Verse for the day!

Verse for the day!

Verse for the Day - Ellerslie Introduction video!

Here is the video that I have been wanting to post about Ellerslie! I hope you enjoy it! Listen to it all the way to the end it's funny! So I guess I haven't done the greatest with having a photo up each day, but I'll keep working on it I guess! Have a wonderful day my friends and family!
With His love,
Susanna
P.S. By the way the picture above is another that I picnicked!

"Yeah I have loved thee with an everlasting love"!

Hi everybody,
So we are starting another week, and I haven't posted anything this past week. Oh my *sigh*. Oh well. I have a few for this week of photo's that I have picnicked so check back and hopefully I will have one up for each day! I am posting the picture and a poem (which my sister Karissa already posted on her blog) but I thought that a few different people read my blog, so if you have already read it you don't have to read it again, but if you haven't I hope you enjoy it! This photo took SO long to picnick, but it was very worth it! I love it so much! You know why? Because these special birds mean so much to me, every time I see them they remind me of God's love for me! And so we went to a mother daughter tea a couple weeks ago and this is what it was about redbirds, rubies, and rainbows! There was even a cardinal statue on the table! It was very nice and I enjoyed it very much! Anyways I hope you enjoy your day, and remember how much your Saviour loves you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh by the way if you click on the photo you can see it bigger so you can read it!!





Redbirds, Rubies, & Rainbows
BY GRETA PRICE

Life is a struggle in so many ways
Filled with uncertainty day after day
And our hearts cry out with frustration and doubt
And then a redbird appears from somewhere
without.

A REDBIRD is a reminder of God's special love
That He pours on His children from heaven above
And as sure as we know that the struggles are here
We can also be certain the redbird will appear.

And as the redbird is a sign of His love
We are its object- His beloved
And He has designed us with beauty and care
And made us rubies of loveliness rare.

The RUBY- a beautiful gem- and so grand.
Is a reminder we're wonderfully made from His hand-
With passion and life and devotion and love
All part of our great Creator above.

And then as a special gift in the midst of our trials
He sends forth His rainbow with a loving smile-
A reminder that His promises we need to believe
And we need to eagerly reach out and receive.

Each RAINBOW tells us to heed God's Word
And apply to our hearts the promises we've heard
Yes, the redbirds, the rubies, the rainbows in the sky
Are all reminders of a loving Father on high.

-Susanna- <3

Hi Everybody!
How was your week? I have so much stuff that I want to blog and I have been working on it a little bit but didn't get any of the "big projects" done today that I wanted to so I figured I would start out the week with another one of David Jeremiah's devotional and then see if I can't get one of those bigger posts up sometime this week! It's been so nice out, and God's creation is Magnificent! I hope you will all take some time to thank God for all that He has done for us!
In Christs love,
Susanna <3
"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever".
-1 Chronicles 16:34


Conditions For Happiness

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." -Psalm 34:8

In the Old Testament, the word "blessed" or "happy" comes from a verb that means "to go straight; to advance." It was gradually used to refer to leading others straight ahead or in the right path, then to setting things right, and then to be right oneself- or to be happy, blessed or in the best place.

There is a lot of advice in the world about how to be happy, how to live a happy life. One popular lifestyle guru talks about "living your best life." But none of this advice squares with how the Bible describes true happiness or blessedness. Thirteen times in Scripture the phrase "blessed is the man who........" is used, and few of the conditions for happiness would be recommended by the world: meditating on God's word, having a pure spirit, trusting in God, learning God's precepts, fearing God, listening to God, enduring temptation and others. Drawing on the Old Testament examples, Jesus created His own list of nine conditions for happiness- the Beatitudes, or "be-attitudes" as they have been called.

What are your conditions for happiness? If they are the Bible's, you'll never be happier; if the world's, never sadder.

Turning PointTo seek God is to desire happiness; to find Him is that happiness.
Augustine
From David Jeremiah's Devotional, May 2011

Forever Reign/ Driven Into Sovereign Arms

Hey! How has everyone been?
I am trying really hard to work on my blog and get it just how I want to keep it! I am adding a lot of new things and so on and so forth! It's really fun but it kind of takes a long time :>).

In this post I am posting a video with lyrics of a song that we have sang at Youth Group on Wednesdays a couple times. It is a really nice song and I have really been encouraged by it! I am not sure I like Hillsongs version (it's a little on the "rocky" side to me :P) but they are the only ones that sing it! When we sing it it's just the piano and guitar I believe so it's really nice! And then below is a little devotional that goes along with the song! I hope you will remember this as you go through your week. Run to His arms and draw close to Him.




Driven Into Sovereign Arms
"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified." -Isaiah 61:3

Kay Arthur was bitterly disappointed when she contracted a heart infection that forced her removal from the mission field. She and her family, serving in Mexico, were forced to return home. "I felt like a failure," she wrote. "Depression set in until I cried, 'Father, whatever You want.' It would be several years before I'd see how He'd use those formative years of study in Mexico to prepare me to write inductive Bible studies that would eventually reach 52 countries."

"My dissapointments aren't over," Kay admits. "Pain and trials are almost constant companions, but never enemies. They drive me into His sovereign arms. There He takes my dissapointments and works everything together for good."*

Sometimes we feel our world is falling apart, but the lessons learned through the pain often bring hidden blessings. The Lord promises in Isaiah 61 to exchange our mourning with His oil of joy, and to give a garment of praise to those who are weighed down in spirit. Cast your burdens on the Lord and let Him become the strength of your heart. Let trouble drive you into His sovereign arms.

Turning Point
The devil sometimes goes too far. He drives us straight into the Lord's arms. -Ruth Bell Graham

* Kay Arthur, "In Person: My Dissapointments, His Appointments," Moody Magazine, January, 1992, p. 30.
From: David Jeremiah's Turning Points Devotional (March 2011)

Day By Day

I found this video one time and today am sharing it with you! It's a really pretty song, and you can find the words plus the story of the hymn below! (Note: The video is only one verse) :P

"Day by Day" was written by a young Swedish woman who
learned early in life the all-important lesson of living each day with a
conscious presence and strength of her Lord. Lina Sandell has often been called
the "Fanny Crosby of Sweden" for her many contributions to gospel hymnody. From
her pen flowed approximately 650 hymns which strongly influenced the waves of
revival that swept the Scandinavian countries during the latter half of the 19th
Century.
At the age of 26, Lina had an experience that greatly influenced
her life. She was accompanying her father aboard ship to the city of Gothenburg,
Sweden, across Lake Vattern. The ship gave a sudden lurch, and Lina's father, a
devout minister of the Gospel, fell overboard and drowned before the eyes of his
devoted daughter. Although Lina had written many hymn texts prior to this tragic
experience, now more than ever poetic thoughts that expressed a tender,
child-like trust in her Lord began to flow freely from her broken
heart.
Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I
find, to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father's wise
bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear.He Whose heart is kind
beyond all measure Gives unto each day what He deems best Lovingly, its
part of pain and pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me With a special mercy for each hour; All
my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me, He Whose Name is Counselor and
Power; The protection of His child and treasure Is a charge that on
Himself He laid; "As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure," This the
pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation So to trust Thy promises, O Lord, That I lose not faith's sweet consolation Offered me within Thy holy Word. Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting, E'er to take, as from a father's hand, One by one, the days, the moments fleeting, Till I reach the promised land.

This is another "devotional" from David Jeremiah that I am sharing with you! I hope that in some way it will encourage your heart today!


The Permanence of God's Love
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 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 8:35-39

"Seperation anxiety" is defined as the fear or dread felt by a persin at the prospect of being seperated from a beneficial relationship or environment. It becomes a disorder when such anxiety rises to a level that it impairs one's ability to function normally. The great reformer, Martin Luther, might have suffered from such anxiety at the prospect of being seperated from God due to his own sinfulness. Only his discovery, from Romans 1:17, that a relationship with God is sustained by faith, not works, set Martin Luther free from his anxiety.

No true Chritstian should ever fear being seperated from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That is the clear testimony of God himself through His inspired Word. Living as we do in a wrold of imperfect love and failing relationships, it is challenging to rest in a love so pure and so permanent that it will never cease. But that is the nature of God's love. Paul exhausted his creativity trying to think of something that could come between us and God's love- and he failed (Romans 8:38-39)!
"Be anxious for nothing," Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6- including the permanence of God's love.
Turning Point
"The true measure of God's love is that He loves without measure."
-Unknown

In Christs love,

-Susanna-

Behold, What Love!

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in Him." - 1 John 4:16

In a scene of a popular movie, Johnny Depp played a character who lectured his friend about the important things in life. "There are only four questions," he said. "What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for?

Then he said softly, "The answer to each is the same: only love."

That's true, though not as hollywood thinks. To the world, love is a shallow sentiment. To the Christian, it's divine reality. God is love, and he demonstrated His love at Calvary. This love is sacred; it's from Him. It prompted Him to form our spirits and make us in His image. It gives meaning to our lives and calls us to give ourselves for others. The language God used to share His love for us is found in His word, in His actions at the cross, and in His plan for our eternal future.

Behold what love is lavished on us! It's a love that we can both know and rely on today.

-From: David Jeremiah's Turning Points Magazine & Devotional

"Rose art"!

Hey How is everyone doing?!!!!
I just wanted to share these photo's with you! I hope you enjoy them.... they are taken on a couple different ocasions as you will see because some are red and some are pink! And it was just something fun that Karissa and I did!!!!!!!!!

The first one is of a rose (of course, lol) and it has my Purity ring in it!!!!! A rose is sometimes likened to Purity, and I think it is a really good illustration of what Purity is. If you make a dent with your fingernail in a rose it will never go away, and so it is with Purity of mind, heart, body, and soul. If we fill our minds and hearts with junk then we are making "dents on our rose" (which obviously represents the precious life that God has so graciously given to us, so that we may be a living sacrifice for Him). And of course that as well goes for the other catagories that I mentioned above. So that's why I did this photo! There is one more like this too!

"Keep thy heart with all dilligence; for out of it are the issues of life."-Proverbs 4:23

"Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him."

-Proverbs 30:5

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
-William Shakespeare

I hope ya'll have a wonderful day!!!!!!!!

-Susanna-

Leslie Ludy - True Beauty

Hey everyone!
Some of you may be wondering who Eric and Leslie Ludy are?! Well,I have been wanting to post something about them for a long time! So, we met Eric and Leslie Ludy at the Homeschool Convention last April 23rd through the 24th. They were the Teen Track speakers for that year, and I have to tell you they are the best speakers I have ever heard! The are from Windsor, Colorado and they have 4 children Hudson, Harper and Kipling (who are both adopted) and Avonlea. They are best-selling authors of "When God Writes Your Love Story", and they have 14 other books as well. They a have a "Bible College" called Ellerslie that they just started not too long ago. (It is actually a 10 week intensive discipleship training program, and then if you want to stay on longer they have more options). There is so much I could "tell you about them" but I don't have that much time to! So as you might have seen, I put a picture of them on the side of my blog and if you click on it you can go onto there site and explore a little bit if you so desire, or have the time to sometime! I really think you will enjoy it if you do! I am posting this video by Leslie Ludy this time and it is a challenge to us on several different things. I have been thinking a lot recently about things that we make a big deal over, and things we fight about that are useless and have no eternal value....... all it'll be in the end is more tears, as we stand before our Heavenly Father and give account for our life. After going to this convention and hearing Eric and Leslie speak I have been aware of this more then ever.It hurts me a lot and don't get me wrong I am guilty of this at times too.

My Mom was doing a "study" on the Sermon on the mount and when she got to the story of the wise man and the foolish man, there were 3 interesting points that were brought up to her:


1. They both heard: "Therefore whosoever heareth theses sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock". -Matthew 7:24 And: "Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. -Matthew 7:26
2. They both made a decision with that information..... one built his house upon the rock, and the other on the sand.
3. And last of all 2 different things happened...... when the storms came one stayed strong and was fine, and the other crashed down.
So that's pretty basic, I am sure you have all heard of that story before. But what I got out of it this time around was that I need (or we all need) to build our house ("life") on the solid rock (which of course is Jesus Christ). And that is kind of what the Ludy's theme was; Falling so deeply in love with Jesus Christ that nothing else matters. And if we don't do this we be like the foolish man who left Christ out (or built his house on the sand) and when the trials and storms of life (or the rains) came his house did not stand........and ours won't either. This a quote that I really like: "God's sacred intent for you and for me is nothing short of absolute abandonment to Jesus, entire separation from the pollution of the world, and ardent worship of our King with every breath we take."
-Leslie Ludy
Isn't that awesome? This should be the desire of all of our hearts!

I wanted to post a video about Ellerslie, the Ludy's "Bible College", it is a video of some of the students trying to describe what Ellerslie is like. It's really good but it is 10 min. so maybe sometime I will post just that for you to watch. There are so many more things that I have been thinking about and learning but I will let you all go, and I will close this post with a couple verses and one other quote that I like!!!! And some other time I will post more! I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will see some of you this weekend! I am so looking forward to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With love,
-Susanna-
P.S. Do you guys like the gadgets I added??!!!!!!!! There are so many cool things that you can do with blogs!!!!!

Matthew 6:33 & 7:7-8
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh recieveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

John 16:33
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

"A pure heart is one to which all that is not of God is strange and jarring."
-John Tavler

Matt and Christy Taylor "Gentle Voice"

Hey Everyone!

I am posting a video of Matt and Christy Taylor singing a song at the Wild's. You probably haven't heard of them before, but I am sure you will like it. I just found out about their CD's not too long ago! They are really good and I hope that you will be blessed by this song as I have been! Thanks for keeping on checking my blog even though I rarely ever post anything!!! Have a wonderful day!

-Susanna-

Matthew 11: 28-30

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Gentle Voice:

Verse 1:

Far above the noise of life there's a voice that is gently calling, leave behind your cares and strife, come to me I will give you rest.

Chorus: (1)

Bring your fear and bring your pain, bring your anger and bring your worry, do you hear the voice of Jesus gently calling come unto me.

Verse 2:

Gentle voice so meek and mild, gentle words of understanding, you are mine beloved child come to me I will give you rest.

Chorus: (2)

Bring your grief and bring your care, bring your heartaches and bring your sorrow, do you hear the voice of Jesus gently calling come unto me.

Gentle voice so full of love, gentle words so rich in mercy, you are mine beloved child, come to me I will give you rest.