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Just Posting...

This is my kids on the left and my nephew on the right at Thanksgiving. Aren't they beautiful??
Mercie, Mikaela, Eli, Bryton.

Well, today was fun. Rod and I and the kids went to WalMart, WhooHoo, and then we came home, cooked hamburgers for lunch, put the kids down for a nap, and Rod went hunting. So when the kids woke up, we went to my sister's house so they could play with Bryton. She lives about 5 miles away, so that's great that we can visit often. We came home, Rod came home, and now he's gone again to pray with the men going on the mission trip with him. They are leaving Sat. morning. Not too exciting a way to spend New Year's, but oh well. Mikaela wanted a big party, but I am just too tired. Plus, the house is clean and I don't want it trashed just yet. Ha,ha.

My sister is pregnant and due 4/05/09. It's another boy!! I'm so excited. I love babies and kids. I know our family isn't complete yet, and I'm interested in knowing how many more children we'll have!! I know that having lots of kids gets crazy sometimes...but I'd rather be crazy and blessed with blessings, than peaceful, well rested and bored.!! LOL..

Well I was just posting this picture of my kids.

Busy Day Yesterday

Yesterday was pretty busy. Rod worked on his Toyota out in the shed. My pregnant little sis was sick, so I took her little boy (Bryton almost 2) to my house to play with my kids for a little while. Then I had to take him home, and take Mikaela to the dentist. She had to have 2 cavities filled, but they wound up putting a "silver tooth" as she calls it, (a crown) on one of her molars. She thinks it is so pretty! She had a fit though at the dentist. She was so scared, she got herself so worked up, and what should have taken 25-30 minutes took 2 hours! When we got in the car, she looked in the mirror and said, "Oh! I didn't know I was getting a SILVER tooth! Wow!" I almost started laughing, but I said, "Yeah, that's cool, huh?" Because I didn't think she was going to like it. But she can't wait to show all her friends! I'll post a picture of it soon. Anyway...we got home, and Rod had been watching the kids, but he called his mom about 2 hours into it to come so he could go deer hunting! He leaves Saturday morning for Nicaragua...he's getting so ready. The kids were so tired! Mercie fell asleep on me at 6:00! Then the kids and I got on the bed and read stories, and they were almost asleep, so I put them in their beds at about 7:30. Rod was going to get up this morning and go hunting, but he's still asleep! Me and the kids are awake, I wake up around 6 every morning for an hour of ME time. The kids aren't allowed out of bed until 7, even Mercie! It really helps. Well gotta go! Hope you have a spirit filled day.

My kiddos

My kiddos.

Last night church was great. Rod and Mark (the other guy going on the mission trip) spoke and then the church family laid hands on them and their families (us!) and prayed for them. We had a good prayer time.

The only thing is...Mercie would NOT stay in the nursery without me! So she had to go with me everywhere. I tried so hard to keep her from being that way...but she is!

Today we don't have too much to do. Clean the porch and the yard. The yucky rainy weather has made my yard look drab, I can't wait until spring when everything is green again and I can plant, plant, plant!

I finally got caught up on my laundry last night. But are we ever really caught up? Laundry is never ending. As long as we wear clothes, we will have laundry. It's going to be in the 60's today. I'll bundle the kids up and send them outside with Rod as long as I can. (It's bad when you live where 60 degress is cold!) My house is mostly clean, so I'm going to try to keep it that way as long as possible! Mikaela's gotten better about cleaning her room, she puts her toys where they belong and not just in a pile somewhere in her closet. And I haven't found anything behind her bed in a few days. Eli keeps his room neat for a little boy.

Well off to go start my day. I sleep late this morning (7:06 am).

Last night of Hanukkah

We went to church this morning. It is me and Rod's 3 month cycle of teaching the toddler class. We really enjoy teaching, today we taught about "Money in a Fish". (The story from Matt. 17) The kids thought it was strange that Peter found a coin in the fish mouth. I don't really think they believed me! Rod is gone to feed the deer right now, but he is speaking tonight at church. He's leaving Jan. 3 for Nicaragua again, and our pastor wants him to say a few words about it. Everybody asks me, "Are you nervous about him going?" But honestly, I'm not. I know that God has so much planned for him, that He's going to take care of him. I think Rod's more nervous than me! lol.

Tonight's the last night of Hanukkah. Tonight the candle meaning comes from Rev. 21:22-27. It gives us a description of our eternal dwelling place in the New Jerusalem. "And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty, the Lamb, are it's temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of the Lord has illumined it, and it's lamp is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it. And in the daytime (for there shall be no night there) its gates shall never be closed; and they shall bring glory and honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but only those who names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

How exciting is that glimpse into our eternity!

Fifth Candle

Yeshua is the greatest light of all!
"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:4-5

Fifth Candle

Fourth Candle

Psalm 119:105 and Psalm 119:130 describe the light that comes from God's word.
"Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
"The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple."

Third Candle

King David reminds u in Psalm 27:1 that God Himself is a source of our own individual light.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?"

Second Candle

Exodus 13:21-22 reveals that God is the source of Isreal's light.
"And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night, from before the people."

First Candle

The first candle on the menorah describes the creation of the first light.

Genesis 1:3-4 "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the dark."

Hanukkah is almost here...

Well, Hanukkah starts tomorrow night, and I am so excited! It is my first ever Hanukkah. And my kids first! Mikaela (6) is excited, although at first she didn't understand. She is still a littlel confused about it. I bought them a movie about the Macabees, so they could see the story and understand why it was first celebrated, and they love it. Everytime we put it on she asks, "Did this really happen? REALLY?" Like she's not so sure it really did...I assure her it did, but she still looks a little skeptical. She tells everyone about Hanukkah. Eli (3) talks about Hanukkah, but he really doesn't understand that it's a holiday!

I have my menorah - I bought 2 long glass tea light holders, which each hold 4 tea lights, and a candle holder that holds a tall taper, and put the taper holder in the middle of the 2 long holders (from WalMart). I have blue tea lights and white tapers. It looks really pretty. I also hot glued blue and silver ribbons and bows to vanilla scented candles for decorations and gifts. I got creative, and it was fun. I didn't realize how creative I was...haha.

I have dinner planned and almost each night different family members coming over to eat and light the candles. It's going to be fun seeing everyone, and I'm glad they decided to participate with me at least one night during Hanukkah. It means alot when your family supports you, although not always understand or agree with you. I am going to publish the meaning of the candle each day.

Servant candle - middle candle lit every night and used to light the other candles.
Messiah Yeshua stated in Mark 10:44-45 "Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be servant to all. For even the Son of Man didn't come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

What a great example Jesus gave to us all, it's about serving others and being unselfish. Sometimes we think we deserve recognition, praise, and honor. But we should humble ourselves and become obedient, just like our Messiah Yeshua. We should serve others before ourselves, and never because we want others to notice, but because we want our Savior to notice and be pleased with us.

Thankful

I am so thankful for a wonderful husband who would do anything for me. I trust him with all of my heart, and never have any doubts about his faithfulness to me, his love for me, or his sincerity to me. He would gladly give me his last dollar, makes sure that I have nicer things than he does, and never acts selfishly toward me. He truly wants me to be happy, truly wants to make me smile, and truly would sacrifice his own happiness for mine. He is a dreamer with big dreams, all of them for the better for our family, and he loves God with all of his heart. He wants to serve God sincerely and freely. He is a wonderful spiritual head for our household. He prays for and with our children. He and I pray together. He reads the Word and always has insight to give me. He seeks and searches out God. He is the best husband and father I could have asked for, and I thank God that He gave Rod to me.

Put His Words on a Headbead around Your Forehead

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (Complete Jewish Bible)
"These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and get up. Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, and write them on the door frames of your house and your gates."

God is speaking of the commands he gave the Isrealites and actually all the people who choose to follow him. We are all 'Isrealites', you know, but that's another post!

Are his words on our heart? Not just in our heads, but on our hearts. We should be in love with His words. They should be held as precious treasures on our hearts.

Do we teach them CAREFULLY to our children? We should teach them carefully, and make sure they understand the signifigance and importance of God's words. We should carefully make sure they aren't perverted.

How often do we talk about them? At church? To our pastor or church friends? Or do we tak about them at home, when we're traveling or running errands, before we go to bed and as soon as we wake up? It's so important to keep the words of God alive and active in our homes.

Would we put them on a headband around our foreheads? Who cares if it's fashionable or not! We should make sure that everyone who meets us or comes to our homes know that we love God and his commands.

Oh God, forgive me for not loving your commands as I should. Press them on my heart, on my forehead, on my doors and windows. Help me to teach my children the right way. Help me show them that I love your words. I want your name to be the last thing on my lips at night and the first thing I speak in the morning. I love you God.

God Is...Everything!

Isn't it amazing how God can be different things to us, depending on our need at the time? He can be our Deliverer when we need to be delivered. He can be our Strength when we're weak. He can be our Physician when we're sick. He can be our Friend when we're lonely.

God knows everything we feel, think, say, or need. He knows what we need before we ask. He knows what we need when we don't ask! He is an all consuming fire. He is a gentle Father. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I can't praise Him enough.

Thank You God for being everything I need every time I need it!

What is some of the things God has been to you?

We're Just Temporary Residents...

1 Peter 2:11 (God's Word Translation)
"Dear Friends, since you are foreigners and temporary residents in the world, I'm encouraging you to keep away from the desires of your corrupt nature. These desires constantly attack you."

What a simple but convicting truth Peter spoke. We are just temporary residents here on earth. Our purpose is to please God, praise God, and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to as many people as we can. Too often, I forget my purpose, and I lean toward those desires of my corrupt nature. I don't necessarily think that all our 'desires' are corrupt as we would think of the word. But I believe 'corrupt' here just means contrary to God's perfect desires for us. Any desire we have that's not in line with God's perfect will for our lives. And let me tell you from experience, when you are battling with corrupt desires, the devil will constantly attack you with them! It's so important to be bathed in prayer daily, to be alert to the enemy's schemes, and to stand firm. And always remember, we're don't belong to this old world. We belong to God, and He'll be taking us Home one day!

Our Spiritual Act of Worship

Romans 12:1
"...to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship."

I've never really thought of this as being my act of worship, but now that I've read this verse, it makes so much sense. We can't truly worship our God until we have given Him our entire body as a sacrifice. Jesus offered His body as a sacrifice for all of us. Now it's our turn to give Him ours.

Romans 12:2
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

This verse always come to my mind when I feel "out of place" in this world, and it reminds me that I SHOULD feel out of place! This world is not my home, and it should never feel like home. I have to remind myself that I have to be 'set apart'. This is my new life motto, my new life goal. My desire is to be set apart. I want to be set apart so others can see that I'm different, and want what I have. (Jesus Christ!) We should renew our minds daily, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 10:5). How? By studying His irresistable Word, by praying and talking to God, by being constantly aware of every distraction, every temptation, and every stronghold, and by allowing God to take control of our mind.

On a different note, please pray for me and my husband. We are going through some trials right now, they may seen trivial compared to others, but the engine in his Toyota blew up this morning, my Tahoe is in the shop needing a new computer, and our little Taurus won't always start and we have to air up tires before we go anywhere in it! We need vehicle healing!

Obedience

1 John 2:3-6
"We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands."
Obedience is so hard sometimes. This verse gives me the confirmation and confidence I need when God is telling me to do something that is hard for me. When I obey Him, I am getting closer to Him.

My husband and I know God is leading us to start following Biblical feasts and holidays, and doing away with pagan holidays (Christmas, Easter, Halloween). This Hanukkah will be our first one. Although it is not a Levitical feast, it is still important for both Jews and Christians alike. It's hard, because nobody that lives around us celebrates these feasts. (Talk about being set apart!!) But knowing that I'm obeying God, and that He's pleased by my obedience, makes it so exciting! The more research and study I do on the feasts, the more excited I get. Although our families don't really understand, and some of them don't even want to try! I have a feeling God is going to really reveal Himself to my family. Now that's worth celebrating!

No Compromise!

We cannot compromise with the world. We cannot compromise with sin. There is no middle ground. There is no neutral territory. We are either of God, or of the world. We can't love the world and love God. We can't be of the world and of God. We must make our choice and stand on it. We must decide not to sway, not to falter, not to compromise. We must be different. We must be set apart. There has to be a clear and vast difference between us, as children of God, and the world. The world must hate us. We cannot keep trying to get the world to love us, accept us as their own. We cannot look like the world. We must look like Jesus. We cannot keep making excuses. We cannot keep explaining our ways, our differences. We cannot keep caring what the world will think. The world's judgement is not eternal. God's judgement is.