My Master's Time

My Master's Time

Robert Murray M'Cheyne

"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil" Ephesians 5:16

What right have I to steal and abuse my Master's time? 'Redeem it', He is crying to me.

The time is short! - the season near,

When death will us remove,

To leave our friends, however dear,

And all we fondly love!

The time is short! Sinners, beware,

Nor trifle time away;

The work of 'great salvation' hear,

'While it is called today'.

The time is short! Ye rebels now

To Christ the Lord submit;

To mercy's golden scepter bow,

And fall at Jesus' feel.

The time is short! Ye saints rejoice,

The Lord will quickly come:

Soon shall ye hear the Bridegroom's voice,

To call your spirits home.

The time is short! It swiftly flies,

The hour is just at hand,

When we shall mount above the skies,

And reach Emanuel's land.

Wishing you and your family a blessed and prosperous 2013. 

Ian & Lenelle

One last honeymoon post

I couldn't just let you see the honeymoon pictures without seeing the tasty dessert we were served at the hotel... just looking at them make me want one again...

 Completely mouth-watering lemon merangue pie... delectible! Small enough you can't get sick off it, big enough to fulfill your taste buds..

 Ian's brownie and ice cream he said was just as mouth-watering. The brownie had hot fudge on the inside of it... mmmmmmmh, makes me want to head back just for the pies...

Thanks for checking out my pictures!!

Xcaret

The last place we toured was called Xcaret. It was a mixture of animals, water amusements and Mayan traditions. It was really interesting but after half a day in the sun we were spent! And this was an all day event from 8am (when we were picked up) to 10pm (our meeting at the bus to be brought to our hotel). Here are some memories from that long day.

Macaws we saw on the way in... beautiful birds!

One of the Mayan traditions they did. Climbed the pole and as one man stood in the center and played his flute and drum, 4 men swung from ropes till they reached the ground. IT WAS HIGH!! 

The men swinging down with the rope tied to their waist. 

They had a bird aviary filled with these birds, macaws, and flamingos 

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The macaws all watching us walk around

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They had an area you could touch and feed dalphins:

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We were exhausted after half a day, so Ian took a nap....

  and I rested my feet.... :)

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dances the Mayans did

 

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A little visitor on our walk

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Toucans

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King Vulture

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Can you see me?

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Beautiful waterfall we came across when on a leisure boat ride..

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A mini horse show

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The set up of what the Mayans used to play their ball game. This was where we ended our evening at Xcaret with a ball game to start off, then some skits with some singing from some spanish people we had no idea what they were saying. We left shortly after the singers came on. 

All in all.. very interesting to see, some of the info they gave us wasn't acurate with history but we enjoyed it just the same. We both decided it was a trip you take once in a life time.. and that was it.

Long over due Honeymoon pictures

Well, finally getting the rest of the honeymoon pictures up. These are of the tours we took.

The Chichinitza Tour:

This tour was all about the Mayans and how they lived their lives, the sacrifices they made and the gods they worshipped.

 This picture was taken at a stop we took before the Mayan ruins. We were able to swim there (a big sink hole)

 

 Here is the building the Mayans built to offer sacrifice to their god Kukulcan

 The rows and rows of people selling their merchandise. We were called to by several vedors, one even told Ian to get something for his 'blondie wife'!

Someone else at a table further down basically told us in 4 words what he sold- "same junk, cheaper price"

 The pyramid they build to their sun god Kukulcan, when the sun shines on it once a year at a certain angle there appears a picture of a snake from the side of the steps. This they believe to be the god Kukulcan.

 Another picture of the pyramid built to offer sacrifices 

And one of the pyramid temple for Kukulcan their sun god.

There was a game they played- the mayan ball game (mixture of basketball and soccer). The 'hoops' (goals) were on the sides of the court not at the end. The hoops were 27 feet off the ground and they had to try and get the rubber ball through the hoops with only their elbows/arms, knees/legs and bum. The losing team would get their heads chopped off to offer to one of their gods.

We were so thankful for being brought up in this day and age and with Christian parents. The young girls were selected and taken from their parents at a really young age. They were brought up to be given as sacrifice to their god. The chief would rip the heart out of the girl at the a young age of 14. The young boys were selected when 3 or 4 to be brought up to play the ball game. 

It sickened us to see what evil does in the heart of man when God is not reigning in their lives. So very thankful for our upbringing and the joys of knowing there is a saviour who will take our place to pay for our sins and we don't have to be 'sacrifice' for some god.

A Treat

Desserts don't last long in our house these days. Between Ian and myself, desserts seem to disapear quickly.

Here is the most recent one made..

Here is the box.. they have been Ian's favorite from the time they were made at a friends house and Ian had a sample... She gave us a box knowing he would appreciate them..

Another treat we have had recently are made with these ingredients... 

can you guess?

 Scotcharoos!! They didn't last long either... but not because we ate them all, but half the pan was brought to a couple different friends houses when we went to visit. They enjoyed them as well. The recipe along with the ingredients were given to me by my cousin at a family wedding shower. 

Another gift for our wedding was this cookie jar...

Along with the jar came a note "I expect to this to be full at the next book study gathering at your house". The next time we saw this friend.. I proudly showed him the filled cookie jar, which emptied out quickly due to everyone at the game night meeting was encouraged to take a cookie. Needless to say he was overjoyed at the sight of a filled cookie jar!

Besides all the different desserts we have been sampling, we have also been eating more healthy snacks to counter act the desserts..(or is it to make us feel better for eating the sweets?)

Recently I have found out I am allergic to Gluten which has changed my diet drastically. I have not been able to eat many usual foods anymore, in fact my entire diet has been reduced to fruits, veggies, nuts and raisins and anything that doesn't contain: wheat, wheat gluten, malt, barley, rye, and hydrolized veggie protein. Cereal for breakfast has been replaced with oatmeal, sandwiches for lunch have been replaced with fruit/veggie health shakes (made in a blender), and dinner.... well, dinner really hasn't changed too much unless I use breading for my chicken, soy sauce (which has hydrolized soy protein) to season the pork, etc. Rice has become our new favorite..or should I say..my new favorite. Potatoes are still safe for me to eat, but Augratin or Scalloped potatoes are not allowed. 

So, there is still plently to learn from this new diet, but I must say I really have been feeling better. I know my stomach definitely feels the difference. When I 'accidently' eat gluten? My stomach reacts almost immediately!

If you have any good gluten free recipes I would love to know about them.. especially the gluten free dessert ones! :) 

26!!

Yup, my birthday was yesterday... 26 years old now... according to Ian.. if we find the median of our ages... we both are 28 years old.. :)

He surprised me yesterday by not telling me his classes were canceled. He headed out as usual for "school" at 11:40am.. (no wonder he didn't seem in a hurry!) Headed out to the store to pick up my flowers, a card, and a puzzle. 

Boy, he sure knows me!! Came to the front door and rang the door sbell.. surprised me for sure!! But it is things like this I will take any day. 

The puzzle had a different challenge what I have done in the past. These pieces were plastic and had numbers on the inside with arrows to point where the next piece was to be placed. Plus, I had to bend the corner pieces so it would fit right.

I loved the challenge.. although Ian thought it wasn't a challenge at all for me because it didn't take me that long.. :)

The final product.. 

It lookes really cool, and next time I think I will try putting it together without following the numbers..

P.S. He also bought me the Elsie Dinsmore series 1-18 a while back..said it was for my birthday. He knows what I like!

A more important election

This past week we had the election of our country in which the citizens voted for a president. The results turned out to be in favor of the liberal president we already have in office. A president who has not helped our nation lowering the national debt, has promoted same-sex marriages, and believes women have the right to kill their unborn babies. Knowing he will be in office for another 4 years has many of us looking to God for direction in our own lives. Looking for the peace we know we will find in Him because He promised to “Never leave us nor forsake us”.

This past Sunday, we had another type of election to think of, one that many probably have not thought of. If thought of, they dismiss it quickly from their minds. We were reminded of how and why God has provided this eternal, unconditional election to us believers. Reminded that the question is not “If God is so loving, why does He allow people to go to Hell”, but rather a thanksgiving to God for His love towards us and Christ’s love for us in being our mediator to God. The text was Jeremiah 31:3 “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee”.

It is a comfort to learn God’s love has always been. It stems from the beginning of God, and He loves us merely out of His good pleasure. There is nothing in us which makes God love us, nor which gives any reason for God to love us. But He loves us because He loves us. It takes more power to save one soul then to loose a million souls into eternal destruction. Wow, what a willingness to give up His own Son for our sake. His love existed before we were even thought of by our families; He knew us by name and loved us since before the world began! How do we know if we are elect? By going to Christ, examine ourselves, the Holy Spirit will draw us closer and closer as we learn more about His beauty and more about our sinful selves. What a comfort to know Christ is in heaven pleading with the Father on our behalf.

Psalter 31 / Psalm 17

"Lord, hear the right, regard my cry, 

My prayer from lips sincere;

Send They approval from on High,

My Righteousness make clear.

Thou in the night my heart hast tried,

Nor found it turned from Thee aside.

When I in righteousness at last

Thy glorious face shall see,

When all the weary night is past,

And I awake with Thee

To view the glories that abide,

Then, then I shall be satisfied.

The Five Scariest Things You Can Do This Halloween

Seeing as today is October 31, Reformation Day, and also known to many as Halloween, I was contemplating posting something about the history of the Reformation and how our culture in America (and even in many other countries) has changed the day to become Halloween. I may do that yet, but I really liked this post Douglas Phillips, president of Vision Forum Ministries, wrote in a recent newsletter. You can find the whole link here.

The Five Scariest Things
You Can Do This Halloween

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)

By Doug Phillips

Our country is in the grip of a fear crisis. The tension because of this fear is almost palpable. There is fear over elections, fear over the economy, and fear over hundreds of other issues ranging from the environment to terrorism.

The one fear that America is missing is a fear of the Lord. As a people, we no longer fear God. Because we do not fear God, we no longer hate evil (Proverbs 8:13).

Instead of hating evil, Americans toy with it. We toy with holidays like Halloween that were conceived in evil and that promote the “cute-ification” of evil, whether that evil takes the form of witchcraft, sorcery, ghoulishness, or some other form of malevolent imagery paraded before our children. We laugh at the very things that the Lord describes as “abominations,” and we find ourselves obsessively fascinated by, and attracted to, all things dark.

Yet we do not fear the Lord.

Those who “hate evil” are very scary to a secular society that fears man more than God. They are scary because they dare to declare that there are absolute standards by which society must be governed. They are scary because, if they are successful, industries like Hollywood that make billions of dollars by promoting ungodly fear will lose their influence. They are scary because such people will not be swayed by political candidates who use fear as a tool for manipulation.

With this in mind, I offer you the five “scariest” things you can do this Halloween:

1. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil. Halloween was conceived in evil and has remained a celebration that uses children to promote a fascination with darkness and superstitious fear. Simultaneously, it makes light of things that the Bible describes as evil. Stand against such things, and the world will find you very scary indeed. The fear of the Lord makes men turn from evil (Proverbs 16:6).
2. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not be fearful. The media wants you to be afraid of everything from overpopulation to global warming. The politicians want you to be afraid of the economy and political instability. God wants you to do what is morally right, trust Him completely, and never be gripped by an ungodly spirit of fear. You can place your trust and hope for this nation in the King of Kings. Jesus said: “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4–5). Believe this, and you will be light to the world.
3. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to completely skip Halloween and remember Reformation Day. It was 495 years ago that Martin Luther nailed his world-changing 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. These theses included rebukes to ungodly fear and superstition. 504 years ago, sometime near October 31, a baby named John Calvin was conceived who would dedicate his life to eradicating an ungodly fear of superstitious beliefs and proclaiming the gospel of grace. His emphasis on reformation, revival, and the sufficiency of Scripture had such far-reaching implications for nations like the United States that he has been described by Christian and secular scholars alike as the true founding father of America. The Reformers did something that was very scary to the world of their day. They stood against all forms of dark superstitions which grip the minds and souls of men. It was their emphasis on the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of Holy Scripture that was used by God to liberate untold numbers of men and women. But to remember the Reformers instead of Halloween is very scary to the world. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
4. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to refuse to watch or allow your children to watch any of the toxic Halloween and horror films emerging from Hollywood. America’s fascination with ungodly fear has made horror the most popular and fastest-growing film genre among youth. When parents allow their children to toy with this genre, they promote ungodly fear, and they contribute to the fear-factories in Hollywood that prey upon the youth of our culture. Say “no” to Hollywood horror and you will be dangerously scary to the media elite. “Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence .… ?” (Jeremiah 5:22).
5. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to get on your knees as a mother and father and pray that the Lord will send you many children who will fear God, not man — children who will especially shun the glorification of witchcraft, the bondage of ungodly fear, and the “cute-ification” of evil that is promoted through holidays like Halloween. Cultures that toy with evil end up being cultures of death. The Christian response is to be a people of life. That means babies. It means fearing God by honoring His command to “be fruitful and multiply.” It means remembering that the Scripture describes children as a “blessing” and a “reward.” Raise children that fear God more than man, and that will be answer enough to our Halloween-and darkness-obsessed culture; for if you trust God over your womb and commit your children to a holy education, you will be very scary to the modern world. “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11).

Persevero,

	Douglas Phillips, President, Vision Forum Ministries

Lenelle

Cancun pictures!

Yes, finally putting up the honeymoon pictures. It was beautiful out there! (Even though the humidity was 75% in 95 degree weather making it feel 125 degrees outside!!!) We had agreed on no internet nor phones except an emergency phone so the 10 days were filled with peace and quiet from the hussle and bussle of our modern culture.

Our hotel was right on the beach, and our sitting room window overlooked it. The sun streamed in the window every morning around 6am.

Beautiful sunset!

We did go on some tours.. the first was called "Jungle Tour". We took a boat ride out to the ocean, snorkled  for 30 minutes, then went for a little tour...

This would be the "jungle" part of the tour...

The other two tours were all day, one to Chichen itza (Mayan ruins), and Xcaret (a zoo/water amusement park). Will post more later!

Reminder

Reading about another's struggles with a disabled child has consistently reminded me of how much we all are disabled and crippled with sin. The struggle of another makes me reconsider complaining about my headaches, backaches or what ever it happens to be that day. Another constant reminder from Kara is.. this is not our final destination and so often we get carried away with how things need to be here on earth that we over look the importance of securing our eternal destination. The cares of this world seem so big till God brings us back to reality and shows us where we went wrong and how we are to be content with what He has given us. Take a few minutes to read this recent post by Kara Dedert here.

You can read all about Kara and her little child, Calvin, and about polymicrogyria here.

Lenelle

More wedding pictures

Ceremony Pictures...

Dr. Bilkes officiating

Our Vows....

Both our parents surrounded us and my dad prayed a blessing on our marriage

 Signing the marriage license...

 Hannah Karel sang "The Prayer" while we signed the license

Dave the "Bagpiper" played Amazing Grace for our Recessional then stood in the background and played extra songs while everyone else slowly left the church

Our get-a-way car...!

Lenelle