L.E.N.S. Photo Challenge - The Eyes Have it!

So I am entering the little photo challenge at home is where you start from again. :) This weeks challenge is The Eyes Have it! Here's my photo:

Matthew...NT 30...day whatever day it is....

So I haven't been on lately. It seems I just haven't been able to find much time to get on. I am through Acts with my reading of the New Testament, but for some reason Matthew keeps calling to me.

Just a few days ago I was telling Darrel what my favorite part of my reading Matthew was. And really it has been my favorite part of reading the New Testament so far. Matthew 16...you should really read it. But I will tell you a little bit. Some people come to Jesus and ask Him to show a sign from heaven. He tells them that a wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous signs. It got me wondering about our generation. Are we wicked and adulterous? Absolutely! We can't just rely on faith or the Word of God...we want those signs to prove to us that He is who He says.

I think about all the times I try to ask God for a sign to prove that He is still there. It takes me awhile to get out of it, but then I finally realize all I need is His word. He said He would never leave me nor forsake me! Isn't that enough? I think about all the times in the Bible that God saved His people from their enemies and they never really trusted Him. They always wanted more. They always went to other gods and idols. How often do we do that? Instead of going to God how often to do we turn to facebook to make us feel better? Instead of going to God how often do we turn to food to help solve our problems? Instead of going to God how often do we turn to drugs and drinking to drowned those feelings? Instead of going to God how often do we turn to the TV for comfort? How often? Only each person can answer those questions for themselves. I know I have a harder time going to God rather than other things. A lot of people will say there is nothing wrong with finding comfort in other things...but really isn't God the only one who can help us find real comfort? Isn't He the only one who can save us from our sins. And isn't He the only one who has shown us time and time again to actually be there and be able to get rid of those sins and feelings for good? He has thrown our sins as far as the east is from the west! We are an adulterous generation!

The neat thing about this is that my week was wrapped up on Sunday with the pastor preaching on this very thing. Being an adulterous generation. Nothing like God saying I really want to teach you this and I REALLY want you to remember this!

I have a video to share with you also. Now he says this in the video, but it's for church goers. People who say they are truly Christians. Just watch it and let it make you think for a little bit!

The Husband is Sick!

Someone save me! The husband is sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D has worked many different schedules since we have been married. Twice he has worked nights and this is one of those times. I am getting use to it and at least I have him home at supper time and bedtime. But for some reason when he gets sick now it seems to be much worse. I don't know if it's because he doesn't sleep as well now or what. But all I know is that there is something about working the night shift that makes you unbearable when you are sick! Tonight I made him a special lunch to take to work...I hope it makes him feel a little better!

I have been going crazy locked up in the house for the last two days. We were literally snowed in the house. The girls had two snow days in a row and they were jumping off the walls today. I have been keeping the days full of fun activities and crafts...but there is still only so much time you can spend in a house with four little girls. Winter is hard for us. It takes me FOREVER to get all the girls ready. The Emotionalist is the hardest to get going for some reason. She is always so worried about everyone else and also she is always thinking about random things that get her distracted from getting her boots or coat on! Sometimes The Inquisitor isn't much better. The funniest thing is that The Diva is the biggest helper out of all of them. She will walk around with jackets saying the girls names until they take them from her. And oh on some days The Destroyer can be a handful! Most days she is great about getting ready and wants to go out...but sometimes if she doesn't want to do it...well she just doesn't want to do it.

So...today I went out with the girls to the wellness center in town. They played in the block area with some boys who were crazier than they were! Sometimes I really would love to have a boy...and then I get around a bunch of them and think, WOW! My girls are so calm! We also went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I know what you are thinking, I must be crazy to take four little girls to the grocery store. But get this...they LOVE to go! It's their favorite place to go! It's like a punishment if I don't let them go. So I don't mind taking them.

Well...thank you for stopping by today to read my random blog! :) Hope you have a great night!

L.E.N.S. Photo Challenge - Weather

Home is where you start from is having a little photo challenge and I am entering. The topic is weather and this is my photo!

This picture was taken of my door the day we had a big snow storm! Enjoy and check out the other pictures!

Book Review: Slave

Slave

The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ

By

John MacArthur

Don't let the title of this book make you walk away from it. This book is one of the most challenging and interesting books I have read in a long time. After reading this when I read about our relationship with Christ in the Bible I see it in a totally different way. A lot of people probably could have written this book, but no one would have done it as well as MacArthur did. He gives you proof of a "conspiracy" to take slavery out of the Bible. Historical background of what slavery was like in the 1st century and why it was used to show how our relationship should be with Christ. After reading this book, every time you read the Bible and see the word servant you will start changing it to slave!

Personally it challenged me to change how I viewed my relationship with Christ. It was also wonderful to read about how in the Old Testament either the Jews were slaves to God or if they walked away from God, He allowed their enemy's to enslave them. Kind of in the same way for us we are either slaves to Christ or we are slaves to sin.

So do you feel like being challenged? Do you want your relationship with God to be what it should be? Who is your master....God or Sin? My suggestion...read this book!

Oh one more thing...if you are a King James only person...this will really make you think! :)

Book Review: Hannah's Promise

Hannah's Promise

By

Arlene Pinkley Ussery

Have you ever looked at Bible stories through the eyes of the people who are in them? Have you ever wondered how they felt? What they were thinking? Or what they might have done in certain situations? I know that I have done this a lot. It's something that I have thought about many times while reading the Bible. That's why some of my favorite books are Biblical fiction.

Arlene does a great job of putting you in the shoes of Hannah. I have never known what it is like to be barren and wanting a child. I don't know the feelings of a women who's husband takes a second wife. But through Hannah's Promise I in a way have experienced those things. I have read the story of Hannah many times, but now I have experienced it in a whole different way. I got to experience Hannah's heartache, disappointments, frustrations and her happiness.

I have read many Biblical fiction books and historical fiction and either you hit it on the mark or you fail greatly. Arlene hits the bullseye. I suggest you head over to aussery.com and check out her website...and order a book while you are there! :)

NT Day 4...

Ok...so I didn't get back to you guys about day 1 of my reading. Along with that I also didn't get back to you on days 2 and 3. So here I am Day 4 finally getting to you guys about what I have been reading. If anyone you guys are friends of mine on Facebook then you know one thing that has been on my mind about my reading. I absolutely LOVE how Jesus talked. It's not that I can know for sure this is how He was because I wasn't there, but it sure comes across as this. He just tells it how it is. He was a no nonsense kind of guy who speaks the truth. There is no caring what other people are going to think...if it was truth He spoke it.

Sometimes while I am reading I see myself as on of the pharisees. At times I think I've got it all together and I polish up my outside to make myself look like it's all good. At times I make other peoples sins look greater than my own...as if "I would never do that!" But when I look at it really my sin is just as great as yours. I am still in need of forgiveness and grace. But it was the pharisees who Jesus spoke most harshly at. When they were expecting the Messiah to be on their side He actually came and told them they had it all wrong. So many times in life I have had it all wrong.

Not caring what other people think is a good thing...but also we have to remember that we are no better than anyone else. We have all sinned and we all need the same thing...Jesus. So when you are speaking to someone try to remember their sin is not greater than yours...speak truth to them and do it in love.

NT Day 1 Part 1...

So this is going to take me longer than I thought...I still plan to do it in the 30 days, but the days they have as "grace days" will be reading days for me. Today you read Matthew 1-12. That is A LOT of reading! But I am committed.

So today I read Chapters 1-4 of Matthew. I plan to read a bit more...maybe when my girls are in bed. Chapter 1 was filled with what most people think as boring genealogy. I use to think it was boring until I realized the importance of it. Needing to know that Jesus would come from the line of King David...now I always read it instead of skipping over it. But more what got my attention in the first couple of chapters is Joseph.

He is such a mystery to me. A lot of times when I see him depicted in a book or in a movie there are two ways they always seem to show him. One they always show him as very meager and taking a backseat to everything. Or they show him as almost biter. I think of him as a wonderful man who was so open to God speaking to him. He was sensitive in his dreams and listened to God when he was told to do something. He didn't question he didn't argue...he just did it. When everything inside of him told him that Mary was unfaithful and he didn't want to be with her...he listened to the Angel that God sent to him. He chose to believe the angel God sent. He took Mary and trusted her and cared for a child that was not his...but was the Son of God. What a responsibility to have...what a great task!

And then there is John the Baptist...you gotta love that guy! Anyone have any thoughts on John?

New Testament in 30 Days!

So I am taking a challenge to read the New Testament in 30 days. I tend to say I am going to do stuff like this and then I never follow through on it. But...I am doing to post on my 30 days of reading and I am hoping that together we can learn a little bit more of what God is saying to us through His word! If anyone is interested in taking up this challenge with me I would LOVE it!

http://www.newthru30.com/readingplan

You can find their reading plan on here. I plan to actually start today and have a bit of a head start on the reading plan, but my plan is to finish the New Testament by end date of Feb. 7th.