Thimble Thoughts

I Ain't Gonna Leave My Pea Patch!

2012-01-25T23:24:00.002-05:00

Our Pastor was asked to preach a chapel service at Hyles-Anderson College last week. He and Mrs. Ava flew up there and had a great time being with the students and staff.

If you'd like to listen to his sermon, please click here. The title of his sermon is I Ain't Gonna Leave My Pea Patch Anymore! from the January 20th chapel service.

Enjoy!

Sigma All-Nighter

2012-01-24T08:22:00.008-05:00

This past Friday night we spent with our Sigma group having an all-nighter. It was a lot of fun and the kids were great to be with.

We met in our new facility at 6:00 pm and headed to a local mall to play some courses at the Lunar Mini Golf and do some window shopping.

Our junior sponsors (Justin, Jeremy, and Ashley) were able to make it and help us through the night. I love it when they're able to be there.

The hearts on Nicole's socks were shining brightly!

And they say that pregnant women have a glow about them. That was so true of Mrs. Jennifer. :)

Bruce had to work Friday night, but showed up sometime after we got back from mini golf. There was plenty of coffee and caffeine filled sodas to help keep him awake.

I'm so thankful for our gym and I know our boys are too, because they played hours and hours and hours of basketball. You'd think they'd get tired of it, but nope, no way!

We also divided all the kids up and played some kickball.

We popped popcorn and watched a Christian film that had us laughing and crying too. It was very good!

As the night progressed, we noticed the teenagers beginning to drop like flies and finding anywhere to lay down.

I found Brandon stretched out on the bottom of this table. I have to admit that at 4:30am, I liked his idea and wished I had thought of it first. haha

Gary planned ahead and brought a blow up mattress. Now that was some pretty smart thinkin'.

Christa plopped down in the floor. At least she didn't try laying on the tile.

And Dustin was totally passed out on the floor. The caffeine in that Dr. Pepper behind his head did not do its job for him.

Just a few of them went to sleep. For the most part, they were all awake through the night. Here they are just waiting for 6:00 am to roll around so we could go to breakfast.

We had several board games and video games that were played through the night also. Here I found Bruce and Brother Johnathan playing baseball, I think?

And if basketball in the gym wasn't enough for these guys, they played it some more on this little hoop in the banquet room.

Six o'clock did finally roll around so we loaded the vans and took them all to Ken and Mary's for breakfast. Ken and Mary's is a local establishment with down home cooking.

Brother Johnathan was the only one drinking tea at our table so he just drank straight from pitcher. lol

Some of them waited sleepy-eyed for their hot breakfast, while others dozed off on the table.

And this is the kind of behavior you get from the adults when they've stayed up all night.

Bruce loves breakfast, so he was more than happy to order all the breakfast food on the list. He got all of his favorite breakfast foods of eggs, grits, biscuits and gravy, and perfectly fried livermush. Boy did he enjoy it all!

I had two of their buttermilk pancakes with a glass of chocolate milk. They were very good.

We got home and in bed by 8:30, slept until just after 2:00, and finished the day off on a date to Northlake Mall in Charlotte and back home to our little town. I gotta admit that I did great Saturday, but Sunday morning I thought my body was ready to shut down. I made it though.

And that was our weekend with the youth group. We'll be going with them this Friday to hear them sing in a revival meeting at Brother Chris Emory's church. I haven't heard who is preaching there yet, but I'm looking forward to the meeting.

Click here to listen to them singing Redeemed.

Blink YAWN Blink

2012-01-20T14:31:00.004-05:00

So tonight we're having an all-nighter with our Sigma youth. We'll be playing some indoor putt-putt and then making our way back to the church for a lot of gym games and other activities. Hopefully we'll have plenty of caffeine and snacks to keep them up all night. Then again.... maybe we should have no caffeine and they'll all pass out no later than 3:00. That would be great, but I remember being a teenager, and I really don't think that will happen. We'll go to breakfast in the morning and then they'll all go home and crash. Well. WE'LL all go home and crash.

We're taking Harry's iPod back tomorrow and hopefully they'll exchange it for another one if it can't be fixed. He's missed it so much. He'll be spending the weekend with his Grandmother and he's looking forward to it.

I haven't been feeling well the last few days. Kind of sick on my stomach. Nothing happening, just nauseated all the time. I almost WISH something would happen just to relieve the nauseousness. Hopefully it will pass soon.

God is so good and He is perfect in all His ways. I have several prayer requests on my heart and would appreciate your prayers with me.

I think I'm going to take a wee nap before I'm up all night with a bunch of crazy teenagers. Maybe we should have signed up our junior sponsors for tonight. LOL Looking forward to being with them and hopefully some of their youth will rub off on me and I'll manage to make it through the night!

My Mirror

2012-01-17T22:25:00.002-05:00

My Aunt gave me a secretary (desk/table) and it is so beautiful. It's at my mom's house right now. I wanted a mirror to hang over it and this one is perfect.

Bruce made this one. He saved us lots of money on it too. Let me tell ya how, 'cause you know how I LOVE to pinch my pennies. The mirror, itself, had no frame around it and was hanging in the children's bathroom. Bruce made the frame using the chair railing we pulled off the wall when we were painting before Christmas. I think the only thing we bought to make the mirror was paint. It's so heavy I can't lift it and he had to make a brace to hang it on the wall. It was really brilliant how he did it, I must say. He's quite creative when it comes to things like this. Anyway, pricing these mirrors, one this size and this heavy would go for around $300. I'm happy at how pretty it turned out and I'm proud of my hubby for doing such a great job!

Love you, hon!

His next project is working on my windows. See the curtains in the mirror? He's making me a wooden box (valance) to go around the top. I'm very excited about it. I'll tell you why I'm excited about it when he gets it finished.

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I think I told you our youth choir was singing at a revival next weekend. Click here to hear them singing Redeemed. Hope it's a blessing.

Monday Meanderings

2012-01-16T12:48:00.007-05:00

Why call this post Monday Meanderings? Because it's Monday and I'm wandering all over the place with this post. So....

I'll be hanging out with my mom tonight at her house. Eating supper and whatever else. I'm looking forward to it. Love my mom!! She's the best. A few other ladies will be there too, so we'll be sure to have a great time, I know.

Remember when I blogged about Harrison's iPod Touch he was saving up for and bought? Then a few weeks ago (sometime before Christmas) it stopped working. So we finally got around to calling Apple today and they are sending us to their Apple store in Charlotte. They'll run a few tests on it and if they can't get it to run, they'll replace it for him. That's good to know. I'm glad I bought that warranty! Harry will be happy to get his iPod back and start playing the games he had on there.

I bought Bruce the Kindle Fire for Christmas. I'm beginning to think I should have asked him for one, myself. I really like his. I haven't messed with it much, but I love all the features he's been showing me. Maybe if I'm good between now and my birthday, he'll get me one. That's a long time for me to be good, though. So we'll have to wait and see. LOL

Justin is off on Mondays, so when Bruce and I got back home from the gym, I started cooking lunch. Since Bruce works second shift, I try to cook a hot lunch so we have a sit down meal together as a family. Monday is about the only day we get to do this, unless you count Sunday, which I really don't, because my two older ones don't always come home with us after the morning service. I enjoyed having my whole family at the table, laughing and talking together. I live for those moments! :)

I took some videos of our youth choir singing last night. Lord willing I'll be able to get those uploaded to Youtube soon. When I do, I'll post them here. They were asked to sing at a service next weekend for Brother Chris Emory. We're looking forward to it. We love Brother Emory and his family, and the people there at his church.

This weekend we have our all nighter with the youth. It's been a while since I've pulled an all nighter and I'm not sure I'll make it. But we'll see. I'm looking forward to it, nonetheless. Lunar golf, bowling, and then games and snacks at our church's gym. Should be a good time.

And that's it for today. Trying to get back into this whole blogging thing is a killer sometimes. But I have to admit that I am finding it easier to write about things the more I do blog. Hope y'all have a great evening. I know I'm going to!

Have You Had Enough of Tim Tebow?

2012-01-13T15:18:00.004-05:00

I have seen a lot of people talking about Denver Bronco's quarterback, Tim Tebow. I don't think I have actually heard or seen any person be in the middle of the controversy that surrounds him and his faith in God. They either like him for his faith or hate him for his faith.

To be honest, I do not know what he believes doctrinally. I do not know if he goes to church on Sunday. I do not know if he gives tithes and offerings. I do not know if he participates in church activities or sings in the choir.

I do know that he professes to be saved. I do know that he works with his parents in their mission work in the Philippines during his time off. I do know that he will always give God the glory whether his team wins or loses a game.

What I can not understand are the many people that hate him and judge him based on the fact that he does give God the glory. The world hates him because of that very reason, and that is to be expected. Christ said that Christians would be hated because they hated Him. If Tebow did not profess Christianity, everyone would LOVE him for his athletic abilities. I mean, come on... he is really good. He does not make me a Bronco's fan, (go GREEN BAY) but you can not deny he is good on the ball field. I guess I've been thinking more of what other professing Christians say about him and how they feel about him.

The other day, someone eluded to the fact that Tebow had a false Christianity based on the fact that he does not attend church. This made my eyebrows raise. For one thing, I do not recall his church attendance being recorded on his football stats. How do we know he does not make the effort to attend a local assembly when he is out of town or make it to his own assembly when he is home? I thought that was reaching a little low. Of course, this was my friend's thoughts. And although I disagree with him on that, he is entitled to his own opinion. I just do not see righteous judgement being in its proper place in this instance.

I have no intention of placing Tim Tebow on any kind of pedestal, as though he were the next Messiah. But I do commend him for his public faith in Jesus Christ. I get tired of hearing secular musicians, actors, and athletes thank God for their success, then days later they are in the news for drug and alcohol abuse, divorces, remarriages, unwed pregnancies, illegal activities etc. But here we have a young man that professes his faith and the only thing he is in the media for are his games and, well... his faith. Yet, Christians everywhere are ready to stone him for whatever thing they can think up about him.

There are a lot of fabulous athletes out there who are an embarrassment to sports because of their life outside the ball field. Personally, I think it is refreshing to have some kind of role model out there that our kids can admire for his athletic abilities on the field and his moral standards off the field.

Have you had enough of Tim Tebow? Not me. I won't grandstand him, but I'm not gonna cut him down either. He's just a guy, playing the sport he loves, and giving God the glory for it, win or lose. If you have a problem with that, what is it exactly? And is it facts that you KNOW about him that can be judged by righteous judgement?

John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but
judge righteous judgment."

Chili Recipe

2012-01-12T21:18:00.002-05:00

As we were leaving the gym today, I had to stop at the store and pick up a couple items for supper. I thought a pot of chili would be good tonight. Not to mention it would be there tomorrow night, which means NO COOKING tomorrow! :) And since date night is Saturday evenings now, that's two days in a row. I loooooooove cooking, don't get me wrong. But come on... even Martha Stewart would like this plan. Anyway, I shared my recipe for Taco Pie with you yesterday and thought I'd share this recipe also. It's really not a recipe. Just more an "add a little bit-o-this and a little-bit-o that" kind of thing.
I use the large bag of pinto beans when making my pot of chili. Especially if I want it to go a couple of days. You can add a jar of kidney beans and/or stewed tomatoes too. I love those, but my family, not so much.
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1 bag pinto beans
2 lbs of ground beef (try ground turkey or even shredded chicken if your family isn't opposed those)
1 jar of medium to hot salsa
1 medium jar of vegetable juice. V8 Spicy is good if you want a little more spice and today I used the low sodium.
Hot Mexican chili powder, to taste
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Cook pintos to tender
drain most, if not all, of the water out of the beans
Add cooked meat, salsa, vegetable juice, and chili powder to taste
Simmer for about thirty minutes to an hour
Top with chopped onions, saltines, a blend of Mexican cheese, and sour cream.
Makes a hearty meal for all!
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And for those of you who have trouble getting your family to eat leftovers, a tip I read in Women's Day magazine a long time ago said to spray muffin pans with cooking spray, spoon in the chili, and freeze. Then pop 'em out, place them in a gallon zip lock baggie and put them back in the freezer for a cup of chili anytime you want, during the upcoming winter days. I've done this before and it worked great. Bruce would grab a couple of them from the freezer, place them in a tupperware bowl and take them to work. By lunch time, all he had to do was heat it up and chow down. Of course this works for any soup. So enjoy!
~~~~~~
And last but not least.... Today's workout was the thirty minute circuit plus thirty minute cardio. The thirty minute circuit is thirty minutes of alternating between step aerobics and weight machines. There's a green light/red light you watch on this one. You begin with step aerobics when the light turns green. When it turns red, you move back to a weight machine and begin working it when the light turns green again. When it turns red, you quickly clean the machine and move back to the step again. It's fast paced and works both upper and lower body muscles. We like it. And then we followed it up with thirty minutes on the bicycle and treadmill.

And there ya have it!
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Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with
salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."

Recipes, This and That, and Such

2012-01-11T15:22:00.004-05:00

In yesterday's post, I mentioned we had a young man from our church over for supper Monday night and that he liked my Taco Pie, which by the way, I found in our church cookbook a few years ago. It became a family favorite and I haven't fixed it in forever. So when I knew he was coming over, I decided to fix it. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it.

1 tube of original crescent rolls
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 packs of taco seasoning
16 oz sour cream
1 1/2 bags of Mexican cheese
1/2 bag of Doritos
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Layer the bottom of a 9x13 pan with crescents and roll edge to edge
Brown ground beef, drain, and add taco seasoning and water according to seasoning pack. Cook for several minutes. Drain. Pour taco meat on top of crescent rolls.
Spread sour cream on top of meat
Spread cheese on top of sour cream
Crumble 1/2 bag of Doritos and sprinkle on top of cheese for top layer
Cover with tin foil
Bake until Crescent rolls are done
If you find yourself without tin foil, like I did last night, just bake until the crescent rolls are done and cheese is thoroughly melted. Then crumble your Doritos on top and bake just a few minutes for the Doritos to set in the cheese.
Add a green salad mix with fresh tomatoes on the side. Yumm-o-licious!
I haven't tried this yet, but I'd like to do a fajita variation with shredded chicken.
This stuff gets gone fast. So.... ENJOY!
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Today we had one hour of cardio on our schedule. I did thirty on the bicycle and thirty on treadmill. Bruce did his full hour on the treadmill. It was a nice break from weight machines considering the muscles in my arms are aching from yesterday's workout. LOL Gotta tear 'em down to build 'em up, right?
I did discover that icy/hot is great for when my ankle is hurting. It felt fantabulous this afternoon. So that's a good thing.
When Bruce's doctor told him that his cholesterol and triglycerides were high, I googled some ways to lower them naturally and was reading where a handful of nuts a day can play a role in lowering your cholesterol. Yes, there are some bad nuts out there, but even they have some good nutritional values. Right now he takes high doses of behind the counter Fish Oil and it has helped a LOT. But I thought we could incorporate the nuts too. So everyday after our workout, I give us each a handful of mixed nuts. I'm nutty, but not really a nut person. Bruce loves nuts, so he loves his after-workout snack.
Tomorrow is thirty minutes cardio with the thirty minute circuit.
You're probably wondering why I'm posting about our schedule. I post those who, for whatever reason, can't make it to the gym and want a routine. It kind of gives them an idea of what they can do each day on their own. I learned something about working out, too. You can't have just a target area. You need to work everything! You also need to give your muscles a day or two to rest between weight machines or you cancel out what you did the day before. I haven't asked this yet, but I'm not sure if that's just for beginners or for everyone.
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A friend of mine is making halo headbands for when I take pictures of baby girls. I saw one they made the other day and it was adorable. She was able to get a little crafty so that I could have just a few headbands with interchangeable flowers, feathers, etc. I can't wait to see them all! In turn, I'll give her family a photo shoot.
Bruce bought me some new photo editing software and I think I'm going to love it. It was a little difficult to figure out at first, but I did eventually figure it out and have played with a couple of pictures. In two words I would have to say, "me likey."
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Tonight is SIGMA night. I'm glad we were able to keep a SIGMA night on Wednesdays and the youth still be in the church service. I love having them in there. I need to start getting ready. Hope you have a great evening!

Gym and Homeschooling

2012-01-10T12:40:00.004-05:00

Today we worked on the upper body. Can I just say ow? When I got up this morning my sides were feeling the abs workout from yesterday. I'm sure I'll be feeling today's workout in my triceps and biceps tomorrow.

The trainer gave us a chart to show us exactly what machines to work and what days we're to use them. It lists the machine and you fill in the pounds and reps you do. So next time we work those machines we'll be able to look back and know what we did last time. Also, we'll be able to watch our progress.

We eat lunch shortly after we get home, so today I had thrown some chicken tenders in the crock pot with a bottle of BBQ sauce. We had that with stewed potatoes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and a dinner roll. For Bruce and me, I sliced a piece of tomato and laid it on top of the roll with a little garlic and parsley sprinkled on top. It was pretty tasty. It gave the bread a really good flavor.

The kids are getting back into the groove of school after being off for a long Christmas break. They should have their next tests by the end of this week and/or middle of next, providing they stay on schedule. I may need to push them a little harder since end of grade testing will be upon us before we know it.

We had a young man in our church over for supper last night. He likes my Taco Pie, so that's what I made for him. Then we watched a movie with him, played a little bit on the Wii, and laughed at his craziness. We had a good time and it was fun to have him here. We'll have to do that again soon.

I think a nap is on the agenda today. Yes. A nap. On the agenda. Sounds about right to me.
:)

WHEW!

2012-01-09T14:31:00.002-05:00

We had a good first day on the routine the trainer gave us. Today it was lower body and abs plus thirty minutes of cardio.

I didn't realize this, but he said it's always better to start your routine with a five minute cardio, then do your weights, and end with the cardio. So that's what we did today. I'm glad Bruce was with me today because figuring out these machines and which ones do what is a little confusing. But we figured them out and I did enjoy the workout. I'll admit that there are a couple of machines I wouldn't miss if they decided to do away with them. LOL But, all in all, a good workout and I do like going in with a plan for each day. And the great news from today is, I lost three pounds since last week. YAY!
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We had two great services yesterday. There was a woman saved last Sunday morning. Her parents have been coming to our church for several years. Her daddy had gone to the alter to pray for her and a minute later she had followed him there, knelt down, and just got right under his arm and repented. It was precious. On the other side of the alter was a man doing the same thing. It was so sweet. He had such a humble spirit when he stood up. His sweet wife was saved Wednesday night, and one of the foster children in our church accepted Christ yesterday morning. It's been so good seeing all these new converts and witnessing their baptisms and their growth in Christ. What a blessing! Praying for many more this year!

Brother John O'Malley preached the evening service last night. I love to hear him preach. He always brings out things in his sermons that make me think, "Man, how come I never thought about that before?" We love the O' Family.

Brother O' and Pastor Goodman will be leaving for Burma here soon. Pastor is really excited about this mission trip. He has been to the Philippines several times and has a great heart for the people there and for missions, in general. I'm sure when he gets back from Burma he will leave another piece of his heart there with them. I'm looking forward to seeing his pictures and hearing about his trip and the experiences that God will allow him to have there.

Reese's Cups, Captain America, and Valentine Vases

2012-01-06T23:56:00.004-05:00

Bruce has always loved comic book heroes so when I found this shirt at Wal Mart a few weeks ago I bought it for him for his birthday. He was so happy.
He is also a great lover of Reese's cups. So when Justin found this GIANT pack of 1/2 pound Reese's cups he got them for his dad. Again...he was so happy.

When he took the first bite he said, "They finally made it the way I always knew they should." LOL By the way, this picture was taken before we joined the gym, just in case you were wondering.

Speaking of the gym, we met with the personal trainer today to set up a routine for us. I'm excited about getting started on that Monday. I do best when I have a plan and I think this will work out great.
So we're sitting at the table with the trainer and three other gym members when the trainer asks us what our goals are. He makes his way around the table and gets to Bruce who answers, "Well, I've always believed that underneath this exterior is a Captain America. And THAT is my goal."
He's so crazy. I don't know what I'm going to do with him sometimes.
~~~~~~
Now that New Year's is over and we're beginning our flight into 2012, I'm ready for the next holiday. VALENTINE'S DAY! I love that day. I guess because I have the sweetest Valentine, EVER.
After some encouraging prods from a couple of friends I decided to go ahead and put out a few Valentine decorations. I have a heart wreath I'll hang on the door this weekend. I found a cute foam "I LOVE YOU" at a store tonight that I'll go back and get later. I'm going to place it in the middle of the wreath. I think it'll be cute.
And I found this candy heart vase at a thrift store this week. I thought it was so cute. I didn't buy it when I saw it and then decided to go back for it the next day. I'm glad I did because I really like it. :)

Sitting Next To Dad

2012-01-05T13:52:00.004-05:00

There's really not a day that goes by where my dad doesn't cross my mind several times throughout the day. There are many things that trigger my thoughts of him, but today was just a funny experience I had with an elderly man and something that would have happened between my dad and me. Remember "Mr. Happy Fingers"?

Today was our third day working out at the gym. I did the 30 minute express with Bruce and then we each moved on to different activities. After working on some of the upper body machines I moved over to the bicycles. The way they have things set up is several bicycles all in a row with tv's up above for all to view, each one on different stations. You plug in your earphones, set your box to the station you want and you can enjoy a little tv or even radio while you work out. While I pedaled my little feet away, I watched all the political mambo-jumbo on FOX News. In my own little world, I was taken off guard by an elderly gentleman that had taken the bicycle next to mine and gently tapped me on the shoulder. Our experience went like this:
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Him: My tv won't work.
Me: You have to keep your machine going or it'll cut off.
Him: Oh. (tries vigorously to get both feet in the foot straps.)
Me: (Stops pedaling to help.)
Him: Thank you.
Me: You're very welcome! (Pedaling....pedaling.... resets tv settings.... feels tap on my shoulder.)
Him: (pedaling) The tv still isn't working.
Me: (noticing his earphones in his hand...) You have to plug your earphones into the box.
Him: OH! (plugs in earphones, still pedaling)
Me: (Pedaling....pedaling.... feels another tap on my shoulder.)
Him: I think there's something wrong with it.
Me: Did you push the power button? It's that one right there.
Him: (Stops pedaling to look...pushes button) No, it's still not coming on.
Me: You have to be pedaling.
Him (Pedals... pushes button...) There it is!
Me: All right!
We pedal and watch Fox News together and all was, once again, well in bicycle world. :)
~~~~~~
As we sat there pedaling and "watching" the news I couldn't help but think of how this situation would have happened with my dad and I got a little tickled. I never did get the elderly man's name, but I plan to next time I see him. Sitting next to him was just like sitting next to dad.

2012, Here We Come!

2012-01-03T15:10:00.005-05:00

I was glad to see 2011 go. It was a good year, but it was a long one. There were a lot of "firsts" without my dad in 2011 and, although nothing will ever be the same without him, those "firsts" are brutal.

We had a great Christmas. Our churchwide fellowship was the Wednesday night before Christmas and I think it was the BEST one we've ever had. At least since we've been members at Faith. It was so nice to be in our new gym. We have a lot to be thankful for with our new building. And another blessing that night was when my husband showed up. He had four hours left he could take for the year and they approved them so he could be at the fellowship. I was really happy when I saw him come in.

The 22nd was our 21st anniversary. It was a really good day, too. We were able to spend the whole morning and early afternoon together before he had to leave for work. I collect nativities and so he bought me the wise men I needed for my Willow Tree collection. As a matter of fact, he finished that collection for me this year between our anniversary and Christmas. I love it. It's so pretty.

Christmas Eve, we had my family over. I thought it went ok. One of the games I chose was fun, but I wish I had revised it a little to save time. It was kind of funny. You write down things, not necessarily pertaining to the holiday, and tape them to the player's heads. It could be people in the Bible, celebrities, cartoon characters, inanimate objects...you get the idea. The person has no idea what or who is on their head. Only the other players do. So you can ask the other players yes or no questions until someone figures out who they are and when you figure it out, you win the game. We also played a game where someone had to wear reindeer antlers until someone else heard them say anything pertaining to the word "yes." Then they could take the antlers. Whoever had the antlers at the end of the night won a prize. Brandon, my niece's boyfriend, was the winner of that game. It was nice having Brandon with us this year. I hope he's able to spend many more with us. We missed those that weren't able to make it.

We had three services Christmas Day. Two morning services and one in the evening. We attended the early morning service since we were spending the afternoon at Bruce's mother's house. Attendance was low for that morning service we attended, but I heard they packed 'em in at the second morning service. So I'm glad to know that people still love church, even when it falls on Christmas. Which, in case you're interested, is still the Lord's day, AND not to mention the celebration of His birth. I think time spent in His house is a good thing, don't you? It was sad to see so many churches close their doors. Anyway... we had a very good morning service and we had a fabulous time with Bruce's family, despite the fact that I had come down with some kind of cold virus, lost my voice, and thought I might just die that very day. No, I didn't really think that, but it did begin to feel like it. Needless to say when we finished up at my mother in law's and opened gifts here with our children, I went straight to bed and stayed there until sometime Monday afternoon. I'm still not fully well, but much, much better, thank the Lord!

We spent New Year's Eve here at home. We did absolutely NOTHING all day long and into the night. Bruce and I both dozed off for a little while and woke up for a kiss at midnight, and then hit the sack. It had been a couple of long months and it was just nice to do nothing. But we made up for it with our Sunday school class New Year's day at our afterglow, following the evening service.

And today, Bruce and I joined Planet Fitness. We've never joined a gym before, so it was an experience. I've worked out at the YMCA, and it was ok, but I think I like Planet Fitness much better. They have a lot of rules concerning noise, dress codes, and other issues, but they are rules that benefit your experience there. My ankle is throbbing from cleaning a house before we went and then walking on the treadmill. But I knew that would happen. I may stick to the bicycles tomorrow. Anyway, it was fun to go with Bruce and we both enjoyed the experience. Looking forward to going back with him tomorrow. And in case you're wondering if that was some kind of New Year's resolution, no, it was not. Bruce's doctor told him his triglycerides and cholesterol levels were way too high. So we're going to do everything we can to get those down. He doesn't want to go on medicines if he can get it down by doing what he ought to do in the first place. As for me.... well, I don't go to doctors unless I really, REALLY have to, but I'm guessing my counts would be bad too. LOL So, in order to help him and us both, we decided to make some changes.

And that's all she wrote, folks. Praying you have a wonderful 2012. God was good last year and He'll be good this year too! No doubts about that.

2012

2011-12-31T13:08:00.000-05:00

Ankles, Trees, and Parties

2011-12-21T00:26:00.004-05:00

It's been very busy the past several days and the next few days are lookin' pretty well the same. Which is good. Y'all know I thrive on busy-ness.
But, as you may or may not recall, I need my ankle replaced. So all the busy-ness is taking its toll on my ankle. I took some ibuprofen and right now I am just sitting here looking at my Christmas tree while waiting for my ankle to stop throbbing before I try to go to bed. I love the peacefulness of of the tree. I love everything about a Christmas tree.

Did I tell you that Bruce made me a bookshelf? I got around to painting it today and it looks BEAUTIFUL! He did such a great job building it and I can't wait to get all my school books and things back on it.

Tomorrow night is our church-wide fellowship. We'll be able to have it in our new gym this year. I helped with the final touches on the decorations last night and I wish I had taken my camera. It looks so great. Mrs. Amy was in charge of decorations and she chose a gingerbread/candy theme.

My ankle is feeling a little better so I guess I'll try to go to sleep now. Hope you're having a good week so far.

Perfect Peanut Butter Fudge

2011-12-17T12:27:00.004-05:00

I like making this during the holidays and it always comes out great. Hope yours does too. Be sure to read all the directions in case you're like me and often jump the gun, if you know what I mean.

3 cups of sugar
1 & 1/2 sticks of butter/margarine
5oz, evaporated milk
1tsp vanilla
1 jar marshmallow cream (I use jet puff and never the store brand!)
1 & 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Take a small amount of butter/margarine and rub into bottom of 9x13 pan. Set aside.
Bring first three ingredients to a boil on high, STIRRING CONSTANTLY. Once it comes to a rolling boil, gradually bring it down to medium, continuing to stir, for four minutes.
After four minutes, take off stove top, mix in vanilla, marshmallow cream and peanut butter.
When everything is melted together real good, pour in pan and let it sit for 4 hrs at room temperature.
ENJOY!

This and That and Merry Christmas

2011-12-16T09:59:00.004-05:00

There are several things going through my mind this morning. I have no idea what to post about, but I'm just going to go with it and see what comes out.

First of all, I want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to some young adults in our church, Spencer and LeAnna, on their engagement. Spencer popped the question Tuesday night. I saw the video and I cried. It was so sweet. I'm happy for them. We all knew this day was coming and it did. Praying for them as they seek God's will for their lives together.

Remember when Harry bought his iPod? Well, it's not working. Good thing I kept his warranty and a good thing I let our friend, Jack, talk me into buying it. Thanks, Jack!

Hannah is going to Georgia with a friend and her family this weekend. I know she'll have a good time. Praying for safe travels and I can't wait to hear the funny stories I'm sure she'll come back with.

Justin has been busy working and going to the trade lot, or as some people call it, the flea market. He's becoming quite the wheeler and dealer. Harrison went with him last time and they had some good brother bonding time together.

I finally bought some frames for our family pictures. They look great! I can't wait to get them hung. Bruce has done a fabulous job on painting the house. He built a beautiful bookshelf to put our home school books and other things on. I just need to paint it. I love it!

We were able to get our tree up and other decorations out. I've been enjoying watching the lights and just thinking about the goodness of God and how He would send His only begotten Son to die for us. For me! This time of year we celebrate His birth, the little baby in the manger, but we also celebrate the man on the cross. I love Him.

I was suppose to clean a house today, but that was cancelled so I decided to wrap presents I bought last night, bake some Christmas goodies, and get some Christmas cards ready to go out. So it's not a loss of time today. It's been busy around here and I'm glad for the opportunity to get these things done.

If I don't get to post again between now and the 25th, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!!

Growing Up the Bible Way

2011-12-08T09:56:00.004-05:00

So a few days ago a I was informed that someone thought we were fuddy-duddy and fanatics and because we home schooled, our children would not know how to function in society. We're a cult, don't you know? Apparently, they've thought this for years. Because of who the person is, I wasn't really surprised by this. However, it did still hurt my heart. I cried a little, vented a little, got mad a little, and then this morning I read this verse:
"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." Psalm 5:3 Did crying and venting help me? No. It wasn't until I could pray about it and LOOK UP to the Lord that I was able to reason this out in my heart.

My children have grown up the Bible way. There is no rhyme or reason to raising children and it doesn't have to be hard. If you stick to basic Bible principles and standards, you should be ok. When they grow older and begin making life decisions of their own, you should be able to stand back and know you did your best, the Bible way, and hope they make the right decisions, based on those same teachings. You can never, ever go wrong the Bible way. It is impossible to take the Bible way and fail.

Building a strong and confident Christian doesn't mean you're brainwashing your child. It means you are preparing them for the world and what it has to offer compared to Christ and what He has to offer. And what He has to offer is so much more than the world's offering.

I think the most critical point of any child's life, but more specifically a Christian child's life, is when they go from childhood to young adult. The college and career age. At this point in their lives they are making decisions that we wish we could make for them. But now is the time when we have to start loosening and cutting the apron strings and watch them fly. Will they fall to the ground and wobble around? Yes, they will. But they won't stay there. If they've been saved and raised the Bible way, they will get up and try again and eventually we will see them soar. "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 This verse is not a promise that they will always live right and do right. But it lets us know that if we teach them the Bible way, it will always be in their hearts and minds. Even when they're not living right, they'll know it and won't be able to stay there long.

When I look at families that are doing their best, the Bible way, it seems that they have troubles in life, but not with their children. Not that the children are perfect, because they're not. Especially, and including, my own. Point being, life has it's ups and downs and they're a lot easier to face without having to deal with spoiled, rotten children, who think only of themselves and cause strife and unrest in the home.

Am I a fuddy-duddy? A Jesus fanatic? Yes, I suppose to the eyes of worldly man I am. Do my children function normal in society? I suppose that depends on how you define "normal." If normal means raising children with lude behavior, disrespectful to those in authority over them, greedy, prideful, brawlers, etc... then no, they do not function normally. But if you define "normal" as the Bible way....if normal is meek and quiet, seeking the hidden treasures God has for them in this life....if normal is hiding Scripture in their hearts, reaching out to others in need, sharing Christ with others....if normal is feeling and knowing compassion to those who need it most, obeying and submitting to those in authority over them...if normal is learning to do things on their own and working hard to set and achieve goals... then yes, they are learning to function normally.

And I pray, as they grow and become men and women in society, that the Bible way isn't just something they grew up in, but something they look at and know is the only way to truly function in this world. I don't believe there is one person that can say the Bible way has brought them misery and strife. It is the world's way that brings those things.

Another Post? Two Days in a Row?

2011-12-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning to the sound of a very obnoxious power sander and a thick cloud of white dust this morning. Bruce was sanding some places he had patched on the wall. A very long wall. He felt the power sander would save him some time. And it did. It also saved his arm a lot of work. However, it will take a long time to get that dust off of everything. But you know what? I don't care. I am so happy with how things are going to look when he is finished that I really just don't care about the dust. That's what Pledge is for, right? Besides, I had to dust anyway.

My kids are out of school for the month of December. I've done this every year since we started home schooling. We don't get snow days, teacher's work days, etc. So if when they've completed "x" amount of work from the beginning of the school year to the first Friday of December, they get the rest of the month off to enjoy the Christmas season. It's fun, with them, baking cookies, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, going shopping, etc. I love that we are able to do that and make memories this way. It is a blessing.

Since they're out of school, Hannah, Harrison, Justin, and Hannah's friend, Taylor, went to mom's house on Monday and decorated for her. The girls have spent the night with her since Sunday and will go home tonight. I know mom will miss them. Anyway, I went over to have dinner with them last night and the house looked so pretty. Especially her sitting room. It was so cozy and comfy in there. Of course we didn't spend a lot of time in there. We actually stayed around the table playing Phase 10. It was slightly intense for a while. But it was fun. While I worked on mom's computer, the kids sat in another room and played a game where each person said one word, adding to a sentence. The first person to mess up the sentence was out and the game continued with everyone else until there was one person left. The sentences were hilarious. Kind of reminded me of Mad Libs. We also played Chinese Writing. If you've never played that, it is fun and, especially, with a new people. It's a great party game.

Speaking of parties, we'll be having our Sunday School party this Friday. I'm looking forward to it. I need to find an elephant gift to take. With all we're doing around the house, I have some things I'm thinking of taking. We always have a blast with that game. It's so funny. We have a couple of gifts that have shown up for the last several years. Always makes us laugh when it is opened. I'm suppose to take a side dish for bbq. I was thinking slaw and chips and dip. I have no idea what dessert I'm taking yet. It'll be something good, though.

After the party, we have plans to go see the lights in McAdenville with some friends. It'll be a little late, but I'm looking forward to it. Their kids and our kids will be here playing games and watching Christmas movies. So they'll be having their own little party, I guess. Fun, fun!!

So that's today's post. I wonder if I'll think of something to write tomorrow. I guess we'll see.

Really?

2011-12-06T11:11:00.003-05:00

I think this is the longest I've ever gone without posting something. I really want to, I'm just in a bloggy pit, I guess.

Lots of things going on here. I've been busy with photo shoots. The Lord has blessed in that area and I'm thankful for the opportunities and the good times I've had this year. I've taken pictures of families, engagement proposals, maternity pictures, and next week I'll be doing a newborn. Which, by the way, I am totally psyched about. I love me some babies.

Thanksgiving was fun. Hannah and I cooked the side dishes, with the exception of the mashed potatoes. My sister in law made those and they were really yummy. As a matter of fact, she made the desserts and they were to die for. I had my fair share and more of those. lol My mother in law cooked the turkey and it was the best, I think, I have ever had. I was most thankful, this year, that Bruce's brother Mitch and his family were able to be with us. He recently retired from the Navy and has moved back to our little town and it is so good to have them home. It just makes the family feel whole again.

This month, Bruce has been painting and doing some odd jobs around the house. We're hoping to have everything finished this week so we can decorate and enjoy our newly painted walls and doors and windows. It's been fun watching it all come together. I suppose after almost twenty years it's time for a facelift for the house. He's doing a great job and his need for perfection has even made room for me to help a little. haha

We have Christmas parties, family reunions and Bruce's birthday this weekend. The Christmas season never slows down and I'm glad. I enjoy the busyness of the fellowship and gatherings of friends and family. We have so much to be thankful for.

A New Blog

2011-11-09T22:23:00.004-05:00

I started a new blog. It's called, Just Picture It.

This is where I'll start posting my pictures for klm Photography.

The first post on this blog is in memory of Army Sgt Christopher Newman, killed by a suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

Sgt Newman grew up in Shelby and attended Bethel Baptist Church. I know he will be missed by his friends and family. I am truly thankful for the sacrifice he gave for our country.

My prayers are with his wife and family.

Bus Ministry Fall Festival

2011-11-08T07:53:00.011-05:00

We had our fall festival this past weekend. It was a lot of fun watching the children have a great time playing games, eating candy, and getting their candy bags filled.
Many balloons made their way to the ceiling of the gym.

Mrs. Janet did great keeping everything running smoothly, considering all that she had faced this week, preparing for two funerals of people in our church.

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Our other workers....

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Some of the goodies included popcorn bags....

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buckets and buckets of candy....

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And pizza until their heart was cotent and their bellies were full.

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Some of the faces from bus ministry...

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Things to do at fall festival...

We had a good time Saturday. I know the children did too!

Pray for the Wray Family

2011-11-03T13:31:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we said goodbye to one of the sweetest, most humble men I have ever had the privilege of knowing, Brother Arnold Wray.

Brother Johnny said it best at the funeral when he said that we had lost a spiritual giant. I don't know of a more sincere, quiet, and praying man. As a matter of fact, it is said by family and friends that he spent hours a day in prayer. And when he died, he was praying, asking God to help his family, asking God to help his wife, and to bless his church.

Brother Arnold had been on dialysis for a while and had been told for months that he only had a few days left, but God allowed our church to watch him, week after week, come in and take a seat near the back of the church with his oxygen tank, as he could no longer sit on the platform. Which was his seat for nearly sixty years as our choir director. He lived for the next church services. Knowing how weak he was would send me into tears as he would stand up with both hands raised in the air during church services. I remember coming in many times before church and I would see him in the back with his hands together, rocking back and forth in prayer.

The day before his funeral, his wife was brought up to the church to see him. She, herself, in a nursing home. She patted his arm and told him she loved him. That he was a sweet husband and she would see him in Heaven. Little did she, or the family, know that just four hours after his funeral, she would make her crossing and she did see him again.

I wonder as Brother Arnold stepped onto the shores of Glory, if the Lord told him to wait, that Mrs. Louise was coming. I wonder if he stood there, patiently, as was his way, and waited to take her by the hand as they both stepped onto streets of gold together. Breathing in celestial air, taking in the beauty and splendor of Heaven, and looking into the face of the One that they gave their hearts to many years ago. What a precious thought!

We will miss Brother Arnold and Mrs. Lousie. We have more to go to Heaven for, than we had yesterday.

Please remember the Wray family in your prayers.

This Past Weekend Made Me "Shutter"

2011-10-27T10:55:00.005-04:00

I had four shoots over the weekend and enjoyed each one. My first one was a mini-mini session with the L Family. They are such a great fun family to be around.

After the mini family shoot, mom L and I took their son "J" for his senior pictures. He is such a crazy guy. We headed down to the Broad River and got some great shots of him there. I wish I could reveal the surprise we found on this shoot, but it will have to wait until another blog post. "J" is awesome. He graduates this year and plans on attending a Christian college next fall.

Saturday morning, I met a couple for their maternity shoot. They were young and sweet and ready to be a mommy and daddy. I'm happy for them. Babies are wonderful!

And there's Bre. I LOVE Bre. She smiles like this all. the. time! I even mentioned it to her mother, who confirmed that she does smile like this all the time. What a sweetheart! Bre is Bruce's cousin. She graduates this year and plans on attending culinary school. I've tasted her work and she's fabulous!

~~~~~~~~~

Blessings Upon Blessings

2011-10-16T14:52:00.006-04:00

Today was full of blessings. Brother Eddie Davis is preaching our revival and preached the BEST sermon, There is a River. I cried off and on through that whole sermon. Many people were touched through the preaching of the Word this morning. And if you're in the area, we'll be having service tonight at 6:00 and each night, through Wednesday, at 7:00. Come join us.
There is a family that has been coming to church. I have watched these people and can really see the Lord on their lives. They are a sweet story. The mom just got saved a few weeks ago. And the daughter came forward to get saved this morning, before the preaching got underway. If you knew their story, you'd be crying like I did when I saw that daddy walk behind his daughter to the alter with his Bible in hand. It was just precious!
Having a baptism after services tonight. I really can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do.
~~~~~
My mother was in attendance this Sunday. She's been sick with bronchitis this past week. She was in Virginia with her sisters for several weeks before that, so it was nice having her back in the services today. And I'm glad to have celebrated her sixty-third birthday with her, this past Friday. Bruce and I took her to her choice of restaurants, then back to our house for cake and ice cream. After that, she took Hannah and Harry to her house, where Justin joined them after he got off work. And when I was done doing my Friday errands, I joined them all at her house for a hot dog supper and a movie. We had a great day with her and hope she enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed hers.
~~~~~
Justin had an agility test at a fire department this past Friday. He did good and they called him back for an interview this coming Tuesday. So proud of him. It's a part time position, but it's definitely a foot in the door and I know if it's the Lord's will, then God will open that door a little wider at just the right time.
~~~~~
Someone very dear to our hearts bought mom a new washer and dryer for her birthday. It was a tremendous blessing to her and she is so excited to know that it will be delivered this week. I'm happy for her. My dryer still dried clothes great, but it was old as the hills and made the LOUDEST noise while drying. So she gave us her dryer. It was like night and day when I dried clothes in it yesterday. LOL Earlier this year, the Lord gave us a practically brand new washing machine. So this year, the Lord gave us a "new to us" washer and dryer set. And that's a blessing to us.
~~~~~
Harrison is doing GREAT with his new curriculum this year. He's up and hitting the books at 6:00am. He'll do three subjects, check his work, make corrections, and then go back to bed for an hour or so. He'll get back up, do his chores, finish his last two subjects, and he's done by or just shortly after 1:00. He's doing great. He's struggling in Math, but only because he needs to master some things. So we've stopped everything until he's done that. No point in going on until he has the knowledge to move on. That's another reason I love homeschooling. You can stop and concentrate on what's important. Bless his heart, he hates math. But I'll be honest, he gets it honestly. It was never, EVER my favorite subject!
~~~~~
Hannah is doing great also. Sometimes I just watch her working away and can't believe that she has one more year of high school left. It can be a little depressing when I think about it, but I am so proud of her and the young lady she has become. She is so independent and I know that she is going to do good, in whatever the Lord leads her in doing.
~~~~~
Bruce's job is still going strong. He's been working six days since January. Since he's been on second, it has been a great blessing for family time in the morning/afternoon hours. We are still praying the Lord will open that first shift position for him and we believe He will in the near future. I have enjoyed having him home at night. He worked third for so long, it's been different having him to curl up to at night. But I have gotten some great sleep and am actually on a normal sleep schedule, which I didn't have for the last few years. I have to say, I like it!!
~~~~~

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ:

Ephesians 1:3

Too Funny Not To Share

2011-10-13T10:05:00.002-04:00

Property Rules of a Toddler:

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hands, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours, in any way.
6. If I'm doing or building something, all of the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks like mine, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken, it's yours.

Grace, One More Time

2011-10-12T14:33:00.003-04:00

I love this song. The first time I heard it was our first Sunday at Faith. It immediately became a favorite. I hope it's a blessing to you, too.

Homeschool

2011-10-05T10:32:00.003-04:00

Gotta love homeschooling. Yesterday, while in the flow of school work, I asked Harrison why Cain killed Abel. His reply was that Cain was jealous of Abel because God would not accept his sacrifice of vegetables. Hannah chimed in with, "And NO one likes vegetables!"

School is going pretty good. Harrison still has the "don't want summer to be over so let's just don't do school" blues. The other day we didn't finish school work until ten minutes after 6:00. Needless to say I was a little put out. But amazingly kept my cool. I did ponder on it a while. It's not that he couldn't do the work. It's not that too many things were going on. He just allowed himself to daydream and chatter the day away. So I had to threaten him with the bike trip we're going on this weekend. I told him that I was not going to have my days upset everyday like that and that he better stay focused. That his school work should be finished, at the very latest, by 2:00. And that if it wasn't finished by 2:00 every day this week, he would not go on the bike trip this Saturday. So he's been up at 6:00 the last couple of days and has three subjects finished by the time we normally start school. And the biggest plus out of this little journey is that yesterday when he completed all of his school work by 11:30 he smiled at me and said, "You know, I like getting my work done this early. I have the rest of the day for 'Harrison stuff!'" So see... a little motivation is always a good thing!

Hannah, on the other hand, gets right to it. She rises when the alarm clock goes off, does her chores, eats her breakfast, and hits the books. Maybe Harry will learn by her example, also.

Speaking of the bike trip, we'll be going with our Sunday School class down the Virginia Creeper Trail. I LOVE that bike ride. It's twenty-two miles down the Creeper Trail and it is absolutely beautiful. There are several bike rentals in the area or you can bring your own. They load you up in a van and take you to the top of the trail and let you out. You take as long as you want coming down through the mountain side. There are shaded tree trails that run by creeks and rivers, through valleys, old homesteads... it is really one of my favorite things to do. I think we've gone every year for the last three or four years and have a blast every time. So we're all looking forward to it.

And that's enough for today. I have a mountain of laundry, some vacuuming (among other household chores), and school work to grade. Have a great day!

Shopping, Ladies Meeting, and One Year of Loss

2011-10-01T18:24:00.005-04:00

How much do you love me, mom?
"I LOVE YOU A WHOLE WORLD FULL, KRISTI!"
Isn't she sweeeet?

Ten of us went on a shopping trip/ladies conference this weekend. We had such a good time. There was a lot of laughing, tears, and learning on this trip. I needed it so much and so glad I went!

There was a lot of shopping too. I only went shopping twice. And the first time I wasn't really into it. Just kind of window shopping. But I did kind of get into the second trip. First stop was Old Navy and let's just say Hannah and I are stocked up on flip flops for next summer. Every color they had.

The ladies meeting was this morning (Saturday.) We went to hear Mrs. Kyla Rowland. I had never seen or heard her, but had an image in my head of her. She was nothing like my image. LOL She was tall, a lot younger than what I had thought, VERY SOUTHERN, absolutely hilarious, and she was a really good speaker.

I hope we get to hear her again some day.

~~~~~

Had a session with a sweet family Thursday morning. I don't know about them, but I had so much fun with them. They are funny, funny people! And their little boy is a RIOT! Let me just say he is every bit his two years old, also. LOL

The blue dress shirt he's wearing in the picture below is his daddy's. The plan is for him to have his picture taken every year on his birthday in that shirt until he grows into it or grows out of it. Sweet idea. His daddy is a preacher and that's his pocket Bible he's holding.

Had a great time!

~~~~~

Today is the one year anniversary of my dad meeting His Lord. I mentioned it on facebook and this was one of the replies written. They were all precious to me, and I appreciated them all so much, but because of the friendship we have with this person and because of what they meant to my dad, it was so sweet, I had to share it. I hope they don't mind:

Can you imagine what his first year in heaven was like?

Perhaps it was just as a moment ago when death's river was crossed and he saw the celestial city. Perhaps he is still standing there just beholding it all, since this is the land where time shall be no more. Perhaps he just considered, in this land that is fairer than day, I can't wait for Poopsie and the family to get here.

Heaven's perspective is one we don't fully know. But, the moment when his faith became sight must have been amazing.

He could never have imagined what joy God's presence would bring. He now knows, "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things God hath prepared for those who love him."

The body he now has, feels no pain. The strength he stands with surpasses all he last knew here. Just a moment ago he closed his eyes on this side of eternity's veil. He's had a moment to blink and the year on this side of the veil passed.

My father's death, 20 years ago, taught me the only loss in death is for the living who remain.

My sister, I mourn your Dad's absence. I miss his influence as he was a grandfather to my son. Yet, I now look for his fingerprint at church when I am there. I see Larry Birt's finger prints on Justin playing in the orchestra. I see it when Justin tips his head back and the trumpet rises at an angle and he blows with gusto. I see your Dad's fingerprints when the boys from his class walk by my row and I think they'll always have the privilege to say,"Brother Birt was my SS teacher when I was a boy." The world is a better place because of your Dad. I am a better man having known your father.

Today, I will listen to this song many times over and know my friend, "Pop Birt" to my son, Poopsie's husband, and Kristi's dad is finally home.

Finally Home
When alarmed by the fury of the restless sea,
Towering waves before you roll,
At the end of doubt and peril is eternity,
Though fear and conflict seize your soul

Just think of stepping on shore, and finding it heaven
Of touching a hand, and finding it God's
Of breathing new air, and finding it celestial
Of waking up in Glory, and finding it "Home"

When surrounded by the blackness of the darkest night,
Oh how lonely death can be,
At the end this long tunnel is a shinning light,
For death is swallowed-up in Victory, (Victory!)

Just think of stepping on shore, and finding it heaven
Of touching a hand, and finding it God's
Of breathing new air, and finding it celestial
Of waking up in Glory, and finding it "Home"
Finally Home!
...by Don Wyrtzen

SIGMA RUSH NIGHT!

2011-09-27T14:46:00.008-04:00

Sigma Year 2011-2012 started this past Sunday night. It was a lot of fun. We really were in a RUSH to get things done since we only really had two days to work. But I was so impressed with the kids this year and how much effort they spent working on displays and getting things ready. They did a SUPERB job! Bruce and I are sponsors for the Pi Gamma Centurions. My contribution to the display was this Centurion in our colors of gold, silver, and blue. I love doing stuff like this.

Bruce has been working second shift so Saturday was the only day he was able to work. But when we finally got there Saturday afternoon, everything was pretty well done and all he had to do was use his air compressor tools to stabilize the walls around our display. He was proud of what the kids had done also. And was really, REALLY proud of them for freeing up his time to go home and watch some football. haha

Each team is suppose to have a banner with each team member's name on it. This is the one the kids did for our team.

A couple of the young men made this awesome chariot! They did such a fantastic job. They used an old wheel chair to construct it. Pretty creative, if you ask me!

And these were our centerpieces for the tables in front of our display. Lanterns, that the church has had for a long time, and then a small shield and sword that Bruce made. The kids painted the shields and swords and put the Pi Gamma letters on them.

Our theme was "...truly this man was the Son of God," taken from Mark 15:39, which was our theme verse, displayed on our background.

The next team sponsored by Brother Chris and Dana were the Nu Delta Fishmasters. Their display was great. A river bank with their team verse was their background. Their team verse was Matthew 4:29 "And He said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." I loved their dock and the big rocks they constructed from blown up trash bags, covered with gray paper.

This was the centerpiece they made for their tables. Cute. :)

The third team was the Chi Alpha Soldiers, sponsored by Brother Mark and Mrs. Jeannie. Their display was a boot camp with the theme, "Training up soldiers for the army of Christ. Their team verse was II Timothy 2:3 "Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

I loved the banner they made for their names. One of their team members free handed the army tank. I watched him work on it and was very impressed with his finished product. He did a great job. They displayed their names on "dog tags" and placed them all around the tank. I really did love the creativity from all three teams.

And this was the centerpieces for their tables.

I may be biased, but I thought our team showed great team spirit. Here are our team captains, Justin C and Jordan L raising the swords Bruce made for them. And a HUGE thanks to Mrs. Tammy, Brother Ken and Cheyenne for making our team shirts. We all LOVED them!

Hannah is on the Fishmasters team this year. Had to get a picture of her and her teammate, Taylor. I never did get a shot of their team together.

And these are the soldiers....

The best part of the night is hearing the teams taunt cheers at one another. Not sure which cheer the Centurions were doing here, but it was cracking them all up.

We had a lot of fun and I can't say enough how proud I am of all the kids that showed up to work. They worked, and they worked hard.

We're looking forward to a great year with these kids and praying for each one as they go about their daily lives.

Busy, Busy, Again!!

2011-09-22T15:26:00.002-04:00

We officially started school on Monday. It's been a good week so far. Trying to get back into the groove of things.
This Sunday is Sigma Rush Night. So we'll be pouring it on this weekend trying to get things ready for that. Our team is the Pi Gamma Centurions.
Had a photo shoot with Taylor this past weekend. While we were out on location at a living history farm, decided we should be his care takers. So while we were trying to take pictures, he was trying to tell us where his food was. But the door had a lock on it, so kitty didn't get anything from us. He was really cute and we had to laugh at how friendly he was being in hopes of us saving him from starvation.
I have another photo shoot this Saturday, providing the weather permits. I heard it will be rain all weekend, but I haven't checked to see myself. I guess I'll know when I step outside, if I don't check before then. O-o

So that's where I've been and what I've been doing. Where I'll be and what I'll be doing.

Y'all have a great day!

R & R

2011-09-12T20:05:00.006-04:00

Bruce and I took Hannah and Harry on a weekend trip to Myrtle Beach. We love this time of year. For one thing, all the kids are back in school and everything seems so deserted. The weather is getting cool it's just a great time to go. This was our first family get away where Justin could not be with us because he had to work. We are so very thankful he has a job, but we sure did miss him on this trip.
Bruce was doing his "Uncle Rico" impression here. LOL Anyway... we enjoyed some good eats.

And, of course, what trip isn't complete until you stop at a Krispy Kreme?? You know what the red light means!!

This is the front view of our hotel. We stay here everytime we go and we are never disappointed.

This was the view from our balcony.

Despite the cool winds that first night, the children still enjoyed some swim time.

Although I love the ocean and the beauty of it, I don't usually put my feet in. If I do, I don't go far. Bruce and Hannah, on the other hand, love to body surf. So they did a lot of that while Harrison hunted shells and sharks teeth.

We woke up to beautiful sunrises...

Watched gorgeous sunsets...

And were simply amazed at how bright the moon shone down on the ocean. It was just lovely!

So glad we were able to get away and enjoy a few days of solitude. With Bruce working six days a week all year, he really needed it and I'm glad he was able to go and just chill for a while. He has recently gone to second shift and I really couldn't be happier. His goal is to get to first, but that may be way down the road from now. Right now we're happy he's on second. I have to admit that I've been sleeping so much better now that he's home at night. He's worked third for so many years, I had no idea how bad my sleep habits were until he went to second. LOL

We officially begin our homeschool year on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to it and I think the kids are ready to hit the books again, too.

I have two photo shoots going on this weekend. One is for some high school senior pictures and the other is a charity event for cancer patients. I'm looking forward to both.

My business cards came in while we were on vacation. They turned out super! I was so glad. I made them at Vistaprints.com. They are really great.

So that's about all there is to say today. I actually have tons more, just don't have time to say it. So... there ya have it.

Hope y'all have a great week!

Psalm 69:34 "Let the heaven and earth praise Him, the seas, and everything
that moveth therein."

This and That and Pictures

2011-09-06T22:59:00.003-04:00

I have not forgotten about the prayer study. We've had several things going on and so I haven't really had time to post. But to give an update on what's happening recently...Brother Hill preached Sunday night. He and his family joined the church a few months ago and we have been so blessed by them! I've been wondering what kind of a preacher he was because he's out evangelising a lot. So I was really happy to hear he was preaching the evening service. It was so good!! And as I mentioned to others, he is a fiery preacher!

This past Sunday was also our promotion Sunday, so we had a several new faces in youth choir. It was so sweet to see them already know the songs and sing with all their heart.

After evening service, the Sigma had an afterglow. We enjoyed pizza, fellowship, a time of basketball in the gym, and a lot of good laughs!

~~~~~~~~~~

I had a photo shoot recently with this little cutie. She is so hilarious and makes some of the cutest faces you've ever seen. I posted a couple of my favorites from that day. Hope y'all had a great Labor Day. We sure did. I'll post about that another time.

Personal Requirements of Prayer

2011-08-29T11:47:00.004-04:00

Prayer is a very powerful force when done the right way. Benny Beckum is one of my favorite preacher/evangelists. He goes all over the country preaching about prayer. If you have never heard him, he will reveal things that will totally change your prayer life. If you're in the Greenville area, he'll be holding a Prayer Conference at Tabernacle Baptist Church October 3 - October 6. You do NOT want to miss it! I haven't heard the other speakers for that conference, but if you get a chance to hear Brother Beckum, you will be blessed.

Studying prayer, however, will also reveal things. The Bible tells us to study the Word. And in studying about prayer, there are personal requirements we need to be aware of.

Purity of heart
Believing
Praying in Christ's name
Praying According to God's will

Purity of heart is important for prayer and it is a must. Psalm 66: 18, 19 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD WILL NOT HEAR ME; But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer." If we have unconfessed sins in our lives, God will not hear our prayers. If we are to be good prayer warriors, we must ask God's forgiveness of our own sins and remove those things that will hinder our prayers being heard. He is faithful and just to forgive us those sins. And when He does, He will hear our prayers.

We must believe when we pray. Many times I have prayed and my faith was lacking. I wonder how many prayers have not been answered the way I hoped because of my lack of faith. Matthew 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, BELIEVING, ye shall receive."

We must pray in Christ's name. How many prayers have gone unanswered because we do not pray in His name. We know who we're praying to. Christ knows who we're praying to. But He still expects us to call on HIM. For one thing, we show other believers that we are His child too. And for another thing, non believers will know who we are praying to. For all they know, we're praying to Budah. And if we're not praying in Christ's name, we might as well be praying to Budah. But when we pray in Christ's name, we open opportunity for God to be glorified. John 14:13, "And whatsoever ye shall ask IN MY NAME, that will I do, that the FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON."

We also need to ask according to His will. This is a difficult one for me because I want things done my way. That's my flesh. If it's done my way, then I feel that I'm in control. But the truth is, God is in control of all things, and whatever His will is for my life, it will be far better for me in the long run. If we're just spouting off all the things we want and desire, or praying for healing, or whatever burden we might have, never asking Him according to His will, we might as well just stop praying all together. I John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARETH US:"

These are important keys to prayer, that we often forget. They help unlock the doors of Heaven so that God will hear us when we pray.

Parts of Prayer

2011-08-25T13:20:00.003-04:00

Prayer Request: I have a heavy heart for a friend who just lost her husband to cancer. They were only married a year and so young. Such a heartbreak for the wife, but I know that God will see her through this. I have been amazed how they both handled the last several months with such faith and trust in God. Please remember Bridget in your prayers over these next few days and months to come.
~~~~~~~~~
I am enjoying this little study on prayer. We all know there are different parts of speech in the English language. But there are parts of prayer too!
Adoration
Confession
Supplication
Intercession
Thanksgiving

Who doesn't like adoration? I love to be told by my husband and my family how much they love me and how much I mean to them. Our Heavenly Father is the same way. He loves it when we adore Him in worship and in prayer.
Daniel 4:34, 35 "And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
First of all, Nebuchadnezzar was very proud of himself for what he had done in Babylon according to "...my might..." and for "...my majesty." But when he stopped looking at himself and looked to Heaven toward God, he said his understanding returned to him and he began to proclaim adoration to God. There is nothing WE do in our lives that deserves adoration. Everything we do, everything we accomplish, is because God allowed it. He deserves our praise and honor.
After we give him praise and honor, we need to confess our sins. There is nothing more precious to me than when my children confess their faults to me with a humble spirit. It's the same with the Lord. When we humble ourselves, remove the pride, and confess our sins and faults to our Heavenly Father, He is faithful to forgive us. I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." There is NOTHING we can do that He will not forgive. We just need to confess it to Him.
The next part is supplication. That's one of those words you hear off and on throughout Christianity and you never really know the meaning of it. Supplication is a humble prayer, entreaty, or petition. I Timothy 2:1-3, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. It is very difficult to pray for those in leadership, isn't it? Sometimes I want God to just remove them from office, never to be seen or heard from again. That's human nature, I suppose. But you know, they really do need our humble prayers. It is our civic responsibility to be involved, but it is our Spiritual responsibility to pray with a humble heart. We also need to pray for those in other areas of authority in our lives. Our boss men/women, our Pastors, husbands, parents, teachers...whoever God places in authority over us, they need our prayers. All we have to do is call their names.
Intercession. This is the part I think we do the most. There are so many people in need of prayer. James 5:14, 15, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." We were in some revival meetings last week and twice, there were people at that church that requested being anointed with oil and prayed for. When our prayer life is right with God, we can pray for those in need, and trust that He will do according to His will.
And last, but certainly not least, Thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." God wants a thankful heart when we pray. Even when things aren't going the way we've hoped or the way we've planned, we should be thankful that God knows what is best for us and that He has it all under control. There's a song that the trio I sing in is learning and one of the lines of that song says, My wants and God's desires don't always agree. But I lean on His will, for He always knows what's best for me. I've learned that lesson the hard way. There is no prayer that goes unanswered. He either says yes, no, or stand still until he tells us one way or the other. I've learned to be thankful for him answering prayers the way I wanted Him to and thankful for Him answering prayers the way I didn't want Him to. And I've even learned to be thankful for the times when He wants me to stand still. Which for me, seems to always be the hardest to do. But His answers are always good. And His answers are always right.

"B's" Photo Shoot

2011-08-23T22:28:00.003-04:00

I had a photo shoot with "B" last week. It was a lot of fun and I especially enjoyed this shoot because she is a special little girl. She is the daughter of a high school friend, who is no longer from these parts. She was staying with her grandparents for the week and on a whim we scheduled the shoot. She was teething and wasn't feeling up to a photo shoot, but she was so good!!!! She is an absolutely precious little girl.
"B" was a surprise to her mommy and daddy after fourteen years since the birth of their oldest son. So needless to say, she is very much loved and doted on. Which after being around her, for even a moment, you know why. She's just plain sweet!
Below are my favorite five pics....

I look at your cute little nose
and how
you wiggle your toes
I love how you smile at me
You're
cute as a button, don't you agree?

I look at the
darling clothes you wear
and the tiny little bow in your
hair
And you just seem to say to me,
"I'm just as cute
as I can be!"

Kinds of Prayer

2011-08-18T12:37:00.005-04:00

It seems there are so many people standing in the need of prayer this week. Last night our Associate Pastor preached from Acts 12. Something he pointed out was the meaning of Rhoda's name, which is Rose. Several thoughts came to mind when he told us that. One thought, was that we pray to the Rose of Sharon. Another thought is that our prayers are as a sweet smelling savor to the Lord.
I started thinking about prayer and the importance of it. Too often we say we'll pray about something and then life gets in the way and we forget or we just don't take the time to pray as we should. Or maybe we have thing in our lives that stand in the way of our prayers being heard.
There are many stipulations to prayer. And as I went over them I thought it would make a good Bible study, which would also make a good blog series.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer is a request to God. There are four types of prayer I can think of:
1. Secret prayer
2. Family prayer
3. Group prayer
4. Public prayer
There is the secret prayer mentioned in Matthew 6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." When I was little I thought this meant we actually had to get in the closet. Since I was little and afraid of the dark, I didn't do much secret praying. But the truth of the matter is, we just need a quiet place. A place with no distraction. A place where we are totally alone, just us and God.
I thought it was interesting that in the verse above, it does not say "...and thy Father which 'heareth' in secret..." but rather "...and our Father which 'seeth' in secret..." God not only hears us in our secret place, but He is right there with us. Listening and watching His children as they lay their burdens and petitions at His feet. Isn't that a sweet image of the Father? That He takes time, not only to listen to us, but to visit with us too.
Family prayer is important also. Acts 10:2-30 tells the story of Cornelius. Verse 2 says that he was "A devout man, and one that feared God with ALL HIS HOUSE, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway." In this story, it is obvious that his whole family loved and served God. I would imagine they were much in prayer about matters. And after several days of praying, the Lord heard and answered. I know that for our own family, we need more family time together in prayer. Sadly, I am sure there are many Christian families that don't have the family prayer time they need together. And maybe we would see the Lord answer more prayers for us if we would take the time and pray together as a family unit.
Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." I love that verse. As a family unit or as fellow believers draw together in prayer, it is a sweet thing to know that Christ is right there in the middle of it all. That every word spoken is heard clearly and that He is working on each little detail of each prayer.
And last, but not least, is the public prayer. Matthew 6:5 says, "But when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." I'm sure we have all been somewhere at sometime or another and heard flowery prayers. Praying with adoration and thanking God for His goodness, is not flowery. But when we stand there reaching for big words, and praying for things that will impress those we are praying in front of, God is not impressed. Whether we pray in our closet or pray in public, God desires to hear the things on our hearts. Ironically, our prayers reveal to Him exactly what is in our hearts.
I wonder.... do my prayers stink? Or are they a sweet smelling savor to Him?

Revivals and Shoots

2011-08-17T23:13:00.003-04:00

We've spent the first two days of this week going to revival at Bright Light Baptist, with Pastor Wayne Reese. Pastor Goodman has been preaching the services and they've been really good. Of course we were at our home church last night. Brother Johnny did a fantastic job tonight on prayer from Acts chapter 12. Alters were full. There is truly power in prayer.

Tomorrow I get to have a photo shoot with a seven month old. I am so excited about this shoot. I'll explain why when I have some pictures to post. I can't wait to see her and hold her and love on her. It's gonna be so much fun.

Tomorrow night I'll be going to revival services at Bright Light again. Lord willing, that is. And then Friday our youth choir will be singing there. If you're in the area, come out and hear our Pastor and our youth choir. It'll be a blessing, I'm sure.

Right now, I'm going to get my gear ready for tomorrow's shoot and then hit the sack. I'm a sleepy head tonight! :)

Family Reunion

2011-08-15T10:41:00.004-04:00

We had a family reunion back in July. July 4th, actually. It was so much fun. I had seen my cousins for the first time in over thirty years back at Thanksgiving and had the privilege of seeing them again at the reunion. They are so much fun and I love them very much. There was a lot of silliness going on with these glasses. I'm pretty sure there were at least fifteen of us that took pictures with them on. lol This is my cousin Gary and my little cousin.

Bruce enjoyed playing Corn Hole and Horseshoes.

My cousin Steve.

The reunion was at my uncle's house. His land is surrounded by gorgeous mountains. It was lovely.

My mom and her siblings. It was so good seeing my Aunts and Uncle. And boy did they ever cook up some food!! There was so much food, it was like Maw Maw was alive again. They all learned to cook just like her!

It was wonderful being with the family for the day and I hope we get to see them again soon. There were about thirty of us there. I love them all and pray for them.

Comment Season Is Now Open

2011-08-14T22:13:00.004-04:00

Now that summer is pretty well over and things are settling down around here, I've enabled comments and hope to hear from you soon.
There has been so much that I haven't gotten to blog about!! I admit I've missed it. I hope I can get back into the swing of things.
We took our youth group to a camp ground the first few days of last week and had our own camp meeting with them. Spencer preached the first day, and Pastor preached the second. The services were sweet and we had a great time. The more Spencer preaches, the more he sounds like his dad. It's just amazing. What a blessing it was to hear him!

We spent one day at Dollywood. Bruce and I were playing it safe until after we ate supper at Aunt Granny's. Then we went straight to the Thunderhead roller coaster. What was I thinking? Never eat a meal and then board a roller coaster. That is so not a good idea!!

We had two families join our church today. That was a blessing. I'm looking forward to getting to know one family better and just slap happy that the other family has come back home. We've been seeing a lot of that this year and it's been good to see those familiar faces we've missed seeing, come walking through the doors. Welcome home S&U!! :)

Today would have been my dad's 66th birthday. To be honest, I've tried not to think about the dates in this month. Just taking each day as it came, never noticing the calendar. So when Mrs. Janet stood next to me in the choir and said, "Ain't today your daddy's birthday?" It dawned on me that, yes, it is. And of course a few tears snuck out. My heart breaks, but it also rejoices in the fact that daddy is celebrating more today than he ever had to celebrate here.

We had two wonderful services today. In between those services I ended up going shopping with Harrison. Somewhere between last Sunday and this Sunday he grew out of this dress pants. The boy has gone up three pant sizes this summer. It's crazy! Just one of those things, huh?

I can't stop yawning so I guess I'll turn in for the day. I hope each of you had a wonderful day with the Lord!!

Heaven Is Now A Little Sweeter

2011-07-28T22:42:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to one of our church people. He will be missed so much. He was on vacation with his family, in Georgia, when his heart stopped. They did all they could do for him for several days. When his son flew in from Afghanistan, the Lord took this dear man Home.
Part of my heart is rejoicing with them. They know that their father was saved. They know that he is in Heaven with their mama. The other part of my heart is weeping with them. Because I know the pain they are feeling. I know that tonight his children will have bitter rest. I know that tomorrow will almost seem to fly by, yet take every bit of strength they have to get through that long and difficult day.
And that's when God's grace will step in. They will not function on their own strength, but by the strength of the Lord. For He is their strong tower, strength in their weakest hour. And they can trust Him.

Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with
them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."

Psalm 27:13&14

2011-07-25T10:43:00.002-04:00

I had fainted, unless I had believed to
see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD:
be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the
LORD.

Spiritual Refreshment

2011-07-18T10:09:00.014-04:00

Wonderful services at FBC of Shelby yesterday. One man saved in the morning services and alters packed in the evening. Had another family join Wednesday night. That makes four families in the last month, to God be the glory. So happy they are all a part of our fellowship.
Last Thursday we had our first ladies fellowship in our new banquet room. The theme was A July of "Refreshment."

Mrs. Ava is having some issues with her arm so she wasn't able to put all she wanted to into decorating. However, Mrs. Amy is back in town, which meant there would be no lack of decoration! :)

Can you think of anything cuter than an ice cream theme for summer?

We certainly had a good time helping out with this one.

I got to help with the centerpieces. They were so easy to make. Corrugated bulletin board paper made the mugs, pollyfill for "foam", a decorated balloon to look like ice cream, and a painted wooden dowel for a straw. Cute, huh?

All set up and ready to fellowship!

Since our theme was ice cream, Mrs. Ava decided to have the fellowship a little later than usual. After supper, that is. So everyone who could, brought their homemade ice cream. And those that didn't bring ice cream brought some kind of dessert to go with the ice cream. Mander made the BEST cherry ice cream I have ever tasted. And with a little chocolate syrup added, it tasted just like a cherry cordial. Without the nasty goop.

We had a terrific turnout. I think about eighty ladies were able to attend. I know we planned for sixty and ended up getting more chairs. So that was a good thing. And I was pleased to have my friend, Amanda Jones, come visit with us. I hope she can make it to other meetings.

As you can see, our ladies have quite the sweet tooth. LOL

Mrs. Amy was our special speaker for the evening. She spoke on how we are all like different ice cream toppings and how we can add something special to someone else's life to bring them spiritual refreshment. She also did an acrostic on the word ice cream.

I cried off and on through her acrostic because, little did she know, I had just poured my heart and frustrations out on a friend of mine that afternoon and she hit on some areas that I really needed to hear. It never ceases to amaze me how God will give you exactly what your heart needs, just when you need it most!

I left feeling very much refreshed!

A Few of My Favorites

2011-07-11T15:26:00.002-04:00

I just loved taking pictures of this cutie pie and wanted to share a few of my favorite shots from that day. He just makes me want to cuddle with him. LOL

Pictures, Camp Meeting, And Other Stuff

2011-07-09T01:32:00.002-04:00

I had a couple of photo shoots this week and last week. They were so much fun!! This week, I photographed this little cutie. He is so precious. His mom told me that she had talked to him and told him I was coming. He was such a good little boy. We handled and moved and flipped him so much, and yet he kept the sweetest disposition through it all. I think he liked having his picture taken. Our lives are crazy busy these days and so I haven't had time to edit them all. I'm hoping to have them finished tomorrow.
I also enjoyed one of our newest members at church going with me. She is a sweetheart. When she found out I enjoyed taking pictures, she brought me her photo album to look at so I asked if she'd like to join me on this shoot. After all, who doesn't like taking pictures of pretty babies? So I'm glad she came with Hannah and me. She's a pure joy to be around.

Last weekend I had a ball taking pictures with my gorgeous niece, Jessica, and her handsome fella, Brandon. For the most part when taking pictures, people never really know how to stand, they don't know what to wear, they want to know if I want them smiling... you get the idea. But Brandon had it all worked out in his head how he wanted everything. He wanted them to wear matching clothes, knew some of the poses he wanted, had places picked out for their photo shoot. It was kind of funny, but really sweet too.

This was just a test shot, but I fell in love with it. She's so beautiful. Inside and out.

~~~~~~
We spent the 4th of July at my Uncle's house for a family reunion on my mom's side. He lives in the Lake Lure area on a beautiful piece of land surrounded by mountains on every side. I got to see all my Aunts and Uncles, with the exception of one, and also got to see most of my cousins and their families. It was just wonderful! We made it home to enjoy a little resting time then headed to town for the fireworks display. As usual they were just beautiful.
~~~~~~
We found out Brother Mark Stroud was preaching at the Greer Baptist Camp Meeting, so we gathered up some teenagers on the bus and headed down there. I tried to think of a word to describe it, but the only word I can say is *good*. So, so, GOOD! From the choir singing to the WORD of God preached, it was Holy Ghost filled. We have another meeting we're going to next week and I'm looking forward to that. Then we'll have VBS and then our Tennessee trip. We'll be going to a campground where we'll be having our own camp meeting. We did this last year and it was just amazing how the Lord moved in the lives of the youth. The preacher boys preach, the kids play instruments and sing and it is such a blessing and sweet time of fellowship.
And that's it for now. I hope y'all have a great weekend. I know I intend to!

Just Bubbling With Excitement!!

2011-07-01T13:59:00.005-04:00

I turn the BIG 40 today. Someone asked me this morning how it felt to be forty. Well, about the same as it felt yesterday when I was thirty-nine. LOL
I've always loved my birthdays and this year is no different. I am too blessed to be stressed over age!! God has been good to me and if He allows me another forty years, I'll be praising Him still.
I wrote a little poem last night just for the day. Here it is:
I'll be forty today, 'tis no lie. Like some I could sit and boo hoo and cry
but instead I think I'll take the day, and yell, "YEE HAW, I got something' to say!
I am not feeble, I am not old, 'You look so young' I'm often told.
So please no sympathy for me, I like my birthday, if fills me with glee.
Yeah, I'm forty and feelin' real great, a lot of it's due to my special mate.
I'm looking forward to another great year, 'cause forty-one is nothing to fear."
~~~~~~
Justin will be here soon. He and Jeremy should be pulling in anytime. I know they've had a great week at camp and I can't wait to hear about it. I've been overly excited just thinking about it. He'll be home all next week before returning for the summer. So I'm looking forward to having my boy home a few days. His phone isn't working and, of course, they don't have Internet access where he's at. So we don't get to communicate. That would explain why I'm so excited to see him, I guess. I've missed him. Our whole family has.
~~~~~~
Our church is having dinner on the grounds this Sunday after the morning worship service. This will be our first churchwide event since the new building has been completed. We're looking forward to that and I'm sure I'll have pictures to share with you later.
~~~~~~
Then Monday we'll be going toward Lake Lure to spend the day at my Uncle's home. My mom's brothers and sisters will be there, with my cousins and their families. Some of them I've only met through facebook and some of them I've seen once in thirty years. I am so looking forward to it. It will be so nice seeing everyone.
~~~~~~
I hope your fourth of July weekend is as exceptional as mine is going to be. Our country has taken some different paths and I feel we are losing touch.....no.....lost touch.....with the God that it was founded upon. But we still live in the greatest country ever. I am thankful to be an American. I am thankful to be a child of God.
~~~~~~
“It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”
~*~Patrick Henry~*~

When My Heart Is Overwhelmed

2011-06-30T11:22:00.006-04:00

Meetin' got on at church last night. Many were at the alter getting their hearts mended and receiving strength from the Lord when they so desperately need it. We have a couple in our church whose eighteen year old grandson was placed in Hospice yesterday because of cancer. Their hearts are very heavy and they need much prayer. Several others with heavy burdens needing exactly what God gave them last night.
Pastor had a sermon prepared, but his sermon took another direction and he ended up preaching from Psalm 61:1-5, "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name."
What a wonderful passage of Scripture for hurting hearts and restless minds! When our hearts are so overwhelmed with whatever trial we happen to be going through, we have a God that will attend to our very need. He will shelter us from the things that will bring us down and He will deliver us in our hour of need.

Be Ye Holy

2011-06-28T09:13:00.004-04:00

I Peter 1:15&16 "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, BE YE HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY."

Reading in I Peter this morning, I was actually doing a little personal study on being kept by the power of God. But I ran across the verses above and could not pull myself away from them.

Several years ago, when Justin was a little guy and Hannah was just a thought, I was floundering around in Christianity. Straddling the fence, if you will. My conversation was not the same as it is today and I was not striving to live that holy and separated life as a child of God.

Looking back from where I was to where I am today, there are people that God placed in my life to help shape my heart and guide me toward Him.

It took me much too long to get to "this place" in my relationship with Him. And I still have a very long way to go. Don't we all? But how does one become holy as HE is holy? When do we reach holiness as HIS holiness? Well, obviously when we live like Him and live by His Word.

When I think of the word, holy, the word, perfect, immediately comes to mind. However, as I was looking up the meaning of the word, holy, I realized that my outlook on being holy was all wrong. It's not about striving to live a perfect life. You know why? Because we can't. And God knows that. We are wrapped up in too much flesh and bones to be perfect. I'm not saying we should not strive to be perfect as He is perfect because His life was lived as prime example as how we should live. But to live a holy life means we should be living a life that inspires other believers to live for Him.

Are we setting an example to the believers around us? Do they look at us and admire us for our stand, or roll their eyes and think to themselves, "Yeah, they profess Christianity, but if they can go to those kinds of parties..." or "...but if they can wear those clothes..." or "...but if they can listen and quotes lyrics to that music" then I can too.

How are we inspiring holiness?

When I look at that verse, "Be ye holy; for I am holy" I can't get away from that word for. It doesn't say for us to be holy "AS" I am holy. But FOR I am holy. He wants us to live just like Him. We can't do that and live for the world. God is not the author of confusion, and yet His children are doing a great job confusing the world.

Be ye holy is a commandment in this verse. FOR I AM HOLY is the reason why. He wants us to live our lives as He lived His life, to inspire other Christians to live like Him also.

If Christians would live a holy life, inspiring each other to live for Him, we would see a change in our own lives, our homes, our churches, and our world.

Junior Campers

2011-06-27T10:40:00.006-04:00

Ashley and I took the juniors to camp yesterday. This is the same camp where Justin and Jeremy are working for the summer.

It was good to see my boy. He said his first week of camp with juniors was excellent. The Lord blessed and thirteen got saved. I believe he said two of those, the Lord let him lead to Christ. He's looking forward to the next few weeks and what God has in store for him and the campers.

I got our girls settled in. They were a little nervous, but very excited about the upcoming week at camp.

I was able to make sure the boys got settled into their cabin also. They were really happy to find out that they were in the same cabin and that Justin would be their counselor.

It made the girls a little more comfortable, too, knowing Justin would be around to look out for them.

As we were leaving, we saw Justin and his crew heading to the church for evening service.

Praying they have a fun, safe week and that the Lord does good things for them while they're there.

Life's Little Blessings

2011-06-24T09:57:00.003-04:00

Another friend of ours had their baby the other day. Hannah and I went to see him and he is an adorable little guy. Well, he's really not so little. He actually came into this world weighing 9.14 and 21 inches long. He has the most adorable little cheeks. I forgot to ask his mom if I could post his picture here. So when I get a chance, if she says it's all right, I'll do that. But even his little chin is pudgy and perfectly round. He's such a doll. Please say a prayer for his mom who is recovering from a c-section and very low iron. I know she'd appreciate the prayers.

After seeing the baby, we went to the mall. We had lunch at Subway. I love their grilled chicken on flat bread. I always get onions on it, but the smell of their onions stay with me all day. But you know what? It's still yummy.

We went to Dillard's after lunch and Hannah found her a pair of Sperries. She ended up having to order her size and they should be here soon. I know she'll be happy when they get here.

Then after shopping we ran an errand and stopped off at Bruce's Aunt Dessie's house for a little visit. We were pleasantly surprised to find Aunt Sue there, although she was recovering from a little eye surgery. It did not stop Aunt Dessie from finding Aunt Sue reading, though. She's an avid reader and even with one eye she's keeping up with her books. That must be where Hannah gets it from.

Aunt Dessie has a new hobby of making picture videos so we sat down with her and Aunt Sue and watched a few videos she has put together. They were fun to watch and a LOT of fun to watch with Aunt Sue and Aunt Dessie. Those two are real characters and will keep you laughing.

Aunt Dessie showed me the program she uses for making her CD/DVD labels and then let me borrow the program. I'm really excited about that because I've been looking for a good program to make CD labels for KLM Photography. I'm hoping it will run on my computer. I'm sure it will and I'm excited about trying it out.

We stopped at my mother in law's house on the way home and visited with her for a while. We had a good visit. Hannah is talking her into teaching her how to crochet. We'll get what she needs this weekend. I know Hannah will be good at that and she'll enjoy learning and making new things.

After a day of fun visits we came home and fixed a HUGE supper of deviled egg salad sandwiches. haha Truthfully, it doesn't sound like much, but Bruce loves 'em and would eat 'em every meal if I made them. Hannah made this batch last night. My mother in law came over and had a sandwich with us. Then she took Hannah back to her house for the night. So I'm guessing they watched movies, talked, and no doubt, Marie got up to cooking breakfast. That is, if Hannah didn't get up cooking before her.

Bruce has been working six days but he's off this weekend...and next...and took off next Friday for my birthday. YAY! So we're going to enjoy our weekend together and just chill. Well, he'll actually be working on a project he promised Hannah. She has a futon in her room and it takes up a good bit of space. She he's making a new frame for her bed to raise it up in the air and we'll put her futon under it. She's really excited about that. She'll have a place for her friends to spend the night when they come over.

I'll be taking our junior campers to camp this Sunday. Jeremy's fiance is going with me. It'll give us a chance to see Justin and Jeremy and find out how things are going up there. I'm looking forward to driving the campers and riding with Ashley. She is such a sweet girl.

And that's it for now. I've done two loads of laundry and have three more ahead of me. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

And One More Busy Weekend...

2011-06-20T20:58:00.009-04:00

I've been spending some time at my mom's house, helping her do some things, which I was able to complete today. I primed and painted her hearth for her. That was a JOB, let me tell ya!! But it's finished and it looks so much better.

I also painted a mirror and sconce set she already had. I think the black looks so much prettier. I like it a lot better than when it was white.

I had a lot of fun doing these projects. I have some touch up work I need to get to for her on her walls. Lord willing, I can get to those before next week.
~~~~~~
Of course yesterday was Father's Day. We had two wonderful services at church. One young man was saved Sunday night and then Pastor baptized a lady Sunday night also. Praise the Lord!
We celebrated with Bruce by having one of his favorite meals for dinner. Justin had to go back to the camp and wasn't going to be able to come home with us after church so he opened his gifts before the morning service. He just died laughing at the card from the kids. They bought him a parental translator of what kids say to what they mean. It was really funny and I just loved how he got cracked up.

~~~~~~
Saturday was Justin's 19th birthday. He got home from the camp around 5:00 and we celebrated with his grandmothers.

He wanted pizza, so of course Pizza Hut was on the menu.

And since we're a Tar Heel family, he got the white and Carolina Blue with banners birthday cake! :P

We got into a little icing fight. I would have won, but he overtook me in the end. Oh well... maybe next time.

His cake and ice cream.... ugh, I get sick just looking at it.

He wanted a video camera to take to camp so this is the one we got him, only the one we got him is red. It's really nice. I think he'll get some good stuff on it.

We had a good evening with him.

~~~~~~

Friday night, Brother Johnathan, Mrs. Jennifer, and myself, took the youth group bowling. It was so much fun. This bowling alley is pretty far away, but it is very family oriented and had a good atmosphere. Great place to take the youth. It was so fun bowling with them and watching them bowl was hilarious.

Brother Johnathan being his nutty, turkey-self. lol

And this was the final score. Brother Johnathan had 46 pts, I was in second with 64, and Mrs. Jennifer was in first place with 150. Great job, Mrs. Jennifer!!!!

After bowling we took the youth to McDonald's. They really know how to eat!

Some of the crazy girls on the van! lol

You can't go through Gastonia without stopping at Krispy Kreme! And when the red light is on...well...you know what THAT means!

Poor Mrs. Jennifer never gets out of Shelby. Needless to say she was really excited about getting to go to Krispy Kreme. :P

~~~~~~

It was a terrific last few days. Looking forward to some much needed time this weekend with my family our two extra daughters that stay with us from time to time. Celine and Carissa will be with us. Love those girls!

Happy Father's Day, Dad

2011-06-19T20:54:00.003-04:00

On this Father's Day someone is missing, from our earthly life. But something else that's missing is his sorrow and his strife.
When he left us on earth we were crying. Our heart was broken in two. But as he walked thru the gates of Heaven, A cheer went up, it's true.

And although we'd like to hug him, and hold him in our arms, He's in the arms of Jesus safe from sorrow and alarm.

And now our home seems empty, but, he's home on Heaven's shore. And we miss his smile but somehow we know, it's brighter than before.

We truly, truly miss him; since from this earth he's gone. But deep in our hearts you can be sure his memory still lives on.

And although we'd like to see him, I'm sure if he could he would say, "I'm with my Heavenly Father." It's a special Father's Day.

Happy Birthday, Justin!!

2011-06-17T15:51:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday to my eldest son, Justin. I love ya, son!

This is one of my favorite pictures of him. He was goofing off one night and dressed up as Mr. Monopoly. He's so silly sometimes. Much like his daddy! :)

Justin has always been a mild mannered young man, with a tender heart. He is a lot like his dad in that he is straight up and honest with you. I have to say he is much more patient than I am. He seems to keep his cool when I seem to blow my top. Sometimes I'll get riled about something and he'll pat me on the shoulder and say, "It's ok. God's got this!" LOL And he never seems to worry that much. When certain needs arise, I worry for him and he always says, "Ahh, I'm not worried about it. God will provide." And he's right. God always does provide. It's a blessing to see him rest in knowing God will take care of things and he doesn't have to wring his hands and worry.

The Lord opened some doors for Justin to work at a Christian camp over the summer. He left this past Wednesday to go for his counselor training. He'll be back Saturday night and we'll be celebrating his birthday with his grandmothers.

Lord willing he'll be home most every weekend over the summer. So it'll be good to have him home, but I'll miss him through the week. Whatever will we do with all the supper leftovers from him not being here??? LOL Just kidding, Justin!

Justin was born over seas while Bruce was in the military. We came back stateside and back to our hometown when he was just about to turn one. I'm really thankful that he had the opportunity to grow up around his grandparents and grow up in our former church and the church we're at now. I could not ask for better friends and better influences that God has placed in his life.

Please pray for him as he and his friend, Jeremy, are working at the camp this summer, that the Lord will bless their time there, that He will speak to their hearts and help them as they deal with the campers.

Justin, I'm proud of you. You're a wonderful son and your dad and I are so fortunate that the Lord saw fit to lend you to us. We love you! Happy Birthday.

III John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

Senior Session and Harrison's Patch Bowl

2011-06-14T20:08:00.014-04:00

I had a senior session with Raven last week. Raven goes to our church and is part of our SIGMA youth. She's a sweet girl and I had a good time with her that day.

Here are a few of her mom's favorite pictures from the session. They were all really good of her beautiful smile.

~~~~~~

Harrison's Patch class had their Patch Quiz Bowl and Awards Banquet this past Saturday. The Quiz Bowl is a time for the parents and students to compete for points after answering questions based on lessons the children have been studying throughout the Patch year. I think it was the best we've ever attended. Brother Johnathan, Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Kim do a fantastic job and it is very obvious how much the children love them. I appreciate them so much and the godly influence they have had over Harrison.

The judges for the quiz bowl were Brother Johnny, Nathaniel, and Justin. It wasn't too long ago that Justin and Nathaniel were in this class and participating in the quizzes. Now they're judges.

Harrison and Bruce went head to head on a multiple choice question. Harrison got his correct. I won't tell you about Bruce. haha

After the quiz bowl, it was time for the awards. Harrison and his classmate, "H", took top scorer for the boys and girls. This was "H's" first year in this class and she did GREAT!! Harrison was also awarded a trophy for saying the most verses this year.

The class was divided into two teams. This was the winning team! Congratulations to all of them.

The children were told to write about someone or something that has been a great influence in their life, how they got saved, or tell their favorite verse and why. These were written by two young men. I blacked out their names, but if you click on the picture you can read what they wrote. I thought it was sweet and they brought a tear to my eyes.

At the end of the night, the students leaving the class and moving up to SIGMA, were given an opportunity to say their goodbyes. It was a really sweet moment. I think they're all looking forward to SIGMA, but none of them wanted to leave their class.

Bruce and I are looking forward to each of them moving up and getting to know them better in SIGMA next year. They're all wonderful kids and I think they're going to do superb in the youth group.

This and That of a Busy Weekend!

2011-06-07T19:48:00.017-04:00

We finished our end of grade testing Tuesday. So now I have a high school junior and a sixth grader. WOW! It has been a long school year. But we got through it, Praise the Lord!

I've been uploading these pictures when I can over the last couple of days. It was a busy weekend, with lots to share and lots of pictures!! So sit back and prepare to stay a while, if you can.
Saturday night we had our SIGMA Banquet in our new Banquet Hall. It was great. The SIGMA Banquet was the first thing we've done in there and it was very nice. Thank you, to all the men and boys that have worked so endlessly on getting this building put together for our church.

We had grilled chicken, salad, rolls, and baked potatoes on the menu.

Brother Mark gave the WORD for us that night. It was good to hear from him. He and Mrs. Amy and the boys have moved back here and joined our church this past Sunday. They're picking up right where they left off until the Lord directs them somewhere else. It is so good to have them home!

Next was the awards. Bruce and I were happy to hear that Hannah took the Esther Award, the top scorer for girls, came in second place in the Top Ten high scores, and was on the winning team. Way to go, little Hannah!!

You have to understand this next picture. Clayton just got saved about a year ago and he has been a totally different young man. He's never tried in the past to do anything in SIGMA, but this year he made me proud. Bruce and I were his sponsors and it was an honor to have him on our team. Anyway, he took the Pastor's Award and the Joshua Award and also came in fourth place in the Top Ten. So when his name was called he noticed his mom didn't have her camera and in great wonderment said, "MAMA! WHERE'S YOUR CAMERA??" It just cracked us all up. Way to go, Clayton!

We had three great teams this year. The Hunters, The Survivors, and The Cherokees. James Corriveau was the team captain for The Cherokees, with Brother Mark and Mrs. Jeannie as their sponsors. The Cherokees won top team this year. Congratulations, Cherokees!

The sponsors: Brother Chris and Mrs. Dana, Bruce and me, and Brother Mark and Mrs. Jeannie.

Gary won the Top Scorer for boys, the Psalm 119 award, and he was in first place in the Top Ten. Brother Chris and Mrs. Dana were his sponsors. Way to go, Gary!

~~~~~~

Sunday morning we went to our former church for their homecoming service. It was wonderful seeing everyone after much too long! It has been ten years and we had a lot of catching up to do!! The Lord allowed our family to provide some special music for the service. Mrs. Polly, the Pastor's wife, is still playing the piano.

And this is Pastor Ammons. He is a sweet and precious man. I wish everyone could know him.

There was a fellowship following the service so we enjoyed doing most of our catching up down there.

Sherry was cuttin' watermelon. Doesn't it look yummy?

We had a great time at the homecoming and enjoyed seeing everyone so much! I'm thrilled that we were able to make it this year.

~~~~~~

We had our special Graduation service Sunday night. As always, it was wonderful seeing the graduates and hearing what they feel the Lord has for them to do in the future. It's been wonderful seeing Mrs. Debbie fill in on the organ when Mrs. Joy can't be there. I've enjoyed getting to know Mrs. Debbie I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.

Brother Johnathan has been doing an excellent job with the orchestra. Here lately they have been the best I've heard. And Sunday night they were fantastic!

Our "front porch" boys are growing in number, for sure! Brother Gary, Jordan, and Brother Zoltan are our newest members over there. They're doing a great job.

Missy is doing the signing for our deaf ministry.

Then it was time to honor our graduates. We begin with K-5 and go up to college. We had four k-5s moving up this year.

Brother Mark graduated this year. His brother just got married a couple weeks ago and he will be tying the knot, himself, here in a couple of months. We love Brother Mark and are excited about his future.

Next was our high school graduates. James graduated from Southern Eagle Academy Home School. He received his diploma Sunday night, along with some other awards from his home school. He would like to study architecture after taking a year at Bible college, Lord willing.

Clayton graduated from ABeka Home School. Clayton said he is going to keep doing exactly what he's doing now until God directs him somewhere else.

Raven graduated from Crest High School and would like to pursue a career in dentistry.

Our college graduates were Brother Bradley Richard and Brother John O'Malley IX. Brother Bradley was working with his future father in law in New Jersey, so he missed our service, but he graduated from Ambassador Bible College and we're proud of Brother Bradley. He's a wonderful young man and I know God is going to use him in many ways. He already does.

Brother John graduated from Golden State Baptist College in Santa Clara, California. He will be returning to further his education in Christian ministry. We are very proud of Brother John also and know he's going to continue to do a great job. I know God has something special for him too. He is very enthusiastic about going back to school.

The youth choir always takes part in this service, so we heard from them. Justin sang the lead on I've Got My Mind Made Up.

I cry everytime Clayton gets up to sing. Getting up in front of people is definitely out of his comfort zone, but in the last year, since he's been saved, he does a few things out of his comfort zone, once again showing us what God can do when you let Him take control of your life.

Love to hear Matthew sing. He's always been a quiet young man, and always a blessing.

We heard from Daughters of Faith. They sang I'd Rather have Jesus. What a beautiful song!

We got to hear testimonies.

We also heard from an ensemble. Parker played the piano while they sang Sheltered By His Grace. A song they first introduced at last year's graduation service. It sounded just as wonderful Sunday night as it did last year. Wonderful words and so fitting.

I've been sheltered by His grace, kept in a safe place, surrounded by the prayers of those who've always sought his face...

And in a world of shifting sand, I can hold on to their hands...

for they've guided me in how to run this race...

and as the years go on, I'll be sheltered by His grace.

As they sang, the Lord moved on people to say thank you to those that have been prayer warriors in their lives.

Aunt and niece...

Fathers and daughters...

Bus ministry teen and teacher...

Father and son...

and friends...

Vintage Faith sang also. Love to hear them!

After they sang, Pastor preached a very good message! One I needed to hear for my own self and one that reached out to the lost. After he preached he gave a charge to each of the high school graduates. And then had all of the graduates come forward with their families, the preachers in our church, and the deacons, for a special time of prayer.

After the service the youth group went to the new building's banquet hall for a time of fellowship with the grads.

Each of the high school graduates had a display table. This one is Raven's.

This one is Clayton's. His mom had a video picture montage going on his table. He was such a cute little fella when he was younger.

And this table belonged to James. I loved that MEMORIES frame! I got tickled because they all had jars on their tables for different "funds." I thought that was cute.

We had a good time of fellowship at the after glow and then it was time to go home and crash

~~~~~~

On Monday I set up for a photo shoot with Raven. We did some of her in her cap and gown.

And then we went out around town and grabbed some shots. They all turned out really good, I thought. She's a sweet girl and I had a good time with her.

~~~~~~

On Tuesday I cleaned the house I clean and then the kids and I spent the better part of the afternoon at my brother's house eating pizza and hot dogs, playing Phase 10, and swimming in his pool. It was a wonderful, relaxing time, and I enjoyed it very much!

Tomorrow I will be going to spend most of the day with my mom. I plan on starting a new project over there for her. She has a brick wall and hearth that her fireplace sits on and I'm going to prime it tomorrow. Then in a few days I'll start painting it. This will be interesting, no doubt! But I'm looking forward to it.

And thus concludes this very long post. Hope y'all had a great weekend too!!

Of Busy Weekends and EMT Pinnings

2011-06-01T09:37:00.003-04:00

It's going to be a busy weekend!
The children are at mom's house today. Harrison is going to hang out with her while Justin takes Hannah on some errands. I'm doing laundry and getting ready to run to the post office to mail tests and other things.
Oh yes, tests....Hannah and Harrison finished their testing and so we now have a high school junior and a sixth grader. AHhhhh
Tomorrow, I will, most likely, be helping set up for the SIGMA Banquet, which is this Saturday, then a trip to Clover with my friend, Rebecca, and then a graduation in Blacksburg, which I totally forgot about until I was typing this. Shhh, don't tell her. It's going to be a run-run day tomorrow!! lol
Friday is packed with my usual Friday things. Groceries, gassing up the car, running errands.... And then Saturday we'll be cleaning house and getting ready for the banquet.
On Sunday, we will be attending the homecoming at our former church, Liberty. We're looking forward to seeing the people there and having a time of fellowship with them. Then Sunday night is our graduation service. We take time to honor our graduates before the preaching. It's always a great service. And then we'll have a reception for the high school graduates with the youth group.
Congratulations, Raven, Clayton, and James. We look forward to seeing what you do next!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Justin was pinned last night for his EMT. I didn't get to go. But someone took pictures, so here's a few.

Good job, Justin! Keep up the hard work. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It looks like some doors are opening for him to do something for the Lord this summer. We're praying about it with him. He's been praying about it for a year or so now. He "laid out his fleece" for June 6th. So keep him in your prayers and we'll see what happens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Judges 6:37-40, "Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if
the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then
shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it
was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and
wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto
God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let
me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only
upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that
night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the
ground."

Lest We Forget

2011-05-31T10:39:00.002-04:00

We had a great Memorial Day weekend.
*Spent some time around the lake on Saturday.
*Took a meal and visited with a friend who just had major surgery.
*Enjoyed a graduation party for a young man in our church.
*Two great services at church on Sunday, followed by a meal at Don's Italian with mom.
*And for Memorial Day, we grilled out hamburgers and spent the day just being a family. It was so nice just chillin' at home with the kids and my hubby. Bruce had to go to work Monday night, but we were able to spend the day together and it was a blessing. We just kicked back and enjoyed each other's company. It was a lazy day, really.

Our Pastor took a few days vacation with his family last week so Brother Johnny filled the pulpit. He is a fantastic Associate Pastor and I love to hear him preach.

Sunday morning he preached "Lest We Forget." His text was from Mark 14:1-9. Unless there is a memorial, there will be no Independence. Freedom is cherished by those who have it and coveted by those who do not.
A memorial is that which preserves the memory of something and there are five things we must remember and do....
1) We must remember the sacrifice that was sufficient. Soldiers gave their lives for this country. Christ gave His life as the ultimate, eternal sacrifice.
2) We must respond to the summons that was sent. A military draft, a call, a command, was or is sent out to soldiers to fight for this country. While we, as Christians, are also drafted, called, and commanded to be soldiers for the cross.
3) We must renounce "self" and surrender to Him. We need to break the box of our pride and selfish will.
4) We must remain in the service that is satisfying. You may not be able to do it all, but you can always do all that you can do.
When we make a memorial for what Christ has done, He will make a memorial for what we have done.

Quick Post...

2011-05-28T14:14:00.003-04:00

Justin has been doing some fishing with his friends lately and it's become one of his favorite hobbies, I think. When he called today to say that they were going to be at a lake just up the road, Bruce and I decided to drive up and snap some pictures of them fishing. When we got there he was pulling this "little" carp out of the water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been a good Saturday. Been busy with laundry, making a dinner to take to a friend who just had surgery, walking around the lake with Bruce, enjoying the ducks and the birds and wild flowers, and then later we'll be attending a Graduation party for a young man in our church. Looking forward to that.

Hope y'all have had a great Saturday and are looking forward to a day in the Lord's house tomorrow.

What Day of the Week Do You Worship?

2011-05-25T13:20:00.010-04:00

Before I forget, I put the wrong link up for Hannah's birthday pictures. You can click here, hopefully, and should be able to view them now. Sorry 'bout that. And now on to today's post...

I read a question the other day asking who changed the Sabbath? I really don't know the answer to that question. However, that question got my mind to wondering if worshiping on Sunday is wrong and whether or not God is pleased or displeased with Sunday worship.
I honestly don't know when we, Christians, went from worshiping on Saturday to worshiping on Sunday, but I've been reading about Jewish law and came to the conclusion that no, God is not displeased with Sunday worship. Here is why I think this...
There were/are two types of Jewish law. Moral and ceremonial.
If it is RIGHT or WRONG and is the law written on the heart and conscience of man, then it's considered moral law.
If it's an arbitrary matter without being RIGHT nor WRONG, but a good object lesson on a ceremony, then it's considered ceremonial law.
In Exodus 20, "Thou shalt not steal" is something written on the heart and conscience of man. However, the part about the Sabbath and the kind of altar to be used for sacrifice is ceremonial.
You can't go by just the Old Testament. You have to rightly divide the Scripture, Old Testament and New Testament alike. In the New Testament, there are commandments represented from the Old Testament. These are the ones that are written on our hearts and minds and these are the moral Law. These are the law that God expects us to still adhere to today.
Most people will take for granted that the ten commandments are all moral law. We've taken them out of their original context and memorized them in church settings, such as Sunday school, but the truth is, the ten commandments are a summary of the Mosaic law, both ceremonial and moral. Truth be told, the Bible does not tell us that the ten commandments are any more inspired than any rest of the Old Testament. The entire Bible is the WORD of God and is equally inspired from Genesis to Revelation. To use something someone else pointed out, "The rest of Exodus 20 is as much the Word of God as that part of the chapter which states the ten commandments."
The ceremonial laws had spiritual meaning. They were given to help Jews separate from other people. They had important symbolism, but were given as arbitrary command.
Romans 2:1-16 says that God will judge the heathen who have never heard the Gospel, on the basis of their own consciousness of sin against the moral law, their own conscience bearing witness. They won't know or have a conscience about not observing the Sabbath or eating pork, or circumcising their sons. But the moral law of not killing, stealing, honoring their parents, etc, are written on their hearts and conscience and deep inside of them they'll know they are doing wrong if they do those things.
Those laws that are equally enforced in the New Testament as they are enforced in the Old Testament are moral law and God's morals never change. When you see in the NT where they list all these sins mentioned in the OT also, the sabbath is never mentioned. Why? Because it was ceremonial law, not moral law. God wanted us to take a day out of the week and put everything else aside to do nothing but worship Him. He said to remember it. Too many times we forget the things of God and what brought us to where we are today. We allow life in general to get in the way of a day set apart to just worship Him. Even some modern churches have shut down their evening services for more "family time." The day set apart to God is HIS time. We should be serving Him through that day as a family. That's the best family time there is.
I prefer the Sunday worship, myself. It's what I've always known and there's nothing wrong with that. The majority of Christian churches will have their services on Sunday and I feel better being in His house with His people at my designated time and place.
Another reason I know God is not displeased with Sunday worship is because I worship on Sunday and He is there in a very real and very powerful way. I have felt His Holy Spirit move in our services and have seen Him convict and win lost souls. If Sunday worship were wrong, I don't think He would bother showing up to meet us there.

Colossians 2:16-23 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath day. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom, in will, worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."

Friendly

2011-05-24T08:52:00.006-04:00

Click here for pictures from Hannah's Sweet Sixteen. We had a great time. Thank you, to everyone that made her night special.

Friendly:

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there
is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

Proverbs 18:24

Another Senior

2011-05-20T10:29:00.002-04:00

I had a senior session with Clayton yesterday. It was a lot of fun. He's a good sport, let me tell ya. I got some great shots of him and we'll be doing another session soon. I'm looking forward to that one as well.
Clayton was saved within the last year and a half and I can tell you that since then he has become one of the finest young men I know. I just well up with tears sometimes knowing what God has done in his life. I love this kid! He's a hard worker, has a great sense of humor, and I think he'll do well with his life.

Only God Knows

2011-05-18T16:00:00.007-04:00

ATTITUDE

"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is
like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

Proverbs 25:28

Mom gave Harrison some laminated cards on a key ring that belonged to daddy. Each one has a different word with a verse that goes with it. So he's been studying and learning those words and verses. I thought I'd start sharing them with y'all too.

We've had a good week so far. Hannah's party went well this past Saturday. There were eighty-three people that showed up and we had a really good time! I have pictures, but to be honest, I haven't even looked at them on my camera, much less loaded them to my computer. I've been so busy editing senior pics for James I just haven't had time. But now since I'm through with that I'll post her party pictures soon. We had plenty of food and drinks and I loved Hannah's music playlist. I love that she enjoys Godly singing and instrumentals.

Today is her actual birthday. She and I spent most of the morning and afternoon shopping. We had lunch at Fatz and then did a little more shopping before heading home. She found some cute things and so did I.

Brother Ben Mayo and his family were at our church again tonight. They've visited a few times recently and they are always a blessing. Pastor always gets him to sing and tonight was no different, except that his son and daughter sang with him. They were so good and we received a blessing from them. I hope we see more of them.

Pastor Goodman preached a good message tonight and then after his message he had some things to say about this man predicting the end of the world on Saturday, May 21, at 6:00. This guy is crazy. But without going into all the things he is wrong on Scriptually, Matthew 24:36 says, "But of that day and hour knoweth NO MAN, no, not the angels of Heaven, but MY FATHER ONLY." There is nothing in the Bible that reveals the Lord's coming. But He could come tonight and He could come Thursday or even Friday.

Are you ready?

Daughters

2011-05-15T15:07:00.004-04:00

Brother Daniel taught our Sunday School class this morning. His text was from Psalm 144:12, "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:"

Although this thought can be put to our sons, I wanted to focus on our daughters, in particular, about the latter part of this verse. "...that our DAUGHTERS may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace:"

A cornerstone is a very important part of the foundation of a palace, or any structure, that is. The rest of the structure depends on the cornerstone so it must be strong. When I looked up the word, cornerstone, I found it interesting that over a period of time, the cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry. It would be put in a prominent location with an inscription on it, indicating the construction dates and the name of the master builder.

In Ephesians 2:20, Jesus Christ is the CHIEF Cornerstone. He is the foundation of His church. Without Him, the church will collapse.

I've read Psalm 144:12 many times, but for whatever reason never made the connection of our daughters being as cornerstones as Christ is the Chief Cornerstone and our daughters are to be Christ-like.

I love my daughter more than any other girl on the face of the planet. Although she and I are becoming friends as she grows older, I still have a responsibility to be her mother and teach her right from wrong. We have plenty of time to be friends when she's an adult. But right now I have to be her mom, polishing her as a cornerstone to be set in place for those around her. Those that build on to her, such as her friends, her children, her grandchildren...their spiritual well-being depends on her spiritual well-being and what I make of it. It's too late when they're grown to start teaching them. It's when they are in the crib that these lessons should begin. It should not be a question to our daughters if we're going to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday prayer meeting. It should not be a question to our daughters whether or not we're going to revivals or special meetings. It should not be a question to our daughters whether or not they should go "here" or do "that." It should not be a question to our daughters whether or not they should wear "this" or have "these" friends. As Christian parents, these are things we are responsible for training our daughters very early on in their lives.

Hannah will be sixteen on Wednesday. Not quite an adult yet. But she still has some polishing left. I could allow her to start making her own decisions. She's a good girl. She has good friends. But she's still only sixteen. And she still needs guidance if she is going to be a strong cornerstone. If I left her alone and did not tend to her spiritual needs as a young girl, then when she is older it becomes too late and much more difficult for her to become a strong Christian.

There are two cornerstones that can relate to our daughters. One is dirty and smudged, cracked and broken. If it is not tended to, its palace will eventually begin to collapse around it. The other is clean and shining, with the Master Builder's name of Christ visibly seen for all who pass by. It is strong and stable and will stand the test of time for many who come to its palace.

As mothers, we should continuously be polishing our daughters and chiseling the name of the Master Builder upon their hearts.

I earnestly pray that Hannah will be a strong cornerstone and that all who witness her behavior and see her testimony will not see "her," but Christ. Anything other than Christ makes a very weak foundation.

Of Senior Pictures and More Sweet Sixteen Stuff

2011-05-11T17:08:00.006-04:00

Justin and I took James, a young man in our church, out and about town today for his senior pics. We had a good time and I'm looking forward to showing him all of his great pictures.

James is a good kid. He's working hard at the mission where Justin's first job was and is also involved in our bus ministry. He is a crazy...but we love him. LOL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hannah decided on a meal for her Sweet Sixteen party, so I ordered the meat and I'll be cooking the rest, along with the help of my mother-in-law, who graciously offered to make her delicioius potato salad. Bruce's cousin's daughter is making her cake and I'll be picking that up tomorrow, along with some shopping with Hannah, taking her to the beautician to get her hair trimmed, and then home again, home again, jiggity jig!

Now it's time to get ready for church and enjoy some time of singing, preaching, and fellowship with God's people.

A Tuesday Funny

2011-05-10T13:26:00.003-04:00

The house was quiet last night when we heard Bruce speak up and say, "Hannah, the city of Oz called. They want their socks back."

Mother's Day Weekend

2011-05-09T19:34:00.003-04:00

Our Mother's Day weekend was special. Bruce decided to have our mothers over for a cookout on Saturday. He grilled the BEST steaks. They were delicious. He had baked potatoes with all kinds of fixin's, salad, rolls, and dessert. He pretty well thought of everything.
We bought our moms, each, a new Willow Tree angel for their collections along with some other little gifts we thought they'd like. Mom's angel was listening to a sea shell and Marie's was holding a little boy in her arms. They're really pretty.
I can't remember what Bruce said to crack his mom up, but I loved this sweet picture of them.

And here's one of me and my mom. Doesn't she look pretty in her pink and black?

It was a great time celebrating the lives of our moms and what they mean to us.

When they left, Bruce and I went to an Antique mall we heard about. I enjoyed looking at everything, but nothing really jumped out at me. Bruce found a book there that made him happy. We also went to a book store he likes to frequent. We had planned on going out on a date Saturday night, but both of us had stayed up way too late on Friday night. I think it was after 4:00 in the morning that we finally ended up going to bed. So we went home for a late nap and spent the rest of the evening enjoying some family time.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday was wonderful. Pastor brought the message on how you never really hear the names of women mentioned in the genealogies, but there were five women mentioned in Matthew 1's genealogy he wanted to preach about. It was so good and what a great message of how God's grace overcame impossible situations in their lives. There was a woman saved before the preaching began and a man saved during the invitation. Praise the LORD!

Mom invited us to eat Sunday dinner at a local Asian restaurant. We enjoyed the food and fellowship, and we ran into a family we just love, who told us about the great service they had at their church. Isn't it good to know that Christ can do His work among His people, even when one group is in Shelby and the other in Kings Mountain? That's how God works!

The evening service was good too. We were able to see three baptized and it was a blessing and joy to see them make that open profession of faith and statement to follow Christ.

I love being a mom and I love my babes! They gave me a necklace and earring set they had made for me, and some other little goodies. And Bruce gave me a gift card to my favorite clothing store. We never, EVER go out on Sunday nights after church because Bruce works third shift and likes to come straight home and chill before he has to go in. But he wanted to make up our date night and took me to Dairy Queen for a burger basket and blizzard out on the DQ patio. The weather was nice and we ran into a lot of people we know from our church and a few other churches in the area. It was great time.

I hope all you great moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day like I sure did.

Lots and Lots of Pictures!

2011-05-06T01:54:00.012-04:00

Today is Mother's Day. I hope all of you wonderful mothers had a good day with your children. I know I did. We had a cookout yesterday with our moms and honored them. And then today we went out to eat with my mom after church. Two souls were saved in church this morning and we're baptizing some tonight. I'm looking forward to that!!

Just wanted to share some pictures of the last couple of weeks. There's a good many of them.
The next couple of weeks I'll be busy taking pictures of two seniors, planning Hannah's Sweet Sixteen party, which is this coming Saturday, and several others things on my agenda. Everything is pretty well set for Hannah's party, I just need to get busy on the food end of things. Speaking of food...the pictures begin with my devil's food chocolate cupcakes and malted eggs. I love malted candies. These looked "sweet" nested a-top the cupcakes too.

My mother-in-law enjoyed one.

This was Easter weekend. We had dinner at mom's house. It was fantastic!!

My sister-in-law Jenny and my beautiful niece, Jessica. I love them.

Jessica graduates from the police academy this week. My brother, John and Bruce, were playing with her fake gun.

This was the combined choir at the Zion Hill youth revival. They sounded spectacular!

Daughters of Faith sang that night. I love to hear them sing, There is a Remedy. Beautiful words to that song, if you've never heard it.

Some shoutin'!

The Simpson family....I loooooOOOOOooooove them!

Brother and Sister Spears. They sang a song I have never heard before and I would really love to hear it again and find out where it came from. They were such a sweet couple.

Preacher #1 that night was a young man that started in fourth gear and finished in fourth gear. He was something! His sister got saved after LeAnna gave a testimony about her salvation. You never know when someone is going through the same thing you struggled with that led up to your salvation.

The second preacher up was Brother Spears. He was fantastic! Would love to hear more from him. I hope we see him often in some different meetings.

Here are some pics from the Crossroad's Rescue Mission Jubilee. When all else fails...when you've been let down...JESUS IS ENOUGH! And He sure was the week of Jubilee!

Gotta have KFC buckets for the offering under an old fashioned tent!

Some silly people I saw at the meeting....

Lots of fellowshipping and playing with babies.

And let's not forget the Sun Drop. MMmmm!

Precious times....

A shoutin' time!!

A humble time....

A testimony time.

We heard some great singing that week from the Rochester Family....

The Crossroad's Rescue Mission men choir...

Vintage Faith Bulegrass....

Faith Baptist Youth Choir...

Daughter's of Faith....

Missy and Amanda...

Brother Compton....

And others, but I can't remember their names. LOL

The singing was really good. But the best part of the meeting was the preaching. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! Several precious souls were saved during the week of jubilee. I thank God for that!

My favorite preacher of the week was my very own Pastor.

Brother Williamson lets. it. fly, boy! I'm tellin' ya!! He's really good.

My niece took this pic of our family Easter Sunday. Harrison dislocated his knee the week before, hence his leg being bent.

My mom loves her hats and doesn't she look precious in this one? If you'll look at the pictures above her, that's my daddy on the top right. This was his first Easter in Heaven. We missed him, but praise God we know we'll see him again.

I Like Him!

2011-05-05T22:48:00.003-04:00

I never heard of Herman Cain until tonight. Watching him on the Republican Presidential Debate, on FOX News, I really liked his answers. He seems to be very smart in business, a solid family man, and genuinely concerned about this country. He had some great ideas concerning taxes, gas, and the general direction of our country. I have to agree with another voter that said he did not sound like a politician. I think that's a good thing. I'm sick of hearing from politicians. Can I get a witness?

There were about thirty GOP voters in a room that watched the debate together. After the debate, they were asked to raise their hands if they walked in with Herman Cain as their choice of candidates BEFORE the debate. Only one person raised their hand. Then they were asked to raise their hands if Herman Cain was their choice of candidates AFTER the debate. All, but about five people raised their hands. So I think he made a pretty big impression. It will be interesting to see how he does in the polls.

I'm putting his picture in my sidebar for now because I really like him so far. No one has my vote yet, but he sure is at the top of my list!

Calvinism Is Not the True Gospel

2011-05-04T09:50:00.008-04:00

I've "bumped" into a few people that believe in predestination and election recently. One is a blog I've been reading for a while. I don't usually "blog surf" without referrals, but when I ran across this blog I liked what I read...at first. We held the same ideas on wifely submission, home schooling, how we dress, etc. But then one day she quoted a verse from the ESV, which I knew was a preferred version of the Calvinist. Since it "just so happens" we had been discussing Calvinism in SS and the dangers of its doctrine, my antennas went straight up. Remember the old episodes of Lost in Space when we were kids? I was suddenly hearing the voice of the robot shouting, "Danger Will Robinson! Danger!!"

By the way, The King James Bible is not a "version." Something that is a version of something else is not the same. Things that are different, are not the same. Keep that in mind when you claim you're KJ"B" only. :)

Anyway, we've actually gone over the whole Calvinist thing in SS recently, and Brother Ken RIGHTLY divided the Word of God and broke it down as to why it is wrong to believe in predestination and election.

God is an all-knowing God. Of course He knew when He created man that sin would enter into the world. This did not take Him by surprise. But He wanted love and obedience to be our choice. He did not want us to be puppets on His puppeteer stage. He wanted us to love and obey and accept Him from our hearts. He knew that there would be those that would accept Him and, sadly, those that would deny Him. We are predestined to love and obey and accept Him, because that's how He made us and what He desires from us. But it is up to us whether or not we choose to love and obey and accept Him.

He also knew that the blood shed of animals would not forever atone for man's sin so He sent His Son, the spotless Lamb of God, His only BEGOTTEN Son, for a final sacrifice.

If we were already predestined and elected the way Calvinists believe, what would be the point of Christ leaving the splendor and glory of Heaven to die on the cross for ALL men? By the way, "ALL" means "all." And what would be the purpose of the Holy Ghost convicting the heart of man to salvation?

When He died, rose again, and ascended into Heaven, He left with us, His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God moves with compassion on the lost. Anyone who has ever been born into this world enters into a state of eternal death. They are lost and on their way to Hell. This is why it is so important to train our children and to lead them in righteousness. But it is also just as important to tell others, as we are commanded to do so.

Luke 14:23 says to "...GO out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be full." Do you know what the world "compel" means? It doesn't mean to "ask nicely." It means to "force." In other words, GO out into the highways and hedges and FORCE them to come in, that my house may be full. Now, if you believe the Lord will just fall on someone and that's how it happens you've been deceived. We have to tell others about Him. They must hear the Word.
Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by HEARING and hearing by the WORD OF GOD."
We must also have a vision for the lost soul. Proverbs 29:18a, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
Matthew 28:19 "GO ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." To teach is to impart knowledge, to instruct by precept, example, or experience. If it's just all up to God, why does He tell us to GO and to TEACH others?

Why are we to compel (force) them and why are we to teach (impart knowledge to) them?
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness: but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance. Again, "any" means "any" and "all" means "all."
"Repentance", meaning a turning away from their sin. When we are walking in darkness and turn away from the darkness to the Light, we walk straight into the arms of the Savior.

The Calvinist doctrine, in my opinion, is a very egotistical and arrogant doctrine, and one that is sending many people to Hell.

A clear presentation of the gospel is simply to follow the Roman's Road to salvation.

Romans 3:23 "For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God." None of us are better than anyone else. Even if we have lived a "good life" according to man's standards, we are still under the bondage of sin and fall short of God's glory.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Sin entered the world in the garden, and for that sin, man was sentence to an eternal death. But a gift from God was given to us when Jesus Christ died on the cross. He was HOLY and SINLESS and shed His blood as a sacrifice for our sin, taking upon Himself the sin of the world so that we could escape eternal death and enter into eternal life, upon accepting Him as our Savior and King.

Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." When Christ died on the cross, He paid for ALL sin. When He paid for that sin, He made a way for us to be free from the bondage of sin and death.

Romans 10:13 "For WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord, SHALL BE SAVED." There is not one person on the face of this earth that is worthy of salvation. However, God made us worthy and no matter who we are or where we are, if we will call upon Him, He will save us.

Romans 10:9&10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made known unto salvation." The first step is to admit you're a sinner. The second step is to know in your heart and believe that Christ is the only way to Heaven and the third step is to simply confess to Him that you believe that He is the only Christ and the only way to Heaven and ask Him to save you.

Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If ANY man hear my voice, AND OPEN THE DOOR, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." The Holy Spirit will knock on the door of our hearts. It is up to us whether or not we will open that door for Him. If we choose to keep the door shut, we will spend eternity in Hell. If we choose to open the door and allow Him entrance, we will spend time with Him in fellowship and eternity with Him in Heaven.

Believe in Him

Ask Him to come into your heart, by faith

Read the gospel of John and what God says about Jesus, about you, and about being born again.

Look for a local church where God's WORD is preached. When we get saved, we are like newborn babies desiring the milk of its mother. And the only way we will grow is by being fed the Word of God.

Be baptized. Baptism does not determine salvation, but it is a public profession of your decision to follow Christ. It is an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment.

John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.

A Family Update

2011-05-03T13:07:00.009-04:00

WOW! I can't believe this home school year is coming to an end. This is blowing my mind. It has been ONE year, I'm tellin' ya. I just realized it is already the month of May and I haven't even ordered my kid's end of grade testing. I need to do that this week. Fortunately, the company I use will have it to me next week, then we test a week, and then they'll have the scores to me by the end of the third week. I like how fast they work and get your results to you.

Harrison's reading lesson today came from an old book that belonged to my dad when he was a child. There was a little Sunday School story card on the inside that was dated January 13, 1952. Daddy would have been six years old then. The back was yellowed and there was a smudge mark on it. I don't know if he put that mark there or not, but it's a sweet thought to think of him doing that. LOL And there are pages where you fill in the blanks after reading the chapters. His handwriting didn't change much over the years. Just got a little smaller and a little neater. But it's definitely his handwriting.

Hannah will be a junior next year. AHHHHHHH! I can't believe my baby is getting that old. She'll be sixteen in a couple of weeks. We're in the process of planning her sweet sixteen party. She wanted things very simple. Just different shades of purple and silver. So the decorations will be easy. We just haven't decided on the food yet.

Here's a picture of her invitations I did on a program Bruce bought me several years ago. I thought it turned out nice. Obviously I blacked out our phone number and where it will be held. Wouldn't want strangers showing up. That would be awkward. lol

Justin is working for a company here in our home town, still hoping to get on at a fire department soon. It's a little discouraging for him, but he was able to help with a lady at work the other night when she was about to pass out. So he got to put a smidgen of his training to use. Then someone where he worked called the employer and told them about Justin. They sent him a message about how good it was to have him working for them. That meant a lot to him.

Bruce has been working six days a week. I've missed his mug around here. Praise the Lord he has a job!! So many in these parts do not. He was going to take a second shift position, but the Lord just wouldn't give him peace about it so he's staying on third. He's been sick lately but seems to be on the mend.

I've been sick too. I don't necessarily "feel" sick, but my allergies have overtaken my vocal chords and I can't get anything out!! It's ok, though, my God still hears me when I pray and that's what matters. I did find a store today that sales bee honey just up the road from here. I'm hoping I can get Bruce to take me up there later to see if it is localized honey. That would be great. If it is, I should be talking again by tomorrow. It's been difficult trying to teach school lessons, but at least I can type or write down what I want them to do or what I want them to know. So it's all good. Just a little frustrating.

We have a LOT going on this month and next month. It is going to be SUPER BUSY!! A good busy...but super busy, none the less. Thank you again, for understanding about the comments being turned off. I just don't have time to mess with my emails and comment moderation at this time. When things slow down a bit around here I'll turn them back on. :)

Just for Laughs and a Little Thought Too

2011-05-02T12:53:00.005-04:00

I must admit that I was not as fascinated with the Royal Wedding as others have been seen to be and had no intention of posting anything about it, but then I saw this and got a little tickled. Thought y'all might like it too.

I'm part of a Royal Family. I'm the daughter of a King and I'm married to a prince. One of my friends said that the other day and I just had to use it for myself. Because it's true!!

Another friend, Mrs. Reva T, said this: The Real Royal Wedding, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteous of saints" Revelation 19:7-8

We may not have been invited to the Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but there is another Royal Wedding we are invited to attend. Upon accepting this invitation, we are changed from our unworthy attire that is dirty and stained from sin, into fine linen and washed clean and white by the precious blood of the spotless Lamb.

I'll not only be invited to attend, but I will be part of the bride!

Weekend Blessings

2011-05-01T23:27:00.005-04:00

Before we left for the youth meeting at Zion Hill this past Friday night I was praying for that meeting, but also for the meeting going on with Crossroad's Rescue Mission and that the Lord would certainly show Himself there as well as Zion Hill.

We had such a good time going up to Zion Hill. The kids talked about all the youth meetings they've been submerged in, their favorite preachers, and they sang all the way up. Sang while we were at the youth meeting, testified, glorified, and praised the Lord. They enjoyed a time of fellowship after the meeting and then it was an even better ride home. They were still singing, they were still praising the Lord, and they were still talking about their favorite preachers. Only this time, they had added one to the list, which was Brother Spears that preached that night. He certainly made an impact on them. Another blessing I got was, we have spent a LOT of time in youth meetings and revivals lately. We haven't done a lot of "fun" things with the youth this year. But Pastor Goodman asked them if they had anything fun they wanted to do and their answer was to go back to the cabins and have our own little camp meetings. Last year it was unbelievable the things that happened at the cabins. And it blessed my heart to hear them say they wanted to do that again. They could have said putt putt, bowling, hiking, anything...but they want to have camp meeting time at the cabins. Now that's a blessing!

When we were at the Mother Daughter banquet last night I found out just how good the meeting at Crossroad's Jubilee went too. It was one of those things you hear and wish you could have been in both places at one time. The preacher that was preaching that night preached on servitude. Then brought Brother Rocky up, had him sit down, and washed his feet. Next thing you knew there were other preachers standing in line to do the same. They said Brother Rocky cried like a baby and they were shoutin' the tent down! What a way to end this year's jubilee!! When others turned their backs on him and the mission based on their opinion and not the WORD OF GOD, God turned it around and told Brother Rocky, "I'm not finished with you yet!" Praise the LORD!

Someone had quoted a verse the other day and it's kind of been the theme verse in my head for the mission all week. Acts 5:38-39 "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God."

I have never heard or seen of God losing any fight. And He is certainly not losing this one. Praise the LORD!

Youth Meeting

2011-04-30T00:58:00.003-04:00

We took our youth choir to Zion Hill Baptist Church in Marion tonight and the only word I can say to describe it is "good."

They had a combined youth choir with all of the churches that came for the meeting and then our youth choir sang, followed by the Daughters of Faith, the Simpson family, and Brother Spears and his wife. LeAnna was able to give her testimony of salvation and it pricked the heart of another girl in the congregation and she came forward and got saved.

Her brother, an eighteen year old preacher boy, was about to shout the roof off. He was actually the first one to get up and preach. He did a good job and Harrison liked him a lot. Brother Spears was the second preacher that preached tonight. He was a member of the Hell's Angels when God got a hold of him. I could have listened to him preach and sing all night. The whole time he was preaching I was wishing a young man our family knows could hear what this man had to say. It was amazing! He was really good. He and his wife both had a really sweet spirit about them.

The church fed us a hot dog supper and then we traveled on back down the mountain. We had a great time. My heart is full from this week and I can't wait to hear what happened at the jubilee tonight.

We have our Mother-Daughter banquet tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to taking my girl and my mama. I know we'll have a good time. It's been a long week, but, boy, has it been refreshing!

Thursday Night Jubilee

2011-04-28T23:49:00.002-04:00

We had another great night at jubilee. With all of these storms that have been taking place, God has allowed each night to pass with no storms around us. We've had gentle winds keeping us cool. It's been wonderful.

We heard music from Brother Zorn's family tonight. They use to be a trio, but then one got married. :) I knew I had heard Brother Zorn before and then when I saw his family with him tonight I realized I had heard him at a camp meeting a few years ago. We heard from the Phillips family and the Price family also. I've never heard the Price family. They were a blessing. They seemed to have a sweet spirit.

Brother Bob Cato preached first. I always like to hear him. He preached from Revelation 22. And Brother Williamson preached from all over the Bible. I always like hearing him too and tonight was no exception. He preached on everything. Mainly to teenagers and parents. I wish every teenager and every parent could have been there to hear it. The good news from tonight? One young man accepted Christ. Praise the Lord!!

Before we knew about the jubilee meetings, we were already scheduled to take our youth choir to sing at a revival. So tomorrow night we'll be in another meeting. I'm looking forward to it. I don't know who's preaching, but I know it will be good. I always enjoy going to this church. They have some good services too.

But if you're in town and can make it, stop by the Crossroad's Rescue Mission Jubilee and on hwy 18. I know they'd love to have ya. Services start in the morning at 9:00 at the Faith Baptist Church on South Post Road and the evening service is at 7:00 under the Crossroad's tent on hwy 18. Dinner on the grounds before that if you're interested.

I received an email wanting to know why I had turned off my comments. I decided to do that for a while. I've been so busy I haven't had a whole lot of time for blogging, facebook, or any other playtime on the Internet. So it's just easier to blog and not worry about comment moderation. I'll open it back up once everything settles down around here. In the meantime, you'll just have to enjoy reading. :)

Third Night of Jubilee...Only Two More Left

2011-04-27T22:59:00.003-04:00

We had another great night at jubilee tonight. Last night we heard from Vintage Faith, and Missy and Amanda. Then we heard the Word from Kody Zorn. We knew it was going to be good when he broke out his harmonica and started playing and singing. He preached like a ball of fire and we really enjoyed him. I believe two people were saved last night.

Tonight our youth choir, Daughters of Faith, Missy and Amanda, and a man by the name of Chuck Compton sang. He sang one of my favorite songs, Did I Mention that I Love Him.

Several area churches had their Wednesday night meeting under the Crossroad's tent tonight. It was wonderful seeing a dozen or more pastors stand in support of the mission. Then Pastor Goodman preached on "Whatcha Givin' 'Em?" with his text from Acts 3. It was really good!! Love my Pastor. And the best part? Three more souls accepted Christ. That's a total of eight so far this week. Praise the Lord!

Jubilee will be going on Thursday and Friday morning at Faith Baptist Church on South Post Road and then again Thursday and Friday night under the Crossroad's tent on Hwy 18. Hope to see you there.

It's Jubilee Time!

2011-04-26T00:19:00.002-04:00

We had the first night of the Crossroad's Rescue Mission Jubilee Monday night. Our choir sang, the Rochester family was there, and we heard some great preaching.

The rescue mission has been hit with some hurt recently. Hurt that has been based on man's opinion instead of the Word of God. I believe tonight was an encouragement to Brother Rocky. He needed it.

The message was "It Ain't Over Until God Says It's Over." His text was from Rev 21:1-6. And the best part of the night was a young man in the youth group accepted Christ. He's coming to church with his uncle. And then there were others saved after the service. Not sure how many so I can't really give an accurate count. I know there was definitely one lady. And then two others raised their hands, but I'm not sure if they went forward. I would hope they didn't deny the Holy Spirit. How sad for them if they did!

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow night. Vintage will be there singing and then the preacher coming is a young fireball. It'll be good!!

Best quote from tonight:
"When you fall in love with Jesus, you'll stop your criticizing the work of the Lord."

A Beautiful Resurrection Day!

2011-04-25T00:18:00.006-04:00

We had a beautiful Resurrection Day. My niece came over before Sunday school. She's been attending our church and it's been a blessing. She's going through the police academy right now and will graduate in May. We're very proud of her.

Anyway, our day started out nice. The morning service was wonderful. Pastor Goodman preached a great message. The church building was so packed we were in "over flow" mode. Which is always a good thing, right? We had a couple join our church this morning and we are so blessed to have them as part of our congregation. Then tonight we had lots of singing and some popcorn preaching from the preachers in our church. It was phenomenal! Alters were full both services with hearts touched and changed for the better. I know mine was.

We've had seven saved this month at church, plus a couple saved at home. Resurrection Day was a new day for them this year!! Amen.

Although we have a wonderful man of God behind the pulpit at Faith that we love and trust, I don't want to give him glory for what's been going on at our church. He wouldn't want that either. I am convinced that without his humbleness and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit it would be different circumstances. But I do want to give GOD the glory for what we are seeing at our church. He is good. He is worthy of the praise.

This week our church will be supporting the Crossroad's Rescue Mission Jubilee. They've faced difficult times recently, but we are amazed at God's blessings He has poured out on the mission and the staff through it all. We are excited to take part and you are welcome to join us every night this week on Hwy 18 in Shelby. Just look for the Crossroad's Rescue Mission camp meeting tent! You can't miss it. There is some good music lined up and best of all, some terrific preachers!! Hope to see you there.

Good Friday

2011-04-22T12:33:00.000-04:00

KLM Contest Winner

2011-04-20T10:33:00.005-04:00

KLM had a contest back in March and Jessiee was the winner of that contest. We had her photo shoot yesterday and got some great shots. Jessiee goes to our church, she's a beautiful girl and Hannah and I had fun with her and her friend, Dustin.
I haven't edited or loaded all of her pictures yet, but here are a few and there are more loaded to KLM's facebook fan page.

Thanks for entering the contest, Jessiee. You were a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy your pictures.

Baby Love

2011-04-19T01:27:00.003-04:00

I took pictures of my great nephew Monday. I enjoyed it so much! He is such a little darling! How can you not love sweet little faces like this one? And those precious little toes, too?

*sigh* I love babies.

Harrison's Birthday

2011-04-15T14:09:00.007-04:00

Harrison turned eleven this past Monday. He was on pins and needles all day long. He wanted me to make tacos so I did that with all the fixin's and Spanish rice. His Maw Maw and Grandmother came over to help celebrate. He was excited because he knew he would be getting some birthday money to go with what he has been saving for his iPod Touch. He also wanted me to make his cake so I did. It was a double decker chocolate devil's food cake with chocolate icing, chocolate dollops, and chocolate sprinkles. That's what he wanted so that's what he got. He had his Maw Maw bring chocolate mint ice cream and banana split ice cream. He definitely has a sweet tooth. He inherited that from his dad, for sure! lol Anyway, when he gathered all his birthday money plus what he had been saving he had enough for his iPod. So Tuesday when I finished the house I clean I took him to pick it out. His daddy loaded it for him with some fun apps and videos and he's been having a ball with it ever since. As a matter of fact, his brother and sister have been having fun with it too. I'm glad you got the iPod you wanted, Harry. I'm proud of you for being so good at saving your money. You're awesome!! :)

Murfreesboro Trip, 2011

2011-04-13T16:29:00.012-04:00

For the past several years we have taken our youth to the camp meeting held at Middle Tennessee Baptist Church, where Brother Tony Hutson is the Pastor. Every year it is always a blessing and our youth group comes home fired up. This year was no different. They brought back a sweet spirit and four people were saved in our Sunday morning service with one saved in our evening service. Praise the Lord! We left our church around 9:00 am Thursday morning and headed up the mountain. It took about all day in the bus. Around thirty-five of us were able to go with around ten coming up Friday on a van. We had a great group. The bus did not get there in time for the Thursday service so we checked into our hotel, had some free time, ate pizza for supper, and had devotions. Three of our preacher boys took turns bringing the devotions and did an excellent job.

After devotions, the kids gathered around for prayer, asking God to open their hearts and fill them up during the meetings.

We celebrated Caleb's birthday. He and his family just moved back here from Alabama just in time to go to the meeting. His birthday was Thursday, so his mom had a giant birthday cookie to enjoy.

After the birthday celebration they were given free time again. A couple of the kids sat at a table testifying to one another. Then a few more came around and joined in. And then a few more, until almost all of them were crying and testifying. It was a beautiful time and I was so proud of them. Dana and I were watching from a distance and had some private, one on one chats later with a couple of them. It was such a blessing.

The Friday morning service went until around 11:45 and we were dismissed. We had lunch at a mall where the kids could choose what they wanted, then back to the hotel for free time and naps, and back to evening services which let out around midnight. We were EXHAUSTED Saturday morning. But they were all up, packed, and had the bus loaded by 8:30 am. Services started at 10:00 and we left after lunch on the grounds to come back home. We had a scary moment on the bus when we found out there were storms ahead of us. We did go through hail, but the Lord helped Brother Chris get us through it! We heard Eleven preachers in that short amount of time we were there and it was worth every single minute! We heard some of the best sermons up there! So here's some pics from the services.

People praying before services began....

Brother Spears, Brother Thomas, and Brother Hutson laughing at Pastor Goodman while he was preaching on being "cool." It was hilarious.

There was a lot of praising the Lord!!

We also heard some fantastic singing while we were there, from the choir and other groups.

I was thrilled to find out the Simpson family was going to be there. We heard preaching from Brother Simpson and got to hear their family sing several songs.

The music was really good, but the preaching was the best part! I didn't get all the preacher's pictures, but here are a few of the ones we heard. And did I mention the sermons were really good!??!

Of IFB Churches and Birthdays

2011-04-11T08:41:00.005-04:00

I only saw a portion of ABC's 20/20 episode on IFB churches. The portion I saw was about one church and a girl that had a pitiful story to tell. Not sure what the rest of the episode was about. But I found stupidity in the episode that they would link all IFB churches together with this one church, as some tyrannical cult. Can you say liberal media? IFB churches claim fundamentalism, meaning we stand on the fundamentals of the Bible. The "I" in IFB simply put is for Independent. Basically, that means we are not governed under sects, conventions, or committees. We are each our own. Just because a church claims to be IFB, doesn't mean we are all alike or do things like that one church. If the story I saw on 20/20's Saturday episode is true, they should have featured that church and that pastor all on their own instead of linking all IFB churches together like that. It was ridiculous. What a crock! And that's all I have to say about that. Except this...Someone had mentioned in Sunday School that a portion of the episode criticized us for believing the entirety of the Bible. I sure do believe that. But not because I am IFB. It is because I am a CHRISTIAN and believe the HOLY BIBLE is God's WORD! The Bible is true from beginning to end. Some will accept portions of it and some will accept all of it. That's up to the reader. There will come a day when everyone will realize that the King James Bible is the Holy, WORD of God. It is not man written. It is God-breathed, AMEN! And for those of us who are living right, doing right, and trying to live for the Lord, we don't have to like what is being said or done against us, but we can rejoice in knowing that God is on our side. Matthew 5: 10-13 "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On a more pleasant note, it is Harrison's birthday today. YAY! He is now eleven. Harrison is a great kid with a hilarious sense of humor. He keeps us in stitches sometimes. He is growing in the Lord and I am amazed at some of the things he says and some of the discernment he has in certain areas of right and wrong. I'm proud of him and the young man he has become so far. We will celebrate tonight by having the grandmothers over. He wanted tacos, Spanish rice, and chocolate cake. So I have to get busy on all of that soon. Happy Birthday, Harrison! I sure do love you a whole lot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We had a great time in Murfreesboro, Tennessee this past weekend at Brother Tony Hutson's church. I'll have a blog post and some pictures to share with you about that trip soon.

Of Revivals and French Press On Nails

2011-04-07T06:19:00.004-04:00

We took the teen choir to Brother Boone's church Tuesday night. Man, was it good! First of all, the kids did a fantastic job singing. It was like 200 kids were in the choir. I was so proud of all of them. The visiting evangelist was Brother Sam Delaney. He's preaches in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but he's originally from Ireland. Loved his accent! He preached on the three little pigs of Christianity. The Phifer Pig, the Fiddler Pig, and the Practical Pig. It was something else. I'd love to have that on DVD or CD. I got some pictures of the kids singing and I might post those when I have more time. After the service, Pastor had us drive the kids to Dairy Queen for some ice cream and fellowship. It was fun. Brother Mark had us rolling with some of his jokes and "Su Wong" was requested. So I did "Su" for some of the employees at DQ who got a crack up out of her. I have never gone to have my nails done. Can you believe that? I think I'm probably the only woman I know that hasn't. LOL But Mander bought some press on French nails and I thought they looked great so I decided to get me some too. I put them on last night and I have to say I don't like how they feel. It's so unnatural. They're pretty. They just don't feel right. I guess it'll take some getting use to because they're not popping off anytime soon, I'm afraid. I did exactly what the directions said to do and these things are GLUED ON! So like 'em or not, they're there. 'Bout the time I get use to them they'll start cracking and popping off. lol It's about 6:30am right now. The birds are just-a-singing outside. So sweet. Can you imagine how God would feel if we all woke up like that each morning? Psalm 98:1 "O sing unto the LORD, a new song, for he hath done marvellous things: His right hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory." I'm excited about this weekend. I'll fill you in more on that later. But yay, yay, yay!! It's gonna be a great weekend!!!

Staying Public

2011-04-04T20:33:00.005-04:00

We've had some steller services at Faith. Another person was saved in the morning service Sunday and it was wonderful. If it makes us this happy when someone gets saved, can you imagine what goes on in Heaven? The response to my April Fool's post was great. Y'all are good sports. I did have someone at church tell me they were near tears and when they got to the bottom they wanted to kill me. I'm sorry, Mrs. Carolyn. You know I love you. :) If I EVER have a bad day like the one in that post, I doubt I'll blog about it. Just sayin'.... I've also received some very kind comments and responses to Thimble Thoughts going private. After some pretty good reasons as to why I shouldn't go private I've decided to keep it public. To be honest, there are people in my personal life I really do not wish having access to my blog. Not to mention annonymous comments that are either, not very nice, or people trying to cause trouble. And then there are websites that like to critique blogs like mine. Blogs where people like to talk about all the "wacky" things IFB people do and say and how they live. And their response to *us* becoming upset over that fact is that, what we're putting on the Internet is out there for anyone to read so we shouldn't get upset when they talk about *us.* And you know what? They're right. We shouldn't. I mean...we're out there. It's up to us how much people know about us, our families, and our beliefs. So if we put it out there, why should we be upset when people talk about *us.* People will always find something to talk about. And if you hand it to them, you can't very well get upset. If you don't like it you have to take steps to change what information you give them or just learn to ignore it. When you're living for the Lord there will always be *that* crowd out there that doesn't understand. That's Bible for ya. There are Pharisees that will claim Christianity and yet they will do everything BUT live for Christ or they'll strive to do things to impress the people that do everything BUT live for Christ. It is easier to go with the flow of the world than it is to die to self and live for Christ. See, that's Bible too. The spirit is willing...but the flesh is weak. I recently found out about this site and while I was reading, I literally became obsessed with what was being said. I found what was being said about me. It wasn't too, too bad. Much nicer, I suppose, than what was being said about my other IFB bloggy friends. One person really surprised me, though. They claimed they knew me and said some very untrue things. And I have to admit that the people that brought Thimble Thoughts to *said site* in the first place started taking up for me. I mean one guy nailed it to the wall with something they said and that person, as far as I know, never came back to rebuttle. It was great. I'm sorry, that's my flesh speaking. Several things I read made me want to join and *GIVE THEM A PIECE OF MY MIND* for some of the things they were saying about my friends. Friends I know in real life and friends I know through blogging. But then I got to thinking...what good would it do? They feed their need to talk about *us* through angry fundamentalists. I was sharing something the Lord showed me to some of these bloggy friends that have been "eaten" up on this site and had read these things already themselves. For one thing I hoped to encourage them. And for another, the Lord showed me that *we* don't have to worry about them. HE will worry about them for *us.* Here's what I shared with my friends:

"2 John 1:8 says, "Look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." When you're dealing with the Internet, it is very easy to lose sight of those things we, as Christians, believe in and stand for. Not that it makes us weak, but some of the things out there don't exactly give us spiritual strength. *said site* being one of those places. If anything, I find my flesh becoming quite weak there. So it was good I disconnected myself from their site and plunged further into the Word and Christian blogs that uplifted, encouraged, and fed my spiritual needs. And I know that we are to be in the world and not of the world, but there's no reason for me to be on *said site*. I don't have to be there and I don't believe God wants me there either. It's kind of like walking into a bar to witness to the patrons, if that makes sense. Then reading over more of 2 John, verse ten popped out and reaffirmed that *said site* and all those other places like that aren't just bad, but they are a SIN to go to as well. LOL I know what you're thinking. A sin? Really? Yeah, a sin. Verse 10 says, "If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him NOT into your house, neither bid him God speed." Now, on that particular site you have Mormons, JWs, Catholics, athiests, agnostics, people that claim Christianity and just want to sow discord and such. And everytime I go to that site, I'm inviting them into my house!! And it is clear we are not to do that. But that's what I've been doing. And I had to ask forgiveness and ask the Lord to help my nosy-self stay off that stupid site."

If they come here to Thimble Thoughts, they are inviting me into their home, or wherever it is they may be at the time. If they want to read what I have to say, so be it. But just like I don't have to go to their website, they don't have to come to my blog. And they don't have to like what is said on my blog, just like I don't have to like what is said on their website. :) Now, do I have something against Mormons, JWs, Catholics, athiests, agnostics, people that claim Christianity and just want to sow discord and such? Not personally, no. How can I? I once walked in the same darkness they walk in today. I Corinthians 6:9a, 6:11 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?.... And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Hey, these people need prayer. These people truly need Jesus. I certainly can not speak for all of them, but I can tell you now, that *said site* has some bitter Christians and professed unbelievers on it that *we* are not to have fellowship with. The Bible does warn us of having fellowship with those that are not like minded and preach not the gospel *we* preach. I can be friendly to them. I just can't be FRIENDS with them. To you that have come here and are members of *said site* you are always welcome to be here, where the cause of Christ, the name of Christ, and the love of Christ will be high and lifted up and you will always be treated with mutual respect. To Sisters that have been mocked, abused, cursed, and hated by *said site* I want to encourage you to stay away from *said site*. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

May I PLEASE Start This Day Over????

2011-04-01T13:14:00.003-04:00

I sure wish I could turn the clock back a few hours and start this whole day over!!! It's only a little after 1:00 and I'm really wishing the day was completely over. It started with me waking up to Bruce coming in from work. In the wee hours of the morning Wednesday, he was at work when he gashed his arm open needing ten stitches. He's fine. But let me tell ya, it's gross. I couldn't be a nurse to save my life. Anyway, he comes in this morning from work and told me he had pulled his stitches out. Apparently his work glove was the culprit and his supervisor ended up taking him back to the hospital for restitching. Nice, huh? I got up shortly after making sure he was all right. He was. So I went to check on Harrison. Harrison was running a fever last night with sore throat, coughing, and sinus congestion. He was not feeling well at all. And this morning his fever had spiked to 103.5 and climbing. So of course I gave him Tylenol, along with his Robitussin medicine. After he takes it he tells me Bruce had already given him a dose of each before he went to bed. So within a matter of an hour he had two Tylenol and four tsps of Robitussin. Next thing I know he's sleeping heavily on the couch. I was a little worried about him, but he seems to be doing all right. Just sleeping it off, I guess. Hannah told mom she'd clean her house today so I took her over there. Mom's been out of town so needless to say I was shocked to find her door wide open and alarm going off. I called the police and they were on their way. Apparently I got there just when it happened. I saw someone running across her back yard and jump in a truck on the side road. They sped out of there but I called the police again to tell them know what happened. One police went their direction and another stopped in to check things out and take a report. I was afraid to leave Hannah there by herself but figured if the cops were hot on their trail, she should be all right. Plus she knows how to use mom's gun if she needs to and the officer said he would come by a few times today. I called to check on Harry. He was fine. Justin said he was still sleeping but ok. I told Justin not to leave him alone and to check on him periodically to make sure he was all right. Then I just sat in the car trying to regroup my thoughts. When I was finally ready to move on with the day I started backing out of the driveway. I saw Hannah waving to me on the front porch and I waved back. Next thing I know I've hit something. What was it you ask? Remember that police car that was hot on the thief's trail? Yeah....he stopped at mom's to let me know they caught the guy. I didn't see him pulling in the drive when I was backing up. I HIT THE COP CAR! I thought for sure I was going to jail. He was really nice about everything, but of course had to fill out ANOTHER report. By now I'm in tears. I just wanted to crawl in a hole and give up. And what was my husband going to say about the tail light on our car? Oh, and Hannah wasn't waving goodbye. She was trying to tell me about the cop car. Now that all of this was over I wasn't sure if I wanted to go grocery shopping or just go home and crawl back in bed. But onward and forward I went. As I'm on one side of the highway I see, on the other side of the highway, a truck pulled to the side of the road that looks just like Justin's truck. But no, I told him not to leave Harrison so that couldn't be him. I decided to stop at the house and check on Harry and sure enough....Justin's truck is gone. There was a note on the table saying Harrison was fine and that he had some errands to run before work. Harrison WAS fine, but now what about Justin. So I hop back into the car and head up the highway again. There was his truck, but he was no where in sight. I traveled on up to the next exit and found him walking toward the gas station. He had run out of gas. So we ended up having to buy a gas can and gas to fill his truck enough to get it to the gas station. Everything was fine. So after we were finished with his truck and he was on his way I went to the store. Now, this is where I'm near a total breakdown. Everything is going great in the store...that is until I pick up a jar of salsa and knock another jar off with my arm. It shatters and splatters all over the place. And now I have salsa all over my canvas tennis shoes. LOVELY! I get someone to help me and they insist on cleaning it up but I can tell they're a little miffed. Wouldn't you be? I finish my grocery shopping and head to the register. I pull out my coupons and don't you know that eleven out of seventeen coupons had expired??? *blush* I just know she thought I was trying to pull one over on her. After hearing my total I go to write a check and guess what? The checkbook is in Bruce's bill drawer at home. Are you kidding me????? Oh yeah. So I decide to put it on the credit card. Uhhhh....that ain't happenin' either. I used the credit card yesterday online and left it sitting on my table next to the computer. So I threw my hands up in the air and walked out of the store, crying all the way to the car. I sat in the parking lot for about twenty minutes sobbing. And this is where it gets comical. Everything, except Bruce getting stitches Monday and Harrison being sick last night has been a total fabrication in honor of April Fool's Day. I've actually had a great day and you've just been had! :)

In Need of a Little Privacy....

2011-03-31T18:34:00.005-04:00

....for a while, anyway. Thimble Thoughts will be going private in a few days. If you read my blog and would like to continue reading, please message me your email address and I'll send you an invite. If I understand how this works, you'll have to get a blogger account, sign in to read my blog the first time, but once you do that, you shouldn't have to do it again. Some of you that have your blog set to private, is that how it works? Bruce and I have discussed this over the few years I've blogged and I'm just now rounding the decision to do it. I'm sure people will ask why. I could go into great detail, but it really doesn't matter. The point is, it's a decision I've made and, not lightly, I might add. So if you're a close friend or family member, or someone I've known through blogging over the years, please message me your email address and I'll add you to the invitations. You can leave me a comment here with your address and I won't publish it. Thank you so much! :)

Grace

2011-03-28T00:02:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful time at the Women of Honor Ladies Conference at the Bright Light Baptist Church in Concord, North Carolina. The Pastor and his wife there are Brother Ronnie and Frances Simpson. We heard some of the finest speakers I've ever heard. Each one bringing something new to the table. They did not plan their lessons around each other, but God sure did plan them and they were fantastic. I know I brought some things home that will be with me for a very long time. The music was outstanding and the fellowship with my sisters in Christ was incredible. I can't wait for next year's meeting!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mrs. Rebecca has asked me several times to speak to her bus ministry class of teenagers. This Saturday I will be doing that. She asked that the subject be on grace, to go along with the lessons she has been teaching. If I have ever experienced grace it has certainly been within the last year. But I wasn't sure of which direction to take *grace.* Sitting here tonight thinking and praying over it, the Lord confirmed something in my heart and I'll share that with you all later. But please pray the Lord will use it Saturday to His glory. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We had a great service today. I heard the morning service was good. I was in nursery with some of the sweetest little angels this side of Heaven. Then tonight we had Brother Clint and Donna Kearns from Brother Sammy Allen's church here with us. I have a lot of their music on my iPod and we enjoy listening to them often. It was so good to hear them in person tonight and my-oh-my, what a blessing!! I was speaking to someone after church and we both felt the Heavens were going to open and we'd be caught up in the sky at any moment. That obviously didn't happen. But you know what? It still could happen tonight...at any moment. God's people are seeing other people saved over and over again. We're meeting in prayer and praise and God is coming back! I hope you're ready.

Thimble Thoughts

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Sigma All-Nighter

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Monday Meanderings

Have You Had Enough of Tim Tebow?

Chili Recipe

Recipes, This and That, and Such

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WHEW!

Reese's Cups, Captain America, and Valentine Vases

Sitting Next To Dad

2012, Here We Come!

2012

Ankles, Trees, and Parties

Perfect Peanut Butter Fudge

This and That and Merry Christmas

Growing Up the Bible Way

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A New Blog

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Pray for the Wray Family

This Past Weekend Made Me "Shutter"

Blessings Upon Blessings

Too Funny Not To Share

Grace, One More Time

Homeschool

Shopping, Ladies Meeting, and One Year of Loss

SIGMA RUSH NIGHT!

Busy, Busy, Again!!

R & R

This and That and Pictures

Personal Requirements of Prayer

Parts of Prayer

"B's" Photo Shoot

Kinds of Prayer

Revivals and Shoots

Family Reunion

Comment Season Is Now Open

Heaven Is Now A Little Sweeter

Psalm 27:13&14

Spiritual Refreshment

A Few of My Favorites

Pictures, Camp Meeting, And Other Stuff

Just Bubbling With Excitement!!

When My Heart Is Overwhelmed

Be Ye Holy

Junior Campers

Life's Little Blessings

And One More Busy Weekend...

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Senior Session and Harrison's Patch Bowl

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Of Busy Weekends and EMT Pinnings

Lest We Forget

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What Day of the Week Do You Worship?

Friendly

Another Senior

Only God Knows

Daughters

Of Senior Pictures and More Sweet Sixteen Stuff

A Tuesday Funny

Mother's Day Weekend

Lots and Lots of Pictures!

I Like Him!

Calvinism Is Not the True Gospel

A Family Update

Just for Laughs and a Little Thought Too

Weekend Blessings

Youth Meeting

Thursday Night Jubilee

Third Night of Jubilee...Only Two More Left

It's Jubilee Time!

A Beautiful Resurrection Day!

Good Friday

KLM Contest Winner

Blink YAWN Blink