Pure and Simple Worship

We had an inspiring time up in San Marcos this weekend! We as a worship team were blessed to be able to go to the Pure and Simple Worship Leaders Conference put on by Calvary of the Springs. The speakers were all great and allowed the truth of the Word of God to flow through them. The worship was Pure and Simple, as it should have been and our group was excited and ready to receive what the Lord had to say to us.

I would love to recount what the Lord was speaking to my heart up there and hopefully I will be able to do that in another post, but for now I just wanted to thank everyone who made me going possible. My wonderful husband, and dear friends and family who watched the kiddos, Pastor Joe and Pastor Louie who gave us the opportunity to go, and those who worked so hard to put it all together. (even though that sounded like and acceptance speech, I really am grateful...) I am such a work in progress, the Lord really used that time to refocus my attention and intentions.

You can feel like you were there if you listen to this link a teaching from Pastor Brett Williams from Calvary Fellowship in Seattle. It is basically the same teaching we heard on Saturday am. It made me a little nervous considering my earlier post in which I confessed to being a cow...

Well we are heading out to the Great Northwest to visit some friends for a bit so I hope you all have a glorious week serving our Lord! Listen to the teaching if you have a chance it is good stuff. I would recommend reading Daniel 4 before you do so you will get the most out of it. I hope to write more later about the conference, we will see how much time I get on the plane, I think the laptop will be for movie watching not for "mommy time" :*)

Free Online Helps -- homeschooling and parenting

I recently went to a workshop that was entitled "Homeschooling on a Shoestring Budget". That got me thinking, I know lots of free sites I could share, lots of free or inexpensive online resources and advice.

The Four Wheelers - A link list to all the unit studies you can imagine
Highland Heritage - Free Forms, notebooking pages, history worksheets, booklists, etc. LOTS more.
Ambleside Online - A free homeschool curriculum
Librivox - free audiobooks online
Donna Young's site - free homeschooling forms
Mainlesson - free classic books
An Old Fashioned Education - "a directory of free homeschool curricula, literature and text books organized for the use of homeschooling families"
Free lapbooks and Free templates - just what it says
Simply Charlotte Mason - free Charlotte Mason helps, some inexpensive ebooks for sale
The Gutenberg Project - Free classic and out of print e-books
Homeschool Convention Online - Free convention speakers, you can listen online and it is free!
Los Banos - lots and lots of free printables and free curriculum including american history

Parenting Helps
Joyful Momma - Some great encouragement for Momma and some helps too.
Parenting Ministry - Free Video teachings, biblical and encouraging!

This is just what I can think of and is not an exhaustive list my any means. If you have any suggestions to add please post them as a comment and I will add them above. I hope some of these resources are helpful!

Jenn

A Field to Plow

Jesus said "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." Matthew 11:28-30

I have heard, read, been taught and prayed that verse for many years now and I am still coming to an understanding of it. But today I received a fresh breeze that blessed me.

We (I) are in preparation mode here at the Velarde home. Preparing for the up coming school year has become all consuming. All of my spare time has gone in to it as evidenced by the big pile of laundry that needs foldin' and the general state of controlled chaos. I came across a bible study that was for hs moms gearing up for the new year and she took us to the above verse. During that study I had, for lack of better terms a vision.

I am a cow.

"Now wait just a minute Lord!" says I! But clear as a bell (he he) I am a cow. I have been grazing and meandering through this field of educating the younin's for about 5 years now. Imagine a meadow full of sweet clover and wild flowers, a little here and a little there. Happy cow. Sounds nice huh?

But then the Lord says "You have work to do. It is not a meadow for grazing it is a field for plowing, preparing for the harvest." Up goes my big cow head with a look of fear in my big cow eyes. "Ahhh, but yoke up with me and your burden will be mine. My yoke is easy and my burden is light but there is still a field that needs plowing."


H and I had our first meeting where he told me his goals for the education of our little herd and it was remarkable how close it was to the direction the Lord seems to be leading me down. So as nice as the meadow has been I realized that I have been trying to do this on my own. The way that seems right to Jenn. It is not working. Have you ever tried to lead a fat happy cow away from her happy meadow where she is in complete control? Dangerous. God forbid the little cows get in the way of her happy cow plans. I will confess here that I have finally admitted that I need H's leadership in this area.

Someday if I have the time I will explain that in detail this clarified direction, for now I will direct you to Trivium Pursuit I am not yet ready to buy a field of goats and start milking anything but I like a lot of what they have to say.

I better go hitch up, I have fields to plow.

link to edited version of lost boy

Here is a link to a message by Pastor Greg at CC Ft. Lauderdale. The first part of the messages is an edited version (still pretty long) version of Lost Boy check it out.

Thanks Wen!

He is right this was brave...and beautiful

We, as a congregation watched "Lost Boy", the movie about Greg Laurie's life on Sunday. As amazing as it was (you should see it if you can) when he came out on Sunday ans spoke for a few minutes about his son, just days after his death, that was brave. What Jonathan, Topher's brother, said was beautiful.

I am going to suggest you follow this link to see it. It is to the blog site of Levi Lusko that way you can check him out as well. God is doing amazing things through this young man.

Check it out here http://levilusko.blogspot.com/2008/07/breathtaking-bravery.html

Jenn

Pray for the Laurie Family

Please keep them in your prayers Pastor Greg's eldest son was killed today in a car accident. I know many of you have been impacted by his ministry and his life. I cannot imagine the pain involved in the loss of a son, he was also a husband and a father with one on the way.

http://blog.greglaurie.com/

Check this link for more information.

And then I read this...

So after writting the blog below, and living out the day I went and read our pastor's weekly devotion...

Welcome to: The Word of Grace e-mail devotions courtesy of Pastor Joe Marquez: July 14, 2008



Good Morning beloved of the Lord! Last evening I was doing a little devotional reading and I happened upon the Hebrew word for love. This particular word is found in Deuteronomy 10:15- “Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today.” The Hebrews word for “loved” is the word “hasaq.” It speaks of a tethered love, a love attached to someone. Beloved, remember that God will not let you go. He has tethered Himself to you in love. You cannot win His love because you already have it and since you have it you cannot lose it.



The remembrance of God’s love led me to this morning’s devotion found in Romans 2:4 which reads, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?”



Beloved, we need to remember that it was God’s kindness, His patience and tolerance which led us to repentance. It is the same kindness, tolerance and patience which will lead others to repentance.



Instead of being like Jonah who ran away and had contempt for the people of Nineveh , let’s be like God who wants to tether Himself to us in love. When we display the riches of God’s kindness, tolerance and patience to those around us; they will repent of their sins and give their hearts to Christ. It is His kindness which leads us to repentance.



Lord, help us to be kind to others today. As your Word says in Ephesians 4:32, may we, “Be ye kind, one to another, tender-hearted forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.”



Beloved, have a blessed week. I love you and will be praying for you! Remember that God “hasaqs” you. He has tied Himself to you and He will not let go!





In Him,



Pastor Joe Marquez

Calvary Chapel Northwest San Antonio



I LOVE IT!!!! One more thing on my list of how God is so gracious and real in my life. Amen and Amen.