So today was the day that we finally drained our beautiful green pool. (Brief explanation: the people who lived at the house before us didn't take care of the pool for a year and a half.) It was absolutely GROSS! As the water is ever so slowly draining, we cast our eyes upon an atrocious sight. Literally, two inches of sludge covered the cement walls of the pool. It was nasty. Mold, sludge, algea. *horrible shudder* Ew, ew, ew, ew, and ew.

So after the pool was finally drained, we gazed into "shrek's bathrub" and began to powerwash it. It took a long while (yes, because it was so thick..*goes to throw up*) but afterwards...wow. It actually looked like a pool afterwards!! Pretty cool. We're actually filling it back up as we speak and hopefully it'll be swimable by tomorrow! (Now all I need is a swim suit!)

But the point of this post was to write about something my mom said while she was powerwashing. She said it reminded her of how God has cleansed us of our sin. Sin is the gross, green, moldy sludge that drowns us but God sprays it all away when we let Him take control of our lives. It's an amazing thing. God can change is into beautiful things when we let Him. Then we are filled with Him and His love after we've been cleansed! Pretty cool analogy, don't you think? :)

"Obama's Picture on White House Site is Worth 1000 Words" - frorm the blog Seek Ye Truth

"Arrogant, selfish, inconsiderate, self-absorbed, rude, ill-mannered, discourteous, snobbish, to name a few? Acting stupidly, perhaps? That's Sgt. Crowley helping a handicapped Professor Gates behind the Oblivious One. You remember the Sgt. Crowley who was called racist by Prof. Gates and "acting stupidly" by Obama? Incredible is the fact that no one on the White House staff even realized that there was anything wrong with this photo! This is the administration that truly cares about you!

In contrast, one of the articles I read about this showed a photo of former President Bush with one of his harshest critics in Congress:"

Help??

I am in need of serious technical advice. For the past several months my blog has been acting up. It won't, for some reason, let me sepparate my posts into paragraphs, but instead squashes everything together. For example, look at my previous post. It's relatively long, but hard to read for there is no spacing. I'll paragraph it when editting the post but when it publishes, it screws up. Any advice? Anybody know what's wrong or how to fix it?? Thanks!!

I've been thinking about this for a while. What is the main purpose of Christians? Why are we here? Why doesn't God just merely take us into Heaven after we become Christians? Well, I think the main reasons are listed in Matthew 5:13-16 ("'You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven") and 1 Peter 3:15b ("...and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear"). God wants us to be a witness. We are called to be the salt of the earth or the light of the world. We are supposed to be different from everyone else - we have Jesus in us! He needs to be able to shine through us! That is one form of witness, not by words but by actions. Others should be able to look at us and think, "Huh. Something is different about them." Also, we're supposed to witness with our words. We are called to verbally tell others about our faith on a regular basis. But ask yourself, do you do that? I know I don't. I've been thinking....imagine when we reach Heaven, and we are standing before our Savior, and He asks, "Did you tell others about Me? Did you plant the seeds in the hearts?" What will we say? Did we? Are we? Ninety-seven percent of Christians don't share their faith regularly. 97%!!! How sad! We ALL must rise to this and obey God's command. This is our purpose. Yes, we all have different purposes in which God will use us in this world, but witnessing and shining our light is the main purpose. When you think about it though, it's probably the hardest thing for us to do. We tend to block out the fact that most of the people around us are likely going to Hell. We tend to live in la-la land, and blow it off, acting as if everything was fine. But it's not. We must share the word of God before it is too late! Our world is getting more and more evil with each passing day, and people are dying without Christ every single SECOND! We must tell them. Kids in our youth group could be without Christ, family members could be without Christ, our friends could be without Christ, the people in the stores that we shop in could be without Christ, those in the movie theaters could be without Christ, so many are without Christ!! And what are we doing about it? Are we truly making a difference? Are we stepping out of our comfort zone to tell others? We must remember that we are Christ's servants - we serve Him, not man. Even though we may get embarrassed or humiliated or even hurt physically for our faith, we must remember that Christ will never leave us. Just as John 15:18-19 says we will be hated for our faith. Jesus was hated. And we, as His servants, will be hated also. But Jesus will never stop loving us. So what is keeping us back? Are we scared? Are we afraid we'll be embarrassed or ridiculed? Will we be hurt - physically or emotionally? Will we lose friends? Are we afraid we'll say the wrong thing or won't know what to say? Do you need to be motivated or inspired to share your faith? Do you need confidence? I really recommend www.wayofthemaster.com. That is the website that has gotten me pumped up to start witnessing. I saved up and bought the training kit, and it is amazing!! I absolutely love it! I haven't finished it yet and still haven't witnessed on the street (which is so incredibly scary), but I want to soon. Guys, this website and their kit will help you with self-confidence, what to say, and helps you through it will small steps. If you look at the website, you could look at audio lessons, the love test, watch video lessons, and so much more. Please, take the time to look at it all. I would begin with the love test if I were you - that's what I started with. It's...I don't have the right word for it. I just recommend you watch it. Also, pray about this, read your Bible, become motivated. And remember, this is our purpose! God loves us so incredibly much and has done so much for us - He died for us! Why can't we be willing to at least tell others about Him? about His love? We must warn people before it is too late. And we all must remember that God will be with us always. Hebrews 13:5b - "...because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'." I've been praying lately about hosting a Bible study at my house maybe in later months and use the training kit. It was actually designed for group training which is good. Is that something anyone would be interested in or not? Just curious. I don't know if I will do it. It's just an idea. I hope this post has encouraged you! God bless!! :)

An awesome day with a friend....

On Thursday, my friend Megan and I met for some good, ole coffee at the one and only...STARBUCKS!! After we hung out and chatted for a good hour, we ventured outside into the Texas oven (whew! it was mucho hot! I felt like a piece of fish frying on a grill...ew, what a gross analogy.) Here are some pics of us at the cute little stream...

Afterwards, we went to RiceBox and ate some delicious Chinese food...I must admit, I got pretty handy with the little chop-sticks. But I was kinda slow and before I knew it the Truitt's were all finished and looking at me...Grinning sheepishly, I grabbed my fork in the end. :D How do the Chinese do it?? Lol, anyway, it was a lot of fun. Thanks, Megs!!

GREAT video - a total must-see!

www.skitguys.com

Aaaaah...we still don't have the pictures! Yes, yes...we're procrastinators...but when your car decides to croak on you for several weeks, its hard to get 'round (we have a disposable camera...that's why we have to go to walmart to have them developed..don't you dare laugh at our devoted cheapness!). :P Lol, have a good night guys!

Well, I'm still alive! I promise! Sorry for the lack of posts. I should have some though by the end of the week. Pics from my dad's birthday party/father's day party! :)

More Beautiful You Video - By Johny Diaz

Well....

Hopefully I should have a new post by the end of this weekend with some pics!! Finally. But actually, I'll be extremely busy for the next couple of weeks so I probably won't be posting much. Anyway, have a great memorial weekend!! :)

"We are one body of Christ."

So I just finished reading this book Tortured For His Faith by Haralan Popov. It was very intense and violent and my heart just ached for these Christian prisoners who are/were treated so inhumanly. But I was just in awe of how the pastor (Popov), enduring the most torturous treatments, and yet remained strong and continued to use every single opportunity to share the Gospel. Literally, every opportunity (including in solitary confinement)! During the last chapter of the 160 page book written from Bulgaria, Popov spoke directly to us Christians in the free countries of the world.

"My mission among you in the Free World is to awaken the conscience of the Christians in the Free World to the suffering and needs of our fellow-Christians behind the Iron Curtain....whether in Bulgaria or Russia or America, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, children of the same God. Yet that part of the Body of Christ in the Communist countries are being tortured, imprisoned and suffering as never before since the days of the martyrs of the Early Church. Can you not feel their pain?....even as this spiritual struggle rages behind the Iron Curtain, as martyrs are dying for their faith, and as true servants of God are arrested and have their children taken away from them for life, yet in the churches of the Free World, one can go for years without hearing one prayer for our suffering brethren in Communist lands! I have spoken around the world on behalf of the Underground Church and I have often asked, "Who here has prayed for the suffering Christians of the Underground Church?" Always the answer is almost no one! It is a shame on the conscience of all free Christians. We from communist lands are your brothers and sisters in Christ. We are one body of Christ."

It made me feel incredibly guilty and I am now determined to include our fellow Christians in communist countries in my prayers. I encourage you all to do so as well! A great website to visit is http://www.persecution.com/. I also am wanting to begin collecting Bibles to send to communist countries somehow. I'm not sure where exactly I will send them yet, but I will. Any ideas/thoughts? Also, think about this... Obama is wanting to cut off all Christian talk radio stations. How much longer will he, or future Presidents, allow Bibles to be sold in stores? We can't know. It could be very soon. He's already told the world we are no longer a Christian nation. Shouldn't that be a hint? I'm thinking we all need to start collecting Bibles, even if they're simply paper-backed Bibles at Dollar Tree (because even so, they're still God's Word), to be prepared for when we may not be allowed to have them. What are your thoughts???

Warning: this is an amazing, intense, touching video that will leave you with your heart thunderring in your chest. But it is scary and it is dramatic. But hurry and share this with your friends - both believers and unbelievers. I don't know how much longer it will be on youtube. Last time I checked, it wasn't on Tangle. They took it off. Interesting, don't you think? I had watched this video several months back and it left a huge impact on me. I recommend it, but bring a box of tissues with you. This is why we just can't put off sharing the gospel. It is so important that we get the Word out as fast as possible...while we still have that freedom. And I'm speaking for myself as I'm writing this all. We need to become bold and fearless Christians who will eagerly witness at any opportunity! Just rememberr our main assignment as Followers of Christ - to spread the Word!!!!!

Our day at the pond

Well, the other day we decided to take a trip to the pond to see how deep it was after the non-stop downpour of rain we've been having for what seems like months. And we were shocked to see how much it had changed. Eagerly, Jace and I decided we were going for a swim, soon joined by Jammer and Olivian (for about two seconds :D). Here's a "before" picture of the pond:

After! Amazing, isn't it?

Headed to our doom....

Jace found this turtle near the pond. Actually, we've found several turtles recently. I guess they're starting to come out. They're really cute.

And remember when I wrote about the snake we found? Here's a picture of it...(yes it is deceased :P). Kane was just itching to have himself a little snack. Hehe.

Oh no. According to Slice of Laodicea, Miss CA has turned out to not be so great as we all thought. This is so sad. www.sliceoflaodicea.com.

So we're now the new terroists.

According to the DHS secretary, Janet Napolitano, people who are military veterans, who purchase legal firearms and ammunition, Christians and Catholics who believe in the "end-times' prophesy", those who are pro-life, pro-marriage, those who aren't falling for this whole new globalism or "new world order" deal, and who basically don't have a problem with speaking out on how they believe are now considered "the real terrorists of this nation". Not those who blew up and killed thousands and thousands of Americans, but us. Those of us who believe in any of the previous could be monitored and profiled by the FBI. Guys, this is serious! We cannot allow this to happen. We need to speak out on this. We can't just sit here, living in la-la land, and let persecution of Christians begin. Because once we let this go, imagine what will happen next? This isn't about considering yourself "political", but standing up for your faith. We're watching all of our liberties and freedoms of this awesome country be thrown out of the window. They're trashing the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Association, and basically everything! They do not have the right to throw away our Constitution. We can't just sit here and not do anything. The website "No Political Profiling" is encouraging us to add our name to the petition that is demanding Napolitano to be fired (or at least resign) for what she said, an apology from Obama, and for them to take back this claim that we are the real "terrorists". We all must sign!

Obama's 100 Days of Change

Update on my prayer request

We've just heard today from our other neighbor that Mr. K's cancer has spread to his brain. The lung cancer went into his bone and is now in his brain. We are afraid he may only have a month at the most to life. It is so sad!! Please keep he and his wife in your prayers!!

Swine Flu

So apparently there is a new strain of swine flu that has killed as many as 81 and sickened more than 1,324 in Mexico and has spread to the United States and is raising fears of a possible pandemic! Fabulous, huh? This influenza is some sort of respiratory disease of pigs from the 1930s. But somehow it is spreading to humans, most cases happening with those who've had direct contact with the hogs. I guess after that it spreads from human to human. Supposedly, there are only eight Americans who are infected, but my dad thinks there are more than that, according to the talk show he listens to on the radio. But what baffles me is why in the world we are not closing the borders when we KNOW this disease can be deadly. It makes zero sense! I just desperately hope this influenza dies down soon before it gets too fatal!

Our Adventures... :D

Well, guess what happened to me yesterday? So we're walking back from the pond (haha, yeah, we were swimming :D), with the boys in front with our dog Kane. Suddenly, Jace shouts, "Kane!! No!! Snake!!" Kane decided to "get into it" with the biggest snake I've seen in person (it was like two or three feet long!). I was terrified, thinking it was a rattler and Kane was going to get bit. So I start screaming hysterically for Kane to get away and let go of the snake (yeah, by now he had the creature in its mouth, jerking it back and forth). For about thirty seconds, this continues. I yell at the three little ones to go back to the RV and Jace grabs a hatchet. Finally, Kane flings the snake towards Jace and he begins to...um...destroy it with the axe. After the snake is decapitated, we're able to stop shaking. We ended up dragging the snake (uh, Jace picked the thing up, not me) home in a bin, with Kane trotting happily alongside us, proud of his prize. But we're still not sure what kind it was...thankfully, it wasn't a rattler. Maybe a bullsnake? Lol! Just thought you might want that little piece of our adventures! :D But hey, I'd rather take a snake than a spider. UGH!!!

Beauty Queen Stands Up For Sanctity Of Marriage!!

I don't watch Miss USA TV shows normally, but I saw on the news today Miss California (not sure of her real name) being interviewed on NBC for remarks she made during the show. Apparently a judge asked her what was her thoughts on gay marriages, considering Vermont was now the fourth state to accept it. She didn't even hesitate but stood up straight and said with a smile, "I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anyone out here. But that is how I believe and that is how I was raised." During the interview, Matt whats-his-face inquired why she didn't just give a more mutual answer...not such a straight answer. She answered saying something about how it didn't matter what the judges thought of her in that aspect, but what God would think. (That wasn't verbatim, but I just can't seem to remember what exactly she said.) She was so gracious and sweet about it too...not condescending or judgemental. Let's hear it for our sister-in-Christ! Isn't it awesome to hear of Christians who are standing up for what they believe in no matter the consquences?