Hackers?

*gasp* EDITED! Good guys? What are they doing? My husband found(edited to add !! foul language on this hacker's site so I have disabled the link!!) sla.ckers.org (I have it still listed in case there is someone who has some know how on the ins and outs of hacking etc..I am so sorry for those of you who had to see the foul language in the posts on that site- please forgive me!- I didn't do much looking around as Brian told me where my site was listed- I should have looked before listing it here!! ) My site, abcand123okinawa.blogspot.com listed as one they "ran" something on? If you are looking to "help" , my site is listed at 6 from the bottom(my site is just listed as one they were "messing with")...does anybody know what in the world this is about? I tried to find a way to contact blogger or google....*grr* You don't need to go to the link if you don't know a way to "fix" whatever security issue I have- I have pretty much covered the problem here in my post. My husband stumbled upon it when he googled my site to check it from work...he was concerned that it was listed on a hacking site....SORRY again Please forgive my carelessness dear sisters -it is not an oversight that I take lightly :( !

A Praise and some Trials and some more Praise!

I just wanted to update on a situation. It was pretty much marked up to hopeless, but the Lord is seeing fit to bless! We had been bathing this family in prayer and we are definitely seeing the results! What looked like the end of the road for an unequally yoked marriage with children involved has taken a miraculous turn. The wife's willingness to trust the Lord and be obedient is winning her husband over. She has gone ahead to the states with the children and left her unsaved husband "in the church's care" (they are moving from here to the states- she just went ahead--now). We have been taking him meals and talking with him. My husband took a meal over Saturday night and the husband immediately asked when the services start the next day....better yet, he went! PTL!!! He is SO good! So, I will truly rejoice in my recent trials as I test my shield of faith.

Trials...well, I can't go into all of them, but here are some of the little ones ;) I am struggling with yelling again :( I hate it...I could chalk it up to stress, but that would just be lying to myself- the stress is just pulling the blinds off my eyes to my "heart" condition. Yes, instead of taking the time to re-train and lovingly correct...I yell...no excuse. This is a self induced storm.

And then , starting Friday, which of course, Brian had duty all night and then had to work all day Saturday :) (still smiling) Lily was running fevers which Tylenol only took the edge off. Ayden started in too...then there was some concern because Brian has just gotten a smallpox vaccine- which it turns out would not cause something like this. Sunday, the kids were still running fevers...which brings me to today. I took Lily in finally because I feared she was getting pnuemonia...and I was right... Lily has pnuemonia *sigh* but she did get some good antibiotics that should wipe it out. So, either these trials are to serve as a "burning bush" to get my attention, or we are just "exercising" our faith and strength in the Lord. Either way, I need to be in fervent prayer and Bible study.

Another praise is for one of my good friends the Lord has provided me here. She took care of my two oldest girls so I could take Lily and Ayden to the Drs. The poor thing went to take 3 of hers and 2 of mine to get something to eat, and discovered she had a flat tire! So, she loaded the 2 littlest in her double stroller and they walked to Popeye's! It is a good little distance! I felt so bad, but God is so good to provide friends who are willing to "walk" the extra mile to help a sister in Christ. PTL He is good!

KJV Helpful Links

Oops, I deleted this helpful Learn the Bible link with answers to questions concerning the KJV in a post I needed to remove. I found this site very informative on many subjects. This is part of that link too, and it answers questions such as "Is the Bible the true word of God? Is it reliable and faithful? Do we have the word of God in the English language?"

This is an NIV Bible quiz which will test your confidence in your NIV- I don't care for the tone of the closing comments. Again, I see danger ahead, and I do, in love, want to warn.

This is a table comparing the versions and showing what the NIV and other versions omit. It is just a sample of omissions. It is scary how the NIV and the NWT (New World Translation- Jehovah's Witnesses)mirror many times and omit the same verses. This comparison chart is unsettling. I don't like the tone in which the paragraph before is written, just ignore it and scroll down to the chart... it does prove a point.

My Hero

..when he was at the Staff Acadamy this past summer. *sigh*


It is interesting how this quote from Lincoln applies to present times as well..."The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."
--Lincoln's message to Congress December 1, 1862
Thank you to ALO
for being such a wonderful resource of quotes and speeches











It was after a long trying day for both my husband and I -the evening I took this picture of his boots. I had been irritated with him earlier in the day for being home hours later than he had told me. I was in bed reading and waiting to finally be able to talk with him, and as he was getting ready for bed I looked over at his boots. I was overcome with emotion as I thought about his poor tired feet. His boots were dusty and very forlorne looking sitting on the floor there next to the bed. They looked unappreciated and overworked...and there they sat quietly waiting for the day to start again hours before the break of day. Day after day, night after late night he works so hard and he comes home to his children and reads the Bible and prays with them. I got a well needed slap in the face look at of what kind of help-meet I was...or rather wasn't. My heart hurt remembering my huffiness about how he needed to make time to call etc...I was tearing down...again. I grabbed my camera to help me remember the moment the Lord showed me my lack of appreciation for my hero, my husband. It has been months since I took this picture, and even now it brings tears to my eyes.

Cyber Scream

AAAHHHHH! There...*whew*...I feel a little better ;) Frustrations are mounting, but God is good.

:) INCOG

Brian is getting ready for a trip to Virginia! He won't be gone long PTL- like a week or so. That is about all for the excitement right now. *sigh* I sure wish we could go with him. I guess flying all....6 of us would cost alot. We hope to get to Australia sometime while we are over here...that would be such an adventure. NITO :) God is so good to us. He equips us with all we need. He is my sustaining strength ! I am planning a Mother Daughter luncheon, so :) that is a bit weighty:). I am so anxious!! It is May 5th, but is already in motion in a very big way and I have lots of wonderful ladies to help me. PLEASE PRAY for me -especially those that KNOW - like Ms Jamie, Ms Niriel, Ms Jessica (from 29), Ms Terri W, Ms Kim L, Ms Steph, ladies who can relate to such a challenging thing. There is an awful lot of planning involved. I am so not organized yet with necessary paperwork and such, so please pray for wisdom in this area. I sure wish I could email some of the details of the luncheon to you, my friends, but I don't want to spoil the surprise! Thank you for understanding. :) Since my husband is going to have to deal with the brunt of my stress, he sure could use alot of people praying for him!

An Intro to Our Decision...and then some Part 1

...to prefer the KJV over the modern translations is a preference that I know the Lord Jesus Christ has hand guided us in. I am not part of any "movement", I love my fellow Christians- we are all positionally perfect if we have truly trusted Christ as our Savior. We must, however be discerning when it comes to the changes in the Word of God. I think we have a right to know! It is amazing how whenever there is a post challenging Modern translations- people jump out of the woodwork to defend and justify the omissions. *ahem* I guess we see it on both sides :).
I am not a KJV onlyist (edited to clarify that KJV is the only Bible WE use, I mean an " onlyist" in the current militant sense I have seen ;))...yet- as I have yet to examine every translation- and I may never be, my husband will ultimately decide for our family :) In our search, we believe that the authorized KJV is the best that the English language has to offer. We have just compared, been given information and prayerfully made a choice given the information. We had felt, in the past, that this is such a personal decision- why tell anyone? Everyone has a right to choose the Bible they feel most comfortable reading right? Well, we are thankful someone who loved us gave us the information we needed to make an informed decision. I had been reading the NIV by default -there is nothing wrong with that, and I am not going to tell anyone they are wrong or less of a Christian because of the Bible they read. Please don't "turn off" because you think I am going to attack you and your preferences because I think I am "somethin" for wanting to read difficult english. LOL As most of you know from reading my posts, I have much "refreshing" to do to consider myself any sort of intellect...of any type. Nope, just a college drop out here folks :) It would not be of the Lord to be divisive, so why bring up such controversy? Why speak up now? I hope my frequent reading friends and family would know that I have no personal agenda attached, nothing to prove- I'm a sinner saved by Grace. I think I have been consistent enough in my posts to say I share this in love...with a desire to inform. But mainly these 2 reasons- 1) The modern translations are moving toward embracing a one world religion in their deletions and omissions. I believe it is a work of satan, not a work that anyone is knowingly doing. 2) To expose evil -which I feel obligated to do. We know who our enemy is, and he is sneaky and sly and why would he NOT seek to corrupt what millions of people trust in every day as the inspired word of God? Ultimately though, the responsibility falls on us as individuals to seek out the TRUTH. I have a sin nature as of yet ;) so I am flawed and WRONG at times...ok many times ;) So, please don't "quote" me or paste this anywhere else. I reserve the right to be further convicted on this :)


The translators for the KJV took great pains to make sure they were not trying to convey just an idea, but that they were word for word translating. That is the important KEY ELEMENT here- WORD FOR WORD. Their notes were extensive which you can access at the link below (preface of the 1611 KJV). There are many revisions as the English language changed, but the eloquence of the Bible and the "rhythm" allows for easy memorization in my opinion and in our experience as even our 3 year old was able to memorize Prov 3: 1-13 by just hearing it read over and over. It lends to a sense of unity in the Christian body to recite scripture on the "same page". It also causes us to ponder and look deeper as the Lord leads and to explain the scripture to our children, though it has been tested at a 5th grade reading level. The words of the Bible are a mysterious work and have been supernaturally preserved. Ask ,in earnest, for the truth, and the Lord will reveal it.
As far as preference alone, who wouldn't want to see the beautiful language of the KJV preserved? There is an agenda to get the KJV off the shelves, and even if reading the KJV was not your conviction would you not at least be concerned to find it was no longer going to be printed? For example (a poor one I'm afraid as the the Bible is the Word of God) we would be offended if someone took the beautiful literary work of Shakespeare and changed it to modern English in an effort to take the "old" off the shelves...the Authorized KJV is a literary masterpiece as a bonus to being the most accurate translation, and that is a preference on our part. The Omissions and Changes are the reasons for our main concerns.

The translators were incredibly humble and devout men of God. I read a good bit of the preface of the 1611 KJV. They allowed that someone might translate better in their extensive notes. - Written in the preface of the 1611 KJV, "...we affirm and avow, that the very meanest [poorest or least esteemed] translation of the Bible in English, set forth by men of our profession... contains the Word of God, nay, IS THE WORD OF GOD". They said that "though it be not interpreted by every Translator with like grace", the King's speech is "still the King's speech"; thus, "No cause therefore why the Word translated should be denied to be the Word, or forbidden to be currant [used], notwithstanding that some imperfections and blemishes may be noted in the setting forth [translating] of it." We still believe the Authorized KJV is the best translation.

The men chosen to write the Bible were "pens" to write GOD's WORDS...they weren't tasked with discerning the mind of God or worse the intent of Paul, for example, and writing it down! As we read the Bible, it is the Holy Spirit (for without the Holy Spirit we would be blind) that speaks to us through the inspired words. Matthew 24:35, the Lord Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
"MY WORDS"- so if some of the words are going away, they are no long HIS WORDS. I will post a table of the various contradictions and omissions found in the modern translations. For now, some of the great concerns are:

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." the NIV says " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - ONE AND ONLY? Read this for an excellent exposure to the huge error of using one and only vice begotten in translating God's Words. This makes the verse 1 John 3:2 invalid " Beloved, now are we the sons of God...?" It also challenges the virgin birth and deity and the importance of Christ's shed blood. ie

Colossians 1:14 the KJV reads, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" The NIV reads, "In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." The NIV, NASV, RSV, NRSV fail to report that it is THROUGH HIS BLOOD that we have forgiveness of sins. Where in the world is Acts 8:37? Anyway, I will post or link you to a lengthy list of some very scary deletions in my opinion. And, as I said before, I believe some of the Modern translations are paving the way nicely to confuse and leave room to embrace the false gods and religions of the world. The New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness) has been named an obvious corruption of scripture, but it is interesting how the NIV and NASB frequently agree with the NWT in their omissions (at least 6 are the same) and changes.
I loved this...

“Truly, good Christian Reader, we never thought from the beginning, that we should need to make a new Translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one ... but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against; that hath been our endeavor, that our mark.” - Preface to the King James Bible

So, since my commenter jumped the gun a bit, I will address the whole copyright issue. Here is an overview of what a copyright is, quoted from the article-
"Copyright law secures for the creator of a creative effort the exclusive right to control who can make copies, or make works derived from the original work. " (emphasis added) and "And of course you can't copyright something somebody else did without their permission, or derive your work from their work."
If you are concerned you are getting the real deal, you can just look at the publisher etc. and the KJV has had "protections" which some would call a copyright in order to protect from piracy etc. This article describes some of that and how this reason alone would be ludicrous for rejecting a modern translation...I agree and I probably should not have used it as my teaser. But..it is a preparation for things to come...I see the copyright (the pronounced display of it as the NIV uses) as a warning. All of these things are working together to produce a lie- with a license- and it has just gotten started!

I know my poor writing skills and grammer can be ripped to shreds, but please don't let my human error take away from a very important issue that needs to be examined. Let this perhaps be a catalyst for your own "search" for the truth. The Lord desires us to have truth in hand and hide it in our hearts. Don't let any comments of ridicule or condescending explanation remove a cause for concern over this issue remember that "...we wrestle not against flesh and blood" Eph 6:12. Ultimately my desire is to provoke in my friends and family a desire for truth.

An Anjolie Moment

Lily was pushing Anjolie up and down our uncarpeted hallway on Ayden's little scooter. Anjolie was happily singing "Row row row your boat gently down the stream..." a *SLAM* interrupted her sweet little song as Lily had shoved the scooter into the closet door hard enough for a whiplash claim ;). Anjolie angrily slammed her "paddles" down ( my husband's grill spatula and tongs) looked over her shoulder at a sheepish looking Lily and sternly said, "I said.. GENTLY" lol.

A Hint About a Post to Come...

...I need to pray about it and by the Lord's guidance, make sure it is done with the right motives and in the right spirit. But, the following is just something to ponder.

Do YOU believe the Word Of GOD is inspired? What is your understanding of "inspired" ?
Hold that thought as you think about the following...

Today's New International Version(TNIV)
© Copyright 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society

(why would a Bible need a copyright after HUNDREDS of years of not needing one?)
God is so good to point things out to those who search for truth....we must be careful not to allow our pride to stand in the way of *seeing* it. (I almost missed out some 6 years ago!)

Oh my!

This was great and I could totally relate. I love when you read someone's blog, and you can relate in such a way that makes you feel that you are not alone in your struggles. Thank you Grafted Branch for pointing out a wonderful Blog!

Please Welcome!!

Many of you have caught my hints in various posts to a good friend of mine that NEEDS to be blogging...Well...HHHHeeeeeeere she is! Yay!!
Simply Trusting is by my dearest friend here in Okinawa. She is brand new to this blogging thing, and I am so excited that she going to brave the ins and outs of blogger to share with us what the Lord is doing in her life. She is so incredibly talented and will roll her eyes at me for this introduction ;)- I could go on and on about her, but I don't want to spoil any posting material she might want to share with you herself :)
Please take a moment to stop by and say hello!

So, any support or help with how to post pics etc would be very welcome. I just download them from my computer, but some of you use photobucket etc...not sure about how to do that, but it would probably be quicker hmmm.

I am *ok* at figuring how to do things, but then when I try to help someone else...yikes I mess stuff up.

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Now, if only I would choose to use this Sword against the fiery darts of self-pity and discouragement and fretting when I am involved in an attack led by the author of lies. It is so plain to me when someone else is hurting....

I have a friend who is hurting, deeply hurting. She is at a crossroads...for years she has persevered, she has prayed, others have prayed and it seems her situation has come to a head. The last straw is just a temptation to take the easy solution which I am sure will have lasting consequences for her and her children. She is set on making a wrong choice...an understandable choice (humanly speaking) but it is wrong and it cannot be blessed by God because it is contrary to His Word. As I pray for my friend who is in the midst of this awful attack from the wiles of the evil one, this verse Isaiah 41:10 runs through my head. Also, a mirror has been set before my heart. He is showing me myself in my friend's trial.

My heart hurts so much for her. Do you ever feel so broken for someone that your chest just hurts and your throat gets so tight you feel like you are choking. I have no pearls of wisdom to offer, nothing to "relate" that might comfort. It is in my lack, though, that the Lord makes clear His words, His promises and testimony to His immeasurable love for us at all times. It is HIS sword that will do battle- not my ridiculous attempts at trying to appear to be untouchable by any spiritual attack- to touch her back from a distance and say something pat. No, the burden the Lord has allowed me as a friend to help shoulder has filled me with such sorrow and yet at the same time has turned my "eyes" to a "window" through which His light shines. In order to see this window though, I have to turn my gaze from the trial to behold it. Why is that so hard? I don't do that when I am facing a trial...I look and cower at my trial looming over me...I allow the discouragement and hopelessness to settle in my heart. Through my friend's circumstance..I can see what I choose to do in a trial...the chains I choose to wear. If only we would turn and reach to Him...always toward the hope. In Him there will ALWAYS be a note of hope...a way out. His healing grace, His unspeakable depths of joy and comfort are there for the taking...I can see the note of hope in her circumstances. And, when I kneel beside my friend in prayer later today, my prayer will be that she will choose to turn her eyes from her trial to see the love and comfort that pours forth for her right where she is.

Our God is so much bigger than we could ever imagine...why oh why would I want my focus to be on a trial? I pray against the deceit and lies that turn my head aside from the ONE who truly will uphold me in His "right hand of righteousness" no matter what the trial may be. Now, if only I can remember what the Lord has revealed to me in my friend's circumstance when my trials come.

If I Had Eyes...

...on the top of my head? This was Brianna's and Anjolie's solution to the problem of the comb that Brianna had *rolled* in my hair up into the top of my head. As I sat on the floor with Brian *trying*, from his chair, to help with the tangled mess Brianna very seriously (and I think a bit nervous about the situation seeing as she caused it) said, "I sure wish you had some eyes on the top of your head"...no comment from mommy...so I guess Anjolie wanted to make it a bit clearer "Yeah, so you could see what you was doin'! " ....we eventually got the comb out, along with a good bit of my hair *ouch*. And, with the bald spot that is probably there now *ahem* (thank you Brian) an extra set of eyes would probably fit there nicely...ok, yes, I did chuckle a bit...after the mess was over.

Humbled to say...

I recieved a very touching award from a blog friend I greatly admire Grafted Branch from her blog Restoring the Years..."Just Because". It just touches my heart. Thank you Grafted Branch you sure know how to make a girl feel special. I am still working on the link to the beautiful "button" in my sidebar.

BAMBOHE

...is where Brian and I got to go with some good friends of ours. We left our children at my house with sitters (yes, multiple because we have 4 and they have 2;) ) and had a wonderful time at this all you can eat Japanese buffet. I did not have my camera last time, so this time my friend Pam was so nice to remember hers. I will ask her if I can post her pic before I do...so I might have to update later. Maybe she should get her own blog? Hint hint!! ;)Notice the Grill in the table..lol there is NO WAY that would happen in the states...or am I wrong? They have raw meat at the food bar that you take and grill at the table...yuuuumy. I think this place by far is Brian's favorite...sushi..noodles all you can eat for an hour and a half...
Mmmmmm sushi...well, there are a couple I will say "Mmmm" about, but some "bllllech!!". I like it with plenty of soy sauce and wasabi. We were the ONLY Americans in there both times lol.

Happy Birthday Lily!!

Lily turned 2 on December 31'st ...she was our New Year's Eve baby. Don't laugh at my feeble attempt of making her a little lamb cake LOL! We got her a new kitchen which is really cute...a kitchen on one side and a grill on the other ...Little Tikes is wonderful!!

Lily's baby

Lily loves her baby :)

More Christmas Pics

Happy New Year :)

Well, this is my first post of the new year! We have been very busy, and I have been able to only peek at my friend's posts here and there. I sure miss my bloggy friends.

Christmas was beautiful. As mentioned before, we put our tree up when we remembered that Brian's Marines were coming over Christmas Day to eat. They had attended church with us the day before, and we did not want to cause confusion to those who were not saved...by not having the tree up. I had mixed feelings as we put it up...those of thankfulness that we felt obedient in just going with the Lord's guidance...and clarity. We were not worshiping or centering our celebration on a tree, but the glow on the kid's faces as they shared in the tradition of decorating a tree (lol it was pretty bare except for lights)but, it was neat because I found some ornaments made of straw and scarlet colored twine. The symbolism which I did not recognize until afterwards is precious to me. Our Lord was born in a manger of wood probably filled with straw/hay and the children's gifts laid under the tree...flowing out from it. Our Lord's love flows out to us in the most precious gift of His life ...He hung on a "tree" and poured out His perfect blood to cover our sins. We wanted our celebration to be God-centered this year..more so than it has been in the past, and I believe the Lord helped us in a tremendous way as we genuinely sought to do it His way. I am so glad we waited and did not put it up with guilt attached as we were seeking His guidance...wanting to continue to be good witnesses to my husband's Marines made the "right" decision very clear. Thank you Lord for a beautiful time of remembrance and symbolism.