VBS, 2011-"TREASURE QUEST-PURSUING THE RICHES OF CHRIST"

At last! Here are some pictures from our VBS this year. The Lord blessed us tremendously! The children and adults all had a wonderful time.
The descriptions are below the pictures. If you need ideas, I hope that some of these pictures help. Also, I found the ideas at http://bogardpress.org/vbs2011/index.html helped us alot!

OUR SAPPHIRE GLACIER ROOM

TOPAZ RIVER ENTRANCE

TOPAZ RIVER CLASSROOM

ANOTHER VIEW OF TOPAZ RIVER

THE SANCTUARY

(WE ALWAYS TRY TO BE RESPECTFUL WHEN WE DECORATE THE SANCTUARY)

ENTRANCE TO DIAMOND MOUNTAIN CLASSROOM

EMERALD FOREST CLASSROOM

(WE USED BRANCHES FROM A COUPLE OF TREES BEHIND THE

CHURCH THAT HAD BLOWN DOWN IN A STORM)

OUR LITTLE ADDITION-THE GEM MINE.

WE HAD A "GEM MINE" THAT THE CHILDREN WALKED THROUGH. AFTER GOING THROUGH, THEY EACH RECEIVED A SMALL CLOTH BAG WITH DIRT IN IT. WE THEN LET THEM DUMP THE BAG INTO SOME SIFTERS (BEACH SAND SIFTERS FROM THE DOLLAR GENERAL-SEE 3 PICTURES DOWN). INSIDE WERE ABOUT 5 JEWELS THAT THEY COULD KEEP. THE CHILDREN LOVED IT!

Please let me know if these helped!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Beth :-)

PROVERBS 27:2-OUR "I" PROBLEM

"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips." Proverbs 27:2.
My children and I are getting ready for our annual eye exams this week. All year long, of course, I watch my two boys for any vision changes or eye problems. But when it comes time for the exams, I take an extra hard look and write down any questions or concerns about their eyes, so that I can ask their eye doctor.
As I was doing this, my mind wandered off to people in general; not to "eye" problems, but to "I" problems.
Today's society says that "I" am most important. It's all about me. What a selfish society we live in!
Have you ever been around someone whose conversations mostly consist of what THEY are doing, what THEY have accomplished? The word "I" comes up in every, or every other sentence?
My friends, if you are a true, born-again Christian, then we are called to be a humble people. 1 Peter 5:6 says, ""Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." Verse 4 just before this stated that, "for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."
We all need to take an "I" exam, not annually, but every day. Look at your life and conversation. Are they centered around yourself, or Jesus Christ and others?
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

AN ORGANIZED MOM (OR A REASONABLE FACSIMILE!) :-)

I was walking in Big Lots yesterday on my lunch hour, just kind of browsing, when I saw this 17-month Planner laying on the shelf in the school supply section. It was not just any old Planner, it was a "busy Mom's" Planner. Yes! Just what I needed. It was the only the only one of it's kind there. It was meant just for ME! Well, atleast, that's the way it seemed! :-)
So I bought this wonderful Planner. Now I am bound and determined to be THE organized mom this year. It starts in the month of August, 2011 (how convenient!). It is broken down by weeks, with spaces for notes, events, and, yes, even a grocery list. Now I can jot down during the week everything that I will need when I go grocery shopping at the end of the week. No more guessing, because I have a LIST.
No more missed homework assignments, appointments or school projects and reports! Everything in one convenient place.
Now, if only I can find where I put that Planner.....Just kidding!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES

We shall all do well to remember the charge of the Apostle Paul: “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is.” (Heb. 10:25). Never to be absent from God’s house on Sundays, without good reason – never to miss the Lord’s Supper when administered in our own congregation – never to let our place be empty when means of grace are going on, this is one way to be a growing and prosperous Christian. The very sermon that we needlessly miss, may contain a precious word in season for our souls. The very assembly for prayer and praise from which we stay away, may be the very gathering that would have cheered, established, and revived our hearts. We little know how dependent our spiritual health is on little, regular, habitual helps, and how much we suffer if we miss our medicine.

~ J.C. Ryle

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2011-TREASURE QUEST

Wow! What a very busy couple of weeks we have had at the church! And it's not stopping any time soon.
Let's see...between weddings, wedding showers, baby showers, getting ready for VBS, regular church activities, etc, the time has flown by quickly.
Everyone is excited as we gear up for our VBS on Saturday, July 16th. I chose to go with Treasure Quest-Pursuing the Riches of Christ by Bogard Press this year. I have enclosed their link bogardpress.org/vbs2011/ . We always like Bogard Press as they use only the KJV scripture in all of their material.
Everyone always tells me that they wouldn't like to be the director. But, I'll tell you something. Yes, being the director is VERY stressful at times because you have to organize and get everything together and in order. But, when the day of VBS comes, even though I still am going back and forth making sure everything is running smoothly, I get to go to each area and watch the program unfold. I get to watch the teachers and children as they go through their day. I can mingle with all of the classes and talk to everyone.
For the past couple of years, we have done our VBS as a one-day program on a Saturday. Although it was hard at first figuring up a one-day schedule, it is finally at a point where all I have to do is just change the information from year to year. Finally, this year, Bogard Press even had a sample one-day schedule in their material. I believe alot of other churches are finally trying that route.
A one day VBS works out so much better for everyone involved. In today's society (unfortunately!), just about everyone in the church is employed outside the home. It is extremely hard to find volunteers for a whole week. Also, if one would admit it, the children are SO exhausted when it comes to the end of the week. Attendance is usually down by that time.
With our one day VBS, everyone is there for the whole program. The children get to hear all of the lessons. Do they actually learn their lessons? Well, let me tell you. When we do our closing program the Sunday night after, I usually have my teachers do a quick "question and answer" session with the children. You know what? These children can answer all of the questions! And, I might add, with great enthusiasm!
Well, I've got to go for now and start my day. I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed day. Please remember our VBS in your prayers. Please pray for salvation and life changing decisions!
Beth :-)

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE WILDFLOWERS-LESSON #3 "SEEDS"

You know, the time comes when all cut flowers finally reach the point when they are droopy, drying up and dying. Then we must throw them out. When mine reached that point, I picked up the vase that they were in, and what a mess I found on my windowsill and around my sink! Petals all over the place! As I was wiping them up, I noticed that the flowers had also dropped seeds everywhere.
This taught me my third and final lesson. I thought about my Christian testimony. I thought about the kinds of "spritual seeds" that I am planting each day, not just in my children, but also in my friends, co-workers, other family members, the stranger that I meet. Am I doing my best to win others to Christ? Do I tell as many people as I can about my Lord and Saviour? Does my life reflect the Holy Spirit? When I am gone, will others see the "seeds" that I had planted for Him?
What kind of seeds are you planting? Are they seeds of bitterness, anger, hate? Or are they seeds of love, joy, kindness, hope?
We all need to take inventory of our lives. Talk to your Saviour. Ask Him what He wants to do with your life. If you don't know Him as your personal Saviour, why are you putting it off? Come to Him today!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE WILDFLOWERS-LESSON 2 "The Path"

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 :-)

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 :-)

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 :-)

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 :-)

On top of Grandfather Mountain