2006 is here!

Happy New Year!

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Ephesians 6:24

Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Book

I have read the book. In fact I have read the whole series of the Narnia books twice. But out of them all The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe was my favorite.

One of the things I like about the book is that the good and evil sides are made very clear. The lion represents good. The witch represents evil. The sides are made very clear and very distinct. You know which is the good side and you know which is the bad side. But take for instance Harry Potter. From the reviews I’ve heard, Harry Potter is a witch, yet he is made to be the good guy. The sides of good and evil are not clear. I have never read the Harry Potter books. I have never watched the movies. I do not agree with them, because Harry Potter is shown to be on the good side, when he should be on the evil side.

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire,
who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or
casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone
who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable
practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be
blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to
those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has
not permitted you to do so.

Deuteronomy 18: 10-14

He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my
son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murders, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place
will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Revalation 21:7-8

Making it into a movie. Good idea? Bad idea?

One of the concerns I had about the movie was whether they had stayed true to the book, or had they changed it. Christianity Today’s interview with Douglas Gresham (co-producer) helped to clear this up. Click here to read that interview.

(I saw the movie last Friday and they definitely kept Narnia, Narnia. They stuck to the book.)

Why partner with Disney?

Some people do not want to see the movie because Walden partnered with Disney. But Walden co-founder and president Micheal Flaherty, in an interview with Christianity Today, explains about that. Click here to read that interview.

Should Christians support this movie?

Read the interview that Christianity Today had with Douglas Gresham. Click here. (It is the same one as above.)

Disney has made movies that are bad, but they have also made some very good movies. For instance, Cinderella, Toy Story 1&2, The Pacifier, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, etc. And now that Disney has partnered with Walden on Narnia, I think that we should show them that we support movies like this. So then maybe it will encourage them to make movies like it in the future.

Do I support it?

Yes, I supported this movie even before I saw it, but now that I’ve seen it, I support it even more. They did an excellent job. And I give it 5 stars and 2 thumbs up!

These are my views on the movie, but if you don’t agree, I respect your opinion. I don’t want this post to start a debate. I just wanted to show you my view.

Finding Joy in Your Work

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3: 23-24

Work should always be associated with joy. . . .

The story is told of three women washing clothes. A passerby asked each what she was doing.

“Washing clothes” was the first answer.

“A bit of household drudgery” was the second.

“I’m mothering three young children who someday will fill important and useful spheres in life, and wash-day is a part of my grand task in caring for these souls who shall live forever” was the third.

Ordinary work, which is what most of us do most of the time, is ordained by God every bit as much as the extraordinary. All work done for God is spiritual work and therefore not merely a duty but a holy privilege.

By Elisabeth Elliot

Pictures taken from © 1999-2005 www.barrysclipart.com

Bible Verse

Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?

Psalm 77:13

Merry Christmas!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Wow! Christmas has just kinda sneaked up on me this year.

I saw the new Narnia movie today. I loved it! They really did an outstanding job with it.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! And remember, it is all about Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Hannah

Picture taken from FreeFoto.com

Christmas

What’s it truly about?

It is Christmas time! Presents, lights, food, friends, family, fun. Oh, and we can’t forget Santa Clause! That’s what Christmas is all about right?

No it isn’t.

Christmas is all about Jesus.

His day

Once a year we each have a birthday. It is “our day”. We receive presents, cards, cake, and all the attention. How would we feel if someone were to cancel “our day”? How would we feel if they celebrated our birthday, but celebrated it without us, just kinda ignored us? Christmas is Jesus’s birthday. It is “His day”. But, He is very often taken out of the reason for celebrating Christmas. We celebrate His birthday without Him, we ignore Him. Jesus, the One who came to this earth to give up His life so that we might be free. We ignore the One who loves us so much more than anyone else has or ever will.

Our priorities, are they right?

We get so caught up in shopping for presents, decorating the Christmas tree, planning dinners, and visiting relatives and friends that we forget about the true meaning of Christmas. We forget about Jesus. It is not wrong to shop, decorate the Christmas tree, plan dinners, or visit with people. Those things are fine. But it is when we put all our attention and focus on those things that they become wrong because God should be our number one priority. But it seems that when Christmas time rolls around we get so busy that we tend to put God into 2nd, 3rd, or 4th priority. He should be at the center of our lives, not only at Christmas, but all the time.

The reason for the season

Those who are not Christians can’t understand the true meaning of Christmas, but those of us who are Christians, do. We need to work harder to keep Jesus “the reason for the season”, because Christmas truly is all about Him. And we need to show the world that.

Pictures taken from FreeFoto.com

Words Are Not Enough

You can believe all the right things, yet still be dead wrong

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

[James] 1:22

Where there is life, there is motion. Some antelopes, as well as the cheetah, can sprint faster than some cars on the highway. Bighorn sheep, charging one another headfirst, collide with such force that the sound echoes like a gunshot through mountain ranges. Canada geese, fanned out across the sky in an orderly V, battle winds for 1,000 miles, nonstop, before dropping back to earth.

Sometimes we keep relics of life: an elkhead hanging above a fireplace; a fragile, perfect seashell; an exotic butterfly mounted on a pin. But these are mere mementos: Life has gone from them, and with it motion.

A Sure Sign of Life

Authors of the Bible often look to nature for analogies to express spiritual truth. And the book of James, controversial because of its emphasis on “good works,” is perhaps best understood through the analogy of motion. In the spiritual realm also, where there’s life there will be motion.

When a person becomes a Christian, new life begins, and inevitably that life must express itself through “spiritual motion,” or good deeds. In James’s words, “What good is it…if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” ([James] 2:14).

Movement does not cause life, but it does invariable follow life. It’s a sure sign that life is present. Similarly, genuine faith in Christ should always result in actions that demonstrate faith.

Does James Contradict Paul?

James is not writing about how to become a Christian, but rather how to act like one. Having all the correct beliefs about God will hardly suffice: Even demons believe in God. Real, life-giving faith should produce motion, and James minces no words in describing the specific spiritual actions expected of Christians.

Christian thinkers, notably Martin Luther, have struggled to reconcile the message of James with that of Paul, who so firmly warned against slavish legalism. But Paul never belittled holy living. When he wrote to carousers, such as in his letters to the Corinthians, he railed against immorality as strongly as James.

Evidently, James’s readers were not even flirting with legalism. They lived at the other extreme, ignoring those laws God had clearly revealed. James had a simple remedy: “Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says” ([James] 1:22).

Straight to the Point

Unlike the apostle Paul, James was no urban man of letters. He was a simple, homespun preacher, perturbed at people who were not living right. His letter covers a wide range of topics, applying the Christian faith to specific problems and commanding readers to live out their beliefs.

Be humble! James orders. Submit to God! Stop sinning! James is as forthright as an Old Testament prophet; it’s hard to miss his point.

Modern readers of James face the same dilemma as the first recipients of this unsettling letter. His words are easy enough to understand, but are we doing what he says? What kind of motion characterizes our spiritual lives? As Luther himself said, “You are saved by faith alone, but if faith is alone it is not faith.”

By Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford, Student Bible

Pictures of butterfly and Bighorn sheep taken from © 1999-2005 www.barrysfreephotos.com

Picture of geese taken from FreeFoto.com

Whaz-up?

The sky, duh!

Anyway…

What is up with me? Or rather, whaz-up with me?

Well, last Wednesday, we went to see King Kong. And I really didn’t like it. There were a lot of scenes in the movie that I think could have used some editing, because it seemed that they drug some them out too long. And the natives, in my opinion, were way over-done!

Yesterday at church we had our Christmas service, banquet, and gift exchange (Since Christmas is on Sunday this year, we will also be having a Christmas service this next Sunday as well). For the past 3 years, we have had a Christmas play, but we decided to not have one this year. So I didn’t have to memorize any lines this Christmas!

On Friday we plan on going to see the new Narnia movie. We haven’t been to see it yet because it doesn’t come out in theaters here until December 21, so we have had to wait.

Sidewalk update:

Hey, guess what! They finally finished the sidewalk in front of my house (Well, there will have to be a touch-up here and there). (To see what I’m talking about click here) No more walking in mud or gravel to get to the house!

allfornow,

Hannah

Pictures taken from FreeFoto.com

Bible Verse

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

Matthew 1:21-23

Picture taken from FreeFoto.com

Vote!

Brett and Alex Harris from the Rebelution need your vote! They are a finalist in the category of Best of the Top 1001-1750 Blogs in the TTLB Ecosystem.

Click here to vote for them now!

To find out more about this click here.

Note: This post will remain here until the voting stops. Be sure to check out the new posts below. (Sorry, I forgot on Monday to move this post back up to the top!)

Update: The voting is over and the Rebelution won!

Where's my seat?

On her way back from the concession stand while attending a ballgame, Julie asked a man at the end of the row, "Pardon me, but did I step on your foot a few minutes ago?"

Expecting an apology, the man said, "Indeed you did."

Julie nodded, then noted, "Oh good. Then this is my row."

© 1999-2005 www.barrysclipart.com

Blogging

Joshua Harris’s post on “Biblical Advice for the Blogosphere”

Today in my quiet time I read Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 which seems to me to have
specific application to the blogosphere:

"Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you have yourself cursed others."

This is not to excuse "cursing others" which certainly isn't a godly practice. But the
counsel here seems to be not to overly react when others say negative things about us. The web, and particularly blogs have given millions the ability to broadcast (often unwisely) their every thought and musing. Couple that ability with indwelling sin, bitterness and selfish ambition and you've got the recipe for a whole lot of "cursing." And that's where the wisdom of Ecclesiastes is helpful. Don't take it all to heart. Don't "flame" back or react with vengeance.

And that reminds me of another sound piece of advice. Someone once wisely noted:
"We'd worry less of what people thought of us if we realized how seldom they do."

It's so true. The other day I was made aware of a rather heated online forum that was discussing and bashing me and some friends because of our opinions about courtship. Reading the comments wasn't very pleasant. There was scorn, derision and what you might call "sanitized Christian cursing." I don't know any of these people, these fellow Christians, yet they were laying into me. It helped me to remember that while these people had typed these things about me, it wasn't as if they walked around thinking of me. If they do, I feel sorry for them. I'm not that important!

The only person who always has us in mind is our Sovereign God. It's His good
opinion we should seek more than anything else.

And what should guide what we write about others in our blogs? How do we handle legitimate disagreements on various topics? Last week I was meditating on James 3:13-18:

"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

For Christians, I think this passage should be our guide for what we do and don't blog. Sadly, too much of the communication online is characterized by "disorder and every vile practice" and fueled by jealousy and selfish ambition. And I'm just as susceptible to this as anyone else. This passage is a reminder of the kind of words and communication that will be present when we're guided by the wisdom from heaven.

A good reminder for those of us who have a blog. We need to remember that as Christians we represent Jesus Christ to the world. Someone once said that our lives may be the only Bible some people will ever read. We need to reflect Jesus in everything we do because the world is watching us.

Bible Verse

[Jesus] “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

John 10:14-15

Picture taken from FreeFoto.com

New Look!

I decided I like this template better than the other one. I'm still working on it, so please be patient for awhile.

Thank you!

allfornow,

Hannah

Well Done

John was furious when his steak arrived too rare.

"Waiter," he shouted, "Didn't you hear me say 'well done'?"

"I can't thank you enough, sir," replied the waiter. "I hardly ever
get a compliment."





Picture taken from FreeFoto.com

Serving

Once when Christ was speaking with his disciples, a well-meaning mother approached him. She was concerned for her sons’ futures and hoped that by networking with this up-and-coming young carpenter-leader, they would be set for life. “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom,” she asked the thirty-something Jewish leader (Matt. 20:21). No bones about it—she knew that to get ahead in this world, her boys had to capitalize on their contacts and make the most of their opportunities. This guy Jesus was going to be a mover and a shaker, she could tell.

When the others heard her request, they became indignant, not because of the selfish absurdity of it but because they, too, wanted such status and power. Jesus, however, saw through them all. He must have smiled as he called them together and shook his head as he corrected them. Gently, he then gave them the real definition of success: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26-28).

Our ultimate example of how to live our lives is found in the one who came not to be served but to serve. For the Christian, then, the wonderful thing about service is that our only qualification is willingness, and our greatest reward is God’s pleasure (which, of course, spills over into our hearts!). We are not driven by it, we are called to it, revealing the gracious relationship between the Son of man and the one who has been ransomed by him. As we all know, service will probably never make us famous, rich, or powerful, that is, in the worldly sense, though it will in God’s eyes. Though the world might never honor a servant’s efforts, it will almost always respect it, if even anonymously.

Taken from Feast of Life by Jo Kadlecek

Pictures taken from FreeFoto.com

George Frederic Handel

In 1741, George Frederic Handel was genuinely discouraged. His health was failing, audiences had deserted him, and he was deeply in debt. Seeing no hope for the future, his music, or his life, he was ready to retire in disgrace.

It seems that God had other plans for Handel. Two challenges almost simultaneously set before him changed his life and the map of the musical world. From a Dublin charity, he received a commission to compose a piece of music for a benefit concert. From Charles Jennings, a wealthy friend, he received a libretto based exclusively on Bible texts.

With that libretto in hand, Handel went into a feverish work mode. For three weeks, beginning on August 22, he confined himself to his small house on Brook Street in London. From early in the morning into the night, he rarely left his music paper, ink, and pens. A friend who visited at that time reported having seen Handel weeping with intense emotion. Later, as Handel related the compositional experience, he quoted St. Paul’s words: “Whether I was in the body or out of my body when I wrote it, I know not.”

At one point a servant came into Handel’s room to deliver a tray of food. He reported having seen a wild expression in his employer’s eyes; a weeping Handel refused the food and exclaimed, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.” He had just completed what has become the most-performed choral movement in history, the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

After six days of this incredibly concentrated work, Handel had completed Part 1. Part 2 took him nine days, and Part 3 another six. In two more days—to complete the orchestration—the masterpiece called the Messiah was finished. In the unbelievably brief span of twenty-four days, Handel had filled two hundred sixty pages of manuscript.

One of Handel’s many biographers, Sir Newman Flower, gave this summation: “Considering the immensity of the work, and the short time involved, it will remain, perhaps forever, the greatest feat in the whole history of music composition.”

And musicologist Robert Myers has stated that the music and its powerful message “has probably done more to convince thousands of mankind that there is a God about us than all the theological works ever written.”

Handel’s own aspirations for this masterpiece were revealed after the fist London performance of Messiah. When the concert ended, Lord Kinnoul congratulated Handel on the superb “entertainment.” Handel’s reply? “ My lord, I should be sorry if I only entertain them; I wish to make them better.”

With such a spiritual purpose, it is no surprise that the Lord blessed this talented man with a special grace to compose such a powerful piece.

In the midst of a depression, did Handel set out to writ the most celebrated choral music of all time? Probably not. But Handel was a man listening to the voice of God. Struck with the power of the words of Scripture, he opened himself to the Holy Spirit and let the Spirit work through him to produce what can be described as a wonder.

Although you and I might not produce the world’s next choral Messiah, each of us can be ever listening to the voice of God—as He speaks through the Scriptures, through opportunities set before us, through friends, directly to our spirits. And we, too, can produce masterpieces. As you step out in faith, remember God’s promise:

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isa. 30:21)

Taken from Spiritual Moments with the Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh

Pictures taken from FreeFoto.com

I was sick (frown)

Sorry about not posting on Thursday and Friday. I was sick. And I was sick the whole weekend. This morning I woke up and felt better, but I still had to go to the doctor today anyway.

Hopefully I’ll be able to post more this week.

allfornow,

Hannah

Bible Verse

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

Picture taken from FreeFoto.com

Unique Service

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Unique Service

The beautiful thing about serving as a Christian is that it happens after we’ve met with the one who gave himself in the ultimate act of service; we don’t have to serve to get to him. This unique quality of service in the Christian faith is astonishingly different from other world religions. Many other belief systems, for instance, suggest that good works or proper, moral deeds can provide the path to salvation, perfection, or heaven. The emphasis in these others is on the individual’s efforts to live a good life in order to atone for his sin or bad life; for the Christian believer, however, Christ has done the work already on the cross and gives us his grace, character, and Holy Spirit to live a life “worthy of the calling” (Eph. 4:1). We do nothing but open our hands to receive his compassion, which then spills out of our hands into gracious acts of mutual service.

Taken from chapter 4 of Feast Of Life by Jo Kadlecek

Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Me interviewed by…me!

So, how old are you?
I am 15.

Hey! So am I! Sorry, back to the questions.

So you are in high school? What school do you go to?
Yes, I’m in my sophomore year. And I am homeschooled.

How long have you been homeschooled?
Ever since I started school. I’ve never been to public school.

Interesting.



How long have you been a Christian?
I’ve been a Christian since I was about 4.

When did you move to Belgium?
We moved here in 1996.

So you’ve not been back to the US in 9 years?!
No! No! We’ve been back several times.

Oh, okay. . .

What is your favorite book, besides the Bible.
I guess it would have to be Pride and Prejudice.

Oh, I love that book!

Who is your favorite Christian artist?
Rebecca St. James.

I like her too.

What do you like to do for fun?
Play the piano.

How long have you played the piano?
Well, I started learning the notes when I was 5 and kinda played around with it for a few years. But I’ve had good lessons for about 3 ½ years. My piano teacher is British.

Hmmm…what else do I want to ask you. Oh yeah!

You have a dog, right?
Yes. His name is Buster.

What kind of dog is he?
He is a Yorkshire Terrier.

Now lets talk about your blog a little bit.

Did you ever think you would start a blog?
No.

Really.

In your profile, I noticed that you were asked to describe how you would escape if you were trapped in a well with a goat and a slinky. You said, “Call for help on a cell phone.” But what would you do if you did not have a cell phone with you?
I would just yell for help.

What about the goat and the slinky, what would you do about them?
I would be trying the talk the goat into not hurting me and for something to do until help arrived, I would play with the slinky.

But what if no one heard you yelling for help?
Why are you asking me this? I’m not even trapped in a well, and hopefully I never will be.

Okay, no more on that. One last question.

Do you enjoy working on this blog, or are you bored with it?
No, I’m not bored with it. I like working on it. And it has really helped me to learn more about computers.

Thank you for your time.
You’re welcome.

Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Bible Verse

[Jesus said] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

John 14:1-4

Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Weather Forecast

In the pre-Thanksgiving rush, we have received an early weather report from our in-house weather reporters.

Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if you bother the cook, be ready for a severe
squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be
expected both days with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.

'Twas the Night of Thanksgiving

'Twas the night of Thanksgiving, But I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep
The leftovers beckoned --- The dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, Flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground !!

I crashed through the ceiling. Floating into the sky....
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie,
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees ...

HAPPY EATING TO ALL !!

PASS THE CRANBERRIES PLEASE !!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

I'll post more next week.

allfornow,

Hannah

Pictures taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Speaking Words of Wisdom

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

Proverbs 15:1-2

A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:23-24

Job’s friends pelted him with unrelenting words. Like torrential rains on parched soil, their words gouged deep gullies. Job attempted to escape like a tired swimmer, only to be crushed with a fresh wave of words. His comforters rapped him with anger, guilt, idle chatter, ignorance, and faulty conclusions. And he remained crushed instead of wrapped in comfort.

Do your words rain down comfort? Love chooses to cover instead of condemn. Job’s choice confronts us daily. Some people provoke us to exchange blow for blow, gossip for gossip, curse for curse, rebuke for rebuke. To speak as Job’s comforters spoke requires no wisdom or strength from God. That kind of speech comes naturally. But if we choose to use our words to encourage and comfort, we will need supernatural strength.

God is ready when you are.

By Jan Carlberg

Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Checking In

A minister passing through his
church in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in a while.

His shirt was kinda shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed.
The man knelt, he bowed his head,
then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment,
a lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
"What are you doing here?"

The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
for finding strength and power.

"I stay only moments, see,
because the factory is so far away;
As I kneel here talking to the Lord,
this is kinda what I say:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.

DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN."

The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome to come
and pray just anytime.

Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the alter,
he'd never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim's prayer:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.

I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN."

Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.

At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
but he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Jim was with them,
brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.

The head nurse couldn't understand
why Jim was so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came,
not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed,
he voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up
and with a winsome smile;
"The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
that in here all the while

Everyday at noon He's here,
a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
leans over and says to me:"

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.

ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN."

Author Unknown

Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Bible Verse

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31


Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Let me get that for you!

Walking down the street, a man passes a house and notices a child trying to reach the doorbell. No matter how much the little guy stretches, he can't make it. The man calls out, "Let me get that for you," and he bounds onto the porch to ring the bell. "Thanks, mister," says the kid. "Now let's run."

Stop and Think

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.

Psalm 55:17


Praying Daily

Prayer is sort of like an unlocked door with a giant, red-lettered sign on it that says: “Welcome. Feel Free to Take Whatever You Need.” Inside is the storehouse of all that God is. He invites us to share it all. He doesn’t intend for us to stay on the outside and struggle all alone with the perplexities of life, and He not only invites us to come in but to stay in, in order that His “Grace and peace be yours in fullest measure, through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet. 1:2, NEB, emphasis mine)….

It is an ongoing process, not just an occasional religious-sounding speech we make to a nebulous divinity “out there somewhere.” Prayer is meant to be a part of our lives, like breathing and thinking and talking.

By Gloria Gaither

Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Hi!

I thought this time I’d tell you a little bit about Belgium. (No, I’m not going to tell you the population number or how many square kilometers are in Belgium.)

What can I tell you about Belgium...?

Brussels is the capitol of Belgium. We live about 10-15 minutes away from it. Brussels is okay, but not my favorite place to go. Personally I like the city Brugge. We live about an hour away from it. I think it is the prettiest city in Belgium. People call Brugge "Little Venice" because it has a lot of canals running through it. (You can take boat rides on the canals.) If you ever come to Belgium that is one place you definitely want to visit!

Belgium is famous for its chocolates and lace. In Brussels there is a place called the Grand Place and around that area there are a lot of lace shops. There are also a lot of lace shops in Brugge.

The weather is normally cooler. And it rains a lot. So you don't want to leave the house without an umbrella. Sometimes the sky looks clear and you think, "It's not going to rain today." But then later it will start to rain. Then other times the sky looks cloudy and you think, "It's going to rain." But then later the sky clears up and it is a beautiful day!

Most of the people here have cars or vans. It's rarer to see big pick-up trucks and SUVs. It is because the road taxes are based on how big of an engine your vehicle has. So the bigger the engine you have, the more you pay on road taxes. And also the lanes on the road and the parking places are normally narrower than the ones in the US.

Some of the houses here have orange tile roofs. My mom said that's what she really noticed when we flew into Brussels for the first time. (Our house doesn't have an orange roof though.)

And here they eat frites (fries) with mayonnaise (It’s not the same mayonnaise that we put on a sandwich. It’s a different kind.) or frite sauce instead of always eating their frites with ketchup.

Here are some photos from Belgium.

Belgian Flag.

The Grand Place in Brussels

The Grand Place in Brussels.

A canal in Brugge.

Brugge.

Au Revoir!

Hannah

Pictures taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Bible Verse

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90:2







Picture taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Guten Tag, Buon giorno, Hallo!!

(Guten Tag is German for hello, Buon giorno is Italian for hello, and Hallo is Dutch for hello.)

Hope your week went well!

I just got back a little while ago from the movies. I saw Chicken Little. It was a good movie. Okay, you may be thinking, “Isn’t that for little kids?” But really, it was a good movie. They have a lot of funny things in it. And what was great, was the fact that it was a clean movie. You did not have to worry about foul language or bad scenes.

I’m looking forward to the new movie Narnia that is going to release in December!

Thanksgiving! Can you believe it, it’s just 2 weeks away!! (But I really feel sorry for all the turkeys though.)

Prayer Request:

Continue to pray for those who were hit by the hurricanes this year. Even though we don’t hear as much about it on the news now, a lot of people are still suffering from those hurricanes and need us to pray for them.

Well, I guess this is it until next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Allfornow

Hannah

Pictures taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Joke Four this Weak

(Don't worry, I haven't forgotten how to spell. I did it on purpose and you wheel sea why!)

Eye have a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write.
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
and eye can put the error rite.
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

Have a great day!!

Pictures taken from (c) FreeFoto.com

Stop and Think

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Delighting in God

What would you ask for if God offered you anything you desired? Would you ask for long life or riches or protection for those you love? Would you ask for wisdom or a deeper relationship with Him? When your wakeful mind isn't alert to tell you what you should ask for, would your unconscious heart ask for something that would please God?

Psalm 37, a psalm of David, tells us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. Some people have said that this means that if we are seeking the Lord first, our desires will conform to His. I like to think that it actually means that God places the desires there to begin with.

by Mary Hampton

(This is a picture we took while visiting the Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in May)

Katrina

Alex and Brett Harris from The Rebelution, have written about the continuing devastation from Hurricane Katrina. If you can, take some time and read their post. It really opens your eyes to see how much the people that were hit by Hurricane Katrina are still being affected.

Bible Verse

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10: 42-45

Hi!

Hope you had a good week! (I'm telling you, to me the weeks are just flying by!)

I told you last week that they were tearing up the sidewalk across the street. Well, this morning we were told to move our cars. I thought it was because they were going to work on the sidewalk on this side of the street. But it turned out that they were the phone company and they had to tear up part of the sidewalk in order to do some work. (Why am I telling you this? Sidewalks are sidewalks.)

Anyway, these are some pictures from the trip to Austria that we took some time ago.



This is the Riding School in Austria.




This is a castle in Austria. (I can't remember the name)



While we were there, we took the Sound of Music Tour (The hills are alive with the sound of music...Oh, sorry! Where were we?) Anyway, we got to see some of the places where they filmed the Sound of Music. This is the outside of the church where Maria and Captain Von Trapp got married in the movie.



And this is the inside of the church.

Prayer Request:

Pray that God would give help and wisdom to President Bush and the others in our government. If you’re not from the US, pray for the government in your country.

You all have a great weekend!

Allfornow

Hannah

Just For Fun!

One day a mailman was greeted by a boy and a huge dog. The mailman said to the boy, "does your dog bite?" "No," replied the boy. Just then the huge dog bit the mailman. The man yelled, "I thought your dog doesn't bite!" "He doesn't," replied the boy, "that's not my dog!"

Here's another one!! (I just had to put it in here too!)

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did. Somebody got angry about this, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anbody could have done!

Stop and Think

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Why the Cross?

Because sinners have no other hope.

Why the Cross?

Because it is the unassailable proof that we can be forgiven.

Let’s gaze on it together. As we draw close, don’t assume that you already know or understand what happened there. Come to the Cross as if for the first time. In the book When God Weeps, Steven Estes and Joni Eareckson Tada give the following account of Christ’s death. As you read, refuse to let the scene be familiar. Let its reality shock you and break your heart.

The face that Moses had begged to see—was forbidden to see—was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns God had sent to curse the earth’s rebellion now twisted around his own brow....

“On your back with you!” One raises a mallet to sink in the spike. But the soldier’s heart must continue pumping as he readies the prisoner’s wrist. Someone must sustain the soldier’s life minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds his molecules together? Only by the Son do “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). The victim wills that the soldier live on—he grants the warriors continued existence. The man swings.

As the man swings, the Son recalls how he and the Father first designed the medial nerve of the human forearm—the sensations it would be capable of. The design proves flawless—the nerves perform exquisitely. “Up you go!” They lift the cross. God is on display in his underwear and can scarcely breathe.

But these pains are a mere warm-up to his other and growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during this day an unearthly foul odor began to waft, not around his nose, but his heart. He feels dirty. Human wickedness starts to crawl upon his spotless being—the living excrement from our souls. The apple of his Father’s eye turns brown with rot.

His Father! He must face his Father like this!

From heaven the Father now rouses himself like a lion disturbed, shakes his mane, and roars against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on a cross. Never has the Son seen the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of his hot breath. But the roar shakes the unseen world and darkens the visible sky. The Son does not recognize these eyes.

“Son of Man! Why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped—murdered, envied, hated, lied. You have cursed, robbed, overspent, overeaten—fornicated, disobeyed, embezzled, and blasphemed. Oh, the duties you have shirked, the children you have abandoned! Who has ever so ignored the poor, so played the coward, so belittled my name? Have you ever held your razor tongue? What a self-righteous, pitiful drunk—you, who molest young boys, peddle killer drugs, travel in cliques, and mock your parents. Who gave you the boldness to rig elections, foment revolutions, torture animals, and worship demons? Does the list never end! Splitting families, raping virgins, acting smugly, playing the pimp—buying politicians, practicing exhortation, filming pornography, accepting bribes. You have burned down buildings, perfected terrorist tactics, founded false religions, traded in slaves—relishing each morsel and bragging about it all. I hate, loathe these things in you! Disgust for everything about you consumes me! Can you not feel my wrath?”

Of course the Son is innocent. He is blamelessness itself. The Father knows this. But the divine pair have an agreement, and the unthinkable must now take place. Jesus will be treated as if personally responsible for every sin ever committed.

The Father watches as his heart’s treasure, the mirror-image of himself, sinks drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah’s stored rage against humankind from every century explodes in a single direction.

“Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?!”

But heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not, reach down or reply.

The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus, the God-man from Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted his sacrifice for sin and was satisfied. The Rescue was accomplished.

Don’t move too quickly from this scene. Keep gazing.

The Rescue accomplished here was for you. John Stott writes, “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)....As we face the cross, then, we can say to ourselves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there,’ and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.’”

Did you see your own offenses on the list of sins that necessitated the Cross? If not, name them yourself. Name your darkest sin. Now reflect on the fact that Christ bore the punishment for that sin. He took the punishment you deserved. Do you feel His passionate and specific love for you? He did for you. He was condemned and cursed so that you could go free—He was forsaken by God so that you would never be forsaken (Hebrews 13:5).

Taken from chapter 10 of Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris

Suggested CDs

Undone by Mercyme

Genesis by Joy Williams

Lifesong by Casting Crowns

Links Added!

Be sure to check out the new links!!

Bible Verse

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Luke 18:27

Bonjour!

Is it just me, or did this week go by quickly?

This is a picture of a baby chick that we have, it hatched in August. We have four small chickens (including this one) and when I say small, I mean small!

In front of my house they are replacing the sidewalks. They are redoing the one on the other side of the street first, and then they will do the one on this side of the street. It is a little messy out there right now.

This year for my science class, I’m taking chemistry. It is a difficult class. (Those of you who have taken chemistry before now what I’m talking about.) Quick quiz: What is The First Law of Thermodynamics?

For math, I’m taking geometry, and so far I like it. Quick quiz: What does a reflex angle look like?

Well, I guess that’s all for right now.

Have a great weekend!

Allfornow

Hannah