180's Big Distribution Day

The 180 Movie Team had a very big day yesterday...

Teams of regular folks who love both the Lord and the precious un-born, went out all over this country (and even other countries) to college campuses handing out copies of the 180 Movie...



To see a list of schools & a number of how many DVD's were distributed at that specific school click HERE...

People have even been blogging about it...Below is an excerpt from one of my very favorite blogs called Redeemedography. Ok, it's my Hubster's blog...

..."My prayer the night prior to this event was, “Right now there are some women that are pregnant and contemplating abortion. Lord give them a heart to even just ask for something as simple as a sign from you. Then place that DVD in their hands to prevent the killing of the beautiful babies in their wombs. But Lord do not stop there, save their souls. Cause this pregnancy, thoughts of abortion, and the placing of this DVD in their hands as a means to repentance and faith upon hearing the good news of Christ!”...

To read this post in it's entirety please click HERE

They even got some news coverage...



They also made the paper...Read that article Here

Plus, a student got one of the DVD's, went and watched it...then came back and handed it back! Watch that discussion below...



Praise God for the message getting out there!

Hitler's Holocaust...America's Holocaust

"Remind Them, Jesus..."

My sweet little "Bella-rina" was dancing all around the living room this morning singing a beautiful song that she made up to "her Jesus". As I listened to the words she sang and watched her dance, I was amazed at how genuinely she was truly singing praises to Him...just Him...it seemed like it was just her heart and His. As she sang and danced for Jesus, one of our other little ones said, "How lucky Bella is, she's so lucky to have a happy song in her heart!" Oh, how I agree! I just closed my eyes and praised God for "His loving grace pouring out!"

Here are the words to Bella's song...

The love of Jesus, The love of Jesus
His love pours out, His love pours out
I love my Jesus because He loves me
Time is running, Time is running out
Please remind them, Please remind them Jesus
Time is running out, Please remind them Jesus
His mercy is flowing, His mercy is flowing all around
His grace is pouring, His grace is pouring out
Time is running out, Please remind them Jesus
The love of Jesus, The love of Jesus
I love my Jesus because He loves me
His loving grace is pouring out!

These words sung so softly and so sweetly by my little girl twirling and dancing all around, not even yet 5 years old...made my heart so grateful that my God is most sovereign! The reminder that He saved a wretch like me, so undeserved, so unworthy...What Amazing Grace...What an Amazing God!!!

Adventures with a Homeschooler, A Potty Training Toddler, A Newborn, and A Bee

Our 3rd Day of Homeschooling...well Pre-K Homeschooling...and we are still alive...and enjoying it!!! Little Bella was very sad at the thought of big brother and big sisters off to school and she'd be without her playmates. So, I asked her if maybe she'd like to "go to school" too, but at home. "No, I'm to little...I'll be to afraid!" She said. "Not at a school building Honey...I mean we'll do school stuff here at home...you know, like sissy did before." I said...secretly kinda hoping that she'd not really dig the idea...I know, I know...Why offer it if I didn't want to actually do it? But, she was crying and I was feeling sad for her and then my stinkin' mouth spilled out words before I could stop it...Anyways...Bella LOVED the idea!!! Not only did she totally dig the idea, but she also thought it would be fun for her little brother Joshua (AKA Joshy) to "attend" our school as well...YAY!!! UH-OH!!!

Let the FUN Begin...

This Tuesday was Back-to-School...Bella was very sad to see them go...right after breakfast though, she kindly reminded me that we were supposed to do school also...Uh-Oh...to be honest, I wasn't ready or prepared...I had nothing planned...I was really thinking maybe we'd start this "school" thing after the New Year. She stared up at me with her big ol' beautiful brown eyes and smiling so excitedly..."Right Mom?" What was I supposed to do? She's pretty stinkin' adorable...I gave in. I threw anything and everything together...and it was fun.

Today though has been quite the adventure...

Bella was full of "vim and vinegar"...or vigor...or however that saying goes. She still of course wanted to do school today...and so we did. Joshy, by the way is in the process of being potty trained...you'd never know it though if you weren't his Mama...this has been quite the fun task! Anyway, He's been a potty training maniac today...He keeps asking to go potty just to get the coveted reward (fruit snacks or tomatoes), but then zip, zilch, nada...Then, my beautiful little 6 month old wants to snuggle ALL DAY LONG...she is not digging the whole me putting her down for a second thing at all today...she had a rough time in the nursery at church last night, so there's no way she's letting me out of her sight right now...this also makes potty training a spider monkey...errr...ummm...I mean toddler rather difficult as well...and as a matter of fact she's sitting in my lap right at this very moment...Ok, so if all that's not enough to end our school for the day...a bee...a ginormous bee flies in and freaks us all out!!! At that scary moment I had Joshy on the potty, Bella dancing on her chair and singing very loudly while coloring her "red" paper, I was pouring a cup of coffee (God's beautiful blessing of a gift) and holding baby Bryanna while she was cooing and sucking on my chin...

"AHHHHHHH..." Bella runs into the kitchen and hides in a corner, I put the coffee cup down, put Bryanna in her snazzy jungle bouncer, shut the bathroom door so Joshy doesn't freak out anymore than he already is, take a sip of coffee (for power or something) and grab the broom...This bee obviously doesn't understand what he just did!!! I have not allowed any the day's "fun" events up until now disrupt our flow...and this jerk thinks he can just waltz right in and end it?! I don't think so stinkin' bee!!! So, I swatted at him...which was actually pretty dumb for me to do, because he then decided that he really didn't like that and wanted to show me just how ticked off he was..."AHHHHHHH..." again!!! I ran and hid too...Ok, that's it...Now I'm really mad...So, I "Army Crawl" over to the door and open it...then I grab the broom and swat at him again...then run!!! He eventually flies out the door and I slam it shut!!! Woo-Hoo!!!

"Yay Mom...you did it...Ok, back to school work!" Bella squeals.

Hmmm...What was I thinking?

Bella "The Homeschooler"



Joshy "The Potty Training Toddler"



Anna-Banana "The Newborn"



NO WAY...I did not get a picture of the bee...

And there was Life...

A truly miraculous and beautiful story of "Life"...

This is a picture of little Samuel Alexander Armas. He was still in his mother's womb and was having surgery at just 21 weeks into pregnancy...




To read part 1 of this amazing story please click here

To read part 2 please click here

"...The fact of the matter is it's a child with a hand, with a life, and that's meaningful enough."
~Words from Samuel's mother Julie Armas during an interview 10 years later...that article can be read here

Encouragement For "S-A-H" Mamas

I read two REALLY encouraging blogs recently that I wanted to share with other fellow "Stay-At-Home" Moms. Do you sometimes struggle with these thoughts, "Am I really doing enough for Christ...Could there be something else I should be doing...?" Do you feel that changing diapers & wiping noses (everyday...ALL DAY LONG!) just isn't exactly what you had envisioned as "ministry"? Do you find yourself becoming discouraged?

PLEASE read these two blogs...they are truly encouraging!

'Motherhood as a Mission Field' Can be viewed here

'Can I really glorify God by being a stay-at-home mom?' Can be viewed here

Saying Goodbye to Daddy...

My Father passed away on Friday, January 14, 2011.
This was sudden and came as quite a shock...he came down with a cold that developed into pneumonia...he fought for 6 days in the hospital, and sadly wasn't able to make it through.
I wasn't able to be there with him, which was extremely heart wrenching for me...He called out for me several times and as he called for me I am told he repeated..."Tina, Tina Baby, please pray for Daddy...I need you Tina to pray for Daddy..."
Before I even knew of this I was already on my knees before my merciful loving God doing just that...praying for my Daddy.
I trust in the Lord with all of my heart and even though His will may not always be mine...He is still worthy of my praise for He is good in all circumstances...
Below is the reading that will be read during my Father's Memorial Service. I wanted to share it with you because I wanted everyone to get to know my Daddy as I know him...
*Note...Jason is my brother, Hillary my sister, & Bryan my brother*

My Father...My Friend

When I think of my Dad I am completely consumed and flooded with memories of LOVE...He was the most loving, caring, compassionate man I have ever known. He was such a wonderful Daddy...and those memories will forever be in my heart. At a time when a lot of men not only walked away from but ran to escape their responsibilities of being a father...my Dad not only fully embraced this role...he fought for it. I remember most of my friends also came from single parent homes, but they didn't even really know their Fathers. As far back as I can remember my Daddy & us kids were inseparable...he was our hero, our playmate, our protector, our companion, our comforter, our best friend! We respected him and cherished him. He was our firm foundation and the center of our lives.

I remember every night he'd read to us from the Bible, and we'd talk about what he just read and what God wanted us to learn from His word. He'd pray with us, tuck us in, and kiss us goodnight...then of course we'd need a drink of water, had to go to the bathroom, needed to be tucked in again, and kissed again...and then sometime before morning we'd end up in his bed...I always felt so safe with him....I mean he was after all Super Man...I'm pretty sure he could fly, but only when we weren't looking, he didn't want his secret to get out....plus, he is a pretty big guy and it probably took him a bit to get off of the ground.

As teenagers we were pretty rambunctious to say the least...but he still remained incredibly patient and determined to love us...sometimes firmly, but always in love...speaking for only myself here...I'm shocked I or even he survived those years! I'm for sure that he referred to me as "CHRISTINA ANN!" much more than "Tina" at that time. I also believe this was around the same time his hair started to turn gray and fall out. During those years most of my friends hated their parents...they grew apart from them and alienated themselves from them. Oh now I do remember saying...or well more like yelling on more than one occasion, "I hate you, leave me alone!" And his response most of the time was," Oh no you don't, you love me...and I love you!" Wow, I sure gave him quite the hard time and yet through all of it...he remained my closest friend and confidant. I could always talk to him about anything and everything...he was the greatest listener, counselor, comforter, cheerleader, and encourager. Plus, if I ever had a problem with someone who may have hurt me...he was quite the raging bull...er...um, I mean defender and protector!

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child (Victoria)...I was so excited! Then I became extremely scared! I didn't even know how to be a mom...how was I going to pull this off?! But, you know my Daddy's example paved the way for my mothering...sounds kinda weird, I know. But, it was how he parented us...how he loved us, how he nurtured us, how he embraced parenthood with not only his whole heart but with his life! It's funny because a lot of who I am with my own children is so totally my dad! AND, when I look back at the kind of Father he was...I also, see my husband...now that can be really weird sometimes! But, to see my Husband doing the very same things with our children that my Daddy did with me is the most touching thing ever! What's even funnier is as I get older I have realized that a lot of who I am in life is my dad! I'm afraid he passed on his weird sense of humor...although, I do pray mine is a ton more tuned down and less vulgar in comparison. I've definitely inherited his stubbornness and gift for sarcasm. I also share his taste of goofy music...I definitely have a true love for The Beach Boys...Yep, I'm probably a weirdo...and I probably embarrass my kids just as much as he embarrassed me. Although, I secretly was extremely proud of his loud singing to weird music...and I always joined in when my friends weren't around! He totally should have released an album...I was his hugest fan, I'm sure! And, I hold closely the memory of dancing with Daddy on my sweet 16th surprise birthday party to "Have I told you lately that I love you?" by Rod Stewart.

Well, I am now at a moment in my life that I thought would not have come this soon...My Daddy is gone...and not really at the most convenient time, I might add. I couldn't be there to say goodbye, to hug him, to hold his hand, to stroke his brow, to rub his hair, to kiss him...I can't be there now to express all of these feelings myself...I can't be there for my family and friends. But, I trust in the Lord...this was not a coincidence or an accident or just mere chance...God planned this from the beginning...my Daddy's appointment to meet with Jesus was already planned even before his birth. This was no shocker to God. I promise you that He wasn't sitting there saying to the angels, "Oh great! I forgot that I gave Tina a baby at the same time I'm calling her Daddy to come home! Shoot, what did I do?! Oops...my bad!" No, this was His will...and because I trust Him, I know He has a plan in all of this. And besides, when is it ever a "convenient" time to lose a parent? It's not like I would have ever said, "Ok God, Ok Dad...it's a good time now for you to go ahead and do what you got to do." No way, it's never "convenient"...but, again...I know and trust that this was His purpose for this to happen exactly this way.

Why? Maybe it was to bring you all closer together. If I would have been there I would have wanted to take charge...God had another plan...Jason has been absolutely amazing and wonderful! What a man he has become in just this short time. Hillary and Bryan have matured greatly as well during this time and have become closer through this. You three have grown so much in this time and I praise God for it. I am so proud of all of you! I also needed to learn something here...to let go and fully trust in God to take care of things. I can't do everything, I can't take care of everyone...He wants me to grow in my faith in Him. Family and friends have come together for one purpose and have united together in love! I am so proud and so grateful for all of those who have been there and been involved. Some of you I don't even know...but I love you so much! I have no words to really even come close to expressing my true and sincere heartfelt gratitude for all of you! My heart is extremely overwhelmed with encouragement and thankfulness. I thank you all so much for keeping me involved as much as possible...thank you for allowing me to be there, if only in heart.

I feel God has allowed this time to also be a reminder for all of us to treasure and hold closely in our hearts. Life is so precious and so fragile...at any moment it could be gone...we never really know when our last breath will truly be our last. When God calls us to our home in eternity that's it....everything here is left behind...this life is just a split second in comparison to all of eternity. We need to cherish each other right now while we have one another. We need to stop wasting time and energy by focusing on each others faults and failures but instead focus on forgiveness and loving one another.

I couldn't be there with my Daddy...I can't be there with you all now...my heart is just so broken with sadness over this. I want to comfort you and hold you. But, I have this amazing comfort, joy and hope in my heart as well. I pray that you all will be able to have this kind of comfort also. My comfort is in the Lord...my joy is in the Lord...my hope is in the Lord. Right now He is calling for us to trust in Him and Him alone. He wants to be our comforter and our strength...He wants us to fall on Him and cry out to Him. He wants us to draw closer to Him in our times of pain and sorrow.

Here's a great quote that I have been saying to myself a lot lately..."I have a hope, I have a rock, and I cling to my Jesus!"

Jesus is my rock...Allow Him to be your rock as well...I pray that you can lean on Him right now and always. We can't understand everything God plans and wills...but, all of whom He is and all of what He does is for a good and perfect purpose even when it hurts, doesn't make any sense, or even seem fair. Trust in Him and fall on Him...allow Him to not just strengthen you...but actually be your strength.
(“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30)

We all leave behind a legacy of whom we are and what kind of person we were. Daddy left an amazing legacy...he was so kindhearted and generous. His heart was filled with so much love for everyone...even ugly stray animals (just look at his pet rat posing as a dog, Tinkerbell!) He would not just give you the shirt off his back but his pants and shoes too, and then not even think about how he's totally standing there naked now! His love and compassion for others in need was and is still so overwhelming to my heart! His mark left on this world and in the hearts of those he has touched is great! I know this is why so many people have come together...people that may not have even spoken to each other in years...but, there's so much unity and love and it's for one purpose...to celebrate and remember the man my Daddy was!

I love you all so very much and I sincerely thank all of you with my whole heart...

I love you so much Daddy!!! My hero...my rock...my best friend!!! I will miss you with all that is in me...but I rejoice in the Lord, and pray for the day that I am called home as well...for there are no goodbyes in Christ!