God of Wonders: piano

Over the weekend my daughter played this at church.

God of Wonders:

Enjoy! God is a God of Wonders!!

Fun with my little ones

Recently, my "littles" (youngest 2 children) made a cute craft project. We went to see a wonderful musical theatrical performance at a Christian theater a few weeks ago on Joseph. This craft went perfectly with that. The kids loved making them and they hang in our school room now and are a constant reminder of that show and Joseph's life and his wonderful example to live a life honoring to God!

Another fun part of our week is that we found a new part close to my older children's music lessons. So this is where we past that hour and they had a wonderful time. (even though it was so hard for them to leave then!) :)

My little panda bear... and sweet lion

Catching up on Preschool Corner...

We've been very busy in out household so I haven't posted any Preschool Corner posts in awhile. We've done a lot but either I haven't had a camers to take pictures or I haven't had time to post. Here is a long post to try to catch up....

My last Preschool Corner post a told you how we are doing a farm unit (and lapbook)

Our unit started with pigs...

Here are most of the pig stories we read:

They made paper bag puppets and during the re-read of the stories, they used their puppets to "pretend"

Then we moved onto "cows". Here are the stories we had and read for the cow unit:

We had a field trip to a local dairy farm and she got to help feed the calves their bottles.

She's enjoying this video called Curious Buddies- Let's go to the Farm. It's meant for younger children but has sun songs and cute video/learning sections

Then other learning activities:

She loves doing activities on trays. This was a new one (to her) and she really liked it and did it over and over. I had pieces of ribbon cut and she weaved them in a scissor rack.

...below she is working on a numbers worksheet:

We also have a game called Alphabet circus. My preschoolers love throwing the bean bags and identifying the letters. She just says the letter. Her 6 yr. old brother, says the letter and its sound.

We also had a nice day for flying kites!

If you'd like to see more preschool posts, go here for the Preachool Corner site.

One Kind Word You Gave

Drop a word of cheer and kindness

just a flash and it is gone;

But there's half-a-hundred ripples

circling on and on,

Bearing hope and joy and comfort

on each splashing, dashing wave

Till you wouldn't believe the volume

of the one kind word you gave

~ James W. Foley

Happy Birthday to two!

This week we are celebrating... the lives of two our our children!

Happy Birthday !!

As you both continue to grow each day, learning and living... and bringing joy to each day, I consider it a huge privilege to be your mother!

Little man, we all love you so. You are an energetic bundle of cuteness! Those days battling for life in the beginning were so hard and we didn't even yet know all the fun and excitement you would bring to our lives. I am so thankful for you. You light up our lives.

As you grow up, may you continue to grow in the Lord and have a life honoring Him!

Now, my sweet daughter. Happy Birthday to you! You are such a blessing too! I love how you are so insightful and able and helping out comes so easy to you! You are smart and thoughtful and beautiful. We all love you very much and are glad God blessed our family with you!! May you continue to grow in God's love too and always seek Him in life! Watching you grow into a lovely young lady encourages my heart, knowing you are living a life pleasing to the One who created you!

Happy Birthday to you both!

As your parents, your daddy and I both are thankful that we are here to pray with you --and for you; to love, to train, and to walk with you as God's plan unfolds in your lives!

We thank God for you!

We love you!

Hydrangeas

Questions in the Bible

Questions in the Bible

Serman Notes Speaker: Steve Hulshizer (8/15/10)

How we answer life’s questions has a great deal to do with what our lives will be like!

The Bible is filled with questions…… and ANSWERS!

It has the answers to life yet too many don’t go to the Bible for the answers.

Some of the questions few find in the Bible:

Question: At the Fall…

A question asked by Satan:

Genesis 3:1 “ Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God made. And he said to the woman “Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (by asking this, he is undermining the word of God. The serpent (Satan) is trying to get her to the rethink what God clearly said.)

They (Adam and Eve) had the wrong answer.

Because of their wrong answer:

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

Romans 5:19 “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

Not all men commit all sins and man’s sins are at different levels of severity but…We are ALL sinners.

Genesis 3:9 “The Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where art thou?”

God knew. God didn’t ask because he didn’t know where Adam was- but asked to say…We used to be close (now a distance created by sin.)

Genesis 3:10: So Adam said “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and hid myself.

…that too was new- Adam was fearful. A fear was created.

With wrongdoing, we also have a conscience (we sense wrong)…and that is because there are consequences.

Later in the Bible, Isaac asked…

Genesis 22:7 Isaac spoke to his father (Abraham) and asked, ……!”…Where is the lamb for a burnt offering? “

Abraham didn’t question God.

Abraham answered…Genesis 22:8 "My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for burnt offering."

John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”

New Testament Lamb = Jesus

We are not redeemed with silver and gold. We are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.

If we don’t know the Lamb of God personally – we are still under the judgment state- we don’t have the closeness. We should be afraid. Hell is real!

To get freed from the judgment we must accept the Lamb of God.

When God asks a question- it is important!

Read Psalm 22: 1-8. The question asked in this passage is in

Vs. 1 (cry) My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Answer (vs. 3) … because you are holy.

Why? 2 Corinthians 5:21 He hath made Him to be sin for us- a perfect lamb (holy)

As the sacrificed lamb- he took on ALL the filth of our sin!

The wrath of God- for all sin- fell on the perfect man to bear it FOR us!

He knew no sin- yet bore ALL ours.

Question: How can man be righteous (just) before God? (Job 9:2)

How can man get back to the original closeness? The Word of God (The Bible) has the answers. God has made it possible that sinners can be made right in His sight.

BY FAITH!

Romans 3:28: “Therefore we conclude that man I justified by faith apart from te deeds of the law.”

Romans: 5:1: “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 3:11: “But no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”

Philippians 3:9-10: “be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed by His death.

We can NOT work ourselves back into right standing by our works! - it’s ONLY by our faith in the Lord Jesus!

Believers are in the sight of God (made “right” with God)

Grace is a gift- you can’t EARN it! You can’t pay God for it! You must just believe and receive it!

Question: (asked by jailer- desperate man facing death) What must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30) Was in stocks and chains (and they fell off)

Paul and Silas in answering DIDN’T give a long list to him of what he needed to do! …like Do the best you can. Be good. Save the earth. That would be a FALSE answer. (Yet some will give this answer)

Do? Just believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

Answer: Acts 16:31: “So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Summary: John 3:16

Just so I don't forget..those funny things they say (and do!)

Little children say the funniest things... I love when I am going about my work and one of them says something funny and innocent and it just makes me smile - or even laugh out loud.

Since I have a pretty bad memory, I want to record these things to always remember (and tell my grandkids some day! heehee)

This little sweetie is my youngest daughter, she is 4 years old

(Above photo taken by my oldest daughter)

Her most recent sayings are...

She likes to say "I'm seriously!" (instead of I am serious.)

She also started saying "Yes, sir" to me... so I say "no, I'm a girl so it should be Yes, ma'am." Then she says "Yes, man". (Ugh!) :)

In the beginning of the summer, while outside working, she was swinging with her 6 year old brother. I told them a few times to slow down that they were swinging too high. The last time I told them that if they didn't stop they'd have to get off because it is dangerous the way they are swinging.

So they go....... and return ....

My son thought - instead of slowing down, I could just put a helmet on my sister and continue swinging fast! ;) Clever but...NO!

But I can be rest assured because my youngest daughter (4 yrs.old) tells me today....

that SHE is NOT getting married until she is 10!

(Okay! then. I think I need to work on that with her!)

Blessings in a day...

Even though I am congested and had much work to do today- this day was so full of blessings through simple pleasures... like siblings playing together outside on a gorgeous day. Blanket in the yard with three children reading books, Popsicles and puffy clouds, nice breezes and baking peach pies.....

After we made our first 2 pies, we had more pie crust.. so we decided to take a very quick trip to the nearby orchard to buy more... when we got there we found out they were having a summer celebration and one thing there was a library book sale!!! I got the book below for $1.00. It is a wonderful book... A Celebration of Motherhood and Old-fashioned Cooking!! :)

It includes many wonderful recipes but also sweet pictures and poems and stories.

I hope you had many blessings and simple pleasures in your day today, too!

Fast Food Fun!

A quick stop at a fast food place proved to be

a fun place for a photo shoot! :-)

This is one of my favorites ...

Preschool Corner: Farm Unit: Pig

We started some preschool- early elementary activities this week. I am working on organizing our school area so we thought we'd keep the little ones busy with some school work.

I planned to do a farm lapbook/unit with my youngest two children. Here is the start of it. We did lessons around pig these days...

One of their older sisters read them this story called Polly Pig and the Bee. (and asked them questions)...

These are some of the worksheets they did and phonics reader we worked on.

Here they are finger painting their pig puppet pieces...

We worked on spelling and writing the word "pig"

Here she is sorting a bucket of tiny farm animals...

Then she had some outside fun with her older sisters :-)

These streamer wands are a hit with my children. I love my daughter's face in the below photo (action shot). She was singing! :)

If you wish to see others' Preschool Corner posts, Click Here !

Our VBS Crafts

This year we were able to incorporate our daily lesson into our craft pretty well I think and still do some things we haven't done before.

Our lessons were from Matthew 13

First we had the lesson of the Sower and the seed. The skit for this one was very funny!

For the craft we were able to use leftover flower pots from another year and the children sponge painted them. Then we planted a flower in them.

The next night the lesson was on Wheat and Tares..

We gave them canvas board and pieces of wheat and paint. They could paint and make a picture using the wheat.

They were very creative. Here is a nice one this young lady made:

Night 3 theme was fishing/fishnet

For the craft we did homemade silk screening. This was really neat too. I got the idea and instructions HERE...

We silkscreened the Christianity symbol of a fish onto canvas bags

Then we had the theme of Hidden treasure... For this we did an I Spy bottle with the younger group.

The older kids made a paper bag book for treasures:

The pages opened at the side to slide in treasures like cards, photos, notes, etc.

Last ...the lesson was on the Pearl of great price. We had pearlized paint for them to use to paint wooden boxes.

VBS 2010

The God Who Provides

While online today, I read an article on the Institute for Creation Research's website... It's called The God that Provides (in quotations below) written by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

It is so true and not what we initially always think of when we hear how God provides... but He does provide ALL our needs, not just material things. His love and care for us is all-sufficient. Often people will say "God forgot about me or He isn't answering my prayers." however, He is ALWAYS in control and His plan is perfect. He may not work and supply what we want in ourtime but His plan is bigger and better than anything we could imagine. Each step is planned out. Often things in our life affect others so God

can supply a need through us to them and often vice versa. As a believer, a born-again Christian, I can easily rest in the Lord, taking all my concerns to Him in prayer, knowing that He has a perfect plan and He will provide EVERY

THING we truly need!

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Romans 15:13)

God's provisions for the believer include far more than physical necessities. These are indicated by seven beautiful titles ascribed to Him in the New Testament:

The God of love: First of all, we need love, and "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Then "the fruit of the Spirit is love" in our lives (Galatians 5:22) because He Himself is "the God of love and peace" (2 Corinthians 13:11).

The God of all grace: God saves us by His grace, and then we need to "grow in grace" (2 Peter 3:18). This we can do because "the God of all grace . . . hath called us unto his eternal glory" (1 Peter 5:10).

The God of peace: He satisfies the need for peace of soul in the believer's life, and He is called "the God of peace" five times in the New Testament (Romans 15:33; 16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20).

The God of all comfort: Our God is called "the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort," because He "comforteth us in all our tribulation," thus enabling us also to provide comfort to others
"by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

The God of patience: We do "have need of patience" (Hebrews 10:36), and this need also is supplied by "the God of patience and consolation" (Romans 15:5).

The God of glory: It was "the God of glory" who first called Abraham (Acts 7:2), and through the Word, we also "are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The God of hope: By His Spirit He fills us with joy and peace, with power, and abundant hope--blessing us "with all spiritual blessings . . . in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3)"