Lesson 2 from Oregon

While at the convention, God really impressed on my heart the fact that I should be discipling other women. Now, I have always believed in discipleship, but more for the men in our church. I guess I thought of it as more of a leader training. I think women's Bible studies are great, but I believe discipleship is taking it one step further (actually many steps further).

 Matthew 28:16-20:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I need to better apply the words of these verses:

• "...make disciples of all nations..."- I need to be involved in sharing with others how to follow Christ. Also, this should not be limited to any one people group. So, going back to Lesson 1 from Oregon, I need to be witnessing to the lost.

• "...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded..."- I need to be training others to follow and obey Christ. This is what I would call the discipling area. Honestly, this is an area that sometimes scares me. Opening myself up and sharing my faith and failures is a hard thing to do. But, being obedient to God is more important than my reputation is.

Lesson 1 from Oregon

During our main sessions at the IFCA convention Dr. Alex Montoya spoke to us about church planting. Each message had a specific area of church planting as it's main focus.

Dr. Alex Montoya

The first message was why we need to church plant.

Many things touched my heart, but most of all I was humbled by my lack of obedience in the area of witnessing to the unsaved.

Dr. Montoya said this of Matthew 28:18-20, "This is the Great Commission, not the great suggestion."

I have been trying to witness to our neighbors through the friendships we are cultivating. But this is not enough. I need to witness each time God gives me an opportunity.

This was just two blocks away from the convention. Notice the flag. This world is filled with lost people who are going to hell.

I am praying and asking God to give me boldness and wisdom as I strive to be more obedient to Him in this area.

One change I will make this week is, I will be going out into our church's neighborhood on Saturday to witness to our neighbors. I do not want to miss another opportunity to share the Good News of the Gospel with anybody. I also want my girls to understand the importance of sharing Christ with others. What better way for them to learn, than watching Mom step out of her comfort zone and share with others.

Oregon

Last Friday my husband and I were able to travel to Oregon for the IFCA national convention. It was an amazing time to be both challenged and encouraged by God's word. Unfortunately, we did not see too much of the scenery outside, but here are a few pictures of the beautiful area we did see. I am not complaining in anyway. Learning more from God's word is more important than anything. It was an amazing blessing to attend this convention. 

This is a train station. At the bottom of this "monument" it has mileage to all kinds of places, some local and other places around the world.

This is a quiet corner in a used book store we found. They had an amazing amount of books for sale. This is the children's section. I almost started to cry because I missed my girls so much. My girls all love their books, this would be like visiting a candy store for them.

This is one of many little animal sculptures around this city. He was my favorite. I liked him so much my friend Monica and I took pictures with him.

I love this house and it's placement in the woods. I understand it is actually a museum with people who are dressed for the period. I would have really enjoyed seeing the inside. I took this picture from the 12th floor of our hotel.

Last but not least, this is my presidential picture. Doesn't every candidate have this thinker picture? This is actually a self-portrait. I was so excited to be on a plane and my husband was trying to read. So I tried to entertain myself with the camera.

Just a couple of things for everybody to know:

• This was the first time I have flown in 21 years.

•This was the first time Richard and I have been on a plane together. (In October we will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary).

• I was extremely excited to be flying somewhere. I am usually the one dropping family off at the airport. Last Friday I was able to get out of the car and walk into the airport with luggage. My wonderful friend Elisabeth and her Grandma dropped us off.  I must admit the two hour wait was kind of  a bummer.

• I am still a little kid at heart. Driving to the airport was so exciting, I honestly felt like I was going to Disneyland. I kept smiling at Richard and he kept laughing at me. 

Over the next few days, I will share some of the things God challenged me with this past weekend.

Father’s Day Bonanza ($533.99 for $43.36 )

This year’s Father’s Day was a huge blessing. Two weeks before FD, Mervyn’s had a sale. You bought one polo you received two for free. They also had many of their men’s clothing on sale.

Then last Monday I read the following blog post over at Families.com. The title was Dress Dad for Father’s Day. Here is the deal I did twice.

Sears is giving away a $75 Shell gas card plus a $10 reward card when you purchase $100 in Dockers men's apparel and accessories. Purchases may be made online or in the store. Visit Sears or print out a rebate form and mail it in with the original receipt. You can make this deal a little sweeter if you combined it with the Kmart Hulk movie deal. Go to Kmart first and purchase two $50 gift cards. Take the Kmart gift cards to Sears and exchange them for a $100 gift card. Use the Sears gift card to make the Dockers purchase. When you are done, you will have a $75 Shell gas card, a $10 Sears reward card, 4 free movie tickets to see the Incredible Hulk, and a Father's Day gift. Remember Sears will price match 110% on exact items. Does any other department store have Dockers on sale cheaper? Purchases must be made between June 7, 2008 and June 15, 2008.

Also, Sears had many of the Dockers on sale too. So here is what we got.

Mervyn’s

Price paid Regular

Boxers $ 5.99 $12.00
T-Shirt $ 4.99 $10.00
Polo $30.00 $30.00
Polo 0 $24.00
Polo 0 $24.00

Total: $44.36 w/tax $106.00

Went to Kmart twice and bought gift cards. Received 8 movie tickets at $7 each.



Sears (Used Kmart gift cards)

Dockers pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers Pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers pants $29.99 $29.99
Dockers shirt $23.00 $45.00

Total: $111.47 $174.99

Sears #2 (Used Kmart gift cards)

Dockers pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers pants $24.99 $50.00
Dockers socks $ 8.40 $10.00
Dockers shirt $18.00 $36.00
Dockers shirt $18.00 $36.00
Dockers socks $10.50 $15.00

Total $113.53 $197.00

Here is the final breakdown

Mervyn’s $ 44.36
Sears $111.47
Sears $113.53

Total $269.36

2 Sears GC -$ 20.00
2 shell GC -$150.00
8 Movie Tix -$ 56.00

Total OOP $43.36 $533.99 in clothes and tickets

My husband now has 5 new outfits, socks, underwear, a t-shirt and movie tickets.

Praise God!

MMMMM

Don't you wish they made blogs with scents?

I have made these cinnamon rolls from Cooking With Littles Under Foot twice this week. The first time I made them at night, so they would be ready for breakfast. My husband had one warm out of the oven and he said they tasted like Cinnabon. So you know I made them again for Father's Day. They are delicious. I am sure they are not healthy, but they sure make the house smell good and they taste great.

They are messy, but oh so good!

A House of Women

This weekend my husband has the opportunity to join 3,000+ young people at The Resolved Conference in Palm Springs, CA. This will be a great time for him to get to spend with the young people in our church, especially the two young men he is sharing a room with.

This afternoon I relaxed on my couch with my Victoria magazine and King Arthur Flour Catalog. It was nice to enjoy the quietness of a Saturday afternoon.

CVS this week

Well, it has been quite awhile since I have hit the CVS stores with force. Usually I am just trying to roll my Extra Bucks so I don't lose them. This week I did 8 transactions, whew.

Here is what we got:

6 boxes of cereal

2 bottles of Dove shampoo

2 bottles of Dove conditioner

2 Brut deodorants

11 bags of candy (used these for fillers mostly)

1 Fusion razor

2 packs CVS cotton swabs

3 boxes CVS band aids

4 picture books

3 Nivea travel packs for men

4 Nivea shaving gels

4 powerades

4 Garnier facial scrub

4 Kotex pads

2 Kotex pantiliners

1 Coffeemate creamer

Drum Roll please.

$174.68 in merchandise

$15.00 in EB

$11.68 OOP

I believe I could have spent even less, but the cashier rang up the photo books weird. I went in with my transactions already figured out, but that really messed me up. I would not be able to do this without the help of two awesome websites. Money Saving Mom and 

The "Cent"sible Sawyer are tremendous resources for helping to find all these great deals.

Thank you for stopping by today.

She Did It!!

Rachel all dressed up and ready to go!

Rachel with her most handsome Daddy. I love how she has her hand on his coat.

Rachel receiving her "diploma". She was asked what do you want to do when you grow up, her answer was "I don't know". Her Daddy told her that was ok she was only graduating from Kindergarten.

I was very thankful to our home school group for making this such a special occasion for all the little graduates. Also, we had many people who joined us for Rachel's special day. We are so very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who took time out of their busy schedules to come to her graduation.

I am finishing up grades and portfolios now. I have already started shopping for next year's books. The kids are already asking about books for next year. The good thing is they still love school, I haven't wrecked it for them.

Have a great day.

Graduation Season

Rachel at her graduation rehearsal.

This time of year is always a nostalgic time for me. Whenever I go to a graduation I am always moved by the ceremony and the closure that comes with it. Now you should know I have had my fair share of graduations to attend.

My husband graduated with his BA in 1997

My husband graduated with his M. Div in 2003

My daughter graduated from Kindergarten in 2006

My husband graduated with his D. Min 2007

My other daughter will graduate from Kindergarten next week.

Plus, all of our friends who have blessed us with an invitation to their special day. I am always surprised when I feel emotional at such a happy celebration.

Yesterday, we had a graduation rehearsal for my daughter. I just sat and watched my little shy girl walk up on stage and shake hands with our headmaster's son. Then tonight we attended a family friend's 8th grade graduation.

I am overtaken by the fact that this phase is over in their life. I always sit back and wonder, did they accomplish what they wanted to? I also think about the parents who have encouraged and supported their student for so many years.

When my husband graduated this last time, I started to cry as soon as he marched in. I was so overtaken by the emotion of his graduation. Just knowing how hard he had worked and how much he had sacrificed to accomplish this goal. 

I always think about heaven when I am at a graduation. When I get to heaven, will I be one of those graduates who slips in barely by the skin of my teeth. Or by God's grace will I be one who has accomplished much for the kingdom of God (with honors). Will my Savior say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Witnessing in My Neighborhood with Bread

Yum!! Fresh bread.

Here is my plan to witness to one of my neighbors. Our neighbor's son has just moved back home after graduating from college. He has an interview for a teaching position at a local school district today. I am going to take them a loaf of bread and let him know I am praying for his interview today. I hope this opens the door to talk to him more about Christ.

I used this Classic Baguettes recipe to make this bread. 

This is just a random picture of my baby concentrating on her coloring.

Witnessing in My Neighborhood, Part 2

Another aspect of the Sunday morning messages that has been on my heart, is the fact that God has specifically put people in my life that I only have access to.

Here is an example:

We have a gentleman in our church who owns his own construction company, he has many men who work for him. This last week he was able to share the gospel with some of the men. He invited four of them to come to church and two came.

Our Pastor pointed out that he was faithful with what God had given him. Our Pastor or anybody else in our congregation couldn't have walked on the job site and started witnessing to these men because they didn't know them. But this business owner knows these men and more importantly they know him and watch him. So he was able to share the gospel with them.

There will be people like that in my life, people who God has intended me to witness to. Maybe the checker at the market, or the teller at the bank or maybe one of my physical neighbors. If I am not obedient, the Gospel will not be presented to them (at least not by me). And to be quite honest that is shameful for me. We are not talking about saying nice things or flattering somebody, we are talking about sharing the truth so they will not spend eternity in hell.

Witnessing in My Neighborhood

Where is my neighborhood? I guess I would say the area of homes all around me. But I am often in my car going to the store, bank, Sam's or even church. Do these count as my neighborhood too? Why am I having this whole conversation you wonder.

The last two weeks in church the message has been on evangelizing the lost. Now, to be very honest these messages were not the "fluffy and you make me feel happy" messages. As a matter of fact, I joked with someone in our church that the Pastor was smiling but I think he was smacking me upside the head at the same time. I truly welcomed these messages because they help to me think and evaluate my life according to God's word.

Am I broken over the people I meet each day who might be going to hell because they have not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Honestly, I would have to say no. I am usually just trying to complete all the tasks on my list and make sure I still have four little girls with me.

I have been praying that God would open my eyes and heart to see all the lost people around me as an opportunity to share God's amazing love. Also, that He would give me boldness to share in any situation.

Here is a quote from Sunday that still is causing me to ponder how I live my life:

"It is easier to die for Christ than to live for Him"

I want to live my life daily for Christ not just die for Him.  That means I need to come out of my comfort zone and be obedient to share the gospel with the lost.