Verse of the Day-17

My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

~Psalm 31

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

~Proverbs 31

Verse of the Day-16

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

~Psalm 30

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

~Proverbs 30

Long, Long, Time... No Writing...

You may have noticed that I have not posted in 51 posts!

Three reasons: 1. there has not been a computer available, 2. a particular Pickwick team member occupies the computer most of the time, 3. I have not had anything worth telling. Well I guess only 2 reasons. But anyhow I have been recently been working on my clay and after some making, baking, and cooling I would like to present to you some pictures of the finishing project...

Eggs anyone?

Ok, our first plate is a sandwich, chips and sour cream. our second plate is a sandwich, french fries and ketchup. We now come to our breakfast plate that has over easy egg and toast with jam.

We also have are lovely one-of-kind "Blue Plate special". A tea set, tea cup (with cream on top), a pretty vase, and yet another tea cup with painted flowers, and last, but not least, peanut butter and jelly sandwich with green apples.

Pick a tea, any tea. Pick a color, almost any color. Pick a tea cup, any tea cup.

Would you like a salad and a sandwich? Or maybe you would like a hard boiled egg and tea? I know you want a slice of pie.

Time for dessert! We have some lovely cakes. We have lemon cake, chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, little-bit-of-chocolate-cake, and (lastly) cherry pie.

One last thought, I'd just like to throw in that I am selling these pieces and yes, these are all one-of-a-kind pieces :).

Verse of the Day-15

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

~Psalm 27

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

~Proverbs 27

Verse of the Day-14

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

~Psalm 26

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

~Proverbs 26

God is so good

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Well, this passage seems to sum up much of what I have been feeling recently.
This past month I have been trying to focus on the Lord's blessings in my life, and to thank and praise Him for as many as I can remember.
The list has been in the way of profound, encouraging things that I am beginning to notice more and more.
Mom pointed out to me last week how God is so good to give us things and even bestow on us the things for which we did not even know to ask. Everything we have been learning and the advantages my sisters and I have because of it. Biblical training methods, ways of godly living, and good cloth diapers are a few examples of things my parents didn't know about when they were my age. And I am sure there will be a myriad of things my children will know, that as of right now, I can not even imagine.
I have been blessed to have my Mom and some dear friends be so encouraging to me in recent weeks. Sometimes I feel like a little kid being praised for washing my hands on my own, but the Lord knows I need it and I am so thankful and humbled by it.

This has marked a change in "season" of my life. Referring to my recent post, I feel...different somehow. Nothing I can explain at the moment, but I am so thankful to look back and see how the Lord is sanctifying me.

Verse of the Day-13

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

~Psalm 25

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

~Proverbs 25

What's a girl to do with Harry Potter?

I'm sure you have all heard of and perhaps, read the Harry Potter books. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was released in 1999 and the seventh (last) one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, came out the summer of 2007. A classic story of good versus evil where good triumphs evil. These books immediately became loved by everyone around the world and even more so when Hollywood came out with the movies. But one must dare to ask, should we or our children be reading these books? Or more importantly, what are these books teaching people today? Basically, what do we do with them?

Now, before you begin assuming things, let me be clear: I have read all the Harry Potter books and until recently, owned all of them. I have watched every movie that has come out (up to the fifth one) so far.

I would say no, we should not be reading them. Here are a few reasons why I believe the Harry Potter books should not be read by children or even adults:

1. It gives a "glorified view of the Occult", as Mr. Baucham said in the article below. That is what all the books are about; witches, wizards, magic, tea-leaf reading, and the like. It is commonly accepted and common practice of the characters in the book. But is the Occult something to be so highly praised and tolerated? The Bible clearly teaches that sorcery and anything of that sort are an abomination to the Lord. It is referred to as "works of the flesh" in Galatians 5. We should not, willingly and unnecessarily, expose ourselves to such corruptness.

2. It gives a false view of love and romance. Harry "loves" one girl for a couple of books and then, quite suddenly, realizes that he truly loves a different girl. He ends up marrying the second girl in the last book. While some people may try to get the moral of the story and "true love", we really should examine it further. He "fell out of love" and things just sorta "stopped" with the first girl. Funny enough, those phrases and that whole concept of falling out of love is found nowhere in scripture. Romance is between husband and wife and anything different from that is not to be tolerated. As said in Titus 2 that young women are to be trained to love their husbands, not young men who they are not married to. In Proverbs 4 we are warned to keep our hearts with all vigilance for from them flow the springs of life. I know the author and books don't claim Christianity but, as Christians, we should examine what we are reading by scripture. Love is to be "patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

3. It's a waste of time. As much as I enjoy reading (believe me, I do), why read something I know to be wrong? Especially when it's for mere entertainment purposes. It also causes your thoughts to dwell on things of this earth. We are to be dwelling on, "Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise." I have many friends whose worldviews have been shaped by books such as Harry Potter. I, myself, have had to undo and change a lot of wrong beliefs by reading fiction of that nature; I didn't realize what a change it had made on me. Now, obviously, it wasn't just these books but they definitely contributed. Even as I say this, I have heard people try to justify it by saying, "it's just a book" and "it's just fiction, it's not like it's real". It may seem to be "just a book", but people all over the world are reading it. It is popular everywhere and people love it. If it so impacts and changes our culture, then we should know and take our stance on it. It is important because everyone knows about and is affected by it. It may be fiction and not real, but it has helped change our culture. It creates a worldview of the "accepted norm"; teens expected to go through a rebellious stage, anger not kept under control, having a "crush" on several different people is ok, and so on.

So, why did I read them? Good question :). Nicole was actually the first one to read Harry Potter. I remember, us girls, sitting around her as she read some of them aloud. Those memories were always good; not because of the book but because we were gathered together, reading. I want to be like my sister in many respects and, at the time, reading Harry Potter was one of them. I must say, I enjoyed the story and the British humor made it more amusing. In that stage of our lives, books were not a huge conviction for us. The books were seemingly "clean" and fun. My discernment was very poor at that time. Over the years, our convictions have changed. My dad has taught me to examine, evaluate, and discern what I read.

For those who will try to argue that books such as these are necessary for children to be "equipped" for the culture war, I only say that I believe the Bible equips us as said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

Voddie Baucham, author of What He Must Be, wrote an insightful and thought-provoking article two years ago on the eve of the release of the last Harry Potter book. I encourage you to read it.

There are lots more reasons I could give but this gives a brief sketch on it. As Mr. Baucham says, " We need to give our children less World and more Word."

In Christ,

Micaela

Verse of the Day-12

Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!

~Psalm 24

My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise,

~Proverbs 24

Verse of the Day-11

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

~Psalm 23

Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.

~Proverbs 23

Verse of the Day-10

You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

~Psalm 22

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

~Proverbs 22

Verse of the Day-9

O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!

~Psalm 21

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD.

~Proverbs 21

Verse of the Day-8

Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.

~Psalm 20

Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

~Proverbs 20

Verse of the Day-7

For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?—

~Psalm 18

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

~Proverbs 18

Verse of the Day-6

Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

~Psalm 17

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

~Proverbs 17

Musings from a Growing Young Woman: Learning

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands,

that the word of God may not be reviled."

This is a very interesting time in my life.

As my dear friend Jasmine has so aptly put,

"...And here's what I mean by that. I'll turn nineteen this year. I could be married nine months from now, I could be married nine years from now, I could be married never; I've no idea how the Lord will work in my life in the next nine days. But I do know that He's given me life, an unmarried one at this point, and I do know that He's given me a mission to carry out, single or married (Matthew 28:18-20), and is constantly sanctifying me, single or married, and has called me to a purpose, single or married...

And that's a wonderful thing!"

It truly is a wonderful thing! Which is one of the many reasons that I am so thankful for my Mom and sister Nicole. Both of them have been shining examples of the Bible passage at the beginning of this post.

In recent months the Lord has shown me other older women in my life that have taught me many valuable lessons. It is such a blessing at this season of my life to be surrounded by women who fear the Lord and strive to be a "Titus 2" woman in every respect. They aren't perfect, they struggle, they become frusterated; however they also rely on the Lord to be their strength with the knowlege that He will grant them sufficient grace.

This has been especially appreciated in recent weeks.

I seem to be going through an odd phase right now; somehow I feel stuck between childhood and womanhood.

I am not married. I have no prospects. I know I should talk about more things than toys or games; however, I also know that I do not belong in adult conversation.

So enters certain older women in our church. They have helped me bridge this conversation gap by talking with me and making me feel a part of a group. In these circles I have learned so many things (I'm very excited and hope to blog about in later posts).

They have been kind enough to share in their experiences, some sad and others joyful.

Like Jasmine put so well, "...I do know that He's given me a mission to carry out...and is constantly sanctifying me...and has called me to a purpose..."!

One of the beauties of being in a Christian home is that I am always being reminded of my place and purpose: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever; pour myself into the Word; honor my parents; learn from my Mom and respect my Dad; and being a blessing to my family and all who come through our home. These are the things that matter and things I hold dear.

I can find security and strength in knowing that He gives me every measure of grace I need for each moment in the day. There will be nothing that will happen in this life that He has not prepared me for; and that every trial that will come is for my perfection that I may glorify Him all the more!

All in all I must say how truly blessed I feel by being surrounded not only by the wisdom of my physical family but also my spiritual family.

God is so good to give us what we ask for, and especially for the things that we do not know to ask.

Verse of the Day-5

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

~Psalm 16

The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

~Proverbs 16

Hymn of the Month--March

The church's one foundation

is Jesus Christ her Lord;

she is his new creation by water and the Word.

From heaven he came and sought her

to be his holy bride;

with his own blood he bought her,

and for her life he died.

Elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth;

her charter of salvation,

one Lord, one faith, one birth;

one holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food,

and to one hope she presses,

with every grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder

we see her sore oppressed,

by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,

yet saints their watch are keeping;

their cry goes up, "How long?"

And soon the night of weeping

shall be the morn of song.

Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war,

she waits the consummation of peace forevermore;

till, with the vision glorious,

her longing eyes are blest,

and the great church victorious

shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union

with God the Three in One,

and mystic sweet communion

with those whose rest is won.

O happy ones and holy!

Lord, give us grace that we

like them, the meek and lowly,

on high may dwell with thee.

The Church's One Foundation is a Christian hymn written in the 1860s by Samuel John Stone.
Samuel John Stone lived from April 1839 until November 1900. He was an ordained minister in the Church of England and is mostly remember for this hymn. He attended Pembroke College, Oxford and gained his BA in 1862 and later, was awarded his MA in 1872. He served as a curacy at two churches before he became minister of Haggerston.

The hymn was written as a direct response to some teaching, considered unorthodox at the time, by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, which created schism within the church in South Africa.

In Christ,

Micaela

Verse Of The Day-4

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

~Proverbs 12

Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

~Psalm 12

Verse Of The Day-3

For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

~Psalm 11

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

~Proverbs 11

A Shout Out to My Best Friend

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to my friend April. We recently went to visit her and her family up in Grand Praire, TX. And of course, despite my best efforts, we managed to forget all of Mia's babies. So she sent those back to us. While I was there, she lent me her Snoogle pillow for the night. Loved it!!! Then she sent me one! I just got it in the mail and I can't wait to try it out. I suspect I will have to wrestle Chris for it. He was eyeing it earlier. Anyways, THANK YOU again. Hugs and kisses from Austin!

Verse Of The Day-2

Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"? But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.

~Psalm 10

A generous gift...

Most everyone has a family friend who is really one of the family. They were around since before you remember and are included in the happenings of your family, likewise you are included in theirs. Well, the Popielarczyk family has been that for us. Aunt Karen and my Mom went to nursing school together, skippe classes together, and cooked in each others kitchens. Jordan and I went through numerous fights resulting in scolding by whichever Mother was present; and then we made up like the best friends we were.

I could go on with various stories of playing, laughing, spanking, and the exchanging of lockets (Which we used as weapons later). This is to say that they will always be included in our lives and ours in theirs.

Well, last night Aunt Karen gave me a portion of her Depression Glass. Her Mother in law collected and has given some to my Aunt; she read my post on the beginning of my collection, and last night after a brief visit she gave me some pieces from two patterns of a lovely pink depression glass!

I am very excited and thankful for this loving gift.

Invitations in blue...

Well as most of you know Chris and Nicole are having a boy!

So in April, Mom will be holding a baby shower for Nicole. I was granted the privilege of making the invitations. It was different looking in the "blue" section but I was very happy to do it.

So after much deliberation and glue on my fingers, here is the finished product:

Verse Of The Day

I would like to post a verse for everyday from either Proverbs or Psalm. Here is the first one from Proverbs 9:

"Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight."

Random Fact Of The Day

Recently Nicole had the fun experience of getting crayon out of a whole load of laundry. Well, for all you hard-working mom's out there, here is how to get crayon out of laundry:

First, spray contaminated area with WD-40 (or something with consistency of crayon)*. Next, scrub gently until you get tired of it. Then scrub area with dish soap for a little while. Put it in the washing machine normally. After it's done, inspect clothing to ensure all crayon is out. If not, repeat with WD-40 and so on. If yes, throw into dryer like regular.

I hope this helps all those clothes!

In Christ,

Micaela

* Whenever getting stains out of laundry, use products with similar consistency of stain (crayon--WD-40)

What He Must Be... giveaway link

Jasmine, over at Joyfully Home, is hosting a giveaway of her dad's new book What He Must Be... If He Wants To Marry My Daughter. The giveaway ends next Friday at noon. Hop on over there to enter and for more details. We're going through the book as a family right now and are halfway through it.

...All parents want their daughters to marry godly young men. But which qualities, specifically, should they be looking for?

What will you say when that certain young man sits down in your living room, sweaty-palmed and tongue-tied, and asks your permission to marry your daughter? What criteria should he meet before the two of them join together for life? What He Must Be… If He Wants to Marry My Daughter outlines ten qualities parents should look for in a son-in-law, including trustworthiness, a willingness to lead his family, an understanding of his wife’s role, and various spiritual leadership qualities.

Author Voddie Baucham follows up on his popular book Family Driven Faith with this compelling apologetic of biblical manhood. By studying the principles outlined in his book, parents who want their daughter to marry a godly man—as well as those who want their sons to become godly men—will be well equipped to help their children look for and develop these God-honoring qualities...

Life in the Webb home.....

So we just got back from a weekend up in Grand Praire,TX with my friend April. (Thank you guys for having us!!!) Chris went back to work last week. Poor guy comes home with a swollen foot everyday! Sophia is now reading simple sentences and we are almost done with our math curriculum. Yea! And my Mia can say Genesis 1:1 and sing all kinds of songs to you. Including one she made up and belt out randomly throughout the day. As for me, I am HUGE. Ugh. I have to remind myself that some day soon, I WILL be able to paint my toes or even see my toes again. Anyhoo, that is all for me.....

Real Simple

This is the name of a magazine my Aunt, Mom, and I really enjoy reading. It specializes on the clever recipes and household tips and advice. We have used some of their recipes and many of the information they provide.

Please browse through and take a peek at the different "How-To's" and kid friendly recipes they have on their site. Like I said, it is one of our favorite magazines; we may not use everything but we will store some of it in the "Useless Information File" of our brain (as my Aunt would say).

Enjoy!