I must venture foward!

"I must venture: to go back is nothing but death;

to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it!
I will yet go forward!"
—Christian in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress

I found this quote on Josh Harris' blog. Although I've never read Pilgrim's Progress through all the way I thought this quote was great!

-Victoria

Your Grace is Enough!

This song is one of my favorites right now! Whenever I first heard Your Grace is Enough the words that jumped out at me strong were "You use the weak to lead the Strong". It just awed me as I looked through my bible and realized that God does use those that are so unworthy, even His disciples where fishermen and tax collectors. How will He use us?
As I sing through the song I have to ask myself, is God's grace enough? God's grace and love are so much better then popularity and coolness in the world's sense, God is always present and never failing. I have come to realize that since becoming a Christian . This is a victory song for Christians all over the world that God's grace is enough!

-Victoria

Picking Peaches

Picking fruit is so much fun...but peach picking has to be my favorite! Once or twice every season we go up to a farm in Indiana (Huber's Farm) that has a large variety of different fruits they grow.

Daddy and Andrew filling their box.

Peaches must be one of my favorite fruits! They are so yummy!

Daddy and Spencer carrying the two heavy boxes of peaches to the van.

Trip to the Creation Museum!

Not last Saturday but the Saturday before my family went to the creation museum for the day. Since my Dad's a pastor he and Mommy got in for free and Spencer, Andrew and I got in half price. Since Cincinnati is only a few hours away from Louisville this made a really fun day!
It was a really fun day. We got there at opening time and stood in line...even that early it was really crowded and the cars where pouring in but other than the slight inconvenience that many people caused we thought it was great since it showed that people were learning about creation and God's word.
The museum combated the ideas of Evolution by walking us through the different views between Evolution and Creation. It also took us through the first few scenes on the Bible, including the creation through the flood. There was so much I learned, including how the world existed before the fall and what they thought the ark and the flood might have been like.
There were a lot of outdoor tables where we could eat the lunch Mommy packed for us. Outside the scenery was beautiful, including swinging and suspended bridges over the water.
A room inside the museum was dedicated entirely to dinosaurs. It was wonderful to hear the view on these creatures from a Christian view. Someone had asked me before if I believed that dinosaurs really existed. I had told her that I did but I wasn't sure how to defend it other then that there has been a lot of evidence found. Some scholars on a short video we watched defended the argument biblically by pointing out Job 40:15-18 and chapter 41 when it mentions the Behemoth and the Leviathan. (It is not certain that these are dinosaurs but the Behemoth especially seems like one.)
I hope you enjoy viewing all the pictures and I would highly recommend this museum to anyone!

(To make the pictures easier to read click on them.)

-Victoria

The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters and The Birkenhead Drill

A Book Review:

Note: I have decided to combine these two books into one review since they are so much a like.

The Birkenhead was the first iron hulled vessel of war and was known for her speed. She could make the journey to the Cape of Good Hope in a matter of only 45 days where it would take other ships 64 days. On the final voyage of the Birkenhead she set out with 638 men women and children aboard. She was carrying troops of military reinforcements to the soldiers in the Kaffir Wars, her destination was the Cape of Good Hope.

Then, on the morning of February 26th 1852 sometime before two o 'clock she struck a rock ledge less then a mile off the beach of Danger Point. Once the Captain realized what had happened he ordered that the ship reverse engines. This caused the iron hull to scrape against the rock ripping a huge hole in the bottom. An interesting note that was mentioned in this book was that this fatal decision, to reverse engines was also made by the Captain of the Titanic speeding the sinking process of both ships.

All the passengers gathered on deck, everyone realized the seriousness of the situation, for the ship was sinking fast. There were not enough life boats for everyone to get away safely...so the decision was made that the women and children would be saved while the men would stay aboard the ship. There was no hope of saving the ship and it was known that there were sharks circling the sinking Birkenhead. Nevertheless the men stepped back and helped the women and children aboard the lifeboats. About 20 minutes after the Birkenhead hit the rock she split in two and sank. More then 400 men died that night, eaten by sharks or drowned. But all the women and children where saved!

In The Birkenhead Drill it tells the story of the Birkenhead but it also has the testimonies of several men who survived and lived to tell the story. I think it always makes stories more interesting whenever the there are tales told from an eyewitness. Also this book was a very easy read since the it was only 64 pages long. (At the end there was a few pages that listed the names of those who survived and were killed so that made it a little longer.) I was able to read the book in 45 minutes.

The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters is filled with information! It tells so much about the Titanic and the people aboard it. I really learned so much about how confident everyone truly was of this ship. The chapters cover everything from the building of the Titanic to stories of people on board the Carpethia and people in New York. This book is so great because it has a lot of wonderful sketches and photographs that illustrate the book. It also compares the Titanic to other ships that have sunk.

Most people don't want to remember or think about these stories and the losses that were suffered aboard both the Birkenhead and the Titanic. But it is impossible to forget the great heroes and heroins and the legacy they left behind. They truly lived and died showing us that, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

The Birkenhead Drill
The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters

-Victoria

Books I'm Reading

Spencer and I are going to start sharing about the books we've been reading. Hopefully we'll be able to provide truthful, christian reviews about certain books. I'll be posting a list of the books I'm reading so that I'll be able to outline what I'll be writing about in my reviews. Unfortunately I don't have a list of the books Spencer's reading...so I guess it will just have to be a surprise! :D

Victoria's reading list:

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift:
I haven't read this yet but it looks very interesting! It was penned in 1726 and said to be one of the most compelling books ever written.

Kipling A Selection of His Stories and Poems by John Beecroft:
This book just contains a few of Kipling's stories such as the well known Jungle book and a few shorter works. Daddy thought this would be a good book to get me introduced to the writings of Kipling.

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem:
I've been reading this book with the Forum on the Rebelution for about 10 months now. I love everything I've learned from this book. It is rather thick but the chapters are very short and relatively easy to understand especially if you know what you believe theologically. It has been challenging to stay on schedule but this week I will be reading chapter 41 (Death and the Intermediate State) and chapter 44 (The Church: It's Nature, It's Mark, and It's Purposes).

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen:
I love Jane Austen she is such a wonderful and captivating author! I haven't read a lot of her books but I'm hoping to start with Sense and Sensibility. I have seen the movie that was based on this book and in the two chapters I've read so far there exactly the same.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christy:
This book was so enjoyable to read! Agatha Christy so vividly explains her characters that you are never left to wonder how they look or act. It was comparable to if she had pictures. Murder on Orient Express was very different from your average mystery book - I never figured out who the murderer was until the very end whenever the detective found out. All the passengers on the train have such different personalities and express themselves in so many different, rather humorous ways.

The Birkenhead Drill by Douglas W. Phillips:
Most people don't know the story of the Birkenhead or just how similar the the happening and catastrophes of this ship are to the Titanic. The Birkenhead sunk about 60 years before the Titanic but the thing that is familiar is how both on the Titanic and the Birkenhead men stepped aside and chose horrible deaths over letting the women and children die.

The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters:
This book has compiled stories of survivors from the Titanic and other people surrounding the accidents such as a few stories from passengers on the Carpethia (which rescued the people in the lifeboats from the Titanic.) This book also contains a lot of pictures and sketches of the Titanic and it's passengers. I enjoyed the chance to read this book so much because it told every detail, fact, and theory.

-Victoria

The Real Art of Conversation

"The real art of conversation
is not only to say
the right thing
in the right place,
but, far more difficult still
to leave unsaid
the wrong thing
at the tempting moment.

-Dorothy Nevill

-Victoria

Do you have a Holy Ambition?

This video is a little longer then most you tube videos at 7 minutes and 45 seconds but the message is so vital! I would encourage you to watch it in it's full extent and then take this video and share it. Do we have a holy ambition?
I have recently decided, after much prayer and consideration, that my holy ambition is,

To be a supportive daughter to my parents and an encouraging sister to my brothers. In the future I want to be a faithful wife to my future husband and a loving mother to my children. I always want to be a faithful servant to my Lord Jesus Christ. My prayer is that people will look at my life and see a reflection of Christ!

But I believe that in my life there will be different seasons. So whatever else God might throw in if He sees fit to do so I will willingly accept!

Some thoughts for consideration:
-Before this had you ever heard the word holy ambition?
-Did you know what it was?
-Do you have a Holy Ambition?
-If you do have one what is it?

Please share your thoughts!

-Victoria

Stories About Honduras

Last week a friend of our family, Mr. Rob Hadding came to stay with us for a few days.
He told us about his mission trip to Honduras with his church. It truly opened my eyes to how needy some other countries are.
According to the book Operation World Honduras has a population of 8,202,633 people. Most of them are Spanish and the primary religion is Catholic.
But Operation World says:

The devastating super-hurricane 'Mitch' in 1998 was a major setback with 60% of the country's infrastructure destroyed. Many decades will be needed to recover from it. Unemployment is 40%. (Mr. Rob told us that most people earn only about two dollars a day that have jobs.)

I thought it was rather interesting that while in Honduras Mr. Rob and the people from his church that went helped to build a bridge over a river. This river was located between about five villages and during the dry months people could cross this river by just wading but whenever it rained traveling between the villages was made impossible. This bridge made transportation easier and definitely safer.
I love hearing tales about mission trips even in the United States. It really helps me to understand how truly blessed I am!

-Victoria

Picking Strawberries

This summer we've enjoyed picking fruits from nearby farms just over in Indiana. We've picked bunches of blueberries and ever so many strawberries.
I've been meaning to write about our strawberry picking adventure and post some pictures for several weeks now.
We got up early in the morning and went to our friends the Carmichael's house where we all squeezed in their SUV and rode up to Hubard's Farm together.
Whenever we got to the farm we rode in the back of a tractor out to the strawberry field. After picking for several hours and accumulating quit a few strawberries we headed home.
Above is: Spencer, Andrew, Morris, Millage, Fulton, Mrs. Betsy Carmichael and me.

The next day Mommy and I spent the afternoon in the kitchen making jam. I cut all the stems off several carts of strawberries and Mommy worked over the stove.

It was all lots of hard work but the finished product is delicious!She prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
-Proverbs 6:8

-Victoria

Happy July 4th!

As we have our picnics and parades, listen to speeches, eat watermelon, and watch the fireworks as has become the 4th of July tradition, I invite you to think of the countries that don't enjoy the freedom that God has given us here in America.

Think of the countries under the rule of powerful dictators or corrupt leadership and thank God that we can elect our own government.

Think of the countries that can elect there own leaders but whose country is dirt poor and never have enough to eat and thank God that we are a wealthy nation.

I also invite you to think of those who protect the freedom we have here. The men and woman of the Navy, Air Force, Army, Marines, and many others who fight the never ending battle to secure our country and free others. Thank God we have citizens willing to lay down their life for their country and pray for their safety.

Take time to think about the many blessings God gave and still does give to our country each and every day and also pray for our leaders, citizens, military, etc. for while we have a pretty good country there's a lot of negatives so please pray for those!

Have a great Independence Day!


~Spencer

Beautiful Sunset!

Lyrics to the song Indescribable by Chris Tomlin.

On our trip home from Florida we where blessed with a beautiful sunset as we drove through Alabama! I captured a few pictures of it on the camera as we drove along. Hope you enjoy!