Friday, August 13, 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

through the woods and over the bridge to Grandpa's camper we go.

We went camping this past week with my Grandma and Grandpa while my parents celebrated their 20th anniversary!! Below are a few pictures of our very exciting week.







Which one is your favorite?

Monday, June 28, 2010

Why I Thank God for My Grandparents

    Grandparents were given by God for a reason. They are a gift from the Lord to the grandchildren. In the Bible, Timothy's grandmother was very influential in helping to mold him and shape him into being the great godly leader and man that God wanted him to be.

Proverbs 17:6

"Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is in their father."

    I love my grandparents. They are the best and I am so thankful that God gave me them. They are godly influences to me and the rest of my siblings.

Why I am thankful for my grandma and grandpa:

-they take me camping.

- they are great examples of prayer warriors

- thought me how to fish

- teach me different things with the camper

- let me drive the tractor

- teach me how to fix things

- skype me to tell me the best random things

- give me tomato plants and green bean seeds

- They love God

- they love each other and get nervous when that are apart for even a short time. They feel as if they cannot do anything without the other.

Why I am thankful for my Nana and Pop- Pop:

  • Took me to school every day
  • Made me lunch throughout the school year
  • Have some of the greatest conversations over lunch
  • Faithfully watched the price is right every day during lunch
  • Come to my sporting events
  • Willing to drive and hour and a half to pick me up at camp and then drive back when my parents were not available to do that
  • Call to tell me they love me
  • Call to listen to what I did over the past week, when I did not see them
  • They love God
  • They love each other, and miss each other when they are apart.

I love my grandparents and I am so glad that God gave me them.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Life in Fast Forward

Over the past couple of months we have had a lot going on. Sweet Pea had a birthday and lost her two first teeth. Buddy is deep into his baseball season and is doing a great job. Little sis has done a great job with her art and has won a few awards for her art in a school art competition. We recently celebrated mother's day and we used the opportunity to let Wonder Women know just how much we love her. This is our last week of school. We are all very excited and cannot wait to go to Ohio this coming weekend.

Monday, April 5, 2010

God’s Love Story



Most people love a good love story. You know the good, not to corny, love story. "The Christmas Shoes" is a good example. But the love story I am going to share is better than any other love story ever shared. This love story involves you and me and the very God who created us.

The day that He made us was the day that He fell in love with us. Like any boy fighting for the attention of the one he has fallen in love with, God knew everything about us. But unlike the boy next door, God knew because He made us and fell in love with us. Matthew 10:30 says, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Again, unlike the boy next door, God is a gentleman. He does not go demandingly into relationships. He goes in with respect, desiring your love in return because that is true love between a creator and the created. His standards are high. To high for the human to reach on their own. The day He made us was the day He fell in love with us. After He made us, He stepped back, and looking at the master piece He had created, knowing that one day we would reject Him, and said, "Indeed, it was very good."

On the day that we discarded His love and displays of affection for that of sin and death, was the day that He came up for the plan to rescue us. He refused to stand idly by and watch us swimming in sin and death. He loved us to much for that. We were slaves. We sold ourselves so cheaply. We fooled ourselves into thinking sin was the better deal and would give us everything we could want. Sin promised us everything, but in reality God had already given us everything. There was nothing left to promise. While it hurt that we had denied Him, it hurt Him even more knowing that the road that lied in front of us would involve death; something we would never had to have known about had we followed His ideal plan. But with the amazing and awesome God that He is, He took our short comings and sin and made it into a master piece for His glory. He knew our state better than even we knew ourselves. He went to great lengths to rescue us. He was our knight in shining armor, my Tarzan, swooping into the save the day. He purchased us back, Redemption, with His son's blood that was spilt at the hands of the very sinners He was saving. His gift was better than any ring, present, kiss, or hug. He saved the day, He saved our lives. Really and truly, He saved our lives. Not just for the day, but for forever.
He wrote us love letters, The Bible. All we have to do is say YES. Yes I am a sinner. I chose sin. You came to my rescue. You are perfect. You are the only one who can save me from eternal death. Only you can give me eternal life. It is a gift that I have to accept. All of the things that I have ever done or ever will do that were wrong were taken care of on the cross. All I have to do is say yes. It does not matter who we are, who we were, where we are, or where we have been. He takes us where we are and makes us new. 1 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." He loves us. Someday very soon He is coming again to take away His bride. Revelation 19:7 says, "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

Friday, April 2, 2010

Why was it Necessary?


After the resurrection of Jesus, He was specific with the people that He met with and talked with. He focused a lot on His disciples. It was very important that they meet and talk with Him. He had a plan for them. To Peter specifically, He showed that He wanted Peter. Peter was forgiven after Peter had denied Jesus at His trial. Jesus, talking to Peter, said, "Follow me." God had plan for the world to hear the story of His Life, Death, and Resurrection. He had saved the world, but what good was it if no one knew and therefore, no one would choose Him. From when Jesus ascended into heaven until He would return would be the Church age, and His disciples would be the leaders in the beginning of the church age and their legacy would be known for the rest of time by their writings. It was vital that they see the risen Savior. Jesus told them that they were to be His witnesses.

"Then He said to them, thus it is written. And thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer

And to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should

be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are my witnesses

of these things."- Luke 24:46-48


The resurrection was not hearsay. It was real and it mattered. Their lives were changed after meeting Jesus and many following lives would forever be changed, because Jesus was more than a perfect man. HE WAS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. Jesus commanded them to go out into the world. Action from them was demanded. Acts 1:8 says, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

It was a personal experience, therefore, it lead to a personal and heartfelt message and mission.

"Men and brethren let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission for sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." – Acts 2:29, 36-39

They had a personal experience with Jesus. And that experience lead to lives that were changed and are continuing to be changed. Others saw the difference.

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled and they realized that they had been with Jesus"- Acts 4:13

The disciples meeting with the resurrected Christ was essential.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Why do I care?


Why is it that I care about the life, death, and most importantly the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Anyone could come live a half decent life and die, but what makes Jesus different and significant is the resurrection. He lived more than a half decent life; He lived a perfect life and died a horrible death at the hands of sinners for no good reason by the human standards. His reason for going to the cross was out of love. 1 John 3:16, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 4:10 says, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:19, "We love Him because He first loved us." Out of love for the very people He created to love Him in return are the very same people He died for.

While it was out of love that He died, dying was not enough to change our sinful state. Anyone could die, I could die, you could die, and because of sin we would die unless God intervened. It was saving us from death out of love that drove Him to the cross in the first place. He wanted to change death. He had to rise from the dead. Death was no longer the end; there was now life with Jesus after death. Death is not the end all it is simply the beginning of life with Jesus if one choices to allow Him to. While some still choose to deny the resurrection of Jesus, there are so many things that indicate His death, burial, and resurrection. The soldiers were paid off to keep silent about the resurrection of Jesus. If it were not true why go to so much trouble to keep what happened silent. When the disciples arrived at the tomb the clothes were folded showing no sign of rushing. If someone were to steal the body they would do it as quickly as possible and would not take the time to fold the clothes. Jesus appeared too many after His resurrection. He ate food and disciples could physically touch, feel, and talk to Jesus. So many lives were changed by Jesus. Many people tried to keep the story of Jesus quiet, but it is impossible. The story of Jesus has stood the test of time. People died for Jesus because their lives were changed by Him. If it were true not then that many people would not be willing to die for just a story.

Knowing and believing the resurrection of Jesus is not good enough. The story of the resurrection is more than a story it is a challenge, it has significance. It is a call to action. Matthew 28:7 says, "And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead." Mark 16:8, "So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed." The resurrection of Christ is a time of rejoicing. The resurrection is a fulfillment of prophesy. Luke 24:5b-7 says, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, 'the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again'." Amazement followed the resurrection. John 20:28 says, "And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and My God!"

Jesus resurrection makes everything different. Following Jesus is different than anything else in life. We serve a living God. He is not dead, a statue, made up, weak, made of stone or wood, but a real, strong, living God. He is a God who loved us, went to great lengths to reach us. He showed the greatest demonstration of love ever shown to the human race. It was all done to change us from a sinful and lost state to a redeemed state. When we chose Jesus, we can spend forever with Jesus and that was what was accomplished through the cross and resurrection.