VBS Photo Slideshow

Verse of the Day - Observe the Ants

"Go the the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep - so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man." - Proverbs 6:6-11

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ants

"There is nothing so ugly as laziness." I have often thought these words myself. So many of our socio-economic problems in this culture are due to a lack of a godly work ethic, a biblical work ethic. How many people are in jail, or on welfare who would not be in those circumstances if they had simply learned how to do good, godly, hard work? 

Christian parents must train their sons and daughters how to work hard. They must train them that work not only is necessary, but is also what they'll have to do all their life. They also need to show their children by example that work is fun.

Christian parents also should be reading through the book of Proverbs, and as they do so, they should highlight and memorize passages like Proverbs 6:6-11, and Proverbs 30:25. Maybe parents should even take their children out and observe the ants as an object lesson.

Friends

 

The Jason McCullough family (before Caden was born-- his photo is directly below this photo).

 

Caden McCullough

 

Mr. Amos and Jaden "play" cars

 

The Robert Wall family (Ethan not pictured)

 

The Ron Wahlquist family

Dr. and Mrs. Martin open a gift-- a quilt from our church

 

The Cronin men talk with Dad and Caleb

 

Madeline Ghironte and her brother, Junior

 








Mrs. Mosbeck and her daughter, Sarah Jo


(Editor's note: we have many more friends than those who's photos are in this post! :D)

Verse of the Day - Bitter As Wormwood

"For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword." - Proverbs 5:3,4

Proverbs 5 is a very graphic and a very necessary part of scripture. This passage should cause sobriety in the reader at the dreadful consequences of giving way to the seductress. The immoral woman often will often use "smooth speech" to seduce her victim (See Proverbs 7:14-20). The use of flattering speech along with her risque attire are two powerful forces that can only be conquered by a man who is actively seeking to guard his heart, and is doing so in a proactive way, rather than a reactive way. To overcome such temptations, a man is who seeking to please God must "Flee youthful lusts" (2 Timothy 2:22). He must "remove [his] way far from her, and...not go near the door of her house" (Proverbs 5:8). The pull of sexual temptation is so strong, that to stay in the location where you are being tempted and try to combat the temptation is very dangerous; if possible, it is best to flee such situations.


Along with actively guarding one's mind and heart, a man must be actively seeking to become "the husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2). Literally in the original Greek text, this is the idea of being "a one-woman man." I as an unmarried young man must realize that, more likely than not, I will one day be married, and I am to do my wife good and not evil all the days of my life. I must be seeking to guard my heart for her, and not piece-mealing it out to just any attractive young lady that walks by (Matthew 5:27-28). Even among godly young ladies, I must actively be seeking to treat them "as sisters, with all purity" (1 Timothy 5:2). 

May God strengthen us all and deliver us out of the snares of the immoral woman.

[Recommended reading: J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men; available on Amazon.com, VisionForum.com, CalvaryPress.com, and other places.]

Music

Here is a great piece of music that my family has enjoyed lately. Enjoy!

Verse of the Day - Keep Your Heart Diligently

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life." - Proverbs 4:23

Every action begins at your mind. The book of James tells us that, "If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body also" (James 3:2). The idea being communicated here is that of self-control. Paul, in the book of 2 Corinthians, wrote, 

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war against flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [physical], but mighty in God, for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down of arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God; taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). 

We must realize that everything we say, every action we do, and every attitude we display begins at our mind. If we let our mind control us, we will not be living in a mature Christ-like way. Rather, we will be living as carnal Christians, babes in the faith. We must "let the Word of Christ dwell in [us] richly" (Colossians 3:16, NKJV). We must hide God's Word in our hearts, that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). We must rule our bodies and minds with the help of the Holy Spirit, or our sinful flesh will rule us.