TOP 5 REASONS NOT TO SEND YOUR KIDS BACK TO GOVERNMENT SCHOOL

Voddie strikes again!!! I just LOVE the teachings of Voddie Baucham and how he boldly speaks the truth. Here is an excellent post from his blog titled "TOP FIVE REASONS NOT TO SEND YOUR KIDS BACK TO GOVERNMENT SCHOOL". To read the post, click here.

While we're on the same topic, here is another post by Katie from Not My Own titled "More Reasons to Homeschool".

His Glory and Sovereignty

My dear friend Sable posted the poem on her blog, www.deosoligloria.blogspot.com I liked it so much I wanted to share it.

Lord Jesus Christ, be present now,

Our hearts in true devotion bow;

Thy Spirit send with grace divine,

And let Thy truth within us shine.

Unseal our lips to sing Thy praise;

Our souls to Thee in worship raise;

Make strong our faith, increase our light,

That we my Thy Name aright:

Until we join the hosts that cry 'Holy art Thou, O Lord most high!'

And in the light of that blest place

For e're behold Thee face to face.

Glory to God the Father, Son, And Holy Spirit,

Three in One! To Thee, O blessed Trinity,

Be praise throughout eternity

Anonymous

Don’t Spend Today’s Bread on Tomorrow

Kelly from Generation Cedar wrote a wonderful post today. Her blog is one of my favorites.

I love when the Lord uses the simplest of things to reveal the profoundest of truths…as He did this morning while visiting my parents’ church.

A man sang a beautiful, solemn version of The Lord’s Prayer–one of my favorite songs–familiar words we’ve spoken thousands of times. And yet, as soon as he sang the words, “Give us this day, our daily bread”…tears welled up in my eyes.

“How often I’m not content with daily bread?”

Click here to read the rest: http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2009/06/dont-spend-todays-bread-on-tomorrow.html

Beautiful Quotes

IS MOST HOLY. YOU ARE FASHIONING THE DESTINIES OF IMMORTAL SOULS. THE POWERS FOLDED UP IN THE LITTLE ONES THAT YOU HUSHED TO SLEEP IN YOUR BOSOMS LAST NIGHT, ARE POWERS THAT SHALL EXIST FOREVER. YOU ARE PREPARING THEM FOR THEIR IMMORTAL DESTINY AND INFLUENCE. BE FAITHFUL. TAKE UP YOUR SACRED BURDEN REVERENTLY. BE SURE THAT YOUR LIFE IS SWEET AND CLEAN.--JR MILLER

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." --Lydia Sherman

"A gentle and quiet spirit is not only imperishable; it is precious in the sight of God. It's also one of the hardest qualities to cultivate. Far from a sign of weakness, a gentle and quiet spirit is the sign of a woman who is strong in faith, mind and character." --Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin

"Thank God, O women, for the quietude of your home, and that you are queen it it. Men come at eventide to the home; but all day long you are there , beautifying it, sanctifying it, adorning it, blessing it. Better be there than wear a queen's coronet. Better be there than carry the purse of a princess. It may be a very humble home. There may be no carpet on the floor. There may be no pictures on the wall. There may be no silks in the wardrobe; but, by your faith in God, and your cheerful demeanor, you may garniture that place with more splendor than the upholsterer's hand ever kindled." ---Reverend T. DeWitt Talmage, D.D

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is place in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no others hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller

"A true wife makes a man's life nobler, stronger, grander, by the omnipotence of her love 'turning all the forces of manhood upward and heavenward.' While she clings to him in holy confidence and loving dependence she brings out in him whatever is nobles and richest in his being. She inspires him with her courage and earnestness. She beautifies his life. She softens whatever is rude and harsh in his habits or his spirit. She clothes him with the gentler graces of refined and cultured manhood. While she yields to him and never disregards his lightest wish, she is really his queen, ruling his whole life and leading him onward and upward in every proper path. -JR Miller

The Comfort and Encouragement of Brotherly Love

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 1:22-25

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:1-11

The Story of Isaiah 40

After announcing comfort, the ending of warfare, iniquity pardoned, the prophetic announcement of the coming Messiah and all flesh seeing Him, the Lord reminds these people of he difference between the power of men and the power of God.

Into that overwhelming discouragement, the Lord speaks reminding the people of His power even in the face of seemingly unstoppable superpowers...He is God.

The Relevance of Isaiah 40 in 1 Peter 1:22-25.

We, the people of God, by our birth as new creatures in Christ, are now strangers and exiles in this world, and we can also find ourselves discouraged if we do not stay focused on our God and His unchanging decrees.

We wait for the coming of our Lord, confident that He will return, tend his flock like a shepherd, gather the lambs in his arms, carry them in his bosom, and gently leads them.

As those not belonging to this world, we remember that regardless of what man may say, it is the Lord's Word that stands and controls our lives.

How does this passage relate to brotherly love?

Because we are strangers to this world, members of the Kingdom, and a true ethnicity of God, we have much more in common with the people of god than we do the people of the world.

As the body of Christ, we comfort and encourage the people of God with the Word of God.

The Word preached to us is the Word of God in which He has decreed full and final salvation when we will be sinless and perfect brothers and sisters in Christ.

...while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel."

Ex. 19:3-6

Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you.

Deut. 11:16-17

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Gal. 5:19-24

...since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God

1 Peter 1:23

The Command of Brotherly Love

A continuation of our church study on "brotherly love".

The Command of Brotherly Love

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

1 Peter 1:22-25

Brotherly Love is the Hallmark of a Believer.

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 13:35

Because of the purifying work of God brought about in our salvation we are now able to obey the command of brotherly love.

The very reason that genuine brotherly love can be a proof of discipleship is because it is only possible because of the transforming, purifying work of the Spirit of God in the heart of believers.

...remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,

because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. Timothy 1:3-5

Brotherly love is evidence of being of God and knowing God.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

Brotherly love is evidence of being a child of God.

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:10

Brotherly love is the evidence of God abiding in us.

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

1 John 3:14

Brotherly love is the proof that we genuinely love God.

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1 John 4:20

Brotherly love must be carefully guarded.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Heb 10:24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Heb 10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:23-25

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. Hebrews 10:32-39

Because brotherly love is a mark of true discipleship, it will be one of the first actions abandoned and discarded by false believers in times of oppositions and especially as the coming of Christ draws nearer. True believers must be even more careful that their love for each other be vibrant and strong in these times of opposition as living proof of their commitment to Christ and His body.

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:9-12

To listen to the sermon in it's entirety, click here: http://www.crossroadsfamily.org/531091PeterCh1Vs22thru25TheCommandOfBrotherlyLove.mp3

A Fun Quiz

TAG....YOU'RE IT!!!!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~FOOD-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is your salad dressing of choice? RANCH
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? MARIE LIVINGSTON'S (TALLAHASSEE), PERICOS (WIGGINS), MIKE ANDERSON'S (GONZALES)

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? FRIED CHICKEN
What are your pizza toppings of choice? CANADIAN BACON, ITALIAN SAUSAGE, GRILLED CHICKEN
What do you like on your toast? BUTTER OR PEANUT BUTTER

Chocolate or Vanilla? CHOCOLATE

~~~~~~~~~~~~TECHNOLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
How many televisions are in your house? TWO
What color cell phone do you have? REDDISH

Do you have a laptop? NO

~~~~~~~~~~~~BIOLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you right-handed or left-handed? RIGHT
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? TONSIL ES, WARTS, MOLES
What is the last heavy item you lifted? WAL-MART BAGS
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? NEVER

~~~~~~~~~~~~DUMBOLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? 2
Last person you talked to on the phone? HUBBY
Last person you hugged? HUBBY

~~~~~~~~~~~~FAVORITE-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~
Season? FALL
Holiday? CHRISTMAS
Day of the week? SUNDAY
Month? NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER

~~~~~~~~~~~~CURRENT-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~

Missing someone? MY FRIEND GWYNNE
Mood? CONTENT
What are you listening to? HUBBY
Watching? COMPUTER SCREEN
Worrying about? PERSONAL

~~~~~~~~~~~~RANDOM-OLOGY~~~~~~~~~~~~

First place you went this morning? BATHROOM
What's the last movie you saw? THE ADVENTURES OF OCIEE NASH
Do you smile often? YES
Do you always answer your phone? ONLY IF I KNOW WHO IS CALLING
If you could change your eye color what would it be? GREEN
What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? NONE
Do you own a digital camera? YES
Have you ever had a pet fish? YES
Favorite Christmas song(s)? OH, HOLY NIGHT AND TOO MANY OTHERS

What's on your wish list for your birthday ? LORD WILLING, TO CELEBRATE ANOTHER BIRTHDAY
Can you do push-ups? PROBABLY NOT
Can you do a chin up? PROBABLY NOT

Does the future make you more nervous or excited? NEITHER REALLY, I'M CONTENT WITH TODAY AND AM NOT PROMISED TOMORROW
Do you have any saved texts? YES
Ever been in a car wreck? A FEW
Do you have an accent? I DON'T THINK SO, BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD SO
What was the last song to make you cry? CAN'T REMEMBER
Plans tonight? STAY HOME, MY FAVORITE PLACE
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? YES
Have you ever been given roses? YES

Met someone who changed your life? TIM BUSH WAS THE FIRST PERSON WHO WITNESSED TO ME; AND OF COURSE MY HUBBY, GRACE RAYBURN, GWYNNE LAW & RENEE SANDERS. THEY WERE ALL INSTRUMENTS USED BY CHRIST. SO TECHNICALLY IT WAS JESUS CHRIST WHO CHANGED ME LIFE.
How did you bring in the new year? AT OUR HOUSE WITH NEARLY OUR ENTIRE CHURCH FAMILY; IT WAS AWESOME!
What song represents you? THIS ONE WILL TAKE SOME MORE THOUGHT
Would you go back in time if you were given a chance? I THINK SO...ONLY IF I COULD COME BACK.
Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? UNFORTUNATELY MORE THAN ONE PERSON

Do you have any tattoos/piercings? YES
What songs do you sing in the shower? DON'T
Ever had someone sing to you? YES
Do you like to cuddle? YES
How fast can you run? NO
Have you held hands with anyone today? NO
Who was the last person you took a picture of? HOME SCHOOL FIELD TRIP GROUP
What kind of music did you sing in elementary school? THAT WAS TOO LONG AGO TO REMEMBER
Are most of the friends in your life new or old? A GOOD MIX OF BOTH
Do you like pulpy orange juice? OH YEAH

What is something your friends make fun of you for? DON'T KNOW
Have you ever ridden a elephant? NO
Do you like to play Scrabble? YES
What are you saving your money up for right now? FAMILY VACATION
When is the last time you ate peanut butter & jelly? HAD PB & J TOAST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO
What were you doing at 12am last night? SNOOZING
What was the first thing you thought when you woke up? IS THAT REALLY THE ALARM CLOCK I HEAR