Daily Verse

I'm reading through James right now, so you'll notice most of the verses are from there.

"So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds in not faith at all -- it is dead and useless." James 2:17

Claiming to have faith is more than just saying you believe in God. When we experience true faith, we are transformed. We can't help but be, act, and look different. Once we are saved, our actions should confirm our faith and commitment to Christ. James uses Abraham as an example. His faith in Christ gave him the willingness to sacrifice his own son, and he was rewarded for it. I wonder if I have that kind of faith. I don't want to simply say I believe. I want my life to reflect that.

Daily Verse

Ok, I'm setting a new goal for myself. In addition to simply blogging more, (since I've been recently told how pathetic I am), I'm going to try to post a daily verse. Now, I know "daily" is a pretty big leap from someone who hasn't blogged since August. So, we'll see how good I do.

Micah and I are trying to be more diligent in the amount of time we spend during our daily Bible reading and quite time. So, I thought this might be a good idea. It'll give me a chance to share what I'm reading, and possibly reflect on what God's showing me.

So.... today's verse:

" Dear brothers, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." James 1:2-4

I'll be the first to admit that I don't look at my "troubles" as joy. However, this is a great challenge! Maybe I'd be a lot better off if I'd use the "troubles," however big or small, that I walk through as opportunities to grow and learn, instead of always having a negative attitude towards things that don't go my way. Something to think about....

Successful Year #3

Year #3 is off to a successful start! I had a great first and second day. I've met all three of my classes, all 62 kids! This is the first year I'll have three classes. The past two years I've taught two classes Math, Science, and Social Studies. This year, because of an increase in numbers, I have three classes. But, the good news is, I only have to teach Math and Science! I'm super excited about that!

After two successful, yet slightly stressful years, I'm ready for a new start! I'm going in hoping for a fun, exciting year! Good luck to all you teachers out there!

Neely Wedding

This past weekend we had the privilege of celebrating with some of our closest friends from college. AJ and Holly were married. It was a beautiful wedding, and one of the most upbeat and exciting weddings I've ever been to. I managed to get some good pics. As you can see the bride was gorgeous, and the groom, well, he wasn't too bad either!!

Congrats you two! We are so happy for you!

Prayer Request

I'm going to have an MRI done today cause I've been getting really bad headaches for the past month and we can't figure out what's causing them. Pain meds work for a little while, but then they come right back. Anyway, we're sure that it's nothing, but doc just wants to make sure we rule out everything. So, I'll be going in at 4 this afternoon. Say a little prayer for me please. Thanks!

Splashway

Last week we took some of the kids from church to a water park. It's a small water park that's great for letting the kids roam and do their own thing. It's very safe, Christian owned, a fun place to hang out with the kiddos. We had a good time!

4th of July

4th of July is a big holiday in the Gilbert family. It's our annual family reunion. We always have a great time with family!

In the past, we've enjoyed a friendly (and sometimes not so friendly) competitive game of Charades. This year, however, we chose to play Farkle. We had lots of fun. Some of us did much better than others. As you can see below, I've lost yet another game!

This is after lunch. Everyone is full from all the yummy food we had!
Cole is enjoying a cupcake made by Micki. Yep...that's me! 

My patriotic dessert. 

We hope you had a great holiday weekend with friends and family!

 God Bless our Troops!!! We're so grateful for all they do!!!