"As the fisherman longs to take the fish in his net, as the hunter pants to bear home his spoil, as the mother pines to clasp her lost child to her bosom, so do we faint for the salvation of souls."
Charles Spurgeon

I was doing a lot of reading today in my book titled "UNchristian" and later on when I was doing my Bible reading I stumbled across this qoute from Charles Spurgeon and it really says exactly what I want to do in this life God has blessed me with. I was thinking today of making some kind of lil teeny booklet or something and just leaving them around all over the place...like dropping some on the floor at walmart or leaving it on seats at restaurants and waiting areas or tables anywhere and have the cover be something catchy like a huge smiley face with "have you smiled today?" written on it and then they will open it up and maybe read some encouraging words and then find the truth within there. I just wish I could do more...I'm still trying to think of how I can leave a legacy in this life!!!

So upon reading the book "UNchristian" It was saying something like how us "christians" are just so wrapped up and concerned with a huge number or group of people to save that we don't actually care about the individual soul or heart of any of the people we are saving...so instead of being to pushy you know we should really get to know someone and lift them up and be an encourager and let them see your life of Christ in action and then introduce God to them and if they aren't ready don't just toss them aside as a worthless friend but instead maybe increase the hanging out time and really give them an opportunity so when they are ready you are available...and yes I know that you want to save 100s, 1000s, 1000000s but they are real people not just a statistic or notch or check off on a piece of notebook paper...you want to insure that they truly understand the magnitude in which the life they just accepted and the amount of change going on in there life so then is not the time to leave them...that is when they need further guidance and a genuine heart that loves God. Although if you do have an opportunity where God has clearly opened a window for you to witness to a stranger say something like...'you are in the waiting room at the dentist office reading a book titled "Know God More" or "How to Share your Faith" or "Holy Bible" and they say something like 'oh you're a Christian?' or maybe even something snooty like 'oh please' when they glance at the title...take this opportunity to speak up and say something if you hear them snickering or saying something like 'oh yeah another Christian...probably don't even know what that means' take this opportunity with a loving, gentle, peaceful spirit to start a conversation which technically they walked into...so you don't always have to be pushy maybe one day you will be standing in the local ice cream shop line and there is a magnificent sunset and you say to the person standing beside you 'isn't that the most gorgeous sunset?' and maybe they say something like 'yes the colors are very beautiful' and then you say something like 'I look forward to sunsets to see how God will paint it that evening' and then with whatever you say next you will know if they want to discuss further or maybe they too know God personally and then you will get talking and others will hear. Of course I could be all crazy but I am just trying to think of someway to step out of my comfort zone and share the Good News so here is where I'm getting my thoughts and ideas straight But reading the book UNchristian has def opened my eyes to the notion that people find us totally preposterous and hypocritical and ingenuine...b/c I see it too but my fear is they think that of all of us so now I'm on a mission to prove there are those out there who really have their best interest in mind...their eternal salvation! I would hate to see anyone perish knowing I could have told them about Jesus, even if I save one person, JUST one I will feel joyfull that that one person has found God and who knows maybe they will tell their whole family and bring 30 people to Christ

Here are the books I referenced above in case you too are interested in reading them...

Go to this website to read more about it...http://www.unchristian.com/

Whooo I'm back and I had the most magnificent time!!! Being with the children was pure joy and I really miss em now! I must admit though it was...my first time in a hot tub...and I LOOOOOVED it! I totally want one in my living room ;} The weather was gorgeous the day we arrived at about 2:00pm and the girls and I enjoyed the beach while the men went shopping for the grilling stuff...
Ha ha Skyla taking a picture of me taking a picture of her

The hole I was digging on the beach

Vanessa attempting to beat me

You just gotta love that sun

Skyla sitting in the hole I dug

We just crack up requesting her to make one of her funny faces


Once the men returned we enjoyed the nearing of days end and soaked up the last few minutes of sun before we began the grilling and feasting...

Eric and I feeling the effects of that lovely windy ocean breeze

A picture of the Pier...it's pretty cool how stuff is built over the ocean
Us waiting patiently for Tom to grill up some burgers and dogs

Playing a lil war...no one ever won...we wanted food


The next day was gorgeous...perfect weather! Woke up around 9ish and headed to the beach for 10ish...being greeted with the soft granules under foot and the salty sea smell and blazing sun reflecting of clear waters was a memory I shall never forget! It was a most perfect morning looking out at the low tide and the many people splashing and playing in the sparkling water where all you could see was silhouette of the many countless unknown faces enjoying the same moment you are...I ran after Skyla who braved the ocean all by herself...we splashed around us girls and giggled and played in the mucky sand.

I don't think there is anything like the ocean in the morning

I enjoyed myself immensely on God's great painting of a scene and I was thankful for the time being I was painted in it! So I gave my brother in law Tom a break from the children and offered him and Eric a chance to go bond and take a walk along the ocean. So sitting there reading my book, playing with the children, and sleeping in the sun resulted in my horrible burn Only on my shoulders and upper chest but man it hurts something fierce but me being so fair I should have been a lil smarter although I did apply sunblock 3 times but didn't work quite so well Even so I had the best day!!!!!!
My Eric and I before eating lunch...egg salad yummmm

Yay I haven't had a piggy back in years

Awww watching those girls truly made me smile, happy, and kinda wishing I was a child...but then again I am at

Prob one of my fav pics of the whole vaca...Skyla was so proud of her sand man she made ALL by herself

So after a day in the beaming sun we packed up and left the sandy shore in search for food, so we took a long walk and on the way back Eric and I bought matching sweatshirts and then off to the carnival

Sneaking a kiss way up high on the Ferris Wheel

What a view

So that night we came back and went into the hot tub for the second night in a row and man did I love it...I had never been in one and man now I know what I was missing So after we returned to our tiny lil motel room that was perfect and hopped into bed and stumbled across Carrie and what was weird is on the way up to Maine we were talking about the movie and so when it was on we decided to watch...although I fell asleep before the ending but I'd seen it before...but man Saturday was prob one of the best days of my life...so memorable...I will never forget not only the pictures I took with my camera but the photographes in my head So the next day I planned on staying out of the sun and going to the carnival where we all road the Ferris Wheel, then us girls road on the Carousel, and then..... BUMPER CARSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! SO AWESOME... I had never done it and when we got off Eric said the only thing he could hear was my shrill laughter and giggling like a child again
Me ready to face the day...making sure to cover up my sun burn

Us girls having fun ready to leave the motel and go have some fun...with me protect from...the sun
View from the Ferris Wheel during the day

Do you think I exceed the weight limit?




Well after the Carnival I started feeling the effects of the sun and got really exhausted and tired so went inside for a bit where the girls followed and wanted to play with my hair...
OUCHY!

If you look closely you may be able to see half my hair on the bed

Well all the pain was worth it to see her masterpiece and her so proud

Oh yeah almost forgot to mention something happened to the refrigerator in the room...it froze solid all the food I made and it all had to be thrown away b/c when we tried to melt the ice it watered down all the mayonnaise and the chicken salad wasn't salvageable but at least we got to eat the egg salad and only one day of potato salad but what can you do? So that night I took a mini nap at about 6:30-8:00 and woke up to the smell of grilling food and when I went to get the potato salad it was a block of ice and so we just had hot dogs and burgers but it filled us up and we went out for ice cream So that night we decided since it was our last to go for a late night walk and then we grabbed some chairs and watched the ocean

Look you can see the carnival in the ocean

Well sorry so long but I wanted to share this and also put it down so I can always remember...it was definitely a memorable trip and I can not give justice to say how much fun I had!!! I felt like a kid and loved playing with the children and am so thankful God blessed me with such a wonderful family to marry into and for the safety of us all on the trip! God blessed me GREATLY

Hey there! I may be away from the stream for a few days b/c I'm headin to the beach for a few days with some fam and my sexy hubby I will see if I get a connection in the hotel room b/c I'm gonna bring my laptop JIC (just in case) b/c now I'm addicted to blogstream I had quite a busy day today I was supposed to do my packing and make enough potato salad for 5 for a few days worth for bbqs and egg salad for 5 and chicken salad...so I was gonna be pretty busy but then my husband called from work in a frantic and said that their shipper had been out sick all week and they were so backed up on shipment and since I used to be the shipper for his company until I quit to marry him he asked if I would come in since I was the only one who knew how to ship international, so I quickly boiled the potatoes and eggs and since you hafta let the potatoes cool for hours I went to work for a few hours and was so busy but had so much fun...shipping is a good workout and I really miss shipping and it was fun to be with my husband during the day like we used to, but then I went home and made some delicious food for the trip and then finished packing. I've had such a GREAT day and am in the best mood...I just wanted to share that...I thrive off of being needed and being busy that's why I really don't mind chores just put on some news like Glenn Beck, Laura Ingrahm, Bill O'Reilly, or Hannity and listen to the topics and you forget your doing a whole bunch of cooking, hehe and then of course when I do the really tedious chores my ipod does the trick Well buh-bye for now and hopefully talk to you all soon!!!

The other night I was lying in bed and I was thinking what am I doing with my life? What kind of legacy am I leaving, what kind of mark am I leaving in the world...and how I need to get my butt in gear and share the good news with people and not only that but be an example, living by faith...and as much as I know you can't get to heaven by good works alone if you have the Holy Spirit living in you, you want to do good works...but faith without good works is dead but that's not to confuse you with thinking that you can get to heaven on your own just by being good...do me a favor and click on the video directly below and go to time 9:27 out of 10:58 to watch what this girl has to say >>>


When I heard this it made me think of this Bible verse in Ephesians 2:8-9 that says "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" ALSO...when she said "well I'm a lying theif but that doesn't make me a killer of murderer..." The next verse that came to mind is James 2:10 that says "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws." I think those ones should have been used to help convict her but doing so in a loving way...although Ray Comfort is very good at that himself

So anyway back to leaving a legacy...the song that speaks exactly how I feel is by Nicole Nordeman titled "Legacy" below is the song please listen

Last night I wanted to go to bed early but my husband likes to watch T.V. when he falls asleep but I can't with noise so I ended up choosing to watch 2 and a half hrs of it with him b/c there was just no squeezing my eyes shut and drifting off to sleep so once he started getting sleeping I was gonna shut off the T.V. and he told me to set the timer for the T.V. to shut off in another hr...I was so mad and I slammed my head in my pillow knowing it would be awhile till I got the chance to fall asleep but I knew he had work so I just left it. So usually every night I say my prayers but I remember being so ticked off and so very sleepy that I thought to myself (oh yeah I had a horrible headache all day and even last night) so I thought to myself I have this excruciating headache I'm so tired I'm not gonna say my prayers tonight, I can't concentrate with all that tv noise and so I guess eventually after stewing for awhile and after the tv turned itself off at about 12:30am I finally fell asleep only to by awoken by humming of some sort and vibrating of a big truck so all delirious and sleepy I looked out the window and there was a fire truck back at an older woman's apartment who keeps having late night trips to the hospital so I was so upset b/c I was awoken up after only 30 min of precious sleep b/c of a false alarm, I wasn't mad at the older woman but I thought it was for her...so I thought....

A lil while later I heard a lot of commotion and lights everywhere and a voice over a speaker saying something mine and Erics tired minds couldn't understand so we sat up in bed to see smoke everywhere outside our window and a voice saying "This is an evacuation" I ran to the window and couldn't tell if the smoke was coming from our bldg or the one next to us...so we saw about 8 fire trucks and one with a ladder to the bldg next to us and people coming out all sleepy and hugging tight to there pets...THERE WAS A FIRE! It was in the attic and had been going for quite awhile before people noticed...my senses could not believe the sounds of sirens and voices and windows being smashed out and a saw sawing a hole in the roof, I could smell smoke and burning wood, I could barely see for all the thick gray wafting around and the bright lights fire trucks had brought in...Instantly at the sight I began to cry and felt so awful

If I hadn't been so mad about my headache I had all day and the non stop pulsating, that all I wanted to do was sleep, but me wanting to make my husband happy suffered through the tv, and to be spiteful I didn't pray as I do every night since I've lived in this comlex... I usually pray "God please be with all my family, friends, those that I know, and those that I don', and be with them helping them to come to know you more, and if they do know you help them to tell other about you. I pray that you protect this apartment and every building in this complex from fire and that you protect us from any evil, harm, or danger that may be lurking, I pray this for my parents, my siblings, family, friends, and Lord those that I do not know..." so I was very upset and I was sitting at the window and I told Eric when I was shaking b/c of the cold and th adrenaline that "It was the one night I didn't pray and figures the fire happens" And Eric said to me " Avree I doubt your not praying had anything to do with the fire" and I said "Oh honey you'd be surprised maybe if I just said it and it only takes a few seconds, God would have heard my prayer and maybe it could have prevented the fire" Now Eric said something similar to me on my Birthday a few weeks ago...it was a rainy day and all morning I knew we were going to a place that was outdoors and I prayed all morning that God would please make the sun come out in time for our arrival at our destination...and you know what? THE SUN CAME OUT! and I was jumping up and down and Eric said to me "Avree God doesn't work like that I seriously doubt that he would change the sun of the whole earth to shine down and answer your one lil prayer" And I said "You better believe he does...if we ask with a faithful heart we will receive"

so anyway luckily no one was hurt but I was hurting for my own selfishness...I know I didn't cause it but what if my lil voice could make a big change! but a few of the apartments are uninhabitable due to smoke and water damage and I'm sitting here watching them busily working out cleaning up this very moment as I'm typing this! Last night I didn't go to bed until 5:00am after everyone was safely gone and all was quiet again...I thought for some reason "how could I possibly sleep soundly and cozy in my comforter when there are some standing around out there cold, not knowing if there home is okay, sleepily standing around...so I stayed awake and with them until the end"

Has this type of situation happened to you? Last night looking at all the happening it made me think of the firefighter story by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron...please watch below



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I FEEL SO SO AWEFUL FOR BEING MEAN LAST NIGHT AND I TRY SO HARD TO BE HAPPY ALL THE TIME BUT I REALIZE FRUSTRATION AND ANGER CAN SOMETIMES SLIP IN! I HOPE IN SHARING THIS STORY IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY OF YOU THINK LESS OF ME I WAS HAVING A BAD NIGHT AND APPARENTLY SO WERE THESE NEIGHBORS OF MINE