“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God,

the Lord is one!

“And you shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart and with all your soul

and with all your might.

“And these words, which I am commanding

you today, shall be on your heart;

Photo taken by Miss Hannah Burton

“The Smith Men”

and you shall teach them diligently to your

sons and shall talk of them when you

sit in your house and when you walk

by the way and when you lie down

and when you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

~

“Go therefore and make disciples of all

The nations, baptizing them in the name

of the Father and the Son and The

Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe

all that I commanded you; and lo, I am

with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

 

Another Trip to California

Thank you all for praying for my family this

week as we had to say good bye to my dear

Mother-in-LawLove.

She entered into glory to meet her Lord

and Savior, Jesus Christ late Sunday night.

She was loved by many and she ministered

to multitudes.

We will miss her very much.

~Christa~

Please Pray

Hello friends,

Please pray for our family.  My mother-in-law

is in the hospital in California and she will

be passing away soon.

Some of you were following my blog last September

when my father-in-law died.  Two family

members passing away in 8 months is hard

but we know God is in control and this is not

something that can happen out of His will.

Pray that He will be glorified through all this.

Thank you all who are praying,

~Christa~

Luke's Happenings...

Luke, my son, posted this update on his blog yesterday.

I thought I would share it with you.

When we lived in California, Luke had his own lawn business.  

Moving to Middle Tennessee twenty months ago,
meant giving up that

business, having to be creative, and come up

with other ways to make a little money, especially living

out in the country where neighbors are now acres apart

instead of a couple arm lengths apart.

I am so glad to see Luke having many 

opportunities to gain experience and earn money from different 
farms in our area.  He is learning a wide variety of skills 
that he would not have learned in the suburbs 
of Southern California.

What I'm most thankful for is the Spiritual growth we see 
the Lord doing in his life and the rich friendships he has
made with others.

Visit Luke's Blog to read more...

Oh, and I didn't forget about my giveaway coming up.
It's almost ready.
Thanks for your patience.

 Blessings,


Christa

Our Snow Storm

Last week, we had an unusual snow storm come through our neck of the woods. Four to five inches of snow came in.  I know, to those of you who live in the colder climates, that's nothing, but to us Southerners, it was breaking news, and...a lot of fun!

 

 Our birdies' house

~

  

 My garden

~

  

My car is more familiar with the California sunshine than the snow.

I think it will survive.

~ 

 

 Our House

 ~

  

 My husband and son built a sled.

 

Not bad for these former Californians.

~

Now for some real action.

Take a look at these videos.

~

Luke explaining the ice on our car.

 

This is Luke sledding on the back of our property.

Finally, my knight in shining armor.

Good Day Y'all

Christa

A Glorious Day

All Three of my children were baptized last Sunday. It was indeed a glorious day to hear them proclaim Christ as their Lord and Savior and desire to be baptized.

Our friends' farm was the perfect setting with a beautiful creek/swimming hole and 55 degree weather! Yes, you read it correctly, 55 degrees. It was very chilly, but that didn't stop my kids and three others from wanting to be baptized.
Luke giving his testimony
Go here to read his testimony

My husband Steve (left), our friend/Elder (right) and Luke getting baptized

Brittany

Cassaundra

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20

Amen!

Day 1 in California

Yesterday, we arrived in California and were able to spend time with Steve's Mom, sister, brother and their families. It was a joyous occasion as we shared a meal and reminisced about how great a man my Father-in-law was. The Lord was so gracious to give us this time together.

Thanks to all of you who are praying and for your encouraging comments.

~Christa ~

To find out why we went to California, read:

Saying Good Bye to a Very Special Family Member

Saying Good Bye to a Very Special Family Member

In memory of James Donald Smith

1940 - 2009

Yesterday we received a phone call saying that my father-in-law passed away.

We are off to California for a week to be with our family.

We covet your prayers at this time.

~ Christa ~

Happy Birthday Brittany and Luke!

We are so thankful to the Lord for our daughter Brittany and our son Luke. They both have a passion for God's word and desire to glorify God in all they do.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.

Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalms 127: 3-5

We love you Brittany and Luke

~ Mom and Dad ~

Meal Time at the Smith House

"And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

An opportunity for discipleship is waiting at our meal time table. We combine a home cooked meal, a beautifully set table and our dear family members and we have a recipe for a rich time of discipleship and fellowship. Feeding our physical bodies is not all that happens as we take this precious time to sit together. Theology, politics, relationships, church, Entrepreneurship, character flaws (ouch!), raising children, gardening, marriage are few of the subjects openly discussed at the Smith house. The hearts of our children are expressed and heard. Most important however, the Word of God is taught, thus, making disciples and teaching all to observe all that God commands.

A Home Cooked Meal
Why a home-cooked meal at our house? For our family, meal preparation is not just about putting food on the table. It encompasses a time of teaching our daughters how to cook and serve others. They learn to pay attention to the favorite meals of their father and brother which prepares them to do the same for their future husband. Add nutrition, math, scheduling, organizing and many other skills that are naturally learned along the way.

An Inviting Table
Candles, flowers and fancy table coverings are not necessary for everyday dining especially if you have wee ones under foot. However, making the table inviting for your family is important because it communicates that this is a cherished time of the day. What I think is fitting for my family table make look different than what is fitting for yours. The goal is for the table to be inviting to your husband and children. I know a family who has a world map under glass in the middle their table so that when current events, world history, politics, missions...are discussed, they have a map as a visual aid. Not only are they talking and learning about these important subjects, they are learning Geography together as a family.

The Whole Family Together
The goal here is to make sure that our whole family is together. Making sure we are not involved any activities that take the place of or interfere is of high priority. When one of our family members is missing for one meal, they are greatly missed.

What's Happening at your meal time table?

~ Christa ~

Happy Anniversary!

Today (July 3rd) is the 46th Wedding Anniversary of Steve's Parents.

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa Smith!

We love you,

Steve, Christa, Brittany, Luke and Cassaundra

Picture taken in summer 2008