Serving in Vacation Bible School

Kingdom Chronicles is the name of the Vacation Bible School curriculum that our church used this year.  The publisher is Answers in Genesis.    It was very fun and exciting for all of us to participate as a family this year.

Our youngest son played "King Christopher" in the play.  He had done such a wonderful job reading his part.  He's had such a difficult time with his Dyslexia and Dysgraphia through his elementary years that this time is a triumph for him!  He'd had a hang up reading in front of others, stumbling over his words, but this time, although he read a little slower--he did great! 

Each of the young folks did such a wonderful job!  They love doing skits for VBS.  My daughter loves this so much that she's asked to be able to do voice and drama lessons.  

The Lord works in mysterious ways.  If He has placed this desire in her heart for His purposes, then as her parents, my husband and I need to help her in positive ways to develop those talents for His glory.

If we do not, we will be hindering the Holy Spirit.  

...and I don't want to do that.  We don't know what the future holds for her or for the young men in our home for that matter.

I praise God that each one of the young folks want to honor and glorify God with their gifts.

Our oldest son played Prince Robert, one of the "immature" princes who needed to grow up.  He did a wonderful job portraying the prince.  His character gave his heart to the Savior as a part of the play at the end of the week.  I love watching my kids having fun serving God!  What a lovely and wonderful gift to behold by a parent!

Yes, there is a little boy throwing a sponge.  My daughter is directly to the left, helping where she can.  This was my Kindergarten class, throwing wet sponges at the poor soul who volunteered to get in to the stockade for the sheer pleasure of the kids.

My Mr. G facilitated the games for the week, but didn't get in to the stockade.  He had volunteers for that.

My class...so very excited to throw sponges at my youngest son!

Yes, they had some pretty good aim too!  LOL

We had a wonderful time serving the Lord this past week for Vacation Bible School as a family.  Each of us had a different role, but each of us worked and had so much fun in the process.  Serving God as a family is such a joy!

Praise God!

Angels

Matthew 4:1-11  

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit up into the wilderness, to be tempted by the Devil.  (2)  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards hungry.  (3)  And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.  (4)  But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."  (5)  Then the Devil took Him up into the holy city and set Him upon a pinnacle of the Temple.  (6)  And he said to Him, If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it is written, "He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and in their hands they shall bear You up, lest at any time You dash Your foot against a stone."  (7)  Jesus said to him, It is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God."  (8)  Again, the Devil took Him up into a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  (9)  And he said to Him, All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.  (10)  Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."  (11)  Then the Devil left him. And behold, angels came and ministered to Him."

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible~
"The holy angels came and attended upon our victorious Redeemer; Behold, angels came and ministered unto him. They came in a visible appearance, as the devil had done in the temptation. While the devil was making his assaults upon our Saviour, the angels stood at a distance, and their immediate attendance and administration were suspended, that it might appear that he vanquished Satan in his own strength, and that his victory might be the more illustrious; and that afterward, when Michael makes use of his angels in fighting with the dragon and his angels, it might appear, that it is not because he needs them, or could not do his work without them, but because he is pleased to honour them so far as to employ them. One angel might have served to bring him food, but here are many attending him, to testify their respect to him, and their readiness to receive his commands. Behold this! It is worth taking notice of; (1.) That as there is a world of wicked, malicious spirits that fight against Christ and his church, and all particular believers, so there is a world of holy, blessed spirits engaged and employed for them. In reference to our war with devils, we may take abundance of comfort from our communion with angels. (2.) That Christ's victories are the angels' triumphs. The angels came to congratulate Christ on his success, to rejoice with him, and to give him the glory due to his name; for that was sung with a loud voice in heaven, when the great dragon was cast out (Rev_12:9, Rev_12:10), Now is come salvation and strength. (3.) That the angels ministered to the Lord Jesus, not only food, but whatever else he wanted after this great fatigue. See how the instances of Christ's condescension and humiliation were balanced with tokens of his glory. As when he was crucified in weakness, yet he lived by the power of God; so when in weakness he was tempted, was hungry and weary, yet by his divine power he commanded the ministration of angels. Thus the Son of man did eat angels' food, and, like Elias, is fed by an angel in the wilderness, 1Ki_19:4, 1Ki_19:7. Note, Though God may suffer his people to be brought into wants and straits, yet he will take effectual care for their supply, and will rather send angels to feed them, than see them perish. Trust in the Lord, and verily thou shalt be fed, Psa_37:3.
Christ was thus succoured after the temptation, [1.] For his encouragement to go on in his undertaking, that he might see the powers of heaven siding with him, when he saw the powers of hell set against him. [2.] For our encouragement to trust in him; for as he knew, by experience, what it was to suffer, being tempted, and how hard that was, so he knew what it was to be succoured, being tempted, and how comfortable that was; and therefore we may expect, not only that he will sympathize with his tempted people, but that he will come in with seasonable relief to them; as our great Melchizedec, who met Abraham when he returned from the battle, and as the angels here ministered to him."

Vacation Bible School

Without fail, God has shown Himself in great power this week.

Ephesians 6:10-18

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  (11)  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  (12)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  (13)  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (14)  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  (15)  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  (16)  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  (17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  (18)  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints..."

Surrender Leading to Song

July 22--e-sword devotional "Our Daily Walk" from F.B. Meyer~

SURRENDER LEADING TO SONG

"And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel."-- 2Ch_29:27.

THE HEBREW Psalmody became famous throughout the world. Even their fierce conquerors recognized the sublime beauty of the Hebrew temple music. By the waters of Babylon they urged them to sing one of the Songs of Zion, not knowing how impossible it was for the captives to sing the Lord's song in a strange land! For sixteen years no song had poured forth from the sacred shrine. Ahaz had shut the doors, dispersed the Levites, and allowed the holy fabric to remain unkempt, unlit, and unused. There were no sacrifices on the Altar, no sweet incense in the Holy Place, no blood on the Mercy-Seat, no Song of the Lord!
For too many Christians this, alas, is a picture of their life. The soul, intended to be a holy temple for God, shows signs of disorder and neglect. The lights are not lit, the sweet incense of prayer does not ascend, the doors of entrance to fellowship and exit to service are closed. Outwardly the ordinances of the religious life are preserved, but inwardly silence and darkness prevail, into which bat-like thoughts intrude. Thorns have come up in the court of the Holy Place, where the scorpion makes her nest. The Song of the Lord had died out of heart and life.

Why should not this miserable condition be ended to-day? Why should you not be cleansed from the traces of sin and neglect through the Blood of the Cross? Why should you not come back into fellowship with God, who waits to receive and forgive? Surrender yourself to Him now. Do not be general, but specific in your consecration. Weld yourself to some life or lives that sorely need help. Give not words only, but deeds and blood. Merge your little life in the life of Christ, as the streamlet in the wide ocean. And as you yield yourself to Christ first, and next to all who need you for His sake, you will find the Song of the Lord breaking forth again in your heart like a spring, which was formerly choked with debris.

PRAYER

We pray Thee, Heavenly Father, to cleanse the thoughts of our hearts, by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love Thee, and worthily magnify Thy Holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

The Eager Householder

Yesterday morning's e-sword devotional came to me at the most opportune time.  Isn't that just like God?!

THE EAGER HOUSEHOLDER

"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard."-- Mat_20:1.

OUR LORD, beneath the veil of this parable, tells us what God is like. The heart of God our Father yearns over the perishing souls of men. For some reason, at present withheld, He must have the co-operation of men to reach the hearts of men, and therefore at every stage of life He approaches us, saying, "Go work! During what remains of life's brief day, go work in My vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. I need you to help in the salvation of the myriads of souls, whose redemption I am seeking with blood and tears."

He comes to you, dear children, in the dawn of your life. The dew is still in the grass, the birds are only just awaking from their dreams, life is yet the spring, and God's voice comes to you, saying: "I want you to help Me in my great Vineyard. The ground needs weeding, the vines require watering and pruning, there is much to do and few to do it, and I have a tiny plot for you to cultivate. Make haste, and come."
He comes to you, young men and women. Three hours have passed, and is yet you are standing idle, and have not chosen your life-work. Are you going to be a Missionary, or Minister, a Doctor, or School-teacher; does art, Music, or Commerce appeal to you? Whatever sphere you choose, yet it be subordinated to the one great purpose of helping God to save the world.

He comes to you who are in the meridian or late afternoon of life. Perhaps you have been fortunate enough to make a competence, and need not toil as formerly. To you the Master comes, saying, "Go, work in My vineyard. Administer your money, time, influence for Me." Even though it be but an hour before sunset, the same urgent appeal rings out; though you have been unemployed all the days, He seeks your help. Oh, that the urgency of God's compassions may touch and move us! Will you listen to the call of the great Husbandman, and now answer in your heart, "Here am I, send me"?

PRAYER

O God, we have heard Thy call! Wilt Thou accept our hands to labour for Thee, and our lips to speak for Thee. Send us into Thy Vineyard, and use us in Thy holy service. AMEN.

It reminded me of this verse:

Colossians 3:23  

"...whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men..."

Of Birthdays, Yard Sales, Auctions, Berry Picking & Flea Markets

We celebrated a birthday on Monday.  My youngest son is 14 now.  What a strange feeling!  He's been such a blessing!

My lovely daughter with the doggie carrier bag we found at a yard sale last weekend...complete with doggie inside!

Flea Market day was last Saturday and what a wonderful time we had!  My beloved Mr. G bought me a cherry snow cone which really hit the spot!  I loved it!  

On Tuesday we went to Kinzua Country Auctions and bought some "new to us" dishes, china, and salad bowls.  I absolutely had a wonderful time with my family and it's certainly such a blessing to me!  

Our black raspberry bushes are producing nicely and while the children pick for me, I look forward to the mixed berry jam I'll make at the end of the berry picking season.  It's one of my family's favorites.

We had the privilege of having a friend over last week.  I love seeing my kids enjoying themselves with their friends in a good wholesome way.  The kids took him berry picking a couple days and he enjoyed getting the pay. (He's a special needs young man, so this is a very big step for him.)  =0)

Yard sales are in our life greatly this weekend since we're having one.  It seems that each time I look around there is something more we could put out in to the yard sale pile.  We'll see what happens.  I'd love to sell lots more though!  

Time to get some serious resting done before we do everything again tomorrow.

God Bless,

July Fourth-Two-Thousand-Thirteen

I'm finding myself a bit melancholy lately.  I guess it probably doesn't help much that an upper level "Low" has stationed itself above us and is keeping the area cloudy with lots of rain and thunderstorms.

My work continues inside regardless of the weather, but when my work is done inside and it is raining outside, I've been looking on Google maps in preparation for our vacation next year.

I've looked at how to get to Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, SD so that my family can see what I use to see as a child from Skyline Drive while we enjoy a picnic lunch.  I love watching their faces when they see lovely and glorious things!

I've looked up a variety of campgrounds and I find myself faced with a difficult decision of which one to stay at for however many days for this stop or that stop.  I'll need to do the majority of the research, then present my findings to Mr. G to see what he'd like to do.  Here are a few that I've found:

Lake Park Campground--Located 30 minutes from Sturgis and 30 minutes from Mount Rushmore.

Days End Campground--Located in Sturgis.

Whistler Gulch Campground--Located in Deadwood.

Sleepy Hollow Campground--Located in Wall, SD.

I know he'd like to visit the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.  I'd like to see it as well since my great uncle Al was one of the founders since he use to live in Sturgis.  =0)

I'd love to take the family to Lead & Deadwood, SD to see where Black Hills Gold is mined.  My mother use to work in the gold mines when I was 8 years old, so it has a bit of historical significance for me.

Of course Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State Park would be visited. =0)

Why all these preparations now?

Every time I'm around a pine tree the scent of the Black Hills comes flooding back to my memories.  The west is calling me greatly.  The search on Google maps has brought me blue skies and glorious scenery of the west.  The memories of God's magnificent beauty and the experiences there--both good and bad--come flooding back to me.  I want to replace the bad with new memories, and I want to share those things with my beloved husband and my wonderful children.  I feel as if my time is running out with my kids at home and it is time to hasten the trip.

Does this seem unreasonable?  I don't think so.  Things like this are very attainable, if prepared for ahead of time and as many details worked out as possible, right down to the miles driven daily and planning how many times you'll go out to eat, adding 10-20% for tips.  Additionally, what foods you'll pack in the cooler, bottles of spring water to bring, right down to which rest stop you'll be at when you eat your sandwiches or salads.

I need to plan very well for this trip, for the sake of my husband, for the sake of my children, for my own sanity, right down to where and when we'll do our laundry.  Why so meticulous?

In the planning, there is peace.