Rejoicing Always...Even After Christmas

Christmas is now past...ornaments are put away, lights (half of the string didn't work...but nobody new unless they looked at the back of our tree. :) )  have been thrown away, and all the boxes from the different presents have been burned (in the burn pile...that's what we do out in the sticks) as well as our beautiful tree.   Even though December 25th is past and the excitement of the special day is past we as Christians have so much to look forward to.  

I can rejoice in the fact that I have a Savior who has taken upon Himself every drop of God's wrath that justly should have been poured out on me. I can rejoice about this:

 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

As I mentioned in a previous post, (Depths and Riches of the Gospel), I didn't realize for the longest time that I don't just have a "clean slate" but I have Christ's righteousness imputed to me! In other words, I have ALL the righteousness I will ever need in order to be part of God's kingdom. Wow! This then motivates me to do good works! Not because I am trying to be "good enough", but because I love the One who saved me from eternal punishment AND gave me HIS righteousness. What hope and joy I can always experience! I am no longer guilty for my sins...I am  no longer a slave to sin but a slave of righteousness, no longer an enemy of God but a citizen of Heaven,  now that's something to always be rejoicing about...all throughout the year.

Christmas Vacation

Here are some things we were blessed to do during the past week.

We took a vacation to Newport.  Here is an exhibit at the Aquarium.

An anaconda...this was a favorite.

Hands on with the sea creatures.

Shark aquarium.

Braving the winds...and rain!

Back in the warm hotel for some food.

Christmas morning.

Battling tops game. (One Grant remembers as a kid.)

 

I think their faces should be on the front of the game box. :)

Lamplighter Publishing

My friend Jessica turned me on to this website, http://www.lamplighterpublishing.com/ , awhile ago.   I recently recieved a new catalog of their newest books, and I always admire how beautiful they are. They are old books (many written in the 1800s) that have been reprinted. These are books worth collecting, as they are "treasures of truth through stories from days gone by." I hope to begin collecting them for our own family. 

To add to these great books are the audio dramas. I must say, these are better than even watching a movie! It's very professional and the stories are helpful for teaching character. I found this free download of one of the books called "A Peep Behind the Scenes". I have only listened to the first two episodes, but look forward to hearing the rest (on my stationary bike). :) I thought I might share this neat resource with you all too!

http://www.lamplighterpublishing.com/theatre/A-Peep-Behind-the-Scenes.html

Enjoy!

Tree Time and Grandma's Birthday

We found the perfect tree!

Pretty serious about decorating.

It's getting there.

Finishing touches.

Celebrating Great Grandma Ernie's 88th birthday!

Hope Ink Art

Hi all! This is just a quick note to share with you some of my friend, Emily's work. http://www.hopeink.com/
She is a wife and homeschooling mother of four...and has an amazing way of incorporating scripture with art. Please check it out and enjoy!

And many more!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/hopeink

21 Ideas for Celebrating a Simple, Natural Thanksgiving: Eats, Decor, Gratitude

This article is from Keeper of the Home...it was so good and inspiring. I wanted to share with you! I especially liked the decor ideas...enjoy!

21 Ideas for Celebrating a Simple, Natural Thanksgiving: Eats, Decor, Gratitude

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Real Submarine at OMSI.

On board the sub. Future navy men?

...maybe.

Maybe future astronaut?

Michael climbing in the space module.

A future scientist?

Engineer?

It's exciting to see their intrests starting to reveal themselves. I look forward to the coming years. :)

More Fall Memories

Roasting marshmallows is always a favorite...I'm not sure if it's the sweet treat or the playing in the fire that is the most exciting to the boys...probably the latter. :) 

We gulped down our dinner, so we could make it up the hill in time for the sunset. :)

Checking to see if done...

Reloading sticks...

Keeping the fire going.

Enjoy!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

This is a wonderful message...
Grace to You Radio, one of many in this series. Preparing our hearts for Christmas is vital not only in keeping our perspective right during this busy time but more importantly realizing the true reason we can rejoice any day of the year.  Our sins can be forgiven by a holy God. Jesus Christ (God incarnate) came to earth to be the Savior (by being a perfect sacrifice for our sin) for all who would believe. This message is not your typical manger scene story...it's entitled "The Incarnation of the Triune God". Listen and let your heart be filled again with thankfulness to our glorious kind Father whose saving nature is put on display. 

11 Herbs and Spices for the Holidays

Although I like having the long summer nights, I do enjoy fall. The air has a fresh smell to it, the familiar fall food is a welcome and pleasing additon to the early dark nights, and the enjoyment of pondering about what to make this year for the Chirstmas treats. This is a fun article to read for getting ready for the winter months and holidays!
11 Herbs and Spices for the Holidays

More Fall Fun

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork." Psalm 19:1

Beautiful morning sky!

Michael, Isaac, and Zechariah keeping the driveway spotless!

Guess who can ride a bike now?!

Go Michael!  Would you believe he was able to ride without trying?  He had training wheels on, but they were a little lopsided...so he learned how to balance (with them on).  So when I took off the training wheels, expecting to have to help him...he took off with no help!  So, I guess neglecting to straighten the training wheels paid off! ;)

A Walk Through Fall

Fall is definitely my favorite season of the year.  Such beauty in the crisp cool air. Isaac and I decided to take a walk through the green, yellow, and orange trees. 

Leave covered trail.

From the top of our "mountain". 

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

Keeping Your Family Healthy During Cold and Flu Season

Well, hello everyone. I know it has been way too long since I have updated...I plan on it this week. However I did come across this great article on Keeping Your Family Healthy During Cold and Flu Season . Please take time to read and gain some valuable knowledge about good foods during this time.

Enjoy!

The Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

This is definitely something worth listening to. I am so thankful for men of God (like John MacArthur, Allistar Begg, Phil Johnson, and Al Mohler, just to name a few) who are able to help us recognize the "newest" trends that Satan uses to cause confusion and deception in the world today.

The Modern Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

Beach Vacation

Boy, has it been a busy summer!   This is the first summer where it's so much easier to travel with three little boys.  Everyone's potty trained, can eat anything, and can even miss a nap. :)  So, we have some fun pictures to share of the beach vacation we took last week to Newport.  The weather was PERFECT...which isn't always the case at the Oregon coast.  We enjoyed staying at a beach house right across the street from the ocean. 

One of the highlights of the trip was a 2 hour boat trip out to sea.  We saw sea lions, birds, and WHALES!  The wales were about 30 feet away from our boat! (At one point I was a little afraid one would get too close and maybe tip our boat...perhaps I just remember the Moby Dick story.)  In any case, we had a safe and wonderful boat ride...if it were any longer than 2 hours I think we may have begun to get seasick. (It was pretty bouncy at times! I just told the boys to imagine what the Mayflower must have been like...this was to console myself, as well.) 

Being out enjoying God's creation brought so many opportunities to bring attention to who our Creator is.  All of the boys love to know how things work and we are at the point where they now understand that man makes buildings and roads and cars, but God makes the materials that we need to build things. I remember a sweet time Isaac and I were walking down to the beach alone and he asked, "How did they build the ocean?" I smiled and replied, "God made the ocean...remember in creation when God separated the land from the waters?"  Isaac said, "Oh yeah, all He had to say was "WATER" and there was water."  It was a great reminder to me of how powerful our God is...simply by Him speaking His words, things are created. 

Everyone enjoying themselves!

Zechariah enjoying the life in a tidepool.

In front of Yaquina Lighthouse.

Michael loving all the rocks to climb.

Isaac, brave enough to go into a small cave.

Dirt digging is a family favorite...well for the younger people in our family.

On the boat to crab and find some whales!

Enjoying the trip out to sea.

Isaac driving the boat!

Michael driving!

The boys all got to learn how to handle crabs.

If you look closely, some of those rocks are sea lions!

That would be a whale...headed our way.

Zechariah and Isaac heave ho-ing the crab trap back up into the boat.

A fun filled trip...We learned lots of new things and made a few new family memories.

"Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;"

Psalm 148:7