Forgiveness

"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:15


From Called to Obedience by Howie Dowell and Dennie Dowell Patton

A. When do you forgive? In prayer (Mark 11:25)

B. Whom do you forgive? Anyone you have anything against (Mark 11:25)

C. How are you to forgive? (Col. 3:12; Eph. 4:30-32)

1. As Christ has forgiven you.

2. Completely.

3. Repeatedly for the same sins.

D. Why do you forgive? (Matt. 6:14,15)

1. It is a command of God.

2. Your relationship with God is hindered if you do not forgive others.


1-2-3-4 Memory Outline

1. Forgive the offender, not verbally, but in prayer (Mark 11:25)

2. Grab hold of the truth that God has ordained this situation and thank God for this difficulty. (1 Cor. 10:13;1 Thess. 5:18)

3. Ask: "What is God trying to teach me?"

4. Ask: "How can I obey God in this situation? (John 14:15)

"And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity." Col 3:12-14

*******

By obeying these scriptures we can find true peace, does that mean we forget sin or ignore it? NO! But the verse above clearly states that Christ forgave us therefore we should forgive others.

Simple and yet difficult.

It is always better to obey.

Speaking of.....

Valley of Vision

If you followed the link to Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) Radio you would have heard music from their CD titled Valley of Vision. The music is based off of the book titled Valley of Vision which is a collection of puritan prayers and devotions.


From the SGM web page:

Puritans like John Bunyan, Thomas Watson, Richard Baxter, and Isaac Watts knew their hearts, their Bibles, and their God much better than we do. Many of them wrote down their prayers not to be published, but to assess their own spiritual growth and to encourage themselves in times of spiritual dryness. These prayers reveal a personal, humble, passionate relationship with an awesome God, a living Savior, and an active Spirit. Reading their meditations inspires us to pursue the same level of reality as we worship God.

Last night I started reading a book by John MacArthur called "Hard To Believe" and interestingly enough I came across this:

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, the the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess everything, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive. Let me find thy light in my darkness thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty, thy glory in my valley, thy life in my death

From Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett,ed.


I don't own this book but you can bet I will very soon!

I also plan on buying a few cd's from SGM.

Listen

If you go to Sovereign Grace Ministries and click on the Sovereign Grace Radio (in the upper right hand corner) you can enjoy beautiful, worshipful music while you are surfing the net. Try it!! You will be blessed. I am listening to a woman with an angelic voice right now and she is singing about my Savior. Praise the Lord!

Bonnet Tip: Carmon

Sleep

What's that?


Oh boy am I tired. Yes, I got on this computer to let you know how tired and worn out I am. :) I am alive, just tired. Some of it illness induced, some of it Nascar induced (that's for another post, redneck) and some of it Lauren induced.

Have you ever wanted to escape to a hotel room for a night or six? I have and right now is one of those times I wish I could go away and sleep. I know that if I did go away for one night I would a) end up with the party animals next door b) not be able to sleep because I am now 41 and you know what happens after 40 or c) get there, settle in and wonder what on earth I was doing, miss my family and not be able to sleep anyway!!

I guess I'll just stay home and love my family that God has blessed me with and persevere through this short season of illness and sleeplessness.

Praising God.

Is There a Doctor in the House?

I have been corrected (in the most gracious and loving way) by Dr. Amy at Good Soil. I told my children that the little flappy thing hanging down in the back of their throat was the epiglottis when in fact it is called the UVULA!! I have to admit the picture I posted confused me but at the time it was the best I could find and I was absolutely convinced that it was called the epiglottis. It's all coming back to me now, really.

CHECK THIS OUT!




















I stand corrected and will have to inform my two daughters who were so curious about that little thing in the back of their throats.

**Amy, remind me of your training. I know attended med school and I think you did your residency in OB/GYN but later decided to leave the field and stay home with your babies. Yeah! Consider this an interview and tell us all about yourself in my comments. :)

**Amy and I have a special connection....we got to spend some time together at Starbucks a few years ago when I was in Dallas! What a treat!

*********************

Will you pray for my little Dani. She has a horrible virus. Her fever is very high and she is soooo uncomfortable. We were up all night dealing with the croup.

Thanks.

Good Question!

Tuesday Morning

Lauren: Mommy, I'm drawing a picture of a whale!

Me: Oh that's great sweetie.

Lauren: What's that thing called in the back of your throat that hangs down?

Me: What? Huh? (finally looking up from my paperwork) Oh, that's called an epiglottis.

Lauren: OK, well, I just drew an epiglottis on the whale.

Me: Really, you did? An epiglottis? Great!





















Tuesday Night (and I'm not making this stuff up)

I spot Hannah in her bathroom with a flashlight looking down her throat. I think that is odd but keep moving....

Hannah: Hey Mom? What's that thing called in the back of your throat?

Me: An epiglottis (not missing a beat)

Hannah: Cool, I'm going to look it up on the internet.

Me: Go right ahead.


This makes me happy. I love science, especially anatomy/physiology. :)

April in Arizona

I have Pooh Bear on my brain today. It is very windy!






















From: Winnie The Pooh and the Blustery Day
Written by: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Performed by: Sterling Holloway [Pooh]


Hum dum dum ditty dum
Hum dum dum

Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day, today
It sounds that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today


I'm not particularly fond the this wind but I do quite enjoy reading Pooh Bear!

Yesssss!

*sniff

*sniff

I am so honored.























Thank you, Donna for creating this. It means the world to me. ;-)


************************************************

All joking aside, if you haven't been visiting Quiet Life lately you really must go and read her posts about her trip to Paris, Florence and Rome. She is her normal witty self and quite the photographer. I mean she could make a lot of money of her photographs and I really hope she does!

Heather

There is a sweet lady in the blog world by the name of Heather that could really use your prayers. Would you please pray for her, she has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor. She's a mom like us with little children and a husband that adores her. Her faith in Jesus is inspiring and her strength is admirable.

Another awesome lady is going to be raising money for Heather and her family to help with some of the costs of this ordeal.

Would you first and foremost pray for Heather?

And if you feel lead would you consider sending a little money their way?

It is at times like this that I love the internet. It's a neat community.

C.B.F.

We stopped at the gas station on our way up to the Hassayempa River to fill up the truck and the Rhino. Six children were crammed in to the back two seats (they're getting big) and the quarters were close. Any of you with several children know what happens when children are left to themselves for a few minutes in close quarters and within touching distance of each other. Well, I still don't really know what happened but what I do know is that when I came back to the truck there was a story to tell. I was gone approximately 4 minutes. It seems that James (13) couldn't stand the temptation to tease his baby sister, Lauren (4) and when I walked up to the car I was informed that James was in fact a......



"COCONUT BUTT FACE"



according to his baby sister!! (an original name FWIW)


















Dave was in hysterics, as was the rest of the car, and Lauren was crying because she was just sure she was going to get in really big trouble for calling her brother a Coconut Butt Face. While I was preparing my "you should never call your brother names, that's not nice, bad girl speech", my husband was repeating the name over and over and smacking James upside the head.

Dave reassured Lauren that a) she was not in trouble b) he loved the name and c) James was (and is) indeed a Coconut Butt Face.


So much for my speech.

The Wild Southwest!

Saturday
The Hassayamapa River bed near Wickenburg.



















Sunday
Ready for church.


















Monday
The Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix






















Phew, I'm tired!

Hallelujah!

I want to share with you an old, old hymn. It is one of my favorites.

Listen Here


Low in the Grave He Lay
Robert Lowry


Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior;
Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep its Prey, Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!


Have a blessed Resurrection Day my dear blog friends and family!

He is risen indeed!

For Donna

Found at Art.com



















Home, Sweet Home
John Howard Payne
(1791-1852)


Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain;
Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again!
The birds singing gayly, that come at my call --
Give me them -- and the peace of mind, dearer than all!
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

I gaze on the moon as I tread the drear wild,
And feel that my mother now thinks of her child,
As she looks on that moon from our own cottage door
Thro' the woodbine, whose fragrance shall cheer me no more.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

How sweet 'tis to sit 'neath a fond father's smile,
And the caress of a mother to soothe and beguile!
Let others delight mid new pleasures to roam,
But give me, oh, give me, the pleasures of home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;
No more from that cottage again will I roam;
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Home, home, sweet, sweet, home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!


Welcome home dear sister! You were missed!
Love, Janet

Biblical Parenting

I am looking forward to this series at Pulpit Magazine. So far what I've read is very good Biblical advise and information.

And so far I give them a hearty AMEN!

I found that button at Pyromaniacs and that is probably why that poor child has the logo on her darling pink t-shirt. :)

Anyway, it is good stuff over there and I hope it encourages you today and the rest of the month.

Just Janet Makeover!!

Well? What do you think?

You all know this is not something I could ever do but I found someone who could! Her name is Jules and she writes her own blog called Everyday Mommy. I have had fun getting to know her by reading her blog and now via email.

I gave Jules some very general ideas; shabby chic, pastel, welcoming etc. and over the course of a few emails (and a lot of patience on her part) we narrowed it down to an antique tea cup and a full bunch of flowers. Wow. Did she deliver! I am absolutely thrilled and cannot recommend Jules' services enough. Be sure to visit her site and check out her other designs.

THANKS JULES!!

Reminiscing

I am having a great time "following" Donna through Europe. Today she is still enjoying Florence and I have been living vicariously through her. I even dug out my diary from my time in Europe, more specifically Florence. I was there on Friday, June 17, 1988. It is shocking to admit that it was almost 20 years ago, OUCH! Here is what I wrote as a young 22 year old:

We arrived in Florence with no problems-trudged through an open market place with our heavy luggage to find our hotel (Hotel Europa). It is a great place and a great location. We were off to discover Florence. We found the Duomo and Basilica and were amazed at the size and beauty (a lot of construction going on though). We went across the street to a museum and saw Michelangelo's Pieta- it is a statue of Nicodemus holding Jesus with Mary Magdalene and Mary. Awesome!! Next we were off to the street markets to find some good deals on leather jackets, gloves, purses and bags. They were everywhere! I purchased 2 pair of gloves for L52.000 which equals $40.00. Great deal. We grabbed dinner at a pizzeria- had pasta- bad waiter and off to explore more of Florence. We found delicious gelato and roamed the nicer streets of Florence. Then it was off to Hotel Europa to catch some zzzzzz's.

Michelangelo. Pieta. c.1550. Marble. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence, Italy




Italian Gelato!

Florence

UPDATE: Monday morning here. Donna commented on her own blog!! She has internet service in the lobby of her hotel. Woo hoo!!! All is well and Paris was wonderful. Am I just too weird to keep going back to her blog to check the comments? Old habits die hard. Anyway, it paid off this time, she paid Quiet Life a little visit.



It is the wee early morning in Florence, Italy right now and Donna is finishing the night on her overnight train ride. Janice and I took an overnight train from the South of France to Paris (I think, my memory is horrible). It is a great way to save time. I remember worrying about who was going to be in our sleeping car with us but two elderly Europeans were more afraid of us than we were of them.

Here is a link to the Weather Underground. You can see the current conditions in Florence and get the current time. I love that site and used it often when I was teaching Apologia Physical Science last year.

I'm sure today will be a day of museums and site seeing for Donna et al. I remember well standing in line for the museum in the rain and then shopping in a street market filled with beautiful leather!!

Paris!

Donna, Patrick, Emma and friends are enjoying Paris right now as I type. It is Friday evening in Paris and I'm sure they have had a full afternoon. Perhaps they've already seen these amazing sites!!

For those of you that don't know this is Emma's homeschool graduation gift. She has been the most amazing homeschool student! She is a very hard worker and very self motivated making Donna's job very easy. Donna and Patrick wanted to reward her for her diligence and commitment to classical education. Sooo...off to France and Italy where she can see and feel and smell and touch much of what she has only read about.









I am going to have fun with this web page. I can keep track of them a little better. I was hoping Patrick would take a lap top and get Donna blogging from France but I don't think he did. And he's a techie....he should be ashamed of himself. :) Doesn't he know how badly we are going to miss her daily posts?

Please pray for their travels, for sound sleep, for safety and most of all FUN!

What??

Blogger is freaking out. Please excuse the mess. I'll try to fix the links later when I have time.

UPDATE: I fixed the links but the quote is still not cooperating. Anyway, I think it's readable now.

A Must Read!

I hope you'll take the time to read this incredible article about the providence and sovereignty of God written by a man named Mike Evans.


I commented to Cindy when I first read this article, that this is a great encouragement to pray for our children.


Here is JC Ryle on prayer for our children:

Without the blessing of the Lord, your best endeavours will do no good. He
has the hearts of all men in His hands, and except He touch the hearts of
your children by His Spirit, you will weary yourself to no purpose. Water,
therefore, the seed you sow on their minds with unceasing prayer. The Lord
is far more willing to hear than we to pray; far more ready to give blessings than we to ask them ; — but He loves to be entreated for them. And I set this matter of prayer before you, as the top-stone and seal of all you do. I suspect the child of many prayers is seldom cast away.

Look upon your children as Jacob did on his; he tells Esau they are "the children which God hath graciously given thy servant" (Gen. 33:5). Look on them as Joseph did on his; he told his father, "They are the sons whom God hath given me" (Gen. 48:9). Count them with the Psalmist to be "an heritage and reward from the Lord" (Ps. 127:3). And then ask the Lord, with a holy boldness, to be gracious and merciful to His own gifts. Mark how Abraham intercedes for Ishmael, because he loved him, "Oh that Ishmael might live before thee" (Gen. 17:18). See how Manoah speaks to the angel about Samson, "How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?" (Judg. 13:12). Observe how tenderly Job cared for his children’s souls, "He offered
burnt-offerings according to the number of them all, for he said, It may be
my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually" (Job 1:5). Parents, if you love your children, go and do likewise. You cannot name their names before the mercy-seat too often.

Amen!