Friday, September 26, 2008

Daily Devotional

So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)

The scripture comes from Rick Warrens Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional found here where you will be able to sign up for or read his daily devotionals. Today's featured article is How to Balance Your Schedule which is very good.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Jung Typology Test

Okay, I just took a test called the Jung Typology Test. Needless to say, it was very interesting. It turns out that I am an ISFJ which means I'm
slightly expressed introvert
slightly expressed sensing personality
distinctively expressed feeling personality
moderately expressed judging personality

I'm a guardian type person with the best types of jobs being; owning my own business or climbing the ladder to influential positions. LOL!

The famous people of whom I follow after are:
Mother Teresa!!!! Great woman who won my heart years ago.
George H.W. Bush who was a great president. I loved Barbara.
Jimmy Steward. What a great man!
And then one I'm not so keen on, Tsar Nichols II who was Russia's last emperor of whom was not well liked. But hey, 3 out of 4 is pretty darned good. Hee hee.

If you would like to take the test click here:
http://www.humanmetrics.com/ It;s fun to say the least, and you learn a little something about yourself you never knew before. Let me know what you are.

Words to Live By

Words to Live By
by: Mother Theresa
"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior
motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful you will win some false friends and
true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy
overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness; they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was
never between you and them anyway." – Mother Teresa

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Mixed Sites for Kids and Parents

The following are links to sites I have found to have fun and interesting projects to do with children wether it be crafts or learning. The last half of the section--which is marked--is of christian sites. I take care of some of my grand children full time and have found these sites to be very helpful. Some more than others of course. Enjoy, and I hope you too will find some if not all of them to be beneficial to you as well.

Kindergarten Kafe: Five year olds tell how to cook all kinds of goodies. Very cute page.
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/kk.html This comes from Alphabet Soup. It’s an area that offers all types of activities for kids of all ages.

Kinder Art.com
http://www.kinderart.com/crafts/

Scholastic
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=11729

Hands On Crafts for Kids
http://www.craftsforkids.com/projects.htm

Learning Page.com
http://www.learningpage.com/free_pages/home.html

Kid Source On Line
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/preschoolers.education.html

Printable Certificates, Awards, etc.
http://www.123certificates.com/

radKids Safety Education
http://radkids.org/

School Express.com
http://www.schoolexpress.com/

Cute Colors is a site for crafts, clipart, etc. some of it is free, some of you have to buy
http://www.cutecolors.com/

Easy Fun School
http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1679.html

Mrs. Meacham’s Classroom
http://www.jmeacham.com/

The following links are Christian sites for kids and parents. Awesome sites.

MSSS Crafts and Resources for Bible Stories
Old Testament Stories

http://msssbible.com/oldtestament/

Christian Answers.Net
Kid explorers

http://www.christiananswers.net/kids/amzbk-0.html

DLTK’s Growing Together
Bible Activities

http://www.dltk-bible.com/

Creative Bible Study
Children’s Bible Lessons

http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/childrensbiblelessons.html

Disciple Land Preschool
http://www.discipleland.com/preschool.phtml?ckc=0

Christian Preschool Printable’s
http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/

Parent Handbook for Scripture Memory
This site works with different age groups

http://www.centralpc.org/ministry/children/memorybk.htm

The Children’s Chapel
Scripture Memory and Coloring Sheets

http://misslink.org/children/memory.html

Child Bible Story On Line
This offers audio read along

http://www.childrenstory.info/biblestoryforchild/chdbbljoseph.html?cPath=50

Hubbard’s Cupboard is one of my favorite sites
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/

Dare 2 Share
Training Teenagers to Transform their World!

http://www.dare2share.org/free/

Diane Drew’s Kid Page
http://www.dianedew.com/kidspage.shtml





Scars of Life

The following is an e-mail I had recieved and felt compelled to share it with everyone. Just goes to show how strong our Fathers love is for us. Very touching!

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida; a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water; he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms
just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.
The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.
His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go.' You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us
deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go. You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through. Never judge another person's scars, because you don't know how they got them. Also, it is so important that we are not selfish, to receive the blessings of these messages. Always tell your family and friends how much You Love Them!!!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Music

There are so many wonderful artists out there today. We had the pleasure of listening to Leeland last Sunday at Capitol Christian Center during Worship service. They are from an area where hurricane Ike hit. There parents church was flooded. Please pray for them. What a refreshing young group. Leeland is amazing with his walk with God. He understands, and is very wise at such a young age. He is truly an inspiration for all ages.
Third Day with Mac Powell is another amazing man. His Cry Out To Jesus really touched us. Our son made the comment that the song puts warmth in your heart and you feel the sincerity in his voice. Your Love O Lord is another that really touches the heart.
While attending the Gaither Homecoming Tour a few weeks back, we had the pleasure of hearing Gordon Mote sing some of his songs. We fell in love with Don't Let Me Miss The Glory. Gordon was born blind and started playing the piano at age 3! He can tickle those ivories with the best of them. His love for God and family is pure and heart warming. It just goes to show, with God, we can overcome!
Bill and Gloria Gaither are two wonderful people that have a wonderful gospel show. The people with their group are amazing. We love to hear about those that had been there before. There trip to Jerusalem was great! Ernie Hass and the Signature Sound are also amazing. When the Gaither Homecoming and Ernie and his group sang together, it was awesome! Give it Away is one of my favorites. The song says it well about giving of oneself. We can't take it with us when we're gone, so why are we hanging on to it?
And the list goes on and on and on. There are too many favorites to list them all. I do recommend that if you have not heard, Don't Miss the Glory yet, try to hear it along with the others mentioned.
Anyone have anything to share with this list?

Friday, September 19, 2008

Palin/McCain



How about Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain! Are they two great women or what? Imagine what the two of them together could accomplish in the Oval Office. Both have a heart for God and our country. It is refreshing to see two great people who could do so much good for our country and turn us around to where we need to be once more in the running. Cindy McCain deserves more recognition than what she is receiving. Let's pray for Sarah and her family as well as Cindy and hers until the elections are over. Think of the power of prayer in numbers.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Words of Wisdom

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)

Provided by: The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Family

The following has always been a favorite as to the meaning of family. The original writer is unknown, but whoever wrote it had a heart and was very wise.

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please, excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a diffrent story is told.

How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself; pink, yellow, and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today.
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY: Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days? But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ather (A)nd (M)other (I) (L)ove (Y)ou

I keep this on my refrigerator door as a constant reminder. But somehow it gets covered up from time to time. Once I realize it, I bring it to the front once again. If we stop and think about it, probably a majority of us are guilty of this very thing. I hate to admit it, but I am. It is very easy to treat those that are strangers or accuaintances with respect, but at home it is a whole different world. We need to remind ourselves about the importance of family. Remember that God so loved the little children.

To my beautiful seven grand children, I pray that I will always treat you with
the same kindness and respect that a total stranger receives. You are a blessing
and miracle created for us from our Heavenly Father to care for and to love,
not to abuse nor neglect. I love you all unconditionally.

Testimonial of Depression

Depression: Many of us have dealt with some type of depression from time to time. Some deal with it for weeks, months, or even years; some for a life time.
I'm a person who has bipolar disorder. I've been on medication for about 10 years. Once coming to Christ, I decided to take a leap of faith. The medication I was on was causing me to gain weight. I was tired of being fat, which in itself was depressing.
I talked to my doctor and she took me off the medication slowly, agreeing to try a new medication if I experienced any problems. I felt all was going well minus the dizzy spells from the descention of medication. I felt good, felt happy, was determined more than ever this was going to happen. During this time I had my first experience of being filled by the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful day it was! All day I was consumed and blessed. It was one of the most beautiful experiences I had ever had.
The next day was totally different. I felt down, angry, disturbed, you name it. I wasn't myself and didn't know what was going on. I immediately tried reading the Bible, and couldn't. I tried praying and have never had a problem with hearing God's voice; nothing but silence. I began to panic. All I could think of is how could this be happening? How can a person go from one day of being totally consumed by the Holy Spirit and the next day empty, unable to read the Word, or pray and hear His voice? Talk about depressed.
I kept it to myself feeling it was only temporary. Little did I know that my family was sensing that something was wrong, but was used to my occasional moodiness. So they kept quiet, not realizing I was in need of intervention. This went on for a week. By the following weekend, I was a mess. I had given up. I thought I must be consumed by the devil. Why? How could that be? I loved the Lord our God! I believed and wanted so bad to be a good servant of His. How could this happen? What did I do wrong?
Of course the irrational thoughts kept coming at me harder and harder, until I started to isolate myself. I hated what was happening. I figured if I was that consumed by Satan, then I didn't need to be here. I thought about my family and what they would go through if I took my life and began to weep. I went for a walk at 4:30 am without a coat and it was cold. I took my I-Pod that has nothing but Christian music on it to try one more time to connect with our Father. Still nothing.
When I arrived back home, I sat in a room that no one usually used and sat there in the dark crying. Trying to ask why, but not realizing how I was going about it. I heard my husband come down stairs and thought, please, don't come in here. Leave me alone. You don't want to be near me. I don't want to hurt you. But he came in any how. He asked what was going on with me, but I began to cry to the point where I wasn't coherent.
My beautiful, wonderful, husband then done the greatest thing he could have ever done. He placed his hand on my shoulder and began to pray. He prayed loud and clear. I continued to cry thinking to myself, babe, you're just wasting your time. I'm too far gone. There is nothing you can do now. No one can help me.
Just then I felt compelled to start praying too. Then I lifted my hands and--I can not begin to explain the feeling--but God reached down--I saw his hand--and He grabbed mine and pulled me out of that deep, dark, miry whole I was slowly sinking in. Then he told me, "Daughter of mine, I never left you. You just forgot how to talk to me and ask me for help. I've been here the whole time waiting for you to call out to me. You did not listen for my voice. I will never leave you. Always remember to listen for my voice and to stay in constant contact with me. I love you. I want you to go see your doctor. You did not ask me if you should go off your medication, you made the decision on your own. I created doctors for a reason. Go back on your medication."
I realized then what had gone wrong. I did not ask guidance. I did not pray about going off the medication. I just took for granted that the Lord is always there and would be glad I was going off it in faith. Our dad wants us to keep in constant conversation with Him. He wants us to ask. He knows all, there is nothing He does not know. All we have to do is ask Him what "He" wants us to do. I realized that I was so caught up in the moment that I did not take time to pray, to talk to Him, to ask, I was drifting at times--a part time Christian--something I swore I'd never be. It's easy to get into that position.
Something to remember as well, the closer we come to God, the more the enemy strikes. We need ot be able to recognize that and take a stand rather than give in to it.
Now if I do not get up and say, "Good morning Father, Good morning Jesus, Good morning Holy Spirit and get into the word, talk to Him in silence, I feel empty. The day becomes a mess. I can always tell when I've walked away. These days, I make sure I get in the Word, whether it be through Capitol Christian Center, the web site of our church, Pod Casts, or Reading the Bible or other Christian books. Life is too precious and the promise at the end of our lives on Earth is too precious to lose. Keep the Faith! Keep in constant conversation! God is Good, All the Time! And All the Time, God is Good! We can not go it alone. Got Jesus? I do! :)