Set Apart - Spirit, Soul & Body

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Don't Miss Precious Moments

My run this morning started off strong. I was feeling good, running strong against the wind, even did a few sprints. I just knew that I was going to improve my time. Then, all of a sudden, a little over half way through, I just had this strong urge to stop running and just walk. At first, I thought it was just my body wanting to quit so I pressed on - praying for the Lord's strength to continue. But the urge got stronger so disappointed in myself, I stopped running and started walking.

Then I got the urge to switch my Pandora station from Lecrae radio to Praise and Worship radio - so I did. That's when I realized that it was the Spirit of God slowing me down because He wanted to minister to my spirit. His presence just flowed over me. I almost fell to my knees on the side of the road and wept. I just continued my slow stroll home enjoying His peace.

How many times in our busyness and rush have we ignored the Spirit's leading to slow down and spend time with Him? Do we allow the "loudness" of this world to drown out that still small voice and miss precious moments with our Father?

My prayer is that His voice will become louder in my life and the voices of this world will become quieter.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Zane Education Review

As a home school Mom, I'm always looking for great online resources. There's always certain criteria that I look for when deciding to add a new site to our eclectic curriculum. Of course, price is always a factor. Then I look to see how many subjects are covered on the site and if it can be used for all grade levels since my children range in age from 16 to 6.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I discovered Zane Education. I was impressed with everything on the site but it was actually the Christian Learning Guide that completely sold me. It's a very in-depth timeline of Christian history geography. Although this tool alone is well worth the small investment, it's not all they offer.

Zane utilizes videos with sound and subtitles. This combination of learning is why Zane can reach many different types of learners. Special needs students, those with learning difficulties, those children with site impairments and the blind, as well as those students learning English as a second language can all benefit from this type of learning. The videos with subtitles approach also help children improve their reading skills.

Historical documents, World Fact Book and English/Language Arts pages are just a few of the other resources Zane offers. One of my personal favorite features is the quizzes that go with the videos. They are a great way to see how much of the information the children are retaining.

Zane is continually adding new resources and their site is very user-friendly and neatly organized. The founders of Zane care about the members and are very attentive to their needs and concerns.

I invite you to take a closer look at what Zane has to offer. I'm sure it would be a great addition to your home school curriculum.

For more information, membership prices and frequently asked questions, CLICK HERE.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student - Book Review

I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to using this magnificent tool by James Stobaugh. I can definitely see how his step by step guidance can and will boost the student’s confidence when it comes to taking the SAT.

James not only lays out a one, two and three year plan but he breaks it down into weekly and daily lessons as well. Some of his resources include, but are not limited to, a book list, critical thinking skills, a reproducible reading journal, examples of college admission essays and my personal favorite, a daily devotion. He also provides a free workbook for the CollegeBoard SAT I Essay which you can get by visiting the website listed in his book to help you practice your essay skills.

Another highlight that really caught my attention is his plan for the SAT Day. Yes, he even has a plan laid out for the parents and the student for the actual test day. James puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of praying our children through this time in their lives and he keeps that at the forefront of the entire process.

One last thing that deserves attention is how James addresses the issue of the secular university. This is an area that concerned me the most when I found out that our oldest son wants to attend college. I love how the author took a considerable amount of time to discuss in detail about how to thrive in Babylon without becoming Babylonian.

I would absolutely recommend this book to the Christian student in preparation for college and taking the SAT.

To order this book and find other fabulous resources, please visit The New Leaf Publishing Group website.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Guest Post: Waiving the White Flag

Are you the mother of boys who often finds herself ready to waive the white flag in defeat?

Do they drain you, overwhelm you, steal your heart, break your heart and cause you more anxiety than you ever dreamed possible?

Maybe you only have one boy amongst a sea of estrogen and you just can’t figure out how to respond to him in a way that affirms all that is good about his masculinity.

You're not alone.

Last May, over 1300 women and a few dads in SEVEN different countries joined together to pray purposefully and passionately for the hearts of their sons in a challenge called 21 Days of Prayer for Sons. 21 Days is based on the best-selling eBook Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most.

Even our best parenting efforts don't come with a guarantee. As much as we might wish we could change their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), we can't. But we serve a God who can. Knowing this, it becomes quite clear that there is only one thing we can do…

Plead with God.

Pray.

“The fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:17.

It’s our hope.

The next 21 Days of Prayer for Sons challenge starts September 6 and ends September 26, 2011. How can you participate? Easy!

Purchase your own copy of Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most (just $5.97 as a PDF download or on Amazon Kindle!) You could, in theory, participate in the challenge without a personal copy, but your experience will be much deeper and richer with it.
Commit to praying for your son(s) or grandsons 10 times a day for 21 days straight. This is a huge commitment, so if you feel God leading you to participate, pray and ask Him to give you the strength and endurance you need.
Consider leading your own group on your blog or in your community!
Sign-up HERE!

Get inspired by recent participants!

“This challenge…has given me my joy back in mothering” ~LaToya

“Thank you for giving me a tangible method for transformation in my family!!” ~Anne

“Thanks, Brooke for your help. I’ve always known that God was listening; I just didn’t know what to say!” ~Laurel

“So many heart changes are going on in our home and I’m just so thankful…” ~Ashley

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Brooke is a mom of two young boys who leave her desperate for God’s grace. Her pursuit of being a better mom has left her at the foot of the cross, knowing that if God doesn’t show up … nothing happens. This dependence upon God to turn hearts of stone to hearts of flesh leads her to her knees in prayer. She’s the author of the best-selling eBook Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most, creator of the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons challenge and co-founder of the well-loved online community for mothers of boys, the M.O.B. Society. She offers hope for change to the hearts of women at her main blog, A Life in Need of Change.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Are You Fit to Die?

Watching what we eat, working out, striving to be fit for life but what about being fit to die?

This is a question that keeps being presented to me as I read through Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life by William Law. Here’s a quote from what I read tonight that prompted this blog entry:

“The measure of our love to God, seems in justice to be the measure of our love of every virtue. We are to love and practise it with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. And when we cease to live with this regard to virtue, we live below our nature, and, instead of being able to plead our infirmities, we stand chargeable with negligence.

It is for this reason that we are exhorted to work out our salvation with fear and trembling; because unless our heart and passions are eagerly bent upon the work of our salvation; unless holy fears animate our endeavours, and keep our consciences strict and tender about every part of our duty, constantly examining how we live, and how fit we are to die; we shall in all probability fall into a state of negligence, and sit down in such a course of life, as will never carry us to the rewards of Heaven.”

I have read and re-read those two paragraphs about five times so far. However, I am sure that I will read over them many more times as I meditate on those words and pray for the grace of God to work in me an urgency and fervor to live my life in such a way that I will be fit to die.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Physical Healing

Ephesians 6:12, we all know it so well and quote it all the time. However, recently I saw this scripture in a totally different perspective.

I am a big advocate of natural healing. However, whenever my friends, family or myself had a physical issue, I would immediately research nutritional options for healing. I got convicted about this because our first source for everything should be the Word of God. As I started getting my thinking back in line with what God's Word says and acknowledging once again that many of our physical conditions are just an outward manifestation of something that's going on spiritually, I started seeing healings in my body.

As I was reading a book on this very subject, I read this scripture (Eph. 6:12) and that's when I totally saw it in a whole different light. I was "wrestling", so to speak, with flesh and blood. My focus was on the physical ailments and what needed to be done naturally to fix it. When my focus switched to the spiritual and what needed to be done spiritually, the physical healing just immediately manifested.

So my plea is that we, as believers, would always be mindful to truly look first to God's Word and realize that we are spiritual beings living inside physical bodies. The spiritual realm affects the physical way more than we realize because all too often we're looking with our physical eyes instead of our spiritual.