Archive for February 26, 2010

26 Feb 2010
Book Review

"Bailey's Cave Adventure" Book Review

Bailey's Cave Adventures and Beyond the Norm Bible Stories 

  • Author:        Nina Meier
  • Published:  August 5, 2008 by Tate Publishing
  • Details:         Paperback, 68; VBS, Sunday School Curriculum, Homeschool
  • ISBN:1604628766 

    • My Thoughts 

    Reviewing, Bailey’s Cave Adventures, I felt that the book would work well as  a homeschool curriculum to use when you’re either moving, dealing with a sick day or finding yourself dealing with unexpected situations that would make homeschooling difficut, or if you home church, this makes a great way to find ideas and activites to teach the children.

    Just 68 pages, Bailey’s Cave Adventures, provides coloring pages in the back that VBS, Sunday School or homeschooling teachers can use to go along with the lessons in, Bailey’s Cave Adventures.

    Going through the book, I enjoy the ideas that the author, Nina Meier, shared about teaching about Creation and she provides very basic instructions to help share lessons such as about the Beautitudes or even the story of the Wise and Foolish Builders.

    The only downside I could find with, Bailey’s Cave Adventures,  was instead of introducing the characters at the end of the book, it would have helped to have ,Bailey’s Cave Adventures, characters introduced in the beginning to help Sunday School teachers, VBS volunteers, or even just a homeschooling parent, quickly get acquainted with the main focus of the book, along with the coloring sheets placed with the associated lessons.

    Other than that, Bailey’s Cave Adventures, makes a great way to fill gaps that often occurs with homeschooling when lessons get distracted due to sickness, life changes or just busy schedules that causes homeschoolers to have to rearrange their schedule.

    From First Wild Card

    It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! I

    f you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books.

    A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

    You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

    Today’s Wild Card author is:

    and the book:
    Bailey’s Cave Adventures

    Tate Publishing (August 5, 2008)

    ***Special thanks to Nina Meier for sending me a review copy.***

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

    New author Nina Meier is an incredibly talented preschool Sunday school and VBS teacher, having 10 years’ experience in her own church doing just that. Ask anyone under the age of 5 about Miss Nina’s handmade green lizard bag that holds her lessons on love and respect for God’s creation, each other, and ourselves. With fresh, new ideas always at her fingertips, even at a moment’s notice, no child is ever bored in her class, and she is able to laugh and dance them through a Bible lesson effortlessly.

    Nina has been enjoying a career in Medical Transcription for the past 15 years, having gone back to school when her 2 sons were both in college. Her husband is a talented wood craftsman and has, on many occasions, brought her VBS ideas to life. He also builds sets for church plays that are of professional quality.

    Many of Nina’s lessons on missions come from firsthand experience on the field during short-term mission trips to West Virginia, the interior of Mexico, Moldova near Romania, the Gulf Coast, and an Indian reservation in Ontario, Canada.

    With such multi-faceted talent, anything this new author puts her pen to is a guaranteed winner!

    Visit the author’s website.

    Product Details:

    List Price: $11.99
    Paperback: 68 pages
    Publisher: Tate Publishing (August 5, 2008)
    Language: English
    ISBN-10: 1604628766
    ISBN-13: 978-1604628760

    AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

    Bailey’s Cave Adventures

    Video/Puppet Show

    Scene 1 – Day 1: Bailey comes flying and crashing into the room. When dust settles, you can see him more clearly.

    Bailey: “Hi boys and girls, my name is Bailey, and I’m a brown bat. Bet you never saw a bat who was always flying into things! That’s because most bats have sonar. Let me explain what that word means. Bats can see with sound better than light. They send out a sound so high-pitched that human ears can’t hear it! The sound bounces off whatever is in front of them, and comes back to their ears. This happens really fast. That’s how they find food, and keep from flying into things.”

    “Well, something went wrong when I was born, and my sonar has never worked! Anyway, it’s okay because my Mom and Dad gave me a seeing-eye dog, you know, the kind blind people use, and he helps me get around, and keeps me from falling, when he’s with me. Sometimes I try to go off on my own and, well, you can imagine. He’s my best friend! Would you like to meet my dog? (Yes!) OK. Here Radar, where are you boy?”

    Out from under a curtain Bailey knocked down comes a large black Lab wearing a harness w/handle.

    Radar: “I see you’re doing okay, no lumps or bumps? Well, climb on up and grab hold of my harness. I have a few things to tell these boys and girls here.”

    Bailey climbs up on Radar’s head, to the harness, hangs onto the handle upside down with a sigh of relief, and falls asleep.

    Radar turns to audience and says, “My job is to keep Bailey on the right path, and warn him of danger. Sometimes he listens, other times he goes off on his own without even seeing where he’s going. He has to learn to trust me completely. That’s like what the Holy Spirit does for you. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “ ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.’ ”

    Bailey wakes up.

    Bailey: “Radar, I almost forgot. While I was out flying”–Radar whispers to the audience, “And crashing”– “I heard some kids talking about going spelunking, that’s cave exploring, and someone who does that is called a spelunker. Anyway, I was thinking I’d make a great spelunker, and I’ve never been very far into the cave, I could go all the way down to the dark zone! It would be a real adventure!” (Getting excited).

    Radar: “Now hold on Bailey, that sounds pretty dangerous to me. I’d feel a lot better if you let me go with you.”

    Bailey: “Sure, okay, that’d be fun, who’s going to carry the flashlight?” (Turns to audience). “Could you help us with flashlights boys and girls?” (Yes!) “Great, let’s get ready to go then!”

    Disclaimer:

    Sunflower Faith | 2 comments | Tags: , , ,
    25 Feb 2010
    Uncategorized

    Guess what I forgot…Yes,I did…

    PhotobucketThis is actually funny….in a not so funny and pretty sad way.

    Today’s is our anniversary-my husband and I and guess what we BOTH forgot.

    Yes.

    Our anniversary.

    Our wedding anniversary.

    Worse part was that we were sitting down for dinner-halfway through it-when it hit me, that oh,”Today is our anniversary”.

    Our wedding anniversary.

    We’ve had an extended member of the family, ill and in the hospital and just been deeply concerned for them and their family and the family member recovery that it slipped both of our minds about today.

    Funny thing that I was in the kitchen today, cleaning and just upset with worry and during a phone call with hubby, sharing that I could use a little pick me up and what a pick me up this was.

    When hubby and I both realized we BOTH forgotten what today was, we couldn’t stop laughing and thank our Heavenly Father, this was really much needed.

    Sunflower Faith | 3 comments
    23 Feb 2010
    Uncategorized

    In Prayer

    Sunflower Faith | 9 comments
    19 Feb 2010
    Uncategorized

    "Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl" Book Review

    Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl“Forever”. That was the last chapter of “Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl”. Chapter 18-Forever.

    Sadly, the book cannot last forever and instead, it ended with a beautiful chapter talking about forever with our Heavenly Father. Reading and working through “Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl” was an amazing journey, because it is more and wasn’t about how to effectively bible study.

    Thankfully to our Heavenly Father, is that our relationship with our Heavenly Father is forever

    There are plenty of tips and articles and books about the subject, but “Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl” was about something bigger-It was about when the study ends, like all book studies does, and where do we go from there.

    What I enjoyed about the book, was that it challenges you not to just look for the next great bible study, but instead, it discusses about how to start basing our relationships  with our Heavenly Father not wrapped around book studies or great speakers we admire, but to go beyond that and focus on experiencing a very personal and intentional relationship that begins where the book studies end.

    From the publisher details about this book,

    ”

    Like many women, Lysa TerKeurst knows what its like to consider God just another thing on her to-do list. For years she went through the motions of a Christian life: Go to church. Pray. Be nice. Yet she wanted a deeper connection between what she knew in her head and what she felt in her heart. She wanted to personally experience Gods presence.

    In this latest book, drawing from her own remarkable story of step-by-step faith, TerKeurst invites women to uncover the spiritually exciting life they long for. With her trademark wit and spiritual wisdom, TerKeurst helps readers enjoy the passion of conversation with God, discover the life-changing words of the Bible, watch God use disappointments for good, and find incredible joy as they live their faith out every day.

    Whether readers are using this book individually or in a group Bible study, TerKeurst will inspire them to see that Jesus does make a beautiful difference in their livesand that fulfillment is closer than they ever thought possible.”

    How true that many of us tend to treat our relationship with our Heavenly Father as a checklist of “to-do” and when done, “checking it off”.

    The truth is, to have a deep, fufilling relationship with our Heavenly Father, it is something that is intentional, and never ending and Lysa shares, in an authentic and often humorous look at how we can have that deep, beautiful and real relationship with our Heavenly Father.

    Your heart will be touched-Your soul will be encouraged-”Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl” is highly recommended if you are looking for that book to just really kick-start your relationship with our Heavenly Father into a much deeper and richer relationship.

    If you would like to participate in “Christian Book Review Friday” or find out more, drop by “Christian Book Review Friday”Photobucket

    Sunflower Faith | 5 comments | Tags: , , ,
    17 Feb 2010
    Uncategorized

    Beautiful Blogger Award

    PhotobucketThis was given to me by Hannah @ Preparing For Our Children’s Future!  Hannah, thank you so much Sis for this wonderful award-It really means so much.Photobucket

    I honestly can think more than 15 bloggers that should have this award to so, I know that it should be 15, but going to have to pass it on to really, all the Gentle Readers who take the time to come by and read Sunflower Faith or pick it up via the rss feed or through Facebook.

    All of you deserve this, because each day, I feel blessed, encouraged, challenged, convicted and lifted up by your writings and am thankful to our Heavenly Father for the friendship and fellowship offered by all of you who open your hearts and homes via this great medium of blogging and Facebooking and well…through prayers and well wishes.

    To pass on the reward, the rules are:

    1.Thank the person that gave you the award

    2.  Pass this award on to 15 bloggers you’ve recently discovered and whom you think are fantastic!

    *This one is hard for me…I think all of you are fantastic…really”-so I’m passing this to every Gentle Reader that reads this.

    3. Contact the Bloggers you pick to let them know they’ve won

    Going to tweak this rule and ask if all of you who grab the award for yourself-hey give yourself a pat on the back, you are doing a fantastic job, please leave a comment with your blog link so others can discover your blog.

     4. State 7 Things about yourself!

    Here are the seven things about me:

    1. Human being (shocker I know, lol) striving to grow and constantly be humbled and refined in and through our Heavenly Father-basically a work in progress always by our Father’s Hands. I make mistakes, I stumble, I fall and grateful each time to and only to our Heavenly Father who lifts me up, brush me off and says, “Hey He is in control and will walk me through”.(ref: Psalm 139:16)
    2. I love to read-another shocker-and I actually read very fast-It’s just something that I’ve always done and even my hubby has asked me “Do I really retain what I read”. Yes, I do, I just don’t know how or why, but it’s something that I’ve always been able to do so it’s not a surprise to read “several” books a week.
    3. I am actually a very shy and introverted person. Mostly just from background and it’s difficult for me to open up a lot of times out of fear of being hurt or rejected. Praise our Father though, that He is bigger than all of our circumstances and calls us not to be discouraged but to keep trusting Him and following Him. As I would say,”It’s not about us or what we want but about Him and what He wants. (ref: Deuteronomy 31:8)
    4. My love for sunflowers has always been about through thick and thin, good or bad, cloudy, stormy, or clear skies, keeping my head looking up and toward our Heavenly Father and not away or down to the ground. He is, wow, everything  in my life and my family. I  just love our Heavenly Father. (ref.Psalm 34:8)
    5. My sense of  humor has justifiably so been describe as weird and borderline (?) sarcastic. Lol. I love to laugh, I love to smile and I love to be tongue in cheek (I think is that the right metaphor to use?,lol). I just don’t think we should always keep life at being so serious-Our Father is such a blessing and such a joy and part of being a follower-I’ve always believed, is just sharing that joy through anything. Life is too short and things can happen in a second that it can be to late to take back that which we may regret; When we think about it,He is our hope and the source of our joy and I believe that is part of the light that we should show to the world and not try to contain. (ref: Matthew 5:13-16)
    6. I really just don’t like snakes. Really. Lol
    7. Chocolate and Coffee are my kryptonite. Well…maybe purses too…..and shoes.

    Sunflower Faith | 2 comments | Tags: ,
    17 Feb 2010
    Word-Filled Wednesday

    Jeremiah 1:5 "God's plans is no accident"-a WFW post

    This was first shared for Word Filled Wednesday on March 26, 2008, just about two years ago (wow, has it been that long).

    Photobucket
    I don’t believe there are such a thing as accidents. Coincidences…mmmm…maybe, kinda…but no accidents.

    When God created us…He already knew us. He knew who we were going to be and who we are and what our life would be.

    We were each created as individuals, with special purposes that made us unique. He could have made us exact copies but instead, He went..no. Each one of us. Notice, each one of us, are unique and special.

    I look at my children and marvel how similiar yet unique they are with their own strengths and weaknesses yet they teach me each day, a little bit about myself, about what I think and feel and gives me a teeny tiny peek into who they are, who they might be and what God may or maynot have planned for them; I look in the mirror and marvel at how unique and different God makes you, me, everyone and I praise God for having the foresight to give EACH and everyone a special place in His world. Not our world, but HIS world.

    Our lives, how we live, how we act, how we speak are a testament to God and HIS plan and blueprint for the world.

    On “31 Days of Praise“, Ruth Meyers had a unique way of praising and putting in perspective what God has done with us.

    She goes:

    “I’m grateful that my looks, my abilities, and my personality are like a special picture frame in which You can portray Your grace and beauty, Your love, Your strength, Your faithfulness, to the praise of Your glory. I rejoice that You have gifted me for the special purposes You have in mind for my life. I thank You for Your loving wisdom in allowing the things that have influenced me throughout my life-the things that have prepared my heart to respond to You and live for Your glory. I might not have turned to You if things had been different!”

    It was no accident when God made us the way He did. No, He didn’t make a mistake and He wasn’t sleeping on the job.

    He made each of us with a special purpose, a special mission in life to live a life that is a praise to Him. How we live it determines if we fufill it or if we fail.

    Tall order you may say.

    Not really.

    I look at the platypus and think….That’s impossible, what is the REAL point of a platypus but it makes me think of God.

    It makes me turn upward and go,
    1. God really must have a sense of humor, but
    2. As funny as that platypus may look to me…The platypus has just served GOD’S purpose , by having me look up at God and think, “God, why did you create the platypus? Why did you create the universe? Why did You create me?”
    In that same way the platypus was designed to serve God…
    That is how you and I were designed;Not for us to determined ourselves how God will serve us, but how do we serve Him so we can use this special plan, this special blueprint called, you, me, us, everyone to share God’s plan for the world.
    Each child born is special. Each child is born is important. No matter how big a role they may play, or how small a role they may play…In the long scheme of things, in God’s perfect world, they are serving Him and His plan for all of us.

    There is a fantastic devotional, I would like to share with you about this:

    Father’s Love Letter Devotional Series #8

    When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to Israel, God declared that even before he was conceived, he was known by God and set apart for His divine purposes.

    The road that Jeremiah would walk in his ministry life would not be an easy one, for he suffered much abuse at the hands of his fellow Israelites.

    I wonder if he ever reflected on these words when he was going through his darkest times? When he was alone in that cold, damp prison cell, did he ever go back to the beginning of his ministry and meditate on God?s words to him?

    I believe the revelation that he was known by God, and set apart for His purposes, gave Jeremiah the strength to continue to walk out his destiny, even in the darkest of times.

    Knowing that it was God who knew us, and formed us, and called us into life, is the bedrock of our existence.

    When everything else around us is not making sense, this truth can give us the grounding that we desperately need to go on. We are all looking for a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives.

    Many people have not received this affirmation from their parents, but it was not their parents who knew them before they were conceived, but God.

    It was God who formed each one of us in our mother?s womb and called us to life. It was God who set us apart for His divine purposes and plans.

    Before an architect constructs a building, he meticulously puts every detail on paper, every component needed to make his dream into a reality.

    The idea is first conceived in his mind, then is transferred on paper, and then when everything is just perfect, he starts the process of building his creation. In my own limited understanding of God?s creation process, this is how I imagine it to be.

    He first conceived us in His mind, and with great thoughts of love, He began to chart every detail of our DNA in preparation for the time when he would form us in our mother?s womb.

    What a wonderful thought, to know that the God of the universe knew us intimately and set us apart for His purposes even before we were conceived!

    If you would like to join us for “Word Filled Wednesday” drop by Christy @ Critty Joy  or drop by “The 160 Acre Woods” to find out more about how to participate in “Word Filled Wednesday”

    Sunflower Faith | 13 comments | Tags: , ,
    16 Feb 2010
    Uncategorized

    No Freedom in Fear-IOTW

    This Weeks IOTW Quote is: 

    In Other Words Tuesday

    In Other Words Tuesday

    True freedom from fear consists of totally resigning one’s life into the hands of the Lord.
     

    Quote by David Wilkerson of Resigned into God’s Care (on-line devotional)
     

    Hosted this week at: Debbie’s blog, Heart Choices 

    I can list a lot of things that I’m afraid of.

    • Windows without coverings (yes, I’m weird),
    • mice (hey, never know what a mouse can do),
    • snakes (did you hear the story about how a water moccassin was less than roughly 4 feet from me, in the garage, and hubby had locked the door “he was with me” because we were on the way to church that morning),
    • heights (hahahhahaha), seriously, I”m afraid of heights. Can’t even sit on a counter without getting that not so warm fuzzy feeling
    • public speaking
    • private speaking
    • what other people might think
    • what other people do think

    The list goes on and on and surprisingly what is my “theme” scripture for this year:
    7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7, New King James Version)

    Hubby can’t even “flip me over” without me squealing in fear. Yes, I’m the ultimate scaredy-cat. As a matter of fact, each year, he makes it his mission to help me overcome my fear of heights so I would join him riding on the roller coasters.

    I tell him that I’m perfectly fine riding the toddler rides while the kids are patting my hand and telling me it’s going to be alright and the awful choo-choo ride is almost over with, meanwhile my 3 year old is asking daddy if she could ride the gravity defying ride with him instead.

    The MHC (Matthew Henry Commentary) looks into 2 Timothy 1:7 and shares its view that the scripture means that:

    God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, of courage and resolution, to meet difficulties and dangers; the spirit of love to him, which will carry us through opposition. And the spirit of a sound mind, quietness of mind. The Holy Spirit is not the author of a timid or cowardly disposition, or of slavish fears. We are likely to bear afflictions well, when we have strength and power from God to enable us to bear them.

    So, really, there shouldn’t be anything to fear about my arch nemesis: the roller coaster; Though really, watching hubby ride a roller coaster, while I’m sitting in a perfectly still bench situated on the non-moving ground is fine with me.

    One great breakdown of what “FEAR” really means is that “Fear” stands for: False Experience Appearing Real; I’m still trying to figure out how that pertains to being suspended upside down more than just a few feet off the ground in a seat that is going around 60-70 mph and a group of strangers screaming around you.

    We live a life of no guarentees when we think about it.

    There is no guarentee that tomorrow will continue to be like today or yesterday.

    Watch the news and see how fast life just happens in the blink of a second.

    Yet, imagine that same life, enwrapped in the arms of our Heavenly Father, today, tomorrow and always that, that blink of a second, is absolutely nothing, compared to being wrapped in His arms forever, in His kingdom.

    There are things that I’m working through (mice, snakes and roller coasters being pretty far down on my list of need to be worked through and more like avoided like the plague), and as I seek Him, I find myself slowly becoming less fearful and realizing…I can’t completely trust our Heavenly Father and yet, have the other foot root in distrust.

    How can I tell someone, yes have faith in our Heavenly Father, He WILL see you through this, if I don’t allow the same thing for myself.

    I find that as I let go more and more concerns about this world and just really the fact that everything around us is just temporary.

    Our homes, our lives, they are just temporary illusions that when you think about it, can change in the blink of an eye or forbid it, a natural disaster, then where are we rooted in.

    There is really one Rock, one firm foundation that once rooted, He’s never going to let you go, and it’s not that He wasn’t there before, we just didn’t let ourselves lift our heads up long enough to see that He was always there, just patiently waiting for us to come to our senses and open our hearts to Him.

    Our Father is and will always be there.

    We believe-No-We KNOW He IS the creator of everything.

    That scary snake (that I really would love to know WHY did He have to create a water moccassin-why couldn’t he have done something about the fangs and the aggressiveness and I don’t know..make it a platypus that just hum and slither instead), serves a purpose.

    To scare, I think. Verdict for the worse is still out on the snake, so maybe that is so bad an example.

    How about the fact, everything is God’s creation.

    No, not the wars.

    That’s men’s creation because of our pride and sin.

    But this world, this universe, from the first breath of our Father to the final end of the world we know, it was all and is created by Him, in perfect design.

    So why fear.

    People.

    Well.

    He already tells us. As much as they may make us feel good, people don’t matter and there goes another subscription, but the thing is…we should not nor should we want to desire another person’s validation.

    That’s not who matters. Sorry.

    Fear of others will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. (Proverbs 29:25)

    What matters….is Him, our Father. The Big Guy. He loves us so much that while everyone else will abandon us, He won’t.

    Think Paul had any admirers in his time. Nope.

    Matter of fact, few wanted him out of the picture and not just temporarily either.

    But in order for us to get there, we have to eventually have that moment, one morning we wake up and go “No more”. Stop being afraid.

    I’m one to talk-trust me-I’m one to talk.

    As a matter of fact, there are things in the dark little corners that for the longest time, I didn’t want to face, but realize eventually-I can’t keep pretending it’s not there because the more I pretend it’s not there and try to put it “out of sight out of mind”-It just grows bigger and bigger and becomes that 200 lb gorilla flying beside me.

    Wait. That’s a commercial.

    So what am I doing. I’m scared. Big time scare, but I love my Heavenly Father more. I care more what HE thinks than what my fear is trying to tell me to think, so I seek Him and go, yes those thorns look like they are going to hurt, but what makes it worth it, is what is on the other side. Him.

    The refining, the conviction, the challenges, the cleansing, are going to sting, but what’s worth it, is Him.

    He’s not going to let us go through this alone and will see us through.

     1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
          And He who formed you, O Israel:

          “ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
          I have called you by your name;
          You are Mine.
           2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
          And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
          When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
          Nor shall the flame scorch you.
           3 For I am the LORD your God,
          The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
          I gave Egypt for your ransom,
          Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
           (Isaiah 43:1-3, New King James Version)

    God is so good and wants so much for all of us, that eventually we just got to stop with the pride and realize-we’re not perfect and we’re also not in control.

    It’s not God doing what He needs to do with us, based on what WE let Him do, but rather, we humble our hearts and stifle our prides and let Him do what He needs to do with us by us just going…By Thy will not mine.

    18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
    To all who call upon Him in truth.
    19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
    He also will hear their cry and save them. (Psalm 145:18-19, New King James Version

    Personally, I think “Fear” is a pride and control issue.

    Fear is something that we can control, hide behind, use for excuses. In “The Dream Giver” by Bruce Wilkerson, he writes,“After all, fear is a natural human response to a perceived threat. From the inside, where we’re comfortable, fear feels like a barbwire barrier that we should always respect and never climb over.”

    Notice that Wilkerson uses the word “comfortable”. It feels, doesn’t it, actually safer to be in fear than to have courage.  Wilkerson goes on to explain about courage,”….courage is not the absence of fear; rather, it’s choosing to act in spite of the fear. You could say that withotu fear, you can’t have geniune courage”.

    I know this must have you scratching your head now, but really think about what He tells us through Hebrews 4:15:

    15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15, New King James Version)

    What you are feeling is NOT new.

     The martyrs felt it; The people in the bible that you love and read, they felt it-our Heavenly Father FELT it. It’s nothing new and the great thing-He knows you, little old worthless me, anyone who fully trusts Him and just completely give it to Him, can get through this and He WILL see us through.

    He’s not going to abandon you or like my husband does, tease you ( like hubby did to me the one time I finally got on a roller coaster ride (tip to husbands: telling your wife, wow that’s a long drop from up here, does NOT make us scream less and a pretty good guarentee when we dig our nails out of your arms after the ride is over that it maybe a while that we get that look of terror off our face and able to speak to you again).

    Let Him have complete control.

    Take your hands off the driver’s wheel and really let HIM, take over and drive. God is and can and will see us through whatever it is that ails us—except maybe roller coasters. I’m still working on that.

    Eventually-only He knows when our time will be that He will call us home; Till then, let’s not waste the life He has blessed us with, listening to the enemy’s lies and letting His blessings slip away. He really does want us to live a rich, full life and it doesn’t mean a beach home in Costa Rica, or a multi-million dollar book deal-What it means is living the life He calls us to live in and through Him.

    Everything else…is just small change. Though, Heaven for me…has  an amusement land filled with kiddy rides…all geared for scaredy cats like me.

    Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord. They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord. Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid. (Psalm 112:1a,7-8a)

    Sunflower Faith | 12 comments | Tags:
    15 Feb 2010
    Memes • Simple Woman Daybook

    February 15th-Simple Woman's Daybook

    Simple Woman Daybook

    Come Join the Simple Woman Daybook each Monday

    FOR TODAY

    • Outside my window…the weather is a clear blue, sunny day but chilly.
    • I am thinking…what all we have to cover for school; dinner,and today’s life journal-bible reading
    • I am thankful for…our Heavenly Father, His word-the Bible, family, fellowship, friends and the blessings our Father wants to share with us as well as the lessons.
    • From the learning rooms…reading, we have a week of addition to work on, discussion about Creation,
    • From the kitchen…clean up after breakfast, debating about making coffee cake for this week and thankfully most of the house is cleaned up.
    • I am wearing…warm clothes-it’s a chilly day
    • I am creating…I need to put together workbooks for next week and work on posters/charts to put up in the learning room.
    • I am going…to catch up on some laundry, dust, catch up with sending out a daily email to our bible study group members
    • I am reading…Eat with Sinners for a book review that I am doing, daily bible reading
    • I am hoping…that we will be able to get a new printer to ease the cost of ink for the current one
    • I am hearing…God is good and faithful and sometimes finds way to keep us from the things that are really distractions and not good for our growth and journey with Him.
    • Around the house…light dusting, school room closet and main closet was cleaned and organized this weekend so it’s nice to be able to go in and out without falling over anything.
    • One of my favorite things…the Bible
    • A few plans for the rest of the week:Bible study this weekend, meeting with my mentor, relaxation and oh, watch the Olympics! 

     

    Sunflower Faith | 3 comments | Tags:
    14 Feb 2010
    Memes • Sunday Praise and Worship

    Sunday Praise and Worship

    8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:8-10, New King James Version)

    Today is Valentine’s Day.

    A day that is set aside,once a year, to “celebrate” love, but how about celebrating a bigger, greater Love, that happens not just once a day or has to be placed on a calendar, but can be and is and should be celebrated 24/7.

    It is the love of our Heavenly Father who loved us before we knew of that Love; It is a Love that many try to fight against acknowledging; It is a Love that is not conditionaly but offer freely to any and all who is humble and willingly to just open their hearts to Him.

    How so?

    Let’s take a look at what the MHC (Matthew Henry Commentary) interprets this passage to say:

    Christ died for sinners; not only such as were useless, but such as were guilty and hateful; such that their everlasting destruction would be to the glory of God’s justice. Christ died to save us, not in our sins, but from our sins; and we were yet sinners when he died for us.

    Nay, the carnal mind is not only an enemy to God, but enmity itself, chap. 8:7; Col 1:21. But God designed to deliver from sin, and to work a great change.

     While the sinful state continues, God loathes the sinner, and the sinner loathes God, Zec 11:8. And that for such as these Christ should die, is a mystery; no other such an instance of love is known, so that it may well be the employment of eternity to adore and wonder at it. Again; what idea had the apostle when he supposed the case of some one dying for a righteous man? And yet he only put it as a thing that might be.

     Was it not the undergoing this suffering, that the person intended to be benefitted might be released therefrom? But from what are believers in Christ released by his death?

     Not from bodily death; for that they all do and must endure. The evil, from which the deliverance could be effected only in this astonishing manner, must be more dreadful than natural death. There is no evil, to which the argument can be applied, except that which the apostle actually affirms, sin, and wrath, the punishment of sin,determined by the unerring justice of God.

    And if, by Divine grace, they were thus brought to repent, and to believe in Christ, and thus were justified by the price of his bloodshedding, and by faith in that atonement, much more through Him who died for them and rose again, would they be kept from falling under the power of sin and Satan, or departing finally from him. The living Lord of all, will complete the purpose of his dying love, by saving all true believers to the uttermost.

    Having such a pledge of salvation in the love of God through Christ, the apostle declared that believers not only rejoiced in the hope of heaven, and even in their tribulations for Christ’s sake, but they gloried in God also, as their unchangeable Friend and all-sufficient Portion, through Christ only. (Ro 5:12-14)

    Alone? Think you are not worthy to be loved? To broken? In pain?

    Let our Heavenly Father be your friend, your Father; He doesn’t say that things will change and stop existing, but He does give you the strength, the hope, the encouragement and the true tested way, to help you through this journey. He won’t leave you alone; He doesen’t think your unworthy….He does love you and it’s a love that is not so conditional that it’s ever to late.

    But why wait when you can come to know Him now. So for this and everyday, come know our Heavenly Father’s greatest Love for you, for everyone.

    God bless you.

    Sunflower Faith | 2 comments | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
    14 Feb 2010
    Sunday Praise and Worship • Uncategorized

    A Day of Rest and Worship

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