We're Back Home From the Love the Church Conference!

We're back from the Love the Church Conference. We arrived home on Sunday evening. I have notes on some of the sessions that I want to post. My family and I were convicted in many areas of our lives and are grateful that we were able to attend. I'll be posting a few pictures too. Unfortunately, my camera started to die at the end of the conference and I was unable to take any more photos. Looking forward to sharing soon.
Blessings.

Love The Church Conference 2010

We will be attending this conference this week, Lord willing.

Information from the NCFIC website:

At this conference we will cast a vision for church life that is presented in scripture. Our prayer is for a rising number of churches dedicated to the glory of God alone. We will communicate the biblical doctrine of the church, explain her importance, her calling and her destiny. We will show how you and your family fit in to the church of Jesus Christ and how He has called you to love and serve her. We will bring messages on evangelism, missions, church planting, and discipleship through local churches. We will be explaining particularly important church practices such as singing, scripture reading, the Lord’s table, baptism, Sabbath keeping and church discipline. We will explain the importance of the sufficiency of scripture for the government of the church and how to apply the “regulative principle” in church life. We will even bring messages regarding the way that churches should treat their elders and whether or not they should pay them.

We live in a day and age where people seem to be confused about the practices, structure and importance of the church. Christian nomadism, church hopping, neglect, and broken relationships are legendary in the modern church. People often leave their churches without even notifying the leaders or their brothers and sisters. They just disappear and never return. Sometimes this confusion is seen in the neglect of the discipleship program of the church, and the meetings of the church. Is it that we don’t understand the nature of the church? Is it that we don’t understand Christ’s love for the church or His sacrifice? Is it that our love for Christ is low so our love for the church is low? Is it possible that some even despise the church by their nonchalance?

Ultimately, we are praying for an outpouring of love for the bride of Christ and for faithful obedience to scripture in all areas of church life.

Speakers

Other speakers include:

Jeff Pollard Andy Davis Bill Einwechter

Don Hart Boyd Dellinger Craig Houston

Joe Morecraft Dan Horn Jason Dohm

The Love the Church conference will be held in the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Asheville, NC.

For more information visit NCFIC.org

The Touch

"If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole."
Mark 5:28
Faith, hope, belief...just one touch of the hem of His garment.

Planning

I'm a planner. I love to plan. I love to make lists. I love to make Excel charts. I love to check off completed tasks on my lists. Howerver, as we all know life happens and I don't always follow through on my plans and I don't always cross off everything on my list. Some tasks are perpetually being added to my new lists and I hope to one day cross them off...ever have one or two of those tasks?!

Planning makes me feel secure and grounded. More so, planning declutters my mind and helps me be organized and disciplined. I love being organized and I need to be disciplined, but I recognize I have a loooooong way to go to better myself in this area. This however is the beauty in being a Keeper at Home. It is actually my "job" to become a better wife, helper to my husband, mother and housekeeper. Planning helps me in this area.

I've learned of course, to be flexible, knowing that the Lord is the only one who is truly in control of my life. He often sends situations that interrupt my plans all for my sanctification and I am in constant need of being sanctified!

If you have any tips or advice in this area I would love to hear from you. I'd also love to know of any websites, blogs or books that have helped you in the area of planning or organization.

Thanksgiving 2010

My pretty baker making her pie crust.

She loves baking.

Another little baker happy in the kitchen.

Mixing dough.

The finished product...what a pretty pie!

Organic golden Yukons with loads of organic butter, sour cream, milk, celtic sea salt & garlic pepper.....yum!

Me, Monica & Angela & Selah.

Outside fun.

Roasting marshmellows....cinder stained smile!

Lovely young ladies enjoying each other's company.

Both girls love to draw.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family or friends or both! This is our second Thanksgiving that we have spent with dear friends since both my family and my husband's family live more than 2,000 miles away. It's heartwarming to be able to spend holidays with your family, but if you can't, it's a blessing to be able to celebrate special days with family in Christ. I'm grateful that we have many friends in the Lord within our church body.

We spent the afternoon and evening with our friends, the Fernandez family. I baked a turkey, made our famous mashed potatoes, and my daughter made a coconut pie and we bought a pumpkin pie. Our friends provided the rest of the Thanksgiving "fixin's." It was a very pleasant, peaceful evening of food and fellowship. After dinner more friends came over and the children roasted marshmellows outside at a fire pit in the backyard. I completely forgot to take photos. I did take a few and my daughter took a few also, but I don't have a single family shot, a group shot or any pictures at the dinner table. :( Here are the few we did take. Enjoy!

Give Thanks!

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever."
Psalm 107:1

He is good! How wonderful it is to know that His mercy endureth FOREVER! As a sinner in constant need of the Lord's mercy, this is truly something marvelous that I am thankful for!

Today while we prepare to celebrate the official Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow my children and I are challenging ourselves to spend the day contemplating the goodness of the Lord and thanking Him for all His many blessings.

May your day be blessed!

Bridal Shower Wisdom

Early last month I attended a bridal shower for our elder's second daughter, Blair. It was a joyful time of fellowship. After the last gift was unwrapped and oooed and awed over, a time was opened up for the ladies to share some words of wisdom in regards to marriage. Much of the advice given was truly valuable and I should have taken notes. I don't remember everyone's exact words, but I'll try, nonetheless to share as much as my memory holds.

1. Encourage your husband when he is feeling down or fearful by loving on him.

2. One dear lady whom I admire just said one word, "RESPECT."

3. No matter how busy your day, get the things done that please him, such as having the living room clean (if this is what he wants) so he can have some orderly place to sit and relax when he returns home from work. Prioritize and make important those things which are important to him.

4. Don't over analyze his words towards you. Don't try to think there are hidden motives and thoughts behind his words. You don't want to go there.

5. Be free with your love with no thoughts of restraint.

6. Pray to the Lord to give your husband insight into the areas of vision in which he should be leading. Sometimes upon presentation of certain ideas of vision your husband may not always capture it, but do not be dismayed. Instead of nagging, take it to the Lord in diligent prayer. The Lord will help your husband to understand the vision he needs to have and the vision or idea you presented will become his "own" idea!

7. Be merciful and forgiving with your husband. He is not perfect, just as you are not perfect. If you are generous with mercy, when the time comes when you need to be shown mercy, your husband will be free to be merciful and gracious with you.

I'm sure there was more advice given but this is all I can remember. Since the invitation to the shower asked everyone to come prepared to share some advice or encouragement to the new bride, I was prepared to share a tiny nugget or two, however, I was too shy to do so and thought it best to just gleam the wisdom from the more experienced wives!

I asked my husband beforehand what things I have done throughout our marriage that have been a blessing or encouragement to him. This is what he shared with me and what I had thought of sharing should the sharing have been mandatory and not by volunteering:

1. My husband loves coming home. The warm welcome we give him is the highlight of his day. I have trained the children to view his coming home as the best and most exciting part of our day. When the children see his car coming up the driveway, they all yell, "Dad's home! Dad's home!" We all run to greet him and hug him. I always freshen up and make sure my hair and clothing are in order when I know he will be home shortly. And I always give him a big kiss at the door! "Make your husband's arrival from work the highlight of your day. Greet him as if you hadn't seen him all week." (I'm not sure how this would work out if he works from home!)

2. He appreciates that I have always been kind and loving to his family. "Love his family."

3. He appreciates and is blessed by how I manage his money by being frugal, always striving to buy what we need at the best possible price. "Manage his money well. Be frugal and appreciate how hard he works to provide money for his family."

Anyone care to share a "nugget" or two of their own? I'd love to hear from you! Ask your husband to let you know how you have blessed him. You may be pleasantly surprised at what he mentions. I was so pleased to hear the things my husband mentioned and encouraged to seek out new ways to bless him.