Pajama School Promo Video Contest

To gear things up for the fall, I am letting you all know about a creative and exciting new contest sponsored by the Pajama School Blog and Advent Film Group.

To join in the fun produce a 30-60 second video promoting the new book, Pajama School- stories from the life of a homeschool graduate. The winner will receive a family pass to the 2010 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival!!!

I have attended the SAICFF twice and let me tell you, it is an amazing festival to experience. If you love quality, family-oriented and Christian films or want to learn more about producing your own films, you won't want to miss this inspirational event.

What better way to experience film making first-hand and get a head start for the festival than to enter this great contest?!

Haven't yet read the book Pajama School by Natalie Wickham? Well, you are in for a treat. Natalie is an enthusiastic supporter of homeschooling and an amazing storyteller. As a homeschooled graduate she writes from a first-hand account of life as a homeschooled student. And as part of the film contest you can get a special discount copy to review at 50% off!!!

Want to know something else? If you help promote this contest on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. you will be entered into a drawing for a great giveaway package. How neat is that? Even if you don't submit a film to the contest, if you help spread the word about the contest you can be entered to win some great prizes!

You will need to upload your film to YouTube for the judging. The judging for the three finalists will take place by a panel of three judges from the Christian film community:
George Escobar, founder of Advent Film Group
Julia Camenisch, founder of EyeReach Productions
John Moore, producer of The Widow's Might (2009 SAICFF "Best of Festival" Jubilee Award Winner) and co-founder of HeuMoore Productions

The public will be given the chance to vote on their favorite of the three finalists and the finalist receiving the most votes will be declared the winner of the contest.

For more information and to see full guidelines for entering the contest go to the Pajama School Blog.

I am so excited to see the films produced and witness the creativity of the contestants. Get started this week! You won't want to miss this exciting contest!

Song Lyrics that Instruct and Edify

This is a recently learned song I was thinking about today. I first heard it during the time of hymn singing at leader's meeting in BSF. It has become a new favorite of mine and I love that the words are taken directly from Psalm 1. I memorized that Psalm many years ago as a young girl and have not forgotten the words. Some of my favorite songs and hymns to sing and think about are those that incorporate either direct words of Scripture or clear Scriptural allusions.

Last evening I reviewed some hymns with the children that we have been learning throughout the year during the study of Moses. I was so pleased that they knew many of the words by heart and were eager to sing their favorites. It seems two of the hymns they love best are He Leadeth Me and Lift High the Cross. I reminded them to sing these songs often and to think upon the words-- to remember who God is and how we should praise Him. I hope the words of this song will encourage you as you meditate on God's law.


Blessed Is the Man
Words and Music by Michael Baughen
Arranged by Jim Thornton

Blessed is the man, the man who does not walk
In the counsel of the ungodly: blessed is that man.
He who rejects the way, rejects the way of sin
And who turns away from scoffing: blessed is that man.
But his delight, by day and night,
Is the law of God Almighty.

He is like a tree, a tree that flourishes,
Being planted by the water: blessed is that man.
He will bring forth fruit, his leaf will wither not,
For in all he does he prospers: blessed is the man.
For his delight by day and night,
Is the law of God Almighty.

The ungodly are not so, for they are like the chaff
Which the wind blows clean away: he ungodly are not so.
The ungodly will not stand, upon the judgment day
Nor belong to God's own people: The ungodly will not stand.
But God knows the way of righteous men
And ungodly ways will perish.

Refrain

Blessed is the man, the man who does not walk
In the counsel of the ungodly: blessed is that man.

Truth for the Restless Soul

As Long As You Are Glorified
Words and Music by Mark Altrogge from Sovereign Grace Music

Shall I take from Your hands Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain
Shall I praise you in days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper
And true only when I'm filled
Are you King only when I'm carefree
And God only when I'm well
You are good when I'm poor and needy
You are true when I'm parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You're still God in the darkest night

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

So quiet my restless heart
Quiet my restless heart
Quiet my restless heart in You

Job 1:20-22
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said. "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job 2:9-10
Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Psalm 131
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.

Amen.

Counting Blessings for Today

Just a few moments ago I was changing out some laundry in the bathroom. Taking dry clothes out of the dryer and putting wet clothes in the dryer. As I was doing this, the Lord suddenly brought to mind some blessings I am enjoying today. In recalling these things to my mind I began to thank God for each of these blessings in my life.

I thought I would share a few with you and ask you to do the same here.

1) I am not experiencing any back, shoulder, or neck pain today.

2) I have an extra day off this week to get my BSF double lesson done before Saturday.

3) I have readily available to me many delicious and varied kinds of food to eat.

4) I have God's word to instruct me, chastise me, convict me, and encourage me.

5)I received a call from the physical therapy office today and was able to get an appointment scheduled for Thursday since there was a cancellation.

6)I slept well last night and awoke well rested.

7)I get to witness answered prayer in my life and the lives of those around me.

8)I have seven adorable baby bunnies outside with their mother to hold and cuddle anytime.

I could go on and on with the blessings. As I share this list, I am not at all admitting that my life is perfect or that I don't have struggles and times of great discouragement. I am trying to consciously reflect on the good and pleasant things God has brought into my life while also asking Him to use the challenging and hard things I experience.

My Bible lesson this week is based on Numbers 11-12 where Moses was ridiculed by his own siblings and then listened to the murmurings of the Israelite people. They wanted meat to eat after God had provided them with bread from heaven for all their days traveling in the wilderness. They finally got the meat they wanted, all right, along with a lot more than the bargained for as God sent a plague upon them for their complaining, disobedience and lack of trust in His provision.

How often I resemble the Israelites in my bitter groanings and complaints instead of emulating the example of faithful Moses who went to God in prayer in times of difficulty and asked God to intercede for him.

This was a blessing for me to reflect on today and I hope it blesses you as well.
May we all seek to count our blessings, praise the Lord for who He is, and look to Him for guidance as we wander through the wilderness of this harsh world.

More favorite words

After making my theological and scriptural list of words, I decided to compose a list of my favorite medical and scientific words.

1) insoluble
2) cation
3) covalent
4) rhonchi
5) adventitous
6) joules
7) ambulate
8) supine
9) coccyx
10) Bundle of His
11) mol
12) sternocleidomastoid (my favorite muscle)
13) jugular
14) Purkinje fibers
15) autosomal
16) organelle
17) mitochondria
18) osteoblasts
19) osteoclasts
20) myocardial infarction
21) epithelial
22) squamous cell
23) cogent
24) cognizant
25) xyphoid process
26) electrolytes
27) erythema
28) nares
29) auscultate
30) extubate
31) propathol
32) histology
33) hematology
34) periorbital
35) necrotizing fasciitis
36) dorsalis pedis
37) post tibialis
38) bigeminy
39) idiopathic
40) autonomic
41) calcaneus
42) trapezius

I chose these words mostly based on how they sound when pronounced. Many of them are just plain fun to say though very unpleasant of a condition to have, i.e. necrotizing fasciitis.

What are some of your favorite words related to a particular field or discipline of study?

Sentiments of a New Day

From "The Valley of Vision"

God Enjoyed

Thou Incomprehensible
But prayer-hearing God,

Known, but beyond knowledge,
revealed, but unrevealed,
my wants and welfare draw me to thee,
for thou hast never said, 'Seek ye me in vain.'
To thee I come in my difficulties, necessities,
distresses;
possess me with thyself,
with a spirit of grace and supplication,
with a prayerful attitude of mind,
with access into warmth of fellowship,
so that in the ordinary concerns of life
my thoughts and desires may rise to thee,
and in habitual devotion I may find a resource
that will soothe my sorrows,
sanctify my successes,
and qualify me in all ways for dealings
with my fellow men.

I bless thee that thou hast made me capable
of knowing thee, the author of all being,
of resembling thee, the perfection of all excellency,
of enjoying thee, the source of all happiness.
O God, attend me in every part of my arduous
and trying pilgrimage;
I need the same counsel, defence, comfort
I found at my beginning.

Let my religion be more obvious to my conscience,
more perceptible to those around.
While Jesus is representing me in heaven,
may I reflect him on earth,
While he pleads my cause, may I show forth
his praise.

Continue the gentleness of thy goodness
towards me,
And whether I wake or sleep, let thy presence
go with me,
thy blessing attend me.
Thou hast led me on and I have found thy
promises true,
I have been sorrowful, but thou hast been my help,
fearful, but thou hast delivered me,
despairing, but thou hast lifted me up.
Thy vows are ever upon me,
And I praise thee, O God.

Reflections on Christ's Birth

I wrote this post last year and meant to post it before Christmas. Although I am no longer studying Matthew, (I am now studying Exodus and the Old Testament books of the Law)the Scriptures and thoughts hold true so I thought I would share it this year instead. What have you been reading or reflecting on during this season of remembering our Saviour's incarnation?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lately, I have been reading through several chapters of Old Testament prophecy that pointed to the coming Messiah. I thought this would be a meaningful way to prepare for the time of remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Through studying the book of Matthew in BSF, the idea of biblical prophecy being fulfilled through Christ has struck me in a new way. I have known for a long time that Christ fulfilled these prophecies through his birth, ministry, death and resurrection but I had never reflected on them in depth until studying Matthew.

Since the gospel of Matthew was written primarily to a Jewish readership, it was crucial for Matthew to provide numerous references to the prophecies that Christ had fulfilled. Thus, the Jewish writer, Matthew, showed that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah whom the Jews eagerly anticipated for hundreds of years.

I found a helpful table in the back of my Bible referencing several Old Testament prophecies along with the New Testament fulfillment that foretold the birth, ministry and purpose of Christ in coming to earth. I have mostly been focusing on the passages that foretold of his birth, however it would be equally worthwhile to read the passages relating to his atoning death and resurrection from the dead.

Here are a few of the chapters I have been reading recently as part of my evening devotions.

Genesis 3:15; 12:3; 17:19; 49:10
Psalm 2:7; 16:10; 35:11; 41:9; 49, 68, 69, 109, 110:4,
Isaiah 7:14; 9:1,2,7
Jeremiah 31:15;
Zechariah 9:9; 11:12; 12:10
Daniel 9:25
Micah 5:2

I hope you find these passages encouraging in realizing how Jesus was the only man who has perfectly fulfilled these prophecies just as His Father had foretold the Messiah would.