As a home school family, the fact that we live on a tight budget is a bit of an understatement. This is why I have absolutely fallen in love with CRAIGSLIST! Over the course of the past 6 weeks, we have been blessed to find a complete living room set (sofa, loveseat, and chair...all matching), a pull-behind bike trailer for our little one, and a beautiful nearly new bunk bed - all for under $300 total! I feel as though I have won the lottery or something this summer!
Our old furniture had nearly sunk completely to the floor and was ripped wide open in two places. I couldn't stand to look at it anymore, but there was just nothing in the budget for new furniture. We had promised the girls bunkbeds when I was pregnant, and promised to still try to get them even after we discovered that there was no longer a need to move them into the same room. *As a side note, I LOVE that my girls want so desperately to be together in one bedroom!* Maia has finally gotten the hang of biking without training wheels and we have found great enjoyment in getting out and excercising riding as a family...but Hannah just couldn't keep up on her little bike.
I am just so excited, I had to share. You see, since I have found this wonderful site, everytime we need something that I am sure we can't afford, I have asked God to help us find what we need cheap on Craigslist...and He has! I'll have to post some pictures of our family enjoying our new blessings soon.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Christians and drinking
This seems to be a hot topic lately. We just discussed it in our small group a few weeks ago and I just found a discussion about it on Happy To Be Called Mommy's site. I thought I'd share my feelings by posting on my blog the comments that I left on hers. Here it is:
I grew up in a Christian home, attended Christian school, spent every Sunday at church and believed that a little drink now and then (as an adult over 21) was fine. I knew 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, 2 Corinthians 6:3, and particularly Romans 14, but really believed that as long as I was out alone with my husband, or in my own home...a single drink every now and then was fine for me.
When I was about 27, my husband and I were HS youth leaders in our church and were very active in other ministries. One night, I was having dinner with some of my girlfriends for a girl's night out about an hour away from home. We were ordering our drinks and I started to order a mixed drink, but decided on an iced tea (due to budget concerns) instead. We had a wonderful dinner and as we stood to leave, one of the new teenaged boys to our youth ministry came to bus our table. He remembered me and said "Bye, Miss Lisa...see you Wednesday". It was that night when I decided to never drink another alcoholic drink again. I realized that it doesn't matter where we are, we are a testimony...either good or bad. I never know who may be watching me. If I had ordered that drink, he wouldn't have known whether it was my first drink of the year or my 5th drink of the night. I could have severely damaged my testimony for the LORD without ever really doing anything wrong. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all APPEARANCE of evil."
It's not that I believe that the drinking of any alcoholic drink is a sin for any Christian. I believe that because I have been convicted in my spirit not to drink, then it would be a sin for me to drink (Romans 14:19-23: Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.[a] 22 Do you have faith?[b] Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.[c]).
Sooo, in my desire for holiness (1 Peter 1:16 "for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."), I have decided that abstaining from alcohol was a small price to pay to preserve a good testimony for the Lord.
Please don't hear this as judgemental. Just something to think about.
I grew up in a Christian home, attended Christian school, spent every Sunday at church and believed that a little drink now and then (as an adult over 21) was fine. I knew 1 Corinthians 10:23-33, 2 Corinthians 6:3, and particularly Romans 14, but really believed that as long as I was out alone with my husband, or in my own home...a single drink every now and then was fine for me.
When I was about 27, my husband and I were HS youth leaders in our church and were very active in other ministries. One night, I was having dinner with some of my girlfriends for a girl's night out about an hour away from home. We were ordering our drinks and I started to order a mixed drink, but decided on an iced tea (due to budget concerns) instead. We had a wonderful dinner and as we stood to leave, one of the new teenaged boys to our youth ministry came to bus our table. He remembered me and said "Bye, Miss Lisa...see you Wednesday". It was that night when I decided to never drink another alcoholic drink again. I realized that it doesn't matter where we are, we are a testimony...either good or bad. I never know who may be watching me. If I had ordered that drink, he wouldn't have known whether it was my first drink of the year or my 5th drink of the night. I could have severely damaged my testimony for the LORD without ever really doing anything wrong. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all APPEARANCE of evil."
It's not that I believe that the drinking of any alcoholic drink is a sin for any Christian. I believe that because I have been convicted in my spirit not to drink, then it would be a sin for me to drink (Romans 14:19-23: Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.[a] 22 Do you have faith?[b] Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.[c]).
Sooo, in my desire for holiness (1 Peter 1:16 "for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."), I have decided that abstaining from alcohol was a small price to pay to preserve a good testimony for the Lord.
Please don't hear this as judgemental. Just something to think about.
Prayer Request
Jai Brinkofski from the local band CheckGuage sent out a prayer request thru Myspace for a close family friend. Goto http://www.leblanclife.com and read about Misty, a very young mother (27) who has Stage IV Brain Cancer- She has been given very little time to live, but her husband is seeking prayer warriors to pray for a miracle.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Contentment
This week in our Compass Group we are studying 1 Timothy 6:6-19 NKJV. Verses 6-8 state "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content." Then skipping down to 17: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
I was given such a vivid picture of discontentment this weekend, that I just had to share. My husband and I both just celebrated our birthdays over the past 2 weeks and our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday. As a gift, my sister and her husband so generously gave us a gift card to a very nice seafood restaurant (complete with overnight babysitting) for us to use on our anniversary. You know, the kind of restaurant that we would normally admire from afar, but never spend the money to go to on our own. Tom and I were talking and laughing and enjoying our time alone by candlelight dinner overlooking the marina. We couldn't help but overhear the man next to us whining and complaining about his life and how miserable he was with his pathetic salary...etc. It was obvious from his conversation that his salary couldn't possibly be all that "pathetic" and that he dined quite frequently at restaurants like this one.
That night I rediscovered how truly beautiful contentment really is...and how ugly discontentment can be! Contentment is something to be pursued, prayed for, eagerly sought after. Contentment allowed me to enjoy that beautiful, delicious dinner and still believe with all my heart that no fancy restaurant can compare to our dinners at home around our table, maybe eating just frozen pizza, but surrounded by giggles and silly stories and love, trusting the Lord to provide all our needs. I'm not saying that I prefer to never go out alone with my hubby. We had a wonderful date night, reminiscing over the past 11 years (16 counting all of our years as sweethearts) and dreaming about the future. We need that time to come away from everything and focus on each other. What I am saying is that we don't need a lot of money or possessions to live RICHLY! I was even able to thank God for placing us at a table next to that whining man. After listening to his complaining for awhile, I looked at Tom and said "We are SO BLESSED!" -and he had to agree!
Proverbs 19:23 "The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil."
I was given such a vivid picture of discontentment this weekend, that I just had to share. My husband and I both just celebrated our birthdays over the past 2 weeks and our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday. As a gift, my sister and her husband so generously gave us a gift card to a very nice seafood restaurant (complete with overnight babysitting) for us to use on our anniversary. You know, the kind of restaurant that we would normally admire from afar, but never spend the money to go to on our own. Tom and I were talking and laughing and enjoying our time alone by candlelight dinner overlooking the marina. We couldn't help but overhear the man next to us whining and complaining about his life and how miserable he was with his pathetic salary...etc. It was obvious from his conversation that his salary couldn't possibly be all that "pathetic" and that he dined quite frequently at restaurants like this one.
That night I rediscovered how truly beautiful contentment really is...and how ugly discontentment can be! Contentment is something to be pursued, prayed for, eagerly sought after. Contentment allowed me to enjoy that beautiful, delicious dinner and still believe with all my heart that no fancy restaurant can compare to our dinners at home around our table, maybe eating just frozen pizza, but surrounded by giggles and silly stories and love, trusting the Lord to provide all our needs. I'm not saying that I prefer to never go out alone with my hubby. We had a wonderful date night, reminiscing over the past 11 years (16 counting all of our years as sweethearts) and dreaming about the future. We need that time to come away from everything and focus on each other. What I am saying is that we don't need a lot of money or possessions to live RICHLY! I was even able to thank God for placing us at a table next to that whining man. After listening to his complaining for awhile, I looked at Tom and said "We are SO BLESSED!" -and he had to agree!
Proverbs 19:23 "The fear of the LORD leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil."
Thursday, July 3, 2008
A visit with a good friend :)
Today, I was looking for something to do with the kids to get them out of the house since hubby was working at home. A sweet friend of mine told me I should bring them over to see her baby ducks and chickens. My girls had the BEST time holding the baby ducks, feeding the fish in the pond and the chickens (and even gathering an egg out of the coop). What a wonderful hour spent relaxing and chatting with a girlfriend while the girls giggles and squealed over their new feathered friends.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
A few little fun facts about me
I found this on Bethany's site, so here are my ABC’s. You can do it too, just copy, paste, delete my answers and put in your own.
A)Age- 31
B)Burger of choice- homemade burger cooked on the grill by my hubby (aka the Grill King)
C)What kind of car you drive- currently my hubby's Toyota Corolla (so sporty...I love it!) Not much room, but GREAT gas mileage!
D)Dogs name- Don’t have one
E)Essential item you use everyday- toilet paper - I think that is quite essential!
F)Favorite TV show- Little House on the Prairie
G)Favorite game to play- Mexican Train with a big group
H)Hometown- I like to be mysterious :)
I)Instruments you play- guitar, though not great
J)Favorite Juice- orange
K)Whose butt you would love to kick- I'm not a violent person, so not in a literal sense, but I would love to see a certain democratic presidential candidate have his butt kicked by a certain republican presidential candidate in the upcoming election...oh...and Oprah Winfrey for leading so many people astray (but again, not literally :) )
L)Last restaurant you ate at- Luke's Grill
M)Favorite Muppet- Animal
N)Number of piercings- 4 (2 in each ear), but they've probably closed up since I never wear earrings anymore
O)Overnight hospital stays- 4- two when I was a child having tonsils out and then adenoids out, the when I had each of my children.
P) People you were with today- my hubby (although I was sleeping, so does that count?) and my children
Q)What you do in your quiet time- pray and read my Bible
R)Biggest regret- Ever taking the Pill (I've recently done some extensive research that has convinced me that they DO in fact cause abortions when preventing ovulation fails)
Maybe wasting time and money on earning a degree that I don't use
S)Status- Very happily married
T)Time you woke up- 7:30ish
U)What you consider unique about yourself-I'm happily married to my high school sweetheart
V)Vegetables you love- I love almost all veggies. Tomatoes and corn on the cob are my favorites today
W)Worst habit- procrastinating/wasting time on the computer :)
X)X-rays you have had- arm, dental, hips, all kind of digestive x-rays, do ultrasounds count?
Y)Yummy food you ate today- nothing yummy yet...ate a poptart (yuk) because there was nothing healthy in the house (I need to go grocery shopping)
Z)Zodiac sign-I have NO IDEA
A)Age- 31
B)Burger of choice- homemade burger cooked on the grill by my hubby (aka the Grill King)
C)What kind of car you drive- currently my hubby's Toyota Corolla (so sporty...I love it!) Not much room, but GREAT gas mileage!
D)Dogs name- Don’t have one
E)Essential item you use everyday- toilet paper - I think that is quite essential!
F)Favorite TV show- Little House on the Prairie
G)Favorite game to play- Mexican Train with a big group
H)Hometown- I like to be mysterious :)
I)Instruments you play- guitar, though not great
J)Favorite Juice- orange
K)Whose butt you would love to kick- I'm not a violent person, so not in a literal sense, but I would love to see a certain democratic presidential candidate have his butt kicked by a certain republican presidential candidate in the upcoming election...oh...and Oprah Winfrey for leading so many people astray (but again, not literally :) )
L)Last restaurant you ate at- Luke's Grill
M)Favorite Muppet- Animal
N)Number of piercings- 4 (2 in each ear), but they've probably closed up since I never wear earrings anymore
O)Overnight hospital stays- 4- two when I was a child having tonsils out and then adenoids out, the when I had each of my children.
P) People you were with today- my hubby (although I was sleeping, so does that count?) and my children
Q)What you do in your quiet time- pray and read my Bible
R)Biggest regret- Ever taking the Pill (I've recently done some extensive research that has convinced me that they DO in fact cause abortions when preventing ovulation fails)
Maybe wasting time and money on earning a degree that I don't use
S)Status- Very happily married
T)Time you woke up- 7:30ish
U)What you consider unique about yourself-I'm happily married to my high school sweetheart
V)Vegetables you love- I love almost all veggies. Tomatoes and corn on the cob are my favorites today
W)Worst habit- procrastinating/wasting time on the computer :)
X)X-rays you have had- arm, dental, hips, all kind of digestive x-rays, do ultrasounds count?
Y)Yummy food you ate today- nothing yummy yet...ate a poptart (yuk) because there was nothing healthy in the house (I need to go grocery shopping)
Z)Zodiac sign-I have NO IDEA
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