Being double minded....

   Some professing Christians, as I have noticed lately, have two standards of living, thinking, the opinions they have, their desires, ... They have a double life without noticing it.

   I want to think it is not on purpose, but is that sense of godliness that is not promoted within many churches today. So when speaking of Bible issues, they have little knowledge of Scripture, but they would agree with most doctrines. But when they are living their every day lives, then they agree with other point of views with out  giving it a second thought  whether it is something that goes according to the doctrines of the Bible or not. They can have an independent - personal opinion outside the Bible.

   For example, on issues of "accept yourself as you are" they take it and agree on it... with out knowing or really understanding that the Lord does not want you to "accept yourself", but to come to the realization that you need a Saviour!. That nothing in you is worth accepting unless He changes you completely!.
Like these, there are many issues that some Christians will have a double opinion, a double standard and a double life.

   I wanted to write this post, as a warning to me first ...and  to you if you want to hear it... to search our hearts.. to see if there is double mindedness in us.

   This double mindedness, has a great hold on many professing Christians today, deceiving them. Making them comfortable in their Christianity and never challenged in their faith. These are often miracle searchers, prophesy hungry people... and/passive Christians that are willing to part with many "opinions" as long as is not too offensive to the church... without realizing that their double mind is more dangerous to the church, than the one loud man attacking directly Christianity.

Oh! Christians of today!... for how long will God be patient with us! When will He say: Enough! Are you not afraid? Have you not heard? Have you learn nothing from the stories written in the Bible for OUR learning? Because your life is easy now, you find you have peace... but, should you not be growing in holiness every day? And yes! It does matter which movies you watch, which music you listen, which words you write on your FB page, which links you press "like", which words come out of your mouth, which opinions you have, which desires you struggle with, which clothes you pick to wear and why you wear them, it does matter what you do with your free time, it does matter whether you pray and study your Bible every day or not... IT DOES MATTER!

It is a matter of eternity!. It is a matter of holiness, it is a matter of either believing in God or not. ALL our opinions, on any given subject, should be based on the Bible...  and the Bible ALONE!

Do I trust that You are Good?

Do I trust You Lord?...
Do I love You?... You know I do. You know how much I love you, and yet fall so short.

 Do I REALLY trust Him with the things I love the most? Do I really believe He is good? or  do I try to do it on my own?

I thought I trusted Him... until He challenged me once again in my love and trust for Him. I know He is Sovereign and does as He pleases, He does not need my "OK" or permission. He does what He wants and nothing can stop Him.. How much I love that! ... How much I rest in that truth, and yet, I have been praying for this one thing that I want the Lord to do Sovereingly .. and yet He has not done it. Why? I just got it!, after many years I think I got it!

He is working in me... and showing me that in  this particular area, I rather God do it, than me deciding, because then it would involve my decision... something I cannot make. But in his sovereignty, He is working in me.. not using His sovereignty as an engineer uses a machine, but as a father working in my heart, and showing me that it is in these areas, that I need to trust Him. Believe that He is good... really good. That He wants to sanctify me and make me like Jesus... and my heart needs to be change in my life! And if He wills, it will come to pass.

OH my Lord!!! You, only You know the deepest thoughts of my heart!, Only You, know how much it is a struggle.. and yet, you have been gracious enough to work in me.

Oh my Lord, how much I love you!!! How much I desire to do Your will, and to be purged of all that is in the way. How much I hurt to see that I have not trusted in You alone.. that I have kept this area to my self, thinking higher of myself  even higher than You Sovereign Lord!!

Help me dear Lord, help me to love you more, help me to search my heart and not hide behind my sin. Help me to trust You... I want to trust You above all things, even those things that I love the most.

Help my unbelief.. help me in this area that my heart fear so much.

You know how dear this is to me, and yet You have required of me to love You above all things, and treasure nothing more than You.. how incredible hard are some battles of the flesh and the heart.. how hard to yield my will to Yours. And how foolish at the same time it is for me to hold on to this, when You, and I know, are so good!

May Your will be done... and in the process... please, sanctify my heart. Please make me clean of this and as You work in me, ...that I may die, so that You may live in me the more!

total depravaty...

Oh! How important it is to teach our children the doctrines of the Bible! Their sin, OUR sin, our need of a Saviour!, How many times, Christians that grow up in the faith fail to teach faithfully to their children the condition of men before God!, How sinful our hearts are, How there is nothing good in us that made God look down on us and have pity on us! YES! PITY... this word we hate to use because it speaks of a poor person that has nothing to offer... we need pity from God!

How little some Christians know about this doctrine of total depravity!, how high they think of themselves!... if only they could see their estate before a Holy God!, if only they could understand their heart and how it cannot be trusted!... they would fear the Lord.

Oh! how dangerous it is to avoid teaching about sin to our kids, not just that steal is wrong, but that we are not as bad as we could be for the pure will of God.. that is Grace!. How often we take for granted where the Lord saved us from!... the Israelites did not forget. They were reminded over and over again that one day they were slaves, and it was God that freed them!... so it is today, we are to remind ourselves and our children, so that the can remind their children, that once, they were in sin - slaves of sin- and were bought to freedom!

Oh! how sweet truth!, How sweet the understanding of that freedom.. that is not to do as I please, but to please Him!.. But remember those years of slavery and live my days setting my mind in things above... seeking to be holy in all my ways and mortifying the sin in me, because I hate every time I see how much my heart wants to cleave to it.

Parents, teach your children, learn the scriptures, understand this vital doctrine if you love your children!.

Love me or hate me!

Who am I?

I am a reformed (Calvinist) Christian, who believes in the authority of the Bible as an absolute. I am saved by grace and not by works. There was or is nothing in me that attracted God to have pity on my soul.
I love Jesus Christ and His teachings. I love them as the most precious treasure I will ever have.
I long with all my heart to go to heaven; be with my Lord and sin no more!
I believe in teaching my kids to love the Lord, and yet only God can give them that love for Him.
I believe  in teaching children to honor and obey their parents. And respect authorities.
I believe in the 10 comandments.
I am 100% pro life.
I support mariage between a man and a woman only. And that marriage, to last "until death due us apart".
I believe in helping the poor, the orphans and the widows.
I believe in modesty of speech, dress and thought.
I believe that women are to be homemakers, lovers of their homes.
I believe that children are a blessing from he Lord and never a burden.
I believe that men are the head of the home.
I believe in hell.
I believe in heaven.
I believe in eternity.
I believe in grace, repentance, salvation, justification and sanctification.
I believe that God is 3 persons in One.
I believe He will come back again for His chosen ones and to judge the world. And Everyone will see Him.
I believe in a literal creation of the world (6 days and rested on the 7th)
I believe that I live, because He lives!

That is me...

Norma.

begining of the year!

Ok, so school will start soon!!!. The beautiful routine that I love so much!!, the busy days, the extra curriculum classes,... all fun and good! I am looking forward to start as new stage with my family. First grade of highschool and fifth grade.

I am nervous, excited and nostalgic... elementary school is going to be over in a couple of years for us. And the preparing for college and university is around the corner.

But this year, will be different. I have one in highschool and that will impact our days. I have to decide to register the boys in those sport activities that they enjoy so we decided to register them in hockey, French, piano... We need to decide if they are swimming or playing indoor soccer (or one thing each), there is skiing/snowboarding in the winter, ... The problem is that the week has only 5 days that I'm willing to drive them to activities and only 24 hours each!

What about socialization? some ask... Tell me about it!, I need to cut on socal activities to do the actual school work!.  I always start the year, hoping to spend more time at home, and when I least realize it, my schedule is full! How does that happen!?

And this is just the begining of the year... some activities will come up during the school year!. Hmmm... I hope that this year I can spend a bit more time at home (here it goes again), but I really need to be wise with my time, say yes to the things that are important and no to the ones that can wait.

I need to pray.

I need wisdom. Even in something so trivial as which classes we need to sign our kids and which not.

First Day of School

First day of school after vacations, and the comment you hear the most is"Yes!, finally, I get my life back!", or "great! I can't wait for them to go back to school" , or the "best" excuse I heard: I cant wait for them to go to school because I can't stay too long with them, we are too similar in personality and we crash too much!. How sad!, How sad it is to live in a society that value our time alone so much that spending time with our kids is a burden... Parents have lost that desire to be with their kids, to raise them, to enjoy spending time with them!. Weekends and nights is enough! Oh! how blind we have become!

Yes, it is hard sometimes, it is hard when I want my house spotless or I want silence! But wanting that every day? Putting my house and comfort above my children? Desire for them to go to school  because it is the time I can do "MY things"... Shouldn't OUR things be our kids?

When was this desire to be with them lost? When was it sold to us that mentality? Oh! that we should be awaken to see the society that we are living in! Oh ! that people could really see how much we agree with a corrupt society!.

But instead, being with them should be what we find joy in. And IF they need to go to school, it is because we worked in that relationship enough, we have worked out our differences and he goes to school because it is best for them, never as a way to have a break from them, NEVER! as the time of the day that you love the most.

Why is it then, that families find it hard to be with their kids? Because their kids are not well behaved. Because it is easier to send them and put the responsability on the school, that to take it on ourselves. Kids are hard to be around because parents are not taking their role as parents, teaching them to respect and honor authorities and so, they talk back, they are disrepectful, rude, disobedient, pushing the limits all the time... and so, it is hard to be around them. No wonder parents are happy to have a break from them for a few hours every day!. Who's fault is it?

Oh! that parents would have that love for their families again!, that going for morning coffes with friends or shopping to the mall and going to the gym every morning wouldn't be the thing we live for! But instead, find ourselves filled as mothers, as home-makers, that our houses would have noises of kids laughing constantly and the smell of home made cookies. And our husbands come home from a busy day at work and the house smelling like a welcoming dinner, with our best smile, not because your house looks like a magazine or us as models, but because we are happy! happy to have that family that is so great and so special, that all the rest is extra.

Oh! that this time of the year we would not hear every minute the releif on peoples voices that their beloved children are  finally going back to school!

Best advice I ever got: Be friends of people who love to be with their children... those whom their children are not a burden but a delight!. It is contageous!

You do not undestand!

Why do I use this blog to write about me, my struggles, my thoughts, my reflections?... Why do I write about the Lord when there are millions of other subjects I can write about. I can write of a new way of thinking or an idea or a business.... the possibilities are endless. But why about God and the more personal things I go through?

You don't undersatand... He saved me! He saved me from a vomit pile.. He saved me when I was nothing. If you could just see my heart, my desires, what I could have become if it wasn't because of Him! He saved ME! He saved me, even though I did not asked for it... He saved me without my opinion or my wants.. He just did. He saved me for the pure pleasure of His will. I did not deserved being saved.. I did not deserved any of His goodness, and yet, He saved me, and gave me life when I was dead.

How can I use facebook or this blog for other things other that to speak of Him. That Jesus of Nazareth who willingly went to the cross, took my punishment and the shame that belonged to ME. He took it all. He forgave me of all my sins, of the ones I had not commited yet, He took them upon Him, He got the crown of thorns, the beatings according to the prophecies; He drank the vinegar; He was stripped of all His clothes, so that I might be clothed in righteousness. He died so that I might live. He was buiried and He rose again.... And God, the precious Father, accepted the sacrfice as His pay for my redemption. You don't understand.... HE SAVED ME!

How can I be quiet?.... How could I not use every moment and way to speak of Jesus who saved me! 

Oh! that I might be bolder!, Oh! that I might not be afraid so much !... Imagine....having such a great and sovereign God, and ... I am afraid? How ridiculus!..

Oh! If I could truly beleive and see the size of God, the power and the glory....but when  I see the works of His hands as I am writing this, looking out of the window and see the sky so black and the stars .. so many!, and the trees and flowers, ans sand, and how big and perfect all is... gives me a little glimps of the size of my Lord.    

This is my Lord, the One I cannot be quiet about!..
Why?........ because... HE SAVED ME!

Search my heart oh Lord!

What motivates me? What makes me wake up in the morning and smile? What is the first thing I think about when I wake up? When I am not in the best of days, Who do I talk to?

If is not the Lord, something needs to change. I started thinking, and the first thing that comes up in my mind almost every morning as soon as I open my eyes is: Which day is today?... then I can focus on what things are to happen that day. My day is so schedule oriented. What would happen if one day, God would brake my so loved routine, something out of the ordinary happened and I had a chance to serve Him. Would I be willing? Would I be willing to instead of thinking which day was I waking up to, I could wake up and ask myself: How can I serve the Lord today? I guess I will not know until hat happens. And so, purposely, bring my thoughts into obedience and train my thoughts to think first of the Lord. Think to go to Him, every time I need help, every time I need self control.

How I wish to live like this!. It seems easy. But my heart is so stubborn and I get discouraged so easy when I see my lack of  perseverance, how easy I am unfaithful to the One who cleansed me! How often I am like Gomer (Hosea's wife) and go back to my ungratefulk way of living.  But He knows my heart. And sometimes that is what I fear!, I cannot hide from Him the dirt within me, He sees it as it is, the smell, the effect that it causes, the unfaithfulness, ... He sees me and cleanses me again, clothes me again and yet again I go to the mud and roll in it. Although I hate it something in the mud seems attractive (maybe is that it is easy to keep dirty ...but keeping clean on a white dress it is hard!, I have to wash my hands often, I need to stay away from muddy places, I need to eat carefully, if someone is dirty, I need to keep my distance,...). But yet I love my white dress!, I love to be clothed ly my God. And the thought that He even desires to dress me in such beautiful dress, it is enough to bring me back to my knees, and live forever grateful.

He is faithful, He is the One who can clean me every day. That is why we are to thank Him for His mercies every morning and His faithfulness at night. And the next day the same...

Search my heart oh God, search me and cleanse me. Cleanse me so that the most secret places inside me wil be as clean as the snow and that I may live a godly life for You!

Dead Puritans..

I LOVE puritans! 

Like; J.C Ryle,John Owen ,Jonathan Edwards, A.W. Pink and Charles Spurgeon.

I want to read:

Steven Charnock (The Existance and Attributes of God),

Herman Bavinick(Saved by Grace),

Octavius Wilson(No Condemnation in Jesus Christ)!

So much to read!!

My sister and I visiting Boston..

hair cut!

"Most of God's people are content to be saved from the hell that is without; they are not so anxious to be saved from the hell that is within." Robert Murray

How I battle every day with the sin within me... my shortcomings and my love for the things of the world!, How I need Jesus every day to help me and change me.. He saved me and will make me perfect one day, but as today, the battle within me is a never end battle which makes me hope and wish for Him to come soon!

But as Thomas Watson said, when sin is my burden, then Christ is my delight!

Face Book

I joined Face Book not long ago, and even though I love been in touch with old friends and it is nice to see that most of us still walk in the faith, also, it has been very shocking and at times, very sad to see how little reverence there is for God's Holy Name now a days, even among Christians. I was reading some posts on facebook of people that have been Christians for a long time. And as I read and look at their pages, makes me upset to see how much God's Name is basphemed. Very quickly His Name, is used as an expression. Or used in a joke (to make a point of something exagerated), others, have pictures of themselves which inspire nothing but lust.

Where has the fear of the Lord gone? Have we forgotten that God said "Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for He will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name" Do you not fear God's wrath? When you misuse His name, is like saying: I have NO fear of God's wrath over me. How foolish and irreverent the people that called themselves Christians have become! With fear of not being religious, have gone to the extreme of been profane with their words.

Where are the Christians of old, that people knew they were Christians, not because of the televangelists with bad reputations, or because the prosperity gospel preached everywhere, or because their kids had their rooms decorated as Noah's Ark (which that alone is worth a full post), but because their lives were HOLY because their God is holy!

Be careful with the way we speak, with the way we live our lives, what we say and what we do. We behave in a certain way, not so that we may go to heaven, but we behave in a certain way, because we are going to heaven!

The Sovereign Lord

I was thinking about God's sovereignty lately. About His irresistible Grace in saving us. How hard it is for some to understand this and accept a God that does what He pleases and owes us nothing. He saves us because of the pure pleasure of His will. Not because we want to be saved, or because we can choose God if we wanted, but because He alone, opened our eyes so that we might see and understand His Word and like the things that God likes.

Some say that is possible for a non beleiver to want Christ and for a Christian to leave Christ... HOW! It is just as impossible for a non Christian to want the Sovereign God, as for a true beleiver to leave his faith! I speak out of my own life. I know for certain, that even if I wanted, I couldn't leave Him, I can't stop loving Him!

It was His grace that drew me to him since I was a little girl. It was Him who gave me faith to beleive in Him. It was His hand that rescued me when I sinned and gave me the privilege of understanding undeserved forgiveness. Everything that I leaned on has been removed from my life, so that I learn to lean only on Him. It was He, who has taught me to depend on Him alone.

How can I not owe Him my life!, How can I possibly turn my back on Him? IMPOSSIBLE!. It is He who sustains me, who helps me to persevere, who gives me a love for Him when I feel I am going through a desert... somehow,every time, I am reminded of His love for me.

He who has given me grace every time I am weak, He who has given me the biggest proof of love anyone can give, He who gave me life when I deserved death... How can I walk away from Him? IMPOSSIBLE!.. I simply CAN'T.

He has kept me in His way since young, Would He turn away from me one day? Would He be distracted when I am going the wrong path and be lost? Would the world be more persuasive than the Lord who saved me? Would He allow to lose something that belongs to Him? IMPOSSIBLE!

I am bought with His blood because of love. He covered me with robes of righteousness, He cleansed me and He works in me still.

"Christ did not die for any upon condition, if they do believe; but He died for all God's elect, that they should believe." JOHN OWEN

Phil. 3 :7 (My favorite one!)

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.

 I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

his is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.. How I pray that I may lose everything in Him... that all in me cries out "I am nothing without You!" That He may be enough for me, that I may not seek my own righteousness but be completely lost in His. That my unbeleif will be torn away from me and that faith rule my life. I want to know Him... and I know Him so little. I want to desire Him above all things. And be a witness to my family first and then to the world!

Super Mom, Wife, Nurse, Teacher, Cheff,... ?

    What does a regular day looks like for a homeschool mom looks like? I can tell you is CRAZY BUSY! or busy enogh, or not too bad. I can make it sound like I'm super mom or not. We love to make our days sound busier, because it makes us feel important and industrious, so that we can be admired!.. yes, there are days that seem like everything landed on that day and you have not a moment to sit down in a quiet place and enjoy a cup of tea with the book that you are reading. Yes, those days exist!. there are weeks that are insane, because of commitments that we make, or doctor appointments or visit to the dentist, friends or family visiting, ... or any number of things... but certanly, is not the every day life.

I beleive, that our outlook on our day has to do with being content with what God has given us. Not complaining with what we have to do, and how little we are appreciated or how the housework is so useless, since the next day we'll have to do it all over again! Also, not making it sound better and bigger than it is... in that we sin.

I am praying that the Lord reminds me ever day, that He is giving me a great oportunity to serve Him in secret. Where no one will know how hard I work, how much time I invest, with how much love I do what I do, but that my reward will be in heaven. And my hope in seeing my kids walking in the truth.

Do not get tired of doing good.. how much more do we ask for? we have the greatest oportunity to do good every day in the life of our family, serve them, make a heaven in our houses and a home that can be used by God to be a blessing to others.

Do we complain about our daily routines? Do we exalt our days to be appreciated if not by our families, by our friends?, Do we  work at it as if we were working for the Lord and not for men? ... I certanly fall short.. I seek the praise once in a while of my family and get frustrated if I don't get it..... but then again, who I am serving?.

Change?

Lately, I have been thinking (maybe because I found many of my friends from when I was a teen, when I went to a very charismatic church) that I'm so very grateful to my Lord for all the work He has done in my life and my husband's. How God gave us light. How He opened our eyes little by little.

I grew up being a Christian, and I have always.. or as far as I remember,  loved God (even in my sin, I was always with that guilty feeling). But always saw friends that knew God when they were older and the change in them is SO clear.. from dead to alive!,  and wondered about my life, my changes.. there has been changes, but I do not think that it has been the "before and after" type of change. It has been a slow process through all my life, with ups and downs, with desserts and valleys, but at the end,  God has been faithful in keeping me in His way.

Getting in touch with old friends, reminded me, the way I used to think about God, the way I used to read His Word, the way I used to pray. It has been a long way!. Sanctification was not part of my vocabulary. Holiness was a very sofft word. Mortification of sin, never heard it before. The Sovereignty of  God was not mentioned. Doctrine, was for "certain" people only.  And it humbles me to see God's work in me. To see his precious hand upon me. To see His work and understand, not by emotions, but by His holy and precious Word, that I need to be holy because I serve a holy God.

How excted I am to see His hand, guiding every step of our life. It is SO encouraging, to know, that He will continue His work in me. He has been faithful so far, and He will continue to do so. He has been so good to us!  It is really AMAZING!, And I am so very thankful that He allowed me to see His work. And be encouraged by it.

Too dependant on appliances..

One of those weeks.. started when the dryer stopped working, outside these days is still cold with snow and all.... I can't just hang my clothes for the fresh summer breeze to dry them,.. no, they are all over my basement, every little space I found was turned into a clothes line. That is OK, I can manage that I just hope is not too expensive. When I go upstairs.. there is a puddle on my kitchen floor, the dishwasher is leaking!! WHAT! not that too!. I start cleaning the puddle and trying to understand why is it leaking, there is nothing broken that I can see from my perspective. So I am just hoping that it will just heal and get better soon. The next day, I started vacuuming, and the central vac, starts spitting dust all over the floor!. It is not doing its job. it is making it worst!.

At this point I am about to cry.. out loud!.

Husband is panicking too, more about the cost of it that the actual labor that is saving me from doing... me?... forget the cost!, I want my machines working!.

Thankfully, the story ends very happy for both of us. the dryer was under guarantee, so they came to fix it temporally until they get the broken piece. The dishwasher, healed, and is been healthy for the last days!. The vacuum cleaner... swallowing everything as it should!.

I am SO thankful to have my appliances back, but maybe I'm a little too dependant on them. It does help me to appreciate having them, and treat them nice for their hard work around the house!

The 3 men in my life

Their firs Ice sculptures!

Close to our house, there was a great day of winter activities, these are some of the things we did: horse sled ride, eat Taffies, skate, ....


But the best of all the activities, was this!

These are my very proud sons after completing their first project on Ice sculpting.. they actually turned out VERY well, and the were set on a special table as a display (OK, I will admit... I AM VERY PROUD TOO!) ... they worked for hours on it...Son son M. made the head of a dog, and S made the head of a shark.

I'm reading....

It is a very good book, one of those that you need to read slowly and pray often about the things that you long for instead of God. "Give me this or I'll die!", "I would be happy if just this happened", "if I just could..., then..." What would be the thing for you, that your heart really loves? or longs for?.. until that desire becomes towards God, and truly we can say God is enough. With You and You alone I am happy. It is better one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere... it is then, that we'll be truly happy. A happiness not depending on circumstances or monthly hormones or the vanities of this world, but in God alone!

lessons in life

I am the regular-medium competitive type person.... at least that is what I thought until the winter Olympic games started. It gets to a point where I am not enjoying watching them anymore. The stress I feel, my hands sweat, my body gets all tense .. my goodness! what happens to me!. I even turn in my seat when they are suppose to turn!. And the worst part, is that they are not even my kids!
We are having a great time as a family watching the games. Watching my boys so excited about their country to win medals, and yell as they score or are one of the first three!. It is good that they are only 3 weeks, keeping the school routine is hard.
Also, it gives you an appreciation of the hard work they put into it. There are lots of good lessons even at the Olympics. Like the one my son gave me just a few days ago:
On Mondays, we are going skiing, and the teacher took me on a black diamond (a very steep part of the mountain) and I stood at the top, completely paralyzed by fear, very close from crying. I turn twice, and on the second turn I fell and slid all the way down that part (not by choice). I was very upset at my self , How come I cannot do that!!!, Why am I SO afraid!. My pride was very bruised. and my sons encouraged me making me feel that I was not alone and that it was normal.., my son S. said: "well, you'll just have to remember that God made you like that , and its OK......... AND if you die, you go to heaven!" .. What!!?, yes, those were my son's encouraging words. So.. we'll just hope that one day, I'll conquer that hill, and go to heaven in a more pleasant way.

what's new?

I have not written in a while... here is a resume:
1. I joined CURVES and I'm loving it!.. I go 3 times a week early in the morning, is just 30 min, so I finish fast and feel great! With it, I'm trying to drink more water, which is my struggle (I'm never thirsty), but... I'm trying!

2. We are skiing some Mondays in a very nice place called Saint Souvar. It is a bit far (1h.30min), but worth the drive! is a very beautiful place. The boys and myself are taking lessons (S. is snowboarding and M and me, are skiing). The boys are good, but need some technique, which I need to get rid of bad habits.

3. I have been working on a small project, which is why I have not been writing here... I'm writing a unit study on Mexico. A bit of history with culture. I'm not finished yet and I may never publish it, but just for me and friends who would like to do a project on Mexico.

4. My husband got me a NEW LAPTOP!!, I'm so excited, because it works so much better than our old computer!. I can use skype any time without being "trapped in front of the screen, listen to "Reformed voice sermons" while cooking! I love it!

5. The boys started swimming lessons and they are so happy... even though it adds to the running of the day.

6. I CUT MY HAIR!!, quite short last week... I'll post a picture soon. I am very pleased. But the best part, is that my sons saw me and yelled: You look so young! ... hahaha! yes, I'm training them well!.... hahahah!, no wonder I loved the hair cut, he?

7. I joined officially "facebook"... which I'm still not too sure of the purpose of it.. but I'm in. The only benefit, is that I found friends from my kindergarten!... I cannot believe it still, by their picture, they look so different!. It is great to be in touch with them again.

8. what else?... I think that's it... I just need to post pictures as soon as I can... with my new look.

submission

Romans 13 encourages us to be in 'submission' to those in authority over us. Submission means, in part, to 'accept without resistance; to yield without a struggle'. I will give it a try today. To someone who is in authority over me ... I will just do what they ask today, without any type of resistance or struggle. Also by my first pastor Steve Elliot.

forgiveness

"The Bible story of the Unjust Steward teaches that the rich man forgave the servants debt. In effect, the rich man 'absorbed' the loss of the $20,000 he was owed. That seems to me to be the essence of forgiveness ... the ability and willingness to absorb the loss we experience when someone else sins against us." By Steve Elliot my first pastor when we first moved to Canada.

gum grafting

I just got this procedure don on my gums.. I thought it was going to be worst than it was. So if you are having it done, do not worry, it sounds far worst than it is.. Here is a bit of my story:

I went to the doctor on Friday the 8Th. I was nervous, so I arrived one hour earlier to get a sedative. It made me all drowsy. It started and I was fully awake but now I can hardly remember the time i spent there. It lasted 1 1/2 hours (3 teeth). When I finished, my husband took me home, and I stayed in bed the rest of the day. I took many Advil and an antibiotic to prevent infection. I was swollen but not too bad. I did not want to walk too much because it felt weird, as if all my mouth shacked and the blood pumped. I was afraid it was going to bleed, but it was fine!. All I ate that day, was yogurt and ice cream!.

The next day, I continued on the soft diet and was better, but still somehow resting. I was not in pain, it was just uncomfortable.

The third day, better, I can talk much more and the soft diet continues, but I added soups to the menu!. I did not go to church, since I was a swollen (like people from the movie "The Grinch") and did not want people to see me and did not want to talk too much either.

Monday, I woke up even better, Advil is helping a lot!, the swelling has come down a lot.. I notice by bigger chicks, but I do not think people would notice them too much.

Tuesday, I even had a friend over!. I had a few bruises under my eyes not too dark.

Today.... ! much better, but in the morning I bled a little (one of my gums bled and I put a gauze to stop the bleeding.. something normal). Every day less swollen, and less purple. It is a bit tender, but I'm even having another friend over today!.. A sign of recovery =)

So if you need to get this done... do not worry!, you'll be fine!. It is scary, the recovery takes a few weeks, is uncomfortable, but manageable (if you like soups).

My very best friends..

My sister and I every time we are together, we get something the same.. I guess we always wanted to be twins... hahaha!.. we did not get this shirt last time... it was a lighter purple shirt, but it was fun to try many as we drag my niece now into this tradition!. I was just looking at these pictures and brought memories of my trip to Mexico... I miss you!

My youngest son!

Can you tell by the smile?.. yes he is the joy at home. the one who has the joke to tell and the plan in hand. Full of energy and sweetness, the kid that is special and easy to love. He listens carefully to his big brother, to the stories and is his biggest fan. who cares for the poor and pays me $2.00 from his own money if I loose a board game. I love being his mom... makes me a better person, because I learn always something new by being with him. What a blessed life I have to have him in my life.

This is my son S -9 years old-!

My oldest Son

What a sweet boy!, with such a beautiful smile!, with lots to share and an imagination that is contagious!. He tell stories to his brother, brings balance to our life, is caring, wise and always thinking of others. I am very proud of to be his mom... that in spite of me, he is turning up to be a great young man. He is growing up, and you see signs of it here and there, which I am excited and nostalgic at the same time. I want him to grow up, and also to stay young. I want for him to be equipped for adulthood, for Independence and for his life, and at the same time I want him to need me and want my hugs an kisses. I am very grateful to know him and have the honor to be near him every day. I count my self as blessed!

This is my great older son M- 11 years old-

My beautiful city...

The highest place in Montreal. a great view and very cold! Not too crazy about Montreal (the big city, the traffic, the night life that is promoted, the open minded culture), but I have to admit.. it has its charm and beauty. What is pretty, is very pretty!. Lots of things to do, and lots to visit. Every day I'm happier to live here, even if I HAVE TO learn French.

good friends!

One of our prayers when we moved was for God to give my kids (and myself) godly friends. Great friends, that they can help each other to walk in His way, friends that will encourage each other. And He answered. And to my excitement, not just the kids get along great, but I love my friend too, and the husbands like each other too!! what else can I ask for!. We teach in a similar way to our kids, have the same style of teaching and goals for our kids, we do projects together, pray together, we (her and I) encourage each other and I was blessed too. I guess God knows, how important it is for me to have a good friend too.

Having them in our life, is a great blessing!.

grandparents

The stories there were told, the laughs, the tennis tournaments in wii, the kiss match, the tickles, the food, the presents, the shopping, the many trips to Walmart, the "Uno", "witch", and "Spoon" card games, the Christmas Cd's, the cold, the ice, the snow, all the memories are kept deep in our hearts!.
Thanks.

2010

Who would have said.... we are in 2010, and we are not living like I dreamed when I was a child.. by this time I thought I was going to be flying on very fancy aerodynamic cars, using boots to fly instead of walking, everything was going to be glow in the dark and highways would be useless, since we would travel at super fast speed without crashing in mid air!. I thought I was going to be quite old by then!... But here we are... with no super cars, NOT THAT OLD!... and with everything computerized, but not at the level of my imagination. And today in 2010, living my life in a place I never thought I would, having 2 wonderful boys that fill my life with smiles, a husband that has made my 15 years of married life a joy, that through the struggles of life, we have come back stronger, and that has help me mature and grow with him. But best of all, that I know God. That He has not left me or my family in ignorance about Him, but has given us understanding and has opened our eyes to know Him.

Not flying in fancy cars, but growing in the Lord. Striving to be thankful every day for the struggles and the happy moments, for the trials and temptations, because I know I'll see the victory in many areas of my life.

This year that is starting, I hope for me and my family, that the Lord will grant us that we may grow in Him more every day. That next year, we will be different, that our character will be molded and changed, that His Sovereign will be don in our lives. And that we will be good and faithful servants.

We have our plans for this year, like have a fund raise, study Anatomy with friends, have our annual science/history fair on the Middle East, start swimming lessons for the boys, create good habits on prayer and Bible reading, improve our French (hmmmm.....or even better, just to be able to speak some!!) and so on..... these are our short term plans. We plan but God decides.