THE NEXT GENERATION

This is my "next generation."

This past Sunday, our pastor presented a sermon that has stuck with me this week AND that has caused me to search myself.

I had heard this statisic before, but I wanted to read about it.  I found an article about youth ministry, and, this is what I read:

Often in youth ministry, we are consumed with 

present responsibilities and miss a window of 

opportunity with our seniors. The pattern of 

students dropping out of church typically starts 

when they earn their driver’s licenses, but becomes 

most visible with seniors. Many youth workers, 

although frustrated by the disappearing act, tolerate 

it and end up with a “soft focus” on seniors. 

It is vital that we aggressively take on this challenge 

rather than just tolerate it. Recent national surveys 

show this loss to be in the hundreds of thousands 

of students. The Southern Baptist Council on 

Family Life reported that 88 % of children reared in 

evangelical homes leave church at the age of 18, 

never to return.

The pastor did not reference this article, but, I found it relevant in light of the topic of the sermon.  This is the text that was used for the sermon.

" Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up,  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Sadly, I have already released my own children to the world, and, I am afraid that I have probably failed them.  With God's help, I hope to gain some ground and do a better job.  My responsibility remains to my own children, but more importantly, my responsibility is now to my grand children.

This is what the message was for me:
If I want THE God (of all the universe) to be their God, then there are things I MUST do.  
If I want my children/grand childred to love their God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their strength, THEN I MUST LOVE THE LORD MY GOD WITH ALL MY HEART AND WITH ALL MY SOUL AND WITH ALL MY STRENGTH!

1) MODEL
I must be a Christ-centered person who serves God and trusts in Him on a daily basis.  They must see that He is important to me and NOT just on Sundays.  I cannot tell my kids not to lie and then turn around and stretch the truth.  I can't tell them to pray/ read the Bible if they don't see me pray/read the Bible.   I'd be wrong to insist that my kids go to church if I don't go to church.    I look back and see that I was more of a preacher than a role-model.  I think this can be said of a lot of parents - we tell the kids what is right and what is wrong, but we don't live a Godly, and show by our lives that we love the Lord.
I realize that I did not always model Christlikeness in the past, but I sure intend to now.

2) TALK ABOUT THE COMMANDMANTS HE HAS GIVEN
Verses 7-9 
These verses say to impress these commandments on my children.  Talk about them when I sit, when I walk, and when I lie down.  IMPRESS God's word upon them - over and over and over again.    If I want THE God to be their God, I must talk about Him.


It is our responsibility as moms, dads, and grandparents for impressing this on our children.  "We can't outsource the discipleship of our children."

It's easy to say, "Don't lie.  Don't steal. Don't cheat."
It's hard to just talk to that person on the phone, instead of saying [in front of your children, no less], "just tell them I'm not here."
I'ts hard to be honest about the cashier forgetting to charge you for something.
It's hard to let that free cable that you've been getting go.
It's hard to ............  (you fill in the blank)


There is more to this message.  Listen to it at the link you will find at the end of this blog.
God bless you all and pray for me to do a better job for the sake of my future generation.


So you see, this was a very good message for me, and I hope that you will listen to the entire message right here:

LAUNCHING THE NEXT GENERATION
http://mckinneychurch.com/media/sermons/beyond-ordinary-2/beyond-ordinary-hope/

PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES. IT'S FALL!

"I will Praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me, Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."Psalm 16: 7 -8 

   

Happy Fall, y'all!  Fall is such a beautiful season where God's beauty is evident in all the lovely reds, browns, and oranges displayed in all the trees.  Of course, right now we don't have all those fall colors in our part of the world, but they are coming!  You can feel it in the air as the hot summer days give way to cool breezes and a freshness that makes us reach for our sweatshirts and light jackets.  

This time of year is my favorite of all the seasons.  I love that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I can set my fall decorations around the house and keep them there for September, October, and November!

I love that I can serve dinners of chili, taco soup and add cornbread without feeling guilty.

Most of all, I like that I can bake everything pumpkin.

This week I made Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes.  I found the recipe on Pinterest, at a website called TheFrugalGirls.com

The only two ingredients are a can of pumpkin and a Spice cake mix!

I followed the recipe (which sounded delicious) and it didn't take anytime at all.  You talk about quick!  This recipe is great if you are in a hurry and want your family to think you slaved away all day to make something you know they will like.  

You just mix the two ingredients, pour into cupcake liners and bake for 20-30 minutes.  Go to their website to check it out.


To add my own spin to the recipe, I purchased a can of Cream Cheese Frosting.  I emptied the container of frosting into a mixing bowl, and whipped it up a little more so that I could have a lot of frosting.  Mixing it up some more causes the frosting to practically double in size!

I used fall-colored cupcake liners and piped the frosting on top.  THEY WERE A HIT!  The grand kids loved them and more importantly, my husband loved them.

I definitely recommend this recipe.

By the way, I chose the verse at the beginning of the blog because it speaks to my heart, which I want to be led by.
At this point, in the history of our world, it is easy to be shaken up by the events in the news.  There is uncertainty, fear, apprehension, and uneasiness about the whole government situation.  HOWEVER, I feel that God led me to this verse so that I may know peace.  There can only be peace through Christ.  As I do what this verse instructs me, that is, to set the Lord always before me, then, I will know that He is with me (at my right hand).  If I KNOW this, then I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.
When I hear or read something "scary" on the news, I remind myself and say, "I have set the Lord before me!  He is in control and I will focus on his strength.  I will not be shaken by this."

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   This is my new favorite song by Big Daddy Weave.

   I hope I have posted this correctly and that you will be able to hear this uplifting song.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Big Daddy Weave - Yours will Be (The Only Name) lyrics - YouTube

   ► 4:19► 4:19

   www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnDTDLOM0rY‎

   Jun 26, 2013 - Uploaded by Deb Savittiere

   Just got back from Big Daddy Weave along with Chris August concert. We had an amazing time praising and ...

CRAFT/SEWING ROOM REVEAL

Those of you who know me well, know that I love to do crafts and that I have recently started sewing again.  I have long wanted to turn my "office" into a Sewing Room slash Craft Room slash Extra bedroom.  BUT, I didn't just want it to be any old thing and more importantly, I did not want it to be expensive.  I wanted to turn some trash items to treasure.  I stalked certain Pinterest sites and looked in other undisclosed places for furniture and accessories.  Okay, I'll tell you about those "undisclosed" places.  My sweet husband doesn't like for me to buy things at the Goodwill store and has even said to me, "Can't you just say you got those things at Macy's?"  So, you will see some items from Macy's!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you my new Craft/Sewing/Extra Bedroom

 I chose Cactus Spring for the walls.  At first my husband had serious doubts about the color.  "Green! Really?"  Yep.  I wanted green. I HAD A PLAN.  See the little white bed table?  Macy's!  Mirror?  Macy's!

 This is my sewing table.  I got that at Macy's and painted it pink.  The rolling chair was in my office, and I  followed a Pinterest tutorial to re-cover it.  Oh!  See the white shelf above the desk and the white container that holds my scissors?  Macy's!

 The little birdhouse is from my favorite Macy's store, as is the frame of my "J" picture.

 This is my little craft table.  I cheated and got that and the bed at Ikea.  But the bulletin board was a Macy's find that I painted white and covered with gift wrap paper.

 

So what do you think of my room make-over.  Please feel free to leave a comment!

Custom Designed Word Art

I am now creating Word Art.  Thank you for all the nice comments I have received about them.  Here are a few that I have done.  As I create and sell more, I will add them to the posts.For September the prices are:
11 X 14 $10.       12 X 18  $20

TEACHER

ATTRIBUTES OF CHRIST

TEACHER (portrait orientation)

Please feel free to leave a comment!  I'd love to hear from you.

It has been awhile since I have blogged and I just want to talk about what I have been doing these days.
As many of you know, I am a retired school teacher who has finally retired for real this time.  The first two years after my retirement, I tutored three to four days a week, which really is NOT retirement.
Now I am spending my time concentrating on bible study, visiting old friends, working out, photography and DIY projects.  Hopefully, I can make a little money on the side - fixed income and all blah, blah, blah.

My latest Pinterest-inspired projects include making this:

The "FALL" art was relatively easy to make and took hardly any effort.  Of course, I was also Pinterest-inspired to decorate my fireplace mantle with other fall decor.  I still think it lacks something, so if you have any ideas, please let me know.

Swim Lessons

 This has been a great summer.  My daughter enrolled all the grandkids in swim lesson, and I have to say that they are each the best in their class.  Kenzie, pictured here, was afraid of the water and usually kept a death-grip on an adult every time we took them swimming.  I can gladly say that she now has confidence in herself and is venturing out on her own in the water.

 This is grandson numero uno.  He is a fish in the water and could stay in the pool all summer. He already knows how to swim and was insulted that he was even enrolled in swim lessons.  His lessons including strengthening his strokes and learning new strokes.

 Baby grandson!  What can I say except that he scares me.  He will jump in any body of water without any fear at all.  It became increasingly clear to us that we needed to provide him with swim lessons before he drowned himself.  He did not have to be coaxed to get into the water as some of his fellow swim lesson classmates had to be.  He is coming right along and is learning to swim.