ALMOST OFFICIAL!

This little guy is almost officially a part of our family. I say "officially" because it's always seemed like he's been a part of it anyway, it's just going to be legal soon. Evan's sister, Erika, has raised him since he was a couple months old, and now he's 3 -1/2. She is officially going to adopt him in about 6 weeks. We are so thankful that God has provided this miracle and that we can be a part of Derrell's life from here on out. He's quite the little guy!

Channel 23
By: Michael Pearl
A modern Psalm taken from "The New International Unchristian Perversion."

"The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want anything else. It maketh me to lie down on the sofa. It leadeth me away from the Scripture. It destroys my soul. It leadeth me in the paths of sex and violence for the sponsors sake, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will enjoy the evil, for blood and sex they excite me. It’s cable and remote they comfort me. It prepares a commercial before me in the presence of my children. It anoints my head with humanism, My coveting runneth over. Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow my family all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house watching TV forever."

But don’t worry parents, as you know the TV doesn’t have any influence on the children of parents who don’t want it to influence them. That’s why the sponsors only advertise products you have already decided to buy.

MY RESPONSE

What does being a Christian mean to you, and how does that look in the society we live in?

I guess the reason for this question has been the impact of some teaching we've been receiving for years now. Pastor Wayne is constantly drilling into our heads the question of our focus. It's something I'm striving to DAILY grasp a hold of in this crazy culture we have been planted in. Having my focus on Jesus Christ in all my daily doings is what being a Christian means to me. In our society, this is no easy task.

I recently heard a teaching on Psalm 1 from a man in our congregation whose family has been called to Uganda and will be moving there within a few months. Some of his main points that spoke to me most were simple and yet profound. Here are just a few:

1) It takes discipline to study God's Word.

2) Savor every phrase, every bite.

3) We need to prefer His Word over food, sleep, wealth, relationships, hobbies, etc.

4) Meditate on it, like a cow chews it's cud.

I always come back to the reason I was put on this earth -- to glorify God and to bring others to Him. Unless I feed myself with the meat of the Word of God, I won't be very successful at this. Beth Moore once said, "The keys to successful living are 1) studying God's Word and 2) getting on our knees." Nothing else matters in this world, excpet what we do for the kingdom of God. NOTHING. And nothing prepares me for this world and my calling in it like those two things. It's a scary thought, as I often am distracted by everything around me. Even if they're good things -- if it comes before my time and relationship with God, I am out of line, which is so often the case. I'm so thankful for the verse about there being "no condemnation for those who are in Christ", because keeping focus is such a struggle, but it is my heart's desire.

Evan has taught me a lot about this the past couple of months. He, too, has been striving to "meditate on God's Word day and night" (Ps. 1). He's taken this serious enough, that he now brings Biblical teachings to work and listens to them as he works. He says it actually makes him MORE productive in his work and it fills his mind with the Word of God. So much of our conversations lately have centered around the teachings and passages that he's been listening to and studying. He's been comparing different teachers on certain passages and figuring out what his beliefs are on some tough passages. It's been very cool to see the fruit produced from him meditating on God's Word all throughout the day. I'm not sure where this quote came from, but often times, "The thing that keeps us from receiving the truth is the belief that we already have the truth." What a powerful thought.

I have been challenging myself in my walk with Jesus to be in the Word more and be in prayer more. It is then that I am the mom, wife, friend and person that I need to be. My only problem is that I fail way too often. The neat thing is, God sees my heart and my desire and helps me back up -- even if it takes a while. (No condemnation!) I am passionate about serving Jesus. I want my kids to catch that passion. I really want to make a difference in this world during the vapor of time I am given here. I don't want to waste a moment.

So, take up my challenge and ask yourself every day, WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS???? In this crazy world we live in, if it's a little off, we will be, too.

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

What does it mean for you to be a Christian, and how does that look in the society we live in today?

As you think about your answer, please think from your heart. So many "Christians" today have all the head knowledge in the world and can answer this easily, but I'm looking for heart-felt answers. I've been mulling this thought over in my head so much lately for what seems like months now as I think about my life, my family, as well as the body of Christ as a whole. I think we are living in some serious times, and I personally don't think Christians are fully stepping up to the call God has given us -- myself included in that statement. Just curious your thoughts on this. I'm hoping to start some good dialogue on this blog again!

I will give my response as well at a later time... I'm just warning you, this is something that has been burning within me for a while now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

HSLDA

If you are a homeschool family, you should consider checking out the offerings of the Home School Legal Defense Association. We had a free trial sign up until the end of March this year, and will seriously consider joining again in the future. It's a group of lawyers who will fight for anything for you regarding homeschool or your children, should the "system" ever come after you for any reason. They also fight very hard to keep the homeschool rights we have here in America. They send out regular e-mails to keep homeschool families up-to-date on what's happening with the government, and also share many of their stories in which they have helped families. Just an FYI.

RANDOM RAMBLINGS....again!

It's been one of those seasons in my life where I have all these random things floating around in my head that I'd like to write about, but never have any time to make anything real of any of it. My brain has been floating from homeschool, needing to get some more curriculum (the kids are about done with their math, and I'm anxious to look ahead to next year!), lots of Bible teachings Evan & I have been listening to, some great times we've had with friends, pregnancy stuff, kids stuff, Bible studies, and on and on.

As always, the laundry piles, the messy floors, the books, the baths, and the meals come first. So... hopefully soon my brain will be able to work on multiple levels once again and you will hear from me more often!