The "R" Factors

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.

Blessed Redeemer (Lyrics by Avis B. Christiansen, 1895-1985, Music by Harry Dixon Loes, 1892-1965)

A Hill with Three Crosses--
One cross where a thief died IN SIN
One cross where a thief died TO SIN
A center cross where a Redeemer died FOR SIN

~Unknown

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24
"In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." Ephesians 1:7

Christ, our Redeemer, has paid the price of our redemption in full and has reconciled us to God. How should we then respond?
Repent. Turn away from your sins and turn to God.
Receive Christ into your heart/life as your Lord and Savior. Receive His grace..mercy...His gift of salvation.
Remain in Him. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
Reflect Him. "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18
Represent Him. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20
Remember what Christ has done for you and remember to tell others about Him. "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel." 2 Timothy 2:8
Rejoice. "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:2b  "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Sadly, many choose to reject Him, refuse His offer of salvation, and rebel their way to hell. God gives us free will; the choice is yours!

Have a blessed Resurrection Day...celebrating our Risen Redeemer!
~To visit other Spiritual Sundays participants, please go here.

Friday's Fave Five #42

It's time for another Friday's Fave Five (hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story).

My Fave Five this week:-
1. One of my favorite quotes is from Jonathan Edwards: ""Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will." I think it's the perfect quote for my blog :).

2. My daughter, Alyssa, won a video contest about promoting the library's summer reading program. Her prize is $250. So proud of her :)!

3. Alyssa's short story, Desperate Duo, was published in The Kids' Ark (a chidren's Christian magazine). She got paid $100.

4. Root beer float with whipped cream on top. Yum :)!

5. I'm hosting a giveaway on my homeschool-related blog, "Fruitbearers".  You can win a copy of The Crossmaker, a unique DVD that explores the resurrection account through interactive art. Great for homeschoolers (you can teach Bible and art at the same time) and perfect for Easter celebration with your kids in a creative way!

Reverse!

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.
Christ became poor that we might become rich (James 2:5).
Christ became a servant that we might become sons (Galatians 4:6-7)
Christ had no home that we might have a home in heaven  (Matthew 8:20)
Christ died that we might live (John 5:24-25)

I was a sinner. Because of Christ, now I'm God's child (John 1:12).
I was heading to Hell. Because of Christ, now I belong to Heaven (John 14:2).
I was mesmerized by the world. Because of Christ, the world no longer charms me (1 John 2:15-17).
I was only happy when I got what I wanted. Because of Christ, I am content and filled with joy to be in His will (Philippians 4:11-13, John 15: 10-11).
I was lost. Because of Christ, my life has meaning and purpose (Acts 20:24).
I lived for myself. Because of Christ, I live for Him (Galatians 2:20).

Repent and reverse your direction; receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He will repair your broken heart and reverse your thinking to get you on the right track (the narrow road). Reverse now before it's too late...Death is the point of no return. The chance of dying is one in one. Please don't leave earth without Jesus!

~Big thanks to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays every week. To see the list of Spiritual Sundays posts, click here.

P.S. I'd like to invite y'all to check out my Pick-Your-Book Giveaway. The winner (randomly chosen) will get to pick a book of his/her choice. There are 10 great books to choose from such as Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado, Blue Like Play Dough by Tricia Goyer, The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner, etc. Ends tomorrow (3/13) at midnight Pacific time.

Against All Odds

Happy childhood. Deaths of friends and grandmother. Rape. Depression. Overwhelming pain. Train tracks. Failed suicide attempt. Amazing Grace. Miracle of her survival. New nightmare. God's transforming power. Life with a purpose and hope.

Wow...what a heart-wrenching yet inspiring true story of a young woman who wanted to end her life but instead discovered life (meaningful life), in spite of her! I didn't want to put the book down; her story from the very beginning really gripped my heart. Kristen was only 17 years old (same age as my daughter) when she lay down across railroad tracks and was run over by 33 freight cars at 55 miles per hour. Medically and realistically, she should have been dead. But God had other plans. Kristen courageously and candidly shares in this book her struggles, mistakes, depth of despair, challenges of living without legs, and a second chance to live in Christ who gives her strength and joy, hope and purpose. Against all odds, she lives to tell others of God, the Life Giver, encourage others to cherish life because it's a gift from God, and remind them that He has a special plan for each person. This book includes personal notes from Kristen sharing messages she wishes someone had told her when she was depressed and struggling with loss, shame from sexual abuse, and suicidal thoughts. At the end of the book, you will also find a message from Kristen's mom, Jan Anderson, and a list of suicide warning signs. Suicide is never the answer! Jesus Christ is! He turns tragedy into victory.

Life, In Spite of Me is a must read for anyone who is suffering from depression and/or suicidal thoughts. It seems that now more and more people, especially teens, are hurting, living aimlessly, and struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. May the Lord use Kristen and her book to touch many lives with the truth of the Gospel and the eternal hope in Christ!

"He reached down from heaven and rescued me; He drew me out of deep waters. He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me." ~Psalm 18:16,19



~ This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

- Download the first chapter
- Watch Kristen's interview on Oprah
- Watch Kristen on Life Today
- Check out Kristen's Ministry: "Reaching You"

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.

Friday's Fave Five #38

It's time for another Friday's Fave Five (hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story).

My Fave Five this week:-
1. Passport to the World journey at Christian Home School Hub. Fun way to learn about different languages and countries!

2. Wow..wow..wow..the Lord answered my prayer in a way that blew my mind away!!! And all I prayed was...May "it" be according to His will. I want nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. He chose to bless me/us beyond what we could ever have imagined.

3. We watched one of our home videos. Alyssa was 6 then (now 17) and Josiah was only 1. They were super cute :)! Josiah's laughter was so contagious. O precious memories!

4. My new profile picture for Facebook this month :).---->

5. Please take a few minutes to view my 17 yo daughter's video below. The most viewed video wins an iPad. Thanks, everyone!               

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.

Why I Believe God Exists

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.

This is a video my 17 year old daughter made explaining why she believes God exists (within 1 minute). It is an entry for the Always Ready contest by Creation Science Evangelism. I would really appreciate it if you'd vote for her here :)! You don't need to be on Facebook.  Just click "Vote Now".  You can vote once per day until Nov. 28th.  Thanks so much!  Soli Deo Gloria!

~Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts. Thanks so much to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays every week.  Have a blessed day in the Lord, everyone!

Friday's Fave Five #24

It's time for another Friday's Fave Five (hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story).

My fave five this week include:
1. Congratulations to our 17 yo daughter, Alyssa, for placing third in the local Bible Bee competition and for qualifying for the National Bible Bee! We will not be able to go to Illinois for the national competition due to the expenses.  We are thankful and pleased that she enjoys hiding God's Word in her heart.  "I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 119:11) To God alone be the glory!

2. Summer Reading Program at our  local library.  My 3 kids and I participated in it.  We turned our reading logs in for chances to win prizes (we love to read, anyway :)).  I won a $5 giftcard for a local coffee shop and Alyssa won a $50 Fred Meyer giftcard.

3. Free evangelism training webinar hosted by The Way of the Master. 
Great speakers included Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Emeal Zwayne, Tony Miano, Mark Spence, and Stuart Scott.

4. My latest post on Faithful Feet: How You Live
To read other posts written by me on that international Christian blog: click this link http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com/author/livingforgod/

5. This video by The Way of the Master: Are You a Good Person?. 
Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice." Romans 3:23-25a

Civil War Reenactment

On July 4th, my mother-in-law, my 16 yo daughter, my 11 yo son, and I attended the 20th annual Civil War Reenactment at Willamette Mission State Park.  Approximately 1,000 reenactors demonstrated the living and fighting conditions of the early 1860's.  They were in period dress, living in period camps and recreating the battles of the civil war.  We enjoyed the "Living History" demonstrations in the Union Camp, the Confederate Camp, and the Civilian Camp.  We saw battles with all branches of service (infantry, cavalry, and artillery).  We also listened to the medical demonstration which aimed to help people understand the terrible aftermath of the war that took the lives of over 620,000 American citizens. This event was organized by the Northwest Civil War Council.  Here are some of the photos I took and one of the videos I recorded.

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.