Don't Stop Believing...

People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn't stop you from having your own opinion.

                                                                                                                          ~Anne Frank

I Feel So Lucky!

According to legend, each leaf of the four-leafed clover represents something. The first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.

Very Interesting...

A few nights ago some of the homeschool families in the area met for a “family night” to fellowship with each other. Some of us who were still in school had display boards and presentations. On the spur of the moment, I decided to make a display board on ASL since I was also going to be signing to a song.

Since I didn’t have as many resources (and hardly any time) it wasn’t as good as last year’s project. But I was able to find out some really interesting facts.

• Approximately 2-3 of every 1,000 infants are born deaf or hard-of-hearing.
• 34 million Americans have a significant hearing loss; of these, almost 6 million are profoundly deaf.
• 93% of deaf children are born into hearing families – only 7% are born into deaf families.
• Men are more likely to have hearing trouble.
• Gallaudet University is the first liberal arts college for the deaf.
• The huddle formation used in football originated from Gallaudet to prevent other schools from reading their signs.
• ASL is the third most used language in the United States.
• Presidents Ford and Carter used the “I love you” sign in the 1976 presidential campaign.
• Most of the actors in silent movies (1800’s – 1920’s) were deaf or had deaf parents. It allowed them to show better facial expressions and gestures.
• Scuba divers often use sign language underwater.
• Nationally, deaf people have safer driving records that hearing people.
• Statistics have shown that deaf people live longer that hearing people.
• Deaf people do not feel like they are disabled in any way – they can do anything except hear.

The Great Invitation

Since I've been anxious to have a guest post to publish, my cousin, Dakota has agreed to be the first. Be sure to check out his Christian devotion blog for devoted Christians, "A Look at Life from a Deer Stand".

Over the years we’ve come to label many things in Scripture as great. There’s the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), the Great Commandment (Leviticus 19:18; James 2:8), the Great Flood (Genesis 6-9), the Great Physician (Mark 2:17), and, of course, the Great I Am (Exodus 3:14). And while nobody can deny that these are all “great” verses, one passage of Scripture stands out in my mind above the rest as some of the most beautiful words ever spoken: the Great Invitation in Matthew 11. It is in these verses that Christ not only puts into perspective the weight and bondage of sin, but actually shows us the way out by promising rest to all who put their faith in Him.

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

                      -Matthew 11:28-30

As Matthew Henry wonderfully put it in his famous commentary on the Bible, “All those, and those only, are invited to rest in Christ, that are sensible of sin as a burden, and groan under it; that are not only convinced of the evil of sin, of their own sin, but are contrite in soul for it; that are really sick of their sins.”* It is that place to which we all must come – where we are actually sickof sin and the burden it brings – before the significance of this Great Invitation can really begin to sink in. In other words, if we fail to see that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), then we’ll be unlikely to show even the slightest interest in an offer of redemption from it. On the other hand, however, those who experience Godly sorrow because of their sin (2 Corinthians 7:10) and recognize its destructive nature will joyfully respond by “casting their burden upon the Lord.” (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7)

Like the tree in my photo, sin leaves a person nearly broken under its weight. It leaves them frozen, lifeless, and barely able to make it from day to day. Yet in this truly Great Invitation, God has shown us a better way that is free from sin’s burden and penalty - a way of life and salvation that is accessible to all who call upon His name (Romans 10:13). Those who travel it, no longer having a burden to carry, can do as was written by the prophet Isaiah and“…mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) After all, they will have nothing to weigh them down anymore.

*Matthew Henry’s Commentary in One Volume , Page 1,262

"The Great Invitation"
By Dakota

Guest Posts

I’m happy to say that everything is ready to start publishing guest posts! You can click the link on my sidebar or below to view the rules and send in a submission. I will publish a post or picture by one of my followers each month, most likely on the first Saturday.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to ask by leaving a note.

Enter Your Guest Post/Picture Here!