Backyard Treasures---

Someone at our house recently turned seven and was presented on that occasion the Jonathan Park communicator watches. Ever since that joyous day, we've had all kinds of adventures in our own backyard. :) Somehow having those watches to communicate with makes a walk in the woods "just like a real Jonathan Park adventure!!" Everything is scientific and exciting. :) On one of these adventures, we decided to look for some little things that we would usually overlook. And we found some beautiful treasures....

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Also, I am doing a Worldview study with some very sweet friends (Cassidy and Kaitlyn), and at our last meeting, we decided to share our unit worldview papers on our blogs. :) Below is mine. ~ (...i never realized how beautiful fungi is!!)

Like snowflakes, every individual on earth is completely different with distinct diversities; although we are all searching for the same answer to life’s mysteries. Questions constantly arise; begging to know what is God is really like. Inquiring what the true nature of the earth is, under all the stories told. Uncertain of the feelings felt by seemingly “good” people and how evil and suffering can happen so quickly and unmercifully. Is there truly a Creator of moral law? After I die where will I go and will my life here have meant anything? Some let these questions loom overhead, never finding the answers; while those who truly search, find the most breathtaking response they could imagine. Holding the entire universe in His hands, God’s strength is so infinite, yet He has a personal view of everything. God is larger than time, space and emotion. Daily, we overlook His protection and infinite help in time of need. Surprisingly, although God is the most powerful being in existence, He wants and desires to be best friends with you and me! This friendship is based completely on faith, as God is too magnificent for us to see with our human eyes. As we explore the nature of the universe, before us stands two individual portions known as the seen and the unseen. During the 20th Century, a totally complete new concept was presented; that there was no unseen. Surprisingly, many people have fallen into the trap of new ideas instead of standing by the foundational ones. As Christians, we are called to look to the eternal, and not to the ever-changing temporal things (2 Corinthians 4:18). After all faith is not seeing, but knowing and trusting. Much like our Creator, we have unseen elements as well. Each human being has been created in the individual image of God, yet born into a sinful world with strong natures. When the Lord fashioned humans, He gave us the freedom of choice, the ability to communicate, the desire for relationship and the feelings of joy and sorrow. Beyond that dramatic day in Eden, we have all been born into sin and have strong natures that easily fall into evil. Accepting Jesus into our hearts and making the ultimate choice to walk in holiness, we must put on the new man in Christ! Renewing ourselves in knowledge, we must seek to constantly live more in the guidelines of our awesome Creator! (Colossians 3:10) Walking this awe-inspiring journey with Christ, it is not difficult to realize that evil is corrupting the earth around us. As humans, we have a natural desire for a moral law, because we have been created in the image of God; although, the world around us screams a different message. Every human alive would agree that there is evil in the world. If there is evil, there must be good; which leads us to a moral standard set by Almighty God. Sadly, the world is trying to convey there is a gray area between good and evil. As Christians, we are given the Word of God to measure everything against. May we seek to find truth, because it is indeed there. Wickedness and evil are very apparent, but it can be challenging to understand their cause and source. Since the first moment that sin entered the world, humans have felt the need to blame someone for all the evil and suffering. Unfortunately, they are clearly accusing the wrong source. Individuals like to blame God for the evil and suffering, yet if God is taken out of the picture, evil still remains. With God, we are given hope, grace and peace to help us through the suffering. Even while we are in the middle of turmoil, He promises never to leave us. The cause of suffering is the absence of God. When we push Him out of our lives, evil reigns in our hearts because we have no one to look to for strength when trials come. The strength of God comes from His forgiveness which also provides beautiful salvation. At death, the Lord has proclaimed and promised that each of us will everlastingly exist in one of two places. If we failed in our life on earth to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and did not believe in our hearts that Jesus was raised from the dead, we will be sent to the everlasting lake of fire. On the reverse side, if we served the Lord with our life and heart, we will be given a more beautiful life that our minds can imagine! If we are unsure of where our loved ones are, we can know that want us in heaven (Luke 16:19 – 31) and trust in God to comfort our hearts, as we learn the beauty of a new life in Him. Unfortunately, the world constantly tries to distract us from the awesome life possible with Christ. Living our human lives, it is easy to forget the sequence of events which will result from the visible and invisible elements of life. Regrettably, many individuals today are so busy living, that they overlook what life truly is about. Glimpsing through the Word of God, it is clear that life on earth is to be barely noticed compared to that of eternity. This time on earth does decides where we will spend eternity though; either in hell, the place of eternal solitude and torture, or the peaceful, beautiful and eternal home of God. While the Spiritual battles rage, it is our individual choice to decide whom we will serve and follow for eternity. The answers are clear. These sought out answers hold so much promise and conviction for each of our personal lives. When we come to realize who God is compared to how man is, we are overcome by His love! Seeing God’s moral law next to evil and suffering, engulfs our hearts with His forgiveness! The purpose of life and where we will each spend eternity, places a burning desire to tell everyone we know should kindle in us! With God’s grace and strength leading us, may we not hold in these strong feelings, but run to the nations proclaiming God’s love, forgiveness and strength!