FACEBOOK OR GOD'S BOOK-WHICH COMES FIRST AT THE START OF YOUR DAY?

Ok, as I have said before here on my blog, my thoughts are quite random. I usually blog about what I am thinking about at the moment. Actually, talking to me in person is kind of the same experience. I often drive my husband crazy when we are talking because I will "jump tracks" several times as thoughts run through my head (maybe it's a woman thing?).
Just a quick question for today-which did you read first: Facebook or God's Book?
I'm asking because, not too long ago, my morning routine had become something like this:
1.) Get up (we all have to do that, yes?)
2.) Turn the coffee pot on.
3.) Throw in a load of laundry.
4.) Pick up my phone, turn it on, start checking Facebook and my emails (just a quick look, I tell myself).
5.) Hopefully get back to my room to read my Bible and spend time with the Lord.
Hmmm....what's wrong with the order? For me, it was picking up my phone and turning it on before I even spent ANY time with the Lord. As I am checking my messages, commenting, answering, etc,  the next thing I know, time has slipped away from me. I then quickly try read a few moments in my Bible and say a quick prayer, because now it's time to get everyone up and running. Whoa! Back up!
The first and foremost thing should be spending time with the Lord-studying His Word and praying. How can we put on the FULL armour of God if we only spend a few minutes (if any) with Him? How can we FULLY serve Him, when our cup is half empty? We need to spend time in His word. There is a saying that goes, "Reading the Bible without meditating on it is like trying to eat without swallowing." Allow yourself time for the Lord to speak to you.
So, when you get up tomorrow morning, open God's Book, the Bible, first. Then read your messages. Perhaps the Lord will give you something to post that will uplift your friends or help someone who is struggling or in need.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

Boyds in the Nest: CHOCOLATE CHERRY MICE

Boyds in the Nest: CHOCOLATE CHERRY MICE: This past Sunday was our annual Homecoming at our church. I tried something new in the dessert line. It's called "Chocolate cherry mice". Th...

A CHANGE OF HEART AND ATTITUDE

Earnestly and honestly start praying for that person who is being mean to you, or is just having an "ugly" (that's how they say it down here in the South) attitude towards you. It may not change how they treat you at the present time, but you will start to see them in a different light. The Lord will change your heart towards them. Yes, that's worded the way I intended. The Lord will change YOUR heart.
Recently, someone I know was (and is) being not-so-nice in their attitude. They are known for their, um, fiery and explosive personality. Right now, it's partially aimed in my direction. Lord, I said, I am hurt and ANGRY! My insides just churn and boil. I want SO bad to put her in her place.
"Pray for her", was my Lord's quiet reply to my heart. What? "Pray for her". I, well, I, um (my insides were still churning and boiling), alright, Lord. I'll do it. I took a deep breath. And you know what? As I quieted myself down, asked His forgiveness first of all, and actually concentrated on praying for this woman, I could feel a peace coming over me. I continued to pray and lift her up to the Lord.
The Lord changed my heart towards this woman. Things are still the same, but I see her much differently now. I try to see her as the Lord sees her, someone who needs peace in their lives. Or maybe life is just overwhelming to them. There are so many things that could be going on that I don't even know about.
Lord, let them see You through me!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

Today, my husband and I are celebrating our fifteen year wedding anniversary. I love him with all of my heart.
A lot of people tell me that fifteen years is a record in today's society. Many marriages do not make it past the five year mark. My advice? Keep the Lord at the head of your marriage, and it will last. There will still be ups and downs, of course. You are two different people, after all! :-)! You won't agree on everything. And when the big "discussions" come along, and you can't see eye to eye at all, step back and PRAY. Or, harder yet, be the one to give in a little.
For the young (and possibly older) single Christian people out there-STAND YOUR GROUND! WAIT! DON"T GIVE IN! Keep yourself pure for that person that God has prepared for you, if it is His will for you to marry. If you have already fallen, ask His forgiveness, then start again. Don't "settle" for someone because you want to be married and you are tired of waiting on the Lord, or are being pressured because "everyone else is married". Pray, pray, pray! Get someone who you know to be a prayer warrior to help you pray. Waiting is hard, I know. My husband became a Christian at 32 years old. He was determined to wait and pray for a Christian wife. We did not meet until he was 37, five years later. Did it seem like a long time to him? Yes, it did. It seemed longer for me. I was saved at a young age, and was waiting on the Lord to send me a good, Christian man. I had actually gotten discouraged as well. I was 26 when we met.
God is good and I thank Him for my wonderful husband!

OUR WEDDING

(sorry for the quality! I am just learning how to use my scanner

and don't know yet how to resize)

Have a blessed day!
Beth :-)

FIERY SERPENTS IN YOUR CAMP

If there's one thing I don't like, it's a snake. They fascinate yet scare me, even the non-poisonous ones. Since there are irrigation ditches around our house (we are surrounded by farm fields) and woods, it is not uncommon to have an uwelcome visit from a rattlesnake or water moccasin on occasion. We always give our boys strict instructions that if they see one, they ARE NOT to even go near it, but to come and tell us immediately.
Well, not too long ago, I had allowed "fiery serpents" in my house. What? Yes, that's right. Please allow me to explain.
A couple of months ago, I just went on a complaining, mumbling and grumbling spree. I was looking at all of the stay-at-home moms, wondering why the Lord hadn't answered my prayers. I wondered when He was going to move and allow me to be one? I was tired of praying and waiting. I also had some set backs in setting up my small business. Time definitely was not on my side. As I allowed myself to wallow in my self-pity and unhappiness, I became a little bit grumpy with my husband and children. I was finding little ways to bicker with my husband. I just wasn't happy with how my life was turning out because it wasn't the way I wanted it to be. I was, yes, a little angry with God. Hmmm....
The Lord started to deal with me, and let me tell you, when He starts dealing with you, you know it! One scripture reference that kept coming to my mind was Numbers 21:1-9, where the Israelites were whining, complaining, and being VERY unthankful for what the Lord had done and was doing for them. The Lord had just given them a wonderful victory over the Canaanites and they were on their way to "compass the land of Edom". But the verse goes on to say that, "and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way." vs 4. Maybe the way was rough and hard to travel on, I don't know. But the people got discouraged, so they start to murmur and complain against God and Moses. They even started to complain about the bread (manna) that God miraculously provided each day for them. They said that, "there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread," vs 5. How spoiled does that sound?
Well, God had heard enough, so He sent fiery serpents among the people. They bit the people, and many died. You know, when we get a bitter and complaining spirit, we are not the only ones affected. It affects our families and those we come in contact with. It causes strife in our homes. Nothing pleases us.
 James 3:14-17 says, "But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."
Envying and strife are not of the Lord, they are of the devil! The devil absolutely LOVES to attack a Christian home. The Bible says that he, "as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." He wants to devour and destroy your home and family. And, ladies, who better to start with than mom? Who sets the mood in the house, really? Mom does. If we are bitter and moody, our house is unhappy. This shouldn't be, and this is what the Lord was bringing to my attention. I really believe that He kept bringing those scriptures to my mind because He was giving me a warning. He would have to deal with my attitude!
It was hard, but I humbled myself and brought everything to the Lord. I asked His forgiveness. We are told "in everything give thanks". We need to thank God because He sees the end that we don't. If we are letting Him guide us, then we are on the right path. This has taught me to be thankful for my circumstances. There is a reason that I am still working. I can't see it, but He does. There is a reason that I had to slow my business plans down. This I now see, because it really was becoming like a second full-time job, and was robbing me of my time with my family. God is so good to us! And I am exceptionally thankful that He gave me a warning!
How short I fall many times. Lord, please forgive me! Help me to be the wife, mother and woman You want me to be. 
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

BUILT UPON A ROCK

"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7:24-27
These verses came to my mind several times during Hurricane Irene as we watched the strong winds and rain beating down, not knowing what damage we would find when it was all over.
This parable is actually talking about a person's spiritual "foundation". What is your "foundation" built on? Faith in Jesus, money, popularity, friends?
The wise man in these verses is one who has built his life upon the Lord. The storms of life may beat upon him, but as long as his faith is in Jesus, he will stand firm. Sometimes we have to hold on to His hand a little bit tighter during these times, but He is always there for us. That is why it is so important to daily read our Bibles and pray. Church attendance is also very important, as not only is this where we are taught the Word of God, but we are also among other Believers who can pray for and uplift us during our "storms". These are important "building blocks" in our foundations.
On the other hand, the foolish man is one whose spiritual "foundation" is built on things such as money, popularity, friends, etc. All of these can be taken away in a moment. All are like the "sinking sand" that he has built his house on. It is like building a house on the beach. When a hurricane comes, this house would be destroyed because the foundation was made of sand, and not rock.
During the "Great Depression", suicide was great among the rich. Their lives were founded on the money that they had, and when the banks crashed, so did their lives. It was very sad! Their foundation was built on sinking sand.
What is your life built on today? How firm is your foundation? Are there "storms" in your life that you are going through right now? If you are a Christian, stand firm. Keep praying and get those special "prayer warriors" in your life to help you pray. It will soon pass. If you don't know Christ as your Saviour, why not ask Him today? He is knocking at the door of your heart, but He won't come in until you ask Him. Let today be the day of Salvation, and the beginning of a new life!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

HURRICANE IRENE

Well, Hurricane Irene has come and gone. She made landfall here in North Carolina on Friday and didn't leave until sometime late Saturday night.
We lost power around 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning. What a very long day without power and having to ride out the storm! My husband and I looked out of our dining room window, and watched as shingles flew off of our garage roof. What can you do, except just watch and pray that the damage is not too extensive.
But, God is so good to us! He protected us during this hurricane. The loss of shingles and branches was the worse for us. This was not so for everyone else in our county and surrounding towns. As of now, there are still so many without electricity and phone service. My husband and I are very blessed as our power was restored at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and our phones this afternoon. Many, many trees down, houses and vehicles damaged, and much flooding. Even cel phone service was limited. Gas stations are slowly getting power back, so everyone rushes to fill their gas tanks and their generators.
Please keep us all in your prayers as we all try to get everything cleaned up and back in order.
It's funny how we take all of our "modern technology" for granted, until we don't have it! The Lord blesses us so much in so many ways!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

Earthquakes and Hurricanes

As we here in Eastern NC are gearing up for Hurricane Irene, which may be a category 4 by the time it makes landfall on Saturday, we felt the aftershock of an earthquake in Virginia. What a strange feeling to one who is not accustomed to earthquakes!
It's funny, but with all of the crazy weather and earthquakes that we have been experiencing, it is all so clear to me as a believer in Christ that everything that the Bible says will happen in the last days is coming to pass. But, when I try to say this to my unsaved friends and co-workers, they just kind of "hem and haw", give me a funny look, and say that it is just "nature".  Oh, the prayers I put up for those souls who need the Lord, that He would open their eyes before it is too late!
Something else happened that same day which I definitely took as a "teachable moment" for my boys.
When I talked to Nathan after school, he told me something that worried me and had me calling the school to check into.
He told me that they were all told to get under their desks because there was a man outside their school, wearing a mask, just standing there staring at the building. Of course, in this day and age, this is a very real concern. I asked him repeatedly as to whether or not this was just a drill, to which he answered very adamantly that it was not a drill.
Of course, I called the school to verify this. I was pretty certain that it really was just an earthquake drill, but I had to make sure. The school reaffirmed what I thought. It was an earthquake drill.
As I got off of the phone, I asked my son where he had heard this information. It came out that he heard it from one of his friends, who "heard" two teachers whispering loudly. Boys like action, and since I'm sure they didn't feel the tremor, this was a more exciting way to explain the drill.
Well, I took this opportunity to talk about gossip. Even we as adults are guilty sometimes of spreading some news that sounds interesting or exciting about someone before we find out if it's actually true or not. We, as Christians, should not do this. If someone comes up to us trying to talk about another person, we should stop the conversation before it even starts.
Did you know that the Bible says, "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." Proverbs 11:13? The Bible has alot to say about those who gossip and spread stories about others. A Jewish proverb says, "What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth". I also have a saying on my desk that says, "Whoever gossips to you will be a gossip of you." How true!
Lets stop that gossip wheel!
Please keep those of us on the East Coast as Hurricane Irene makes landfall.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Beth :-)

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 :-)