Safely Home

Hey everyone,

I thought I would recommend an excellent book called, 'Safely Home'. It is written by Randy Alcorn and I absolutely loved it! Here is the intriguing excerpt from the back cover:

"Is this the day I die?"

Quan stiffened at the shout

behind him.The voice rang with

the authority of the Gong An Ju,

the Public Security Bureau. "You

meet in the night like the criminals

you are. How dare you defy the

law? In three minutes," Scarbrow

said matter-of-factly, " we will

shoot every man and woman-and

child-who does not declare

himself loyal to the people rather

than the gweilos, foreign devils."

"Surely this is the day."

American Business executive

Ben Fielding has no idea what his

brilliant old college roommate is

facing in China. But when they're

reunited in China after twenty

years, the men are shocked at what

they discover about each other.

Thrown together in an hour of

encroaching darkness, watched

by unseen eyes, both must make

choices that will determine not only

the destinies of the two men, but two

families,two nations...

and two worlds.

This was a very eye opening novel and I encourage everyone to read it! If you have read it I would love to hear your opinion.

God Bless!

~Kat

What if We're Holograms?

This was an article that was published in my local news paper!

NEW YORK (AP) - Brian Greene works in a world where scientific reasoning rules all and imagination leads to the most unlikely truths.

Greene and other "string theorists" are exploring a possible scenario in which people and the world around us are actually a 3-D holographic projection of two-dimensional data that exists outside the accessible universe.

It's a concept so mind bending for those who don't understand the complex math behind it that many might decide it's best left to the academics.

It is almost as difficult to wrap one's head around as the possibility that we are all holograms projected over a distance, unable to detect the illusory nature of our 3-D world - another topic covered by a festival panel.

Greene's attempt to explain where our consciousness might reside, if we are indeed simply projections, is intriguing and perhaps less than comforting:

"It's there, too," he says. "Consciousness is nothing but the physical processes taking place in the brain. ... Consciousness is just another interaction of particles."

To Read the rest of this article Click Here.

My brother read this article and these verses to our church:

~Habakkuk 1:1-2, 4-5~

¹ The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received.

² How long, O LORD, must I call for help,

but you do not listen?

Or cry out to you, "Violence!"

but you do not save?

⁴ Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

The Lord 's Answer

⁵ "Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.

~Habakkuk 2:1-3, 18-20~

¹ I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

The LORD's Answer

² Then the LORD replied:
"Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.

³ For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.

¹⁸ "Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it?
Or an image that teaches lies?
For he who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak.

¹⁹ Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!'
Or to lifeless stone, 'Wake up!'
Can it give guidance?
It is covered with gold and silver;
there is no breath in it.

²⁰ But the LORD is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him."

~Genesis 1:1~

(My brother did not read this one)

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

After my brother read this my friend punched me and whispered in my ear "Nope not a hologram!" I think it's a rather silly idea! I don't know about you but I don't want to be a hologram! I would rather believe in God than in a scientist crazy idea!

In Christ,

~Mac

P.S. If a pregnant lady goes in for a ultra sound and sees her baby on the screen how is that a reflection? The answer is, it can't be! Think about it for a moment! Something living inside of a woman or animal can't be a reflection!

A Ready Defense!

I just finished Josh McDowell's book "A Ready Defense." This is a wonderful book! I suggest that everyone read it! If you are just coming to know the Lord or you know Him but just want to read a book that will bring you closer to Jesus, read this book! I learned so much from it! If you have already read it, I would love to know what you thought of it.

In Christ,

~Mac

P.S. I just found this website where you can read some of the chapters for free! Here is the link: http://www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/

Is it Christian to Lie?

Warning:

I have been quoting this video since I watched it!

I thought this video was quite funny! After viewing this video several times though, I began to ponder his statement which says, "They were lying, they were just being Christian.'

I thought we weren't suppose to lie! One of the ten commandments says something about false testimony which is very similar-

~Exodus 20:16~

¹⁶ "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Here are some other verses about lying-

~Proverbs 12:19~

¹⁹ Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

~Proverbs 12:22~

²² The LORD detests lying lips,

but he delights in men who are truthful.

~Proverbs 26:28~

²⁸ A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.

As Christians though, we are to encourage each other especially when we see a brother or sister struggling. I don't believe this means create lies just to build each other up. This would create false encouragement. There are times when you may be faced with a situation where what you say could depend on hurting anothers feelings or encouraging them. Remember it is okay to keep your thoughts to yourself. I don't want to argue about when it is right to lie and when it isn't because this would be a long post and it might get confusing! LOL! I think we should take a little time to think about it. If you want to discuss this topic, talk to your parents and pray to our Heavenly Father for guidence! He is always listening.

In Christ,

~Mac

My First Award!

My cousin (Kat) from Beautiful Elegant Designs awarded me! Thanks Kat!

If you are tagged:

1. Post about the tag.

2. Pick 10 bloggers who deserve this award. (I'm only going to award 4)

3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded.

4. Answer the questions along with your post. (Omit questions you don't want to answer - I'm all for simplicity!)





1: Apples, Oranges or Bananas? I love Oranges and Bananas but I like Oranges better!



2: How old are you? I'm 4-x- 80 (this is suppose to be a math problem but I couldn't get the more than less than keys to work =D)

3: Do you live on a prairie, woodland, swamp, city or other? Other

5: Scissors or glue? Probably Scissors!

6: Describe your dream house. OH DEAR! I don't know where to start! They might look something like this-

I know these houses are nothing like each other but I like a wide variety! Any thing from a farm house/castle/ tree house/ mansion , that has a fabulous garden is what I dream of having!

7: Is your room clean? I think it is but I have no idea! I am not at home right now!

8: If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? Hmmm! I have no idea! Here are a few- Eowyn from Lord of the Rings, Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean!


9: Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? England!

10: What denomination are you? Non-denominational


11: Do you sleep with a stuffed toy (BE HONEST!)? No.


12: Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? CHOCOLATE!


13: What is your favorite book? The Bible! you can look in my profile for other books I love!

14: Favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate!



15: If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? Rice or Salad!



16: What is your favorite Olympic sport? Figure Skating



18: Describe yourself in three words. Christian (but you probably knew that), Bubbly, Kid Loving,



19: What chore do you hate? Dusting! It never goes away!



20: If Elmo came into your room with a gun, what would you do? I would ask myself ~Am I dreaming?~

I award -

Bridget at Joyfully Training

Leah at Wood Between the Worlds

Southern Maiden at Proverbs 8:22 & 23

Jenna at Feminine Farmgirl

Thanks again Kat!

In Christ,

~Mac

In my last post I shared a lot of pictures that I had taken! I am not going to share all of them with you now, but I would like to share some of the pictures I have edited!

I am going to post the original first, then the edited one.

The bees acted a little disturbed when I was taking pictures of them! =D

I love editing pictures! I could have made the bee a different color but that would have been a little odd!

I hope ya'll have a great day.

In Christ,

~Mac

Spring is here!

Here are some pictures that I took on four different days, with two different cameras!

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This is a picture that I took out of our dining room window of our female squirrel! Isn't she cute!

This is a picture I took out the kitchen window of a little, red-bellied wood pecker that comes to our bird feeder.
I hope you liked all of the pictures! I know there is a lot but hey I couldn't decide which rose picture was the best! =D I did narrow it down for ya'lls sake though! I originally took around 300 pictures! I will hopefully be posting some pictures of a yellow rose, that I just got, soon!

In Christ,

~Mac

P.S. I made a poll on the side so ya'll can vote on which picture is your favourite or you can leave a comment!

Help Stop the Me addiction!

Please take time to watch this!

In Christ,

~Mac

Peace Challenge Outcome and April's Challenge

Jenna, from Feminine Farmgirl, challenged everyone, in March, to have Peace. Something funny that happens to me every time I comment on her blog, to tell her that I am going to join the challenge, is that I get challenged! What I mean is that when the challenge was to be joyful I found it hard to be joyful! I found it hard last month to be have peace but with God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13) and here I am in April! My allergies have been acting up all year and it has affected my stomach! Sometimes my stomach feels like it wants to be sick but I haven't been yet (Praise the Lord). It was hard to feel peaceful when my stomach was acting up!

Here are some verses that I read at the beginning of the month about peace:

Romans 5:1-2

¹Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Romans 15:13

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and peaceful month! April's Challenge is on self-control! If you want to join just visit Jenna's blog and leave her a comment that you want to join the challenge.

In Christ,

~Mac

Mystery Food Answer!

I thought I should share the answer of the mystery food as a post instead of as a comment, so that you don't have to check the comment section for the answer!

And Now...

Ladies and Gentlemen

for the answer!

It's a Grape!

The other day my mommy was washing some grapes and found this one. I know it doesn't really look like one but it is! So don't judge a bag of grapes by its cover! =D

In Christ,

~Mac

P.S. Thank you Max for commenting!

Mystery Food!

What do you think this is?

Leave a comment with your answer!

The possible answers are:

1. Grape
2. World's Smallest Pumpkin
3. Tomato
4. Other

In Christ,

~Mac

Outstanding Books!

A while back my momma had me start to read the, "Scarlet Pimpernel" by Baroness Orczy, for school. I read about a chapter a week until it started to get interesting! It was so good I could put it down! After I read that one, I rented the second book, "The Elusive Pimpernel", from the library and finished it in less than two days! "The Scarlet Pimpernel" is a little hard to read at first but after you get into it it isn't that bad! "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and the "Elusive Pimpernel" both take place during the French Revolution. The Scarlet Pimpernel is a man, who risks his life to save the French aristocrats from being sent to the guillotine. Scarlet pimpernel is his nick name not his actual name! In the book, you try to discover who he is! "The Scarlet Pimpernel" is known as one of the greatest mysteries of all time! If you are in need of something to read this is it! I will warn you not to read about it online because in some places it gives away who he is! It is now also a movie and has been for some time. There are different versions of which, I have seen the oldest! Just for the record it put Kat to sleep! The book is way more exciting though! If you have read it I would love to know what you thought of it!

In Christ,

~Mac

P.S. I was slightly depressed after reading them so beware! (I get depressed after reading exciting books or even watching exciting movies! =D)

"Grace"

by Carolyn Hamlin

Lord, as I seek your guidance for the day,
I find my thoughts unyielding: confusion clouds my way,
But, then when I bow to you, the challenges you guide me through,
Your promises are ever new: I claim them for today.

Your will cannot lead me where your grace cannot keep me.
Your hand will protect me: I rest in your care.
Your eyes will watch over me: Your love will forgive me.
And when I am faltering, I still will find you there.

Each new day’s design is guided by your hand,
And graciously revealed as I seek your Master plan.
Keep my footsteps faithful when from you I go.
Return me to the joy that your blessings can bestow.

Your will cannot lead me where your grace cannot keep me.
Your hand will protect me: I rest in your care.
Your eyes will watch over me: Your love will forgive me.
And when I am faltering, I still will find you there.

Your eyes will watch over me,
Your love will forgive me,
And when I am faltering,
Lord, I will find you there.

I heard this song on my "Pendragon Sword of His Father" soundtrack. On the CD a couple of the lyrics were slightly change and some of the quotes from the movie were read in the middle of the song.

Here are the quotes:

"Whatever happens, remember... what God calls us to do, He gives the grace to accomplish, the strength to live, or die, for His glory."

"God does not call men to futility; those who follow Him are part of a master plan."

This song is so inspiring and comforting to me! I hope it is to you as well!

In Christ,

~Mac

P.S. In case you were wondering what the changed lines were I have written them below.

"Your hand will protect me"

to

"Though storms swirl about me,"

and

" Keep my footsteps faithful when from you I go.Return me to the joy that your blessings can bestow."

to

" Keep me ever faithful when dreams give way to fears, and guide me on Your path, through the days and through the years."

Pray for Nigerian Christians!

On March 9, a tragic massacre took place in Nigeria! I read that about 500 Christians were killed! Open Doors has details about it. You can click on these links for information about it and how you can help! http://www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/934, http://www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/949/21/ Click here to donate https://secure2.convio.net/ccod/site/Donation2?df_id=2920&2920.donation=form1

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria right now! They need it!

~James 5:16~

⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

~Matthew 19:26~

²⁶Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

God can restore peace in Nigeria!

In Christ,

~Mac

Free GIVEAWAY!!!

Hey all! I am having a free giveaway over at Beautiful Elegant Designs!

God Bless!

~Kat

Need Some Inspiration?

There was a professor of philosophy at USC who was a deeply committed atheist. Hisprimary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist.

His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic.

For twenty years he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever *really gone against him* (you will see what I mean later). Noboby would go against him because he had a reputation.

At the end of every semester, on the last day he would say to the class of 300 students, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up !"

In twenty years, nobody ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next.

He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove he is God, and yet he can't do it."

And every year he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. All the students were convinced that God couldn't exist. Certainly a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years they had been too afraid to stand up.

Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to get enrolled in the class. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor. He had to take the class because it was one of the required classes for his major. And he was afraid. But for three months that semester he prayed that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped.

Finally, the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor, and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the room.

The professor shouted, "YOU FOOL! If nothing I have said all semester has convinced you that God doesn't exist, then you are a fool! If God existed, he could keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!"

He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. And as it hit the ground it simply rolled away, unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall.

The young man who stood up proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of his power through Jesus.

---

"'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered." -- Mark 11:22

Love always in Him "The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness
has not overcome it." -- John 1:5