Christmas eBook review just for you!

How exciting is this! I can't wait to share this review with you and hope to hear how the eBook blesses you!

This review is for the eBook Christ-Centered Christmas: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating a Christmas Your Family Will Never Forget by Hal and Melanie Young, it’s available for purchase through http://www.raisingrealmen.com/ourstore/christmasshop/
Not having grown up in a Christian home I missed out on a lot of the teaching that I have read about in the eBook Christ-Centered Christmas: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating a Christmas Your Family Will Never Forget by Hal and Melanie Young. I am very excited to share this eBook with my family and start some new traditions in our household! "It's not a matter of whether you celebrate or not, but Who is the center of our celebration!" This is so key, especially in today's fast paced retail minded world.

I knew that there was some sort of meaning behind decorating at Christmas time, the authors explain in detail the meaning behind them. The photos throughout the eBook are incredible along with accompanying Scripture verses, they bring out the true meaning of the Christmas season. The photos really touched me and seemed to help my heart understand the Christmas season more, I think over time the material word has crept into my heart.

The Caroling Party idea is GREAT! We have gone caroling, but we never dressed up in costumes for it. It was a blessing to read about the background information that you included with the Christmas Hymns, this would be great to add to family devotion time.

It's such a blessing to read about others Christmas baking traditions and gift giving traditions. You have included some wonderful looking recipes in this eBook. The sausage ball recipe will be a big hit at our Christmas gathering this year. The Christmas Baking Spreadsheet is really cool too! That would be great to have on hand around Thanksgiving time too when baking items go on sale. Aunt Lucy's Escalloped Pineapple may also end up on our dinner table this Christmas. The photos look so delicious and are making me hungry as I write this.

The Santa Claus section is a must read for all Christian families.

The eBook Christ-Centered Christmas: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating a Christmas Your Family Will Never Forget would be a wonderful gift to send to a new believer in Christ, yet it's profitable for seasoned Christians as well. I think it's so easy for the world to creep into our hearts and minds, that we are corrupted and don't even realize it. This eBook was a real eye opener to me and I plan to have my family read over it too (as I write this review my husband has been reading the eBook over my shoulder :O)

You can purchase a copy of Christ-Centered Christmas: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating a Christmas Your Family Will Never Forget at http://www.raisingrealmen.com/ourstore/christmasshop/
Download this gorgeous 80 page, full color book now for $15 our special price of $5.00!!
Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this product through in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations

Book review: Children In Church

I have had the privilege of receiving a pre-publication review copy of Children In Church Nurturing hearts of worship by Curt and Sandra Lovelace. This is a quick read for parents and even our 11 year old has read and gleaned from the pages of this book. You will be left with lots to ponder and prayerfully consider after reading Children In Church.

I highly recommend this book for couples before deciding to have children so that they can get on the same page, but it’s not too late to read the book with children already in the home. The scripture used throughout the book is immensely encouraging and backs up the authors views: a great reminder of how faithful our God is to His children, the Lord sees us through to the end when we follow His leading and direction.

The Lovelaces share the truth of how “others” may see us and how we may be viewed for having our children in church with us. The authors are very adept at using scripture, they do not rely on opinions or feelings, but on the inerrant word of God.

It’s REFRESHING to read a parenting book that is not full of emotional and self-esteem fluff, spiritual parenting is hard work in today‘s world. When we parent our children using God‘s Word, it may bring discomfort through conviction and the authors address how to handle this with prayer and discussion.

The Lovelaces provide advice on bring your children into church services, they share practical, tried and true tips to guide your family in enjoying worship together.

Must read pages..........

Page 29
“Are those without children beside them willing to grant charity to parents who are in the process of training their children? Are parents with children willing to grant compassion to those who need quieter surroundings?” Something to really ponder in the scope of this topic of children in the church.

Page 35 “Parents who are serious before the Lord about worshipping together in the corporate setting must understand that moving toward that goal will entail commitment, diligence, wisdom, strength, courage, determination, discipline, effort, energy, and so much more.” The authors emulate the essence of the challenges you may face stay the course and you reap the harvest.

Page 49 “Their primary goal was to present the character of Christ in this new setting…..” How to prepare kids for different social situations.

Page 61 Chapter on preparations, I’m not even going to share a quote from this chapter because you need to get the book and read it for yourself! WOW! I found that I was very lacking in this area and was very convicted of things that I do in my own life that are keeping me from being prepared for worship on Sunday mornings. An example from my own life is that we tend to stay up late on Saturday night as a family and then we are tired and grumpy on Sunday mornings as we get ready for church. If you could only read a single chapter in Children in Church, it should be chapter 5, it will transform your entire families view of worship.

Page 73
The chapter on supplies is invaluable!!

Page 113The chapter on conflicts has wonderful encouragement for when the going gets tough, we have to remember that Satan does not want our kids to grow spiritually and he will fight us tooth and nail in raising our children for the Lord. Once again Lovelace points us to God’s word for answers and guidance. Praise the Lord for an author of a modern day parenting book that uses scripture to enlighten us in our parenting journey.

Page 120 “Thus, parents who are making their way along this journey will do well to go before the Lord to see what He might reveal to them about their own attitudes, actions, expectations, and judgments.”

Children in Church
has it all folks, guidance for every step of the way in bring your children together with you as a family to worship. I highly recommend reading through the book with a highlighter and marking up the pages, because you will want to refer back to the timeless biblical truths contained within its pages.

I know from personal experience that prayer is the number one need in the area of Children in Church. We began praying about this several years ago, just my husband and I, never once mentioned it to our child. One day a few years ago our son told us that he wanted to come to worship service to hear pastor preach, we told him to pray about it and we would revisit the topic again. He came to us again and said he was ready, we reminded him that there would be no going back and forth to children’s church for the fun stuff: parties, outings, etc. He said that he was ready. We survived the looks, comments, the whispers and phone calls that we and our son received regarding our not following the rules. We are a couple of years out now and have never looked back. The conversations that we have after church regarding pastors preaching are so enlightening, before we would ask, “What did you do in class today?” We would get a one or two word answer, now we get a commentary. Needless to say having our child in church has blessed us beyond measure.

This book is a must read for lay people as well as pastors and church workers. All I can say is WOW! Children in Church has a powerful question for parents, “Why are we separating out the children from the main worship service?” Is this separation hindering spiritual growth in our families?

Head on over to http://childreninchurch.com/order/ and order a copy, get one for your pastor and your best friend at church. This is a must read.

Back to school day!

How is your back to school day going? We did school on and off during Christmas break since we like to take time off in February for cabin fever.

Our first day back starts with homeschool bowling, our son loves PE and bowling is a fine way to get it in.

Are you starting anything new and exciting this semester? We are going to finish up Latin and start on Proverbs People from The Learning Parent, love all the materials from the Boyer family. Click the link to see what they have going on. They are running a sale right now and a lot of items. They are Godly conference speakers and have 14 kids and started homeschooing back in 1980. Check them out!

Have a wonderful day back.
Moe

Sorry to be gone for so long.........

I ended up in the hospital for 5 days with acute diverticulitis. Had an incredible ambulance ride when they transferred me to a larger hospital. Those 3 guys has me laughing all the way there!
I am to be home resting and healing up so that they can do some testing. My dh's family has been wonderful!! His sister has really helped me out tons with doctors, nurses and hospitals, it can all be so confusing when you are very ill and out of your head. My church family has been bringing meals in, how wonderful is that!! It's been a real blessing to see our son step up to the plate while I as gone. He did his school work and chores, made meals for himself and dad, he also knew where all the 'hidden' meals are in the freezer......lol. I always have some sort of chili, soup or casserole in the freezer for a quick and easy meal.

Well my point for being on here today was to share something that I found from the Bible that has been a  real encouragement to me today, as I know that I am not the only person on the Internet feeling poorly today. I was pouting around this afternoon, had a very bad day reflux wise, as I am flared up from my throat all the way down to my colon  :P      Ended up on the phone with the nurse 2x and finally think I will make it through until tomorrow when they want to see me again. So here it is.

Weakness in the Bible: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
It is a paradox of Christianity that true strength is found in weakness. Jesus himself embodied the world's idea of weakness, even to the point of submitting to an excruciating death. However, just as Christ's saving power worked through that "weakness," so God's power is often most visible in the midst of suffering, humility, and weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (KJV)
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my 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. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Gospel.com

I do have a few prayer requests:
1. No more reactions to antibiotics (had 3 in the hospital)
2. Antibiotics will be effective since I am on so many stomach drugs
3. No more blood thinners, these T.E.D. Hose are driving me crazy!
4. DH can concentrate on learning his new job, lots of reading and testing along with the stress of me being ill.
5. Insurance issues won't occur, our current insurance ends 12/31 and the new job insurance is to kick in 1/1.
6. Doctors and Nurses will be competent and know what is going on with me. Since I was told that what I have has been missed for many years and severe damage has been done. I have actually prayed that the doctors would be woke in the night thinking of my case, I pray that they will be milling it over in their mind and looking at it from all sides. This new doctors even apologized for the suffering I have endured, that in itself was a real blessing to hear.

Everyone have a wonderful week!

Chicken is done! YUM!

Well I thawed out one of our farm fresh chickens from the freezer and baked it today. I added just a touch of salt on the skin and baked for 2 hours at 375 degrees. Store bought chicken is not going to happen in my house again after this!  This meat has FLAVOR! It reminded me of the rich taste of a Butterball, only we did not add anything to these chickens besides water, good quality feed, a few fruits and veggies here & there and lots of love! Here he is.

This was really good, but I think the legs were cut in the wrong spot because they almost touched the top of the oven.....lol. Though this breed of chicken is very tall, so that might be why the legs were so long. He was 4lbs 8oz. Pretty good size.  DS kept wanting to tell me the name of the chicken, and I kept saying "I don't want to know!" We each grabbed a fork and dug in......lol....no plates either just forks.

Now when I go out to the chicken tractor I keep seeing fried chickens walking around and even a few with those cute little white chef hats on! lol.......think of the old Looney Tunes cartoons.