Troy and I have had the privilege of teaching Jr. and Sr. High kids in Sunday school and youth group over the years and we have learned a lot from them. There have been times in order to avoid studying the lesson they will ask questions. In one particular class they wanted to know about our confirmation classes and what did we learn. We have learned over the years to take the situation and turn it into a “teachable moment”.

I told them I remembered the very first question my Pastor asked in confirmation. They all laughed and told me it was so long ago, how could I ever remember J Of course they wanted to know the question. Our Pastor walked into the class and asked us if any of us thought we were good enough to go to heaven? If we did, we needed to raise our hand. No one raised their hand. The Pastor shocked us by saying you are right, none of you are good enough to go to heaven and you never will be. He had our attention.

Of course he went on to explain, heaven is not something we can earn for ourselves, but Jesus paid the price for our sins, so we can go to heaven.

Our class wanted to know what I had ever done to think I didn’t deserve to go to heaven when I was young. I shared with them, I knew I was a sinner, and I wasn’t good. I asked them, if they had ever felt remorseful over their sins? Sometimes was their answer.

I have noticed two extremes in the lives of Christians they are either so consumed with guilt they consider themselves unworthy; or they never stop to think about how they are living their lives because they know God will love them anyways.

In both cases they miss out on the joy of understanding God’s grace and forgiveness. I don’t know if you have experienced either extreme, I know I have.

Two Bible verses come to mind: Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” As we repent and ask for forgiveness God removes our sins and remembers them no more.

Psalm 139: “23Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!24And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Sometimes we do not see the sin in our lives, and this is a good Bible verse to reflect upon. Asking the Lord to show you how you might live differently.

Again, I want to emphasize there is nothing we can do to earn favor with God. Jesus has done it all for us. My prayer for you during this Lenten Journey is you will experience the joy of understanding the precious gift of Salvation God has given you and how much He loves you.

I have found listening to music a wonderful way to reflect. This is one of my favorite Hymns/songs during the Lenten Season.

Ash Wednesday

How many of you really lived it up yesterday (Fat Tuesday) because you knew today started your Lenten journey? I have never understood the concept, I'm going to party like there is no tomorrow, because for the next 40 days of Lent I need to be really good.

I want to take a look at the comment, " I need to be really good" throughout this reflection today. Today along with other Christians from all over the world, I will observe Ash Wednesday by going to church. As part of the service, I will go forward and kneel at the altar. The Pastor will make a sign of the cross on my forehead and say, "Remember from dust you came and to dust you shall return."

I could get bogged down with the dust comment and for 40 days remind myself of how unworthy I am and that I do not deserve God's love. I could become depressed over the realization I can never be good enough. I would encourage you instead of just reflecting upon yourself, reflect upon what God has done for you.

I do think we need to realize we are poor miserable sinners and there is nothing we can do to earn God's favor. It's when we get to that point we realize we need a Savior, because we can not do it on our own.

In our Lenten Journey we remember, Jesus has all ready walked the road to calvary. He walked for you and for me. Our sins nailed Him to the cross. If you would have been the only person on earth, Jesus would have died on the cross, just for you.

Beneath the cross of dust on my forehead, is a permanent cross that was made at my baptism. I have been made a child of God forever. There is nothing I did to deserve it, God gave it to me as a gift, the gift of being His child forever. Through Him, I will have eternal life. It doesn't matter to me if my physical body returns to the dust, because my spiritual body, will be with Jesus forever.

Romans 8: 38-39 "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I would like to share with you one of my favorite songs, In Christ Alone. As you take the time to watch it may you be reminded of how much Jesus loves you. May God fill you with His perfect peace today and always.

In the opening scenes of this youtube clip. You will see Jesus drawing a line in the dust/sand. It is the story of the woman caught in adultery. You will see the men lined up to stone her....watch how she approaches Jesus and how He treats her.

Here are the words to this song if you are not familiar with it.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

I have seen this on several blogs. It is well worth the time to listen to the words of wisdom from one of our greatest Presidents, Ronald Wilson Reagan. I will never believe in the change Obama wants to bring to America. Socialism has always failed...I do not want to see the country I love go down this road.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday


My friend, Cheryl, had this posted on her blog this morning. I wanted to share it with my readers as well. Please take the time to watch. I'm still wiping the tears from my eyes over the beautiful song which is shared.

Silent Night Holy Night

Christmas Eve was special for our family. Mom would make a simple but delicious dinner and our Grandma always joined us.

After we finished eating it was always a mad dash to get ready for Church. Our family loved the Candlelight Christmas Eve service because it was an opportunity to gather to worship the Christ Child and to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

I can remember sitting with my brother and sisters quietly in the pew and anticipate our favorite part of the service. We would almost hold our breath as we eagerly watched the lights become dim and we would squirm with joy as we saw the ushers go forward to light their candles from the Christ Candle. Finally, they would come down the center aisle and light the candle of the first person in each pew. Then each person would carefully light the candle to the person next to them until the whole church was bathed in candlelight. I would glance around and look at my church family and we all seemed to be in awe of this “Holy Moment” in time. It wasn’t Holy because of candlelight but because we were remembering how God sent His only son, the King of the Universe to born in a manger. Our voices would lift together in worship singing “Silent Night” and it was peaceful and sacred.

After the church service we would go home and we would open our presents. We did not have much money and so there were not many presents, but we always were thankful for what we received. Mom and Dad had instilled in us at an early age that Christmas was not about the presents under the tree. It was about God giving us the most precious gift of His son Jesus Christ.

My senior year of college was the year of my DCE internship at a church in southern Minnesota. My family lived 7 hours away. In preparing for church work I knew that I would not be able to spend Christmas with my family because that is a busy time for church worker and I would have many responsibilities. Knowing this and experiencing being away from your family on Christmas for the first time was difficult for me.

I remember talking to my Mom on the phone and feeling down. It was hard on my Mom too but she never let on because she didn’t want me to feel worse. I told her that I would miss going to church with them on Christmas Eve. Mom gently reminded me that we would all be worshipping the Christ child, just in different places.

I was delighted when I found out that my internship church had the same tradition of lighting candles for singing Silent Night. During the service, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I gave thanks to God for my family. I was filled with joy because even though we were not together physically, our hearts were connected by a bond of love that could never be broken.

Now 20 years later, my husband and I have the same tradition with our two young sons. It has been a long time since my family of origin have all been together at Christmastime. But we feel bonded together by the tradition my parents created for our family over 40 years ago. We are bound together in a moment that transcends human understanding. We are connected by the extraordinary love of family during the miraculous, magical moments of Christmas.

The video is not the best quality, but I love this Christmas song.

I received this from my Mom this moring and I wanted to post it to my blog. The author is unknown, so I am not able to give credit. After you read it, I'm sure you will agree with me, the author is someone who doesn't write to receive accolades.


THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

It was the week before Christmas I had just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out."What are you doing?" I started to ask.The words choked up in my throat, and I saw that he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.He then answered me with a simple statement: "Teach the children!"I was puzzled, what did he mean?He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children. Teach them the real meaning of Christmas. The meaning of Christmas that nowadays has been forgotten."Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a fir tree and placed it before the mantle."Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir treeremains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant star."Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of His promise."He then reached into his bag and pulled out a candle."Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light, we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."Once again he reached into his bag and removed a wreath and placed it on the tree."Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love Christ showed for us. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."He then pulled from his bag an ornament of himself."Teach the children that I, Santa Claus, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."He then brought out a holly leaf."Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. Itrepresents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent the blood that He shed for us."Next he pulled from his bag a gift and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the Holy Babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men."Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a candy cane and hung it on the tree."Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring strayed sheep back to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."He reached in again and pulled out an angel. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will.'"Suddenly I heard a soft tinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a bell."Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should bring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return."Santa looked around and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship Him, Our Lord, Our God, and Savior."-- Author Unknown

Rare Cosmic alignment of Jupiter and Venus show a smile in the night sky! A friend who lives in India sent me this picture of what they viewed in the night sky. I know it brightened their day as they have been devestated by the terrorists attack.

When I saw this picture, my first thought was, what an Awesome God we love and serve. What a gift.

Not Forgotten

I'm at home today from Sunday School and Worship as Matthew is fighting off a cold and he has a fever. So, I have been sorting through Jacob and Matthews' clothes and organzing. It is safe to say it is not my favorite job. I decided to listen to our CD from the Watoto's Children Choir. They were at our church in the Fall of 2007 and I fell in love with them and their music. The following is one of my favorite songs from their CD. These children are orphans and yet they have the "Joy of the Lord". The first part is a little hard to understand but once the music starts you will be amazed at their talent. Turn up those speakers and dance along, I know you want too!

White As Snow

This morning we woke up to a white sparkly blanket covering our yard. Everything looked fresh, new, and clean. I love the look of the first snow.

It reminds me of this song that we recently sang in church. It is based on Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together,"says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

We are but poor miserable sinners. There is nothing we can do save ourselves from our sin. Jesus did it all for us on the cross.

Thankful and Grateful

I didn't have an opportunity to write this post before we left for our whirlwind Thanksgiving trip to visit Jimella and family.

As I reflect upon this past year I have so many things to be grateful for. I wish I had the time to write about all of them. I think I need to start writing more gratitude posts throughout the year.

First and foremost and I am thankful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I do not have to face life's daily challenges as He walks with me and is my constant companion. To many times I want to fix or control things. I have discovered time after time this never works, maybe one of these days I will learn my lesson. I need to place it all in the capable hands of Jesus, and I cannot even do that on my own. He has already taken care of my biggest challenge by dying on the cross for my sins, and making my payment for me.

All of my blessings are gifts from the Lord and so I will try and list as many as I can, with some pictures!

I am truly blessed to be married to my soul-mate. Troy, is a wonderful husband and he is my best friend. We have been through a lot together, and God has walked with us each step of the way. We have had the privilege and the joy of raising our two sons Jacob and Matthew. Having boys around is always an adventure.

For those who know us best you know we have had some huge financial, health, and emotional challenges over the past couple of years. The Lord has provided for us in countless ways, all of our needs were met on a daily basis. For those who walked this journey with us, prayed for us, loved us, listened and cried with us, and for all of the other gifts you gave to us....Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Even though we have experienced some dark moments, we felt and saw God's love through the heart of His people.

This past year we were able to farm our ground again. Even with late planting because of flooding and a very dry August, we were blessed with bountiful crops. I have learned as a farmer's wife there is always a time to plant and always a time to harvest...all of it guided and directed by the hand of the Lord.

We have decided to farm differently and so we have hired someone to help with the planting and harvesting, while Troy works full-time with a contract position at John Deere, which hopefully will soon become permanent. Troy has been able to help farm our ground with our boys when time allows. Mart, the guy we have working for us has been very kind to our boys and we appreciate it. Here are some pictures of my favorite farmers!!!! And of the harvest!!!!

Notice, Jacob, resting in the wheel of the tractor!

This last year as many of you know we almost lost my Dad. The four of us siblings were able to all be together with my, Mom as we waited for Dad to recover from his surgery. He was in ICU for a long time. We are thankful, Dad is still with us. I have been deeply blessed to have wonderful parents and siblings. It is a gift to be able enjoy a close relationship with all of them. I wanted to include some pictures from our time spent with them this summer.

Jacob & Matthew with Grandma and Grandpa with Willy the Walleye. Some of my favorite childhood memories are fishing for Walleye, on Lake of the Woods. Willy is stationed near Lake of the Woods and so we took advantage of a kodak moment!

My four favorite Dudes, enjoying a picnic lunch together! Don't they look cool in their shades?

Grandpa and Matthew on his first fishing adventure from boat! We didn't catch any keepers but we have some wonderful memories to enjoy.

Prayer Request

Please pray for Zoe. She is a little baby girl who has lived 8 months longer than what anyone ever imagined. She has trisomy 18 and she will be having heart surgery on Tuesday. Please hold the family close in prayer. You can read more about this precious little girl and her family here. Your hearts will be touched by this amazing story and family. We have never met this family but we have prayed for Zoe since the day she was born.

May God fill this family with His perfect peace.

May God bless all of our troops that served. May God grant peace to all the families who lost their loved ones. May God Bless the United States of America. May we never forget the price of freedom.

For more on VI day please go here.

LIFE CHANGING DEVELOPMENT

It has been awhile since I have posted. I have been busy with a project I have been working on for over a year. It is one of those "life changing" moments. It will change some of my time, have a positive impact on our budget, and it is a milestone for a member of our family.

Only another Mommy or Daddy could truly understand this as a "big deal." A few of you have probably guessed as to "what in the world" is she talking about.

Have you guessed, yet? Are you curious? Or are you wishing, I would just hurry up and post about it all ready? LOL!

Matthew is officially potty-trained! WOOHOO, want to join me in my happy dance ;-)

For those of you who do not know, Matthew is almost 4-years-old! I have tried just about everything a Mother can do to accomplish this important detail in our life.

I was beginning to think I was a failure as a Mommy. I stay at home with my kids...I'm with them all of the time...why is this not happening. I tried everything from bribery to taking almost every important toy away from him. The only thing it accomplished, was him holding it in for way to long.

Many Mom's told me, relax, he will decide one day he want to be a big boy and it will happen. Easy to say when it is not your kid. And even though, I hoped they were right...I really didn't believe them. I was beginning to think it would never happen.

Well guess what?!!!!? Those other Moms, knew exactly what they were talking about. So, to all of those Mom's who hung in there with me, THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Seven Weird Random Facts About Me

Paula at Amused Mama has tagged me for this fun and interesting MeMe.

• Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules in your post.
• Share seven random/weird facts about yourself.
• Tag seven random people and link to their blogs.
Let each person know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment in their blog.

SEVEN RANDOM/WEIRD FACTS ABOUT MYSELF:

1. When I was 15 I fell off a hay wagon, and ended up in the hospital for 9 days. I missed a month of school. It took me almost 5 years before I could even sit on a haywagon again.

2. On one my many youth ministry adventures: We (the girls) were in a Finnish Sauna for about twenty minutes in our bathing suits. Than we put on our wool socks and went running outside in the snow and jumped in the lake which had frozen ice chunks everywhere! We ducked under the water and scrubbed our hair. We jumped out of the lake as quickly as we could and put our hats on our head. I'm so thankful no one had a picture of this :-)

3. I was the Co-Captain of our Pom Pom Squad/Dance line in highschool!

4. I Danced with Zig Ziglar on the beach in CanCun, Mexico. You can find the story in my blog.

5. I wanted to become a Cruise Director like Julie McCoy on the Love Boat! I am totally serious!

6. I love to dance to 80's music with my boys!!! We have fun jammin out together!

7. Since we live on a farm, we have way to many fly's in our house. The boys and I will go on fly hunts around the house and when we get one....we sing..."Another one bites the dust."


Okay, I am tagging:
He Won My Heart(Shannon), Cheryl, Melisa, Angie, Kristi, and anyone else that woud like to play along. Please let me know if you, did and I will link it to my blog so others can see!

Celebrate!!!

Seven months ago my Dad had a heart attack. Many of the visitors to my blog know the whole story, but if you don't you can read about it here. Thankfully my Dad is still alive and doing remarkably well. My Dad's story is a miracle and we give all glory and praise to our Father in heaven.

In the days following my Dad's surgery, when we did not know if Dad would survive or not...we wondered about many things.

Would we have an opportunity to talk to our Dad about life, God, politics, or share a good joke? What would Dad's life be like if he managed to survive? Would he be able to enjoy fishing with his children or grandchildren? Would he be able to hunt again? Would he be able to watch his oldest grandson shoot his first deer?

The questions and thoughts raced through my mind until my head began to pound relentlessly. I soon realized, I needed to place everything into the capable hands of the Lord. I could not control the outcome or change what had happened. All I could do was trust the "One" who loved my Dad more than I could even comprehend.

Today I want to celebrate the second chance my Dad has been given. This week-end he is hunting with my brother, David, and his oldest grandson, Sidney. Dad is not able to shoot a gun this year and so he is helping, Sidney. I have heard from my Mom they are having a wonderful time. I am thankful they can all be together and I look forward to hearing the hunting stories. The Moorhead family is known to tell a few "tall tales" from time to time!

This summer we were able to go fishing with my Dad. As the boat pulled away from the dock...tears of joy filled my eyes. Jacob had fished with Grandpa before...but Matthew had never had the opportunity too. We had a wonderful time together and I will share some of the highlights of our trip at another time.

Leading up to the election, Dad and I had many political conversations. We were both convinced that John McCain would win the election....were were devestated when that did not happen. We will put our trust in the Lord.

We have had many opportunities to laugh, talk about God, and just enjoy wonderful conversations with each other.

Today, I give thanks for my Dad's life! I give thanks for my Mom...she has been Dad's biggest cheerleader. Their lives changed...but they are doing great. God has given us so many wonderful gifts to be thankful for each and every day.

"The Lord's Prayer" by the Martins

He leadeth me~ by the Martins

In Christ Alone with scenes from Passion of the Christ.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Get a load of these high school kids singing. At the conclusion listen to the high notes on the trumpet, played by a high school kid! One of the fathers recorded it, added some graphic enhancements to the recording, and posted it on the web. The song, of course, is the ' Battle Hymn Of The Republic.' Be prepared - it could send a few shivers up your spine. Click below:
http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm