While we have been on this journey...

We have been able to do many things...
Here are just a few!
A late-winter trip to a cabin

Our family trip to Cincinnati Zoo for Faith's birthday in July.

Ron, please forgive me... but, I just had to do it! HA!

I know... it is pathetically late, but here are some pictures from Youth Camp

Dark or light... here are some pictures from the Baby Hope's Dedication

Shame on me...

Why did I share "my opinion" without giving the Scriptural reasons? Not sure. So allow me to share some Scripture for my friends who disagree about the abortion subject. I should not have ranted and raved without giving you the foundation for what I believe. You might want to grab a Bible.

I believe in the Bible as inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16-17). I believe that God created the universe (Genesis 1), that man was created in His image, and that the first people sinned against God (read the first few chapters of Genesis, it will give you a great foundation). From then on, all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Sin separates us from a holy God, and the penalty is death and Hell (Romans 6:23). Jesus, God's Son, payed the price for our sins (John 3:16). If we repent, believe in Christ, and accept God's gift, Jesus, then we can be forgiven and we can live right before God (check out I John 1:9). That is just a little summary of what we believe as Christians.

We live in a day when people believe there are no absolutes... especially no absolute right and wrongs... that whatever works for you is fine. The Bible teaches otherwise. God is absolute... He is what is Good. What He says is right, is. What is an abomination to Him, is utterly evil. There is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus (John 14:6). So, it is not a matter of my opinion whether or not it is right to kill a baby... it is actually wrong. Here is why I believe that...

(If you need a Bible, email me... theroncookfamily@yahoo.com, and I will see what I can do... If you have one and have trouble looking up these references, look at the front of your Bible, and you should be able to find a list of the Books of the Bible, and what page each starts on. I would type out all of the Scriptures for you, but it would take a long time, and I need to tend to my children.)

Psalm 139:13-18
Luke 18:16
Matthew 18:1-6
Exodus 20:13

If anyone has any other Scriptures to add to help those who don't understand the importance of children to God even before birth, please feel free to comment.

Also, I did leave a comment about same-sex marriage, and I thought I would give you some Scripture for that as well.

I would encourage you to read the first chapter of Romans
I Corinthians 6:9-11 (Don't know what version of the Bible you have, but you should look up the meaning of those words, if you don't understand... it is VERY clear!!!)
Check out Genesis 19, about Sodom.
For those who are struggling with this, there is hope in Christ... Check out that 11th verse in I Corinthians 6.
Let me also point out that all Scriptures teaching about marriage, how it is supposed to be, always teaches one MAN and one WOMAN, and Jesus said it is for life! There is sooo much Scripture on that, it would take a while for me to get them all typed... but, if you request it, I will try to give you several.

I am all about freedom... but, true freedom is found only when one is set free from sin's traps, and that is through Christ. Freedom is giving that baby a chance to live and freedom is giving people hope, love, and acceptance. If you are pregnant and feel you cannot care for your child, there are organizations and churches waiting to help you... with prayer, councilling, assistance on raising your child, or perhaps, even adoption.
If you have already had abortions, there are organizations and churches waiting to help you, too. Athough they may not be able to fix the physical damage or maybe even all of the emotional damage you will suffer, they can help... then, of course, there is Jesus... He cares about what you are going through, and He is definitely waiting for you to come to Him... He can help you more than anyone. There is HOPE!

Thanks again for your comments!!! You've given me an opportunity to explain why I believe this. To be quite honest, there was a day that perhaps I believed like you do... I went to public school from kindergarten through 12th grade, and got "brainwashed" into all sorts of strange beliefs... It has taken a very long time to cut loose those ideas and thoughts that were totally unBiblical. That is one reason I really do not want my children in public schools... well, that and MANY other reasons, which may need to be a post for a later time. I know of some people I respect very highly who send their children to public schools, so I am not de-moralizing those who do, but I do find it to be quite risky!

Receiving the highest honor...

I want to say "thank you" to Martha Brugger and her sister for taking Faith and Charity to the zoo on Monday while Ron went through testing and meeting people who will be involved with his transplant. Thank you, Mom Cook, for playing with the girls and cleaning my house today as we were in Columbus again getting more testing and educational classes. The worse part of the whole ordeal was the bone marrow biopsy which they had to try three times to get the specimen they wanted... OUCH! I got to watch!

I received the highest praise when Sister Brugger and her sister told me that my children were so well behaved and very obedient... they sang happily "Jesus Loves Me" and "I Love You." That is my little girls! I am sooo proud of them!

Thanks for praying!

Life's about to get crazy!

Without going into detail, I will say that we went to Columbus on Tuesday, and the next couple of months are going to be interesting! I will plan to update you on what is going occasionally, as I have a chance. I am tired just thinking about everything!

Somehow, I mustered up enough energy to rearrange some more in my house. My baby does not sleep through the night yet, and she is definitely old enough to start, so I am making adjustments in my home to see if my plan will work. I like to rearrange things anyway... gives a fresh perspective, I guess. But, I like to be the one to do it... I am pretty touchy when someone else tries to rearrange my house... especially if the one rearranging my house is under the age of 5... HA!

Just thought I would throw in a political opinion... I have been getting rather frustrated at the thought of how many people are voting for a man who supports the murdering of innocent lives!!! I get so disturbed, almost to tears, when I walk to the dollar store and I have to pass by an abortion clinic... I want to run after those pregnant women going in there (who, I was told, may have their babies killed up to 5 months of pregnacy), and plead with them to spare their little one... to let the little one live! I have heard about the beliefs of Barack Obama, and I fear for the lives of many little children! Don't people realize that this pagan, evil practice is something to fear more than even a money crisis! Ron has occasionally gone early in the morning for a walk around the abortion clinic to pray that God would intervene! It is heart-breaking! There is this precious woman whom I have seen standing MANY times on the sidewalk by the abortion clinic, and she is trying to help the women going in, to realize that there is hope... that they don't need to destroy their child. Ron and I have both talked with her on different occasions, and expressed how grateful we are for what she is doing. I have even thought about joining her. I thought that once people saw how cute my kids were, although bounding with energy, and if they could have a conversation with Faith, they would probably change their minds about hurting their child... sometimes my children are so funny, they can even make me laugh when I feel angry! I beg all of you to consider what is at stake as you vote in a few weeks! Why is it that people are so interested in saving bugs, trees, and animals, but they can throw away a new human life like some wart! Why is it that some people LONG to have a child, and try many times, and never have the children they so desparately want, but some other ungrateful, self-centered person, who cares more about "burdens" or "what people might think of them" wind up getting pregnant over and over and snuff the life out of each child because it is not convenient for them to care for them... or, like one lady I visited while I was doing jail ministry told me... the doctors lied to her and told her that it was just a piece of tissue... she wept as the truth finally struck her... she had had three abortions... three children gone, and the mother left to deal with the emotional trauma. I did feel sorry for her, as suddenly, her eyes were opened, and her heart was broken, and she wanted forgiveness, I could only comfort her by telling her that God could forgive her, and that she could now tell others the truth.

Anyway, I had better get off my soapbox, and check on my children who are supposed to be taking a nap and are not... I think they are having their own little party in their room.

What would you do?

Been doing some thinking lately...

Here is something to think about...

What would you do differently, if you knew that, say... hmmm, at 4:13pm tonight, Jesus would be returning to take with Him those who believe in Him, have repented of their sins, and were following Him? Would you still do what was on your schedule for today? Of course, no one knows when He is returning... but, listening to the news and just looking at all of the pain around us, makes me wonder if it could be anytime.

I think that if I knew that Jesus was coming tonight... I would have to post it on my blog, email everyone on my mailing list, call everyone I knew... maybe even some I didn't know, hand out as many tracts as I possibly could, go door-to-door witnessing (maybe I would try to get a team together to reach more people), and witness on the streets! I would check with each of my immediate family and examine my own heart to be sure that nothing was causing a problem with our relationship with God. I would also call other family members to warn them if I wasn't sure where they stood in their relationship with God. That would be alot to accomplish in just a few hours, but I would have to give it a shot!

Sounds exciting, huh? It should be. Jesus' return is exciting... for those who are ready, that is! I mean, wouldn't it be nice to be with Jesus forever, no more pain, tears, no disappointments, no rejections, no sickness, no lies, no crimes, no financial crises, no wicked leaders, no killing of millions of little babies, no monstrous storms, no terrorists, no abuse, and no starvation. Heaven is a place to be excited about. There is no financial problem there... the very streets are gold... jewels are everywhere, gorgeous mansions, everything lovely! Most of all, Jesus is there! Strange that so many people turn away this opportunity... after all, it has been paid in full... what are they waiting for?!

Missions Convention starts tonight at our church... HURRAY! As a "missionary" myself (Ron and I have the call... but, right now, our mission field is here for obvious reasons), I just LOVE Missions Convention! Okay, to be honest, I get a little jealous about the missionaries... I mean, there is no more exciting job in the whole world than leading people to Christ! I especially LOVE seeing my own children falling in love with Jesus! I am really looking forward to the day when I see certain people on my "high priority" list, give their lives to Christ!

Yesterday, I actually took time to write practically every teenager in our youth group... that was alot of work, but I hope it encourages them. I sooo want to see them get right with God, and follow His plan.

Yes, I still have my day to day jobs to do... cook, clean, homeschooling, potty-train, bathe, feed, and dress children, encourage my hubby, nurse baby, even exercise, etc., but it is fun to do some outreach when possible!

Prayer request: My 94 year old neighbor, whom my children dearly love, has been in the hospital... Pray that she will believe in Jesus as the Son of God, and that she will repent and give her life to Him before she dies. I have tried to witness to her by talking to her about God and doing a few things to help and encourage her. She is a dear lady, and one who is on my priority list!

Let us not be ashamed of the Gospel!

Contradictions

Do you ever contradict yourself?



Contradiction #1: Here I have been exercising and taking vitamins, etc., so that I can be healthier and loose the weight that I have quickly gained in the past few years. I am sore today, but proud of my hard work. I made veggie soup for lunch (a favorite of my husband), but then... I made fudge! Why do I do these things? I know that I can hardly control myself around my homemade cookies, bread, and especially fudge! It is torture to try... so I gave in and it was very yummy! Now, I need to do about 100 sit-ups!



Contradiction #2: I have been trying to potty train Charity off and on for a long time. She generally does fairly well as long as she wears her little Dora panties, but if I put a pull-up on her, then she goes in it like a diaper... but, of course, I don't want to deal with a mess if we are out, etc., so back on goes the pull-up... why? Because, I have been too lazy to make the 1001 trips with her to the potty when we are out... but, she is ready to be potty-trained; afterall, she is almost 2 1/2! So, I am trying to make a new commitment to stay as much away from the pull-ups as possible!



Contradiction #3: I KNOW that consistancy is the best teacher! But, with homeschooling Faithy, I have slacked because of the stress. Sooo... in the past couple of days... we have crammed several lessons to get caught up... poor Faith! She has had to learn her letter E and A, the short sound they make, how to write little e and a in cursive, the pictures that go with them, the e Scripture verse, practice staying in lines while coloring, all in just two days time. After my constant correction of her getting out of lines with coloring, Faith said something like, "Mommy, sometimes little kids color out of the lines." Thanks, Faith, for the reminder, but I still expect your to look at you paper while you are coloring! She is too funny! She actually is doing fantastic with coloring and with her other work... I just like to keep a little pressure on her to do her best.



Uh oh... I think Hope is playing in the potty...

Okay, I am back and holding the baby while pecking out my post... yes, I washed her hands! She has been getting into everything, and it seems that I am constantly plucking something out of her mouth! The other day, I found a tack from my rocking chair in her mouth!!! Talk about scary! Maybe I need to check that chair to see if any other tacks are falling out!

Contradiction #4: I ought to be doing housework and making sure my older two children are getting their naps... instead, I am posting on my blog! Well, I am tired of contadicting myself...
SO... GOODBYE!

BENIGN!

Got a call before 8am from my doctor, stating that the nodule on my thyroid is BENIGN!!! Praise God!!! The plan is to give me thyriod medication to shrink it so that I can be more comfortable (the swallowing problem is getting a little old, and the lump is a little uncomfortable even when I am not eating now). I am sooo happy that it is benign!!! Thank you all for praying for us!
I feel sooo full of praise right now! I have electricity and the biopsy shows no signs of cancer... and, Ron seems to be doing very well with his chemo. He has a CAT scan later this week. Here is a prayer request... would you pray that they can use Ron's own stem cells when he goes for the transplant rather than needing them from a donor bank... I think it will make his stay in the hospital shorter... three weeks will be long enough to me! Thanks!
Have a happy day! I am!

POWER!!!

Finally!!! Hurray!!! Hop... jump... skip! During that "hurricane in Ohio" last Sunday, our area got slammed with fallen trees, uprooted trees, torn shingles, just a horrible mess here! But, we were blessed not not have damage to our home (as far as I know), but our electric was out for nearly a week!!! I like candles, but this was pushing my limits! I had to hand wash all of my laundry and hang them outside... now that caused great pains in my arms as I have alot of laundry with three children! Our grill was our stove, but we did have to eat out several times, and we had our share of dry cereal! Our refrigerator and freezer foods are lost... whine, whine... I know that hundreds of thousands of people were without power, too, so I am not alone in this complaint! I survived the week of living like Little House on the Praire. I was very happy one day when a kind person hooked my house up to a generator for a few hours (at least part of the house worked), and I got to vacuum, use my microwave, make coffee, use the computer, and turn on the dishwasher... I made great use of perhaps 4 hours of limited electricity.
We went to a family reunion today, and we loved visiting with family, checking out my cousin's many animals, huge house, farm, barn, pond, and the cool horse and buggy ride (talk about Little House on the Praire!). This was the first time I had ever seen her place... it was incredible! I think they own like 85 acres of land, and I believe her and her husband each run their own businesses! They had chickens, geese, swans, horses, cows, dogs, at least one cat, rabbits, a turkey, and who knows what else?! The landscaping was fantastic! Of all things, MY CAMERA WAS DEAD!!! Why should it work, after all, nothing was working this week... well, I was... double time!
I had my biopsy... and, being the baby that I am... I just want to say... OUCH! I hope they put me to sleep if they ever do any more stuff!
I am still waiting for the results.
Got to witness alot this week! That was exciting!
Hope to catch you up more later!

The Night Season

Today, an old hymn rings in my mind, as it says something like (I can't remember the name of it right now)...

Some through the water,

Some through the flood,

Some through the fire

But all through the blood

Some through great sorrow

But God gives a song

In the night season

And, all the day long



At first, I was afraid of the crazy news I received from the doctor last Wednesday... but, although I am concerned, I feel more calm... that is NOT to say that the news is good...

I had an ultrasound of my thyroid on Monday, and received the report Tuesday that the mass on my neck is firm (unmoving), and solid (not a fluid-filled cyst). With this news and my symptoms, they requested a biopsy ASAP... which is scheduled next Wednesday (not my idea of ASAP!). What an interesting week... Ron being in the midst of his 2nd round of intense chemo, and me getting news like this... what a twist! Oh, yes, in case you were wondering, the measurements of this thing is kind-of about the size of a quarter... 2.78 cm by 2.24 cm by 1.60 cm. You would think that I would not have ingored a lump THAT SIZE! But, with everything that was already going on, well, I just hoped it wasn't a big deal... and, that maybe it was my imagination. Sounds silly now that I think about it.

The children are fine... They have been saying such cute things! We were singing as a family together (at our home, of course!), and song was saying "He washed my sins away", and Faith stopped and said, "What are sins?" Open door #1. Then, the other day, I was reading her a Bible story, and she asked, "What time is Jesus coming back?" Open door #2. I was sharing with her one evening about what Jesus did for us, and she asked, "How does Jesus come into our hearts? Does He have to break our hearts?" Good question! Open door #3. Thank You, Jesus, for opening doors to share Your Word with my children!

And... we all go marching on...

Been rearranging the girls' room today... really like it so far... doesn't look as cluttered. I took out the toddler beds and put in a twin bed. (The girls ask to sleep together anyway... so why not save some space?) Eventually, what I would like to get is a low set of bunk beds with a trundle underneath, so that all three girls can sleep in the same room without taking up much space. (Of course, Hope is too young to sleep on a trundle, but I think ahead.) A twin bed sure looks big when you are used to a toddler-sized bed! Faith, being four years old, probably ought to be sleeping in a twin by now anyway... although she is short for her age. You know, all the rearranging and lifting I do, may have something to with the muscle spasms!

The ultrasound of my thyroid is scheduled for Monday. I can hardly wait to get the lump off of it, as it gets old having food stuck in my throat.

Ron is canoe-ing today with the youth group. Sounds a little more fun than cleaning house, huh? But, a woman's gotta do what a woman's got to do... (hmmm, just thought... sure hope the girls don't open the lid to the trash can and see what I threw out... better get the trash taken out soon! Can't keep everything!)

I am so happy that Ron watched the girls for me last night and I got to go to the thrift store... a very special treat! I found a corner shelf (probably about 4 foot high) that was light colored wood for my living room, and black and white checkered glass bowl for my bathroom (which is in black and white), and a pair of black dress shoes with pink trim... very elegant, and looks like it was hardly worn! Well, I believe the total was less than $15, and I was very happy with my purchases! Then, I went to McDonald's and bought myself a large chocolate shake (which served as my supper last night since I was having the throat problem), which I ended up sharing the shake with Ron. Happy, happy evening!

I had a really cool devotional time the other evening that I must share with you...

Proverbs 3:8

"It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

What do I know about bone marrow?

It produces cells, particularly white blood cell which fight off infection. [Please, correct me if I am wrong!)

What is infection spiritually speaking?

Anything that is festered in our hearts or causes us to not have a healthy relationship with God.

What is the context of the above Scripture?

God is warning His child not to forget His law and to be sure to keep his commandments (vs 1). He says this will give us long life and peace (vs 2). He admonishes us to take seriously mercy and truth (vs 3). This is how we find favour with God and man (vs 4). He reminds us to trust Him and not our own understanding (vs. 5), to acknowledge Him in everything (vs 5), not to follow our own wisdom, but His, and to stay away from evil (vs 7).

Obeying God and trusting His ways is key to good spiritual health. In fact, we cannot live long without getting spiritually ill and possibly dying if we fail in this area. We must obey God to live spiritually... to go to Heaven, to have fellowship with Christ.

How's your marrow? Are you healthy?

Isn't it neat when you are having devotions, and something you have probably read too many times to count, stands out in a new way?!

Oh, sorry to all the plastic people out there if I offended you in my last post... ummm, now I am sounding silly, but my point was that I was removing my courage mask the other day to show that I was afraid and hurting. I felt like being a bit more open... so excuse me, Little Tikes Little People and Barbie dolls! Ha!

The "Job" Syndrome

Have ever had those days when you just feel... depressed?! I am a "real" person, and although I sometime smile when I break bad news to people, I DO actually feel pain... just thought I would tell all the plastic people out there that I actually have nerve receptors and, today, I say "OUCH!"

Okay, I am really sounding strange, so allow me to explain myself...

I went to the doctor yesterday because I have been having serious muscle spasms for a long time, and they just seemed worse... and, since it is not easy to give myself a back message, it was really getting to me. I also wanted to ask about the 14 or so bruises on my legs (I have always bruised easily, but I was just curious why). Don't you love it when you go to the doctor for one thing and they diagnose you with another (having a muscle spasm as I write)... So the doctor started her routine of checking things (I had not been to my family doctor for a very long time), when she made a discovery that I forgot to mention...

I have been having trouble swallowing food for a while... food gets stuck (thought it was just because I have acid reflux), then there was this itching on my neck, then a couple of weeks ago I made the same discovery the doctor did (but, I was hoping it was my imagination... after all, I tend to be a hypochondriac). A lump... yes, I said a LUMP! YIPES! The doctor says it is on my thyroid. Not sure what it is all about... might be just a goiter, says the doctor. My blood tests came back normal, and I think they are going to run more tests (I hope they can get that thing off my neck before it gets any larger... saw some pictures of people with goiters that get really large, and it can get quite gross!) So, here I am at my house panicking... and, in a serious need of a back message!

I have had a lot of fun watching my children play today... but, there is that nagging question in the back of my mind, "What is up with the nodule?" I was told about some of the tests they might do and my family doctor is hooking me up with some other doctor... probably a specialist.

Oh, by the way, Ron is bald! He shaved off his hair because the chemo was really making it fall out big time! I still think he's cute!

On the good side, Ron and I have been spending more time praying together... and, our family is singing more together... and, I read Bible stories to the girls... BECAUSE...

"When all around my heart gives way, HE [Christ] then is all my hope and stay"

Clinging to Christ,

Sarah