• Jun. 1, 2007
ABC's of Me

 1. A is for age:

31 

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• May. 6, 2007
The fruit

It is so awesome to see the fruit.  We are definitely reaping what we are sowing.  Eli's (my 4yo) latest thing is whenever I say it is time to clean up the toys he says that he is tired so I have been giving him a choice to either clean up the toys or go to bed.  He chose bed the first couple of times but then he was upset when he had to stay in bed.  Today he said it again and Grant said, "Eli, remember the fruits of the spirit...do not become tired of doing good Galatians 6:9"   He has been learning the fruits of the spirit and this past week he had just memorized the scripture for goodness.  Eric and I both had to pick our jaws up off the ground because we were so surprised to see it come out in an everyday situation and then Eli started cleaning up!  God is so faithful.  I really believe that we are coming out of the hardest season.  A family at our church has 7 boys and they said that three children at the ages that ours are at is the hardest stage.  They keep encouraging us that it will get easier and easier.  I  feel so blessed by my boys.  Every smile.  Every laugh.  Every hug.  I cherish them all.  I don't want to miss a single one. 

Eric and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this week.  It went by so fast.  It still feels like yesterday when I met him.  I have so many memories of the early years.  I can happily say that I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see him.  He is the love of my life.  I couldn't have married anyone else. 

This past fall when I was going through that weird depression Eric and I were talking and he was taking something to the garbage can in the garage and I was following him when all of a sudden I felt this overwhelming feeling of love.  I had never felt anything like it.  I literally almost fell down to the ground because it was so overwhelming.  I prayed about it through the day because it was like nothing I had ever experienced.  I thought that I was feeling how much love for Eric I had in my heart and God told me, "No Liberty, I was showing you how much Eric loves you."  That blew me away.  Those couple of months I kept thinking, "Why has he stayed with me the past year through this depression?  I am not normal...I am not myself."  I had told him that many times and his response to me was always the same, "It's easy Liberty because I love you."  For the first time I got it.  I will always be thankful to God for showing me how much Eric loves me because from that day forward I have never questioned Eric's love for me again.  Now I just pray that Eric knows how much I love him.

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• May. 4, 2007
JESUS!

Wednesday night at church we heard a tape of part of one of Oral Robert's sermons. It was awesome! It just made me want to stand up and shout, "Jesus!"

Who is the Fourth Man?An Oral Roberts Sermon

Let me tell you who He is in every book of the Bible:
In Genesis He is the Seed of the Woman.
In Exodus He is the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus He is our High Priest.
In Numbers He is the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night.
In Deuteronomy He is the Prophet like unto Moses.
In Joshua He is the Captain of our Salvation.
In Judges He is our Judge and Lawgiver.
In Ruth He is our Kinsman Redeemer.
In I and II Samuel He is our Trusted Prophet.
In Kings and Chronicles He is our Reigning King.
In Ezra He is our Faithful Scribe.
In Nehemiah He is the Rebuilder of the Broken Down Walls of our human life.
In Esther He is our Mordecai.
In Job He is our Dayspring from on high and our Ever-Living Redeemer.
In Psalms He is the Lord our Shepherd.
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes He is our Wisdom.
In the Song of Solomon He is our Lover and the Bridegroom.
In Isaiah He is the Prince of Peace.
In Jeremiah He is the Righteous Branch.
In Lamentations He is the Weeping Prophet.
In Ezekiel He is the Wonderful Four-Faced Man.
In Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the burning fiery furnace.
Who is the Fourth Man?
In Hosea He is the Faithful Husband, forever married to the backslider.
In Joel He is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and Fire.
In Amos He is our Burden-Bearer.
In Obadiah He is the Mighty to Save.
In Jonah He is our Great Foreign Missionary.
In Micah He is the Messenger of Beautiful Feet, of carrying the Gospel.
In Nahum He is the Avenger of God's Elect.
In Habakkuk He is God's Evangelist, crying, "Revive thy work in the midst of the years."
In Zephaniah He is the Savior.
In Haggai He is the Restorer of God's Lost Heritage.
In Zechariah He is the Fountain Opened in the House of David for sin and uncleanness.
And in Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings.
Who is the Fourth Man?
In Matthew He is the Messiah.
In Mark He is the Wonder-worker.
In Luke He is the Son of Man.
In John He is the Son of God.
In Acts He is the Holy spirit.
In Romans He is our Justifier.
In Corinthians He is the Gifts of the Spirit.
In Galatians He is the Redeemer from the curse of the law.
In Ephesians He is the Christ on Unreachable Riches.
In Philippians He is the God Who Supplies All Our Needs.
In Colossians He is the Godhead Bodily.
In I and II Thessalonians He is our Soon-coming King.
In I and II Timothy He is our Mediator between God and Man.
In Titus He is our Faithful Pastor.
In Philemon He is a Friend that Sticketh Closer than a Brother.
In Hebrews He is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant.
In James He is the Great Physician.
In I an II Peter He is the Chief Shepard who soon shall appear with a crown of unfading glory.
In I, II, and III John He is Everlasting Love.
In Jude He is the Lord Coming with Ten Thousands of his Saints.
And in revelation He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
He, my friend, is Jesus! Hallelujah!!!

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• Apr. 28, 2007
Never fails

I don't know why but everytime we move one of our kids gets a stomach virus (throwing up).  This time two of the kids and I got it.  I got it last.  It was Thursday and I was taking the boys to Burger King to play (it has a humongous playland that you pay $1/hr and they keep it SUPER clean--everytime we go the same lady is there and she cleans the whole time--I LOVE IT!)  Anyway, we were driving and then I had to throw up.  I told the boys I had to turn around to go home and throw up and first Grants says, "Mommy, they have a bathroom at Burger King you can throw up in!"  I told him that I couldn't make it that far.  So Grant started praying, "Dear God, please hold mommie's throw up until we get home."  Of course God answered his prayers, I made it home, took care of business and then I told the boys I was not feeling very well and that I felt pretty weak.  Eli said, "Mommy, I can make you strong."  I asked him how and he said, "I will just give you a kiss and you can have some of my powers."    Kids are so sweet!  I let him kiss me and let me tell you, I felt a little surge of power straight to my heart!

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• Apr. 19, 2007
Moving day

 We are moving tomorrow!   Eric is finishing painting today.  We did the basic painting and now all we have to do (after we move) is the faux finish on our room and the mural in the boys room.  Also, we are going to paint the kitchen after we move in.  We are so excited!  

I want to post pics but I don't know how so if someone tells me how I will post pics.

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• Apr. 15, 2007
one for the mommies

1. How long have you been a mom?
5 and 1/2 years

2. How many kids call you mommy?
3

3. When you were pregnant did you know what you were having?
no (all three times)

4. How old were you when you became a mom?
26

5. How long were you in labor?
The first two I was induced so 10 hours and the third he came early so it was fast.  All three came within forty-five minutes after my water broke.

6. What's your favorite thing about being a mom?
Seeing the world through their eyes.  Snuggling.

7. What's your least favorite thing?
boogers

8. Do you want more kids?
I am happy with what we have but would feel blessed with more.  We may adopt some day.

9. Have you ever taken your kid(s) on a trip?
Many...CA, NM, TX, CO

10. How many times have you been pee'd on?
On purpose...zero

11. How many times have you been barfed on?
Once by my oldest.  It was nasty.  And once by my youngest RIGHT IN MY MOUTH!  (Too bad we didn't get it on camera...it would have been a great funniest home video--I can say that now, but not at the time)

12. Is (are) your kid(s) named after someone?
Just middle names

13. When is the last time you had a sitter; What did you do?
We went to a movie.

14. When your kid gets in trouble, who is the bad guy?
We try to balance it out.

15. What is the longest you have been away from your kid(s)?
I went to a women's retreat a month ago and I was gone for 5 days.  Before that the longest I had been away was when I was in the hospital giving birth to another one. 

16. Are your toes painted?
No, but they will be soon.

17. Last movie you saw in theater?
Pride

18. One thing you will not give up just because you're a mom:
Me time

19. One thing you did give up now that you're a mom:
sleep, going potty by myself, the ability to not worry

20. Favorite Cartoon
Wonderpets, Backyardigans

21. Favorite Snack:
Strawberry smoothie that my hubby makes

22. When the kid(s) are napping, you are:
Kids nap?

23. Where is/are your kid(s) now?
Sound asleep in their beds.

24. Favorite place to buy maternity clothes?
Walmart or Kmart

25. If I could do it over, I'd do this differently:
I would have pumped and tried to nurse Sawyer longer.

26. Did you breastfeed or bottle?
Breastfed the first two, but Sawyer only for three months.

27. What are you children's current obsessions?
Grant--Riding his bike on a cool little ramp that his daddy built for him
Eli--Drawing
Sawyer--Singing....or doing just about anything his brothers are doing

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• Apr. 3, 2007
I chose joy

I had gotten into a huge argument with my husband last week and I kept telling myself I am not going to say or think one negative thing about him.  I choose joy.  I started singing out loud in the car "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart...where?  Down in my heart...where?"  my children started singing along with me.  My whole attitude changed and I really felt joy.  I seriously have been happy ever since and my husband and I resolved things.  We always do, but it was a less painful process.  It is amazing what power the mind has. 

I am getting very excited about our new house!  I can't believe that we are already in April.  I will post pics whenever we get keys.  The last week of April we are going to be painting.  We are going to paint a mural on one of the boys bedroom walls.   We are doing a camping theme in their room so we are going to do a forest scene with a tent and campfire and a bear.  It will be cute.  The boys are so excited.  I am going to paint the school room/play room red with black scriptures on the wall.

Anyway, we are about to go to a park that we have never been to before.  The boys are very excited!  Off we go!

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• Mar. 26, 2007
I suck

I feel like the worst mom ever.  My three year old, Eli, is a carbon copy of my husband so I have a lot of patience for him.  My husband and Eli tend to butt heads with each other.  Well, hubby is out of town for work and I planned this great day with the kids, but Eli would NOT listen to me no matter what and on top of that he would argue with me.  It all started out with something as simple as me saying, "Please go upstairs and get your socks."  Then all I heard was, "But..." and complaining, etc.  I seriously lost it.  He would not listen to me and I started slapping my hand on the banister to emphasize every word I was saying, "GO GET YOUR SOCKS!"  So then of course all of my children are scared, because do I ever do that?  NO!  So then they were crying, I was crying...and now I am just thinking what is my problem that I got so frustrated over that?  Yes, it builds up, but why did I even go there.  Is this going to be their memory of me for the rest of their lives?  Of course, I did apologize and we had a long talk, but I feel like I am just buying time until the next time I get frustrated. 

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• Mar. 20, 2007
Women's retreat

 I just got back from a women's retreat last night.  I was gone for 5 days.  It was the longest I had ever been away from my children and husband.  It was good until Sunday.  I was ready to be home on Sunday.  I missed them SO much!  The retreat was good.  It really dealt alot with anger.  We took an anger evalution to see if you have suppressive anger, aggressive anger, or passive aggressive anger.  I was suppressive...SURPRISE, SURPRISE! 

The thing I got most out of the retreat besides fellowship with other christian women is that one of our most powerful tools as christians is to speak scriptures out loud and it changes the atmosphere.  So if you are being spiritually attacked and you speak them out loud it changes things!  I really believe that. 

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• Mar. 12, 2007
dreams do come true

So we are getting a house.  We are moving into a house that has so many little details that we have dreamed of for a house someday.  We are simple people and we are easy to please, but this house is so perfect for us.  It is 3 bedroom 2 bath, living room, family room and dining room.  I am going to use the family room as a school room/play room.  It has a beautiful deck and a separate dog run and a big backyard.  It is about 6 blocks away from a beautiful mile-long duck pond with a hiking trail and a playground.  We have always wanted to live in the country but the duck pond will definitely suffice.  I feel so blessed because it is way cheaper than what we even budgeted so we will be able to continue paying off medical bills.  God is so good and He is in the details!

Other breaking news: we got our first guinea pig today.  The boys are so excited!  At first they named her Misty but then Grant thought that she would think we "missed" her all of the time if we called her that.  So then we named her Pepper but tonight the boys decided that since she is so snuggly that we are going to call her Snuggles.  When the boys hold her they treat her like they treat their newborn cousin. 

I am going to the grocery store now to see if I can get some boxes.  I need to start packing! :)

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• Feb. 7, 2007
Faithful

I know that I haven't written in awhile, but I have been busy.  I just wanted to journal something  really awesome that God did last night.

First of all, I will preface this with Eric and I watched "Facing the Giants" on Tuesday night and this is what God used to start talking to me.  I HIGHLY recommend this movie.  It is a christian movie with a great message.  The acting wasn't so great and we were seriously about to turn it off after 15 minutes but we stuck through it and it was worth it.

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• Nov. 16, 2006
list of updates

I wanted to update because I am doing better and I have had alot happening in the past few weeks.

*The Lexapro is working!  Hallalujah!  I never thought I would be on an anti-depressant, but it is really helping take off the edge right now.  I feel normal again and I am enjoying  my children again!  That is the greatest feeling.

*I have been knitting a baby blanket for my first neice who is about to enter the world and I just finished today.  It is the first knitting project I have ever finished.

*I have been going to a christian counselor and it has been going to good.  It is the best counseling I have ever had.  For the first time in my life I am letting myself feel angry at my father instead of pushing it down.  I am learning that I am NOT supermom and I don't have to be.  I am acknowledging that I AM a good mom.

*We visited one of the most awesome churches ever if you want to call it a "church".  We found it through this website http://www.visionforumministries.org/projects/ncfic
I met more people this one Sunday than I have visiting the other church we go to for the past three months.  They have a potluck every Sunday after church. Everyone there homeschools and there were more children than adults.  It was wonderful.  We are definitely going to continue going.

*I took a gifts class at the church we have been visiting and it was really good.  My top 4 gifts are Pastoring (not like pastoring a church, but more like one-on-one counsel, nurture and encouragement), Discerning of spirits, exhortation & word of wisdom, and faith.  It is really awesome and the tests we took were unlike any I have ever taken.  You can order it at www.churchsmarts.com and the test was called Heights Spiritual Gifts Survey.

*God has blessed me with a new friend that has 5 children.  She has two older children from her first marriage and she has three little boys just like me.  Our boys love each other and she lives less than a block away.  We have similar parenting styles and it is so awesome to finally  be around another mother who feels the same way I do about bringing up children.  It is IMPORTANT!  It is our MINISTRY! 

*Moving to Oregon has been one of the best moves of our life.  Here is a list of the things that I love about Oregon:
--There are trees everywhere
--The cold tap water is really cold (where we used to live there was no such thing as cold water)
--There are lots of things for my children to do here
--Abundant nature walks
--Rain (although it isn't anything like we imagined, we expected way more rain by this point)
--Ministry opportunities
--Family

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• Nov. 12, 2006
children make me smile

We had told Grant (5yo) and Eli (3yo) to clean up a game and Grant said, "Well, but..." and my husband said, "No buts".  Grant said, "I didn't say butt" and I said said, "Yes, you did. You said, 'well, but...'"  Then very seriously Eli said, "Grant, did you say whale butt?"  Eric and I started laughing so hard.  So much for all of our hard work on potty talk! :)

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• Sep. 6, 2006
This is exactly how I feel

This was taken from my favorite homeschooling mother Sally Clarkson's blog.


August 31, 2006 - Starting off the new Year

Hi, Sweet Moms!

I have spent the last several weeks speaking at conferences. I constantly meet moms who are trying to homeschool the best way and be sure that their children get it "all". How blessed your children are to have you as their moms. However, I want to encourage each of you to relax. Homes have been the place where genius has been birthed, leaders have been made for thousands of years. It was because of the faithful mothers who have trained their children in character, given them chores to do, had discussions over the dinner meal, and read the Bible to their children. I feel so strongly that parents are so intent on getting the "best" experience in education, while not understanding that the most important aspect in a child's education is the mentoring and directing of the parents over the personality, influences, peer relationships, and character development.

So many moms have asked me, "Do you know about this or that two day a week school and how it works and if it will help my child educationally?" I have lived through three of my children graduating and I have seen amazing results in their lives even though we didn't have perfect schol days or have consistent schedules. (Seventeen moves, six times internationally, car accidents, illnesses, etc.) Yet, my children have scored at the top on their SAT's, received scholarships or pursued other areas in the arts and ministry where they were able to excell. What is the most important to me, though, is that, by God's grace, our children still love us and listen to us and love the Lord and are seeking Him.

I have been to several national and international leadership conferences in the past year and am sick to find out the statistics of the youth culture---79% of children who grew up in Christian homes leave their Christian faith when they go to college. The appalling statistics of youth who are still virgins by the age of 17 is beyond comprehension. These were just statistics to me until they started turning up in my basement--our kids rec room--friends of my children who had grown up in church and some in homeschool groups who were in tears, confessing to my boys that they were sleeping with their Christian girlfriends and didn't know how to stop and feeling guilty. With the rampant sexuality on tv and on the web and the immoral standards of movies, and the leisure time that children have with other children who are not monitored in their homes--and in your neighborhood, I must say---puts pressure on your children to want to conform and places temptation in their pathway. So the question of schools or not depends on what peers they will become heart connected to--what morals the people in the school have, how emotionally attatched they become to those in the school that could lead their heart astray.

In other words, focussing on educational classes primarily is, as I have said in my conferences, "straightening the picture on a wall of a house that is burning down."

Your goal in education is reaching their heart, filling their emotional cup, teaching them moral foundations, capturing their vision for life for the kingdom of God, teaching them what it looks like to walk through difficult times while holding tight to the hand of God. May God grant you understanding and faith to follow these paths and to raise up a strong generation for Him.

I will be adding more to my blog soon, but have been busy with my own children, seeking to build them into Godly leaders! (Besides moving to a new home and speaking in three conferences and finishing the edit on my book!) My precious children seem to need me as much now at 22, 20, 17 and 11 as they ever have, but I love seeing them growing and I love being the one to help inform their hearts in this time of adult making!

Blessings to each of you today as you plan your year.

Sally


Here is their website: www.wholeheart.org

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• Aug. 29, 2006
let's give this a try

Here is a link to the video we made. It is on our myspace acct. Please leave a comment if you watch it. We didn't make it too fancy because we had SO many pictures that we were trying to fit in, but we would definitely have more visual effects if we do our business.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1103027097

***EDIT be sure to turn up your speakers because there is music.

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• Aug. 28, 2006
Now that we live in a big city

My entrepenual mind is going crazy! I have so many ideas for little businesses! The thing I really want to do because I enjoy it so much is I want to make peoples pictures or videos into quality dvd's with music and captions that make it memorable. I have made one of my boys as a present for the grandparents and I had so much fun and that is when my husband suggested I should do it as a business and now that is truly a possibility. I want to try to figure out how to post the one I have made up here so you can tell me what you think and obviously I would buy more deluxe software so I could have more options and hopefully it would be easy to work with. Maybe I can post it on my myspace acct. I'll let you know when I get it all figured out.

On another note, Grant is not going to school. I had totally left it in God's hands instead of worrying about it and my father-in-law did get the discount so we thought okay we will just do it. They do a test for the kindergartners and we thought it was just to see where they are at so they know where they need to work with them during the school year. Nope, it was your typical put a kid in a box type of test. His average score was 4 and 1/2 years old and on some parts he got frustrated very easily. Well, that is part of his personality. He gets frustrated very easily. He had to draw a person and he only drew a face, 2 arms, 2 legs, hands and feet. He did't include a body so that showed he was at a 3 year old level. Um, hello, this little boy draws every day and he can draw a body. She did't feel like he was ready for Kindergarten. Afterwards, we were walking to the office and Grant said, "Mommy, that was fun. I got to hop on my foot 5 times, I got to draw Mr. Electric, but I couldn't count to 100." My boys had recently watched Shark boy and lava girl and Mr. Electric is exactly what Grant drew. Mr. Electric is a robot. Anyway, now 3 days later he can count to 100 because he has been randomly trying all weekend without our prompting. But I just feel like God took care of everything because now I can homeschool without the pressure of school weighing on me. God is good! ALL THE TIME!

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• Aug. 27, 2006
Survey taken from Avonlea

1. What are your siblings' MIDDLE names?
I have a half brother but I don't know what his middle name is. I have only met him once.

2. Where is your dad right now?
In Maryland

3. What was the last thing you said?
Good job mom (to my mother-in-law) because she decided to throw something away that would just be clutter and I am the de-cluttering queen!

4. What is something you've learned about yourself recently?
I am not like my father

5. What color is your watch?
pink

6. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Survivor

7. When was the last time you squatted to pee?
3 weeks ago when we were camping

8. Who do you like?
my husband's family

9. Are you close with your mom?
No.

10. Where does your best friend work?
SAHM

11. What is your least attractive feature?
my tummy

12. What do you smell like?
OM from the Gap. I just got it today and I LOVE IT!

13. What color are your pants?
khaki

14. Do you have a roommate?
My husband.

15. What color is your bedroom flooring?
tan

16. Do you have a chair in your bedroom?
yes. at my desk

17. What time of day were you born?
1 am

18. Do you know anyone who is engaged?
no

19. What's your favorite number?
I don't have one

20. Do you know anyone named Laurie?
Yes

21. What color is your mom's hair?
??????

22. Do you have a dog?
No, we are taking a pet break

24. What happened to you in 1993?
My high school sweetheart and I broke up.

25. Does your first memory involve your dad?
no

26. Do you remember singing any songs as kids?
yes and making up dances to them

27. When was the last time you went swimming?
in CA about a month ago

28. Has your luggage ever gotten lost?
No

29. When was the last time you talked to one of your siblings?
I just talked to my half brother about 2 weeks ago for the first time in 14 years

30. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
Yes, and I was a camp counselor

31. Do you play an instrument?
piano, but not very well

32. Have you ever thought it would be cool to smash a guitar?
Nope.

33. Do you like fire?
only if it's sitting around a campfire or at a fireplace

35. Are you allergic to anything?
supposedly penicillun but I don't know what would happen if I took it.

36. When was the last time you cried?
Last Sunday when I was missing my husband

37. What kind of shampoo do you use?
Biolage when I can get it at a discount

38. Have you ever been to a spa?
yes, for a massage like 5 years ago and I would like to do it again soon.

40. Did you take science all four years of high school?
no

41. Do you like butterflies?
Yes

42. What is the last book you read?
I don't remember, but right now I am doing the bible study by Beth Moore called "Breaking Free" and I am deep in the word. It is awesome!

43. Do you like Coke or Pepsi more?
Pepsi, but I love fresh brewed ice tea more than anything

44. What is one thing you miss about your past?
Time alone with my husband before kids. I don't miss anything from my childhood.

45. Did you ever see the school nurse?
Not if I could help it.

46. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher?
Yes, until I was in college and I started tutoring in the middle school.

47. What is one thing you've learned about life?
God is always there, we just need to notice.

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
not that I know of

49. Is anyone jealous of you?
Not that I know of.

50. Ever been stuck in an elevator?
no

51. What does your dad call you?
Bert (I hate it)

52. What does your mom call you?
Nothing, we don't talk.

53. What does you hair look like right now?
In a headband with some bangs pulled forward.

54. Do you have nice teeth?
They are straight but they have a couple of stains.

55. Has a friend ever used you?
I don't think so. If they did I really don't remember.

56. Ever been involved in a trial?
No

57. Has anyone recently told you that they like you for the first time?
No

58. What have you eaten today?
Not much, I am hungry.

59. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?
kind of wavy and straight. Today I was thinking about getting a perm.

60. Ever been called white trash?
No.

61. Who was the last person to drive with you?
Eric and Sawyer

62. What are you lookin forward to?
Grant's first soccer game in 2 weeks.

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• Aug. 22, 2006
here's a question

What is your goal in raising your children? What do you want to accomplish in raising them?

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• Aug. 22, 2006
Gag me with a spoon

Have you ever had one of those days where everything went wrong at the same time. I was making dinner (eggplant parmigiana--which is a process in itself) and Eli, my 3 year old was helping me. He had eggs and breadcrumbs all over his fingers and then Sawyer, my 16 month old proceeded to throw up at my feet and not even 30 seconds later, Grant my 5 yo spilled his drink all over the dining room floor. After the past 5 days I really feel like I am about to pull my hair out. Yesterday I had a migraine and I could hardly keep my left eye open and yes, I was still taking care of my kids. I don't know how not to. How do you keep your kids occupied when you need a rest. I feel tapped out. I have nothing left. I don't even know how I am writing this right now. Calgon take me away...oh wait, I don't have time to take a bath.

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• Aug. 21, 2006
Every day feels like a week

I miss my husband SO much! I feel incomplete without him. Not to mention that the boys have been disobeying. They know that something is amiss. It feels like he died in a way. My husband and I are thr type of people that we could work together every day and never get sick of each other. He will be back this week sometime.

Everything is going so good here. I got a membership at the children's museum so that is nice to be able to go there anytime for free now. I enrolled Grant in the afternoon kindergarten class but I am not enrolling Eli. I have peace about this. Grant started soccer and I noticed that in a group setting he does not pay attention to the coach and he really doesn't have many social graces. I think it will be very good for him to listen and pay attention in a group setting and then we can homeschool from 1st grade on.

I LOVE OREGON! It is so nice here. My boys love having things to do. I felt like I had a thousand things to write about but now my mind is blank. I really need to write here more often because I am always thinking of things I need to write about but I never have time to sit down and do it.

I did want to do this church survey that I read so I will do that right now. I will do it based on our church in CA since we haven't found a church home here yet.

Church Questionnaire
08/21/2006


1. How important are the following sources of authority in the worship and teaching of your church congregation? Explain.

· Scripture: The Bible, God's Word, is our source of life guidance and our final authority in a faith-filled Godly lifestyle.

· Historic creeds and traditions:

· the Holy Spirit: The "Promise of the Father" is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the restoration of the original relationship with God (lost in the garden), and the empowering and resourcing of each believer for a faithful witness and service through His gifts.


· Human reason and/or psychology: God first, but God has also given us doctors and medicine. Be led by the Spirit in everything.

· Personal experiences/testimonies: Very important because it testifies what God is doing.

· Christian-themed books or articles: We have cell groups (small groups) and most of them use christian-themed books)


2. How much does your congregation, in its sermons and education, emphasize the following personal practices? Explain.

· Family devotions: I have never heard that taught or encouraged

· Scripture reading and study: All the time

· Fasting: Very important

· Keeping the Sabbath: never talked about

· Abstinence from alcohol: never talked about

· Abstaining from premarital sex and/or premarital cohabitation: never talked about

· Displaying religious icons, symbols, objects, or pictures in the home: never talked about

***They never talk about these things because it is understood that we don't them.


3. Which ONE of the following three statements BEST describes your congregation?

A. Our congregation has [explicit/definite] expectations for members that are strictly enforced
B. Our congregation has moderately clear expectations for members, but the enforcement of these expectations is not very strict
C. Our congregation has only [implicit/vague] expectations for members that are seldom or rarely enforced.

I would say it is inbetween A & B

4. Regarding your above answer for #3, do you believe your church is biblical in its level of expectations and enforcement? Why or why not?

Definitely. They don't allow people who are willingly living in sinful situations serve in the church. They don't entertain sin and as far as enforcing they really didn't have to because our church just promotes God's best. People who aren't trying to live their lives for God don't feel comfortable at our church because they don't understand it. One of my friends who is kind of a wishy washy christian came to our church and she couldn't get out of there fast enough. Our church makes you want to grow closer to the Lord and you can't do that if you are knowingly sinning in your life.

5. Which ONE of the following statements BEST describe your church?

A. Our congregation is working for social and political justice.
B. Our congregation welcomes innovation and change.
C. Our congregation clearly expresses its denominational heritage.
D. Our congregation encourages the public expression of speaking in tongues.
E. Our congregation's programs and activities are well-organized and fun.
F. Our congregation has a strong ethnic, racial, or national heritage that it is trying to preserve.
G. Our congregation focuses on miracles and God's healing powers.
H. Our congregation helps members deepen their relationship with God.
I. Our congregation is a moral beacon for both its members and the community.
J. Our congregation encourages acceptance of homosexuality.
K. Our congregation has inspirational and uplifting worship services.
L. Our congregation practices discipleship and accountability.

If I have to choose one I would say H

6. What is your church congregation's view or practice regarding salvation? How does one become a Christian? Are there any necessary requirements that need to be met?

Salvation is through Jesus Christ. The only necessary requirement is to live what you believe.

7. When do you receive the Holy Spirit, according to your church? When you are saved.

8. What does your church teach regarding baptism? That it is critical. It is following God's word. Jesus was baptized and we should be also.

9. Does your church take Communion/The Lord's Supper? How often? Who can participate?

10. What does your church teach about the fate of non-Christians? They are going to hell

11. What does your church teach about tithing/monetary contribution? It is a command from God.


I loved our church so much in CA. I really hope we can find a church that is as good if not better here in OR.

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