Merry Christmas

#Persecution

What is the difference between persecution and contradiction? Well, I am sure that many Americans today have never thought about it!

I mean, not really. It seems that to most Americans there is no difference between those two words. You don't have to look very far to see examples of either contradiction or persecution. 

Politically our country is more disunified than ever before. No longer are we allowed to voice differing opinions and allow a majority vote to be taken and stand, no now contradiction is viewed as hatred. What?! Wake up people!! We can feel strongly about different things and still be kind, considerate, and compassionate to each other. Especially when there are true acts of persecution being committed every day.

Persecution......now that is something far different from contradiction. 

By definition, persecution is to treat someone cruelly or unfairly especially because of race, or religious and/or political beliefs, or to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict; especially: to cause to suffer because of beliefs.

Persecution is action. When I have a contradicting idea or thought from someone else, that just means we view things differently. That will happen from time to time. I don't expect everyone to agree with me all the time. I mean.....do you?

Other things I don't expect to happen in America is for Christian students to be punished for reading their Bible, or praying for their lunch! I don't expect Christian politicians to be called finatics because they have a Godly moral compass. I don't expect Christian teachers to be fired because they believe something different than what their curriculum teaches, or for Christian workers to be passed over for a promotion because they don't go out drinking after work!  I also don't expect to turn on the news and watch as Christians are paraded out in orange jumpsuits just before being beheaded for serving Christ! But that is what is happening. 

When did all these things become okay? I dare say it happened when the church was sleeping. My dad has said this phrase to me my whole life....."Be careful of compromise.....what you compromise to get, you will ultimately lose." I agree with that statement wholeheartedly and have had to walk out the consequences in my own life a time or two. I believe we as the "Church" lulled ourself to sleep in the name of compromise in an attempt to "make peace" with the world and all the contradiction. We wanted to "play nice" so to speak, and compromised things that the Word of God said never to compromise!

So what do we do now! WAKE UP! We wake up and pray and serve God wholeheartedly. We show the world what it means to be a Christian! We love our neighbor like we love ourselves and make sure we love them enough to tell them about the Savior that died for their sins!

WAKE UP CHURCH! Find your voice! Yes, we may face contradiction.....we may even face persecution, but it is worth it all to share the love of Christ with those around us!

WAKE UP!

Where Are You Looking?

 

 

 

My guy and I were talking today about where our country seems to be headed....you have probably had a few conversations about the same topic lately. If you have spent any time reading the newspaper, or watching the news....you may have had a rise in your blood pressure! (ha ha!) No.....really!! 

 

Seriously....it is enough to cause worry if you're not careful. That is why I am so thankful for the timeliness of the Word of God. Psalm 16:8 says, "I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him on my right hand, I will not be shaken." You know it might not be easy in today's world to keep our eyes on the Lord, but we can't forget that He is where we find our hope! In Him we have perfect peace! I am so thankful for that!!

 

It is so important to renew your mind in the Word of God. If all we feed ourselves with is the bad news that is everywhere, we will find ourselves worried and concerned about it....but if we spend time reminding ourselves that our hope and trust must be placed in Jesus Christ, then we will have a peace that no one can understand.

 

It is hard sometimes to not be a worrier. The cares of this world and the trials of life can seem to overtake us, but you can give that worry and concern to God and He will replace it with peace and joy. That can only happen as you fill the space that worry and concern had in your life with the promises contained in the Bible. You see, I don't see our world doing a 180 any time soon.....so....what we have to do is keep a proper perspective. We can't let the worry and concern we may feel overtake us, but instead we must overcome it by the Word of God!

 

So, do yourself a favor and spend some time in the Bible today!

 

 

 



 

Christmas 31 Day Writing Plan

 

When was the last time you copied things out of a book? Probably the last time you took a class.....right?!  When you take time to write things out, it helps you to remember better what was written.....well....at least that is how it works for me!

So why don't we spend more time writing out scriptures from the Word of God so that we can commit them to memory?

I came across this Christmas Scripture 

Writing Plan at 

http://www.swtblessings.com/2014/11/christmas-scripture-writing-plan.html?m=1

and thought I would pass it along! Take some time as we are in this Christmas Season to spend extra time in the Word! 

You won't regret it!

Where's Your Treasure?

 

 

 

 

Matthew 6:19-21 says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

 

So my question is this......How do you define treasure? Merriam-Webster defines treasure as this:

1: wealth (as money, jewels, or precious metals) stored up or hoarded

2: wealth of any kind or in any form :  riches

3: a store of money in reserve

4: something of great worth or value; also :  a person esteemed as rare or precious

5: a collection of precious things

 

See, most of us define treasures the same as Merriam -Webster. We spend our lifetime acquiring treasures that the world says we should have.....Now listen, I am not saying that we have to get rid of everything that we have.....but we really should take a closer look at what exactly we are treasuring. If you look around at our society you will see that we as Americans have become obsessed with so many things. We have become obsessed with status, with looks, with technology, with sports, and just plain busyness. All of these things are here for a short time and then vanish like a vapor. Yet we find ourselves pouring everything we have into them......WHY?  That is truly the question of the hour!

1 Timothy uses plain language to instruct us about the obsession of material gain. "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it."

1 Timothy 6:6-7 NIV

One of the best things God gave us was our free will. He freely allows us the opportunity to either choose to serve Him or choose not to. I honestly hate that part....the part where we can choose not to serve Him, but that is free will! We can choose to invest ourselves in the kingdom of God or we can choose not to.....sadly, in my own life I have seen times that I wasn't necessarily completely focused on the things that truly matter.  I'm sure that you can say the same thing.  It really confuses me because I fully understand the sacrifice that was made for me and yet there are times that I have taken that for granted and pursued my own agenda. Come on......haven't you? 

So let me ask this, why aren't we more consumed with Christ and spreading the Good News??  I know I don't really have a good answer to that.......do you? 

 

You would think that our desire to tell others how they could spend eternity with the Creator of all things would grow over time.....not diminish!!  As we focus on the things that will last forever, we will be storing up treasures in heaven.....and those treasures will last FOREVER!!!  Yet, we find ourselves, distracted and our worldview distorted as we go about our days focused only on the temporary things of this world.

 

God has made us for so much more! He has designed us so wonderfully unique and He has something special for each of us to do for Him! That is exciting people!! We were made with an eternal purpose!!! You heard me......we were made with an eternal purpose!! Then, because He loves us and desires our love in return, He gave us the option....we can pursue that eternal destiny and store up treasure in heaven, or we can pursue treasures that evaporate when stacked against eternity. So choose to make a difference for eternity!!

 

 

Barbette



Under His Wings

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I am so thankful for the Word of God and the power that it has in my life. If you aren't careful, you could find yourself overcome by fear as you look around our world, nation, or even your own city and see what is going on. Face it, the news is full of negative reports, contradicting stories, and political scandal. Racial tension is on the rise, and Christian values are under attack. With the swirl caused by biased media reports, and viral social media posts.......we could find ourselves feeling defeated and hopeless.

I am so thankful that as a Believer in Jesus Christ my hope does not rest on the shoulders of world leaders, nor on positive news reports.....my hope rests in Christ alone.
Psalm 91 is an amazing portion of scripture and one that causes peace to rest in our hearts as Christians.
91:4-6, 10 says, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.....no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent."

What a wonderful promise from the Word of God! Even when we feel that things are out of control and chaotic.....which is often!....we have hope through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!  Now that is something to shout about!!

So the next time you are watching the news and you find your heart rate starting to rise.....take a deep breath and open your Word to Psalm 91. The Lord is our refuge!!!

Grapevine Studies: Birth of Jesus Beginner/and Traceable Review ~ TOS Crew

  This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information   30% off The Birth of Jesus Study from November 27-30. This is our biggest sale of the year on this product!  

 

Recently, I was able to review Birth of Jesus:Beginner by Grapevine Studies. With The Christmas season coming quickly, the timing couldn't be any better. If you look around the stores in our country, it doesn't take long to see that the focus is no longer on our Savior, but tends to be on toys, Santa, and decorations. If we aren't careful, the worldview of those around us can infiltrate our families and become the worldview of our children.

 

It is the mission of Grapevine Studies to introduce the gospel to children in a way that will build a foundation for the rest of their life to be built upon. As children build Bible Study skills at an early age, it will transform them for a lifetime. Grapevine Studies offers Bible Study materials for children ages 5-14. They offer multiple mediums of learning for those who learn in different ways. Your child will listen to stories being told, then draw what they heard and finally you can review it with them by asking questions. All three work together to teach your child in a way that will stick with them! That is the way that we as parents can help our children build a correct worldview based on the Bible!!

 

The Birth of Jesus – Beginner study features 7 weekly or 14 daily lessons. There are several books that you will need for this study, and each book is sold separately.  First, you will need the 26-page Teacher Book with lesson notes, memory verses, review questions, and key points. You will also need the 30-page Student Book consisting of lessons pages, timelines, maps, memory verses, and reviews, and a Traceable book that includes pre-drawn stick figures for your child trace and color. These tools all work together to open up the bible to your kiddo in a way that engages their heart and their mind! Please note that each book is sold separately.

 

How We Used This Product:

 

Although my girls are a little older, I used this product with my friend's little girl, which is almost 3, that I babysit. What a blast to watch the Bible come alive in her eyes! We used traceable pages which worked the best for her. Drawing is a little harder at that age, so the traceables were PERFECT!!

 

My Bottom Line:

I absolutely love the concept of Grapevine Studies and the way they bring Bible study to live for children. My sweet "L" loves to draw and color, and found the traceable pages funny. I liked the ease of the lessons!   It is SUPER simple!!  I also love the simplicity of Birth of Jesus study for Beginners. It worked great for my sweet "L" and I hope to find a few other products that I can use with her. For that matter, I will be using Grapevine Studies for my older children as well. Anything that makes Bible Study come to life is a bonus in my book!


Social Media: You may be like the rest of us, and enjoy connecting through social media. Please follow the links below to connect with Grapevine Studies.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrapevineStudies
Twitter: https://twitter.com/grapevinestudy
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grapevinestudy/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Grapevinestudies/posts
Periscope: @Grapevine Studies
 

 

The Critical Thinking Co: The Basics of Critical Thinking Review ~ TOS Crew

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Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information. 
What is critical thinking? Can you describe it? These are just the questions that this book will answer for you and your student. I had the opportunity to receive and review The Basics of Critical Thinking by The Critical Thinking Co. To be completely honest.....it is fabulous!  I was so excited when I had this opportunity. I am not new to The Critical Thinking Co. I have also had the distinct pleasure of reviewing other products from this company in the past, and I have never been disappointed!

The Critical Thinking Co. has done a great job putting this workbook together. This 146 page book written by Michael Baker for 4th-9th graders, takes your student through a variety of exercises to help them develop their critical thinking skills. First, it starts by explaining what critical thinking is. That was very helpful for my student.

Critical thinking is: "finding and evaluating evidence to try to make the best decisions." As you work through this book, you will see that it focuses on critical thinking skills for making decisions and gaining knowledge.

What I like is that there aren't long lecture times, or a lot of reading pages that go along with each lesson, instead your student will learn through short activities, diagrams and easy explanations. My daughter found the explanations easy-to-understand. I know that is also something my daughter appreciated!

How We Used the Product:

I had my daughter work in this book several times a week. When she opened the book she was excited to dive right in. She found the chapters fun and pleasurable to work through. With the topics being something other than Math, Grammar, or Science.....she found it almost refreshing to have something that gave her a change of pace.

When I asked her what she thought of the book she said, "It was fun and it wasn't boring!" I have noticed a difference in the way that she processes information....which is a wonderful consequence to have!! The Basics of Critical Thinking takes your student through chapters on: Decisions and Conclusions, Beliefs and Claims, Evaluating Evidence, Facts and Claims, Venn Diagrams, Logical Connectives, and much, much more!  With the answer key in the back, you will find it easy to check your student's work and answer any questions they may have.

Critical thinking is crucial to the development of your child into an adult, and this book by The Critical Thinking Co. fits the bill!
 

My Bottom Line:

 

The Basics of Critical Thinking is something that all Middle School students should work through. I feel that our society has lost their focus on developing the skills taught in this book. We loved this book and everything about it......with that being said, I really wish it was larger! It didn't take long for me to notice changes in the way that my daughter  made decisions as she worked through this book! Which is the whole purpose!

You should head to the website and pick one up for your student today!

 

Social Media:

You may be like the rest of us, and enjoy connecting through social media. Please follow the links below to connect with The Critical Thinking Co.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheCriticalThinkingCo
Google+  https://plus.google.com/114500823774999703181
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/criticalthinks
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/source/criticalthinking.com/

 

 

Ann McCallum Books: Eat Your Science Homework Review - TOS Crew

     This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information. 

 

 This statement will come as no surprise to anyone that knows me, but I am a "Feeder." I enjoy feeding people, and I believe that it can be a wonderful addition to any event. As either a Sunday School teacher, or homeschool teacher, I find myself looking for just the right snack for little ones that can both fill their tummies and possibly help them remember what I just taught them. Eat Your Science Homework from Ann McCallum Books is a great tool for your homeschool. I am so glad that we were able to review this wonderful product.

Something that Eat Your Science Homework is not...It is not a large, cumbersome, hard to understand book full of things you would never want to try.  This book has edible science experiments that range from easy to medium to create and is animated wonderfully! There is even a "Safety in the Lab....er, Kitchen" page that gives your students some step by step rules to keep themselves and others safe during this process.

Here is a list of the experiments you will find:

Atomic Popcorn Balls
Density Dressing and Veggie Sticks
Invisible Ink Snack Pockets
Loop, Whorl, and Arch Cookies
Sedimentary Pizza Lasagna
Black Hole Swallow Ups

With each science experiment you will find vocabulary words, information on the topic of the experiment, complete recipe, method, and a science sampler. You will find the book entertaining and the experiments fun!

How We Used the Product:

My girls are huge snackers, and one of their favorites is veggies and dip. We were excited to complete the Density Dressing and Veggie Stick experiment first.  The book takes you step by step through the experiment. Although my girls are older and can do a lot of things on their own, this is a great thing for younger kids too. They can not only test their reading comprehension as they work through the recipe, but they can gain pertinent information regarding each topic covered in the experiment.

As we began the experiment Eat Your Science Homework explains the chemistry, or lack of chemistry between oil and vinegar. When you toss together oil and vinegar to make a salad dressing, you will soon find out that unless you continue to shake the mixture, it will separate quickly! That means that the two substances are immiscible. As you read through each page you will see words in bold like the one above. That means that you can use it as a vocabulary word and your student can look up the meaning of it in the glossary at the back of the book. This is another way to reinforce knowledge and retention.

My Bottom Line:

This is a great book. Although we loved it and found it a pleasure from beginning to end, I do wish there would have been more to it. For those of you that are task oriented when it comes to homeschooling your kiddos, you will find this book a refreshing change of pace. We absolutely loved every page of it, and we found ourselves wanting more! I am glad that Ann McCallum Bookshas several other books that are similar for other subjects. Feel free to browse the website and find one that suits your particular needs. (Especially if you are a feeder like me!) Your kids will be glad you did! Be honest with yourself.....the only thing better than science class is making yummy food in science class!!



 

Love Love Love

 

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Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.      What is it that you truly love? Have you thought about it lately?  Or, think about this.....Who do you love? How are you when it comes to actually showing your love? Maybe you don't have an answer to that.  I grew up in church and God has been a big part of my life. I love God, and I know that he has changed me and made me a new person. But, I wonder if I always show him the love.  I mean, does God always knows how much I love him? I do truly love him, and do my best to serve him.....but I don't know if I always let him know how important he is to me.  Okay, don't look at me that way, just hear me out!

 

Let me explain it this way. I decided that since going back to work I should get up early and spend time with God before everyone wakes up. I made my plan and was excited to get going. I set my alarm for 5:30 and got up when it went off. I came downstairs so I could turn all the lights on and make coffee in prep for my time with God. I poured a cup of coffee and sat down to get into the presence of God. Then, all the sudden I realized I should get something out of the freezer to thaw out for dinner. After completing that task, I sat back down and got settled in. As I opened up the Bible, my very needy, dogs decided they needed to eat breakfast. I guess they thought since I was starting my day earlier, they should too! I fed them so they would stop whining at me and sat back down to spend some time with God. Just as I was starting to pray, the dogs have decided they need to go outside......Do you see what I'm talking about?

 

In January my husband and I will celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. As I think back to when we were dating, I am reminded of just how much he pursued me. My husband lived about 5 hours away, but he managed to drive to see me every weekend and any day he had off. He made me a priority! Even though it was winter in northern Illinois, and that meant that he would have to drive his Dodge Daytona through treacherous conditions to see me. I knew my husband loved me because everything he did told me so!

 

Just as my husband (well he wasn't my husband then...) showed me how important I was by making time with me a priority, we should do the same thing for our Savior. God deserves the very best of our attention, not what we can scrape up because we don't have anything else to do!  Right!?

 

Psalm 63:1, 3-5 says, "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

 

As I was praying this morning I found myself singing over and over....."my soul longs for you, my soul longs for you, nothing else will do" I couldn't remember the rest of the song, but this said all I needed to say. What I have found is that as I pursue God more, I want to pursue him more......I find myself longing more and more for time with my God.

 

You see, his love is better than life! I want to praise him as long as I live!

 

 

Brinkman Adventures: The Brinkman Adventures-Season 3 Review - TOS Crew

  This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information. 

 

 

Have you noticed that we live in a day and age where you can't always trust what is playing on the radio, TV.....or even......the content of commercials are being viewed anymore. Of course you have! It doesn't take long to look around, or flip through channels to see the need for an alternative to what is being pushed on us in the mainstream media. Finding wholesome entertainment for your family is sometimes tricky. That is why I am happy that I had the opportunity to review The Brinkman Adventures-Season 3 by Brinkman Adventures.

 

Some of you may be like me, I had never heard of The Brinkman Adventures series before the opportunity to review this product. So when I received the complete third season in the mail, I eagerly cracked open the case and found myself smack dab in the middle of 12 episodes (Episodes 25-36) which equals 5 hours of audio missionary dramas. The Brinkman Adventures is a radio drama about the Brinkman family. This large, adventurous family will keep you on the edge of your seat as they depict true stories of modern day missionaries. I have several friends that are missionaries, and I found myself thinking of my friends while listening to the missionary stories.

Included in the cd case are: 4 Audio CD's with the following episodes:

* God's Mule
* Mountain Mover
* The Silent Ambassador
* Translating Trouble
* Man-Up
* Acorns & Oaks
* A Saint's Story Part 1
* A Saint's Story Part 2
* Untouched
* Busy Bees and a Bullhorn
* Missionary Tourist Part 1
* Missionary Tourist Part 2

There is also a table of contents included in the package with the credits on the back. Something unique that is also included, is a thanks to the missionaries who allowed their stories to be told. Personally.....I loved that. I found it refreshing to listen to these stories that are being told in such unique way. Series 3 is non-stop action packed adventures that will easily hold your attention.

Take the opportunity and head to the website. There you will have the opportunity to listen to a sample episode. To listen click here! You can also check out the Real Stories Section.....you don't want to miss out on this! When you go to the Real Stories Section you will find more information on each of the stories that are included in the CD's.
How We Used the Product:

We substituted the audio cd's for TV and played them on our DVD player. My kids are older, so we enjoyed listening while we had some light school work going on. It got me wishing that I had a road trip coming up so we could have just popped it in the CD player in the car to listen as we traveled. I feel like that would have been a another very pleasurable way
to listen to this amazing audio dramas!
 

My Bottom Line:

If you want to put good, wholesome entertainment The Brinkman Adventures Season 3 will not disappoint! The stories are entertaining and well done. As a Christian family we love that these are adventures of missionary families. That only added to our interest!!
Head to the website and order your copy today!

Social Media:

Connect with Brinkman Adventures through Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Brinkman-Adventures-152895116079/
 

  

Standard Deviants Accelerate: Homeschool Courses - TOS Review

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Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.   
Online courses are a convenient and fun way to learn as a homeschooler. We were glad when we had the opportunity to review the Standard Deviants Accelerate (SDA) website. We were given access to all of their Homeschool Courses to try out for the review. We had a great time utilizing this resource for our own homeschool.

What You Get With SDA

When you get a membership with Standard Deviants Accelerate you gain full access to online supplemental homeschool curriculum. Online classes allow for flexibility which homeschool moms around the world will tell you is critical to every homeschool!  Standard Deviants Accelerate offers a variety of subjects for grades 3-12 with a year's worth of content for each. The classes are split into lessons, and with each lesson you will find video instruction along with multiple topic based assignments. You will notice that each assignment is specifically designed to help solidify the learning process for your student. As you begin each lesson, you will find a full transcript that is visible during the video making it easy to follow along. My student found that a helpful way to stay focused on the lesson.




The Standard Deviants Accelerate (SDA) Homeschool Courses range from third grade through high school.

• Arithmetic (grades 3+)
• Fundamental Math (grades 4+)
• Earth Science (grades 6+)
• Nutrition (grades 6+)
• Biology (grades 7+)
• Algebra (grades 7+)
• Chemistry (grades 9+)
• English Comp (grades 9+)
• U. S. History (grades 9+)
• AP Biology (grades 11+)
• AP Chemistry (grades 11+)
• AP American Gov. & and Politics (grades 11+)
• AP U.S. History (grades 11+)
• AP Eng. Composition (grades 11+)

Standard Deviants Accelerate grades the quizzes for the students. You are also able to take the quiz again if you didn't like the grade that you got. I have found that going back through and "correcting your work," can be a helpful tool.There are also activities and games that your student can do that will help to reinforce the topic.

How We Used It:

My daughter was able to go through the Earth Science class and the Nutrition class. She found the lessons easy to navigate through......and I found the lessons well-written and relevant.

Even though we enjoyed the classes that we were able to use, we did however; find the website confusing. We found it difficult to navigate and not very easy to comprehend how to get started. Even though the curriculum allows the students to retest, it doesn't actually change the grades. Only the initial grade is logged.

My Bottom Line:

Overall, the Homeschool Curriculum from Standard Deviants Accelerate is beneficial to homeschool students. Even though I found the website hard to navigate, you may navigate it better than me....I would be the first to say that there are times I find myself Tech handicapped! I would have found it more enjoyable if it wasn't so hard to figure out.


Social Media:

If you are like most people these days, you like to stay connected via social media too. Here are some links to check out.

Facebook:
 https://www.facebook.com/SDAccelerate

Twitter:
 https://twitter.com/SDAccelerate

Google+:
 https://plus.google.com/+Sdaccelerate/posts

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/SDAccelerate/

What Do You Think of Leftovers?

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I don't know if any of you have read the book Crazy Love, by Francis Chan....but I have to say if you haven't, you really should. I have been going through this book with my Christian Education class each week on Sunday mornings and it has really helped me take a good look at myself and my relationship with God!

 

This week we are studying the chapter entitled, "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God." Before you read another word, just say the title of the chapter again to yourself and let it roll around inside of you........Serving Leftovers to a Holy God.......

I have a phrase I use with my kids when I don't like they said, or their decision. It goes like this: "Some things just shouldn't ought to be!" I am using this phrase now in response to the title of this chapter!  We should not be serving leftovers to a Holy God.

 

"I think that most people would like to believe that God doesn't expect too much from us. I'd say that most Christians live as though God wants a minimal commitment from us but is absolutely thrilled when we surprise Him by going above and beyond. As comforting as that may be, I simply don't find any hint of this in Scripture.

What I see instead is God warning us again and again about the dangers of being lukewarm. He warns us against thinking we're committed when we're really not. He calls us to let go of everything we have and follow Him. The harshest words in the Bible are reserved for those who maintain a minimal external commitment to the Lord but don't pursue Him passionately (the best known examples of this are Jesus' harsh rebukes of the Pharisees.)"  [Crazy Love Workbook: Francis Chan, Page 56]

 

When did it become okay to try to hedge our bets.....see what we could "get away with" and still make it to heaven?  I know I've been asked questions like this: Do I have to get baptized to be saved? I don't have to forgive everyone to make it to heaven do I? I don't have to obey everything the Bible says to be a Christian do I?  Basically, when we start rolling questions like that around in our minds, we are really asking if there is a way to make it to heaven without faithfully loving Jesus.   John 14:15 says: “If you love me, keep my commands." Such a simple statement.... Jesus makes it clear in this verse that when we truly love Him, we obey what He tells us to do. Many times we find it easy to admit that we are in need of a Savior. We understand our sins and that we need to be forgiven if we want to make it to heaven.....but we find it much harder relinquishing control of our lives and entrusting it to God by making Him our Lord. That seems to be a much harder step of faith for us.....but if we are completely in love with our Savior, we have no problem making Him Lord of our lives.

 

 

 

Think about the title of the chapter.....now think about this: How many of us invite guests over to our house and make it a point to serve them leftovers? Simply put, we just don't do that!  I mean, take a look at the picture and tell me that looks appetizing. We don't serve our guests food that has been gnawed on, instead we prepare, clean, look up recipes, find out what they like and don't like, make extra shopping trips, etc. We pull out all the stops to make sure that our guests understand how happy we are to be spending time with them. So where is the disconnect when it comes to God? When it comes to spending time with our God, we sleep through our prayer time (if we have time at all), we grudgingly read His Word, and we try our hardest to find loopholes for all His commands, all while claiming to love Him. How I must have broken his heart! I have been guilty of the same things I am writing about.......but the truth is I don't want to be type of person,.....I also don't think the answer is for us to question our salvation....... You see I think we should however; all take some time to look inside ourselves and assess our motives and intentions. Are we truly giving God what he deserves all the time? 

 

It is time that we as Christians stop trying to fit in with the world because it is "more comfortable", and get back to the basics. It is time that we take a stand on the Word of God in our lives and make the cry of our hearts be "holiness!" It is time that we give God what He deserves, which is our very best at all times, and in every way!

Change the Way You Do Sundays!

 

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If you live in Indianapolis area, this is for you!

  Sundays are the best part of my week,

and can be the best part of your week as well....

 

There is a spot saved just for you!!

 

 

Apologia Educational Ministries: The Ultimate Homeschool Planner Review - TOS Crew

 

 

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Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.     

I believe that the Nemesis of every homeschool is poor planning! I have planned well....and I have slacked off.....and I know how hard it is to get back on track when you fall off. To stay on track in your educational needs, especially with more than one student, you must plan everything out.  I have just the ticket for you and your homeschool! I was able to review The Ultimate Homeschool Planner from Apologia Educational Ministries.

 

About The Ultimate Homeschool Planner:

This gorgeous planning system designed by best selling author Debra Bell is spectacular! Upon opening the planner you will find several pages that hold the next several school years as a quick reference. The last school year listed is 2022-2023. I love that this quick reference is here.....this will help you as you plan try to ahead. This planning system validated what I have found to be true, "planning won't eliminate chaos and disorder, but it can reduce it." (The Ultimate Homeschool Planner: Welcome Page)

 

 

 

Before you begin planning take some time to read the User's Guide on pages 6-17. These pages are full of helpful information and tips. As you read through this guide, take some time to follow the tips that are so nicely laid out. As you put these tips into action you will find that you aren't feeling as overwhelmed about homeschool planning as you used to. I wish I would have had this planner for my first year of homeschooling, I think things would have gone more smoothly for us!!

 

One of my favorite sections in the planner is the Student Goal Setter. I know how important it is for my students to "buy in" to what we are doing and this goal setter helps with that. It is fun to sit down and set reachable goals with your student for the school year, and then work together in order to meet it over the next 180 days.

 

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner allows you to plan out your months and then break it down further into weeks. The monthly planning pages don't allow for tons of details, but then when you get to the weekly planning pages this is when you can take some time and fill in the details. There is plenty of room to write.....which I am very glad about. I hate trying to fit lots of information into tiny little boxes!!  RIGHT!?

 

The beginning of each week has some extra pages that you won't find in just any old planner. The Ultimate Homeschool Planner allows you to have a Bible Plan, Battle Plan, Prayer section, Hospitality/Outreach goals, Memorable Moments for the week, and Evidences of God's grace. This puts your whole homeschool in the proper mindset, with God first and foremost!!

 

At the back of the planner is a section to record grades, plot reading lists, plan out high school years, record field trips and activities, and then you will want to make sure you read through all the teaching tips from pages 266-271. These helpful tips and tricks will surely make your life easier!!

How I Used This Product:

I spent some time planning some stuff! I had another planner I was already using for school, but it was nothing in comparison to The Ultimate Homeschool Planner. When I sat down to utilize this fabulous planner I was pleasantly surprised by the layout. The way that this product is put together helps you organize things in your planner .......and your mind better! You will see a difference in the way you tackle a school week, because you have taken the time to utilize this amazing planner by Apologia Educational Ministries! Planning out the school year with this product is an absolute pleasure! 

My Bottom Line:

I believe that this planner is a help for your homeschool. I have enjoyed utilizing it in mine! I love that there are verses and quotes that are sprinkled throughout this well thought out planner that provide encouragement and direction. If you haven't already done so, get one of these for yourself, and find out just how helpful this planner can be in your homeschool!


Social Media:
If you are like most people these days, you like to stay connected via social media too. Here are some links to check out.

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld/timeline

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/apologiaworld

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/

Google+:
https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125

  

Care For Some Lukewarm Coffee?

 

 

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Thank you for supporting my blog and homeschool! See my full Disclosure statement for more information.      I don't know about you, but I like my "hot' things....hot, and my "cold" things....cold!  According to the Word of God, He does too! That particular subject was the topic of conversation in my Christian Education class Sunday morning.  The following verses make God's stance on the situation clear. Revelation 3:15-16 "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Think about it.....how does something get to be lukewarm? Today while I was at work I poured a cup of coffee and instead of sitting it on my little cup warmer, I sat it on my desk. I was busy working on something on my computer and apparently it took longer than I thought because when I picked it up to take a drink it was......well......YUCK! I hate lukewarm coffee! I had to spit it out of my mouth! Has that ever happened to you? Of course it has!! It has happened to all of us with one thing or another.  You see.....my coffee spent too much time away from it's source of heat........

With that thought in mind we need to take some time to examine ourselves. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5  "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." It isn't always easy to take some time and examine our relationship with God. Sometimes when we take some time to do that......we may find out some things about ourselves that we tried hard to bury. "Lukewarmness is not the inevitable result of being imperfect. We are all imperfect. Lukewarmness is the inevitable result of lack of love for God. The solution is not to push yourself into behaving perfectly; the solution is to cultivate your love for God." (Crazy Love, Frances Chan)  It is important for us to make sure that we remain connected to our Source, the One True God! If we do that, we will be connected to our heat source!

As you examine yourself, take some time to look up the following verses:
Isaiah 29:13
I Chronicles 21:24
Luke 21:1-4
Revelation 3:1
Matthew 23:5-7
Romans 6:1-2
James 1:22
James 4:17
Matthew 10:32-33
Luke 18:11-12
Matthew 22:37-38
Matthew 5:43-47
Colossians 3:2

You can bet that the next cup of coffee that I pour is going right on my cup warmer! I won't make that mistake again! There is nothing like taking a big swallow of lukewarm coffee, once that happens you try to make sure it doesn't happen again......right?! How much more important is it that we keep our relationship with God HOT?!

What's Love Got To Do With It?

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Mark 12:30 says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Jesus said that this is the most important commandment in the Bible.......and yet.....do we?  More importantly.....do I?  That is the question that I find myself asking as I read this verse over and over again....Do I love you Lord with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind and with all my strength?  I find this question reverberating in my spirit as I go about my day....I find this question lingering on my mind as I drift off to sleep....or as I sit quietly in the presence of the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. Do I actually love God with all my heart and soul and mind and strength???

 

Do you?

 

What would it look like if we did?

 

How would our world be different if every word we spoke and every thing we did declared our love for God?

 

We have an amazing opportunity to love God so much that it overflows into every aspect of our lives....impacting everyone around us!!!! It is so important to keep our focus on eternity as we make decisions, remembering that we are to love God with all our being first and foremost. That is when God can do his best work!

 

So, I find myself determined to keep God first and love him with ALL that is within me!!

My challenge to you is that you would do the same. Imagine the difference that we can make for the kingdom of God if we take this verse to heart and really focus on making it a part of our everyday life!

Love has got everything to do with it!!

 

 

Koru Naturals: Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser & Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Mauka Oil Toner Review - TOS Crew

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To say that I am "old school" when it comes to my skincare treatment is an understatement. I wash my face with soap and water when I am in the shower.......and I may or may not take my makeup off before bed. (I know....I know!!) So when I had the opportunity to review the Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser and  Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Manuka Oil Facial Toner by Koru Naturals I was excited to start a brand new regimen and see how well these products worked!

 

Day 1

So....I thought I would start off my new facial treatments with a before picture. Then I began using these products every morning before going to work, and then again every evening before going to bed. My goal was to have clean, smooth, healthy skin by the time that my review period was over. I made sure to put them right by the sink I use to get ready in the morning for easy access, and even though I never had a routine before....I found my new discipline fun.

 

What I found the first time I used the Manuka Honey and Manuka Oil Facial Cleanser was a pleasant surprise. The cleanser not only made my face feel wonderful, but it smelled divine!! So much so that people would often tell me that I smelled great! They would ask me what perfume I was wearing, and I would just smile and say, "none." ha ha!

 

2 Weeks

What I noticed is that my skin seemed to look more healthy and even though these pictures are hard for me to look at since I have no make up on.......I can tell that my skin is looking better.

 

Like I said in the opening paragraph I also used the Manuka Honey, Tamarind and Manuka Oil Facial Toner after each time of using the cleanser. I hadn't really used a toner before and I found it to be so refreshing. Again, Koru Naturals hit the nail on the head with this amazing product. I applied it with a cotton ball because it is definitely a thinner liquid than the cleanser. After applying the facial toner and allowing it to dry, I would follow it all up with a moisturizer. When I would head out to work or off to bed, I felt completely refreshed.

 

Koru Naturals goes above and beyond to make wonderful all- natural products, all while making it affordable for everyday use. I find that very important. All too often we get drawn into a product line that is absolutely wonderful, but the cost of the product and the room in our budget, makes it hard to utilize every day.

 

4 Weeks

I don't know if you can tell from these pictures, but my skin continues to get more healthy looking each week!!  I was also able to use the Skin Clear Crème during this same review time. I worked it into my daily regimen with the cleanser and the toner. It was so nice to moisturize with this wonderful product twice daily. It made my skin feel and look wonderful! There is a cute little palette knife included in the container, and that makes it easier to spread it on your face. Make sure to cover your face, while leaving the skin right around your eyes clear...you do not want to get it into your eyes!  As soon as you rinse off the Skin Clear Crème, you will notice a difference in your skin!

I understand that the face is an important and sometimes sensitive area, and the skin on our faces need special care at times. But that is not all that Koru Naturals has to offer. I was also able to use Manuka Honey Propolis Soap for the rest of my body in the shower. This soap is WONDERFUL! It smells wonderful and made me feel clean and fresh!



Final

I am a firm believer in these products. I hope that these pictures helped you follow along on this skincare journey with me! I know that by using these products my skin has become clear and healthy and I owe it all to Koru Naturals!

My Bottom Line:

I would have to say that my bottom line is that I love these products. I know that I benefited from this product, and my hope is that you would want to give these products a try for yourself. Click here and browse through the many health and beauty products available from Koru Naturals.

Social Media:

If you are like most people these days, you like to stay connected via social media. Here are some links to check out.


Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/korunaturals

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/korunaturals/