The Lord just will not let me go to sleep tonight... He's been working a little overtime in my life these days, I believe... isn't He amazing like that?! He cares that much about "me and you" that He won't let us rest until He gets our attention!?

I came to the conclusion tonight that I am not satisfied with my life.

Which also leads me to another major conclusion, God isn't satisfied with my life either!

I've grown complacent. I've settled for nothing but less than what God expects out of me and for me. It's not enough.

I've grown weary. I've let weeds grow and take over my enthusiasm for the Lord and His call on my life.

Today that ends Lord. I promised you, "That as for me and my house, WE will serve You!" I can't do that with all these weeds in my life Lord. I pray you will remove them. I pray that today, you will let your rain fall on our family and grow us, quench our thirst Lord, renew our strength, give us fresh soil, and use us for your Kingdom Lord. That's my prayer Lord. Let your rain Fall on us....

My walk has grown weary over the past couple of years. I'll be honest, I feel like I've grown stagnant and let my circumstances dictate what I should be for the Lord. That's when we grow cold and useless for His kingdom.

No matter where we are in life, we must never become satisfied with our walk with Lord, that's when we fail. We have to keep working, serving, growing.... listening to Him and then obeying.

Resting in His Peace now...

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

Christmas 2011

Back to His Purpose... Again:)

It never fails... ever so often I lose focus on what my purpose is in life and I go into this major depression, pity party, and lose all sort of Godly balance which, then, takes me on this downward spiral that I have to "crawl" back out of! Familiar??

For me, I've noticed that everytime I put down God's Word and quit spending time with Him regularly, this is when the draining saga begins!

So, today, I'm prayerfully and humbly striving to pick up the pieces again!

Tonight as I immersed myself in His Word for guidance and direction, He took me to alot of scripture, first of all, which I find kinda humorous, for the fact that He must have felt He had alot of issues to cover with me! But, these verses stand out most clear to me tonight so thought I'd share.

"I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compare with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord! I have discarded everything else; counting it all as garbage, so that I have Christ and become one with Him." Philippians 3:7-9

Now, I know I have quoted these verses several times before; but how true it is, for all of our lives, when we put what really matters into perspective!

No job, no person, no hobby, no facebook, no pintrest, (had to add that one in now:), no anything, is more important or should ever take the place of living our lives for Christ. You cannot fully develop a real, authentic relationship and do the will of God when you're putting all those things ahead of Him! It simply just will not work....

I'm guilty. I haven't been laying it all down for Christ. I'll admit it. Good thing He picks us up and brushes us off everytime we fall so that we can get back in the race where He needs us to be! Amen!

Pray for me. Pray that I can be strong and put aside all the selfish ambitions that try so desperately to lure me away from His purpose for my life. I'll pray for you too:)

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!!

Ok, so, I've been stressing a little bit about Maggie and what all she's "supposed" to know and be able to do by this age being that she is a little more of a challenge to teach than Nate has been. So tonight I thought I'd google some advice or suggestions of other homeschooling mothers and see what they had to say about my situation:) I think the Lord was paying attention because the first blog I came across that addressed this issue was such a refreshing blessing! It brought me back to "why" I homeschool and the beauty in teaching our children at home! Thought I'd share...

"Childhood shouldn't be a race.So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.
She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.
He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn't feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.
She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.
He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he'll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.
She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she's wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous. She should know that it's just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that-- way more worthy.

But more important, here's what parents need to know.

That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.
That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.

That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children "advantages" that we're giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.

That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children's toys and they wouldn't be missed, but some things are important-- building toys like legos and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too-- to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it's absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.

That our children need more of us.

We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That's not okay! Our children don't need Nintendos, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US.They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they're a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them."

Pretty awesome advice, right?!:) I thought, beautifully written.

Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of being mom and a teacher!

Love ya'll!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Gobble Gobble:)

"But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help- how can God's love be in that person?" 1 John 3:17

I know you've heard me say (or whine and cry) to you in the past 6 years about the struggles we've faced financially, about how hard it's been for our family to live day to day, pay check to pay check, not knowing if we'd have enough to make ends meet each week... and to be honest even though times have been hard, I know that God has taken those times and used them for the good. He's definitely humbled us and shown us the important things in life and I might add, we've never gone hungry! So, we're blessed!:)

But, God has really opened my eyes to the fact that there are so many out there right now, hurting. It's not just our family.... you see it everywhere. Times are getting tough again for alot of people. Groceries are sky rocketing, gas is like gold these days, and new clothes are becoming a luxury! People are striving to make ends meet each week and alot of times, if you're like us, those ends don't meet!

And, so my reason for writing this post is challenge you to become more aware of those around you that are hurting. If you have a roof over your head, a warm bed to sleep in at night, clothes to put on without holes in them, groceries in your pantry, and gas in your car... You are sooo blessed.

It's so funny to think back to when Britt had a high paying career, I would thank God for the "new" car we got or the "new" jeans I bought, or the fancy vacation we were able to take, now... I thank God for a warm bed to sleep in at night, I thank Him for the loaf of bread and gallon of milk in the kitchen, I thank Him that my kids are healthy and I'm able to stay at home with them and teach them.... I know I can't change peoples' hearts, but God can. I pray that you will take some time to notice those around you... at work, school, church, in the grocery store.... pay attention to their needs and share with them the blessings that God has given to you.... Be a blessing to them!

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

Giddy-Up!

Thank you Grandaddy

Up...Up...and Away...

Today we celebrated Britt's grandmothers' 85th Birthday and after the party the kids had so much fun letting the balloons go up in the air, I thought, this would be a great opportunity to teach our kids about spreading God's message to the world! So, we went home and printed up little notes and put inside our own balloons, that tell people about Jesus with our email address attached so they could, hopefully, let us know how far they traveled once they were found. Just a little, fun idea that the kids loved and will hopefully plant the seed in their lives and in the one's who find them! Fun Stuff!:)

Happy Sunday!

Happy 4th Birthday

Maggie May!

The sunlight in my day...

Her number one request was to have a Strawberry Shortcake Birthday...
and a strawberry shortcake card....lol.

Oh, and she had to have her cousin Kambry spend the night....:)

What a bunch?!

Notice the little fella sitting off to the side....my cutie patootie nephew was having none of this photo session!:)

"One" more and you can go play!!:)

Time for the candles...

Her best buddy and brother, Nate. He wasn't too happy with the photo session either... I interrupted a good game of football for this one....:)

How adorable are these two?!!

Maggie and her cousin, Dawson.

We finally let her dig into her gifts! Notice the card? Sooo funny... she told me that's all she wanted from me was a strawberry shortcake card! Ha! Good thing I read between the lines on that one...

Aunt Marella, aka Jamie, made these adorable barrettes for her! Maggie is not a bow girl, so these are perfect!
All with her favorite things on them! Notice "the Beiber!" I know... :)

Funny story about the pinata's... They just happened to be on sale, oh, did I mention I cannot stand pinata's??? Anyway, so since they were on sale, yes, that's right, we bought TWO!

This one calls for the awesome hot pink bat and helmet
Aunt Lacy bought for her!

Her favorite part of the day...

Her cousin spending the night and coming to play with "just" her....

Sooo blessed with a beautiful, little girl....

Thank you Lord... Thank you....

Cotton Pickin' Day

We are so blessed to be ministering at a church that is surrounded by beautiful farmland and in which many of those farmers attend our church. So, today we decided to stop and let the kids experience pickin cotton on our way to evening church. Can you imagine pickin it one by one- by hand?? Those days are pretty much just a memory, but for our grandparents that worked those fields, it's a memory that they will never forget....

The closer I walk with the Lord, the more He reveals His truth to me...
Just pondering the cost of truly being a disciple of God, I am led to this scripture:

"When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to come. But they all began making excuses"....(haven't we all done that?)
God answers his servant by saying, "For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them." (Wow, you mean there's more to what God has for us in our walk with Him???"

The Lord goes on to say, "If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, more that your own life." (your job, your money, your hobbies, your own family!) "Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple." (Why? Because you're not willing to sacrifice your own selfish desires, the things you love) "And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me." (In other words, be totally submitted to Him.)

And then for those of us who still don't get it....
He then says, "So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me."

(Luke 14:16-33)

I've often pondered this question and heard other's ask the same question...

"Well, does that mean we have to sell everything we own and change our whole way of life in order to really follow God???"

I think God's answer is quite clear here... If He asks you to, then, yes, you should

Sometimes God has to ask us to get rid of anything that might come in the way of us being totally submitted to Him.

Whether it might be a job that keeps your mind totally focused on it rather than on Him and what He wants for your life

or a hobby that takes up all your free time when you should be spending that time with the Lord,

or a friendship that doesn't have a firm foundation with Christ and hinders you from building a better relationship with Him,

or it could be the number one stumbling block for most so called Christians today...

Money and Status, although highly desirable by the world today,

it has to be the biggest pitfall for all Christians.

We think we have to have it all and it's going to satisfy all our needs.....

Biggest lie satan uses to trap us all.

God says we have to be willing to give up all those things in order to be His disciple.

I fight those same demons everyday in my own life.

The world can be so powerful against us and lure us in when we least expect it!

Our goal as a disciple of Christ is to follow Him.

Not the world, not all the beautiful and exciting things it has to offer.... but Him.

Are you willing to carry your own cross?

Are you tired of making excuses and living for yourself and your own selfish desires?

God says we have to be willing to sacrifice it all.....

I challenge you to really search your own heart.

Are you willing?

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

Shrinky Dinky Day

So, I'm supposed to be cleaning, filling orders, and quite a few other things.... but what am I doing??? Making shrinky dinks of course! These kids occupy every second of my day... and I wouldn't have it any other way! Well, maybe a break every now and then would be nice:)

Now, off to piano, gym, and ball!

times have been sooo hard for Britt and I lately, and I always seem to want to throw a fit, stomp, cry and give up! (By the way, I've always taught my children one important thing..."NEVER give up!:) Lol.. Tonight after I had a good cry and a good fit throwin, I then decided to pick up God's Word and see what He had to say about our situation....:) Little backwards, isn't it? He brought me right to this passage:
"Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commandments. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to your and your ancestors. He did this to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord. For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell. So you should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you to help you."
"So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with springs that gush forth in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley, of grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you."
Deut 8:1-10
Eventhough times are difficult for us right now, I am reminded that God will always keep His promise as long as we obey his commandments and walk in His ways. I have to cling to faith right now, that God will see us though!

Love ya'll! Walk Close to God, even in the hard times!

Put on the Whole Armor of God

Although I've read these verses time and time again, this morning they seem to bear so much more meaning and understanding to me.

"Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms."

"Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere."

To withstand the attacks on the church, Paul is saying the "whole" body, every believer needs to be armed and ready to fight against the evils of this world. Our battle isn't against people, it's against satan.

So, how are we to be prepared?

Standing Firm, together, against satan's attacks.

Using God's Word to guide us, faith to shield us, salvation to protect us, and prayer as our constant and daily strength!

I've found, in my own personal life, that I'm turning to God's Word more and more because I want to be ready for these attacks and I want to know what His Word says to be true. As Christians, if we don't know what His Word says, how can we be prepared? How can we really "know" what His truth is? How can we possible fight the battles without a shield?!

Its becoming increasingly more clear to me, in these last days,

that we can't fight these battles on our own.

We have to put on the Whole Armor of God.

I encourage you to dig deep in His word!

Really study and absorb it more than you ever have before.

Be ready and armed to stand firm when it's time for battle!

Lastly, I'll leave you with this...

Paul ends this letter with this...

"And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words as I boldly explain God's secret plan that the Good News is for the Gentiles, too. I am in chains now for preaching this message as God's ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should."

Eph 6:19-20

Those last few words are amazing to me...

Paul is in prison for preaching the Word of God.

In chains, he asks for prayer...

Not that he would be released from the chains, or set free from prison,

but so that he can keep preaching, boldly,

the message of God, as he should.

So many times we ask to be "released" from our situations, or to be set free...

"Even as we pray for a change in our circumstances, we should also pray that God will accomplish his plan through us right where we are."

The Battle as already been won!!!

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

A Quick Fix....

get sick.... pop a pill

stressful day... drink a beer, smoke a cigarette, hit the gym

don't have time to cook.... order pizza

need information.... google it

need a friend... facebook one!:)

Our society today lives and thrives on a "quick fix" for everything we do!

We have gotten so spoiled with the luxury of having everything at our fingertips

that somehow we have forgotten that that's not the way God works!

I read this tonight and it just really hit home with me.

"Spiritual preparation cannot be bought or borrowed...

Our relationship with God must be our own."

Wow....Reality check!

The one thing we cannot buy or borrow

is a real relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ.

You just can't fake, borrow, or buy that...

I encourage you to read Matthew 25 about the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

and the Loaned Money. Really take inventory of the time and effort you put into having a "genuine, authentic" relationship with the Lord.

Allow His Word speak to you and to

convict you if your trying to make Him

a "quick fix" too

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!!

AMERICA

We've been having so much fun exploring America in homeschool... learning about the presidents, states, how our country was founded, etc.... Such a blessing to live in a FREE country where we are free to serve our Lord openly!

Here's a little craft that we did today...

The kids loved making this American Star Banner....God Bless the USA!!

Happy 8th Birthday to our

loving, tenderhearted, compassionate,

fun, silly, smart, momma loving little boy....

Nate!

Can you imagine having a sleepover with

these little guys all at the same time???

It was.... something......:)

But lots of F-U-N!!

Some of my most favorite little men:)

I love my daddy...

My favorite thing to do during the week, after I teach school, of course, is to go check on my daddy and get into something with him.. Today daddy had me in the back of his truck shaking pears from granny's pear tree:)... only got hit in the nose once!.... then we also picked a few muscadines.

Happy Times!

A is for ANT

.. if you haven't gotten on the "lapbook" train with your children, you're missing out!

It is so much fun and a such wonderful way to teach your children about a subject, as well as teach them how to research things at a young age!

I couldn't wait to get started on ours! Maggie's being on the letter A, subject being "Ants," and Nate's will be on Nutrition, which we've already started, just haven't completed yet.

With Maggie just being 3, I did most of the research myself, gathering of all the materials.... she mainly just colored, cut, and learned as we went along!

Nate's will, of course, be more hands on since he's older and more knowledgeable about the computer. Can't wait for you to see his later on in the week!

Also, there are tons of resources out there for you to get started!

One being the homeschoolshare.com website. It's full of lapbooking 101 for beginners and also lots of great ideas and helpful tips for lapbooking veterans!

Hope you enjoy our little Ant adventure! Keep in mind it's our very first one!:) But maybe it will motivate you to get creative and get one started with your little ones!

Happy Homeschooling!!