New Season

It's a new season personally (and seasonally)........I think most of us women feel it deep in our heart......when there is closure of one season giving room to the other

THANK YOU JESUS

The Lord asked 3 1/2 years ago something of me personally that I 'idealistically' obeyed-
I Stepped out of comfort zone bright eye'd, well dressed, 'I can do this'
Had I known then what I know now would I have followed?
Oh Yes......But instead of bright eyes I would have upward turned eyes on bended knee
Instead of pursuing physically well dressed I would have well placed Spiritual Dress
Instead of 'I can do this'........'I can only thru you Lord Jesus do the task set before me'

THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE SUMMER SEASON- For the 2 years of summer that you required hands on learning lessons
THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE 'inbetween season'- the year and a half that followed

THANK YOU JESUS FOR FALL
My most favorite time of year.......it always follows summer.......

YES INDEED, A NEW SEASON started on bended knee.........

Pumpkin Patch

My son Ryan mentioned, in passing, a few evenings ago that we should go to our local pumpkin patch.....'Let's take Ellie!' was his next request......This was Elle's first trip- last year she was still pretty small (and I was pretty tired).  Matt was able to meet us there (Eli had to work)........It was a wonderful afternoon!

Oct 2011 (4 months old)

Oct 2012 (16 months old)

showing us her pumpkin :)

Matt was able to meet us!!

Getting her hand licked by the goat

Along with being a pumpkin patch it is also a samll petting zoo.......


 

A great way to end a fun afternoon

All Fired Up!! :) What do you love about your church part 2

Something has been on my mind for the past 6 months- Please know that I am not trying to tell anyone how to live- I am a passionate person so sometimes when I get all fired up about something it can come across over powering- In this case, it is simply me, working through a situation 'out loud' on my blog in front of anyone who chooses to read it (If I am already annoying you, I am so sorry- Please know I completely annoy myself a lot too).  As I shared in This blog post it seems like, for whatever reason, in my circle of social settings I have been hearing (and seeing) a shift in attitude about what Church is corporately and the importance of it (talking about Church attendance for Christians)- Deep in my heart this bothers me.  It get's my attention- At first it caused me to go straight to the Bible and dig around- Was I putting the 'tradition' of attending church  above what God had to say about the matter in scripture- Was the importance of Church only my 'opinion' with no supporting scripture- At the same time I started fervently praying for God to give me insight (James 1:5) into why exactly I was so bothered and to give me the wisdom to be discerning (I hear lots of off based 'Christian' stuff all the time- In one ear and out the other so to have something get my attention I knew I needed to pay attention because God was trying to teach me a thing or two) Next I asked my husband what he 'Biblically' believed on the subject.........then listened to a sermon my pastor taught on the subject (it's right on- If you want the link to it send me a pm on facebook and I will link it to you)..........then talked to some of my close Godly friends about where they stood ..........then I asked for people to send me a message with what they loved about their church  (Thank You- I enjoyed reading each and every one. I did not end up copying and re pasting but from what you all said, I think you will be pleased with the points below).
I am so thankful for the Spiritual learning curve over the past 6 months- I went into it with a 'gut' feeling about church and came out the other side with scripture based fact and a deep rooted conviction-  This season also taught me to really stop and evaluate my spiritual convictions....are they feelings and opinions or Biblical Godly facts that the Lord states clearly in the Bible.
My heart is so thankful for the Bible- for it's narrow roaded read- the inspired word of God
and so grateful for a husband that loves the Lord
My heart is also so grateful for the doctrinally sound pastors at my church and others like them around the world that tackle tough subjects (like this one) and speak God's word
and grateful for Godly friends that will go straight to scripture before answering if they thought the attendance of church was based on scripture or just tradition
I am most grateful that God, in His always faithful way, took away my lack of wisdom in this matter and replaced it with His truth's
A Gentleman named H.B. Charles Jr. is a Baptist Preacher out in Florida- He had this to say about Church Attendance...........I totally agree-

•  The word of God teaches it (Heb. 10:24-25). A high and correct view of scripture demands regular church attendance.
• Corporate worship is where the preaching and teaching of God’s word takes place (2 Tim. 4:1-5).
•  It follows the example set by the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 4:16).
• It is a wise and proper use of the privilege we have to publicly and corporately worship God. There are Christians in other lands who do not have this freedom. The only way for us to express our gratitude for this liberty is to use it faithfully and thankfully.
•  Your neglect of corporate worship grieves the Holy Spirit who lives within the individual believer and the church as a whole (Eph. 4:30).
• It brings joy to the spiritual leaders who watch over your soul and who must give account for you. Absenteeism grieves them and is unprofitably for you (Heb. 13:17).
•  It demonstrates that you share the mission and ministry of the particular church family of which you are a member.
•  Your absence from church services renders it difficult, and in some instances impossible, for you to participate in the church’s mutual ministry to itself, especially the “one another” commands of the New Testament.
•  You need the encouragement that comes from the assembling of the saints (Heb. 10:24-25). In fact, the more evil the days become, the more you need this encouragement.
•  God demands first place. We should give God the first part of our financial increase. We should have a daily quiet time to give God the first part of our day. And we should regularly attend church on Sunday to give God the first part of our week.
•  It is a way of preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
• Public and corporate worship is one of the key places where you exercise your spiritual gifts. It is a strategic place to minister to other believers (1 Co. 14:12-14).
•  Your regular attendance serves as a positive example and influence for others.
•  If you take part in some ministry of the church – and you should – your absence can hinder the overall effectiveness of the group and discourage other members.
• Being involved in public and corporate worship services counteracts our self-centeredness.
• You should take the time to stop and say “thank you” to God for bringing you through another week.
• Absenteeism is a poor testimony to unbelievers who see your inconsistency (John 13:34-35).
•  True and saving faith will create love for that which Christ loves; namely, the church (Eph. 5:25). Regularly attending church services is a fundamental way to show your love for the bride of Christ.
• It is the practice of good habits like regular church attendance that builds spiritual character.
• The New Testament teaches us to recognize, to share all good things with, to submit to, and to honor the spiritual leaders who teach us the word. Attending worship is a way of doing that. (Remember, not only are we accountable to the word of God, we are also accountable to those who God uses to teach us his word.)
•  Attending public and corporate worship services renews and strengthens us for the days ahead (Heb. 10:24-25).
•  Corporate worship helps reinforce the truth that worship is not about getting from God. Fundamentally, Christian worship is about giving to God.
•  Public and corporate worship is the officially designated place to carry out the ordinances of the church – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

________________________________________________

Here are some other interesting facts I came across.....

• 'I love church. What a harbor it has been to me through the years. I love the Table. I love its Head. My life would be a black hole without Christ and the communion of saints.' ~ Beth Moore
•  Corrie Ten Boom loved and served the Lord, and was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church.
• Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter) who stopped attending church for a season of time because of 'too many bad experiences in church to believe that God dwells there—and only there. She was kicked out of one church, she says, for insisting on the inerrancy of Scripture. She left another more recently in a fight concerning a new pastor. She soon came to realize that she was a "believer in exile," she says, and for more than a year she wandered from church to church looking for a home. "I've had Christians treat me in a way that is so wrong and so vicious, I realized there's a difference between God's people and God.".........had this to say after passing through the 'no church' season and finding a new church home “Church may not be necessary to knowing God", she says, "but it keeps the relationship going-You can really love the Lord, but after a while, if you’re all by yourself, the fire goes cold.”
• The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Web site encourages new Christians to make church a regular part of their lives: "Whatever it meant to you in the past, going to church can now become a rich and rewarding experience."

Hunting & High Heels

Congratulations to my son Eli who shot his first buck today (It's a fork...whatever that means- maybe girl deers are called 'spoons'........hee!)
Congratulations to my daughter Ellie who, at 15 months old, successfully walked around in her first set of high heels (never mind that when my boys got wind of it they talked her into wearing her camo croc's)

Ellie checking things out

Showing his mama the bullet

What do you love about your Church?

This post is lovingly dedicated to my home church.......A large, somewhat awkward looking building, that upon fist glance holds the hearts of some of the most precious believers I know- Looking deeper, It's not the building that holds the hearts but it is God in us offering us a place to gather together to learn more about Him-

Often I will tell my husband Matt 'Hey Babe, will you tell me 3 things you love about me and I will tell you 3 things I love about you?'  Hearing Matt speak out what he appreciates about me is HUGE- It is so affirming and is a great reminder of Matt's love for me when I get discouraged.  But even more important is the reminder for me to look at what I love about Matt.  I can think of the negative in a quick hurry but sometimes fail to stop and think about what I love about him...........Where am I going with this?  Often I think the negative gets focused on when it comes to Church- We are quick to speak about what we don't like.......What our pastor said that irritated us.......Why we don't think Church is important......How the church did not meet our expectations in some way or another.

Recently, one of our precious church ladies had the courage to stand up in front of a group of ladies and describe what church has meant to her (she has served in one capacity or another at our church for 40+ years).....  She didn't say as much but I bet if you asked, she would say over the years there has been plenty of opportunities to become negative and bitter towards her church family- Plenty of reasons to abandon ship and find a new church home........She and her family choose to stay loyal.....keep the course.......keep serving the church.......keep attending Sunday after Sunday..........Among other things, her and her family remembered to look at the positive-

That being said, what do you love about your church/church family- It can be a 1 word answer or a 100 words....Please do not hold back from answering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will copy and past your answers (For Privacy, I will not use your name) and post them on a blog post soon- If we are friends on facebook you can send me a message via my personal inbox if we are not you can make a comment under this post (I will not post your comment publicly but will copy and past it)-

I will start us off with 10 of my own- (they are in no certain order)

What I love about my church:

1. We have a Sunday School teacher that uses a felt board......how homey is that!
2. That the Word of God is taught in a doctrinally sound way 
3. My pastor who calls us his family and his wife who unselfishly serves
4. Youth Group/Awana/ and all the other kid orientated programs-
5. When someones cell phone goes off during service- It always cracks me up
6. The teens gathered together in a clump of giggles just outside of the sanctuary
7. When there are audio difficulties and the singers are smiling and carrying on as if nothing unusual is happening- I know if I was up there I would have to stop and acknowledge the problem and crack a joke about it :) :)
8. God is found in our hearts yes, but I believe He is so honored when we gather together as believers and worship Him in a Church Setting 
9. The bonds of friendship that are made as we gather together between the walls of our church and fellowship together- whether it be at a Bible Study, chili cook-off, soup dinner, etc..
10. The nursery/child care workers that graciously offer their time each Sun. so that mothers with young babies/children can sit in service while their children are taken care of!!!

Stand Strong Sister....U R LOVED!

We are going through the Bible Study Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed right now at my Church.  About 40 ladies meet together once a week for 8 weeks- This Study focuses on the life of David.
There are 3 speakers teaching in this study: Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore.  This week, Priscilla focused on, among other things, that David realized God had established him as King (1 Chron 14:2).  She (P) related this to our lives by asking 'How can we walk confidently into situations we feel ill equipped to handle?' 
As Christians, God has asked us to step out of our comfort zone and live beyond ourselves..........
Honestly, it's in the obedience of living beyond myself that I find my greatest insecurity.
It is often hard to get beyond how I 'feel' and focus on the truth that God is giving me all I need to do the things He wants me to do- My self esteem should not be based on 'me' but on God's Truths.   Recognizing that Just like God had established David (and David realized this) God has established us ......
God adores us- He see's us as His masterpiece- He accepts us for who we are, not for who others say we should be (or even who we think we need to be) etc....

As a group we did the exercise below........

2 Corinthians 3:5-6

"Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant."

 

'GOD DID NOT SELECT ME TO_________________________________________(we filled in the blanks with what God has called us personally to during this season of our life)

BECAUSE HE KNEW I WAS ALREADY CAPABLE.  RATHER, HE PICKED US UP, DUSTED OFF MY INCAPABILITY, REPLACED IT WITH HIS ABILITY AND SECURED MY SUCCESS WHEN I CHOOSE TO REST AND TRUST IN HIM TO WORK SUPER-NATURALLY IN ME!'
(The above is a quote by Priscilla- pg.24)

 

We then went through verses that confirm God's Truth........

 

• God Chose me (John 15:16)
• God is leading me- I need only to follow Him (Psalm 23:1,3 & Ex. 33:15)
• God knows all of my needs- He cares about all of my needs- I do not need to worry because God will meet all of my needs (Matt 6:30-32)
• God is guarding my heart and mind0 He is an ever present source of peace when I am stressed out, anxious, over-whelmed (Phil 4:6,7)
• God will never ask me to do anything that He is not giving me the strength, self esteem, wisdom, or ability to do (2 Cor 3:5,6)
• God is giving me strength and protecting me (2 Thes. 3:3)
• God is giving me everything I need to live the life He has called me to and to be the Godly women/wife/mother/friend/etc. that He is asking me to be (2 Pet 1:3)
• I am God's masterpiece (AMEN!!) Eph 2:10



Houzz it Going :)

This is a totally random post- The only reason I am posting this on here is because I can't remember my password to get onto pinterest (so I could pin and not post....... :) )

Paint Color I want to remember: Benjamin Moore Pike's Peak Gray......beautiful both as an interior and exterior color

(found on houzz.com- Home websites usually do not catch my eye (it's more about fashion or Evangelical websites for this girl)- This (houzz- www.houzz.com ) site is exceptionally fun to look at for home ideas!

I just tried to copy and past the picture of what Pike's Peak Gray looks like- it's embedded (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ANYWAY?) but here is the link- http://www.houzz.com/benjamin-moore-pikes-peak-gray