Wednesday, April 27, 2011

What I've Been Reading

I love reading but sometimes it seems like I have no time
 for any reading other than my Bible.  This week though I was able to fit a couple of books in.


'Unplanned' was a eye opening story of Planned Parenthood
 and the workings there.  I have always heard of Planned Parenthood but never really looked into what it was about or what they did there. 
Abby Johnson gave a powerful testimony of how she got involved and stayed in Planned Parenthood for many years and what happened to turn her to make her totally turn away from there and join the Coalition for Life.  I have always been against abortion but this really opened my eyes to the damage that abortion causes.  I also loved how she testified that a soft kind word were more of a tool than harsh, ugly tactics in the fight to save unborn babies lives.

"Murder By Family' was a strong and emotional story of the murder of Kent Whitaker's family.  His wife and youngest son were murdered while he and his oldest son were badly injured.  After several years of investigations, the police arrested his son as the mastermind behind the murders.  The book was a awesome testimony of God moving in Kent's life and helping him to fogive all those that were invovled and standing behind his son through the trail.  You can feel his love, compassion and forgiveness throughout the book.  It made me look at myself and question whether I am forgiving the way God wants me too or hanging on to my bitterness.  Just a great book!

Of course this week I also read Colleen Coble's new book, 'The Lightkeeper's Ball'.  It was nice to have such a lazy week and be able to read all these but now I really need to dedicate myself to finishing up wedding invitations and the quilt I'm doing for the wedding! 


Monday, April 25, 2011

A Day Off?

After a long exhausting day yesterday,
 no one wanted to get up this morning.


Mason was dragging his feet as he did not want to go to work this morning.  He got new hours this week and was not excited about going to work all morning and into the afternoon and then having to come home and do school.   All through school we have stuck to a pretty strict schedule and never schooled past noon or at the latest, one, and schooling all afternoon just seems wrong to him. 
After praying with him he was out the door to begin his day.

Chep woke up this morning and announced that he was taking the day off.  We made plans to go birthday shopping for Mason but then Chep remembered that the church was having a phone tech come out today to change phone services.  No big deal as the tech was supposed to be here between 8 and noon, so we waited.  And waited and waited and waited!  Eventually Chep sent me to the grocery store to grab meat for dinner while he called to see where the tech was.  After a couple hours on the phone and many calls later he was able to fix a problem that had arisen with the phone transfer.  Of course by that time Mason was home so we put off our shopping trip for another day.


A couple of our church kids came over this afternoon with trees that they had been given at school.  Their homework was to plant them somewhere where they could watch them grow and they wanted to plant them on the church property.  Such sweet boys!


The boys were so excited to plant them and we all are excited to see them grow!  Mason finished school by five and we went to the park for a walk.  Not much for a day off but we were glad to get out and enjoy the beautiful evening.





Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

What a wonderful day we had today. 
A very long day and I am totally exhausted but it was wonderful!  We started with our sunrise services at 6 am.  Since it was drizzling and snowing out and the sky was cloudy we had services inside.  It was a wonderful way to start the day by the reading of the resurrection story and singing hymns.  One of the men in our church shared his testimony with us and it was awesome!  After the sunrise service we had a huge breakfast.  Good food and even better fellowship!


For Jr. Church I taught the resurrection story and we made
resurrection rolls.  The kids took a marshmallow to represent Jesus,
rolled the marshmallow in butter and then sugar and spices and wrapped the marshmallow in a crescent roll (the tomb).  We then baked them and when they came out of the oven the kids were amazed! 
The rolls were empty!


We had a little time left so we made a craft out of foam pieces that pictured the empty tomb and said  "He Lives"


 We had a lot of visitors in the main worship services. 
It was so exciting to see so many new faces!  After services we had two baptisms and a family join the church.


Also after services we had a photographer there to take pictures of everyone that attended services.  The photographer did a wonderful job and we are excited to see how the pictures turn out.


For night services we had a Song and Praise service and it was good to sit and listen to everyone share the goodness of God.   Praising God for the wonderful day He gave us and letting us serve him another day!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Easter Object Lesson

This the object lesson we did last night for Bible Adventures.  Of course when Fireman Joe found out we were lighting a match to light the candle he kept blowing it out.  He does not want us playing with fire at all! 

First, here are the things you need.


A plate or saucer, a coin, a candle, matches, cup of colored water (any color can be used), and a clear drinking glass.  Tell the kids that you are going to explain what happened at the cross. 


Hold the penny up and tell the kids that the penny represents us.  Place the penny on the plate toward the side.  Now take the colored water which represents sin.



Pour the colored water over the coin until it is submerged, just as in life we are covered with sin.  Experiment with the water to see how much to put on the plate for the experiment to work right.  Next take the white candle that represents Jesus and put it in the middle of the plate.



Light the candle, the flame represents the life of Christ.  Tell the children to watch carefully as you take the glass and put it over the lighted candle.





Within a few seconds, the flame will consume all the oxygen in the glass and be extinguished.  However, it will have created a vacuum which, in turn will draw the water up inside the glass (thus surrounding the candle) and leave the coin dry.  Tell the kids that on the cross Jesus gave up his life (the flame went out) so that he could take our sins on Himself and we could be free.  A great illustration as you present
 the gospel and give a salvation invitation.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Best Friends


My husband is an animal lover and has always wanted a white cat with gray markings.  He was so excited when his parents called and said they had the perfect kitten.  Remington is such a cuddle bug and loves to be held and loved.  When we brought him into the house, the other cats who are much, much older would have nothing to do with him and actually spat and clawed at him whenever he would go near them.  After learning the other cats hated him, he turned to the dogs for friendship.  Our little pug loves him and plays with him for hours and whenever Remington gets tired, you can find him cuddled up with the Great Dane.  They are just such adorable friends!


Sunday, April 17, 2011

Sunday Salvation!

Ray Shawn and his wife Candance have been visiting our church for several weeks.  Rayshawn came forward during the invitation this morning and gave his life to God!  So exciting to see a new life in Christ!

How Much Can You Fit in a Saturday???

This Saturday was so busy for us!   At 8 am the men gathered for their weekly Saturday morning Bible study and then at 9 am all the other church members arrived to do our church spring cleaning.





As the women and girls deep cleaned the inside of the church, the men and boys worked outside digging to find a leak in the water line.



We were able to finish everything by 1 pm and everyone
went home to shower and get a few things done before
coming back for an afternoon wedding.


Pam did a wonderful job making the cake, it was beautiful! 
And of course Michelle was a lovely bride.


 
It was a beautiful wedding and Julian and Michelle
are so happy to be married!

After the wedding and reception and then doing a quick cleanup we ran across town to the Civic Center where the symphony was putting on Handels' Messiah.  It was an awesome night and wonderful to hear our Lord and Savior lifted up in music.  It was also a wonderful to spend time enjoying it with our church family!




It was a very busy day but we loved every minute of it! 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Bible Adventures

Bible Adventures is our midweek Bible Club for the kids
and we are having such fun this year!



The theme for this year is "Saved" and we are focusing on how sin is a fire in our lives and the only thing that can help us fight the fire of sin is God and the Bible.  Everyone loves Fireman Joe, as all the kids have to do is yell 'FIRE' and Fireman Joe pops up and sprays water at everyone.  Each week we have puppets skits, a nerd skit, memorize verses and hear a Bible story.  We are working on memorizing Romans chapter 5 and also verses that go along with the Bible story we hear every week. 
Every year I change the prizes and the method by which the kids
 can earn prizes for the verses they say. 
This year we have five bins full of fun prizes.


If they memorize one verse they get a small piece of candy
out of the first bin.


If they memorize two verses they get one piece of candy out of the first bin and one thing out of the second bin.  The second bin has small novelty stuff that I get from Oriental Trading or the Dollar Store.


For memorizing three verses they get one thing from each of the first three bins and then it goes the same way if they memorize four or five verses. The third bin is filled with fun sized candy bars.


The fourth bin has an assortment of larger novelty items and also granola bars, crackers and fruit-by-the foot.


And then our fifth bin is filled with popcorn and cookie packs, gum and pop and whatever else I find on sale. 


The main point is that each bin has bigger and better stuff in it.  If the kids want the bigger stuff they really have to work to get it.  For verses, I really expect the kids to have them memorized.  The teens help listen to verses but they only give the kids one help per verse.  In Psalm 119:11, it says that we are to hide God's Word in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him.  We are trying to teach the kids now, the importance of memorizing and memorizing each verse the way it is written in the Bible.


For our verse wall this year, we have a fire painted in the middle of the wall with each kids name on a square off to the sides.  For every verse they say they get a small square next to their name.  We end this year's Bible Adventures the last Wedneday of May and they will get a special prize for the number of verses they have said during the Club year. 

Monday, April 4, 2011

A Few Hours Away

After a busy morning of running errands and checking up on a few of our church members that have been sick, my sweet husband told us to get in the car because we were going to take some time off.  My dear husband is always working and at times it seems we get very little family time, so we were so excited to get away for a few hours!  We drove south about 45 minutes and found a neat little Nature Area that we could walk around.  The air still had a little chill to it, but the sun was out and it was so nice to hike and do a little exploring.  Ever since Chandler and Mason have been little they have loved taking walks and finding sticks.  I remember them collecting so many sticks in their hands that they could barely carry them.  Some things never change, and as we walked Mason was on the look out for sticks to play with, the sticks were just a bit bigger this time.  I guess it's a boy thing!




It was a wonderful place and we will definitely come back after it warms up and spend more time exploring the area.

For dinner we enjoyed a treat at Five Guys Burgers.  It was a splurge as our diets do not allow burgers and fries but it was nice to sit and enjoy some good laughs and family time.  One reason we love Five Guys is the fries!  They use only Idaho potatoes and you know we LOVE Idaho potatoes!  Today they were not only from Idaho, but from Blackfoot ID, the town we just moved from.  Just a little taste of home!



Sunday, April 3, 2011

Sunday School Behavior Motivator

Whereas we had a full day of sun yesterday, this morning we awoke to snow!  By the time church got out, we had several inches!
Today was a very hectic day in Jr. Church.  The teacher for the 3rd through 6th grade was sick so I combined my class with hers and we had 2 year olds up to 12 year olds.  This week started spring break for the schools so we were actually way down in numbers, which was actually a blessing.  We had several little ones that did not want to sit still and did not want to listen and it was very disrupting!



I taught the first of the Easter story today, the Triumphantal Entry.  For our craft we made donkey puppets out of paper bags.  It was very hectic, so I did not have time to grab the camera and snap any pictures. 

Today I used my gumball machine for a behavior motivator.


I told the class that the two boys and the two girls who behaved the best, sitting still, listening and obeying would get a gumball.  I asked my helpers to watch and at the end of class those kids came up to get a gumball.  Before they turned the machine knob, they tried to guess what color gumball would come out.  Then they turned the knob and the gumball came out.  If they guess the right color, they then get to get a prize out of the treasure chest.  If they guess the wrong color, they still got to keep the gumball.  I fill the treasure chest with all kinds of things I find at the dollar store.  Stuffed animals, jump ropes, cars, puzzles, markers and other various items that the kids love.


When I tell the kids that I am watching carefully for my gumball winner, you see the kids sit up straight and put their hands in their laps.  It really works well and the kids always ask as soon as they come to class if we're doing the gumball machine today.  I do not use it every week, but on weeks that I feel the kids are more hyper and need
a little more motivation to sit still. 

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Saturday Work Day

I got my first sunburn of the year today!
Today we were invited out to house of one our older couples.


The Harvey's are a wonderful couple that used to attend the church
here years ago before moving to Montana.  They have been here for the last month cleaning their old house and getting it ready to rent out again.  They told us that if the church people came and picked up all the wood and metal on the property, we could have what we collected and they would also give money to the building fund. 
How could we refuse such an offer!  The metal was collected a few weeks ago and then we headed out today to gather the wood.
 It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine and wind and we had a wonderful time as we worked and fellowshipped together.







I got a text from Saraina today that as she and her friends were driving to do their bus visitaion, they were in a accident.  We are praising God that none of the girls were hurt and that there were no damage to the vehicle.  Only 43 more days and we will be leaving to pick up Chandler and Saraina from college.  Looking forward to having them home!