Longing...

photo credit

I just love this picture--wish I had a church like this right around the corner from home!

But, alas, we don't!

I miss church! I haven't been able to go to our church for many weeks...

Between car issues

 (at one point, we had 3 vehicles out there--and all of them had the check engine light on!)

also, tire issues etc...

And then of course, there is my unpredictable digestive issues that have

kept me home from church--and other things as well.

We did have the opportunity to visit our former church (which is closer) and fellowship with those sweet friends a few times - which I really enjoyed!

photo credit

But, my heart longs to live in an area that has a good, family-integrated,  Bible-believing and preaching, solid

church with like-minded believers. (That we don't have to drive almost an hour to!)

I really miss the fellowship. And, when you witness to people, it would be nice to be able to ask them

to church with you--not many will drive almost 2 hrs every week...

That is on my prayer request list, and has been for a while.

But, for now, God has us here, and we are driving when we can to our little church in a neighboring state.

One thing I'm really glad of, that God is with me, no matter where I am!

He will never leave me, and walks with me all the day long!

I can fellowship with him throughout the day, and night too!

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

A Blessing...

Sunday we had the privilege of driving to Hershey, PA to share in the 2nd anniversary service of Temple Bible Church with our sweet friends.

After the wonderful church service, we enjoyed a delicious fellowship meal with them.

We were so happy that Mommom came with us!

Pastor Hawes speaking to his congregation.

Briana and Brad had the privilege of doing chalk art.

Above is Bri doing the chalk art,

 I couldn't photograph Brad preaching as it was too dark.

Here are Briana and Brad with our dear friends. What a blessing these friends, and their church, are to us!

We pray that God continues to bless this flock for many years to come!

Sufficiency of Scripture...Family Roadtrip Part 2

Thursday Afternoon/Evening

Above is a picture of heading into the city of Covington for the SOS conference

It was so exciting to finally be arriving at the Northern Kentucky Convention Ctr where 2600 people gathered to hear the most godly speakers/preachers of our day!

They even had a men's chorale, which you can see practicing below. They did a great job, and their music selections were very moving.

This was the first large event held by the NCFIC led by Scott Brown. Here he is below opening the conference.

Recognize any of these men? They did vingettes of each speaker and the message they would be bringing.

Then, Scott Brown, Doug Phillips and Ken Ham each brought a keynote message.

Here is an intro of the conference from the NCFIC website:

We believe that the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture is the most important doctrinal battleground in the Church today with the purity of the Church, the supremacy of the gospel, the biblical family, and the
survival of Christian civilization hanging in the balance.
Known as “Sola Scriptura” during the reformation, this doctrine teaches that Scripture is fully adequate in both content and clarity for “everything pertaining to life (salvation) and godliness (sanctification)” including the ordering of nations, churches, and families (2 Pet. 1:3-4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
The Church’s desertion of this doctrine in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries resulted in the defilement of nearly every aspect of America, the church, and the home through multiple waves of pragmatic, worldly ideas.

The messages this first night really set the tone for the whole conference.

Here are the Conference Memory Verses:
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.


All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:


That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
2 Timothy 3:15-17

Sufficiency of Scripture...Family Roadtrip

Well, we made it safely there and back to the wonderful Sufficiency of Scripture Conference!

 I'm going to do a post here about the beginning of the trip to Erlanger, KY/Cincinnati area.

We hit every kind of weather imaginable on the way there...we left in pouring rain....encountered snow and fog

 (both of which are pictured above),

and saw ice on the trees where they must have had freezing rain...

 (You can see that below)

Encountered some SERIOUS Wind!

And even saw a beautiful rainbow!

But, the Lord protected us and gave us, and our friends that also went, safe travel, and we thank Him for it.

Our son, Brad, got some valuable driving experience!

We got to our hotel, unpacked, ate dinner, and went to bed...then woke up to this...

The kids and I were happy, we love snow!

After our breakfast, we hurried over to the terrific Creation Museum. The SOS

Conference included free tickets to the museum! Yippeee!!!

Here are a few shots from that biblical museum...

From their website:
Welcome and Prepare to Believe
The state-of-the-art 70,000 square foot museum brings the pages of the Bible to life, casting its characters and animals in dynamic form and placing them in familiar settings. Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden. Children play and dinosaurs roam near Eden’s Rivers. The serpent coils cunningly in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Majestic murals, great masterpieces brimming with pulsating colors and details, provide a backdrop for many of the settings.

It's a wonderful museum--don't miss the chance to see it if you get the opportunity!
They have an awesome Planetarium too!

Worship and Fellowship

We were so thankful to be invited to worship with our friends at their church in Hershey this past Sunday!

This is two of their daughters doing special music--they were a real blessing.

Afterwards, we were graciously invited back to their home for a delightful day of fellowship and food.

Our family thanks God for them and their friendship!

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
                                                                                Col. 3:15

I read this definition in my study Bible today about fellowship:

Fellowship, one of the keys to spiritual growth, occurs when Chrisitians share their walk with God in an atmosphere of love and respect. Fellowship occurs when everyone communicates in love with other believers, and all become strenghtened as a result.

Fellowship is so vital that we cannot live for God by ourselves. As we develop deeper relationships with others, we should remember that we come to resemble those with whom we fellowship.

Its Time to Rethink Church Youth Culture

This is a subject close to my heart. I thought I would pass it along to you. (Please use the Vision Forum Button on my sidebar if you order--it will help me too!) Thanks!

One of the hallmarks of American culture in the late twentieth century was the revival of the cult of youth. With its roots in Greco-Roman paganism, the worship of youth and the rise of a distinctively family-fragmenting vision of teenage life has dominated our media, our entertainment, our schools, and the very fabric of modern life. But nowhere is the conquest of the cult of youth more evident than in the Church. Frustrated with the absence of real parental involvement in the lives of the next generation, and desperately hoping to reach young people with some Gospel influence, the modern Church in America has drunk deeply from the youth culture phenomenon. This is most obvious in church youth groups, youth-driven worship programs, and even Sunday Schools. Now, after more than a half-century trend, the results are in, and they are not good — our youth are defecting en masse from biblical Christianity.

The Problem Addressed:The ‘Rethink the Youth Culture Toolkit’
Now Vision Forum is pleased to present four ground-breaking tools designed to help you understand and combat this trend — the Rethink the Youth Culture Toolkit. These resources will help parents rethink their training priorities and establish discipleship goals that will help them safeguard their children’s hearts.

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