Vacation....Maine Coast

Just got back from a mini-vacation on the Maine Coast.

God's Majesty surely shines in the oceans.

No other words are necessary... Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Experiencing God...Days 4, 5

I am going to combine Days 4 and 5 today because the workbook uses it in 2 parts and because I cannot post tomorrow. I am extremely busy today (trying to buy a house! packing for vaca! running daycare! managing family!- deep breath, exhale) but I wanted to get this posted for you:)



God called Moses, He invited him to join Him...

When God is about to do something, He reveals it to His people. He wants to accomplish His work through His people. When He's about to do something through you, He need to get you from where you are to where He is - NOT the other way around - so He tells you what He's doing ... Join Him

The Bible is designed to help us understand Him. Then when God starts to act in your life, you will recognize that it's Him...Accept the invitation!

Are you in?!?

Change is necessary...You cannot stay who you are and join Him.

God uses the insignificant to accomplish SIGNIFICANT things...think Moses, Elijah, Mary, the boy with the fish and bread....it goes on and on....

You are INSIGNIFICANT.

Do you feel weak, limited, or ordinary...you're just right for the job. You see God's standards are not our standards! He doesn't look at what we can accomplish FOR Him, He looks at what He can accomplish THROUGH us!

"When you believe nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than you have declared about yourself." --Blackaby

You see, my dear sisters--- You are not being humble you are being disrespectful and unbelieving! Yikes!!

Bet you didn't see that one coming!! I sure didn't when I read it.

Father, Thank you for revealing to me what You are about to do. I accept your invitation to join You where You are. I realize I can't stay where I am and go with You and I know You can do anything with an ordinary person who is consecrated to You. Here I am!...I am so thankful Your standards are different from the world's. I wholly yield to Your invitation to be pleasing to You even if it means being insignificant in the eye's of the world. Amen.
Many blessings to you all--Beth





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Experiencing God...Day 3

Learning to Be a Servant of God

The servant by worldly means is merely one who finds out what the master wants and does it. A lot of people think that's the godly definition, too.

Think again...

A Servant by godly definition is one who God works THROUGH for a purpose.

To be a servant of God, you must first be moldable, and be RESPONSIVE to the Master.

And, secondly, you must REMAIN in the Potter's hands. Even though the Potter has stopped making the pot, it still can do nothing on its own.

An effective servant will:

--Relate to God

-----Respond to Him

-----------Adjust his life to Him so that he can do what he wants to do through your life!

Father, You are the Great Potter and I am the lowly clay. I want to be molded by you and remain in your hands for you to work through. Help me relate to You, respond to You, and adjust my life to You so You can do what You want through me. I don't want to just do something, I am standing here for You! Amen

Thanks for stopping by---Elizabeth

Experiencing God...Day 2

Jesus Is Your Model

Always go to the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of your situation to you.

Experiences alone cannot be your guide!

Every event must be understood and interpreted by the Scriptures.

Get rid of your feelings - they are deceptive. Look to see what God says and how He works in the Scriptures.

Make your decisions and evaluate your experiences based on Biblical Truths.

God doesn't change (Malachi 3:6) He will lead the way.

Worldly solutions, programs, and methods cannot solve spiritual problems. God's Word is the only guide on how to live life.

Have you ever asked God what is His will for your life. Blackaby says we are probably getting the right answer but asking the wrong question. The question we should be asking is "what is God's will (period)." Learn God's will and adjust your life to Him.

Follow Jesus' model. He perfectly completed every assignment given to him by God.

Jesus watched where His Father was at work and joined Him!

Let's remember these truths as we go about today:

1. The Bible is my guide for Faith and Practice.

2. The right question is "What is God's Will?"

3. Watch to see where God is working and join Him.

4. God is always at work around me.

It's personal! Get personal with God. Start that loving relationship today!

Father, Today I want to ask the right question: "What is Your will?" I expect an answer because your Words assures me of it. You have always led other in the Scriptures and I know you will lead me. I will be watching to see where you are working so I can join in. Help me to recognise you as you work around me today and follow the model of my Savior Jesus. Alone I can accomplish nothing but with you I can accomplish anything! Amen

Experiencing God...Day 1

I am so excited to share my walk through :

Experiencing God

with you. I hope it will encourage you to begin your own study. The materials are not too expensive and you don't have to have a small group. We can group and share right here.

Let's begin---The study is broken into 12 units with 5 days study for each unit. I am not planning on doing a study every day but will try to do 5 each week as time and spirit allow.

The first unit is -- "God's Will and Your life"

I am not the best at memorizing but I can do it with His help. So, I find it works best for me to focus on key words and then memorize it in pieces using those key words to anchor it all together.

Memory Verse:

John 15:5

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Day 1--Jesus is your way

Blackaby notes that Real Christianity is ...a relationship with a Person. We are to pursue an intimate love relationship with God.

Step 1 - A relationship with Jesus. Now is the time to commit yourself to Jesus and accept him as your Savior. If you are not sure how to do this please click the big, RED ready button on my side-bar.

This is the first step because Spiritual matters can only be understood by those who have the Spirit of Christ. If you are not filled with the Spirit, none of this will make any sense to you.

As John 14:26 tells us the Holy Spirit will be your personal teacher!

The 7 goals of this course are:

1. Hear when God speaks to you

2. Clearly identify His activity i your life

3. Believe Him to be and do everything He promised

4. Adjust your beliefs, character, and behavior to Him and His ways

5. Recognize a direction he is taking in your life and identify what He wants to do through your life

6. Clearly know what you need to do in response to His activity in your life.

7. Experience God doing through you what only He can do!

How exciting is that!!!

Finally let's concentrate on what I found to be the most inspiring part of today's activity and that was that Jesus is the MAP!

He knows all the paths that lead to a certain destination in our lives. You don't need the map or the GPS (stop being a backseat driver!)

You just need to trust that He knows the way and to TURN when He tells you to - no questions asked!

You can probably already guess one of the key versus for today:

John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life."

When you don't trust in Him to guide you at every step, you will have fear and worry over each and every decision you have to make.

We need to focus on "What does God want me to do TODAY?" Not tomorrow or next week. I think a lot of us spend way too much time worrying about tomorrow when we are totally lost about today.

Our goal should be to follow God day by day so He will keep you in the center of His will.

Claim this verse today:

Phil 2:13

"It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose"

Father, I know if I follow you I can be in the center of Your will. Please make that a priority for me and help me to stop looking for the big map and just turn when I'm told to. Thank you for providing the Way and help me to know what you want me to do TODAY. All for Your glory...Amen

Thanks for stopping by--- Elizabeth

The Journey....humility

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

I've often wondered why God put these verses in this order. It seemed a bit backward to me. So there must be something more to it that I wasn't getting.

God's mighty hand tells us He is in control of everything to ultimately accomplish His purpose. One thing we all need to work on is patience. God humbles us through the experiences we face - thus the purpose of each journey.

I think as wives and moms we can sometimes get down and feel unappreciated. We do a lot and though we may all preach humility, let's be honest - it's nice to be acknowledged once and a while....

My husband has a wonderful way of putting me in my place when I fish for a compliment. He can do it in a way that lets me know he appreciates me yet rebukes me for my pride.

I think this is what our Lord does. He wants us to feel good about what we're doing but rebukes us when we fish for a compliment. You see, dear reader, compliments are self-glorifying. It means the reason for doing it was to feel appreciated, not to glorify God.

But, do not give up yet. The passage continues to tell us that He will exalt us in His time.

Moms will, in time, be fully exalted for all their hard work. Before you think no one appreciates you, remember He does. He's the one who give you the job.

He has given us the hardest, worst paying, sometimes most thankless, job there is (in a worldly sense). Further, He expects us to do it with humility, grace, no appreciation, no pay, and with a servant's heart.

Pay? We will get paid in full, at Heaven's gate.

The verses aren't misplaced. They are right in line to the way we are to think. God knew there would be times of impatience, despair, and discouragement. He told us to cast those feeling off onto Him. Throw them like dirty laundry and know His plan is already in motion.

Submit, be humble, and trust that His plan is way better than your plan.

Those are 3 very important areas to work on for victorious Christian Living.

Thanks for stopping by----Elizabeth

The Books are here!!!! Feeling Retro!

The Books are here - The BOOKS are here!


My church is holding weekly Bible study on the Blackaby series -

Experiencing GOD

I have provided a link for these, and I thought we could share this study with you :


Experiencing God




I was so excited to get these. They arrived in 2 days and I didn't even use express shipping!

I also bought the workbook "damaged" and the only thing wrong was some rubbing marks on the spine!





So, while I was saving all that cash on damaged items I got the Youth Edition for my 14 year-old. I'm not sure if our youth pastor is going to take them on this or if he will just study independently with us.

I will be sure to devote at least one day a week to this study! Adult and Youth. I hope everyone is up for it - I've heard it's wonderful:)




Here is a site from my mom. It is just a bunch of pictures of retro items - and by retro I mean 50s-60s not 70s all you young girls! LOL

I think you will enjoy looking at them - I did! Those kitchens looked just like ours and I can still remember going to Woolworth's for a hot cocoa on special days, TV dinners, drive-in movies, of coarse, I was just a baby then...... - Wow, takes me back!

Hope you enjoy it!

RetroLife

Thanks for stopping by---

Elizabeth

Flag Day Freebies....Homeschool....Pic of the week

Flag Day is this Sunday. I always remember this because it's my parent's Anniversary (51 years!!)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

And here are some great home school freebies for you.

Home school Helper offers a free mini unit study on the flag.

Here is a USA flag fact sheet.

Here is a Pledge of Allegiance activity sheet.

US flag.org offers a lesson in folding the flag.

You can take a virtual tour of the Betsy Ross House at this link.

Read about Betsy Ross's life here.

Did you know you can cut a star in one snip? Betsy Ross did, and you can learn how here.

Here is a really great timeline of the American flag.

Learn about flag rules and regulations.





Sage in full bloom. Yes, it really is this color!
Stop by Everything Sage for information and recipes using Sage!





Thanks for stopping by!
Please check out my other blogs for:




Coffee House

and Friday Fun Night!

The Homeschooler's 23rd Psalm

The Homeschooler's 23rd Psalm
Saturday/June 6, 2009: Daily Focus

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.


He maketh me to live on less sleep:
He leadeth me through the noise of many voices.

He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me to teach
The right lessons each day, for His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of undone
Laundry and kitchen messes, I will fear no evil:
For thou art with me, my teacher's guides and
Answer keys, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence
Of threatening school officials and critical family members:
Thou anointest my head with heavenly wisdom, my cup runneth over.

Surely educated and godly children shall follow after me
All the days of my life: and I will dwell again one day
In a clean house with the Lord forevermore.

Praise God, we do have a good Shepherd who leads us through every homeschooling problem and provides for our every need. Best of all, our Shepherd knows us and promises never to desert us when the wolf comes seeking to destroy (John 10:11-13). As we listen to the Shepherd's voice and follow Him, we are sure to receive a great reward, as we reach the peaceful green pastures of Christ-like, educated children. "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Peter 5:4).

Father, how I praise You for leading my children and me in the path of homeschooling. Without You, we surely would be confused and lost. We come to You again this day and pray for Your continued blessings as we follow You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Day 4 - TOP 10 Be On GUARD!

Are you living---

Day 1 - Godly vs. Gaudy

Day 2 - The Great Closet Clean-Out

Day 3 - The Great MIND Clean-Out






Romans 12:1,2 gives us sure guidelines to what should enter our bodies...









1 "...by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Here are 10 things you can fix right now that will increase modesty in your walk today-I could blog a week on each of these.....

1. Guard your wallet. When it comes to purchases watch out for excessive purchases of makeup, hair products, etc. Who are you impressing??




2. Guard your mirror. Would you wear that outfit at the gates of Heaven? Would you wear that wedding dress to be married to Jesus?




3. Guard your coffee table. Throw out any magazines whose main focus is on celebrities, gossip, sex, or all-about-me articles.




4. Guard your TV. Turn off TV shows you would not watch if Jesus was sitting next to you (because He is).




5. Guard your personal reading time. Toss all fantasy and romance novels, even Christian ones that motivate you to daydream and covet another's life.




6. Guard your computer. Stop visiting and Delete any Internet sites in your favorites that are not godly or promote ungodly behavior.




7. Guard your relationships. Stop building relationships on-line and off-line that take you away from your family duties. It's fine to comment or discuss with a nice group or on blogs or join a pray group, but it should not provide an 'escape' from your daily life or encourage ungodly behavior like gossip, nagging spouses, or coveting.




8. Guard your thoughts. That means staying busy! Idle hands definitely the devil's tool.




9. Guard your mouth. Watch what you say. That doesn't just mean gossip, it means foul language and ungodly topics, laughing at jokes made in poor humor, and forwarding ungodly e-mails to un-believing friends.




10. Guard your heart. That means renewing your mind constantly and without ceasing. This can only be accomplished on way - by being IN THE WORD every day!
    
    
    An immodest mind shows a heart willing to flirt with the world.

Without careful discernment you will not be alert to effects the world has on you. One area is hard enough to maintain, as godly women we need to maintain ALL of them (and that of our young'uns).

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us of some very important things:



19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Who are you honoring??

Thanks for stopping by. I hope today's message has been encouraging to you. Please feel free to comment and tell me how God has been working in your life and if you have found new changes to gain modesty.

Waiting at the door---Elizabeth


A little something extra....

Trouble with math??
Here's a simple trick for learning the 9's times table:

9 times table tricks

Day 3 -- Cleaning out your Mind

Happy Monday!

Ready for the next challenge - today we prepare for :

The Great Mind Clean-Out!!

Challenge 3 will be easier for some than others. Parts of it will take no time at all, but some parts may take a lot of time. It all depends how many bad habits, my dear reader, that you have! And, since we are dealing with your MIND you are the only one who knows what's really in there.

Take a moment and read on to see if you are hiding any "dirty laundry" or "out-of-style" behaviors in the closet of your mind....

Colossians 3:2 and 5 tells us:

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things...

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly

nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. "

You may take a quick glance and think you've got no worries, but let's dig a little deeper and see if there are areas that need addressing...

Matthew 15:11
"It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

The trouble is what happens after it enters you, gets processed and comes out. That is is what Paul is warning us about. But we all know that what we hear and see stays with us, good or bad, and it is up to us as PROVERBS 31 WOMEN to guard what is in front of our eyes and ears and that of our families.


Everything that goes into through the eyes or ears runs through the same simple process...it all starts with...

1. What goes into the mind - via books, TV, radio, Internet, talking with others

2. What is within the mind - What you meditate on, think about, dwell on

3. What comes out of the mind - your attitude, conduct, demeanor and of coarse, the words you speak

Your CHALLENGE today and for the better part of this week is to look at what is around you, and take note of what influences your decisions for TV, radio, Internet, books, magazines. What are your family members devoting their time to???

*Do you read romance novels or watch afternoon (or evening) dramas and soap operas?
*Do you spend huge amounts of time building relationships on-line that are not with Christians?
*Do you read magazines that promote idolatry of money and fame?
*Do you enjoy "reality shows" that use profanity, encourage hateful behavior, and gossip...and promote cheering for someone to get "fired", all for ratings?
*Do you watch shows that promote a "view" point that is not Christian?
*Do you listen to music that has profanity, violence, or bad behavior promoted through out it?

If you find that you have slipped in some of these areas, don't be too hard on yourself.

It happens to the best of us...

I while back my husband and I used to watch a simple cooking reality show. Until one day we actually watched and said --this is really not a show we would watch if Christ were sitting here with us....needless to say our viewing choices have changed - drastically!!!

One book that helped us clarify what is "of the world" was:

Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World




Take note and we will continue this closet-cleaning tomorrow with a TOP 10 list you won't want to miss....

Top 10 Modesty Quick-Fixes!

Meanwhile, drop me a comment and let me know how it's going. Are you taking the modesty challenge, have you neglected any areas in the past that are now clean??

Thanks for stopping by------
Elizabeth

Modesty - Check Please!

As spring unfolds and as summer draws nearer, families around the nation are turning their thoughts to sunnier days, warmer temperatures and spending more time outdoors. For some values-minded parents however, generally parents of tweens and teens and particularly of girls, a sense of uneasiness is taking hold as they consider the types of clothing they will allow their kids to wear this summer that actually fit their description of modesty. Anticipation of arguments to come can lead these parents to a full-blown sense of anxiety.

But, psssst… let me whisper so that your kids won’t hear… modesty has made a comeback in our culture and this year it’s likely to make a parent’s job at least a bit easier.

Read the article in full at Modesty Makes a Comeback

We are to present ourselves as godly women
not gaudy women!

“A chaste, pure woman can draw others to the Savior (1 Peter 3:1-2). As women we can either choose to highlight our female body by wearing teasing or revealing clothes or we can choose to draw attention to our soul and to our Lord.”

--Wanda Kennedy Sanseri, God's Priceless Woman: A Bible Course for All Ages

Read my full article on this at Proverbs31 Wisdom

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Proverbs31 Cooking

Pure or Dirty - What's on Your Mind??

Titus 2:4-5 tells us:



4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

HAGNOS defined:

Found in the New Testament:

1 time - Chaste (1 Peter 3:2 "when they see the purity and reverence of your lives")

1 time - Free from sin (1 Tim 5:22 "Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. ")

1 time - Innocent (2 Cor. 7:11"See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be pure in this matter.")

5 times - Pure (2 Cor 11:2 "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin";

Phil 4:8 " Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things";

Titus 2:5 (above);

James 3:17 "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy";

1John 3:3 "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

I would like to encourage everyone to read and meditate on these. Notice these versus are not all about women. Plenty of the information is about all Believers.

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