Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Green Bay Packers!
P.S. I just wanted to clarify that I, personally, am not going to the Super Bowl, but "my" team is!! Go Pack Go! :-)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Book Review: The Spanish Brothers (By Deborah Alcock - written in 1898)
(NOTE: I am receiving a free copy of this book in exchange for writing this review)
The year is 1592. The country - Spain. Carlos and Juan Rodriguez are not only brothers, they are also best friends. Their young mother died when Carlos was born, and their father is believed to be dead also. But growing up, the two brothers dreamed of the day when they would find their long lost father, and they imagined him a rich adventurer somewhere in the New World. As the firstborn, headstrong, confident Juan leads his kind, softhearted brother Carlos in pretend games of sword fighting and many other adventures. Their kind nurse Delores is almost like a mother to the boys, and she brings them up in the large, old castle that has been in the Rodriguez family for years.
As the boys get older, their personalities don't change at all, and Juan becomes a brave soldier, fighting for king and country, while Carlos goes to the university to study to become a Catholic priest. Juan makes Carlos promise to watch over his childhood sweetheart, Dona Beatriz, to make sure she stays free to marry Juan when he comes back from his war escapades. However, although Carlos starts out by spending a lot of time with Dona Beatriz telling her how wonderful his brave, strong brother is, pretty soon he ends up falling unwittingly in love with her! The thought crosses his mind that he could easily marry her since his brother is away. But when he suddenly realizes that he was about break his promise to his brother, a great struggle ensues. He is horrified that he could have even thought of hurting his beloved brother, but he can't imagine life without Dona Beatriz! So, he decides to escape the city and his uncle's house where he had been staying, and return to the old castle where he grew up to think things through.
While at the castle, a peddler with his mules stops by and Carlos invites him to spend the night. They end up getting into a discussion about religion, and the peddler, named Juliano, admits to Carlos that what he really has in his mule sacks is Spanish New Testaments, which are outlawed in Spain at the time. Juliano shares with Carlos that the true way to get to Heaven is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, not by performing rituals, doing good works, or attending church. Carlos is confused as he starts to realize the truths in the Bible, and even after Juan leaves he becomes more and more convicted of the only true way to Heaven. Carlos becomes a Christian, but keeps it hidden. If anyone ever found out . . . he shuddered to think of the tortures he may be forced to endure by the infamous Spanish Inquisition.
This book is much, much more complicated than I am able to write here, so to make a long story short (this book is 416 pages long), Carlos - through an effort to save his crippled cousin from doing a horrible deed - is eventually captured. Will his beloved brother fight to the death to save him from the murderous Inquisition? Juan has supposedly accepted his brother's faith as his own, but will it be enough to sustain him through this time of tragedy? Who does Dona Beatriz end up marrying? And who is that mysterious stranger who shares a cell with Carlos in the dark dungeons of the Inquisition? To find out all this and more, you'll have to read . . .
THE SPANISH BROTHERS!!!
I HIGHLY recommend this book and all the other books printed by Lamplighter Publishing! The Spanish Brothers is not only well written, it is inspiring, challenging, convicting, and very interesting! We have over 70 of their books, which all have hardcover, old-fashioned, very well designed covers. Most of the books were written over a hundred years ago, and each story teaches important character lessons. There are short books, long books, simply stories, and complicated stories - something for every age group! We've read several of these books aloud as a family and really enjoyed them! My personal favorites include: The Spanish Brothers, The Wrestler of Phillipi, The Robber's Cave, Titus: A Comrade of the Cross, Stepping Heavenward, and there are SO many more good ones! Visit the Lamplighter Publishing website to find out more! These books are worth the money - I'm so glad that Lamplighter Publishing is willing to re-print these godly, character-building stories that the whole family can enjoy!
On a side note, we also just LOVE the new Lamplighter Theatre stories (read the blog here). They've taken some of the favorite books and made them into highly exceptional, professional audio dramas! I can't recommend these highly enough!! Visit this page to listen to some samples. We have already bought the first season, plus The Robber's Cave, and they are WONDERFUL!
Here is Mark Hamby's (founder of Lamplighter Publishing) preface to The Spanish Brothers:
“Persecution bursts suddenly upon the secret converts in Seville. Carlos was imprisoned and put to the Question, but no tortures could induce him to deny his Lord, or betray his friends.”1 The Inquisition. The Question. The horrors of the Auto-da-fé. Through the courageous fortitude of great heroes and heroines of faith, lifts the soul clear above the anguish to the glory that we know and believe in, strengthening our faith and inspiring us to press on. This dramatic account of the Spanish Inquisition will leave you speechless. The conviction and courage demonstrated by sixteenth century believers puts our present-day calamities in perspective, sharply, yet gently reminding us of the truth of the Word and the power of our Savior’s love. All else pales in comparison. This is passionate book, a riveting work. It is historical, bringing us into the very presence of the individuals—ordinary yet extraordinary— who faltered neither in their faith nor their love for the One who is Truth. This book gives great power to those whose faith is faltering in prolonged anguish and suffering. It transcends this finite world and takes us to higher ground, upon which we can—and will—rejoice forever.
May we uphold each other in prayer as we endeavor to be forever faithful,
Mark Hamby
Romans 8:17-18
1 From “The Author of the Spanish Brothers (Deborah Alcock) Her Life and Works” by Elisabeth Boyd Bayly.
The year is 1592. The country - Spain. Carlos and Juan Rodriguez are not only brothers, they are also best friends. Their young mother died when Carlos was born, and their father is believed to be dead also. But growing up, the two brothers dreamed of the day when they would find their long lost father, and they imagined him a rich adventurer somewhere in the New World. As the firstborn, headstrong, confident Juan leads his kind, softhearted brother Carlos in pretend games of sword fighting and many other adventures. Their kind nurse Delores is almost like a mother to the boys, and she brings them up in the large, old castle that has been in the Rodriguez family for years.
As the boys get older, their personalities don't change at all, and Juan becomes a brave soldier, fighting for king and country, while Carlos goes to the university to study to become a Catholic priest. Juan makes Carlos promise to watch over his childhood sweetheart, Dona Beatriz, to make sure she stays free to marry Juan when he comes back from his war escapades. However, although Carlos starts out by spending a lot of time with Dona Beatriz telling her how wonderful his brave, strong brother is, pretty soon he ends up falling unwittingly in love with her! The thought crosses his mind that he could easily marry her since his brother is away. But when he suddenly realizes that he was about break his promise to his brother, a great struggle ensues. He is horrified that he could have even thought of hurting his beloved brother, but he can't imagine life without Dona Beatriz! So, he decides to escape the city and his uncle's house where he had been staying, and return to the old castle where he grew up to think things through.
While at the castle, a peddler with his mules stops by and Carlos invites him to spend the night. They end up getting into a discussion about religion, and the peddler, named Juliano, admits to Carlos that what he really has in his mule sacks is Spanish New Testaments, which are outlawed in Spain at the time. Juliano shares with Carlos that the true way to get to Heaven is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, not by performing rituals, doing good works, or attending church. Carlos is confused as he starts to realize the truths in the Bible, and even after Juan leaves he becomes more and more convicted of the only true way to Heaven. Carlos becomes a Christian, but keeps it hidden. If anyone ever found out . . . he shuddered to think of the tortures he may be forced to endure by the infamous Spanish Inquisition.
This book is much, much more complicated than I am able to write here, so to make a long story short (this book is 416 pages long), Carlos - through an effort to save his crippled cousin from doing a horrible deed - is eventually captured. Will his beloved brother fight to the death to save him from the murderous Inquisition? Juan has supposedly accepted his brother's faith as his own, but will it be enough to sustain him through this time of tragedy? Who does Dona Beatriz end up marrying? And who is that mysterious stranger who shares a cell with Carlos in the dark dungeons of the Inquisition? To find out all this and more, you'll have to read . . .
THE SPANISH BROTHERS!!!
I HIGHLY recommend this book and all the other books printed by Lamplighter Publishing! The Spanish Brothers is not only well written, it is inspiring, challenging, convicting, and very interesting! We have over 70 of their books, which all have hardcover, old-fashioned, very well designed covers. Most of the books were written over a hundred years ago, and each story teaches important character lessons. There are short books, long books, simply stories, and complicated stories - something for every age group! We've read several of these books aloud as a family and really enjoyed them! My personal favorites include: The Spanish Brothers, The Wrestler of Phillipi, The Robber's Cave, Titus: A Comrade of the Cross, Stepping Heavenward, and there are SO many more good ones! Visit the Lamplighter Publishing website to find out more! These books are worth the money - I'm so glad that Lamplighter Publishing is willing to re-print these godly, character-building stories that the whole family can enjoy!
On a side note, we also just LOVE the new Lamplighter Theatre stories (read the blog here). They've taken some of the favorite books and made them into highly exceptional, professional audio dramas! I can't recommend these highly enough!! Visit this page to listen to some samples. We have already bought the first season, plus The Robber's Cave, and they are WONDERFUL!
Here is Mark Hamby's (founder of Lamplighter Publishing) preface to The Spanish Brothers:
“Persecution bursts suddenly upon the secret converts in Seville. Carlos was imprisoned and put to the Question, but no tortures could induce him to deny his Lord, or betray his friends.”1 The Inquisition. The Question. The horrors of the Auto-da-fé. Through the courageous fortitude of great heroes and heroines of faith, lifts the soul clear above the anguish to the glory that we know and believe in, strengthening our faith and inspiring us to press on. This dramatic account of the Spanish Inquisition will leave you speechless. The conviction and courage demonstrated by sixteenth century believers puts our present-day calamities in perspective, sharply, yet gently reminding us of the truth of the Word and the power of our Savior’s love. All else pales in comparison. This is passionate book, a riveting work. It is historical, bringing us into the very presence of the individuals—ordinary yet extraordinary— who faltered neither in their faith nor their love for the One who is Truth. This book gives great power to those whose faith is faltering in prolonged anguish and suffering. It transcends this finite world and takes us to higher ground, upon which we can—and will—rejoice forever.
May we uphold each other in prayer as we endeavor to be forever faithful,
Mark Hamby
Romans 8:17-18
1 From “The Author of the Spanish Brothers (Deborah Alcock) Her Life and Works” by Elisabeth Boyd Bayly.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
LTLM Videocast
Please visit the Loving the Lord Ministries blog to see the very first Loving the Lord video cast with Amy Vest!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Our Christmas
Well, I'm finally posting about Christmas!! I won't make this too long, but I did want to share some pictures and tell a little about what we did over the Christmas season.
The week before the week of Christmas was extremely busy for us. We were able to play music and sing at several nursing homes - twice just our family, once with the local homeschool group, and once I played harp alone. While it is stressful practicing and getting ready to play (it's hard to imagaine doing it full time!), we are glad to be able to be a blessing and share Christ's love with others! I also played harp at a restaraunt for a private birthday party (below).
Every Christmas, we always visit two very special ladies in our lives! We have such an enjoyable time talking, eating, exchanging presents and being together!
The first is "Aunt" Marcia - mom worked with her before I was born, and they've been friends ever since! We always LOVE it when she takes us out to a movie - some of our favorites have included Up and Wall-E.
I also enjoyed being able to go to a Christmas cantata where my friend Amy A. played violin, and her mom sang in the choir. We enjoyed going out for a meal afterwards - it's always so encouraging and enjoyable to visit with friends!
On Christmas Eve and Day, it was just us at home. As soon as dad got home from work on Christmas Eve, we made him sit down and relax, and gave him homeade cards and a snack, and Lydia and I played special music!
That night we dressed up and had a special ham dinner - YUM!
That evening we read Luke 2, sang some carols, and opened presents! We enjoyed watching a new movie, then sleeping in on Christmas Day. We stayed in our pajamas all day, playing games, watching movies, playing outside on our frozen pond, and eating leftovers! What fun family memories! :-)
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Thoughts on Life and a New Year
Lately I have been reading a book to Lydia, a biography on the life of Sundar Singh. He was a man from India who, after miraculously being saved by God, was a missionary not only to his own people, but also to those in Tibet and many other countries. He completely dedicated his life to Jesus, and became a Christian "Sadhu" (holy man). He did not have a home or family, but instead traveled through treacherous mountains and hostile villages, all to share the Good News! Here is a brief excerpt from the book, written by Janet and Geoff Benge . . .
"When Sundar arrived in San Francisco, a reporter asked him what he wanted to achieve while in the United States. Sundar replied, "I do not seek to Christianize America. I come only as a witness of what Christ has done for me. America is already a Christian nation. But although America has many sincere Christians, the majority of the people here have no religion. Here, where it is easy to have religion, where religion is offered on every side, and no one is persecuted for being a Christian, life should be happy and peaceful because of Christianity. But it is not. Instead there is a hustle and bustle after money and comfort and pleasure, and that all clouds out thoughts of religion. Because it is so easy to have faith in this country, Americans do not appreciate what a comfort there is in religion. At one time the ostrich could fly, but because it did not ever use its wings, it lost its ability to do so. Just so, the people here who do not appreciate the religious faith of their fathers shall lose it."
And that was in 1920. Wow. Our country has only worsened. Just a couple weeks ago President Obama signed a law letting gays openly serve in the military. Now this may or not be connected to that, but I think in the week after he signed that there were floods and mudslides in California, a terrible storm that dumped tons of snow in the east, an earthquake in Indiana, 20 tornadoes that killed 6 people in 4 Midwestern states, and in our part of the country, 2 back-to-back blizzards that caused a 100 car accident, lots of snowfall, and very icy roads.
I've also been thinking lately about how short life is. James 4:13-15 says, "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." The older I get, the faster life seems to go! I can't believe I'm going to be 21 this summer . . . WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! Each day seems to zoom right by, and I am sobered to think that my life will be over before I know it, and only what's done for Christ will last!!!! As we look ahead on a new year, it's easy to think "I hope to be closer to God by the end of this year" or "I hope I accomplish this or that" but what are you doing each and every day to work towards your goal? When I was younger, I thought for sure by the time I was this OLD age I would be much farther along in my Christian walk. But now that I AM this old . . . wow, I sure have a LONG, LONG ways to go!
But, to end on a more cheerful note - God has been so faithful this year! I have seen Him work in so many ways and He has blessed me far beyond what I deserve. I pray that He will work through me this year and that with His help I will be able to live out my full potential for His glory!
When Sundar Singh was only 40 years old, he made another missionary journey into Tibet, but was never seen again. His life was dedicated to God and now He will be rejoicing and praising the Lord through all eternity - he was a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ! Let us strive to do the same.
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13
"When Sundar arrived in San Francisco, a reporter asked him what he wanted to achieve while in the United States. Sundar replied, "I do not seek to Christianize America. I come only as a witness of what Christ has done for me. America is already a Christian nation. But although America has many sincere Christians, the majority of the people here have no religion. Here, where it is easy to have religion, where religion is offered on every side, and no one is persecuted for being a Christian, life should be happy and peaceful because of Christianity. But it is not. Instead there is a hustle and bustle after money and comfort and pleasure, and that all clouds out thoughts of religion. Because it is so easy to have faith in this country, Americans do not appreciate what a comfort there is in religion. At one time the ostrich could fly, but because it did not ever use its wings, it lost its ability to do so. Just so, the people here who do not appreciate the religious faith of their fathers shall lose it."
And that was in 1920. Wow. Our country has only worsened. Just a couple weeks ago President Obama signed a law letting gays openly serve in the military. Now this may or not be connected to that, but I think in the week after he signed that there were floods and mudslides in California, a terrible storm that dumped tons of snow in the east, an earthquake in Indiana, 20 tornadoes that killed 6 people in 4 Midwestern states, and in our part of the country, 2 back-to-back blizzards that caused a 100 car accident, lots of snowfall, and very icy roads.
I've also been thinking lately about how short life is. James 4:13-15 says, "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." The older I get, the faster life seems to go! I can't believe I'm going to be 21 this summer . . . WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! Each day seems to zoom right by, and I am sobered to think that my life will be over before I know it, and only what's done for Christ will last!!!! As we look ahead on a new year, it's easy to think "I hope to be closer to God by the end of this year" or "I hope I accomplish this or that" but what are you doing each and every day to work towards your goal? When I was younger, I thought for sure by the time I was this OLD age I would be much farther along in my Christian walk. But now that I AM this old . . . wow, I sure have a LONG, LONG ways to go!
But, to end on a more cheerful note - God has been so faithful this year! I have seen Him work in so many ways and He has blessed me far beyond what I deserve. I pray that He will work through me this year and that with His help I will be able to live out my full potential for His glory!
When Sundar Singh was only 40 years old, he made another missionary journey into Tibet, but was never seen again. His life was dedicated to God and now He will be rejoicing and praising the Lord through all eternity - he was a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ! Let us strive to do the same.
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13
Monday, January 3, 2011
Trip Journal - Our Last Day
Wow, I really feel behind on blogging! There are so many things to write about (and probably several I promised to share a while ago and never did) but I will have to content myself with taking one thing at a time. :-) So, before sharing about our Christmas and New Years, I'd like to finish writing about our trip to San Antonio that we took in October! :-)
Our last full day (Sunday) in Texas was spent at our new, good friend's house - the P. family. We were so grateful for their hospitality, and had such a fun time getting to know them! They have nine children, and you can check out their fun blog at The Pennington Point.
Patience and Lydia drawing together . . .
Hope, Faith, and Grace (my pen-pal) working together in the LOVELY kitchen (all four P. girls are so sweet and fun to be with - why can't they all just live in MN?) . . .
Caleb and Jacob playing Wii?
Daniel and Elijah, Noah, and Adam (not necessarily in that order!) playing Monopoly (little Levi was elsewhere).
Now Grace and I have called each other "Anne" and "Diana" (from the Anne of Green Gables series) for quite a while, so we just HAD to take some snapshots of us dressed up like those old-fashioned, lovable characters!! Although, the funny thing is, Grace is much more like Anne than I am in personality . . . but since I have the red hair, alas, she is doomed to be Diana forever. :-) Nevertheless, my kindred spirit and I had a BLAST doing the photo shoot and she shall be my bosom friend as long as the sun and moon shall endure!!
It was SO hard to leave the next morning. :-( Texas is a wonderful state, and the people and weather are so warm! But don't worry, I don't plan on moving down there . . . I don't think I could enjoy a winter or Christmas without several feet of snow!! ha ha
We are so thankful for God's blessings on our trip, and Lord willing, we are already looking forward to the possibility of attending the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival next year!
We are so thankful for God's blessings on our trip, and Lord willing, we are already looking forward to the possibility of attending the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival next year!
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