A word of advice

I am so sorry that we haven't updated our blog in so long! I've been getting distracted by the work in our bedroom and school restarting; so distracted that I didn't realize how much time was going by! In all likelihood there will be upcoming posts on our remodeling project and the local Bible Bee.


For now, I would like to share with you some advice that I've gleaned from my family. There may be repetitions of this, so please leave a comment if you would, or would not, like to see a post like this again.



A List of Helpful (More or Less) and Somewhat Random Advice from the "Books, Ballet, and Basketball" Family:


1. A penny saved is a penny that will soon be lost in an unknown pocket, never to be found again. ~ Risa


2. If you ever want to know how to spell a word, don't ask a mom. She'll just tell you to use a dictonary. ~ Sam


3. Never, ever, open a packet of Diablo Hot Sauce with your mouth. ~ Momo

4. Bah! ~ Baby Girl*

*Translation: If your desire is for your ear drums to remain intact, you should surrender to me your cellphone, that pencil, and any food that is within reach.

5. If you make good choices, you get ice cream. But if you not make good choices, you not get ice cream. ~ Little R


6. Don't let fear keep you from doing anything. Satan is the one who wants you to fear; God has given us a spirit of confidence. When you let fear rule you, you're giving Satan power. ~ Mom


7. Deception is addictive. Deception for a good cause is its most dangerous form. ~ Risa

8. The things you're always talking about, the things you get your pleasure out of, that's where your heart will be. You don't ever want to make money, or popularity, or the things this in this world what's important to you because in the end they are of no importance. GOD has to be the most important thing, the thing you focus on! ~ Dad

9. If you use the restroom with a skirt on, check to make sure it isn't tucked into your shorts before you leave the stall. ~ Mom


10. Saying "I can't" turns the brain off; never underestimate the power of negative thinking. ~ Mom



~ Risa

Why?

We recently received an e-mail that had a wonderful message. I thought I would share it with you and leave a few thoughts of my own. The e-mail was as follows:


The Ant and the Contact Lens: A TRUE STORY

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens.

'Great', she thought. 'Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry.' She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there.

She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse 'The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth..'

She thought, 'Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.'

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, 'Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?'

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, 'Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You.'

I think it would do all of us some good to say, 'God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will.'

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

Recently, I had been having trouble helping someone I know. This person had been hanging out around me for a while but I could see no change in them. I constantly tried to be an example, and pray for them, and tell them about the Bible; yet they stayed the same. It was a sad disappointment being around them and thinking I was no influence or help to them. I didn’t know why God had placed this person near me if they didn’t want to hear the truth and they didn’t want to change.

Another situation like this comes to mind from when I was about 11. I was taking ballet and there was another girl in the class who really liked me. I enjoyed talking to her and telling her about Jesus Christ, and she was extremely interested in what I had to say about Jesus and the Bible. She was Catholic and hadn’t heard any other side or view of the Bible. The more I told her about God’s Son and His word, the more her interest grew, the more questions she asked, and the more time she spent around me. Then one day after class was over, she came to me and asked me if she could be really forgiven and have Jesus in her heart too. To my severe disappointment, her very upset father came up to us and very quickly told her it was time to go and they left. During my ride home I wasn’t completely hopeless, thinking that next week I could tell her about how to be forgiven and become a Christian. I prayed that God would give me the chance to tell her next week because classes were ending that week and it would most likely be the last time I saw her. At class, I went right up to her and she was the first one to speak. She spoke in a sad and quiet voice and told me her father told her not to talk to me about Christianity, that they were Catholics and that what I believed was wrong. She didn’t talk to me any more that day. When we got home I was overcome. She had been the first person that I had really witnessed to. I remember saying, “Why, God? Why did you place me here if it was going to end with nothing, no fruit?” I knew it wasn’t right to ask God why, I knew He would always know best, but the child in me still wanted to know, “Why?”

And still in the present time I struggle with this desire to know why. Doing foster care is a challenge, and when we have had a child in our home for a long period of time (sometimes even longer than the biological parents have had them) and then we get the news that they are to return to their parents, I feel the doubtful question return. Why are they going home to a place that is not nearly so safe as our home, a place that doesn’t have You as the foundation when our home does, a place that appears not to love them as we love them? Why?

Each time I ask that question, I am showing a lack of faith in God. He knows what He is doing, He is in ultimate control. The person who had been hanging around me is now growing more like Christ and I have actually heard them say, “I just want to do what Jesus would do.” I spoke with my mom about the girl in ballet and she encouraged me, telling me although she had not accepted Christ as her LORD, it is ultimately up to her and the God, not her dad and not me. I now see that I may have planted a seed of truth that will remain and the LORD will use someone else to water the seed, even though I may never see how I might have been used to make a difference. In the case of foster care, because they had been with us I now pray for them often and we have told them all, whether they understood it or not, that Jesus loves them and is always there with them. God may have put them in our family so that we could be an example of Him to their parents, or they may have been placed with us just so that the children will always have our family’s prayers with them. Just like the ant from the comic strip, we don’t always know why we bear a certain burden, but our God and Father is sovereign and He has a plan. Whether we see it or not, He is working through us (often in spite of us) and we can be assured that He has a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

We need to be willing to serve the LORD no matter what. If we do know why or if we don’t, we should still be willing to give our all. Isn’t that what our LORD did for us? Galations 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." He gave His all and we didn’t even deserve it. We cannot even comprehend what an awesome and amazing gift was given to us, and yet we ask why! I fall short everyday, like all of mankind. Job was wise when he said in Job 2:10, “…Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?…” How many times have we felt we did not deserve so much pain or misfortune without really thinking about all the good we have had that we did not deserve. Why don’t we say “I do not deserve this, why me?” about the raise our boss gives us, or the new pet we get, or even our family, or the roof over our head, or the life that we are still living today! I know we all have fallen short. We say "I don't deserve this pain!" or "I shouldn't have to do this extra work, it's my sister's job!" While writing this post, the LORD has been touching and convicting me. I truly desire to be grateful for all that I have, including the trials. Just as Romans 5:3 says, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance.” In the hard times, we should still be “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:12) because we know that we can always trust that the God who formed the universe and everything in it is always in control. We do not deserve Him and yet He has given us more than we can ever pay back. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. (Ephesians 6:24)


~Momo

I really like this song and I think it has a great message which goes along with this post: http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=b181d059a117f02fbc9e

Work

We have already finished the wrap-around porch, swing-set, and grass that we were working on in our backyard but never got around to posting about it! I thought I might as well post some of the pictures and tell you about the work we are now doing inside our house.
This is the grass and the porch that is in our back yard,

As for the remodeling, we are turning the School Room into our Bedroom in order for the three of us to have a larger room! This is the room before,


and this is our new swing-set.


and after! Well, I was just teasing, we aren't done yet but I could show you a picture of us work on it! That's Dad and me working on the wall!

And that is the wall we were working on, now standing up and with the drywall on most of it!

I can't wait to show you when it's done! I can't wait 'til it is done! We still have lots more work to do. I am so grateful for such hard working parents.
So Dad, when you read this I just want you to know that we are all so grateful for having the hardest-working and strongest dad in the world!
Momo

Thy work alone

I recently read this hymn by Horatius Bonar on another blog and it really touched me. I hope you enjoy it!

Not what my hands have done

Can save my guilty soul;

Not what my toiling flesh has borne

Can make my spirit whole.

Not what I feel or do

Can give me peace with God;

Not all my prayers,

And sighs and tears

Can bear my awful load.

Thy work alone, O Christ,

Can ease this weight of sin

Thy blood alone O Lamb of God,

Can give me peace within.

Thy love to me O God,

Not mine, O Lord, to Thee

Can rid me of

This dark unrest,

And set my spirit free!

Thy grace alone, O God,

To me can pardon speak;

Thy power alone O Son of God,

Can this sore bondage break.

No other work, save Thine,

No other blood will do,

No strength save that,

Which is divine,

Can bear me safely through.

I bless the Christ of God;

I rest on love divine;

And with unfaltering lip and heart,

I call this Savior mine.

His cross dispels each doubt,

I bury in His tomb

My unbelief,

And all my fear,

Each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace,

I trust His truth and might

He calls me His, I call Him mine,

My God, my joy, my light

’Tis He Who saveth me,

And freely pardon gives

I love because

He loveth me,

I live because He lives!

In Christ,

Risa

Homeschool convention

This past weekend, my family and I attended an annual Homeschool Convention and Curriculum Fair. We have attended this conference twice before and greatly enjoyed the speakers, curriculum vendors, and chance to get away and enjoy each other's company. {And, of course, the opportunity to stay at a hotel always puts us in a good mood. ;)}

One of the speakers was Voddie Bauchum, and we appreciated his sessions in particular. {http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/home.html} He spoke on the subjects of discipling your children, family worship, evangelism, etc. My sisters and I also attended a few of the "Teen Track" sessions which were on becoming world changers; learning styles; avoiding lies from culture, Satan and the flesh; and Christian heroes in history. In the Vendor Hall, I purchased a few books as well as "Pendragon: Sword of His Father," a movie produced by Burns Family Studios. {http://burnsfamilystudios.com/movies/pendragon/} We watched it on the evening we returned home and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We all greatly enjoyed the conference itself, the chance to be encouraged and learn and talk with other homeschoolers, but I think that spending time together while on the drive, eating out and in the hotel was the biggest pro of the trip. We always spend time together but we do not usually have the luxury of just "hanging out" with the work, school and distractions of home. My dad described our trip as "an extra-long weekend."

All in all, I really liked the trip, from the raspberry lemonade I smuggled in to the Vendor Hall {*looks sheepish*} to chatting with an old friend to staying up late with my sisters in our hotel room!

Hoping to post again soon,

Risa

Romans 12:1

As I was reading my Bible today, I kept coming back to this one verse: Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
I started thinking about what that really meant.
Well, the key words for me (the ones that seemed to stick out) were: Mercies, sacrifice, holy, acceptable, and reasonable. So I decided to go deeper and try to find out their real meaning.

mercy or mercies
1. compassion: kindness or forgiveness shown to an offender or to somebody a person has power over
2. compassionate disposition: a disposition to be compassionate or forgiving of others
3. something to be thankful for: a welcome event or situation that provides relief or prevents something unpleasant from happening
4. easing of distress: the easing of distress or pain
5. kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness

That verse says that it is only by the mercies of God that we can even do any of those other things. Meaning number one says that mercy is forgiveness shown to an offender and number three says that it’s something to be thankful for (amen to that!). But I think I like what number four says the best. Easing of distress or pain. I had never really thought of mercy as that, but it sure is true. In definition number five, it says that mercy is kindness showed beyond what would be fair, which is absolutely true. If things were fair, then we would be here with no hope. But God did show mercy, and sent us His son. If it weren’t for the Lord’s mercies we would all be distressed and in pain. I don’t know about you, but I thank God for His mercies every day, and mean it with all of my heart!

sacrifice
1. giving up of something valued: a giving up, destroying, or foregoing, of something valuable or important for somebody or something else considered to be of greater value, importance, or having a more pressing claim
2. something valued and given up: something valuable or important given up as a sacrifice
3. offering to God: an offering to honor or appease God, especially of a ritually slaughtered animal or person
4. something or somebody offered to God: something or somebody offered to honor or appease God
5. symbolic offering: a symbolic offering made to God

Something I noticed while reading that is, you can’t sacrifice something to nobody. There has to be a purpose to your sacrifice, someone you are sacrificing to (God, of course).
What exactly are we sacrificing? The first two meanings of the word talk about giving up something of value. Well, we’re giving up ourselves (“I beseech you therefore…present your bodies a living sacrifice…”), into the loving hands of God. Giving up our fleshly lusts, our sinful desires, our whole human nature. Another thing: It says, “…a living sacrifice…”. Because until we give ourselves up to God, our sin nature is alive and well. We can’t fight it on our own--we need to let God help us. But after something is sacrificed, it dies.

holy
1. sacred: relating to, belonging to, or coming from God
2. saintly: devoted to the service of God
3. pure: morally and spiritually perfect
4. consecrated: dedicated or set apart for God

Whenever I would think of holy, these are the words that came to mind: God, Angels, Jesus. Though God, Jesus, and the angels are holy, we see in the first denotation of the word “holy” can just be belonging to God. But the things we do, even if we belong to God, may not be holy. Like Satan. When he was an angel, he was holy, but he still rebelled from God, giving up his holiness forever.
I think that to be holy meanings one, two, and four must all be put together. We must belong to God (otherwise how can we serve Him?), be devoted to serving Him, and set apart (and dedicated) to/for Him and only Him.
But meaning number three…well, only God and His son, Jesus, have fulfilled that. No human can be perfect, though that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for moral and spiritual perfection.

acceptable
1. adequate: considered to be satisfactory
2. approved of: likely to gain somebody’s approval
3. welcome: likely to please the person who receives it

Well there’s only one way to be any these things to God, and that’s through Jesus Christ, who gave His life for this reason (of course He rose three days later). We see that Jesus is the only way in Isaiah 64:6, which says, “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” I think that that verse obviously states that we could never be “considered satisfactory” in God’s eyes unless we were covered by Jesus’ blood.

reasonable (n)
1. in accord with common sense: acceptable and according to common sense
2. not immoderate, not excessive, not unjust

“…which is your reasonable service." To me, this phrase states that it would only be logical, obvious, and sensible to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God”. Because He deserves your life and more. Apparently, the oppisite of reasonable would be unjust, unacceptable and nonsense. It’s only natural that we should give Him our all and our life, seeing how He gave us His all and His life.

Well, that went longer than expected. Would you add anything? What are your opinions? Comments are welcome = ).

E Sam

(most of these definitions came from Encarta World English Dictionary or Websters New Twentieth Century Dictionary)