What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been~

As I've spent some time this morning making some preparations for Christmas, my thoughts have wandered over the last year, and over the last 5 months in particular. Even now, as we are just coming out of a storm, so to speak, it is overwhelming to me to think of all that God has done.

Those who know us are familiar with some of what we have faced. My husband became ill in early July of this year. Within days, what had begun as one illness seemed to morph into several different conditions all at once. We do not know, and will probably never know for sure, whether the conditions my husband faced were all medically related to one another, or whether having them all occur so close together was simply a part of God's plan.

I think we must have felt, at some point during the last 5 months, every emotion that it is possible to feel~fear for his health, and a brief period of fear for his life.

There was frustration with our inability to "get a handle" on my husband's condition, weariness with the seemingly endless medical appointments, moments of fear over what the next medical test might reveal, concern over the financial fall out of all the time lost at work and the ever mounting medical bills, and I could go on and on.

However, what I really sat down here to write today was about all the GOOD things that have happened to us along the way, and the amazing God that we serve, Who gave us these gifts in the midst of our storm.

He led us to EXACTLY the right doctor for our family. I was SO upset a couple of years ago when our doctor, whom we liked very much and felt we could trust, decided to leave his private practice. I see God's hand in it now. He led us to a doctor who loves the Lord and is not shy about sharing that with his patients. Several times over the last five months, our doctor has stood in the esamination room and prayed with us, and let us know that he is praying for us. That has meant SO much to us.

There came a night during all of this when the onset of yet another medical conditon caused my husband to undergo a sudden and marked personality change. This was a VERY unsettling thing, but God was present through it all, and He allowed us to feel His presence in an almost tangible wasy. God also worked miracles the next morning by removing scheduling obstacles and other hindrances so we were able to find and begin treating the problem quickly.

God has been good, and merciful, and faithful to us. While my husband has been through a LOT in the last five months, we know that it could have been so much worse.
While we both have had moments of asking God why He allowed all of this to happen, we both take comfort in knowing that HE has a plan, whether we can clearly see it or not.

God has led us to not only the primary care doctor we needed, but every specialist to whom we have been referred, (all 6 of them!) have been caring and helpful. We have come in contact with some wonderful folks in the medical profession, many of them christians~from many of the nurses who cared for my husband during his six day hospitalization, to the nurses, assistants, technicians, and office staff of every doctor we have seen, I cannot think of a single time when we encountered anyone who seemed uncaring, unprofessional, or incompetent at their jobs. Given the number of medical professionals with whom we have come in contact, that is remarkable.

We have witnessed God's miracle of healing. It may have come slowly, but it came in God's time. We have witnessed financial miracles~income from completely unexpected sources, bills being paid when, in man's view, there was no way to pay them, but God made a way. My husband missed a solid three moths of work due to his illness, and more than that when you consider his hospitalization and the large number of days missed for medical appointments, and yet, our bills have been paid, there has always been more than enough food on the table, the money has been there for ALL of the seemingly endless co-pays and prescriptions, and our children have had everything they needed, and then some. ONLY our loving, all mighty Heavely Father can do that!!

Beyond the excellent medical care and the financial provisions, God has blessed us with so much more. All of the time out of work, while financially difficult, has allowed us time toghether as a family that we would not otherwise have had. Our children have been first hand witnesses to the power of prayer, the power of God, and what it feels like to truly have His peace that passes all understanding. To say that this is pricelss is an understatement.

I have come to beleive that sometimes God DOES let us have our cake and eat it too, as the saying goes. In addition to restoring my husband's health and meeting all of our needs, we have just come back from a wonderful weekend trip with family, we've been able to put more gifts under our tree than we thought would be possible this year, and I will be spending the next couple of days preparing for what I know will be a joyous and peaceful celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior.

On that note, we want to say thanks, with all our heats, to everyone who helped us through these last five months~during the time that my husband was out of work, we had folks come by the house with groceries, others shared provisions to meet specific needs, some cared for our children during my husband's hospitalization and many, many medical appointments, and many more called, sent notes, and prayed. We are grateful to each and every one.

We don't believe that God is finished yet. We believe that some of God's purposes in all of this have yet to come to light, and that He has and is still using all that's happened in the last five moths for our good, and for His glory. Praise His Holy Name!

In His Love,
Vicki

So, Why Are YOU Weird?

My kids are constantly telling me I'm weird. When I tell my 13 year old that I would never have been caught dead wearing jeans with holes in them at her age, she says "Mom, you're weird". When I tell my 11 year old daughter that her hair hanging in her face bugs me, she says "Mom, you're weird." When I turn up the radio and sing along, my 9 year old son says, "Mom, you're weird".

So, I've come to accept the fact that, for one reason or another, my kids are going to think I'm weird. That's okay. I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it :)) Tonight, as I watched one of the sessions of Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself study, she gave an illustration. She shared the fact that one of the ways she enjoys praising God is by applauding Him when He answers prayers or shows Himself in her life. One day, after finding something they really needed while out running errands, Beth asked her college aged daughter to join her in giving God a round of applause. Her daughter, with a grin, said "Mom, you are the weirdest person in the entire world!"

My first thought was that I am so glad that other people's children think they are weird too!! YAY! I feel so much better now! Then, I thought about this~my kids think I"m weird because of my opinion of the current fashions and hair styles, and my music, and my quirky likes and dislikes. Beth's daughter called her weird because of the way she chose to express praise to God. You know what? I think I"m a little jealous!!

Let's face it. If you have children above the age of 5, I'm almost positive that they think you are weird for SOME reason, so why not let it be for how you praise God, or how excited you get over church services on Sunday morning, or how happy you are to go to Bible study every week, or how you pray about EVERYTHING ?

So, why are YOU weird?
Blessings,
Vicki

The Best Laid Plans

Listen to me. Hold close what you have. Your wives, husbands, and children. Every fantasy I had that what is precious to me is too good to be taken was destroyed last night. There are NO guarantees. Every moment we have here is a gift. Live that while you can.

What you read above are the words of Christian Hooker, who last night lost his wife and the mother of his 5 precious daughters to a massive heart attack. Christina was just 35 years old, and in apparent good health 2 days ago. She was a loving wife and adoring, homeschooling Mom to 5 girls, ages 3 to 15.

It seems, as I look around me today, that there is SO much suffering everywhere! Last week, I learned that my friend Lisa had not survived a risky surgery. Just a few days later, antoher friend, Jim, died suddenly of a heart attack. Then, I got word that Christina, whose husband's words are quoted above, was in ICU fighting for her life. That same night, I learned that my friend Mary Ann's cancer has returned, and that the doctors are offering her no hope.

I sit here and comtemplate all of this, and my own problems, which seemed so large a few days ago, now seem insignificant. My husband became ill in mid-July. He spent 6 days in the hospital and the next 3 months unable to work, or even to drive. But, because of God's grace, there was never a point at which his life was in danger. The condition he had could have developed in to something dangerous, but it did not.

Certainly, we struggled with "cabin fever" at times, with neither of us being able to drive, and even now, we are feeling the financial effects of his having been out of work for so long. Yes, life has been something of a struggle for the last 3 months, but today, it matters not in the least.

Late last night, I found myself unable to sleep, and talking with God. I did what I think many of my friends were doing~I asked God WHY? Why take Lisa, when her family needed her? Why break the hearts of Jim's mother, wife, daughters, and all who loved him by taking him so suddenly? Why NOT grant full, immediate healing to Mary Ann, a mother of 3 who has all ready battled cancer twice? WHY take Christina from the husband, parents, and sister who loved her so much, and the 5 sweet girls who need her so much??

As you might have guessed, I didn't get a clear answer for any of my questions. What I DID get was the Holy Spirit repeatedly bringing 2 Scriptures to my mind:

Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)
For I knwo the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Isaiah 55:8,9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my thoughts than your thoughts.

That was the Holy Spirit reiterating to me that I cannot and will not always understand God's plan, but at the same time reassuring me that He HAS a plan.

As I thought on these Scriptures, I began to contemplate some other whys~ Why have I been spared so many things? I've dealt with illness at times, as has my husband but I have never suffered a devestating illness, or had a close family member suffer a catastrophic illness. We have financial hardships, but we've never lost our home, as some of my friends have. Why not?

I don't know. My first reaction is to say "because of the goodness and mercy of God", and in one way, that is true. But, that implies that God has been good and mreciful to ME, but not to Lisa, or Jim, or Mary Ann, or Christina, and that is certainly not true. Any one of them will testify to the goodness and mercy of God.
So, it's not that I have been spared a great deal because God loves me more, or has more mercy or grace for me. I beleive it is simply because His plan for me is not the same plan He has for others.

I am still praying today. I am praying for a miraculous peace and comfort for Lisa's family, for Jim's family, and for Christina's family. I"m praying for peace and a supernatural healing for Mary Ann. And for myself, I am praying that God won't let me forget how I feel today. I am praying that He will constantly remind me to stop complaining, to treasure the time He has given me with the people I love, and most of all, to embrace His plan for my life, trusting that it is for my good.

I fervently pray that each of you will do the same.
In His Love,
Vicki

They Have No Wine

I heard some teaching from Beth Moore recenly, via the "Life Today with James and Betty Robison" television show. It stuck with me, but I wasn't really sure why~wich is to say that I wasn't sure how to apply it to myself, exactly. Then, I took a look back at my last blog post. After I recovered from my surprise at how long it's been since I posted anything on the blog, I re-read my last post.

In that post, I wrote about what Jesus can do with the little that we have, if we just bring it to Him. Then, the significance of what I heard Beth Moore speak about clicked for me. She spoke from John 2:1-10. This portion of Scripture tells the story of the wedding at Cana, during wich Jesus performed His first recorded miracle.
Beth placed particular emphasis on Mary's words to her Son. " They have no more wine".

Not "there's only a little wine left" but "They have NO MORE wine."

So, this thought came to me. I know that even when I only have a little, I can take it to Jesus and He can make it more than enough. But what about those times when there is just NO MORE? Not even a little~but really, truly, NO MORE.

I defintely have times of feeling like I have NO MORE, and I know I can't be the only one who feels this way. I think we all have moments when there is just no more~no more money to pay the bills, no more tolerance for aggravation, no more patience for the trials of life, no more love to show toward those around us, no more wisdom to figure anything out, no more energy to expend any effort, no more time to accomplish everything that needs to get done, no more....well, you fill in the blank.

So, what do we do then? Well, we do what Mary did. She went to Jesus, and said "There is no more wine". And what did Jesus do? He created wine where there wasn't any. You see, He's God. He can do that :)

He CAN create more resources, more tolerance, more patience, more love, more energy, more.....you fill in the blank.

Just as Jesus can take the little bit that you have and make it more than enough, he can create something from nothing. We need only to go to Him and say "Lord, there is no more_______. If we give it to Him, trusting Him completely, He will give us more than enough, even where there was no more.
Blessings,
Vicki

Bring it to Me

Last night, I was reading my Bible and this verse just sort of jumped out at me, so I thought I"d share it. Matthew 14:18~He said, Bring them hither to me. This is Jesus speaking to his disciples. The multitudes following Jesus were hungry, so Jesus told his disciples to feed them. The disciples replied that the only food to be had was a little boy's lunch of 5 loaves and 2 fish. It is clear in this passage that the disciples were thinking "NO WAY can we feed all these people with those loaves and fish!" Jesus' simple solution? Bring them hither to me. When they brought Jesus the bit of food that they had, He not only fed the multitude that was there, but he had the disciples collect the 12 baskets full of leftovers!! He took their little bit and made it MORE than enough! We often think we don't have enough~we feel like we don't have enough time, enough energy, enough strength, enough patience, enough money, enough talent, enough knowledge, and on and on the list could go. But what did Jesus say? Bring them hither to me. Take the little bit that you have~that little bit of time, money, faith, patience, strength, wisdom, etc, and bring it to Jesus. HE will make it MORE than enough. But ONLY if you bring it to Him. In His Love, Vicki

Dating, Courting, and Social Networking, Oh My!!

Yesterday, a discussion took place among some friends of mine about the dangers that social networking webistes like Facebook and MySpace can bring to a marriage. People set up accounts and start spending time on these sites, then find themselves re-united, though perhaps only electronically so, with old friends and with old flames. Sadly, I've heard a handful of stories about marriages that have been broken or badly damaged by online "reuntions" that lead to affairs.

Of course, there are some obvious solutions to safegaurd your marriage from this kind of attack. First, you could just not use social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. Secondly, you could limit your online "friends" to family only, or persons of your own gender. A thrid option, and the one my husband and I employ, is to keep the computer in a central location in the house, and to allow each other ABSOLUTE access to ALL accounts~usernames, passwords, etc.

So, when this conversation took place, I started thinking. My husband and I have a wonderful marriage. It's not perfect, but it's pretty great :) So, I started to think about why it is that we have been spared a lot of the pain and anguish that others have gone through.

It most certainly is not because we are any better, or any smarter than any other married couple. I DO believe though, that we are very, very blessed.

Part of the reason that I don't fear "old flames" harming our marriage is because I don't have any :)) My husband is the only man I ever dated. Now, there is a popular concept among some christians called "courting". I am not sure I understand the concept completely, but from what I gather, in families that promote courting ( as opposed to traditional dating) young men and young ladies spend time together with groups of friends, or with each others family memebers. The young man and young lady do not spend time alone together until they become engaged, I guess. As I said, I"m not sure of the particulars of courting.

In any case, it was never my intention to only date the man I was going to marry. I simply never had any intrest in dating anyone until I met him.

I was blessed with a lot of good friends in high school, and many of them were guys. But I never had any intrest in dating any of them. I just didn't think of them that way. After high school, the first couple of jobs I had placed me in situations where I worked with other women, so I just didn't meet a lot of guys. I could go into a lot of long, boring details here, but I"ll spare you. My point is that even though it was not really a conscious decision on my part, I never went on a date with anyone other than my husband.

It may not have been MY design, but I believe that it was God's design. I was sparend the teen age trauma of break ups and all of the angst that goes along with typical teen dating relationships. My husband is spared any emotional baggage I might have brought into our marriage from relationships like that~and as an added bonus, he knows he has no reason to worry about anyone on my Facebook "friends" list. :))

I can't really see us encouraging our daughters or our son to "court" rather than "date". But you can be sure that we will teach them NOT to date for it's own sake, and I pray earnestly that they will never feel the need to have a "boyfriend" or a "girlfriend" simply because all their friends are "dating someone". My prayer is that they will take to heart what we have taught them~that God has all ready chosen a spouse for them, and that He will bring that person into their lives in His way and in His time, and that He doesn't need our help to do that.

You see, I believe with every fiber of my being that the man I am married to is the man that God chose for me to marry. Believing that with absolute certainty goes a long way toward curbing ANY behavior that could harm our marriage. I hope that each of my children will have that same rock solid belief about their spouse.

I'm not naive. I realize that no marriage is untouchable, and that satan can be very powerful in his attacks, and marriages and families are his favorite targets. I get that. I am just taking this opportunity to say that I believe God placed in my life some protections for my marriage long before I was actually married, and I am far more thankful for that than I feel able to express.

No marriage is perfect, but am more thankful every day for the one God gave me.
Blessings,
Vicki

What I Learned When I Read Twilight

I had NO intention of reading Twilight. Ever.

I first became aware of it while playing with the "Flair" application on Facebook. I began to see a ridiculous amount of "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" flair. I had no clue what it meant, and frankly, didn't care.

I mentioned this to my 17 year old nephew, and he explained to me that these were characters in a series of books. He told me that the books were really good, and encouraged me to read them. I told him right away that I had no intrest in reading about vampires and werewolves, and that he shouldn't be reading that junk either. His reply was that there was nothing "wrong" with stories about vampires.

Not long after this conversation, my then 11 year old daughter began to hear about Twilight from her friends. She asked to be allowed to read the book, and I told her no. I told her that there were much better things that she could spend her time reading. When she asked me WHY I objected to the books, I told her that I didn't like the idea of her reading stories about vampires.

Now, please understand that when my daughter asked her next question, she wasn't trying to be a smart aleck. She certainly CAN be one of those, LOL! but in this instance, she simply wanted to understand. So, she asked, "Mom, if you don't want me to know about vampire stories, why did we go see the play "House of Frankenstein", and why did you let us watch that "Young Frankenstein' movie?"

A while back, my Dad played Dr Frankenstein in a local theater production of "House of Frankenstein". The play was a comedy, very light, very funny, but two of the characters WERE vampires. Just before seeing this play, we had also watched the old Gene Wilder movie "Young Frankenstein"~again, very light, very funny, but contained characters that were vampires, along with werewolves and various other 'monsters".

So, my daughter had a legitimate question. Why were vampires and werewolves okay in a play or movie, but a popular book was forbidden to her simply because it was about vampires and werewolves??

The answer is that I ASSUMED that because the book was about vampires and werewolves, that it would be violent and graphic, and that because it also involved a romance, it would contain inappropriate intimate scenes. I ASSUMED that because a few people that I know objected to the books, they must be bad. Then, my daughter asked another question "But Mom, have you actually READ the book?

So, I told my daughter that I would read the book myself, and THEN decide if she should be allowed to read it or not. MUCH to my surprise, this book did NOT contain gore, it was NOT violent, and it did not contain any inappropriate scenes of intimacy. Having read the book myself, and taking into account my daughters personality and maturity level, I chose to let her read the book. I made a point EVERY day of asking her where she was in the book, and talking with her about what was happening in the story. After about 3 days, she was coming to me on her own to tell me what part of the story she was reading. She was enjoying it, and was excited to be able to discuss it with me.

These conversations led to some WONDERFUL moments with my daughter. We had some great discussions, and I got some good, clear insights into my daughters character, and the kind of person that she is becoming. We followed the same patter with the 3 sequels to Twilight, with me reading each book first before allowing her to read it. Each book led to more really good discussions.

Now, having said all that, let me also say this....I'm not saying that you won't find ANYTHING to object to in these books. I'm not saying that they are appropriate for everyone. I would NOT allow my almost 10 year old daughter to read them. She has no intrest in them at all, but even if she did, I would not allow it for her right now.

I"m not suggesting that everyone run out and read the Twilight books, or allow their children to read them. I"m only saying that in this case, I almost missed out on some great talks with my daughter because I formed an opinion based on assumptions and the opinions of others. One of my goals in homeschooling our children is to teach them to THINK, and to form opinions based on what they learn, NOT on what they ASSUME, or on what they hear other people say.

I just want to make sure that I teach by example.
Blessings,
Vicki
PS~For the record, I thought the books were okay~sort of light, fluff reading. I couldn't care less whether the heroine ended up with the vampire or the werewolf :))

I Can't Stop Singing.....

Remember that little chorus many of us learned in Sunday School that goes "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me"?

I cannot get that song out of my head today. No one will ever be able to convince me that God doesn't care about "little" things, or that God is not involved in EVERY area of our lives.

For the last 15 years, my family has enjoyed the tradition of spending a weekend together in Pigeon Forge, TN in December. There have been times when it looked like we wouldn't be able to make this trip because one family member or another couldn't be there, or it might be financially impossible. But always, each and every year, God has made it possible for me, my husband, our kids, my sisters and their kids, and my parents all to be together for this weekend. He has always provided the finances to make this possible~every time.

This year, I started in September praying about our Pigeon Forge trip this year~praying that everyone would be able to go, praying that finances wouldn't be a problem for anyone, praying that everyone would be healthy and well enough to go, and that we would all be protected from illness, injury, accidents, etc during the trip. This year, I also had an added prayer request. I asked the Lord to show us the best arrangements to make for the care of our little dog, and to keep her healthy and safe while we were gone.

God answered each and every prayer. Everyone's schedule was clear for them to be able to go. That may not sound like much, but we are talking about 6 adults, 4 of which work full time jobs~2 teenagers, 1 of whom works 2 jobs and 4 younger children who are all involved in various activities. So yes, God was in the fact that everyone was able to go on this trip. God also worked out all the financial details. I was sick last week, but felt fine in time for the trip. My sister is fighting a sinus infection, but didn't really begin to feel ill until we were on our way home. My daughter slipped and fell in the pool area and scraped her back up. As cuts and scrapes go, this one was pretty bad, but considering that she fell on wet concrete, she could have been much more seriously injured. God is good.

God provided us with wonderful, dear friends who were willing to care for our dog for the weekend, and He was kind enough to give us complete peace throughout the weekend that our dearly loved pet would be fine. God is good.

On top of all of that, we spent Saturday strolling through Gatlinburg, TN. God blessed us with just enough snow to make it refreshing and beautiful, without causing terrible driving conditions or such extreme cold that we couldn't enjoy being outside. God is good.

When we got home last night, we found out that our dog had actually gotten away from our friends while we were gone, and for a while, they didn't know where she was. Then, our friends sweet little girl told me that as she was walking through the woods near thier home looking for our dog, everything became very quiet, and she heard the dog sneeze. She was able to find the dog, who was not harmed at all, and lead her back to their house. In that sweet, simple, child like faith, this child stated, quite matter of factly~ "I felt God leading me. He showed me where the dog was".

What amazed me was that this child was NOT amazed at all. It seemed completely natural to her that God would show her where to find that dog. The same is true of her little brother, who, as soon as he heard that the dog had gotten out, said "It's going to be okay. God is in control."

Out of the mouths of babes!!! Oh, that we, as adults, could grab on to the faith of children, and hang on to it like the life preserver that it is!! How sad that we so routinely let the cares and troubles of our adult world obscure or even destroy our child like faith!!

Just this morning, I heard a sermon on the miracles of Jesus. The speaker pointed out that Jesus never performed a miracle without a reason, and that often, that reason included faith building. He went on to say that many times, God allows or brings things into our lives in order to build our faith. Sometimes, they are big things. But not always. Sometimes, they are little things~things like a beautiful snowfall during a weekend in the mountains, a fun trip with your family, and God's hand of protection on your loved ones, even a pet.

In the big things, in the little things, in ALL things~GOD IS GOOD!!!

In His Love,
Vicki

Missing the Point

I just read an online discussion regarding homeschooling. In response to the question "Do you think homeschooling is good for children? Would you homeschool your children? Why or why not?" one individual responded that while she (or he, I'm not sure) knows that homeschooled students do well academically, and she knows that there are opportunities for homeschooled children to socialize, she would not homeschool her child because "the experience is just not the same as going to school".

Okay, excuse me for sounding like an obnoxious kid here, but I can't help thinking "Well, DUH!"

The experience is NOT the same, and that is a BIG part of the reason that my husband and I have chosen to educate our children at home. Those who constantly scream that homeschooled kids need to go to school to learn social skills are ridiculous. Walking everywhere in a line, responding automatically to whistles or classroom lights being turned on and off, and being told that you must study only what 30 other children born within a year of you are studying is NOT learning social skills! If anything, it's learning SOCIALIST skills! LOL!

Lets think rationally here for a moment. People tell me all the time that I should send my kids to school so that they can experience "the real world'. That makes me laugh. Why? Because in the real world, every job I've ever held, I worked with people of various ages~NEVER did I work ONLY with people who were born within a year of me. In the real world, I"m expected to complete projects and accomplish tasks on my own, not with a "commander" standing over me every second. In the real world, I can eat lunch because I"m hungry, not because some bell sounded. I can go to the restroom when I need to go, and I don't have to ask permission, thereby sharing with everyone else in the room what I need permission for.

In the real world, if I am "bullied" by someone, I can leave that establishment and do business elsewhere, or I can begin looking for another job so that I can leave that one as soon as possible. I am not forced to continue to see the bully day after day, with my only option being to report the bullying to teachers who have little or no authority to put a stop to it. In the real world, I learned to get along with people of all ages, not to make fun of the "little kids" or pick on the "freshmen".

Homeschooling is not the same experience as attending traditional school? You're darn right it's not, and thank goodness for that!!

Family Circus

I was treated to something very special today. Right outside, in my very own backyard, I saw a wonderful circus!

Ah, yes. The show began with a handsome little ringmaster, (my son Noah) who welcomed me to the show, and introduced Zora, (my daughter Alex) who astounded me with her magnificent feats of grace and balance on the high wire ( some boards in our backyard). I then had the opportunity to be awed by the lovely Zoe (my daughter Rachel) and her amazing tricks on the flying trapeze( the swingset).

Then, much to my surprise, the handsome little ringmaster suddenly became "Bob the Clown", and had us all in stitches with his hilarious antics. And, all of this was accompanied by extreme cuteness from "Dixie the Wonderdog"!

As I heartily applauded the grand finale, the ringmaster thanked me for coming to see "The Greatest Show on Earth".

You know what? He was absolutely right. :)

Blessings,
Vicki

Genuine Faith

Calvin was a young boy who was blessed with a talent to sing. He was raised in a little country baptist church~you know, the little white wooden church with creaky pews and ladies dressed in their Sunday best fanning themselves with paper fans from the funeral home.

The preacher was fiery sort who liked to shout and thump the pulpit to emphasize a point. The song leader was Calvin's Dad.

From time to time, singers would come and visist the church~families that traveled around singing together, or good old fashioned southern gospel quartets. When Calvin was 12 years old, he was invited to join a southern gospel quartet on the road. Calvin would have loved that, but his parents deemed him too young to travel so much, and would not allow him to go. Calvin remained with his family, ad grew up in that church.

Over the years, Calvin grew up, married, had 4 children, divorced, remarried many years later. There came a time in Calvin's life when he stopped going to church. He had been deeply hurt by some folks in a church, and simply chose to stay away.

But, even when he was not attending church, Calvin's love for the Lord never disappeared. He loved to talk about the Lord, loved gospel music, and even enjoyed sharing the true Word of God with the Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses who frequently knocked on his door.

In April, 2008, Calvin lost his wife of 18 years. She was truly the love of his life, and his family feared that he may not want, or be able, to go on without her. He sort of "holed up" in his house, and his family feared for his physical and mental well being. Then one day, a neighbor invited Calvin to church. Much to the surprise of his family, Calvin agreed to go. He seemed to get a bit of his "spark" back.

Soon afterwards, Calvin's daughter convinced him to move in with her. This move would bring him nearer to not just this daughter, but his entire family. Calvin began attending church regularly with his family.

Then one day, Calvin, who was by now 85 years of age, suffered a stroke. As often happens with stroke victims, Calvin lost much of his ability to speak. For several days, he would attempt to talk, but only the first word would come out clearly~everything else was garbled gibberish.

While Calvin was in the hospital, his pastor came to see him. The pastor told him "Calvin, you don't have to try to answer me, but I just want you to know that I really appreciate your coming to church faithfully since you've moved here. I know that the folks at our church would understand if a man of your age and health were not able to attend regularly, and no one would think any less of you if you didn't. But you do, and you are an encouragement to all of us, and I just want you to know that."

Calvin, with tears in his eyes, was able to speak clearly for the first time in days. He looked the pastor in the eye and said "I LOVE JESUS!"

Those simple words were meant to explain that Calvin comes to church regularly because he loves Jesus and wants to learn of Him and be around other people who love him. What wonderful places our churches would be if everyone who came to church came for that reason, and that reason alone!!!

Calvin is my grandfather. Several days after he spoke those words to his pastor, the Lord touched him, and he fully regained his speech. He is once again faithfully attending church, becuase he loves Jesus :)

I've learned a lot from my grandfather. There was a time when I thought that a person who did not attend church every sunday MUST be knee deep in sin. Now, please understand me, I am not "knocking' church. My husband and I attend faithfully, and we take our children with us. But, I saw in my grandfather's life that a person can worship God alone, or in small groups outside a traditional church building, and still grow in his relationship with the Lord.

I"m afraid I'm not being very clear in expressing my thoughts on this. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and I am NOT disputing that. I am only saything that "assembling ourselves together" doesn't have to be in a large crowd, or in a big church. It might be in a remodeled basement, like the church I attend. It doesn't have to be with a huge crowd. It might be with just 5 or 6 other families, like our church. My point is that wherever we attend church, wherever we worship the Lord, it should be because we love Jesus, and for no other reason.

Don't Give Me That!!

Today, I encountered someone who was lamenting the sad state of this country's public schools. The person then commented that they do not homeschool because they cannot afford to homeschool.

Okay. I GET that not every one is ever going to homeschool. I"m not even saying that everyone SHOULD homeschool. But, if you are going to give me a reason why you can't or won't homeschool, DON'T give me THAT ONE!

Yes, there are some families who spend several hundred dollars per school year, per child, to homeschool. But that is NOT the only way to educate your child.

If you can get to a library and fill out the card to obtain a FREE library card, then you CAN homeschool your children!! If you go to used book shops, yard sales, or swap meets with other homsechooling familes, you can homeschool your child for next to nothing! The sheer volume of free resources available on the internet is mind boggling!!

So, if you would never consider the thought of homeschooling, fine. Tell me that you think your children are better off in a traditional school. Tell me that you don't think you could do it. Tell me you don't want to do it. Best of all, tell me that God has not led you to homeschool your children, that it's not His will for your family. But to say that you don't homeschool because you can't afford it??

Don't give me that.

We Need A Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute!!

I am taking this opportunity to thank God for giving me the perspective that I've needed over the last week or so.

There have been so many things that could have really left me "down in the dumps", but God is merciful, and He has instead allowed me to be encouraged, rather than discouraged, with recent circumstances.

I would have been really upset about the election results, but God graciously led me to a few Scriptures that encouraged me, including Jeremiah 29:11, reminding me that God has plans for me, and that His plans are for my good, not my harm, and Romans chapter 13, wich speaks of the fact that our leaders are placed in their positions BY GOD and can be used by Him as a minister for our good.

My husband has also been out of town for the last few days. He does not have to travel very often, and I HATE it when he does. The kids seem out of sorts, and everything just seems harder. It didn't help that he ended up having to stay one extra day all ready, and may have to stay even longer. But, God has used this time to remind me once again how much I appreciate my husband and all the things he does for me, for our kids, for our family. My husband is God's gift to me, and I will be SO glad when he is home!

I was even a little bummed about the holidays, and that is NOT like me at all. Then, God once again used His Word to encourage me~this time in the form of the Peanuts character Linus, who recites Luke chapter 2 during "A Charlie Brown Christmas'.

I had been wondering how in the world we could celebrate anything with finances being tight, and the country, in our opinion, going down the tubes. Then, as I sat and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas with my kids, it occured to me~this year, we have more to celebrate than ever!!

Of course, we have the "usual" things to be thankful for~my husband and I have a wonderful marriage that is the greatest treasure we possess, next to our salvation. We are blessed with 3 wonderful children, who are all healthy. I've been blessed with the calling to not only parent them, but also to homeschool them. We may not have everything we want, but we have everything we need.

As for the state of the country and the world, I am hopeful, looking forward to watching God bless and prosper His children regardless of their circumstances or surroundings. I am more thankful than ever that we have a soon-returning Savior who is going to take us out of this wicked, sin cursed world, and then return to rule and reign with the truth and justice that we all long for.

Knowing that, how can I do anything else BUT celebrate Thanksgiving, basking in all that He has done for me, and then revel in the joy of Christmas, celebrating the birth of my Saviour, who is in ultimate control, and has GREAT plans for me.

Even if you feel that you have nothing else to celebrate, let's celebrate Our Savior!!

So, let me be the first to say,

Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! and Happy New Year!

Vicki

They Just Didn't Know Any Better

I have often said that I am thankful for the fact that I attended Chrsitian schools, and that's true. I attended various christian schools from grade 1 to grade 12. My only experience with public school was in Kindergarten. And I AM thankful for that.

I am thankful for it because it gave me knowledge of the Bible that I would not have gotten from a public school. I was also taught subjects like science, history, and even math from a perspective that included God. That would not have happened in a public school. I also had less exposure to drugs, alcohol, and the like than I would likely have had in a public school. The christian school from wich I graduated was not free of those things, but they were less common there than in ps.

Still, my husband and I chose NOT to send our children to christian school. Furthermore, my own parents tell me now that if they had it to do over again, they would have chosen to homeschool me and my sisters. But, as my Mom says, they "just didn't know any better." My parents never heard of homeschooling and did not realize that there was such a thing until after I had graduated from high school.

In all honesty, I could not financially afford to put my kids in a christian school even if I wanted to. But the fact is that even if money were no object, I still wouldn't do it.

WHY?

Because the label "Christian" doesn't mean that every student, or even every teacher in that school is necessarily going to behave like a christian.

Don't get me wrong. I know that no one is perfect, and that everyone makes mistakes, including christians. But, my dh and I chose to keep our kids out of the school environment because .....

I was repeatedly made fun of by another student for being overweight. . .in a CHRISTIAN school.

I witnessed one girl being teased, hurt, and made fun of ALL through Junior High and High School. . .in a CHRISTIAN school.

I was repeatedly belittled, insulted, and once flat out accused of lying by a TEACHER. . .in a CHRISTIAN school.

I went to the principal about this teacher, and was told that *I* should change my behavior so that the teacher would no longer have cause to speak to me as she did . . .by the PRINCIPAL, in a CHRITIAN school.

My parents wrote a letter to the principal regarding the situation with the teacher, and it was completely ignored. . . in a CHRISTIAN school.

Sadly, it wasn't just me. I saw it happen to friends too. I had friends who violated school policies (sometimes unintentionally) but even after sincere apologies, were not extended any grace or mercy, and others who were disciplined IN school for behavior that took place OUTSIDE school. . . in a CHRISTIAN school.

I'm afraid those reading this blog post are going to assume that I"m bitter. I can assure you, I"m not. I truly AM thankful for the education I received, for the good teachers I had ( and I did have SOME good ones!) and for the friends I made in school. But I thank God every day for introducing me and my husband to a homeschooling family, and for leading us to make the choice to homeschool our own children.

To any one considering educational choices for thier own children, I urge you to learn all you can, consider carefully, and pray about your decision. Don't just assume that because a school has the word CHRISTIAN in it's name that it's the best place for your children to spend the majority of their waking hours.

I know beyond any shadow of doubt that my parents made the best choice available to them at the time for my education. But now, my Dad is a pastor and a homeschooling advocate, and my Mom is homeschooling my nephew. They both will tell you now that they wish they had done the same for me. They just didn't know any better.

Blessings,
Vicki

Sometimes, That Still, Small Voice Is Really Loud!!

I am having a tough week. This weekend, my husband in being sent out of town to work on a special project for his full time job. That means he's going to miss a day on his part time job. So, he's working EXTRA hours at his pt job this week, to cover the housrs that he'll miss there on Friday. On top of that, we found out that we will have to pay the travel expenses up front, and be re-imbursed by the company later. It's nice that we'll be re-imbursed, but that meant we had to do some "budget juggling" to come up with the cash dh will need for the trip. UGH!

And, the cherry on top of all of this is that dh has a new supervisor on his full time job. Dh currently works 6am to 2pm. The new manager is considering the possibility of changing their hours to 3am to 11am, or 5am to 1pm!! Ugh, Ugh, and UGH!!! But, that isn't definite yet, so we're praying the new guy will leave the 6am to 2pm thing alone.

I am not able to drive, so dh being gone more than usual this week, and the fact that he will be gone all weekend means I've been doing a lot of schedule juggling, and jumping through hoops to arrange transportation to places we needed to go. So, I've been a little tense. Not TERRIBLY so, but a little more tense than I would normally be. Yesterday morning, I was absolutely ready to hang my 6yo son from the ceiling fan by his toes!!!

He not only balked at EVERYTHING I asked him to do, but he was CONSTANTLY underfoot in the kitchen asking if he could help with the cooking that I was trying to get done. I let him pour and stir a couple of things, then tried to "shoo him off" again. It didn't work. Finally, in frustration, I said to my son "How come you're so eager to "help" me in the kitchen, but you won't do the things that I actually ASK you to do?!" He gave me his silly grin and mumbled something about helping in the kitchen being more fun, but I barely heard him, because as soon as my question left my mouth, I could hear the still, small voice of the Lord in my ear. But this time, it was more like a shout, saying, Yes, that's a GOOD question!! Why DO you want to help in the ways YOU want to help, but you balk at doing what I ASK you to do?"

Whoa. How right on is that? How often do I find myself thinking"Oh, sure, I don't mind going to church to worship the Lord, and I don't mind tithing, and I'll even sing in church, but Lord, I am so tired, and I sure wish it wasn't my trun to teach in Children's Church today!" Or, "Lord, I don't mind tithing, but I sure wish you'd give me liberty to work outside my home so we could have more money. Other people do it, Lord, why can't I?"

I am, put simply, a spiritual whiner. I WANT to serve the Lord, and I WANT to be faithful, and I WANT to bring glory to God, but the truth is, I want to do it the way *I* want to do it, not neccesarily the way God ASKS me to serve Him.

I expect my children to help me by doing ALL that I ask of them, not just the things they WANT to do. God expects NOTHING LESS of me. Wow. That still, small voice really shouted this time. I need to take stock and be sure that I'm doing all that He asks of me, and not just picking and choosing how I serve Him. I want to OBEY, not just pick and choose how I will serve the Lord.
In Him,
Vicki

Goats, Horses, and Donkeys, Oh My!!

I was going through old post on my blog, from before the time I started importing them to Facebook, and I thought I'd repost a few of my favorites. I'm reposting this one for my friend John, who loves my goat stories, but wanted some new material~so, here ya go, John, I"ll throw in some donkeys and horses for you :)

When I was 17 or 18 years old and moved with my parents from the city to the small town in wich we now live, I used to say that it felt like living in Mayberry, like the Andy Griffith Show. Lately, it feels more like Green Acres! Or the Beverly Hillbillies!!

Yesterday morning, around 11 or so, I am talking to a friend on the phone. I actually had to interrupt the conversation to say to my friend "I'm sorry, I"ll have to call you back. I need to call our neighbor around the corner and let him know that HIS DONKEYS ARE IN MY YARD!!

Now, you must understand that growing up a "sophisticated city kid" as I did, I NEVER thought I would EVER be saying to ANYONE "I'll have to call you back, there are donkeys in my yard!!"

This was around 11am. Around noon, the 2 donkeys wandered up our neighbor's driveway and disappeared behind thier house. I don't know WHAT was back there, but we didn't see those donkeys again until about 3:30 or so. Then, there they were again, across the road in our neighbor's driveway.

At this point, Fred, our pet goat, is having an absolute FIT, either because of the donkeys wandering around, or maybe because my kids were out in the yard keeping watch to see what would happen, and proceeded to yell and carry on every time the donkey's wandered to a new spot.

These donkeys belong to a man who lives behind us, but he keeps them on his grandfather's property, wich is right behind my parents house. When my kids are at my parents, or at my sister's hosue (sis lives next door to Mom and Dad) they would often go the fence and pet the donkeys, feed them, etc,. so they feel rather attatched to these donkeys, and my 8yo was scared that one of them was going to get in the road and get hit. So, I spend my afternoon dealing with excitable, hyped up children, and an agitated goat. Then, around 4 or so, the REAL entertainment began when several guys showed up to try to wrangle these donkeys and get them back where they belong.

I swear, it was just like an episode of the old Gree Acres tv show! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!! There were 2 men, a woman, and at one point, a teen aged boy all out there with ropes, trying to corral these donkeys. I think they also had a bag of carrots, with wich to entice the donkey's to come to them.

I was trying to make dinner, so I couldn't just stand there and watch the whole thing. But, I watched when I could, through the picture window in my living room. At one point, I look out the window and I see a man leading one of the donkeys by a rope, so I'm thinking, "Good, they finally caught one of them!" The next time I look out the window, that same man is once again chasing that SAME donkey up the road!! ROFLOL!! The next time I look out, there are NO people in my sight, but in the neighbors driveway stand the 2 donkey's AND A HORSE!! LOL!! I STILL have no clue where that horse came from!!LOL!

When I left my house at 6:25 or so to go to a Bible study that meets at my sister's house, I think one donkey was still loose. When the Bible study ended about 8:30 or so, my nephew reported that both donkeys were FINALLY back inside the fence where they belong.

I tell you, I"m still not sure if I live in Mayberrry or Hooterville ( or whatever the name of the town on Green Acres is) but whatever you call this place, it's certainly never dull!!!

Btw, if you find yourself entertained by this story, take a look through my blog archives for "Our First Goat Adventure" and I"m sure you'll laugh yourself silly!
Vicki

Good Grief, Christians, GROW UP!!

2 Peter 20, 21 ( KJV)~Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.


Why, oh, WHY dont' more christians read, and GET these verses?

About 2 years ago, I discovered an online forum composed largely of christian homeschooling Moms. Since I am a christian homeschooling Mom, I was thrilled to find this forum, and to be able to go there with and get advice on various questions and concerns. I visited the foum quite a bit and read a lot of the messages, though I didn't post very often.

Then, I messed up. I had the NERVE ( please note the sarcasm here :)) to say that while God has called me to be a full time home maker and homeschooling Mom and I am thrilled with that calling, perhaps He has not called EVERY Mom to that same thing. This statement caused a bit of a firestorm on the board, and I see this morning that the entire thread has been removed. Whatever!

Let me be clear here. I think EVERY mother's priorities should be God, Family, Church Family, then Job or Activities, or whatever God has called her to~in that order. I just happen to believe that it IS posible for a woman to have her priorites in that order and STILL work outside her home. I"m sure it's hard, but it IS possible! I , personally, don't think that *I* could do it, but I know that if God calls a woman to a job outside her home, HE is much more than capable of equipping her to do that job along with all the other things He has called her to do.

Sadly, the "tone" on the board I used to visit was one of "Mom's who work outside their home can't possibly be the Moms they should be" and "Mom's with outside jobs can't possibly be in the center of God's will". There were only a couple of instances in which things like this were actually said, but the whole tone of the board supports this view.

I'm sorry, but these people need cut some spiritual teeth, and do some growing up!!

Yes, Titus 2 tells women to be "keepers of the home"~but why insist that one can't work ouside the home and still keep her home as a haven for her family? Why sell God short and say that He can't enable a Mom to do this? Yes, it's HARD, but who are we to say that God can't give a Mom the strength to do it?

Since this discussion began online 2 or 3 days ago, I have read and re-read Proverbs 31 many times. I believe the Proverbs 31 woman worked outside her home. The King James says that she "considereth a field and buyeth it"~ well, she can't very well consider a field if she doesn't go see it!! It also says that she "bringeth her food from afar" and that she "sells girdles in the marketplace" so she must be going somewhere to get her food, and she must be going to the marketplace, and spending time there selling her wares.

The comment was made on the discussion board that buying and selling fields, making and selling girdles and gathering food were all things that this woman could do at home. I just don't see that. How can she "consider a field" at home? How can she sell in the marketplace if she's at home? That just doesn't make sense.

I"m just going to be blunt, since I'm here on my own blog, and say that what happened is this~a few ladies who feel that the call God has placed on THEIR lives MUST be the same call that He has placed on EVERY mother's life have fallen into condemning working mothers.

I am not a working mother, at least in the sense that I don't work outside my home. A good many of my friends are NOT working mothers. But some of them are, and you know what? They have handled their need to work skillfully, and with much prayer, and God IS enabling them to work and still be great Moms! Some of them are even working Moms who homeschool! Both my sisters are working mothers~one because she is a single Mom and has no choice, and the other because her dh insists that she work, so she also has no choice. They are NOT out of the will of God, and they ARE great Moms.

I choose to be a stay at home Mom. I WISH that all Moms could be stay at home Moms. But atht is NOT God's calling for EVERY woman, and I hope and pray that I never fall into the lifestyle of condemning other christians because they make choices that are different from my own. I wish that every christian could see that God doesn't lead every one of His children down the same path.

Believing that everyone is supposed to do everything YOUR way is a sign of spiritual toddler-hood. It's time for a lot of Christians to put down their bottle of milk, take a few bites of some meat, and start growing up!

Vicki

So Long, Skip~

There are many things that I considered blogging about tonight, but since I've devoted other posts here to some of my baseball heroes, I couldn't let the night pass without paying homage to a genuine "character", Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray.

The soundtrack of my childhood includes the sounds of many, many Atlanta Braves games on television. My grandfather was a huge fan, and he passed that love of baseball along to, not his son, as most would assume, but to his daughter in law, my Mom. Some of my very earliest memories include the sound of a ball thumping into a cathchers glove, the crack of a bat connecting with a ball, and the voices of Pete Van Wieren and Skip Caray on TBS, and on Braves radio.

Those two voices, so very familiar to me, were a comfort to me the way a lullabye or a familiar song is a comfort to some children. In the "old days" when the Braves team of broadcasters would call half a game in the tv booth and the other half from the radio booth, my Mom and I used to watch half the game on tv, then, for the second half, mute the sound on the tv and turn on the radio so that we could hear Skip and Pete for the whole game.

Skip's sarcastic humor and dry wit could make even a rain delay, or a Braves loss, fun to listen to. When the Braves weren 't playing, I could always flip over the WGN and listen to Skip's Dad, Harry Caray, calling the games for the Cubs as only he could do. I loved listening to Harry and to Skip because I knew that they would make me smile.

I was surprised and saddened to learn that Skp Caray passed away in his sleep on Sunday afternoon, leaving behind a wife, four adult children, sevem grandchildren, and thousands upon thousands of fans.

I am not generally an "emotional" person, and I'm definitely not one to put my emotions on display. I am not a person to whom tears come easily. Even so, I couldn't help having to wipe my eyes when the Braves broadcast of tonights game, during wich they did a fine job of paying
tribute to Skip, ended with Skip's smiling face on the screen, and his deeply familiar voice giving his trademark sign off of "So long, everybody."

So long, Skip.

Vicki

This was originally written 2 years ago, when Skip Caray passed away, but I see on Facebook this morning that many folks are responding to Chip Caray's Fathers Day tribute to his Dad, so I thought I'd repost this :)

My Turning The Tables Fantasy

I would never do this to anyone in real life. It just wouldn't be nice. But, in recent weeks, I have had the misfortune to be around people who think it's okay to give me flack about the fact that we homeschool our kids.

If you've ever homeschooled, you know what I"m talking about. The questions and comments like "Don't they want to make friends?" "What about socialization?" "I couldn't stand being with my kids all day." "How can you teach high school courses?" "Are you STILL homeschooling?" and on and on it goes.

Just once, just ONE time, I would LOVE to be able to walk up to a person whose kids are in traditional school and say "Oh, you're kids can ONLY make friends at school? What a shame!" Or, "Oh, my, how difficult it must be for your children, since they only know age-segregated, artificial socialization! I don't know how you cope with that!" Or, "Oh, you don't enjoy being around your children? How very sad!" Or, "Oh, you mean you DON'T learn along WITH your children?!! Really?! Imagine that!" Or, "Oh, your children are STILL in school? Aren't you going to homeschool this year?"

I won't ever do it. But it surely would be fun!! LOL
Vicki

Masterpiece in Progress

The young man was a hometown hero. He had a passion for the game of baseball, and was blessed with athletic talent to go along with it. In high school, he was the "wonder boy"~an amazing athlete, destined for the Big Leagues. His family, his coaches, and indeed his whole hometown celebrated when the young man was chosen in the first round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.

But, the young man had a secret that no one knew. By 2001, his promising career had fizzled, and he had dropped out of baseball all together. Why? The stronghold of drug and alcohol addiction had squeezed everything else out of his life.

By 2003, the young man had given rehab a try, more than once. He even met a girl, and got married. But there was something important missing from those rehab programs, and they didn't "take". In 2004, his wife left him. The couple did not divorce, but the young man was forbidden to see his wife, step daugther, and his own young daughter until he could "get his act together."

Then, in 2005, an amazing and wonderful thing happened. The young man finally found that "missing piece"~he met the Lord, and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He has been clean and sober since that day, has re-united with his wife and children.

Fast forward to July 14, 2008. The young man's baseball career is not only back on track, but flourishing. He is a full fledged memeber of a Major League Baseball team. He's having a GREAT season, and has been chosen by the fans to represent his team in the All Star Game. He has also accepted an invitation to participate in the 2008 Home Run Derby, a home run hitting contest that raises money for charity.

The young man is Josh Hamilton, rookie outfielder for the Texas Rangers. Last night, he set a new Home Run Derby record by hitting 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby. He will have the honor of being a starter for the American League All Star team, and has a good shot at being the 2008 Rookie of the Year.

When asked by a reporter if he had any parting thoughts after last night's derby, Josh replied, "I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for making it possible for me to even be here tonight. I am amzed at the work that God has done, and is doing, in my life, and I hope that I have brought some honor and glory to Him tonight."

How much easier my own life would be if I simply lived in light of the realization that I am a work in progress. God is the ulimate artist, so I can rest assured that when He is done, His work will be a Masterpeice.

My job is to bring honor and glory to Him from down here on His potter's wheel.

Dont give up. Don't throw up your hands and quit. You are a work of art. You are being molded and formed into His Masterpiece. Praise His Holy Name!

Vicki