It's not even baby's milk

Story after story after story (and we are not talking about stories from the bible)...no reading from scripture...no one has bibles in their hands, including the pastor...every prayer is read from a piece of paper...communion taken without preparing hearts...






What is that??? 


Some call it church.  My question is why?  how?  I don't get it??


My heart ached for this church and I left longing for the meat of Christ. 


While leaving today my daughter said..."is it over already?  What kind of church is this?" 



For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires. They will refuse to listen to the truth and will turn to myths.2 Timothy 4:3

Funny, but True

He Cracks me up.  I don't always agree with him but on this I do.  You have to listen to the whole thing to hear his good points.






If for some reason you can't see my video go here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkHl0MK_ZdY

A Friend and I were just saying....

 Imagine if women.....did laundry together, cooked together, cleaned together, taught their children together, fellowshiped together, prayed together, read scripture together, and learned from each other.  What if we encouraged each other to love our husbands, to love our children, to love thy neighbor.  What if we didn't gossip, and we thought the best of each other, spoke truth to each other, and trusted each other.......

(I do realize I live in dreamland and some are laughing at me)

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No nation has ever made any progress in a downward direction. No people ever became great by lowering their standards. No people ever became good by adopting a looser morality. It is not progress when the moral tone is lower than it was. It is not progress when purity is not as sweet. It is not progress when womanhood has lost its fragrance. Whatever else it is, it is not progress!  ~Author unknown

Photo Shoot......Updated

So Scottsdale Mom Blogs was advertising that Boon Co. (a company that sells baby products) was looking for baby models.  I replied to the baby model search with a couple of Madi's photos not even thinking for one second anything would come of this and this is what I received today via e-mail.....

Madi is just adorable. We would love to use her for the photo shoot. We have an opening tomorrow and Friday as well as next week. Please call me at xxx.xxx.xxxx so we can schedule a time that works for you.

Best,

Kemie

Hmmm, this could be fun, or not???  Don't even know what to expect.  Not sure how this is going to work since it is so hard for me to get Madi to smile???  

Wish us luck!  

 My little goof ball!!!

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Up Date on the Photo Shoot.


So, I called them late this morning and they said they were actually on scene and wanted us to come down by 11:30 am.  That gave me one hour to get everyone ready. YIKES!


We went and we had fun!  I am a complete DORK though because I forgot my camera!!!!  I could kick my self.  


Madi did great!  She got to advertise some really awesome products!!  One was this empty bean bag that you fill with your stuffed animals.  Is that genius idea or what!?!?  It's a place to put the stuffed animals, get them out of the way not to mention, now you have a seat for the child.  I WANT ONE!!  Why didn't I think of this???  
It was really cute because Madi was bouncing,and laying on it while laughing the whole time.  They were so excited she was doing that.  Great opportunities for some great shots.  They also put this other cute girl in the shot and tried to get them to play together but that didn't last too long. 

The next thing was this very cool high chair along with some organizational stuff.  They had Madi sit in it up at the counter top with the organizational stuff and had her coloring pictures while taking shots of her.  She loved it. 

 It was a fun experience and I'm grateful we got to be a part of it.  Something fun to put in the baby book. They took a bazillion shots. Not sure when I will ever get to see the pictures?  

Oh and they sent me home with some really cool stuff...

 This grass thing is sooooooo way cool.  Glad I got it!

 They actually had put markers and different art stuff in it.  I also saw a picture of it with flower sticking out of it and it was being used as a center piece. Very excited because these things fit well in our modern house.

"It is our being clear about what we all stand for which gives unity and confidence.'   D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

 

Something I am guilty of... is, thinking that someone is not thinking the best of me which actually means... I am not thinking the best of them if, I think they are not thinking the best of me.  (did you get that?? LOL)  Really trying hard to work on that.  A conviction of mine. Trying not to be defensive...trying to get over myself.

For or Against....

If we all understood this a little bit more, http://www.joyfullyathomeblog.com/2010/03/humanists-on-education_16.html,  I would hope we would re-think some of our decisions. 

I love this article, http://www.ncfic.org/weblogmodule/view/id/548/src,  for so many reasons.  One thing that stood out to me was that he realized he was actually working against what he knew to be true and right.

"As with most educators in the system, I have been sincere in my efforts to apply the doctrines of those we call the founding fathers of education, but I have realized that I have been sincerely wrong. My research into the real philosophies and beliefs behind men such as Rousseau, Dewey, Hall, etc. has opened my eyes. I am now aware that not only have I not been working for God, I have been working in complete opposition to Him. I mistakenly thought I was on neutral ground: there is no neutral territory."

Makes me think of this scripture:    Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.  Colossians 2:8

You are either for a cause, working to further the cause, supporting the cause or.... you are working against it.


In this case, the cause is Christ and Christian Education.


"Education is thus a most powerful ally of humanism, and every American school is a school of humanism. What can a theistic Sunday school's meeting for an hour a week and teaching only a fraction of the children do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching?" ~Charles F. Potter, in "Humanism: A New Religion     (Scary stuff!!)

I know some will say "we need more like him in our educational system".  I get what you are saying but don't miss the point here.  Education was never meant to be the federal governments responsibility.  It is actually contrary to the constitution, not to mention we have a government that works against God and good morals.  Matthew 12:30

Grab Your Tissues...

James 5:16...It's Not Easy!!!

Confessing our sins to one another is never easy!  It takes courage and a fear of God to be able to do it.   Curious, do you think there is ever a time where you should not confess a sin?   I have heard reasons as to why people chose not to confess certain things but to me, so far, it has just sounded like a fear of man issue.  If we truly fear God wouldn't we want to handle our transgressions on this side of Heaven? As I have searched for wisdom in this area it seems pretty clear as to what scripture says.  James 5:16, Proverbs 28:13, Matthew 5:23-24 and there is more I could add to that.  

Why am I bringing this up??? There is a sin I am going to be confessing to someone very soon and I am not looking forward to it.  I am nervous as all get out, scared it could damage a relationship, worried this person won't forgive me, and I have been completely humbled right down to the dirty floor by my sin.  This is where the blood of Christ blows me away.  That He would choose to die for me!!!!

It would be so easy to sweep this under the rug and don't think that I have not been tempted to do that.  I have even had others tell me that it might not be best for me to confess this due to the repercussions. I understand that, and I know people are just trying to protect me and the feelings of the other person.  I get it, but do we not get the fact that God is so good and that He had a great plan when he said to confess our sins to one another?.?. Also, when dealing with the transgression, it has caused me to ask myself why did I commit that sin?  That's the real issue and it needed to be rooted out so that I would not be tempted to sin in this area again.


My prayer is that someone would read this and too be encouraged to do what is right by God.  I'll pray for you...if you'll pray for me.  I need it!!!!!!!!

I Couldn't Sleep, So I Decided to Write.

I have been trying to wrap my mind around His goodness lately, thinking back on the hard times and seeing what God has brought me through.  It is always encouraging to see how faithful He was, and to see what gifts He had given me in those tough times, Isaiah 45:3.  His mercies were new every morning, just like He promised.  But, of course He is faithful and of course He is good! ALWAYS!...that's not the question, right?  The question is my faith and my obedience.  When I look back on how I handled those valleys, I see disobedience.  Ye of little faith.  I acted like a fish out of water, a cat in water, freaking out and once again acting as if God was not a sovereign God in control of it ALL!


I jotted down some things I have seen around me or have personally experienced, things that have made me freak out and stress over.


God takes a father home and in our eyes, it was much to soon.
A father loses his job.
Bankrupt.
In a job that totally sucks.
A child was called home.
Womb is closed.
Womb is open to 13.
Womb open to 6, most with disabilities.
God ends a relationship... was not ready for it to be ended.
A child is battling a life long disease.
Single parent.
A husband is not the priest, prophet, protector, provider He was created to be.
Family members are not saved.


So many valleys, pain and uncomfortable situations.  Really... how good is He?  But again, that's not the question.  As I read I see time and time again how good He is.  If I truly believe in Jesus the Christ, the sovereign God of the Universe, trust in His promise Romans 8:28 then, I know  He is good!  The question is not Him, it's me!


I was recently reading in Judges 7.  Gideon, along with the people of Israel, were getting ready to take on Midian.  God told Gideon that....vs. 2  "The people who are with you are too many for me to give Midian  into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying 'my own power has delivered me.'


If you continue to read you will see that God had Gideon dwindle the people down to a group of 300.  They started off with 33,000!!!  I think if I were apart of the 300 I would have been a bit scared.  Of course we see in vs. 28, Midian was subdued and once again all the glory goes to God!!!!  It was His mighty hand, not theirs. 


When I apply that story to my life or to the situations mentioned earlier, I begin to wonder...am I freely (freely being the key word, Philippians 2:14) allowing God to put me into uncomfortable situations OR.... am I trying to limit God, so that life is manageable in my own strength.  "We are weak but He is strong, Yes Jesus love me..."  I KNOW  I know I know, that I AM WEAK, I can't handle much...that's the scary part!!! BUT, so that I "would not become boastful."


I think for me, If I am really honest, I am scared to see just how good He really is because that would require a lot of obedience and it most certainly would require uncomfortable situations. 


Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours.  Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will.  Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low by You.  Let me have all things, let me have nothing, I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.  And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours.  So be it. Amen.
~ John Wesley

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I wrote that last night and then this morning I read this devotional.  

http://utmost.org/the-brave-friendship-of-god/