wretch like me

Jax in Overalls

2012-02-17T09:30:00.001-06:00

Sweethearts

2012-02-14T11:47:00.000-06:00

Jace with Jax

2012-02-14T11:44:00.001-06:00

Jace was teasing Jax with his sucker. Poor baby!

Carnitas Sandwich

2012-02-07T15:24:00.008-06:00

Carnitas
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3 lb. Pork Bone-In Shoulder Roast
2 c. Trader Joe's Organic Beef Broth
1 tsp. Colgin All Natural Hickory Liquid Smoke
1 Bay Leaf

Oven Method
In a casserole dish goes the broth (reduce to 1c.), liquid smoke and bay leaf. Trim roast of visible fat and set in dish. Cover and bake at 275°F for 8 hours.

Pork is done at an internal temp of 190-200° and fork tender. Place cooked pork on large cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes. If pork is cooked properly, you should be able to shred with just your bare hands, can't do this when it too hot. Reserve 1/2 c. liquid.

While meat is cooking, mix up Seasoning:
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
To the shredded meat add your seasoning and liquid and mix well.

Revolution Rolls

3 Large Eggs
3 Tbsp. 4% Cottage Cheese
1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar
Instructions:
Separate the eggs into two bowls, one with the whites (be careful there is no yolk or shells) and one with yolk. With an electric mixer, beat the whites on high, until frothy. Continue beating and slowly sprinkle in the cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Beat the yolks with the cottage cheese for about 30 seconds. Gently, carefully, with a light hand, fold the yolks into the whites. It does not have to be "mixed" but incorporated. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and then make six mounds. Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Cool on wire rack.

Id try these tho....

Sweet Corn Cakes
1/4 c. Vanilla Whey Protein
2 Tbsp. Arrowhead Mills Yellow Cornmeal
2 Tbsp. Coconut Flour
2 Eggs
1c. Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Instructions:
Whisk together dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. Over medium heat make pancakes in non-stick skillet. Using a scant 1/4 c. for each pancake, recipe makes a dozen. Approximately 1.5 net carbs per cake.

Assembly:
Stack like pancakes or use like a soft taco shell

I was surprised that my revolution rolls turned out so well! They are soft and pillowy and taste like a popover!

All this taken from.....
http://www.healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2011/09/its-all-about-the-options.html
Thank you Vanessa!!!

Atop the Mountain

2012-02-06T16:26:00.000-06:00

So beautiful up here. Unbelievable.

Lutzen Trip

2012-02-06T16:13:00.004-06:00

2.This was a view of the lake on my walk.

3.This was our ski up condo-coooool!

4.This was the indoor outdoor pool which was very fun!
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5.A top of this hill you could see an amazing view of the lake. You ride a gondola to the top. Scary!

We took a trip to Lutzen for some skiing this past weekend-what a gorgeous place it is! Gods handiwork was everywhere! Thank you for your prayers! No one was hurt or lost (kind of). I did not ski but was just as sore as the skiers as I took advantage of walking in the hilly country. Lake Superior is a sight to behold and a camera alone does not do it justice. It is simply beautiful. I never knew Minnesota held such beauty! It was beautiful weather and we were thankful to be able to go. Oh, and thanks to mom, Jax stayed behind! :o)

Jace at Lake Superior

2012-02-06T16:11:00.001-06:00

Jace was willing to let me take pictures of him so I had to give him his own post. :o)

Lake Superior Hiking

2012-02-06T16:09:00.000-06:00

Fattypants

2012-02-06T16:07:00.000-06:00

Press on

2012-02-02T11:48:00.001-06:00

Don’t rest on past reading. Read your Bible more and more every year. Read it whether you feel like reading it or not. And pray without ceasing that the joy return and pleasures increase.
Three reasons this is not legalism:
You are confessing your lack of desire as sin, and pleading as a helpless child for the desire you long to have. Legalists don’t cry like that. They strut.
You are reading out of desperation for the effects of this heavenly medicine. Bible-reading is not a cure for a bad conscience; it’s chemo for your cancer. Legalists feel better because the box is checked. Saints feel better when their blindness lifts, and they see Jesus in the word. Let’s get real. We are desperately sick with worldliness, and only the Holy Spirit, by the word of God, can cure this terminal disease.
It is not legalism because only justified people can see the preciousness and power of the Word of God. Legalists trudge with their Bibles on the path toward justification. Saints sit down in the shade of the cross and plead for the blood-bought pleasures.
So lets give heed to Mr. Ryle and never grow weary of the slow, steady, growth that comes from the daily, disciplined, increasing, love affair with reading the Bible.
Do not think you are getting no good from the Bible, merely because you do not see that good day by day. The greatest effects are by no means those which make the most noise, and are most easily observed. The greatest effects are often silent, quiet, and hard to detect at the time they are being produced.
Think of the influence of the moon upon the earth, and of the air upon the human lungs. Remember how silently the dew falls, and how imperceptibly the grass grows. There may be far more doing than you think in your soul by your Bible-reading.

Ya, it's yum

2012-01-28T11:25:00.001-06:00

Dana, I did it! It was delish! Thanks for the suggestion. Pb/bacon burger-yum!

Libs blue streak

2012-01-21T13:26:00.001-06:00

You can't really see it but she has a new blue streak in her hair. She also finally lost her front snaggletooth. Yay!

He's a snugglebug!

2012-01-21T13:25:00.000-06:00

Big Boy Bath

2012-01-13T09:38:00.000-06:00

1-10-2012

2012-01-10T20:39:00.002-06:00

10 mile bikeride on Janurary 10th in MN?!!! Unbelievable! 54 degrees and beautious sunshine! Whenever I passed a fellow exerciser I wanted to yell, "I just landed here-what month is it?!"

Fall Hike

2012-01-05T18:46:00.001-06:00

Some more pics from our hike last Sept. I'm realizing how many blog opps I've been missing! Why not throw em up now! :o)
(Libs, Levi, Carson, Seth, Jacob)

Fall day

2012-01-05T18:42:00.001-06:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Libs. We went on a hike back in September and it was a wonderful time. I found this pic of her and was remembering what a beautious day we had!

One of my faves

2012-01-05T18:39:00.000-06:00

Darling pic of daddy and Libs-gotta love it!

Who is THIS kid?!

2012-01-05T18:37:00.003-06:00

I thought I'd throw an oldie in of Jace too since he doesn't really allow pics anymore. He's WAY too cool....this is funny though. He'll hate it. That's what I'm here for son. :o)

Has anyone seen my little girler?

2012-01-05T18:30:00.003-06:00

What a darling picture of Libs. How come she's getting so big? ;( Look at her chubber arms, her square yet shiny hair-do, her rounded cheekers. Did she sleep in that at the cabin? Did she sleep at the cabin? Ha!

Me Too!

2012-01-05T18:26:00.003-06:00

I just found this picture in my collection. It is so cool. I love Jeopardy as does my sister Jamie. It is the ONLY show I watch and only about twice a month. We used to have "Jeopardy-a-thons" where I would tape a bunch in a row and we would just watch them for like 3 hours late-night. I think I'm going to make that a New Years Resolution....

PS-Is that a t-shirt you kept or got rid of?

Thanks Suz!

2012-01-05T18:22:00.001-06:00

My Aunt Suza made this hat for Jax. It's like a hot pot holder with pom poms! Cute!

New Years Resolutions Dont Work

2012-01-05T18:16:00.003-06:00

Willpower Is Weak
There’s an assumption about human nature that is important to have in place as we think about New Year’s Resolutions: people do what they want to do. The Reformation theologian Thomas Cranmer held this view of human nature (as summarized by Anglican historian Ashley Null):

(I LOVE THIS QUOTE!!!!!!!!-STRAIT TRUE!)
"What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies. The mind doesn’t direct the will. The mind is actually captive to what the will wants, and the will itself, in turn, is captive to what the heart wants."

An article in the New York Times only confirms that the will is weak when it shows that the overwhelming majority of New Year’s resolutions are doomed to failure. According to research, 80 percent of those who make resolutions on January 1 have given up by Valentine’s Day. Nutrition experts say that two-thirds of dieters regain any weight lost within a year, and more than 70 percent of people who undergo coronary bypass surgery fall back into unhealthy habits within two years of their surgery.

“
Confront the reality that your resolution is likely needed because you are not loving God with your entire being and not loving your neighbor as yourself.
”
“Most of us think that we can change our lives if we just summon the willpower and try even harder this time around,” said Alan Deutschman, the former executive director of Unboundary, a firm that counsels corporations on how to navigate change. “It’s exceptionally hard to make life changes, and our efforts are usually doomed to failure when we try to do it on our own.” If you’re going to make a New Year’s resolution, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Not All Resolutions Are Good
Try to determine if the resolution is actually good. Are you planning on working out more? If so, is it because you want to be a good steward of the body God gave you or is it vanity? In reality, it is probably both. But what is the driving desire? Self-improvement or to glorify God?

2. Just Do It…
If your resolution is actually a good one, just do it. Go ahead and work out more, smoke or drink less, read your Bible more, pay down your debt and save more for retirement, focus on your marriage, spend more time with your children. Every once in a while, people start a New Year’s resolution and it sticks. But most don't. That’s because (1) you are sinner and (2) your heart is an idol factory.

3. Grace Actually Works
Confront the reality that your resolution is likely needed because you are not loving God with your entire being and not loving your neighbor as yourself. These two failures lead to havoc, discord, pain, and destruction. Jesus gave us the basic requirement: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:40).

That basic failure is why we need the gospel: Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection deal with the guilt and the stain of sin. Jesus is our propitiation and our expiation.

Jesus also gave us the Holy Spirit, who can change our desires and empower us to love God and neighbor. As Paul tells us, “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

4. God Gives Grace to Change
As Cranmer realized, our wills are captive to what our hearts love, and we are powerless to change ourselves without the work of God’s Spirit changing our desires. When you think through New Year’s resolutions, here’s a prayer as you ask God to work on your heart:

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen (Book of Common Prayer).

This blog is from The Resurgence

Pizza Pigs

2012-01-05T18:10:00.004-06:00

Levi and Isaac are always bragging to me about how they can eat a whole pizza. I always tell them, thats so sick! For a Christmas present this year I let them both eat a whole pizza short one piece each for Libs. They were so excited and did it happily (barf!) When I told Jane she had to sit down and just tell herself it was Christmas.
Isaac said he hopes its Christmas everyday when he comes over. Levi said he agreed. Liberty just wanted her picture in there because she was jealous. Ha!

T-Jax

2012-01-05T18:09:00.001-06:00

Dana got this SUPER cute T-Rex hat for Jax. I absolutely love it and he's overly cute in it, doncha agree?!

Snaggletooth and Jax

2012-01-05T18:06:00.000-06:00

Jax knows how to smile for the picture

2011-12-20T14:18:00.000-06:00

Size 18 shoe

2011-12-20T14:17:00.000-06:00

Where's Jax?

2011-12-20T14:15:00.000-06:00

Libs cares for Jax

2011-11-20T17:19:00.002-06:00

Libs is always helping with Jax. Not only does she hug and kiss him endlessly but she takes care of him by changing his clothes and reading him stories. She also changes his pee pants. :o) She says he's just like her dolls except he moves.

He likes it

2011-11-20T17:18:00.000-06:00

Jax is eating squash here. He was lickin his lips and we were laughin!

Libs fashion show

2011-11-20T17:11:00.005-06:00

Libs loves to dress up and play fashion show. It's dangerous to shop for her and even worse to shop with her. Theres too many cute girl things out there! Any guessers on who the bff aunt is? Hahaha! You're wrong! She said, "BOTH OF MY AUNTS!" Then we told her she has four so she wanted to include them too. :o) THese pictures really do NO justice to how cute she looks in person!

Pillow-pet

2011-11-10T23:43:00.002-06:00

Liberty got a pillow pet from the State Fair this past summer. She wanted to know the name of the stuffy so she did what most kids do and looked at the tag that usually has it labeled there. She comes in to tell me that Jace helped her read her new kittens name and it was "Polyester." I laughed so hard. I said, "Libs, thats the material it's made of." She said, " I don't care. I'm calling her Esther for short."

Levi funnies

2011-11-10T23:38:00.003-06:00

Levi was reading his Language lesson the other day and he said, "Mom, why do they call Jesus the great Fizican?"
I said, "The Great physician?"

Levi says, "Mom, I love the Smurfs!"
I said, "Me too!"
He says, "I especially like Gargamel and his cat Israeli."

"Mom, I have a private question for you." (This is always scary)
I say, "Ok, what is it?"
He looks at me VERY seriously, "Can babies come out of your butt?"
I say, "No. Never."
"ARE YOU SURE?" he asks.
"I'm SURE, " I tell him.

Parent-like

2011-11-10T23:35:00.002-06:00

Tonight we were at the Y and as usual it took Liberty a good 1/2 hour to take her after-pool shower. This time when she came out I said, "Liberty, why does it take you so long?!" She said, "I'm sorry! I just like to talk." Tommy said, "You're like a parent."

Just let it roll off

2011-11-10T23:31:00.003-06:00

Liberty has a Justin Bieber shirt I bought her at the Goodwill a few weeks ago and she wore it to dance the other night. She said she wore her sweatshirt the entire time so no one would know it was underneath. Levi asked her, "Why?" She said, "I didn't want everyone to know that I had it on in case someone thought he was a dork." Levi said, "Oh, you were embarrassed. Kind of like when people say that I have big nipples."

The Lip

2011-11-10T22:06:00.000-06:00

Doncha just wanna hug him?!!!!!

Coooooool

2011-11-07T21:40:00.000-06:00

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Yummy Chicken Dish

2011-11-02T13:30:00.003-05:00

Grammy Wendy made this yummy chicken dish the other night before we went out Trick-or Treating. Try it out!

5-6 chx breasts (You can use frozen, boiled and diced)
6 oz sour cream
2 cans cream of chx soup or cream of mushroom
1-2 rows of crackers (butter flavored like Club)
2 sticks butter (you can use 1 if you like-she did)

Preheat oven to 350

Cook chx breasts- cut up into small pieces. Combine sour cream and soup together. Mix chicken into this mixture. Place into a 9x13 pan.

Melt butter-crush approximately 1 1/2 rows of crackers. Add crackers to melted butter-you can add more crackers as needed to soak up the butter. Place cracker mixture over the chx mixture.

Bake approximately one hour

Delish!

Children of the Corn

2011-10-21T18:27:00.002-05:00

The corn maze was very stroller friendly and easy to find your way. Here's the kids trying to make it scary. :-0

Bird Feedin

2011-10-21T18:24:00.001-05:00

I was also suckered into this bird feeding for $1.00 which actually was very fun to watch!

Corn Swimmin

2011-10-21T18:20:00.003-05:00

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Today we went to Severs Corn Maze. An excellent time full of much fun and beautiful weather. One of the highlights for all of us was swimming in this amazing corn pool. Super creative!

Vikings fan?

2011-10-14T09:16:00.002-05:00

First half of game, yeah right, they won't win....

Halftime, looks promising.....

YAY! THEY FINALLY WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Auntie Dana got Jax this Vikings gear at Valu! Even if the Vikings suck, they do have the cutest fan!

Halloween Scarers!

2011-10-14T09:14:00.002-05:00

Cbass brought Libs to the Chldrens Museum for the billionth time and she painted her face there. Or as Libs calls it, "Paint face." Cbass then took her to the dollar store to find some "paint face." They didn't find any but instead she bought her a brush which she thinks is AMAZING! Thanks Auntie Cbass! These other spider pics are Libs creations. :o)

DID YOU HEAR ME MOM????!!!!!!

2011-10-05T21:48:00.000-05:00

Warning

2011-10-05T21:26:00.003-05:00

Levi and I played catch the other day at the park. We had so much fun and it was nice to spend time with him one on one and learn some football skilz myself. He is such a funny kid, always saying the funniest things. I told him I was going to go to Valleyscare this Halloween season. He said, "Are you nuts?!" I said, "You know, it's scary huh?" He said, "Well yeah, the devils there!!" He cracks me up, even though he's probably right!

More Jax

2011-10-04T20:43:00.002-05:00

AWWWW! He's so cute. He had his hand clutching that bear that Libs gave him and I just love his fuzzy blues clues jammers!

Up Close and Personal

2011-09-30T18:01:00.000-05:00

My 1st Booya!

2011-09-30T17:59:00.001-05:00

Happy 15 years!

2011-09-30T17:57:00.000-05:00

Hugz for Jax

2011-09-30T17:40:00.002-05:00

Libs is a great big sister and is forever helping Jax. I am so thankful to have her to be my mommys helper!

FuzzyJax

2011-09-30T17:36:00.001-05:00

Grammy Wendy bought Jax this fuzzy fuzzer. He's so squeezable! He's always waving too it seems. :o)

Libs the Witch

2011-09-30T17:32:00.002-05:00

This witch costume is so darn cute on Libs! Now alls we need is the green face paint and a big wart. She's ready for Hallpween! She also drew that awesome picture of herself as a witch/which we proudly displayed on her bedroom door. Great artistry Libs!

Jam time

2011-09-30T17:31:00.000-05:00

2 months old?!

2011-09-30T17:29:00.002-05:00

This is a walker of the future! I got it at Baby on Grand thanks to my good friend Elin. :o)

All 6 of us!

2011-09-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

Sad for Libs

2011-09-22T22:07:00.003-05:00

Libs two best neighborhood pals are moving. Its a sad thing for her and for them. They have shared a billion chats on the steps and a kazillion freezies together. They are going to miss each other a lot. We don't really have any other friends in the neighborhood so we are praying that a new friend moves into their house. We will surely miss their silhouettes in our window!

Libs is 7!

2011-09-21T19:16:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of Liberty blowing out her candle on her cupcakes. She looks so darn cute! She is now a big 7 year old. Where does the time go?! I love you little princess!

Coming soon....

2011-09-20T21:10:00.000-05:00

Ligonier Ministries 2012 National Conference (March 15-17 in Orlando) from Ligonier on Vimeo.

Fieldtrip Day!

2011-09-14T15:14:00.002-05:00

Libs always wants her picture taken which is why she's in so many. I meant to bring our good camera but mistakenly grabbed the psp instead! Oops! Here's a few pics anyway.

MN Zoo trip

2011-09-14T15:09:00.002-05:00

We went to the Minnesota Zoo today for the 1st time all together. Jax (who is dressed like a monkey, appropriately) was a very good baby and the big kids were very helpful. We saw lots of wonderful, interesting creations. We had lunch there and it was a beautiful sunshiney day!

Levi reads to Jax

2011-09-14T15:05:00.001-05:00

Smiley boy

2011-09-14T15:03:00.000-05:00

Jace took these pics of Jax. What a dolly!

Silly pics!

2011-09-11T21:04:00.001-05:00

Jax at State Fair

2011-09-11T21:01:00.003-05:00

Jax had his first visit to the Minnesota State Fair this year. He was wiped after 9 hours of braving the heat and crowds. I'll remind him he pretty much slept through it at 5 weeks old. I'm sure Jamie will be dragging him around it in no time!

Shrimp!

2011-09-11T20:58:00.002-05:00

Libs asked to have shrimp for her birthday party this year. I told her that not everyone likes shrimp and that maybe she could have a special shrimp meal for herself sometime. Of course mom brings her her own special plate of it to the cabin. Not surprised! Mom ALWAYS goes out of her way for me and my family! Love you Mom! Love you Libs!

Sweets!

2011-09-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Groovy Girl

2011-09-11T20:47:00.002-05:00

Libs loves Groovy Girls! She has 16 now and loves them all! Thanks Mom for going crazy and finding the deals! Thanks for letting us all share in the fun of giving them to her. Now if I can just find her in her bed......

Libs at the fair

2011-09-01T09:15:00.003-05:00

Libs had a great time at the fair and walked around for 9 hours without compliant. She went on death defying rides including the double ferriswheel with me. That is THE scariest ride I've ever been on! Although she wasn't scared she did think we were going to fall out and die. I wondered for a while myself. We survived though and it may be a yearly tradition for us. Whew! There are a couple other pics she had me take of her also. The giant sing along at the fair this year was a highlight as well and Libs enjoyed belting out a few lyrics Aunt Jamie helped her with.

Jax's tat

2011-09-01T09:08:00.002-05:00

Jax got his first tat at the fair yesterday. If you can see it, it is a dairy barn cow. I thought it would look good on his well fed bod. He sat really nice for the artist and didn't even know what was happening of course. Liberty wanted him to get a whole legfull but I thought better of it. He spent about 9 hours at the fair and didn't seem to think much of it-kinda like Uncle Matt. I'm sure next year will be a better experience for him considering he should have 20/20 vision by then. :O)

Chillin'

2011-08-08T08:34:00.000-05:00

Close-ups

2011-08-08T08:33:00.000-05:00

Libs and her....doll?

2011-08-08T08:32:00.000-05:00

Grandparents

2011-07-28T12:02:00.000-05:00

Sweetness!

2011-07-28T11:46:00.001-05:00

Hangin at Hospital

2011-07-28T11:38:00.000-05:00

Shirt Says it All!

2011-07-28T11:33:00.000-05:00

He's here!

2011-07-28T11:24:00.002-05:00

Jax Joshua greeted us on July 21st! He is perfect in every way. God is super good, gracious, and merciful in giving us this beautiful blessing. Praise Him!

VBS Pals

2011-07-14T14:39:00.001-05:00

Backdivin'

2011-07-14T14:37:00.001-05:00

I know Jame, you want to know how you can teach her to backdive without holding her nose! Good luck.

Sleeping in daddys spot

2011-07-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

ComoTown

2011-07-11T16:33:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Jamie for taking Libs and Trista to ComoTown last Friday. They had a blast and were very grateful for their trip to the park!

BFF's!

2011-07-11T16:28:00.003-05:00

Sweet Moves!

2011-07-11T16:19:00.002-05:00

Levi had a great baseball season this Spring. They won their division and made it to the final game. Although they didn't win over the North division the boys worked hard. They played in 90 degrees plus heat Saturday night for 2 wins and Sunday mid day for 2 1/2 hours! Thanks to all those who were there suffering sunstrokes to watch him play. He definitely had the largest amount of fans and was so excited when he saw the amount of friends and family that came and watched. He played hard and never complained one time. Amazing!

Levi the Twin

2011-07-11T16:14:00.001-05:00

Ballerina girl

2011-06-03T23:15:00.001-05:00

Purple Cuties!

2011-06-03T23:12:00.002-05:00

Buried at the beach

2011-06-01T20:56:00.001-05:00

Bladin'

2011-05-31T19:26:00.001-05:00

A couple barettes

2011-05-27T17:24:00.000-05:00

Freshy Fresh

2011-05-24T18:45:00.001-05:00

This baby fawn was lying by the side of the road this morning. Levi went out and took pictures of it and wanted me to share it on my blog. Here ya go.

Wine-o

2011-05-24T18:44:00.000-05:00

Westminster Bookstore - Reformed Books - Low Prices - Flat Fee UPS Shipping - John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock (Hardcover) Murray, Ian H. 9781848711129

2011-05-18T15:29:00.001-05:00

Westminster Bookstore - Reformed Books - Low Prices - Flat Fee UPS Shipping - John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock (Hardcover) Murray, Ian H. 9781848711129

Coming to Amazon 5/31

Mom!

2011-05-18T15:05:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to thank you Mom for all you do! I also didn't want to make a point of it on Mother's Day only because Mom, you serve my family all year long! I am most grateful for your nagging persistence on my lost condition in the year 2000. I remember one of the final straws God used in drawing me unto Himself. He used you to show me my sin was disgusting before Him and He wasn't going to allow me to have my feet in both worlds any longer. I praise Him for you and for that day. Thanks for your love and prayers for my family. Thanks for always being willing to serve us and care for us continually You are a blessing! Love you!!!

Truths to remember

2011-05-02T22:56:00.002-05:00

God continues to love me despite my continual sin.
He has committed Himself to my sanctification.
Everything I've ever needed to be pleasing to Him has been given me in the gospel, by the Son.
I can be bold and courageous in my war against sin because I know that He's forgiven me and continues to love and support me.
I will complete the work He's given me to do because He's already completed it for me.
"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
-Ephesians 2:10

Trust

2011-04-28T09:19:00.002-05:00

All of us have experienced betrayals in our lives wherein somebody did not keep a promise or otherwise violated our trust. When God calls us to be trusting people, He knows that many will betray us, but that does not give us a license to refuse to trust anyone in the future. (what about them?!). May we ask God to give us good discernment when it comes to trusting others and to equip us to be trustworthy people ourselves.

1Corinthians 13:6-7
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

How do you frighten someone raised from the dead?

2011-04-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

Are you sure you want to follow Him?

2011-04-25T23:09:00.000-05:00

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

John Bunyan paraphrases:

Following of me is not like following of some other masters. The wind sits always on my face and the foaming rage of the sea of this world, and the proud and lofty waves thereof do continually beat upon the sides of the bark or ship that myself, my cause, and my followers are in; he therefore that will not run hazards, and that is afraid to venture a drowning, let him not set foot into this vessel.

—John Bunyan, The Greatness of the Soul and the Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof (1682)

You'll be fine

2011-04-25T21:59:00.004-05:00

Levi-"mom, look at my belly. Was Jace this fat when he was my age?"
Me-"he had a time when he was heavier."
Levi-"how fat was he?"
Me-"he just had a time when he was bigger and then he grew taller and he thinned out. You'll do the same. Just keep working out and listening to me when I tell you you've had enough to eat."
Levi-"mom, I want you in charge of my diet. I want a fruit and a vegetable at every meal. I'll have a salad at dinner and I want more protein and only fattening foods and treats on Christmas and holidays."
Me-"I will help you."
Levi-"phew!"

He is Risen Indeed!

2011-04-24T21:48:00.000-05:00

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! That was my thoughts today all through our worship service. God is so amazingly, abundantly good to me and I am severly undeserving. I am so blessed to know Him, aren't you? He couldve passed me by.....But He Didn't!!!!! Praise God!
We had a great Easter reflecting on His goodness and what He has done in our lives. We had grilled pizza and a beautiful sunshiny day. Matt and Dana, you make a great pizza building team on the grill! We ate til we couldn't move and then ate some more. We had enough to feed the highways and the byways. I think we'll be better at making less next time for sure!