Nov. 28, 2008 - Strained Relationships
I'm feeling *blue* today. Perhaps I ate too much yesterday? 
(Thanksgiving) Probably, but I don't think that's what's causing me to feel this way. Is it just me or are relationships hard?
There are some strained relationships in my life right now and I would love nothing more for Christmas than for God to repair those relationships. If you're reading this, will you pray for me today? Although I cannot control the feelings and/or actions of others, I can work on controlling my own. But I need to know what the Lord wants me to *do*, if anything. I always feel as though I have to *do* something to fix things (and other people?). Hmmm... Could that be contributing to the problem?
I am by nature an emotional person (it's inherited 
) and I have an incredible desire to please people. But of course everyone is not pleased with me all the time. It's even a ridiculous idea, now that I think about it, that anyone could possibly please all people at all times. So why does it bother me so? I'll tell you why! If I give 100% of myself and it is still not enough for some people, it upsets me. It's like saying that MY BEST is just NOT GOOD ENOUGH. How much more can I give than my all? But it is one thing if they are not pleased with me; it is quite another to always let it be known that they are not pleased. After a while, I figure it's best to spend as little time around them as possible. Then comes time for family gatherings and I don't know what to *do*. Is it best to attend with everyone miserable? Is it best to decline? *Sigh*
Is it just me or are relationships hard?
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Nov. 22, 2008 - Romans chapter 1
The church I attend recently had a revival service at which the guest preacher used Romans 1:18-32 as his text. A fellow church member and homeschooler posted a comment about the sermon on our local homeschool email loop and sparks flew! The discussion touched on racism and slavery then turned into an ugly debate about abortion. I should probably add that said sermon was delivered on election night, as was the original post, which only added fuel to the fire because of opposing views on both abortion and the outcome of the election. The original post, by the way, made no mention of racism, slavery, or abortion. Likewise, I do not intend to talk of those things in this particular post. Since that discussion, I have read and re-read Romans 1:18-32 several times. I would like to talk about what I have been thinking about this passage of scripture which, in my Bible, is titled "God's Wrath on Unrighteousness".
First of all, let it be known that I believe that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and that we are to love one another (1 John 4:11, 20-21; Matthew 22:39). God certainly proved His love for us when He gave His Son (John 3:16) and I believe that Jesus displayed love and compassion during His earthly ministry and that we are to follow His example. With that said, we cannot get around the fact that Romans 1:18 says "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men..." The remainder of the text (thru verse 32) goes on to list a number of actions which brought on the wrath of God and "...that those who practice such things are worthy of death..." as are those who know "the righteous judgment of God" and "approve of those who practice them". Three times in the NKJV (in this text) it is stated that "God gave them up" or "God gave them over" ; to uncleanness, to vile passions, to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting, etc. This text is often used to point out that homosexuality is a sin (v. 26-27) and also any sexual immorality and murder (v. 29). What has caught my attention in this passage, however, are some of the other actions that are listed so I would like to point them out, along with the definitions of some from Webster's 1828 Dictionary.
Let's begin with "covetousness" which is defined as "A strong or inordinate desire of obtaining and possessing some supposed good; usually in a bad sense, and applied to an inordinate desire of wealth or avarice." "Inordinate" can be defined as excessive. "Avarice" is the same as covetousness. So I will define covetousness as greed.
Next, "maliciousness" (malicious): "Proceeding from extreme hatred or ill will".
"Full of envy": "Pain, uneasiness, mortification or discontent excited by the sight of another's superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed. Envy springs from pride, ambition or love, mortified that another has obtained what one has a strong desire to possess." More definitions of envy are "rivalry; competition; malice".
"Strife": "Exertion or contention for superiority; contest of emulation, either by intellectual or physical efforts. Contention in anger or enmity; contest; struggle for victory; quarrel or war. Opposition."
"Deceit": "The leading of another person to believe what is false, or not to believe what is true, and thus to ensnare him; fraud; fallacy; cheat."
"Whisperers": "One who tells secrets; a backbiter; one who slanders secretly."
"Backbiters": "One who slanders, calumniates or speaks ill of the absent." In case you are like me and don't know what "calumniates" means, it is "to charge falsely and knowingly with a crime or offense; to propagate evil reports with a design to injure the reputation of another."
As much as I want to keep going, I have got to get going instead! Duty calls! I'll continue on another post.
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Oct. 22, 2008 - TOS Holiday e-book
Did you ever dream of getting a horse for Christmas? You can get a sneak peek of our Fall issue and see Nancy Carter's first horse! Oh, and she's not the only one sharing her childhood pictures. You'll see photos from the 50's through the 80's.
But, you'll need the Fall issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to go on this walk down memory lane.
Plus, do you like to create holiday memories? The brand new TOS holiday E-Book can be yours, too. It's all about the fall and winter holidays - mainly Thanksgiving and Christmas. But it's not even for sale yet. This is your chance to get it first - for FREE ($12.45 value)!
Normally when a person subscribes, their subscription starts with the upcoming issue which can take a while. But, TOS thought about that when they planned their Fall Special.
If you subscribe now with their Fall Special, you'll get
Almost 50% off the cover price for 2 years
The current Fall issue as soon as it is ready
6 Bonus gifts
12 months of Teacher's Toolbox, which contains a FREE E-Book every month
PLUS, the new E-Book, Homespun Holidays for FREE!
This is over $250 worth of product for only $39!!
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
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Oct. 22, 2008 - Finishing it
We finished reading the book, Created for Work by Bob Schultz and it was just wonderful. My husband and I enjoyed it so much that he says we are going to read through it again. The last chapter is titled "Finish It" and it was very convicting for me. It was about the importance of completing a job. Unfortunately, it is known around my home that I love to start new projects but I often do not finish them. I'm not sure what happens, really. I start out excited about doing something new and different then I just fizzle out. The chapter titled, "Maintenance" would apply here, also. But back to the final chapter. He reminds us that Jesus' last words were, "It is finished". Jesus had a job to do and He did it. Completely. The book reads, "Aren't you glad that Jesus didn't work halfheartedly at saving you from sin? We have confidence that He is able to save us to the uttermost because He finishes what He starts." (Thank you, Jesus!) So that's my newest goal. I am going to set out to complete some unfinished projects and not start any new ones until I am done!
Now, where do I begin?
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Oct. 18, 2008 - Snowman
This is our cat, Snowman. The best cat in the whole world 
. He's just a big, sweet ball of fur!
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Oct. 18, 2008 - Levi's Birthday
Our youngest son, Levi, is now 11 years old! Where have all my babies gone?!
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Oct. 18, 2008 - Kyle's Birthday
My son, Kyle, turned 14 this year!
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Oct. 18, 2008 - Kara's Birthday
This is my daughter, Kara, the day she turned 19 years old!
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Oct. 7, 2008 - Over the Weekend
Well, we had planned to go to the harvest festival at Homestead Hollow on Friday but, unfortunately, those plans fell through. It just didn't seem to be a good day for anyone in our small group to go. The kids were disappointed, of course, that they had to do schoolwork instead of taking a field trip but it was a good life-lesson. Sometimes things just don't work out the way we plan, right? We will try to make the Christmas in the Country festival in November.
Saturday was a beautiful day for soccer. Levi's team played early and Kyle's game was postponed so we had the rest of the day free. I baked a cake from scratch for my husband's birthday and, I have to admit, it turned out great! It was a cocoa cake with cocoa fudge frosting. Yummm!
I went by myself to check out our new Books-a-Million at the Mall Saturday evening and I had such a great time. I just lost all track of time and ended up spending about three hours there. I could have stayed another three hours but I received two calls from home while I was there so I thought I should go. I'll save the rest of the store for another day. Coffee and books just go so well together! 
Sunday was my husband's birthday and we celebrated by going out to eat after church. It was a nice, although busy, day. We also attended a funeral that afternoon for a member of our church. As of last weekend, he and his sweet wife had been married for 67 years! That's commitment! I think she will be lonely now that her husband is gone. Can you imagine taking care of someone for 67 years and then, one day, they're gone? 
Until next time...
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Oct. 2, 2008 - Books We're Reading
We've been reading aloud each night from the book, Created for Work by Bob Schultz and it is wonderful! Although it was written primarily with young men in mind, it is full of valuable lessons for Mom and Dad, and even daughters. Last night's reading was about "The Plumbline". The author talks about how this simple tool is so valuable to builders and that as Christians, we too have "a plumb line that determines whether our affairs are upright before God." This tool, of course, is the Bible. I highly recommend this book as a read aloud in your home, especially if you have young men.
My husband and I are in Week 5 of a 10-week financial Bible study. We are participating in a Crown Financial life group at our church. If you've never heard of this, I would encourage you to visit the Crown Financial Ministries website at www.crown.org to learn more. This study uses the book, Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton. The book itself can stand alone, however, the workbook and the small group study make it even better. We have daily homework and meet with our group weekly. Each week a different topic is studied: debt, counsel, giving, work, etc. We are also working on a spending plan, debt elimination plan, etc. using forms that are provided. Having the weekly assignments helps to keep the tasks from being completely overwhelming. Did you know that there are more than 2,350 verses in the Bible related to money and possessions? I haven't counted them, and don't plan to, so I'm going to take Howard Dayton's word for it! How we handle the resources God gives us must be pretty important if He has so much to say about it, and we are learning that HIS way is NOT society's way.
Last night I checked out a book by Tracie Peterson from our church's library. It is a contemporary fiction novel titled, Where My Heart Belongs. I got started on it last night and it's already good!
Well, it looks like I have a lot of reading to do tonight so I better get off this computer now and get some work done!
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Oct. 1, 2008 - My family and me
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Oct. 1, 2008 - October!
Today is the first day of October 2008 and it is a beautiful day in Alabama! It is currently sunny and around 65 degrees. Today should be in the mid-seventies. I love it! We still have some hot days to go, but hopefully not too many more.
This past weekend we celebrated our youngest son's birthday and this weekend we will celebrate my husband's birthday. That'll be it for our birthdays for this year so we'll begin thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Food, family, gatherings, and gifts. Then the school year will be half over! Time really does fly by, doesn't it? For now I will try to enjoy the nice autumn weather because it, too, goes quickly.
Some friends and I are planning to take our boys to the harvest festival at Homestead Hollow on Friday. We've been studying pioneers and the 1800's using the Prairie Primer so this will be a great field trip. The festival features handmade crafts and pioneer demonstrations. I would love to have a craft that I'm really good at so that I could set up a booth there someday. Here's a link if you want to check it out: http://www.homesteadhollow.com/main.html
