A little about Me

My name is Dana.

A simple name for a not so simple girl, lady, woman, oh my word - old lady! At least that is how I feel a lot of the times. It isn't always because I find a new gray hair or a new wrinkle (but I have been finding these aging treasures lately) - but I feel like an old soul.

I don't like most of the new movies or TV shows. I don't like it that people are not respectful and always seem to be in a hurry. I don't like it that everyone seems to be on the phone everywhere. I don't like the way children talk to their parents at the park. I don't like families breaking up and hearts breaking. I don't like it that people are growing more and more self-centered.


I long for the days gone by.


Not my own glory days. Heavens no.


About 100 years ago. Think 'Little House on the Prairie'. Ahhh - now that's the life for me!


I'm a country girl at heart. I like the slower life. Sippin' lemonade (ok, Diet Coke) on the back porch and watching the grass grow.


But, I am a young Mom (meaning my girls are young, not me). So that hardly ever happens. If you sit on the back porch here - you get a plea for pushing the swing or throwing rocks in the lake. And if the girls are not around, then I am plagued by the feeling that something must need to be cleaned....


The last couple of years, I have been a full time stay at home Mom, wife, housekeeper, homeschool teacher, everything-to-do-with-the-house kind of gal.


Before that, I was a Computer Programmer / Analyst. Fancy way of saying I love computers! :)


My favorite time of year is anything with temperatures above 50.


I love to run. The feel of my feet slamming down just releases every stress in my body. I love it. My knees have a different opinion.


I love books. Just being in the bookstore or library (libraries are safer for our budget) brings me great joy.


It turns out I also love to write. I think it might just come with the territory of books.


Most of all - I love God. I was a sinner, running so far away from God and yet He has been so merciful, patient, loving and forgiving.... How awesome is our Father in Heaven! I am so thankful that He shook my life up - in a way that only He could - and turned me around.


Now I run towards him as fast as I can - like a child running to greet their loving Father at the end of the workday.


I want to spend every breath that I have telling about His Greatness and Lovingkindness.


I want the world to forget about Dana - but to
never forget about the God
that Dana loves so much!

I love to blog. I write about life as a Christian, keeping our bodies healthy, book/movie reviews, personal stories, and most of all - just honoring God, our heavenly Father!  I love to encourage others in their Christian walk with sermons I have heard and books I have read (esp from the most important book, the Bible).


I blog at Merry, Married, Mary Mom and also at Life According to the Siefker Girls.

Click here to find out why I chose to name the blog, Merry, Married, Mary Mom.

Click here for details on the current giveaway.
At a Merry, Married, Mary Mom, in the month of October, I am writing 31 Days of Good News - which is all about evangelism, missions and taking the Good News of Christ to all the world.

In November, my focus will be on Thanksgiving and all the things I am thankful for. This will not be material objects, persay, but more about the blessings from above.

Some of my favorite posts are:

  Is Pooh Bear a Christian?

  Attention Wives

  Keeper of the Home

  Respect


Life According to the Siefker Girls is all about our home life, written from the perspective of my two darling daughters (6 and 2). It is a sort of diary, journal and a way of sharing our life with family and friends. These girls keep us laughing and I love to share it with all who will read. 

I am linked up at....

Roman Road to Salvation

"For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
- Romans 10:13

Have you heard of the Roman road to salvation? This is a simple walk through of key verses (most of which are in the book of Romans) that will clearly present the gospel. It would be a great idea if you could mark these in your Bible (or even just the references in the front cover) so that you are ready to share the gospel with someone.

Roman Road

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

This verse tells us that all people have sinned. We have fallen short of God's intended purpose for us. God made us to know Him.... to receive His love and to love him in return.

For love to be love... for God to be God... and for humans to be humans.... God gave us a choice. We can choose to love ourselves and turn to our selfish pursuits. That is sin. In our sin we cannot know God and His love. The result of sin is that we are lost... separated from God.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the

free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus or Lord.

Wages are just payment... due reward... what one has coming because of labor. The just payment for our sin is death.

Death here means spiritual insensitivity. When we are still in our sin, we have no life with God. We are alive physically but dead spiritually. If we continue in that condition, we will be separated from God for all eternity.

The wages of sin is death. but God's free gift is eternal life. While wages are earned, a gift is offered... no strings attached. God says He will give us eternal life - life with Him - in the place of sin's payment of death.

How can God remain true to His holiness and forgive unholy sinners? Because Jesus, His Son, has paid the price for sin by His death on the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:21

He (Jesus) who knew no sin became sin for us,

that we may be made the righteousness of God through Him.

Jesus arose from the grave to conquer sin and death for all who receive Him
as God's free gift.

How can you receive God's free gift of love and life?

Romans 10:9-10

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised Him from teh dead,

you will be saved;

for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness,

and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

A person receives God's free gift of love and life by placing faith in Jesus Christ. To believe is simply to take God at His word. With our heart (whole believing) we believe that Jesus is God's Son who died for our sin
on the cross and arose from the grave to live in us as Savior and Lord.

To believe in Jesus will result in confessing that faith with one's mouth.

Do you acknowledge that your are a sinner?

Do you believe by faith that Jesus, God's Son, died for your sin on the cross?

Will you now confess Him as your Savior and Lord?

for whoever will call on the

name of the Lord

will be saved.

Romans 10:13

This verse says that any person who will call upon the name of Jesus, the Lord, shall be saved.

To call means simply to ask in prayer. The verse does not require one to know more... do better... clean up one's life... or in any way try to add to what Jesus has done for us.

Will you now call upon Jesus to save you from your sin so that you can know God's love and forgiveness?

Here I (Jesus) am!

I stand at the door and knock.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,

I will come in and eat with that person,

and they with me.

Revelation 3:20

And He (Jesus) died for all,

that those who live should no longer live for themselves

but for Him who died for them

and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:15

Inspiring Calendar

From my inspirational daily flip calendar:

Dear Jesus,

We know that there are people who travel

far away from home to tell other people about You.

Please bless those missionaries today.

It is so hard for us to imagine leaving our

home and everybody we know

to go help people in other countries.

Give missionaries strength, protection and guidance.

Help us to remember to pray for them every day.

Amen

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15