Film Festival 2013 - Setting Up

We set out all the DVDs the judges returned for people to take home with them.  A great job for little sisters, who can't help with the cords and wires. 

My beautiful sister

My other beautiful sister

And my other beautiful sister

Oh look, another beautiful sister!

This was before I was totally stressed out.  ;-)

Sweeping and looking for our first guests

Setting up the sound system is the crux of the whole day!

A beautiful cake with camcorder that Mrs. Kathy made for us!

100 programs ready for 200 guests!

Yet another beautiful sister!  (wow!)

Rachel took a break to write her book. 

Jamie was SO excited!!!

A very handsome brother to go with my lovely sisters!

These photos were all taken by Emily.  More are coming!!!!

Happy Birthday!

 

Our blog is 4 years old today, and what a fun trip it has been through the years.  I encourage you to look through the archives and laugh with us at all the funny memories.  And remember the memories that struck at our heart.  Life is a bumpy road, but it is so worth it when you know the Lord.

The picture above is our most recent sibling picture.  Left to right is Jessica, Ryan, Jamie, Erin, Sarah, Emily, Michael, and Rachel.

For your day...

Mouths and Meat

She asked me yesterday,  "how do you feed a family that size?"  She refered to us or to our friends with 9, 10, or 13 children.  I didn't know how to respectfully reply.

Oh to have Matthew Henry's gift of words.

Children are a heritage and a reward, and are so to be accounted blessings and not burdens; for he that sends mouths will send meat if we trust him.

Filmmaking...

Filmmaking is hard work!!!  Lots and lots of hard work!!!  But the Film Festival is worth it, at the end of a hot summer!

Times Two

~Twins are everything God gives you in children, siblings, and friends - times two.~

Filmmaking 101

Camping part 1

We went camping, we went fishing, we went to the lake, we went home tired.   And film making is back in full swing now at our house!  Here are some pictures of camping, with more to come!

Fishing and Smiles

Repost from Jon Acuff

Yes, humor should matter to Christians, but why?

Why should laughter and humor have a place within faith?

It hasn’t always. I’ve never heard an atheist say, “I’m not a Christian, but wow, do they have a great sense of humor!” (If you have ever heard that, please let me know so that I can mail you a box of Thin Mints.)

That said, there are a lot of funny Christians doing funny things right now and maybe the tide is turning.

But again, why?Why does laughter matter in faith?

The answer, funny enough, is in the Bible.
In Psalm 126:2 it says:
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Then.
Then.
Then.

That’s the most powerful word in that verse. The laughter was not just some frivolous thing. The laughter was not folly. It was was not jest.

It was a sign that the Lord has done great things for them.

In all our failing about to show people the goodness of God, I fear sometimes we’ve lost the simplest way.
To laugh. To be overjoyed. To be full of mirth.

Should humor matter to Christians?
It mattered to God, and that’s good enough for me.

For My Family... and you!

Keep up the prayers!

Camping pictures coming soon!

Please Pray!

German family denied asylum, HSLDA appeals

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld the Obama Administration’s denial of asylum granted to the Romeike family.
The Romeikes fled Germany in 2008 when they were subjected to criminal prosecution for homeschooling. They were granted asylum in 2010 by Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman, but that grant was overturned by the Board of Immigration Appeals in 2012. A three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit heard the Romeikes’ appeal on April 23 in Cincinnati, and issued today’s unanimous decision against the family.
“We believe the Sixth Circuit is wrong and we will appeal their decision,” said Michael Farris, HSLDA Founder and Chairman. “America has room for this family and we will do everything we can to help them.”
The court said that the Romeikes had not made a sufficient case and that the United States has not opened its doors to every victim of unfair treatment. Although the court acknowledged that the U.S. Constitution recognizes the rights of parents to direct the education and upbringing of their children, it refused to concede that the harsh treatment of religiously and philosophically motivated homeschoolers in Germany amounts to persecution within our laws on asylum.
“While we will continue to fight in the courts over the issue of whether our law requires the Administration to give this family asylum, there is no doubt of the ability of the Obama Administration to use its discretion to immediately grant this family permanent asylum. We urge the Administration to do so at once,” Farris added.
“If our Administration is willing to explore a policy of leniency for millions of immigrants, it is simply inexplicable why they cannot find room for one homeschooling family from Germany,” Farris continued.
“Germany continues to persecute homeschoolers,” said Mike Donnelly, HSLDA Director of International Affairs. “The court ignored mountains of evidence that homeschoolers are harshly fined and that custody of their children is gravely threatened—something most people would call persecution. This is what the Romeikes will suffer if they are sent back to Germany.”
HSLDA will appeal the Sixth Circuit’s ruling. Please continue to keep the Romeike family and HSLDA’s litigation team in your thoughts and prayers.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Mommy, did you want to be just like me?  I love you!

Life Moves On...

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

Dr. Suess 

Amazing Skills - and Fun Movies!

Fun for Today!

Which character from the Ranger's Apprentice series are you?

Alyss Alyss is a graceful young diplomat that can make almost anyone smile. She was one of Will's friends.

Facebook quizzes & Blog quizzes by

April 27, 2011

"You should be in your place of safety.  On the lowest floor of you house, away from doors and windows"

There are moments that change your life.  They change the way you look at life, the way you think of life, the way you read life, and the way you live life.  They teach you to treasure your moments, for you don't know when they end.  To love the souls around you, and not the stuff. 

Thus was April 27th, 2011

If I learned anything, it is that two years doesn't make it go away.  Two years still leaves nightmares, scars, screaming.  Tears that flow whenever the wind blows.  Hearts that can't take another thunder clap.  The tornado alarm still makes you scream.  And you still leave the state when there are tornado warnings. 

Two years doesn't make it go away. 

But two years does make you lean on God more. 

Pray for Alabama today.  We are still grieving for the lost.  Still rejoicing for the restored.  Still taking the next step.  One step at a time.

Repost - Funny Quotations

5 of my favorite Steven Wright quotes

“When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.”
“A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.”
“Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.”
“Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don’t have film.”
“I woke up one morning to find that all of my stuff had been stolen and replaced by exact duplicates.”