Prayer for love, knowledge, and righteousness

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless until the day of
Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and
praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11

Paul wrote these words to "all the saints in Christ
Jesus at Philippi" (verse 1). His prayer was that
through the love they received from God, that they
would abound in love. This would make it possible to:

1. grow in knowledge (God's knowledge)
2. have deeper insight (only comes from the Holy
Spirit)
3. have discernment of what is best
4. be pure
5. be blameless (living a life that honors God)
6. live a righteous life (choosing right)

He says that all of this comes through Jesus Christ.
Apart from Jesus, we can only try to make these things
happen but we will fail. When we allow Jesus to
be the Lord of our lives, these all are possible.

The entire reason is summed up in the last part of
these verses. All of this is to bring praise and
glory to God. The Holy Spirit helps us, Jesus intercedes
for us and God receives the glory!

Let's apply these verses to our lives and pray this
prayer for those around us. This should be our desire
until we meet God face to face!

Yanks Air Museum Field Trip

We went to the Yanks Air Museum just down the street
from our house for a field trip. It was on a Saturday
so even "Dad" was able to go! The boys were so happy
to have him there and so was I! I could just see it-
my boys sneaking into one of the planes and trying
to fly away! Luckily, they behaved very well and were
stuck to Dad's side!

Right from the start, Luke was on Tommy's shoulders,
Drew was on his lap and Jake was sitting next to him.

He couldn't walk around without one of the boys asking
to be held or put on his shoulders. It was a nice
break for me!

Our tour guide was George (in the 1st picture) but
his son wanted to teach us too. He is only 7 years
old and is full of knowledge about World War II
planes!

The artwork on the nose of the planes was very interesting.

We found out that they paint training planes yellow
so they can find them if they need to rescue somebody

We learned a lot- way more than I can remember. It will
be a field trip we will take many times, I'm sure.

The whole group: many who homeschool and most go to
our church. George, our tour guide, loves Jesus and talked
all about it. He made sure that the kids knew that
even though some teachers in school teach about evolution,
they need to know that it is not a fact since they can't
prove it. The Bible is God's Word and that is the truth
that we compare everything to. He made sure that they
understood that a relationship with Jesus is most
important. I love the fact that he could take his
passion for teaching about planes and war and his
love for God and combine them into sharing truth with
others. It was an encouragement!

The family (a little blurry)

The one fact that stuck with me: 1903 was the 1st
powered flight by the Wright Brothers (meaning
the first flight that could be controlled and
moved to the right or to the left). At least I
learned one thing!

Gods wants to move In you and Through You

No matter if you think you can't make it
happen all by yourself

Or if you think I'm just about ready to get going,

Or if you are moving with a little help. . .

No matter whether you're moving along at
a slow but steady pace,

Or if you're speeding along. . .


God wants to help you. God wants to
move IN you and THROUGH you. He has
plans for you! He just needs you to
trust Him and let Him lead the WAY!
Don't miss out on the greatest experience
of life. . .being smack in the middle
of God's will for your life!

Light in the midst of the storm

About a year ago, I was driving to our church
and it started pouring rain. I mean POURING,
or you could say DUMPING rain on our car. I
was with my boys and I was at a stop light with
both hands gripping the steering wheel, wanting
to get to our destination safe and sound. It
was the kind of rain where you can't see out
your window even with the windshield wipers on
full speed.

We prayed that we would be safe and as we
turned down the street where our church was located,
the brightest light was shining through the
darkest clouds. It was so BRIGHT I couldn't
look straight at it. It was a ray of sun through
a small area of clouds that had parted.

Immediately I thought about how many times in
our lives when we go through struggles, and when
everything around us seems like it's crumbling,
we are able to see God like never before. Those
are the times when many people meet God for the first
time or learn how trustworthy our Heavenly Father
truly is. Many times it's in the dark times that
we become fearful and discouraged and we look to
God and see the light that only He can bring into
our lives. We are reminded that Light will overcome
the darkness and we have reason to hope. We are
reminded to keep our eyes focused UP, on the Living
God because when we look around us, the answers are
not there.

We pulled into the parking lot and just over the church
was half of a rainbow. I was able to talk to Jake,
my 8-yr-old son, about how God will always keep His
promises and the rainbow is a reminder of that truth.

I am so thankful for the Word of God that sets my
foundation on the truth of who God is and what He
is like. Jesus Christ is the light that was sent
into the world to overcome the darkness. No matter
what storms we go through in life, if we look to
God and cling to His truth, we will see His Light!

John 1:9: "The true light that gives light to every
man was coming into the world."

John 8:12: "When Jesus spoke again to the people,
he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life."

I want to learn too!

I know I'm only 2, but I want to learn too!

If I lay here long enough

And think about what is on this map
Then I know I will learn it!

Let's see if I got it right!

Man, California is a Big State!

Homeschooling. . .Hard but worth it!

I am in my 3rd year of homeschooling and we have
had many ups and downs during this time. I am so
thankful, first of all, that I am able to have
the option to homeschool. This means that I am
able to stay home with my kids and I know that is
a complete blessing. I am thankful for Tommy's
hard work at his job and the fact that he provides
for this family.
I am also thankful that I am able to really see
what my son is learning. I know if he understands
his math or not. I know how long it takes (or should
take) for him to do a page in his language book.
I am able to teach him the Bible in depth as part
of our "school" time. We are able to have discussions
(he loves to make them long so he can take longer
before getting back to the "other" work) and talk
about mammals and invertebrates and I have to say
many times I am amazed about what this kid can learn
and remember!
Jake loves to read so we read a lot! Jake knows his
Bible stories, sometimes better than me! I am able
to watch him while he works if I choose to. I am
thankful for so many of these things. These are the
things I need to remember when it gets hard, or when
I think about how little free time I have during the
weekdays because I have him home. I also have to
keep the other two little ones busy, which can be
a challenge but they are starting to play together
now that Luke is a little older. I guess this
is just a refresher on how fortunate I really am
to be doing what I'm doing.
I believe people should pray about where God wants
their children and what their options are. We need
to be lights in this world, whether we homeschool,
go to public school or private school.

Cheerfulness

Proverbs 15:13: "A happy heart makes the face
cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."

Proverbs 15:30: "A cheerful look brings joy to
the heart, and good news gives health to the bones."

Proverbs 17:22: "A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Jake's Lighthouse from Art Class

Psalm 118:27
The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us.

Fill Me Up- A "God-Thought"

As I was leaving the gas station after filling my
car up, I had what I would call a "God-Thought".
I get many of these analogies and I'm not thinking
this way- they just come to me. I believe it's
just the way God speaks to me and gives me things
to relate to His truths.

So I was leaving with a FULL tank of gas after getting
down to about 10 miles left with gas. I know how much
was left because my car tells me the number of miles
on my dashboard. I felt like God was showing me that
when people start to fall away from God it is a slow
fade. They probably know they aren't as close to God
because they aren't reading their Bibles, going to
church, praying, and so on. But they are able to go
on just like they normally do. Eventually they get
less and less of God until all of the sudden, they
are completely empty and things fall apart. Our cars
will drive until they are completely empty, then they
just won't go any further. We become "empty" and our
need to be filled up with God is the only way to get
back onto the right path.

After church last night I felt like another meaning
was there as well. The message was all about who
the Holy Spirit is and the power we have from the
Holy Spirit. We need to ask God daily to fill us
up with His Holy Spirit. This is different from
the Holy Spirit living in us. Many times in the
New Testament the Holy Spirit came upon people and
they spoke God's Word with boldness. There were
also other gifts that came from the Holy Spirit
and allowed Jesus' followers to minister to others
in different ways. We need to be "FILLED UP" with
the Holy Spirit to accomplish what God has for us.
We need to ask God to fill us up and to direct us
in His will for our lives. Obedience and submission
will lead to blessing and a life that can be used
by God. Just like we need to keep filling up our
cars, we need to ask God to keep FILLING US UP with
His Holy Spirit!

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

I had heard about Corrie Ten Boom and her books for
many years from people who have read them. This
Christmas, my friend, Kristi, gave me the book,
The Hiding Place. I was so excited to read it.
It was pretty intense and definitely gave me a
heavy heart for the people persecuted and killed
during the Holocaust.
Corrie lived in Holland and was a Christian. Her
father was a watchmaker and they knew so many people
in their community. This would eventually help them
with contacts when the Germans occupied their country
and put harsh constrictions on them. They ended up
helping and also housing numerous Jewish people who
were hiding out to keep from being captured and killed.
Eventually Corrie and her family were thrown into
prison for helping hide the Jews.
Her book shares details of her time in jail that
most of us could never fathom. The most amazing
parts are miracles and situations that God allowed
throughout her time there. God is faithful always!

I was encouraged as I read about the unwavering
faith of her and her sister.
I was reminded that letting others know about Jesus
and the hope we have to get to heaven is of utmost
importance.
I was challenged to think about my actions
when others offend me in such small ways.
I want to be Christlike always- even in the hardest
circumstances-ESPECIALLY in the hardest circumstances!
That's when we know that we are filled with God's Holy Spirit-
when we can love and pray for others that we would never
"feel" like praying for!

If you haven't read this book- pick it up! You won't be able
to put it down!

What is a Leader?

What is a leader? What do you think are qualities
of a good leader? I played on some of the most successful
teams in softball throughout my career and without
a doubt, leadership was a key to our success.
There were certain characteristics that always
stood out to me.
Here are a few:
1. Confident
2. Courageous: Ready for a battle
3. A team player, not an individual!
4. Positive
5. Makes others feel more confident
6. Lead by example, not just words
7. Wants success for the team most of all

Those are some of my thoughts. Now here is
the example of leadership from the Bible.
Jesus is the ultimate leader and asks us to
follow in His ways.
1. Humble
2. Obedient
3. Brings God glory in words and actions
4. Serves others
5. About God's business always
6. Loving
7. Speaks truth
8. Patient, Kind, Joyful, Peaceful

Those are just a few. I could go on and on.
We really can combine those two examples and
make them one. We can and should be confident
yet humble. We should be loving and positive.

The one thing I will point out is that everybody
has the opportunity to be a leader. That is not
always the case in sports, but it is in life. We
lead by being kind and joyful! When God leads us,
we can lead others! He wants to use you. Ask God to
help you to be a leader in your area of influence.
Ask Him for opportunities to help others or encourage
them. If we ask, we will receive!

Psalm 25:5: "Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You [are] the God of my salvation; On You I wait
all the day."