Let a wife make the husband glad to come home, and let the husband make his wife sad to see him leave ~ Martin Luther

Maybe you have noticed that I have not been blogging much.  Then again, I think my readership has shrunk over the months and not many have noticed.  That is okay even though I would love to have a vibrant blog that many flock to.  I blog not for others but for the Lord.  I have however, had a hard time blogging as of late.  My life in many ways is going very well, I am loving where the Lord has brought us, and I am blessed abundantly.  My heart has also had many things burden it lately and it carries great sadness.  I have also been learning along this journey that many who say they care, really are merely just speaking words not expressing true concern.  I think that is what hurts the most.  It is hard when you are lonely even though you are surrounded by so many.  It is hard when you feel you must carry burdens alone when surrounded by Christian brothers and sisters.  When you cannot even share prayer requests for fear of  gossip and persecution.  Alas, that is where I find myself in life in this stage of the game.  It is sad when you feel that even the joys of your life are not joys to others.  I am thankful for a husband and children  who can show true love, compassion, joy, and companionship.  I am thankful for a Savior who will never leave me or forsake me.   I am thankful for a changeless Savior.  I am thankful that he is available and willing to share in my burdens, griefs, and even joys and gladness.  I only wish those of his church were more like him!

I would say both a vacation and a field trip!  After all the best vacations are ones in which you see something new and learn something new.  This past week we went to the Kenai Peninsula.  We visited the port town of Seward.  We had not been camping in five long years and it was time!  We camped out in a few yurts at the Seward Military Resort.

On the way we stopped at the Crow Creek Gold Mine.  It is still a functioning and active gold mine and we went down to the river to pan for gold.  Three of us actually found gold in the fast moving creek that flows from the mine!

In Seward we walked along the pier,

watched sea lions and otters play in the ocean while we wandered the beach,

took in the beauty of a waterfall,

and hiked a bit in the rain forest.

We also visited the Sea Life Center

and stopped at Mile Zero on the Iditarod Trail.

We watched men weigh and fillet their catches (one caught a 115 pound halibut)!  I hope my hubby catches a huge barn door halibut next week-end when he goes deep sea fishing!

We also visited Exit Glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park. It was a great hiking trail and there is nothing like the refreshing cool breeze coming from a glacier after a good hike, especially when you just carried the baby in the backpack up the mountain! It was beautiful!

We would finish our nights with dinner cooked over an open fire, except for one evening when we ate on the pier. We would finish our evening with either a visit to the creamery or s’mores.

On our way home we stopped in Hope, Alaska. There is really nothing in Hope. The population numbers 147. It is a GREAT place though if you want to take some photos. If you like old school houses and log homes with a great view in the background, Hope is the place to go!

After getting home, we visited Thunderbird Falls. It was a very well maintained path, we could have even taken the stroller. I kind of wish we had! It is nice having waterfalls only minutes from the house! We had a great hike but did the mosquito dance the whole way! We forgot the repellent! NEVER again will that happen. I have mosquito bites on my mosquito bites!

We ended the week with a midnight BBQ! That is just something you need to do if you live in Alaska! It was a lot of fun and many of us were beginning to feel our age! LOL Only it was overcast and drizzly so it was actually kind of dark! Oh well, maybe next time we will have better weather. It was still a lot of fun!

Still on the theme of marriage and the church:

Ephesians Chapter 5:

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. [1] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Now that we have read some scripture on the matter, consider the following quote I found over the weekend. I long for your thoughts and discussion afterwards.

It is possible (but not right) for baptized believers to act in their lives as though the gospel were not true. How many conservative husbands are outraged if some liberal preacher says that Jesus did not rise from the dead, when their daily treatment of their wives makes the same statement? At least the liberal only states his heresy occasionally. (Douglas Wilson, Reformed Is Not Enough, p. 168)

While we are here in Alaska we want to take full advantage of all of the fun things to do here.  We are beginning to plan out what we want to do to fill our many hours of daylight.  We plan on enjoying every moment of warm weather too!  Hubby has a lot of leave to take so we are going to be getting out and exploring.  Here is a list of things we are thinking about doing.

• Host Staff BBQ (something we tend to do almost every year)
• Native Alaskan Heritage Center
• Alaska Experience Theater
• Hiking at Bird Point
• Visit Portage Glacier
• Visit Matanuska Glacier
• Watch the Beluga whales and hopefully see some Orca too.
• Drive to Valdez, catch the ferry to Homer, drive to Kenai to stay with friends and go dip-netting for Salmon.
• Take a close peak at Mt. Redoubt too!  :0)
• Visit Seward and the aquarium
• Visit Denali National Park
• Probably a few visits to the Conservation Center
• Go blueberry picking in Whittier
• Probably a few visits to the Eagle River Nature Center
• Bear Paw Festival
• A train ride–maybe the one to Denali or the one in Talkeetna
• Musk Ox Farm

Anyone who knows Alaska have any other great ideas for what we can do?  What do you have planned for the summer?

My birthday was last week.  Thank you to all of you who extended birthday wishes and blessings.  I posted a little about my birthday on facebook but realized that I really didn’t say much here on the blog.  Since I have had some of you asking, here is my birthday post. 

 Hubby took me out to a great dinner at the Glacier Brew House in Anchorage.  It was soooo delicious!  If you are ever in Anchorage, it is a great place to go!  Hubby bought me a Norwegian sweater from a little shop in downtown Anchorage.  He brought me some carnations and the most beautiful cake!  Chocolate of course!  My eldest daughter also took me shopping and bought me a new outfit.  She is so thoughtful!

Do not pass this up!  Christian Audio is offering Dr. Whitney’s book Spiritual Disciplines (audio form) for free in month of March. This is a great book and one that has been in our library for years. My hubby personally knows Dr. Whitney and can attest to the character and love for God he has seen displayed in his life.  Dr. Whitney was one of my hubby’s seminary professors.  This is one of hubby’s favorite books as well.  I highly recommend that you take advantage of this offer and go download your free audio version of the book today!
Here is a snippet from Dr. Whitney’s site about this great book.

It’s not uncommon for an accomplished musician to be able to sit down in front of a new piece of music and play it though without a hitch. It seems easy, as if playing required no effort. Yet, the ‘freedom’ to play with such skill comes only after years of disciplined practice.

In the same way, the freedom to grow in godliness–to naturally express Christ’s character through your own personality–is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines.

Far from being legalistic, restrictive, or binding, as they are often perceived, the spiritual disciplines are actually the means to unparalleled spiritual liberty..

I thought it was about time for a baby update. Things seem to be going well this pregnancy. I just went yesterday for a second glucose test and am not awaiting those results. I had been feeling a bit concerned about the lack of movement that I was feeling but just about the time I was going to call the doctor the baby moved. The baby seems to be moving more now that I am drinking more water. I am trying but water is just not my most favorite thing to drink. I hit 31 weeks tomorrow. As of my last appointment two weeks ago, the baby has a strong heartbeat and is growing right on track. It is really hard trying to type this with out automatically using the he/she

We are clearing our shelves. We have many books for sale, some homeschooling and some ministry books. Most are in like new condition. We prefer paypal non-credit but will accept other forms of payment as well. I hope these can be of use to someone.

Here is the list:

• Jesus Fact or Fiction DVD Never Opened $5
• After the Fall DVD $3
• Developing the Leader within You : John Maxwell $5
• The Empowered Leader : Calvin Miller $5
• Following in You Footsteps, How to Pass on Your Faith to your Children: Focus on the Family book and cassette $10
• What on Earth am I Here For? :Rick Warren pamphlet and DVD $5
• The Teaching Ministry of Church: Eldridge $5
• Church Administration Effective Leadership for Ministry: Charles Tidwell $5
• Christian Worship 2nd Edition: Segler & Bradley $8
• The Educational Ministry of a Church: Charles Tidwell $8
• Customs & Controversies, Intertestamental Jewish backgrounds of the New Testament : J. Julius Scott Jr. $8
• Christian Education Handbook: Bruce Powers $8
• Introducing the New Testament: Archibald Hunter $4
• Rick Warren Saddleback Ministries study on Book of 1st Thessalonians Volume 1 and Volume 2. Each contains 8 student books and a VHS (2 sets of each) $8 each
• After the Boxes are unpacked: Susan Miller $3
• 1st Corinthians Life Application Bible Studies $2
• Choices on Morality: Serendipity Youth $2
• Connect With God, Sermon on the Mount :Bill Haybels $2
• Sermon Ideas: Johnny Hunt $2
• Timely Answers to Key Questions, selected parables unique to Luke: Frank Pollard $2
• Live for the Future Now, 1-2 Thessalonians: Michael Martin $2
• Joshua, courage for the Future :Waylon Bailey $2
• How to Live by Faith in a Secular World, leader guide and 2 student, book of James $8
• Our Christian Hope, leader guide and student avid Dockery $8
• Shall We Dance, dance and drama in worship: Brian Edwards $2
• Down Range to Iraq & Back : Bridgette C. Cantrell & Chuck Dean (2 copies) $5 each
• He said Press, hearing Go through Grief (10 week Bible study) Patty Mccarthy Broderick $5
• Introduction to Pastoral Care: Charles Gerkin $5
• Transformational Discipleship: Barry Sneed & Roy Edgemon $5
• Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: Jim Anderson $5
• When Duty Calls, guide to equip service members & loved ones for military separation: Carol Vandesteeg $5
• Rick Warren, Better Together 40 days of community $5
• Heroes at Home, help & hope for America’s military families: Ellie Kay $5
• Money Talks: O.S. Hawkins$3
• Barnes Notes: 14 Volumes, practically new! Albert Barnes and James Murphy wrote this 14-volume commentary on the entire Bible (KJV), verse-by-verse from Genesis through Revelation. Published in the 1800s, it is still well-loved and well-read by evangelicals who appreciate Barnes’ pastoral insights. $100 PPD
• Abingdons Reproducible Maps Old & New Testaments, laminated $8
• Saxon Phonics Intervention (video, Teachers, Student kit and workbook, masters) $50 PPD
• Youth Builders Group Study: The word on sex, drugs, & Rock-n-Roll:Jim Burns $2
• Group Growers, 183 youth activities $4
• Fresh Power: Cymbala $4
• Youth ministries in small Churches 28 involving activities: Rick Chromey $4
• Jubilate II Church Music in Worship & Renewal: Donald Hustad $8
• Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry: Mark Senter III $3
• Creative Bible Studies: Dennis Benson $5
• Violence, the desensitized Generation: Debbie Harned & Jimmy Myers $4
• Basic Student Ministry: Dwayne Ulmer $4
• Revival: John Avant, Malcom McDow, Alvin Reid $4
• Layman’s Bible Book Commentary set volumes 1-24 (Broadman) $45 PPD