hope)

In my Bible I am reading . . . Judges

I am looking forward to...a day off of work

I am hearing...preaching

Around the house...the new floor looks wonderful. I must remember to take a picture

A verse to share. . .When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished:" and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)

Weekly Menu - March 27

2009-03-27T09:58:00.002-04:00

This week we finally managed to have the chili! Took us long enough :) We ended up ordering pizza on Wednesday, Jim was dropping me off at home and then heading back to the hospital to visit his dad, so we wanted something quick and easy. That means we have the steak left over from this week and will have it this upcoming week.

Saturday - Pork Chops
Sunday - Meatloaf, either our regular recipe or the Mexican one from this week's Cooking Traditional Foods Menu Mailer
Monday - School
Tuesday - School
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Steak
Friday - We will be celebrating my birthday on Friday, so we will eat out.

Wednesday in the Word - Brawling

2009-03-24T16:44:00.002-04:00

Today I'm posting over at the KJV Blog. Come and visit :)

A Little Sleep

2009-03-24T08:26:00.001-04:00

33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
34 so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Throughout the Bible we are reminded that we are to be industrious and not lazy. This is an especially good reminder in this day and age where we see so many relying on the government to support them instead of going out and working (and I'm speaking of those that chronically rely on the government). But living like that is not pleasing to the Lord, and we can rest in the assurance that He will bless us for our work.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - March 23

2009-03-23T12:23:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... watching the students walking to class

I am thinking... about stopping at the store for honey

From the kitchen... Jamaican beans and rice

I am wearing...brown courdory skirt, black and brown argyle tights, brown sweater

In my Bible I am reading . . . Joshua

I am looking forward to...to sleep, I am quite tired today

I am hearing...preaching

Around the house...we get the new floor in the dining room this upcoming weekend

A picture to share. . .my great-great grandmother's canisters

Come and Visit

2009-03-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today I'm blogging over at the KJV Blog Directory. My topic is Budgeting - Cleaning and Laundry Style. Come on over and join us!

Weekly Menu - March 20

2009-03-20T08:37:00.000-04:00

Well we still haven't had the chili. Last Sunday we made beefy mac instead since we didn't get home from church and calling until after 4. So we're going to attempt it again this week. Saturday we are having my Dad, Step-mom, Grandmom, Sister and Brother-in-law over for dinner.

Saturday - roast, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, dessert and maybe an additional veggie
Sunday - chili (try #3)
Monday - school
Tuesday - school
Wednesday - pasta
Thursday - steak
Friday - breakfast, we're doing bacon and eggs on biscuits.

Thinning Thursday - March 19

2009-03-19T08:33:00.002-04:00

I've done halfway decent with my eating this week. I've been more conscious of it on Monday and Tuesday at school. I also started taking an enzyme yesterday with my meals. My hope is that as I'm better able to digest my food and utilize the nutrition, I'll need to eat less. That's my hope anyways.

This week's lunch has been rice and beans with greens. Someone gave me a recipe from flylady where you make up a big thing of rice and a big thing of beans and then there were recipes for combining them different ways. I made the Southern one. Needs more spice, but otherwise it was good. I'm trying to decide which to do for next week. Do I want the southern one again, or do I want to attempt the Jamaican one? The nice thing is that beans and rice together make a complete protein. And it was very filling.

Why Is It?

2009-03-18T09:56:00.001-04:00

Why is it that I come up with all sorts of blog topics and then when I go to blog I forget them?

The Simple Woman's Daybook - March 16

2009-03-16T10:29:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... it's a beautiful, bright, sunshiny spring day

I am thinking... my to-do list for the day

From the kitchen... turnip greens and pinto beans over rice

I am wearing...brown and black skirt, sherbet shell, brownish tan cardigan, brown pumps

In my Bible I am reading . . . Joshua

I am looking forward to...going to Whole Foods tomorrow

I am hearing...preaching

Around the house...my sewing room is clean!

A few plans for the rest of the week...a birthday dinner for my daddy and step-mom

A verse to ponder. . . But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Weekly Menu

2009-03-13T12:23:00.003-04:00

We never did have the chili last week. Instead we went to Sonic with my father-in-law and sister-in-law. We had a very nice time. So the chili got bumped to this week. Here's our menu for the week.

Saturday - Beef patties cooked with onions and gravy
Sunday - chili with cornbread
Monday - School
Tuesday - School
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Steak
Friday - Pork chops (probably seasoned since we did them in gravy yesterday)

The meat sales this week were for 85% lean ground beef, pork chops and t-bone steaks.

Thinning Thursday - March 12

2009-03-12T09:00:00.001-04:00

So I've made some discoveries since my last post. I tend to do really well with portion control at home. But that's cause we only make enough for dinner that night. So once the food is gone, dinner is done. Currently I am in school 2 nights a week and they feed us dinner. And there is a lot of extra, and I want to eat it. It's quite ridiculous really. But I have so much problem not eating more than I really should be.

My other issue this week has been that I can only eat quinoa 2 days in a row. I brought a quinoa salad this week in my lunch and by yesterday afternoon I just couldn't eat anymore. I ended up getting a bag of chips. I brought it, just without most of the quinoa. I'm worried though that it won't be enough to eat, hopefully I won't stoop to chips today. I could always run and get some sushi if I'm still hungry.

Also this week I haven't been drinking water like I should. Will be working on upping that (and for me tea counts too) in the coming week.

The Healing at Bethesda

2009-03-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday at church we started looking at the miracle of the healing at Bethesda.

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethes'da, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. Neh. 13.19 · Jer. 17.21
11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.

I would like to share with you my notes from the sermon along with my ponderings from later.

In verse 3 we see that many are lost to sin. We see that every day as we go about our daily lives. So many around us are lost to sin.

The man could not save himself, he was in fact, quite helpless. And no one else could save him (vs 5 and 7). We can not save ourselves. There is nothing that we can do that will make us righteous in God's eyes. There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10). And our works won't earn us points with God either. No amount of church services attended, not our baptism, not receiving communion, not observing Lent, nothing. There is nothing that we can do. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In verse 6 Jesus asks the man "Wilt thou be made whole?" Jesus asked him if he wanted healed. Just as Jesus asks us if we want to be made spiritually whole. Jesus offers the gift of salvation to everyone. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). But we have to accept the gift. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12).

I have had such a burden on my heart about our nation and the lost souls in it. People who think that just because they follow the rules that the Catholic church has set down they are saved. People who believe that following the rules of their Amish or Mennonite congregation they are saved. People who think that they believe in Jesus, but the Jesus that they believe in isn't the Jesus of the Bible, but rather the false Jesus that the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons present.

I also have felt a huge burden to get on my face (literally) before the Lord in prayer. In prayer for myself. In prayer for my family. In prayer for my friends. In prayer for my husband. But also, in prayer for the United States.

Will you join me in getting on your face before God to pray for the people of your nation? To pray that God will be merciful? That revival will sweep through the world?

This post ended up being quite the rambling post. My apologies.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - March 9

2009-03-09T07:21:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... dark and dreary

I am thinking... about today's Proverb

From the kitchen... a new yogurt dressing

I am wearing...new black loafers, brown and black skirt, green pullover

In my Bible I am reading . . . Deuteronomy

I am looking forward to...a day off on Friday

I am hearing...preaching

Around the house...we have a new floor in our entry way

A few plans for the rest of the week...a quiet Wednesday evening at home

A picture to share. . .

Menu Friday

2009-03-06T13:36:00.002-05:00

Here's my menu for the coming week.

Saturday - Chili and cornbread
Sunday - Pasta with homemade sauce (not sure if we'll do a meat sauce or meatballs)
Monday - school
Tuesday - school
Wednesday - Ravioli
Thursday - Pork chops in gravy
Friday - Steak and greens.

Thinning Thursdays - March 5

2009-03-05T11:22:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Thinning Thursdays. I've decided to start blogging about my attempt to lose weight. I'm hoping that by doing so and being accountable that I'll stay more focused.

My goal is to ultimately get down to a size 8. I picked that size because I have always felt that it was a good size for me. I was able to buy clothes easily and I wasn't too skinny either. Right now I am a size 16.

So I am going to be focusing on eating better and on exercising so that I can reach my goal. Now I am not doing the traditional dieting. I am trying to adopt a more traditional foods way of eating. I also got a DVD of short segments of toning exercises and once the weather gets warm I want to start walking soon.

Oops

2009-03-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

So I sorta accidentally deleted a comment that Anonymous had posted on election. But here's the thing, I posted my beliefs on election, and the beliefs of my church, and churches like mine. I do not need someone to correct my wrong thinking. I had no problem with Mamame posting her comments, because I know her, we've debated before. But for someone who has never commented on my blog before to decide that they should correct me, that I have a hard time fathoming.

And for the record, I'm not mis-interpreting Scripture. Here are some great resources on it.
The Truth About Predestination
Calvinism's Proof Texts Examined
The Calvinism Debate Part 1 of 2
The Calvinism Debate Part 2 of 2

Now I am not going to continue debating this on my blog. Plain as that.

Wisdom

2009-03-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 1:7 reads, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

This was the verse that really stood out to me in my Proverbs reading yesterday. How many of us come before the Lord with fear and trembling? How many of us are haphazard in how we come before Him?

You see, He is a consuming fire, He is the Alpha and Omega, He is the King of kings, He is the great I AM. He is not some casual acquaintance. He is our Lord.

I know that I don't always come before Him in a way that is appropriate. Thankfully He is also a God who forgives those that come before Him in repentance.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - March 2

2009-03-02T15:13:00.004-05:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... sunny and cold

I am thinking... that I am really late in posting this.

I am thankful for... my wonderful husband

From the kitchen... homemade bread - a slight tweak on a recipe

I am wearing... purple shoes, brown sweater, pink and purple socks, brown loafers

I am creating... a cross-stitch baby sampler for a cousin (still :) )

I am reading... an odd textbook

I am hoping...that I can get everything done this week that I need to

I am hearing...Bluegrass

Around the house...praising the Lord that He provided us with an energy efficient house

A few plans for the rest of the week... a lot of running around.

Wash on Monday

2009-02-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wash on Monday
Iron on Tuesday
Mend on Wednesday
Churn on Thursday
Clean on Friday
Bake on Saturday
Rest on Sunday

I can remember reading this in Little House in the Big Woods as a child and for whatever reason it has stuck with me. And no I don’t follow it :) But the Lord brought it to mind the other day when I read a post from a friend. My friend was feeling overwhelmed by all she had to do. You see, in reaction to budget tightening she was making a lot more of her family’s food from scratch, but she still needed to get the rest of her responsibilities taken care of. The house still needed to be cleaned and the children still needed to be schooled. The other ladies recommended that she schedule certain tasks for certain days, but they didn’t just mean cleaning (which I usually do). They also recommended doing the schedule idea for cooking too. Things like prepping veggies, baking bread and making snacks.

Right now (and until the end of April) I’m in school two nights a week and we are doing work on the house on the weekends. This means that I’m doing a big clean when I can. Big cleans stress and wear me out and I don’t like doing them. I’ve also never really thought of doing a cooking schedule other than prepping what I can on the weekend for the week’s lunch. I know that once May comes I’ll be working on getting back on my cleaning schedule. I also want to come up with a food prep/cooking schedule. I’ll try and remember to keep you posted on how it goes.

Chaste Conversation

2009-02-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. (1 Peter 3:1-2)

Chaste conversation really has little to do with conversing, which is what I learned at church on Sunday.

I know that chaste means pure, but what I didn’t know was that in King James English, conversation is defined as “General course of manners; behavior; deportment; especially as it respects morals.” (KJV Dictionary) So chaste conversation in the above passage basically refers to pure living.

Now in the text above it is referring to winning a lost husband, but I’m going to guess that Peter’s intention wasn’t for the wife to turn to riotous living once her husband was saved. And following that thought through, I’m going to say that we are to lead a pure life.

So my question is, am I living a pure life? Are you living a pure life? What shows are we watching? What books are we reading? Music? What about when our mind wanders, where does it wander to? Our speech? Our clothing?

From this passage we know that an unsaved husband should notice a difference between you and the unsaved neighbor lady and I would say that it should be true for anyone looking at us. We should live our life in such a way as to be different from the unsaved world.

On Election

2009-02-24T11:48:00.000-05:00

A while back I wrote a post on looking to men and how we needed to examine what we are taught in light of the Scripture. One of the things that I had in mind when I wrote that was the issue of election. As a new Christian, I naturally looked to other, more mature Christians for guidance. And if someone that I respected said that an author or expert was spot on, then I trusted them. I also trusted that any doctrine that they were teaching me was correct. And that’s what happened with the false doctrine of election. If you asked me what I thought about Calvinism or about election I would tell you that both were true and could give you Scripture to support the point, but something didn’t sit right with me. My heart knew that it wasn’t correct. And even more so, I began to wonder “well what if I’m not one of the elect? Am I really saved?” Now some would say that if you get saved then you must be elect, but that doesn’t quite make any sense to me. Instead of studying the Scripture on it, I tried to ignore my heart on the subject and became almost arrogant about defending election. I also mistakenly thought that all Baptist believed in election and were Calvinists, not realizing that Calvinism and election have only recently started creeping into Baptist churches, and that, as a general rule, it probably wasn’t the position held by a fundamental Baptist.

In July of 2007, Chris, kindly went through a post that I had written and pointed out where election was in error. Now I didn’t believe it then and it took a while for me to listen to the Lord’s leading to really look into it. But eventually I did and the Lord showed me just how wrong of a doctrine election is.

To believe that God chose some to be saved is to say that He also chose some to be eternally damned (which is something that the Calvinists never seem to want to talk about). And the Scripture does not say that at all. In face the Bible very clearly states that Jesus came to save all men. Not just some, but all men. Whoesever will can be saved.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)

Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: (Luke 12:8)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:3-6)

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

The Simple Woman's Daybook - February 23rd

2009-02-23T11:34:00.004-05:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... dancing snow

I am thinking... lunch with my husband

I am thankful for... that I can rest in the Lord

From the kitchen... Romaine lettuce, carrots, jasmine rice and hard boiled eggs with Thai dressing

I am wearing... brown and black plaid skirt, blue sweater, blue and gray socks, black slip on shoes

I am creating... a cross-stitch baby sampler for a cousin (still :) )

I am reading... an odd textbook

I am hoping... that this work day will end soon

I am hearing... preaching by Denny Kenaston

Around the house... we have a new kitchen floor!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week... school and some relaxing.

Back to School

2009-02-17T09:50:00.002-05:00

I never thought that it would happen - but I have gone back to school. Granted, it's only for 11-weeks, but still a bit of a surprise for me.

My work decided to send me to the MBA Essentials, which is a mini-MBA certificate program. It is two nights a week for 11 weeks. The cool thing is that they provide a light dinner each night and there are plenty of drinks provided.

Last night we had our Icebreaker night. It was kinda fun. Tonight we'll start the two sessions on Financial Accounting. I'm looking forward to them. I'll let you know how they go.

Menu for the Week

2009-02-13T14:08:00.002-05:00

I decided that it makes no sense to post my menu for the week on Monday, since my menu week starts on Saturday. That and I like the Simple Woman's Daybook for Mondays.

Here's something that blows my mind. It was cheaper for us to buy steak than it was to buy chicken. Go figure.

Saturday - soup and grilled cheese (we're painting yet again)
Sunday - pizza (we have pizza every year for the Daytona 500)
Monday - I'm at school and am eating out, Jim will go to Arby's.
Tuesday - I'm at school and will have wedding soup, Jim is doing frozen pizza
Wednesday - pasta
Thursday - beef patties in gravy with onions, served with mashed potatoes
Friday - steak, a veggie and a starch

Proper Worship

2009-02-11T11:55:00.003-05:00

I posted about this over at the KJV Blog Directory and wanted to share what I have been pondering lately here too.

First let me say that this post will not be long and it will not be complete. However, I felt called to share with you what has been on my heart lately and to ask all of you to weigh in on the matter. The topic that has been on my heart lately is the proper worship of God.

I am again reading through my Bible and have just finished Exodus. What struck me was how much minute detail God provided for the building of the Tabernacle. If there was a specific way to build the Tabernacle so that it was acceptable to Him, doesn't it stand to reason that there is a specific way to worship that is acceptable to Him as well.

Now at this time, I have not studied this out completely. I do know that music that stimulates the flesh like rock and roll is not proper. I guess that I am searching to make sure that my worship is acceptable to the Lord.

Any thoughts?

How I Became An Independent Fundamental Baptist

2009-02-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Over the holidays someone asked me how I ended up a Baptist, so I thought that I would share my journey with you.

Both my husband and I were raised Roman Catholic. We left the Catholic church for a number of reasons, none of which are the issues that we have with the Catholic church now. You see, we weren’t saved at time. We went to church every week, we had been sprinkled as infants, we both made our communion and our confirmation, but we were still lost. But I guess that’s a whole ‘nother post.

The church we went to next was an Episcopal one. It was while attending there that we were both saved. We read through the Bible while there too. Now, we were new Christians, and were more amazed as what God was showing us about the errors of the Catholic church to really study what a Biblical church is. However, God did use our time there to actually show us why He does not permit women to be pastors. We left when Gene Robinson was made a bishop in New Hampshire. We just could not continue to belong to a church that so blatantly disobeyed God’s word and this was really the final push that made us realize that.

The next church we attended was a non-denominational church that was based on the Anglican denomination. In fact, the man who pastured the church was an Episcopal priest in good standing. We really grew in the Lord while we were there, though in some ways I think that it was in spite of the church itself. But God did put godly people in our lives there and so grow we did. The church was doing The Purpose Driven Life when we started going and we didn’t think anything of it. Then they started the building campaign and the guilt messages about giving. So my husband did some research and learned a lot about Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. And none of it was good. It was true, but it was not good. I do think that this church was started with the best of intentions and with solid beliefs, but somewhere along the way got hooked in with Rick Warren and had abandoned true, Biblical Christianity.

So there we were again, looking for a church to attend. And we started looking the same way we had in the past. Then God stepped in. He really started to show us what a true Bible church is. He showed us in His word things like baptism follows belief, and that infant baptism is wrong. He showed us that His word is our final authority, and not traditions. And so we started going to the Baptist church.

But God wasn’t done with us, or our journey yet. While the church we were attending was a good church, it was also filled with error. And God patiently taught us. He again put godly people in our lives to convict us. He showed us things in His word and in our studies of other materials. He taught us what is acceptable to Him as worship, that rock music has no place in worship. He convicted us on modest attire. He also showed us the error of Calvinism, specifically the doctrine of election. And lastly He convicted us about the King James Bible and showed us that other English translations are perversions of His true word.

And so we knew it was time to move on yet again. But we were hesitant. We were tired of moving churches and starting to wonder if we were nothing more than church-hoppers. So God put a billboard on our way to work. Yes, that’s right, God used a billboard. It was for Ambassador Baptist Church, an Independent Fundamental Baptist church. And so we went. And we read their website, including their Constitution and Doctrinal Statement. And we met with the Pastor and a man from the church and asked questions. And we kept going back and are now members there.

And that is how I came to be an Independent Fundamental Baptist.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - February 9th

2009-02-09T07:40:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY. . .

Outside my window... a tease of spring.

I am thinking... about the Smokey Mountains

I am thankful for... my wonderful husband

From the kitchen... Thai Rice and Cucumber Salad

I am wearing... long dark blue denim skirt, light green pull over, woven scarf from Guatemala, black pumps

I am creating... a cross-stitch baby sampler for a cousin

I am reading... I just finished Home to Holly Springs

I am hoping... that my garden does well this year

I am hearing... preaching by Dr. Mike Johnson

Around the house... I hope the smell of paint dissipates soon

One of my favorite things... spending time with my husband

A few plans for the rest of the week: laundry ready to be fluffed and folded

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Ugh

2009-02-06T15:16:00.002-05:00

I have been so bad on posting. I do apologize and will try to do better.

Let's see. The procedure on my heart went wonderfully and I feel a ton better.

I've been on my first business trip. I went to DC this past Sunday through Tuesday and attended a conference. It was nice and I got too meet three friends.

Other than that, not much has been happening.

God's Mysterious Ways

2009-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

God's Mysterious Ways. Otherwise known as In Everything Give Thanks.

GI am pondering God's mysterious ways right now becuase I continue to marvel at what God uses to get my attention. This time it was a book in the Mitford series. The main character had to learn the lesson found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks."

This past week us Americans saw a new president sworn in. He may not have been our choice and we might not agree with his policies and views, but we must still give thanks.

The economy is worsening and more people are loosing their jobs. But we must still give thanks.

Prices of groceries continue to rise, but in every thing we must give thanks.

We may be faced with a health problem, but in every thing give thanks.

see it doesnt' mater what is going on in our lives. We must give thanks for every thing. Every. Single. Thing. And I think that it is easier to do when we remember that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). We may not understand it now. We may not even understand it this side of heaven. But it's in the Bible so we know it's true.

So, I challenge you, to give thanks in everything.

Also posted on the KJV Blog Directory

Menu Monday

2009-01-26T14:01:00.002-05:00

I see a number of ladies online doing this and thought that I'd give it a try. Granted, our menu week runs Saturday - Friday, so you'll get it a few days late, but I don't think that matters. I'm just putting down the main dish, veggies and a starch are added (as needed) depending on mine and my husband's mood.

Saturday - we ordered pizza since we spent the day painting
Sunday - beefy Mac
Monday - pasta
Tuesday - seasoned pork chops in the skillet
Wednesday - Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore
Thursday - Gorditas
Friday - Soup and Grilled Cheese

The Blood of Christ

2009-01-23T14:45:00.003-05:00

Today in my Bible reading I read in Exodus about the Passover. The verse that really stuck with me was Exodus 12:7

And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

When the Lord smote the firstborn of the Egyptians, he passed over those houses that had the blood on the doors. Blood saved the Israelites.

And it is the same with us. In 1 John 1:7 we read

but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

We are saved by the blood of Christ. It is His shed blood that washes our sins away.

The interesting thing about this morning was that my husband read a devotional concerning the blood of Christ. And how, regardless of what certain men may teach, it is the blood that redeems us.

Which leads me to something that I've said in the past, we have to be careful about listening solely to men and to search the Scriptures as the Bereans did.

Random Chit Chat

2009-01-22T15:38:00.002-05:00

Well it is finally warming up here - I think that we'll be above freezing. We're supposed to be in the 40s tomorrow. This means that snow will melt, ice on the rivers will break up and we'll have flooding. And then it will get cold again and we'll have ice. Can I just mention that I hate winter.

We spent last weekend taking down wallpaper in the bathroom. So now all of the wallpaper is gone from our home. Yay!!!! I hate wallpaper. My husband finished spackling last night. Tomorrow he'll sand the walls and then Saturday we'll start painting. Don't worry, I'll do before and after pictures.

A Great Devotional

2009-01-21T15:22:00.001-05:00

On a yahoo group that I am on, one of the members sends out a daily devotional by A. W. Tozer. Today's devotional really spoke to me and I thought that I would share.

JANUARY 21
We Are Just Beginning

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.

—John 15:26

Oh, my friend, we are just beginning. God's personality is so infinitely rich and manifold that it will take 1,000 years of close search and intimate communion to know even the outer edges His glorious nature. When we talk about communion with God and fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we are talking about that which begins now but will grow and increase and mature while life lasts....

The Holy Spirit is a living Person, and we can know Him and fellowship with Him! We can whisper to Him, and out of a favorite verse of the Bible or a loved hymn, we hear His voice whispering back. Walking with the Spirit can become a habit. It is a gracious thing to strive to know the things of God through the Spirit of God in a friendship that passes the place where it has to be kept up by chatter.

Tozer on the Almighty God: A 366-Day Devotional.

I'm home

2009-01-16T12:10:00.001-05:00

I actually came home from the hospital yesterday, but couldn't sit at the computer. The procedure went very well and they were able to fix the problem with my heart. I'm still a bit sore, but otherwise I'm good.

Psalm 23

2009-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

This Psalm has been on my mind the past couple of days. Are you resting in the Lord? Is He restoring your soul.

The verse that has really been on my heart is verse 4. You see, when you read this, I will have already gone in to have a procedure on my heart. It's a relatively simple procedure, called an electrophysiology study (and possibly ablation), but one that does have some risks. People have asked me if I'm worried about having it done. And you know what, I'm not. I trust the Lord completely. And I know that He is in control of the situation. And I am resting in that.

How are you today?

2009-01-13T14:01:00.002-05:00

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.

I was chatting with a friend of mine today. When I asked her how she was, her response was that she was better than she deserved to be. And you know what, she's right. But not just for herself. We are all better than we deserve to be.

The two verses above are what immediately came to mind at her response. We have all sinned and deserve death. But if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then we get to go to heaven. The price has already been paid for our sin.

Some Ramblings

2009-01-09T13:55:00.002-05:00

We had one of my favorite dinners on Wednesday night - chicken fajitas. We cut up two chicken breasts and onion and a green pepper. We sauteed them in some peanut oil and seasoned them with some cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, chili powder and cilantro. We actually started the chicken first, then added the onion and finally the peppers. That way the chicken was cooked through, the onion was just starting to caramelize and the peppers were cooked, but still had a crunch to them. We ate them in tortillas with a bit of cheese and salsa - yum!

I've been intrigued by some of the different rices out there - so I think that I'm going to experiment with them at lunch over the next weeks. This week I had jasmine rice with sorta lacto-fermented carrots. I think that I'm going to try different rices and different veggies and see what kind of fun things I can come up with.

This weekend we're replacing the drape rods that we have in the living and dining rooms. Hopefully by the end of the weekend we will be able to hang the new drapes.

For my other weekend (well Saturday) plans, you'll have to check out the KJV Blog Directory tomorrow.

It's an Epidemic

2009-01-08T11:40:00.002-05:00

I've discovered an epidemic that is sweeping across the country - or at least across the university campus where I work. It's an epidemic of scowling faces.

I was out and about the other day and it seems like everyone was scowling. Is no one happy? I do try to not have a scowl on my face. A Christian should be full of joy, not walking around scowling. Maybe that's the problem, maybe the people that I ran across all were in need of Christ.

So here's the question that I pose to you - is your joy evident? Do you have joy in your heart?

Submission to Government

2009-01-07T13:59:00.002-05:00

Pastor spoke on this during our Sunday afternoon service and then today I read an article on it in the Sword of the Lord.

The text that Pastor spoke on was 1 Peter 2:13-16

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

As we approach the upcoming inauguration we must remember that as Christians we are to submit ourselves to government. And that is regardless of whether or not the person that we voted for won or not. It is also regardless of whether or not laws are made that we agree with.

We have the responsibility to pray for our leaders. We should pray for their salvation if they are not saved. We should pray that they will make decisions that are the best for our country and that are God-honoring. We should pray that if the laws that they want to pass are evil that they will be thwarted.

Now as far as submitting to laws that we don't like, that does not mean that we are to comply with laws that go against the Word of God. In the sixth chapter of Acts when Peter and the apostles were told to cease preaching Jesus we read:

29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

A word of caution here, and this was something that Pastor stressed. If we are going to disobey a law because it goes against the Word of God, then we must also be willing to accept the consequences for it.

Just my two cents on Christians and government

My Bad

2009-01-05T15:27:00.001-05:00

Wow, I have been really sporadic with posting lately. I do apologize for that. I'm hoping to get back with the blogging now that the holidays are over.

The True Meaning of Christmas

2008-12-25T11:27:00.001-05:00

Mark 15: 33-39

33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, E'lo-i, E'lo-i, lama sabach'thani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

Matthew 28:1-7
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Mag'dalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

At Christmas we commemorate the birth of Jesus. But let us not forget that Jesus was born to die for our sins. And that is the true meaning of Christmas.

The Birth Of Christ

2008-12-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Imman'u-el,
which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Luke 2:1-20

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyre'ni-us was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,)
5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The Word

2008-12-23T11:18:00.000-05:00

John 1:1-14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

For Unto Us A Child Is Born

2008-12-22T11:16:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 9: 6-7

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Some Holiday Poems

2008-12-19T08:42:00.003-05:00

Here are two poems in honor of our soldiers. While both poems are about Marines, we need to always remember the sacrifices of all the men and women who serve our country.

I have no clue who wrote this first poem, but I get it in my email every year and it never ceases to touch my heart.

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said “Its really all right,

I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.”
“It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,

I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ‘Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam’,

And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,

The red, white, and blue… an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and
the sleet,I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.”

“So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”

“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
“Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

This second poem was written by James M. Schmidt in 1986. While I believe that Santa is wrong, the poem is very touching and should be shared.

Merry Christmas My Friend

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live.

I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I just read?
Curled up on his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
and grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how may lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
"Santa, don't cry, for this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his t-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,
said "Carry on Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure."
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper fi and goodnight.

So What Are You Reading?

2008-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

So, what are you reading right now? Are you reading a novel? A biography? Maybe a children's book to your child? But more importantly, are you reading your Bible?

In 2007 I decided to read the Bible chronologically. I found a great reading plan at Local Church Bible Publishers (scroll to the bottom of the page). I started it in the end of 2007, then decided as we entered 2008 that I wanted to finish reading it by the end of the year. It's a good thing that I started it early, due to getting sick in January, I fell behind in my reading. I'm still a bit behind, but I've purposed to have the chronological reading of the Bible finished by December 31st. So what to do for next year?

A few weeks ago, we received a calendar in the mail from Sword of the Lord. In it, were cards for a Genesis to Revelation Bible reading plan. You check off the readings as you go and then mail it to them. I think that this will help keep me accountable, so this is what I'm going to do this year.

So what about you? Are you reading your Bible? How are you reading it next year?

Posted by Michelle at My Life and Ponderings

Great You Tube Video

2008-12-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

Here's a great You Tube Video that I came across on Susan's blog.

James 3: A Story

So Now It's Christmas and Not Holiday?

2008-12-12T12:14:00.002-05:00

Dear Mister Retailer -

You seem to be falling on some hard times. I guess you've realized that after all these years of not caring one bit about what we think, you actually need us and our money. However, don't think that we haven't noticed that when you started panicking about your November and December sales that you started adding Christmas back in to your advertising. Or maybe you're realizing that you need divine intervention to save your company. Either way, I find it quite amusing that after all these years of refusing to utter the word Christmas that you're using it all over the place.

The Recession

2008-12-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

I was watching Barbara Walters' interview with Rush Limbaugh and he made the comment that he refuses to participate in the recession. And you know what, so do I. I'm not letting whatever the latest media scare is (which I think is fueling a lot of this) change my spending habits. Now granted, we've always lived frugally and saved to buy things (well other than car payments and mortgages). We don't live above our means, and we didn't buy a house that we couldn't afford. Basically we use common sense.

So, I've decided, I'm not participating in the recession either.

My tree

2008-12-10T15:29:00.002-05:00

Good night, but it's been a while since I posted (or read blogs for that matter). This past weekend we put up our tree. Here's a picture of it.

The Reason for the Season

2008-12-01T11:21:00.001-05:00

So often we see that phrase in reference to keeping the focus of Christmas on Jesus. It's a cute phrase, and it is true. But we need to be focused on more than just the birth of Jesus (and yes, I realize that Jesus was not born on December 25th and that He was probably born in September). Today in my daily reading, I was reading about Jesus' death and resurrection and it reminded me that even though the focus of the season is on the birth of Jesus, we must never loose site of why He came, and that was to be our Redeemer. And that we are redeemed, not through His birth, but through His death and resurrection.

If Jesus had not died for our sins and been raised from the dead, we wouldn't be celebrating Christmas at all. So really, it is His death and resurrection that is the true reason for the season.

Ooops

2008-11-25T11:51:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. Sorry about that. I've been swamped at work and haven't been feeling all that great.

I'm back on my one medicine, so hopefully I'll start to see an improvement. Also, I will be going in for an electrophysiology study sometime in January. Basically, they will insert catheters into my veins and snake them through to the chambers of my heart where they will proceed to try and get my heart to do its weirdness and figure out what is wrong. So I have that to look forward to. I'm hoping that they find something, cause if they do, they should be able to fix it while there.

And Do Good

2008-11-14T07:49:00.002-05:00

Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore Psalm 37:27

This was one of the verses that we studied last night in service. So often you see people saying things like "a Christian wouldn't do that." They have this whole list of rules that they have to live by. But just not doing things isn't enough, as we see in the above verse. We must also do good. If I'm living a separated life am I doing good? Or am I puffed up on all the things that I don't do? What about the good things that God wants me to do? Am I doing them?

Now I'm not saying that as Christians we should partake in all of the sinful things of the world. We are to depart from evil. But in our departing we can not neglect to do good.

Higher Education

2008-11-12T12:12:00.003-05:00

I was talking with some friends the other day - okay we were all posting on a message board - about an article about kids getting to graduate at 16. The basic just of it is that kids could pass graduation exams at the end of 10th grade and then go on to community college or technical schools. I like the idea. But then again, I think that universities are not good places to send your kids to. Now don't get me wrong, there are certain professions that need a college education - brain surgery is one of them.

The problem that I have with universities is what you are exposing your children (or yourself) to. Most of the classes are taught by people with views that are completely against the Bible and if you dare to disagree, you will be failed. So if I do end up with kids, I think that I will encourage them to go into a field that doesn't require a university degree.

What makes this whole thinking of mine funny is the fact that I work in higher education. :)

General Musings

2008-11-10T09:55:00.002-05:00

If you have a ramp to the interstate closed for weeks, wouldn't you do construction on it then? To me that would be logical. To PennDot, no that's not logical. Instead you work on it while cars are on it and ding them with bits of concrete since you are jackhammering right next to traffic. Ugh!

In other news, I'm quite bummed that it looks like Jimmie Johnson is going to win his third straight NASCAR championship. I'll never deny that he's an amazing driver, but that doesn't mean I have to like him. I'd much rather have seen Biffle or one of the Childress drivers win, but I'd be happy to see Carl Edwards win (he's the only one who still has a chance).

The Good-O-Meter

2008-11-08T16:07:00.001-05:00

A link to this video was posted on Women at the Well and I had to share it with y'all.

And the winner is . . .. the dead guy

2008-11-05T16:16:00.003-05:00

Y'all know that I don't talk politics here. That's not what this blog is about. But I just had to share this with y'all.

Sen. Rhoades is re-elected posthumously

In northeastern PA they reelected their state senator. The only issue - he's been dead for 17 days. They must have really not liked the other guy! A special election will be held in January.

Birthday Party and Other Stuff

2008-11-04T13:34:00.004-05:00

We had a birthday party for my Nana on Sunday. She will turn 80 this month. It was a very nice time. A number of her nieces and nephews showed up. And her only living sister did, as did one of her brothers (the other one still alive is in California).

I'm starting to have trouble with my stomach again. I don't know if it's cause I'm off of my one medicine or not. I go back to the specialist on the 21st and will get the results of my wearing the event monitor for a month. I should also know by then how I am doing off of the medicine.

That's about it here.

Sense and Sensibility

2008-11-02T08:16:00.002-05:00

I happen to love the patterns over at Sense and Sensibility. And for years have wanted to order the Edwardian Apron Pattern, but never got around to it. Imagine my delight when I received the latest e-newsletter from them and read that they had started do e-patterns! Though I'm thinking that this could be dangerous for my pocketbook.

Today's Post . . .

2008-11-01T15:00:00.002-04:00

Is over at the KJV Blog Directory. I'm a contributer there. So grab some coffee and come on over.

On to the New Testament

2008-10-31T10:26:00.002-04:00

I've been reading the Bible in chronological order this year. Actually I started it towards the end of last year. With being sick this year, I've gotten behind. So much so that I'm now running about a month behind on the reading schedule. But I'm pressing on and hope to eventually get caught back up.

At any rate, today I finished reading the Old Testament. So tomorrow I will start in on the New Testament. I'm very excited to start reading the Gospels and to read them in chronological order.

If any of you are interested, here's where I got the reading schedule.

A Quiet Afternoon

2008-10-30T15:26:00.001-04:00

This is one of those times where it is nice having two different offices. They are having a halloween party in my main office right now. The area where they are having it is right outside my office, which means that it would have been very distracting to be sitting in my office. So I am down at my other office. My co-workers here are at the party and I'm enjoying the quiet.

Winter Has Shown Up

2008-10-29T13:43:00.004-04:00

It is snowing. It's melting as soon as it hits the ground, but there is snow in the air none the less. I don't mind the cold too much, at least if I get to stay home and be toasty warm. :)

This is the time of year where I get to bake and make soups and other longer cooking meals, which I love.

I also love watching the snow fall, it just seems so peaceful to me.

With all that said, we should be in the 50s tomorrow, so we still have some time before winter is here to stay

Beside the Still Waters

2008-10-28T11:09:00.002-04:00

I get daily devotionals from a group that I'm on. This year they are written by Mennonite men (I believe, they could be Amish). Today's really spoke to my heart in light of the election and the troubling times that we are facing, so I thought that I would share it with you.

October 28

Directed By God

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:6

Have you ever carried a lantern on a dark road at night? You cannot see more than one step ahead of you. But as you take that one step, the lamp moves forward and another step is made plain. The amazing thing is that you reach your destination safely without once walking in darkness. You have light the entire way, even though it is one step at a time.

What a beautiful example of how the Lord guides His children through life! Many Christians who have walked with the Lord for a long time can say from personal experience that this is the way He has led them and assured them of reaching their destination. Nevertheless, the dark curtain of the unknown veils the Christian pilgrim’s pathway.

The prospect of lurking dangers, pitfalls, and tragic missteps often upsets some weary travelers. They lose the peace and confidence that the Lord intended for them to enjoy. But as they refuse to worry about tomorrow and trust Him for today, they find grace and guidance for each step of the way. The writer of Proverbs said, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. . . . In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.” And David recorded this promise, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” (Psalm 32:8).

We do not have to see beyond what God shows us today. When we simply follow His leading, we have enough light for each step of the way. Isn’t it wonderful to be directed by Him?

If we could see, if we could know—we often say,

But God in love a veil doth throw across our way;

We cannot see what lies before, and so we cling to Him the more,

He leads us till this life is o’er—trust and obey.

William Miller, Middlebury, IN

Hold firm the lantern of truth, and it will guide you aright.

Guilty of the Crime

2008-10-24T11:42:00.001-04:00

The text from Thursday's sermon was Acts 5:27-33

27	And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28	saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
29	Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30	The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31	Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32	And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
33	When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

The crime that the Apostles were guilty of was preaching in the name of Jesus. Would we be accused of evangelizing?

1. The main business of the church is evangelism
- you can't disciple converts that you don't have
2. Evangelism should be conducted as a matter of obedience
3. Obedience in evangelism should be conducted in the Spirit
- The Holy Spirit will give you the words
- be weak
4. The result will be conviction
- both conversion and persecution result from conviction

Will You Be Weak?

2008-10-23T10:29:00.001-04:00

6. For though I would desire to glory , I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. 7. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure . 8. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak , then am I strong.

The text from Wednesday's sermon was 2 Corinthians 12:6-10 and the subject was being weak.
1. God's grace is always enough
- God gives you grace as it is needed and not a moment sooner
2. God's strength is perfected in our weakness
- In 1 Corinthians 1:27 Paul writes, "God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;"
- the key to personal revival is volunteering to be weak
- before we were saved we were without strength.
- Paul came in weakness (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

1. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified
3. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

- God used Moses in spite of and because of his weakness
- our flesh is weak, but the Holy Spirit will make us strong

Messing with the Blog Layout

2008-10-22T15:00:00.003-04:00

So I decided to switch up the blog a bit. Unfortunately, the green which I used previously, does not show up real well on this color scheme. This will only be a problem if you read older posts - the Scripture may be hard to read. If you highlight the text you should be able to read it. I fixed the most recent posts.

Bringing Revival Home

2008-10-21T07:50:00.001-04:00

These are my notes from the Tuesday service. The text is Ephesians 5:17-33

17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
in 19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody your heart to the Lord;
20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
the saviour
23. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is of the body.
24. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
they two
31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and shall be one flesh.
32. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
see that himself;
33. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as and the wife she reverence her husband.

The first place that we should take our revival is back home.
1. You need to have a real revival
- a real revival in our souls will have us being joyful, grateful and unselfish

2. You need to play your role
- The reason that Adam could not find a suitable helper in the animal kingdom is becaue they were not equal. Eve was Adam's equal
- Marriage is a representation of Christ and the church
- The comma after the word wives in verse 22 means that it is addressed to her and the husband should mind his own business, meaning a husband cannot force submission, it must come from the wife's heart
- Likewise, the comma after the word husband in verse 25 means that it is addressed to him and the wife should mind her own business, meaning a wife cannot force love, it must come from the husband's heart.

3. You need to bring up your kids
I will admit, I didn't take notes on this part, seeing as I don't have any kids.

The Church and the Keys of the Kingdom

2008-10-20T07:34:00.005-04:00

The text for the sermon given on the Monday of the Revival was Matthew 16:13-19

13. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14. And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets
15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever though shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In verse 18 the rock refers to Jesus. He is the cornerstone. The true church of Christ is built on the Bible. The word build in verse 18 is from the Greek for build as a house. The word church refers to the people, the congregation the local and visible assembly. Once Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire, it referred to the idea of a universal, visible body. The Reformation brought us the idea of a universal, invisible body.

Every individual in the church has flaws and weaknesses but together we make a great team. Church members have a duty to protect the purity and the unity of the church. The church can't use the keys if there is sin in the the church. We don't find out about sin for no reason or by accident. We find out about it so that it can be confronted and removed from the church.

So what are the keys? In Matthew 18:18-20 we read,

18. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The keys to the kingdom are the church's power in prayer. The phrase "as touching" in verse 19 means symphony with another and with God. When the Church unites and prays about what they believe God wants to happen it will happen.

How do we know what God's will is? In verse 20 we read that Jesus will be with us.

Greater Works

2008-10-18T12:16:00.001-04:00

These are my notes from the Sunday Afternoon service that Brother Flanders gave. The text was John 14:12-16

12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.

Greater works speaks of revivals and awakenings

1. Divine help in keeping the commandments
- the Holy Spirit helps us to keep the commandments
- keeping the commandments is to obey Christ
2. The experience of the presence of Christ
- verse 18 is speaking of the Holy Spirit
3. The Holy Spirit will teach us all things
- he's our primary Bible teachers
4. The Holy Spirit works through us to produce fruit

How Do We Have Revival

2008-10-17T11:24:00.002-04:00

That's the title that I'm giving the Sunday Morning message that Brother Flanders gave. The text was Matthew 6:19-33

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

- During the time of Jesus there was economic hardships
- The single eye in verse 22 means to be focused on God; being singularly focused on God
- Applies to rich and poor alike

How Do We Have Revival
1. Get saved - verse 33
- being saved is not about the good that we do, but rather the good that God did

2. Quite Worrying - verse 25
- Luke 12
- There are things more important than food, drink, clothes, etc.
- The most important thing is to hear the Lord saying "Well done though good and faithful servant"
- In worry we talk to ourself whereas in praying we talk to God

3. Put God first - verse 33
- Focus on heaven
- If we seek God first He will take care of our needs
- The devil will bring people into our lives to disappoint us to get our focus off of God

Can We Do Anything About Having a Revival

2008-10-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

That was the title of the lesson that Brother Flanders gave in our Sunday School hour. The text was James 4:8-10

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

What is Revival?
- Revival is God's people being brought back to spiritual health
- Where God brings His people back to obedience and faith
- God does it for us, but not like a bolt of lightening, we have a responsibility

James 4:1-4
1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The Sickness
- fighting amongst the church
- lustful
- the world us a philosophy of the devil designed to keep us from God.
- lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, pride of life

James 4:5-7
5 Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith,
God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble.
7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The Cure
- the cure is the grace of God and is accessed by our own humbleness (2 Chronicles 7:14)
- submit yourselves to God
- draw nigh to God

Revival Meetings

2008-10-15T10:03:00.003-04:00

This week we are having Revival Meetings at church. Brother Flanders is preaching them. They have been wonderful.

I think though, that some people get the wrong idea about what a Revival Meeting is all about. They think of the great revivals of the past and think that's what the meeting is about. That we're ordering God to do a work like that right now on our time. But that's really not what it's about.

The one thing that the great revivals of the past all had in common was that they started with people getting right with God. And that's what this week's meetings have been about. They have been about us, as indivduals and as a church, getting right with God. To go back to being normal Christians, and not carnel and wordly ones.

I'm going to share the notes that I've taken and will be taking with you. I hope that the notes bless you and challenge you. I know the preaching that I have heard has blessed and challenged me.

Learning From History

2008-10-13T07:29:00.003-04:00

Terri posted this over at Women at the Well and I just felt led to share it in light of the current economic crisis, and in seeing people's reaction to it.

The Only Thing Men Learn From History Is That Men Don't Learn From History

October 12, 1837
Congress fails to calm panic
A few months after praising the success of the "American experiment" in his inaugural address, President Martin Van Buren's faith in the nation was challenged by the Panic of 1837. While rampant expansion and over-extended credit played important roles in causing the crisis, Van Buren's mentor, former President Andrew Jackson, was also a culprit. Jackson's decision to dissolve the Second Bank of the United States contributed to rising inflation and helped trigger the Panic. Van Buren unsuccessfully attempted to cure the depression with a distinctly Jacksonian brew of deflationary tactics designed to protect the national government's fiscal health. His failure to calm the panic prompted Congress to take action on October 12. On this day, the House sanctioned the use of Treasury notes, provided that they didn't exceed $10 million. Unfortunately, Congress's efforts to stabilize the nation's currency failed to lift the depression, which continued to plague the country for the next seven years.

Wherefore remember Part 3

2008-10-09T11:30:00.001-04:00

Again, here is the text from the second chapter of Ephesians.

[11] Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;[12] That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:[13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.[14] For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

The third thing that we are to remember is:

We need to remember our present status
In the verses above we see that we are night to Christ and that He is our peace.

In verses 6 and 7 we see that He has raised us up, that He is kind to us, and that in the time to come He will show us the riches of His grace.

[6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:[7] That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus.

We are also is workmanship (verse 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them) created to do good works.

And finally, we have access to the Father (verse 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father).

I think that sometimes we forget that we are children of the King. That we are called sons and daughters and that we are heirs with Christ (Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise).

I think that sometimes we forget that. And sometimes we don't live like that. Nor do we always think like that.

Wherefore remember Part 2

2008-10-08T11:17:00.002-04:00

Here is the text again from Ephesians chapter 2.

[11] Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;[12] That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:[13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.[14] For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

The second thing that we need to remember is:

We need to remember our precious Savior
We need to remember His sacrifice for us (verse 13 above). We need to remember His love for us (Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.).

We see in verses 4 & 5 that He is rich in mercy and that He has great grace.

[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,[5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

All of us would still be dead and far from God if it wasn't for Jesus Christ.

Wherefore remember Part 1

2008-10-07T10:48:00.001-04:00

During the Sunday morning service Pastor preached a sermon that I dubbed "Wherefore remember." 'm not sure if he called it that or not, but I like it. We start our Revival Meetings next Sunday and this was a message of preparation. Or at least I think it was.

The verses that we read to start were Ephesians 2:11-14, but he quoted the beginning of the chapter also.

[11] Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles
in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the
Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;[12] That at that time ye were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:[13] But now
in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of
Christ.[14] For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down
the middle wall of partition between us;

If you want to read the rest of the chapter, there are many sites online to do that. Just make sure you are reading the King James Version.

He covered three points which I'll cover over the next couple of days. I'll be posting my notes of what he said, as well as my own ramblings. All were things that we need to remember in order to have revival in our hearts. The first point was:

We need to remember our previous situation
We need to remember who and what we were before we were saved. From verse 12 we see that we were without Christ, outside of the covenant with God, without hope, without God. In the beginning of chapter 2 we see that we were dead and that we lived for the world and the devil.

[1] And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins;[2] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience: [3] Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others

Some people lived horrible, sin-filled lives, doing the most vile things before they were saved. Others grew up in a Christian home and were "good" kids. Others grew up in non-Christian homes but were "good" kids. But all were lost. All were dead. All were vile sinners. All needed Christ.

My past may be better or worse than yours. It really doesn't matter. What matters is that we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We didn't deserve it. We deserved hell. But God still saved us. He showed us mercy and grace. And that is something that we need to remember.

SGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-03T11:59:00.001-04:00

So Glad It's Friday!!!!

This has been a long week. This was the first pay of the new Academic Year, with all of the new appointments. Plus it is the pay where we receive our retro pay increases. I only ended up with a handful of problems, we had caught most of them before the pay was run.

This weekend should be a fun one. Tonight we are going to my mom's to celebrate my step-dad's birthday. Tomorrow I am getting my hair done and then have an birthday party for my little cousin. Sunday is church and then the Talladega race. I think that I'll make an apple pie too.

Spiders

2008-10-02T08:16:00.001-04:00

Spiders do not normally bother me. But put a big one in the shower with me at 5:15 in the morning and I turn into a huge chicken!!

I tried yelling for my DH, but he didn't hear me. I had to hurriedly rinse my hair, jump out of the shower, grab my DH's towel from yesterday (the spider was by mine on the shower) and run to the bedroom to wake him up.

He killed it as I stood there shivering. Then I finished my shower.

The Fiery Furnace

2008-09-29T14:32:00.007-04:00

As part of my Bible reading today I read the third chapter of Daniel. This is the chapter where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown in the fiery furnace when they won't worship the image of gold that Nebuchadnezzar made. Once they are thrown in to the fire, a fourth person is in the furnace with them. That fourth person is Jesus pre-incarnate.

I thought of that today as I listened to Rush Limbaugh. As our country seems to get worse and worse. Jesus will be with us in our fiery trials. He will not forsake us, nor abandon us. And that is comforting, very comforting. No matter what happens with the economy, or what happens with the election, Jesus will stand beside us.

Another thing that came to mind is verses 28 - 29

28 Then Nebuchadnez'zar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abed'nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

We know that there will come a time that everyone will not only come to the realization that Nebuchadnezzar did, but that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Amen!

So as we face the possibility of trying times, I look to Jesus for my strength, and pray even so, come, Lord Jesus

Day 4 of Vacation

2008-09-25T10:00:00.001-04:00

Day4 was our last day in eastern Tennessee. We ended up going back to Cades Cove. On the walk back to the car from the John Oliver house, we came upon a doe. Then her fawn joined her. The pictures are a bit blurry cause I had to zoom in more than my camera likes to, but I didn't want to risk spooking them.

After that we did Clingman's Dome again, boy were my legs tired, it was a little less cloudy, though at one point a cloud "sat" on us.

After Clingman's Dome we did Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Here's the street sign for the street you take to it, and no, there are no airports anywhere near. Speaking of signs, here's one you come to on the Newfound Gap Road.

Day 3 of Vacation

2008-09-24T13:42:00.002-04:00

On Day 3 we did Newfound Gap Road and Clingman's Dome. Here are some pictures from the Newfound Gap Road.

Clingman's Dome is the highest peak in the Smokey Mountain National Park and the third highest peak in the eastern United States. You park your car at 6313 feet above sea level and then walk a half a mile up a hill, gaining an additional 330 feet in elevation. Then you climb to the lookout tower. It was a very cloudy day when we were there, but we still had fun.

At the end of Newfound Gap Road is the Okonaluftee Visitor Center. They have a farm museam there that is a lot of fun. They also have free range chickens that wander the place.

After lunch we drove back across the Newfound Gap Road, stopping at Mingus Mill. I bought wheat flour there.

Wednesday evening we attended church at Antioch Baptist Church of Knoxville. That's the church where my friend Lula's husband pastors.

Reading Schedule

2008-09-23T11:11:00.002-04:00

I had a question from a reader about where I found my Bible reading plan. It's a chronological plan. I got it from Local Church Bible Publishers, in Lansing Michigan. I think that they changed their website, at least the one I have bookmarked didn't work. But I was able to find a new one, which I linked to above.

Day 2 of Vacation

2008-09-23T05:46:00.003-04:00

On Day 2 we spent a good part of the day in Cades Cove. Cades Cove has a lot of old buildings in it. There are 3 churches, Primitive Baptist, Methodist and Missionary Baptist. Here is a picture of the Primitive Baptist church and a picture of the Missionary Baptist church.

It also has old houses. Here is a picture of one of them. This is the Dan Lawson House

In the middle of Cades Cove is the Visitors' Center and Farm Museum. I believe that they sometimes do demonstrations there. There's also a working mill there. I bought Corn Meal from it. Here's a picture of a sorghum press and cooker and also of the grinding part of the mill. They were milling corn.

After we finished Cades Cove, we went for a drive on Rich Mountain Road. That was scary! It is a narrow dirt road, thankfully it is one way, with steep drop offs and a lot of switch back curves. However, we did get a spectacular view of Cades Cove from up above it.