Forsaking Traditions and Embracing Convictions....a journey.

So like always, I'm feeling challenged by some people...I don't know them in real life, just through reading their blogs and talking with them through various yahoo groups...here are some of the things I'm being challenged in...I have no resolutions to my wondering thoughts...just lots of questions...lol And without being all legalistic, our family will be going through these questions this year and exploring what God has to show us and teach us...

What calendar should I follow? Daniel 7:25 "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time." Now I realize that we shouldn't be just taking one verse and wonder what it means...lol but after reading the whole chapter 7 of Daniel, I DO wonder what it means and if it's referring to something that happened in that time or is it referring to the calendar that man made which makes no sense really...especially when compared to the lunar calendar, which in my head makes the most sense!

According to Exodus 12:1-2 "1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." this is in referance to the Passover also stated in Leviticus 23:5 "The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month." Deut 16:1 "1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night." So in those verses, it tells us what month God has stated as the first month of the year. This month is Abib...no where in Scripture have I yet found a place that even states Rosh Hashanah (a Jewish fall festival) to be the new year. Here is some good calendar info...if you're intrigued!

Also, when does our day really begin? Genesis 1:5 "God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day." The term "and there was evening, and there was morning-the ______ day" is used throughout the creation story...to me this means our day starts at sundown and goes until the next sundown. This verse backs up this theory as well, Neh 13:19 "When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over." but then you have verses like this one Gen 19:34 "The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." Just to add to confusion..."In the time of the Roman Empire, the day may have begun at midnight, as indicated by the Gospel of John (4:6; 19:14)." (from above link...)

Is it ok to follow "christian" holidays if we are lovers of the Lord??? or follow the Feasts that He Himself has asked us to remember in Leviticus 23? Here are many thoughts that I share...Grab a cup of coffee though, because it's a very interesting read full of facts and history...

One thing we DO want to remember this year, regardless of what we end up doing with our holidays/feasts, is to remember our Lord. I pray that each and every holiday/feast we celebrate, ultimately points to Him....He is the ONLY reason for us to keep on breathing. We were made for HIS glory!!

Good and Evil....is the line really that thin???

I read a blog recently...(5 minutes ago actually...) and it renewed my desire to guard carefully what I watch/read and what my children watch and read...Here it is.
Let me know what you think of it!

Restaurant Quality...

So a fabulous friend of mine did some wonderful research after her husband had a serious case of food poisoning, and she came across a great website that allows the public to view health inspection reports on restaurants!! Oh was I excited to see this!! I typed in some of my most frequented restaurants and was happy to see that only 1 was a dive!! yay! We usually do take out if we eat restaurant food...lol Anyhow, here's the link!
Just go to the site and pick your town/city and then find any restaurant! I'm so excited about this! Granted, the restaurants have 24 hours notice before an inspection, but if it's a dive, they won't do well with the inspection anyways since there really is only so much you can do in 24 hours! haha
Hope this helps some of you pick and choose wisely!

Weight and Height and Age updates!!

Soooo, Silas is 8 1/2 yrs old, 4ft 8in tall, 77 1/2 lbs. which means he's in the 91st percentile for weight and 96th percentile for height! He's my super helper!

Shyla, is 3yrs 8 months old, 3ft 1in tall, and 31 lbs. Which means she's in the 26th percentile for weight and the 12th percentile for height! She's my little muffin!! lol

Malachi is 9 months next week and is 28 1/2inches tall and 22 lbs. Which means he's in the 68th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height! He sooo doesn't seem very babylike anymore, learning something new everyday...sigh. Today it was the stairs...and my babygate isn't big enough to go across!!! Guess what he's getting for Christmas this year?! Can't decide between a helmet and a babygate...lol

Soooo Silas is now an avid reader and although he found the Hardy Boys boring, he's really enjoying the Sugar Creek Gang!! A better choice anyways in my opinion! lol

Shyla...ohhh darling little Shyla, she spent about an hour erasing the walls and doors upstairs today. We also found out that she is a lefty! No wonder she is so different from Silas! She is my most creative child and loses herself easily in a game of pretend!

Malachi...so many milestone being past everyday! He's crawling and getting into everything, pulling himself up and looking proud once he's standing...and he loves the stairs! He also loves to scream...sigh, we've tried spraying him with water, gently slapping his lips...all to no avail. So we just put him in his crib and he screams and plays in there...it's not an upset scream, it's a look at me scream, but he does it ALL THE TIME! Soooo, after going through the whole, change his diaper, offer a bottle, offer food...he just gets put to bed...lol He'll be heading there soon according to my headache...hee hee

So that's my little update!

A Call to Anguish - David Wilkerson

Rememberance Day

Obama

Isn't it interesting how during the election he said exactly what the nation wanted to hear in order to become president and now he is saying the exact opposite...and what is sad is that I'm not surprised...are you?

Makes me feel like the tribulation is much closer than not! May we all keep our hearts and eyes on the Lord and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.