Melanie's Blog: February 2007

Courtship Workshop

Notice!!!
The Courtship Weekend was canceled due to bad weather and has been moved to March 31st instead. Please pass the word and invite anyone you think might be interested!

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If anyone is free this weekend, come see us in Tracy MN! My sister's family (the Sahlstrom family!) is hosting a courtship weekend and it sounds like it will be really interesting. I will be sharing during the "Just for Girls" session so pray for me that I would know exactly what the Lord would want me to say. It has been really good for me to be forced to look back on my life and experiences and remember what the Lord has done and how faithful He has been to me! What a wonderful God He is!

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When?:

Saturday, March 31, 2007

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Where?:

Tracy Alliance Church, Tracy, MN

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1:30 - Welcome and Introduction

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Sessions will include:
Panel Forum
Knights, Maidens & Dragons

True Love Stories

Just for Guys

Just for Girls

Goals for Success

Question and Answer Time

Supper Break

Concert by the Berge Family

7:00 - open to all

President's Day

With all of the political and governmental problems that we seem to have an abundance of lately, it is easy to become discouraged and disgruntled with our government. I tend to be a finger pointer and think that if they would just do "this or that" than everything would be better! I was doing a little research on WallBuilders.com recently and realized a great truth--it isn't "them" but "me" that I should be focusing on. I have just as much of a duty and responsibility toward promoting the moral excellence of our nation as our president does. I know that I have not prayed as diligently for our leaders as I should have and I have not been as involved as I know I could be. Here are a few quotes from the Father of our nation, General George Washington that helped put things into perspective for me:

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[T]he [federal] government . . . can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, and oligarchy, an aristocracy, or any other despotic or oppressive form so long as there shall remain any virtue in the body of the people.

~George Washington, February 7, 1788~

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"The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country."

~George Washington, July 9, 1776~

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"Deeds, not Words"

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"For God and my Country."

(George Washington's Mottos)

My kiddos...

My job teaching at Kinder Kids Preschool provides me with many lessons for life. I was helping two children solve a little conflict the other day and I asked them what happened. They both honestly told me what they had each done to make the other mad. I was impressed with that and thought that I probably wouldn't be as quick to "incriminate" myself in a similar situation. I would probably try to justify myself and explain my weakness away somehow. I think that is one of my biggest challenges--reponding with humility and grace in situations that reveal my weaknesses.

"Whoever then humbles himself as this child,

he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:4

What a blessing to have a character building training program built right into my job! And I get paid for it to boot!

My little character builders

The other side of the world

What a blessing it was to be amongst the people of south Asia for the past few weeks.

I was confronted with the stark reality of Muslim lifestyles and how they look at us as Americans. Although our team was treated very well and welcomed wholeheartedly, the general belief there is that Americans (whom they believe to be Christians) are people with very loose morals and no modesty. It is no wonder that they believe this with the television and Hollywood movies that they are exposed to from the West. It makes me sad to think that our once Godly nation now has such a terrible reputation.

I felt a very grave responsibility to represent Christ in an honorable way so as to bring Him glory in every thing I said and did. What a good reminder it was to be constantly watchful and careful of every word I say and thing I do because I am always representing Christ no matter where I am.

Here are a few pictures...