Two Magazine Subs: $5 each, up for grabs

So, today I signed up for Family Fun magazine. I've been wanting to for a while, but hadn't gotten around to doing it. After I finished the process, it gave me the option to "give" some subs to friends and family, 10 issues (1 year) for $5.

If you are interested, I will sign you up. I only have two, so the first two people to tell me for sure get 'em!

Edited: Sorry, forgot to mention that I am offering to sign you up for this subscription for this price, and you pay me back! :-)

Thoughts from Sunday

Sorry I've been missing for a while! I had a Pampered chef party Friday, then a date night Saturday, and normal church/work Sunday, and here I am ready to smush in a chiropractor visit before I go to work today because every time I stand up I swoon and my cookies are ready to fly....

But God was speaking yesterday, and I wanted to share what was impressed upon my heart.

In church, Pastor Doug made the point that we must be obedient. The statement was something like this: Why do we expect God to speak clearly and give direction when we are not obedient to what He has already made clear?

Then, listening to my class at work, there is a pattern: Call, Obedience, Revelation.

The ponderable point? God speaks very clearly through His Word. (If you doubt this, pray for clarity!) And if we don't obey what He clearly says in the Word, why would He choose to further take us to the next step? Do we give our children further responsiblity if they do not properly complete the current one? If you are wanting to hear His Voice, read the Word, and obey what is clear. Then, if no next step is made available, read more and obey more! We have so many areas in which to grow.

I appreciated this because while I know He speaks through His Word, I find it hard to verbalize when asked how I hear God speak. This will make my own testimony more clear, because I never "heard God speak" until I started to truly obey, to change the hard things, to sacrifice. I couldn't have verbalized this, but the pattern is evident in my own life. And now I can identify it. And in the future, when I or someone I know is going through a dry period, we can draw upon this to help us find our way back.

Tidbits from Today

At preschool, talking about what jobs they might want to have when they grow up:

Miss Becky: And Melia, what kind of job would you like to do when you grow up?
Melia: A horse.

Miss Becky thought that was the funniest thing, since other jobs were teacher, doctor, etc, and Melia even mentioned this before the horse "trainer" job was offered.

And Melia talks about her friends at school- in terms of her very nice friend, her funny friend, her mean friend, and her not nice friend. But she says that she makes the not nice girls be nice to her.... We took care of an issue a few weeks ago, but I'll have to ask Becky about that one! I wonder how she "makes" them be nice!

And a little prego update: This appetite thing really has me running in circles. I can go all day and every thought of food is just "yuck!" Nothing sounds good, ever. except plain ramen noodles (I know, I'm hooked) because they don't taste like anything! But then I get these cravings, like last night, I was so blech all day, and then we got home from Mom's night at preschool, and I was flipping through the Safeway ad, saw an ad for frozen chinese appetizers, and got the biggest craving for potstickers! So I made a few, like 6, 4 for me and 1 each for the girls because sometimes they like them, and sometimes not. They totally chowed down on them! And then asked for more! So I made several more, and we were fighting over them :-) So odd, but when I told Melia I was happy she liked them and I would make them another night when Daddy was gone (he hates the smell) she started jumping for joy... so I guess she likes them now... who'd of thought I'd have to catfight over my late-evening craving....

Big Order? Small Order?

So, I've been considering making another order from No Greater Joy. This is the company from whom we get the Help Meet book and the Child Training books, and my free favorite bi-monthly magazine.

I am asking if any of you would like to combine on an order, or would buy a Help Meet book from me if I bought another case (24 books), or some of the child training books (To train up a child, NGJ 1-3)? This is obviously for anyone who lives near me or can be delivered via friends or family. I can add anything to the order, just let me know and we can save on shipping.

A little of our story with these books: My dear friend introduced us to them, and they changed our lives. I have talked before about the Help Meet book, but one thing I haven't mentioned is how it taught me to look at the Word in a new light: Right. The cultural influence my entire life has skewed my view of God's Word- I doubted it (Satan's first intention always) and didn't really believe it applied to me. I believed in it, but didn't really believe it. After reading Help Meet, my new view is this: We don't have to follow God's rules for life. He won't force us into it. BUT! When we do, He generously blesses our faith in Him, and rewards our efforts. Even when we don't think we are making progress, He still blesses us, because we are walking in submission to Him. It is hard- I won't lie. But life is hard; if we do it HIS way, we have His peace and His blessing!

The child training books were simply a blessing from God. Gabe and I knew what kind of parents we wanted to be, but not necessarily how to be those parents. After using the "training" ideas and methods for 3+ years, we are more than sold. We are not perfect, but when we take the time to do it joyfully and consistently, the results are joyful children who delight in pleasing us and each other. We all have bad days, but for the most part we love reaping this harvest and are so grateful to the Lord for providing this resource.

We personally are ordering the Joy of Training DVDs and the ABC Bible verse songs CD. Let me know if you are interested- comment, email pyro4492 @ hotmail.com (remove spaces), or get ahold of me whichever way you normally do! Please feel free to share your testimonies regarding any of these items!

Kiera Copycat

Sometimes it just blows my mind noticing the little things I do that the girls copy. But yesterday, a more apt description was that it had me nearly in tears, and definitely Kiera.

I always throw my rubber band on my wrist. You will rarely see me without one, especially now with my hair shorter.

At naptime yesterday afternoon, Kiera had a ponytail in. When I got her up for dinner (late nap) she no longer had one. She started fussing, and held up her hand, presenting me with her band tight around her wrist. I got that it off as fast as I could, but her feelings were involved in the tears - she was heartbroken that the band hurt her. And my heart was broken that she was trying to be good (not losing her band) and it hurt her.

It was all kinda weird. Her hand wasn't blue or anything, but the mark stayed around for several hours. I would have taken a picture, but I don't want to get investigated for rubber banding my children and locking them in the closet or anything crazy like that. I gave her one of mine and showed her how they are much bigger than hers; I let her wear it for the evening. Hopefully she understood, and I hope she doesn't try anything else during naptime- it actually makes me nauseous to think of it. More than usual anyway.

The Only Notes I took....

From the whole conference....
The lyrics to a Group 1 Crew song, "Forgive Me"

Lord though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I’m not scared cause You’re holding my breath
I only fear that I don’t have enough time left
To tell the world that there’s no time left, Lord please

It never ceases to amuse me how I can think I probably won't like a group because they sing rap/hiphop, and then after a concert the songs are still running through my head.... Just another group I like that Gabe won't... :-)

Back from Revolve... So Glad to be Home

So much to say---
1. It is not my gifting to work with teens as a group. I fully understand this now. Give me the thoughtful ones, the serious ones, the fun but quiet ones, and we will have a great time. I do not have the patience for the silly, the loud, the obnoxious, the negative.....

2. As a society, we do not expect enough from our teens. This conference was sadly disappointing, though fun, it was shallow. The only positive challenge met was 216 new World Vision kids sponsored.

3. I seriously cannot stay up late. Not when I am pregnant anyway.

4. I really enjoy discussing things I have been pondering- I listened to some amazing examples, testimonies, and stories in the talks shared between the five leaders, all of which God used to increase my level of understanding about things I am learning. This was the best part of the whole weekend!

13 Week Appointment

Doc: All Good?
Me: Yep, all good.
Doc: Ok, let's get a heartbeat...

Heartbeat: 150/min. Not very definitive! :-)

And aNNa--can you please comment again? I approved your comment, and then I couldn't find it to get your email! Or tell me which post you commented on? Thanks!

I'm off to the Revolve tour- Be back late tomorrow night! Pray for safe travels and special blessings on the girls going! (and good sleep for this prego mama!)

Debrief Part Four: Amir Tsarfati

It's taken me a bit to recover from the election and some personal wounds inflicted (not here)- but I want to finish this. Whether or not you agree, some of you said for me to go on! :-)
Because so much of this was included in my previous posts on Israel, I will try to be brief.

Amir Tsarfati:
2Pe 1:20 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."
Prophecy is spoken (and understood) through the Holy Spirit; do not believe that you cannot understand- especially in this age when things which were hidden are being revealed, and that which was sealed is being unsealed!
Dan 12:9 "And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end."

Things to keep watch on:
Russia: broke, and looking for money- ie. they are selling weapons to whomever will buy them.
Completing Naval Base in Syria- will have 30 warships next to Israel.
US: People want change- don't care what kind.
Syria: Starting work on another nuclear reactor and purchased from Russia a missile defense system.
Iran: Have been pursuing nuclear capability (despite what the world is told) since 1992.
Will have nuclear capability by the beginning of next year, with Russia's help.
Turkey: Forming relations with Iran, since their attempts to become "western" have been rejected. Depending on your interpretations of Eze. 38, (Magog as Russia or Turkey?) players are moving into place.

Encouragement: It is apparent that the US is not a key player in the end times. America could fall as a result of ecomonic, political, or wartime disaster, but if you consider the very conservative estimate that if 10% (not 48%!) of 300 million people (our pop.) were raptured, that is 3 million Americans gone- including key players at high levels of government. Look at any other country: There is none other that would collapse as a result of the rapture. A hopeful possiblity!

Israel: We can learn from history, including the Word: Either God will provide a way for Israel to defend themselves, or He will defend it Himself. In light of Iran's iminent nuclear capability, Israel is not worried. (In 1979, they stopped Iraq; in 2007 they stopped Syria.) We should expect an attack on Iran's plant, with or w/out the US's blessing, and the world will condemn Israel for it.

Something I Learned Today

Did you know that if you have a migraine headache that is making you nauseated, and morning sickness, and you eat some crackers to help calm the morning sickness, the migraine headache nausea will make you throw it up?

Me neither. But it did.

Took me a few hours to figure my way out of this vicious cycle...