God is still God and God is still good.

A friend shared this video on Facebook, and I want to share it here too.  Watch the video to find out how a man named Zac Smith could truly say, "Cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me."



Click here to watch a follow up video from Zac's wife after he passed away on May 16, 2010.

Links Worth Sharing

The Word of Triumph - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Excerpt: He had drained dry the entire cup of suffering, and now not one drop remained. He had finished it all—"Tetelestai! It is finished!"  That should be a comfort to us when we think that because He drank that cup, and He took the eternal suffering that we deserved for our sin, we have the assurance that one day all our earthly suffering will be endedphysical, emotional, relationalall that suffering. One day we will be able to say, “It is finished.” No more crying. No more pain. No more sorrow. No more death. None of it. It is finished! And it will be finished for us—that suffering—because Jesus went to the cross and drank that full cup of suffering that the Father gave to Him for our sin.  What else is it that was finished? Well, here’s something: Sin’s debt had been paid in full—sin’s debt had been paid in full.

Running on "E" - Amelia Rhodes

Excerpt: It’s less obvious to see when our soul and spirit are running on empty. That nasty habit of going and doing clouds my ability to see that I am depleted. Served out. Given dry. The orange “E” needle shows up in tiredness, curtness with family, general irritation, sleeplessness, jealousy, resentment, and a “woe is me” syndrome. I moan,”Look how much I have done, and no one cares.” I’m like Martha standing in the kitchen pleading with her Lord, “Make my sister help me!” Yet, He gently prods her that while she was so focused on fueling her guests, she had forgotten to re-fill her own soul.

Education and My Top Priority - Storing Up Treasures
Excerpt: When I think about what I want for my children, what I want to teach them now while they are young, it is not math and science that comes to mind first. I want my children to love God. And I want them to love people. I want them to live lives that reflect that love. I want their hearts to be full of compassion, gratitude, and service.  I want them to run after Him with everything they have in them.

Do You BBF? Back Button Focus

Most people press their camera's shutter button half-way down in order to autofocus.  When focus is achieved, you then press the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.  Did you know that you can customize your camera and use a different button to autofocus?  It's called back button focus (BBF) and I want to tell you why I love it.

When you back button focus, you are no longer using the shutter button to autofocus.  Look at the picture below to see the button I use:
I push the button shown above with my right thumb to autofocus, and then I push the shutter button with my right pointer finger to take the picture.  Why would anyone want to do this?  Well, here are a few reasons:

1. It's easier to use the focus-recompose technique.
With back button focus, I can focus on my subject, recompose the shot, and take as many pictures as I want without having to continually go back to my subject to grab focus in between each and every shot. 

However, when the shutter button controls autofocus, I have to focus, recompose, take one picture, then aim at the subject again, focus, recompose, take one more picture, etc.  It's tedious, time consuming, and easy to miss a shot this way.

2. My images are sharper and I have more keepers.
Sometimes that split second between pressing the shutter half way to pressing it all the way is enough of a time lapse to get an out of focus picture.  With back button focus, I can simultaneously press the focus button and the shutter button so there's no time lapse at all.  This helps tremendously with moving subjects (kids!).

3. It doesn't matter if something gets in your way.
Have you ever been in the middle of taking a picture when someone or something enters the picture area while you're shooting?  Your autofocus gets completely thrown off for a moment.  This doesn't happen when you BBF. 

4. The D7000 has a sensitive shutter button.
Compared to my old Canon Rebel XSI, the D7000's shutter is extremely sensitive.  When I tried to press the shutter button half way to focus, I kept accidentally pressing it all the way and it would fire off about 6 shots!  My husband jokingly said the D7000 shoots like an automatic weapon and it's true!

How do you switch to BBF?
This will differ depending on your camera so please check your manual.  But on my Nikon D7000, I had to do the following:
MENU
CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU
f5: ASSIGN AE-L/AF-L BUTTON
AF-ON

When you first switch to BBF, it takes a little getting used to using your thumb, but it quickly becomes second nature. Let me know what you think if you give it a try!  Or if you already BBF, do you like it better?

Seeds of Character

 
Our family absolutely LOVES listening to Seeds Family Worship CDs!!!  The lyrics to each catchy song are bible verses, and it's so easy to hide God's Word in our hearts through song.  The kids are not the only ones who enjoy Seeds, but Matt and I listen to them even when the kids aren't around.  We own every CD because we love them so much!

They're brand new CD - Seeds of Character - is available for order now!  Use the coupon code CHARACTER25 to receive 25% off of your purchase.  While you're there, have a look around their website.  They have wonderful ideas and lesson plans for family worship time.

Oh, and did you know that Seeds sends you 2 CDs for the price of one?  Keep one and give one away!




A Simple Tip for Spending Time with God BEFORE the Kids Get Up


Why is it so important to begin the day in the Word and prayer?  Does it really matter if it happens in the afternoon or evening instead?

Anytime spent in the Word is good and beneficial.  But spending time with God before my day gets going is crucial.  All of the characteristics I want to display before my children - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - are fruits of the Spirit.  That means, no matter how hard I try, I can't make myself any of these things without the Holy Spirit working in my life and heart.  And how will He work if I've neglected spending time with Him day after day after day?

To be real with you, I have not and will not always do this as faithfully as I want to.  I've had many days where I've rolled out of bed awoken by the hungry cries of my "starving" children. :)  I'm not a Super Mom who is up with the baby all night and still rising at 5am with my Bible.  However, I do have a great, simple tip that enables me to spend time with God before my children begin bombarding me with their demands begin their day.

Here it is!  I've trained the girls to stay in their room after they wake up!  That's my super simple tip, and it's worked wonders.  The girls used to wake up very early, come out of their room, and immediately ask for breakfast.  And not knowing any better, I would drag myself out of bed at unreasonably early hours and feed/entertain them.  That left no time for me to read my Bible or pray.  Oh, I would try to do it while they ate breakfast, but my time with God was so interrupted and shallow that by lunch time I couldn't even remember what I had read!  I would also try to read at night, but I was usually too exhausted to stay awake.  Can anyone relate?

When it dawned on me that my children should not be dictating their wake up time (I'm slow sometimes), I began to train them to stay in their rooms until I came to get them.  At first, this did not go over well at all.  I had enabled a bad habit, and they were not happy about it.  There was drama and tears and I almost gave up.  But I'm so glad I stuck with it, because we're experiencing the fruits of it now!

5 practical tips
1. Start small.  At first, I only expected them to stay in their room for 15 minutes after waking up.  As time went on, I increased this amount of time.  Yesterday morning, I spent an hour in the Word as my 2 and 5 year old daughters quietly played!

2. Teach them what they can do as they wait for you.  Our girls are allowed to read books on their bed, play quietly with toys, or talk to each other with quiet voices.

3. They may not like this new change at first, but it's ok.  Stick with it because in the end it's so worth it!  Be clear and age appropriate with your expectations and consistently discipline any disobedience.

4. Be patient as you train them.  Explain your expectations and why this is good for both you and them.  I tell my girls that Mommy needs special time with God in order to be a good Mommy.  Rachel will still pout when I say this.  Again, it's ok.  I'm modeling something very important for them that they will hopefully appreciate in years to come if not right now.  Put God first.  They won't forget that.

5. There will be interruptions.  I'll be honest...  My kids are young and they argue with each other frequently.  There are definitely interruptions that I need to deal with or squabbles that I need to help them resolve.  Respond to their needs, but be brief and return to the Word after it's taken care of.

I hope this is helpful!  It's what has worked well for us in this time crunched season of raising very small children.

Do you have any tips for ensuring that you have time in the Word?  What works for your family?

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge - Pets

Good ol' Charlie boy.  Always faithful.  Always happy to scarf down my meals.  Always happy to see me.  Now if only I could get my children to be this excited about dinner!

Click on the graphic below to see more photo entries!

I'm not sure but...

I think we had a happy...

happy...

happy...
 happy Easter!
Did you?  He is risen!  That is the single most important fact in all of history.  If you're not sure what you think about God, I just want to encourage you to seek out whether or not Jesus rose from the dead.  If Jesus walked out of the tomb (and you know I believe He did!), that has some major implications for you and me, doesn't it?
Happy Easter, friends. :)

Reflecting on the Cross

This compilation of verses was copied from today's Revive Our Hearts program with Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  I've just printed it out and plan to go through them for my morning devotions today.  May it help you reflect on Jesus and the wonderful cross.

"And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him" (Mark 15:22-25).

"I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3).

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'" (Galatians 3:13).

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

"Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.' Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, 'Do not write, "The King of the Jews," but rather, "This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, 'What I have written I have written'" (John 19:19-22).

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8).

"And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do'" (Luke 23:33-34).

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).

"Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Romans 5:9-10).

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).

"When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.' This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, 'They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots'" (John 19:23-24).

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:23-26).

"And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, 'You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.' So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, "I am the Son of God."' And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way" (Matthew 27:39-44).

"The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!'" (Luke 23:36-37).

"But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 'He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!'" (Psalm 22:6-8).

"I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink" (Psalm 69:20-21).

"One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!' But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise'" (Luke 23:39-43).

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit" (1 Peter 3:18).

"But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home" (John 19:25-27).

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

"And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' And some of the bystanders hearing it said, 'Behold, he is calling Elijah.' And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down'" (Mark 15:33-36).

"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him" (Colossians 1:19-22). 

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), 'I thirst.' A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit" (John 19:28-30).

"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:11-14). 

"Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

"Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!' And having said this he breathed his last" (Luke 23:46).

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (Hebrews 12:14-15).
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10).

"And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" (Matthew 27:51-54).

"For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself" (Hebrews 7:26-27).

"Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:25-28).

"Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.' And again another Scripture says, 'They will look on him whom they have pierced'" (John 19:31-37).

"He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:3-12).

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (John 3:16-18).

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:36).

"He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:22-23).

"But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering" (Hebrews 2:9-10).

"Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!' And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!' And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped" (Revelation 5:11-14). 

Song:

Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain,
Holy, holy is He.
We sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's mercy seat.
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty,
Who was, and is, and is to come.
With all creation I sing,
Praise to the King of Kings,
You are my everything,
And I will adore You.
Clothed in rainbows, of living color,
Flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder.
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You, the only wise King.
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty,
Who was, and is, and is to come.
With all creation I sing,
Praise to the King of Kings,
You are my everything,
And I will adore You.
1

Photo Editing for YOU!

Have you ever taken a picture that you really like, but there are a few things about it you wish you could change?  Maybe the color is off or there is something distracting in the background you wish wasn't there.  Maybe you have an online shop on eBay or Etsy and you want your product photos to really stand out.  But how can you edit your photos if you don't have a fancy and expensive program like Photoshop?  Or maybe you do have Photoshop, but you just don't know how to use it to edit your photos and get the results you want.

I happen to LOVE editing photos, and I would be happy to edit your photos for you!  As a homeschooling Mom, I'm always thinking about ways I can earn a little something while still being home and available for my family since they are my #1 priority.

You can see examples of my work below.  For questions and inquiries, leave a comment or email homeschoolingmomtographer@verizon.net.

Click {here} to see a price list of the options below.

{Color Pop}
This fashionable red business card holder from Chic Moderne really stands out after applying my Color Pop Edit which includes color correction, brightening, and increased contrast and vibrance.
I took this picture of this sweet couple.  The original photo was good, but slightly washed out and dull.  My Color Pop added vibrance, interest, and depth.

{Detailed Pop}
A Detailed Pop includes all of the edits from the Color Pop as well as adding custom text, frames/borders, or your logo.  This sweet pendant from my old Etsy shop demonstrates some options that will help your product stand out.

{Advanced Pop}
An Advanced Pop includes all of the edits from the Color Pop as well as background removal and removing unwanted objects from the background.

Background Removal:

Object Removal:
I loved this sweet family portrait, but the blue metal pole going right through the Dad's head was very distracting.  Removing the pole makes this picture look so much better.

{Portrait Pop}
I really liked this picture of my cutie straight out of the camera.  However, I loved it after my Portrait Pop Edit.  My goal is to enhance a picture while maintaining a natural look.  My Portrait Pop includes skin smoothing, blemish removal, eye enhancement, teeth whitening, black and white or sepia conversions, and sharpening the image to reduce blur.

Price List for Photo Editing

Click {here} to see before and after pictures of my work!  
Click {here} to see my most recent work!

Color Pop {$2.00}
Includes color correction, brightening, contrast, vibrance, and cropping.

Detailed Pop {$3.50}
Includes all of the above plus adding text, frames/borders, or your logo.

Advanced Pop {$5.00}
Includes everything from Color Pop plus background removal and removing unwanted objects from the background.

Portrait Pop {$6.00}
Includes everything from Color Pop plus skin smoothing, blemish removal, eye enhancement, teeth whitening, black and white or sepia conversions, and sharpening image quality.  An additional fee may apply if there are multiple people to edit in the photo.

How a Trial Can Be Good

I was chatting with a sweet friend today who took time out of her schedule to come to the park with me and the kids.  She began telling me about a trial she and her husband are going through - infertility.  They desperately want children yet they have none.  And although she acknowledges the emotional struggle and the shed tears, she told me that the trial has been a blessing in their lives.  She said she and her husband have grown closer to each other, they've matured in their faith, and they've learned two very important things about God because of the trial. 

She has learned that God is sovereign and God is good.  She leans on these two truths and after each passing month of not being pregnant, her peace is growing not diminishing.  How can this be?  She trusts in a good God who loves her intimately and knows what is best for her and her husband's lives.  Is it still hard at times?  Yes.  Does she still long for children?  Of course.  But she was genuinely thankful for the trial because it has brought them both closer to God, each other, and it has transformed their prayer life.

Her story was such a reminder that, for the Christian, trials have purpose.  God is still in control and He wants us to trust Him so that He can mold us and make us more like Christ who was no stranger to suffering.  He loves His children and we know that in all things, God is working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  The word "all" even includes the trials He has planned for us.

Romans 8 is one of my most favorite chapters in the Bible.  It's a great example of God's love for us and his sovereignty.

Sermon Notes - He Must Reign

Sunday's sermon was so good.  So so so so so so good!  To listen to it, click here and look for:
He Must Reign
Series: 1 Corinthians
Speaker: Larry Lazarus
Sermon Date: 4/17/2011
Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:20~28

The following notes are what I jotted down during the sermon.  They're probably confusing unless you listen to it.  :)  And by the way, I know it can be hard to squeeze in time to listen, so here's a tip.  I often listen to a sermon while I'm folding laundry!  I take my laptop with me into the bedroom and fold away after the kids are in bed.  So the next time you do laundry, give it a try! 

If Jesus triumphed over death, why does everyone still die?

1) What has already happened in the process of the triumph over death?
2) What is still to come?

Death came through a man - Adam.  Because of Adam's sin, we all have sin.  It's not a perfect analogy, but you can think of it like a moral disease that we have all inherited.  But Genesis 3:15 promises deliverance and redemption.  The whole rest of the Old Testament is about the search of the One who will crush the serpent's head.  In Mark 1:15, Jesus reveals that the time has come.

How do we know a prisoner has paid his debt?  The jail doors open and he is set free.  How do we know Jesus paid our debt?  Three days after he died, the tomb opened and He walked out.

How does the story end?  All in Christ shall be made alive.  Christ first, then at His coming those who belong to Christ.

Going to heaven is not the final hope or the end.  The end is when Jesus returns.  It is cosmic in its scope, not just personal.

When Adam sinned, the consequences corrupted the entirety of God's creation.  The whole creation was subjected to futility.  Jesus is the second Adam.  The triumph of the second Adam will bring the healing and restoration of the whole creation.

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge - Wind

50mm, f/2.5 , 1/400 , ISO 400
I took this picture last July with my old camera.  Rachel was running around me in circles and I kept spinning in circles trying to capture her.  Phew!  Kids can be hard to capture, but I finally got one and I love how the wind is going through her hair here.

Click on the graphic below to see more "Wind" entries!

Thanks to the stomach bug...

{I just found this unpublished post from February sitting in my Blogger dashboard.  I'm not sure why I never published it.  Better late than never?} :)

Thanks to the stomach bug, I had many hours worth of deep, cohesive, uninterrupted thoughts while quarantined in the bedroom with heaps of blankets, a thermometer, and orange Gatorade.  It was actually quite nice to think, read, and journal in my quiet space as I recovered.

Matt stayed home from work for me and rose to the challenge of caring for our three kiddos, a sick Mommy, and our home.  I felt so loved by how he served us all.  And you know what?  He treated our children with such tender patience and grace even when they were quite undeserving.  Even when correcting them, his voice was quiet and kind.  It was a refreshing, Christ-like reminder for me because my voice has often been laced with frustration and a critical spirit.

Matt would want me to say that it's all Jesus and not him.  Indeed.  And what a privilege it is to watch Jesus transform a man and produce these amazing fruits in his life and heart.  God is good.  He freely gives us the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus, and not only that, but the Spirit enables us to become more and more like Christ right here and right now.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Week in Review!

Here's a glimpse into our homeschooling activities over the past few weeks. :)  We are still LOVING Heart of Dakota!  I just received their new catalog in the mail and I am so excited to hear that they're writing high school programs now!!  (I know my oldest is only in Kindergarten, but still!)  We have been so blessed by HOD that I can't ever imagine switching.  It's so nice to not have to worry about researching curriculum. :)


We built and painted a bird feeder one Family Night. (I did not pick out those ugly skull cupcake holders!  It's one of the hazards of doing your grocery shopping online.  *sigh*)
 See Goliath up there on the wall?
 Rachel was throwing rolled up socks at Goliath.
 A veeery excited Rachel when her Frog Hatchery Kit arrived from Insect Lore!  So far we have 5 healthy leopard frog tadpoles!
 Pretending to be one of the ravens that fed Elijah.




 Timmy just being cute.


 Rachel set up Timmy with a good book to read. :)
How do you distract a 2 year old so you can school your Kindergartner?  Put her in a laundry basket!

Sermon Notes - If Christ Had Not Been Raised

Hi Friends,
I just wanted to share this wonderful sermon with all of you called "If Christ Had Not Been Raised" from I Corinthians 15:12-20.  You can listen to the sermon by clicking on this link and downloading the sermon on 4/10/2011.

Here are some notes from my journal that I wrote as our pastor asks and answers the two following questions:
1) How do we know that what we have believed is true?
The answer is because Jesus is alive.  The tomb is empty!  Christianity does not stand or fall on how close you feel to Jesus or how comfortable you are.  Your faith cannot be based on feelings but should be based on fact.  Ask yourself - was Jesus raised from the dead?

2) What are the implications for us and the world if it is not true?
a. Our preaching is in vain.
b. We are false witnesses.
c. Our faith is in vain.
d. We are still in our sins.
e. The dead have perished.
f. We are to be most pitied.
The Resurrection of the Dead {I Corinthians 15:12-20}
 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 1516 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Rediscovering my love for my 50mm

My poor 50mm 1.8 has been neglected all dreary winter long.  My 35mm 1.8 has lived on my camera because I've been shooting indoors and the focal length of the 50mm is just a bit too long inside my house.  I usually can't back up far enough to get everything in the shot that I want.  However, I recently put my 50mm back on, backed myself into a corner, took a few pictures of Timmy, and rediscovered my love for that lens.  The bokeh is so much better than the bokeh from my 35mm.  However, my 35 is tack sharp at 1.8 which is why I also really love that lens.

Enough lens babble.  How cute is Mister Timster?  And look!  He's sitting up now. :)  He's also recently discovered a love for solid foods after a few months of rejecting everything I offered him. Now I'm having so much fun mushing fruits and veggies up with my food processor.  He's also decided that his days of being perfectly content are over.  Now he's only happy in Mommy's arms.  He doesn't like being put down at all and he immediately cries if I leave the room.  That's a lot of pressure!  Any tips on getting through this stage?  My girls went through it too and I could never figure out anything that helped other than the passage of time.

Five, One Thousand, and Sunday

My Mommy brain is so fried!  I don't think I could come up with a coherent blog post on one topic, so I decided to throw together some little blips... glimpses... vignettes?... stream of consciousness style.
~ Rachel is 5! ~
My sweet girl just celebrated her 5th birthday and I'm so proud of the little girl she's becoming.  She's a girly girl, a lover of horses, and Mommy's biggest helper.  She absolutely adores her baby brother and loves her little sister (when they're not fighting over a toy, of course).  She could sit for hours with paper and markers and draw to her hearts content.  She's definitely a better artist than her Daddy (ha!) and she's slowly catching up to me which isn't saying much.  She has a sensitive spirit and she's a perfectionist in all things (this can be both good and bad!).  She's getting older and she's changing too.  She's a lot more chit-chatty with her little girl friends and she no longer wants me to scoop her up when she falls.  In fact, I think she was embarrassed when I ran to her when she fell on the pavement yesterday.  She wanted to just brush it off and she fought back tears and she didn't want me to comfort her.  Where is the little girl who used to cry for me and want me to wipe away the tears and kiss the boo boo knees that only Mommy kisses could heal?  She's growing up so quickly.
 ~ One Thousand Gifts~
A while back I posted about looking forward to reading Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts.  Before I tell you why I cannot comfortably recommend her book, I just want to say that I really like Ann.  A lot.  And I like her blog and writing style.  A lot.  I have been very encouraged by the posts I've read there, and I still plan to follow her blog.  I'm mentioning some reservations about her book today because I'm always very careful about what I endorse here on my blog.  I want to make sure that any resources I recommend solidly line up with the truths found in the Bible. 

Although I've taken away many positive things about how I can live a more gratitude-filled life, the main emphasis of the book - that the act of giving thanks is the way to attain your fullest life - is misguided.  While I was reading, I often felt my radar going off.  My "this doesn't line up with Scripture" radar.  The poetic nature of her writing style, though beautiful, often clouds the truth of what I think she's trying to say.  And as a Christian writer, I think it is so important to be absolutely clear on matters concerning the gospel and Scripture.

This experience was a personal challenge to know Scripture so well that I can immediately discern when something is off.  Many times, I simply felt a squirmy feeling that made me feel like something was off, but I could not think of where the Scripture was so I could examine it side by side.  All of that said, I hope that what I wrote conveys my reservations in a way that is honest yet filled with grace.
~ Sunday's Sermon ~
It was good, solid gospel truth and it was veeeery much needed.  I need to be reminded every. single. day. that Jesus is my righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  He is the rock on which I stand and my only hope.  The gospel is the message by which I am being saved if I hold fast.  In all circumstances, the answer is to look to Christ, trust in Christ, and hope in Christ.  You can listen to the full sermon by clicking here and finding this sermon:
This Is Real!
Series: 1 Corinthians
Speaker: Jason Tyrell
Sermon Date: 4/3/2011
Passage: 1 Cor. 15:1-11