VSIBC

 A lot has been happening at our church these past four months. I would like to share with you what God has been doing at Victory Springs Independent Baptist church.
 
 In January we had our Friends and Family Day. We reached our goal of 80 and even had 1 more in our morning services, having a total of 81! Our special speaker was Dr. Scott Caudill, who is the president of our mission board. After the service we had chili and hot dogs for everybody.

 That afternoon my Dad and our good friend and fellow missionary, Bro. Nye, went to visit a gentleman who was in the hospital. He had never been to our church (his wife came) but Bro. Nye and my Dad got to lead him to the Lord in that hospital room. Praise God!

 In February we had our first Valentine's banquet with the theme being "I Love you to the Moon and Back" It was a very romantic setting.

 We had around 20 couples.  Our special speaker for this event was Pastor Flowers from Jacksonville.

 Our good friends Tabitha and Tricia came for a visit so Josh could take Tabitha to the banquet. It was so sweet-- Josh came in a little late because he just got off of work and was bringing in the food that we had catered from Bev's, and he came in bringing flowers for Tabitha!

 Since Tricia came with Tabitha she was so sweet to help serve for the banquet. John, Emma and I were also able to serve and Brenna had the privilege of taking the pictures. We had fun as well.

 Mom and Grammy went down for ten days to St. Barths so Grammy could see her Mom, Ma-ma, and so Mom could say good-bye. (When Mom got sick in St. Barths she had to go back for medical help and two months later we flew back as well so we could be with Mom, and of  course, ended up staying in the states. So, Mom had never really gotten to say could by.) She was able to be a witness and had the opportunity to pass out a few tracts. It was good closure for Mom.

 

At the end of February and for all of March. Bro. and Sister Nye came down to help our church; they borrowed a camper and stayed in the church parking lot. Bro. Nye taught soul winning in Sunday School, taught the men's Bible study on Monday, went soul winning with some of the men, and was able to preach for us a couple of times. He and Sister Nye went visiting for my Dad a lot throughout their stay. It was such a blessing for us, and for them, to be here.

  In March, I had my graduation at the church which I will post more about later. I still can't believe it myself that I'm already 18 and have graduated from high school!

                     I was so glad that a lot of my family from Ft. Myers came to my graduation.

 On Sunday of March, 20th we had our church's 1 yr. anniversary.  We had 92 in the services!
Pastor Strange, our preacher from our home church--Winkler Road, was our special speaker for the day.

 We also had our very first Children's Choir out of our Junior Church sing. Josh led the singing, and since Brenna and I helped in Junior Church, we sang with them for more support. We sang ''What a Savior"  with Callie singing the verse as a solo. They all sounded so good!

 In Junior Church we had Bubble Gum Sunday. They did bubble gum games and at the end they all got gum. They have lots of fun back there. All the kids just love Mr. Josh. It's sweet.

 After the services we had pulled pork sandwiches from Sonny's. Everyone was so sweet to bring in all the drinks and things. The Frazzetto's were so sweet to get all the food together, decorate and set up, and serve like they did for Friends and Family Day.
 We also had a bounce house for the kids. They just loved it.

 Bro. James tricked Josh into wearing this orange vest, saying that it came with the bounce house. It was funny! Josh had a good time helping all the kids get into the bounce house.

  On Easter Sunday there were two souls saved in the services!

 We also had an Easter Egg Hunt which was divided into two sections, one for the Nursery and one for the Junior Church. All the ladies were so sweet to bring eggs and candy. We ended up having a ton of eggs. Some of the kids even had two bags full!

                                            We had about 15 kids participating in the egg hunt.

  Last Wednesday we had Evangelist Dave Sommerdorf as our speaker and had him bring the Marine Corps Vette. We put it in the local newspaper ahead of time announcing that it would be at our church. We had several visitors come and the ones who didn't stay for the service at least got a gospel presentation from the video that Bro. Sommerdorf passed out.
  I was in the nursery during the preaching, but several people said that the preaching was phenomenal.

 On Thursday, Bro. and Mrs. Nye had to leave because there was a church that they needed to go and help. It was sad to see them leave. We miss them already. They were such a blessing to our church.

 We have had a lot of stuff going on in these past 3 months alone, and we are excited to see what God has in store for Victory Springs Independent Baptist Church.

Don't Forget -- Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. There is just such an excitement in the air. 

I love going with my family to pick out a Christmas tree and trying to find just the right one.

Mrs. Bonnie, a lady in our church, has a daughter that sells them, so we went to her Christmas tree tent to find the perfect one. She was so sweet and helpful. The trees were so beautiful and inexpensive. We were looking at a few different ones and finally decided on the tree to the right in the picture above. It wasn't too tall, not too fat; it was just  the right one for our family.

  

We especially love decorating the tree together and decorating our house while listening to Christmas music.

Here is the finished tree. Doesn't it look pretty! I love all of our homemade ornaments.

 One of the things I love about Christmas is gathering around the tree and talking about what all the ornaments, the star, the presents and the Christmas tree itself means. 

This year I wanted to try to make sure that the whole house was decorated and I think we decorated all the rooms except the bathrooms, Josh's room, and Dad and Mom's room.

Another thing I love about Christmas is getting presents for my family. I like getting them as well. :)

Now we have presents all under the tree. There are big presents to little presents, and presents in all shapes, sizes, and colors. 

A few weeks ago we went to a Christmas tree lighting in High Springs. "Santa Claus"  showed up in a police car and all the kids were so excited to watch Santa light the tree and sit in his lap to tell him what they wanted for Christmas. The news even came and videoed it all. 

Well, it got me to thinking-- what would everyone say and do if Jesus showed up? Would they be just as excited? Would it be put on the news and in the newspapers. In a world where Santa often gets the preeminence over Jesus at Christmas time, what would people think?  

 Sometimes us Americans, being as blessed as we are today with all our fancy cars, big houses and with all of our treats we are blessed to have at Christmas, forget about the greatest gift ever given-- Jesus Christ.

2,000 years ago God sent his only son, Jesus, as a baby. He was born in a stable/cave, and put in a manger.  There is a song that says, "He left it all." Jesus was the son of God, he's the king of kings, yet he left heaven to be born where animals lived, to later die on a cross for the sins of the world.

He died on a cross so we could be saved. He didn't have to do die for us, but He did it willingly. His Father didn't make Him, He laid down His Own life.  Jesus said in John 10:17 and 18, "I lay down my life, that I might take it again, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.'' He did this because He loves us. Because of this love, we can be saved. All we have to do is ask him to forgive us for our sins and believe in Him and trust Him as our Saviour. When we get saved Jesus gives us a promise that when we die, we can go to Heaven with Him. He also promised that He is preparing a mansion in heaven for us.

Jesus truly is the greatest gift ever given!

So amidst all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, and amidst all the fun outings, and family get togethers, and when you open up all your gifts on Christmas day, stop and take time to remember the greatest gift and thank him for His love.
Don't forget, Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Merry Christmas!

Sugar Rose

Back in February was when I got my horse, Sugar Rose. I just love her; she is so sweet and gentle. I've wanted a horse ever since I was little. Just when I was content with not having a horse, the Lord gave me the desire of my heart. It even came in the right color. I had wanted a brown horse with a black mane and tail and that's what the Lord gave me. She was the perfect horse for a beginner like me.

 When we first got her though she was really sick with worms. She would fall asleep when we were petting her. The kids could run around her and she wouldn't get scared. Even our dog tries to bite her tail and she won't kick him. Our dog Bo drives us crazy some times and at this point we're thinking, " Go ahead and kick him, we give you permission!" :)

 One time as we were taking her from the stall to the paddock, she just layed down right in the middle of the driveway and wouldn't get up. We thought she was going to die right there and we had just bought her.We gave her some medicine for her worms and she just perked up. She started doing better. She was still just as gentle as ever. I haven't been kicked or anything but I have been stepped on a couple of times. It hurts!

There is a big difference between us riding her and the little ones. When the kids ride her she goes real slow ans does real good with them, but when us older ones get on her she just wants to pick up and go.  

A couple months ago our vet came over and said that she wasn't doing good. If we didn't start feeding her a special diet and she didn't pick up weight, then one day she would lay down and wouldn't have the energy to get back up. That was a surprise to us. We thought she was doing good, because when we first got her she was really sick and we thought she was doing better. And I was going to sell her because I had been paying for her feed and wasn't able to pay for her anymore. Our vet, Dr. Miller, said that if we couldn't pay for her feed anymore that we could try to find somebody that could because we wouldn't be able to sell her. But my sweet Daddy said that it was our responsibility to take  care of her and that he would pay for her feed. Dr. Miller showed us the feed we needed to buy, along with the alfalfa cubes and hay. So began the not-so-easy process of fattening up a horse. It is more easy for a horse to lose weight than to gain it. We also learned the meaning of eating like a horse for she definitely eats like one. :) We spent  a lot of money on her feed to get her to fatten up. There wasn't any change for at least two weeks for it is hard to get a horse to gain weight.

                                                    So here is the Before picture:

                                                               And the After picture:

                         
                                                   She  looks so much better doesn't she?

We were going to sell her since she was so much better. I was kind of sad but also thankful that God had fulfilled my childhood dream of having my very own horse; even if it was just for a little while. Little did I know that I would get to keep her for even longer.

 A lady in our church, Mrs. Cynthia, who owns a horse and boards it in Lake Butler, asked one Sunday if she could lease Sugar Rose by paying for all her feed in exchange for being able to come over and ride her whenever she wanted. Her horse was a little spirited and hadn't been ridden much in awhile and we were closer to her anyway. She is such a sweet lady. I was so excited with the idea of being able to keep her!

So that Monday Mrs. Cynthia came over to teach me a few things about riding and also got to ride Sugar Rose herself.  She loved Sugar Rose and said that she was so calm and gentle. She rode her down the dirt road and a car came past really quickly and Sugar Rose didn't even get spooked.

I hadn't really ridden her as much as I had wanted because I was a beginner and wasn't confident with riding yet. However, after Mrs. Cynthia helped me, I felt so much better with riding her. I was not as nervous and  was more confident. I still mostly ride her inside the fence and haven't taken her on the trail near our house yet but I love riding her.

One time I even got her into a canter. It was fun and much easier than the trot. I am excited about riding her more. Thank you, LORD, for giving me my own horse.

                                         I feel so blessed!

Dressing Modestly and Femininely in this Present World: Part 6

  Before, we have talked about dressing modestly and pleasing God in our dress. Today, in my last post on dress, we are going to talk about dressing femininely. In my research for this post, the book What in the World should I Wear by Mrs. Cathy Corle , and Your Clothes Say it for You by Mrs. Elizabeth Handford have been a great help to me and I will be quoting some things they said throughout this post.

  Deuteronomy 22:5 says, "A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are an abomination unto the Lord thy God."

 This is what Mrs. Cathy Corle said in her book, "In studying the subject a few years ago and examining more closely what the Bible has to say about this, it became evident to me. When God gave the distinction between men and women in dress he chose for the lady to wear a dress- a long flowing garment - and hair that is long and flowing, which is more gracious and feminine and lovely than the appearance of a man. God directed for a man to wear pants or breeches and a short haircut, which by nature is more masculine."

  Notice. She examined what the Bible had to say about the issue. Remember, God and the Bible should always govern our lifestyle. That is why  I will continue to give scripture throughout this post.
  Lets look at our verse again. The last part says, "...Neither shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all that do so are an abomination unto the Lord." -Deuteronomy 22:5 b. 

  We get grossed out about the homosexuals wearing women's clothing and we think it wrong and disgusting. Then what makes it right for women to wear pants- men's clothing?  We are doing the same thing by wearing them but we get grossed out about  men wearing skirts. Isn't it equally wrong? God calls both of them an abomination. The Bible even says that we are an abomination to God when we dress that way. An abomination is something extremely hated and makes God morally sick.

  You may ask, "Is it a sin for girls to wear pants?" First we need to look at what sin is. Sin is something that displeases God and disobeys His Word. If girls wearing pants is an abomination, which is something God hates, and the Bible says- "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."; then for girls to wear pants is a sin.

Remember when we were talking about  the outward appearance? Before my Mom started dressing the way she does now, she went to the store one day and saw some ladies wearing culottes. You know what her thought was? She thought, "Those ladies must be Christians." My Mom was saved, but how did she know that they were Christians? The Lord showed her that if she thought that they were Christians because they wore skirts or culottes, shouldn't she dress that way to so others would see that she was a Christian?

You may be tempted to choose one way of dressing over the other- dressing modestly or femininely- because it is sometimes hard to find the right clothes. But you don't have to choose between them. In Mrs. Elizabeth Handford's book she said, "Charles Spurgeon has some good advice on this problem: 'When choosing the lesser of the two evils, choose neither'...God promises in I Corinthians 10:13 to provide a way that you can escape from temptation. God always keeps His Word. So there is always, always, a way to solve this problem without choosing the lesser of the two evils. You may have to do a lot of creative thinking (and perhaps some designing and sewing). I didn't promise that it would be the easy way out! But you can find a garment to wear that is both feminine and modest."
You can also look at part 4 of my posts on dress for tips on dressing modestly and femininely.

The Bible says in I Thessalonians 5:24- "Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it." If God commands it He will help you do it. He doesn't ask you to do the impossible.

Now, I've showed you from the Bible what God says about your dress. However, I can not make you do this. In the end the choice is yours. I can't convict you of what you need to do, only the Holy Spirit can. Philippians 2:13 says, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 

So what about you, dear sister in Christ? Are you going to start dressing in a way that pleases God? Are you going to take a stand and dress modestly and femininely? What will you decide?

Dressing Modestly and Femininely in This Present World: Part 5

  Hello, again! Thank you for joining me in our quest for pleasing God in our dress. It is so important! :)


  I Timothy 2:9 tells us to "adorn ourselves" (dress) "in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array." Many girls get thrown off at that saying, "Okay, then can I not dress pretty? Do I have to wear plain ugly clothes and look outdated?"
No! That's not what that verse means. When our verse said to not dress with broided hair, or gold or costly array, if we look further it says for us to dress with "that which becometh women professing Godliness."

  I Peter 3:4 says, "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."  It means that we should be more concerned with what God thinks about us and what he sees.
"Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." -Colossions 3:2

  The Bible also says- "man looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart."
God does see the heart and that's most important, but since the Bible talks about our outward appearance, isn't it also important? That's the only thing other people can see. God wants you to look beautiful, that's how He created you to be. You don't have to look like you came from the 1800's. You can dress beautifully and in style as long as you dress modestly and  are pleasing to the Lord.

  My Mom was talking one day to me and Brenna; she said that we need to dress modestly, but nicely. Whenever we walk out the door to go somewhere we should look nice. We should make sure our hair is fixed and that we look put together.

  I Corinthians 14:40 says, "Let all things be done decently and in order." I tell the kids in our nursery "When God created everything He made everything just right and when He saw it He said that it was good. And it was good!" He made everything decently and in order. Because we are His children- we should dress that way.

  We are starting a church and we are inviting people to come. We want teen girls to come. They aren't going to think much of us if we look frumpy. Wouldn't they be turned away if we looked like that?
  We want to win friends and influence people. We want to be able to win them to the Lord.
   -- ''Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit  but the profit of many that they may be saved." - I Corinthians 10:33  We want to see them saved we want them to to see a difference in us, and yet be drawn to us because we have the love of the Lord about us. Remember, it can be shown through our attitude and in the way we dress.

Not every style that comes along should a lady necessarily try. If having green hair is the new fad, that doesn't mean we should go to the salon and have them dye our hair green.

 Mrs.Elizabeth Hanford  was right when she wrote the book, Your Clothes Say it for You.  When we  dress we want others to see a difference in us. We want to dress in a way that makes people say, "That young lady is a Christian." We need to dress like ladies.

--When the Bible talks about  the bride of Christ it says that the bride adorned herself with jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)
-- Lydia, a godly woman of the New Testament, was a seller of purple. (Acts)
--The virtuous woman of the Proverbs 31- she made herself "coverings of tapestry; her clothing was silk and purple."
  So obviously, you can dress beautifully. We just need to dress in a way that pleases God and brings glory to His name. (I Corinthians 10:31) After all, we are all a child of the King of kings, the King of Glory.

So as we've seen, even though our heart is most important, God is also concerned with how we dress. He, in fact, has a lot to say about clothing.

 In our next and final post on dress we are going to look at another aspect-- dressing femininely.

My Summer Goals

For my blog:

1. I want to finish my posts on dress. 

2. Talk about the heart. 

3. Post on Reading your Bible.

Other goals: 

1. Help my Mom make culottes.

2. Do couponing. ( Post on it? )

3. Ride my horse Sugar Rose more.

4. Write more.

5. Go to Camp.

6. Finish Computer Science, and then...

 I'm finished with my Junior year!!!

This week is going to be busy. Today I'm going to go couponing with my Mom. Thursday, we  are having my Aunt Tabitha's family over for a visit.Saturday our ladies from VSIBC are going to go on shopping trip in Micanopy. We will be eating lunch at a place called "Old Florida Cafe." And of course Sunday is Father's Day! 

 This is going to be a good summer. I'm excited for what we have planned.

Have a  great Summer!!!

Another Tip For Dressing modestly and Femininely in This Present World

   Recently my Mom found a site that sells the culottes that we like. She said that it is almost the same or is the same price as buying the fabric to make culottes. We were so excited to find it! Some of you may have heard of it before. The site is http://modestyinmotion.com/ . My Mom shared it with my friend who is also looking for culottes because she was wanting to please God.
 See, it's just like God to fulfill the needs of His people who are trying to please Him and do His will! Isn't He wonderful?!