ByEmily
Legacy
I silently walked into the room. All was quiet, save for the cheerful chirps of the robin on the windowsill. Through that same window, pale sunlight filtered in and seemed to rest solely on one thing…my grandmother’s Bible.
In an instant I was compelled to lay hold of it, not realizing it was already in my hands. This wasn’t the first time.
As I flipped through the tattered pages, my senses were overwhelmed. My fingers ran across the embossed name on the cover, then touched the frayed edges. Inside, there were lists of marriages, births, deaths, and baptisms of loved ones. The scent of her perfume wasn’t really there, but I could smell it just the same. I could even almost taste her sweet tea. Countless times I caught her in the front porch rocker with her Bible in her lap and a glass of iced sweet tea somewhere nearby, wedge of lemon included.
The thing is, more than memories were drawing me to her Bible. It was also the Bible itself. It contained the secrets of life. The books, chapters, verses—-all a wealth of knowledge, a lifetime of wisdom. Scriptures that were highlighted and underlined jumped out at me, letting me know that God knows exactly what I need and exactly when I need it. Notes in the margin were written in Grandmother’s handwriting. She was a lady who had been there and done that! God’s word had spoken to her many times, and was now speaking to me. That old worn and beat up Bible had helped her through many of life’s heartaches, trials and joys. Now it was guiding me. That Bible that was falling apart, was full of God’s promises, and it had belonged to a woman who used it to keep herself together. She stood on those promises and used them to see her through whatever came her way.
The life that she lived was a testimony, an encouragement, an example. She taught me what life was all about–having a true and devoted walk with God, our Father, our Creator, our I Am.
This woman, this Bible, all a part of a legacy left to me…calling me to leave a legacy of my own.
This is a story that just came to me one morning as I was getting ready to sit and read my own Bible. It’s not a true story of mine or anything, but it is a story I hope my grandchildren will be able to write about me someday.
ByKaren
Radshack, Backyak, & Indigo?
Essie at her birthday party. No animals were sacrificed (or harmed in any other way) in the making of this photo! 😉
I love to hear my children re-tell me the stories of the Bible that they have learned. Their take on lessons learned from Sunday School, Children’s Church, and home, can be somewhat hilarious.
Recently, Essence, my 7 year old, ask me why Jesus had to be crucified. I explained to her that He was the ultimate, sacrificial Lamb, to forgive us for everything that we’ve done wrong. Which lead to having to explain the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament.
I didn’t think anything more about it, until we were on our way to church this past Sunday. My husband and I over heard Essie talking in the backseat, “explaining” the “lesson” I had have given her, to our other children. It was all we could do to keep from “full, belly laughing”. She was telling them about having to cut open the animal, spreading blood on your face while praying for forgiveness… I have NO CLUE how she got to this conclusion! She was adding in the placing of blood on the door faces, which was ACTUALLY what the children of Israel had to do, when the death angel came, in the final plague for the Egyptians…
On a different car ride, Essie was telling us she had learned about Radshack, Backyak, and Indigo… (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego) I have heard these names slaughtered so many times, but never quite like this.
I love that my children enjoy hearing God’s Word. They ask many questions and the most random times. I can’t help but wonder, “what in the world is going on in their mind to come up with that question?” There are some times, that I have no clue how to answer what they ask. Prayers for wisdom are many!
I desire for them to hide God’s word in their hearts, so that they can draw from it in times of need.
What about you? Do you have any funny stories to share of how your children interpreted the Word of God?
ByAngie
My ONE Word For 2013
You may have heard of this trend, as many bloggers have taken part. Picking one word to be who/what they’d like to become/represent for the year 2013. Not a resolution, but a goal, whether it be for change or growth. I’ve read many “words” this year and last, and found many to be inspiring.
So, yes, I jumped on the bandwagon. This seems like my cup o’ tea… or thermos of coffee… and I need a word desperately.
(Stop laughing! I mean it! Everyone knows I talk a lot… and every chance I get. But really, this time, I’m only picking ONE word!)
I put a lot of prayer and thought into my word, and I believe God has been trying to get this word into my thick skull for awhile. The difference now is that I was sitting quietly, listening to Him, and :gasp: not distracted. (Shocking, I know.)
So without further ado, here is my one word:
You see, I have this little itty bitty HUGE problem of people pleasing. I want everyone to be happy, and sometimes put that over making GOD happy. Naturally, others are let down in the process and in the end: no one is happy. Not me, not the people, not my family, and especially not Christ.
This year, I only want to please and hold my accountability to the Lord. No one and nothing else. Just Him. I want to live accountable to His Word, His Will, and His Lead. When I do that, I know that everything else will fall into place. And I do mean EVERYTHING!
Already, just a few days into the year, I am facing many changes and challenges. I plan to apply Romans 14:12 to each and every circumstance: So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Someday, I’m going to stand before my Lord and Savior. I want to hear Him say “Well done!” with the biggest and most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. Soon, I’ll drop that title of “People Pleaser” and replace it with “Jesus Pleaser”. (Though I’ll still be human, so grant me some grace, please. 😉 )
Have you chosen One Word for your year? If so, please leave a comment or link to your blog post! Please and thank you.
This post is part of the WORD 2013 Blog Carnival hosted by Ben and Me.
Click the button above to see more posts!
ByKaren
Good Grief
“Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah, wah….”  Do you ever feel like the adults on Charlie Brown when you are talking to someone? Especially your spouse or your children?
It drives me batty when I am trying to talk to my children or give them chores etc., and I feel like they aren’t listening to a word I say.
Or I’ll tell them something over and over, and they turn to me and say, “Huh?”
I wonder if that is how God feels when He is trying to tell us something or trying to get us to do something? Â
The Word says the He knows His sheep and His sheep know His voice. Sometimes it’s hard to hear that still, small voice, when we have so much going on in and around our lives. It seems as if God is inaudible or speaks another language entirely.Â
His living words are in the Holy Bible. He speaks thru His word, straight into our lives and hearts. Even when you can’t hear Him audibly, know that you can read His words of wisdom and guidance.
So the next time that you feel as if no one is “hearing” you, ask yourself if you are listening for the voice of Jesus.
ByAngie
Review: What’s In The Bible? With Buck Denver
A few weeks ago our homeschool family was selected to review DVD 1 (In The Beginning) in the What’s In The Bible? With Buck Denver series.
I’ve been hearing about this new series from Veggietales creator Phil Vischer for about a year now. I’ve always been intrigued, but wondered… What could be so great about it? Was it really lined up with God’s Word? Would my kids even like it? Well let me tell you, I quickly found out the answer to these questions!
My kids ADORED the DVD. It was similar to Veggietales, but had it’s own unique attributes as well. First off, it’s not a cartoon but puppets. There is a lot more complexity to it than a simple story with a good moral. This series actually goes into the depth of the Bible, explaining & dissecting the stories while not dwelling too long on them – which is perfect for a child’s attention span. Also included is church history, who wrote the Bible, the books of the Bible, why they are called “Testaments”, and much more. The DVD has catchy but educational little songs. All with a little humor here and there! Perfect for my kids!
One thing that could bother some, is that the characters do stop to explain with Phil that some subjects are touchy between Christians and some people have different views. (For example: Was the earth created in a literal 6 days or was it 6,000 years.) For our family, that was fine as even my husband and I have different beliefs on some topics in the Bible. It gives our children an understanding as to why Mommy believes one way and Daddy believes wrong another way. 😉 Both my husband and I agreed that it was very in tune with what the Word of God has to say, though.
I was surprised that all of my children, from my 11 year old right down to my 1 year old, were able to sit down, watch this, and thoroughly enjoy it. My 11 & 9 year olds caught more of the humor than the others… or so we thought at first. Ever since, the 4 year old has been cracking jokes from the DVD that we didn’t even know he was paying attention to at the time! The baby loves to clap her hands to all of the music and finds all of the puppets interesting to watch.
So, would I buy this series? Certainly! As a matter of fact, we’ve decided to slowly add the rest of the DVDs to our collection and to include them in our homeschool Bible curriculum. The DVD came with a digital download, making it easier for viewing as we use a digital media player also. There are added activities (coloring pages, study guides, crafts, & Bible flashcards) on the website to make teaching along with the series that much simpler.
Have you watched any episodes in the series? What did you think? If not, check out the video below and tell me your view points from that. (And if you’re a Disney geek like I am, look at all that cool stuff Phil has in his collection behind where he is sitting. Here’s one hint… HARVEY!) Enjoy!
“I was selected for participation in this review and given the What’s in the bible DVD as a member of The Homeschool Lounge Review Team. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
ByEmily
Emily’s Nuggets: A Nibble of Encouragement – The Soldier’s Handbook
Lately, I have noticed a recurring theme in my prayer life involving the armor of God and His calling/equipping us to be soldiers in His army. In July we had “Bible Boot Camp” VBS at church and in August we are having a “Women of War” Women’s Conference. I believe God is trying to tell us something! Especially since I was looking through some of my notes today and found the following that I jotted down on 07-17-2011:
“We are soldiers in God’s army. As His soldiers, we are always on duty. However, we still need to report for training. We can’t just skip out on our church services because we’re busy and we assume we already know everything there is to know. There is always something new for us to learn from the soldier’s handbook (aka-the Bible). Soldiers still have to report to higher leadership and they can’t just go out to operate on their own. Soldiers are to work together in unity in order for their tactics to work. And most importantly, a soldier cannot go AWOL!”
I encourage you study the weapons God has given us in Ephesians 6 and learn how to use them. He gave them to us so that as His soldiers, we will always be protected. If we don’t use His armor properly, we can get seriously wounded in the battle. The war may be rough and rocky, but here’s a hint: The back of the book says who wins! 😉
ByEmily
Psst… Guess What?!
Jesus healed a paralyzed servant. -Matthew 8:7
Jesus cast out demons. -Matthew 8:16
Jesus calmed a storm. -Matthew 8:26
Jesus healed a woman who had suffered an issue of blood for 12 years. -Matthew 9:22
Jesus healed two blind men. -Matthew 9:29
Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish. -Matthew 14:19-21
Jesus walked on the sea. -Matthew 14:25
Jesus healed a deaf-mute. -Mark 7:32-35
Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus. -Mark 10:51-52
Jesus healed a leper. -Luke 5:13
Jesus brought a widow’s son back to life. -Luke 7:11-15
Jesus brought Jairus’ daughter back to life. -Luke 8:54-55
Jesus healed a woman from a spirit of infirmity that she’d suffered with for 18 years. -Luke 13:12-13
Jesus turned water into wine. -John 2:7-10
Jesus healed a man from a thirty-eight year infirmity. -John 5:8-9
Jesus brought Lazarus back to life. -John 11:43-44
Jesus rose from the dead. -Luke 24:5-7
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Jesus said if you believe in Him, you can do Greater WORKS. -John 14:12
ByKaren
Do NOT Seek The Treasure!
If you’ve ever seen the movie, “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou”, you know what the title entails. If you haven’t seen it, just pretend you know what I’m talking about. lol
As most of our followers know, us bloggers depend deeply on the Word of God to guide our lives. I, as well as others, seek the face of God daily, for our daily decisions and to help us face what comes our way.
The Word of God is a treasure for us. Lately, it seems like everyone, whether they live their life for Christ or not, wants favors and handouts from a God that they do not live for. They want His benefits and never think about praising Him, thanking Him, or living for Him. Matthew 6:33, it says
“Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you.”
When will the good things of God come? AFTER you seek first His kingdom!
If you are the type of person whom curses God or denies His powers, never thanks Him for anything, blames Him for everything that goes wrong in your life, do not seek His treasures. (Though you can know Him in an intimate way, it’s up to you) That is just using Him for naught. But if you believe that He can change your live for the better, love Him with all your heart, believe that He directs our paths, seek His kingdom in wreck-less abandon!
ByEmily
Oh, Be Careful Little…
Earlier today I was singing songs from my childhood to Naomi. I remembered one that was sort of to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” The song begins with
Oh, be careful little feet where you go
Oh, be careful little feet where you go
For the Father up above is looking down in love
So be careful little feet where you go
It goes on to say, “Be careful little mouth what you say,” “Be careful little eyes what you see,” “Be careful little ears what you hear,” and “Be careful little hands what you do.”
As I started singing this to Naomi, I was reminded of the verse that says, ”
Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil.”- Romans 14:16
As a kid, this was just a cute little song that I sang along with at church. Now I am reexamining it as an adult and it means so much more. Yes, our heavenly Father knows and sees ALL that we do, but people also watch and see. They pay attention, even when you think they are not. Especially if you profess to be a child of God. This tends to create a target for those around us. They are waiting for us to make a mistake, to mess up. We are human, therefore, we are not perfect. Just forgiven. However, we have a choice to not let our good be spoken of as evil. We are called to be set apart, sanctified. No matter how minor, our little feet have to be careful where they go. Our little mouth has to be careful what it says, and so on.
This is my reminder to myself and you…..For the Father up above is looking down in love.
ByAngie
Say Goodbye To The Past, Say Hello To Your Legacy
Don't look back!
Some of you may be wondering:
How can I have a legacy that carries on when I have such an un-Godly past behind me? Doesn’t that leave me marred somehow?
We’ve all done things. Some of us more so than others. But then we came to know Jesus, and he washed all of those sins away.
Now that you’re on your new found path, you stress. But why?
Um, maybe because my past is troubling me…
I’ve struggled with this myself before. I used to always worried that I was unworthy or incapable of teaching my children the ways of the Lord because I was not always pure. But there are a few things I want to point out to you that helped me…
No, sin, you're dead. I won't be seeing you anywhere. Adios!
- Our sins are forgotten. As if they never happened. Sure, people may remember them, but that is not what matters. God does not. They are gone, washed away. Hallelujah! Your past does NOT impact your future walk with God. Isn’t that wonderful?
- How much do you know about your Mom, Grandma, and others? I’m willing to bet that even if they are not walking with God there are plenty of details you have no idea about. And whatever you do, don’t go digging! It’s none of your business!
- Look at David: He did SO many sinful things. Too many to list in a short blog post. But go read your Bible and you’ll see. Why does that matter? Well, he succeeded at many things in spite of all his sin. He was the Psalmist. He was a king. He was favored…. He was the ancestor of JESUS! If he can carry on THAT kind of legacy, why can’t you or I?
Nothing in your past has anything to do with the legacy you will pass down unless you allow it to. So stand tall, hold your head high, and teach your children the way they need to be taught. Never hold back or feel insecure. Tell them all about our Father and be confident.
After all, if you’re not confident, why would they want what you have? Be the example!
