06/05/2014
WINNER of Alone Yet Not Alone Giveaway!!!!
Congratulations Cyndi Van Ankum, you are the winner! I will contact you for your mailing info!
05/05/2014
Betrothed- A Giveaway
Check out the link above (Reviews & Giveaways) to read about my friend's giveaway on her blog! Our family has chosen this method of finding spouses for our children instead of the "dating" scene. Go, check out her blog and enter the giveaway!! The draw takes place on my birthday, May 12!!!
29/04/2014
Review & Giveaway~Alone, Yet Not Alone
I am so pleased to be able to review this book! We loved it. At first I wasn't so sure it would make a good bedtime read-aloud, due to the content, but everyone wanted "just one more chapter" every night. My children are 12, 8 and 5. Yes, even the 5 yr old didn't want to miss any part of the story! My husband would be disappointed if he missed a night of reading with us! We were not disappointed at all with this book, and it opened up a lot of discussions about how we would live out our faith in similar circumstances. We look forward to the movie coming out in June.
This historic book is recommended for children ages 8 and up and is a read they are guaranteed to love. It combines great adventure with even greater values - kids won't even realize they are learning about history!
About Alone Yet Not Alone:
Settled in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania, deep within America's new frontier, the Leininger family celebrates the blessings of a beautiful homestead and bountiful harvest. That is, until tragedy strikes with the beginning of the French and Indian War and the devastating raid known as the Penn's Creek Massacre.
The lives of this simple, God-fearing family are forever altered when Barbara and Regina, two young sisters, are carried away by a band of Allegheny warriors. Driven by their faith in God and the powerful bonds of family, Barbara and Regina hole firmly to the belief that they are never alone, even in their darkest hour, and that they will be reunited again.
Rich in historical details, Alone Yet Not Alone is an inspirational, true story of a family caught in the cross fire of the French and Indian War.
The feature film will be released in theaters June 13th 2014!!!!
About The Author:
Tracy Leininger Craven loves history and retelling real-life stories in her historical fiction books. She also loves spending her free time in the great outdoors with her husband David and their three children.
Alone Yet Not Alone
Written by: Tracy Leininger Craven
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Paperback: 148 pages
Official website for the movie, releasing JUNE 13th: http://www.aloneyetnotalone.com
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/aloneyetnotalone
RESERVE YOUR SEATS TO SEE THE MOVIE: http://seatzy.com/main/moviedetail/alone-yet-not-alone
"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
Giveaway Time
We will be giving away a copy of this book!
1. Leave a comment. This can be done daily.
2. Post about the giveaway on your Facebook or Twitter, please do this one, I would really appreciate it. I will give you 5 entries if you do this one, just post the link in a separate comment.
3. Sign up for my RSS feed to hear about other giveaways and other stuff when I find time to post, leave me a comment letting me know that you did, or if you already are signed up.
We will draw the lucky winner on May 5th.
This historic book is recommended for children ages 8 and up and is a read they are guaranteed to love. It combines great adventure with even greater values - kids won't even realize they are learning about history!
About Alone Yet Not Alone:
Settled in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania, deep within America's new frontier, the Leininger family celebrates the blessings of a beautiful homestead and bountiful harvest. That is, until tragedy strikes with the beginning of the French and Indian War and the devastating raid known as the Penn's Creek Massacre.
The lives of this simple, God-fearing family are forever altered when Barbara and Regina, two young sisters, are carried away by a band of Allegheny warriors. Driven by their faith in God and the powerful bonds of family, Barbara and Regina hole firmly to the belief that they are never alone, even in their darkest hour, and that they will be reunited again.
Rich in historical details, Alone Yet Not Alone is an inspirational, true story of a family caught in the cross fire of the French and Indian War.
The feature film will be released in theaters June 13th 2014!!!!
About The Author:
Tracy Leininger Craven loves history and retelling real-life stories in her historical fiction books. She also loves spending her free time in the great outdoors with her husband David and their three children.
Alone Yet Not Alone
Written by: Tracy Leininger Craven
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Paperback: 148 pages
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/aloneyetnotalone
RESERVE YOUR SEATS TO SEE THE MOVIE: http://seatzy.com/main/moviedetail/alone-yet-not-alone
"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
Giveaway Time
We will be giving away a copy of this book!
1. Leave a comment. This can be done daily.
2. Post about the giveaway on your Facebook or Twitter, please do this one, I would really appreciate it. I will give you 5 entries if you do this one, just post the link in a separate comment.
3. Sign up for my RSS feed to hear about other giveaways and other stuff when I find time to post, leave me a comment letting me know that you did, or if you already are signed up.
We will draw the lucky winner on May 5th.
10/04/2014
Dreams...
Okay, so here I am "wallowing in the pit of despair" (the kids are watching The Princess Bride and the Pit of Despair sounds like how I feel), and I am getting constant reminders that YHVH is with me and wants me to beat this spiritual depression sooner than later...lol I am amazed at His faithfulness, despite my falling into the enemies trap of depression almost every year. Why on earth would I feel this way, when I have the hope of YHVH in my life?! When I am constantly being miraculously provided for?! When we are entering this new season of hope called spring?! Why indeed?! oh let me tell you...but first let me share Yah's faithfulness. This week alone, a friend dropped by and gave me a cheerful yellow potted mum plant, my MIL gave me a $50 gift card for superstore (I needed a few groceries, some meds and gas for the car and we were out of money, but she didn't know that!!) in the mail was something from Red Cross soliciting for donations, but in with it were note cards to send to others to make their day brighter. I don't believe in coincidences!! He speaks to me all the time through the people around me! I really truly don't have a good reason to stay in this pit of despair, and even throughout the afternoon of writing this, a friend called to say "hi" and we chatted for an hour and a half!! Now I still need to deal with the enemy but when I look at Yah's faithfulness to me, it sure changes my attitude!
I mistakenly allowed the enemy to speak words of discontentment into my life. The enemy spoke lies that I can't trust my Creator, the enemy planted disbelief in my mind, that our dreams are not from YHVH. You see, 10 yrs ago, a dream was planted into our lives. It was the dream of an acreage...the original dream was a spiritual retreat center (kind of a whole body retreat center) that had an indoor tropical pool area with a waterfall and everything, as well as a golf course and small motel/cabins area. Also having our own animals and garden for food (eating whole foods is important to us whether certified organic or not) and being very self-sufficient, while ministering spiritually to others and doing all this with others who share our dream. Yeah...pretty lofty dream eh? Our dream has morphed into something a little more attainable but apparently still out of reach. Our current dream is to simply live on a self-sustaining acreage...and that's it. Oh sure we would prefer a community living kind of atmosphere, but somehow along the way my trust in Yah has faltered and that dream seems to have fallen by the wayside...even though I would definitely welcome it. Now please understand what I mean by self-sufficiency...it is not us doing everything in our own strength and forgetting our Creator!!! It is us relying on our Creator to show us how to live in community, how to grow our own food that has not been messed with by man made junk and how to live set-apart from the gov't regulated grid. We have no intentions of hiding from the world, but desire to be a light to the world and create a refreshing atmosphere for others who desire to visit a very set-apart place from the mainstream city life...writing all this rekindles this dream...and I envision a joyful me, making soap with the kids or bread in a woodstove...oh yes, I romanticize my dreams often. Even when it seems the dream is dead.
okay, so now you know the dream and a bit of why I'm in the "pit of despair"...now how do I get out?! It will be a fight. The enemy loves where I am right now. I do not, but the thing with depression is that it makes you too complacent/lazy to do anything about it. I'm pulling myself out, first by writing about it...and then by doing what I say. It may or may not be instant, I'm okay with a long battle, but I have to actually start fighting back.
First step: make popcorn for the kids...it is after all, 2pm and no lunch has been made yet...
Second step: read teaching unit 5 from A More Excellent Way and go through the 8 R's.
Recognize what is affecting you (whether it's a spirit of fear or some other sin).
Take responsibility for what you recognize.
Repent to God for participating with what you recognize.
You must make what you recognize your enemy and Renounce it.
Remove it-get rid of it once and for all.
When it tries to come back, Resist it.
Rejoice-give God thanks for setting you free.
Restore-help someone else get free.
So that is what I am going to be doing on these last few days leading up to Passover. I'll be doing a lot of spiritual house cleaning, of recognizing of my sins, repenting, removing and rejoicing, as well as physical house cleaning...LOL
18/03/2014
07/03/2014
Shabbat in our Home
Yes, it is preparation day and I'm sitting down at the computer enjoying the smells emanating from the kitchen, while enjoying a "cuppa joe"!! I don't have a camera, but let me do my best to describe my kitchen today...
In the toaster oven, you will find a chicken cooking on the rotisserie. In the oven, is the honey oatmeal challah bread. On the counter is a fresh brew of kombucha tea as well as water kefir and a couple trays of sprouts. Oh I feel like such a little healthy homemaker today...lol
I will start making the marinated veggies in a little bit and get the yams and potatoes cooking.
The Tassimo is freshly descaled and clean, my laundry is caught up, just a few loads to put away. Still need to clean the bathrooms and do a quick tidy up of the living room and then we'll be ready to enjoy the Sabbath. That special day that Yah set-apart for us.
He shows us in Creation that the 7th day is to be for rest. Ex 20:8 “Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself."
Who am I to argue with Him!! lol This is my favorite of the 10 Commandments!! I will set my table this evening with my fine china and get out the wine goblets for our grape juice, we will dress up as we prepare to enjoy this day called Shabbat. It is a day where Yah meets with us, and He is the most special guest we can possibly have in our home. Now that is not to say that He is not present the rest of the week, but we honor Him especially on His Shabbat. He sanctified us with His commandments and commands His children to remember Shabbat!! So remember it we shall!!!
Shabbat starts at sundown Friday evening and lasts until Saturday at sundown or when you can see some stars. Well, I better finish up my preparations since it will soon be sundown!!
In the toaster oven, you will find a chicken cooking on the rotisserie. In the oven, is the honey oatmeal challah bread. On the counter is a fresh brew of kombucha tea as well as water kefir and a couple trays of sprouts. Oh I feel like such a little healthy homemaker today...lol
I will start making the marinated veggies in a little bit and get the yams and potatoes cooking.
The Tassimo is freshly descaled and clean, my laundry is caught up, just a few loads to put away. Still need to clean the bathrooms and do a quick tidy up of the living room and then we'll be ready to enjoy the Sabbath. That special day that Yah set-apart for us.
He shows us in Creation that the 7th day is to be for rest. Ex 20:8 “Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself."
Who am I to argue with Him!! lol This is my favorite of the 10 Commandments!! I will set my table this evening with my fine china and get out the wine goblets for our grape juice, we will dress up as we prepare to enjoy this day called Shabbat. It is a day where Yah meets with us, and He is the most special guest we can possibly have in our home. Now that is not to say that He is not present the rest of the week, but we honor Him especially on His Shabbat. He sanctified us with His commandments and commands His children to remember Shabbat!! So remember it we shall!!!
Shabbat starts at sundown Friday evening and lasts until Saturday at sundown or when you can see some stars. Well, I better finish up my preparations since it will soon be sundown!!
Shabbat Shalom
02/03/2014
What is Holiness?!?
I grew up in a conservative Christian family and I'm sure I was taught the correct definition of holiness, but for some reason it never really clicked. It was a word that was jumbled in with a bunch of other religious words, like sanctification and r etc
I want my children to understand what holiness is and what it is not! I grew up thinking it was an unattainable state that we should strive for...I thought holiness was a synonym for being perfect! I thought I had to "act" perfect, which is far from the Truth of the definition of this word!!
The Hebrew word for "holy" in the following references is found in the Strong's concordance as # 6918.
קדךש in English it sounds like "kadosh" and means holy, sacred, consecrated, set apart as dedicated to God; by extension: pure, innocent, free from impurity.
Lev 11
Lev 19
And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Speak to the entire community of Isra’el; tell them, ‘You people are to be holy because I, Adonai your God, am holy." CJB
Lev 20
39 It is to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all of Adonai’s mitzvot and obey them, so that you won’t go around wherever your own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves; 40 but it will help you remember and obey all my mitzvot and be holy for your God. 41 I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to be your God. I am Adonai your God.” CJB
Deut 7
Deut 14
“Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
“You are the people of Adonai your God. You are not to gash yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead, 2 because you are a people set apart as holy for Adonai your God. Adonai your God has chosen you to be his own unique treasure out of all the peoples on the face of the earth." CJB
How can we be a 'set apart' people for YHVH? (I like to specify who my God is and choose to use the unpronounceable name He gave for us to use)
I want my children to understand what holiness is and what it is not! I grew up thinking it was an unattainable state that we should strive for...I thought holiness was a synonym for being perfect! I thought I had to "act" perfect, which is far from the Truth of the definition of this word!!
The Hebrew word for "holy" in the following references is found in the Strong's concordance as # 6918.
קדךש in English it sounds like "kadosh" and means holy, sacred, consecrated, set apart as dedicated to God; by extension: pure, innocent, free from impurity.
Lev 11
43 "Ye
shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that
creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye
should be defiled thereby.
44 For I am the Lord
your God. Ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy,
for I am holy; neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the Lord who bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. Ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." 21st century KJV
" You
are not to make yourselves detestable with any of these swarming,
crawling creatures; do not make yourselves unclean with them, do not
defile yourselves with them. 44 For I am Adonai
your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy;
and do not defile yourselves with any kind of swarming creature that
moves along the ground. (Maftir) 45 For I am Adonai, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you are to be holy, because I am holy." CJB
And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
2 “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: ‘Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." 21st century KJV
Adonai said to Moshe, 2 “Speak to the entire community of Isra’el; tell them, ‘You people are to be holy because I, Adonai your God, am holy." CJB
Lev 20
7 “‘Sanctify yourselves therefore and be ye holy, for I am the Lord your God.
8 “‘And ye shall keep My statutes and do them: I am the Lord who sanctify you." 21st century KJV
7 "Therefore consecrate yourselves — you people must be holy, because I am Adonai your God. 8 Observe my regulations, and obey them; I am Adonai, who sets you apart to be holy." CJB
Num 15
39 "And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring,
40 that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy unto your God.
41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God.” 21 century KJV
39 It is to be a tzitzit for you to look at and thereby remember all of Adonai’s mitzvot and obey them, so that you won’t go around wherever your own heart and eyes lead you to prostitute yourselves; 40 but it will help you remember and obey all my mitzvot and be holy for your God. 41 I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt in order to be your God. I am Adonai your God.” CJB
Deut 7
6 “For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The Lord
did not set His love upon you nor choose you because ye were more in
number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people;" 21 century KJV
6 "For you are a people set apart as holy for Adonai your God. Adonai your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his own unique treasure. 7 Adonai
didn’t set his heart on you or choose you because you numbered more
than any other people — on the contrary, you were the fewest of all
peoples." CJB
Deut 14
“Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
2 For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself above all the nations that are upon the earth." 21 century KJV
“You are the people of Adonai your God. You are not to gash yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead, 2 because you are a people set apart as holy for Adonai your God. Adonai your God has chosen you to be his own unique treasure out of all the peoples on the face of the earth." CJB
How can we be a 'set apart' people for YHVH? (I like to specify who my God is and choose to use the unpronounceable name He gave for us to use)
Have you ever noticed, that He gives us an instruction guide on how to be 'set apart'???
It's kinda interesting, Deut 7:7 says "Adonai
didn’t set his heart on you or choose you because you numbered more
than any other people — on the contrary, you were the fewest of all
peoples." I wonder if the 'instruction guide', is the reason He chose a small people group instead of a large people group? I mean think about it. We humans are stubborn and rebellious....we want to think we know it all, and don't want anyone to tell us what to do. It makes sense that YHVH picks the smallest group of people in order to restore the lost relationship He had with His creation. It's easier to change, in a small group, less chance of mutiny...lol And yet, there still arose many situations within the camp of YHVH's people during the 40 yrs in the wilderness.
I've noticed that very few people who claim to serve YHVH, obey or even consider the 'instruction guide' to be relevant to them. Do you know what that 'instruction guide' is?
It is the very foundation of faith in YHVH. It shows us YHVH's character and why we should want to be restored to Him. It explains to us, what He thinks about things and how we are to act. It shows us pictures of the future and what we can expect in the End Times.
Why don't more of us study His guide and learn to live 'set-apart' the way He wants His people to? Are we too distracted? Are we too busy worrying?
YHVH tells us how to be holy. And as we learn to live 'set-apart' for Him, we will become that pure and spotless Bride that He will soon return for. It is as simple as obeying Him. To join with the original "church" at Sinai and say, "We will obey every word Adonai has spoken.” Ex 24:3.
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