Family . . .

. . . is such a treasure. We've all enjoyed John Paul, Sarah, and of course, little William's company over the weekend! Can't help but wish Stephen could've joined us from Texas, too, but guess you can't get everything you want. :)

Hope you all are having a great start to your week! Recently, I've been thinking on Hebrews 11:6 which says,

But without faith it is impossible to please him:

 for he that cometh to God 

must believe that he is, 

and that he is a rewarder 

of them that diligently seek him.

Thanks, Elizabeth B., for snapping this picture! We've enjoyed your company and service heart as well!

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Talking to a "Perfect Person"

Due to working close to 50 hours this past week at our county fair, I had some great witnessing opportunities! I'm not sure how many tracts I handed out, but one of my favorites was this million dollar bill made by Living Waters. During a lunch break, Lucas and I would "accidentally" drop a million dollars on our way to a booth and then sit down, eat, and watch. We were actually surprised by how many people walked by, walked over, and even kicked around this million dollar bill before some shocked passerby made the discovery! Just think if that really WAS a million dollars. Hundreds of people. . . oblivious to the treasure right under their nose. How often do we pass by treasures, maybe not even realize they're there - simply due to our lack of attention? 

Lucas and I enjoyed watching the variety of responses people had to the tract. One man walking with his wife and granddaughter picked it up, stopped and showed it to his wife who then proceeded to hold it up to the sun - looking for threads or any other sign that it was real. :) Sorry to say, they looked in vain. However, the message on the back of that tract was worth far more than a million dollars, and I prayed for them that God would send forth His Word with power into their hearts as they read what it had to say.


After talking with one lady, I handed her the tract and said, "Here, would you like a million dollars?"
She looked pleased to take it and began to read the back. "Yes!" she exclaimed with her finger pointed to the sky. I assumed she was answering the question, "If you were to die today, would you go to Heaven?" so I said, "How do you know?"

"Because I'm a good person! I've never done bad things."
"You've never sinned?"
"Nope." (As I was thinking on this conversation later, I realized there are so many ways her answer could've been approached, such as talking through Ephesians 2:8-9 or I John 1:8-10; this is simply what came to mind that minute!)
"Really! So you're a good person by your standards?"
"Yes!"
"How about by God's standards?"
"Mmhmm."
"OK, well then let's go through some of them. You're familiar with the 10 commandments, right?"
She nodded.
"One of the commandments says, 'Thou shalt not steal'. Have you ever stolen anything?"
She didn't even think about it at first, just said a resolute, "No." and shook her head.
"You've never stolen anything your entire life, even as a child?" 
She thought a little harder this time, but still concluded with a, "No."
"OK, well another commandment says, 'Thou shalt not bear false witness'. Have you ever lied - even a white lie?"
She was still convinced she was perfect, and confidently denied having ever lied. I came back to this a minute later and said something like, "Actually, you just did." I smiled, and she was at a loss for words as she thought about that.
"Let me explain." I continued, "You believe the Bible is true, correct?"
"Oh, yes!"
"Well the Bible says that there is 'none righteous, no not one'! We have all fallen short of the glory of God - every one of us is guilty of having broken God's law." 

Just then, I was called back to work and couldn't finish our conversation, so I said, "Here, I have another tract for you that will explain things more. You'll have to tell me what you think later!" and she began to read the new tract as we said goodbye.



<< Just a quick note on this tract. I know some people are cautious about the Gospel coming across in too frivolous of a manner, and I like to be careful about that, too. However, when I think of "walking circumspectly" and understanding our times, it's been my experience that preteens are much more likely to read this form of a tract than they are to read something long, wordy and/or less colorful. This specific tract does have the Gospel clearly laid out, and I appreciate that.


The million dollar tract is a great way to start a conversation with someone about the Gospel! If you're interested in getting some, you can order them here. This weekend, however, Living Waters is offering a very similar tract ($1000 instead of $1,000,000) for 37% off - that means you get 100 of them for $5.00! If you're interested in the 1,000 dollar bills, you can order them here.

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Get a Vision for Your Life. . . and Stick to It

One of the things we talked about during our small group sessions at the Bright Lights Conferences was how to stay strong in the Lord when we go home! If you've been to any conference before, you probably know the "emotional high" that can come over you when you're around so many inspiring Christians, speakers and/or material, etc. and although it's good to make commitments and everything, the real test begins when you get home and return to every day life.

(click to enlarge)

So how do we ensure our success? Proverbs 29:18 tells us that without a vision, people will perish. Don't hinge your success on the emotional roller coaster - everybody has times of discouragement and failure, but a just man falls and RISES again 7 times. If you sit down and map out a vision for your future, it can carry you through the ups and downs of emotionalism as you determine to persevere with the path God has laid out before you - no matter how you feel about it.

(click to enlarge)

Remember, too, that your praise or criticism of other people often determines who they become! The power of expectation is huge. If we expect our siblings, friends, or others to fail, and if we focus on their weaknesses, we can crush their motivation and cause them to believe lies about themselves that cloud their vision. However, if we build up those around us with praise and affirmation, they will rise to meet it and continue to develop God-given abilities!

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

Proverbs 23:16

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Bright Lights Recap

I wanted to give a great big thank you to all of those who were praying for the Bright Lights Conferences last week! It was amazing to see God work in the lives of so many girls (400+ made it to the first couple days) as they made life-changing commitments out of a pure desire to please God. 

I really didn't take many pictures at all last week
 (and I spent little to no time getting the settings right and everything... it was more like snap & run!), but I thought I'd share a few anyway.

During the conferences, various Bright Lights leaders would run on stage and do a fabulous job illustrating the topics we were covering with humorous skits. =)

Working hard behind the scenes. . .

While entering registrations I came across some familiar names. :)

During the Radiant Purity Conference I assisted Micah-Noel in leading this small group! We had some great discussions about honoring parents, making brothers and sisters best friends, being willing to stand alone in your convictions, serving the Lord in our youth, having high standards for purity and godliness, trusting the Lord, and so much more! Sadly, I forgot to get a picture of the Strong in the Lord small group - another great bunch of young ladies seeking to draw closer to God.

During one of Sarah Mally's chalk talks, several of the leaders gave testimonies on delighting in the Lord and I shared how some photography endeavors have reminded me of the Lord's desire for us to want HIM so much that we are willing to make whatever decisions or sacrifices needed to strengthen our relationship with Him. (I did have an audio file to share, but for some reason it's not wanting to behave this morning. . .)

You may want to hop over to Grace's blog for some more pictures. :)

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A Woman's Heart. . .

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3 Years Ago...

3 years ago today I wrote this first post! A lot has happened since then, most recently: this little boy is going to be a big brother, and I am going to be aunt again!!!

That's right... John Paul and Sarah are expecting their second child on my next birthday: December 27th - so drop them a line of congratulations! :)

 I have created him for my glory,

I have formed him;

yea, I have made him.

Isaiah 43:7b

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Preparations

5 days until the Bright Lights Conferences begin, and... as you can see, my hands and heart are full. Please pray that all of the leaders would be equipped to meet every opportunity with wisdom and discernment and that even now, the Lord would be softening and preparing each heart to hear His guidance!

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Rain, Rain & Hay Bales

I found myself laughing out loud as I took pictures of the sights around our house this weekend. With approximately 12" of rain in just a week, it seems we live in more of a lake than on an acreage. Roads have been blocked, basements, fields and gardens flooded, yards and garages looking like marshes, and ditches loaded to the brim, which in some cases has even created waterfalls into deeper valleys. This has definitely been a wet year for us!

But back to why I was laughing. Sad, soaked and sorry looking bales sat uncomfortably in feet of water... they looked hilarious. Tilting to one side, some of them sat as if all it would take is a nudge to submerge them completely under. I couldn't help but thinking, "I wonder how often we look like this." Do you ever feel up to your neck in responsibilities, expectations... deadlines? I do sometimes. We can feel like we're nearly drowning in our "To Do" list, straining to keep our head over the water without looking ridiculous. But we're not alone. There wasn't just one bale gasping for fresh air out there... there were rows and rows of them. Some were sitting in less or more water, but they all had their share  - not that they noticed. It's easy to become shortsighted and ignorantly pity ourselves for our current lot, when, if we took a moment to look around we'd see our troubles are really quite common!

In fact it's not so much the trial that's important. Although trials can take all sorts of shapes and sizes - a difficult child, a financial crisis, political catastrophe - there are only so many categories of problems, and they in themselves are not what really what matters. What will draw us out of the muddy, watery ditch of common problems and set us on solid, dry ground will be the way in which we handle our situation. Unlike hay bales, we don't have to just sit there and rot. God has given us eyes to perceive, ears to hear, hands to work, feet to run, a mouth to teach. . . teach what? Do we own these abilities vainly? What should we see? What should we listen to? Where should we run? What should we learn?

Psalms 32:6-8, 10-11 say,

6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

10Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

11Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

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