I think it is safe to say

that if each of us threw our troubles in a pile and saw everyone else's, we would most certainly want ours back.

While some of the hurdles I must get over are quite large, I know that my God is larger and will see me through. I pray for all of those who have not come to the Truth yet and don't feel there is anyone helping them. He loves us all and those that come to know Him will be blessed.

ISAIAH 46:4

And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

 That said, I must thank ~ Andrea ~ for the

Lemonade Award!

Me and lemons weren't always so good together.

I didn't realize how easy it is to make lemonade.

We are { lousy with it } now though!

So I accept this award because I have come a long way but

I give the Glory to God

luke 12: 22-31

For two years people have been asking me why I moved my family from Chicago to Pana. My answer until late was "My father owns property in Shelbyville and we always enjoyed coming down for vacations."

What did I know...

To those that ask me now, the answer is considerably different now that I know the truth.

Several years ago I was living my life my way and my kids were headed in the same direction.

I thank God every day for what He did.

See, I was so far off course that He had to completely change my life in order to get me on my path

{ H O M E }.

Two years ago I bought a very large house that had (still has) very large problems. Buuuuuuuut, without that critical move I would not have met Bro. Daniel. He, as most of us in our town know, has a deep burden for all souls and he invited us to church. ... We have since been baptized in Jesus' name and given our lives over to God.

I also thank God every day for what Bro. Daniel did.

On November 30th (this past Monday) I bought a new home in Pana for my family. I had been impressed on to do so and I watched as God stepped in to make it all possible, the acceptance of my very low offer, the help I needed from my mother, the timing of it all...only God could do what was done!

I was working on my water heater that night when I cut my finger. My Sunshine followed me into the bathroom as I searched for a band-aid, in our new house, where none of our things had yet been moved to. The bathroom closet is still home to items that the previous owner left behind - candles, linens, hair dryers and ashtrays. I joked to My Sunshine, "What are the chances of finding a band-aid in with this stuff?!"

and then I opened the storage door.

There on the shelf sat:

a reminder that He knows the beginning from the end

my confirmation that I had been obedient in buying this house

a faith-builder for My Sunshine

a reason to stop everything and thank God for how He orchestrates everything in our lives ever so perfectly when we listen for and follow His directions

* a one, single band-aid *

Thank you Jesus.

²²And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

 ²³The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

 ²⁴Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

 ²⁵And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

 ²⁶If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

 ²⁷Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 ²⁸If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

 ²⁹And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

 ³⁰For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

 ³¹But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

responsibilities

I wake up each morning and graciously thank God that I have these people to be responsible for:

{ My Sunshine }

{ My Angel }

{ Miss Thang }

{ My Birdy }

My life also bring other responsibilities. I have bills to be paid on time. I am the lunch lady for my church's Christian Academy. We attend several church services a week plus a Bible study (these are more privileges than responsibilities.) I am the teacher here at home. As a single parent I also do all of the maintenance on my home. Right now I am closing on a house that needs a little work. I have a busy schedule.

We all have very busy lives.

BUT

We need to remember that our responsibilities don't stop there.

Matthew 18:12-15

How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Matthew 28:19-20

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

I pray today and always that I have the courage to reach out and tell everyone that I can about my Savior.

Still don't think it is your responsibility?...watch this video and give it a little more thought.

the 1st day of the rest of our lives

I receive Daily Focus emails from Alpha Omega Publications. After our devotions, we post the verse of the day on a chalkboard in our kitchen. It never ceases to amaze me how relevant these verses are to our daily happenings! I am so thankful for these "faith builders".

This morning, like every other, we gathered in our classroom and read the verse:

ACTS 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 

It is a verse we all need to know. As a mother it is my job to make sure my children learn this, love this, live this.

A couple months ago we (My Sunshine, My Angel and I) were supposed to be baptized. The day before it was scheduled, My Sunshine was diagnosed with mono and we ended up spending the next day in the hospital. The baptisms were put off.

I have felt a burden lately to take this next step of obedience even though everyone isn't well yet. So, last week I scheduled it for today.

I love that God is always proving His presence in our lives. He is constantly giving me assurance when I am on the right path, and punishing me when I go against His word. Today, on the day we are being baptized, I received assurance.

The closing prayer for today's devotion was

Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die for my sins. I confess that I have sinned and accept Your free gift of eternal life today. Take my life and use it to glorify You. In the wonderful name of Jesus, Amen.

look up

Jeremiah 4:13

Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

 The sky tonight was

absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

I wondered how many people noticed.

It only lasted a few moments.

I wondered what He was feeling.

I am thankful that He shared this with me.

we're not wise

We started officially homeschooling in 2002. We had done it prior to that but 2002 is the year we sat down as a family and decided what the name of our school would be and what curriculum we would go forward with.

For our name we (probably more like I decided and they agreed) chose

{ WISE Learning Program }

Wisdom In Seeking Experiences Learning Program

The name itself encapsulated our direction. I liked the idea of unschooling over homeschooling. I believed what I could teach them of life would far surpass any book knowledge they might retain. It has been very successful...

for the most part.

My children are courteous (usually), selfless (as much as children could be), generous - extremely generous, helpful and funny. They are well rounded children and get along well with their peers, my peers, and their siblings' peers. What I imagined for my family those years ago is darn close to where we ended up. I could have been more organized but that seemed to be the complaint I heard from most busy moms so we continued on.

I had always considered myself lucky for having my children and being able to successfully work from home while schooling them but I never gave God the glory for such blessings.

2009 - The kids and I get together with our neighbors for weekly Bible studies. It turns out I hadn't paid much attention in the past to how His Word applies to me and my family. I grew up Catholic and then spent most of my 20's acting as if there was no God and then most of my 30's were spent struggling.

His Word spoke loud and clear to me...as it does to anyone seeking the Truth. One of my first convictions was to realize I am not in control of our lives because they are not our own to control. After foolishly believing for so long that I am in control, there are many changes that need to be made. I  remind myself of this everyday.

One of the changes I felt necessary to make is of course our direction as a homeschooling family. We no longer are seeking experiences but a greater relationship with The Almighty God. Our direction is not our own but where and how the Bible directs us. I no longer plan our day but allow His Word to lead us. We no longer struggle with organization because I'm not trying to put things together in a neat little 6 hour block of time.

David eventually realized that God was in control and would make difficult or remove anything standing in the way of David knowing this. It was only then that David received God's full blessings and it was then that David turned his life over to praising and glorifying God. Psalms is one of my favorite books in the Bible. David's words of praise inspire me to be more for Our Father.

We will no longer use the name WISE Learning Program. Our purpose in school, in family and in life is to Praise God for all He has done for us.

We (and I mean we) have recently changed our name to match our direction

(it is not a coincidence that it also matches our blog name)

School Name: Praise Like David

Principal/Administrator/Teacher: God

in the stairwell

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say "Goodbye." I held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, "Honey, I am not going to make it, but it is OK ... I am ready to go." I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. "I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!" I said. "Of course I will show you the way home - only believe on Me now."

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was with the Firefighters, the Police Officers, the Emergency Workers. I was there, watching each brave step they took.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas, Kansas, London. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor. Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; "Come to Me...this way...take My hand." Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

September 11, 2001 was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well.

Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are "ready to go." I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

~~~ God ~~~

Written by: Stacey Randall

an original masterpiece

A big Thank You to Chick Hatchers for posting this skit.