Does God really hate sin and love the sinner?

Scripture Memorization

I have a very hard time memorizing Scripture. I think it has to do with age. :-) I saw this system and I thought I would try it out and see if it would work. If you have used it, let me know what you think.

Scripture Memory System

Kids of Courage

 Kids of Courage

What is Kids of Courage?
The Voice of the Martyrs publishes Kids of Courage (formerly LINK) materials for children 5 to 13 so that families and schools can include children in learning about and serving the persecuted church. Kids of Courage publications are committed to:

1. Educating students about courageous Christians and countries that restrict Christian worship.
2. Encouraging students toward greater spiritual growth by giving them examples of those who are risking all for Christ.
3. Providing practical opportunities for students to pray for and aid today’s heroes of the faith.

What is The Voice of the Martyrs?
Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor in Communist Romania, was imprisoned for a total of 14 years because of his Christian activities. When his wife, Sabina, was also imprisoned for three years, their 11-year-old son, Mihai, was left alone to take care of himself. A few kind Christians helped him.
After Pastor Wurmbrand and Sabina were released and left Romania, they started a ministry in 1967 to inform Christians about the needs of their persecuted brothers and sisters around the world, and to help persecuted Christians and their families. The ministry, Jesus to the Communist World, was later renamed The Voice of the Martyrs. Today VOM works in more than 50 countries through its International Christian Association of mission offices.
What Kids of Courage resources are available?

• The Kids of Courage quarterly newsletter was launched in 1996 to inform children about Christians who stand firm in their faith even when it isn’t easy. The testimonies of struggling believers have strengthened the faith of thousands of kids and families. Selected issues are available on www.kidsofcouragemag.com.
• Bold Believers activity books include 40+ pages of stories, photos, activities, and cultural information about one topic or country. Many of the books are available for free download at www.kidsofcourage.com, or for purchase at www.vombooks.com.
• The www.kidsofcourage.com website supplements The Voice of the Martyrs newsletters with activities and stories related to recent information in VOM publications, plus additional material for children, parents, and teachers.
• The VOM bookstore features other resources for families and children.
• The Kids of Courage VBS curriculum introduces students to real Kids of Courage at risk for their faith today in five countries: China, Egypt, Nigeria, North Korea, and India. Students learn how bold believers around the world live, worship, and play. The lessons teach children how to pray for those who risk everything for their faith, and how to become Kids of Courage themselves. They learn that Kids of Courage: Trust God, Get Prepared, Remember Persecuted Christians, Forgive Others, and Witness Boldly. For more information and samples, visit www.kidsofcouragevbs.com.

Aren’t children too young to learn about such sensitive topics?
Kids of Courage materials convey the struggles endured by persecuted Christians without including graphic descriptions or photos, or age-inappropriate concepts. Nevertheless, parents and teachers are encouraged to preview the materials before sharing them with their own children, as they know their children best.

Feedback received from parents, teachers, and children since the children’s newsletter started in 1996 has indicated that Kids of Courage materials are educating and encouraging children in appropriate ways. Additional feedback about any of the materials is welcome.

Calvary Chapel's Bible Curriculum

Calvary Chapel's Bible Curriculum

There are three main purposes for creating the curriculum on this site:

1. To provide a Bible study lesson which follows the Calvary Chapel “distinctive” of teachingverse by verse. (This also trains the children for their eventual transition into the sanctuary.)
2. To support and encourage those serving in the Children’s Ministry by providing the “basics.”
3. To be a blessing to those who desire a true Bible-based curriculum with no financial burden.

(There is NO COST whatsoever to access the curriculum.)

Little Ones Curriculum
This curriculum is designed for 3 - 6 year olds. It consists of 53 lessons, alternating between the Old & New Testaments, with more studies to come. The focus is to implant Biblical truths in these little one’s hearts and minds, that they may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Crafts to come in the future.

Calvary Chapel Children’s Curriculum (English & Spanish)
This curriculum is for 1st – 6th graders. It consists of 325 Bible Studies:
163 in the Old Testament and 162 in the New Testament.

Calvary Chapel Children’s Curriculum: The REVISION Project
This is a revision of the above curriculum. Please keep this project in prayer! There is much time and resources that are needed for the completion of the revision. There will be a change in the style, new coloring pages, and activity pages. A general face lift will occur.

CAMP Curriculum
This 8-study curriculum has been designed for 3rd – 6th graders and can be used at camps, VBS, or mid-week services. The 3 completed curriculum are “Sowing to the Spirit”, “God’s Love”, & “Grace Changes Everything”. We are presently working on “Faith: Pleasing God”.

180 Movie

This is an awesome movie. I would recommend everyone to watch this.

WARNING: This video does contain some graphic images. Please preview before showing to children.

Are You . . . Almost Saved?

What Guys Think About Modesty

Love vs. Lust

To Be Educated --by Carolyn Caines

I love this--I got this from a friend on Facebook (not sure where she got it):

If I learn my ABC's, can read 600 words per minute and can write with perfect penmanship but I have not been shown how to communicate with the designer of language . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I can deliver an eloquent speech and can persuade you with my stunning logic and have not been instructed in God's wisdom . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I have read Shakespeare and John Locke and can discuss their rise with keen insight but have not read the greatest of all books; The Bible and have no knowledge of it's personal importance . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I have memorized addition facts, multiplication tables and chemical formulas but have never been disciplined to hide God's Word in my heart . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I can explain the law of gravity and Einstein's theory of relativity but have never been instructed in the unchangeable laws of the One who orders the universe . . . 

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I can classify animals by their families, genus and species and write a lengthy scientific paper that wins an award but have not been introduced to the Maker's purpose for all creation . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I can recite the Gettysburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution but have not been informed of the Hand of God in the history of our country . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I can play the piano, the violin and six other instruments and can write music that moves men to tears but have not been taught to listen to the director of the universe and worship Him . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I can run in cross country races, star in basketball and do 100 pushups without stopping but have never been shown how to bend my spirit to do God's will . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I can identify a Picasso, describe the style of a DaVinci or even paint a portrait that earns an A+ but have not learned that all harmony and beauty comes from a relationship with God . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I graduate with a perfect 4.0 and get accepted at the best university with a full scholarship but have not been guided into a career of God's choosing for me . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

If I become a good citizen, voting in each election and fighting for what is moral and right but have not been told of the sinfulness of man and his hopelessness without Christ . . .

. . . then I have not been educated.

However! If one day I see the world as God sees it and come to know Him- whom to know is life eternal and glorify God by fulfilling His purpose for me . . . 

. . . Then, I have been educated.

It Is Well With My Soul by Horatio Spafford

Daves Highway - It Is Well With My Soul - May 2011

You would think that the person who wrote this song, had a pretty great life. You would not be farther from the truth. Horatio G. Spafford and his wife Anna lived in Chicago with their five children. Horatio was a successful lawyer and friends with many influential people, including D. L Moody.He was also a Presbyterian church elder and a dedicated Christian.

In 1870, their four year old son, Horatio, Jr., died of scarlet fever. The Spaffords were devastated.
In October 1871 Spafford lost most of his wealth in the Great Chicago Fire.  250 people died in the Great Chicago Fire and 90,000 were left homeless but the Spafford's home and family were spared.

They used what resources they had left to help those who had been affected by the fire.

In 1873, the Spaffords planned a trip to Europe for a vacation but to assist Evangelist D. L. Moody in a revival they were conducting in England. The day they were to sail for Europe Spafford had a business emergency and could not leave. Not wanting to disappoint his wife Anna and their daughters he sent them on ahead and planned to follow on another ship in a few days.

On November 22, 1873 the steamer Ville du Havre was struck by a British iron sailing ship, the Lockhearn. Only 81 of the 307 passengers and crew members survived this tragic shipwreck, the four daughters were among the fatalities. Anna Spafford was picked up from floating debris by the crew of the Lockhearn. She was taken to Cardiff, Wales where she telegraphed her husband Horatio. Anna's cable was brief and heartbreaking, "Saved alone. What shall I do..."

As soon as he received Anna's telegram, Horatio left Chicago without delay to bring his wife home. Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean the captain of the ship called Horatio to the bridge. He informed Horatio that "A careful reckoning has been made and I believe we are now passing the place where the Ville du Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." That night, alone in his cabin Horatio G. Spafford penned the words to his famous hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul." Horatio's faith in God never faltered. He later wrote Anna's half-sister, "On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the waters three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs."

After Anna was rescued, Pastor Nathaniel Weiss, one of the ministers traveling with Anna and Horatio's group remembered hearing Anna say, "God gave me four daughters. Now they have been taken from me. Someday I will understand why." Anna was utterly devastated. In her grief and despair, Anna heard a soft voice speaking to her, "You were saved for a purpose!" It was then Anna remembered something a friend had once said, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

God blessed Anna and Horatio with three children. They had a son in 1876 and a daughter in 1878. Tragically, their son did at the age of 4 just as his brother before him, he died from scarlet fever. They had another daughter in 1880. After the loss of little Horatio, the Spaffords decided to leave their home in America and settle in Jerusalem. In September of 1881 the Spaffords and a few of their friends left America for Israel. 

The group settled in the old part of Jerusalem and started a work which later became known as the "American Colony." There they served the needy, helped the poor, cared for the sick and took in homeless children. Their only cause was to show those living about them the love of Jesus.

Bertha Spafford Vester, wrote the following in her book "Our Jerusalem."

"In Chicago, Father searched his life for explanation. Until now, it had flowed gently as a river. Spiritual peace and worldly security had sustained his early years, his family life and his home . . . All around him people were asking the unvoiced question; 'What guilt had brought this sweeping tragedy to Anna and Horatio Spafford?' . . . Father became convinced that God was kind and that he would see his children again in heaven. This thought calmed his heart, but it was to bring Father into open conflict with what was then the Christian world . . .  To Father, this was a passing through the "valley of the shadow of death," but his faith came through triumphant and strong. On the high seas, near the place where his children perished, he wrote the hymn that was to give comfort to so many:"

It Is Well With My Soul 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
(refrain)
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(refrain)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(refrain)

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
(refrain)

In 1876, P.P. Bliss put Horatio Spafford's words to music.

It is believed that Horatio took the words "It is well" from the words of the Shunammite woman who lost her only son but was later raised from the dead by Elisha. (II Kings 4:26 )

Horatio G. Spafford Born October 20, 1828 in Lansingburgh, New York Died of Malaria on October 16, 1888 in Jerusalem Anna Spafford  Born in Stavanger, Norway, in 1842, continued to work in the surrounding areas of Jerusalem until her death in 1923.  The Spaffords were laid to eternal rest in Jerusalem. It can be said that "It Is Well With Their Souls."

Bible Reading and Prayer

I heard a statistic that the average Christian prays only 5 minutes a day and, if they read their Bible, it might be for 15 minutes a day. This Bible says that we are to pray without ceasing. Do I live my life in an attitude of prayer? Do I get into the Word so that the Word gets into me?

I believe both actions are related. I just completed an Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God  by Henry and Richard Blackaby and Claude King. (I would recommend this teaching for everyone.) It teaches that "God pursues a continual love relationship with you that is real and personal." How can I know God if I don't read His Word? I can't! How can I really talk to God if I don't know Him? How more intimate can my conversations be with God if I actually knew Him?

I will be honest, I have been struggling with reading my Bible. My prayer life has be superficial. Along with that, my relationship with God has suffered. How can I have a relationship with someone if I don't even communicate with? I am going to purposely read my Bible and let you know how it is going.

In our nightly devotions with the girls, we were challenged to read one chapter from Proverbs for each day in the month of September.

What verse in Proverbs 1 jumped off the page?

Verse 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Boy, this verse could not be more of an affirmation that I am doing what I am supposed to do.

My daughter is using History Revealed--I am reading what she is reading in the Old Testament. Today it is Genesis 1-5.

I helped my other daughter with her Sunday School lessons. We read about Rehoboam and Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12:1-12 and 2 Chronicles 12:1-9. The lesson was about following God and being careful who you choose as friends.

I am reading from the New Testament everyday. I am going to read at least one chapter from the Gospel of Matthew.

I am hoping that I can type some insight into things that I read, but for right now I am going to be faithful to God and fellowship with Him through Bible reading and prayer.

The Southern Ten Commandments

1. Just one God. 

2. Put nothin' before God. 

3. Watch yer mouth . . .  

4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin'. 

5. Honor yer Ma & Pa. 

6. No killin'. 

7. No foolin' around with another feller's gal (or 'nother gal's feller). 

8. Don't take what ain't yorn. 

9. No tellin' tales or gossipin'. 

10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff. 

Now that's plain an' simple. And bless your little cotton pickin heart.

Catechism for Children by Paul Washer

The Weight of the Cross

All I Can Say Is . . .

PREACH IT PASTOR! Voddie Baucham

Art Azurdia "The Unequaled Greatness of The Son of God"

Amazing! Worth the time to watch.

Why do I homeschool . . .?

Why do I homeschool? Since public school is starting (or has started), this question has been asked quite a lot.

So I started thinking -- why do I homeschool?

My first response used to be that I homeschool because, in general, the public (government) school system is terrible. I know there are extremely good teachers in the system, but what if my daughter doesn't get that fantastic teacher? Oh well! Also, even if the teacher is fantastic, do I really want to expose my children to someone else's worldview for 40 hours a week? Am I willing to render my children to Caeser?

But it goes so much deeper than that--actually the reason I homeschool has nothing to do with educating my children. Well, not in the traditional sense of the word. My first and foremost reason for homeschooling is to raise my children in the Lord.



I have two beautiful girls. In a society where the divorce rate among Christian couples is about the same as non-Christian couples, where it is ok (even encouraged) to have sex at a younger and younger age and where purity and modesty are laughed at, I want to guide and educate my girls in what God says about women and their roles in society. I want them to know how much God loves them and cherishes them and that if it is God's will, they find a husband that loves and cherishes them as Christ does. I want them to be spiritually strong women of Christ.

I am still learning about this myself--I did not even hear about the "Proverb 31 Woman" until a couple of years ago and just kind of heard about Titus 2:4-5. I have been reading fantastic books by Voddie Baucham and have been challenged in my thinking in many areas. Some of them being about the churches' role in spiritually raising my children. That is another blog. I also have some wonderful blogs by wonderful women of God (some of them I know personally--some I know only through their blogs) that I follow. I need to add some of them to my blog list--I will put that I my "to do list." I would recommend reading this post by my friend at Keepers At Home.

For those of you who are worried, YES--I do teach my girls the three R's. It is just not the primary reason WHY I homeschool.

Spiritual Heritage Resolution

Congressman Forbes asks the questions "Did America ever consider itself a Judeo-Christian nation?" and "If America was once a Judeo-Christian nation, when did it cease to be?" on the floor of the US House.