Jesus Christ is Everything!

Jesus Christ is Everything - Paul Washer from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

My family and I were introduced to Paul Washer & HeartCry Ministry two years ago at the Sufficiency of Scripture Conference put on by NCFIC,whose Director is our elder, Scott Brown. Paul Washer's ministry and his messages have impacted our lives. The last week of the year 2010 and the first week of this year 2011 my husband had us all watch his videos posted on Heart Cry's Ministry website. We especially loved his teachings on the gospel and watched them several times so we could confirm in the minds of our children (and our own also,) what the Gospel is and what it isn't. The video entitled "Shocking Youth message," is also one everyone should watch. May Jesus Christ be our EVERYTHING and may we bear scars for the Gospel!

"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." Zach 13:9

How beautiful are those whose trust in a sovereign God surpass and outweigh life's trials, pain and suffering. My prayer is that the Lord give me joy in every difficult situation that He chooses to bring to my life knowing that my Redeemer is refining me, removing all dross, so that I may reflect the perfect image of Christ.

Joni Erickson Tada wrote the following a couple of months back:

I ran into some people over the weekend who are still stymied as to why a good God would allow cancer on top of my chronic pain and quadriplegia. But it's no mystery to me. “The cross God sends is a cross that He understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for the person to whom He has given it,” as one writer put it. The Bible puts it this way: “All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (II Thessalonians 1:5). When it comes to the cross you daily bear, join me in agreeing that God's judgment is right. The cross you shoulder is not one inch too large nor one ounce too heavy, for the Lord especially hand-tailored it so that Christ's kingdom might be advanced through you. That alone is the highest of honors.

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!