22 Revisited

I hope now that I will stop seeing the # 22. (read previous post for details) Yesterday was February 22nd. All day I was expecting either something great, or something terrible to happen. The church had their 10th anniversary and we "planted an anniversary seed". I thought maybe that was it. It was a stretch to give the amount that we gave. For the rest of the day, nothing significant happened...until about 11:00 pm. We had allowed G.Q. to stay up late. We finished our prayers and then he said to me, "Today at church I went up on stage". I asked him why. He said, "to give my life to Jesus Christ". I couldn't beleive that he didn't tell us this sooner. It would have changed the whole rest of the day. Thank you Jesus for saving my son and for him taking that big step all on his own! You can imagine how happy Aaron and I were. But now, why have I seen the # 22 for over a year now? Is it so I would never forget this date? I really hope I stop seeing the number now and that this story ends and a new one will begin (no new numbers please...unless it means someone else will be saved).

INTRODUCING THE BIBLE BEE

The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is excited to introduce the first annual National Bible Bee, a motivating Bible memory competition for children and youth from ages 7 to 18. The goal of the Bible Bee is to build godly character in young people by calling them back to the lost discipline of Scripture memorization. Most people are familiar with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where youth compete annually in the Nation's longest-running educational contest. While it is certainly beneficial for our children to commit the spelling of words to memory, imagine how much more life-changing it will be for them to memorize the Word of God!
Local Bible Bee Contests will be conducted throughout the United States on Saturday, September 12, 2009. One hundred finalists from each of three age categories will then advance to the National Bible Bee for a two-day, world-class competition which will be held in Washington D.C. on November 5-6, 2009.
Heritage Home Educators will be hosting a Local Contest on September 12, 2009 at Living Word Ministries in Burkesville, KY Interested contestants and their families may find out more about the Bible Bee Competition by visiting the Bible Bee website: www.biblebee. org. In order to learn more about this Local Contest being held nearby, contestants and their families may call Pam True at 270-433-5710 or send an e-mail inquiry to pambtrue@gmail. com

Official enrollment in the Bible Bee begins February 15, 2009 and is handled online at www.biblebee. org. An associated enrollment fee of $20 is collected, which covers the cost of a Bible Bee T-shirt and administrative costs associated with the National Contest. Enrollment closes on April 30, 2009.

The Bible Bee Competition will distribute more than $260,000 in prize money with $100,000 being awarded to the first-place winner of the top age bracket.

The long-term vision of Bible Bee Competition is to equip children and youth to be bold ambassadors for Jesus Christ to the next generation!

Bedtime Prayers

Do you and your family pray together at night before the children go to bed? It's never too early to start. When my first son was just a baby, I started repeating the "now I lay me down to sleep" prayer to him. He learned that prayer and told it to me at night until he was about 3. That's when I wanted him to understand the importance of putting your heart into your prayers and praying for others. Every night before my son goes to bed, we gather together in the living room and say prayers. He goes first, then me and then my husband ends it and we all say Amen. Of course Stinky Face usually tries to chime in too. Tonight I could hardly get my prayer out because he was trying to out do my talking. It was so cute, but slightly frustrating at the same time. I really cherish this time that our family spends together and I strongly believe that it's a great thing for our children to experience. I hope that they will grow up and do the same with their children.

Praise Report

I just want to thank God and thank anyone who prayed for my mom. Prayer works! Her 2nd mammogram showed a tissue that sometimes folds over. That's all it was! I am so grateful to still have my mom and to know that she's healthy.

Do you need prayer?

If you need prayer, I have created a myspace page designed for praying for others. It is http://www.myspace.com/1soulatatime. You can mail me privately or leave a message on the board for everyone to see and my family and I will pray daily for your needs. I really hope this site gets popular because it's just one simple way that I've found to serve others, and that is what makes my family happy!

Please pray for my mom

My mom went for her mamogram the other day and they called her today to come back in and get another picture on one side. I guess something didn't look right. My mom had breast cancer about 10 years ago on the other side. She will have the results in the morning from her new picture. Please pray for my mom's complete health; physically, emotionally and mentally. Pray for God to give her and the rest of the family peace.

My heart sank when she told me about this, but then I reminded myself that greater is HE who is in us than he who is in the world. By HIS stripes we were healed. I am claiming this over my mom and the rest of my friends and family! I will not allow the devil to torment my mind. Wake up calls like this should remind everyone that NO ONE is guaranteed an extra day on this earth. I am praying daily for many other people who have found out they have cancer. When you know so many people suffering from sickness and diseases, it's a real reminder to live every day to the fullest. I really need to stop complaining and start living while I can. I have lost loved ones to cancer, but in Jesus name, my mom is healed. Please believe it with me!

22

Calling all of my Christian friends and family. I have been seeing the # 22 for over a year now. Every time I turn around, there it is again as a highway sign, the temperature, the number on a jersey, the clock, you name it. I thought I had it figured out because at a time when my husband and I were really starting to question God and his plans for our lives, God told me to turn my Bible to Psalm 22. Wow, did it ever fit our situation! It felt so good to finally know what 22 meant. I continued to see that number until we moved into our new home. It was on lot #222. I thought seeing the number would stop after that, and it did for a little while. Now it's back and I really feel like God is trying to tell me something else. I don't understand and it's starting to drive me up a wall. I'm going to talk to an elder in the church to see if they have any thoughts. I wonder if something big is going to happen on Feb. 22. Or is God trying to warn me, or simply point me to another scripture?

What are you thoughts? Has this ever happened to you?

Putting God First

My New Year's Resolution was to put God first because then everything else will fall into place. When you have a husband, homeschool, a baby, a new business, a new home to keep tidy, new friends to make and keep up with, scrapbooking, cooking and a million other things to keep up with, it is harder than it should be to put God first. I really want to, but I know I'm definitely not there yet. I do start homeschool every day with Bible reading and prayer and we end the night together praying as a family. I read the Bible about every other day now before bed. We go to church almost every Wednesday night and every Sunday and we are going to get involved soon within the church. All those things make me feel great, but it's just not enough. I still don't feel like I am putting Him first. I'm not sure what else to do. Any suggestions?

Scentsy - a safe alternative to the common candle

Hi! I want to let everyone know that I am now a consultant for Scentsy wickless candles. Instead of worrying about an open flame, Scentsy candles use a 25-watt bulb to melt the wax. There are over 80 fragrances to enjoy and several unique warmers. There are also car candles and room sprays and plug-in warmers that are perfect for bathrooms and other small spaces . Check out my web page at www.scentsy.com/scentralkentucky where you can browse the catalog and place an order if you would like. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions. I look forward to working with my family and friends with this awesome product.

Amanda

P.S. To have the product before Christmas, orders need to be in by Dec. 15th!

Christmas-friendly Retailers

Here is a list of Christmas-friendly and not so Christmas-friendly retailers. This list was obtained through Focus on the Family in regards to retailers catalogs.

"Christmas-friendly" retailers - prominent acknowledgment of "Christmas"

Cabela's
L.L. Bean
Nordstrom
Crate&Barrel
Lands' Enbd
Pier 1 Imports
Dillard's
Linens 'n Things
Sears
Eddie Bauer
Lowe's
The Home Depot
JCPenney
Macy's
Target
Kohl's
Neiman Marcus
Wal-Mart

"Christmas-negligent" retailers - marginalized use of "Christmas"

Barnes & Noble
Dick's Sporting Goods
Bed, Bath & Beyond
GAP
Best Buy
KB Toys
Borders
Kmart
Circuit City
Toys "R" Us

"Christmas-offensive" retailers - apparent abandonment of "Christmas"

American Eagle
Banana Republic
Bloomingdale's
Lane Bryant
Old Navy

If this is something that matters to you, you can help bring it to the retailers attention by signing a petition at http://www.focuspetitions.com/175/petition.asp?Ref_ID=1952.

Welcome

Or should I say welcome back? Sorry that I took my original blog down. I was having a bad day. But today is a new day and it's time to move forward. This blog is exactly for what the title says, a blog for Christian parents. I think it's important to write on issues that Christian parents face in todays world. There are so many negative things going on all around us. This blog is to focus on positive things and to push through those negative things that come our way. When we keep our eyes focused on the Lord, He will get us through any circumstance. He's definitely brought me through many rough seasons. The Bible says there is a time for everything. Right now, through His grace, I am enjoying the many blessings that He's given to me. But I know not to take this time for granted because it's just a season and I know life won't always be this easy. Not a day goes by without me thanking Him for our blessings. May this blog be a blessing to your life in some way!