Prayer Request - Our Pastor's Family

When we started visiting the church we are currently attending on the last day of 2006, the pastor shared with us that his mother had just been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He is a self-professed “mama’s boy” and you could tell it to be true by how he spoke of her. Sometime this weekend – there was some confusion at church this morning about whether it was Friday or Saturday – his mother went to meet Jesus. Please pray for this hurting family.

I would like you to especially pray for this precious man that they call “Brother Randal”. He’s a big old guy with the dearest heart, and he loves the Lord so much. But as I have recently read A Grief Observed, I have come to know that even those whose faith is strong can be shaken while grieving. Pray for his strength.

This morning, the substitute pastor preached out of Habakkuk – chapter 3, verses 17-19 – which say this:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

We can rejoice in the Lord in spite of our circumstances. And yet saying this to someone who is grieving seems as if you have no understanding of their pain. Through the grief, it is the enemy’s battle plan to take us out. Please pray for this man of God that he would be able to stand, even through this greatest hurt of his life.

While this was on my heart today, I read this wonderful post about death at a blog I read frequently – and it says it all. Death has been swallowed up in victory! I Cor. 15:54

Lord, please comfort the hearts of Brother Randal and his family with this blessed assurance.

Glorious Spring!

One of the definite things to LOVE LOVE LOVE about Texas is the early spring! The temps have been in the 70s all week - windows open, ceiling fans blowing a gentle breeze in off the front porch. Life.is.good! It makes me feel emotionally more grounded - and while I have never had a diagnosis of seasonal disorder - I think it must at least give me a pretty good slap across the face every year.

Spring typically does NOT make me think of reading. I read all the time, but I usually snuggle in and read more in the winter. However Callapidder Days is hosting a "Spring Reading Thing". It is a challenge to help you make a list of things you will read this spring, and work on it. It starts on March 21st. Go on to her blog and read all about it.

Another beautiful thing is that all the bushes, and plants around my yard are blooming. It is such an awesome time. Spring is the perfect time to celebrate Easter - the new life we have in Christ is the only thing that has more potential to breathe new life into us. I am so thankful for a God that paints the world with pictures of spiritual lessons!

SPRING Forward!

Don't forget tonight to set your clocks forward! I was just reading a very interesting article about Daylight Savings time. The article explains why it is more difficult to "spring" forward than it is to "fall" back, and offers some helpful suggestions to keep your sleep cycle consistent.
I also learned that Ben Franklin is the one that originally conceived the idea of "daylight savings time". I suppose the fact that you had to dip candles or burn oil must have made finding a way to make the most of the daylight hours more a necessity than it is now.
I also found this web-page that explains the history of Daylight Savings Time and anything else you could want to know about it. This year it is more than 2 weeks earlier than it was on last year's "spring forward" date of April 2nd. And did you know that there are many places in the world and even in the United States (Arizona for one) that do not observe Daylight Savings Time.
Interesting stuff. I didn't learn this in school people.

Why is it...

Why is it when a bird poos on my "green" car, it leaves a WHITE mark, and when it poos on my "white" mailbox it leaves PURPLISH BLACK marks? Just thought I'd throw an unanswerable question out into the wind!

Home Tour

I am still intending to work on adding more segments to the "video tour" of my house. I loaded the one here a while ago - but it takes a LONG time. My friend Kate suggested I use Photobucket - so I will have to check that out and see if it is any easier than Drop Shots which is what I have used.



Please only view this video if you can stand to hear me describe things in my house ad nauseam. I mainly made these videos for my friends back in WV to be able to "see" my new home in TX.

Here are some shots of some pictures I put up in my living room. I decided that instead of using actual "formal" photos of my kids, I would print some black and whites of my favorite snapshots in some black frames with white mattes - and I just LOVE how it turned out. The top picture was taken in the Badlands at sunrise by Peter Petretta on a mission trip we took with the youth group from WV a couple of summers ago. Only a handful of the kids got up early enough to go with him -and when I look at this picture I think of the faithful remnant that will seek after the Lord no matter what the cost! The one on the left was taken of my friend Tina and me with some of the same youth group laying on the ground in a circle. It is one of my all time favorite cool pictures. The bottom right picture is of my girls together. They really do love each other and I think this picture adequate conveys their sincere affection.
Just a little updated look into our home!

Pit Dweller Extraordinaire

This post is for the "Bloggity Book Club". We have just finished reading Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore. I don't think that any of the principles in the book were earthshakingly new for me, but they were grounded in so much truth. That's what kind of teacher Beth Moore is - one that saturates you with God's word. Boy don't I love her for it.
I would have to agree with Boomama that I had a bit of an aversion to the word "pit" at first. Satan will use absolutely anything to keep us from seeking and finding the truth. I HATE him for it. I promise I do, even though I allow him to lead me to a pit repeatedly - like a realtor showing you through your new abode with all its amenities, "it'll feel so good here....you can set up a permanent home for yourself and your family.....this neighborhood suits you better........the lack of light allows for a certain amount of *ahem* privacy...." Certainly if we saw it so clearly this way, we would completely reject "the pit" - but as it is, we often go there much unbeknownst to ourselves until we come up out of the top as if we were scuba diving and lost our air tank several hundreds of feet down, gasping for breath.
One of the things this book helped me do was it helped me recognize the lure and symptoms of a pit. I have fallen into many - and dove head first into others. However, I loved it that in her usual "Beth" style, is she gives you real tools, almost like a step-ladder to help you out of the pit. Praying God's Word was another book she wrote that was extremely beneficial in my life, and she used the same principles in this book - giving an entire set of deliverance scriptures to pray through.
I also love the message that our pit cannot keep us captive. A pit is different from a jail cell in this - we can still look up to the One who is able to lift us out.
One of the most significant things I read, that gave me a lift out of the pit I am drawn to over and over again was in Chapter 8: Make Up Your Mind. The last two lines of the first full paragraph on pg 176 spoke directly to my heart: "Nobody has a right to keep you in a pit or to shame you for bailing. Not even your mama." I am going to be extremely candid - my mother is one of the absolute biggest "pitfalls" in my spiritual walk. I love her and am jealous for the portion of her heart that should belong to me - but found that the catapult I made out of the pit, and my absolute refusal in any way to even come near it to gaze in has caused a rift in our relationship. I was tempted to say "forever" or "permanent", but I do believe as Betsie ten Boom told her sister, Corrie, that they must tell others, "there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still". God and God alone can save her from the blackness that surrounds her - just as He has rescued me. But it is a continuous pain, a heartache that tempts me to come near to the pit I once inhabited. With tears in my eyes as I am sharing from my heart. For far too long, I made my dwelling in the pit. I could not save myself from the generations of sin, bitterness and strife. I was helpless. The day I cried out for help, I met One who was able to save completely. I know that the principles our dear author shares in this book are true, because I have lived them.

Fashion Hallelujah

I hope I spelled the Hallelujah right! (spell check helped me fix it but it doesn't look right) We went shopping yesterday - stopped off at Old Navy for the "St. Patrick's Day" tees and then later were at Wal-mart where we perused the graphic tees. Both places finally got the hint - LONGER SHIRTS PLEASE! It was so nice to go in and find shirts that came down below your hips to actually cover you, not only for modesty for my daughters, but for someone with a plus size figure, I don't want a shirt that comes to the waistband of my pants - it doesn't cover my problem area! Thank goodness for shirts that actually fit! WOO HOO! And in case you haven't noticed - shorts that come down past the butt are back as well. I am no slave to fashion - being a t-shirt and jeans gal and all - but even I have noticed the digression the last couple of years.

Walking Dictionary

I have a very curious 9 year old boy. He has always asked a lot of questions - but lately his favorite has been, "What does ________ mean?" He is usually referring to a word in something he is reading, however it can come from the radio, television, a conversation he overhears, etc. I love it that he is so curious - but if I am going to be able to keep up - I think I will have to start reading the dictionary! It is so strange - there are many words that you are familiar with, and have an understanding of what they mean - but have difficulty defining.
How about you, what is the funniest, most persistent thing your children have asked?

Hopelessly Flawed

I don't usually have very many pictures of myself - being that I am always the one "behind" the camera. Once in a while it gets turned on me and when it does, it isn't usually pretty. (For example the "windstorm" picture with my friend Tina in the sidebar!) The picture here was taken this weekend at the youth's "progressive dinner". Anybody that knows me at all will recognize this as quite typical. (laughing at me is the pastor's daughter, Missy on the right who I am sure will be happy to find her picture here as well!)
And while I am confessing my faults, let me say that the other day, I had not one but TWO WHOLE BATCHES (that's 8 loaves) of bread flop. The first batch flopped because I forgot to add yeast. Flour + water + oil - yeast = bricks! The second batch was put in the oven before I left for church, and although I asked Travis to take it OUT of the oven in 30 minutes (when the timer went off), he claims he didn't hear me. I came home to 4 lovely charcoal briquettes!
How about you? Are you weird? Do you fail? Aren't you glad that Jesus loves us anyway? But don't you sometimes ask yourself why???

Hysterical Song

I guess because there is so much truth to what is in public education - it's not THAT funny! If you get a chance to go and listen to this song . Let me know what you think!