Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Holiness First, Happiness Second
This is an excerpt from my devotional, The Pursuit of Man by A.W. Tozer, this morning that I thought was really thought provoking and great to share.
"A selfish desire for happiness is as sinful as any other selfish desire. People are coming more and more to excuse every sort of wrongdoing on the grounds that they are 'just trying to secure a little happiness.' The doctrine of man's inalienable right to happiness is anti-God and anti-Christ, and its wide acceptance by society tells us a lot about that same society.
The effect of this modern hedonism is felt also among the people of God. The gospel is too often presented as a means toward happiness, to peace of mind or security. There are even those who use the Bible to 'relax' them, as if it were a drug.
How far wrong all this is will be discovered easily by the simple act of reading the New Testament through once with meditation. There the emphasis is not upon happiness but upon holiness. God is more concerned with the state of people's hearts than with the state of their feelings. Undoubtedly the will of God brings final happiness to those who obey, but the most important matter is not how happy we are but how holy."-AWT in Of God and Men
"A selfish desire for happiness is as sinful as any other selfish desire. People are coming more and more to excuse every sort of wrongdoing on the grounds that they are 'just trying to secure a little happiness.' The doctrine of man's inalienable right to happiness is anti-God and anti-Christ, and its wide acceptance by society tells us a lot about that same society.
The effect of this modern hedonism is felt also among the people of God. The gospel is too often presented as a means toward happiness, to peace of mind or security. There are even those who use the Bible to 'relax' them, as if it were a drug.
How far wrong all this is will be discovered easily by the simple act of reading the New Testament through once with meditation. There the emphasis is not upon happiness but upon holiness. God is more concerned with the state of people's hearts than with the state of their feelings. Undoubtedly the will of God brings final happiness to those who obey, but the most important matter is not how happy we are but how holy."-AWT in Of God and Men
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Baking Time
Okay so I don't really like to cook, but I do like baking! Titus and I baked these yesterday and I felt the need to share it with you. We also made a loaf of homemade bread, we don't have a bread machine but we do have a stand mixer and an oven, Yummy! These caramel rolls were good this morning for breakfast with a little heat and butter on them. Tom on the other hand likes cooking and he is great at it. He is marinading a whole chicken right now to grill for tonight, Yummy. Maybe I will get a picture of that finished product for you!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Update on Little Big Man!
Titus is close to 16 weeks now, he is getting very vocal and he is such a good baby. Sure there are moments or days when mom feels like she doesn't get anything done but I am learning to adjust still and trying to work with that as much as I know how at this point. I feel like nothing prepares you for this and at times it is different than how you thought it would be, but by God's grace it is still good and it is worth it. You have the opportunity to make a direct impact for eternity in the life of your children in how you decide to raise them. I love that verse, Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." That is a promise from the very Word of God that we can claim as His children. Titus is very strong with his neck and holding up his head, it seems he has been from birth and he is about 15 lbs. now! Most everyone that meets him or sees him thinks he looks older than what he is because of his size! I am hoping to hold off introducing any food at all until he is 6 months, therefore eating only breast milk til then. His Pediatrician recommends that because of allergies these days and with the allergy history of some of his cousins I think that would be best for him too.
Well last week mom joined Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), which is an interdenominational, in-depth Bible study that actually meets all over the world! Some of you may remember that I did this about 10 years ago, the first year they taught the book of Romans. Then I started work at the Vet Clinic and I couldn't go anymore because it is on Wednesday mornings here in Missoula for the women. But now I have Titus and they have a great children's program where they teach them the same thing that the parents are studying. And this year is a new study to BSF, they are teaching through Isaiah! And actually since Titus is so young I can keep him with me for nursing and such. I think once he is crawling I will put him in the children's program. If you are interested and are looking for a good Bible Study, just click on the link for BSF down under the websites we enjoy. You can search for one by your zip code and they have a class for men too. Tom is not going yet because he is pretty involved in our church's youth group on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings plus any extra activities they do. But I am loving it and it just started last week and goes through the school year with breaks like for Christmas and such.
I think Tom is happy that NFL season is started back up, we love those Broncos! Titus already has two Broncos outfits, at this point for the future. We also think it is awesome that Tim Tebow is on the team after his awesome Pro-Life testimony last year during the Super Bowl commercials!
We are hoping to drive to CO to spend Thanksgiving with Toms parents and then fly into IL or WI to spend Christmas with my family this year! Pray that we can accomplish those trips, we should be able to get at least one free ticket because we earn travel reward points with both of our debit cards thanks to our great US Bank. I am so excited for Titus to play with his cousins, Gracie and Bella, they have not met him yet and neither have my sisters! And we have not met Bella yet and she is going to be a year old in November! And Titus is only about 5-6 lbs. less than her from what my sister tells me! What a ham! But Tom does have plenty of PTO stored up so that is great.
I love this picture cuz it looks like Titus is sitting in the ball! His development book actually recommended doing this to encourage muscle development, another great use for those exercise balls.
Okay I know those who are close to me know that I love most things that few people like, like anchovies, sushi and yes, sardines! I actually saw this on t.v. and wanted to try it and I had the ingredients for it so why not? A peanut butter and sardine sandwich, and it tasted really good! If anyone likes sardines, I recommend trying it.
One of Tom's great soups, Udon, actually from his time in Japan. I love it cuz the noodles (called Udon noodles) are like the size of earthworms and then he cooks up some good veggies to put in it like carrots, mushrooms and pea pods. And usually he slices up a hard boiled egg and puts that in too, which is an awesome way to enjoy hard boiled eggs.
Titus in his Bumbo chair with his precious bunny.
A view out our living room window! There has been a group of whitetail/mule deer of 7-10 everyday down in the gully outside our window! Some are good size bucks, Jerm you could come out here to hunt!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
More Beautiful You
Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight, her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight
Well, little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care, your skin, your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are
There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
Little girl twenty one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you'll do instead
Well, little girl twenty one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And He'll treat you like the jewel you are
There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you, more beautiful you
So turn around, you're not too far
To back away, be who you are
To change your path, go another way
It's not too late, you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear, they can all be washed away
By the One who's strong, can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears, dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light, He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl
That there could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
There could never be a more beautiful you
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight, her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight
Well, little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care, your skin, your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are
There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
Little girl twenty one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you'll do instead
Well, little girl twenty one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And He'll treat you like the jewel you are
There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you, more beautiful you
So turn around, you're not too far
To back away, be who you are
To change your path, go another way
It's not too late, you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear, they can all be washed away
By the One who's strong, can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears, dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light, He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl
That there could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops, they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you
There could never be a more beautiful you
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Labor Day Weekend
Titus turned 13 weeks this last Saturday and we decided to take him for his first hike! Our adventure on Saturday was up to Blue Mountain Lookout. We hiked the last mile of the 8 mile trail up to the Lookout Tower, so we drove about 10 miles on a gravel road to get to the start of the last mile of the hike. Very pretty drive but the hike was even more beautiful. Tom carried Titus in our front carrier and he just looked around at everything, very alert. Looking at all the pretty trees and interesting things in the forest. He did get hungry on the way up and we had to stop so mommy could nurse him. Then we finally reached the top and it has a great view of different mountain ranges around us. The Lookout Tower is a working Forest Service fire lookout! I wish we could have climbed the stairs to the top but it looked a little scary to do with a baby. Then Titus got hungry again and then we headed back down after attempting many pictures with the sun shining so bright. Titus slept on the way back down, what should have taken us an hour and half for the whole trip took us about 2 and a half hours with a baby!
Then on Sunday after church and much errand running we headed to Rock Creek, east of Missoula, to hike there, hoping to see many Bighorn Sheep! We drove about 27 miles to get there, it was all paved roads which was nice. The area out there I noticed was very pretty and just about everyone lived in a cabin type home, which is one of our dreams someday, a cabin with some land! Right when we started our hike there we saw some Whitetail, course mommy couldn't get the camera out fast enough before they ran away. But we enjoyed that hike, we just hiked until we thought we should turn around for the sake of Titus. He got hungry on that hike too, and slept on the way back to the car. I am not sure where that trail took you for a destination but I think we will go back again sometime and try to find out. We also had packed some firewood in the car with some food and smores to enjoy for dinner but as soon as we got back to the car it started pouring. We never saw any Bighorn on our hike but we drove a little further up the road hoping it would stop raining and find a campsite to enjoy our goodies. We found a group of Bighorn near the road but it never stopped raining so we went back home. We will enjoy a campfire here soon with our goodies!
Titus is growing so big and no one can believe he is only 3 months old! I think he has rolled over at least a dozen times now since he was 8 weeks old! Three times just yesterday! And he is discovering his hands and feet and his voice. He generally sleeps about 10-11 hours at night now but he has been sleeping through the night for at least a month already. He has moved into his own room since he was 12 weeks old and that transition went really well for him. I think mommy was more worried than he was. Just tonight I got out his rubber duckies at bath time for the first time and was squirting him with them and he was laughing! Oh, he is so cute! Daddy gives him airplane rides and he loves it, he just keeps springing up off his feet cuz he wants more!
We hiked around this rocky cliff area, the trail was probably just at the base of the rocks and above the trees that are below, a lot of the trail was covered in shale.
The view below our Rock Creek hike, horses grazing, one of mommies favorite of all God's creation.
Daddy and Titus on our hike in Rock Creek, my two favorite men!
A view of Missoula coming back down the Blue Mountain National Recreation Trail.
Blue Mountain (fire) Lookout Tower, 50 ft., we wanted to go up into it but the stairs were very steep and at the top of the stairs the door was closed. But they say you can see 5 different mountain ranges from up there!
At the top of Blue Mountain, 6,460 ft.
Then on Sunday after church and much errand running we headed to Rock Creek, east of Missoula, to hike there, hoping to see many Bighorn Sheep! We drove about 27 miles to get there, it was all paved roads which was nice. The area out there I noticed was very pretty and just about everyone lived in a cabin type home, which is one of our dreams someday, a cabin with some land! Right when we started our hike there we saw some Whitetail, course mommy couldn't get the camera out fast enough before they ran away. But we enjoyed that hike, we just hiked until we thought we should turn around for the sake of Titus. He got hungry on that hike too, and slept on the way back to the car. I am not sure where that trail took you for a destination but I think we will go back again sometime and try to find out. We also had packed some firewood in the car with some food and smores to enjoy for dinner but as soon as we got back to the car it started pouring. We never saw any Bighorn on our hike but we drove a little further up the road hoping it would stop raining and find a campsite to enjoy our goodies. We found a group of Bighorn near the road but it never stopped raining so we went back home. We will enjoy a campfire here soon with our goodies!
Titus is growing so big and no one can believe he is only 3 months old! I think he has rolled over at least a dozen times now since he was 8 weeks old! Three times just yesterday! And he is discovering his hands and feet and his voice. He generally sleeps about 10-11 hours at night now but he has been sleeping through the night for at least a month already. He has moved into his own room since he was 12 weeks old and that transition went really well for him. I think mommy was more worried than he was. Just tonight I got out his rubber duckies at bath time for the first time and was squirting him with them and he was laughing! Oh, he is so cute! Daddy gives him airplane rides and he loves it, he just keeps springing up off his feet cuz he wants more!
We hiked around this rocky cliff area, the trail was probably just at the base of the rocks and above the trees that are below, a lot of the trail was covered in shale.
The view below our Rock Creek hike, horses grazing, one of mommies favorite of all God's creation.
Daddy and Titus on our hike in Rock Creek, my two favorite men!
A view of Missoula coming back down the Blue Mountain National Recreation Trail.
Blue Mountain (fire) Lookout Tower, 50 ft., we wanted to go up into it but the stairs were very steep and at the top of the stairs the door was closed. But they say you can see 5 different mountain ranges from up there!
At the top of Blue Mountain, 6,460 ft.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
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