Category: Archives

Photo: Terry, Shannon, Matthew, Jessicca, and Nathanial.

Hooray! Shannon from Boise, Idaho is the March giveaway winner!

The theme for the March Giveaway was “burdens carried”. Readers were asked to leave a comment about a physical or metaphorical burden that they have either had to carry or was carried for them.

She writes,

“Praise God for the burdens he has allowed me to go through and has lifted for me. Every burden or need has always brought me closer to God, and a great way for me to teach my children Gods true love.

Our most current burden was our move. We moved to a new state with no friends, no family and no church. After a lot of prayer we had a very successful move, have made friends, and found a great church. What an awesome way to teach my oldest, who is 11, if we place our worries, concerns, and fears on God he will carry us through.

There has been many burdens in our family the past few years, yet each one has brought us closer to God. My husband and I are closer than ever, and my family is safe and healthy. I wanted to thank you for reminding me to Thank God for the burdens he lifted for me today.“

After her oldest began to struggle emotionally over problems at school, she decided to teach her children at home. They are very happy with the decision.

My oldest was becoming physically ill from the stress of public school. He is such a kind boy that he was made fun of and developed such stress over being teased that he would get headaches all the time.

My daughter had a speech problem, the school’s answer was to put her in a speech class. I then found out she was being taught Spanish instead of actually working on her speech. After using a charter school for a year, she was finally tested and we found she has Dyslexia.

Now, she loves to read. Her speech is clear (except when she gets excited), and she is finally understanding why she was struggling.

We have been homeschooling for 4yrs now, and I would never trade the time I have had to show my kids there real potential.

When asked what she and her family are looking forward to this spring, she said,

Being in a new state there are many things we would love to do. Idaho is a great place for families who love to do outdoor things, we hope to do a lot of hiking, fishing, and some gardening.

As teacher, Shannon used the web as a resource. She highly recommends Spelling.org.

Say what you will about modern worship music, but these two songs always get to my heart.

They describe how Jesus satisfies our needs, and how there is nothing else to our existence except for clinging to and trusting in Him.

These principles are foundational, simple, and yet easy to forget when when life hurts.

In the words of Katherine von Bora Luther, “I will cling to Christ like a bur to cloth.”

All I Once Held Dear (Knowing You)
by Graham Kendrick

All I once held dear, built my life upon
All this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Chorus:
Knowing you, Jesus
Knowing you, there is no greater thing
You’re my all, you’re the best
You’re my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

Now my heart’s desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All-surpassing gift of righteousness

Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
So with you to live and never die

. . . . . .

As The Deer Panteth for the Water
by A. Martin Nystrom

As the deer panteth for the water,
So my soul longs after you
You alone are my hearts desire,
And I long to worship You.

Chorus:
You alone are my strength, my shield;
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my hearts desire,
And I long to worship You.

I want you more than gold or silver,
Only You can satisfy
You alone are the real joy giver
And the apple of my eye.

You’re my friend and You’re my brother,
Even though you are a King
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything.

What are your favorite modern worship songs?

The secret to not complaining is to realize you’re always better than you deserve.

Photo Credit: Thiago Maximo via Flickr

Cut flowers will never come back to life.

Yet, they sit dead in their vase as if I am expecting them to bloom again.

Photo Credit: Free Parking via Flickr

In a relationship? Please take five minutes of your time to watch this clip from CCEF Executive Director Tim Lane. I have read the book, “Relationships: A Mess Worth Making”, and recommend it highly.

Two blogs I love are sending traffic my way this week! Please stop by these Internet gems, both with long-time spots on my blogroll, and say konnichiwa:

The Flourishing Mother : This week, I’m being featured for Andrea’s Momma Monday column! Last March, I quoted from Andrea’s Post, “I Made a Meal for Jesus,” which challenged me to think of Jesus as a friend and to do things, like making dinner, as if was doing them directly for Him. It was life-changing for me.

Feminia: Nancy Wilson, who has written of some of my favorite books, coauthors a delightful blog with the ladies in her family. Recently, she invited readers to post their blogs for a Tour the Readers’ Blogs Party… so I did! There are many great bloggers who responded to her post. How about you add yours?

You’re also invited to check out my Welcome! page as well as send me an email to introduce yourself. Please let me know how I can best pray for and/or be of encouragement to you. If you have them, please let me know your Twitter handle and blog URL so I can check out your corner of the Web.

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Photo credit: chez_sugi via Flickr