incapable of doing anything; but while we are executing any work, we are preparing and qualifying ourselves, to undertake another. -William Hazlitt
This quote was in my math book today, and having nothing else to post about, I thought it would fit! I needed to read this, I am continually having to remind myself to WORK! Keep moving, don't be lazy! I pray you all have a WONDERFUL day! God Bless!
We are home now! We got in last night. Thank you all for praying for me, I am doing much better, I can BREATHE!!! I am taking natural things for digestion, and they have been helping a lot! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! Hope You all have a WONDERFUL day!
I realize this is about last year(2008), but it is still very interesting!
Author Unknown.}
Do you realize how early Easter is this year and why? IT\'S MARCH 23RD! As you may or may not know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around in date on our Roman based calendar.
Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the interesting info. This year (2008) is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see for the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!
HERE ARE THE FACTS:
1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2160 (152 years from now).
2) The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
3) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).
4) The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.
_SO, NO ONE ALIVE TODAY HAS__,__ OR WILL EVER SEE IT ANY EARLIER THAN THIS YEAR! AND, BY THE WAY, THE LATEST DATE THAT EASTER CAN FALL IS APRIL 25TH. THE LAST TIME THAT OCCURRED WAS 1943 AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN 2038, SO IT IS MORE COMMON FOR A LATE RATHER THAN AN EARLY EASTER DATE._ _HAPPY EASTER!!_
“Have you met Tracy?” Rachel asked one of the five girls standing in a little huddle in the fellowship hall.
“Tracy who?” Karen asked
“Tracy Smith,” Rachel replied.
“I think I have,” Hannah responded. “Isn’t she the one that is always wearing the really low cut dresses?”
“That’s the one,” Rachel responded.
“Oh, so she was the girl sitting in front of me who couldn’t keep her hands off her boyfriend. Didn’t that girl hear the pastor’s sermon on purity last week?” Karen asked, shaking her head.
“Well, she does go to public school,” Emily said with a knowing tone. Emily looked over at Bethany, who remained silent with her arms crossed.
“Public school is ruining that girl,” Karen agreed. “Did you see her this morning? She had on so much make-up I don’t think you could see her face.” This brought giggling from all the girls; all that is, except Bethany, who sat just listening.
“I sat behind her two weeks ago, and she kept talking through the whole service. She has a horrible mouth. Well, she didn’t say that many bad words, but she was disrespectful to her mom and she was criticizing every one,” Hannah said.
“Oh, I know it,” Rachel said with a nod. “My mom says that she is a manipulator and can get her mom to do anything.”
“Maybe her mom needs to learn who is in control,” Emily interjected. “Why, if Tracy were my child she would be leaning a few of life’s hard lessons right now.”
“That girl needs to be out of the public school system and in her home or she will end up getting her self in jail or something,” Karen remarked.
“I don’t think Tracy would …” Bethany started to say but was interrupted.
“And to think that she signed that pledge of abstinence a year ago,” Rachel said shaking her head.
“It is sad, but she is running her life,” Hannah said. All the other girls agreed, and there was a pause for a moment.
“Excuse me, girls, but whose ambassadors are we?” Bethany asked, and four sets of eyes turned to her with questioning looks. “I mean, listen to yourselves! You are all going on and on about how bad Tracy is and what she needs to do, but not one of you is even close to fixing the problem.”
Hannah, Rachel, Emily and Karen looked blankly at Bethany. Bethany sighed.
“It would seem from this conversation that Tracy’s crime is that her parents have not chosen to home school her and that her greatest issue in life is that she has chosen to date. But is that her real issue? The four of you are so busy looking at her make up, low cut dresses, and her boy friend that not one of you sees the real problem.
“Rachel, whose ambassador are you? Or for what? Homeschooling? What about you, Hannah? Are you now the official advocate for modesty? How about you, Emily? Are you now part of the purity police force? And you, Karen, when did you begin to listen to what was going on behind you instead of the sermon?
“Really, you girls you ought to be ashamed. Whose ambassador are we supposed to be? Homeschooling’s? Courtship’s? “Respect’s? Well, I don’t know about you, but I am not an ambassador for homeschooling, courtship, honoring your parents, or even the pastor. I am not even the advocate of abstinence, prayer in schools, modesty, or any of the other things that you have mentioned. I am an ambassador for my lord Jesus Christ, and nothing else, I hope.
“You guys, Tracy has issues, I know. But you are talking about masking symptoms of a disease, not finding a way to cure it. Tracy’s problem is not that she is going to public school, or that she is dating, nor even that she is wearing revealing clothes. Tracy’s problem, Tracy’s disease is that she doesn’t have God.
“Which one of you has tried to be her friend? Which one of you has tried to love her and show her the way to God? Until you lead her to the point were she is broken at the feet of the cross, nothing will change Tracy. It isn’t that homeschooling isn’t a good thing. It’s not even that I wouldn’t like to see her stop dating and start having godly relationships. Rather, it’s that until you give her God it won’t make any difference.
“We have been sent to this earth to bring salt and light to a world that desperately needs it. We have been called to live radically different lives to be a witness to a country that is going downhill. But if we start preaching step sixteen before we have even said anything about step one, they are going to be confused and not listen to us any more.
“Have we forgotten that we are the privileged few? Not many kids are raised in radical churches and radical homes. We have been given much but we must remember that to whom much is given, much is expected. God did bless us with believing, homeschooling parents, not so that we would walk around with a holier-then-thou attitude. He gave it to us so that we could be his lights in a dark room.
“Tracy does not need to hear a sermon from you on how to dress; she needs to know that there is a white robe waiting for her in heaven if she will believe in Jesus. She doesn’t need us to tell her about how she is being brainwashed in school; she needs us to tell her that there is a God willing to wash her sins away and make them white as snow. She doesn’t need to be told that her love life is wrong; she needs to be told that there is a God that loves her and will fill the emptiness that is obviously in her heart.
“We will have many Tracys in our lives, girls, and they need us to be ambassadors from God to them. In order for us to do that, though, we have to deicide whose ambassador we are. I am my Lord and Savior’s, for even though I have never been ‘as bad as most,’ I killed Jesus with my sins, and he spilled his blood for me as much as he did for the murderer and the adulteress. It will be hard, I know. I don’t like Tracy and girls like her, but Christ spilled his blood for them, and he wants her to know that. Can I despise one to whom God extends his love?
“Let us decide today, girls, for whom or for what we are ambassadors.”
Would you like to share this with your readers? You my copy this to your blog as long as it still has my name on it and a link back to my blog.
The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.
The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes.
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!"
Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.
Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Was that important? Absolutely!
Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.
The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.
Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.
The servant would then know to clear the table.. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.
But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........
The Lessons of History: What have we learned in 2000 years?
"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
I noticed my poll was closed today, so I decided to give my answer. I HATE coffee! I like the smell, but NOT the taste! I guess I will tell you why I did the poll. A few years ago around Christmas time I was standing outside talking with 2 of my friends, and my brother(no, miraculously for MI it wasn't cold, in fact, we weren't wearing coats even!). Some how we got onto the subject of coffee. Well, my brother, and one of my friends like coffee, and the other one and I don't. At the time I was 12, and he was 15, so we added our ages together, and the other 2 added their ages together, 27 and 29. So then, because my friend and I wanted to win, we started adding our familys ages in too. My dad doesn't like coffee, but his does, my mom likes coffee, and so on. Well, no matter who we added, there was always another person for the other side:P Anyways, that is why I did it! Just for fun.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about a missions trip I went on with my family a few years ago. We went to Mexico. I have been amazed as I realize how the LORD put all the details together. I’ve been wanting to write it all down to remember. I did keep a journal while we were there, but since we moved I have been unable to find it. So I decided it would make an interesting post here.
About 6 years ago my grandpa married a lady from Columbia. She wasn’t(and still isn’t) fluent in English. So my mom started teaching us kids Spanish. She had worked at Taco Bell years before, so she had learned a little then.
About a year later we switched churches. We had been going to a liberal sit-back type of church, and we started attending a good, independent, fundamental, BaptistChurch. Now don’t pay attention to the denomination, because we aren’t like other churches with that name. We just follow the BIBLE. Anyways we had not had much to do with Missions in our former church, but this church was different. It was all about Missions. At the time they had about 8 missionaries, and Pastor was always in contact with them, sending on their emails to the rest of the church.
His son was a Missionary to Mexico, and since we were trying to learn Spanish, my parents had a real burden for Spanish-speaking people.About a year later we started discussing the possibility of visiting the Missionary family. But most people went for a couple weeks. We discussed going for a week, since we had never met them before.
Then the LORD allowed us to meet them when they came home for a short furlough for CHIRSTmas.It was like the LORD was saying “Hurry up, Go! Just GO!!!!!!!!!!!”
My dad has the whole summer off since he is a teacher, so we started planning the trip. As were looking at plane tickets, and talking to others who had been down to visit them, we were going “this is so expensive its not worth only going for a week or two.” So we went for 4. We had a wonderful time. I will re-tell it as best as I can remember.
My Grandpa lives in MA, so we visited him like we normally did each summer, and flew out from Boston. We had like 8 suitcases. One for each of us 5, and the rest were full of stuff for the missionaries.
We stayed in a hotel in Boston so we could be at the airport on time without staying up all night. That night was filled with excitement and anticipation. As we were double checking our suitcases that night, we discovered that my brother had brought along a stuffed animal dog that he had had for years. It was disgustingly dirty, since he had played with it outside, and my parents had told him not to bring it with us. Well he wasn’t trying to. He thought he would be able to leave it in the car, but he forgot that we were renting it for that day only. It was very special to him, so we finally said he could take it, as long as he kept it in a plastic bag while it was in his suitcase.
We set 5 alarms for the next morning. We set the cell-phone, the alarm on the clock, 2 watches and we had them call our room at 3:30am. I woke up to none of them, and they let me sleep for another half hour.
We made it to the airport on time, and we eventually boarded our plane. It was the first time any of us kids had flown. Thankfully I didn’t get sick!
We were met at the airport by the entire family(they had 5 children at the time and she was expecting another.) We had a great 3 hour ride to the church where we stayed, then back to their house.
One of the weeks we were there we had a day camp for the children who went to church. One day we went to the Pyramids. That was awesome. It was scarey being up soooo high, but it was fun- except for the fact that I tripped and skinned my knee.
It was sweltering hot that day, and noone had thought to bring any water, so by the time we got to the last one, we were all crawling along, dying of thirst! Then Jeremy, the missionary, went and got a box of water bottles. Each of us were allotted half of a bottle. That half was hard not to exceed!
One day we went to a zoo. It was fun, but we only got to see part of it that day because there were so many of us.
The following week we went to a childrens museum in Mexico City(after the camp ended). I was sick on the way there, and on the way home, though.(car-sick, and everything that comes with that! Ugh!) We returned to the Zoo, this time seeing what we didn’t get to see before, and riding paddle boats in a big pond.
The whole long trip ended too quickly for all of us, and before we were ready it was time to head home. We ate Dominoes pizza at the air port, but it was VERY different. There was absolutely NO Tomato Sauce on any of it. Imagine that! Pizza without sauce! Nevertheless, it was a ton better than some of the native food we had eaten. :P
We flew back into Boston, but our plane landed at 12am. We were met by my Grandpa who had brought our van. He parked in a parking ramp that was about 2 inches taller than our van(it was a TALL turtle top van).My dad was shocked that we didn’t hit the top.
On the way home I slept on the floor of the van because all of our stuff was on the seats.
And that is all the details I can remember by myself. I Praise the LORD I had the chance to go on this trip. It has been a great blessing and reminder that I could have been born in some other country where they don’t have everything as well as we do in the US. I am also greatly burdened now about Missions. I may not ever be a missionary somewhere, but I can give money, and time that will be a great encouragement.
Ha! Ha! Whew, I am glad its not that cold here! By the way most of our snow is all melted! (Yipee!) It is very warm, It feels like Spring! It is so nice to be able to get out in the fresh air!
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 15:58
Thanks to Miss SerenityI have now been awarded! She is such a sweet young lady! I have just recently gotten to "know" her, and she has been a great blessing to me!
Jessica ~ I just recently found her blog. Brittany ~I found her blog about a year ago. Anna ~ I found her blog recently Kevin and Anna ~ Missionary friends. I am close friends with Kevins sister. Kristy ~ A friend from earth:P
Some of you(that I awarded) may not know me very well, but your blogs have been such a blessing to me! It seems like I've met you, we all have so much in common.
“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”
As I have watched many blogs I have noticed that many of them encourage Young Ladies to wear modest, and feminine clothing. But they say to do it to be feminine, to feel feminine. They give no Biblical reasoning, though, so what reason should we do it other than to feel good?
Deuteronomy 22:5 (KJV) says,
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.”
I am not sure why they don’t base it on the Bible, but I know I dress modestly because the Bible says to, not just to feel good. It does feel good to dress femininely, but because I know it is what is right, and it is right based on the Bible.
If a man is daring enough now days to wear a dress in public, people grimace and say “What a shame.” Or (this is me!!) “Gross.”(actually this is also getting unpopular to hear) That is getting out of hand today too; the sodomites are becoming more and more open and popular. Well that is another subject that I will try to LORD-willing hit on some other time.
So a man wears a woman’s garment and it is considered an abomination, but women regularly wear men’s clothing (pants are a mans garment!) and it is not considered bad or wrong. Why not? Our society is getting run down and wicked. Noone wants anything to do with God, or what is pure and right.
A woman who wears a long, full, modest skirt is looked upon as a stuck-up religious fanatic, and a man who does is totally gross (this isn’t even what most people think now). But a man who wears pants is normal, and a woman who wears pants is just normal? I don’t think so!
I have been called many things by others, even family members, they think we are legalistic; we take the BIBLE to seriously! Excuse me, but what exactly is the BIBLE for?
The BIBLE says
“For the word of God[The BIBLE] is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12(KJV)
It is to lead us in the path that God has for us. To lead us in the way HE wants us to go. If the BIBLE says something, then we need to obey it. It is our guidebook, and we need to follow the whole thing, not just part of it.
I may be called a religious fanatic-I’m not – I only do what I think and believe is right. I may be called a legalist- I’m not- I [try to] do EXACTLY what the BIBLE says.
“And what concord hath CHRIST with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with and infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
2 Corinthians 6:15-17
We as Christians need to be separated from the world and follow the LORD, not the worldly fashions and styles of the infidels(non Christians in the world today). We need to look different- because we are different. Most “Christians” of today aren’t any different than the world. If you ask the average person if they are a Christian, they will most likely say “Yes, of course.” But you would not be able to tell that by just looking at them!
I have compiled a list of standards I use for dress. If you don’t dress this way- it doesn’t mean you are not a Christian, It only means your standards are different. There are not any set standards in the Bible for dress. We use these standards to veer away from lust, as well as stay feminine. You can be immodest (attracting the eyes/lust of men) in a skirt,just like you can be immodest in pants. But what does the BIBLE say?
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, for all that do so are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5, KJV)
So we don’t wear pants, because that would be an abomination the LORD. But we need to dress modestly as well, as it is an abomination to the LORD to attract lust.
*NOTE: Boys proceed at your own risk with caution!!*
This is the standards I use to know whether something is modest or not. You will not find anywhere in the BIBLE a set of rules or standards, that is something that you will be held accountable for, someday before God.
I will start with skirts, as that seems to be one of the biggest problems.
1.Is it long enough?
It must be long enough to drape 3 inches over your knee when sitting down. If you cross your legs, it is best that it will still drape 3 inches below the knees with your legs crossed
2.Is it to tight?
8inch ease, on one side, at the thighs. To measure this; hold the material in your hand and twist it around your hand- you should be able to turn your hand totally around(without stretching the material) and the material should wrap around your WHOLE hand.
3.Why is it still to tight, even though I have enough ease?
You should be careful to stay away from fabrics that stick to you, I realize sometimes the material will stick because of static, but that is not what I mean. There are sleezy fabrics that no matter how full of a skirt you make out of it, you can still see every line of your body.
Now I shall address shirts.
Button-up “dress shirts”(blouses)
1.Is it long enough? Does the shirt “stay down”(cover your belly) when I lift my arms above my head? If it doesn’t; don’t wear it, or wear a t-shirt under it.
2.Does the neck come high enough? This question is very hard to answer. I normally wear my top button un-buttoned, but if it comes more than an inch below my collar bone, I will wear a t-shirt under it.
3.Are the buttons to far apart? If you stand in front of the mirror, can you see between the buttons to what is underneath?This can be fixed by a t-shirt, but it is probably to small, unless the buttons are really far apart.
4.Can you see the lines of your ahem- “undershirt”? If you can it is probably too tight.
5.Can you see its outline? Especially if you are not wearing white underneath, it is easy to see more. Make sure the color is not visible!
This I think covers most of my standards. If you have any questions, please contact me and I will clarify.
Once again, this is not found in Gods word, these standards are how the Lord has convicted me to dress.I will not be held accountable, before God, for the way you dress, you will, so I ask you to Pray and consult the BIBLE, and the LORD will show you the way to go.
Which way are YOU turning? A few days ago I was thinking about what I had read on another blog recently. And as I was thinking my sister brought up the fact that in 9 months I can learn how to drive. When she mentioned this suddenly I was turning to the right, off of my Blogger Dashboard, and heading to Miss Serenity’s Blog, thinking about a post I had just read on her blog. Then I backtracked to my “Blogs I Follow”, and went straight ahead to pay a visit to Miss Jocelyn at A Pondering Heart. Then I was turning left to drop a note to my dear friend Kristy at Misty Kristy Designs. I thought it was kind of funny how I put the two things together. Now when I am on my blog I think about which way I am turning.
Just a funny happening.
A few months ago a few men in our church sent their papers in to get approved to visit a jail, so they could start a jail ministry. A few days later a lady called our church, and talked to our Pastor. She was wondering if there was a mess up because three of the men’s middle names were “F”. Just “F”.So she thought there was something wrong. Upon asking around it was found that all three men held the same middle name. “F”. Just plain old “F”.
As I have been out and about recently I have been surprised to find out just HOW low the expectations of the world really are. I knew that it was getting bad, but I didn’t realize just How bad.
A few months ago, my mom and I went into town to get groceries and things we needed. Well I was starting to not feel well, and my back was really hurting me, so I just wanted to hurry and get out of the store.
Well we were finished, we thought we were anyways, but then my mom remembered a couple more things we needed to get, so I asked her if I could go up and get in line. She said I could, so I did.
At our grocery store we have self-checkouts, so I went to one of those, because they seem to go faster. Anyways, I was watching the lady in front of me. She had a lot of stuff(I can’t say anything else, b/c we had more! :P)
Well she wasn’t putting it in bags as she went, she was just ringing it all up, but it was backing up, so stuff was staying on the roller, and making it so she couldn’t ring stuff up.
So I went up to her and asked if I could bag her stuff for her. She was so shocked, she just stood there looking at me. Then she said “well, ah, you can… but, you don’t have to.” I said “Oh no, its ok, I’ll help you!” So I bagged her stuff for her. She would not stop saying things like “you’re wonderful” and such. And she wouldn’t stop thanking me, she couldn’t comprehend why I WANTED to help her.
I didn’t see how what I did was so great. I was just helping someone who needed help. Since I didn’t have a tract with me at the time, I started praying that the Lord would allow me to see her again, so I could give her one.
The following week we were in the store again, and I saw her, a couple lanes over. I got a tract from my dad and gave it to her. She was very receptive of it. I didn’t help her though b/c we only had a couple things, it was late, and I knew my dad wanted to get home.
Well we had a problem, and he had to go to the customer service desk. It was the perfect opportunity. I went over there and helped her again. She kept insisting that she had to pay me for helping her. Well I refused it. I was just helping someone as Jesus would have done.
As I was finishing up one of the workers came over to help her with something, and as she left she thanked me.
What was I doing differently than anyone else? I didn’t see it then, but I realize now. It didn’t happen often that a girl just went up to someone and offered to help them. Why not? Most of the kids I see in the store are messing around, acting dumb, talking on their cellphones.
Parents think that kids my age should have no work all play. Kids don’t WANT to work. That is b/c their parents don’t MAKE them work.
I like to work. It makes it so I don’t get bored. Sometimes I have more fun when I am working than I do when I am just sitting around. I’ll admit, I don’t ALWAYS WANT to work, sometimes I don’t do it with the right heart. But I don’t detest work, like most kids.
My dad is a teacher, and in his school, the kids have to get a 70, to pass a quiz or a test, and to be allowed to go on field trips, and do certain things. Think about it, a 70. I am not kidding you!
To pass one of my tests I have to get at least an 90, without having to do a lot of extra studying! My parents(not to mention me) would be sick if I got just a 70! Even if my mom let me pass with a 70, I’d be so ashamed!
What are these kids doing in school? A few years ago my dad had me and my siblings do some of the questions on the MEAP tests. Just to see what we could do, he had us try some questions from a few grades ahead of us. I was in 5th grade at the time and I was able to easily do the 7th grade math, so could my siblings who were in 4th grade.
What is up? Why are those kids so dumb? I mean, why can 4th grade homeschoolers do the 7th grade MATH MEAP test? We have just lost all common sense anymore!
Lets help raise these expectations. I have heard a lot about the Harris boys book
“Do Hard Things.” I would love to get my hands on a copy of it, but at the moment, that probably won’t happen. But I can Do Hard Things myself.
Who will join me? Lets work together and do this. If you see someone who could use the help, HELP. If you have chores you are expected to do, Do Them, then ask what else you can do! When you are out in public, Hold the door open for the people behind you. Let elderly people go before you(boys let girls go first!).
If you are asked to do something, do it cheerfully, with a smile. Do it heartily, do it quickly, and to the best of your ability.
If you have any other suggestions about Hard things we can do to show others that Christians don’t have the low expectations of the world, please leave a comment, also please share what Hard thing you did, and what were the reactions of others.
What Child is this who, laid to rest On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christians, fear, for sinners here The silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, Come peasant, king to own Him; The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone Him. Raise, raise a song on high, The virgin sings her lullaby. Joy, joy for Christ is born, The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Today's hymn, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," is so old that historians are not sure to whom to attribute the writing. Most people believe that an monk abbot by the name of Bernard (1091-1153) of Clairvaux, France was the man who put it together. It was first found in the Latin and the words can be found in a medieval poem which had seven parts. Each part of the poem would address a certain part of Christ's body, (feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart and face.) These words were from the 7th part and was first entitled, "To the Suffering Face of Jesus Christ." Years later it was translated into English by James Alexander, and the music was written by a German composer during the Renaissance period. There are some people who do not care for hymns like this one which are written in a minor key and sound so sad. But read the words carefully; the message to us is very powerful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down, Now scornfully surrounded with thorns Thy only crown, How art Thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn! How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn!
What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinner's gain: Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 'Tis I deserve Thy place; Lord on me with Thy favor, vauch-safe to me Thy grace.
What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend, For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? O make me Thine forever! and, should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Edersheim, "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah"
