Been So Long by Emily Jane
My friend Angela sent me this video that I wanted to share. These two girls, Bethany who wrote and composed the song and Emily who is the vocalist, are two of Angela’s pastor’s daughters. The girls are homeschool graduates and very very talented. I can’t wait to hear more from them!
Challenge Week #5 and Last Day!
It’s the last week and the last day of the challenge! Wow, the time really flew by didn’t it? Who knew a month of Bible Reading could go by so quickly.
Thank you all for doing this challenge with me and sticking it out! It was a lot of work but I think it was worth it for me. I know I have developed a mental habit where, at the end of the day if I have not read my Bible, I begin to feel guilty. But I think this is a healthy kind of guilt. I think it is the Holy Spirit telling me that I still have something to do before I slip into bed! I’ve learned that it is so important to feed the Spirit daily. Just like our bodies need daily food to survive, so do our spirits!
Okay, I am so excited to reveal the winners! My little guy drew three random names from the all ladies that signed up on the Mr. Linky but before I announnce them I wanted to share these verses.
Philippians 3:14 says, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Earthly prizes cannot compare to the heavenly reward we will receive if we continue to seek Him diligently and press on in our walk! Be encouraged to stay in the Word daily to receive the heavenly prizes that are so much more precious than anything we receive on earth.
Here are the winners:
Kim at momofneb
Michele at Hugs4Him
Belynda at joyfulmomma
Congatulations! Please email me your name and address so that I can mail off your gifts this weekend!
Challenge Week #4
Yes! We are on week four! We are almost there! I’m so excited! Weekends still prove to be difficult for me but reading the Bible daily is becoming more of a habit as each day goes by.
Last week life was just crazy and I was not feeling inspired so there was no "challenge week three" post, I’m sorry to say. But from that week, I think God revealed something to me that goes along with being in the Word daily.
I was reading in James and James is just full of good stuff but it was chapter 5:7-11 that I liked.
"7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful."
It says to "establish your hearts". In what? In God’s Word. The only way to do this is by reading His Word daily and by being rooted up in it. We need to value God’s Word and prefer it to tv, movies, other books, entertainment, wordly pleasures, and selfish desires. When God’s Word is first place in our life then our hearst will be established, unmoved, firm, and steadfast. It says in Psalm 112:6-8 that when our hearts are established we will not not be shaken, not be afraid of evil tidings, steadfast and trusting in the Lord.
There’s also picture of an established heart in Psalm 1:2-3, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. " When your heart is established, nothing can move you! You are like a tree deeply rooted into the ground. You will not wither when trials come your way. Instead, you will prosper and bear much fruit!
When you are deeply rooted in God’s Word, you can endure all the trials that come your way because God is your strength and you have His law and His promises deep within your heart. You know what you know is true and nothing can shake you. Then, like it says in James, you will be blessed because you endured and persevered faithfully. And the key, I think for me, is to be deeply rooted in the spiritual truth set in James 5:11. To know absolutely, always, without a shadow of a doubt in your mind, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. He has a soft , tender, generous, sympathizing, forgiving, and kind heart. (Psalm 86:5,15) He has your best interests at heart and loves you unconditionally.
Last week, I doubted His love to me. I turned my back on Him and my thoughts entertained ideas that were not true. Because my heart was not established and rooted I kept listening to the devil’s deceit. I became afraid, I was angry at God, and as a result my faith swayed with my circumstances. As I repented, though, and realized what a wretched sinner I am, God showed me how merciful and compassionate He is. He took me back with open arms and loves me unconditionally. He is so faithful and true. Steadfast and never changing. That is how I want to be. Like a tree so deeply rooted in His Word that the devil’s darts will never shake me. I have to be faithful in establishing my heart "for the coming of the Lord is at hand." I want to be ready.
Don’t quit and don’t miss out on what the Lord has for you!
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (4)A Mending at the Edge by Jane Kirkpatrick
Book: The Change and Cherish series
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Summary: The Change and Cherish series follows the story of feisty Emma Giesy
I love books that are based on a historical time period or on an individual in history. The main character of this book, Emma Giesy, a German-American woman, is a true and very real woman. She was the only woman who was sent off to the Oregon Territory in the 1850′s. She had a very hard life. She experiences very trying circumstances and emotional times and the reader can identify with those struggles and sympathize with her. Jane Kirkpatrick’s writing is very enjoyable as well. Very descriptive and full of details! I was given the opportunity to read all 3 of her books in this series and I really recommend buying the first two before reading the third in the series.
A Clearing in the Wild
Spirited young Emma Wagner chafes at the constraints of her 1850s religious community, which values conformity over independent thought, especially in women. Skeptical of the colony’s growing emphasis on preparing for “the last days,” Emma clashes with their increasingly autocratic leader—and faces the unexpected consequences of pursuing independence.
A Tendering in the Storm
This lyrical novel, based on an historical figure of the 1800s, follows the spirited and intelligent Emma Giesy, who achieves her goal of separating her family from the repressive religious community in which she grew up. But unexpected and dire consequences leave her family—and her faith—struggling to survive.
A Mending at the Edge
This richly textured novel, the third in the acclaimed Change and Cherish series, follows the historical figure of Emma Wagner Giesy, who chafes under the restrictions of her 1860s religious colony. When her bid to belong in her unique way unravels her most precious relationships, she seeks new ways to stitch meaning into her life.
Author Bio: Jane Kirkpatrick is the best-selling author of two nonfiction books and fourteen historical novels, including the popular Kinship and Courage series. Her award-winning writing has appeared in more than fifty publications, including Sports Afield and Decision. She’s won the coveted Western Heritage Wrangler Award, an honor shared by such writers as Larry McMurtry and Barbara Kingsolver. Jane is a licensed clinical social worker as well as an internationally recognized speaker. She and her husband, Jerry, ranch 160 acres in eastern
Leah