Billy Graham in Quotes, by Franklin Graham

If you’re like me, you grew up watching the Billy Graham Crusades on television, where he preached the pure, un-altered gospel of Jesus Christ….no fluff needed, just the straight truth from God’s Word.  As we watched the crusades, hundreds of attendees would go forward to commit their lives to Christ.   Time after time, we witnessed the true and amazing “power of the gospel” to turn hearts to Christ.

When I saw this new book, Billy Graham in Quotes, compiled by his son, Franklin Graham, I was drawn by the promise of wisdom that it may hold.  The book is a collection of quotes that spans the life of the man for over seven decades.  They are taken directly from the man who spoke to the hearts of all who heard, from simple ordinary folk to Presidents and world leaders.

With over 387 pages of quotes, broken neatly into alphabetized categories, there is sure to be something for everyone within its pages.  The book is arranged topically, and covers everything from Addiction and Anger to and Thankfulness and Worship.  Each section begins with a scripture reference which beautifully supports the quotes contained within.

While this book is not a “page turner” like a best-selling novel, it could easily be used as reference book for daily devotions, during times of personal crisis, or when just a little word of encouragement is needed.  The Introduction, written by Billy Graham, aptly begins with Psalm 19:14, ”Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord.”  He encourages the reader to “refer often to the anchor verse of each subject and let God’s Word challenge you, convict you, encourage you, and help you discover His abiding love to all who faithfully follow Him.”  That’s really what this book is all about.

This is definitely a book that will grace our library shelves as a family reference book for the years ahead.

Disclaimer:  I received this book free via BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation of any kind has been received.

Homeschool Mothers Journal

In my life this week….

Sunday:  Went to take a look at the house my in-laws are buying.  We are so excited for them.

Spent sometime today getting organized for school…Finished reading The Northern Lights series by Lisa T. Bergren.

Monday:  Our first “Not Quite Back to School” day….since the official start date in our school district was today, we thought we’d play along….we did some school related things:  We shopped for a few school supplies, but really didn’t need much.  While we were out, we saw a Bald Eagle, so we talked about it = nature study.   On our way home, we decided since #1 Boy will be starting 7th Grade and #1 Girl will be starting 11th Grade, we should stop by 7-11 for a slurpee in commemoration!

Once home we organized our work space and set up our working notebooks and talked about the year ahead.

Tuesday:  My friend is redecorating….so now I’ve got the itch to do a few things around here!  Thanks, “Friend”…you know who you are!  DH and I spent some time moving furniture around in the living room.  It’s always nice to have a little change.  He even said he’ll help me make curtains if I can’t find any I like!  :)

Ordered fabric to reupholster dining room chairs on Ebay!  That’s a little brave of me right?? (Or crazy, some may say!)

Wednesday:  Worked on blog post about curriculum choices for the year…It was quite elaborate with pictures and stuff…Google Chrome crashed and my hour of work disappeared before my eyes.  I took it as a sign from God!  I was, possibly, going overboard….No way I’m going to re-do all that!  Don’t you hate it when that happens?  If you’d like to know what we’re using for curriculum, feel free to ask!

Did a little shopping with a friend, made a little comfort food for dinner:

Meatloaf, Parsley Parmesan Potato’s, Corn and a nice tossed salad

Thursday:  Got the World map and the U.S. map back on the wall today.  The kids actually hung out there for a good half hour, checking things out!  Last year, I added locations for some of our ancestors just for reference.  It brings a personal dimension to U.S. History when you can see where our family was during the important times in history.

We spent some time reviewing where we left off in American History, just after the American Revolution.  This year we will be studying the 19th Century, both here and abroad.

Started back to Rock Band lessons this week…#1 Girl plays lead guitar, and #1 Boy usually plays drums, but this week they handed him a bass guitar to try!  He did pretty well, but had sore fingers!  Hmmm…who knows where that will go?

Surprised to receive fabric I ordered two days ago!  It’s perfect…can’t wait to get started on my project!

Friday:   A bloggy kind of day.  I’ve been really lacking motivation on this, my previous post was for ABSee Photo Meme.  It was Z is for Zebra; he’s cute, but I’ve grown tired of looking at him.  So I pulled out this draft post for my first Homeschool Mother’s Journal, thought I’d give it a try….finally.

This morning will be our first pick up for a produce co-op we just joined.  I’m excited to see what the shoppers picked for us this week!   Gee, I hope they didn’t pick lima beans or brussel sprouts.

#1 Girl is back to Flute Lessons today….I’m getting excited to hear her get back to work.  I came across a beautiful piece of music for Flute and Piano on Monday and just had to order it for her to work on.  It is Suite Antique, by John Rutter…I know some of it will be a challenge, but the beginning is quite beautiful.  I was excited to find it was written by Rutter, as he is one of my absolute favorite composers.

Here, take a listen:

Saturday:  Perhaps a little boating??

Places we’re going, people we’re seeing…I need to start planning some places to go this fall.  We’d like to take a family trip to north Georgia or Tennessee to spend some time in the mountains.  #1 Girl and I were planning to go to New York City for a weekend this summer, but didn’t get there.  So, I think maybe September or October for that.   In November, we’ll be heading north to Michigan for my nieces wedding and my Mom’s birthday.  So really need to get busy figuring it all out!

What I’m reading…

Right now I’m reading The Frontiersman’s Daughter, by Laura Frantz…it’s pretty good so far.

Things I’m working on…organization, right?  But I do have my eye on a couple of jewelry projects, who knows maybe I’ll get started this weekend.

What’s working and what’s not…I purchased, but I’m really not sure about Tapestry of Grace for History and Literature.  It has been overwhelming getting it organized.  It truly looks amazing, but I’m not at all convinced I should have gone this route.  Not sure if it is a good fit for us…..hmmm.  We’ll give it a little time, before we jump ship!  If you’ve been there, please by all means feel free to leave a comment.

Homeschool questions and thoughts…

Thought #1:  I can’t believe this will be our sixth year homeschooling.  It has been the most amazing experience.  I couldn’t be prouder of how the kids have developed through the years.   They are independent, diligent, and creative. (Keep up the good work, you babies! )

Thought #2:  Looking forward to doing Apologia’s, Exploring Creation with Marine Biology, with #1 Girl….good excuse to go to the boat, don’t you think?

A photo to share…

Here’s my first take from the Produce Co-Op! Not too bad for $10….and no lima beans or brussel sprouts!

So what’s going on with you??  This post is linked with others at: 

AB See Photo Meme: Letter Z

Z is for Zebra

This young zebra was observed grazing in the tall grass in the African Grasslands exhibit at the Detroit Zoo.  “Jimmy”, born April 17, 2011, is an endangered Grevy Zebra, the largest of the three zebra species .  I never realized that the stripes of a zebra start out brown, then turn black as the zebra ages!  Here’s another interesting fact:  The stripes of a zebra are as unique as our fingerprints!

I can’t believe I’ve made it to the end of the alphabet!  Who knows?  I may just have to start over at the beginning again…..hmmmm

Anyone can participate in A B See Photo Meme!  Why not give it a try?  Just click on the button to find directions on the HSBA Post blog!  

See you there!

AB See Photo Meme: Letter Y

Y is for Yosemite

Yosemite National Park is almost 1,200 square miles of beautiful wilderness and is one of our nations first national parks.  What an incredible display of God’s handiwork….magnificent waterfalls, majestic granite cliffs like El Capitan (pictured above), rambling river valleys, expansive prairies full of wild flowers, and giant sequoias.

This post is part of the A B See Photo Meme, sponsored by The Homeschool Post.  You can participate in the A B See Photo Meme too!  Just click on the button to find directions on the HSBA Post blog!