One of our Favorite things!

Amberly loves riding horses. This is a special passion of hers and she gets out on horseback as often as possible!!!

Love this one! Happy Acorn Hunting!

Sweet Benjamin, enjoying some 'nature' finds!

Checking out an Acorn

This is from last November up in the Bay Area. We were getting ready to ride Bart into San Francisco. The charm of an acorn!

Choosing what's better

I want to be like Mary. I want to be the one that sits at Jesus' feet and chooses to be with Him rather than being busy about my business. I want to see clearly whether I am serving Him or serving my self. I want to do what is best according to Him, not necessarily what I think seems best. There are so many good things in my path. So many choices. So many opportunities. Where do I go? What do I do? What do I say? When do I go, when do I stay? What is most important?
All of these questions beg to be answered by each of us every day, and the only place we can get these answers is at the foot of the cross. Have you been there? I am on my way!!!!

1 Corinthians 10:23 "Everything is permissible--but not everything is beneficial, "Everything is permissible'--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.



Luke 10:41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

'Lover of Christ'

In our homeschooling adventure this week, we studied Bernard of Clairvaux, 1090-1153. He was known as 'Lover of Christ.' I wouldn't mind going by that name, would you?

"He who is filled with the love of God," he said, "is easily moved by everything in the Word.."
Let us be teachable, and always ready to read and respond to God's word.


"We must root out our personal will," Bernard told them, "the will that is purely our own, that which is not in tune with the will of God." ---Bernard of Clairvaux

Often, we need to ask God to change our hearts. Change our thoughts. Change our will. And to conform it to His. As we grow and become more spiritually mature, our hearts change. Our minds change. We are transformed. We become more like Jesus. And God answers our prayer when we pray, "not my will, but yours, be done." He takes away our 'old' will, our worldly, earthly, fleshly will; and he gives us his glorious, new, holy and good, pure will.

Bernard is remembered as a lover of Christ. "My God, my love," he often prayed, "how You love me!"

Perhaps his favorite verse in the Bible was Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but my God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

He wrote hymns, such as "Jesus Thou Joy of Loving Hearts," and "O Sacred Head Now Wounded."

Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
From the best bliss which earth imparts
We turn unfilled to Thee again.

Where are we trying to fill up? In order to give and pour into others' lives, we have to be filled with something. Are we coming often to God's word, to be renewed and restored and refilled? We need the word, our food. When we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we are parched when we have not been in the word of God.
To have a holy life, we have to have holy habits. Scripture is a beautiful place to start. It points us to God. It reveals Him. It is his gift of love to us. Are we missing it? Are we lonely, wishing for the perfect friend? He is so close. And He has shared His heart. All we have to do is sit down and ponder His word. He will do the rest!

Give

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38

What holds us back from giving? If we are being nudged by the Holy Spirit to give, and we don't give, then what happens? We lose. There is a blessing in giving. We won't know it at the time, and we won't be motivated by the blessing, but it will come when we give out of obedience. Living for God's pleasure, we will do things that look odd to others. But we have to trust God's leading, obey his direction, and watch to see what He will do!

Bringin' Confession back

I think we need to bring back the lost art of confession. I know that we know we ought to confess our sins, but somehow, we often skip that part of prayer. God told us to confess our sins. He wants to purify us. We need to ask. It takes humility. It takes slowing down and being quiet. Self-evaluation. Prayer. Confession. Repentance. Healing. Oh my goodness, why don't we go to the foot of the cross and be healed, purified and made new? We all need a fresh start and clean slate.
We can start with the prayer of David in Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."


James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.