Dec. 3, 2008
A Timely Reminder
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I received this great reminder in an email message from LifeWay Christian Stores (one of the world's largest providers of Christian products and services). It was written by their email newsletter editor. Read on...
You realize that sometimes things are not always what they seem. You've probably been snared by a gorgeous pastry in a bakery display case that, upon first bite, you find tastes like cardboard. Maybe you've chosen the most elaborately wrapped box under the tree only to discover that the sparkle and ribbon covered a pair of I-would-never-wear-those socks. Or maybe you've been pleasantly surprised by a grudgingly taken trip to the store that resulted in a reunion with a long-lost friend.
In the spirit of the season, let's consider what Christmas seems like as opposed to what it truly is. To so many people and in so many ways, Christmas seems like an opportunity to spend too much money on flashy gifts and too much time agonizing over what to wear to the next Christmas party. In reality, Christmas is a celebration of one gift Who was likely clothed in whatever ragged threads His mother could find in the stable. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the gifts and holiday parties, but there is also something important about ensuring Christmas seems like what it truly is:
A celebration of Christ's birth.  |
Dec. 2, 2008
A Favorite Praise Song of Mine
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As a child of the 80's, I enjoy the Christian music that has a some "kick" to it. Right click on the link below and choose "Open Link in New Tab" so that this song will open in another window and you can view the written lyrics on this page. When you are on the new page: click press play to preview. Enjoy~ Signature of the Divine By the way, Yahweh means 'the true name of the creator of the universe', 'a personal name for God' (Hebrew). Lyrics to Signature Of Divine (Yahweh) : Cathedrals have tried in vain To show the image of your face. But we are, by your design, The signature of divine. We'll always sing your name. Forever and today. Yahweh, Yahweh... Great is your glory when you go before me Oh, we sing... Holy, Holy... Your ways are lovely. So high above me. Yahweh The fortunes of kings and queens Are wasted chasing what we've seen. Cause we are, by your reprieve, The beauty framed by your suffering. We'll always sing your name. Forever and today. Yahweh, Yahweh... Great is your glory when you go before me Oh, we sing... Holy, Holy... Your ways are lovely. So high above me. Yahweh Take me, and pull me through. Cause I can't move without you. I won't leave you alone, you say. It will be okay. Yahweh, Yahweh... Great is your glory when you go before me Oh, we sing... Holy, Holy... Your ways are lovely. So high above me. Yahweh. Yahweh, Yahweh... Great is your glory when you go before me Oh, we sing... Holy, Holy... Your ways are lovely. So high above me. Yahweh Ancient of Days... Yahweh! |
Dec. 1, 2008
God Breathed Hand Written
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We were able to take advantage of a really neat opportunity today. Our Children's Minister at church told us last week about something coming to our area that she thought would interest us. The project is called Bible Across America. (Their website is bibleacrossamerica.com). It is a project that honors the 30th anniversary of the NIV (New International Version) translation of the Bible. It is a cross country RV tour where people are invited to contribute a verse to complete a handwritten Bible – America's NIV. The 15,000 mile tour will reach 90 cities in 44 states in a five month period. 31, 173 Verses 90 Cities 1 Word They were in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 20 today. We were able to hand write verses 7, 8, 9, & 10. This Bible will be published about this time next year. It was very exciting. Here are the verses: 7 If he says, 'Very well,' then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8 As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?" 9 "Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?" 10 David asked, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" In this passage David and Jonathan are having a discussion. Jonathan's father (the king) was trying to harm David and Jonathan is telling David that he is his friend and will help him.Click the link below to see the pictures. The Hammond Family at Christian Supply in Spartanburg SC |
Nov. 29, 2008
Thanksgiving~
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We were able to make a quick trip to southwest Georgia to spend today with our family. We had such a good time together and my kids LOVED playing with their little cousins. I took a lot of pictures but will only share a few with you. "Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving..." Psalm 95:2 Smith Family Visit |
Nov. 1, 2008
Blue Ridge Parkway
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Today was a special day. We have been on the BRPkwy in a couple of spots over the years, but never at leaf looking time of the year. We traveled up Highway 25 into NC and picked up the Parkway in Asheville. The BRP extends 469 miles along the crests of the southern Appalachians and links two eastern national parks. The road was authorized in the 1930's as a Depression-era public works project. What a glorious display of God's magnificent creation. The colors were beautiful. It was a cool day with temps in the high 50s. We were able to walk through a trail at the destinations center and see the leaves up close. The kids have been enjoying the falling leaves in our yard too. I believe the upstate of SC has the same beauty that you find in the NC mountains just not quite as much of it as you find there. We have loved every bit of our fall experience. I hope you are able to catch a glimpse of the beauty that we saw. THE LINK TO THE PHOTOS IS BELOW. Leaves: Blue Ridge Parkway and at Home |
Oct. 21, 2008
Cut the Noise
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This is easier said than done! We have had some really jam packed weeks and over the horizon, we have some nice days on the calendar where our schedule is much lighter. We have had some really exciting adventures, but it is also important (even if it means an actual entry on the calendar) to have intentional silence. Let's face it, life is loud. Sometimes we don't realize how much so, until we hear unfamiliar silence. God wants us to balance the noise with the quiet. Silence is valuable because it positions our hearts to listen and pay attention. Pray that God will help you learn to be still and silent so that you can hear what He is saying to your heart. (If this seems similar to a post earlier this month, it is because IT IS.  The words for this came from my favorite Woman's Devotional Guide Journey (September). The verse that I ended that post with that came to me, is the verse listed at the top of this day's page. SO... rather than pass it over, I feel this subject matter is worth another look.) |
Oct. 15, 2008
Taylors Fire Department
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We went on a really great trip today. A Family TOUCH member organized a trip to the Taylors Fire Department. This location has the tallest ladder truck in Greenville county and can be seen in the photos (the tool section is open and there is a neat portrait above that bay that says "The Lord is My Shepherd".) We were able to tour the station and watched a fantastic video done in house by one of the firemen on staff. It was local situations that had occurred and they even filmed the fire trucks leaving the station and pulling out onto Wade Hampton Boulevard. The kids could relate to the reality of what happens daily in the lives of the fireman when they saw photos of local emergencies and training. The fireman prepared a cookie and Kool-Aid snack for us before we left. Taylors Fire Department Field Trip |
Oct. 13, 2008
BGEA Daily Devotional
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Take the time while you are reading other blog posts to click on the one marked BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) Daily Devotional. The link directs you to the Daily Devotion with Billy Graham page. Today's entry was quite timely talking about the world in which we live that is full of disappointment and frustration and how joy comes from God. I thought the prayer for the day tied in so beautifully to the Seeking Stillness blog that I posted: "By Your love I experience the delight of a quiet heart. Deep down is the joy that cannot be taken away. Lord, may I always keep my eyes on You, my source of joy." (If you read this post after today, there are 8 recent devotions on the page, so you can click on the one for October 13, or just read the one for the day that you are on!) Happy Columbus Day! |
Oct. 5, 2008
Reflect in your heart...
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Can you believe that we are in October already? This year has flown by. I know, we all say that every year, but this one really has. I guess when you have the activities that we have (listing, selling, and completely moving out of our first house--one we lived in for 10 years--within a matter of 3 months and setting up house keeping in a brand new place... twice in 3 months, well, time does fly!) I was just discussing this with my dear husband this week, somehow we got this house size thing backwards. You should buy a large square foot home as your first home and then go down in size. It is really tough. We do have more of our personal belongings here but we now have a messy home and a full garage! Thanks to my Mom and Uncle Adam and some of the young men in his youth group, this last pilgrimage was pretty painless. But back to where I was going with the original thought!  I was reading a piece in the Journey Magazine--A Woman's Guide to Intimacy with God-- from July. No, I am not that far behind, it was just that I marked a few that especially spoke to me and I wanted to share. The title is Seeking Stillness. I believe that says a lot. In our busy lives, we must be purposeful in seeking to be still. The Bible verse which was the focus was, "Reflect in your heart and be still." Psalm 4:4 Even in the life of Jesus, we see the importance of solitude and quiet time. We know that he retreated from the demands of the world to spend time alone with His Father. If Jesus, our sinless Savior, needed the time of refreshing with the Lord, we need it too. This time also fills our spiritual hunger which tends to be overlooked at times. When we draw near to God regularly, we grow and are able to maintain a proper kingdom perspective. So, take time to "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 |
Oct. 1, 2008
Apple Picking - Sky Top Orchard
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We went on a field trip today with our homeschool group, Family TOUCH. We had a fantastic time. Picture it: Native Floridians at an apple orchard for the first time. It was a cool fall day in the mountains of the Flat Rock area of North Carolina. It was so neat to experience God's handiwork first hand. As you will see in the photos, there are some leaves that are changing. We are amazed every time we go out. We see something a little different each time we take a drive. We were given an overview of the apple orchard business, we took a hay wagon ride around the orchard and then we were allowed to roam wherever we wanted to go to pick our bag of apples. We were definitely ready for lunch by the time we were done. It was beautiful but quite rolling countryside! We had such fun taking pictures as you will see: SKY TOP ORCHARD We picked Fuji, Granny Smith, and Staymen apples. We are going to take in each season in the upstate, enjoying God's Creation to the fullest. (**Make sure you long time Central Florida residents notice the sign that shows where the tractor originated - including the area code!) Enjoy! Oh! And the fresh apples were wonderful. |
Sep. 25, 2008
Fall Homeschool Festival at Biltmore
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What a beautiful day to be in the North Carolina mountains in Asheville today! When we arrive, the temperature was around 50 degrees! Where we live... it's fall, ya'll! It is exciting to see the leaves starting to change. This summer while reading a local homeschool eloop, I learned of an event that sounded too good to pass up. For a very reasonable rate, we were able to learn about Biltmore's culinary heritage and explore the connection between the farmer and the kitchen. We first went to activities at River Bend Farm including a really nice tour. We were able to view what it was like to live and work on the estate in the 1890's through craft demonstrations, farmyard animals, antique farm equipment, and a kitchen garden. We played with antique toys and games in the grassy area of the barn. We then went on to tour Biltmore House. It has been many years since we visited Biltmore Estate (BC-before children) and it was neat to go with them. Biltmore Estate Homeschool Days Photos We did the express walk through of 250-room family home and country retreat. We weaved in and out of the people with the headsets listening to the audio tour. We especially liked the basement which has an indoor swimming pool, a bowling alley, a gymnasium, a huge main laundry and drying room, and a main kitchen with huge separate pantry rooms, walk in refrigerators, and a rotisserie kitchen. |
Sep. 19, 2008
Lions and Tigers and Bears.... Oh My!
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We went to Homeschool Days at Hollywild Animal Park today. What a neat place! There are hundreds of animals at this park and you are able to feed the ones that roam in the pasture during the Outback Safari. Many of the residents are animals that have been in TV, movie or advertising productions. We are making plans to go back for their Holiday Lights Safari where you drive through 100+ acres and there are 3 million lights!! Hollywild Photos The animals at this park were so glad to see us. You can see them running after the bus in one of the photos (this is because each seat in the bus had a box of crackers to feed them!) |
Sep. 8, 2008
Back to Violin
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Some of you may remember that we did some lessons in the Suzuki method of violin instructing a few years ago... yes it has been that long! We took Pre-Twinkle lessons right before turning age 4 and when that stage was completed we went on to the Twinkle group and completed that in the late Spring of 2006. In consideration of signing up for instruction, we got our violin out (yes, it is with us and not in storage, which is only because we made a lightning fast trip this summer to retrieve one load for the Masters class Dad was enrolled in, happened to see the violin and grabbed it!) When we opened the case, it looked SO tiny. As soon as I saw it, I knew we were going to have to invest in a new one! We will post progress as we go along through this year. We are all really looking forward to this addition to our schedule. |
Sep. 7, 2008
Speak with Gentleness
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I was reading an entry out of Journey A Woman's Guide to Intimacy with God publication put out by Lifeway. The Bible verse was "Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 I have been having difficulty at home when faced with thinking before I speak. God expects us to do just that. Oh boy! Another verse that was offered for reflection was Proverbs 12:18, " There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing." What a beautiful picture is there for us. God instructs us to be mindful of the words that come out of our mouths, especially if those words are being used for discipline--like many times in my case.  Give grace and do not punish in anger.We are to have a gentle spirit and treat others with respect. Another verse in Proverbs is found in the 25th chapter, 28th verse: "A man (or woman) who does not control his temper is like a city whose wall is broken down." My prayers is that I would be gentle ESPECIALLY when I don't feel like it (those times when there is trouble in the kitchen, trouble on the phone and something unexpected lurking in the corner).  |
Sep. 1, 2008
A Fun Holiday Weekend--Near to Home
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For a family that did not really have any "plans" for Labor Day weekend, we certainly have a lot to report on! Today, we went to Fisher's Orchard in Greer to their pick your own peaches site. We had a great time picking Big Red and Parade peaches and we also got to pick some apples too!  Here are a few more photos: Fisher's Orchard |
Aug. 30, 2008
5K Run
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EARLY this morning, we loaded up to cheer Dad on in The Zest Quest 5K run at The Cliffs Valley--where Dad works. What a beautiful place! The course winds alongside the trout ponds, creeks, trails, as well as through the award winning golf course. And the best part? There was a Kid's Hill Challenge for the children to run once the runners came in from the race. Here is the group...  The children each received a blue ribbon and Dad>>>>received a trophy for 2nd in his age category! Way to GO! I have MANY more pictures from this event but am not able to post enough here. Come visit the Picasa album I set up to share the pictures. Here is the link for the photos: 5K Photos |
Aug. 29, 2008
Butterfly Garden and First Football Game
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We had a great day. We took an excursion to Roper Mountain Science Center. We found out that there was a butterfly garden and an outdoor picnic area to enjoy. It was nice. We are going back on a day that is cooler to study the host and nectar plants more thoroughly. The temps have been near 90 degrees the last half of this week. We were very blessed to get rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay earlier this week. We have been experiencing quite a drought this summer and it was so nice to see the rain. We got an invitation to go to a high school football game this week that we attended tonight. The kids have never attended anything like this, so they were so excited. They both had a fantastic time. Thank you Mr. Pierce! They attended the first home game of the Greer High School Yellow Jackets--complete with popcorn, peanuts and face tattoos. You will see they were taken on a shopping trip to the Humble Bumble before leaving to go home--much past our regular bedtime.  |
Aug. 14, 2008
Dentist for a Day
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Our homeschool support group offered a field trip that sounded like a great experience and we signed up. The Dentist for a Day trip was held at Holly Tree Dental Group in Simpsonville. What a fantastic group of professionals. Everyone really had a great time.  |
Aug. 1, 2008
Busy Week
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We visited Riverside Baptist church on Sunday, July 27th. We heard a very timely message for the things that we have been experiencing this summer. Rev. Buckley's message was from Romans 7:13-25 and was titled The War of the Heart. From the notes I took, these are some of the points that spoke to me: *There is hope through our struggle *We must feed ourselves spiritually just like we feed ourselves physically *We make sure that we get physical food but we neglect spiritual food and we are parched/starving. We set our first day of school for the 2008-2009 school year to be July 28th. On this day we also had an appointment to view a rental home that we had located over the weekend and were interested in. This morning Eric got a call about a job fair that led to an interview away from that job fair that led to a part-time job offer later in the week. We were approved for the home we found and are beginning to move in today! When I set up 7/28 for our first day of school, I hadn't realized we would need a principal/teacher WORK DAY so soon! We had to take today as a holiday since the students were back and forth between the apartment and the house and their teacher was unable to oversee any school work!! |
Jul. 2, 2008
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Movie
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Today we went to see the first feature film based on the American Girl book series. We have been looking forward to July 2nd since last summer. This is when we first learned about the release date. Kit Kittredge is a resourceful young girl whose bravery, compassion and determination help her solve a mystery that saves her family's home during the Great Depression. We all enjoyed it very much (with the exception of Luke asking several times how much longer until it is over). This is the first movie that he remembers seeing a theater. He was much younger when he went to see Cars and he only made it through about half of it. Since I had to leave with him, I still have never seen the ending~  |