Graced with Grace

Here is a song that Micah wrote. Deep Inside You already know what you've meant to me You know more then I of my thoughts of you But let me try now to express my love To pour out my heart with the limit of words The comfort you've given is beyond my song And tell of your mercy its worthless to try To express how you've loved me I'd run out of time If there's words that can tell you they're above my mind Chorus: So I'll love You from deep inside The most precious of thoughts in my heart will hide So whenever you look at my heart You'll see a fullness of love that won't depart What can I say of the peace that crushed doubt And the grace I've received is past finding out Since when You called me to enter your rest My heart has to speak cause my mouth can't express You're a mystery to me that I cannot solve An unsearchable tower that will never fall The highest below and the lowest above Will never attain the knowledge of your love By Micah L...

The Character of a Gentleman Although Micah was by no means a perfect man, he did have some wonderful character traits. I will start with humor. Micah had an amazing sense of humor. Micah could make things that for most people would seem boring or painful into an enjoyable and even amusing scenario. If someone was gloomy or having a bad day he always knew how to cheer them up even if he wasn’t feeling well himself. He was great at telling jokes. When everyone else was roaring with laughter he would just keep a genuinely serious face, yet you could tell that his joke got the effect that he was looking for. He loved to serve God and others. He was always looking for ways to serve and be a blessing. At one point when he was sick, he wasn’t allowed to do certain jobs, so instead he would just go find something else that he could do even if no one had asked him to do it. He would often go out of his way to help someone. He loved to worship God. One of his most favorite things to do was pla...

God’s Grace in or Lives Today, December 17, 2010, is five years since Micah has gone home to be with the Lord. I would like to share with you some things that my family and I have learned through and after his sickness. Through the four years that Micah was sick my whole family learned a lot about just trusting the Lord. We had to learn to trust Him for everything. My dad had lost his job in the second year of Micah’s sickness, so we had to trust God for provision. God never forgot us though. We always had enough. Our church was always there for us ready to help in any way they could. The gifts that we received from our church and other people were abundant. The meals that were brought over were numerous and there was always someone to help or baby-sit if we needed it. God used this time in our life to strength and build up our faith and walk with Him. We had to trust God about Micah. We had to trust Him that He knew exactly how long Micah should live and that He knows what is best for...

The Story Micah, my third oldest brother, was born December 22, 1989. It all began on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2001. Micah was climbing down from a tree and grabbed hold of a dead branch and fell 20 feet. He was still alive but in great pain. So he was taken to the hospital, where they found out he had a broken femur, torn spleen, hole in his lungs, and fractured vertebrae. He was in intensive care for six days, and then transferred to a different hospital where they put a rod into his leg and found out that he had ALL leukemia. Micah then started chemotherapy and had treatment that lasted two and a half years. He had to be at the hospital most everyday of the first four months, meaning my oldest brother, Jesse, who was only fifteen at the time, had to watch six children while my mom was with Micah and Dad at work. After about one and a half years he took mostly pills and didn’t have to go to the hospital as much. When two and a half years had past they took out his port and fini...

I would like to tell you about an extraordinary young man. His name is Micah and he is my third oldest brother, who died almost 5 years ago. Before I tell you about him though, I would like to tell you why I am going to tell you about him. First I hope that all those who read his story may be blessed greatly by it and be encouraged and comforted through it. I pray that even though my brother, Micah, has now been in heaven for about 5 years, that his life story may touch the lives of many and bring many people to Christ. I pray that when you read his story and all that I write about him, that you would be pointed to Christ and the cross and that you would see an amazing and powerful God. I will be sharing about Micah all this December. I hope you will enjoy all that you read or see, and be pointed to Christ and His irresistible grace. God bless you!

I thought that since Thanksgiving is coming up I would say some things I am thankful for. I am very thankful the Christian parents that God has blessed me with. I am thankful for all the brothers and sisters God has given me. I am thankful for all those who stop by and visit my blog (that means you). I am thankful for all the friends that God has blessed me with. I am most thankful, though, for God sending his only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins, so that I could have eternal life. Thank you, God, for saving me. How about you? What are you thankful for? Here is one of our favorite dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is a recipe from a friend. Sweet Potato Casserole Delight 3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes 1 cup sugar ½ cup milk ¼ cup butter 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon salt Topping: ½ stick butter 1 cup self-rising flour 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup chopped nuts Mix together well and pour into a buttered 13x9” baking dish. For topping, melt butter. Stir in brow...

This day nine years ago, November 22, Thursday, 2001, on Thanksgiving Day my whole family’s lives were changed dramatically for life. If you are interested in hearing what happened then and all after that then please come back to this blog in December. I will be doing a series on that which changed our lives. Also I just thought I would let you know that my Mom, sisters, and I have started a blog in which you will see thoughts from all of us. There is not much there right now, but the last post, by my sister, Priscilla, was very good and I thought you might like to read it. Have a wonderful week. God bless you!

Hello! It has been a while since I've posted, so here is a new post. Laughter is one of my most favorite sounds. I love to here the gurgling laughter of a baby, the giggles of a girl, or the roaring laughter of a man. There are many different kinds of laughter. Some are high pitched, some are deep; some are quite, some are loud. I love every kind (except the evil or mean laugh, which I am not talking about). When I hear someone laugh it makes me want to laugh, too. Laughter is a sign of joy and when I hear laughter it fills me with joy. May you be filled with the joy of the Lord this day. God bless you! “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad.” Psalm 126:2-3 “A merry heart does good, like medicine , But a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17: 22

Best-Ever Yeast Rolls 2 packages dry yeast (2 Tbsp.) 2/3 sugar, divided 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees) 1 tsp. salt ½ cup butter or margarine, softened ½ cup shortening 1 cup boiling water 2 eggs, beaten 6-7 cups all-purpose flour, divided Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup warm water; let stand about 5 minutes. Combine remaining sugar, salt, butter, and shortening in a large bowl. Add boiling water, stirring until butter and shortening melt. Cool slightly. Add dissolved yeast, stirring well. Add eggs and 3 cups flour, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 1-1 ½ hours or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down; turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead several times. Shape into 2-inch balls, and place in 3 greased 9-inch round pans. Cover and let rise in a w...

I have been reading through a book called Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald. No, I’m not a wife right now, but some day I might be, so it will help me be better equipped. It is also helpful for right now. Here is a small portion that I thought was really good. “You see, homemaking isn’t about the house itself or the things it contains. Being keepers at home is about focusing upon the Lord in all the everydayness so that our houses become centers of hospitality, forgiveness, training, business, welfare, charity, shared mourning and celebration, and- oh, yes- lots of tracked in mud, crumbs under the chairs, and everything else that goes with human beings. We must not lose sight of the fact that our homes are God-given tools to bless others. They aren’t the end goal; they are, simply, one of the means to the end. And what is the end? Dying to self, laying down our lives, serving others that Christ may grow His kingdom and transform the world and ...

I would encourage you to watch this. It is very good.

When you smile When I see a smile, It makes me smile, too. And when I smile, I pass it on to you. When you see me smile, Please pass that smile on. Cause everyone needs a smile, Starting at the break of dawn. Cause one little smile, Can go farther then you know. And one little smile, Can comfort a heart of sorrow. Just one little smile, Can bring joy to another. And one little smile, Can encourage your brother. by Hannah (me) I hope you enjoyed reading that poem. Have a wonderful day! Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."

Well, actually the questions are not really that serious, but I would love to hear your answers. 1. What is your favorite animal? 2. What is your favorite color? 3. What is your favorite movie? 4. What is your favorite cereal and why? 5. What is your favorite pie? 6. What is your favorite band or singer? 7. What is your favorite book in the Bible? 8. What is your favorite subject in school? 9. What do like to do in your spare time? 10. What is your favorite instrument? Here are my answers 1. Horses 2. Blue (I am blue crazy) 3. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (If you haven’t watched it yet then you definitely should) 4. Granola or honey Crunch. They are both very good and tasty and sweet. Granola is great just eating it by itself and Honey Crunch has the perfect mixture, but I guess I would have to admit that I like Granola better. 5. Apple Pie probably, but I also really liked heavenly pie* (I haven’t had Heavenly Pie since last Thanksgiving t...

"Fellowship? I get fellowship all the time." So often we get so caught up with busyness that we have no time for fellowship. Now you may be thinking that you get tons of fellowship, because you go to church on Sunday, then you have a home school group to go to on Monday and a Bible study on Tuesday and basketball practice on Wednesday etc. and of course you talk to tons of people at each of these occasions (that was just an example). Sure you may have time to talk to your friends at the places you go to each week, but I’m not talking about that kind of fellowship. I’m talking about Biblical fellowship, relaxing fellowship, fellowship where you really get to know someone better, fellowship with the body of Christ where you can encourage and build each other up. We as believers in Christ need to be encouraging each other in our walk with God. “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn...

Hello Everyone who reads this, I would like to know of some good Christian books to read, so I thought I would ask about it on my blog. Therefore, I have some Questions for you and here they are. 1. What is your favorite spiritual book that you have ever read? 2. What is your favorite fiction that you have ever read? 3. What is your favorite biography or true story that you have ever read? 4. What is your favorite missionary biography that you have ever read? 5. Who are your three favorite authors? I would love to hear your answers to these questions, and it doesn’t really have to be your “favorite ever read book” just one that you really liked. And now I shall attempt to answer the questions myself for anyone who may be interested. 1. Favorite spiritual book – Dug Down deep by Joshua Harris 2. Favorite fiction book – They Loved to Laugh by Katheryn Worth 3. Favorite biography – We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing by Lieutenant James C. Whittaker 4. Favorite missionary b...

There are many types of friends. There are weird friends, cool friends, false friends, best friends and friends that are just friends. Most people have these kinds of friends or have had these kinds of friends in the past, but I’m going to tell you about the best kind of friend, the kind of friend that isn’t very common, but if you have this kind of friend then you always will. This kind of friend is called the true friend. A true friend won’t desert you. When you get in trouble and every one else decides to desert you, you’ll still have this friend. When you’re going through hard times this friend will still be there to encourage you. When you need help your friend will be ready to help you. A true friend will not desert you no matter what happens. A true friend will build you up not tear you down. This friend will encourage you to do what is right when the world is pressuring you to do the opposite. This friend will pray for you. This friend will not spread gossip or lies about you. ...

I would just like to say “Happy Anniversary!” to my Mom and Dad. You know why? Because to day is their 25th anniversary. So thank you God for bringing my Mom and Dad together 25 years ago. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for marrying each other 25 years ago. Thank you also for setting such a good godly example to your children on how a husband and wife should live. I love you! Now to any who might read this, you can be thankful my Mom and Dad got married 25 years ago, too. You may not know them, but let me tell you why. This is why, because if they hadn’t, then they wouldn’t have had me. If they hadn’t had me, I wouldn’t be here. If I wasn’t here, this blog wouldn’t be here either. If this blog wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be able to write on it. If I couldn’t write on it, you couldn’t read it and if you couldn’t read it then you wouldn’t be able to read all of my wonderful posts. ( Actually I am just kidding about that, the truth is I hope that many people have been and will be blessed by my posts...

“ Dog is quite good,” a priest who survived this camp assured me. “But I can not honestly recommend rat .”(The pastors Wife) “ Lets talk sense. Every man has his price, every woman too.… You’re an honest woman. You can raise your price. Judas was a fool to sell his boss for thirty pieces of silver. He could have held out for 300. Tell us what you want? Freedom for you and your husband? A good parish for him? We’d look after your family. You could be very valuable to us. Well?” when he had finished talking there was a silence in the room. At last I broke it. “Thanks, but I’ve sold myself already. The Son of God was tortured and gave his life for me. Through him I can reach heaven. Can you offer a higher price than that?” The bald man suddenly looked very tired ….(The pastors Wife) ‘The Pastors Wife’ a book by Sabina Wurmbrand. (wife of Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs) She is a Jew. She is a Christian. She is a pastor’s wife. She lives in Rumania. And they are comm...

Hello! I thought I would share with you some of my favorite Bible verses, so I hope you are refreshed and encouraged as you read them. Isaiah 43:1-7 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!...

Hello! So today (or yesterday) we were baking cookies and having a fun time of it, too. We have a tendency of burning our cookies; it is kind of a natural occurrence in our house. ( Although we have made them before without burning them.) The story goes that, my uncle visits his grandmother. While visiting her, she makes some cookies and he watches her take the first batch out of the oven, then he says to her, “You’re suppose to throw away the first batch”. His Grandmother then asks him why. He response saying, “My Mom always does”. You see his Mom always burnt the first batch and that is why she always threw it away. Hehehehehehe… So here is some of our cooking episode. Elisabeth says, “So, how do you know when the cookies are done?” Hannah replies, “Well, usually if they are kind of brown then that means that they are done or you can wait till they are black or charcoal looking and that means that they are done, too. It really depends on what texture you want it. Another good sign th...

Psalm 113:1-3 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord's name is to be praised. Psalm 50:1-2 The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Psalm 84:11-12 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

To all of the Wayne Grudem fans. I hope you enjoy.

Why should you smile? Well, one reason is, because it makes others happy and want to smile too. Also, Jesus loves you, so isn’t that something to smile about. Even if there was no other reason, that would be a good enough reason. Jesus loves us so much that he sent His only begotten Son to die in our place. So shouldn’t we be thankful and happy, because of what Jesus has done for us, and shouldn’t we show it by our facial expression. Smiling is a way of saying that you’re happy. And you have a wonderful reason for being happy, so I see no reason why you shouldn’t smile. Smiling also blesses others. Some one may be blessed with just a smile. They may not need you to talk to them, give them a gift, or something else. Maybe they just need a smile from you. Maybe that is the thing that would mean the most to them. You may not know how much one little smile can do, but God knows and He knows that it can do a lot. Smiling is another way of saying thank you. If someone gives you something or ...

Do you ever think about how many times each day God protects you. It is so easy to get in to our daily routine and not ever even think about how God is protecting us each day, until you almost end up in a car accident or some other not-every-day scenario. When this happens you are suddenly awakened to the fact that God was really protecting you. But what about the times when you may not have seen that you were in danger and so you never even knew that God was protecting you. Well, the truth is God is protecting you every single day from numerous things that could have happened to you yet didn’t. Every single day God is looking after each one of his children. Isn’t it wonderful that we have such a loving heavenly Father. “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a SHIELD to all who trust in Him. 2 Samuel 22:31” “He shall cover you with his feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge: His truth shall be your SHIELD and buckler. Psalm 91:4” “Every word...

There are two things that I just recently observed. The first was that of an older woman who was obviously dying (and in fact did die) and whether or not she was a Christian and went to heaven I do not know. The other thing that I observed or saw was beautiful huge houses that were owned by obviously very wealthy people. But if you think about it then what is going to happen to the people that own these houses? They are going to die and go either to heaven or hell, just as the older lady did. And then what will happen to their houses? Well, I can tell you one thing and that is that they are not taking that house to either of those places. Most likely what will happen to those houses is for a while they might be kept up, but eventually no one will be able to afford to keep it up and it will begin to rust, rot and deteriorate just as everything else on this earth will (see Matthew 6:19). So then for most of these houses it was wasted money and time. Instead of using their money or time f...

Hi! Here are my thoughts on the benefits and joys of having many siblings. 1. You don’t have to do all the chores yourself, because there are so many others to share the load. Many hands make light work, but too many cooks spoil the broth! 2. When you need help in school you have many people to choose from to help you. (If you are Homeschooled like me and if you are not the oldest). 3. There is almost always someone to play with, talk to, or just be with, so you don’t usually get lonely. 4. You do not get bored as easily, because someone can usually come up with something to do. 5. You have a lot of comforters when you get sick or hurt. (especially if you have a sweet little sister, who likes to comfort, like I do). 6. You can learn a lot from your siblings who enjoy telling you what they learned about something. 7. You learn to get along with a variety of people, so when you go out into the world you can know how to handle certain situations with different people. 8. If you don’t want...

1. Always wash your hands after using the bathroom. 2. Always wash your hands before eating, if possible. 3. Always wash your hands before cooking. 4. Cover your mouth or turn away when you sneeze or cough. 5. Always, always, wash your hands after being outside and handling the dead snake you found! And remember these are not the only things you should wash your hands after doing. How to Wash Your Hands 1. Put your hands under hot water to get them wet. 2. Take them out from under the water and put soap on your hands. 3. Scrub the soap all over your hands, out from under the water, for at least thirty seconds (I must admit, I don’t usually wash my hands that long myself, but that is about how long you’re suppose to do it). Make sure that plenty of suds are covering your hands. 4. Put them back under the water and scrub them under the water as you rinse off all the soap. 5. Dry your hands on a clean towel. If you follow these instructions then you will be spreading a lot less germs and ...

I don't know about you, but we like to watch deer when they come wondering on to our land. Well we did like to watch deer, and we still do, but recently we have been seeing them a lot more often. I was thinking that maybe they were coming to our land, because they finally figured out that we are safe and won't shoot them. Today we saw 16 deer. It seemed like they were everywhere. I think it is really neat to see so many at one time. I also like to see them all bounding away with their white tails sticking straight up. "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God." Psalm 42:1

How many of you enjoy work? I must say for myself that work isn’t always my favorite thing. Some times it’s very dirty work or sometimes it’s a job I just don’t like. Or sometimes I’m just not in the mood for it. But then again sometimes (only by God's grace) it is the most enjoyable thing in the world. Well, I think it’s really the way that we look at it. If you turn it into some kind of game then it usually ends up quite enjoyable. Like for example my sisters and I, when we were younger, (and even sometimes now) would do our chores like we were hotel workers and were cleaning the rooms, or sometimes we were restaurant workers cleaning up the kitchen, or sometimes we were slaves or servants. Or some times we would pretend that we were people that would clean the house really good for other people, and I’m sure that there are a number of other random things that we did to make it fun. (My sisters and I have great imagination skills.) Another thing that I do is sing or whistle while...

Hi! We have been having a fun time sledding in the snow. It is the first good snow that we've had in about six years (and what I mean by good is that we were actually able to have good sledding, on our road, which is about 1/2 mile long). So for about two days we sledded pretty much nonstop, but today (the third day) we were only able to sled good in the morning, because it began to melt and get slushy. God is such an amazing creator. Here is a video of an amazing jump (or bump) that we made. The first person is me and the other is our neighbor. She was the one that went over so smoothly and not me. lol

Do you like poems? Well, I do and here is one of my favorites. It Couldn’t Be Done Somebody said that it couldn’t be done, But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done and he did it. Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that; At least no one ever has done it”; But he took off his coat and he took off his hat, And the first thing we knew he’d begun it. With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, Without any doubting or quiddit, He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done and he did it. There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, There are thousands to prophesy failure; There are thousands to point out to you, one by one, The dangers that wait to assail you. But just buckle in with a bit of a grin, Just take off your coat and go to it; Just s...

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it. I have decided to ask some questions this time and I would love to hear some of your answers. So here they are: 1. Have you read the whole Bible? 2. Have you read Desiring God by John Piper? 3. Have you read Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper? 4. Have you read Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris? 5. Do you like to read books? 6. What is one of your favorite Bible verses? 7. If you were given the opportunity to go anywhere in the world, where would you go? 8. Do you like math? 9. Is Jesus your treasure? 10. Which do you like the best: mountains, beaches, or huge fields? And why? Now here are my answers to these questions. 1. Yes 2. Yes, not including the epilogue and appendix 1,2,3,4, and 5, But No, if including those parts. 3. Yes 4. Yes 5. Yes and no, if they are interesting then I like to read it, but usually if I like it than I don’t want to put it down and that is the part I don’t like. 6. Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends mus...

Hello, everyone that reads this! I hope you enjoy reading my blog and are blessed. I was reading in 1Samuel this morning and came across these verses. 1Samuel 12:20-22,24 ...But serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people....Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. So you see, if you go after the things of this world then you are going after emptiness. They will not satisfy or profit you. Instead go to Jesus and love Him above all else for He is better than anything you could ever want. He is the only one that can fill your emptiness. He is the only one that can truely satisfy you. God bless you!

Did you ever stop to think about what you are doing to your feet when you wear high-heeled shoes? Did you realize that high-heeled shoes can cause a lot of problems to your feet? Well they can and now let me tell you why. First of all they cause your foot to be forced into an unnatural position. It causes your toes to be crammed either by forcing them together from the sides or forcing them in. Having your toes forced into these positions can cause problems such as bunions, hammer toes, neuromas etc. All these problems and more are generally pretty painful and permanent unless you have surgery on them. Wearing high heels also causes the Achilles tendon to shorten which can cause problems when you wear flat shoes. Wearing high-heels not only causes problems with your feet, but also with your lower back. It forces your back into a position that can crush your vertebrae. Wearing high heels puts you in much more danger. You cannot balance your self as well; therefore, you are more liable t...