Family Retreat '11 - Day 3

The Lord definitely blessed us through the Word that He gave Kempton to share. It was very encouraging to the believers but very convicting for those who are not the Lord's sheep & therefore do not possess the Holy Spirit. Here is what he discussed -

How do you really know if you have the Holy Spirit living inside of your body? How do you know if He lives in you? How can you prove if you are one of His locations, houses, dwelling places, temples...or NOT?

...O the way that you answer this question is the difference between heaven and hell....liberation and the lake of fire.....eternal freedom with Jesus and eternal flames with Satan.... (2 Cor. 13.5)

*8 questions to see if the Holy Spirit is in you..based on what the bible says the Holy Spirit does when He lives in a person who has trusted Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins?

1) Has the holiness and righteousness of God been revealed to your heart ...and is it continuing to be revealed to your heart?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (Jn. 16.8) He is HOLY!

2) Has the filthiness of your own sin been revealed to you in light of God’s holiness bringing about a deep conviction that you deserve the fierce judgment of God...and is it continuing to be revealed?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (Jn. 16.8)

3) Have your spiritual eyes been opened to see the irresistible light and beauty of the grace of God in the cross, leading you to trust Jesus for the forgiveness of sins...and are you continuing to trust Christ?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (2 Cor. 3.15-18)

4) Have you received a new, regenerate/ born-again heart that now

has new desires, loves, cravings, longings, hungers, thirsts for Christ

and His glory?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (Titus 3.5)

5) Do you have a new appetite and understanding of the bible and it’s basic doctrines concerning God, Christ and the gospel?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (Jn. 16.13)

6) Do you have a new found love in your heart for Jesus Christ and all people, especially other believers in Christ?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (Rom. 5.5)

7) Do you have an intimate prayer relationship with God the Father in the

name of Jesus Christ His Son?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (Rom. 8.15)

8) Do you have desires and passion to be a gospel witness of Jesus to the

lost and hell-bound all around you?

= This is the inner, heart work of the Holy Spirit! (Acts 1.8)

*Listen, whether your answer is I know the Holy Spirit is alive in me or I don’t think He is alive in me...either way....let this be your promise and prayer from the Lord Jesus himself in Luke 11.13,

If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.

The Family Highlight of the Day was our trip to the Beach

Walking to the Beach

My Big Girl was her sister's age the 1st time we went to Family Retreat!

"I'd rather be napping!"

Christian didn't want to get out of the stroller & decided to take a snooze.

Daddy-Daughter Swimming Lessons

The Turner Girls

Naptime...finally!

Family Retreat '11 - Day 2

The Lord blessed Kempton to be the Camp Pastor again this year. His 1st Session was titled, "TRUE FREEDOM".

The theme verse of the retreat was 2 Corinthians 3:17. Kempton unpacked that verse & the surrounding verses and gave lots of helpful insight on this passage. Here are some of the points that he discussed. (Above photo by Amy Mingo)

Three Enslaving Problems that We Were ALL Born With (Psalm 51:5)

1) the enslaving problem of not keeping the law (the rules--10 Commandments) (2 Corinthians 3:3, 7, 9)

2) the enslaving problem of our hard minds/hearts (2 Corinthians 3:14)

3) the enslaving problem of our blind eyes (2 Corinthians 3:15)

The 5 Most Important Words from Satan..."TO KEEP YOU FROM SEEING!" (2 Cor. 4:4). He desires to keep you from seeing the light of Christ, Jesus, and the Gospel.

That veil that we were all born with can ONLY be taken away through Christ.

When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. ~ 2 Cor. 3:16

**Only through Christ can we have lasting freedom! This freedom transcends circumstances & situations.

There was a Friday Fiesta Night & we had tons of fun!!! The pics say it all!

My Unique Carysse wanted the face painting on her knee. :-)

Christian was pretty reserved our whole time at camp.

He actually wanted to stay in his stroller most of the time.

Here he's probably wondering why his buddy Jon has that funny hat on.

Lil Miss Sunshine

Carysse dancing center stage with her new friend, Joe.

Daddy & Son joined the Fiesta Train!

(Photo by Amy Mingo)

Mommy partying with the other ladies.

(Photo by Amy Mingo)

Adios!

(Photo by Jake Preedin)

A Sweet Time Away

We just got back from our 3rd Joni & Friends Family Retreat! Our 1st & 2nd times were so memorable but I think we had the most fun this year! The Lord graciously answered all of our prayers for this retreat. I'll try to give a recap of each day in the next several blog posts. Below is a snapshot of the 1st day

DAY ONE

After driving for almost 4 hrs to Detroit Lakes, MN, we arrived at the Young Life Castaway Camp.

The Short Term Missionaries (STMs) were eagerly awaiting the families arrival.

They took our family picture & then we headed to our room to unpack & unwind.

We had the Introduction & all our meals here.

More Birthday Pics

Kalia was so blessed to have both sets of grandparents come for her 1st birthday celebration. Kempton's parents' trip was planned. However, my parents pleasantly surprised us by driving 10 hrs to be with us. That was icing on the cake! To have everyone together on this special day was such a sweet gift from the Lord.

Kalia has been a mommy's baby from the start.

Wherever mommy is; that's where she wants to be (right on my hip).

So, my parents bought her a Koala book & mommy-baby koalas.

Too Cute!

Big Sister helping out & admiring the great gift from Grandparents T.

"I'm so blessed!"

Kalia's #1 cake

"Kalia, I'll show you how to eat cake!"

"I guess I'll give it a try."

"No Mom & Dad, we prefer to look at you instead."

"All done! My 1st cake was yummy!"

My Baby Girl is One!!!

Kalia Joy

Meaning of Kalia: beauty, beloved, tree

Origin: Hawaiian

We didn't find out our baby's gender before she was born. Even though we thought that we were having a boy throughout my whole pregnancy, we had a girl name just in case. Little did we know that "her" name was going to describe her so well. As we all know, the colors green & brown are associated with trees. So, how fitting it was for the Lord to give us a beautiful, joyful girl with hazel eyes!

Life Blessing: Jeremiah 17:7-8

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit."

As her daddy & I are longing & hoping that she will belong wholly to the Lord, we constantly pray for her salvation and that she will be a beautiful tree for Jesus and bear much fruit for Him!

Oh How One Year Has Flown By!

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

1 Year!

SAVE THE DATE - September 30!

The elders, pastors, & wives from our church were blessed with a private screening of the upcoming film COURAGEOUS, from the same church that produced Fireproof. This film is about a group of men who resolve to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong, Christ-like impact on their children. The picture to the left is from one of the scenes when the men gathered to pray for a friend. This movie is at the top of my list of favorites! It is a MUST see! I can't even begin to describe how great this movie is! Please plan to go on opening weekend (Sept.30-Oct 2) and make a statement to Hollywood that decent, Christ-centered, Gospel-rich movies are what many people want to see. How about going with a large group from your church? Better yet, invite an unbelieving family member of friend to go with you. It is a great discussion starter.

“The Gospel and Entertainment”

The following is the closing application portion of a message that my hubby taught at a recent student event.

Here are 5 practical questions to ask yourself in hopes of pushing the

beauty of the gospel into this entertainment corner of your life:

(Notice, I have NOT mentioned any specifics...only the gospel and

your heart...there is no specific, legalistic, religious list).

So, before you entertain yourself by reading this or watching that or

listening to this or going there or doing this...filter your choices

through biblical questions like....

1) Is my main motive to glorify my good God through this? (I Cor. 10.31)

2) Will this help me to keep my mind on things above where Christ

is at the right hand of the Father? (Col. 3.1, Phil. 4.8)

3) Will this grieve or quench the work of the Spirit in my heart or

feed the filling of the Spirit (Eph. 4.30, I Thess. 5.19, Eph. 5.18)

4) Will this have even the slightest possibility of causing another

Christian to stumble or unbeliever to mock the holiness of

Christ? (Rom. 14, I Peter 2.12)

5) Can I begin this by praying “Our Father in heaven hallowed be

Your Name [set apart Your name through this as holy, great and

matchless], your kingdom come Your will be done”. (Matt. 6.9-10)

Note: If you ask yourself these questions and can proceed forward in

this “entertainment choice” with a clean and clear conscience before

God and men - go for it! Enjoy your God and His good gifts, either

alone, with friends, with family...to His glory! He is for your

happiness...eternal happiness in Christ Jesus!!!

The gospel grace of the Lord be with you all! (Titus 3.15)