100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs

In Review: I had way too much fun reviewing this book/CD combination as part of my blogger review for Thomas Nelson Publishing. The first thing I did was pop in one of the two CD's and start listening to all the adorable music. Such a great trip down memory lane of my years in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and church camps.

Each Bible Story is paired with a song which means that auditory learners and visual learners have three distinct ways to "hide God's Word in their heart": through listening to music, listening to parent's read, and looking at the pictures.

Just a few of the songs:

My God Is So Big
I'm In The Lord's Army
Do Lord
Father Abraham
Whisper A Prayer
This Is My Father's World
Down By The Riverside
The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock
I Love Him Better Every D-A-Y
Zaccheus
Deep and Wide
You Can't Get To Heaven On Roller Skates

Although out of the norm, I have to applaud the authors for the way the Table of Contents is set up. The 100 stories are broken out into Old and New Testament and are listed according to Story Name, Bible Verse, Song Name and Page Number.

The publisher's recommended age for this book is 4-8; however, I believe that is quite high. I have a 7 year old and he called this a baby book. I more see this as a bedtime or story time book for more toddler aged children.

I can't wait to give this book to my two six month old twin nieces for my sister to play for them as they go to sleep each night and then for her to read to them as they get older.

Book Description: 100 Bible Stories will soon be hidden in your child's heart and bursting out in song. From Genesis and Revelation to Psalms, Proverbs, and Jesus' parables, children will read their favorite Bible story and sing their favorite Bible song. Bible truths and Life Action Applications will help your child take these Biblical teachings to heart. 100 kid-friendly Bible stories, with adorable illustrations, are paired with two awesome CDs filled with 100 new arrangements of more than two hours of favorite songs, hymns, and spirituals. It's a unique experience the whole family will enjoy!

WFW: Be Still

 Be still, I am God!

Psalm 46:10

Yesterday seemed to be overwhelming with the number of prayer requests and needs that we found out among our family and friends.

*  Hubs found out that one of is cousins was severely burned in a yard accident and was airlifted to Georgia.   It is very bad and we are waiting to hear news.

*  One of my friends lost her home to fire.     You may not know that this is my second friend to lose their home in the past couple of weeks.     Fortunately, Victoria and her family were all spared in the fire, but their home was totally destroyed.

* Two other friends are dealing with situations with their children... both completely different situations, but when it comes to our kids... enough said, right?

These three examples are really just the tip of the iceberg.    When I went to bed last night I was really feeling weighted down with all the requests that were on my heart.    I couldn't even consider my regular nighttime routine of reading.   

All I could think was "Be Still! I am God!"   

So many hurts, pains and so little answers.... "Be Still, I am God!"

No end in sight and really wanting some answers... "Be Still, I am God!"

All of a sudden I feel peace washing over me as I "Be Still because truly He IS God!"

Happy Birthday, Big Guy!

Twelve years have flown by since that precious first moment I held you in my arms. It felt like the room and everyone just faded into the background as your sweet eyes found mine and we stared at each other.

That simple moment was the beginning of a special bond between the two of us. We love to sit staring into each others' eyes to talk. Even if I put you on my shoulder, you would lift your little head to look into my eyes. If I read you books, you would look at my face instead of the pages.

As soon as you discovered your hands I began teaching you sign language so we could communicate even better. Not long after you were talking and signing. Some of my favorite times were when we would prop up on the pillows of Daddy and my bed and just talk and talk and talk. In the afternoons, we would go out to the screened in porch and swing and talk while waiting for your Daddy to get home from work.

I worried that the older you got the less you would want to spend time talking to your Mom. I am so glad that hasn't happened. I love our talks. I love hearing your ideas, your thoughts, your dreams, your plans.

You are an incredible young man and God is going to use you for His purpose. You are so lucky to have a Heavenly Father who loves you and an earthly Father who models integrity, devotion and true definition of Christ-like love.

Happy Birthday, Big Guy.
I love you... all the way to heaven and back.
"uh" (private Mom/Big Guy thing!)
Mom

More Beach Photos

We are home from vacation. It was such a wonderful time together and part of us didn't want to come home. One night we went to the beach and took these photos. It was very windy!

Random Photos

While the boys were running around Fort Morgan, I wandered around taking photos of things. I really wish I had more of a photographer's eye. I am sure that someone who has that kind of talent could have really gotten some great photos.

Pics at Fort Morgan

We took the boys down to Fort Morgan one afternoon. They love history and knew they would love exploring the fort. Of course, they would have loved it more if I hadn't been taking so many photos.

WFW: Lack of Knowledge

We have been enjoying a wonderful week on the beach. I can't tell you how much we have needed this time together. Lazy mornings. Going to the beach and playing in the sand, collecting shells, building castles, splashing in the waves, etc.... It should have been totally relaxing, but for some reason I can't ever turn off my Mommy radar.

You see, the red flags were flying which meant that there were very strong undercurrents and very unsafe water conditions today. One Mom sitting near us had a two year old who was wearing a life vest but he chose to take it off. He kept running to the waves and I kept standing there on edge and waiting to jump in to rescue him. All the while his Mom kept saying as she read her book, "Honey, you might need your life vest."

As we walked back to our condo a couple of teenagers were grilling on their condo and the flames were getting quite high. There are signs everywhere saying it is illegal to grill anywhere but on the grills outside in the open areas, but apparently these girls failed to notice these signs.

I just couldn't help but think of this verse from Hosea in each of these instances. How many people are being destroyed today for lack of knowledge? Not about water conditions or fire safety, but about God's Word and His will for us.

When I look at our Country right now, I worry that it is a lot of people and its leadership.

End of School Year Photos

Forgive me while I show you a few pics that have been stored on my camera while I didn't have a computer.

Little Guy singing the only solo in the Earth Day play at his school.

Big Guy playing with the band at Awards Day

Showing off their "growth" in the classroom

Little Guy showing me the eggs in their classroom incubator.

Feeding the Birds

Since my computer arrived, I have been uploading all of the pics I have been taking over the past six weeks.

We went out to lunch one weekend to "Cock of the Walk". Like most kids, the boy gathered up all the french fries and went out to feed the birds before we headed home. I enjoyed just sitting and watching them and snapping these shots while they enjoyed themselves.

Faith and Pop Culture

In Review: The Bible says very clearly that we are to be "not of this world". However every day we make decisions and are surrounded by the world.

This eight week study explores movies, books, television, sports, violence, "R" ratings, and entertainment for Christians. I found it very fascinating that the one area that was left largely unexplored in this book was music.

One of the positives about this book is the fact that it is written in a format that will work for both a small group as well as for a large Sunday School class setting. There are two options for a group leader to choose from in leading the discussion depending on the size of the group.

I would recommend this book for a college group or even a new Christian type Sunday School class as the information never wades into very deep waters spiritually. While it opens the door for discussion, it does not necessarily do a very good job at wrapping up with good solid answers. Considering how murky and muddy the waters of entertainment are in today's culture, I would have hoped for something a little more substantial out of a study guide such as this.

Another great resource to use with this book is the Small Group Exchange. Check it out!

Book Description: An eight-week study based on articles written by today's leading Christian authors and published by Christianity Today magazines; this remarkable study fosters deep, authentic, and relevant discussion that will challenge and grow any small group. Faith and Pop Culture takes on a variety of topics, including how God can speak to us through the arts, and how Christians should discern between entertainment that is meaningful and that which is destructive.

Citizen's Arrest!

Black Betty tagged me for the following question. Apparently an email is going around asking this question and the answers are quite interested. I am almost scared to hear what you are going to say.

if you saw ME in a police car
what would you think i got arrested for?

Oh, heavens, what am I doing? Ha!

Finding an Unseen God: Reflections of a Former Atheist

Finding an Unseen God:
Reflections of a Former Atheist

by Alicia Britt Chole

In Review:

God loves us so much. He never quits pursuing us. Even when we are confused by the circumstances of our life and the surroundings we might have been raised in, He knows that He created us to desire Him.

What a refreshing read of one woman's journey from a life of atheism to a discovery of just how much God loves her. Alicia writes to share her story not to try to convince anyone that she is right or wrong which makes her testimony all that more compelling.

Alica did not come to her faith easily. She prefers fact to emotion. Alicia says she "is a fierce realist who prefers unanswered questions over fairy tales."

This book is presented with a crossword theme and the chapters are numbered randomly which immediately put my mind into a tailspin. My well ordered world was trying to make sense of this crazy book, but in a way I felt that was what Alicia had been trying to do all of her life. Her life was in a tailspin until God was introduced and she realized that He had all of the answers that she was looking for.

Book Description:

Truth is dead.
God never lived.
Life is filled with pain.
Death is the end of life.

These beliefs formed Alicia Britt Chole's worldview as a young woman. "I sincerely believed that there was no God," she says. "As a young Atheist, I simply considered myself a realist who preferred unanswered questions over fairy tales."

Then one day, without warning, Alicia's Atheistic worldvew was shattered.

Creatively written, Finding an Unseen God opens a window into Alicia's surprising spiritual journey. With warmth, intellect, and compassion, Alicia invites us to carefully consider what we believe and do not believe, while she paints a vivid portrait of a God who relentlessly pursues even those who deny him.

Finally Here!!

It has been forever, but it is finally here.     I thought my boys were going to go ballistic when the UPS man drove up yesterday and they saw the box in his hand.      He was FINALLY delivering my COMPUTER!

My old computer broke back at the beginning of April.    It took me a few weeks of stalking bargain sites to find a laptop I could afford and that would fit my needs.      I placed my order on April 27th and it is just now being delivered.

So, blogger friends, here I sit on my couch typing you my first post from my new computer.    I am so glad to be back online and not having to borrow my sweet husband's computer!    

WFW: No Stumbling Block

My Big Guy just finished his first year in middle school. We will be leaving town this weekend to go to the beach for nine days to rest and recuperate from what was a long, completely draining year. Middle school is nothing short of a nightmare.

In addition to adjusting to the pressures of middle school, we are definitely starting to discuss more and more the social pressures: drinking, smoking, drugs, bad language, cheating, plagarism, pornography, etc... Anytime you begin discussing these things, your children ask you how you made your own decisions.

So many things influenced me in my decisions about all of these things, but Scripturally, none influenced me more than the verse above:

Let us not pass judgment on one another any longer,
but rather decide never to put a
STUMBLING BLOCK
or hindrance in the way of a brother (sister).

Like it or not, I know that people base their opinions based off what they see. I did not want to reflect poorly on my Lord because of words that came out of my mouth due to cussing or because questioned my faith because they saw me walking in a liquor store.

Now that I have children I know that my decisions not to do all of these things are playing a role in their decisions also. Will they make the same decisions as I have made? I am not sure, but I am praying, guiding them and leaving their decisions to them and God.

Ultimately, every person's relationship with God is between them and their Heavenly Father, but I feel strongly convicted that I am need to work as hard as I can not to be a stumbling block. I fail miserably... a lot... but I keep trying every day with the Lord's guidance.

Shock and Devastation

On Saturday morning, I woke up to the news that a childhood friend had not only lost her home, but her children in an nighttime fire.    I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.   

Trey and Jennifer woke up to their home totally engulfed in flames.    Trey, an assistant fire chief, grabbed his radio off the nightstand and called his fire station frantically to let them know that his own house was on fire.    Immediately he put his fire training to use and kicked out the air conditioner unit in their bedroom to get Jennifer to safety.     He began to crawl to get to the rooms of his 22 month old and 4 year old sons: Tyler and Hadyn.     Unfortunately, the smoke was so thick and the flames so overwhelming that it was already too late.   Sweet Tyler and Hadyn had already died due to smoke inhalation.

Fire and police units from around the county arrived just 3 minutes after Trey called in to his own fire house.    When they arrived they said smoke and flames are coming from every window.

Today at 1:00, Trey and Jennifer have to face the awful nightmare of burying their two precious boys.     I can't wrap my mind around it.    

I know I don't even have to ask you to be surrounding them with prayer today.    They are going to need every ounce of strength they can get to make it through today, and even worse, the days ahead without their precious boys.

Higher Hope

In Review:    Hubs and I have been hooked on Robert Whitlow books for a LONG time.    Whitlow has a John Grisham type writing style which makes Hubs' very happy.    Despite the fact that I have never met a Grisham book I liked (don't shoot me), I LOVE Whitlow's books.  

"Higher Hope" is a court drama about Tami who is a law clerk.     Tami is also a Christian.    A Christian in the law profession?   Isn't that an oxymoron?!?    Anyway, Tami is very dedicated to her relationship with God and isn't willing to compromise.   However, she finds that her faith will be challenged and potentially either grounded or shaken when a high profile case involving a preacher who is thought to have unusual and even supect ways in reaching people.     

In Tami's personal life, she has two men pursuing her.     She takes both of these men home to meet her family and you get a lot of insight into why she is the way she is during these visits.    

Despite the fact there are two parallel story lines going on, it is very easy to read and you will find it very difficult to put down because just when you thought you had it all figured out, you will realize that you were WRONG!

To see all of Robert Whitlow's AMAZING books, visit his website.

Book Description: The Tides of Truth series follows one lawyer’s passionate pursuit of truth--in matters of life and the law.

Competition is tough at the Savannah law firm where Tami Taylor serves as a law clerk. But Tami’s work sets her apart--and the firm’s partners see something special in her. So they assign her to a libel case against an abrasive, outspoken preacher who is either a prophet or a lunatic.

On the surface it appears to be an open and shut case; the preacher seems fully outside the bounds of law. And Tami’s strict religious upbringing could be the firm’s ace-in-the-hole. But as the investigation continues, Tami is troubled by the preacher’s uncanny prophetic abilities. And their client seems to be hiding something.

Tami returns to her hometown, struggling with several critical choices--as two very different men from the firm vie for her heart. Just when the challenges seem insurmountable, hope for Tami arrives from a surprising place. And it’s a higher hope than she’s ever imagined.

Field Trips With Friends

Little Guy is in the gifted class at his school. He has the most amazing gifted teacher ever. Recently she took them on a field trip to the planetarium and the Natural Science Museum to see some exhibits and movies that supplemented some things that they had been studying.

Here is Little Guy with his friends on the nature path at the Natural Science Museum looking for things that they have been studying.

Little Guy and J. This is absolutely his best friend. They share the same birthday and love exactly all the same things. They are teased all the time about being "boyfriend/girlfriend" but they don't let that bother them. They are friends "ONLY" as they say and are glad to have a friend who like the same things.

The group!

Just Add A Monkey

Big Guy is not the only one to take a trip with our church. Little Guy went to New Orleans zoo with our children's ministry.

This picture cracked me up because it looks like the leopard is on his head and his expression is just goofy.

Little Guy loved all the unique pathways and places to explore throughout the zoo.

If I could be any animal...

By far his favorite part of the day was the dinosaur exhibit..

They apparently spent a lot of time at the hands-on part of the zoo.

Time to go home, but Little Guy says we need to go back soon!