Food for thought

Sunday at church we had the privilege to hear our new youth pastor speak. He exceeded our expectations and gave us some really good food for thought!

He taught us about the ten commandments. I know your thinking, I know them, I follow most of them, what else is new? Well, I want to share with you my notes, because I walked away looking at the commandments in a whole new way. When we look at the commandments we are typically looking at what we should NOT do. What about the fact that if it's telling us not to do something, then it's giving a clear picture of what we should do!

10. Do not covet your neighbor, his house, his wife or anything that is his. The definition of neighbor is

1. One who lives near or next to another
2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another
3. A fellow human
4. Used as a form of familiar address.

So basically a neighbor is either someone who lives near or next to us but that also includes someone within close proximity to us! Someone you are having a conversation with at the store, they are your neighbor! Someone you are sitting next to at a conference, neighbor. You get the picture.Um, yeah. I can't even recall the amount of times I have coveted because I wanted something that someone else had. I NEEDED it! HAD to have it! So instead of coveting what my neighbor's have, why not be happy with what God has blessed us with already?!

9.Do not lie about your neighbor.This one is pretty straight forward. If you're not supposed to lie about someone, you're supposed to tell the truth. Only speak truth about people! I'll admit, we have one neighbor that is very difficult to live by! While, we do not lie about them, we do gossip about them and that is wrong. God convicted me on this one too!


8. Do not steal.Now, I am sure, most of us think of material possessions when we read this command, but lets think of another thing. How about stealing someones hope, joy, dreams, etc...? We are in tough financial times as a family right now. We don't get to go out and do things like we used to. We aren't going to be able to get the girls many gifts for Christmas. So inside, when I hear about people shopping and all the things their kids are going to wake up and see Christmas morning or all the fun activities that they get to go out and do, yes, jealousy creeps into my heart and while I am excited for them, I might be stealing their excitement and joy by being half-hearted in my reaction. So, while it is our family's season for tightening the buckle, so to speak, it doesn't mean that I can't share in others good fortunes and things they are able to do and being sincere in my reactions!

7. Do not commit adultery.Don't cheat on your spouse. Sounds simple to me! But I have a great husband! A God fearing man who knows what the Bible says about cheating on your spouse. So I choose to be the kind of wife that God calls me to be! No I am not saying I am perfect, far from it. Nor am I saying that just because I am a good wife that my husband isn't going to cheat on me. But I am only responsible for what God calls ME to be and that is a good wife.

6. Do not murder.This one seems pretty straightforward too to me. Physically do not murder anyone. But think about it, don't spiritually murder anyone either. Don't rob them of their relationship with God. Do not be a stumbling block for someone to have a relationship with God. Encourage others to seek God and His ways so that they are in line with his Word.

5. Honor your father and mother.Ok, OUCH. I will admit, without going into much detail, that I have a HORRIBLE relationship with my mother. But this command doesn't say honor your father and mother IF they are good Godly parents. If they are perfect, if they live up to your standards..the list can go on. It simply states to honor your father and mother. I need to work on this. I need to let go of past hurts and choose to honor. You see, life is all about choices, I need to remember that!

4. Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.Another one I have a tough time with. Pretty straight forward again though, choose a day of rest and honor God that day. Keep in mind on the 7th day He rested, so should we!

3. Do not use the Lord's name in vain.This was eye opening to me. We are all guilty, ok not gonna use all, MOST of us are guilty of saying "Good Lord! Jesus Christ! Oh God!" This is using the Lord's name in vain. This is not showing reverence towards his name and keeping it holy. It's using it like slang and showing no respect. We all know other ways which we use His name so casually. I pray I can be more respectful of God and his authority.

2. Do not worship idols.Seems simple. But look deeper. Idols are things we give our time, energy and devotion to. Can you say television? Telephone, friends, computer, etc....Now no, they things are not evil or am I saying that you should not spend time on the computer, watching tv, talking on the phone...etc what I am saying is that when those things take precidence over spending time with God, that is when it becomes a problem.

1. Have no other god's before God.Again..seems simple. But life happens, stuff gets in the way. Think about it this way...if you can get through 2-10 then 1 will come naturally! If your not coveting you're neighbors possesions and you're working so hard so that can 'one up' them, then you won't be worshiping idols(possesions) and you will be focusing on God and his plans for your life.

These are so meaningful to me. Because now I look at them like:

10. Be happy for what your neighbor has.
9. Tell the truth about people.
8. Be happy for others, pay for things you want.
7. Be faithful to your spouse.
6. Build people up.
5. Honor your father and mother.
4. Rest on the Sabbath.
3. Glorify God's name.
2. Worship God and God alone.
1. Put God first in everything.

Gosh I loved this service so much. I hope you're as blessed by my notes, if they made sense!, as I am!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not many Christians were praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See, the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from John Groban, an X-Box, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was nowhere to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

Hurtful Words....

I don't believe I will ever understand the draw for people to use the word 'retarded' to describe someone that they are meaning is 'stupid, strange, or odd'. Retarded is mostly used to describe something that is delayed or slow in development. People with Down Syndrome have varying forms of Mental Retardation. My daughter, Kallie, has Down Syndrome. So when I hear someone call a person retarded or refer to something they saw as retarded, and you know that they are using it to mean stupid, strange or odd, it's offensive to me!!! My daughter is not stupid. People, think before you use words that are offensive to other people.

If you were in a room full of people of color, or different religions, or any other thing that makes people different, would you use slang words to describe them? No you wouldn't. You would have respect for their differences, at least I do, and think about what you say before you say it. With all that said, have respect for people with delays, retardation if you must, and STOP using that word to mean stupid!!!!!

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes
•Frequent urination
•Unusual thirst
•Extreme hunger
•Unusual weight loss
•Extreme fatigue and Irritability
Type 2 Diabetes*
•Any of the type 1 symptoms
•Frequent infections
•Blurred vision
•Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
•Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet
•Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections
*Often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms

If you have one or more of these diabetes symptoms, see your doctor right away.

So excited!!!

Brittany has her first soccer practice Tuesday night! They are supposed to practice on Wednesday's as well but she is already committed to AWANA on that night, so we will just have to make sure to practice with her at home. Pictures to come soon!!!

Sisterly Love

Last night I went in to check on my girls and they are just too sweet! Look, Britty is even reaching out to touch her! The other day Kallie's site from her pump was pulled off rather painfully while we were playing outside and Brittany was so sweet to her...rubbed her back and even wanted to help her wash her hair in the bath. They may have their off days and bicker, but I don't think Kallie could have a better sister! ♥ my girls!!!

I love my girls!!

I was looking through some pictures recently and came across some pictures that I don't believe I shared from a trip we took this summer. I just love these girls! I have so much fun with them.

Creating a 'Rainforest'

We have been learning about life on Earth before the great flood and how there was a vapor cloud that kept the moisture perfect, because before the Great flood there was no rain. So an activity that was suggested was to make a mock rain forest. This was SO easy and really taught the girls about how a rain forest works and gave them an idea of how it used to be on Earth...

We took a spaghetti jar and cleaned it out and then we went outside and gathered a few rocks, some dirt, weeds and grass. Then we poured in a 1/4 cup of water and put the lid on tightly. Within 20 minutes you could see the condensation on the jar and they better understood the lesson! Here are some pictures from our experiment!

I want a do over!

I got this from an inspirational mailing I get every now and then and I wanted to share it! SO refreshing to know I am not the only one :-) I hope your blessed by it like I am!

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I Want a Do-Over
Q: How often do you all feel like this? I'd love to re-start my homeschooling journey again. Four years later I feel like an expert, just in time to send my kiddies off to school next year.
— chrisnleanne

A: This is year 10 for us.

I would relax more. Play outside. Play games. Not worry about the late reader or horrid speller—help them, encourage them, but not worry over them.

If you need a do over, begin with today because that is all you have to work with anyhow. Today be the mom you want to be, teach the way you wish you always taught, interact with your children the way you wish you had always done. You can begin a new legacy of the mom they remember TODAY! The woman we want to be can only be a reality when each and every moment we CHOOSE to be her.

So today, I choose to be cheerful and pleasant. How freeing!
— Jessie in LA

Mr. Nicholas Parker

Yesterday we went to meet our friends John and Kathleen's new baby. OMG, he is SOOOOOOOO sweet! I got to snuggle with him for like two hours! One thought, thank God my tubes are tied or else I might get baby fever! LOL

Todd's thinking, "Don't get any ideas!"