These Three Remain...

I thought that you all might like these pictures...(our great-Uncle Tom took most of them while he was visiting with us this past week.)

These are my grandparents!

Here's one of Ryan...

Here's me...:)

This is a picture that I took of Kara...

And here's one more of little Rebecca...

and lastly, Joshua.

Anyway, hope you enjoy those! Blessings!

Today is Memorial Day, and 3:00 pm is the official "moment of remembrance". Could you just take a moment to thank God for all of those men and women who have given their lives for their country, for their God, and for their families? We, as Americans, have been blessed with so much, and I pray that we would treasure it, not take it for granted. And thank you to all of those who have served and to those who are still serving, daily putting their lives on the line for our freedom!
Oh, and take a look at www.remember.gov for more information on Memorial Day. Blessings!

Hello all!
I just wanted to share this quote with you all (from my devotional book) that stood out to me:

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."
- Jim Elliot, Christian missionary and martyr

Isn't that a great thought? What a good reminder to stay focused on God's will in every situation...to make sure that we're not so self-focused that we are blinded to what we know God would will in the situation. I especially like the phrase "live to the hilt". Doesn't that put the image of a Christian warrior fighting the spiritual battle into your mind? Living to the hilt; using the "sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6), God's Word, for every situation. Doesn't that just challenge you? Challenge you to "live to the hilt every situation" instead of just trying to simply "make it through"? It also reminds me of a song I heard on the radio...I don't know who it was by. It went something like...I think of all the years I spent just passing through. I'd like to take that time and give it all to You! Something to that effect, anyway. That kind of adds on to Kallie's post "Is God your all?". Do you give God all your time? I don't mean that you should stay at your bed praying every second of the day, but have you thought about how much of you is given to Him? I guess what I'm trying to say is, yes, God wants us to have leisure time, I'm not trying to discourage that in the least, but are we always seeking our own pursuits in every second of extra time, or do we take the time to look around us and be aware of others and their needs and desires as Jesus did?
Anyway, I know I got a bit off topic there, but I really enjoy being able to share my thoughts with you! Let me know what you think!

Hello again everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that yesterday started National Remembrance Week- a time to remember those men and women who have defended our freedom and given their lives for our liberty. It continues until Memorial Day. Yet, our remembrance shouldn't just be restricted to one week; I think that we tend to take for granted that which has cost others so much. So again, I'd like to say thank you to all those men and women who have shown their patriotism, their love for their God, their families, and their country, and I'd like to say how grateful I am to them for the sacrifices that they've made so that I can say I am proud to be an American! May God bless our troops and may God bless the free America that they fight for!
Blessings!

Hello all! In case you didn't know, today is Armed Forces Day...would you take a moment and pray for all of those men and women who are (and those who will be) fighting for our freedom? God has given us so much in this wonderful country, and I pray that He will richly bless those who have realized this and are willing to give their lives for their families, their country, and their God; those who are willing to die so that we may continue to be "one nation under God". I can't even begin to express what I want to say to those men and women...so, in my inadequate, small words, thank you and may God bless you!

How do you define a "normal day"? :) Our life has been so busy lately with "abnormal" events, that we haven't had a "normal" day in a very long time. :) Today definitely wasn't completely normal, but I actually got quite a bit of school done! Spanish, Physics, and SAT prep were completed; the only thing that didn't get done was history (which I really enjoy). I really didn't expect to accomplish that much, since I was taking care of Joshua and Rebecca today while my mom took Kara and Ryan to do some SAT testing and my grandparents were out for a check-up at the hospital. By the way, thank you so much to everyone who is praying for my grandparents! My grandpa is actually going to have a CAT-scan June 1 to see if the tumor is shrinking. I'll be sure and let you know the results! Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Blessings!

Hello everyone...this is a quote that my mom gave to me a while back; I don't know what book it's from, but it's so true (yet hard to follow), isn't it?

"If we wish to gain contentment, we might try such rules as these:

1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather.
2. Never picture thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not.
3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another.
4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than thou dost thyself.
5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. 'The Lord will provide.' "

-E.B. Pusey

Hi everyone! For those of you who were praying for my little cousin, thank you so much!! I haven't heard anything else, so I'm assuming that everything's ok...As to what caused it, they think that it was a temperature seizure. Two of my other cousins have had this before, so it's very possible. Anyway, praise the Lord, as far as I know she is fine now. Thank you again for your prayers!

Hi everyone-I don't know if any of you even got a chance to read the previous post, but for those of you who were able, thank you so much for your prayers!! Little Olivia is awake now; she is on her way to the hospital with her dad and the paramedics. Praise the Lord!!! She is out of danger of death for the present, but please continue to pray for her! Thank you so much!

Hi everyone! I know that we have a lot of prayer warriors out there, and I need to put an urgent prayer request up. My Aunt found my little cousin Olivia unconscious on the ground a little while ago where she had been playing with her sisters; the paramedics are there now, but she's still not responding...I don't know any details, but if you all would please, please pray for her and her family, we would appreciate it so much! Thank you all so much; I'll let you know if there are any changes, hopefully. Thanks again!