Where Is Your Cross?

        This week, has been some AMAZING Bible studies with the Family! Which leads me to this question...What are You doing with YOUR cross?
That's right, I said YOUR cross, not Jesus' cross, but yours.

Let me try to give you a quick run down of what we have studied this week, so that you can see where I am.
Monday we studied Proverbs 5:1-23 (Now this is mainly warning for Adultery) However, we tied it to the warning signs of distractions, and how easily those small seeds are planted and the "weeds"can over grow us, and entrap us. So in these discussions, we started recognizing our own personal distractions from God, and what they truly glorify.

Tuesday we studied Romans 13:8-14, and that its self got its own blog, Get Your Jesus On. If you haven't read it, then I encourage you to do so. In Romans we learned about Loving others,  leading with love, and how that helps us follow the Law's of God more naturally. We also learned about not giving in or leading with lust/fleshly desires and to Wake Up and Choose God! Wake up and Choose HIM everyday!

Wednesday We were in Jeremiah 29:11-13- We discussed the popularity of verse 11 world wide. Any hard times and anyone will tell you, "Bible says..God has a Plan for you, and it's Good and to Prosper not to harm you." Now, I am not belittling that at all, because God does have a plan for you....but HOW? Well, if you will just read on it tells you how. Verse 12 "Then you will call upon ME and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you." So, HOW? You will Call upon God, Pray to God, and He will listen to you. But, how do we do this? Well again..READ ON...13 "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart."   So you need to pursue God. Not half hearted, but with your ALL your Heart...AND when you seek Him, You WILL find Him. Another good lesson, showing us to cast aside our fleshly desires,watch new "weeds" growing to distract us, and seek God daily. When you seek Him, YOU WILL FIND HIM.

Thursday pulled it all together for us, with the real question. We studied in Mark. Mark chapter 8:34-35 it says, "When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, " Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospels will save it." 
This is something, that a lot of times, we may say it, but lets be real...when we think of the cross, most of the time, the main one we think of is Jesus' Cross...Not OURS. We think of the Cross, and we think about Jesus' sacrifice. So, okay lets think about it. Lets think about what He went through.
                                     He was Beaten,

                               He was whipped/ flogged,

          
 clothes ripped off, crown of thorns shoved on his head,

             spit on, and mocked, all while carrying His cross.

Wait, was it His cross? I believe that was our cross. He didn't sin, He did it for OUR sin, He did it to save Us! So maybe now, with a good visual, we can all see that "our cross to carry to follow Jesus" is a small price to pay, COMPARED to what He did for us.
When we struggle to weed our lives of ungodly things...remember The Cross, OUR Cross, the one meant for us, that we were saved from. Remember the COST. Remember that we are to carry our cross toward Christ. Love is an action, carrying the cross is ... an action...so in the words so well quoted in the movie "We Believe,"
DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST? If so then the next question I ask you is...
What are You going to DO about it? 
Today...Friday, and each day, WE WILL ACT! :) What will you do?

<3 Cat

All photos courtesy of Images from "The Passion of Christ" if you have not saw this movie, I highly recommend it. It is the closest thing I have watch to the Crucifixion of Christ.

Get Your Jesus On!

      Ever feel in a rut? Feel like doing the same thing each day isn't tapping into your full ability to glorify God? Frustration that maybe your daily routine life of church, work, home...church, work, home isn't as important as that amazing friend in the mission field? Well let me reassure you..maybe you are or are not tapping into your full potential with God, either way...each day is a new day, and even tapping into God already...we can always better it even more!
This morning our family did a Bible study on these verses in Romans. This to me, in a sometimes routine world, is a nice reminder about where we need to be in our walk with Christ, and the example to those around us in those daily routines.
Romans 13:8-14 NKJV
8" Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bare false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." 

11 "And do this, knowing the time, that now is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of the darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no prevision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

     So in the first paragraph, this is nice reminder of how we should lead our walk. The first thing, it says  "owe no one anything." why do you think that is? If we are known for always asking for stuff, or borrowing, then we are not showing God to them. When they see us coming and say to themselves, "They must want something." That hides the Love of God that they should see. It can make them start dreading us being in their presence. So next it talks about loving our neighbor. Who is our Neighbor? Well, that is everyone. If you see they also refer to it as "another", showing that neighbor is not just limited to who lives beside of us. Is this easy? NO! This is a daily self check, that requires God's wisdom and guidance in every step of this path. Without Him, this is not possible. But if we are able to lead with love, and start our day with that concept, then following God's Law will naturally happen. You can't force yourself not to want something someone else has, unless you can love them, so that when they are blessed, you are truly happy for them. (Instead of wishing it was yours.) This is motivated by love. Remember love is the mindset, "what can I do for you," How can I bless you?" Lust is the mindset, "What can I get out of this," or "what about me."It is important to understand love to enter the next paragraph.

     In the next section, verses 11-14. It tells us "and do this" This? Yes, love. Like said above, by loving and serving others, following the Laws of God happens naturally. Do this...LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF, because the time is near. It says to WAKE UP WAKE UP!! Wake out of your slumber. Stop going through motions! You can have a routine that never changes, and still wake up and be on fire for the Lord! This is NOT an emotion that someone said something just right to make you "feeeel" like being on fire. This is a daily CHOICE! Your choice! THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, WE WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT! Notice the word Will, that shows a daily choice, not a feeling. Feelings wear off, fade away, and get forgotten. A choice, is a commitment. Choose to WAKE UP, choose to REJOICE, choose to WALK DAILY for God ,choose to RECOGNIZE those desires and wants that are not God's Will, and choose to CAST them aside for God's Will.

    The day is at hand for Christ's return, look around you. Even in a mundane routine, you have a chance to shine for God! You can walk properly and place on the the armor of light. Armor...Place on your armor! Helmet of Salvation, do your coworkers look at you and say, they are saved and a Jesus follower? How is your Sword? Is it sharpened? Are you in your Word? Start your day by what? Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. Placing your flesh desires aside, and not feeding them. "Get your Jesus on!" No matter the routine, CHOOSE TO WAKE UP! You don't have to be an amazing missionary to represent Jesus in your full potential. You can represent Him, and do great things for Him no matter where you are. You just have to DO it!

<3 Cat

The Diary of a Homeschooling Momma

        Did you know that in all languages the word "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" is pronounced the same? The education I get everyday as a homeschooling mom of three boys truly cracks me up. I wont lie, deciding to pull my kids and begin homeschooling them has been the best roller-coaster ride ever! Although there are some days that I truly want to bang my head off the wall, it is all worth it to know that I am shaping my kids into the men they will become.
   
        My boys are in 3rd, 5th, and 8th grade this year, and they are amazingly ornery. The way I figure they should be. Most of the time they are really good about getting their work done...(this took a while for my 3rd grader to learn) They love being at home, even though in school they were social butterflies. My middle son, (the 5th grader) thought it was going to be awful, and now is my biggest promoter for homeschooling. He has no learning ceiling like he did in school. Like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going. We start each day first with them getting dressed and ready. (we learned being in schools before, it was easiest to motivate them if they are "dressed for school") Next we do the Pledges. These consist of the US Pledge, Christian, and Bible Pledge. Then we do a family Bible study and talk through that. Then for the most part they do individual work. There are two sections my youngest two work together, and one part my middle son works with my oldest son. We have learned the hard way to rotate out on the computer. My luck seems to run, that one will be broke down not working, so now I count on that. Plus, too close too long, being boys and brothers they will likely start to bicker. Due to my work schedule, they don't get the luxury some homeschoolers get of sleeping in. They start each day at 8:00AM. Now I am nice the first week after a long break like Christmas, and that week I start them at 9AM, then week 2, we go back to 8AM. Okay, enough about the schedule! (PS Field trips rock, and we never do enough!)

       Okay, so on to the niddy-griddy....Here are my FREAKOUTS!
                           
        The constant battle starts,
Am I doing enough? Are they learning enough? Can they spell? I should increase their words!
Do they read enough? Have I read to them enough? Have they read enough out loud and what about their individual reading?
How do you document life skills? ( you know, cooking, sewing, car maintenance etc.) Their portfolio will need to show that. I need to get my 8th graders next 4 years mapped out. (That's right, already planning for that graduation) I cannot fail my children! I will not fail them!...Right?

       So now you have witnessed a full meltdown. Those words have literally ran through my head and out my mouth. ( Trust, my homeschooling mommas have received multiple  panicked phonecalls from me.) So if this is you...
Breeeeathe! Yes breathe.
Don't melt! It is okay to learn as you go, and ask questions! The fact that you are so worried about, panicked, and still make your kids education your priority, and not the Governments says it all! You are committed to doing your kids well, and you will learn along the way, what works and what does not for your kids. The learning process may be easy some days,or it may consist of a frantic call to a more experienced Home school mom. ( who I am sure is secretly laughing on the other end. Hahaha) Some days may just consist of crying out in an off key tune, " Jesus take the wheeeeel!" All of this is okay, because one day as you gather stuff for their portfolio, you will see the crazy amount that they have learned. Also, you will see it in talking with them, with how they carry themselves, and how smart they are. You will see, you are doing just fine.....so Breathe...and keep at it!

Psalm 55:22" Cast your cares on the Lord and  he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."
<3 Cat

Are You REALLY Pro-Life?

Are you Pro-Life? What does that mean to you? What is that? Is that just a term, when you are saving a baby from murder, or is it more? In my instinctive thoughts, when i hear,"Pro-Life", I think and see that ultrasound photo that the advocacy groups use. But I challenge you, is that really the extent of it? I am going to share what God has worked me personally through, and I am sure that this will not sit well with some. Anytime you bring up controversial subjects, it is never pleasing to all. So, I will ask this, bare with me until the end of this. You don't have to agree with me, and I know that there are some that definitely wont. In this I just hope to shed some light in a normally cast in the shadows subject, and show what God changed in my heart. Hopefully I will also show in this, that I do understand other views, but they are not mine.

So lets start this...

"If you are Pro-Life for babies, then you should be Pro-Life for inmates." That's right, I'm hitting those icky subjects that most people try and avoid. Abortion and the Death Penalty. Now before you send me to the slaughter house, I want you to know...Three years ago, if you would have asked me what to do with a sex offender. I would have told you, (and meant with all my heart) to hang them in town square for all to see as an example. Being myself a victim of rape and molestation, I was very passionate about all the things that should be done to someone so awful. HOWEVER, God has worked me over these last three years. God has taken my heart and broke it for His. As tragically beautiful and heart wrenching as this path has been that He has lead me, I am able to see things in a different light that my fleshly desires hid from me for years.
When you pray for the heart of God, you can't help but weep. Weep for the hurting, the broken, and the lost. You weep for joy when the lost are saved. It's all this indescribable, overwhelming feeling. As a parent, your heart breaks when your child's heart hurts. Your heart yearns for them to choose the right path, when you know they are astray. You rejoice when they do as well as you knew they could. When your child does wrong, you desire the best for them. You desire for them to be restored to who you know they are, no matter how lost they are. This is just a tear drop on the journey God has taken me on.

Now, before you get my "peace flags" sewn, let me shine some light on me personally. I am a girl who loves her God, Country, Guns, and I am definitely a meat eater! So, let me break down my thoughts on this. Am I saying by my above statement, that there should never be any killing? It is a nice thought, but No. I am specifically talking about murder. There is a difference. Do I believe in "Defense"? Yes.The Fact is, if you try to kill me or my children, if I can, I will shoot you to save us. Will I feel bad and hate that it went that far to preserve life? Yes. Do i believe in hunting? ...Split answer to this one. If you are hunting only for sport and a trophy and do not use the meat, then NO. If you are feeding people, then I say,"Bring on the deer jerky!" Yummmmm! Do I believe in the Soldiers, and honor them in the defense of our country and freedom? ABSOLUTELY! (Side note: My Husband is a Veteran, not to mention, I could fill this post up easily with people who have served or are serving  of my family and friends.) God Bless You All and Thank You! Because of you and your sacrifices, I am able to have the freedom to write this, no matter how controversial.

So, to the point of all this...
Do i believe in Abortion? No. Do I believe in the Death Penalty? No.
Many say that these two subjects are too different to compare, but I challenge that, and ask these questions. Are they both not children of God, created by God? Are the BOTH not sooo valued by God, that He sent His Son to die on the cross to save them BOTH? Yes they are.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  Each person is one God wants to save. It goes on to say in verse 17 That God didn't send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the WORLD through him. Again including ALL.

Let me ask you this, is one life more valuable than another? Is one of my children's lives more valuable than yours? Maybe to me, but I bet not to you, or to God. Is one of my children's lives more valuable than one of my other kids? No. No matter how lost, or how close to God we are, we are ALL God's children. Created, loved, and desired the same by God. If I ask my children not to disobey, and they do, but"It was only a little". Is that still disobeying? A sin is a sin, no matter if it is murder or gossiping, it is still a sin... and we all sin.
Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
The wage for sin is all the same big or small, it is still death without Jesus.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The punishment is the same for ALL, as is the reward. Doesn't matter the size or degree of your sin. SIN IS SIN.

Now, I understand the out-lash to punish the wrong doers. (And don't think I'm saying no punishment, I am only speaking of capital punishment) My human instinct is to grab my pitch fork and join the mob. After all, I am a Momma Bear myself, but would I jump on that bandwagon if it were my own child being persecuted? Honestly, no. This is one of the things God has highlighted to me in this journey, value. The value in the saving. Are they all going to reform, or choose God's path? No, of course not. But neither if given the chance to live would every baby aborted choose God. Does that mean only ones raised godly should be saved? ABSOLUTELY NOT! They are ALL worth the saving! As for any of those who choose not to choose God, even after great sin. I weep. I weep for them all, but the question is, when we end life due to capital punishment, are we ending them before they might choose God, and possibly do great things for Him. Even if it's great things from behind bars? Maybe. Thinking of this, and I can't help but think of Saul and what a truly awful man he was before Jesus helped him become Paul. As awful as he was, he did such great things for God!This shows me, that even as awful, sinning, and persecuting anyone who stood for God. He was still a child of God, created by God, and desired by God.

I understand the Government and why logically they have the death penalty, but I cannot and will not support or endorse it. The same way, I can logically understand why some women may choose an abortion, but I will never stand by, support, or endorse that either. Both to me are wrong, because both are equally loved, desired and valued lives by God. How can we as Christians show nonbelievers God's unconditional love, His grace, mercy, and the worth he chooses to see in all of us, If we ourselves are valuing one life above another. Even though none of us are actually worthy, and we ALL fall short of God's will, God chose to make ALL of us worthy enough for His Son to sacrifice himself to save us.

It is time that we place value in ALL lives, weep for those lost, and rejoice in those saved. Honestly, no matter your stance on this subject, the fact is that there will be a day of judgment for everyone, where equally we will ALL be held accountable for the things we have done. As shown in Matthew 12:36-37. So, when we recognize how "awful" someone is, let us remember that sin, great or small keeps us from God the same, without the redeeming power of Jesus. So let us remember
Ephesians 4:29" Do not let unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefor encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."  1 Corinthians 13:3 "If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."
1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 
Well I hope that this has inspired thought on some different subjects. I am not asking for you to agree with me, because this is something that God has worked on me. But I will say this, seek God, seek Him with prayer and His Word, and see what He will work you through. It may be different , it may be the same, the key is SEEKING GOD.

<3Cat

IMPORTANT:
If you are reading this and have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and would like to do so, please feel free to message me! Trust me, it's the best choice you will ever make!