Sorry about all the video posts...

My Heart is in Haiti.

I am hurting.

I have a dear Haitian friend that I took care of for about 6 or 7 months that's in her 60's, that lives in Port-Au-Prince.

Her name is Julia.

I know that she didn't get crushed in the earthquake, but I don't know much more.

She has diabetes.

She had a stroke about a year ago.

And I look at those pictures, and I wonder how she'll get the help that she needs.

And then I lay in bed at night, and I think: Take Julia and mulitply it by the thousands.

And all I can do is sit in my beautiful house in my beautiful clothes and do nothing.

Nothing.

But the Lord has reassured me that I can pray.



And pray.

And pray.

And you should pray too.

~B

The Bible

Today I had a thought that hit me very hard. I had walked past a pile of books in our living room and I saw out of the corner of my eye our Bible and the thought that I had was, "Treasure this."

It wasn't a positive message said with a happy heart. It was more of a daunting message; an urgent and cautious message.

We so take for granted that book.

If you put all of the Bibles in our house in a pile, it would probably stand 2 feet high--but not because we are Bible fanatics or super-Bible readers, but because when I find them in nice condition at thrift stores and rummage sales and they are incredibly cheap, I purchase them to give to others-and yes, I have.

The children and I often read an incredible devotional called, "Extreme Devotion" by Voice of the Martyrs. The little segment that we usually read at lunch time doesn't take us longer than 5 minutes to read, and the discussion is priceless. It gives story after story of people dying for their Christian faith in devotion to Christ. It doesn't paint a pretty picture, but it does make you realize how serious we should be taking our faith.

Our Bibles sit on our bed-stands waiting to tell us His truth (not ours). Our Bibles wait on our coffee tables wanting to show us what God is REALLY saying (not what WE want it to say). And we sit in our arm-chairs clicking through the myriad of shows that we numbly fill our brains with and we forget the wealth that we have just sitting so close to us.

People say that we can change what the Bible says, we can't.
People say that the Bible doesn't relate to what our lives are like now, it does.

I read the news, I hear what people are saying... BUT

"...as for me and MY house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

~B

The Reality of Christ's Amazing Power

http://deronarnold.blogspot.com/

"I have a markedly uncertain future in this life, but I am absolutely convinced that whatever happens, I will be able to look back on my life either here or in heaven and agree that whatever happened to me was good." ~Deron Arnold

This is a quote from an old friend of mine who just had a double lung transplant. This is what a Christ-warrior looks like.

Please go and read this this blog and dare yourself not to be changed by it.

~B

Until We Meet Again

Yesterday evening, as I sat down to check my e-mails, I saw that I had received one that was from my home-school group that said: "Prayer Needed". I opened it and read with horror:

"Please pray for the ----- Family, Their daughter -----, died yesterday in a car accident. She was doing mission work in Africa."

This family lost their 19 year old daughter to a car accident in Africa..... They had just gone to visit her a few weeks ago--a time that I am sure they will forever cherish.

This family had adopted four children from Guatemala a year or so ago--at this daughter's urging.

This family has five other biological children--now four.

How does this family wake up today and cope with the reality that their beautiful, Christ-loving daughter is gone.

Last summer, near the end of it, this girl and her friend came to our house and my husband helped them load in onto the back of their pick-up. It was for her family--the family that doesn't have her anymore now.

This girl, who was passionately dedicated to Christ, lived her live in Africa for the past few months, teaching others about salvation and freedom in Christ. She was to come home in May or June.

This girl is now at the feet of Jesus. She is in His presence.

"Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all.

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You."

This family's faith will get them through. The prayers from their friends and family will be incense to God and he will hear our desperate cries of help for them.

This family will make it. They will. They have to.

Only through Christ who strengthens me.

The focus has to be on Christ, how else will they make it?

~B

In the Giving of Thanks

Oh my wonderful Heavenly Father, I praise You and Your ways!
I thank You for instilling in us a hunger for You.
Blessed are those that look to You for guidance and that honor Your word.
I love You, Lord~ I am amazed at your power and your amazing ways!
Thank you for Your moral standards and your bridle on lives.
Thank you for allowing me to see Your amazing colors.
------------------------
Red and Yellow.
Black and White.
They are precious in Your sight.
You love the little children of the world.

Including me.

~B

My Two Passions

Lately, I have felt burdened, useless and replaceable. I sit and stare at the computer and wonder what life is worth if there is nothing to do. Sure, I have housework, but what value can one find in that? I can find NONE.

So, I have been feeling this empty sort of way. But then I noticed that that empty feeling would go away when I would do things that challenged my brain, instead of it just sitting there collecting dust.

I have many things that I am interested in: being a good parent, a really good wife, being involved in community things, helping others.... and the list goes on and on.

But the two things that I am unquenchingly passionate about are: learning about God and what He expects of me and learning about natural medicine.

I have had a passion for learning about homeopathy, a natural form of medicine for the past 11 years now. We went that direction when my newborn son wasn't getting better from modern medicine. We happened upon herbs and homeopathy through my cousin, who is a registered nurse. We saw results and I was sold.

Over the years, I have tried to absorb every little detail about homeopathy. I have learned a little bit more about other natural therapies, but mostly I have loved to study homeopathy.

Recently, I went to the naturopath and learned about "Rodding" and "Kineseology", things that I don't really know if I like or understand...yet. I am holding those methods at an arm's length, slowly trying to absorb what they try to accomplish with my body.

I am going to a small class this Thursday about "Muscle Testing" and homeopathy and bach flower remedies. I don't know much about the first and the third items, but my heart leaps with anticipation waiting for the class. I'm so looking forward to packing new items into my brain, something I can sit and chew on while I live my life. I need to always be learning.

I am the same way with God's Word. I get podcasts of Chip Ingram, Ravi Zecharias and other shows. I hadn't been listening to them lately, and I didn't correlate the fact that I wasn't learning with the fact that I felt useless and bored.

When I plug in a show and I do my odd jobs around the house, and I learn and learn and learn about the things that God wants from me and what He wants me to become, I feel my wings open and they start grabbing that wind that God so patiently waits for me to accept. I go to bed with God on my mind, and what my life needs to become. I look into my heart and see the darkness and I see how I need to get rid of it all and become more like Him.

I am so thankful that God has taken this opportunity to allow me to see a glimpse into my very own heart. He has allowed me to see what I need at this time to feel like I am accomplishing something.

I need to learn.
I cannot sit here and let my life go by without constantly filling my head with these two passions.

I need to learn.

~B

What is Truth?

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
"You are king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on this side of truth listens to me." (italics mine)
"What is truth?" Pilate asked. (sarcastically)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am in the midst of leading a class called, "The Truth Project". It is an intense and incredibly deep and thought provoking course. I highly recommend it to anyone that is a Christian.

So, I ask you, my reader, what is truth to you? And what do you base your answers to this question on?


If Christ came to testify to the truth, for what truth is he testifying?

I want you, fellow believers in Christ, to REALLY think about this question. Let it haunt you for a few days, look inside of your heart and check to see if you are on this side of truth.

Just something to provoke some thought, :)

~B

Conversations by Sara Groves

{A song that means incredibly much to me}:


Imagine this: Some girls and maybe some guys, standing around during free hour in high school and getting into a discussion. The girl is firm in her convictions, but she just doesn't want to make anyone angry; she stands shivering amongst her friends that she loves deeply and starts to talk:






You can listen to this entire song at imeem.com if you register there.


I don't know how to say this,
I don't know where to stand,
I don't know where to put my feet,
Or where to put my hands.
I've got them in my pockets,
My fingers are freezing cold,
They're wrapped around a ticket stub
That's four weeks old,
And I don't know how to say this.

I think we've figured out
This world is bigger than you and I.
We've exhausted our wealth of knowledge
And have no more answers for mankind.

We've had every conversation in the world
About what is right and what has all gone bad,
But have I mentioned to you that this is all I am,
This is all that I have.

I'm not trying to judge you.
No that's not my job.
I am just a seeker too,
In search of God.

Somewhere somehow this subject became taboo.
I have no other way to communicate to you.
This is all that I am.
This is all that I have.

And we've had every conversation in the world
About what is right and what has all gone bad,
But have I mentioned to you that this is all I am,
This is all that I have.

I would like to share with you
What makes me complete.
I don't claim to have found the Truth,
But I know it has found me.

The only thing that isn't meaningless to me
Is Jesus Christ and the way he set me free.
This is all that I have. This is all that I am.
It’s all that I have, and it’s all

The only thing that isn’t meaningless to me
Is Jesus Christ and the way he set me free.
And this is all that I have. This is all that I am
It’s all that I have, and it’s all that I am
It’s all that I have, and it’s all

I don’t know how to say this
I don’t know where to start
Just know that I care for you
And I’m speaking from my heart

Ever So Thankful.....

With all of the darkness and violence and mental illness invading the world. I stop and contemplate my little teeny-tiny family.

My ten year old loves me.

My other children love me.

and

They know they are loved.

Deeply.

Genuinely.

Really.

A gunman, in Omaha?

That's too close for comfort.

A mere 4 hours away.

8 people plus himself, killed?

Scary.

Sad.

The news said that when he was ten, he threatened to kill his step-mom.

I don't know his situations from his life.

I don't know who his parents were/are.

I just know that I am

deeply

Grateful

for having my kids here

with me.

I am thankful for having to yell at them for

"being too loud",

or

"not listening".

I would rather have that than

have one of them threaten my life.

I am so thankful for my home.

For my stable enviroment here.

I am thankful for my husband who is faithful

and

loving

and

God-fearing.

We all need a little more of that fear in our hearts, don't you think?

Thank you Father, for all of these humongous blessings that

you have bestowed upon this little family.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

~B

.....

My extended family , including me, are in a spiritual warfare.

It is agonizing.

Is it mental illness or demon possession?

How can this person hurt the people that I love so incredibly much?

How can one person cause this much pain?

Why doesn't he just reach up and give it over?

Oh Lord, please don't let the joke be on us, please show this family that you are real.

Touch us Lord, Save us Lord. Come to us Lord.

Where are you Lord?

Don't keep yourself hidden.

Show us your glory, your power and your grace Lord.

Save us all from the evil one.

~B

What has the world come to......

This is an article that I happened to find via: blestwithsons.com

I find the incident that inspired this article to be revolting and nauseating.

Please read.

Here's the original url: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296683,00.html

~B

The Inaccuracy of Kathy Griffin's Remarks on Jesus
Thursday , September 13, 2007

By Lauren Green

I just don't understand comedian Kathy Griffin. Please understand that I like her. She's been on the FOX News Channel quite a bit and for the brief times we've talked, I've found her to be funny and self-effacing.

So, it puzzled me at first, then angered me second, that she would accept an award and then insult a man who preached love and acceptance. Why would someone do that? William Donohue of the Catholic League was so angry that he used the “b” word to describe her (rhymes with rich).

In case you haven't yet heard, on Saturday night at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Kathy Griffin won a trophy for her show, "My Life on the D-List." Griffin is sort of the female Rodney Dangerfield. Her gimmick is that she's an entertainer who doesn't get a lot of respect. When she accepted her long-awaited award, she said: "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus."

Now I could have been mildly insulted at that and turned the other cheek, as the founder of Christianity taught. But then she went on to say "Suck it, Jesus. This award is my God now."

Needless to say, she offended me and millions of other Christians.

I don't know what went through her mind and why she would think that was cutting edge or even funny. But first, I want to actually show you that, in fact, Kathy Griffin is wrong. Jesus had everything to do with her winning that award. And here's the reasoning.

Jesus died on a cross 2,000 years ago. His dying words were, "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." He died and they buried him in a rock cut tomb. Three days later, as the Bible says, he rose from the dead. That day is what Christians celebrate as Easter.

After the resurrection, Christianity began to take off like wildfire, spreading from the Middle East northward to Europe and westward into Ethiopia. In 300 A.D. Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity and it beccame the religion of Europe. Rome soon became the seat of the faith. After several years of human failings, the church went through conflicts and quite a few unbiblical years — the crusades and the inquisition to name just two. Out of that came the Reformation — the reforming of the Church, sort of a back-to-basics Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Out of the Reformation emerged a vision of law by Samuel Rutherford, called Lex is Rex, Law is King. From that, others devised a secular version that is used to help lay the foundation of government for a new land called America. Ninety-four percent of America's founding era documents mention the Bible; 34 percent quote the Bible directly. The idea of bringing unity to the universal is a particularly Biblical concept.

The freedoms we enjoy in this country to speak freely and to live freely are directly related to that man who died on a cross 2,000 years ago.

So, you see, Kathy Griffin, Jesus has everything to do with you winning that award. You live in a free country where your abilities can be recognized if you're willing to work hard enough. That's at least the dream of America. If you'd been born in many other parts of the world, your daily activity might involve seeking out a way to survive, or even trying to avoid persecution and death. Luxuries like pursuing a career in the entertainment industry would never have been realized; luxuries like being able to insult the founder of a religion of forgiveness and acceptance would not have been possible.

Kathy Griffin, just because you "can" say something, doesn't mean you "should." When you say "suck it, Jesus," you didn't just insult Christianity … you insulted the very reason you've prospered.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lauren Green serves as a religion correspondent for the FOX News Channel. Prior to this, Green served as a news anchor for “Fox and Friends,” where she provided daily news updates and covered arts for the network.

how the Lord loves me

Pain is felt
I hurt inside
I want to run
I want to disappear

I don't want to disappoint.
I want to do what's "right"
But a lot of the times now
I just want to separate myself
from your ever-present
unhappiness
and
anger

I know it must not be me that caused it
It must be the old demons from your past
But it still feels like it's me
since I always make you
uncomfortable and maybe ashamed?

I came home
and
reminded myself
of how the Lord loves me
warts
and all
and how I don't make him
uncomfortable when
I'm hanging around.

Ah, prayer.
Ahh, my heavenly Father.

I fall into your hands
and
breathe
~B

In His Care

He that made the Universe, can protect teeny, tiny, little 'ol me.
I am amazed at his graciousness to my family this year.
It leaves me stunned and staring.

My husband's hours have been cut drastically this winter. He is making less than half of what he usually makes on average.

About five years ago we went through something like this, except..... my husband was getting more hours.
BUT... we were struggling like crazy.
I writhed in panic attacks.
I cried so often.
I worried.
I worried.
I worried!
I wasn't trusting Him, not one bit.
I was praying, but I wasn't believing.

Now before this hour-cut had happened, I had thought about it and asked Him to help me through it. To help me not complain when things got real hard. To help me not get freaked out when money couldn't be spent. To just be at peace and at trust with whatever would happen. I prayed and knew that he would somehow in His infinite- creatorship-way that he would provide for us, only if I would believe that He would.

It's been amazing. I cannot explain how breathtaking it has been.

It's the subtle ways that He provides that amazes me.

Food is there.

The bills are somehow getting paid.

Everything is getting provided for.

I suppose since it isn't your fishbowl, it's hard to comprehend.

But if you can just grasp it, it would throw you, and you would realize how amazing our Creator is.

~B