Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 30.

Wow! I can't believe this is the last day of Attitude of Gratitude, but I am so excited to share with you the number 1 thing I'm most grateful for: JESUS CHRIST. One of my favorite chapters in the Bible that talks about Jesus is Colossians 1:12-20. "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And his is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."  I'm so glad that reconciliation is through the blood of Jesus and that He reconciles us unto himself.
If you have a favorite verse you're thankful for, I would love to hear it!
I'm so so so grateful He saved my soul, and He made me whole. Aren't you?? And here's one more passage I just thought of that I really like: Colossians 2:6-7 "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

I really hope ya'll have enjoyed these 30 days of Thankfulness. I know I have! So many days I have counted the blessings the Lord has blessed me with- the ones I usually take for granted. But it is so important to give thanks for everything, as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 states: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 

Saying of the week:
Here's the Bible verse of the week: Romans 5:1-6 (*Romans chapter 5 is one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. :) 
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." 
And since we are all ungodly, Christ died for everyone!!! And for that, I am so grateful. :) 
I hope you all have an awesome, good and godly week!

Saved by grace and grace alone,
Ashley

Attitdue of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 29.

I am thankful for:

• The Heavens. I always think of Psalms 19:1 which says "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." Here's a creation moment that talks about the heavens declaring the glory of the Lord.

Creation Corner. The Heavens Declare the Glory of God.
Genesis 1:16 "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also."

Astronomers who believe in evolution tell us that the stars formed when gas in a nebula began to gather due to gravity. Eventually, that gravity became strong enough to collapse the gas into a star.

Astronomers who believe in creation point out that this is unlikely, if not impossible. As we all know, compressed gas wants to expand by moving to areas of lower pressure. A cloud of gas that was large enough to begin compressing under gravity would begin to rotate faster. Magnetic forces would also increase. The increase in pressure, magnetic forces and centrifugal forces would overcome the forces of gravity, preventing the formation of a star.

At the same time, blue stars are common in the arms of the galaxies we can see. These stars are considered young because they burn their fuel so fast that they could only last a few million evolutionary years. On the evolutionary scale, they must have formed long after the Big Bang. The number of blue stars would then indicate to an evolutionist that star formation is common. Yet, as we have seen, the forces at work to form a star in this way make these stars either unlikely or younger than millions of years.

Perhaps God created the blue stars to serve as a clear indicator to scientists that He created the stars fairly recently.
 creationmoments.com

• Birthdays. I like celebrating other people's birthdays alot, especially my family's. And speaking of that, my daddy's birthday is coming up in a couple days. So, please leave him some birthday wishes in the comment box! :)  
• The Beach. I love going to the beach in the mornings, watching the sunrise come up, taking walks on the beach and floating in the ocean on an inner tube. I also like looking for snails and fish, and taking pictures of the scenery. 

 Do you have a favorite birthday memory? Do you like going to the beach?

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 28.

I am thankful for:

• Operation Christmas Child. Every year, we fill shoeboxes with toys, candy, socks, and other accessories. We take them to one of Operation Christmas Child's pickup places, and Operation Christmas Child takes the shoeboxes to kids in other countries. They share the gospel with the children and distributed the shoeboxes. We have done it for several years, and it's so much fun packing them and knowing that little children will be blessed and they will hear the gospel.
• Fall time.  I have 2 favorite times of the year, and Fall is one of them. :) Here's a creation moment about plants knowing when it's Fall.

Creation Corner. How Do Plants Know It's Fall?
1 Corinthians 15:37-38 "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body."       

In the fall the plants and trees of much of the Earth's northern hemisphere prepare for winter. Flowers lose their petals, and the leaves fall from trees as the air begins to become cooler. But there is far more to this change in the plants than simply a response to lower temperatures.

Many, if not most, plants measure the relative length of darkness to light in a 24-hour day to tell them to prepare for winter. In a similar way, they measure the relative length of light to darkness to tell them to prepare for spring. Other living plants seem to integrate time and temperature to prepare for the seasonal change. Apple buds, for example, need 1,000 to 1,400 hours of near-freezing temperatures before they even think about spring.

When winter finally arrives, we may wake up to what is a white and seemingly sterile world. It is then hard to believe that the plants and trees are out there sleeping while measuring time and temperature to be awake again in the spring.

It is no less a mystery to all of us that one day the dead will rise and believers will spend eternity with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yet, life rising so gloriously out of the apparent dead of winter shows a similar power of our Creator on a smaller scale.

• The Solar System.  I think what amazes me the most about our Solar System is how big it is. Here's a creation moment about our Solar System.

Creation Corner. Has a Solar System Like Ours Been Discovered?

Psalms 8:3-4b"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?"       

We have all heard reports of astronomers claiming that they have discovered a planet orbiting some nearby star. Each announcement results in speculation about whether there is intelligent life on the newly discovered planet. Lost is the fact that some planets are larger than Jupiter and made of gas. Scientists discover these planets by studying hundreds of telescopic pictures of a suspect star to see if

there may be a tiny wobble in its position. A single-motion wobble is explained by the existence of one orbiting planet, meaning that this solar system does not have multiple planets like ours does.
  
That situation changed with an announcement in April 1999. Two teams of researchers announced that they had discovered three planets orbiting nearby star Upsilon Andromedae. However, this solar system is not like ours either. The inner planet is so close to the star that it is hotter than Mercury – no life there. The second planet's orbit takes it close to the star, then swings wide away from it. Such an orbit would provide temperature conditions far too erratic for life like that on Earth. The third planet is too far from Upsilon Andromedae and, thus, too cold to provide a home for life like ours.
   Our solar system is not a result of chance but has been uniquely designed for life by a loving Creator. Not only is Earth's distance from the sun just right for life, but its orbit provides the even, moderate conditions that life requires.

Creationmoments.com                 
What's your favorite season? What amazes you most about the Solar System?

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 27.

I am thankful for:

• Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I hope ya'll had a wonderful time with family and friends, as we celebrated all the many blessings God has bestowed upon us. Even though our nation celebrates Thanksgiving once a year, we can always have thanksgiving because we have so much to be thankful for. Our hearts should always be full of gratitude to the One who laid His life down for us.
• Movie Making. When our friends were here, we attempted to make a movie of a reenactment of the first Thanksgiving. We only got 1 scene done, and some bloopers. :) Hopefully, we can finish it on Saturday. :) I wasn't in the movie because I was videotaping. I love making movies! Just not acting in them. :) lol
• Prayer. Speaking of prayer, I have a prayer request. If you don't mind, please pray for our friends (the Nicholas family) who have 4 kids. Their dad had 2 tumors in his brain. One was removed, and one was tested, which turned out being cancerous. He was diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors are giving him the best medicine and treatment to help him. Please pray for Mr. Nicholas to get all better, and for his wife and children, as this is a very difficult time.

Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."


Here's a really pretty song. My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness. Click here to listen to it.


What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Do you have any family traditions? Do you like making movies?

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 26.

I am thankful for:

• Clocks. Not only do we have clocks to tell us the time, but we also have clocks in our bodies. :) Here's a creation moment that explains it.

Creation Corner. The Brains' Master Clock.
Daniel 2:21 "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding."
Our bodies have many different rhythms. For example, your body temperature and your blood pressure cycle throughout the 24-hour day. Other body rhythms complete their cycle in 7 days or 28 days, and so on.










Some bodily rhythms are controlled through the hypothalamus, some by the pituitary gland, but there are other glands that control the rhythms of other organs. This arrangement sounds sort of like standing in a room with hundreds of clocks ticking away. And to make matters worse, each clock goes off on its own time-none are set to the same time. It could be a confusing mess.
But now it has been learned that the brain has one master clock that coordinates all the other clocks in the body. This master clock goes by the initials SCN. It was once thought that the hypothalamus did this work. But the hypothalamus is just an assistant to the SCN. Together they turn out a bewildering array of chemical signals for the rest of the body so that everything keeps humming along in fine order. So here we have one more example of the intricate and wise design of our loving Creator and how He leaves no detail of life to chance. If He can do this, He certainly wants you to bring all the details of your life to Him as well.

• Spending time with my grandma. I went over to my grandma's house to make apple pies. We made 3 pies: two for Thanksgiving, and one for my papa. We made them all crumb tops. Apple pie is my favorite!!
• A house to clean. You know what, so many people complain about how much stuff they have in their house. I agree some people have too much stuff in their houses, but I think we should be thankful we have stuff to get rid of. Lots of people in the world would love to have the things we do, and a lot of the time, it's just taken for granted.

                     What kind of pie is your favorite? Think about it.

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankfu LHeart Day 25.

I am thankful for:

• One nation under God. The founding fathers founded this great country upon God and the Bible. God blessed our nation because we sought Him, but sadly, people are not seeking Him with their whole hearts.
• Our brain. Our brain is so wonderfully amazing, created by an all-loving Saviour. Here's a creation moment that talks about the brain.

Creation Corner. Smart Brain.
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” 

The human brain is the most complex arrangement of matter in the universe, and modern brain research is adding to this wonder.

But medical researchers are learning that if the part of the brain that controls your left hand, for example, is damaged beyond repair, other parts of the brain will take over for the injured part. This doesn’t always

happen automatically, however. It takes effort on your part. If you don’t use the hand, the brain won’t work very hard to reassign its function to another part of the brain. It also works the other way. Even if the brain isn’t damaged, failure to use your left arm will result in a shrinkage of the brain area that controls it. So pianists, for example, will have a growth in the area of the brain controlling their skills, if they practice.

These discoveries fill us with more wonder over the incredible abilities of the brain. But they also tell us something about ourselves. We are not, as many think, locked into certain bad habits or sins. We are learning that the transformation of our minds by God’s power is not only something that happens spiritually – physical changes take place in our brains as a result of our behavior. Is your mind being transformed by the power of God, or is it being conformed to the world?

 creationmoments.com

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have A Thankful Heart- Day 24

I am thankful for:

• Pianos. I love playing the piano!
• Violins. My little sister plays the violin! It's a great instrument to minster with. I mean, the piano is a good instrument to minister with too, but you can take the violin anywhere. You can't just pack up your piano and take it with you.  :)
• Xylophones. I would love to play the xylophone! It looks kind of like a piano, and I think it makes such a cool sound. :)

Psalms 100:1-2 "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing."

Do you play any instruments? What's your favorite instrument? Leave a comment and tell me!

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 23.

Today I am thankful for:

• Yard sales. I love going to yard sales! Recently, I helped a neighbor have a benefit yard sale to raise money for her child. You can find awesome deals at them!
• Glasses. I am so blessed to have good eyesight. I know people who have to wear glasses, and it's such a blessing they have them. Without glasses it would be very difficult to function. Some people would have a hard time reading labels and prescription bottles. I guess the labels would have to be much bigger.
• Sayings of the week.

 


















Scripture of the week: Romans 4: 19-25
"And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom is shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

Your assignment for this week is: to read Romans chapter 4. You may have noticed by now, that I am going through Romans and writing verses from it for my Bible verses of the week. Leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite verse in Romans chapter 4 is. :) My favorite one is verse 5- "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."                                             

Believing on the One who has justified me,
Ashley                                   

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 22.

Today, I am thankful for:

• Arms and hands. Our Tae Kwon Do teacher told us a story about this missionary who went to some tribes. Sometimes, tribes would have a tribal war against each other, and they one tribe would ask the other tribe "Do you like long sleeves or short sleeves?" If they answered short sleeves, the other tribe would cut off their arms right below their shoulders. If they answered long sleeves, their wrists would be cut off. This missionary and a lot of his tribe were in a house singing to God. He looked around the room and saw lots of people who had said either short sleeves or long sleeves. Then he saw a man who was raising his stubs to heaven, praising God and singing. The missionary thought "If that man, who has no arms, is praising God, surely I can find more things to thank God for."
• Malls. Even though I hardly ever go to the mall, I am thankful that they are available. Here's a creation moment that kind of corresponds with this.

Creation Corner. Today's Creation Moment: Did King David Go to the Mall?
1 Kings 20:34 "And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away."       

Did King David go to the mall? Malls or shopping areas are hugely popular today. Archaeologists are now asking whether shopping malls originated in the 11th century BC.

Archaeologists have long speculated on the purpose of the buildings they call tripartite pillared buildings. These were long, rectangular buildings that were divided into thirds by two interior rows of pillars. Thirty five of these buildings have been found at 12 sites. Some thought they were storehouses. Others suggested they were stables. 

Their size and the thickness of the walls made it clear to archaeologists that these were not private homes. Nor has a used household bowl ever been found in one. But many new, unused vessels – including lamps which have no soot – have been found in them. In addition, evidence of high windows has been found at one site. Based on this and other evidence, one archaeologist has suggested that these buildings were, in fact, marketplaces such as those described in 1 Kings 20:34. They originated in the land that Benhadad ruled.  

David could have gone to the mall, for the Philistines had them. But King Ahab appears to have been active in getting malls built in Judah! Perhaps those people three thousand years ago were not so different from us today.

creationmoments.com

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 21

I am thankful for:

• Our pool. We loved swimming in it when it was summertime, but we have stopped swimming in it since it has gotten cooler out.
• Clean water. Many countries don't have clean water to drink. People drink dirty water and get sick. We are very blessed to have clean water to drink without getting sick from it. I thought of a creation moment that talks about a water bug.

Creation Corner. He Walks on Water.
Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."       

Whenever water is in contact with air, one of the most delicate structures in the universe is created. That structure is called surface tension. Surface tension is created because water molecules touching the air move just a little bit closer to one another, forming a delicate "skin" on the water.

The water strider is one of the very few insects that can actually walk upon this delicate and extremely thin "skin" formed by surface tension. However, should he need to, he can dive right through it. Each of his six legs ends in a foot looking something like a snowshoe that spreads his weight on the water surface. The bottom of each foot is covered with sensitive hairs and a tiny oil gland to prevent the hairs from getting wet. Those hairs are also very sensitive to vibrations so that the water strider knows who is beneath him as he skates across the surface. Unlike most other insects, the strider is actually covered with hairs, and these provide for flotation when he dives for food.

Only the Creator of all things could have known about surface tension and design a creature that can literally walk on water. Doesn't He deserve our worship and praise, especially since He did not even spare the life of His only Son to save us when we were lost to Him?

• Our lungs. We should all be thankful for lungs. Without them, we wouldn't be living. (Actually, without a lot of our organs, and without God, we wouldn't be alive.) Here's a creation moment about the amazing lungs.

Creation Corner. Vacuum Cleaner Lungs.

Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."       

The air we breathe has always been filled with dust particles. And whether it is dust blown off the ground, smoke particles, or tiny particles of fabric or even paper in the house, these particles find their way deep into our lungs.

In His wisdom, our Creator has provided us with tiny, but effective "vacuum cleaners" in our lungs that collect and remove the particles that enter the lungs. These "vacuum cleaner" cells are actually a specific type of macrophage. They work in the deepest part of the lung, reaching out with tubular extensions to engulf any particle in much the same way that an amoeba eats. This "vacuum cleaner" essentially eats the particles it finds, and every one of these "vacuum cleaner" cells can clean an area forty times its own size.

Scientists say that they still do not fully understand whether certain particles, like poisonous heavy metals, affect the working of these cells. They suspect that certain particles may prevent these "vacuum cleaners" from effectively doing their work.

Though science has known about macrophages for over a century, scientists are only just beginning to learn how these cells actually clean the lungs. We can be very thankful that we have a Creator Who is not only clever enough to think of our need, but wise enough to know how to design a solution.

creationmoments.com

Well, that's all for today!
                                                      What are you thankful for?

 

 

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 20.

Hello fellow bloggers and friends, (those who don't blog :)
I am thankful for:

• God's Love. When I think of God's love, I think of the song, "The Love of God."
• Justification. Almost every time I hear the word 'justification' I think of "Just if I'd never sinned." Get it? Justified? Just if I'd  never sinned?

 I also think of Romans chapter 5. I like that chapter a lot!

• Rain. After it rains, I like to look for rainbows- God's promise to us that He will never flood the earth again. Speaking of the flood, I just thought of a Creation Moment.

Creation Corner. Today's Creation Moment: New Scientific Evidence for the Flood.
Genesis 7:20 "Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered."       

If there was a great worldwide Flood, as described in Genesis, such a catastrophe certainly should have left obvious evidence of itself all over the world. Scientists who believe in creation say that we are surrounded by these evidences. Many of them also believe that some of the features associated with glaciers can be better explained by a catastrophic flood. While evolutionary scientists scoff at the biblical account of the Flood, they continue to run across evidence of what they take to be huge floods. Now further evidence has been reported of a continental flood.

 

The September 1989, issue of Geology, a scientific professional journal, carried an article about drumlins in northern Saskatchewan. Drumlins are hills that are traditionally associated with glacial activity. When viewed from the air, they resemble eggs lying on their sides, all pointing in the same direction.

Over the last few years, some scientists have proposed that drumlins were formed by large quantities of water running in the same direction. The article in Geology offers yet more evidence for large quantities of water moving over the continental land surfaces. One of the scientists remarked that, "There's nothing in recorded history that matches the size of these floods."

If we consider Genesis to be recorded history, rather than ancient and ignorant myth, there certainly is an historical record of a huge Flood!
creationmoments.com

Just a thought: the Bible offers some other accounts not believed by evolutionary scientists. Should we dismiss all of those because scientists don't believe in them? Such as: "The love of money is the root of all evil", the wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus. Just remember: scientists don't have to believe something for it to be true!

If you know of or can think of any other Bible truths that evolutionary scientists don't believe in, please leave me a comment- I would love to hear your thoughts!!!

*Remember: Don't forget to pray for those people who study science, so that the Master Scientist may be revealed to them.*

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 19.

I am thankful for:

• Languages. I speak English and I am learning Spanish. I know a tiny bit of Sign Language and German. Here is a creation moment that talks about languages

What Languages Did Jesus Speak?
John 7:35b "…will He go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?"
     

What languages did Jesus speak during His ministry on Earth? Of course He spoke Aramaic, since that was the common language of the people He taught. When He read from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, He would have read it in Hebrew. But did Jesus also speak Greek?

Greek was in common use in Israel in the first century. Greek inscriptions are frequently found in Jewish graves from the period. This is evidence that many Jews knew the Greek language. Some scholars point to some of the terms in Jesus' recorded sayings that have Greek origins; however, their arguments are not universally accepted.

But Jesus did grow up in Nazareth, which is in "Galilee of the Gentiles," where Greek as well as Aramaic would have been spoken. Nazareth was only an hour's walk from Sepphoris, where one would have to speak Greek to do business. As scholars point out, Jesus was educated and as a carpenter, He was a skilled artisan. He would have to speak Greek to deal with customers. At one point His disciples wondered whether He would go to teach the Gentiles, a task that would require Greek.

Language is a gift of God. It is through this gift that God gives us the greater gift of His saving Gospel which assures us of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.

• Stars. A lot of times, when I look up into the sky, and see a host of stars, I think of 2 things: 1.) The promise God gave to Abraham in Genesis 15:5- "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now towards heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."  And number 2, I think of Psalms 147:4, which says "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names." Here's another creation moment, which talks about stars.

How Many Stars Are There?

Psalms 147:4-5 “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”       

Most of us have heard that our sun is an average-sized star. Yet, this star churns out more energy every second than we could ever use. Less than one-tenth of one percent of its energy falls on the Earth in any one second. If we could harness only one second’s worth of that energy, we would have more energy than man has used in his entire existence or expects to use for thousands of years into the future!

Some stars are so large that if they sat where our sun is, about 93 million miles away, the Earth would be inside them! Astronomers reckon that there are over one billion stars in our galaxy and over a million galaxies like it in the universe! This means that as incredible as God’s power must be to have created our sun, He actually made over a million times a billion suns! And just think, He did it all in one day and didn’t even rest the next day. Scripture even tells us that He calls each star by name.

All stars are not the same. Some generate huge amounts of energy but are completely invisible to our eyes. Others spin at speeds up to dozens of times per second. Some stars actually flash on and off like giant space beacons. Truly, God’s power, wisdom and creativity are infinite.
creationmoments.com

What are you thankful for today? Leave a comment and tell me! I would love to hear your thoughts!

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 18

I am thankful for:

• Eyes/eyesight. We often take seeing for granted and we don't take time to thank the Lord for the eyes He gave us. My Tae Kwon Do teacher told us that when he was younger, he blindfolded himself, and spent a couple days walking around bumping into things. He said when he took the blindfold off, he had a new appreciation for his eyes.

Here's a creation moment about the amazing eye.
The Incredibly Sensitive Eye.
Job 19:25-27
“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”

The human eye is so incredibly sensitive that it can actually detect a single particle of light – a photon.

The truth is, the human eye is so sensitive that were it not for special features inside the eye that process the billions of pieces of information coming into the eye every split second, we would be overwhelmed. While the eye can detect even one photon of light, it will not pass an image on to your brain until at least six photons strike in the same area of the eye. If this weren’t the case, on a dark night we would see nothing but static, since less than six photons could not be focused into an image and would appear to us as just static.

This special provision makes one wonder if the eye was not designed by an all wise Creator. After all, how could mindless chance and mutations know about the basic laws of physics that control light’s behavior? The range of the eye’s sensitivity is also a million times greater than our modern photographic films, providing us with a dynamic range of 10 billion to one. While the greatest sensitivity is needed on dark nights, an internal control in the eye reduces that sensitivity for bright daylight.

Science doesn’t rule out God at all! Our knowledge of the eye’s working demands the conclusion that we are the creation of a wise and powerful God!

creationmoments.com

• Biblical Reality Glasses. We have watched The Creation Adventure Team: 6 Short Days, 1 Big Adventure! And in the movie, a girl talks about creation in her class. She gives all the students and the teacher Biblical Reality Glasses to put on. Well, now in our house, we put our Biblical Reality Glasses on and we make sure we look at things through the Biblical perspective and see things the way they really are. :) If you would like to watch The Creation Adventure Team: 6 Short Days, 1 Big Adventure, click here. You have to click the next part of the movie once one segment is done. 
• Fellow Believers in Christ.

Just a note: This is my 100th post! I can't believe I have posted that much in 6 months!  What are you thankful for?

Attitude of Grattitude- Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 17

I am thankful for:

• Happiness.  I think of the song "Happiness is the Lord."

Happiness is to know the Savior, 
Living a life within His favor,
 Having a change in my behavior,
Happiness is the Lord.

Happiness is a new creation,
Jesus and me in close relation
Having a part in His salvation,
Happiness is the Lord.

Real joy is mine,
no matter if teardrops start
I've found the secret
It's Jesus in my heart.

 Happiness is to be forgiven,
Living a life that's worth the livin'
Taking a trip that leads to heaven,
Happiness is the Lord.
Click here to listen to the song.

• Family Bible Time. I love doing Bible with my family. It's such a nice and sweet time of fellowship and reading God's Word.
• A healthy body. Health is definitely not something we should take for granted. I am very blessed that I hardly ever get sick.

Happy in the Lord,
Ashley

Attitude of Graitude- Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 16.

I am thankful for:

• Sunday messages. Our pastor preached an awesome message tonight, and he preached a really good communion message last week. I will post some notes about them in the next couple weeks.
• Children's Church. I am so thankful for children's church. So many kids have heard the gospel and received Jesus Christ as their Saviour. I also have the opportunity to play the piano for the children's church, which I really enjoy. :)
• The Nursery. I love working in the nursery! I love holding babies, playing with them, giving them their snack, watching them learn to walk, and watching them grow up. They are such special, precious blessings from the Lord! 

Saying of the week:
 

Bible verse of the week: Romans 4:14-16
"For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all."  

Have an awesome, good and godly week, my friends! 

In the boundless, everlasting, incomprehensible, and glorious love of our King, Christ Jesus,
Ashley

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day15.

I am thankful for: 

• Young Eagles Flying! Young Eagles Flying is an organization of volunteer pilots that take children, up to 17 years of age, for a ride in the sky in their airplanes. My sisters and I had the privilege of taking a ride today. I had a blast. And I got to fly the plane all by myself!  That was super exciting! Here are a few pictures. 

We saw some black birds, and our pilot said we were actually flying higher than they were. :) So cool! 

 

And here's another one...

Here we are, approaching the runway! The landing was smooth and the whole flight was eventful. In the beginning, our pilot asked us if we like roller coasters. Everyone said "yes" and I thought he was going to go upside down. So we had a nice little flight, until I started driving...everybody was checking their seat belts and hanging on for dear life!  Just kidding!!! I was a good driver and didn't do anything crazy. :) 

We were nearing the runway, (we were farther away than we are in the picture) and I asked our pilot if we were going to do some roller coasting. :) Then he went up a little bit higher, and then we dropped a little bit! It made me have a funny feeling when we were dropping down! It almost lifted me out of my seat! (But thankfully, I was wearing a seat belt. :) 

I think it would be cool if I could learn to fly a little plane like the one we were in. Then, if I ever get to be a missionary to a different country, I can fly supplies and Bibles to the people! When I was in the air, looking over the ocean, it reminded me of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, and the rest of the men that flew to Ecuador to bring the gospel to the Auca Indians. Even though they ended up dying, the Aucas still heard and received the gospel because the wives decided they would witness to them. :) And saying all that, it reminded me of Joseph. His brothers sold him as a slave and eventually, God used him to save his whole family. I think of what Joseph said to his brothers after he revealed himself to them in Genesis 50:20: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

• The new bean sprout! Yesterday, I was looking in all my pots to see if there were any sprouts. I was moving some dirt away out of this one little pot, and lo and behold, a green bean sprout! Here's a picture of it.

 

•  This spider's web. I almost ran into this web a couple nights ago. It was cool to see this big web, and then this tiny little spider was in the middle of the web, just waiting. 

 

It was really dark out and I was trying to shine the flashlight on it so I could take a picture of the whole web. 

                  
                                                 Have you ever flown before? 

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart. Day 14

Yeah! I am finally up to date on my posts! I have been so busy with school, so that's why I haven't been able to post everyday. It has been more like, every other day. :)
I am thankful for:

• Weekends! I think my favorite days of the week are Saturday and Sunday. Everybody needs a break off of school or work sometime! I'm glad we have a day set apart where we can worship God, go to church, and just relax from the business of life.
• Restaurants. I think my favorite fast-food restaurant is Chick-fil-a!  I also love breakfast places, such as Morning Glory Cafe.  (It's a cafe near us, and I love their breakfast...though, I haven't eaten there in a long time. 
• Raw cow milk. I had some raw cow milk recently, and it was a little different than what I'm used to. It was creamy. :)

                                           What's your favorite day of the week? 
                                                What's your favorite restaurant? 
                                Have you ever had raw cow milk? Do you like it? 

Have a lovely, good and godly night!
Walking with the King,
Ashley

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart- Day 13

I am thankful for:

• My pen pals. :) I got your letter yesterday, Anna! Thank you! Proverbs 27:9- " Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." 
• God's Grace. This makes me think of Titus 2:11- "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men," and Hebrews 2:9- "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
• Songs. My favorite music is hymns, but I like Christian Bluegrass music, too. Here's a song that came to my mind. 

Why Do I Sing About Jesus?

Deep in my heart there is gladness;
Jesus has saved me from sin!
Praise to His name, what a Savior!
Cleansing without and within!

Why do I sing about Jesus?
Why is He precious to me?
He is my Lord and my Savior;
Dying, He set me free!

Only a glimpse of His goodness;
That was sufficient for me.
Only one look at my Savior;
Then was my spirit set free.

Why do I sing about Jesus?
Why is He precious to me?
He is my Lord and my Savior;
Dying, He set me free!

He is the fairest of fair ones;
He is the Lily, the Rose.
Rivers of mercy surround Him;
Grace, love, and pity He shows.

Why do I sing about Jesus?
Why is He precious to me?
He is my Lord and my Savior;
Dying, He set me free!

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart-Day 12.

Today I am thankful for:

• Great family movies. I love watching movies with my family. Some really good movies we have seen are: Time Changer, Facing The Giants, Flywheel, Courageous, Creation Adventures-6 short days-1 big adventure! Creatures of Creation and others. :)
• The time I can spend with my family. It is important to spend time with your family so you can encourage each other in the Lord, pray for each other, and draw closer together as a family.
• Joy. When I think of joy, it makes me think of the acronym: 

J- Jesus first.
O-Others second.
Y-Yourself last.
As Christians, we should strive to always put Jesus first in everything we do. Others should be second in our life. Philippians 2:4 says "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." We have true JOY when we put God first in every area of our life. Non Christians can't have true joy. Oh, they have joy, but not the joy of the Lord, because they haven't accepted Him as their Saviour and believed on Him. They don't think about putting Christ first in their lives- they want to put themselves first. They are influenced by movies they watch, books they read, and friends they hang out with.

I also think of the song "Joy Unspeakable." Here are the words.
"I have found His grace is all complete,
 He supplieth ev'ry need;
While I sit and learn at Jesus' feet,
I am free, yes, free indeed.

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Full of glory, full of glory,
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Oh, the half has never yet been told.

I have found the pleasure I once craved,
It is joy and peace within;
What a wondrous blessing! I am saved
From the awful gulf of sin.

I have found that hope so bright and clear,
Living in the realm of grace;
Oh, the Savior's presence is so near,
I can see His smiling face.

I have found the joy no tongue can tell,
How its waves of glory roll!
It is like a great o'erflowing well,
Springing up within my soul."

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 11

Today, I am thankful for:

• Veterans. Happy Veteran's Day to all you veterans!!! Thank you so much for your service to our country and for giving of yourselves so we could enjoy the freedoms that we have. We should all be thankful to the veterans every day and not just on Veteran's Day. When I wrote that sentence, it made me think of how Jesus gave His life for us so we could have eternal freedom from sin. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." That's how much God loves us. And all the veterans loved our country so much they were willing to die for it.

•  Our voices. Psalms 71:22-23 says "I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed."
• Books. I am a huge bookworm! Some of my favorite books (other than the Bible which is #1) are missionary books, (I'm a HUGE fan of missionary books! I have quite a few, and I have read them all a few times through.:) mystery stories, Elsie Dinsmore series, which by the way are excellent books, and other adventurous books. :)

What are some of your favorite books to read? 

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 10

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday- I was so busy with school and other things I didn't have time to write a post. :( So I am writing it today. 
I am thankful for:

• Missionaries. They are so needed. Each one of you can be a missionary right where you're at; you're never too young or too old to serve God.
• Blogger friends! I have met so many friends through blogging! Speaking of that, Clare over at Clare's Spot awarded me the Blogger Recognition Award. I have never done this before, but I am going to give it a try. :)
  What I am supposed to do: Write why I started my blog.

I wrote my first post on May 4th. Before I started this blog, I had a fake blog, for my sisters to read, for over a year. :) I also like to keep journals and I love taking pictures. I wanted to put my pictures somewhere other than on my computer, and I asked my parents if I could have a blog. At first they didn't want me to, but then they decided I could. I love blogging, and I am grateful I am able to do it. I also wanted to encourage others in their walk in the Lord because I love Him so much!

Now I'm supposed to nominate some people: I nominate Anna Robinson over at Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary, Julia over at Writing For His Glory, Sarah over at An Account of an Awkward Flower, Catherine over at I Have Been So Blessed!!!, Tashia over at Joyfully Living 4 Jesus, Luda and Luba over at From the Life of a Teenager, Rachel over at "When You Walk Through Fire..." and Bethany over at Liberty or Death. 
Now you just have to copy and paste this picture, and write a little story about why you started blogging. And you have to nominate some people, too!  

• Piano lessons. I love practicing the piano, and I love playing for my sisters to sing!

Have a lovely night!
~Ashley

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 9

I am thankful for:

• Technology. If we didn't have all the technology we do now, I wouldn't be posting! Actually, I might make my own magazine and you could follow me that way. :)
• Beds. I am so thankful we don't have to sleep on the floor or mats. We often take sleeping on comfy beds for granted; there are many people in the world who sleep on hard floors and don't have the luxury we do. :(
• Flooring: Rugs, Tile, Wood floors, etc. I am thankful we don't have to walk on dirt floors all the time. Having nice flooring is a blessing many people in other countries can't afford, and I feel so bad for them. 

Creation Corner
Today's Creation Moment: God's Unusual Fig Arrangement.
Habakkuk 3:17-18  "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."       

Completely unrelated creatures that depend entirely upon one another to live and have no way of living without one another pose a very serious challenge to those who claim that all living things evolved. The relationship is called reciprocal altruism.

One startling example is the relationship between the fig wasp and the fig tree. Male figs are not for eating; they produce the pollen to pollinate the sweet, juicy female fig. But the flower parts of both the male and female figs are inside the figs. There is no chance that the wind could spread pollen from the male to the female figs. And there is no other creature except the fig wasp that can transfer the pollen.

Herein lies an incredible story. The fig wasp hatches from eggs inside the male fig, and its purpose in its short 24-hour life is to lay its eggs inside another male fig. The female wasp emerges from the male fig covered in pollen and is programmed to search among the female figs, thus fertilizing them, before laying its eggs inside a male fig and, thus, starting the cycle again.

The fig wasp will only lay its eggs in the male fig while the female fig cannot be pollinated by any other method. Clearly, both the fig wasp and the fig tree were created for this special relationship.

creationmoments.com

Saying of the week:


Scripture of the week: Romans 4:1-5
"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

Have a good and godly week everyone!
~Ashley

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 8

I am thankful for:

• Couches
• Chairs
• Trees and Plants. Planting season, for me, began today. :) We got manure from our neighbor, and put it around our plants. I weeded my garden and pulled up a dead okra plant. There is one more okra plant that has 1 or 2 more buds left, and I am waiting for it to produce its last okra so I can mix up the soil. I planted 3 parsley seeds, 5 tomato seeds (there were 2 different kinds that I planted) 3 pepper seeds, and 6 green bean seeds (there were also 2 different kinds that I planted). I was going to plant 8 or 9 broccoli seeds, but I couldn't find the bag. :( A couple years ago, I grew, and collected enough broccoli seeds to fill half of a 1 quart bag! If I find them, I will post a picture of how small the seeds are. They're tinier than basil seeds! )

The Guava trees started producing a couple weeks ago. Guavas have lots of seeds in them, but are very yummy. Here's a picture of the guavas.

Here's a close up of a cluster of guavas.

 

I was taking a picture of this guava, and I didn't even realize there was a frog sitting on it!! :) The frog is on the guava in the picture above this one, too. :) One day, I would like to make guava jelly.

 

Have you ever eaten a guava?

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 7

I am thankful for:

• Transportation. Cars, trains, planes, bicycles, etc.
• Shoes. So many people in the world are susceptible to disease and infection because they don't have any shoes. :(
• Clothes.

Creation Corner
Today's Creation Moment: Why Birds Don't Need Socks.
Job 12:7, 9 "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?"    
   

Have you ever wondered why it is that ducks can spend all day in near-freezing water, and it doesn't seem to bother them? For that matter, birds never seem to be bothered about cold feet. If we ran around in the ice and snow with bare feet, it wouldn't be very long before we had a good case of frostbite. So why don't birds need socks?

Birds have a network of arteries that take the blood down to their feet. These arteries are interwoven with the veins that return the blood from the feet. This network of arteries and veins is called a "wonder net." The blood going down the arteries is hot at 106 degrees, but the temperature of the blood returning in the veins may be as cool as 37 degrees as it leaves the foot. The warm blood reheats the cold blood coming from the foot before it enters the body. The result is that the bird loses very little body heat, and the blood going into the foot never becomes dangerously cold in normal winter weather.

The wisdom of this design is obvious. Could birds have survived having their feet frozen off before they learned to evolve this special arrangement? Hardly! The most reasonable conclusion is that there is a Creator Who cares for all His creation, including you and me!

creationmoments.com

Attitude of Gratitude-Always Have a Thankful Heart Day 6

I am thankful for:

• Salvation. This is the best gift that has ever been offered. I am super thankful that the Lord sacrificed His own life for ours.
• Food (S'mores, Pumpkins, etc.)   

• Appliances (refrigerator, microwave, oven, toaster, blender, etc.)                                                
• Recipe books.                                                                                                                                 

I also want to tell ya'll about a couple giveaways. Jonathan Park  is having a Christmas Giveaway! There will be 3 winners, and each winner will receive the complete Jonathan Park set. And it even has the newest Jonathan Park volume, number 10! Click here if you would like to enter this giveaway. You must be 18 years or older to enter this giveaway. Our family loves listening to these audio series. They're full of adventure! And you learn a lot about science- one of the main characters is a Creationist, but he used to be an evolutionist. In one of the series, there's even a battle of the worldviews, which is pretty fascinating. So I hope you'll take the time to enter. :) I will tell you about another audio adventure series our family loves listening to, another time. :)    

The second giveaway is hosted by Girlfriend Gazette. You could win these items: duct tape, a diary, markers, and a scarf. Click here if you would like to enter. If you would like to read more about Girlfriend Gazette, click here.

I hope you all have a fabulous evening! Good night.