Day to Day

Lamentations 3

2011-09-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for mornings, even though I have never considered myself a 'morning person.' When I get super tired I just feel so overwhelmed.
Last night was one of those nights.
I opened by Bible to read Psalms last night. The first passage I read was so encouraging. As I was going to sleep last night I got to thinking about this passage in Lamentations. The first two verses here are so well known. Just about every Christian could quote them. The next few verses are not quite as well known. I think they were more powerful to me this morning as the first two verses.

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Friends, God is so good. No matter what the circumstances we are in, He is always faithful and his mercies are never ending.

Hope

2011-08-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

I read this last night. It was very timely for me. I thought I would share it.

Christians look forward with hope to the joy of being with Christ in glory forever. Faith is defined as "the assurance of things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1) because the invisible things hoped for in the future are grasped through faith. Hope is certain; it is "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" (Heb. 6:18-19). According to the Bible, Christ is "our hope" (1Tim. 1:1), and our God is called "the God of hope" (Rom. 15:13)
An ethic of hope pervades the New Testament. It is an ethic of pilgrimage for strangers on their way home (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11). It is an ethic of purity, as the one who hopes to be like Jesus when He appears "purifies himself as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). It is an ethic of preparedness, since we should be ready to leave this world at any time (2 Cor. 5:6-8; Phil. 1:21-24; cf. 5:1-5). Hope gives strength and confidence for running the race, fighting the good fight, and enduring the tribulations that continue in this life (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Rom. 8:18; 2 Tim. 4:7,8).
Though the Christian life is marked more by suffering than by triumph (Acts 14:22; 1 Cor. 4:8-13; 2 Cor. 4:7-18), our hope is sure and our mood should be free from despair (1 John 4:18).

Happy Birthday, Courtney

2011-06-02T04:52:00.001-07:00

Just about four years ago God brought a new person into my life. Little did I know that day what God had in store for us. At that point in time she was not a believer. We basically held nothing in common which made conversation difficult at times. :)
Suddenly several months later. I saw a drastic difference in her. She had been born again. The Spirit of God now indwells her.
Over the last years it has been my wonderful blessing to watch her grow in the Lord like no one I have ever seen.
In four I have watched as she has gone from a person I couldn't carry on a conversation with, to my closest friend. She is my peer, yet at many times my teacher. God continues to sanctify each of us through each others lives. I cannot begin to write down what a blessing she is to me!
Happiest of birthdays, Courtney. I love you so very much!

Randomness - Just because I feel like it

2011-05-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

This is just going to be a very random post. I am just giving your warning.
First of all I didn't do well with my posts for the end of April, but thank you everyone that joined me in prayer for each thing.

Second: I do not particularly like sewing sleeves in. I never have and probably never will. When I have to put a sleeve from one pattern in a bodice from an other.... YUCK! I have put four different sleeves in since yesterday and none of them look right. I might be bald if I don't figure this thing out tomorrow. I have to get this pattern all together so we can start making the real bridesmaid dresses. All I have to say is we had better look good!

My family played music for a mother daughter banquet tonight. I am sure this was our last musical program before Beckisue gets married. Kind of sad in a way.
The banquet was beautiful. Old fashioned tea was the theme. I got a lot of ideas for Beckisue's tea luncheon bridal shower.

Never go shopping with someone when you are wearing heals and they are wearing flip flops. Just not a good idea. I was wearing the most uncomfortable pair of shoes I think I have ever owned (and also one of the cutest) and Beckisue decided to stop on the way home from the banquet tonight and finish registering. After standing a LOT for the whole banquet thing my feet HURT!

Courtney is coming tomorrow and I am excited.

The End

April 25 - The Truitts

2011-04-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Anna had a prayer request she asked that I share with you all.
As I am sure you all know there were many, many tornadoes last week across the country. One of the hardest places hit was North Carolina. Anna's dad is a insurance adjuster and a contractor. He was asked to go to North Carolina for the summer and left on Saturday.
He will be spending many hours traveling as he plans to come home every other weekend if possible. He will also be spending time on scaffolding and roofs.
So, Anna and I ask that you pray for him as he works and travels, and for Anna and her mom as they are without him for the summer.

April 21 - Skyler's Family

2011-04-21T04:26:00.000-07:00

One night toward the end of February, Stephanie got a phone call from one of her best friends. It was the horrible type of phone call. The kind with news you never want to hear. This girl's sister, Becky, and her nine year old son, Skyler, had slid on ice across the road into an oncoming truck. Skyler was killed immediately.

Today would have been Skyler's tenth birthday and it was two months ago today that he died. Please pray for Becky and the whole Hartman family today that they would be given peace today.

April 20 - Photography for the wedding

2011-04-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

Over the last two months since my sister, Beckisue, got engaged we have watched God provide time and again for her wedding. She was given an absolutely beautiful wedding dress by a total stranger. It was not only given to her but it had the three elements that she had decided were most important to her when she had gone to try on dresses. I will refrain from saying what those three things are in case Andy where to see this. He plugs his ears whenever the dress is mentioned. He doesn't want to know anything about it. Monica keeps telling him it is purple with black polka dots. :)

The reception hall was also provided wonderfully. We looked and looked for a reception hall. Reception halls big enough in our little town are very scarce. In stead of finding one here went went ten miles north to a town about a 1/8 of the size. :) Not only did we find a very nice place, we also were able to barter for the rent. When Beckisue went to look at it they told her they were wanting to get the carpet cleaned before they rented it out again. Well, it 'just so happens' that Monica and I have been cleaning carpets together for sever months now with her Aerus-Electrolux equipment. :) What a HUGE blessing.

I could go on and on with the list of things that God has provided.

- A friend that we haven't seen in 12+ years sent Beckisue a message and told her she does wedding cakes professionally now and would like to do one as a gift.

- There was some mixup with sale dates at Jo-Ann's and we ended up getting $35 EXTRA off of the bridesmaids fabric that we were already getting on sale.

-A friend is doing the dinner for a very low price. etc.

So now we get to the point. We have a friend who is a professional photographer. He shot both of my brothers weddings. He always told my sisters and me that he would do our weddings someday. Well, he and his family moved to Arizona last year. :( The plan was that he would just come back to attend the wedding but he is unable to because he cannot leave his oldest son who is severely autistic.

Plan B: A friend of my dads offered to shoot the wedding. We do not know anything about his skills though. He met with Beckisue and Andy on Sunday evening to take some engagement pictures so they could get an idea of what he is like. His camera is film and not digital so they haven't been able to see the pictures yet to see their quality and his skill level.

Andy kept saying Sunday night that he really wanted to make a matter of prayer this week that God would direct them in their decision making and He would show them just what they are to do.

Wow! That was a long post for a short prayer request!

April 19 - Jared's Surgery

2011-04-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

My apologies in advance that we are back to writings by me this morning. We will try to have guest blogger Courtney back very soon.

When I was in my last couple of years of high school we attended monthly youth rallies. There were several church who participated around central/north central Indiana.

One of the main pastors was a man named Tim Boyd. Pastor Boyd's son, Jared (I think he is 19 but am not completely sure), was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago. The cancer was in remission for a while but is back again. Jared's sister, Katie, said over the weekend that Jared was having surgery this morning to remove the largest tumor. She asked for specific prayer for this so I thought I would share it with my little prayer group that has been joining me these last couple of weeks.

April 18 - Jonathan's mission trip

2011-04-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

Today’s prayer request is brought to you by the authorship of Rhonda’s amazingly awesome friend, Courtney (who is also girlfriend of the subject of this post)…

“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...” [Matthew 28:18-20]

Jonathan (as I’m sure all readers know to be Rhonda’s brother) is leaving for a trip to a far away country (sniffle) in almost exactly one month with a team of friends from college. He will be sharing the gospel and exploring the land. The area he is heading to is not very welcoming to Christianity so some details must remain untold to all readers on the world wide web.

Please pray for him as he prepares for this trip, that the Lord would work out all of the details. He currently is working to reach his financial goal so that he is able to share the good news with lost souls. He is also making connections with people in preparation, learning to speak the language and hoping to have a few faces to meet after he sails the seas, opening up more doors of opportunity to speak about the love of Jesus Christ.

We also ask for prayer for protection both during travel and as he shares Christ in an area of persecution.

Prayer for strength and wisdom for Jonathan is also needed. Although Jonathan isn’t easily intimidated by talking to strangers, sharing news that can forever change an individual is pretty nerve-racking in itself, but adding the difficulty of sharing it in an foreign land that happens to hate Christianity makes it just a little bit more so.

Please pray also that if the Lord wills, that he would be able to see the fruits of his labor, that he would be encouraged, while he is there being used as a vessel.

Above all, pray that God’s will would be done and his kingdom would be furthered; that lives would be eternally surrendered to serve the Lord.

“The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock in heaven by which Christ carries on his great work upon earth.” (Quoted from E.M. Bounds in Purpose in Prayer.)

(All of these prayers also apply to the other individuals traveling with him. I believe there are 10 in all on the team.)

P.S. Courtney, you ought to feel very special. You got to write the 200th post on my blog. What an honor! ;)

April 15 - Kaylynn

2011-04-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

Kaylynn just called with an update on Shayne. There is good news and very bad news. The good news is that physically Shayne is fine. The bad news is they are taking him back to jail today for violating his work release. They said that though whatever he took was not an illegal drug/controlled substance he was trying to get the same affect. That totally doesn't make sense to me.
Shayne goes to court on Monday. Kaylynn said he could either go to prison for four years (!!) or they might send him to rehab. Obviously they are hoping for the rehab.
All that being said, my request today is for Kaylynn. She has put up with more in the last two years than almost any girl I know would. She just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago so she is still very young. She has been more loyal to her husband than many girls I have known who have been raised in Christian homes and taught well.
Pray first of all for her spiritual growth through all this. Also she needs prayer for physical strength. She has been working about 70 hours a week. She had finally decided she could cut back and with all this she can't now. She will have Shayne's new hospital and court bills.

April 14 - Shayne

2011-04-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

First of all, Summer was released from the hospital last night. Praise the Lord for that!

My dad has been working with a young man named Shayne for about four years in his jail ministry. I won't go in to all his story right now because it is rather long. He had problems with drugs for a while. He has been doing well. He has had a job and working hard and making progress with his life. Kaylynn, Shayne's wife, called this morning and said Shayne was in the ER.
Dad went to the hospital and when he got there Shayne was in the ICU. I guess what happened was he has been drinking 5 Hour Energy at work. Then one of his coworkers offered him something. I have no idea what it was. Dad said it wasn't a controlled substance. Whatever it was was legal. Whoever gave it to him told him to snort it. People, just don't snort stuff! It's just stupid... Okay, back to my story.
I guess the energy drink and the Unknown-Snorted-Substance didn't have a good reaction when mixed. Dad said it almost killed him and he isn't out of the woods yet.
Please pray for both Shayne and Kaylynn.
Sorry this post sounds so jumbled. I don't have much time and want to get it posted.

April 13 - Summer

2011-04-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

My new little niece, Summer, had to be admitted into the hospital last night. Her bilirubin count was high. We found out last night that it is very common in babies born early. It is easily treated and shouldn't cause any problems. If it does get too high it can cause serious problems.
We're praying that she will be fine this morning and get to go back home!

April 12 - Courtney's trip

2011-04-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

I have been unable to post for the last two days. I am going to try to get back on track today.

Courtney is going to be traveling back today from Northland by herself. It is kind of a long story how it all came about. Jonathan and some friends came home last weekend and she ended up having to take them back. There wasn't room for anyone to ride along with them so she wouldn't have to come back alone.
Please pray God gives her safety and that she stayed alert as she drives.

April 9 - Thankfulness

2011-04-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am late with posting this morning. I have been trying to decide what to post. Not that there is ever a lack of things to pray for but there are a lot of things that shouldn't be posted for the whole world.

Today my request is that everyone just pour out thankfulness to God in your prayer. Sometimes we need to stop and really think about being thankful for so many more things than we normally just thank God for in passing.

Blessings as your heart of thankfulness grows!

Summer Nicole Cosby

2011-04-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have a beautiful new niece that was born this morning. Her name is Summer Nicole. She is a little tiny thing weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz. and I think she was 20 inches long.
We got to go hold her this afternoon. She slept the whole time, of course, seems babies always do. :) We played with her very long fingers and toes and kissed her all over.
We're so thankful to our God for our new little family member!

April 8 - Beckisue's and Andy's house.

2011-04-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Beckisue and Andy are having the inspection on their new house today. Praying that all goes well and if there is anything serious to find that it will be found! If all goes well they are to close on the house the end of April.

April 7 - Michelle and baby Summer

2011-04-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

My sister in law, Michelle, is in the hospital. Her labor was induced this morning. We found out she has toxemia again yesterday morning. We're praying for a safe labor and delivery and that she won't wind up with a c-section. Since the baby is obviously not ready to come (this is three weeks early) the chance for a c-section are very high.

April 6 - Prayer X2, Uncle Bob and Jonathan

2011-04-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

I actually have two prayer request this morning. My Uncle Bob texted us last night and said he was going in for emergency hernia surgery. Later in the evening he said the surgery had been postponed until this morning so he stayed the night in the hospital. We are just praying for surgery with no complications and a quick recovery.
Secondly, my brother Jonathan has an important Greek test this morning. Greek has been very difficult for him so we are praying he does well on this test.

April 5 - Michelle and baby Summer

2011-04-05T06:12:00.000-07:00

Michelle, my brother Dale's wife, is due to have a baby the end of the month. Pray that God would work in Michelle through this time, and that she and the baby would be safe and healthy through the rest of the pregnancy and the delivery.

April 4 - The Barber

2011-04-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday my dad went to the barber. He didn't come home for a very long time so mom finally called him. He said he had just left. He had gotten into conversation with the barber and he ended up being able to witness to him for about 45 minutes. They are going to lunch together this week to talk some more. I don't know his name, but pray that the Lord would lead their conversation and bring conviction and salvation to this man.

April 3 - Greg's Family

2011-04-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

One month ago today our dear friend Greg left this earth. Greg fought cancer for 3+ years with a nine month remission.
Today I ask prayer for his parents, Larry and Nan Wallace; his brother and sister, Doug and Jill; and his beloved Melody and her family. They each need God's comfort today.

Greg's parents: Nan and Larry

Melody, Michelle, Bret, and Faith

Jill and Doug

April 2 - Bill Clarke

2011-04-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

We have a friend who had a heart attack three weeks ago. He is only 38 years old. He was released from the hospital after a couple of days but has been back in twice I think for more procedures. He is still there right now after some more work they had to do yesterday.
Please pray for Bill and his family as they go through all of this.

Prayer Requests Day #1 Rob and Chrissy

2011-04-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do something new for the month of April. My blog has sat idle for long enough. Everyday I am going to post a prayer request to share with my (very few) readers.
Rob and Chrissy are going to be first because they are the ones I was praying for when I thought of this.
My brother and sister in law have begun the process of planting a church in Tucson, AZ. They started Bible studies there a few months ago. In August they will be moving from Mesa to Tucson to start the church.
They will be sent out from their home church, Grace Covenant Church, in Gilbert, AZ.
Just pray with me for them as they follow the path God has set before them.

Greg and Melody's beautiful love story.

2011-03-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

Our friend Greg Wallace passed away from cancer on March 3rd. His beloved Melody read this at the funeral. She posted in tribute of Greg and I wanted to share it with all of you. Watching the two of them over the last year has been one the most beautiful yet most heart breaking thing I have ever seen. I have seen love that only comes from God shining through the whole time.

Greg and I met in October of 2006 at an English Country Dance held by a mutual friend of ours. Was it love at first sight? Hardly! This is what I remember thinking, “Well, he’s not bad looking, but …uh-uh. Not interested.” Greg recalls, “Cute. Fun. But maybe a bit too goofy.” We saw each other off and on for the next few years at various dances and events. We were casual friends, hardly more than acquaintances. Then in November of 2009, we started chatting on-line. We were attending the same concert and that led us to start talking about music. The next time we saw each other we began talking a little more. And then suddenly, both of our “antennas” went up and it was like, “Where’d you come from and how come I never really noticed you before?!” Needless to say, Greg and I realized that our initial impressions about each other were way off and some definite interest and attraction began growing.

March 12, 2010, Greg told me that he’d like to pursue a serious relationship with me. We each wrote out a list of Scriptures defining what we believed, and it was so encouraging to see how we lined up on every key issue and doctrine. In fact, it seemed as if we agreed on just about everything! Except for one major thing….and was it possible to continue despite that disagreement? The issue in question was…tomatoes. Greg loved them. I didn’t. But we came to the conclusion that we could still make it work - I would just put any tomatoes I didn’t want on his plate!

As I’ve been thinking about what I wanted to share, the thing that kept coming back to me was “love”. Not just romantic love between a man and a woman, but the love that God has for us. I didn’t love Greg right away. I had been deeply hurt in the past and I was very cautious about opening up my heart again. My prayer from the beginning was, “Lord, yoube glorified in this relationship. Help me to love Greg as you want me to. You are the author of love, so if I’m supposed to love him, then you place that love in my heart.” And He did. It wasn’t long before the friendship and care and attraction grew and deepened. I learned to trust Greg. And I fell in love with him. When I allowed myself to be vulnerable, it was as if God flooded my heart with a joy and love far greater, deeper and better than I had ever imagined. Greg made me feel so beautiful. He treated me as something precious to be treasured. I could be myself with him because he loved me for who I was. He wasn’t afraid to be honest or show emotion, and we talked about absolutely everything. He encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. We read Scripture together. We prayed aloud and those were the times when I saw his character and his deeply ingrained faith.

I could share memories and talk forever about Greg. Our walks down by the river, playing games, meeting each other’s friends, laughing, ski trips, discussing music, his corny puns, crying together, homemade ice cream, 3 Stooges, campfires, working on my brother’s house, dancing, bowling, riding in his convertible with the top down.. .I could go on and on. But what I want to get back to is love.

Greg and I marveled at how amazing love is. How it could continue to flourish and deepen. How often, with an overflowing heart I would think, “Lord, I don’t understand. How is this possible? This huge love that continues to grow and get stronger.” But I know how. I know why. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love, because He first loved us.” In and of myself, I have nothing to give, nothing to offer - it is because God loved me first, with the most perfect and pure love. John 15:12 “Love each other as I have loved you.” He is our example of how to love unconditionally, steadfastly, unselfishly. Giving all without holding back.

Some people might think it was foolish to risk my heart when the future was so uncertain. I knew Greg had cancer when we began our relationship. But I believe that God had brought us together for a purpose, and I wanted to treasure each day, no matter what was coming ahead. Even now I wouldn’t go back and change that. By avoiding this sorrow, I would have missed out on all the incredible joy and love we shared. The sweetness far outweighs the pain.

That’s not to say that I lived this past year in perfect peace and contentment all the time. No, I had my struggles and doubts. I did a lot of crying out to God. I questioned. I asked why. I complained about the unfairness of it all. I asked, why me? Why us??

No, it doesn’t seem fair or right. Greg wasn’t just my “boyfriend” - that’s far too trite. He was my beloved. The man I wanted to marry. We talked often of our future plans. We dreamed. We hoped. We pleaded with God for more time. But he died. What kind of God would do that to us - we who were only striving to please and serve him? It was like pulling the rug out from under our feet! But Psalm 25:10 says “ All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep his commands.” and then in Psalm 62:11,12 “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard; that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.” Do we love and serve God only when things go our way? When the sun shines and it’s easy to trust and love? Is that the only time when God is good and loving? Those verses say that all his ways are loving. So I can either grow angry and bitter and hard because of my circumstances, or I can choose to trust what His words says - that His ways are loving.

I want to focus on the good. On the love. I believe God gave Greg and I a priceless gift. Not once did we take our time for granted. We knew how extremely fragile this life is and we made the most of our time together. We treasured the simplest things: sitting on the couch holding hands and not even saying a word, each text message that made my heart beat faster to receive, our phone conversations that we looked forward to. And Greg told me that our visits were something that he anticipated more than every birthday and Christmas and fun event put together that he ever had in his whole life.

In 12 short months I believe that God blessed Greg and I with a richer and sweeter love than many people will ever experience in a lifetime. God balances the sorrow with the joy. Some of my favorite memories are of the last few months when the cancer was taking its toll. It was enough to just sit there and look at each other.

When Greg texted me from Arizona saying that he was barely hanging on by a thread, I made him promise to hold on until I got there. The night before I arrived, he refused to take any pain medication, even though his pain level was at a 9. He didn’t want to fall asleep because he was afraid of not waking up when I got there. He kept watching the clock and counting down the hours. When we called to say we were almost there, Greg asked for his laptop. He opened it and kept staring at the screen , which was a picture of he and I together this past summer, and then looking at the door. He kept going from the picture and then the door and back again. When I finally walked in, his eyes filled with tears. He trembled as he touched my hair, felt my face, and smelled my skin…almost as if to make sure I was real. I’m so glad that I made it in time. Those two and a half days were heartbreaking, but precious.

The last time Greg opened his eyes, he searched for me in the room. I leaned in close…and he gave a half-smile and winked and stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. Almost as if to say, “We’re gonna be okay.“

There was so much love there in that hospital room. God’s presence was so tangible. You could almost taste it, feel it, touch it. I felt Christ in the love of family and friends and even people we had never met - in the myriad of cards they sent, words of encouragement, gifts, and countless prayers. I saw His love in each one of the Wallaces as they ministered to Greg with such tenderness. I saw God in Greg as he whispered Scripture. And when his mind was confused and cloudy from the drugs and pain, he looked at me earnestly and said, “I choose my faith. I choose my Savior.” His mind may not have been functioning, but his heart was. I heard Christ in the prayers spoken aloud as we surrounded his bed and surrendered him to the One who loves him even more than we do. He went home peacefully. There were tears. And sorrow. But even through all of that, the love of God was still there. We knew Greg was finally free. Healed. Whole. And in the arms of his Savior.

This is the lesson that I want to carry with me for the rest of my life. My God…is love. As great and deep was the love that Greg and I shared, God’s love is even more. It has no bounds. We love because He first loved us. John 13:34, 35 “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I want that to be what shines forth in my life.

A couple of months ago, I asked Greg to send me a voicemail so that when we weren’t able to talk, I could still hear him. This is what he said: “Hi, Melody. This is Greg. You said you wanted a message from me so you could hear my voice whenever you wanted. So here I am. I love you. You know that, but you still need to hear it. So, I love you. I look forward to the next time I can see you again. Hopefully soon. And I look forward to the time when we can be together and not have to say good-bye.”

I’m going to miss Greg. I miss him already. But I thank God with all my heart, for the priceless, precious gift He gave me when he brought Greg into my life. Good-bye, honey. I too, look forward to the next time I see you when we never have to say good-bye. I love you.

Like a River Glorious

2011-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

This hymn has been one of my favorites for a long time. I say "one of my favorites" because I probably have 100 favorites. Ava probably learned her definition of the word favorite from me.
A few months ago we were singing this one in church. I wasn't actually singing since I was playing my violin but I was reading the lyrics as we went along. Though I had been singing this song for as long as I can remember it really stood out to me that day. I had planned to post the lyrics that day, but as I so often do, I procrastinated.
New Years eve I was really struggling with some stuff. I felt like anything but partying that night. I just closed my self in my room and started reading Scripture. Soon God's glorious river of peace was flowing. The tears didn't stop immediately but eventually they turned from tears of sorrow to tears of praise and thankfulness for God's amazing love.
Like a river glorious is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth deeper all the way.
- Refrain:
  Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
  Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.
Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Keep a Quiet Heart

2011-01-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

Courtney let me borrow her book Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot. I have been reading it the last few days and loving it. Yesterday I came across this little passage and it really stood out to me. I wanted to share. I am not sure it will mean as much not being in context but it should still be encouraging.

If we reject this cross, we will not find it in this world again. here is the opportunity offered. Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints, wait quietly, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year in his hands. Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup". Shall we not gladly say, "I'll take it, lord! YES! I'll trust you for everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

I might start posting little bits from my reading that stands out at me. I always have good intentions. Following through doesn't always happen.

2010 Book List

2011-01-01T12:26:00.001-08:00

At the end of last year I made a list of all the books I had read over the year. I decided to keep track of each book, the author, and the date I finished. It was fun. I think I will keep up with it. I also set a goal to read more than I did last year. Well, I can say I accomplished my goal but not by much. Last year I read 19 and this year I read 20. :)

John Newton Biography (I read it while I CA and I don't know the author)

When Dreams Come True - Eric and Leslie Ludy

Passion and Purity - Elisabeth Elliot

Taste and See - John Piper*

A Brother Beloved - Francina H. Arnold

Let Me Be a Woman - Elisabeth Elliot

The Liberty of Obedience - Elisabeth Elliot

Life as a Vapor - John Piper

Desiring God - John Piper

Filling up the Afflictions of Christ - John Piper

Letters to Karen - Charlie Shedd

Passion and Purity - Elisabeth Elliot**

The Shadow of the Cross - Walter J. Chantry

Captivating - John and Stasi Eldredge

Through the Shadowlands - Brian Sibley

In Everything Give Thanks - Terry Barnes

The Pursuit of Holiness - Jerry Bridges

The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis

God's Guidance - Elisabeth Elliot

Amazing Love - Corrie ten Boom

*I started it a couple of years ago then lost it. So I didn't technically read it all this year.

** I didn't make a mistake and list it twice. I read it twice.

C.S. Lewis

2010-12-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading C.S. Lewis's book The Weight of Glory the other night. While I was reading I wrote down a few passages that jumped out at me. Here are a couple from the end of the book.

All our merely natural activities will be accepted, if they are offered to God, even the humblest: and all of them, even the noblest, will be sinful if they are not.

A more Christian attitude, which can be attained at any age, is that of leaving futurity in God's hands. We may as well, for God will certainly retain it whether we leave it to Him or not. Never, in peace or war commit your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment "as to the Lord."

Pointing to Christ

2010-11-15T20:02:00.001-08:00

When I visited my friend Tiffany a little over a week ago I got have some extra conversation time with her due to my unexpected over night stay. It was a great time, as visits with Tiffany always are.
She told me about an area where God has been dealing with her over the last couple of years. It really stuck in my mind.
She talked about how we should constantly be pointing to Christ in all our life. Whether it is a brief conversation with someone you meet at a conference, or a close friendship, our motives should not be to bring focus to ourselves to but Christ.
I fail to do that so often. I let selfishness reign in my heart. I put my wants in front of what is best for others, and worse yet, in front of honoring God.
I am reading a book called "The Pursuit of Holiness" right now. It has really been convicting me about my personal responsibility to fight sin, and in so doing, pursue holiness.
Oh, how thankful I am that God patiently guides us!
So, I ask my friends to forgive me where I have failed. As I grow in grace I will strive to point to Christ all the more.

Chickens and Tires

2010-11-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon I drove from Cincinnati to my friend Tiffany's house which is about an hour and twenty minute drive. The plan was for me to go spend the afternoon and evening there while Beckisue and Andy went to a wedding.
Tiffany's family was having a chicken butchering that day. There were quite a few people there. We had such a good time. Most of the people there I had never met before. There was a guy there from North Carolina, and two guys and a young married couple from West Virginia. That is a long way to travel to butcher chickens! I really enjoyed getting to meet them all. The whole group just had a sweet time.
I was planning to leave about 7 so I wasn't traveling by myself too late. But just about the time I should have been leaving Tiffany and two other people got out their instruments. Tiffany plays the guitar incredibly well. There was an other guitar and a banjo. Both were played very well. The music was so much fun. I always take my violin when I go on a trip. I don't always play it when I take it places but I have it just in case I want it. Well, guess what? I didn't take it this trip. I wanted to join the music SO badly. I had to stick to singing, which totally isn't my forte!
When they finished practicing in the basement one of the men led a devotional. The instrumentalist then played along with the whole group while we sang many songs. One song we sang was How Deep the Father's Love for Us. How can a person keep from bowing low in worship while singing that song?
When the music was over, and I had said all my good-byes, I dragged myself away. I hadn't gotten far down the road, maybe a mile or so, when I realized something wasn't right. I got out of the car and checked on the tires because it kind of felt like one was flat. I had never had a flat tire before so I didn't really know what it was like. :) All the tires looked fine. I continued on my journey. As I drove along the car started vibrating a little. As the miles went by it was getting worse. I started getting worried that something would happen half way between Georgetown and Cincinnati. I called Beckisue as I was getting on the interstate. She said maybe I should go back. It is a little late to turn around once your are on the interstate. You cannot exactly make a u-turn. But, amazingly enough, as soon as I got on the interstate the noise/vibration completely stopped! I told Beckisue that and she said if it started again before I got too far away from Tiffany's to turn around (which I was already planning on). I drove along fine for about three miles. Suddenly it started again and was *horrible*! Thankfully there was an exit right there. I got off and got back on going the other direction. I knew I couldn't get back up to speed. What ever was wrong was seriously wrong!
I went about a mile and I think I had decided to pull of the road. I am not sure because things like that kind of happen quickly. My back right tire blew. Yikes! Thankfully I was only going about 40 mph I think.
I called Tiffany first thing so they could come get me. I was about 20 minutes or so from their house. I then called Beckisue to tell her what happened. I guess I should just say at this point I was assuming that the tire had blown. I hadn't even gotten out of the car to look. I just wanted to sit tight with the doors locked. After making two phone calls I did open the door and look out. Whoa! Flat tire doesn't begin to describe it.

I sat there telling myself not to worry. You know, God keeps His promises. He tells us that He will keep us in perfect peace if our mind is stayed on Him. I am a big chicken and sitting by the side of the interstate at 10:00 at night by myself is no fun. I needed His peace! I kept praying and God answered.
My uncle sends us a good night text every night. When I got it while sitting there I replied and told him what was going on. A minute later I got a call from him asking if I was okay. I told him I was fine and that my friends were coming to get me. He said he would just chat with me to keep my occupied. I was thankful for that.
I think it took about 45 minutes for Tiffany, her dad, and Isaac (the guy from NC) to arrive. They thought I was having engine trouble and were trying to find tools. :) They didn't realize it was just a tire.
Isaac quickly changed the tire then offered to drive the car back so I didn't have to with the doughnut. I didn't mind driving but I was glad to let him.
I had to leave before the bonfire started and I was disappointed to miss that. Well, with the change of plans I got to go back! A few of us sat around the bonfire until about 1 AM. We talked and laughed and toasted marshmallows.
Tiffany and I went to bed and whispered for an other couple of hours. We whispered until my voice was going hoarse. It was such a blessing to get the extra time with her. We had some much needed conversation.
I got out the paperwork on the tires the next day. They were exactly a year old. I don't know what happened to it because it certainly wasn't warn out! I was able to take it to Sears and drive back to Cincinnati that evening.
I guess I had better end this post. If anyone has read the whole thing they are probably going cross eyed by now.
All that to tell a simple little story. There were SO many things to be thankful for! I am thankful that it happened so soon after I left. If I would have been half way between Tiffany's and Cincinnati.... Yikes!
So, I had a wonderful, wonderful weekend even if it didn't go as planned.

2010-11-08T18:09:00.000-08:00

I planned to post about my adventures Saturday night, but right now my heart is too heavy with infinitely more important things.
Our close friend, Greg Wallace, is going in for surgery in the morning. Very, very serious surgery. Please pray with us for Greg, his family, and his girlfriend, Melody.

Dear family and friends,

Today at the Cancer Treatment Center here in Zion I had final consultations and tests done, as well as insertion of a filter to prevent possible clots from traveling to my heart and lungs. Tonight I have some final preparations yet to ready myself for tomorrow.

We will be checking into the hospital about 7am, surgery will begin at 9am, and is expected to last 8-10 hours. After that I will be in ICU, and I will remain sedated for a total of about 24 hours. I basically won't know that Tuesday happened. In the interim, though, my parents who are here with me, my siblings at home, and so many more who are praying for me, will be the ones who are worried. Bring your burdens to the Lord, because He hears and will give you peace.

Evening and morning, and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice. - Psalm 55:17

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

The surgeon Dr. Brown will have big decisions to make when he is in there. On Wednesday we had a great consultation with him, and he was very good at both listening and explaining, so that I could make the best choice and give him clear direction with my preferences. He is reputed to be very thorough in his approach and that is a very good thing. Pray that he is able to discern what to remove and what to leave. This is really my number one concern about this surgery.

I will be incommunicado for the next several days, so expect updates to the Facebook group via my sister Jill as she has time. I brought my laptop with me, and once I'm up to it, will email you all again to let you know how I'm doing.

Thank you all once again for your persistent prayers. I have really been touched by the number of people encouraging me & my family and praying regularly, including friends of friends and people I do not even know. Tomorrow is a big day in my search for health, and I know that hundreds, possibly into the thousands, are interceding on my behalf. Blessings to you all.

In God's hands,
Greg

Surprise!

2010-10-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here far too tired after a long day to do anything else so I thought I would just blog about my long day. :)

Heather came yesterday afternoon so Michelle could get some uninterrupted work time, and we could have some Heather time. Mom said we needed to get all of our weekend work done before she came since no one would want to do it after she was here.

Amanda decided she wanted us to bring Heather in town to the Farmer's Market where she and Beckisue would be spending the morning.

We finally got our morning stuff finished up late morning and headed to town. We got to the Farmer's Market and greeted our friends there, took Heather to buy a little pumpkin and just looked around.

While I stood and talked to a friend, I looked up and squealed "Courtney!" She and Ava were walking across the parking lot. My whole family new she was coming. She had planned all week to come see me since I had just come home from my trip. Funny thing is is that I had already gone to her house and surprised her on Wednesday. Amanda said they were laughing knowing that we were both planning on surprising the other in the same week.

It was an absolutely *beautiful* fall day. We were right next to a park by the river so we decided to go get some sandwiches from Arby's and have a picnic. Heather and Ava both love water and absolutely had a ball walking the trail along the river. The sun shone so brightly the water just sparkled. The trees were beautiful. The temperature was absolutely perfect. We seriously could not have asked for weather any more perfect.

When we got to the end of the trail, the point where the Eel dumps into the Wabash, we saw a lot of canoes coming toward us. I was totally jealous! I wanted to be out there canoeing so badly! I have only been canoeing once in my life and want to do it again! Someday...

Courtney told me yesterday that she had never split wood before. I told her next time she came to my house she would have to try. Little did I know it would be today. We were out hauling a few loads of wood up to the porch so I got out the maul and found her some nice straight logs to practice on. I gave my first lesson on how to spit wood. It took a bit but she got the hang of it enough to get about three logs split. She is going to be sore in the morning!

Dale and Michelle got here about 4 and Andy arrived about 5:30. Monday was Andy's birthday so we were having birthday dinner for him. The whole place was in chaos. That is pretty typical though when we have company. Supper was yummy though and well worth the mess (I think - after washing mounds of dishes that the dishwasher wouldn't hold I was beginning to question it!). Birthday cake was also delicious and Andy blew out all 40 candles in one very short breath. I was impressed.

So there were the highlights of my day. Did I ever mention Courtney is an awfully sweet friend?

Thoughts on a quote

2010-10-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

I got to thinking about a line from Shadowlands (which happens to be one of my favorite movies) earlier. Toward the end of the movie, when Joy is dying of cancer, she says to Jack "The pain then is part of the happiness now." I got to thinking about how true that statement is in reverse too. You could say "The pain now is part of the happiness then." Anytime you work for something, invest time into it, wait for it, long for it's coming, the fulfillment of the goal is all the more rewarding and beautiful.
Keep that in mind as we each await the fulfillment of what ever God has in store for our lives.

From Doug Phillips

2010-08-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

I read this on Doug Phillips' blog yesterday.

I love having a focused exercise program. It requires goal-setting, perseverance, great effort and pain. But it also produces joy, blessings and tangible benefits. That is why I sometimes think of exercise as a physical metaphor for the victorious life of Christ. Pushing our bodies reminds me that it is worth fighting hard to see the greatest goals realized. We need to fight hard and hold fast, even as we wholeheartedly “wait upon the Lord.” This waiting on the Lord is critical. It requires faith and hope. It means fighting hard and holding fast to the things we know to be true, as we wait upon the Lord. But there is a wonderful conclusion to the story:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Dancing in the Minefield

2010-08-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

A friend posted this song on Facebook this morning. I absolutely love it. It is such a sweet love song.

Ellerslie/HSAOutreach

2010-08-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be easier to just post about this rather than try to explain it to everyone. I am really excited about going. It will be great to get to learn more about Ellerslie while there.

I'm happy to announce that we have another opportunity for an OutReach project. All the details are below. Space is limited so please post up or let me know via private message that you are thinking of coming and I will get you a registration form asap...

What: HSA OutReach Project to renovate and remodel on the Ellerslie Campus

When: September 23-30 (tentative)

Where: The Ellerslie campus (www.ellerslie.com) Windsor, CO

Why: Eric and Leslie Ludy, speakers at the 2009 HSA National Reunion have recently launched a new global ministry and training center. They will have just completed their first training session and will be anticipating the arrival of several orphans who are going to be using their facility and receiving their education at Ellerslie. To this end, their campus needs some remodeling and renovations. Besides, who can think of doing anything better than serving our fellow believers in and hanging out with other HSA'ers in beautiful Colorado?

How: The projects will be divided up under several skilled team leaders who will act as "crew chief". Each volunteer is highly valued and will be placed with a specific team for a specific project based on their specific skills and experience. Please do not hesitate to come to the event even if you do not have extensive experience in this type of work. Anyone is welcome who is willing to work hard and learn, and a wide range of skills and experience levels are valuable to the whole team.

Other Details:

This OutReach opportunity is open to all HSA'ers (and their friends and family) over age 18 at the time of the event. If an entire family unit or someone under 18 wishes to come, contact me and we'll discuss skill level and lodging space.

The closest airport is Denver. We will be scheduling transportation for anyone who flies to this event. Lodging and Food will be provided on the Ellerslie campus by the Ellerslie staff. All that is being asked of you is to attend and be willing to work hard and serve cheerfully.

Additionally, you are not obligated to be at the whole event if you can come for just a few days, you are still welcome. If we have more workers than is needed for the projects, we will be looking into additional ministry opportunities. And, yes, we'll definitely be planning some hikes and fun times...especially if the work gets done quickly!

What we will be doing:

-- Painting
-- Carpentry/Building a deck
-- Installing windows
-- Possible landscaping
-- Assembling furniture
-- General "sprucing up"
-- And more...

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Daddy Daughter Date

2010-08-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

My niece's date. Sharing a shake.

Just a couple of cute pictures

2010-07-09T19:01:00.001-07:00

I just ran across these pictures. They are totally adorable and I figure everyone would want to see them. ;)

Journal Entry

2010-07-09T15:19:00.001-07:00

This morning I had my journal out while I was having my devotions and it fell open to this page. It caught my eye and I thought I would share a little passage.

Tomorrow is the last day of February! I can't believe it. Amidst all the waiting, and evenings that feel like time is going to stop, time flies on. Time is such a strange thing. We will never get these days back so let's live them to the fullest; learn every thing we can. Worship in every moment...

Here we are several months down the road. Months that we won't get back. Did we live life to the fullest, learn everything we could, and worship in every moment? I know I didn't.

2010-07-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

A little over a month ago I was riding in the car for several hours. I was struggling with some circumstances that had just come my way. I got my Bible out and a notebook (two things that go very well together) and started looking up verses. I think I was looking up verses on trust. I am not really sure though because I would read a whole passage and sometimes the verse that jumped out at me wasn't the one I had looked up. I copied down some and here are a couple.

First is a well known verse from Job:

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.

Job 13:15

That is such a perfect reminder that no matter what is happening in our lives, we can trust God because He is working though all things to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28-29).

The next verse was a few verses after a very well known passage, but one I hadn't really noticed before:

Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give the the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

(then skipping a verse)

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37:7

Resting and waiting patiently on the Lord? Oh! Not my strong points. We are back to sanctification again. God will direct our lives to make us like Christ.

Someday we will be like Christ.

Be Still

2010-07-05T04:23:00.000-07:00

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10
When I was about 13, I wrote down a bunch of verses on different paper and then hung them on the closet wall at the end of my bed. This verse was one of them. I have been thinking of it a lot recently, and it often makes me think of this song by Ron Hamilton.

In the stillness of this moment,
In the darkness of this night,
I can hear a voice so tender,
I can see a wondrous light.

Be still and know that I am God,
Be still and know I am God,
Come find your strength in the quiet place;
Be still and know.

In the stillness of this moment, Heaven's glory I can see;
Shining forth in brilliant splendor, God's creation speaks to me.

Be still and know that I am God,
be still and know I am God.
Come find your strength in the quiet place;
Be still and know.

A New Creature in Christ

2010-06-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

There is a young man that my dad has been dealing with in the jail for several months - probably close to a year. My dad is really excited to see the work God is doing in him.
Today when I got home from violin lessons I walked past the living room and dad said "We are going out to dinner with Sean's girlfriend." Dad said she was my age.
We went to dinner at a fabulous Mexican restaurant in town. That has nothing to do with the story I just thought I would throw it in there because I love the place.
We chatted for a while and found out some basic information about each others lives. Dad started asking her about what changes she has noticed in Sean's life the last few months. She was very encouraged. She said she has seen big changes.
My parents were supposed to leave for Indianapolis when we were done with supper. Dad thought the conversations was going so well though he didn't want to cut it off so he invited her to our house.
She came out and the three of us continued our conversations. Actually, I was just there as an other presence. I don't think I added anything to the conversation.
Dad continued to share the Gospel with her in much more depth than he had at the restaurant. She seemed to be very open to what dad was telling her. From things she said I believe God has been preparing her heart for months. At the end she professed faith in Christ. It was so very exciting to watch.
I asked Nikki if she wanted to go for a walk with me. God had given us the most beautiful evening for such an occasion! We walked and talked for a couple of miles. Some just chatting and getting to know each other. Part of the time she had questions for me. Mostly about baptism. I shared my testimony with her and also the testimony of a friend of mine. All in all it was a wonderful evening! I look forward to getting to know her and watching her grow; helping to teach her, and learning myself in the process!

Random thought

2010-06-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I started thinking about a line from a movie that goes something like "If it was the right thing to do you would feel better about it right now." That statement is so true sometimes. We try to rationalize our actions. Making excuses of why it was ok. All the while our conscience is just not not allowing us peace.
But thankfully, when we confess our sins, my God is faithful and just to forgive our sins.

Putting one foot in front of the other - from Greg and Melody

2010-06-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last night a friend of mine posted on his blog. He just started chemo for the second time - this is his second bout with cancer. He wrote just a little about the struggles and talked about putting one foot in front of the other. His girlfriend's reply was amazing. He has quite a girl. I asked her if I could share it. She laughed and said I could though she didn't think it was anything great. It was great, though. It was a great encouragement to me and I know it will be to other too.

Sometimes I wish I could do more than put one foot in front of the other - literally leap a couple miles ahead and be done with some of the hard things that are in the way. But...I know that He promises to give us strength for the journey. That means we still have to walk it - but we will be able to make it to the end. He "gives strength to the weary" and also "renews their strength". (Isaiah 40) It never runs out and we can't reach an allotment. It is continually renewed.
"Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
One foot in front of the other...Not an easy thing to do. It takes faith, knowing that we are heading somewhere and that it is worth pressing on towards. Trust, because we can't see where we are going. "We walk by faith not by sight." But we continue to walk...
Thankfully, you don't have to do this alone. Not only will God always walk beside you, but I'm not going anywhere either! :) <3

Let Me Be a Woman

2010-06-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Let Me Be Woman on Monday night. Actually, it was the third time I finished it. Elisabeth Elliot's books just keep getting better each time I read them. There were chapters through out the whole book that I kept wishing I could share with everyone. But since I can't exactly post a whole book I guess that won't work. I strongly recommend it to ladies of any age. There is a ton of stuff in there that would be good for guys to read also - but no guy would read a book by that title unless the front cover was torn off. :)

But anyway….

This is the first "chapter" though it is only a page long. It is so simple and yet so encouraging. I need the reminder sometimes that we do serve...

The God Who Is in Charge

When Walt came to me at Christmastime to ask for your hand I said to him, "There is no one to whom I would so gladly give it. " Then we talked of the long wait you would have if the wedding date was not to be until after your graduation.

"Do you think you can stick it out?" I asked him. and he answered, without hesitation, "Ma'am, I'm a Calvinist!"

He knew that I would understand what he meant by that. You and I are Calvinist too, in that we believe in a God who is in charge, We are not for one moment of our lives at the mercy of chance. Walt saw the timing of his proposal, his own graduation from seminary, your graduation from college, as among the "all things" that work together for good to those who love God. He saw the pattern of duty that lay before you both and took it to be the will of God, so that the power of his own emotion to weaken his resolve was not a threat. He knew, as the psalmist knew, "My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." I am grateful that God has given you a man like that.

While I'm Waiting

2010-06-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Here is Love

2010-06-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

I heard this song only once. The Pettit team sang it when they were in our town a few weeks ago. I thought it was beautiful but since it was only once I didn't think much more about it. Then last night Bethany had the music and lyrics in her bedroom. I read the first verse but I think that was it.
After some tough lessons on trust and God's love tonight I came home and read all the lyrics. When I got to the third and forth verses I just sat and cried. They were exactly what I needed to read.

Here is love, vast as the ocean, Lovingkindness as the flood,When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,Shed for us His precious blood.Who His love will not remember?Who can cease to sing His praise?He can never be forgotten,Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,Fountains opened deep and wide;Through the floodgates of God’s mercyFlowed a vast and gracious tide.Grace and love, like mighty rivers,Poured incessant from above,And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justiceKissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all Thy love accepting, Love Thee, ever all my days; Let me seek Thy kingdom only And my life be to Thy praise;Thou alone shalt be my glory,Nothing in the world I see.Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct meBy Thy Spirit through Thy Word; And Thy grace my need is meeting,As I trust in Thee, my Lord. Of Thy fullness Thou art pouringThy great love and power on me,Without measure, full and boundless,Drawing out my heart to Thee.

2010-06-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday, Courtney!!!!

iPod Survey

2010-05-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

Amanda and I got to talking today about what kind of iPod we would get if we could get any we wanted. I think I would want a pink (or any other color) Nano. Oh, and it would need to be one with a camera on it. :) An iPod Touch would be nice in some ways but I really think I would prefer the other. So what about you? Which one would you choose and why?

Florida Vacation

2010-05-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

OK, here we go. I finally got the pictures from my trip yesterday, and got them uploaded tonight. I didn't think there were that many until I started uploading them. I left out a bunch!

This was a few days into our trip. It was the first time Jim remembered to bring the camera along. :) We were walking in the woods because we were so sun burnt we decided to stay out of the sun for a day. We walked some trails in the woods on base. It was very beautiful. I was talking to Beckisue when he snapped the picture.
One of my favorite places down there was the "Gazebo Tower" (what I called it anyway). It was just that - a very tall gazebo at the end of a boardwalk. It over looked a swampy area and the in the distance you could see the gulf. There are several pictures from there throughout this post. This was our first visit there.

Jim and me in the gazebo tower

And the three of us!

Can you tell the roof was lattice? :)

On Saturday we had decided not to go to the beach. Jim and Marge said there were too many people there on Saturday. The beach was the private base beach but weekends were still full. We went shopping all morning. In the afternoon we decided that since there were a storm blowing in there wouldn't be many people on the beach. We were right. There weren't people on the beach for good reason. The wind was horrible! Marge staid on a bench on the boardwalk and Jim and I walked the beach. We decided to walk 2o minutes and then turn around. Just one little problem - we didn't think about the fact that we started out with the wind to our backs! When we turned around the wind was so strong we had to lean into it. We couldn't talk to each other because we couldn't hear anything. The sand was blowing so hard it was stinging our legs. The crashing waves were amazing though. The 20 minutes out made it totally worth it (I think). :)

Marge and I when the sun returned.

A pause on the very long boardwalk on the way back from the beach.

Sorry this one is sideways. I rotated it in iPhoto and then accidentally uploaded the wrong one. I am not about to start over again. There is a silly story behind this picture. Beckisue loves to walk on railings. It freaks Jim out. He just worries she is going to fall. So they tease each other back and forth about it. One day he decided he would stand on the railing and get a picture just to tease her. So he did... I left out the picture of me on the rail. :)

One of our little lizard friends. Jim and Marge said they thought it was a gecko.

One of my favorite things on the whole trip was the evening we watched the sunset from the gazebo tower. It was gorgeous. I took up my violin to play while we were there. When I pulled it out and was looking at the beauty the first song that came to mind was "How Great Thou Art." I couldn't help but play it. The sunset was absolutely beautiful. I could never describe it and the pictures cannot show it's beauty.

Jim taking a picture of me watching the sunset when I didn't know it. (in my "adorable green jacket")

The water - just in case anyone was wondering.

This would be me - being me.

I fixed supper in our apartment one night. A very simple meal but it was fun. We went out most of the time.

Jim and I came in from a walk one night and he pulled out the camera while I was sitting on the arm of the chair. So...

...I took the camera and took one of him! :)

This would be what I look like when I have been swimming in the waves.

This was at the Thai restaurant. We ate Japanese, Mexican, Thai, and Chinese on this trip. :)

Sail boats way out in the distances.

So that is the end of the pictures. Hope you enjoyed and didn't get too bored. :)

Rambling thoughts of the day

2010-04-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a quick post. A tweet just won't cut it and I don't want to have a million of them running on. So....
We didn't know where to go to church today. We found one Baptist church close by and an other not much further down the road that was an IFB. I didn't know up from down with them. We just randomly picked. We actually drove by both this morning since we had two hours after breakfast and before service.
We choose one, sit out side for half an hour waiting for time to go in. We knew it was a VERY small church by the amount of cars. What we didn't know was that it was a black church. :) Let's just say their song service was a little different than I am used to. All in all the service was fine. Nothing great but we could have ended up in a much worse church. The pastor was on vacation so one of the men in the church was preaching.

While I am posting I might as well go ahead and tell about this evening. After supper we decided to back out to the tower/gazebo over looking the water and watch the sunset. It doesn't just over look the gulf, but also several inlets and swamps. It was amazingly beautiful! Jim and Marge asked me to take my violin up with me like I did last time. When I pulled it out of the case the first song that came to mind was How Great Thou Art. It just seemed fitting. The beauty was spectacular. I could never begin to describe it even if I was good at painting pictures with words. Jim took some pictures but they don't do it justice either. Jim doesn't have a card reader so I can't load any of the pictures. When I get home I just might post some of them. (I am terrible about posting pictures!)

So that is a very rambling post. But! It is a post after all. :P

A quick (or not so quick) over view of my day.

2010-04-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

Just going to write a quick post like I would write an email at the end of a day to a friend. So just pretend you are the lucky recipient! :)

Today was Monica's birthday. She asked me to work with her this morning so she wouldn't have to work so long on her birthday. I agreed, of course. We cleaned a house that I have helped her clean several times before. The owners have a little baby and he and his mom were still there when we got there. That meant I got to play with him a little before they left and we started cleaning. (Smile!) He is the same age as my niece Keira. At first he would smile and cry at the same time when ever I would look at him but he cheered up really fast.

Monica kept asking what we should do for her birthday. No one could think of anything. We were going to bike a new bike trail but there were supposed to be wind gusts up to 40 mph today so we thought that might not be the best of ideas. Plan B. I decided we should go bowling.

When we got done cleaning Monica and I went into town to get the ingredients for her birthday pie. We got them all and looked at our cart. We about croaked at the amount of sugar in there! Fudge ice cream topping, chocolate pudding, coffee ice cream, graham cracker crust... you get the picture. Yowsers!

We had the "birthday dinner" at lunch since it was the only time everyone could be together. We had rotisserie chickens, corn, and salad.

We went into town and discovered the bowling alley was closed. What was that I said about Plan B? Now we are on Plan C! We talked about going home and just playing games and then Beckisue thought of going to Jim and Marge's to play horseshoes and other stuff. They let us of course. :) It was a perfect day. We stayed outside the whole time. Steph took some pictures. Maybe, just maybe, I will post some of them.

This evening we went to the Pettit's meeting again. Again I was mesmerized by the bowing arm of the violinist. It was absolutely amazing! All the music was beautiful!!

Steve Pettit preached on John 3:16. It was absolutely amazing yet again. I couldn't begin to describe it. I will just say it was unlike anything I have ever heard on that verse.

After the service I got to play my violin with the violinist from the team and the girl that I teach. It was lots of fun. I thought there were going to be more people but it ended up just being the three of us. The violinist has a twin sister who plays the cello. Both of them are incredible. My mom and sisters talked to the cellist while we were playing and then we all talked for a while. It was lots of fun. They were so sweet and bubbly!

We came home and had Monica's birthday pie and gave gifts. The pie was pretty yummy. It should have been with all that stuff in it! At least it better have been!

So that was my day. How was yours? ;)

Good night. Sweet dreams.

Steve Pettit Team

2010-04-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

A church in town is having special meetings this week with the Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team. We just found out about it last night so we went in tonight. I am so glad we were able to. I got there about fifteen minutes late because mom had to be at the jail for the ladies' Bible study and I had to pick her up.

We missed several songs (Beckisue said we missed the best) but what we heard was fabulous. I LOVE to watch a *good* violinist play. It is so beautiful! I don't think there is an other instrument that is prettier to watch when it is played well. The cellist played beautifully and gracefully, too! :)

And for the sermon: I think if I had a top ten list of preachers, Steve Pettit would be on it! He is phenomenal.

The sermon was from 1 John and dealt with confession of sin. I had never heard a sermon like that.

So, aside from the IFB church gimmicks (that I absolutely HATE) the evening was wonderful. Hopefully we will get to go back almost every night this week. We have two funerals to go to on Wednesday so I know we won't that night. TWO funerals in the same day. That is something I have never done before. Thankfully they are at two different times so we can attend both.

He's Back!

2010-04-05T04:47:00.001-07:00

Last year I wrote a post about a stupid bird that bangs on our window constantly. With the return of spring the banging has begun. For about five days now the bird has constantly been banging. It starts at dawn (which is obnoxious because it wakes me up every morning) and goes until dark. You would have thought that this bird would have killed itself by now - but no. It just keeps going. About to drive us all out of our minds! Dad wants to shoot it. I am afraid someone will shoot out the window if they try.... I guess someone will either get rid of it will go away. Hopefully we all still have our sanity.

SGI Conference sermons

2010-04-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Jonathan and I went to Detroit in January to the SGI conference. It was fabulous as I have said before! Today I got an email with the link to all the sermons and workshops from the conference. Yay! I have been waiting for that. I thought I would share with all of you. There were some excellent sermons! My favorite was the one I posted about in January. Session 6: “Our Shepherd” by Matt Hoskinson. So I would suggest that one first. After that would be "The Centrality of the Cross" also by Matt Hoskinson and "The Call to Stand" by Tim Jordan.

So.... here's the link.

My Girl

2010-03-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

The other night at orchestra practice I got to talking to the percussionist (actually, we have been talking since the first night of practice because he keeps teasing me). He was saying that he has a friend that was the percussionist for The Temptations. I was like "Really?!" He acted totally surprised that I knew who they were. But then my mind went blank and I couldn't think of any of their music and decided I must have been thinking of someone else. So I looked them up on youtube. Yes! I know who The Temptations were. They did "My Girl"! I love that song!! (I happen to really like the movie too!)

For some reason youtube wouldn't let me post it like usually so I am just adding the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltRwmgYEUr8

Gun Control

2010-03-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

A 'Trashy' Memory

2010-02-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

I read a tweet this morning about taking out trash that made me laugh first then made me think of a childhood memory later.
When I was very little and still lived in the Arizona we didn't have trash pick up and neither did my grandparents. Once a week my grandparents would take the trash to the dump. My siblings and I loved to go along and would take turns doing so. It was a big deal because it was an outing with Grandma and Grandpa. It didn't matter where we were going, we were just going somewhere with them! Grandma and Grandpa used to sing "To the dump, to the dump, to the dump dump dump."
When I told my mom about that this morning she said she wondered what her grandchildren would remember about her. :)

Sorry about that terrible title. I couldn't resist. Besides, my mom said it first anyway. :)

For All We Know

2010-01-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite songs the Carpenters did. I listened to it like five times on the way to my violin lessons this morning. I decided to share. :)

Heather the Cosmetologist

2010-01-25T15:20:00.000-08:00

Heather did our makeup today. Don't we look beautiful?!

Psalm 23

2010-01-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago (January 4-6) Jonathan and I went to Detroit to a Student Global Impact conference. I had never even heard of it before. I wasn't sure what to expect. I loved every minute of it though! It was totally worth the trip. We heard nine sermons and eight workshops. Participated in an hour of corporate prayer, and over an hour of corporate singing. Did I mention it was awesome?!

My favorite preacher at the conference was named Matt Hoskinson. He preached twice. The first sermon was on the centrality of the Cross. The second was on Psalm 23. Everyone who had been raised in a Christian home, and some who were not, can quote that chapter from the time they can talk practically. But this sermon made that passage come alive. It was totally amazing. Last night I read Psalm 23 and then decided to read over some of the notes I wrote down during the sermon. As I was reading I decided to share. Not everything is here, but the main points I wanted to share are.

Our God is our Shepherd worthy of our trust.

Our Shepherd is worthy of our pursuit.

Shepherd is someone who tends a flock.

a Shepherd is one who holds the sheep's heart and has the best interest of the sheep at heart.

When the Lord is my Shepherd I lack nothing.

If you have Him than you have all you need.

v2 - He provides rest and often what we desire.

He gives physical rest and spiritual rest.

He causes us to rest so that we will sit in His presence.

Rest precedes activity.

The success of God's eternal plan does not depend on me! (a VERY comforting thought)

He revives our souls (He restoreth my soul)

He provides guidance

God promises to lead for His own glory!

He leads us in the right path for the sake of His name.

What removes the fear is the conscious awareness that God is with me.

My cup runs over because of You, God.

He gives us love for a lifetime.

God's goodness and mercy is in pursuit of us.

after this life is done we will dwell with God forever.

Book List for 2009

2010-01-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have often thought about making a list of the books I read in a year. I never actually do it though. About a week ago I decided to just make a list of the books I read this past year. I think I got them all, though I am not completely sure that was all of them. But it is pretty close anyway. They are totally not in order Just as I remembered them.

1. Falling In Love with Jesus - Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli

I actually started this book quite a while ago. I just finished it when I went to California.

2. Before Green Gables - Budge Wilson

I found this book at Costco when I first went to California. I thought it looked interesting. I found it at the library and then read it. It was cute but not nearly as good as the original Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery. No one can compare with her!

3. Dana's Valley -Janette Oke

Just found a novel at the library. Very different from most Janette Oke books. Good book but very sad!

4. Heart of the Wilderness - Janette Oke

Now this one was right back along the lines of a typical Jannette Oke book.

5. God's Gift to Women - Eric Ludy

Fantastic book even if it was written for guys. It made me want to read the next two books on the list. I would highly suggest it to any young guy.

6. Set-Apart Femininity - Leslie Ludy

This is actually the sequel to Authentic Beauty. I just put it first on the list because I read it first. A fantastic book.

7. Authentic Beauty - Leslie Ludy

8. Answering the Guy Question - Eric and Leslie Ludy

9. Meet Mr. Smith - Eric and Leslie Ludy

This was quite the book. Very interesting way of writing. Definitely a unique book on purity

10. Wrestling Prayer - Eric and Leslie Ludy

11. The Bravehearted Gospel - Eric Ludy

My absolute favorite book by the Ludys. Basically a discussion about the emasculating of the Gospel. When truth is totally out of balance it ceases to be truth. When the whole Gospel is not given it becomes heresy. This is totally a five star book. I would suggest it to anyone and EVERYONE!

12. Sacred Singleness - Leslie Ludy

I think I found more that I disagreed with Leslie than in any of the other books by them. It had a lot of good, too.

13. Passion and Purity - Elisabeth Elliot

This was my second time to read that book. I loved it the first time but it seemed to mean more the second time. I really love that book.

14. Quest for Love - Elisabeth Elliot

This book was just a lot of fun to read. The subtitle was "True Stories of Passion and Purity." Most of the chapters were stories of different couples. It was definitely a fun read.

15. Treasuring God in our Traditions - Noel Piper

This was such an interesting book. This one would be very good especially for young couples/families. She talked about the importance of knowing why you do the things you do. Making sure that all our traditions point to God.

16. Princess Adelina

I bought this book while I was Boston this summer. It took me a while to get into it but I really enjoyed it once I did. It was about a period of time that I have never read about. It was about missionaries in what is now Germany during the 6th century.

17. When God Writes your Love Story - Eric and Leslie Ludy

After I got into this I remembered I had read it before. It was good the second time around, too.

18. The Vow - Kim and Krickett Carpenter

This was an autobiography. Kim and Krickett were in a car accident three months after they were married. Krickett had major head trauma. She completely lost her memory from 18 months before the accident. That meant she didn't remember meeting her husband, dating him, or marrying him! It was a fascinating story.

So there was my list.

A song that just came to mind...

2009-12-30T13:37:00.000-08:00

John Piper

2009-12-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Keira's first snowman

2009-12-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

Isn't this just the cutest?!

Visit with Courtney

2009-12-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

A family in our church is moving to Illinois next week. This after noon a friend and I went over to help them prepare. They were done loading the truck when we got there (good timing, huh?) so we just helped clean house for a while. Just did pretty basic things - finished cleaning the bathroom (Michelle had already started it) dusted, swept floors. I knew my friend Courtney was in town so I contacted her and ask if we could meet up for super or something. She said we could! We went to Arby's to eat and visit for a bit. The bad part was that Kaylynn and I waited inside for fifteen minutes and Courtney and Ava waited in the parking lot for 10! Ugh! Wasted time. Oh well. We had a good visit. So thankful to see her even if it was a short time. It had been three months! What a wonderful gift from God her friendship has been!

2009-12-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

Though there have been many important things to post about over the last few months and I haven't, I am going to post a completely pointless story that just so happens to be funny.

Some good friends of ours brought their truck over today so we could move some of Grandma and Grandpa's furniture to the barn. We loaded it up, drove it down, unloaded it and headed back up to the house. Beckisue decided to ride on the tailgate so I did too. On the way across the yard, we were going all of 5 mph. Beckisue decided she should jump off the back and fall in the yard. I told her she should (you see she is a very bad influence on me). She fell on the ground and after about twenty feet I yelled "Hey!" Mr. Foster stopped the car so fast and jumped out I had to tell him immediately. I was laughing too hard to keep it anyway. We about scared him to death!

I told him later that if we would have tried that when we were kids we would have gotten spanked. He told me we deserved to be spanked! He told Beckisue later that he missed his perfect opportunity. He should have jumped out of the truck, grabbed is heart, and fallen on the ground. He has some heart issues so he could have gotten us right back. He said not to worry, he will get us back.

Gianna Jessen

2009-10-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of videos that I watched in awe. I don't really have anything more to say about them. Just watch.

Oh! Just a side note - The name Gianna means God is Gracious!

Trip to Illinois

2009-09-28T16:04:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday my mom, Stephanie, Amanda, Monica and I got to go to Illinois after trying to get down there all summer. Every time we tried there was always something else going on. We had a blast. I love getting to visit with my family! This was the first time we got to see Erin's baby and she is already six months old! This isn't the greatest of posts. I was having issues loading the pictures. They are in no particular order. I didn't even load all the pictures I wanted to. But at least it is a start! It is a post with pictures!

Amanda, Erin, me, Stephanie, Monica, Joselyn, Brandy and Troy (who didn't want to be in the picture!)

Erin and Me

Steph, Erin and her baby Joselyn

Mom, Me, Aunt Sue and Stephanie

Me and Stephanie

Grandpa, Stephanie, and Norma

Stephanie and me

Mom and Joselyn

A post about nothing!

2009-09-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

Yes, for those of you who are wondering, I am still alive. Not that anyone actually reads this blog that doesn't talk to me way more often that I post! I definitely haven't posted for lack of things to post about. This summer - and year for that matter - has been one adventure after an other. California, Boston, South Bend, Michigan, Colorado, and Leesburg. Those are just the places, the activities in those places would take much story telling! I probably will not get around to catching up on all those things. Maybe I will actually finish the second half to the last post though! That would at least be good!

Boston Adventure Part 1 (pre Boston part)

2009-07-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

On June 28th my Mom, Beckisue, Jonathan, Amanda, Stephanie and I started out on an adventure. Of course, I guess if you stop and think about it everything is an adventure. At least it seems that way to me. So maybe I should say we started out on a *big* adventure!

Our destination was Boston to attend the Reformation 500 hosted by Vision Forum. But I will start with the beginning (a very good place to start, don't you know?!) before we get to the main event.

We took off after church. We planned to stay the night with some new friends of ours in north eastern Ohio. With just a short (hour long) delay when someone missed a road sign (I won't name names) we made it around 8 PM.

We had a wonderful visit with the Ferrar family! Mrs. Ferrar served us a *wonderful* italian dinner. When then stayed up very late talking and laughing about a multitude of subjects. Christian friendship is such a sweet gift from God.

Monday we pretty much did more of the same. Mrs. Ferrar, Beckisue, Mom and I went and did a little shopping. When we came home the girls were all dancing in the back yard so I joined them. That was so much fun. I am sure the neighbors thought we were all crazy! Eight girls doing English Country dances in the back yard - what a sight!

Late afternoon brought the time to say good-bye. I don't like saying good-bye, but when you have to say good bye to get on to the next stop on your adventure it isn't quite as bad.

Monday evening we drove about an hour to visit some other friends. An other fun evening and delicious italian meal. After dinner we went for a walk through some beautiful woods. We then watched Pendragon. I had been wanting to watch that for quite a while.

I guess I am going to have to start cutting out some details or no one is actually going to read the whole thing!

Tuesday morning rolled around (all too early I might add since we stayed up WAY too late the two nights before!) and it was time to start out on an other day of travel.

It was raining when we left and rained for the first leg of the trip. The rain was so bad that part of the interstate was flooded and was down to one lane.

Our next destination was Niagara Falls. On the way we got to see Lake Erie. My younger brother and sisters and I had never seen it before. One more thing to mark on my mental list of places I have seen. Niagara was beautiful even if the sun wasn't shining. I was a little disappointed about the no sun part but I was still thankful for the opportunity to see it. I had always been told about the mist at the falls. No joke! At one point I thought for sure it was rain but my siblings insisted it was just water from the falls. Which ever way it was we got SOAKED and it was really cold! We had planned to try to go across to Canada but I guess they just changed it to where you have to have a passport now. I was disappointed! Being that close and not being about to be there! I can at least say I have *seen* Canada!

So off we were again. We decided to take the scenic highway instead of the quicker route so we could see Lake Ontario. It took us a LOT longer but it was *SO* worth it. The sun came out soon after we left the falls and the drive was beautiful. I was driving now so I couldn't look around as much but I still enjoyed the drive tremendously! I have decided that New York state is one of the prettiest places I have been - and I have been a lot of places. We stopped at a little ice cream shop not far from the lake. The ice cream there was super good! We kept driving and saw a sign for a lighthouse and decided to stop. My family NEVER travels like this. We always get in the car and just drive until we get there. This stopping and seeing things stuff is definitely new! Where the lighthouse was was a state park. It was so beautiful. I am totally running out of adjectives! I keep using the same ones over and over. I guess I need to expand my vocabulary. Anyway, back to the story. There was a small pier that we walked out on and took pictures. The Lord gave us the most glorious day. We got to tour the light house. We climbed to the top and looked over the lake. It was so beautiful it made me want to start spouting Psalms. The heavens declare...

Unfortunately our time there was VERY limited and we had to get back on the road. We still had many hours to drive that day. The time was quickly passing. Our next stop was our hotel in New Hampshire. I forgot to mention earlier on that New York was a new state to Jonathan, Amanda, Stephanie and me. Then we drove through Vermont and that was also the first time we had been there. Then New Hampshire. A day full of first! Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire!

I think I will end there for now. Wednesday starts the conference. This post will get so long no one will ever read it if I don't split it up!

A pretty tree

2009-05-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of a tree! :) I love these trees and they are all over out here. I don't know what they are but they are so pretty! I can't figure out how to rotate it. It will rotate on the computer but when I upload it it goes back to the original. I guess everyone will just have to turn their heads sideways. Or pretend that the trees grow sideways out here.

Paul Washer

2009-05-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

"I guess I call my self a five point Spurgeonist." -- Paul Washer. Gotta love it!

Meeting a Cousin

2009-05-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

My dad has a cousin that lives about an hour from where I am living. When I found out I was coming out here we decided we wanted to meet. I have heard of her all my life but had never gotten to meet her. We discussed different options of when and where to get together. It ended up being the best for me to drive over to a ladies banquet her church was hosting.

I drove over yesterday morning. That was the farthest east I had ever been in California. It was a beautiful drive even if the sun wasn't shining. I would love to have been able to look at more things but when you are driving it is kind of important to keep your eyes on the road. :)

The banquet was very nice. After the banquet I went home with Gay (my dad's cousin). I got to meet her husband and son. We had a grand time just chatting and getting to know each other. I spent the whole afternoon there and didn't head home until about 5. We hope to get together again sometime while I am out here.

The Quarterly Gathering

2009-05-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Last year I wrote a post about Resurrection Sunday and I called it a "Mountain Top Day." Here is a story of an other such day.

The last Sunday of April was the Quarterly Gathering for the Southern California Association of Reformed Baptist Churches. The church I have been attending hosted the gathering. They have been talking about it and looking forward to it ever since I first got out here. I really looked forward to it. There were about 10 churches involved. All the churches get together quarterly (hence the name) and have a Sunday evening service together.

The day before several member of the church got together and helped prepare. The ladies prepared food and did various other things. Pastor Curley worked non-stop (as always) getting all kinds of other stuff prepared. That kind of thing is always fun. It provides a wonderful time to visit with friends while getting something accomplished. We laughed and carried on and had a good ol' time.

Sunday morning we had service as normal. After lunch there was more work to be done. One of the ladies in the church, Christina, (who I think is an absolute doll!) and I filled the salt and pepper shakers. Christina got to laughing so hard that she had tears running down her face. Here we are working with black pepper, and making a mess of things, and it isn't bothering us at all. While across the kitchen the pastors sister can't stop sneezing. It was a riot!

I went home to fix Dorothy her lunch and take a quick nap in the middle of the afternoon. Rob and Chrissy were coming up for the gathering and so we were going to go out before the service started. They didn't get to come as early as they wanted to but we were very thankful for the time that they did get to spend.

I guess I am getting a little ahead of my story...

When I went back to the church I helped the ladies make sandwiches until Rob and Chrissy got there. I went with them and we drove up the road a little ways to a Cold Stone. I don't think I had ever been to one before. They had pistachio ice cream! I LOVE pistachio! It was fabulous. I had pecans mixed in.

We all got our ice cream and went and sat on a park bench and ate and chatted. In all the time I have been out here this was only the second time we have gotten together. Life is just too busy.

The meeting started at 5. It was fabulous. Pastor Curley said he thinks there were about 300 people there. It was wonderful to sing with that many voices. One of the hymns we sang was And Can It Be. That is one of my all time favorite hymns.

A pastor named Robert Elliott preached. His sermon was from Isaiah 40: 28-31. It was a FABULOUS sermon about our weakness and our great and powerful God.

After the service there was a HUGE dinner. I don't think I have ever seen so much food in one place! It was a nice time to get to meet people and visit with those you know. I didn't hardly know anyone. I only knew the people from my church here and Rob and Chrissy. I talked to several people though. As everyone knows I am not very shy.

All in all it was a fabulous day.

Locked In

2009-05-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a letter I wrote to Bethany about a month ago. I have been meaning to post it and I just never made it priority. I have a LOT of posting to catch up on.

I guess now is as good of a time to write as any. I am locked in my bedroom and I haven’t the foggiest idea how to get out. I was ironing some fabric that I was getting ready to cut. Dorothy’s ironing board is on the back of the bedroom door. I pushed the door all the way closed not realizing that the door knob was coming off. When I went to twist the knob it twisted but didn’t grab anything. So her I am. I can’t yell for Dorothy because she would never hear me. I can’t climb out a window because there are bars on all of them. I just have to figure out how to open the door.

The bars on one of the windows are on hinges and has a padlock. I guess I will just have to go through everything until I find that key.I am hoping when Dorothy gets hungry she will realize I am missing. The problem is that will be at least an hour . Maybe a lot longer than that, you don’t know with her.

Are you laughing yet? If you are reading this letter it means I found my way out. J

The bright side is it gave me (or made me) the chance to get my room all straightened up. There is always a bright side to everything!

Here I have filled a whole card and only told you one thing! And the drama has just begun. I have yet to tell you how I got out. I guess I should go see if I can figure that part out…

Guess what?! I stopped writing, opened a drawer, saw a box, opened it up, and guess what was inside? Keys! Too bad none of them worked for the padlock. I then found a box wih a wallet inside. Guess what was in that? Yep! A key. Too bad it was a house key. On to the closet. I found a bucket of pennies with some keys on top. Guess what? An other house key and a garage key. I did find some pictures of the three oldest Portukalian boys when they were little. J

A bag – an other key. But I bet you can’t guess this time. ;) It doesn’t work. What is it with this lady and keys? A box with a key chain, (none of which work of course) and $16.50 in silver dollars and half dollars. One of them was dated 1882. How do you like my inventory?

OK, Bethany, the adventure has worn off and I am getting bored and hungry. I could hear my cell phone ringing but I couldn’t get to it. I have gone through all the drawers and tried to figure out how to take the hinges off, but they have been painted over too many times. I fed a long incense thing down behind the latch and put the curved end of a Bobbie pin in to pull the end out so I could make a loop; I was trying to be able to pull the latch but that plan didn’t work. I guess I am not a a very good McGyver.

I think I might have a soluion! I hear a lawn mower and weed eater. It is the guy mowing our yard. If I can get their attention I can tell them to ring the door bell and tell Dorothy what is going on!

So that idea didn’t work either. The men never came into view of my window. I finally just diceded to take a nap.

I woke up and tried the incense thing again. Guess what?! This time it worked I pushed in on the door while pulling on the incense stick and it popped open. All in all I think it was about two and a half hours. When I went out to see Dorothy she hadn’t missed me!

Doug Phillips

2009-04-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

The Farmers Market

2009-04-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much lately. I guess it is about time that I did something about that. There really hasn't been much of excitement to write about. I have been busy but not with much that would be of interest to read.

I went to the farmers market this evening. I have been several times before. I think I enjoy it more each time I go. When I walk through the streets I can't help but smile to myself. It is like a little festival. I can't believe they have something like that every week. There are families that bring their blankets to lay out on the ground and have a picnic. There are people playing music at different places through the street. Today there was a fiddle player and a guitar player. That was kind of fun to hear. The last few weeks there has been a couple playing and singing Mexican music. There is usually a guy sitting on a bar stool with a microphone and a guitar.

The vendors are varied and plenteous. They aren't all what you would expect from a "farmers market." There are many produce vendors but but there are just as many vendors of other sorts. Picture a festival in a midwestern town and that is what you have. There is roasted corn on the cob, various sandwiches, grilled everything, popcorn, etc. Tonight I decided to get some Peruvian food for supper. I ordered a chicken sandwich and some chicken, rice and vegetables. I got it home and found out that they forgot to give me the sandwich. I was kind of upset. It was too late to go back and do anything about it. I guess such goes life...

I did get strawberries, tangerines, tomatoes, persian cucumbers, and bell peppers. Yum! I always look forward to the farmers market even if the traffic and parking to get there is not so much fun!

There are also several flower vendors. The sell some of the most beautiful flowers and bouquets. There are many colors and varieties of flowers. They would be beautiful at a summer wedding!

Day at the Beach

2009-03-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

This picture is NOT going to go where it is supposed to so it is just going to stay up here at the top!

Saturday I went to the beach with the pastors family from the church I have been attending out here. Their tradition is to go to the beach the week of their daughters birthday every year. Being the last week of March it is pretty cool but not too bad. When we got there it was nice and warm (not the water though!) but it cooled off through out the day. We had a wonderful time. We had lunch and supper there so we were there for several hours. It snapped a few pictures with my phone. I didn't know how well they would turn out but I was pleased. I couldn't really see what I was taking a picture of very well because of the sunlight on the screen. I don't have much time for posting right now but it has been so long I figured I had better get a few pictures up. Here they are...

Joseph with his seaweed. He collected that stuff all day!

Beautiful Sunset

I think this is my favorite of the pictures. Those two dark spots are Joseph's piles of seaweed.

The fire and the top of Hannah's head. It really was a lot colder than the pictures make it look!

My dirty feet

Pastor Curley very relaxed!

Maybe, just maybe, I will actually get some pictures on here now. Maybe...

California is...

2009-03-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

... a totally different world! I went out for a walk through the neighborhood for the first time this morning. It was SO beautiful. The temperature was just right and the sun was shining so brightly. The neighborhood where I am living is quite nice. Almost all of the houses out here are stucco. The homes are so beautiful. I wish I was good at describing things so I could tell you about it, or if I had a camera here I would just take pictures. But since neither is the case you will just have to take my word for it that is beautiful. If you go straight back from my house the hill is pretty steep so the houses kind of look like stair steps. All the homes have a Spanish flair to them. They have beautiful arch ways and colorful tiles. I saw a light (almost white) house this morning with pink trim. Most of the time I would gag at the very thought of pink trim on a house, but this house was so beautiful! The architecture is totally different out here - and I mean TOTALLY.

I saw several lemon trees while I was out this morning. There are citrus trees all over the place out here and no one does anything with the fruit. There is a loaded lemon tree straight across the street from my house. Chrissy told me I should just go over and ask if I could have a few of them. I am trying to get up the nerve to do that. I will probably get brave enough about the time the lemons are all dried up and ready to fall off the tree.

Anyone want to come visit me while I am out here and go exploring???

An Other Day

2009-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

There really isn't much new to report today. I woke up to rain this morning. It sure does rain a lot here for being "Sunny California." I don't really mind the rain though. I have always kind of liked rain. They really need the rain out here so I am not complaining. Though, the locals are complaining. Doesn't make any sense to me. They are warning about running out of water and then they whine and complain when it rains. Pathetic.

When I left the library I decided to go to Barnes and Noble. My GPS said it was about 4 miles away. No problem. I start following the directions. It was acting SO strange. It told me "prepare to arrive at destination in 500 yards" (or what ever distance it said) but I wasn't even on the right street and I knew it. Then it said arriving at destination. I start looking around. If there is a Barnes and Noble I should be able to see it right??? They don't usually stick those in the middle of houses! I was in a residential area. I keep driving down that street (which was NOT Colorado Blvd. like the GPS kept telling me) and pretty soon I come to a sign that says "Welcome to Los Angelous." Now I am thinking "This isn't where I wanted to be!" I drove a little bit farther until I
found a good place to turn around. Then when I went back by the same area it told me AGAIN that I was at my destination! That thing is crazy. It tells me how far before I need to turn at the top of my screen. Yesterday I would be stopped at a red light and look at it and the distance before my next turn would keep counting down... .4, .3, .2, .1, "turn left now" Mean while I am still sitting at the same red light and haven't moved so much as a foot let alone .4 of a mile! I finally just found a place to park so I could look at it and figure out what was wrong. I think it wasn't getting a good enough signal. When I started holding it up instead of having it lying in my lap, it started working. I did find Barnes and Noble but I didn't go in. It was just a little shop. The parking was pretty much non existant so at that point I decided it was just time to go home. GPSs are wonderful when they work! At least it was a nice day for a drive and I got to explore some more of the area!

2009-03-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I have written a post I don't really even know where to begin! Tomorrow will be three weeks since I landed at LAX. Sometimes I can't believe it has already been three weeks and sometimes I can TOTALY believe that it has been three whole long weeks. I am finally getting into a sort of rhythm of things. I have finally gotten used to the fact that in the evening when I am watching TV Dorothy sleeps. When I go to bed she wakes up and turns the TV on VERY loudly. :) It isn't nearly as bad as it was at first. She keeps it down a little lower and I have learned to sleep through it. It was bad the first little bit when she kept turning the TV on at 1 or 2 in the morning! Yikes!
Dorothy is a sweet lady. She is so easy to please. She likes to eat just about anything, and since getting her meals is pretty much my main responsibility it is very easy!
A friend of mine has talked about a friend of hers that lives out here. When I came out to visit Rob and Chrissy a couple of years ago I wanted to get a chance to meet her but she lived too far away. When I got out here I kept thinking I should get in contact with her and find out where she lives because I couldn't remember. Sunday I was talking to my friend and she told me I should meet this girl while I was out here. She told me the name of the town where she lives. I couldn't believe it. She lives in the next town north from here. It is less than ten minutes away. Of course, out here there is no devision between one town and the next. When I talked to this girl this morning (I guess if I gave her name it would be easier to follow, it is Maryrose) she said she lives right on the border of the town where I live! Craziness! My parents and I were really hoping I would meet a girl while I was out here that I could do some things with. I have already become friends with the pastors family at the church I have been going to. They are a very sweet family and I have enjoyed getting to know them.
Dorothy has been telling me over and over and OVER again to make sure I see everything I can while I am out here. I hope to but I really hate to go a lot of places by myself. Local things I will do but I am not adventurous enough or maybe I should say stupid enough to go touring LA by my self. :) We will see what works out.

Until next time,

I am still here...

2009-02-27T14:24:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I didn't think that the library computers would let me on because I tried my first day here and it didnt' come up. Now it is working so I guess I can start posting again.
I won't take the time now to post much. I will try to catch up tomorrow or some other time. I am getting settled in. Everything is going pretty smoothly. I am still missing everyone at home, of course!

My First Sunday in California

2009-02-15T20:52:00.000-08:00

I missed posting yesterday. It was quite a busy morning. The nurse came and a physical therapist. It was so funny because I found out that the PT was from Kokomo, IN. That is SO close to where I live. She said she had cousins in Logansport. It is a small world. I never cease to be amazed at that.

Rob and Chrissy drove up to go to church with me this morning. We went to a church not too far from here that Rob has preached in several times. It was a Reformed Baptist Church. The service was really good. The sermon was really good. But the whole service was SO different than I am used to. There was nothing wrong with it. It will just take some getting used to if I keep going there. I really liked the pastor and his wife. They were very friendly. It is nice to know someone in the area now. The pastor gave me his number and kept telling me if I needed anything to just call. He said if I got lost just to call him. That was really nice to hear. One of my biggest fears out here is getting lost and not knowing anyone to help me. He reminded me (like I needed reminding) :) that there are places out here that you DON'T want to get lost in.

Rob and Chrissy came back to the house with me after the service. We visited for a while before they had to head back to their church for the evening service. It was nice to get to see them. I hope to see them a few more times while I am out here. We will see how it all works out.

Day Three

2009-02-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

Just a quick over view of today. I am far too tired to tell too much about the day. I am not even close to being on California time yet. My body is telling me it is almost 1 in the morning.

Joanna and I cleaned the kitchen and both bathrooms today. They really needed cleaning! We used a lot of cleaners and a whole bunch of paper towels! Everything looks a whole lot better!

The nurse came today to get her set up with home care. She has to come do the evaluation for the physical therapist, occupational therapist, bath aid, and nurse to come in. She was very nice and so helpful. She helped us set up her medication. It was in such a mess. We couldn't figure out the paperwork that the people at the hospital had given us. We were very thankful for the help.

Tonight a friend of the Portukalians came to visit. He is Armenian and was raised in Lebanon. I really enjoyed his visit. He was very interesting, and very funny! I always enjoy hearing about other cultures.

Arriving in California

2009-02-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy getting ready for my new adventure I haven't been able to post about what my new adventure is! A few weeks ago a friend of ours called and said he needed someone to take care of his aunt in California when she got out of the hospital. He was asking if one of my older sisters could do it. They obviously couldn't because of their work. I kind of off handedly said I would do it if it was only for two or three months. Careful what you say - you might have to stand by it. I will skip all the details of how things worked out, but here I am, sitting in California! I left Wednesday. I will just kind of skip over having to say goodbye to everyone. That was not easy on any of us. I did do better than I expected though.

We had to get up FAR too early in the morning to head to the airport. Dad and Mom drove me down. We got there later than we should have been but thankfully the airport wasn't crowded and I made it through in plenty of time. Security in the airport is insane. I hadn't been through our new airport yet. Crazy!

The weather was kind of stormy so the ride was pretty bumpy. Thankfully turbulence doesn't really bother me. There were no big drops just a lot of bouncing. I wanted so badly to be able to sleep on the flight but unfortunately, even with a row all to my self, I did get much sleep. I landed in Denver for my layover about 8:00 local time. I was there for about two and a half hours. One more airport I can add to my list. :)

We flew over the Rocky Mountains as soon as we left the airport. They were SO pretty. Thankfully I slept more on that flight so I didn't get to see much of the scenery. I again had a row to my self so I got to have plenty of room to stretch out. That makes flying much more enjoyable.

When I landed I met up with Bro. Jim (the nephew of the lady I am going to be living with) and his daughter Joanna. They landed just a little while before I did. Some friends of theirs picked us up from the airport. We went back to the house where I will be living and dropped off our luggage. We had an appointment in the afternoon at the hospital so I could be shown how to work with (I guess it is about time I mention her name) Dorothy. I pretty much knew it all already from working with Fran. It never hurts to refresh stuff though.

From the hospital we went to a taco place to eat supper. Bro. Jim said he has been eating at that taco stand for over twenty years. They had really good tacos! They were a lot different than what I would consider "normal" tacos.

Then it was off for grocery shopping. First we went to Cosco. I have never been shopping like that before. It was kind of strange. Most of the time when you go grocery shopping you pick up what ever you are out of. Here we had to start from scratch. We got tons of stuff. After we came home and dropped all that stuff off went to Trader Joe's to do some more shopping.

When we finally made it home for the evening, Joanna and I decided to clean the refrigerator before we put things away. That way we didn't have to take everything back out the next morning.

By the time we got done with everything it was 10:30 here. That means I had been up for over 20 hours. I was SOO tired. Thankfully I got to sleep for a long time!

We did some cleaning and sorting here at the house this morning before we went to get Aunt Dorothy from the hospital. We went to lunch when we left the hospital.

This afternoon we did more sorting and cleaning. Her house has a whole lot less paper sticks now. Did anyone no paper shredders can be really fun? ;) Joanna and I had tons of fun feeding all those papers through that thing.

This evening I am here with Aunt Dorothy alone. Bro. Jim and Joanna went to visit some friends. Here is my first taste of what it is going to be like here. I had better get a bunch of books to read or this is going to be a very long three months. I am sure I will get used to it. It will just take some time.

I will keep everyone posted as to how everything is going. There is a good side to this and a bad side. I am sure I will be posting more often - but I have a feeling it probably won't be very interesting to anyone. :)

Adventure in Holland (MI that is)

2009-02-03T19:00:00.001-08:00

Now that almost a week has gone by I figured I should finally get around to writing a post about my adventure.
Last Wednesday my parents and I set out on a 150 mile trip across terribly snowy roads. Well... I can say that the entire 15o miles was snowy. The first half was pretty bad but after we got into MI the roads cleared up. Now what are the odds on that one???
I guess I should get around to explaining the point of the trip. My dear friend Bethany and I had been scheming for a while trying to figure out how to get together. We finally worked it out. We were going to meet half way between her house and my house and spend a while together.
We met at Perkins restaurant for lunch. We all enjoyed our dinner and laughed and talked. Dad said you could tell who was doing the talking because I was the last one eating. :)
When we were done Bethany and I decided to walk back to the row of stores that were across the parking lot. We walked the stores and did some more talking. Does that come as a surprise to any of you? We found a Christian book store. That is where we spent most of our time. We walked through the store discussing different books, authors, etc. Then we found the comfy chairs that book stores have and sat down for more good chatting. :) Our dads came in after a while. They did the same thing we did. The walked through the store looked at books, discussed some authors, and then went and sat in the chairs Bethany and I had been in when we got up to go look at some rings. My dad even sat in the chair I had been sitting in and her dad sat in the chair she had been sitting in.
Bethany and I picked out these neat rings that we really liked. We had looked at all the rings in the store (more than once!) and this one was our favorite. After a while Bethany just grabbed two of them and went and bought them. Isn't she sweet? ;)
All too soon our day came to a close. I was sad, of course, to say good bye but I was ever so thankful for the time we had gotten to spend!

Paul Washer and Joel Osteen

2009-02-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

The Hope of Our Nation

2009-01-20T19:55:00.001-08:00

I will give thanks to the Lord.
I will give praise to the Hope of the nations.
I will give thanks to the Lord,
I will give thanks with a song of glad adoration.

I had many things I thought about saying tonight. When I heard this song it just jumped out at me and I changed my mind. Even though we as a nation have turned our back on Him, Christ is still the only Hope of our nation.

Not to say it is cold here or anything...

2009-01-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

1.Beckisue just came home and told us that it was almost 30 degrees colder here than than it was at the North Pole last night.
2. Our county was the coldest around here.
3. It was about 60 degrees colder last night than it was in Alaska.
4. It is over 100 degrees colder than where my brother and sister in law live which is where Monica is visiting right now.

BUT

1. I have lots of clothes to dress warmly in.
2. I have a home to live in.
3. I have mounds of blankets (you should see my bed about now!)
4. Most importantly, we have a God who controls the weather.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye Heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

Even when it isn't easy we have to remember to give thanks for everything for this is the Will of God.

Just in case anyone needed a good laugh today...

2009-01-09T14:41:00.001-08:00

Visit to Illinois

2009-01-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

We got home this evening from Illinois. We spent a few days down there visiting my mom's family. We had a wonderful time. We all commented that it was the best time we think we have ever had with them. Not that we don't usually have a good time with them... :) This time was just exceptionally good.
Last night everyone got together for dinner. We didn't quite all get to be together because Erin's husband had to go to a meeting. :( Of course Rob and Chrissy weren't there either since they live in California.
We had a birthday cake for Grandpa. He turned 90 last month. He is is such good health for his age!
The rest of the evening we just visited, exchanged a few gifts, sang and played, and just enjoyed each others company.
What a blessing the time was!

100!

2008-12-30T13:32:00.000-08:00

One hundred comments! We finally made it. Thank you to all who left me verses and comments. I enjoyed all the silly ones as well as all the rest. Thank you, Bethany, especially. Of course, turn about it fair play. :)
Should I make everyone go through it again next year when I hit two hundred??? I probably won't. That could take a while!

A note to say I am still here...

2008-12-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I know you all thought I had fallen off the face of the earth. I really haven't. I just haven't taken the time to write any new posts. I have tons of them to do. Including a wedding, an ice storm, Christmas, etc.
For now I will just tell a little of today. We have had tons of ice for the last week. We were all getting SO tired of it. Since we live at the top of a hill it makes it very difficult to go outside. It you step outside in any direction you have to go down. If you go down, you have to come back up. It was getting pretty frustrating. Well - Today was almost 65 degrees! It was SO wonderful. The ice was all melted by the time we got up this morning (it started melting yesterday afternoon). We spent many hours working out side today. We had to move many wheelbarrows full of wood from the shed to the porch. I can think of easier things to do than push a full wheelbarrow through very soft mud! We eventually got the porch loaded.
This afternoon a family from our church came over and helped us cut up a bunch of the branches that were in our yard from the ice storm. We lost branches all over the place. Richie used the chain saw and the rest of us hauled all the wood to the designated spots. Of course, this whole time we were slipping and sliding in MUD. Did I happen to mention that it was very, very muddy today?
We got a lot of work done today. We thank the Lord for the wonderful warm weather. It was gray, windy and a little rainy but the temperature felt WONDERFUL.

Ear Piercing Excitement

2008-12-16T18:06:00.001-08:00

When I was little my parents told my sisters and me that we could get our ears pierced when we turned 18. My dad always wanted us to have things to look forward to. He didn't want us to grow up all at once.

When I was little we went to the mall at Christmas time every year. That was about the only time we ever went to the mall then. We love to see all the decorations. The year Beckisue turned 17 my parents decided to let her go ahead and get her ears pierced for Christmas. Since she is the oldest the age changed. We now had to be 17.

Each of us ended up having to wait until we were just a little over 17. It is kind of funny how that worked out. Beckisue of course waited because she wasn't given permission until after she was 17. Then Monica had to wait because Beckisue did. Older sisters just work that way. :) Then when I turned 17 I decided to wait just because I wanted to. Actually it was a long story that I won't bore anyone with. I finally made the decision to have holes punched a few months later. Amanda had to wait because we were in the middle of remodeling our house when she turned 17 and mom didn't want her to get an infection from all the dirt and stuff.

So, guess what? Stephanie turned 17 a few weeks ago. But tradition holds. Everyone decided that Stephanie had to wait too.

Stephanie and some friends from church have been making plans for weeks. They all wanted to go together. Things didn't work out how they had planned but but two of them did get to go together.

They both decided it didn't hurt nearly as bad as everyone had told them it would. They were both quite relieved.

So that makes the last of the Cosby girls to get extra holes in their head. :)

1 Year - 100 Posts

2008-12-04T05:28:00.000-08:00

I started my blog one year ago today. Just on a whim one night I decided to do it. I wasn't going to tell anyone about it for a while. I wanted to get the hang of doing it first. Right away I saw a comment on my first post. I was like "What in the world!" I soon discovered that there was a link to my blog from my profile. So much for keeping it secretive. I didn't mind though. I went ahead and told my friends.
So now - This is one year later and my 100th post. I started thinking about ways for people to leave comments on this post. I have seen some really cute things done, but I wanted to do something different. I came up with a really easy one for everyone. Leave a Bible verse. Anyone you like. Your favorite, one you have been thinking of lately, one that you open your Bible and put your finger on.... :) But if you comment more than once (which of course you are welcome to do, or else I won't have 100 comments) you have to leave an other verse with everything you say. It shouldn't be complicated. That is what copy and paste is for. :)

Facing the Giants

2008-12-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

I think my family was about the last people I know to watch Facing the Giants. We finally watched it Sunday night. Wow! I really liked it. I had heard some people say that it was kind of a "prosperity" movie. Get right with God and everything will go your way. I didn't really think so. Though, yes, that is what happened, that isn't what they were trying to teach. "If we win we praise Him, if we lose we praise Him." That is how all of life should be... now matter what!
They really got one thing life like. That is when everything was going badly, and everyone started undermining the coach. No one went to the coach to talk to him. They went to the assistant and started building him up and tearing down the leadership. Oh! How realistic that is.

Happy 90th!

2008-12-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

My Grandpa Jones (my mom's dad in case no one could figure that out) turned 90 today. What a blessing to have both of my grandpas live so long!
When my family talked to him tonight he was all excited. He went to renew his drivers license and they didn't charge him. It is a state law that after 90 you don't have to pay anymore. :) How many 90 year olds can pass the test though?

The Innkeeper

2008-12-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is a poem by John Piper. I found it a while ago and have listened to it many times. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have! It is an amazing poem.