Sunflower Faith

Sunday Praise and Worship

Twinkle Mom — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:10:48 +0000

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
         A very present help in trouble.
² Therefore we will not fear,
         Even though the earth be removed,
         And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though its waters roar and be troubled,
         Though the mountains shake with its swelling.  Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
         The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
         God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
⁶ The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
         He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

⁷ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah

⁸ Come, behold the works of the LORD,
         Who has made desolations in the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
         He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
         He burns the chariot in the fire.

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God;
         I will be exalted among the nations,
         I will be exalted in the earth!

¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our refuge.  Selah   (Psalm 46, New King James Version)

Be Still Sunday

Twinkle Mom — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:05:11 +0000

A Day of Rest and Worship

Twinkle Mom — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:00:38 +0000

“Chosen” Book Review

Twinkle Mom — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:00:16 +0000

My Thoughts

When I first started reading, “Chosen” it was because, like many, I adore Esther; A woman, whom, each year, is remember and celebrated during the Festival of Purim.

We are all familiar with her; What she did can be read in it’s own book in the Bible and there is even a bible study devoted to her. What Ginger Garrett, has done, is taken Esther to a more personal level, with her book,”The Chosen”.

Although Ginger Garrett’s book, ” Chosen”, is fictional, the character she writes about isn’t, and Ginger Garrett captures what might have happen, and it helps pull the reader into the life and times that surrounded the real Esther and gives us a glimpse at what Esther must have thought, saw and worked with, as she was led on an unimaginable destiny that she never dreamed she would be guided through.

Richly filled with imagery of Xerxe’s rule and the politics and custom of the times, “Chosen”, was a joy to read, though for the more sensitive and conservative readers, I will warn ahead of time, there is no language, but there is very subtle, implied tones in some of the passages, but never fear, it is still a respectable reading and you’ll find yourself quickly caught up in the suspense and trials that Esther finds herself enduring.

I did feel that the story of Esther was strong enough on it’s own without the need for the pre-story setup or the minor storyline that is interweaved in,”Chosen”, but this does not take away from the book and I really feel overall, this is a wonderful book that left me looking forward to Ginger Garrett’s other books and the ability to draw the reader into the life and times of the book’s characters.

Well written and filled with strong minor characters and a wonderful imagining of the events that eventual came together to bring us the story of Esther as we all have encounter in our biblical studies, “Chosen”, is a must read, if you are looking for a book to pack on vacation or just to cozy up, late at night with and relax.

Run, don’t walk, to your local bookstore and grab yourself a copy and let yourself be lost in the story, “Chosen”.

About the Book

Author:              Ginger Garrett
Published:       March 1st 2010 by David C. Cook (first published September 7th 2005)
Details:        Paperback, 304 pages
ISBN:            1434768015

From First Wild Card

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

Ginger Garrett

and the book:
Chosen

David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Focusing on ancient women’s history, critically acclaimed author Ginger Garrett creates novels and nonfiction resources that explore the lives of historical women. In addition to her writing, Garrett is a frequent radio and television guest. A native Texan, she now resides in Georgia with her husband and three children.

Visit the author’s website.

Chosen, by Ginger Garrett from David C. Cook on Vimeo.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434768015
ISBN-13: 978-1434768018

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Prologue

Fourth Day of the Month of Av

Year 3414 after Creation

If you have opened this, you are the chosen one.

For this book has been sealed in the tomb of the ancients of Persia, never to be opened, I pray, until G-d1 has put His finger on a new woman of destiny, a woman who will rise up and change her nation. But we will not talk of your circumstances, and the many reasons this book may have fallen into your hands. There are no mistakes with prayer. You have indeed been called. If this sounds too strange, if you must look around your room and question whether G-d’s finger has perhaps slipped, if you are not a woman with the means to change a nation, then join me on a journey. You must return with me now to a place without hope, a nation that had lost sight of G-d, a girl with nothing to offer, and no one to give it to.

I must introduce myself first as I truly am: an exiled Jew, and an orphan. My given name was Hadassah, but the oppression of exile has stripped that too from me: I am now called Esther,2 so that I may blend in with my captors. My people, the Hebrew nation, had been sent out of our homeland after a bitter defeat in battle. We were allowed to settle in the kingdom of Persia, but we were not allowed to truly prosper there. We blended in, our lives preserved, but our heritage and customs were forced underground. Our hearts, once set only on returning to Jerusalem, were set out to wither in the heat

of the Arabian sun. My cousin Mordecai rescued me when I was orphaned and we lived in the capital city of Susa, under the reign of King Xerxes.3 Mordecai had a small flock of sheep that I helped tend, and we sold their fleece in the market. If times were good, we would sell a lamb for someone’s celebration. It was always for others to celebrate. We merely survived. But Mordecai was kind and good, and I was not forced into dishonor like the other orphans I had once known. This is how my story begins, and I give you these details not for sympathy, but so you will know that I am a girl well acquainted with bitter reality. I am not given to the freedom in flights of fantasy. But how can I explain to you the setting of my story? It is most certainly far removed from your experience. For I suspect that in the future, women will know freedom. And freedom is not an easy thing to forget, even if only to entertain an orphan’s story.

But you must forget now. I was born into a world, and into this story, where even the bravest women were faceless specters. Once married, they could venture out of their homes only with veils and escorts. No one yet had freed our souls. Passion and pleasure, like freedom, were the domain of men, and even young girls knew the wishes of their hearts would always be subject to a man’s desire for wealth. A man named Pericles summed up my time so well in his famed oration: “The greatest glory of a woman is to be least talked about by men, whether they are praising you or criticizing you.” Our role was clear: We were to be objects of passion, to receive a man’s attention mutely, and to respond only with children for the estate. Even the most powerful woman of our time, the beautiful Queen Vashti, was powerless. That was my future as a girl and I dared not lift my eyes above its horizon. That is how I enter this story. But give me your hand and let us walk back now, past the crumbling walls of history, to this world forgotten but a time yet remembered. Let me tell you the story of a girl unspared, plunged into heartache and chaos, who would save a nation. My name is Esther, and I will be queen.

1 Out of respect for God, Jews write the name of God without the vowels, believing that the name of God is too holy to be written out completely by a human. God is referred to as either “G-d” or “YHVH.”

2 The name Esther is related to the Persian name of Ishtar, a pagan goddess of the stars.

3 Esther refers to the king by his Persian name. In the Hebrew texts of antiquity, he is also referred to as Ahasuerus.

Eleventh Day of Shevat

Third Year of the Reign of Xerxes

Year 3394 after Creation

Was it today that I became fully awake, or have I only now begun to dream? Today Cyrus saw me in the marketplace haggling gently with my favorite shopkeeper, Shethana, over the price of a fleece. Shethana makes the loveliest rugs—I think they are even more lovely than the ones imported from the East—and her husband is known for his skill in crafting metals of all kinds. When I turned fifteen last year, he fashioned for me a necklace with several links in the center, painted various shades of blue. He says it is an art practiced in Egypt, this inlaying of colors into metal shapes. I feel so exotic with it on and wear it almost daily. I know it is as close to adventure as Mordecai will ever allow.

But as Shethana and I haggled over the fleece, both of us smiling because she knew I would as soon give it to her, Cyrus walked by eating a flatbread he had purchased from another vendor. He grimaced when he took a bite—I think he might have gotten a very strong taste of shallot—and I laughed. He laughed back, wiping his eyes with his jacket and fanning his mouth, and then, oh then, his gaze held my eyes for a moment. Everything in my body seemed to come alive suddenly and I felt afraid, for my legs couldn’t stand as straight and steady and I couldn’t get my mouth to work. Shethana noticed right away and didn’t conceal her grin as she glanced between Cyrus and me. I should have doubled the price of her fleece right then!

Cyrus turned to walk away, and I tried to focus again on my transaction. I could not meet Shethana’s eyes now—I didn’t want to be questioned about men and marriage, for everyone knows I have no dowry. To dream of winning Cyrus would be as foolish as to run my own heart straight through. I cannot dream, for it will surely crush me. And yet I can’t stop this warm flood that sweeps over me when he is near.

I haven’t told you the best part—when Shethana bought her fleece and left, I allowed myself to close my eyes for a moment in the heat of the day, and when I opened them again, there was a little stack of flatbread in my booth. I looked in every direction but could see no one. Taking a bite, I had to spit it out and started laughing. Cyrus was right—the vendor used many bitter shallots. The flatbread was a disaster.

Disclaimer: This is a complimentary book,reviewed for the First Wild Card Tour Book Blog Tour.Thank you to the First Wild Card Tour and the publisher and author who participate in the Book Blog tour for the opportunity to review this book.

On Spring Break Vacation

Twinkle Mom — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:06:33 +0000

¹¹ For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11, New King James Version)

Like many of you, me and the kids are officially on Spring Break this week.
We are very grateful to dear Abba, our Heavenly Father, that the weather has been fantastic (so far), with clear blue skies, light winds and plenty of sun and took this first day, away from the computer, school room and well, spending the day outside and not only just enjoying the fresh air, but lunch with Daddy, which is a rare treat for all of us.

Prayers and hope that you all are having a safe and wonderful Spring Break and love to hear what you have or plan on doing for Spring Break or if you take a “Spring Break” at all.

“The Temperature Today Is” poster printable

Twinkle Mom — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:01:14 +0000

This is a very simple temperature poster that I created to make it easy each day for the kids to use a dry erase marker to record that day’s temperature. Please let me know what you think of it or any tweaking that you feel I should do, otherwise, I pray and hope it can be of some benefit for you and the kids.

Simply print it out, laminate it, and it’s ready to be used.
Today’s Temperature Is

Vertical Self Book Review Friday

Twinkle Mom — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:25 +0000

Author:Mark Sayers
Published:March 2nd 2010 by Thomas Nelson (first published 2010)
Details:Paperback, 224 pages
ISBN:0849920000

My Thoughts

From,”The Vertical Self”

Our greatest scorn is reserved for those who fail at the game of looking good. this is why we have become so obsessed with hypocrisy. We experience a guilty pleasure when others are “found out”.

……Their charades just prove to us that no one is really good; therefore, we all must just put on an act that says we are

……The measuring stick for our success in this quest becomes our personal feelings. Do we feel great? Do we feel free? Do we feel happy?”

How often do we based things, anything, even just going to church on how it makes us FEEL? Maybe we feel that by following a certain pattern that is on display for others, that will complete our lives?

In, “The Vertical Self”, I found it to be a very challenging read, because it challenges us to go beyond caring, even as followers, what the world and sometimes, just our fellow believers, think, but focus on the person that matters most, our Heavenly Father and instead of looking side by side (hence the Horizontal Self), we start looking upward, towards our Father, more in our lives.

Convicting, challenging and encouraging (yes, Christian keywords), “The Vertical Self” was interesting to read, because, it’s not a self-help book, it’s not a “do this and you’ll be doing great in your Christian walk” but it takes a step out of everything, and challenges the believer, to really pursue a radical and transparent faith and walk with our Heavenly Father.

Filled with references to modern culture and with biblical references, Mark Sayers, really goes in depth with “The Vertical Self”, so be prepared for a book that isn’t a quick through read, but instead, you will find yourself with a pencil, plenty of corners turned down to re-read and times, where you may find yourself on a stop-think-read-re read and challenge your personal thoughts and convictions about your own walk.

Publisher’s Description
It’s time for a return to Radical Holiness.

Welcome to the 21st century where you can now purchase and exchange personalities, depending on mood and circumstance; where you are told that you can be anyone you want to be, and identity is no longer based in a sense of self but rather in the imagery you choose at that moment.

The Bible contains a radically different way of understanding our identity. The path that God has chosen for us to discover who we really are is the path of holiness.

The most exciting thing is that this path is not for otherworldy saints, rather it is a path of earthy, gutsy holiness. It’s a path that is not about basing your life on this world or of shunning your desires. Instead, it is about bringing your hopes, your dreams, your brokenness, your desires, your humanness under the Lordship of Christ. By doing this we don’t just discover a new way of living out our faith, we discover a liberating, revolutionary, life-embracing way of being truly human.

If you are a Christian Book Reviewer and would like to participate in Book Review Friday, drop by Christian Book Reviewer to find out more how to participate.

Disclaimer:

When seeking a Godly Friend

Twinkle Mom — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:00:44 +0000

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a
person, having neither to weigh thought no measure words, but pouring
them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together,
certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is
worth keeping, and with a breadth of kindness, blow the rest away”

~Dinah Craik

²⁶ The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray. (Proverbs 12:26, New King James Version)

In a book that me and my mentor are working together through, one of the topics that came up was the importance of finding and having Godly friends, be it temporary for a season, or for more than a season.

The trick is that we live in a busy world where most of our social connections are by facebook, blogging, twittering, and very few are often by how most friendships use to be developed such as through going to school together, sharing same interests, through work or just in the neighborhood.

When we come to think of it, how do most of us really make friends and often, real life friends as in friends that we meet on a regular or semi-regular basis or through our church or playgroups?

We all crave friendships.

It helps us feel connected and have that shoulder to lean on when time is tough, but in today’s busy world, it seems difficult for some to find that like minded connections or like many, we try to cultivate those friendships and put our hearts and souls on the line, only to find ourselves rejected, hurt, and abandoned.

Praise our Heavenly Father, first and foremost, that no matter what, where or who, He is always there and in the bigger scheme of things, He is and should be and always will be the only friend, if not the “Best Friend” in our lives.

He doesn’t fail us or judge us or reject us or not have time for us as unfortunately our human counterparts can or will do, but how do we expand our circle of friends when we seek to find others who are like minded and trust worthy to eventually be called a “friend”.

Now, I don’t claim to have all the answers, and truth is, like many that are out there, often find myself wishing that I could find like minded, real world counterparts, to be able to meet for coffee or just “hang out” and have “playdates” in between school, but truth is that we still live in an imperfect world and people will still and sometimes always disappoint us or sometimes…well are friends, but friends for only a season, and that in itself is still okay.

Frustrating sometimes because it would be great to have that “friend I could just call up and say, can you come over for coffee, I need to cry or could you just pray for me”.

Sometimes, friends come in and come out for a reason, maybe God seeks to use us in some form or fashion to touch their lives, and maybe they are just there for a season, so in and through them, that our Father, can touch our own lives.

Whatever the case, we must not forget that our dear Abba is always there for us, first and foremost and that if anything, when we seek friends, to seek friends that are godly and who will support us not drag us down.

One of the greatest example is probrably the friendship of Jonathon and David, where no matter what, how bad things got, their friendship bear the marks of time.

Now, reality wise, we have to remember, friends, like love, depicted on t.v. and movies are just that, fictional. It’s truthful rare that we have those die-hard friends like we see on t.v. or in the movies who is there no matter what and for many, our friendships may grow apart, move states away or just…..disappear.

Then there are sometimes we are blessed by friendships that we may never meet in person but one day in God’s kingdom, will meet, while others, through and in our Heavenly Father, we will be blessed to meet in person.

Whatever is the case, there are truths that hold strong such as:

No matter what, we must take care how we choose our friendships
Our friendships are often based on those that will encourage and strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ and vice versa,
We can’t be friends with both the world and God-eventually the two will collide and a choice will have to be made
We are the company we keep-our friendships can often reflect us

Paul Chappell of PaulChappell.com wrote an article called “7 ways to be a Godly friend “and laid down principles, gleaned from scripture that I think we could all benefit from.

Some of the points highlighted were points that I think we all need to remember such as the fact that:

Friends don’t harbor grudges. Really. ²⁴ Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go,
(Proverbs 22:24, New King James Version)

God doesn’t hold grudges against us. Though we ALL have sinned, He offers us forgiveness and that is forgiveness that we should show each other for not just for the other person’s good, but for our own relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Yes.Friends can make us mad, but what about ourselves? We are not perfect.They are no more perfect than we are. We would want forgiveness if we wrong, don’t we? So why refuse to offer that to others that we feel (keyword “feel”) wrong us.

Which leads us to, I think, a good principle about friendships:

Godly friends are able to forgive each other for each other faults. Godly friends know that sometimes the hurts caused are unintentionly and are mature enough to own up to mistakes, ask for forgiveness, say ’sorry’ and move on but not apart. Godly friends seek to not only just resolve tension but seek for peace, realistic peace and that also includes realizing no one is perfect.

With that, we are guided to a great reminder that a good friend isn’t afraid and able to say, hey there is spiniach in your teeth. Okay, maybe not spiniach, but it leads us to that:

Loving truth can be spoken to each other. ⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (Proverbs 27:6, New King James Version) I say lovingly, because there is a right way and a wrong way to point out something to a friend and it also take for the recipent to swallow one’s pride and humbly be able to take what is shared. We all have our blind spots-No one is perfect but in the process, we have to be willing to step back as well and ask ourselves, is our friend speaking to sharpen us as we are called to sharpen (with love) them? (ref. Proverbs 27:17). We much rather our friends be honest with us, rather than speak words of constant honey and in the process rather than help us, end up either enabling or allowing us to continue a behaviour or pattern that may potentially be harmful to either ourselves or others. Now there is a fine line to walk.

With that said, there is no room for envy, jealousy, or lack of support for the other and a Godly friend is there to celebrate the blessings of each other, as well lift each other in times of adversity and/or sorry.

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17, New King James Version)

My hubby shared that some of the people he considered to be “friends” are those who has been through thick and thin with and for him and not even distance can seperate their friendship. Now some of his friendship was born out of common comradrie of being in the Marines, but it is an example how, we should seek and be, friends no matter what the situation is.

With that said, a Godly friend is someone whose always going to make time for you and you for them, no matter what the time of day, if you are having a bad hair day or not, nothing.

As Proverbs 18:24 shares, ²⁴ A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24, New King James Version).

From personal experience, I’ve had my share of “fair weather friends” then Godly friends who call me a friend but then never had the time. Then when they did, they were always too busy to pick up the phone, drop an email or just say hi. Yet, when they needed me, they were quick to call, but when they didn’t….they weren’t there.

For everything there is a time and season, and though I’ve had my fair share of heartaches and bad friendships, through it all, there is one friend I know I could always count on no matter what, Our Heavenly Father.

He is there, through thick and thin and with that, the trust that He has something else planned for me, but I need and must trust Him and leave it in His hands not mine. I pray that He will open doors of opportunity that I may make new friends and prayfully, He will send Godly friends my way, but in the meantime, I trust in Him, even in times when it feels hard and keep my head up high and keep on smiling, even when it may hurt on some days.

God is good. He is so very good and loving and He is the Best Friend of all.

Meantime, I lean on Him and I turn to Him as I seek to understand, not by world’s standards, but by His standards what it is to be and what is it find in a Godly Friend.

Maybe you feel the same way, you’re not alone. God IS there for you.

Maybe you have been blessed to have or have had Godly Friends. If so, what are somethings you have learned makes a Godly friend and what are some ways you have learned, doesn’t make a Godly friend?

No matter what, always remember, God loves you for you. God bless you Gentle Reader and more than anything, Gentle Friend.

Word Filled Wednesday

Twinkle Mom — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:00:45 +0000

It really is no secret that I have my good days and I have my bad days.

Truth is, what the not so hidden secret is that I’m an imperfect human being.
Okay, shocker I know, so it really surprises me of people who tend to think that I am perfect, have it all together, or should have it together without taking in the fact that I don’t hide the fact that, hey, “I’m a broken vessel that only in and through our Heavenly Father, that I rest my hope and prayer in.”

From the MHC (Matthew Henry Commentary) it is shared about 1 Corinthians 11:30-33:

Daring Escapades (11:30-33)

…… Consistent with his determination to play the fool, Paul chooses an incident that demonstrates weakness rather than strength. If I must boast, he states, I will boast of the things that show my weakness (v. 30).

The form of the conditional denotes fact: “since I must boast” (ei + indicative).

Paul has been forced to become a braggart by the exigencies of the Corinthian situation. The church is being led down the garden path by some smooth-talking con artists. Paul will do whatever it takes to help the church to see this–even to the extent of boasting as his rivals do.

When asked to provide a vita, we tend to pick things that make us look good in the eyes of others. Paul turns instead to what makes him look bad.

He also chooses an episode that caused him no little personal humiliation–a quick exit from the city of Damascus under cover of darkness. His account is prefaced with an oath. The veracity of what he is about to say is at stake: The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying (v. 31). Oates are used toice earlier in this chapter (11:10, 11; also see 1:18).

In fact, Paul tends to use them whenever he suspects that the truthfulness of his claims might be questioned (as in “I assure you before God,” Gal 1:20; “God is our witness,” 1 Thess 2:5). Paul’s oath in 2 Corinthians 11:31 is made even more weighty by the additions the God and Father of the Lord Jesus and who is to be praised forever. The former phrase occurs elsewhere only in 2 Corinthians 1:3 (see the commentary) and Ephesians 1:3. The latter phrase is a Jewish expression of reverence and adoration (Bratcher 1983:128).

Truth is, I am nothing without our Heavenly Father and I am nothing if it isn’t for and about Him. I can speak all the most eloquent or not so eloquent words in the word and it all falls to dust, if my life, does not straightforward reflects Him and that includes the fact that life is not always going to be perfect-there will be trials and tribulations and there will be well, just boring days, but what all matters is that it is all about giving it to Him and trusting our Father through it all.

Sometimes this is done easily-Other times it’s not.

From “Eyes for the Unknown” by Ron Rose, the writer shares what I think eloquently speaks how we have to embrace our weaknesses as well as our strengths,

Life after the fall is filled with roadblocks, they will continue till Jesus comes. If someone tries to sell you some misguided teaching that Christianity gets rid of the roadblocks, politely disconnect.

If you breathe you will experience Roadblocks.

God uses them to direct life, to change things, to move us to the next chapter in our story. Sometimes he moves them, but most of the time HE transforms them into road signs; road signs that point us in a new direction.

My imperfections, my weaknesses, defines me more than I feel my strengths do, because it is in my weaknesses that our Heavenly Father shines through more and it is through my weaknesses that my faith in Him is strengthen, sometimes easily and sometimes after much difficulty, but in the end, I have no one, not even myself to give praise to, except our Heavenly Father.

It is because of that, that I am slowly learning, the truth of our growth and spiritual maturity can be easily hid behind a false smile but the reality that our spiritual growth and who our characters are, are refined and definied by the weaknesses that teaches us both strength, humility and completely reliance in our Heavenly Father.

If I give praise to our Heavenly Father only when life is going great, I feel I give a false impression of Him, because He is there for when we are down as much as when we are up in the world and that’s what the world needs to know too.

He is ALWAYS there.

He is not a fair weathered friend or whose only there for the ‘good times’. He is there for the storms, the rocky days adn sometimes just the boring average day and it doesn’t mean you and I are not insignificant but rather we are significant.

So life is everyday?

So life is stormy?

So life is rocky?

Thank You Heavenly Father for everyday because You are there no matter what.

As for me. Back to my boring life. LOL

If you are interested in joining us this week for “Word Filled Wednesday” drop by Lori @ www.allyouhavetogive.com who is hosting “WFW” this week to participate with the rest of us.

Simple Woman’s Daybook

Twinkle Mom — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:36:32 +0000

Come Join the Simple Woman Daybook each Monday

FOR TODAY:p>

Outside my window…it’s raining, the pollen is being kicked up but the thing is that I enjoy rain and thunderstorms-there is something cleansing and comforting about them-until the power goes off.
I am thinking…about a member of the family who is still in the hospital; how AWESOME God is and how faithful He is; Prayers for just strength and encouragment always-I think that is something that we all need always in our lives.
I am thankful for…Our Heavenly Abba-Wow. Resurrection is around the corner and just think of how the “ultimate” 24 hours made a difference not just for you and me, but for everyone.
From the learning rooms…We are working through a new primer this week,we’re going to discuss about weather and the sky this week and decorate our “bulletin board” with spring time images and start a new copywork of poems for spring.
From the kitchen…hoping that the oatmeal comes out okay for breakfast; thinking of making a smoothie this morning…no coffee due to coffee maker going the way of our previous coffee grinder.
I am wearing…skirt with a matching purple top. Hmmm..is purple becoming my “color”.
I am creating…Peter and the Wolf ‘display board’ using legal size folders, debating how to create an “all about art” poster and searching for a butterfly copywork book to go with our spring unit.
I am going…to start school in a little bit but not much a week really planned out and just going as it goes.
I am reading…Just finished,”Homeschooling for the rest of us”. I have a stack of books to read/review and then a stack of just books for me to read I need to get to.
I am hoping…to hear good news that our family member will be discharged from the hospital; prayers for really more godly friends in real life.
I am hearing…Our Heavenly Father is a best friend through all circumstances and we are never truly alone in and through Him.
Around the house…small pile of laundry but other than that, pretty caught up.
One of my favorite things…Chai tea-craving it and sushi right now.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Trying to remember where I saw the butterfly mobile to print out and
Scripture thought for the Day….

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, New King James Version)

Enjoy other Daybooks at: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/