Did You Know?

There have been
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0
0
0
0
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0
divorces in the U.S.
so far this year.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Since Thanksgiving

I cannot believe I haven't written anything since Turkey Day...so much has happened!

Okay, where to start....

1. Took 2 of my Praxis tests that I need to pass in order to get my teacher's license. (took these Nov 14 so I may have mentioned this, lol)

2. Got Praxis results: PASSED!!!! both. Even scored in the top 15% of all test-takers on the P.L.T. (Principles of Learning and Teaching) and was congratulated by ETS and was sent a certificate of achievement. I'm very proud of this!

3. I finished all my classes for the semester....and just have to Student Teach now! That starts Jan. 11. YAY!!!! :0)

4. Tonight the girls are staying the night with my mom and John and I were able to finish Christmas shopping. It's so nice to have the day to just ourselves.

5. Oh! oops....should've mentioned this first, but Thanksgiving was great! We had a fun trip to Missisippi and it was great seeing some of the cousins and playing with the lil cousins!

Life is great right now! I'm glad to be on break and my girls are as well! They had fun Chrismtas parties and ....I don't know....I'm happy! haha

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, surrounded by family cuz that's what truly makes this time of year special!! :D

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thank You!!




HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! IF you are reading this, then you mean something special to me and I'm thankful for you. :)

I know this year I have so many things to be thankful for, but at the top of the list would have to be Christ. I'm thankful for the sacrifice he made for me and the hope that I have because of his love.

Love God, Love People....this is my faith mission now!

I hope that you all have a very good Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy your family and friends and the time you share. I hope that your bellies are so full that you hurt. But mostly I hope you have the love of Christ as I have.

May God continue to bless us all!

Friday, November 6, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!

Today is my mom's ____th birthday and I just want to say I love you!



Friday, October 30, 2009

Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas < $20

Have you procrsatinated and don't know what to dress as for Halloween? Or maybe your just tired of spending a lot of money on Halloween costumes? Check out the video found here for cute ideas that don't break the bank, they're a green alternative, and provide family fun as well.

Costumes...Great for School

This Halloween, scare up some fun with these history- and lit-inspired costumes:

Ten US History-Inspired Halloween Costumes
1. Put on a three-corner hat and cape, pull a cardboard boat around your waist, and pose as George Washington crossing the Delaware during the American Revolution.

2. Dress up as Benjamin Franklin with a kite and singed hair. Be careful around the French maids.

3. Pretend to hitchhike as Christopher Columbus with a sign that says “India or bust.”

4. Dress up like Abe Lincoln – with two tickets in his breast pocket.

5. Test people’s knowledge of US history trivia by putting on a turn-of-the-century suit, carrying some bags of fake money, and painting your nose purple. Yes, JP Morgan really did have a purple nose.

6. Try a scandalous costume for a trio: Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, and John F. Kennedy.

7. Wear a suit and a Richard Nixon mask. Carry a hallowed-out pumpkin filled with film. You’re reenacting the “Pumpkin Papers,” in which future President Richard Nixon used to take down Soviet spy Alger Hiss in one of the Cold War’s most notorious espionage cases.

8. Dress up as Betsy Ross with a half-finished American flag. Include a rainbow flag, a pirate flag, and yellow smiley face among your book of samples.

9. Sport your finest 1920s-style outfit, a plastic Tommy gun, a cigar, and your best Al Capone accent. Rave about the merits of the 18th Amendment and Prohibition.

10. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to flex those guns. Rosie the Riveter is one of the best “girl power” costumes in history. (World War II: Home Front)

Ten Literature & Poetry-Inspired Halloween Costumes
1. Bust out the Photoshop to make an “oil painting” of yourself aged about 50 years. Frame it, put on your best Victorian-style outfit, and trick-o-treat as Dorian Gray. (The Picture of Dorian Gray)

2. Go on a hunt after your friend who is dressed as a white whale with bloodshot eyes. Chase the whale around the streets with a toy harpoon in hand. Rant and rave to strangers about catching the whale. (Moby-Dick)

3. Dress up like a grizzled old sailor, rave unintelligibly, and hang a fake albatross around your neck à la “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

4. Put on a collared shirt, a tie, a long coat, and a red hunting hat. Carry a record under your arm and collect candy as Holden Caulfield. (The Catcher in the Rye)

5. See who gets the Scout Finch reference when you walk around barefoot with a banged-up ham costume and knife slash through the back. (To Kill a Mockingbird)

6. Put on a straw hat and some ratty old clothes, pull a cardboard canoe around your waist, and try your luck as Huckleberry Finn. Don’t be afeared to use *some* Antebellum Missouri slang. (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)

7. Pay your dues to George Orwell by dressing up like a pig brandishing a liquor bottle and insisting that “two legs are better than four.” (Animal Farm)

8. Put on a long, plain dress and plaster a scarlet “A” to the front. Get your friend to dress like a priest. (The Scarlet Letter)

9. Dress up like Lady Macbeth and try to scrub imagined bloodstains off your hands. Rinse, repeat. (Macbeth)

10. For a truly terrifying Halloween costume, give your kid brother face paint, some tattered rags, a conch shell, and a (fake) pig head on a stake. Don’t let him see that you’ve got glasses. (The Lord of the Flies)

11. You'll need tights and Renaissance garb: Hamlet. Pace the streets emoting: “To be or not to be?” and “Methinks it is like a weasel.”



Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Durham Halloween Party












Not So Scary Halloween Party

Every year for the past few years, Maury Hills Church hosts this community event. It gets bigger and better each year.

This year there was a costume parade, pictures for those that dressed up, Live Band, hotdogs/chili/drinks/cotton candy/CANDY, "trunk or treat", haybale maze, pumpkin decorating, storytelling, hayrides,and inflatables. If you come and don't have, then you just don't know how to! We had 400+ come this year.

The Duncan small group always goes all out in their costumes and this year was no exception (our preacher and his wife are a part of this group too) with a Michael Jackson/THRILLER theme. The undead even danced the THRILLER moves. It was great! There's video proof floating around Facebook. LOL

Here are a few pics of my own from this evening:

Kylei is a Hobo (her sign reads TRICK OR TREAT!) and Savannah is a Senorita

Michael Jackson comes out of his coffin for one last Dance Routine!

The undead dance likes there's no tomorrow!

Some zombies and others during the Costume Parade

SMURF HOUSE with all the Smurfs and their antagonist

Savannah on a Sugar High I think! LOL

Kylei is also a lil hyped up!

The girls on the fence...Daddy's there too!

Eating!

My baby needs a whole hand to tell her age!


Savannah is 5 today! I cannot believe it and don't expect it to feel true for atleast another six months or so. lol

There's not going to be any big plans today though because we celebrated her birthday this past Saturday with a Tie-Dye themed birthday bash! It was a lot of fun and Savannah had a great time! Thank you to all who came. :)

Here are a few more pics from the party:

My family


The Tie-Dye crew (minus Luke who didn't want his pic taken)

SILLY FACES = Stick Your Tongue Out

Peace Emma!

Ollie loves Tattoos! haha

Me and MY Melanie

Wade and his "had to have" orange balloon :)

Kylei, Savannah, and Catherine

Vannah is for Peace and Ice Cream

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

Some party-goers gabbing: Wade, Tara, Luke, Lori,Carol (and Baby Brian)

Papa and Vannah playing after the party

Family Tradition to set the balloons in flight. 4 + 1 = 5 (for Vannah's age)

Monday, October 19, 2009

Fall Break



For the last 2 weeks my children have been on Fall Break. Needless to say, I didn't get much of ANYTHING done. My husband fussed, but I felt like they should have a real break and be able to go and do stuff, so we went and did stuff.

Today and tomorrow are my days of Fall Break....but guess who's at home catching up on housework?

Wah-Wah-Wah.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

RHS Class of '99 Reunion

It's hard to believe sometimes that I've been out of high school for 10 years. On the other hand, I can believe it. I've been married for 8 years and have two children now. Things seem a lot different in my life than they did 10 years ago and though I've gained a lot of wisdom since through experience and more education, I still don't feel 10 years older, though I'm certain I look it!

At any rate, a big THANK YOU to Charlene Sands Russell for putting together a reunion for our class. It was unfortunate that many couldn't/didn't make it, but it was still great to see those that did!



Saturday, October 3, 2009

Maury Hills Church Anniversary Weekend

Join us as we celebrate 8 years together! Don McLaughlin of the North Atlanta Church will be with us. He'll speak Saturday night (that's TODAY!!) and at both services on Sunday. We'll also have uplifting worship and our normally exciting children's ministry!

Schedule: Oct 3-4

Saturday Night Praise, 6:00 pm
Sunday Worship, 9:00 & 10:30

101 Unity Drive
Columbia, TN 38401

Call me if you have any questions 931-309-8871

**This is me personally inviting you (if you're local) to join us. Tonight (Saturday) will be worship, praise, and Donuts/Cider afterward.

**I will be at both services on Sunday. 9:00 I'm in the Children's Ministry and at 10:30 I'll be in the worship hall.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU'RE COMING SO I CAN LOOK FOR YOU!! I love this church and I know you will too.

An Inconsistent Truth

Global warming and climate change - is it real or the biggest scam and swindle in history? Hosted by award winning radio host Phil Valentine (99.7 WTN-you can hear him at 4pm CST) and from director Shayne Edwards, this documentary film explores all sides of the science and gives a voice to the over 31,000 scientists that signed the Oregon Petition declaring it to be a hoax. It investigates the true motives of the UN and those who signed the Kyoto Treaty.





Barbie gets a Makeover

Savannah Barbie - I'd buy her!
Create your own FACEinHOLE

Friday, October 2, 2009

Halloween Short Film

I created (and I use that term loosely) a short animation of my family for you Halloween enjoyment. See it here and enjoy!!

Swine Flu vs Bird Flu

"FLU UPDATE"

What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu?
For bird flu you need tweetment and for swine flu you need oinkment



Now aren't you sorry that you subscribe to this blog? :p

Batty about Fall


Well, Fall or Autumn if you prefer, is here (officially for a little over a week I think) but the weather has finally caught up!! Everybody enjoys this season. It's beautiful with all it's oranges, reds, and yellows; it's cruchy leaves; brisk days; and the scarecrows and pumpkins that begin to creep into our neighborhoods just bring back all sorts of warm memories. Even more than the Christmas season, it has a sense of home and comfort that just appeals to me on so many levels. So, happy fall yall! Hope we all remember to count our many blessings and enjoy this season while it's here. :)

Super Lindsey

You have to check this out!! It's a video featuring yours truly and it RoCkS!! LOL

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Power of Imitation

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" but should we be flattered by it all? Or should we be ashamed of ourselves?

Children Learn What They Live

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live the hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.


By Dorothy Law Nolte


This video runs parallel with this lesson and I hope you'll take a look.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Funny Random Thoughts

Stolen from a friend...who stole from a friend.

1. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

3. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

4. I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

6. That's enough, Nickelback.

7. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

8. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

9. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

10. There is a great need for sarcasm font.

11. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

12. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

13. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

14. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

15. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

16. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

17. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

18. LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

19. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

20. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

21. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

22. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

23. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

24. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

25. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

26. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

27. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

28. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

29. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

30. Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

31. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

32. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

33. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

34. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

35. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

36. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
37. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

38. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
39. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Crap!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

40. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

41. When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

42. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

43. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

44. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

45. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

46. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

47. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

48. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

49. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

50. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

51. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

52. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

Friday, September 11, 2009

The Ant and the Grasshopper

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

This one is a little different... Two Different Versions!
Two Different Morals!

OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up
supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.


MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!


MODERN VERSION:


The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his
house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and
plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the ant should be
allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the
shivering grasshopper next to a video of the
ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is
stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor
grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody
cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant 's house
where the news stations film the group
singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray
to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that
the ant has gotten rich off the back
of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to
make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act
retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green
bugs and, having nothing left to pay
his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of
the ant's food while the government
house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles
around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the
house, now abandoned, is taken over by a
gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

Church sponsored Social Meals, Part I

This is a blog by a friend in Myspace World. I "met" him in a Myspace forum for Church of Christ members. Please read it, think about it, and then see my other post (Part II) to see my reply to it.

I encourage you all to think about this issue (and others like it), read what you can on issues such as this, and then post your thoughts either here or at the other post.
_____________________________________________________________________

Church-Sponsored Social Meals

by (took name out)

As I begin this short article, it needs to be noted what this issues is not. The issue is not “eating in the building.” Those who say that this is the issue are either ignorant of the arguments, or being deliberately dishonest. No one denies that Christians may eat in the building. Thus, I call on those who have represented the position as opposition to “eating in the building” to repent.

Further, the issue is not regarding meals for the purpose of benevolence to needy saints such as you see in Acts 6.

The issue is not eating food that is incidental to the purpose for which the church has assembled. The church may be assembled and a child may eat cheerios, a baby my take a bottle, a diabetic may eat something to maintain their internal milieu, there is no opposition to this. Yet the fact that something may happen incidentally to the an authorized purpose, this does not provide authority for the church to provide for, or assemble for this purpose.

The opposition is to the church coming together for, or making provision for, a common meal for social purposes. The issue is a matter of purpose, not incidentals.

.. ..

We oppose the practice of church sponsored social meals on the very same basis as our opposition for mechanical instruments of music in worship to God. There is no precept, approved example or necessary inference which authorizes the practice of the church making provision for such meals. This was commonly understood among brethren before the 1950’s and 1960’s . Brother B.C. Goodpasture wrote the following in the gospel advocate.

There is a difference between spiritual progress and religious hurrah, but some people seem not to know it. When a church gets caught up in the hurrah of church sponsored youth camps, banquets, ball games and institutionalism, it would be good to remember Paul’s statement, “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17)....

(Goodpasture, Gospel Advocate 8-1-1935). ....

Brother Goodpasture further noted twenty some years later.

It is not the mission of the church to furnish amusement to the world, or even its own members. For the church to turn aside from its divine work to furnish amusement and recreation is to pervert its mission. If the church will discharge its duty in preaching the gospel, edifying its members, and helping the worthy poor, it will not have the time or the desire to amuse and entertain” (Goodpasture, Gospel Advocate, 1948, p.484).....

There are numerous other quotes throughout the brotherhood periodicals prior to the 1950’s and 1960’s decrying the practice. The reason is because there is no precept, approved example, or necessary implication to provide authority for such.

Another issue in regard to this is noted in 1 Corinthians 11:22,34. Note at the outset that is not our sole opposition to the practice of church sponsored social meals. We noted about that the opposition is primarily one of a simple lack of authority. This fact is then underscored by Paul’s condemnation of the practice. In 1 Corinthians 11 and beginning in verse 17 Paul deals with an issue that had arisen in the church in Corinth. The church there had perverted the Lord’s supper in such a way as to shift the focus from the memorial of which it was instituted, to a common meal. Paul provided the solution. Common meals are to be eaten at home. In other words, The church has an obligation to make provision for the spiritual supper, the home is to make provision for common meals. Paul notes “ What, do you not have houses to eat and drink in or do you despise the church of the living God and shame those who have nothing.” (1 Corinthians 11:22). In the same context Pal noted “ if anyone is hungry let him eat at home…” ( 1 Corinthians 11:34). Consider this question, If Paul wanted to say “eat common meals at home” what better way could he have said it?

.. ..

I have dealt with this issue very briefly in this article. If you would like to study the position I believe to be biblical in more depth, I encourage you to read the Garner-Jones debate at www.garnerjonesdebate.wordpress.com

Church sponsored Social Meals, Part II

MY THOUGHTS AND REPLY:

I can't help but think that you believe YOU and what you do or don't do, is what gets you into heaven. In fact, it seems that you put this "rule" as equal to having faith in Christ as to what saves you. When you do that, surely you can see that this is never God's intention.

I suggest a closer look at Galatians and what Paul is trying to tell them then...I believe it would be the same speech he'd have to give you and others who think this way, the same exact speech and yet you have it at your fingertips and supposedly live by its teachings.

Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

YIKES! No law- NONE should be at the level of the fact that Christ came and died for us!

I LOVE verse 17 of the same chapter: But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

What about 3:2-3 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

and v. 5 He therefore that ministereth so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore taht ministereth to you in the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

I'll admit for a CoCer to actually swallow this and accept it is HARD. It has been for me. I just wasn't raised this way. But I think we've gotten it wrong. I love Galatians....it has helped me TRULY realize that I'm free in Christ!!!!! CoC has made me believe for far too long that I had to do things just right or it's over and done with. No wonder I felt I could never say that I KNEW FOR CERTAIN I was going to heaven....there was always that "what if" factor.

We say we're free in Christ but don't live it b/c we truly don't believe it. The folks of Galantians struggled with the same thing and Paul came to teach them them differently.

I believe you love God with all your heart but I also think you and I need to study more and come to understand the absolute brilliance of what Grace means.

CoC is VERY guilty of downplaying grace for fear people won't be baptized. BUT grace is what it's all about. We can't forget that vital part of God's gift to us! Or it was all in vain.

I love you. I am still working on this myself. I still thank God for His grace and then pick up my burdens and wonder if I've done enough. I hate that I'm finding it hard to shake that mentality. It's soooo much to carry.

I hope you pick up the Word and read through Galatians with new eyes.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Growing So Big


I'm sorry, but had to show off an adorable pic of my girls. :)

Savannah, age 4.5
Kylei, age 6

Friday, August 21, 2009

~DEATH~

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT





A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to




Leave the examination room and said,






'Doctor, I am afraid to die.





Tell me what lies on the other side.'





Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.'





'You don't know? You're, a Christian man,





and don't know what's on the other side?'






The doctor was holding the handle of the door;





On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,





And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room





And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.





Turning to the patient, the doctor said,





'Did you notice my dog?





He's never been in this room before.





He didn't know what was inside.





He knew nothing except that his master was here,





And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.





I know little of what is on the other side of death,





But I do know one thing...






I know my Master is there and that is enough.'

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Pre-K






Tomorrow will be the conclusion of the first full week of Pre-K for Savannah. She is LOVING it!! Today she came home all excited to tell me that she got a green smiley face again (green is the best you can get and she's gotten it all week) and she sang a song she learned today, along with the hand motions. SO CUTE!!

I know if you're on Facebook or Myspace you've probably seen these pics, but I didn't want to leave anybody out on here that hasn't seen them yet! lol