1 Peter 2:21-3:6

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."He committed no sin,and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

Ladies....have you ever read verse 3:1 of Peter connected with 2:21-26? I have not until the other day and it sent peace and joy flowing through my heart. We are called to be submissive to our husbands like Jesus was submissive to His Fathers will. I don't know about you but that gives me a little more power in the stand-alone verse that I had always read, not to say that it didn't have any before but when Jesus is directly related to it well...........what can I say?

I just got off the phone with my closest friend. It was a refreshing 1 hour and 27 minutes, which by the way is a record for me lately!!

Well, I will be teaching a class on Proverbs 31:11, did I already post that? Oh well. I am nervous.......what can I say? I had never heard before that the woman was to be the manager of the money. I had always assumed that the head of the house was to do that.......what do you think? As the manager of the home, should the wife be also the manager of the finances? In doing that does this give her a stepping stool to her head?

Praise God

I had to stop this morning and praise God for a little baby girl who survived someones horrific attempt to kill her. You can see her story here: Baby Survives Abandonment in Plastic Bag

A lot of Change going on......

"Expresso" is leaving in the morning to go to Austin for the second time this semester. I went with him last week but this week I need to stay home and focus on home schooling and managing my house/apartment. I enjoy some of the time alone because I am able to focus more fully on "Superman", "T-rex", and our dwelling place.

Reflect on Proverbs 31:11 for moment. What does it say to you? I will be teaching on this verse not this Wednesday but the next. I am terribly excited and yet terribly frightened! Stepping outside of your comfort zone is never the most pleasant experience but usually they are the most fruitful. I am thankfu that I have been challenged to break through my shell, it has been getting thinner and thinner through out the years. I am hoping that the Lord will work in me through this in order to change me into a better glorifying instrument for Him!

Everyone wants to change, but change demands desire and discipline before it becomes delightful. There is always the agony of choice before the promise of change.

Larry Lea

Living in Peace

Time management is of great importance to an orderly and godly home. I am learning the art of it through my Home Management Binder that was inspired by Candy the Genuine Profit. Setting up a Master Schedule for each day has really had a great effect on me and my family. I have been convicted to really discipline myself to manage my time in order to glorify the Lord more abundantly. Whether you eat or drink do all things to the glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31. Selfish use of my time is not only dishonoring God but also a waste of time. Deu 10:12 ....what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.....and in order to do that we must see that our time is used to serve first and formostly the Lord. Anything not done ultimately for God is a sure waste of time. In everything we do here on earth we should in it give a glimpse of Him by revealing a piece of His glory.

The other day I came upon James 3:16 and wow did it bring with it a shadow of revelation. It spoke truth into what my daily life has been for the past 4 years.

Jam 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

It is the truth my home when I was selfishly seeking to gratify my own desires such ast reading, writing, computer surfing, or even cleaning if done selfishly my home was one of disorder. I was and am sometimes even now jealous with my time and not wanting to share a minute with anyone or doing anything that I do not neccessarily want to do but need to do. This has caused the majority of my days to be lived in disorder.

I do not believe that as a keeper of the home I am able to live in disorder. Disorder is contradictory to who God is and I am to glorify Him in and with my home and life then it can not be chaotic and of no order. 1Co 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. Peace and disorder can not live together. They repell one another so in our homes by the use of our time do we have peace or disorder? Which do we desire to have? Of course we desire to have a home of peace, to make our homes a haven for our families.

Pro 31:27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

So let us look well to the ways of our households like the woman of Proverbs 31 who by the way is our perfect example of a virtuous woman in God's eyes.

Shhh.....be quiet

Daily I wake up with a goal that I desire to accomplish. Lately it has been the same goal, and maybe you can relate, to control my tone and my tendancy to errupt when circumstances become overwhelming. More simply put controlling my temper and being more quiet with my children. Sometimes I feel like my children see me as the Incredible Hulk mommy. Anyway, I have yet to accomplish or master this goal of suppressing the green mean mommy that lives within.

I found this to be inspiring:

"I endeavor to quietly......and calmly.....and determinedly.......endure life's challenges as they roll in and out with the regularity of the oceans's surf

You see my goal my prayer is always that I will not give in, give up, or quit. Instead of becoming incapacitated by emotions, I want to be that soldier who is beautiful in God's eyes....." (Elizabeth George in her book Beautiful in God's eyes.)

I read this the other night and how perfectly it described my desire in my goal for each day! Daily there are challenges rolling in and out and I want to quietly, calmly, and determinedly paddle on my board of endurance through those to catch the big wave way out there and ride it in. Today, as I go about my routine of cooking, cleaning, disciplining, homeschooling, and talking I am going to reflect on this:

*speak less often (Proverbs 10:19)
*speak only after I have thought about what I am going to say ( Proverbs 15:28)
*speak only what is sweet and pleasant(Proverbs 16:21;24)
*speak only what is wise and kind (Proverbs 31:26)
(Elizabeth George/Beautiful in God's eyes)

And one way for me to do this today, I am going to when the waves are rolling in a little faster than usuall going to remember my endurance board and paddle through them by speaking in a soft tone, like a loud whisper. I want to do this to help my mind be conscience of my goal all throughout the day. When I go to harshly rebuke my "Superman" for irritating his little brother for the 100th time today I will remember........shhh be quiet and whisper.

I pray that this will be effective.

Crock-pot recipe

Lemon Herbed Roasted Chicken

3-4 pound fryer or roasting chicken
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
juice of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon leaf thyme
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Rinse chicken well and pat dry; remove any excess fat. Place onion in the cavity of the chicken and rub the skin with butter or margarine. Place chicken in Crock-pot. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chiken and sprinkle with remaining seasonings. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours or on High 4-5 hours.

My chicken is in the Crock-pot right now. I am hoping for good results. Sounds good anyway, I will come back with a review on this recipe. I am serving it with rice and an undecided vegetable.

Update on the undecided vegetable, I have decided to make Sauteed Squash. This will be my first time to make it myself. I am trying hard to transform my cooking to be more healthy. I have not been cooking with vegetables for 5 years other than peas and corn from the can, and broccoli on special occasions. Sad isn't it. My husband loves vegetables and I don't but I want my children to love them so I need to expose them to them in their early years. I am going to be posting my new recipes in this journey of healthy cooking for my family.

Sauteed Squash

6 medium summer squash, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, sliced thinly or diced
salt & pepper

4 servings
30 minutes

Melt butter in large skillet.
1.Add onion and cook just till tender.
2.Add yellow squash and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring until squash begins to soften.
3.Cover and continue cooking over low heat until nice and tender (usually about 20-25 minutes).
4.I add lots of salt and pepper.

I am going to add some garlic powder to it too.

Well.......

"Superman" and I sat down today and let these words overcome and fill our minds and hearts....

"Jesus' blood never failed me yet
never failed me yet
Jesus' blood never failed me yet
this one thing i know
that He loves me so"

I told him to sit down by me and close his eyes and listen. We both sat there together listening to these words and both of us at the same moment began singing them together. It was for me a beautiful moment and the high point of the day. Before this song came on we were all "Superman", "T-Rex", and me dancing around the living room (one of our favorite things to do) to the Who we are instead cd by Jars of Clay. Everyday we have a praise and worship time where we do this to the music of various Christian artists. After the song was over we looked at eachother and smiled and I asked him

Me: What did that song make you think about?
Superman:It was sad
Me: Why?
Superman: Because of Jesus
Me: What do you mean?
Superman: He died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. That is sad.

I just wonder what all emotions and thoughts were running around in him little mind while we were listening to this song. We had a good conversation from there about the blood of Jesus covering our sins. He probably didn't quiet get all of what Momma said but one day he will put that puzzle piece with another in his head and the picture will become more clear over time for him. I love to see my son growing spiritually in his actions, thoughts, words, and knowledge. What a blessing!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sadly, Expresso's Pa is passing away. He is currently in Logansport La with his family. He is suppose to come home late tonight and then I think the plan right now is for all of us to get up early and go back. Death is such a sad thing, it shouldn't be really but our hearts and minds trick us into believing that it is. And there are times when it truly is sad, when the person is not saved then it is unbelievable sad. I have a few loved ones whom as far as I know were not saved before they passed. Pa though is not such a case, we are all pretty sure that he will be in paradise soon. This is something to rejoice over and I think we all will deep inside of ourselves, but saying "goodbye" is never easy. We are incapable of handling the emotions of loosing someone that is why it takes time to get over the death of a loved one.

Unbelief

Unbelief is actually perverted faith, for it puts its trust not in the living God but in dying men.
A.W. Tozer

In all unbelief there are these two things; a good opinion of one's self, and a bad opinion of God.
Horatius Bonar

Unbelief is not a misfortune to be pitied; it is a sin to be deplored. Its sinfulness lies in the fact that it contradicts the word of the one true God and thus attributes falsehood to him.
John Stott

Conversion, then, is repentance (turning from sin and unbelief) and faith (trusting in Christ alone for salvation). They are two sides of the same coin. One side is tails -- turn tail on the fruits of unbelief. The other side is heads -- head straight for Jesus and trust his promises. You can't have the one without the other any more than you can face two ways at once, or serve two masters.
John Piper

Faith

I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.
Hudson Taylor

We trust not because "a God" exists, but because this God exists.
C.S. Lewis

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.
Oswald Chambers

Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe.
Augustine

Music: What if

by Nichole Nordeman
For a friend who thinks this Jesus stuff is nuts.

What if you're right?
And he was just another nice guy
What if you're right?
What if it's true?
They say the cross will only make a fool of you
And what if it's true?

What if he takes his place in history
With all the prophets and the kings
Who taught us love and came in peace
But then the story ends
What then?

But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?

What if you dig
Way down deeper than your simple-minded friends
What if you dig?
What if you find
A thousand more unanswered questions down inside
That's all you find?

What if you pick apart the logic
And begin to poke the holes
What if the crown of thorns is no more
Than folklore that must be told and retold?

You've been running as fast as you can
You've been looking for a place you can land for so long
But what if you're wrong?

Christianity : dissapointing results

The 50 most influential Christians in 2006?


As I was viewing the list I was surprised, why I am not sure, at the absence of biblical truth seekers and teachers. Ummm....Dr. Phil? Where was John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Sinclair Furgeson and many others.

See what the evangelical outpost had to say about the list.

Homeschooling: capability

Got a knock on the door today and to my surprise my Saxon Math K was sitting on the balcony outside of the door. Next week I am going to start "Superman" in this math curriculum. He is very excited about starting it also, only because he saw the tub full of colorfull math manipulatives. I really think he is going to enjoy it though.

Being a mother/teacher is turning out to be a lot of fun. It was all very overwhelming in the beginning for me and "Superman". With much prayer, encouragement, time management, and counting to 100 it is a journey that is going to be well worth the wild ride. As a mother I realize that there are a lot of mothers who do not think that they are capable of being their children's teacher as well. We all know the verse of encouragement here.........I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phil. 4:13. This verse along with a lot of others has carried me to finding joy not only just enduring strength for my homeschooling journey.

Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman?

The Old Testament word virtuous refers to force and is used to mean able, capable, mighty, strong, valiant, powerful, efficient, wealthy, and worthy. We are all women and contain some level of the virtuous woman as described in Proverbs 31. We are powerful and capable in every area of our lives even when it comes to the task of being our children's teacher. If you have thought about homeschooling I encourage you to research it and pray deeply for God to reveal to you His will.

In His love,
Kelli

blogs, books, submission

I have found that my thoughts and my time concerning my place here has consumed all of my free time and there is need for some time management. I have a stack of books that I desire to read and find that all of my free time is being spent here. I enjoy writing but I also enjoy reading and I know that as a homeschooling mother of two and that number will grow my time for reading is going to become less and less over the years. So I am going to manage my time by alternating weeks of blogging and reading. Hopefully I will beable to fully commit myself to this schedule.

Right now my stack consists of:

Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Lauri Bluedorn
Repairing the Ruins edited by Douglas Wilson
Excused Absence by Douglas Wislson
The Duties of Parents by Jacobus Koelman
Standing on the Promises by Douglas Wilson
Christian Love by Hugh Binning
Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George
Defending the Faith by R.C. Sproul
To Live is Christ by Beth Moore

and this list is constantly growing. What is your stack look like?

This morning I reflected on being a submissive woman. To embrace the will of God like the mother of Jesus. Have you ever thought about how her life drastically changed. She submitted to the will of God for her life. I desire to embrace God's will for my life even if it is completely the opposite of what I had planned for it. His plans for me are an infinite more glorious than my own self absorbed plans.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Discerning Reader

Beautiful in God's Eyes a book on The Treasures of the Proverbs 31 Woman by Elizabeth George. I am currently reading this book for my Ladies Bible class. I have not heard of George before and know nothing about her. I have read the intro and the beginning of the first chapter and it looks good thus far, which is not far. I am hoping to find some truth and deep things through her thoughts on the Proverbs 31 woman. I am not interested in a feel good book that does not speak the hard truths of scripture. I enjoy well expressed "pretty" thoughts but so long as they are not all to surface and shallow. I do not want to give my time and energy to this book and leave it feeling as empty for truth as when I entered it.

I have learned that when delving into any book I must guard myself and be discerning. Prayfully opening its pages and soaking in only the well expressed "pretty” thoughts that are in sync with the words of God.

It is easy to be deceived through words in a book. A lot of times I think if the book we are reading is recommended by highly respected persons we know and has to do with a scriptural topic we assume that all that lies inside is truth and good for our spiritual nourishment. I found this to be very dangerous thinking. As with everything we do, from watching TV to thinking secretly, we must decipher between the clean and the unclean.

I have been asked to help lead this Ladies Bible class and if you knew me you would know that this has me trembling with fear. Leave me a comment if you have read any of Elizabeth George's books...............I would love to hear what you have to say about this author.

In His Love
Keli

Blog Surfing

I have this problem called "can't sleep" and not because I just can't or any medical reasoning but simply because I don't want to. Every night I vow at about 8:00 to go to bed before 10:00 and every night, it never fails, I miserably fail to keep my vow and end up rebuking my self quitely in my head. So here I am at 11:36, thinking subconsciously I still have 24 minutes left to blog. I just got back from "blog surfing" and found a few that I really enjoyed reading. They make me feel just a tad inadequate in my posting but that is okay I am secure in my blogging....ha.

Sting my Heart
Blessed with Sons
The Broken Messenger
Chasing Contentment
Tulip Girl

They are all great reads. I have enjoyed reading their thoughts.
Okay well 14 of my 24 minutes have been taken so now I must use the rest of them to settle into bed.

Reflection:middle of day

Well, it is my "coffee meditation" time or that is what I have come to call it. A time where I heat up a cup of coffee from that morning and put in about 3-4 tbs of cream, 5-6 packets of equal (off brand), and a teaspoon of sugar for a sweet creamy cup of java. I usually sit down at this old computer and begin to check blogs, forums, and write on one of my to many blogs. We just walked in our door about an our ago from our morning worship service and some good fellowship with some friends afterwards. T-rex is down for his afternoon nap and Superman is watching his movie of the day, oh and Expresso is playing on his laptop. He is in a "I have a dream moment" meaning he and some friends have thought up something and are dreaming about how they would go about doing it.

There is a word that was said by the minister this morning and one I have heard quite often from the mouth of my own hubby it is agnostic. I never new what it meant until today. Latte tried to explain it to me on more than one occassion but I was never fully engaged in listening to him, sorry :). So I decided to look up its definition and I found this:

ag nos tic
noun

• 
  One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
• 
  One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.

Unbelief, in distinction from disbelief, is a confession of ignorance where honest inquiry might easily find the truth. "Agnostic" is but the Greek for "ignoramus."
Tryon Edwards

An agnostic usually holds the question of the existence of God open, pending the arrival of more evidence. They are willing to change their belief if some solid evidence or logical proof is found in the future. However, some have taken the position that there is no logical way in which the existence or the non-existence of a deity can be proven.

For me I have not logical proof nor solid evidence to point to my creator God other than my faith and the bible which because fo my faith I believe is His words and infallable. The Lord is the one who is to open the eyes of the agnostic person. Their hearts are not hard and closed to the thought of God but they do need for a believer to reach out to them and help them search for their so called "solid evidence" they need to believe in Him. The Lord can change their definition of "solid evidence" or "logical proof" and with prayer the Lord can give them this evidence they need by allowing the Spirit to fall on them. This is my evidence.........my faith.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Rom 1:19-20

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

My thoughts are not profound I know, maybe one day :0).

Somethings different

So I decided to decorate. Do you think it is nice? I think I like it which probably means I will be changing it soon. Just a little here and there. I don't have much to say other than that. I have been thinking a lot lately about meditating on the Lords words more. Here is a verse for you to linger your thoughts on for a moment:

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1

I love to read over Davids thoughts. They reach into my inner self and pull out my desires and passions for the Lord. It is interesting to read through them and see the different spiritual highs and lows that David was enduring through this time in his life. I find myself facing them and that is probably why I enjoy his thoughts so much, because I can relate to them in my own way. When I am low I pull encouragement from when he was high and when I am high I am reminded of when I was low and praise God for never forsaking me to stay in my low. I am not sure if any of that mumbling I just did made any sense but it made some to me.

*Glorify God and enjoy Him today

Precious Time Missed

Have you had some alone time with the Lord today? I haven't but I need it. I didn't get up this morning for it and am dissapointed in myself. I need to have more self discipline when it comes to getting up in the morning to have some alone time with Him. It is mighty selfish of me to sleep late and miss that time. Psalm 119:15 is what I want to do every morning.

I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.

Every day I believe this is the best way to start. Meditating on His precepts and considering His ways not my own. May the Lord give you rest this Saturday and Sunday and prepare you for the week to come.

Blessings*

awaiting its arrival

I just ordered Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn. I am so excited. I have been wanting this book since the day I layed eyes on it. I have to say though after thouroughly inspecting its contents I am a tad bit intimidated by the vast amount of information in contains. I am not sure I am able to hold that much information from one book. I am not anxiously awaiting its arival in a few days. Every knock on the door is going to flood me with excitement and hope. I have heard and read only good reviews of this book.

The past few days the Lord has turned the pages in my bible to Psalm 100. I have not looked for it, it has just been continually finding me.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

And then we as a family have just started Fighter Verses together. It is awesome and the first verse for memorization is Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

This morning as I was dwelling on Psalm 100 I noticed something that they both had in common. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God. Both of these passages that I have not looked for in any way but have been coincidentally presented to me instead have this same message in them. Interesting.

I don't know if God speaks to you in this way but I am certain that He does with me. I often miss his subtle whispers to me. I pray that if He does speak to you this way listen to what He is whispering to you. Don't just say oh cool and then move on, dwell deeply on the message, the similiarities, the words that jump out at you and soak in His wisdom for you. He definetly spoke directly to my heart with these two places in his infallable word. He never ceases to amaze me with His overflowing love and glory!

*Praise the Lord for He is God, a faithful God*

Our Study

Romans 1:1-17

Rick and I started a study in Romans yesterday. We are being lead by John MacArthur in this study. I am excited to learn more about Paul and the christians in the city of Rome. I never saw the grace aspect in Pauls converstion queit as clear and overwhelming as I did last night after reading it again.


Act 26:9 "I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Act 26:10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.
Act 26:11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Act 26:12 "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
Act 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.
Act 26:14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
Act 26:15 And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
Act 26:16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
Act 26:17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles--to whom I am sending you
Act 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
Act 26:19 "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
Act 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
Act 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
Act 26:22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:
Act 26:23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles."
Act 26:24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind."
Act 26:25 But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.
Act 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.
Act 26:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."
Act 26:28 And Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?"
Act 26:29 And Paul said, "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am--except for these chains."

In an instant only because of the grace that the Lord lavished upon him Paul was transformed from a self-centered man to a Christ-centered man. It was from nothing that he had done. He definetly did not deserve the gift of grace that he recieved that day. He went from killing christians to converting christians. It made me think about my own conversion. The same grace that saved Paul was given to me as well one day about 3 or 4 years ago.

Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
Rom 1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
Rom 1:3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
Rom 1:4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Rom 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
Rom 1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
Rom 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you
Rom 1:10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
Rom 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you--
Rom 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
Rom 1:13 I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Rom 1:14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
Rom 1:15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

serve in verse 9 can also be translated worship. I found this to be profoundly interesting. In every area of my life when I am serving the Lord I am in turn worshiping Him. It has given me a new perspective on serving Him. When I serve Him I worship Him.

When I serve Him today by washing the dishes, disciplining my children, doing laundry, making the bed, changing diapers, mopping, being submissive and respectful to my husband and everything else that is hard, less desirable and not so exciting doings in my services to the Lord I am worshiping Him.

A New Look at Perfectionism in the Home

Life in our homes should be characterized by joy and thanksgiving where children are taught and nourished in a way that takes their souls into account. ~ Nancy Wilson

This is the last sentence in an awesome article on trying to be a perfect domestic engineer. I am one that strives for the man made Perfectionism in my home, I fail daily and become distressed at my failure. This morning I read what Nancy had to say and it brought me much comfort.

Blessings

Guess what friends...

**~Freedom in Christ forum is back ~**