You Missed Your Calling

Mom,
Seriously, you missed your calling. Who can make a loaf of bread like this?! It is the most giant loaf of bread I ever did see! It is too beautiful to eat! So shiny and gargantuan! I wish I had a breakfast potluck to go to. I had to cut it in half and freeze half. Ridiculous! It looks like what they serve at the table of a king. Thanks! I had a morsel of it already. I can't wait to have a giant wedge doused in butter tomorrow morning! Yum! Thanks Mom!

Easy Bake Crumbles

Libs and I finally got to use her easy bake oven the other day. What an experience that was! Ok, the oven works great but the ingredients make a bite size cake. It smelled like yellow cake in the kitchen (with a bit of a hot light bulbish smell) but the picture on the box (a delicious double decker Duncan Hines gourmet number) was nothing like our crumb cake that came out of it. First you stir up this teaspoon full of ingredients and SCRAPE-there's no pouring this "batter" into a petri dish. See pics below. Then you push it into the light bulb chamber, which by the way mom had to buy at a hardware store in Danbury because our government doesn't allow us such things anymore. Although, to bake with a lightbulb? Is that normal? It baked for about 15 minutes before I pushed it through to the cooling chamber which it got stuck sideways in and I ended up shaking, pushing, prodding, clamping, laying hands on, etc to rescue our cake for 1. One bite that is. Libs looked at it and said, "I don't want frosting," popped it in her mouth and left the whole baking experience before I could even click a picture! She did have fun with it and wants to bake some more tic tac sized cakes and cookies. Mom found a website that actually bakes human size portions instead of portions for rats. I think we'll try some of those. She wants to make the cookies next. Can't wait to see those.....She did say with utter excitement, "I can't believe I have my own oven!"

Pull!

Ya, Libs is on the winning tug-o-war team at AWANA. Rope burn and all. She's tough.

Mad Skilz!

Libs is so cute on skis! The tow rope whips her right off her feet almost. She went down the hill a thousand times. She loved it and she learned really fast. Her instructor told me she did an awesome job. She stayed on the bunny hill the whole day but next time she'll be ready for some jumps she said. She looks so darn adorable out there just like a frosted pink cupcake!
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Funny comics

And you thought flutes were gay.....

Persevering

Even true Christians may wonder at times if they are truly among God's children, and one of many ways to find assurance of one's salvation is to look for evidence of perseverance in one's life. Do you fund yourself continually asking the Father for forgiveness for the sake of Jesus? Are you endeavoring to put into practice the commandments of Christ in His Word? As we do these things, we persevere and find assurance of faith.
 "If indeed you continue in the faith firmly, established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven."
Colossians 1:23

*by perseverance the snail reached the ark"
-Charles Spurgeon
;0)

Jesus the Narrow Door

Jesus the Narrow Door | Sermon Notes, Luke #59 | The Mars Hill Blog

This is awesome!!!!!!!

Why is it?

The car in front of me is going where I'm going very slowly?
The car I choose to go behind at in the line at the bank has 42 transactions?
The person ordering in front of me is ordering for the whole block?
I never have to go to the bathroom until I get in my car?
My kids have to go to the bathroom when dinner is hot and ready?
I only need groceries really bad when it's pouring or -40?
I forget what I ran downstairs to get and only remember when I'm back upstairs?
Kids need me really bad as soon as I get in the bathroom?
I never get to sit down at dinner?
Theres rarely a parking spot near the store I'm going to?
I need to drop things at Goodwill on non drop-off hours?
I need the library, pharmacy, dr, etc mostly on hours they're closed?
Kids sleep in on days they can't and wake up early on my greatest quiet times?


I'm sure I'll think of more but these were floating around my brain for now. Someone tell me more!

Strait Awesome!

I can just hear Piper preachin this, can't you?! So Awesome!


Saying What You Believe Is Clearer Than Saying “Calvinist”
January 20, 2011 | by: John Piper |


We are Christians. Radical, full-blooded, Bible-saturated, Christ-exalting, God-centered, mission-advancing, soul-winning, church-loving, holiness-pursing, sovereignty-savoring, grace-besotted, broken-hearted, happy followers of the omnipotent, crucified Christ. At least that’s our imperfect commitment.

In other words, we are Calvinists. But that label is not nearly as useful as telling people what you actually believe! So forget the label, if it helps, and tell them clearly, without evasion or ambiguity, what you believe about salvation.

If they say, “Are you a Calvinist?” say, “You decide. Here is what I believe . . .”

I believe I am so spiritually corrupt and prideful and rebellious that I would never have come to faith in Jesus without God’s merciful, sovereign victory over the last vestiges of my rebellion. (1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 3:1–4; Romans 8:7).

I believe that God chose me to be his child before the foundation of the world, on the basis of nothing in me, foreknown or otherwise. (Ephesians 1:4–6; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29–30; 11:5–7)

I believe Christ died as a substitute for sinners to provide a bona fide offer of salvation to all people, and that he had an invincible design in his death to obtain his chosen bride, namely, the assembly of all believers, whose names were eternally written in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. (John 3:16; John 10:15; Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 13:8)

When I was dead in my trespasses, and blind to the beauty of Christ, God made me alive, opened the eyes of my heart, granted me to believe, and united me to Jesus, with all the benefits of forgiveness and justification and eternal life. (Ephesians 2:4–5; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Philippians 2:29; Ephesians 2:8–9; Acts 16:14; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:9)

I am eternally secure not mainly because of anything I did in the past, but decisively because God is faithful to complete the work he began—to sustain my faith, and to keep me from apostasy, and to hold me back from sin that leads to death. (1 Corinthians 1:8–9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 1:25; John 10:28–29; 1 John 5:16)

Call it what you will, this is my life. I believe it because I see it in the Bible. And because I have experienced it. Everlasting praise to the greatness of the glory of the grace of God!

Tempting.....

The Move

My sister and her hubby (Matt) have moved to Minnesota temporarily! It's so weird to know she's just right in St.Paul. We are going over there tonight for gourmet dinner and the guys are going to be watching the basketball game. I have been trying to put my feet in Matts shoes (boots) to see what I'd think of this place if I came from the desert. Imagine the things we don't even think about in winter! Salt all over the car, mysterious snow covered yards and places yet undiscovered, frozen lakes, frozen jeans (he finds this fascinating), frozen eyelashes, ice on the roads, homeless people?-OUTSIDE?!!! They might have an inground pool in their yard come springtime-who knows? Maybe a cemetary? I picture him in his car after work freezing to death as it warms up. Hopefully the beauty of spring and the warmth of summer will help him forget what winter was like. I wonder how different our summer will feel compared to Tucson? Will he feel suffocated in greenery?! Will he miss the mountains? The javelinas and coyotes in his yard? The cacti? The Mexican border? The illegal immigrants? Oh yeah, they're all here! Adventure awaits!