Notes from the Meeting

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. I Corinthians 1:10

There are four things that we should judge as Christians:

• Ourselves. At least every week we should be examining ourselves. I Corinthians 11: 28-31
• Things which are excellent. We should pray for spiritual discernment for the Lord's will in our lives. Knowing what is the good and best things for us. Phil. 1:10; I Cor. 2:12-15
• Doctrine. How can we believe everything we hear? We need to search the scriptures daily, confirming or rectifying all that we hear. Acts 17:11, I Cor. 14:29
• Unconfessed sin in the local church. This is important for the health of any church. I Cor. 5

There are four things that we should not judge as Christians:

• A person's motives. That's a tough one! I Cor. 4:1-5
• Physical appearances. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. I Sam. 16:7, John 7:24 and I Cor. 8:8
• Another man's liberty. Romans 14:4-12 clearly defines this principle. Sometimes we feel very convicted about things in our own lives. If that's the case, then we should hold to that conviction, but we shouldn't hold others to that same feeling. See also I Cor. 10:29
• Anothers actions when we're doing the same thing. Think about the well known verse: Judge not, lest you yourself be judged. Matthew 7:1-5 goes into a little more detail. If we notice the speck in our neighbor's eye, but neglect the plank in our own, then maybe we should go back to the beginning: judging ourselves.

The most interesting thing I found was that there really is only one instance (in this given message) where we're to judge other people. Most of the judging is inward and refraining from inappropriate judging of others. And that is the "same judgment" we're supposed to have with the local believers. There is definitely a lot for me to ponder.

Disclaimer: I get the ideas for this during my time at church meetings on Sunday. I am not writing everything exactly as I heard it. Some of my own thoughts may be thrown in. (A special thank you to the sharer) May you be encouraged in your walk as I am in mine. :)

Saturday Stumbles

Saturday is almost over, but I'm sneaking in to post some neat finds from this week.

• I've been looking for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I can't wait to try Savour Fare's version with the sea salt!
• This video is a must see for all mom's with girls. Smockity Frock shows how to quickly and straightly cut girl's bangs.
• In the beginning of Oct kicks off the Cake Pops Book Tour. Bakerella will be traveling the US signing copies of her new book.  She's not really coming near us :( .
• I love this news article about a bibliophile's home transformation .
• Last but not least, I found this great site called Dollar Store Crafts. All of their mostly nice looking crafts can be done with items costing around $1. You may need more than one item, but they are still relatively cheap.

For other links be sure to check out It's Come 2 This.

bubble painting

Yesterday we had some friends over. We had fun and did a craft! Have you ever heard of bubble painting? Me neither, not until a week or so ago. You should read the instructions yourself, because I had the hardest time getting the right proportions. I think my cups were too big (8 oz, not 16!).

 

Tabitha finally figured out the trick to getting a nice looking circle on the paper. Mind you, by this point she was about the only child still interested in doing the craft. She held the paper over the cup and blew at the same time.

I tried to insist on the adults being the only bubble blowers, but the kids insisted. We only had two kids accidentally suck the straw, instead of blow. I think that's when most of the kids decided to play instead.

The final product. Isn't it the most exciting thing you've ever seen?

Today, after school, kind of right around dinner time, Tabitha decided to make her three sheets of paper into bookmarks.

The fun didn't stop there, though. Next she insisted on sitting outside, with a table. You know what's coming next, don't you?

"Bookmarks for sale!" Tabitha was a little discouraged at first, because nobody was stopping. But after 15 minutes she made $2.00.

I had to convince her to come back in the house, because we needed to eat that dinner I spoke of earlier. She was a little worried that while she was at school tomorrow she may miss some sales. "Mom, can I stay home from school tomorrow so I can sell bookmarks?"

Menu Plan Monday

Can you believe we're in the middle of September already?! Just a few short weeks until October hits us. Time is gliding swiftly by...

I feel tired so I tried to make a simple menu this week.

Breakfasts will be smoothies, cereal, pancakes and muffins or something to that effect.

Lunches will be various types of sandwiches and a leftover meal or two.

Suppers:

Frozen pizza - told you I was going for simple!

Black beans and rice

Maybe an easy gumbo if I can come across a decent looking recipe

Philly cheesesteaks- good ole frozen food section

Grilled cheese sandwiches with Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Soup. I wanted to do something fancier than a regular grilled cheese, so I searched and found The Grill Cheese Academy. I plan on making the Flatiron (#6).

And leftovers

For other Menu Plan ideas check out "I'm an Organizing Junkie".

Goodbye Brother Garnes

Today we attended a funeral. "Garnes, who drinks only water." He was mocked by classmates many years ago. I wonder how many of those classmates lived to be 98.

Brother Garnes was the first African-American to become a plastic surgeon in the US. Imagine achieving that! Yet most of all, he was known for being a great Bible teacher with his actions living up to his preaching. He married Enoch and I almost 8 years ago. At the funeral we met a man that he married 35 years ago. I wonder how many couples he brought together.

Several years ago he and Tabitha had the following conversation:
Tabitha: Brother Garnes, how old are you?
Garnes: How old do you think I am?
Tabitha: One MILLION years old
Garnes (smiling): Not yet.

He hasn't reached a million yet, but now that he's with our Lord, he will.


This morning in the car, Tabitha said, "I'll always remember him saying, 'It's THE Book, not A book. THE Book' "

Seth also had a memorable thought. I'm not sure what to think of it or why everything in the world is so unjust, but I'll let you make of it what you will: "It's no fair everyone else gets to die, except me."

Friendly reminder

My son came home from school today and without having a second thought he threw his school bag on the table. Apparently I need to have a talk with him. In the meantime I thought I'd have a talk with you.

In years past I've heard the importance of remembering the germs on our purses. One thing that I'm always careful about are public restrooms. I don't put my purse on the floor in them. I hang it on the provided handle. If there isn't one, I just hang it on the side of the door itself.

When you come home don't put your purse on the kitchen counter. (Do you see how disgusting public restrooms and kitchen counters look together?) Remember even if the bathroom floors are avoided we still tend to put them on floors in general.

That brings me to my next point. Our children aren't usually as careful with their belongings. Their backpacks are thrown who knows where and they are then put on our eating spots. Germs, germs, germs and more germs. Remember our hidden friends when it comes to our bag carriers.

And in other totally unrelated news: Did you know that Cockroach brains could be rich stores of new antibiotics?

Why I love my student planner

Continuing with the back to school theme, I thought I would share a little about my favorite tool. Your average Student planner. I'll dive in with my reasons. :)

1. Its portable. You can technically take it with you when you go to the doctors, but just being able to sit at the computer and jot in important dates is better than standing in the kitchen. It is also nice to have when you travel so you can have your schedule with you or write down the things you did.

2. Design that fits your year. There are so many styles and designs that you won't get bored from year to year. This year I went with a pattern that reminds me of Indian styles.

3. Week at a glace. This is probably my favorite and most helpful reason. Sometime during my current week, I will take a few seconds to peek at the upcoming weeks to see if there is anything significant coming up. The weekly time frame is perfect for the perspective that fits me.

4. Plenty of daily space. I'm not a business executive with tons of meetings. I don't homeschool my children, therefore needing daily curriculum information isn't necessary. So, the 6 or so lines per day gives me enough room to write all kinds of stuff. I will often write addresses of events, things I need to bring to pot lucks and other pertinent info.

5. The pocket is just right. There's a pocket in the back that works for me! I usually hold the library receipt there, so I know what books we owe them. Other times I'll put a paper that I need to bring to some event. It's always where I need it.

6. Small enough to keep. I am a memory keeper! This is a great size for me. I can keep all of my old ones for memories. :)

7. Great for remembering. No, this picture isn't an announcement of any sort (although that would be kind of cool). But it is nice to be able and look back to days gone by. If Tabitha wants to know when she lost her first tooth, I can just look it up!

Finally:
8. It goes along with the school year. Being a student planner and all... When the kids school year begins I take the school calender and plug in all the dates. Sports, dance classes, singing, they all fit perfectly and all at once.

For other Works for me Wednesday tips visit We are THAT Family.

Mom's Visit

My mom visited us for a couple of weeks. The kids love spending time with her. We didn't have any fancy adventures while she was here, but we did enjoy each others company.

She loved spotting the two deer that often glean from our back yard. These two siblings used to come with their mother, but I haven't seen her in a few months.

They kind of trust us. Even when we're outside they just look, but continue eating. Aren't they cute?

One day we went on a walk just for Patricia. The other two had started school, so we made sure she had something special just for her. (Ian was there, but he stayed in his stroller)

Here are the two Patricia's enjoy some time along the walk.

While she was here I did lots of baking. Everyone enjoyed that!

The kids even got to play in dirt. Ian is the first one who has done this and the others have followed suit. I try to prevent it, but they never listen to me!

Ian even got to taste it. Yuck! It didn't take him long to learn that.

And of course, the kids got off to school during her time here.

Bye mom! Come back soon!