As you can see he is stylin' and studyin' -- sportin' daddy's {looooong} necktie and " readin' " some Bible stories. Gotta start 'im young! ♥
Happy Sunday!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
My Lil' Preacher Boy
As you can see he is stylin' and studyin' -- sportin' daddy's {looooong} necktie and " readin' " some Bible stories. Gotta start 'im young! ♥
Happy Sunday!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
You Are Now Entering...
the Twilight Zone?! {Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do}
Nope, not quite. (Although, now that you mention it...)
Nope, not quite. (Although, now that you mention it...)
Uncharted waters?! Yep. Most definitely.
In fact, we are stepping into a whole, new world. A world of wonder and learning.
It's more commonly known as "School...um...er....HOMEschool!
So far, so good. {Boy, do we have a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way to go!} {Grin} ♥
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| **CLICK ON ME to make me BIGGER** |
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Story doesn't end there...
Wow! I am overwhelmed...
I jumped on Facebook for a second and found out that there is much more to the story...
Whoa! As I read those words, I felt a sharp and swift knife of conviction pierce my heart! I am severely smitten by those words and her courageous actions.
Supposedly, the older of the two said, "Don't take that!" To which the younger replied, "But the lady gave it to me!" and continued to stuff it in the bag. Now, this heroic family are praying that this man will read the words of life found in her stolen Bible and be saved!
Wow! and again I say WOW!! I am blown away by this. Would I have had the presence of mind to do the same? Or even anything remotely close? Sadly, I don't think so. I think I would have cringed in fear and humiliation and never have said a word or even have thought about trying to be a light to thieves in the process of robbing me. What an amazing testimony of God's power on my dear friends' life and of seeking a way to allow all things to work together for good to them that love Him. Obviously, Mindy is very soul-minded, even thinking of the souls of her attackers in that sinful moment. I am very, deeply convicted and pray that the Lord will use this in my life to renew my burden for a love of God's Word and to take His Word to the lost, no matter where I am or who they are.
I want to express a HUGE thank you to the many of my friends that are lifting this family up in prayer. You are a blessing and encouragement to them and me!
Here's a quick note from Mindy herself:
I jumped on Facebook for a second and found out that there is much more to the story...
You see, not only were my dear friends robbed at gunpoint {big shudder}, but God was working through it all. As sweet Mindy's faith was truly put to the test and I am sure a million things were running crazily through her mind, God gave her clarity. As the robbers quickly grabbed their worldly goods and stuffed them into a bag, Mindy handed the younger man her Bible, stating something like this,
"Take this; it's the most valuable thing I have."
Whoa! As I read those words, I felt a sharp and swift knife of conviction pierce my heart! I am severely smitten by those words and her courageous actions.
Supposedly, the older of the two said, "Don't take that!" To which the younger replied, "But the lady gave it to me!" and continued to stuff it in the bag. Now, this heroic family are praying that this man will read the words of life found in her stolen Bible and be saved!
Wow! and again I say WOW!! I am blown away by this. Would I have had the presence of mind to do the same? Or even anything remotely close? Sadly, I don't think so. I think I would have cringed in fear and humiliation and never have said a word or even have thought about trying to be a light to thieves in the process of robbing me. What an amazing testimony of God's power on my dear friends' life and of seeking a way to allow all things to work together for good to them that love Him. Obviously, Mindy is very soul-minded, even thinking of the souls of her attackers in that sinful moment. I am very, deeply convicted and pray that the Lord will use this in my life to renew my burden for a love of God's Word and to take His Word to the lost, no matter where I am or who they are.
I want to express a HUGE thank you to the many of my friends that are lifting this family up in prayer. You are a blessing and encouragement to them and me!
Here's a quick note from Mindy herself:
Thankful for God's protection
by Mindy Bush on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 9:41am
Thank you all for your prayers, messages and calls! We are so amazed and comforted with the the thought of so many people praying for us in this time. We thank the Lord that no harm came to us or to our girls and are praying that we can put this behind us. The Lord gave us a peace that passes all understanding during the entire experience and though we were shook up we knew that God was protecting us the entire time. We are praying for the thieves as one of them has my Bible that he will read it and be saved! We are so thankful for all of you who have prayed and ask that you continue to do so especially for our girls as they have a hard time processing all that they saw. It would take me forever to respond back to everyone who has written so I'm writing this note as a thank you to all of you!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Every missionary's nightmare
My dear, sweet friends {especially fellow missionaries who can truly relate to this!},
I am sending out this quick prayer request with a heavy heart.
These are dear missionary friends of ours, Jeff and Mindy Bush. As you can see they have 4 beautiful girls and Mindy is pregnant. Last night as they were coming home from church, they were met by a most unpleasant surprise. Every missionary's nightmare.
Two thieves met them as they opened the door to their garage and home.
They put a gun to Mindy’s head. They stole their wedding rings, engagement ring, both laptop computers, camera, cell phone, jewelry, all the cash in both dollars and pesos that they had, which was about $1,000.
The thieves went into the house. They grabbed the necklace around Mindy’s neck and were going to jerk it off but were kind enough to take it off as they held the gun to her head.
There were two men with two guns. They were told that if they report this to the police that they will come back and steal the baby, Alexandra.
This is a horrible set back. They have been held at gun point, they were threatened. The $1,000 was money that is needed for ministry needs this week and must be taken out in cash so it is gone.
To further complicate things, Jeff's parents and nephew are visiting them and had to go through this ordeal, too. Plus, the Bush family is trying to get things together to go on furlough in September.
Put yourself in their shoes for a moment--can you imagine the feel of a cold steel gun barrel pressed to your head? The trauma and shock and violation that comes with being robbed? The overwhelming feelings of insecurity and fear of being threatened? It is truly a tragedy.
Please, pretty please, pray for this family. They are faithful servants of the Lord with a growing, thriving ministry here in Argentina. The stinkin' devil is fighting hard. He despises all that they are doing for the Lord.
- Pray that God will do a mighty work in their lives through this.
- Pray that He will supply them with the help and comfort that they need in this moment. As you can imagine Mindy and the girls are very shaken up.
- Pray that He will provide the means for them to replace these stolen items and pay their bills.
- Pray that His name will be glorified in how they deal with this.
- Pray for missionaries everywhere--that they will be safe and not have to go through a similar situation.
We don't like to talk about these kinds of things, we don't like to scare you or paint a dark picture. But this is the truth. This is a part of our everyday lives. Things like this really do happen, all around us, and sometimes, to us.
Just goes to show that being a missionary is no picnic--especially today, especially for the Bush family.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Baking Blunders
I am sure that you have never had any of those. You slave away in the kitchen and pour your heart into fabulous culinary delights that emerge from the oven, honey golden brown and baked to perfection every single time. Right? Okay, so if you are just a little bit like me, you may have had a mishap {or 2, 3, 14, who wants to count those?!}
Let me tell ya 'bout a couple of my {more recent} "whoopsies".
Banana Cake Flop
A couple of months ago we were having birthday fellowship at church. You know the kind where everybody brings finger-foods and we, as good Baptist, do a lot of eating and chatting. Good times! Well, this particular week, I was pondering and puzzling over what food to take. Attempting to be a thrifty, non-wasteful, good steward wife and mom, I thought I would use up some past-their-prime bananas and make a banana cake. Sounds like a good idea, right? Let's just say that I am sticking to my story that when I checked the cake, toothpick test and all, it looked nice and done and the toothpick came out clean. However, I think some little cake gremlin attacked between taking it out of the oven and fellowship time at church. 'Cuz that cake was a sad, gooey, mushy mess in the middle! It was definitely one of those times that you want to stand around and say, "So, who made that cake?!" and make no claims to it whatsoever!
Oatmeal Raisin Muffins that didn't do no Raisin'
Then there was a little "incident" a couple weeks back. I was *trying* to be a sweet wife and surprise my hubby with some baking when he got home. Clara got up from her nap raring to help mama with the special treat. She suggested that muffins would be yummy and I agreed. I looked through a couple of my cookbooks til I came across a recipe for oatmeal raisin muffins. Again, sounds good, right? Yah, not so much. Nothing looked amiss as we began measuring ingredients and mixing it all up. It called for plenty of baking powder. But do you think those little would-be-muffins raised into nice, fluffy perfection?!?! Not even close!! They just sat there like pathetic little lumps. I checked and re-checked that recipe to make sure that I had not gone astray somewhere. Nope. Needless to say, I won't be trusting that recipe again!
Pink/Blue Baby Shower Cake?!
And, if that isn't enough, we had my 4th of July failure. I found a cute recipe for a red, white, and blue cake. It looked easy-peasy and fool proof. {Famous last words!} I thought that I was being smart and picking a recipe that was easily within my {lack of} expertise. But, alas, I thought wrong. I borrowed a silicon round cake mold from my pastor's wife and greased it up but good. I prepared the batter, splitting it into three bowls, and adding the appropriate red and blue food coloring. Into the oven it went, but out of the pan it did not! That is, 2/3 of the cake slid nicely out, but that top 1/3 stubbornly held fast to the mold. Problemo numero 1! I did the best I could to make it look even and presentable on the top and was determined not to let the cake win. And, yes as you may have guessed, the "Red" didn't turn out too red, either. On to the frosting--drizzle "red", white, and blue, glaze over the top. Yah, I am sure you can imagine how my very pink and light blue frosting drizzled over a dejected little pink, white, and blue cake looked! Much more like a baby shower cake than anything to do with patriotic Independence Day!
So, what's the "moral of the story"? Well, all these mishaps got me to thinkin'. Here's some random thoughts that I have learned, yes, even from my baking blunders.
Following the recipe is important. But you have to have a trustworthy, tried and true recipe to follow in life. I am so glad that My Recipe Book--The BIBLE--has never, and never will, let me down!
I hate wasting time, money, and ingredients when things don't turn out as I plan. BUT, at least in baking, I can wipe the counter clean and start all over again.
Life doesn't afford me any "re-dos". My time is short and my ingredients are priceless and irreplaceable. I only have 1 life to live, I only have 1 marriage to work on and be the best helpmeet that I can be, I only have 1 chance to raise my kids right, I only have 1 chance to fulfill God's perfect plan for me.
If I don't follow the wonderful "Recipe" that I have been given, I can be assured that things will quickly go awry. How can I possibly expect the results I want, if I don't put in the right ingredients?
Many people in the world today look at our churches and our kids, and want the good results without following the right steps to get to the finished product. I wonder if I don't, with my actions, often have the same attitude? It's so easy to let the "little" things slide. There not what's really important anyway, right?! Every ingredient, no matter how big or small, makes a difference in the recipe.
I don't want to alter the perfect recipe that I find in God's Word, I want to follow it to the letter. For me, for my marriage, for my kids, and for my service to the Lord. I am guaranteed success if I do it God's way.
Some ingredients sure leave a bitter taste. But those "unsavory" ingredients that God allows into our lives work together for His gain and our good; IF we let them! You can't have tasty biscuits if you don't add any baking powder; by itself baking powder tastes terrible, but when you mix all the ingredients together just right, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits can come forth! Some of life's ingredients are harder to swallow than others, but it will be worth it all to see God's finished masterpiece in the end!
That's why I am "Missionary Mama in the making" ~~My recipe mishaps remind me that He's still workin' on me! :)
Let me tell ya 'bout a couple of my {more recent} "whoopsies".
Banana Cake Flop
A couple of months ago we were having birthday fellowship at church. You know the kind where everybody brings finger-foods and we, as good Baptist, do a lot of eating and chatting. Good times! Well, this particular week, I was pondering and puzzling over what food to take. Attempting to be a thrifty, non-wasteful, good steward wife and mom, I thought I would use up some past-their-prime bananas and make a banana cake. Sounds like a good idea, right? Let's just say that I am sticking to my story that when I checked the cake, toothpick test and all, it looked nice and done and the toothpick came out clean. However, I think some little cake gremlin attacked between taking it out of the oven and fellowship time at church. 'Cuz that cake was a sad, gooey, mushy mess in the middle! It was definitely one of those times that you want to stand around and say, "So, who made that cake?!" and make no claims to it whatsoever!
Oatmeal Raisin Muffins that didn't do no Raisin'
Then there was a little "incident" a couple weeks back. I was *trying* to be a sweet wife and surprise my hubby with some baking when he got home. Clara got up from her nap raring to help mama with the special treat. She suggested that muffins would be yummy and I agreed. I looked through a couple of my cookbooks til I came across a recipe for oatmeal raisin muffins. Again, sounds good, right? Yah, not so much. Nothing looked amiss as we began measuring ingredients and mixing it all up. It called for plenty of baking powder. But do you think those little would-be-muffins raised into nice, fluffy perfection?!?! Not even close!! They just sat there like pathetic little lumps. I checked and re-checked that recipe to make sure that I had not gone astray somewhere. Nope. Needless to say, I won't be trusting that recipe again!
Pink/Blue Baby Shower Cake?!
And, if that isn't enough, we had my 4th of July failure. I found a cute recipe for a red, white, and blue cake. It looked easy-peasy and fool proof. {Famous last words!} I thought that I was being smart and picking a recipe that was easily within my {lack of} expertise. But, alas, I thought wrong. I borrowed a silicon round cake mold from my pastor's wife and greased it up but good. I prepared the batter, splitting it into three bowls, and adding the appropriate red and blue food coloring. Into the oven it went, but out of the pan it did not! That is, 2/3 of the cake slid nicely out, but that top 1/3 stubbornly held fast to the mold. Problemo numero 1! I did the best I could to make it look even and presentable on the top and was determined not to let the cake win. And, yes as you may have guessed, the "Red" didn't turn out too red, either. On to the frosting--drizzle "red", white, and blue, glaze over the top. Yah, I am sure you can imagine how my very pink and light blue frosting drizzled over a dejected little pink, white, and blue cake looked! Much more like a baby shower cake than anything to do with patriotic Independence Day!
 |
| Yah, mine did NOT look like this! |
*Photo from thebakeryspot.com*
So, what's the "moral of the story"? Well, all these mishaps got me to thinkin'. Here's some random thoughts that I have learned, yes, even from my baking blunders.
Following the recipe is important. But you have to have a trustworthy, tried and true recipe to follow in life. I am so glad that My Recipe Book--The BIBLE--has never, and never will, let me down!
I hate wasting time, money, and ingredients when things don't turn out as I plan. BUT, at least in baking, I can wipe the counter clean and start all over again.
Life doesn't afford me any "re-dos". My time is short and my ingredients are priceless and irreplaceable. I only have 1 life to live, I only have 1 marriage to work on and be the best helpmeet that I can be, I only have 1 chance to raise my kids right, I only have 1 chance to fulfill God's perfect plan for me.
If I don't follow the wonderful "Recipe" that I have been given, I can be assured that things will quickly go awry. How can I possibly expect the results I want, if I don't put in the right ingredients?
Many people in the world today look at our churches and our kids, and want the good results without following the right steps to get to the finished product. I wonder if I don't, with my actions, often have the same attitude? It's so easy to let the "little" things slide. There not what's really important anyway, right?! Every ingredient, no matter how big or small, makes a difference in the recipe.
I don't want to alter the perfect recipe that I find in God's Word, I want to follow it to the letter. For me, for my marriage, for my kids, and for my service to the Lord. I am guaranteed success if I do it God's way.
Some ingredients sure leave a bitter taste. But those "unsavory" ingredients that God allows into our lives work together for His gain and our good; IF we let them! You can't have tasty biscuits if you don't add any baking powder; by itself baking powder tastes terrible, but when you mix all the ingredients together just right, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits can come forth! Some of life's ingredients are harder to swallow than others, but it will be worth it all to see God's finished masterpiece in the end!
That's why I am "Missionary Mama in the making" ~~My recipe mishaps remind me that He's still workin' on me! :)
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