The End is Near

A sign we saw while driving to Arkansas

March is coming near, today is the Mass Media deadline,

 and it is time to stop and submit my blog. 

So this IS the End!

But not really! 

 

I am very excited about the L2L Convention this year.  

We are going to Kentucky.

We have 31 people from our congregation signed up, 

so it should be the best one ever!

  I want to tell anyone who likes to write to make a blog of your own.  It is easy to learn, and it is FUN!!  

But more than that,  I hope in reading all these blog posts, you have figured out how IMPORTANT it is to make Jesus real in your life.  

The Bible says that He is the only thing worth seeking in this life. 

 The rules for L2L say that I have to end my blog today, to wrap things up nicely so they can check it out and see what I have done. 

 But I plan to keep on writing.  You couldn't keep me from writing. 

Source:  Mod Resdes Prints

What if the "End" really was near?  Are you ready to face Eternity today?  

The Bible says that you must "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." (Act 16:31). It also says in the book of Acts that Baptism is needed for true salvation (Acts 2:38).  

Have you given your life, heart, mind and soul to Jesus?  Have you been Baptized?  If you haven't, please go to the link on the Page for my congregation above on the home page.  

You can call my church minister, Doug Hamilton, or just leave a comment, and I will help you to find someone to help you discover the REAL Treasure in life. 

 It will make all the difference!

Please check out Ladstoleaders.com for more information about all the ways you can grow and  learn more about the Treasure Worth Everything.  I hope this blog has helped you to want a more exciting life of seeking Treasure in the Bible. 

Are you ready for "The End?"  

Source:   Maranda Hawthorn

Note:  If you would like to read the blog in the 

order that it was written, please start at the 

post written on 4/13/15 and select "Newer 

Post" after reading each post.

The Treasure of a Good Deed

I am planning to do many more good deeds this year. 

My Mom and I brainstormed and I wrote down ideas for 

people and places that might need a Good Deed. 

We decided that today, we would serve our 

Dentist and his workers. 

Today for the Good Samaritan Project,
we took food and hot cider to
our Dentist's Office 

They really loved it!  



In the same way, good deeds are 

obvious,

 and even those that are not obvious

 cannot remain hidden forever.



******I Timothy 5:12*****

Treasuring Up Good Times

We Decorated our Porch Today

We have a lot of fun at our house. 

 There is always someone coming over, stopping by, or visiting.  

We stay super busy in the Fall.  

My Mom and Dad like to make the house look fun with Decorations.  

We have people here from church nearly every weekend, and Missionaries sleep over in our Guest Room a lot.  All of this stuff brings many good times here at our home. 

I made this bird
It is a Black Bird for Fall

It's not that we have a lot of money, because we SURE don't!  But we use stuff like leaves, nuts, and nature to decorate, and to do crafts.  We grow our own vegetables for meals with Family, and friends.  We shop at ALDA and my mom uses coupons like crazy.  

And we always have enough.  It's like the verse in the Bible that says, "The Son of man is going to come in His Father's glory with the Angels, and then He will reward each person  according to what he has done"(Mt 16:27).  

We collect Leaves in Fall and
do all kinds of Crafts with them


That is what I mean about Treasures.  

I read a book about Hudson Taylor, a great missionary to China.  

He said, "The less I spent on myself, and the more I gave to others, 
the FULLER of happiness and blessing did my soul become."  

We gather up acorns in the fall, and then
when it snows, we throw them
out into the backyard for the
Squirrels to have a Snow Feast

It doesn't matter if you are helping animals, people, babies, or anything else.  When you give, it makes you happy inside.  God feels really good, too.  

What about you, do you like to treasure up good times?  Do you give of yourself?  I would love to know what you think about this topic... you can leave a comment if you want. 

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

     I worked really hard on this painting for my first competition at the L2L Convention last year.  

 At first, I was terrible at painting. 

 I liked to sketch, and do that a lot, but not paint. 

One of my first sketches
practicing perspective

    So I took lessons from an Artist friend, and watched many Youtube videos on Watercoloring before I even tried to paint my picture.  

Another practice sketch

We were reading Revelation when I got to the day when I was ready to start my watercolor project, so I decided to paint the Lord of all lords coming back for His people.  

The horse was the hardest part

I finally got the horse right,
then it was time to
start painting

I did the sky first, but I had to do many practice
paintings before I was ready for the final one
Watercolor is hard, because there are many layers.

I was really surprised
when they said I won
First Place!

During this time when I was painting, one of my Memory verses was this one: 


"But we have this treasure 
in earthen vessels,
that the excellence 
of the power may be 
of God 
and 
not of us."

2 Corinthians 4:7


I know God helped me with this project.  It was really a tough one. 
 Sometimes I wanted to give up.  My Dad said that it was like the earthen vessels.  They crack and are sometimes broken or decayed or rotten, with holes all in them.

But if we hold on tight to God, He will fill them 
with His Light and 
that Light will shine out through the cracks.
That is what happened with my Watercolor Project. 

There were LOTS of cracks, like the 
sketches you can see in these pictures.  

But each time, the cracks got better, 
and in the end, the Light of 
Jesus was able to Shine out of the holes.

The shiny-est time was when they 
called me up to the stage at the Convention. 
That was Great! 

It was a LOT of HARD work, but it was worth it in the end

Sketching a
Self Portrait in my Art Class

A Different Kind of Treasure

Hi

I am glad you are reading my blog.  

Our Theme this year is "Treasure"and I want you to know that I treasure my time in Lads to Leaders (L2L).

I treasure (or value) my friends in L2L.

I love my mentors in L2L. 

All of these are "gems" and precious things to me. 

Source:  My Mom's Blackboard

I saw this Statement (below) on the Lads to Leaders Blog Web site,

 and I wanted to add it to my blog 

because I set some BIG goals this year in Lads to Leaders.   

"Are You A Winner?

 Every student who sets worthy goals is a winner..."

  - Roy Johnson

For 2015/2016, I signed up for 10 events.  

That is HUGE.  

This is only my second year in L2L, but I was so interested in so many things, my parents said I could do it if I promised to complete one event or item per month.  

I said I would promise. 

 So my year is going to be BUSY!   

I plan to be a "Winner," even if I don't win a single ribbon.  

My Art Class

"Are You A Winner?

 Every student who sets worthy goals is a winner.

Every student who starts excelling for the Lord is a winner.

 Every student who studies the Bible is a winner.

Every student who memorizes Scripture is a winner.

 Every student who learns the importance of serving others is a winner.

Every student who becomes a Self Starter is a winner.

Every student who stretches beyond their comfort zone is a winner.

 Every student who becomes “Firmly Grounded” is a winner."

 - Roy Johnson, Executive Director, Lads to Leaders

I helped my parents paint our Living Room this Week

What about you?  Are You A Winner?