Fruitbearers

2016 has been a year of healing and new experiences. 1. In January, my left eye was practically blind due to vitreous hemorrhage. God graciously gave me back my sight. 2. After living with intense (sometimes excruciating) pain for approximately 10 years (or more) due to Adenomyosis, I decided to have a partial hysterectomy (keeping my ovaries and cervix) on March 8th. God blessed me with a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Life with no chronic pain is such a blessing that I never want to take for granted. 3. Alyssa got her driving license on March 25th. 4. On April 9th, Eric, Josiah, and I hiked at Silver Falls. 5. This year, Isaiah raised $2,242 for Steps for Life and won third place in his age group. 6. On May 29th, we (except Alyssa) visited Mirror Lake and Trillium Lake. 7. On June 9th, Josiah had his first job interview with Wendy's and got the job. 8. In June, I had my first jury process experience (although I wasn't selected). 9. Alyssa did an internship

Did you know that The JESUS Film is the most watched (having been viewed billions of times) and most translated film (available in 1,197 languages)? It was made in 1979. In honor of its 35th anniversary (in 2014), The JESUS Film has been fully restored and remastered in high-definition with a complete new musical score in Dolby 5.1 surround sound. And for the first time in history, the film has been available on streaming . Our family has been long-time supporters of CRU's The JESUS Film ministries .  They have been doing a wonderful job reaching the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through this amazing film. One of the greatest evangelical tools ever! I watched The JESUS Film once a long time ago and I just watched it again. In my opinion, it's the most impactful film of all time because it tells the greatest story of all time. More than 200 million people worldwide have come to faith in Jesus Christ after viewing The JESUS Film! The JESUS Film covers the crea

Update : The giveaway winner was randomly chosen using random.org. The winner is Lindy Davis. Congratulations! I love to highlight my Bible and write down Bible verses and prayers in my journal. I like to personalize God's love letter to me. This Bible journaling kit includes 1 pouch with adjustable strap, 1 journaling pen, 8 colored pencil twists (red, orange, green, blue, purple, yellow, brown, and gray), 4 sheets of word stickers, 4 sheets of alphabet stickers, 24 tab stickers, and 1 ruled page protector mat with tracing lines. The lovely pouch is green with Philippians 4:8 on the front. It can hold all the supplies in the kit except the ruled page protector mat. I have enjoyed using the kit in my Bible and my journal. The colored pencils are easy to use (just twist the bottom) and do not need to be sharpened. I color-coded my favorite verses. For example, red is used for verses about love, green is used for verses about God's promises and hope, blue is used for verses a

Update : The giveaway winner was randomly chosen using random.org. The winner is Amy Campbell. Congratulations!  I was given an opportunity to watch a private screening of To Joey, With Love . Wow...I was so moved by this beautiful and heartfelt documentary. I cried, I laughed, and I cried some more. To Joey, With Love was written, filmed, and directed by Rory Feek. This film is Rory's loving tribute to his wife, Joey. It chronicles their journey from Joey's pregnancy and the birth of their daughter, Indiana, who was born with Down Syndrome, through Joey's struggle with cervical cancer and the end of her life. Joey and Rory were country music vocal duo and songwriters. They were married in 2002. In 2014, they decided to take a year off their tour to get ready for their baby. They had no idea what they would be facing in the days ahead. At that same time, Rory started his blog, " This Life I Live " where he has been writing about his family life on a sma

Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year :)! Without the birth of Jesus, we wouldn't have our Savior, salvation, or the gospel. In December each year, Christians around the world joyfully anticipate the celebration of Christ's birth. Do not let your chaotic calendars take away the joy and wonder of the season. Pause and focus on what really matters . This book consists of 31-day devotionals for the month of December, stories behind Christmas carols, traditions and symbols, recipes, and homemade gift ideas such as Birdseed Christmas Ornaments, Whipped White Chocolate Body Butter, and Lemon Beeswax Candles. We are usually busy preparing many things for Christmas. Shopping. Decorating. Baking. But often we forget about preparing our hearts. This book helps prepare our hearts and turn our attention to Jesus Christ, the Reason for the season. Starting with Scripture, each devotional is short and concise, yet insightful. I love Christmas songs so I really appre

No one denies that our culture increasingly brings about sexual distractions, temptations, and pressures upon our families, especially children and teens. We parents must be wise, vigilant, and intentional in our parenting. Quest: Parenting in a Sexualized Culture is designed to help equip and encourage parents in informing and training their children about sex, purity, and technology. Quest is a 4 module small group video teaching series about parenting in a sexualized digital age. It includes a study book, a leader's guide, and a DVD. The DVD has four sessions: The Foundation (A teaching and discussion on what the Bible informs us about God's design and purpose for sexuality), The Conversation (Strategies to help parents create a lifelong, healthy dialogue with their kids about sex), The Technology (A discussion about strategies to create safer and more accountable tech use in your home to help your family thrive), and The Legacy (A teaching about the importance of modelin

Parenting is the most rewarding yet most challenging job in the world! This book helps readers see parenting in light of the gospel. It's unlike other parenting books. It's not about how-to, but rather about what and why. It's about the essence of Christian parenting. " This book is meant to give you vision, motivation, renewed strength, and the rest of heart that every parent needs. It is written to give you the big gospel picture of the task to which your Savior has called you. " (p. 13) The book covers 14 gospel principles that give parents important foundation to be God's effective ambassadors, representing God's message, methods, and character. We parents are called to be daily instruments of God's forgiving, rescuing, transforming, and delivering grace in the lives of our children. The theme that runs through the whole book is grace-centered, grace-infused parenting. Another message you will see over and over again in this book is: we (pare

Parenting is hard enough but it gets scary and more challenging when your daughter starts dating. It's definitely a jungle out there. You want to protect her from mistakes and heartaches. But how? This book is a useful guide for parents who want to help their daughters date smart and avoid making mistakes. Most likely, they will still make some mistakes and/or experience heartaches but hopefully, the pain and mistakes are minimal when they are well equipped in advance. The author, Daniel Anderson, is a father, husband, and high school teacher who has had a front row seat to real life problems among teens who embrace faulty ideas/beliefs/assumptions about dating. He wrote this book with his twenty-something daughter (also teacher) who offers valuable insights from a girl's perspective. The book covers 10 dating myths (lies) that lead young people to disaster and misery in their relationships. Each chapter ends with Questions for Reflection and Questions for You and Your Daug

When Calls the Heart series  is a wonderful romantic adventure drama series about life on the frontier, inspired by Janette Oke's novel.  Hearts In Question  is Season 3's 5th DVD. Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing)'s mother, Charlotte (Brooke Shields) came to Hope Valley to pay him a surprise visit. She stays with Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and tries to help Elizabeth improve her cooking and housekeeping skills. Elizabeth finds it difficult to live up to Charlotte's expectations. As Rosemary is busy and stressed about getting everything ready and perfect for her wedding to Lee, she becomes fussy and demanding. The relationship between Abigail (Lori Loughlin) and Pastor Frank is blossoming. Something fishy about Henry Gowen's finances causes Bill Avery (Jack Wagner) and Jack to start investigating. Henry convinces Nora to leave Hope Valley with him in a hurry during a storm and thus puts their lives in danger. Tragedy strikes when a mining town nearby is hit with fl

  Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are preparing for Hurricane Matthew to hit. For students in hurricane-affected states who are facing school closures but still want to participate in Bring Your Bible to School Day, the alternate date is Thursday, October 20. This brings about a good point: Any day can be a day you organize your friends to bring your Bibles to school together! By signing up during the month of October for Bring Your Bible to School Day (even if you missed the official celebration), you can download a free how-to guide for teens, parents, pastors, and elementary students. It's full of helpful information that will help you organize a day to take a stand for religious freedom and bring your Bible to school with your fellow classmates. (Sign-ups must be received by midnight (MT), Oct. 7, in order to be automatically entered into the Newsboys giveaway.) Plus Bring Your Bible to School Comes to Adventures in Odyssey   Getting used to a new s

In the Bible, names are very important. They often reflect the characteristic attributes about the persons.  If you want to know God more/better, take time to study His names.  God reveals His character/attributes by referring to Himself by various Names. He wants us to know and understand Who He is, what He does, and how we should relate to Him. I love studying the names of God and I collect devotionals so I was glad to have an opportunity to review this book.  Experiencing God Through His Names is a 31-day devotional that helps readers understand and appreciate 31 different names of God. It's an easy read; each day's devotion is only 2-3 pages long. The author shares from her own experiences how each name of God has meant to her personally.  Each devotion concludes with a prayer. Who is God to you? Elohim (The Creator). El Shaddai (The All-Sufficient One). Adonai (Lord and Master). Abba (Father). You may be familiar with these. But God is so much more! He is also Jehovah

How much do you know about the Bible and its influence on our culture, history–and the whole world? Focus on the Family and Bring Your Bible have teamed up to create a quiz to test how much you and your kids know about the Bible. Take the quiz to find out! Don't forget to mark your calendars to celebrate religious freedom with other students across the U.S. on October 6— Bring Your Bible to School Day ! Students from kindergarten to college will be bringing their Bibles to school and sharing God with their friends in just a few short weeks. Sign up to be a part of the movement to protect religious freedom for future generations.   By signing up, you’ll receive a free guide with tips, downloadable posters, sticker and T-shirt designs, information on your legal rights, and other fun, interactive activities. You’ll also be automatically entered for a chance to win a free trip for four to hear the Newsboys, an award-winning Christian music band, in Dallas! Plus Bring Your

  Want to be entered for a chance to win a free trip for four to hear the Newsboys, the award-winning Christian music band, in Dallas?  Sign up to be a part of the movement to protect religious freedom for future generations:  Bring Your Bible to School Day ! Students from kindergarten to college will be bringing their Bibles to school and sharing God with their friends on October 6. By completing the information on this page , you're automatically entered to win the chance to see the Newsboys with Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey. Don't miss out on the chance to see a fantastic band with your family! Plus Sign Up for a Free Two-Week Trial of Odyssey Adventure Club   Getting used to a new school isn’t easy, especially for someone as paranoid as Buddy Norman. In “A Predicament of Biblical Proportions” he envisions wacky worst-case encounters with townsfolk who seem like mobsters, snoops and fairy-tale tyrants—until he gets to know them. He’s also a littl

Live on Forever  is the newest album from  The Afters . The story behind this album is very inspiring. They have turned their season of tragedy into a message of hope and triumph. Their songs remind listeners to embrace eternal perspective and blessed assurance of Heaven. Our trials and sufferings are temporary; we get to live on forever with God. The songs in this album are fresh, energetic, uplifting, and encouraging. They celebrate God's faithfulness and God's promises. This album invites listeners to find strength in God and to keep holding on to Christ. Don't give up. Don't give in. Stand up against fear; stay strong & courageous to fight battles because God has your back. This album has 10 songs: 1. Shadows 2. Battles 3. Sunrise 4. Time of My Life 5. Wake Up My Heart 6. Live On Forever 7. Eyes of a Believer 8. Survivors 9. Legends 10. When You're With Me I enjoyed listening to the album. My favorite songs are Battles, Wake Up My Heart, Liv