It really is amazing to me what lessons we can learn from God's handiwork! The second lesson that I learned from the wildflowers was-What Path Am I Leading My Children Down? Am I being the Christian example that I need to be?
The path that we walk down is dirt, surrounded mostly by woods and partly fields. My greatest fears are snakes, ticks, and, yes, bears, so we tell the boys time and time again to stay on the path. DO NOT go into the grass or the woods.
Now, keeping that admonishment in mind, where do wildflowers grow? On the path? No, of course not. They grow on the edge, IN THE GRASS. When I saw those flowers, I thought that if I only went quickly, grabbed some, then came back, I would be fine. My boys kept saying, "But, Mommy, you said not to go into the grass!". I said, "I'll be just a second. I'll be alright." No harm done. Right? WRONG!
The next day, I felt something itchy, only to find that it was a tick on me. Did anyone else in my little walking party have one? No. Just me. Why? Because I left the path and went where I shouldn't have, where we told the boys not to go.
That really got me to thinking. Thinking about how we are trying to teach our boys about the Lord and living the Christian life. While out on our walk, I told the boys one thing, then I went and did exactly what I had just told them not to do. What kind of example is that?
Our children are watching us much more closely than we know. We need to make sure that we practice what we teach. For example, if we teach our children not to lie, then they see us call out from work "sick", when we really aren't and just wanted a day off , what did that just show them?
Another thing that we try to teach our children is not to steal, but Dad comes home from work with items (yes, even those pens, post-it note pads, etc) that he has taken home with him, because "the workplace has so many, they won't miss it!".
Oh, Christian, be careful! Stay on the path! Be that Christian example to your children that you are trying to instill in them! We are so human. We will all fall at one time or another, but when we do, honestly and heartfully ask the Lord's forgiveness. Pray that He will help you.
This also gave me an opportunity to talk to my boys about consequences to our actions. Since I did not heed the rule and went where I wanted to anyway, I got bit by a tick, which, by the way, could be very serious if it is carrying Lyme disease. I told the boys that there are always reasons for the rules that we set for them. Even though they can't see it now (did we when we were their age?), we set some of those rules for their protection. The Bible has rules on how we should live. Some of them seem very hard, but, once again, God had His reasons for setting them.
I feel that God has brought this lesson to me to open my eyes a little bit wider about the awsome responsibility of raising my children. I hope it has helped you as well.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Happy Father's Day to all of you fathers out there!
I just have to say that the Lord has blessed me tremendously with such a wonderful husband. He is an awsome daddy to our two boys.
As the pastor of our church, my husband is often called away for different things dealing with the church or it's members, which sometimes disrupts our personal family time. This is to be expected, of course. We love our church and this is what we are here for. But often a preacher can get so caught up with the church that his family gets pushed to the side.
My husband makes it a point to spend special time with our boys each day, even if it's a quick basketball game on the driveway, working together in the garage on some project, even working in our small garden. Family devotions are also a priority. This is a very important time of day. We read scripture, talk and pray together. We do this at night and it actually helps to wind down the day. He then also makes sure that he helps tuck them in at night.
Is my husband the perfect father? Of course not! We are all human and we make mistakes. But as long as we keep the Lord at the head of everything we do as a family, keep hemming everything in prayer, things will work out, not in our time, but in His.
I pray that if you are a father, that you will remember to take time with your children, play with them, pray with them! They are small today, but tomorrow they will be grown and gone. It happens that fast, it seems!
Again, Happy Father's Day! I hope it is wonderful and blessed!
Beth :-)
I just have to say that the Lord has blessed me tremendously with such a wonderful husband. He is an awsome daddy to our two boys.
As the pastor of our church, my husband is often called away for different things dealing with the church or it's members, which sometimes disrupts our personal family time. This is to be expected, of course. We love our church and this is what we are here for. But often a preacher can get so caught up with the church that his family gets pushed to the side.
My husband makes it a point to spend special time with our boys each day, even if it's a quick basketball game on the driveway, working together in the garage on some project, even working in our small garden. Family devotions are also a priority. This is a very important time of day. We read scripture, talk and pray together. We do this at night and it actually helps to wind down the day. He then also makes sure that he helps tuck them in at night.
Is my husband the perfect father? Of course not! We are all human and we make mistakes. But as long as we keep the Lord at the head of everything we do as a family, keep hemming everything in prayer, things will work out, not in our time, but in His.
I pray that if you are a father, that you will remember to take time with your children, play with them, pray with them! They are small today, but tomorrow they will be grown and gone. It happens that fast, it seems!
Again, Happy Father's Day! I hope it is wonderful and blessed!
Beth :-)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE WILDFLOWERS-LESSON 1 "Looking to Jesus"
The other day, while taking our family walk, I picked some pretty wildflowers for my kitchen windowsill.
I know, I know! I am always taking pictures of flowers on my windowsill, but that is my most favorite place of my kitchen. When we found out I was expecting our second child, we had to rearrange some of the rooms in our house to accommodate our new little blessing. My husband knew that the one thing that I absolutely wanted was a kitchen window that looked out on our backyard. The original kitchen in our house looked out into the next room. It had absolutely NO windows looking on the outside.
Well, these wildflowers have taught me a few lessons. The next few posts will be about my "Lessons Learned from the Wildflowers".
LESSON 1:
When we got home from our walk, I promptly put the flowers in a vase, nicely arranging them as best as I could. I thought they looked so "country" and pretty. See below picture.
I got up the next morning, and the flowers were actually leaning towards the other side. I thought that someone had turned the vase. I promptly turned them back so that they looked again as the above pictures.
This same thing happened by the end of the day.
Of course, I asked my boys which one was messing with the vase, and both denied any touching. I then took a closer look at the flowers. This is what I saw:
If you'll look closely, some of the flowers have actually turned towards the window. To be exact, they have turned towards the SUN. That is why they kept leaning in another direction.
I thought about my Christian walk. Am I trying my hardest to lean towards the SON, God's Son, Jesus? Whatever my circumstances, am I looking towards Jesus, no matter what happens?
These flowers reminded me to make more effort to keep my personal and family devotion times, to spend more time in prayer, to try to listen more closely to what the Lord is trying to tell me, to hold on to Jesus and know that He knows everything that is going on and won't let me go.
When my boys were little babies, no matter who was in the room, they were always craning their necks to find me. All they had to do was hear my voice, and they started looking.
We should be like that with Jesus. No matter who or what is around us, we should always be looking to Jesus. If we keep Him at the head of our lives, we won't go wrong! Hallelujah!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)
I know, I know! I am always taking pictures of flowers on my windowsill, but that is my most favorite place of my kitchen. When we found out I was expecting our second child, we had to rearrange some of the rooms in our house to accommodate our new little blessing. My husband knew that the one thing that I absolutely wanted was a kitchen window that looked out on our backyard. The original kitchen in our house looked out into the next room. It had absolutely NO windows looking on the outside.
Well, these wildflowers have taught me a few lessons. The next few posts will be about my "Lessons Learned from the Wildflowers".
LESSON 1:
When we got home from our walk, I promptly put the flowers in a vase, nicely arranging them as best as I could. I thought they looked so "country" and pretty. See below picture.
I got up the next morning, and the flowers were actually leaning towards the other side. I thought that someone had turned the vase. I promptly turned them back so that they looked again as the above pictures.
This same thing happened by the end of the day.
Of course, I asked my boys which one was messing with the vase, and both denied any touching. I then took a closer look at the flowers. This is what I saw:
I thought about my Christian walk. Am I trying my hardest to lean towards the SON, God's Son, Jesus? Whatever my circumstances, am I looking towards Jesus, no matter what happens?
These flowers reminded me to make more effort to keep my personal and family devotion times, to spend more time in prayer, to try to listen more closely to what the Lord is trying to tell me, to hold on to Jesus and know that He knows everything that is going on and won't let me go.
When my boys were little babies, no matter who was in the room, they were always craning their necks to find me. All they had to do was hear my voice, and they started looking.
We should be like that with Jesus. No matter who or what is around us, we should always be looking to Jesus. If we keep Him at the head of our lives, we won't go wrong! Hallelujah!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
VACATION TIME
Well, vacation has come and gone! Isn't that always the way it is? It takes so long to get here, then time flies by!
The Lord blessed us with a WONDERFUL vacation. I praise Him for the beautiful mountain weather and for our safety. But, you know, no matter how great vacation time is, there's no place like home for my family. We are always glad to come back!
We went to the Boone, NC area, where we visited Grandfather Mountain, Tweetsie Railroad (Thomas the Tank Engine was there), hiked, swam, and just had some good family time. On Sunday, the Lord led us to a small church called Willowdale Baptist Church. The morning and evening sermons were spirit-filled and uplifting. We prayed very hard that He would send us to the right church, and He definitely did!
The best surprise for me was on Monday while we were at Tweetsie Railroad. All that long way from home, we ran into a family from our church. Imagine that! My husband and I joked with them that it's a good thing we were all doing and acting the way we should, as Christians.
It's a sad fact, and not really a joking matter, that some Christians, when they go on vacation, often try to take a vacation from God, going to places and doing things that they wouldn't normally do, because they think that no one knows them. But, Christian, let me tell you, not only do you never know who you will run into, but GOD KNOWS! He is still there with you, watching. He sees everything that you do. If you claim to be a Christian, then BE ONE, no matter where you are or what you are doing.
Well, I'm off to start my day. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)
The Lord blessed us with a WONDERFUL vacation. I praise Him for the beautiful mountain weather and for our safety. But, you know, no matter how great vacation time is, there's no place like home for my family. We are always glad to come back!
We went to the Boone, NC area, where we visited Grandfather Mountain, Tweetsie Railroad (Thomas the Tank Engine was there), hiked, swam, and just had some good family time. On Sunday, the Lord led us to a small church called Willowdale Baptist Church. The morning and evening sermons were spirit-filled and uplifting. We prayed very hard that He would send us to the right church, and He definitely did!
The best surprise for me was on Monday while we were at Tweetsie Railroad. All that long way from home, we ran into a family from our church. Imagine that! My husband and I joked with them that it's a good thing we were all doing and acting the way we should, as Christians.
It's a sad fact, and not really a joking matter, that some Christians, when they go on vacation, often try to take a vacation from God, going to places and doing things that they wouldn't normally do, because they think that no one knows them. But, Christian, let me tell you, not only do you never know who you will run into, but GOD KNOWS! He is still there with you, watching. He sees everything that you do. If you claim to be a Christian, then BE ONE, no matter where you are or what you are doing.
Well, I'm off to start my day. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)
On top of Grandfather Mountain
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
MEMORIAL DAY-LEST WE FORGET
I would like to take this time to remember all that have fought and died for our country and for allowing us to have the freedoms that we enjoy today. Too often, we take these freedoms for granted.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
NEW REFRIGERATOR
Our new refrigerator. Isn't God good!!!!!
The white spot is the flash from my camera.
Notice that my husband had to put his deer head magnet back on!
NEW DELIVERY
Good Sunday morning! What a beautiful morning! The weather is finally turning hotter and feeling like summer. If any of my readers know anything about the weather here in New Bern, NC, it is always changing. When my husband and I were first married, and I came here to live (my husband is from this area), the pastor of our church told me that if I didn't like the weather at the time, just wait, it'll change again soon.
We had to break down and buy a new refrigerator yesterday. It's funny, I didn't realize that our old one wasn't cooling or freezing like it should until our milk kept going sour and the popscicles in our freezer kept getting mushy. And let me tell you, opening up a mushy popscicle is not the neatest experience in the world.
I am so thankful to the Lord that we had the money to buy one! Then, it was on sale for 10% off.
You know, in our 14 1/2 years of marriage, I never had a brand new refrigerator. Now, I am certainly not complaining! We have lived in two houses, and both houses already had an old, but well working refrigerator. I am also a big fan of thrift and second hand stores. As long as my appliances work, I don't care how old they are.
This experience with our refrigerator kind of made me think of the Christian Life. Just as we did not know that slowly but surely the refrigerator had stopped cooling like it should (until I had to throw away two half gallons of milk), we as Christians, if we are not careful, can slowly start to fall away from our Lord and Saviour.
Sometimes, it is simply a hobby or activity that starts to take up more and more of our time. We start having more time for that then even our morning devotions. Or, it might start keeping us out of church on Sundays and Prayer Meeting Night.
There might be a sin that, at first didn't seem very harmful (all sin is harmful and wrong), but has slowly taken over your life.
Someone once told me that if you put a frog in a pot of cold water, and slowly bring it to a boil, he won't realize the danger until it's too late. That's kind of like sin or that particular activity or hobby. We don't realize how much it has taken over our lives or our time with the Lord, until nothing seems to be going right in our lives. The Lord may be trying to get your attention, trying to bring you back to Him.
I think that we all need to take inventory of our lives and see what is keeping us from a closer walk with our Lord and Saviour. Pray about it today!
Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday!
Beth :-)
We had to break down and buy a new refrigerator yesterday. It's funny, I didn't realize that our old one wasn't cooling or freezing like it should until our milk kept going sour and the popscicles in our freezer kept getting mushy. And let me tell you, opening up a mushy popscicle is not the neatest experience in the world.
I am so thankful to the Lord that we had the money to buy one! Then, it was on sale for 10% off.
You know, in our 14 1/2 years of marriage, I never had a brand new refrigerator. Now, I am certainly not complaining! We have lived in two houses, and both houses already had an old, but well working refrigerator. I am also a big fan of thrift and second hand stores. As long as my appliances work, I don't care how old they are.
This experience with our refrigerator kind of made me think of the Christian Life. Just as we did not know that slowly but surely the refrigerator had stopped cooling like it should (until I had to throw away two half gallons of milk), we as Christians, if we are not careful, can slowly start to fall away from our Lord and Saviour.
Sometimes, it is simply a hobby or activity that starts to take up more and more of our time. We start having more time for that then even our morning devotions. Or, it might start keeping us out of church on Sundays and Prayer Meeting Night.
There might be a sin that, at first didn't seem very harmful (all sin is harmful and wrong), but has slowly taken over your life.
Someone once told me that if you put a frog in a pot of cold water, and slowly bring it to a boil, he won't realize the danger until it's too late. That's kind of like sin or that particular activity or hobby. We don't realize how much it has taken over our lives or our time with the Lord, until nothing seems to be going right in our lives. The Lord may be trying to get your attention, trying to bring you back to Him.
I think that we all need to take inventory of our lives and see what is keeping us from a closer walk with our Lord and Saviour. Pray about it today!
Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday!
Beth :-)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
MOTHER/DAUGHTER BANQUET 2011
What a wonderful and blessed time that we had last night at the Mother/Daughter Banquet!
Flower arrangement at the entrance
Devotion time. Who thinks they REALLY know their mother? Our four contestants. A flower was given for each correct answer. Lots of fun and laughter!
We then were challenged to get to know our Heavenly Father much better than we do. Our devotion leader used the song, "Oh, be careful little eyes, ears, mouth" to challenge us to take inventory of our lives as Christians.
Food! Notice that I put the pictures of the dessert table FIRST! Yum, Yum!
Everything was outstanding and DELICIOUS!
Even the bathroom was decorated!
How thankful I am for such a wonderful church family! :-)!
Beth :-)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
BE STRONG AND OF A GOOD COURAGE!
Has it really been a whole week since the last time I posted? Wow. It's been a REALLY busy week between weddings, school, and all that. Tonight is our Mother/Daughter Banquet at church. I will post pictures soon.
You know, the Lord always knows when to bring the right scripture to my attention. I am in the middle of trying to start my own business called "That's Sew Beth". Now, this is a BIG step for me, as I am trying to get to the point where I can be home more with my two boys. It is also a little frightening, since I want to leave my full-time job, which provides our health benefits.
The scripture that the Lord brought to me today is in Deuteronomy 31. Three times I read, "Be strong and of a good courage".
The first time was when Moses was talking to Israel in general. He knew that he was getting old (120 years old!) and that he was not allowed to cross over Jordan into Canaan. He knew that they needed encouragement as they were about to enter into an unknown land and were about to lose the leader that they knew so well, at a time when they needed him most. He was a constant and encouraging presence to them. But Moses knew God's will. Joshua was to be their new leader.
Moses tells Joshua these same words two more times in chapter 31-"Be strong and of a good courage". God would take care of them. He would be there for them. He would bring about the promise that He gave their fathers. He is FAITHFUL and keeps His promises!
I have prayed very hard on this new venture. I am going to hold on to those precious words, "Be strong and of a good courage". If this is His will, He will bless it and bring it to pass. We always want to be in His will, not ours.
My God is good and faithful! If you have something today in your life that is troubling you, that has you a little bit afraid, "Be strong and of a good courage"! God is with you. Keep bringing it to Him in prayer. Have friends and family who are true prayer warriors to bring it to His throne with you. Then, TRUST Him. The Israelites could not see the future, but God could. He sees the future that we don't. Hang in there!
Have a wonderful and blessed Saturday!
Beth :-)
You know, the Lord always knows when to bring the right scripture to my attention. I am in the middle of trying to start my own business called "That's Sew Beth". Now, this is a BIG step for me, as I am trying to get to the point where I can be home more with my two boys. It is also a little frightening, since I want to leave my full-time job, which provides our health benefits.
The scripture that the Lord brought to me today is in Deuteronomy 31. Three times I read, "Be strong and of a good courage".
The first time was when Moses was talking to Israel in general. He knew that he was getting old (120 years old!) and that he was not allowed to cross over Jordan into Canaan. He knew that they needed encouragement as they were about to enter into an unknown land and were about to lose the leader that they knew so well, at a time when they needed him most. He was a constant and encouraging presence to them. But Moses knew God's will. Joshua was to be their new leader.
Moses tells Joshua these same words two more times in chapter 31-"Be strong and of a good courage". God would take care of them. He would be there for them. He would bring about the promise that He gave their fathers. He is FAITHFUL and keeps His promises!
I have prayed very hard on this new venture. I am going to hold on to those precious words, "Be strong and of a good courage". If this is His will, He will bless it and bring it to pass. We always want to be in His will, not ours.
My God is good and faithful! If you have something today in your life that is troubling you, that has you a little bit afraid, "Be strong and of a good courage"! God is with you. Keep bringing it to Him in prayer. Have friends and family who are true prayer warriors to bring it to His throne with you. Then, TRUST Him. The Israelites could not see the future, but God could. He sees the future that we don't. Hang in there!
Have a wonderful and blessed Saturday!
Beth :-)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
WHO CAN FIND A VIRTUOUS WOMAN?
Proverbs 31:10 says, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." I often think that if King Lemuel had to ask that question those thousands of years ago, is there any hope for our time?
The answer is a resounding, "YES!". Christian sisters, we MUST strive to be that virtuous woman. We often look at what people are calling the "Proverbs 31 Woman" and say, "I can NEVER be like her!". But we can! It just takes alot of time, prayer and hard work on our part. We are, and will always be, a continuous "work in progress". My boys love to sing the song, "He's Still Working on Me". How true that is and will be until the day we go home to be with our Lord and Saviour.
I will be the first to admit that I fall short many, many times. I am often like Peter, who alot of times acted before he thought. I work so hard to have the "meek and quiet spirit" that Peter wrote about which is "in the sight of God of great price." I often let the frustrations and trials of this life get to me. I am learning to step back, take a deep breath, and pray, pray, pray, giving it to my Lord.
If we claim to be Christians, dear sisters, the world is watching us. They are waiting to see how we react to different situations. They are watching how we dress (what are your clothes telling people?), act and talk. Our actions and lives are more of a witness than what we say.
"Who can find a virtuous woman"? I pray that they find one in me! If you are struggling to be a virtuous woman, why don't you give it all to Jesus? Submit to Him all of your failings and short comings. Let Him guide you and lead you where you need to go.
Have a wonderful and blessed Wednesday. Tonight is Prayer Meeting night.
Beth :-)
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