Wisdom For Wednesday

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.
-John Wesley

Scripture Sunday TWO-FER!

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (New Century Version)

²³ "I am a God who is near," says the Lord.
"I am also a God who is far away.
²⁴ No one can hide
where I cannot see him," says the Lord.
"I fill all of heaven and earth," says the Lord.

James 4:8 (New International Version)

⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Just Checkin' In

Hi there,
I am enjoying some quiet time while my boys are at the child care center and Jason gets his massage (don't worry, mine is scheduled for Saturday!). When he is done we're heading the the breakfast buffet. Just wanted to check in and remind you that you need to enter to win Max Lucado's new book! I will pick a winner on 10/1. There is only one entry so far, so get to it! I am so in love with Germany! I can't wait to tell you all about it! I'll be back home next week. :(

Wisdom For Wednesday

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. -C.S. Lewis

Scripture Sunday

Proverbs 13:24 (The Message)

A refusal to correct is a refusal to love;
love your children by disciplining them.

Wisdom For Wednesday

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. -C.S. Lewis

Scripture Sunday

The Armor of God ~Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Wisdom for Wednesday

We [Christians] are locked in a battle. This is not a friendly, gentleman's discussion. It is a life and death conflict between the spiritual hosts of wickedness and those who claim the name of Christ.
--Francis A. Schaeffer

Let The R & R Begin!

Alright, it is vacation time! We are leaving early in the morning and won't be returning until the end of the month. I will have internet access and might be able to do a post here and there but I am clocking out! Make sure you read my book review and enter to win a copy of the awesome book! Please pray for traveling mercies as we hit the road! Thanks!

Book Review & Giveaway!: Fearless by Max Lucado

Fearless Imagine Your Life Without Fear
By Max Lucado

RELEASE DATE 9/8/2009

Book Description

Each sunrise seems to bring fresh reasons for fear.

They're talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. Fear, it seems, has taken up a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, fear herds us into a prison of unlocked doors. Wouldn't it be great to walk out?

Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less.

Can you imagine your life without fear?

Preview Fearless right now.

The Fearless Times A great resource from Max Lucado.

My Review

Fear is something we face every day; from spiders to terrorism, from birth to death and everything in between. Max Lucado teaches us that there are ways to rid your life of the fear and truly begin to live. This book is not just for the person that is consumed by fear but the person that has doubts and may not be living to the fullest. Lucado explains how we should be relying on God to rid our lives of fear. He has frequent references to scripture and life stories as examples of how we should be focusing our lives.

Typically it takes me a month or so to finish a book, if it will hold my attention that long. As most moms, I am very busy and reading is low on my to-do list. Occasionally though, I'll come across a book that I cannot put down. Fearless by Max Lucado held my attention, intrgued and educated me. I finished it in five days. Not record breaking by any means but for me that is fast. Fearless is full of Godly insight and wisdom. Max Lucado has a wonderful way of taking a very intense subject, like fear and making it light and sometimes even humorous. Often times it was like being in a conversation with Mr. Lucado. This book was a delight to read. More importantly it changed the way I think about fear.

I have already recommended this book to friends. I am writing this review so that I can recommend it to more people that may be struggling with everyday fears or even people that don't think they are struggling. This book is for everyone. If you need the weight lifted off your shoulders or your doubts erased, this book is for you. This book will truly inspire you.

Book Giveaway!

Thomas Nelson Book Review has blessed me with a copy of Max Lucado's Fearless to share with my readers. The following are ways that you can enter to win. I will choose the winner (drawn from a hat) on October 1st, when I return from my vacation. All comments will be automatically approved, so please no spam or junk. Leave a comment for EACH entry!

1. Leave a comment describing a fear that you have (to qualify any other entries you must do this first).
2. Blog about this giveaway and post your link in a comment.
3. If you don't blog, email your friends the link to this review (cc me in the email).
   
4. Follow me or subscribe to my blog.
5. Add me to your blogroll.

See you in October!! Good luck to you all!

My Husband Rocks Monday

This week I will continue to tell you our wonderful vacation plans. The reason that I'm doin this during the MHR post is because he does! And if I weren't married to him, I wouldn't be living in Italy and have this awesome opportunity!

We will leave our home in Sicily and head to the mainland, we'll hitch a ferry over. Then drive to Naples for a couple days. We'll visit Pompeii and maybe Positano from there. Then to Rome to stay in an adorable bungalow for three nights. We can't wait to visit the Vatican, as well as the Trevi fountain and Pantheon (and Hard Rock). Livorno is next for a night, just to visit Pisa. Vicenza is between Verona (think Romeo & Juliet) and Venice (Hard Rock, too). A quick stop in Garmisch, Germany before heading to Berlin (Hard Rock!) for two nights! Then back to Garmisch for SEVEN days! There is a military resort there and it will be a slice of American heaven for a week! While there we will visit Innsbruck, Austria (Swarovski!) and Munich. After Garmisch we'll head home, staying in Vicenza and Naples to rest along the way. We'll be gone three weeks and I am so thrilled. I will have interent access at most of the places we'll be, I'll try and update. No promises!

Free Disney Stuff!

If you buy any Disney movies then you should sign up for Disney Movie Rewards. It is free to sign up! All the movies have a code inside, you enter the code and it adds points to your account. Then you redeem the points for free Disney stuff! It gets better! As you know, I recently celebrated my birthday. Well, I received an email from Disney Rewards for a free Blu-ray DVD! There were five to choose from! I chose Meet The Robinsons because I love it and we needed a new copy (somebody slide it across the tile). So, go sign up for free Disney stuff!

TGoF .20

Lord today I thank you for /that...

1. your grace.
2. your salvation.
3. your patience.
4. your Word.
5. my family.
6. orders.
7. the internet.
8. vacations.
9. America.
10. my friends.
    

Flashback Friday

In honor of Jennifer's 29th birthday here is a picture of us, getting ready for some dancin'! I think it must have been 2003.

Book Review: The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins

Book Description (taken from Thomas Nelson)

The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins introduces kids to the life, teaching, wonder, and amazing love of Jesus.

Often kids know about Jesus but don't have a relationship with Him. This book offers kids "everything you need to know about God's Son" and encourages a lifelong relationship with their Lord. Divided into Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How sections, it offers clear explanations and easy understanding for young hearts. It will teach them things like who Jesus is: Jesus is God's Son, and He is also my friend. Where is Jesus? He lives in heaven, but He also lives in my heart. How does Jesus act? He acts with kindness and forgiveness, and He wants me to be like Him. Includes an audio CD with over an hour of songs about Jesus. This is a must-have for every child!

My Review

The Jesus Book by Stephen Elkins is wonderful for children of all ages. The Jesus Book explains who Jesus was and what He did with simple to read and understand language. The Jesus Book has brightly colored pictures that help explain the stories with the original Bible verses to refer back to. The message of this book is very clear, to teach about who Jesus really was and what He did for us. Stephen Elkins provids readers with a strong, spiritual message. This book helps us to understand that Jesus wants a relationship with us and while He is God's son, He is also our friend.

The Jesus Book would be a great devotional or accompaniment to a homeschool curriculum. I would definitely recommend this book for others. The CD that is included with the book has all the classic songs mixed with a few new ones. I was worried that this would be annoying children's music but it is very pleasant and didn't bother me to listen in the car.

Things I Love Thursday

I love ibuprofen. Yes, I said ibuprofen. I have been having back, neck and consequently headaches the last few weeks. The only thing that helps is drugs. Heat helped a little. Hopefully the doctor prescribes massage. I don't think the navy would pay for that.

Wisdom For Wednesday

Once abolish the God and the government becomes the God.
-G. K. Chesterton

Tot School

This week we worked on Days 5-7 of Creation. Joshua started singing his ABCs almost correctly the entire way through them! He only misses a couple. We are working on counting, mostly fingers and toes. For some reason he always skips the number two. But he can count to 15. Some days he doesn't want to touch his workbooks or even want to listen to me read and then other days that is all he wants to do. No problem. I like that idea, too. Sorry for the lack of pictures. We are planning for our big trip and I don't have much "extra" time.