Vacation Bible School - Day 2

On day TWO, of Vacation Bible School, the kids were really getting much more familiar with the songs and the atmosphere. There was quite a bit of enthusiasm in the sanctuary during the opening ceremonies as well as the mascot challenge, at the end of the night.

The mascot challenge the second night was as follows:

Each mascot was given a large tub of water filled with cold water and ice cubes. They had to fully submerge their feet into the frozen water for 1 full minute. After the minute was up, they could remove their feet, but the next “task” was to remove marbles at the bottom of that frozen water by using their FROZEN feet. The mascot who removed the most marbles, in a minute, was the winner of that challenge. Both mascots were almost immediately in pain after submerging their feet in that cold water. They said it was brutally cold, but neither mascot was willing to throw in the towel. I thought for sure “The Golden Boy” had this. He was going so fast and Tony was moving so slow. It appeared as if “The Golden Boy” removed a ton of marbles, but the catch, that “The Golden Boy” didn’t realize, was that there was ice in there too. So “The Golden Boy” wound up removing a ton of ice, leaving many marbles behind. So Blaze won on night number 2.

I was unable to snap photos of night three, but the mascot challenge was as follows:

Sitting down, each mascot was given 20 deflated balloons. In two minutes, they had the task of inflating the balloons with their own “hot air”, “knot” them, and place them in a garbage bag. “Blaze” got hung up on tying them mostly, but I guess he doesn’t have as much hot air as “The Golden Boy”. “The Golden Boy” inflated 11 balloons and “Blaze” only inflated 7. “The Golden Boy” won this challenge and is pumped up for whatever tonight’s challenge is.

IT IS NOT too late to sign up your kiddies for VBS’s last two nights. Again, these children are having a blast, but our Church’s main goal is to teach them about Christ, their need for a Savior, and the power of God’s word through the passage of Ezekiel 37 – “The Valley of Dry Bones”.

Psalm 23

This is the sweetest sound to my ears!

"But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19:14

Create In Me A Clean Heart O Lord!

51 ^(B)Have mercy on me,^[a] O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your ^(C)abundant mercy
    ^(D)blot out my transgressions.
^2 (E)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and ^(F)cleanse me from my sin!

^3 (G)For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
^4 (H)Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil ^(I)in your sight,
^(J)so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
⁵ Behold, ^(K)I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶ Behold, you delight in truth in ^(L)the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

⁷ Purge me ^(M)with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    ^(N)wash me, and I shall be ^(O)whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    ^(P)let the bones ^(Q)that you have broken rejoice.
^9 (R)Hide your face from my sins,
    and ^(S)blot out all my iniquities.
^10 (T)Create in me a ^(U)clean heart, O God,
    and ^(V)renew a right^[b] spirit within me.
^11 (W)Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not ^(X)your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will ^(Y)return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from ^(Z)bloodguiltiness, O God,
    O ^(AA)God of my salvation,
    and ^(AB)my tongue will sing aloud of your ^(AC)righteousness.
¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
^16 (AD)For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are ^(AE)a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

^18 (AF)Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    ^(AG)build up the walls of Jerusalem;
¹⁹ then will you delight in ^(AH)right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and ^(AI)whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Sins Exchanged For Blessings!

Yesterday I decided to explain to Tyson that the Easter bunny is not real. It's a topic that I've never felt conviction over, and still DO NOT, but keeping up with all the "extras" at Easter and Christmas were stepping in the way of keeping the focus on what's MOST important when we celebrate these holidays. As a family who loves the Lord and desires to raise our children to know of Him and love Him too, I needed to find a way to make it 100% possible to eliminate distractions, at least on my end. I won't deny, seeing the disappointment or "let down" on his face hurt me. I was disappointed in myself for not letting the tradition remain. It used to be that we placed our empty Easter baskets outside, along with the empty, plastic Easter eggs, and the next morning, the empty Easter baskets and eggs were filled to the brim with goodies from the Easter bunny. What now? How would traditions still take place?

I explained to Tyson that his daddy and I were really Santa and the Easter bunny. I wanted him to know that WE were the one's who picked out these special gifts for him and his siblings.

A close friend of mine shared an idea with me that she was going to try this Easter with her children. She got the idea here. This was the pivital point, the confirmation, that giving my children an Easter basket was OOOOOOOOKay! It was the most beautiful way to give them an Easter basket too because we gave ALL the GLORY to God for the gifts they received.

FIRST, we went on a rock hunt. Each child was asked to pick out three rocks.

Jax knew right away how this was done! He and his brother do this all the time for fun.

Tyson finished quickly, so he helped his sissy!

Lilah was having a hard time finding "big" rocks. She kept bringing me pebbles. So cute. Such a girl.

Then, we came inside and talked about some sins that we struggle with. The kids literally spoke of three individual sins that that each felt they struggled with and we labeled EACH of their rocks, representing their sins.

Tyson's sins are "fretting" his brother and sister, not having patience, and saying bad words (poop, fart, etc...).

Lilah's are "crying" (for no reason), yelling, and hitting.

Jaxon's sins are not listening the first time, whining, and scratching.

We placed their "sins" in a basket and left the basket outside before heading to church.

Upon returning home from church, the basket was GONE! We explained to the children that in return for our sins, God was going to give us a basket of blessings, just like He did when he gave us His only son Christ. Christ paid it all. In exchange for our sins, God gave us life in Christ Jesus. That is the greatest blessing we could ever receive. I really think this is an amazing tradition that will bear much more meaning and weight than anything the "Easter Bunny" could bring, do, or say. It will produce greater thoughts about our sin, it will plant seeds, and it will keep the focus on the true meaning of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ultimately and hopefully bringing them to salvation. BUT, please know, I do NOT look down upon or judge a soul who enjoys some Easter bunny imaginative fun/traditions.

Here are the baskets of blessings God gave to the children this Easter.

Your Name Was Written On His Palm!

After Wednesday night's sermon, I have become so intentional in my actions about trying to explain the betrayal, arrest, beating, and death of Jesus to my children. These are all of the events leading up to the resurrection and HENCE the REAL meaning behind Easter. As Christians, YES, we teach our children the gospel daily, in our living it out, in the way we instruct, in the way we discipline, by going to church and praying, etc.... The teachable moments are endless, however, it's easy, for me anyway, to accidentally get caught up in the hoopla that the secular world makes over Easter. Yes, our children will be blessed with a basket full of goodies, and yes, I will dye eggs with them, and yes, we will even have an easter egg hunt, but my prayer is that CHRIST'S resurrection is what remains the focus. I'm considering doing the baskets/hunt/and dyeing of eggs on Saturday. Maybe that will help keep the focus.

Anyway, the sermon was INCREDIBLE. It was a very detailed description of every aspect of Christ being led to the cross. I came across an impressive blog last night and I decided to mimic an "activity" with the kids, from it.

At dinner tonight, I asked the kids, "Does anyone know why Jesus died on the cross?" Tyson was the first person to answer. He said, "Yes, because people despised Him!" Yes, true, but that wasn't quite what I was getting at. I was hoping the kids would say, "Because we are a sinful people and the only way we can see a Holy God face to face is by Jesus laying down His life for ours, paying the penalty for our sins."

I then drew a red dot, representing the location where Jesus' nails were, on their hand, along with their name. I told them "Jesus died for Lilah's sin, for Jax's sin, for Tyson's sin." I wanted the drawing to be a reminder to them, for the rest of the evening, what Jesus did for US. I wasn't sure if Lilah and Jax really could grasp a nail going through their hand and what that looked like, so I took out my earring and pretended as if I was going to put it into their hands and allow it to come out the other side. Lilah freaked. Even the mere thought of something sharp going through our own hands is chilling, but Christ endured it all for us. He hung by His hands and feet on the cross. "It wasn't the nails that kept him there, it was love." (Quote from Jesus Story Book Bible) What an amazing grace!

I wanted to do this activity with Tyson this morning, before school, so that when the kids at school asked him what was on his hands, it would be a great opportunity for him to share the gospel with his classmates, but time ran short. So instead, I told the boys tonight, "When you go with daddy to get your haircut, if the man asks you about the Easter bunny, tell him about what's on your hand instead."
Lilah giggled as I wrote on her hands. I guess it tickled.

Jax was intrigued and very serious. Anytime the writings started to disappear, Jax wanted me to fix it. So sweet.

Tyson was all about writing on his hands. I hope I didn't create a bad habit by doing this :) I hope to do this tomorrow as well... Good Friday!!!

While our King was on the cross,

Our face was in His eyes,

Our life was in His mind,

Our sin was on His back,

Love of us, was in His heart,

For beloved, our name was written on His palm.

Only God...

Phillippians 4:8

This is our family's new favorite song!

A few of the lyrics...

"Think about such things! Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable."

My hubby bought the "Seeds of Worship" cd for me for my birthday. It was by far my favorite gift and he got me some GREAT stuff.

The twins and I were the ONLY ones in Food Lion yesterday and we were singing this up and down the aisle. Too bad it was an empty grocery store because we sure would have been evangelizing.

Check out the cd here (click on the word here).

"We are..."

May this song encourage your day, your weekend, and your life! Let your soul LIVE! Let your light shine!!!!! God Bless!!!!

This is Christmas!!!

Our Church is performing a "musical" type show tonight and tomorrow night! It's called "This is Christmas!" The entire night is focused on the gospel and the love displayed by our God by giving us Jesus Christ in the form of a baby.... Christ. He entered this world in flesh, just like us, but lived a sinless life. Being tempted like us, but overcame all temptation. As a sacrifice for our sin, he suffered, bled, and died so that one day all of those who repent and believe can one day be with Him in heaven. The show is opened to the public and starts at 6:30 pm December 10th and December 11th. Please come!!!!! Tyson and myself are in the "show". All of those who are in the show have been practicing since August. Our goal is to glorify the Lord as we worship and sing to Him during this program. We pray His words touch the lives of all of those who do not know Him! Click here for more details.

How Can You Say There Is No God?

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." ~

Romans 1:18-20

The Valve

I read the below post today from an amazing blog that I follow ("Proverbs 31 Ministries"). I have to seriously keep this post as close to my heart as possible. As a woman, especially, this is a struggle I know is harder to fight than most anything else.

"The Valve" by Luann Prater

“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” James 3:5 (NIV)

My husband needed some diesel fuel for the tractor so he asked me to pick up some on the way home. He had put the gas can in a box in the back of his truck. Now, I’m 5’2″, so things that taller-than-me folks can do become a bit more of an issue for this vertically challenged gal. I pumped the gas into the can then tried to lift it, not only up to the bed of the truck, but over the top edge of the box. It was then I discovered the little valve cover was open.

At least a cup’s worth of gas escaped through that tiny opening and strategically ran from the top of my t-shirt to the top of my pants. When I got home I scrubbed and scrubbed in the shower hoping to get rid of the smell, but the stench of gas remained in my nostrils.

My lips are like that little valve. It is such a small opening, yet the fuel that escapes can be unpleasant, caustic and even deadly. Loose lips have snapped at my family. Harsh tones have left friends feeling poisoned. Careless words have killed the spirit of a vulnerable child.

The book of James tells us that our tongue is like a restless evil full of deadly poison. Ouch! My husband didn’t want me to spill that gas; we wanted to use it for good. God doesn’t want our tongues to open unless they are going to encourage and spur one another on.

Several years ago I made a very small, but very life-changing decision. When a hurtful thought comes into my head, I tighten my lips and force a pause button to appear in my brain. When I allow myself to have just a second to think about the potential hazard that could come from ‘speaking my mind’ it gives the Holy Spirit time to check my heart and motives. In that pause moment I say, “Lord, take control of this tongue.” And He does.

Do I get it right every time? No. But I can see fewer wrecks in my life, fewer wounds, fewer poison-tipped darts flying out of this mouth. And I no longer reek of gasoline I added to the fire.

Want to join me? Pause. Seal up the valve and allow the Holy Spirit to work for good through the words you speak.

Dear Lord, thank You for reminding us that our tongue can rip a heart apart, or seal it back together. Teach us to pause long enough to give Your Spirit time to work in and through us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

More Than Amazing!

Long Story Short

For Christmas, Darren is always certain to find a really great spiritual item for me. Last year, I got my very own leather bound ESV Bible. This year, I received the above book titled, "Long Story Short" by Marty Machowski.

The phrase "gospel-centered" is an easy label to tag on a book these days just to sell a few extra copies. Long Story Short, however, is the last book that could be accused of such a move.

This book, from beginning to end, is about Jesus in the Old Testament. The layout is attractive and the structure is simple. As mothers and fathers, our time is very limited but it's pertinent that we are the primary people who are teaching our children the gospel, versus depending solely on the church! That's what's so attractive about this book. Each page contains a ten-minute devotional that helps draw your family to God. Ten minutes is totally doable. Right? Don't get me wrong... that's NOT the only time we are making the gospel known in our home, but these 10 minute devotionals are informative, Christ-centered, and just enough information to keep your little one's attention.

Every devotional presents an Old Testament passage. You and your children "study" it and then connect it to Jesus. As the author himself says, " Long Story Short connects each story to God's larger redemptive plan. Every lesson answers the question, 'Where is Jesus in this lesson?'"

Sadly to say, after clearing up the Christmas clutter and organizing all of our gifts, I placed this one on the bookshelf and didn't pick it up until this summer. It was probably a good thing because Lilah and Jaxon would have been way too little to sit still for even ten minutes back then. Now they have a 10 minute attention span. So I picked up the book this summer and have begun the lessons with my kiddos.

I think you will LOVE this book. Check it out on amazon and read some of the reviews. It received 5 stars.

You could also watch this youtube video on how this book came about from the author Marty Machowski. He speaks about how overwhelming it is to teach your children the gospel. The bible is so big. "Where do we begin?"

Learning the Gospel

Don't ever underestimate how smart your child is, especially at the toddler stage. I've been working on teaching Lilah and Jaxon the gospel and they are able to recite all that I have taught them so far. Tyson knows the entire gospel, but on this particular day, I only had him recite what I had Lilah and Jax recite. Darren and I pray OFTEN that this head knowledge becomes heart knowledge one day. Until then we will continue teaching the complete gospel to them.

Enjoy their half learned version of the gospel, recorded on our last Myrtle Beach vacation. I am taking this in baby steps because I want them to get it right the FIRST time.

PS. My twins think it's fun to switch things up and swap car seats, so that's why my sweet SON is sitting in a pink/zebra covered seat and Lilah is in a blue/zebra covered seat.

Our Desperation Is Healed!

When we are born, we are at a state of desperation and totally depraved. Our greatest need in this world-male or female, married or single, young or old, rich or poor- is to be reconciled to God. We are so sinful, we cannot come close to God, therefore, our greatest problem is not physical, financial, or emotional, but spiritual.

"but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." ~Isaiah 59:2

BUT GOD...

"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 3:18-19

Christ's work on the cross bridged the inability for us to see God face to face one day. The divide between sinful man and holy God was resolved. This was Christ's ultimate triumph and the only way our sins could be rescued.

The righteous + the unrighteous = the great exchange. And now, our desperation is healed. AMEN

Secondhand Spirituality

Come near to God, and God will come near to you. James 4:8

"Some of us have tired to have a daily quiet time and have not been successful. Others of us have a hard time concentrating. And all of us are so busy. So rather than spend time with God, listening for his voice, we'll let others spend time with him and then benefit from their experience. "Let them tell us what God is saying. After all, isn't that why we pay preachers?"...

If that is your approach, if your spiritual experiences are secondhand and not firsthand, I'd like to challenge you with this thought: Do you do that with other parts of your life?...

You don't do that with vacations... You don't do that with romance... You don't let someone eat on your behalf, do you? [There are] certain things, no one can do for you. And one of those is spending time with God."

PERFECTLY PUT BY MAX LUCADO. WOW!!! CHECK YOURSELF TODAY! I KNOW I AM.

Time In Between!

This is one of my new favorite songs!

What God Has Done for US!

Often times, as I analyze my day, I find myself dissatisfied in my spiritual walk. Please let me clarify. My dissatisfaction is not because Christ is not all sufficient. I'm dissatisfied in my spiritual walk because of the sins that I commit daily. There is NO comfort in knowing that "we are sinners" and that sin is "just going to happen". I want my life motto to be better than that. I want to strive for righteousness AND daily. I am guilt ridden with the thoughts of thinking, "I deserve hell, not heaven, and I prefer to go there because I am not worthy of such a gift." The reality is, we all deserve hell, but I am reminded in Colossians 2:13-15 what God has done for me, and repent for dimishing the work on the cross by saying or thinking the above.

"When you were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self, God made you alive with Christ, and he forgave all of our sins. He cancelled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with it's rules and nailed it to the cross, he won the victory and showed the world that they were powerless."

Amen! I am powerless. Christ paid the price. There is no work to be done on my end. Christ did the saving, not me. He has forgiven my sins, as far as the East is from the West. What a grace! What an amazing grace!

Thank you GOD!

The Great Commission

Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary.