Well, as much as I hate to do this, I have to postpone my discussion on Salvation for a while. I don't have peace about it and I haven't done near enough studies on it, but I will do it, just not yet! Keep reading though .

Topic for today......The Rising Frenzy for Frugality!!!!

Is all this conservativeness and frugality necessary or are we being too extreme with out budget?Have you noticed the large amount of post and books on this subject?
I really am for frugal and conservative thinking and shopping, but is there a point where we go too far as Christians? Become too obsessed and make it an idol? Christians need moderation in ALL things! What is going to far? Where are we?
Where we start to look frumpy from too much thrift shopping or too "ritzy" to be around? Put up with horrid and unhealthy food because we're always buying the cheapest food out there? or unable to pay our bills because we are spending too much trying to keep up with the latest health craze? Spending so much time cleaning, organizing, and being frugal that our family suffers the consequences of our stressed out attitude every time someone makes a mess, buys the wrong brand, spends too much or too little??? Are we spending too little time cleaning because we are rebelling against this attitude? Are we judging others by the lifestyle we chose?
I have plenty of friends who are very frugal in their shopping and buying, but I feel that most are very "wise" and moderate in this area! www.Mariescottageorganics.blogspot.com for example is very strongly convicted about using organic products and has now created a business from this idea. She got started because her second child was born with cancer and has now in complete recovery, but because of the need for a healthier living she has been eating healthier food, using cloth diapers, and has started an organic cleaning business!!! She and I are totally different, but I admire her desire to live with a balanced life style.

A virtuous and frugal woman doesn't judge others for a different choice, but rather does what she does and helps and learns where she can and has times herself where she can't do all she would like to for her family.(1 Corinthians 12:9-our strength is made PERFECT in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me) This sometimes means maintaining an overall goal of having a happy family that loves the Lord and a healthy living (as best she allows GOD to provide). We should strives to be a virtuous woman....and ultimately that means to be too busy following God to worry about what others think.

*quick side note....it's also OK to REST in the LORD......

She is just one example of what I'm talking about. The other extreme that I see a lot of is clothes from the neck to the ankle, totally organic food, a billion herbs and vitamins and a totally unhealthy body in the end, and also a strong attitude that is not godly or desirable to others! This is pretty extreme example, and it is not said to critique these who do this or the opposite. I admire those who follow God with their whole heart even when it means standing out. Where and how God wants us to live is where we should be in our lives, but we need to keep in mind that ultimately we need to follow God , not the world; pray for our health issues and desires to become healthier; keep our eyes on the Lord and that HE alone will keep us from being an extreme individual and judging others. I have had and sometimes still struggle in this area, but I'm quickly learning that the people who are doing things because of God have a very sweet attitude and the people who are only being pious have an attitude that is the farthest thing from godly! We are bound to all be different in many areas of our lives, which is what makes us special in our own way, but we need to remember to respect other peoples convictions and maybe learn from it. AND just because someone we know may believe in doing something doesn't mean we are wrong if we don't agree (that's where prayer comes in), but we are never right when we become PHARISEES ( judgemental).
"Godliness with contentment is great gain"!!!! 1 Timothy 6:6
Godly people do stand out in a crowd, why are we afraid of this? Don't you attract more "of anything" to honey than vinegar ?! Why not , in attitude, dress, etc show people that we are Christians than just another "whoever"!?
In Philippians 4:10-19 it talk about the church and how they wanted to know from Paul how to give, live , etc, and when Paul answered he mentioned things like...
vs. 10 - "...rejoiced in the Lord greatly...."
vs.11- "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
in vs 12 he talks about not everything always being "perfect", but in vs. 13 he says , "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"
after he does praise them all for providing Paul with his needs (their eyes weren't on themselves) , and in vs 17 he says that he accepted the gift not because he had needs but because he , " ...desire fruit that may abound to your account".
What I gather from this chapter when I use it personally (especially in this topic) is that God will sometimes use things to happen and people to come into our lives, not just so that we can bless and help their lives, but instead to teach us a lesson on thankfulness, mercy, contentment, humility, and a new ability to rely more on God and recognize where all our "every things" come from. IF you want to know if what you are doing is from GOD, just see what attitude you display...are you humble or proud? Do you demand that all live your way or do you accept them and are always in an attitude of learning?
FINAL NOTE!!!...honestly
Remember that the key note is faith in GOD and moderation. If this wasn't displayed in this post then I wasn't explaining myself right. I'm sorry for this. I do realize that this could go on forever and could branch out into a variety of other topics, but I would like to stop here and just dwell on GOD right now. Our health comes from God, so does our money! Put your trust in him and above all you will be happy in GOD and this is more satisfying than any sale, argument, health craze, or whatever.....God has to be at everything. Ask yourself......Is God at the center of "this"? Is God happy with this attitude? Did God cause this to come about or me? Am I getting closer to God or farther away? Am I in a state of learning or do I feel the need to teach?
God can use all people, but do you want to be a JONAH or a Mary? God will always get the glory with or without you!!!

I hope I haven't bored all of you but I am having so much fun that I want to study on this more...obviously God felt I needed this topic more than the other for now...like I said God can use ALL people! ;-))))))
I know that I probably went chasing rabbits right and left , but I hope I made some sense?!
Good luck on your walk with God.
Bless you all
Rach

I have been overloaded with the "blog world". I have so many people who Blog , journal, sell, etc. that I don't have the time in my day to always answer everyone, comment, or at the very least post from my own blog.
The struggle comes when you all are so very interesting that , like most women, I can't help but get interested and curious. Ha Ha! So I could say it's all your fault that I can't write on my own blog.....right? No, I wouldn't do that.
I have decided that I will take certain days to comment & read your blogs and other days to write my own. What days those will be...I HAVE NO IDEA! But I have made the effort at an excuse, um,.....I mean a cure! ;-)

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I am getting ready to discuss the "child's salvation" issue, but not till Monday because I still haven't had time to study it out. I know that I have certain views on it already, but like we all know, sometimes our views and what the bible say are two different things! I really hope that you all will share your opinions and I also want to encourage you to not take offense at anything anyone has to say about it. God knows the final outcome, and as long as we are doing God's will and obeying Him then He will be guiding our every step. Don't forget to first ask His guidance on all decisions we make.
Be praying about this and be ready to share what God laid on your hearts.

WOW! it's been so long since I posted that I feel remiss in my duties...

Actually, I don't really feel that dramatically about it, but I really wanted to use that phrase!!!lol

I really don't know if I have any pet peeves this week, but we'll see!

I've been so tired this past few weeks that I haven't had time much to hear the news or other talk.

Sean, through all his diarrhea, has started potty training better...amazing, huh?

On my other Blog I'll tell you a funny story about Dustin!

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Dusty has been going through a very "bratty era"!

I need to come up with some alternate ways for discipline because too much of the other could be bad. I have tried using Vinegar for his yelling and it actually worked pretty good and he stopped until after being sick again and now I'm having to use the same method again, but at least it will work as long as he's not like his brother who throws it up!!! yuck!

I just give him like a quarter teaspoon . Do you have any other ideas?

I don't really know if I'll need anything else because generally after continues discipline all I have to say is "dusty, OBEY!" and that usually does it! LOL!

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I'm teaching the kids Psalms 23 and Sean is my best pupil.

I am looking forward to starting school this fall. I didn't think I would ever say that but It really did seem as if I was more organized during school season!

Jess will be in second grade and Brooke in kindergarten....WOW!

It's hard to believe they're getting so big.

I do Abeka Kindergarten and A.C.E. for the rest of their curriculum.

It's nice because it gives the kids confidence and they don't get bogged down with tons of work.

If they need more work then I can order extras (even through other curriculum) and just all learn together. It's going to be fun..

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Well, I'm going to work on my other Blog for now...Can't wait to hear from you

Well, I haven't posted on here in a while , but I thought it would be fun to post a little something today.

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Babysitting......YIKES!

I'm not talking about babysitting for friends. I'm talking about babysitting for Strangers. What a trial! The last one I babysat for is driving me nuts!

She bounced a check and so we had to demand that she pay bank fees and also pay in cash (at this point we were really nice). A week later she brought a "check"....I told her we said CASH. I asked her a few times if she really did have the funds in there and she confirmed that she did and so I took the check, but this time I went to HER bank...WITHIN THE HOUR! Her bank did not have the money and they said that it looked like nothing was coming in either. I got home and was NOT happy. I googled her family in Eldorado,MO and called them to see if I could make some headway. She got FURIOUS with me! She said that I crossed the line when I called her family. Are you kidding? If I had listened to her and deposited her check it would have bounced again and caused more fines for both of us. All she had to do was say that she had money that SHOULD be coming in that day, but instead she tried to say that she doesn't know me enough to tell me anything.

HOGWASH!

I am working for her and I am entitled to pay.

We even offered for her to make small payments if it was needed. After trying to be understanding with this woman and her lying to us, I've had enough!!!

She owes us 240.00 and she treats us like we're the bad ones. If she had said that she would pay us , but that we had to wait till she got paid....NO PROBLEM!

Lying is not nice and especially when she thinks she can get annoyed at us!

I called the Police and they said that we should take her to small claims court.

I don't know what I'm going to do. We're trying again today to cash the check and if it works >great, and if not then we'll tell her that she has until a certain date to pay and then we'll pursue small claims court!

I would much rather have had her be honest with us than to have this happen.

Please pray about this with us and if you have any ideas or comments then please share them with me.

Wow! What can I say tonight?

Well, I could rant and rave about my day...but I'll save that for my other blog ;-)

I don't have the time tonight to say much, but I will just say one thing!

TOPIC- HUSBANDS!

I love Jay and I admire his constant desire to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

He is steadfast and honest.

Even though we have our days, I wouldn't trade Him for the riches of the world.

He respects me, Loves me, desires to truly have, create, and keep a strong, loving, passionate, and lasting relationship. I am so blessed to have such a great friend. I praise God for My friend and spouse and May God bless me again by keeping him around for the next 50+ years!!!!!!

It is always a great thing to remember what draws you to your spouse and to just be in awe of it for a while. ALWAYS remember to tell your spouse of your feelings and share your "everything" with him. He is much more than a Husband and a Dad.....He's your friend for life!

Comment about your feelings for your spouse and share with us!

I am really looking forward to hearing from each of y'all.

May God bless your day, life, job, and family.

Love you all

Rach

1. First on my list is thoughts about this Shooting at Virginia Tech! WOW! This makes me so sick. I feel sad and mad at the same time for this guy. What was he thinking? Loneliness and feeling shunned does NOT give us the right to treat others in such a vicious way!
2. I have recently been watching a lot of info on the people of WWII. This happens to be my favorite era....NOT because I approve of what occurred, but because I am so stirred by the pain and fear that these people of God had to go through. They are some of my hero's. Hitler (to my way of thinking) is a lot ( and more so)like this "shooter". He was a heavily abused child and was believed to have had inappropriate relationship with his mother and did have a sickly relationship with his niece and in turn he ended up killing multitude of Jews, Christians, and others and he also destroyed cities, houses, and all things good. He did this on account of his attempt at revenge on the world among other unknown reasons. As Christians , we can better understand these people. Without God your life will be miserable and pointless! I truly believe that people, like the ones that we have discussed, have become demon-possessed....they had to have been!! How else could anyone do such heinous crimes?
3. Selfishness is also something that seems to be prevalent in all these types of situations. selfishness is wrong on any level. Sometimes it just shows itself in not reading our Bibles, never think/pray for others, and treating your spouse badly(just to name a few). Other times it can become even more disturbing and cause you to kill and destroy very thing that is good. I can't seem to understand the latter at all. I suppose by the reading of the Bible, praying for others, and living sacrificially has to be the ONLY way to overcome and ultimately prevent any crime that selfishness will bring about.
4. Tonight's Sermon was GREAT! I have been really struggling with giving my ALL to God. Tonight he discussed the 5 loaves and 3 fishes story and in stead of hearing it how I always have....something new stood out to me. The main points mentioned were: 1-Ask God what we're to do. 2-Sit down and be still (listen to God speak). 3- Give God our ALL. 4-Thank God. 5-Give to others. 6-MOST IMPORTANTLY.....God will FILL you up to overflowing and make you very happy when and only when you follow steps 1-5!!! How awesome!? God is so gracious and merciful. I only wish that I would always remember this...I feel so frustrated when I seem to be always having to relearn lessons that He already taught me. This message really touched my heart and made me realize that I need to give something to God that I have been fearfully and stubbornly withholding! This isn't going to be easy and maybe nothing will ever happen and then again maybe it will so I will need lots of prayers while I work on giving this to God. Even though I know that "with God all things are possible", I still have my fears.
5. Thank you God for my family, house, job, friends, and health!!!!!

Hi, welcome to my new site!

My goal is to discuss a variety of topics

....some Main Topics will be Family Issues, Morals, Child rearing;-), home businesses, Bible Devotions and Christian ideals!

I am really excited about this and

I think that I will really enjoy a more intimate approach to Blogging.

I really look forward to putting ideas down on "paper" and hearing every ones opinions.

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First on my list is....

Home Businesses!

Which ones are pyramid Schemes and which ones are legit?

I know that ones like Melaleuca are definitely Phony, but what do you all think of

the productive ones like E-bay, Mary Kay, Raising Dogs to sale($$$$), babysitting, etc!?

Some of these have very high potential, but are they worth your time?

I'm trying to figure out what my niche is. I am temporarily Babysitting to help pay off debt, and I do Mary Kay (pt), but I would like something that brings in more income from the computer because I would get more income from MK if I had Parties but I can't afford to loose my precious Family time by doing that. I need something that is more

"Home based-friendly".

I wouldn't mind e-bay, but I would need to find something that I enjoyed selling and I would have to use drop shipping.

I already told you all about Advocare and I like the product but I feel I would need to TRY it out for at least a month to see if it really helped or not before I started a business with it.

I plan to keep y'all posted on my progress or lack thereof over the next month or 2 (depending on when I get the product);-)!

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Jason tunes Pianos on some of his days off, but until he does it faster he feels like only taking 40.00 a job. Which is great because it is a blessing to people to get it that cheap.

This generally requires 2 evening to complete and so we don't attempt this project often..

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Well I need to get Breakfast ready and my "kids" will be arriving soon to be babysat so I'll write again soon!

Love you all

Rach