Homeschool Mom Tips Blog

Contest Winner Chosen!

2011-12-14T13:53:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in my contest for the My Favorite Bible.

The "blessed" winner is "Hunsbergers".

This was fun and I hope to have more contests in the future! Subscribe to find out when the next contest is held.

Moment By Moment

2011-12-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

Another great truth that I feel I am truly understanding the significance of is the truth that every moment of every day, Jesus is living His life in me and I in Him as He teaches us in the Book of John. I am now excited that all I must do is bring this great truth to my remembrance and oh, what a comfort and joy and peace it gives me. I realize that satan does oppose this kind of "praying without ceasing", a constant remembrance of His love for me, but I also know that Jesus has overcome the world.

Sing along and think about these words. And spend all of your free time and brain power remembering these great truths from God's Word no matter what anxiety-producing topics satan tries to get you to think about.

Listen to the MIDI tune here.
Watch it on YouTube here or watch it embedded below the lyrics.

Moment By Moment

Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Refrain

Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care.

Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.

Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior, abides with me still.

Christ Liveth In Me

2011-12-02T16:33:00.001-05:00

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

This is a wonderful verse that I have read, heard preaching on and thought about many times in an abstract sort of way.

I praise God that he has recently been making this fact so real to me through his Holy Spirit as I battle the flesh, sinful suggestions from satan that threaten my effectiveness as a witness to my precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If it really is true that Christ lives in me, I have nothing to fear and there is nothing that He asks of me that I can not do, no matter how difficult or even impossible it seems.

Ask God today to reveal this truth to you afresh today through His Holy Spirit that He sent to remind you and teach you. Ask Him to help you to dwell on the wondrous thought that Christ lives in you. That is what I am going to keep on doing.

Hear the tune
Watch on YouTube or see the embedded video below

Sing along with this hymn as you contemplate it's words:

Once far from God and dead in sin,
No light my heart could see;
But in God’s Word the light I found,
Now Christ liveth in me.

Refrain

Christ liveth in me,
Christ liveth in me,
Oh! what a salvation this,
That Christ liveth in me.

As rays of light from yonder sun,
The flowers of earth set free,
So life and light and love came forth
From Christ living in me.

Refrain

As lives the flower within the seed,
As in the cone the tree,
So, praise the God of truth and grace,
His Spirit dwelleth in me.

Refrain

With longing all my heart is filled,
That like Him I may be,
As on the wondrous thought I dwell
That Christ liveth in me.

Overcoming Suicidal Thoughts

2011-12-02T14:13:00.001-05:00

As I encounter more and more sincere Christian women, stepping out in faith in many areas such as homeschooling, being "quiverfull", homesteading and building biblical marriages, the more I see how satan is attacking not only their families but their very lives by tempting them with suicidal thoughts. These thoughts seem especially pronounced in times of severe stress due to marital conflict.

I wrote an article/testimony on this subject some time back for a church newsletter and the Lord is leading me to share it with more people.

You can find the article on my Virtuous Woman By Grace Website where it can be downloaded for free.

As the Lord leads, please share this article freely with others either by linking to it or printing out for use in your own church newsletter. No attribution is required. It is our Father's desire that each of us be delivered from temptation. We must cling tightly to that precious truth.

May God bless you and keep you,
Mrs. Carrington
Praising God for being a Daughter of the King!

Mission Minded Books Discount

2011-12-01T17:19:00.001-05:00

My mission-minded mom friend Ann Dunagan over at Harvest Ministries is offering a special discount for Homeschoool Mom Tips Blog readers.

As you may already know, our family became a big fan of Ann, her family and her ministry after my husband began reading her book, The Mission-Minded Family, to us during our family devotions. It was so exciting as we had not heard anyone so unashamedly preparing their children to actively seek the Kingdom of God and God's work and heart for the nations. Whether or not we as a family or any of our children actively go, we know that all of us need to have a heart for missions and seek God's will for what ways we should be actively serve him in this way. See my review of The Mission-Minded Family and look for an upcoming review of the The Mission -Minded Child here soon.

Both of Ann's books, The Mission-Minded Family and The Mission-Minded Child, will be available for purchase for a special price for both books. You can purchase the books as a set directly from Ann at a 60% discount! All you need to do is in the memo line. (Your cost will be $15 for the two-book set, with FREE postage, which is their bottom-line cost).

Your can order through Harvest Ministry's contact page -- include your mailing address, mention "Home School Mom Tips - Mission-Minded Book Set" and she will simply send the books with an invoice to be paid by check -- to "Harvest Ministry" -- after the books are received.

Follow the link below for free samples of each Mission-Minded book as well as a great free study guide Ann has produced for families and groups to use:

http://harvestministry.org/mmf-study-guide

Happy reading!

Mrs. C

My Favorite Bible: A Giveaway

2011-11-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

I am excited to announce a great giveaway sponsored by the Baker Publishing Group. One lucky winner will be chosen to receive a copy of My Favorite Bible by Rondi DeBoer and Christine Tangval.

Just leave a comment below before December 3 and you will be entered. International participants are welcome to enter. Have fun!

From the Publisher:
With the vibrant illustrations and engaging text in this Bible storybook, you can enjoy sharing the best-loved stories of the Bible with the children in your life and encourage a life-long love for the Word of God. My Favorite Bible is a book of exciting Bible stories and activity pages that guide children through the foundational truths of Scripture.

Each story is fully illustrated and includes a simple narrative full of things kids love: repetition, rhythm, and energy, along with a key biblical theme, a key Bible verse, and discussion questions to help adults introduce children to the Bible.

The colorful illustrations will capture the imaginations of children ages 4–8, and the stories will help adults to pass along the most important truth in life—the Gospel. Families will cherish this time as they read, listen, learn, and love, growing closer to one another even as they grow closer to God.

Addendum: This is not a children’s Bible. It is a Bible story book that includes key verses and parent pages called “Family Talk” and “Family Fun” to assist adults in discussing the stories with children. You may view the inside of the book on Amazon.com.

Vision Forum Coupon- Free Items!

2011-11-21T16:49:00.001-05:00

I just received another e-mail from Vision Forum announcing that they are having an "early Black Friday" special of Buy One, Get One Free. We will likely take advantage of this sale to purchase a few more missionary biographies and collections of missionary stories. Here are a few of the books that we have or are on our wish list:

Missionary Exploration Series (12 Books)
Missionary Jungle Doctor Series (12 Books)
The Adventure of Missionary Heroism
Missionary Patriarch: The True Story of John G. Paton

Have fun shopping!

Birthday Prayer For My Daughter 2011

2011-11-16T16:04:00.001-05:00

One of the most popular posts of all time on this blog was a birthday prayer I wrote for my daughter. I have just been keeping most of my prayers in a notebook but I realize that my children and husband cannot read my writing! By blogging them I can transfer them to a file and print them out legibly. I enjoy writing poems and prayers and even have a free e-book featuring some of them.

Alyssa's 8th birthday is coming up and we are having a party for her on Friday. I was inspired to write this poem/prayer yesterday morning before the children were awake:

My sweet and special daughter, as precious as can be
Is getting bigger and bigger, and anyone can see.
The blessing that amazes me as I feed her and do my part
Is not only her body is growing, we can see it in her heart.
My daughter is a blessing to everyone she meets
Friends at church, relatives, even strangers on the streets.
She has a genuine smile that can light up a room
And her infectious laughter I suspect she had in the womb!

My prayer for you my daughter is that you stay pure and true,
Keep loving Jesus and others everyday in all that you do.

I love you, my daughter and God does too!

Help Angel Tree Ministries

2011-11-15T19:53:00.001-05:00

Angel Tree Ministries is a branch of Prison Fellowship, a large prison ministry, that specifically reaches out to the children of the many incarcerated parents whose children may not otherwise get any Christmas presents with the love of Christ. According to Angel Tree, 1.7 million children have parents who are incarcerated. 1 in 3 prisoners is a parent. Angel Tree hopes to reach the hearts of both children and parents for Christ. Go to their website today to see how you or your church can help.

AngelTree.org

Vision Forum Coupon Code To Use Now

2011-11-15T19:45:00.001-05:00

This is a perfect time of year to order a few goodies from Vision Forum's new 2012 catalog. I just got an e-mail notifying me of a sale that is going on through this Saturday, Nov. 19. The dolls, books and hiking/outdoor equipment are always the most-wanted Vision Forum products in our home. I do appreciate the coupons (especially the flat rate $5 shipping) as it makes us possible to buy some of the items that we are dreaming of in the catalog.

Need help deciding what to buy? Check out my post What Would Jesus Buy for tips.

Follow the link below to check out the website which features all of Vision Forum's products, even those not found in the catalog.

Time For Shoe Boxes!

2011-11-14T17:05:00.001-05:00

Operation Christmas Child started collecting shoe boxes for needy children all over the world on November 14. We have found that shopping for and packing the shoe boxes provides a great opportunity to talk about the problems children around the world face and how we can be a blessing to them. And praying over your shoe box gives the very important lesson of the power of prayer.

Follow this link to learn more about what items to pack, tips for packing and drop-off locations near your house: Operation Christmas Child sponsored by Samaritan's purse.

Reflections From the Kitchen: A Mother's Devotional

2011-11-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

Let It Sit

    I have been amazed at how many healthy foods and beverages God can make for us if we just let things sit. I was very skeptical the first time I made sourdough bread (Thank you for the wonderful recipe, Lani!). I just wanted to something, anything with it other than just letting it sit. What an amazing thing when the next day, my family and I were enjoying a delicious loaf of nice warm bread. Buttermilk, yogurt and kefir result from letting milk sit out, undisturbed. Sauerkraut results from cabbage being left unattended. Most cheeses are ripened after periods of waiting.
     Have you ever noticed that God often calls us to wait on Him for a desired result in the same way? What are some characteristics of preparing ingredients to become healthy, tasty foods when left alone? How can God work in our hearts and lives in a similar way?

    1. The starting components must be prepared. The milk must be heated to a certain temperature, cabbage and salt must be combined with water, potato must be mashed and added to sugar and flour. God wants to prepare us for a work and he has a recipe for each one of us. He works in us, often through trials, to combine a heaping spoonful of humility, a pinch of patience and cup of longsuffering to perfect his creation. Moses, God’s great spokesman, had to be prepared for the important role of leading God’s people out of slavery. God allowed him to go through a trial of becoming a wanted criminal, snubbed by his own people, as his recipe for producing a leader who would be wholly dependent on Him.

    2. The right ingredients must be maintained under specific conditions for some time. Milk becoming yogurt must be kept warm. Cabbage needs to be kept under pressure, allowing it to stay submerged in the salt water, to become sauerkraut. God knows the exact conditions you need and for how long you need them in order to be prepared for His Kingdom work. Sometimes, we may become restless in our spot. We need to appropriate God’s grace to help us then. It is so easy for me to become impatient with God’s work in me! How often I have had to go back to the throne and find grace and mercy. I thank God I am able to go to that throne as often as I need to go there. Saul of Tarsus was kept blind for three days after his life-changing meeting with the risen Christ. This was the first part of his preparation to do the Lord’s work. He had to patiently endure being led around by others for that time. God rewarded him greatly with a life of service for him from that time on.

    3. Some of these foods are best left undisturbed for a time to allow them to become the flavorful, health-filled products that we want to enjoy. Jiggling around your forming yogurt, for example, can cause it not to set properly. When God is preparing us for a work, he will need to separate us to him for a time. While God may not call us to go on a mountain for forty days, he may ask us to give up some of our leisure pursuits, hobbies or other activities for some time and give more attention to our relationship with Him. There are many biblical examples of this type of preparation including Moses, Paul and Jesus himself. Follow the Lord’s leading if he seems to be leading in this direction. It has been difficult for me to give up certain things, but I have found that God does give grace and I have been rewarded by getting to spend more time with Him.

    May we always remember to let God have his work in us as he prepares us to do those works he has ordained for us. (Ephesians 2:10)

     And if you have not already, try your hand at waiting for fermented foods. They are fun to make, good for you and may even teach you a lesson or two!

Multiple Miracles: A Mother's Devotional

2011-11-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

From John 21: 1-14--
    The resurrected Jesus appeared to the apostles while they were engaged in their usual occupation, fishing. Despite fishing all night, they caught nothing. Absolutely nothing. This seems hard to believe as these men were hardly amateurs but likely had been fishing since boyhood with their own fathers. We already see Jesus’ hand here as believers for thousands of years to come will read of this story and the stark contrast of their absolute failure with the abundance that is to come from Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. We are reminded of Jesus’ words, “for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

    Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, chose to perform not one but several miracles to meet one need for his apostles whom he tenderly calls “children”. When Jesus appeared to the apostles he:
    1. Made fish appear out of nowhere.
    2. Allowed 153 fish to be caught in the men’s fishing net.
    3. Strengthened the net so it would not break.
    4. Most importantly, he was himself alive when he had been dead!

    Jesus can still do this for us today. If we need a miracle, he can make it happen step-by-step. Some requests we have for our Lord may seem difficult to us because of the many obstacles between our present condition and the desired outcome. God knows all about it and he has a plan if we will only trust him!
    One present-day example of the need for multiple miracles is in the area of moving to a new home, a situation several families we know, including my family, have faced in recent years. Moving requires so many steps that it can seem quite a daunting task even once you are sure that it is God’s will for your life. Our Lord must first give us a sense of peace to move forward with a plan of moving, then help us find a real estate agent, give that agent wisdom and favor and then help us sell our home, find a new home, and arrange financing. Finally, we must be given strength and wisdom to move, pack and unpack all of our belongings. Many families reading this, including mine, could give testimonies about about how our Good Lord was with us every step of the way through the moving process. How I thank God for his abounding provisions in my life!
    I pray that I will continue to build my faith that God is still in the miracle-working business today. From trusting Him in our adoption journey to praying for orphans, homeless and hungry people around the world, I need to always remember how much God cares about His creation. Reading stories of Jesus’ wonder-working power help to remind me to expect the impossible from an Almighty God but my faith quickly falters if I allow myself to forget. As the man prayed before Jesus- Lord I believe but help my unbelief!
     Let each of us remember to give God all of our concerns, every step of the way.

    Prayer: Thank you Lord, for allowing me to know your loving presence in every situation and decision I face today. Continue to remind me, Holy Spirit that you will be working through me, doing the impossible, every step of the way.

Poem: Feed My Lambs

2011-11-12T20:29:00.001-05:00

                “Feed my lambs” Peter heard Jesus say,
                “I want you to show me you love me this way.”
                “Feed my lambs,” Jesus made clear.
                “Feed them my Word and help them to hear.”
                The words Jesus said are for us still today
                As we teach our children to obey and to pray
                Remember that Jesus sees all that we do
                One day he’ll be back for me and for you
                What a joy to hear “Welcome, good and faithful one!”
                When we come to the end, our feeding well done.
                                             - V.C.

Feed My Lambs: A Mother's Devotional

2011-11-12T20:25:00.001-05:00

He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. (John 21:15b)

    Jesus, in the context of questioning Peter’s love for him, tells him to feed his lambs. We too, if we love Jesus, will be careful in feeding his lambs. As mothers, the lambs that Jesus has entrusted to us are our children. We feed our children physically, educationally and spiritually. Physically, we know that we want to fill our children’s bodies with healthy foods that will help them to grow up as strong as they can be. We recognize that babies have different dietary needs from toddlers and older children have expanded their needs even more. We must be careful in the food choices we make for our families.

    Educationally, we face similar choices. The number of options for parents teaching their children at home has skyrocketed. We will do well to consider carefully what kind of academics we are feeding our children at every step along their educational journey.

    The spiritual feeding of our children surpasses the other two types of nourishment we are to give our children as they grow. If we love Jesus, we love these, his lambs. Do we love them enough to see to it that they are constantly and consistently fed the most important food of all, the Word of God? Through a steady diet of the Word of God, our children receive the nutritional supplements of a love of God, knowledge of God and most importantly we pray for, one day, a relationship with God through salvation.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love you and I want to feed your lambs. Keep me focused on this very important task you have given me. Strengthen me and nourish me in your Word and through prayer that I might be a constant source of your love, grace and truth to my children. Help me to remember how important it is to feed your lambs.

Vision Forum 2012 Catalog Is Here!

2011-11-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

My kids could smell it in the air. "Isn't it about time for the new Vision Forum catalog to get here?" they started asking a few weeks ago. Well, they have their desired reading material/wish list now that the catalog has finally arrived. Included are more items of interest to girls, young women and moms and more LEGO type bricks. The catalog is a great Kingdom-focused, mission minded family resource which includes of stories of missionaries and missionary adventure.

Visit VisionForum.com to order your free catalog today!

Need help deciding what to buy? Check out my post What Would Jesus Buy for tips.

Victory In Jesus: Hymn of the Week

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Alyssa and I with the ladies at our former church with Alyssa and we really enjoyed learning this classic hymn. There is a lot of good, basic theology in the words. Read them and remember the story of what Jesus did for you.

I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins;
And won the victory.

Chorus:
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him,
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing power revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,"
And somehow Jesus came and brought
To me the victory.

Chorus.

I heard about a mansion
He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold
Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing,
And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I'll sing up there
The song of victory.

Chorus.

Words and Music by Eugene Monroe Bartlett Sr, 1939

Review: NEW Jonathan Park

2011-11-09T18:45:00.000-05:00

Wow! The Jonathan Park Creation Adventure Series audio drama just keeps getting better and better! This new production, The Voyage Beyond, has more surprising twists and turns than perhaps any other Jonathan Park release. Our whole family definitely enjoyed this one and we wanted to hear it again as as it was over.

As always, we appreciate the emphasis on sharing one's faith and serving others as a family and dealing with the tough questions our children and others often ask. Check out the latest Jonathan Park audio adventure today!

Children As Mission Field vs. Kingdom Work?

2011-11-09T14:47:00.000-05:00

Here is the beautiful thing that is starting to come into focus for us: Treating our family as our first mission field, discipling others and discipling our children to advance the Kingdom of God are all one in the same. By us doing Kingdom work with our children, teaching our children firsthand how to disciple and care for others, we ARE discipling them, raising them to truly follow Jesus by being like Jesus because that is exactly what we as parents are doing. How better to teach them God's Word as we walk, sit and lie down than in the context of truly following Jesus.

I think of the Kisses For Katie book: one of the things that truly amazed her at first was the heart that even her littlest ones had for Jesus and His forgotten ones. How did they get this way? Because in the course of her daily life and ministry, Katie was "discipling them", that is, teaching them to have a heart like Jesus and a heart for Jesus. Her children are her first mission field and she is true to teach them the importance of focusing on our other mission field by the whole family serving Jesus, as he commanded us to, by reaching the rest of the world for him. The struggle for us will be constantly keeping our focus, as a family, on advancing His Kingdom while keeping everything else (academics, hobbies, entertainments etc.) a distinct second. For the first time, I think I understand what it means to "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness".

Please pray for us as we seek a greater revelation of God's will for our family.

The Mission-Minded Family: A Review

2011-10-29T15:55:00.003-05:00

We have been reading a very special book. My husband is reading it as our devotions but I have already finished it. I just could not wait! I feel like I have spent a long time looking for a book like Ann Dunagan's The Mission-Minded Family book. I fairly recently began my journey with Jesus through his salvation about 8 years ago when my youngest was born and my oldest was 3 years old. I was initially so excited about my new relationship with Jesus that I began writing and speaking for the cause of Christ.

Something (or more likely several things) started to happen to cool me off. People started hinting that perhaps I was too newly saved to be doing all that I was doing. Some just came out and said that Moms should only build the Kingdom of God through motherhood and need not take the Great Commission beyond the walls of her home.

All this time though, my husband and I were wondering what we could do for Jesus' cause here on earth. For my husband, he believed that I could especially make a contribution since most of his time and energy would need to go towards providing for our family. But we did feel hesitant based on what others were saying to us. So, I did slow down on my writing and speaking, focused on our home and helped my husband grow his business.

In the midst of this though, I developed an intense desire to learn about missionaries. The desire was almost like a desire that the more I fed it, the more I wanted. I spent hours researching missionaries and then went to the local libraries and book sales to bring home as many missionary biographies as I could. My children's bedtime stories were all missionary stories and we all loved them. It was hard to stop and they would want to continue reading into the night or wake up the next day and continue the stories.

I started asking God if my fascination with missionary stories was some sort of a sign of direction for our family from him. My husband kept saying, "Get rid of all this stuff we have around here in case God does want us to be missionaries so we can just pick up and go!" My son started to talk about possibly becoming a missionary and my daughter offered to go and assist him. God still has not given us any specific direction for cross-cultural missions but we have developed a passion to serve where we are.

Stay tuned for more posts about our family's continuing journey with Jesus. I will be posting on adoption and foster care, orphan care, hospitality, nursing home ministries, missionary biography books and websites and more.

Book Review
Meanwhile, I came across the book Mission Minded Families. This excellent book, written by a homeschooling mom, was so inspiring to me that I was practically in tears. To read of another homeschooling mom who is as passionate about Jesus and all whom he loves as she is about her own family. It has not been easy to find like-minded moms who have already made a head start down the road as a mission minded family. The book is full of inspiring real-life stories, hymns, skits and practical ideas that make it a joy to read and easy to put into action. I highly recommend all parents who want, more than any other parenting goal, to raise their children to glorify God, read and apply this book.

I pray that this post and coming posts will attract other moms to this site who have similar interests so that we can share and grow together.

The link to a full description of the Mission Minded Families book on CBD.com is below.

The Mission-Minded Family: Releasing Your Family to God's Destiny

Also, check out Ann and her husband's excellent site, Harvest Ministry, for lots of free resources and wonderful ideas for you and your family to reach out to a lost and hurting world today.

Hymn of the Week

2011-10-18T12:55:00.005-05:00

Would you like for you and your family to learn some of the old hymns of the faith? These classic songs have been a blessing for our family and we especially like the fact that they are very easy and fun to sing-along to, anytime and anyplace. Guests and visitors to our home especially seem to enjoy having a fun hymn sing-along after dinner at our house. Try it sometime!

Today, my heart was especially uplifted by this wonderful about the name of Jesus, the sweetest name I know, called "Keeps Me Singing". To hear the tune of this song follow this link: Keeps Me Singing

There's within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
In all of life's ebb and flow.

Chorus

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,
Discord filled my heart with pain,
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
Stirred the slumbering chords again.

Chorus

Feasting on the riches of His grace,
Resting 'neath His sheltering wing,
Always looking on His smiling face,
That is why I shout and sing.

Chorus

Though sometimes He leads through waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
See His footprints all the way.

Chorus

Soon He's coming back to welcome me,
Far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown,
I shall reign with Him on high.

Chorus

Pray For Reconciliation

2011-10-17T12:46:00.000-05:00

Do you, like me, know many people in marriages that are dissolved or disintegrating? Does your heart break to see what divorce and separation are doing to Jesus' precious people, the ones He came and died for? Can you hear the cry of the Father as he sees flesh being ripped apart from flesh?

I hope you can catch this vision as I have and begin to pray for everyone you know or know of whose life has been impacted by divorce or separation. What we need is not just more books, marriage conferences or counselors. We need more prayer. If God's people all around the world would begin to pray for the reconciliation of marriages, we can make a difference. Do you believe that? Do you believe that the God who created marriage has the power to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable? Can you believe in your heart that prayer is as powerful as self-help books and counseling?

1 John 5:14 says:

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

What does Jesus say about God's will for marriage?

And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who madethem at the beginning ‘made them male and female,' and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19: 4-6

The Lord has led me to pray for the restoration of marriages and the reconciling of husbands and wives. I admit that I have been surprised to watch what God has done. My faith has been strengthened! I am so very grateful to be a part of what is God is doing in the institution of marriage. All the news about marriage is not bad- couples are reconciling and husbands and wives are drawing closer to Christ and becoming more Christ-like through the reconciliation experience.

Homeschool moms, let us lift our hands and voices in prayer and beg God to heal our nation's marriages, one couple at a time.

Blog Dedication

2011-07-12T23:48:00.003-05:00

I would like to dedicate this blog to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus saved me from my sins and made me a new person. I want everything I do to be for his honor and glory, including this blog. Please join me in praying that every post I write, whether it is a book review, a recipe or a Bible study devotional will be for him and not for me.

If anyone reading this blog would like to know more about finding peace with God through Jesus Christ, please e-mail me or leave a comment. I would love to share more with you. I have a burden to reach out to homeschool moms everywhere with the good news about the freedom that is available through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus, you can have a more abundant life than you ever imagined. Serving God can be a joy and a privilege not a mere duty. Whether you are bound by the chains of religiousness and "churchianity" or by the bonds of sin, you can find true everlasting freedom through the grace of Jesus Christ by putting your faith in him. Won't you pray and ask Jesus to make himself real to you today?

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

My Testimony-Jesus Changed My Heart and Life

2011-06-16T15:38:00.000-05:00

Check out my testimony of how I became a Christian 7 years ago on my new blog, Jesus Changes Hearts.

I have felt the Lord leading me to tell more people about the life-changing power of Jesus Christ so I am excited to share.

Do you have a testimony of how Jesus changed your heart and life? Leave me a comment with a link to your testimony and/or permission to re-post it on Jesus Changes Hearts. Or, e-mail me at jesuschangeshearts@gmail.com.

Thank you and God bless you!

Our Adoption Journey-Update

2011-06-16T06:14:00.000-05:00

We now have only one class left to take next week! Woo-hoo! Now it is on to the home study so pray for us. I have been encouraged to see others completing their adoption journeys. I am very excited to get to the business of raising more little ones for Christ!