Book Review - Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder

My children and I just finished reading this great book today called Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder. The setting of the story is just after the Civil war ended and is written for early to middle elementary. Although I think anyone would enjoy this story. We used this book as a family read-aloud and I enjoyed this book immensely . We read through this book in about a week. It is classically written and is not only great for supplementing with the Civil war unit but also great for teaching moral character and values.

The antagonist in this story is a 12 year old boy named Will, who is left bitter after his mother, father, two sisters and brother have all died due to circumstances during the Civil war. He is then sent to live with his Aunt Ella and Uncle Jed. His uncle Jed did not fight in the war and Will believes him to be a coward and will not even so much as call him "uncle". However, while living with the only family Will has remaining he is taught a very important lesson about standing up and fighting for what you believe is right and begins to view his uncle in a whole new way. I would recommend this book to anyone studying about this part of our nation's history. Although this book is historical fiction it gives great thought as to the struggles that many families may have faced during this time.

Civil War Days - Field Trip

Our family took a field trip to an event to do some additional learning and to conclude our unit on the Civil War. It was a perfect ending to our North vs. South (Civil War) unit. We had lots of fun seeing many reenactments and heard a lot of intriguing facts from the Civil War from our nation's history. The kids enjoyed every moment of it. I only wish that we had prepared ahead of time and dressed for the event. Maybe next year!

From Faith to Faith

I read this in my devotional plan this morning. Many times this can be a real struggle for me as I'm sure for many others as well. As God begins blessing us and we are no longer slaves and have been made free we sometimes lose sight and may take our eyes off Jesus. We may not seek Him as desperately as we once did when everything seems to be going great in our lives. But I feel that this is when I need to discipline myself and even look back and remember what God has done for me in my life and remember God's great love for me.

From Desperation to Devotion
by Gloria Copeland

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:2 Things, things, things! A better job. A bigger house. New clothes for the kids. Tomorrow’s luncheon date. A better television. Get the picture? Many of us have learned to believe God to prosper us to such a degree that we have too much to keep up with. We end up spending so much time and energy taking care of the legitimate “things” of life that we unconsciously give the attention and affections of our heart over to this natural world instead of to God.

When Kenneth and I first heard about living by faith, we were in desperate circumstances. We were sick and broke, so it was easy for us to dedicate ourselves to prayer and to the Word. But as we honored God’s Word, He honored and prospered us. We came to the place where we were no longer desperate. Then came the real test of our faith. Would we serve God out of our love for Him instead of our desperation? Well, praise God, we did. But, in the process we found out one thing: It takes a lot more dedication to serve God when you’re prosperous than it takes when you’re desperate!

There’s a constant temptation to get so caught up in the earthly things that your desire for the things of God fades into the background. As the material blessings of God come your way, remember, God has not trained you in His Word so you can consume it on your own lusts. He has revealed His Word to you so you can walk in the spirit and do the job He’s called you to do. Don’t let the things of this world cause you to miss out on the glorious things of the spirit. Get your priorities in line with God’s Word. Set your mind on things above, and you’ll discover just how heavenly life was really meant to be! Need prayer?

Call 817-852-6000. We’re here for you, 24/7! Also, visit www.kcm.org/ebook to download free audio teachings from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland.

Planting seeds of Love

As a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom of four, life can be pretty challenging and rough at times. I am continually in prayer for The Lord to help me, to give me wisdom, guidance and lead me in understanding to raise and teach my children, as He has called me to do. As I arose out of bed this morning I heard The Lord speak to me and say that when my children are older and grown they may not remember every form of literature taught to them or every aspect of science and math, every poem rehearsed, the preamble to the United States constitution, the 13th president, and so on. They may not even remember the things that I thought were memorable. You know like when you had a project planned out or an activity and thought "this is great my kids are going to love this" only to find out later they don't even remember it and when you ask them about it they have no idea what your talking about. Has that ever happened to you? It has for me. God spoke to me and said the things they are going to remember is how you loved them. This was an eye opener for me and caused me to refocus on the things that really matter and reminded me of why I homeschool and the gift that I have to teach my children. Today I will remember how precious my children are and the time that has been given to me.

Living Fear-Free

I saw this video clip by one of my all-time favorite ministers of the word of God. I love the God-given wisdom and insight Chuck Swindoll has and applies to every aspect of his ministry. This video hit home for me and touched my heart.

Living Fear-Free

A Beautiful Masterpiece

                           

"For I know the plans I have for you,"

says the Lord.

"They are plans for good and not for

disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

I love this illustration I once heard:

"As God is piecing and orchestrating our lives together, one life experience, circumstance or situation at a time; similar to a puzzle, we are not able to directly or clearly see the whole picture yet and we sometimes tend to look at just a single piece of the puzzle. Some of the pieces may be ugly, unfitting, or oddly shaped and we may stare at them in bewilderment and wonder how it will fit into the whole masterpiece. It's not until God is completely finished working on the masterpiece that we can step back and look at God's perfect work and see how beautiful it looks with each piece in it's place."

This illustration reminds me to trust God completely with my life. To let go, and yield every part of it to Him, no matter what may come my way, he is always in control.

A Garden of Seeds - First Post

                    

 Hi there! My name is Erica, and if you're reading this, you're just as new here as I am. ;) This is my first post here. I'm glad you stopped by. I have decided to start this blog, not because I feel as if I have considerable talent or anything surmountable to say -- quite the opposite actually. I have gone back and forth for a few years on starting a blog and I've pushed the thought aside thinking well, I really don't have too much to offer. There are so many creative and talented people with highly imaginative blogs out there and besides I don't know where I'll find the time in my already busy schedule to actually keep up with writing a blog. I can barely keep up with my, supposed to be daily, but is actually more like monthly journaling, which I am constantly falling way behind on all of the time. My reason for starting this blog is simply because I feel that God has presently laid it upon my heart to begin this journey. I'm not even really sure what I will share or talk about, but I do believe that this is His leading, no matter how small it may seem or appear. 

My desire is for the essence of this blog, to be about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, my family, and to be able to share my faith and life with others while documenting it all here. I am a married, mother of four wonderful children, who bring much joy into our lives. I also homeschool two of my children and will be adding a third one next fall. The name for this blog came about because I believe that my husband and I have been given, or better yet, entrusted with "a garden full of seeds" to nurture, protect, guide, and shower with unsurmountable love. And by seeds I am referring to our children and also the "garden" of our family. Just as in nature, a garden must be tended and cared for, offering protection from weather, weeds or any other pestilence that could potentially harm it, in addition to providing nutrients. I believe this is so when it comes to our God-given families and children. Our children are "seeds" and if properly led in the Word of God, and in His ways, they will one day grow to bear lasting fruit. Now, I know that my children will grow up to make their own decisions one day, and my prayer is for them to come to know The Lord in their own, personal way. However, I also know that this is my highest calling as a mother. To teach, love, and instruct my children in the way of The Lord in everything that I do, that they will see His good works and glorify Him. Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to stop by, leave a comment, or just say Hi. :)