Truth is exclusive.  I know that many today try to say otherwise, but just because we say something does not make it so.

My heart cries out for those that have been hurt by the lies of Satan that abortion is a choice instead of what it is…murder.  I’m afraid that we have so many hurting women, men, boys and girls from them be affected by abortion.  I am sorry if you have been lied to and bought into the lie that abortion is a simple answer or a solution to a “problem”.  I’m sorry if you are dying inside each time you remember a little one that isn’t in your arms.  There is hope, healing and forgiveness for you in Jesus Christ.

For anyone considering abortion please watch this video first.  I pray it will open your eyes to the lies that have been pedaled in this country far too long.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  ~ John 8:32

In our homeschool curriculum we have been following Israel’s history, and we have just been covering Israel’s captivity in Babylon.  This got me thinking of a few years back when I was teaching an incredible group of 4th grade girls in Sunday School.  We were also covering a piece of Israel’s history then.

There are many times that I have rolled my eyes at the Israelites and their lack of faith.  They had just crossed the Red Sea miraculously and they were already complaining to Moses that they should have stayed in Egypt.  Yet, when I’m honest with myself I am the exact same way.  How many times do I go to God in desperation and He shows Himself mighty and then the next day I try to do it all on my own again.  Here’s a diagram I made for those 4th grade girls and it has been a really helpful reminder to me.  (It’s obvious that the graphic design talents in the family are my husband’s and not mine.)

ANY sin in our life is idolatry.  All that idolatry is is putting something above God in our lives.  It can be any type of sinful behavior or it can be something like work, children, comfort, perfectionism, exercise or even your spouse.  It’s not necessarily that that “thing” is bad in and of itself…it’s the place it holds in your heart, mind and life.

One thing that the Bible is very clear about is that sin ALWAYS leads to bondage if we continue in it.  I used to idolize Kirk.  I wouldn’t have said so at the time.  I knew he had faults, and I could tell you about those faults.  My idolization of him came in the fact that I relied on him to come through for me in a way that only God can.  I needed Kirk to be perfect for me.  That’s not a good place for a husband to be in and, believe me, Kirk didn’t want to be there.

The form of bondage that came about for me was anxiety.  I tried to control Kirk and the situations that I thought I needed to work out in order for Kirk not to fail me.  It got to a point where I was controlling and not trusting God.  It meant sleepless nights and a stomach churning worry that is not of God at all.  It wasn’t until I started to give it back to God completely that there was rest in my life again.  It wasn’t a one time thing, but a process of talking it through, prayer, Bible study and replacing Satan’s lies with God’s truth.  Let me tell you though, that God’s deliverance in this area has been complete and there is most definitely rest.  It is only when I start down my same sinful road of putting Kirk in God’s place (or anything else) that anxiety rears it’s ugly head again.

If you are struggling in ANY area of sin right now, know that there is hope, and God only disciplines us so that we can be reconciled to Him.  You could begin by agreeing with God that what you are doing is sin and that you need God to turn from it.  Write out the lies that you are believing and then write Scripture next to those lies so that you have the truth.  Then memorize those Scriptures.  Other helpful resources for me have been Neil Anderson’s Bondage Breaker and Beth Moore’s Breaking Free.

Blessings to you as you seek God,

I don’t know where I first read about the “prayer jar” idea, but it is something that we used to do when the kids were quite a bit younger.

We want a way for our family to pray specifically for people in our lives, but sometimes it feels overwhelming as there are so many people.  So, we are once again bringing out our “prayer jar”.

We just went through and listed every person within our immediate and extended family and friends as well as major leaders in our church and country.  Then we put their names on some tickets that I had from when I was teaching elementary school and put them in a jar.  Every night we pick a ticket out and pray for that person.  When we get through all the tickets we’ll stick them back in the jar and do it all again.

What do you do to pray for the people in your life?

Blessings to your family,

I’m also joining Women Living Well Wednesday Link-up.

We had the opportunity to serve at Feed My Starving Children a little while ago.  It is a great organization that uses adult and child volunteers to package nutritious meals for starving children all over the world.  We were fortunate to have the organization come to our area and “set up shop” close to home.  I was able to go with Cade and Ella.  Cade was less than excited when we left, but he was quite touched by the experience when it was done.

We were also interviewed for Rotary Club Radio to talk about this event.  It was fun to hear Cade and Ella so excited about packing food for other kids.  You can listen to the interview here right here.  We come on air at the 5 minute mark.

Length: 25 min.

Sporting Hair Nets

A FMSC Employee Giving us Instructions

Ella Focusing on Placing the Bag Under the Funnel

Ella Scooping Powdered Chicken

Cade Weighing the Bag

You can go to FMSC.org to find out if you have a location near you to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children.  Cade was most proud of the fact that in our 2 hours of volunteer time the group that we were with packed enough food for 47 children to have 1 meal a day for 1 YEAR.  That’s pretty amazing!!

Blessings to your family,

As I was finishing my blog post from yesterday, Kirk sent me this video.  It seemed perfectly timed and a great reminder…for everyone, but especially homeschoolers.

We got a chance to see Todd speak at the Minnesota homeschool conference (MACHE) in April.  He had great reminders about not believing the lies that most homeschool moms do.

Back in October we had the Watoto Children’s Choir come to our church in Wisconsin.  The sanctuary was packed as people from our church and community anticipated seeing this children’s choir that had come all the way from Uganda, Africa to share their story.

Here is a video of the Children’s Choir.  It is so fun!

Cade, Ella & Addie were there, and it was such a great thing for all of us!  These children are orphans.  Many have lost their parents and family to AIDS and war.  They shared stories of living on the street, being orphaned and great poverty.  It was so neat to hear the hope that they had because of the ministry of Watoto in their practical needs and how they learned of Jesus Christ and salvation through Him alone.  For Cade and Ella it was the first time they had seen or heard of such need, and it touched their hearts in a way that has changed them.

Watoto has built villages where these children then are placed in home with a “mom” and 6 or so siblings of the same gender.  It is through a sponsorship program that these children are supported.  That night Cade chose a 14 year old girl for us to support.  Her name is Sharon.  I have been so impressed with this organization.  We have already received 4 or 5 letters from Sharon!  She is so appreciative, and the stable environment she has been given is giving her a real chance to succeed!

Here are some pictures that Cade and Ella recently colored for Sharon

"Cade I am six. Thanks for the letters"

"You for thank Sharon Ella" It was supposed to say, "Sharon, thank you for the letters".

If you’ve been thinking about donating or sponsoring a child, but haven’t been sure of a good organization, Watoto is a wonderful ministry to look into.

It’s not often that I blog about politics.  I am actually posting this not because of a political stance but because of what this means for our brother and sisters in Christ around the world.  Samaritan’s Purse is an organization that we trust and support.  It’s the organization that we have chosen to give money through for Haiti and Japan after their horrible disasters.

Please pray for our leaders.  There is much more at stake than who wins the next election!

Right Click Here to Download this Episode!

The other day, I was able to sit down with a friend and neighbor named Mary Hankel.  She tells a piece of her story and how her family, through adoption, went from a family of 5 to 12!!  Ultimately, this is a story of God’s faithfulness and what He can do with those who are obedient to His call.  Thanks so much for sharing Mary, and God bless your entire family!!

Please consider donating to Samaritan’s Purse!   They are bringing supplies in the name of Jesus Christ to a desperate people who need your prayers and your support.  Samaritan’s Purse has a long relationship with the people of Haiti and are trusted by the government and the people.

Samaritan’s Purse :: Donations for Haiti Relief

Haiti Relief from Samaritan's Purse

The first Samaritan’s Purse cargo plane arrived in Haiti Wednesday with emergency relief supplies for victims of the massive earthquake that rocked the country on Tuesday. The initial shipment included shelter material, hygiene kits, and water purification kits, as well as members of our disaster response team.

Our team is comprised of veterans of many disaster responses, but even they were shocked by what they encountered when they arrived.

“The streets are full of people that have no home to go back to,” said Dr. David Gettle, medical advisor. “They’re running out of food, fuel, and water. The situation is desperate and tense, and there is tremendous suffering.”

Three more flights with personnel and critically needed relief supplies landed Friday. Staff arriving included our team leader, two water engineers, and eight medical personnel to join Dr. Gettle.

Samaritan’s Purse deployed a disaster response team just hours after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the Caribbean in decades to help with water, shelter, medical care, and other emergency needs.

“The damage is staggering in a nation where three out of four people live on less than $2 a day,” Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham said. “The people of Haiti need our help like never before.”

We are partnering with HCJB Global, a medical ministry out of Ecuador that will be sending six doctors to join our medical advisor. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is deploying chaplains from its Rapid Response Team to help our team meet spiritual needs.

Samaritan’s Purse :: Donations for Haiti Relief

Staff with Baptist Haiti Mission, our local partner, report severe damage throughout the area. Power is out, and there is no water.

“It’s overwhelming,” said Kyrk Baker, director of operations for Baptist Haiti Mission. “We have a 100-bed hospital, and right now patients are lining the floor. There are big box vans coming in with people to see a doctor. It’s just unbelievable the amount of people that are lined up trying to get basic medical care.”

Baptist Haiti Mission is located in the mountains outside the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, about 20 miles from the epicenter. The hospital and other buildings are operating on generators.

The massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake was the strongest to hit the country in 200 years and was felt as far away as Cuba. The tremor sparked widespread panic as it brought down buildings including the presidential palace, hotels, a hospital, and the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince.

The city “is flattened,” said Haiti’s consul general to the U.N., Felix Augustin. The death toll could be between 45,000 and 50,000, with a further three million people hurt or homeless, a senior Haitian Red Cross official said on Thursday.

The earthquake was centered about 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti on the island of Hispaniola. Some panicked residents in the capital of Santo Domingo fled from their shaking homes.

Samaritan’s Purse responded in Haiti with emergency food and shelter material in September 2008, when four major storms including Hurricane Ike slammed the Caribbean nation.

“Being able to help people in a time of need demonstrates Christ’s love,” Baker said.

Samaritan’s Purse :: Donations for Haiti Relief

WAYS YOU CAN HELP

PRAY:

That people would get the help they need as quickly as possible.

For our team as they show the compassion of Christ to survivors.

That the flights carrying our relief supplies soon will be able to arrive in Haiti.

GIVE:

Please visit our donation page to help us meet the needs of earthquake victims in Haiti.

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/responding_to_haiti_earthquake/