What I Believe

So I've never really told you plainly what I believe exactly. To be honest I was kind of scared. Scared that you might stop following my blog or not want to be my friend anymore. Scared that some of you may try to argue with me. Scared that you might get mad. But I've realized that even if that happens I know I did what God wants me to do. Just so we're clear, I'm not trying to bash any of you that believe differently I'm just telling you what I personally believe. If you agree with some of my beliefs or none at all is between you and God. 

Now here is what I believe...

    I believe that the Authorized King James version of the bible is God's word and final authority (click here to see why I believe that). It was written by men whom God inspired and is His revealing of Himself to man. It is perfect because it has God for its author, was inspired by God, was preserved by Him, and is truth without any error. Psalm 12:6, 7."The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

    I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost and that they are God in three persons. 1 John 5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

    I believe that you must be saved by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

    I believe that once we are saved we are always saved. John 10:28, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

    I believe that baptism is what we should to do AFTER we are saved. Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." 

    I believe in the second coming of the Lord. Revelation 1:7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."

If you have any questions or would like to know how you can go to heaven please comment below or email me at: hotpinkgirlie@gmail.com

ⓒⓗⓐⓢⓘⓣⓨ

P.S. I updated my "About" page and also added what I believe to it: http://ahomebeyondtheriver.blogspot.com/p/about.html

Gift Exchange - What I Got

My friend Kari had a gift exchange a couple weeks ago over on her blog. I'm linking up to her with pictures of the gifts I received from my gift exchange partner Sadie. 

These three candy bars were gobbled up in two days (I have absolutely ZERO self control when it comes to Snickers)! o.O 

It was torture to take a picture when all I wanted to do was eat it!

Sadie made this adorable ruffled scarf!

Isn't it cute? =) 

Little notes inside the package . . .

. . . and then a week later (today) I got what she promised!

Haha! Okay so funny story, my mom was looking at the back of the cd case and was like, "None of them are even cute." I laughed sooo hard! 

I've been listening to them this whole evening. =)

♥ THANK YOU VERY MUCH SADIE!!!!!! I LOVE MY GIFTS!!!!!! ♥

God is in Control

    A lot has happened in the past week. Some things occurred that made me draw a little closer to the Lord. I was glad for that as I've been feeling a little spiritually dry and in need of a personal revival.
    A friend of mine and I aren't as close as we once used to be and it's painful to watch our friendship seem to be slipping away and not knowing if I should do everything in my power to not let that happen or to just let it be and hope something good comes from it but I've finally placed it completely in God's hands and know He will do what He deems best for me and for my friend. I've stopped trying to control things but let Him.

    My dad was out getting firewood two weeks ago and a tree fell on him. He wasn't doing too bad and even went to work that week and the next but his back and the side of his ribs where the tree had hit were hurting pretty badly so he was taking aspirin daily for that and was seeming to be getting better but then last Thursday he fainted twice during the night when getting out of bed to get a drink and then to use the restroom. He stayed home from work on the next day and we were all praying that he'd get better. That evening, my sister Becky came over and was going to check his blood pressure but my dad needed to use the restroom first so he got up and was heading towards the bathroom door when his face paled and he started to faint. My mom and Becky rushed over to him while my brother Kirk called 911. I was upstairs when this was going on and my sister KayleeBeth rushed up to my room and told me what had happened and that she was really scared. We prayed and then heard the sirens coming and the firetruck and ambulance were here soon. It was so scary seeing my big, strong daddy being out on stretcher and being put in the ambulance. Kirk rode with my dad and my mom and Becky left shortly thereafter. It was then around 11:00 PM.
    Kaylee and I "camped out" in the living room and my little brother was amazingly asleep while all this was taking place (which was a good thing because he would've really been freaking out). I called a friend to ask for prayer and she helped calm me down a bit and was very comforting. Kaylee fell asleep after a while but I was so frightened and fearful of what would happen to my dad that I couldn't sleep, so I prayed. Oh how I prayed, and prayed, and prayed! The situation was out of my control and I went to the One who was in complete control for I knew He could help. Well, my mom got home about 1:30 AM and told me it was alright and that he would be okay. Immediately, relief washed over me and I was able to relax enough to go to sleep.

    On Saturday we visited my dad at the hospital and it was so good to seem him doing much better and acting like his usual self. We found out that the cause of all this had been the aspirin that he had been taking; the pain killer hadn't been able to process through his body very quickly and as he was taking it daily it slowly began to create holes in his stomach and he got ulcers and had gotten internal bleeding from it. They fixed the problem that day though and he was able to come home on Sunday evening, praise the Lord! He can't go back to work until next week once he's recovered but it's nice to have him around the house and to spend some time with him.

    All this has brought me closer to God and caused me to trust Him in everything and to know that He is in total control. Going through this has made me stronger and taught me things that I don't think I would've learned otherwise. And I love the Lord more for always being with me and am so thankful to Him for healing my dad and showing me His power in all that happens. Whatever you're going through, know that God is in control in your life.

My Living Room (Photo Tour)

So here is the promised post of an inside tour of my house, well just the living room for now. We don't have the nicest things or furniture but we like what we have and are comfortable living with what we are grateful to have.

This is the view you get when you come in from the front hall.

My loves to put things like on this wall around the house. She took the picture on the wall to the left by the lamp. 

This is what the living room looks like when it's clean. Well, all that really gets messy is that coffee table there. 

The green chair is my mom's and the one to the right is my dad's. ♥♥♥ 

View from the other side. The two couches can be pushed together to form an "L." 

This is our entertainment center. This is the first flat screen TV we've ever had and we just got it last November. 

I call this little corner the "travel center" because of the map and globe. You could anywhere you want right here. Hey, there's even a palm tree type plant, a light to be the "sun," heater so it's more realistic, and magazines from America. =) Oh, and that door is the downstairs bathroom with the shower we all have to share.

This table is used for many things, School, eating, game playing, talking, and crafts are all done here. The fan is from a missionary (Mike Roberts) in Vietnam. The door with the posters all over it is where my two brothers rooms are.

We got that piano for $400 dollars and have had it for about ten or so years. KayleeBeth and I both play. 

Everyone hates that couch. When you sit down you sink just about all the wall to the floor! We had to put boards under the cushions so it wouldn't be so bad but it still is pretty uncomfortable to sit on. 

And this is our wood stove. It only looks this clean when it's not winter and in use. =)

So what did you think of my living room? Isn't it kind of ugly and old looking? Haha, I think so but I like it in a ways. Should I continue to do photo tours of my house?

To view the outside photo tour of my house click here.

Outside of My House (Photo Tour)

    As you know, the name of my blog is "A Home Beyond the River" but not all of you know why it is called that. I named my blog that for two reasons, #1 It's the name of my favorite hymn and #2 I live in a house/home by a river and if you're on the other side of the river and see my house it is indeed a home beyond the river. =) The house is almost an hundred years old (there's a brick down in the basement that says "1927" but the foundation/basement wasn't laid until after the house was built (weird huh?) so we're not sure how old it is) and is considered to be historic (it has old Italian paper underneath the carpet in the living room). It was advertised before we bought it as having ten bedrooms but we have also used other rooms for bedrooms too. I think around when my family first moved in my dad started  renting the upstairs bedrooms in our house to tenants until about nine years ago when our family had grown too big to not live in both parts of the house.

     Last week I took pictures of the outside of my house and will be showing you those now . . .

 This is the front view of my house. My dad likes to have scripture verse signs on our house so others passing by and our neighbors can read them. I was born in this house (literally). My older siblings and parents have lived in this house for almost nineteen years since my older brother Kirk was a baby. 

I was standing on the sidewalk next to the road/highway by my house when I took this one and the next two.  There's a little square space where my dad keeps some tools in where the door on the side is (on the tunnel looking part of the house). The middle part (where all the windows are) is part of the downstairs bathroom where are washer and dryer are. 

Um, so I don't know why there's a random ugly blue board leaning up against the back porch (probably something one of the boys did). 

 The window on the far right is my where my room is (now you know where I live and sleep o.o), the one in the middle is where we have a stove and sink (since it used to be a second kitchen) and the window on the left is a bathroom. Sometime my sister Kaylee and I will go out my window and sit on the roof. Hehe.

This is the back view. The window up top in the middle is where the attic is, the window to the left and right are both guest bedrooms when family and friends stay for a long visit and nap rooms when family is over for a short while. 

The left and right side views from the back.

This is a stone someone chipped (or did they buy it someplace? I can't remember) for us. 

We put it out front.

Our front door mat.

 The front door.

My brother Kirk's dirt bike! He parks it out front when he's not riding it (which is rarely, lol). 

It's pretty awesome is it not?

I tried to get a nice picture in his mirror but it didn't really turn out too well.

 This is inside our porch where people are supposed to come in and knock but they are forever (and I do mean forever) knocking on the front porch door and we can't really hear them. I think we just need to get a doorbell after all these years. But then my little brother Ryan would ring it just for fun or even try doorbell ditching. Ha! As if people actually fall for that (besides, well, everyone).

 Isn't that the coolest doorknob ever? Of course it's just glass but it's pretty looking. =) And will you just look at that porch wall? Those are broken glass pieces and rock! So awesome! If you can't tell, I really ♥ my house. I actually have this fantasy of getting married and once my parents but an RV and move out (that's their fantasy lol) moving in and having my children grow up here. Strange to some people but to me I think it'd be pretty cool.

    What do you think of my big old (really? you just couldn't tell) house? Want to come for a visit? Over for dinner? Stay oh well, forever?? Lol, that would be nice but . . . I live in Montana and you live . . . where? Oh, too far away. Well, if your ever near our neighborhood do tell me and I'd love to give you a real tour. =) Speaking of tours, I'm going to do some other posts with pictures of the inside of my house so check back this week or the next for that. 

A Christian

Below is a forward I received by e-mail. It's a story about a Christian. Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'    (I found this picture on Google and included it in this post) When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change ..' The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'

'Yes' he replied.

'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test!Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself  'Christian.'

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits..
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. 

I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder. So, I choose to post it so you could read it. God bless you.

The Dentist/I'm a Blabber Mouth

My beautiful white teeth! :D

(actually I just got this image off the internet . . . too bad though)

 Every time I go to the dentist they always comment on how small my mouth is (it's very narrow). My dentist is always telling me to "open wide" when I'm already stretching my mouth as wide as possible. I'm at the dentist right now. I just got three fillings and a root canal done. :D Yes, I am HAPPY! I'm not like a LOT of people who HATE the dentist. They are CRAZY! I never feel a thing (well, maybe just a "pinch" but it's not that bad)! They fix everything all up and then I feel a lot better. No more pain!!! :) (Who wouldn't want that?) And, while I was getting my teeth fixed I got to watch TV! Well, I mostly flipped thru channels and then and now would find something worth watching . . . for a few seconds (lol). I pretty much hate television. You find a show you like and you barely get into it when fifty million commercials come on! We don't have TV at home . . . just a DVD player (with surround sound!) which is okay with me because you can FAST FORWARD and there's NO COMMERCIALS!!! :) Anyhoo, I gotta go now (this was just my little post since I haven't posted in a looooooong time).

Until I have more time . . .
~Toothache-free/the-dentist-is-my-best-friend! - Chasity :)

P.S. After they finished up I pulled some chap stick out of my pocket (you know you're lips get soooo dry from having to keep your mouth open? mine were REALLY bad and it didn't help that they always use that sucky thing so your lips have absolutely NO moisture, but you're numb so you can't tell anyways until afterwards). I tried putting it on my lips . . . it ended up getting applied onto my not-so-dry teeth and I didn't realize it until I closed my mouth and could taste it. Ew! Yes, my mouth was so numb that I couldn't even feel that it was getting on my teeth instead of my lips. :( I tried eating a little after that and kept on getting food on my face and it was almost completely IMPOSSIBLE to drink through a straw! You can't suck up water when you can't feel your mouth and your muscles refuse to work until they know what they are doing! When I was done eating I smacked my lips together . . . TRIED to smack them, anywhoo . . . but couldn't and it frustrated me for the rest of the day and had me trying to get them to smack together by sucking them but I couldn't! The dentist isn't a bad experience at all . . . it's just the aftermath of it all that bugs me until I go crazy that's not so fun. I seriously better go now (and be done with this postscript that is longer then my script itself!). Oh, and post a comment about your dentist experiences. :)