Of Modesty and Men

OK, men and modesty. Some may think that these two, although parallel, are completely different subjects. "It isn't a women's responsibly, it's the man's body. He should control it." Although, to a certain extent, I would say that I agree, I would also say that to a larger extent, I would disagree.

I recently had a conversation with a dear friend of mine, on this very subject. She told me a story of a women, who had been "liberated" from dressing modestly. This women had been so worried about dressing modestly, about what men thought of what she wore. It had become a point of anxiety for her. She said that the Lord told her to stop worrying so much. So she went to the opposite extreme, saying that women shouldn't worry at all..... I am not saying that she wasn't convicted to stop worrying, I'm not saying she was though either.... I am saying that you can't take modesty too far, you can't take anything too far, for that matter.I agree that women need to be responsible for the way that they dress.

In 1 Corinthians 8:9, when Paul was talking to the Corinthians, about eating meat that had been sacrificed to Idols, he said this:
⁹ But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
¹⁰ For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?
¹¹ And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
¹² But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

They are talking about eating meat yes, but the principle is the same. If you know that something is a stumbling block to your brother, yet you do it anyway, you are sinning against your brother and God. Now I can just hear a ton of girls worrying right now. (If there were a ton of girls reading this) But I want to say Don't worry! The key phrase here is, "if you know that you are causing them to stumble." If you didn't know, just start over. There is no need to become depressed over it. If you feel strongly convicted, and remorseful, you can apologize, and then move on, conscience clear that you are now doing what the Lord wants you to do.

Now, please don't think that I am saying that all guys or "off the hook!" They are responsible for their body, but so are we. If you have a piece of bacon, and your wave in front of a dog's nose, he is going to take it, it would be strange if he didn't. But don't beat the dog for taking your bacon, you are offered it to him. Instead we should scold ourselves for being idiotic enough to do such a thing! Again, guys aren't off the hook, they just aren't soley to blame.
I also want to say that being a "modest women" has as much to do with your attitude as it does with what you are wearing. I have met all kinds of girls and young women that dress modestly. Yet are just as immodest at Jane.
There are ones that are only dressing this way because their parents, or husband wants them to. They have not personally taken on the conviction.
There are those who have a "Holier than thou" attitude towards dressing modestly. They think that, because they are dressing this way, they are more Godly than Jane down the street, who dresses in crop tops, and daisy dukes.
I have also found, unfortunately, that there are girls that seem angry for having to dress this way, they seem to be thinking, "why should I have to suffer, and not wear the latest trend, just because some guy can't control himself" this is NOT a pleasant person to be around.
The attitude that sticks out to me the most to me, are the girls that seem to think, instead of "I have to dress this way", they think" how blessed am I that I get to dress modestly, in an attempt to help my brothers, to reduce their struggle, if even a little." The girls that have this mindset are so sweet, and they are so fun to be around!
I try to maintain this mindset, but it is difficult. We, as women, are made to complete man, we want men's approval, we want them to want us. We are also vein by nature, we want to look as good as possible. With these two weaknesses, bred into us and encouraged by our society, we are vulnerable to wanting to dress a little appealing, then a lot appealing, and the next thing you know we are dressing no differently than Jane, who we used to think dressed terribly. I think that we, as women, need as much of a reminder to dress modestly, as men do to guard themselves.

Again, please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that a girl can't dress figure flattering, or nicely. Neither am I saying that it is a crime for a young man to like what we are wearing, or to find us attractive. I just think that self-control MUST be practiced.
And PLEASE don't think that I am saying we should all wear burkahs!

We just need to stop going to extremes and think about things sensibly! .... I think that as Christians, we have become a people of extremes. The world thinks that vegetarian is the way to go, one half will go vegetarian to accommodate the world, and to be a good witness, the other half will go to being carnivorous, because we are to be in the world, not of it..... Just chill out people! As long as you are not doing something dishonoring to God, there is no need to change.... Now , if one day, being vegetarian or carnivorous is what depicts a certain cult from another, it is completely understandable to shy away from that. There was a point in time, that wine was completely acceptable to drink, not to open up a whole other can of worms,but Jesus drank wine. He made wine, was it the same as we had today? I don't know....I wasn't there..... The point is, things change over history and time. If there is something that you are/ have been doing, that is now a very specific trait of a specific cult, just think about the image that you are portraying before you do it again. But also, if you are being convicted, don't ignore it... Listen!

I don't want Y'all to do any of this, just because I said it. If you feel convicted, think about it, pray about it. TALK TO YOUR PARENTS!!! I cannot stress how important that is. If you don't have a parent figure that you can talk to, go to one of the elders in your church. Just go and talk to someone older and wiser than you.

I saw this video a couple years ago. It so wonderfully depicts what I am trying to say. It at least harmonizes with it. I think it is a wonderful thing to watch, whether you are male or female... Now I have shown this to people before, and they were rather insulted because not all men feel the way that the video depicts. And I would have to agree. Please don't think that all men feel the same as this video. If you don't know if something is or is not a stumbling block, just ask a man. I would suggest an older man that would be able to answer you honestly, but PLEASE, if you are stirred, don't just sit there.... Take action!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ch-7p4fceQ


Thank you for dealing with my ramblings!
~K

 

From Busy to Busier!

I am sorry that I have not been writing as much as I wish to, or should.  My already busy life has gotten noticeably busier in the last several weeks.  We are now going out to a family in New Braunfels to help around the house. In trade we get to ride their horses!  YAY!  I have also started selling for a home sell company called Lilla Rose.  I have been wearing these Flexi-clips for about a year now, and I Love them!!!!  You can buy them at www.Lillarose.biz/joyfulheart. I would love to sell you one! 
~K

Big Texas Shindig.

Happy Birthday to my Mamma!!!!!!

Well this week has been crazy!

We went to the Big Texas Shindig that No Greater Joy put on, we left on Thursday and came back on Sunday. We had SO MUCH FUN! B,y Saturday evening my stomach muscles were sore from laughing so much! I met so many people, and made so many friendships. I met Sharon on Friday, She works for Shoshanna in her bulk Herb store, I didn't want to keep her from work, so I ended up helping out with the bulk herbs store booth they had there. I LOVED it! It was so fun, I got to meet people, and I was able to learn about the herbs.

We also played a HUGE game of I never, or I have, have you. We laughed and laughed, the only thing that I would have changed about this weekend, would be to make it longer. It seemed like we were just starting to get to know people, then we had to leave. I cant wait to go again next year!

I wish I could write more, but we are still SUPER crazy and I have to go.   Laundry mountain calls my name, I must embark on the  hazardous journey to conquer its peaks.

Dippity Doo Da

Tonight was chip dip night at our house. I have been doing the meal planning lately and really wanted to try both of these recipes. I thought it would be fun, and not to mention tasty, to have a dip night.

Thew first dip that we had was a green sauce, like the one at Gringo's or Casa Ole. It was SO good. your really have to make this, no questions!

Green Sauce

1/2 bunch Cilantro (Fresh)
1/4 Onion
2 clove garlic
1/2 cup Salsa Verde
3 small avocados
1/2  juice of a lime lemon
16 oz. Sour Cream

Put Cilantro, Onion, Garlic, and Salsa in blender and blend.
Then add Avocado, lime or lemon, and salt then blend,
Add sour cream and blend once more. Then enjoy! It will keep for several days in the fridge.

Oh its so good!


The other dip that I made is this "Texas trash" bean dip. This was a wonderful dip! it was flavorful and creamy, I might put more cheese on it the next time i make it. and there WILL be a next time.  it is so yummy!



8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 cans (16 oz.) refried beans
1 packet taco seasonings
2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese (shredded)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl. Mix in refried beans and stir until well combined. I added taco meat, Daddy likes his meat, but that is optional.

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the top with the both cheeses.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve with tortilla chips.

I hope that y'all enjoy these. If you do try one or both, let me know what ya'll think. According to tonight's results. we might just have to do dip night again soon.
~K

Wordy Wednesday

We are all a little weird, and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into a mutual weirdness and call it love.
~ Dr. Seuss

Musical Monday

I took a break from blogging last week. We had such a busy week that I didn't have any time to write.
 This week we were made very grateful to have a sink and running water. Our sink was clogged and so we had to haul our dishes upstairs, wash them in the bathtub, dry them, and then bring them back down to put them away. The plumber came out to diagnose the problem, and then should be out tomorrow to fix it.

We did piano today and I am very excited because now we actually have a valid excuse to go to the music store. The kids need some things, so we get to go pick it up. I LOVE the music store. I always feel like a little kid at Christmas. I would buy out the whole store if I could.

I LOVE this Hymn. We sing it in church from time to time and I always get the goosebumps. I would like to get the book when we go to the music store. They have written so many great songs.

172

By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight

By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign

We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave

By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth

We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight

By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name

We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
~Keith and Kristyn Getty.

Pet Spider

We have had this spider living outside our window for probably 6-8 weeks now.  We have really enjoyed watching her spin her web, eating, growing, and just living her life.  It has been a wonderful photo opportunity, with her right outside our window.  I thought I might share some of the better pictures. I think she is so beautiful. Such bright, wonderful, colors.

A bit of good news on Mamma's leg. She is in physical therapy twice a week, and it is doing wonders! She is now walking without  cane. She has a limp, and it still hurts, but there is so much improvement. Thank you all for your prayers, they are so appreciated!

~K

Wordy Wednesday

Much of Christianities problem today is that we forget that we are in a race. We need to lay aside excess. LET US RUN! -Shannon Hurley


Hebrews 12:1-2

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Musical Teusday

I was reminded that i forgot to put anything musical in my Musical Monday.

This hymn is so amazing and inspirational, and the story behind it is even more so. Whenever I am going through a difficult time, the Lord gently reminds me that he is watching over me, by putting this song back in my head.

Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience.

—Civilla Martin

His eye is on the sparrow.

Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely
And long for Heav'n and home?
When Jesus is my portion,
My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He cares for me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Refrain:
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Verse 2:
"Let not your heart be troubled,"
His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness,
I lose my doubts and fear;
Though by the path He leads me
But one step I may see:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Verse 3:
Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
From care He sets me free:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He cares for me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
I hope this helps y'all get through your week!

~K

Musical monday

We have had a very busy last few days.  Saturday we went to the Lacayo's house to help them butcher their meat chickens.  I was very excited, because I have never had the chance to butcher something before.  We got out there around 11:00 and set up.  Mrs. Lacayo was so kind and patient while teaching us how to gut the chicken. I don't think that I can ever look at a chicken the same way again, not in a bad icky way, but when you have, plucked and gutted something, it looks a lot different.   We had a lot of fun Saturday. We ate bar-b-q, and I brought peanut butter cookies, and we just enjoyed each other's fellowship. I am so grateful that we are blessed with their friendship.

 On Saturday I ate several things with gluten in them to test and see how my body would react.  The good news is that we think gluten might be one of my health problems. The bad news is that it REALLY made me sick.  I don't think that gluten caused my problems, but I do think that, if my stomach was already weak, it aggravated it even more.

Today we got an update on Mamma's leg.  The Dr. said that, as muscles heal they tighten, so she has to stretch out the muscle, even though it hurts. She is also starting physical therapy tomorrow.  She is going to be OK, it will just take time for the pain to go away. Thank you all for your prayers. We are praying that things will be back to normal soon.

~K

Wordy Wednesday

At the beginning of the year I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to R.C. Sproul Jr. preach at the event center downtown.  He is such a powerful preacher, and made many wonderful points.



If anything defines what it means to be a child,
it is trusting, without understanding or control.
~R.C. Sproul Jr.

Mark 10:13-16

 

¹³ Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” ¹⁶ And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.


~K

Musical Monday

    Today we finally got to start teaching piano! I was so excited to start teaching again. We have one family, the Lacayo's, that we are teaching so far, but I hope to get more students soon.  We met Mrs. Lacayo at the San Antonio Independent Film Festival, at the beginning of this year, and our families clicked instantly .  We have so enjoyed getting to know her and her family. You can follow  her blog here. She is a wonderful woman whom I thoroughly enjoy fellowshiping with.
    We have been planning on starting piano with them since February/March time frame, but something kept preventing it, and today we finally got to start.
  I cannot express how much I love teaching children, anything! They are so expressive, they will tell you whether they understand or not, they don't fake, or pretend. I love the look in their eyes when they finally get something right after they have tried for so long. It makes me want to jump up and down for joy with them, and I almost do...... It just makes me happy. That is part of the reason why I am so excited about home-schooling my own children. To be able to enjoy that every day... The thought just makes me giddy with excitement.   
As for and update on Momma, she is doing much better. She is able to put a little bit of weight on her leg, and is only on Advil every so often for the pain.  I am so thankful that Denielle and I are able to drive, with her in the car, so we are not stuck at the house. That drives all three of us girls crazy!  I am also so grateful that we are able to be as helpful as we can.
  I am so very grateful for the Lord's wonderful grace at this time in our lives. He has shown His will in everything.

I ran across a quote today that I found rather comical.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad.
-Unknown

I hope you all are having a great Monday!
~K

Mysterious ways.

Well this week has been crazy!
     We left to go camping on Monday, and were going to stay there through Saturday. Unfortunately Wednesday night, Momma was cooking and walked straight into Denielle's pocket knife, and stabbed herself in the leg. I ran to get Aunt Shannon out of the shower, D_ was BALLING, she felt SO incredibly bad!  She got herself under control, and went over to the next campsite over to ask the ladies that were staying there to help out.  Momma Aunt Shannon and D_ rushed off to the ER in Uvalde, while Taylor and I stayed to  cover things up, because it was supposed to rain. 
    The two ladies that were next door were SO incredibly sweet.  When Aunt Shannon called and said that we needed to pack everything up so we could leave that night, they stayed and helped us out. Things were being thrown in all kinds of boxes, and by the time Aunt Shannon got there we had one tent down and most of the stuff packed away. Aunt Shannon decided to put whatever was  not packed in the remaining tent, put the rain cover on, and leave for our house. Daddy drove to Uvalde to get Momma and D_ from the hospital to take her home.
   We took our van and went on our way, and discovered that we had no gas. The closest gas station was 14 mile away, and we had a 10 mile DTE in the van.  Aunt Shannon and Taylor were FREAKING out. "we're not going to make it and we'll be stuck here in the middle of nowhere." And they weren't kidding, there were no lights and no people to help us out.  The Lord was so gracious to us and we found a gas pump for truckers. It had no store, just the pumps, and the awning was REALLY tall. We didn't really care what it was. We were just so thankful that there was gas. So after that lovely adventure we left to go home. Thankfully we made it home around 1:00,  without any more drama.
    Daddy took off of work on Thursday and we went to finish packing things up at the campsite. It didn't take us very long, and we were in a hurry to get home, because there were some pretty threatening rain clouds. The rain held out till we were on our way home, and as they say, when it rains, it pours. So when we got back to the house we unloaded the back of the truck, and waited for the lightning to subside a bit before we did the van.
  We got things unloaded from the van and just focused on the food for that day.  We didn't get to the garage until today, we were catching up on laundry and housework, but with five of us work went quickly. It drives Momma crazy when she cant help, but under the circumstances, she had no choice. 
     Aunt Shannon and Taylor left today, they will be back to help out in a week or two, but the had to go home for a while to take care of their own house, and get things together.
   I praise the Lord for the kind people from our church offering to help us out. I know that we will be just fine, and that the Lord will be with us in all of this.
~K

Wordy Wednesday

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
~C.S. Lewis

A day at the Zoo

 When I tell people that I volunteer at the zoo, here in San Antonio, they tend to say, " Oh, that is so cool!" or " That has to be SO much fun!"  You might come here and think it is a magical wonderland, and the people that work here are so lucky.  And in some ways, you would be right.
   I am so blessed to be able to "work" there, and I learn wonderful things about God's creation every day.  But it's not all roses and wild flowers.  Howard Ashman said this. "But behind that fair facade, I'm afraid she's rather odd." I think it describes the zoo perfectly. It is a wonderful, enchanting place yes, but in the background, lives a strange, kind, friendly, and slightly dysfunctional family.  A family that helps each other, laughs, fights and ,in the end, works together to bring a mechanical giant to its feet every day, and today was no different.
      The jobs here aren't as romantic as they might seem. Today was a perfect example of this.
    Denielle and I got to the zoo at 8:40 or so this morning, signed ourselves in and went to help out at the butterfly house, until Laurie, our boss, came at 10:00  to tell us what she wanted us to do today. So she gave us our list of tasks and went on with her busy day. 
   Our first job was to go over to the flamingo exhibit, because the bird keepers were going to be clipping their wings at 10:30. It was our job to explain to the guests what was going on, and to keep them out of harms way.  It was really neat to watch the clipping, and who knew that they clipped flamingo's wings with shrub trimmers and household scissors? 
   After our flamingo excursion we went to paint a giant canvas fish. Yes I said fish....blue fin tuna to be exact. This thing is probably 6-7 feet long and 3-4 feet high/wide.  We use it on our seafood awareness cart, and he needed a few touch-ups in his paint. Ok a lot of touch-ups. The only problem we had, was that he was originally  painted with spray paint, which we no longer have, so we had to make do with good, old fashion paint. We eventually got him to where he looked like new. Well as new as the poor guy was going to get, he's a little bit old and tattered.
    I took lunch, and then went back near the butterfly house. Laurie had asked that one of us clean out the dead plants and leaves, and there was a lot to do. I filled 10 big garbage bags with dead foliage. When I was cleaning and clipping, I found myself thinking that this wasn't quite what I had in mind when I sent in my volunteer application. Sure I got dirty, but it looked a lot better by the time I was done, and a bit of dirt never bothered me. My Mamma always said "God made the dirt and the Dirt don't hurt." Besides, there is nothing quite as satisfactory as taking a shower  after a long day of good, hard work, where you got your hands a bit dirty. I love it!
    If there is one thing that I have learned working here, its that the more the staff trusts you, the more arduous the tasks become, but at the same time the "special jobs", like we had today,  are all the more wonderful. 
 Even though there are sticklers and bees, and bumps, and the ever present heat, I love my place in this family, and whenever I am not there, I can't wait to go back.

The best peanut butter cookies EVER!

As you may, or may not know, I have recently gone gluten free to see if it would resolve some health issues that I have. So far it is going really well and I have been able to try several different recipes. The best one by far are these peanut butter cookies. These are good for "normal" peanut butter cookies, You would never guess that they are gluten free. You have to make these, but I will warn you, you are going to have to take some to the neighbors, or you're going to have to spend some heavy time at the gym, because they are DEADLY!

Note: if you are cooking for someone with a nut allergy you can substitute sun butter for the peanut butter. Sun butter is made from sunflower seeds, and by what I have read works like peanuts. I have not tried this myself, but it should work.

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter (or sun butter)
1 cup granulated sugar, plus some for rolling the cookies in
1 egg slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking sheets.

In a large bowl mix peanut butter with 1 cup of sugar. Stir until well blended. Add the egg, baking powder, and vanilla. Stir well.  Pour additional sugar into a small bowl, measure out 1 Tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in the sugar and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough

Take a fork, stick it in the sugar and gently press down each cookie to flatten, then turn the fork 90 degrees and press again. Do so on all of the cookies, dipping in sugar occasionally to keep the fork from sticking.

Bake for 10 minutes. Take them out and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes or so. Gently transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Servings:


Makes 24 cookies.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.  By the time I got my camera to take pictures of the finished project there were only 13 left! ;) 

~Krystin

Wordy Wednesday

A quick word to help you get through your week.

It is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above this present evil world to something nobler and better. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are apt to choke everything good within us, and we grow fretful, desponding, perhaps proud and carnal. It is well for us to cut down these thorns and briers, for heavenly seed sown among them is not likely to yield a harvest; and where shall we find a better sickle with which to cut them down than communion with God and the things of the kingdom? In the valleys of Switzerland many of the inhabitants are deformed, and all wear a sickly appearance, for the atmosphere is charged with miasma, and is close and stagnant; but up yonder, on the mountain, you find a hardy race, who breathe the clear fresh air as it blows from the virgin snows of the Alpine summits. It would be well if the dwellers in the valley could frequently leave their abodes among the marshes and the fever mists, and inhale the bracing element upon the hills. It is to such an exploit of climbing that I invite you this evening. May the Spirit of God assist us to leave the mists of fear and the fevers of anxiety, and all the ills which gather in this valley of earth, and to ascend the mountains of anticipated joy and blessedness. May God the Holy Spirit cut the cords that keep us here below, and assist us to mount! We sit too often like chained eagles fastened to the rock, only that, unlike the eagle, we begin to love our chain, and would, perhaps, if it came really to the test, be loath to have it snapped. May God now grant us grace, if we cannot escape from the chain as to our flesh, yet to do so as to our spirits; and leaving the body, like a servant, at the foot of the hill, may our soul, like Abraham, attain the top of the mountain, there to indulge in communion with the Most High.  -Charles Spurgeon

Starting Off

First of all, I want to start this blog off the right way.  I don't want to make this sound like an acceptance speech, but I want to thank the Lord, and give Him glory and praise for allowing me to do this. Technology is such a wonderful thing. Now we can reach hundreds with the gospel of Christ in a matter of seconds. I pray that He will be gloried in whatever I write. I pray that you will not trust something on here just because I said it, or because my pastor, john MC Aurthur, Paul Washer, or even (shoot me now) Charles Spurgeon said it.  If there is one thing that my parents have taught me it is that you shouldn't trust that what a person said is true, just because you think it is. You need proof, biblical proof. How do I know this...... its in the Bible.

1 Thessalonians 5:21
 Test all things; hold fast to what is good.


1 John 4:1
 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

The Bareans did this to Paul out of all people. Paul!

Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

They searched the scriptures daily to find out if things were true or not, and they were called noble.  I encourage you to read your Bible daily and take a note on each chapter. Challenge yourself to read as much as possible before the end of the year.  I hope to at least be through the first four, or even the first two books of the Bible. If your pastor quotes a verse you've never heard, go home and read the chapter. You will feel much more complete if you do.

I look forward to blogging much more in the future, and please, I want to hear your comments. If you have any questions you can contact me.
~Krystin