Blog Hiatus

For those of you who have been faithful readers of John's Jots, I would like to say thank you. I have been blogging here a little over two years now. As of late my posts have been few and far between and quite frankly not very interesting at all. I have decided to take a little hiatus from my blogging. Right now it is more of a chore than something I enjoy doing. I am wanting to find a different direction in which to go with it. I have a few ideas, but haven't really decided on anything yet. I am still experiencing some writer's block so I think taking some time and not feeling like I HAVE to do it will help me a little. So I will be back sometime in the near future. Stay tuned. If you would like for me to email you when I have started back up, send me an email to johnmassey@verizon.net.

SportsDesk

Is there anything sweeter than Michigan losing their home opener? YES!! Losing their first TWO home games!...lol. And losing BIG makes it all the sweeter. I have two new teams who have catapulted to the top of my "Favorite College Teams" list...Appalachian State and now Oregon. As I was reading the headlines online Saturday evening and amusing myself over the Michigan loss, Sally said, "What about that verse that says, "Mourn with them that mourn." I said, "The footnote at the bottom of the page clearly says, 'Unless it's Michigan.'" GO BUCKEYES!!

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OK...I just saw a clip during tonight's Pirate game that is a little troubling. It was a clip of a few Pirate players during pre-game warm-ups running football plays in the outfield with a baseball and their gloves. Now, I can understand maybe the Red Sox doing that or some other first place team. But if you are in LAST place, don't you want your fans seeing you practicing baseball drills and not football plays? Just a thought.

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J's revenge: J had birthday money burning a hole in his pocket today and he's had his eye on NCAA Football 07. The first game he loaded was Ohio State v. Florida. So for the record, Ohio State won 51-17, which makes Florida's previous win in last year's national championship game completely obsolete.

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It's amazing how much slower the baseball season is when your team stinks. Reds baseball is pretty unenthused these days. I am ready for October. Go INDIANS!

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Maybe I was not tuned in to the media enough today. Was 9-11 played down a little? I hope we never forget.

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Praise List: Pat, Jim, and Jerry. Thanks for your willingness to serve as shepherds.

The Groaning Heart

An excellent post from Gary Henry.

The Groaning Heart

"I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies" (Psalm 6:6,7).

There is such a thing as good grief. It is not good because it is pleasant, but because it opens up our hearts more lovingly to God. When we groan in prayer, perhaps hurting so deeply that we can scarcely find any words to say, we are experiencing something that we desperately need to experience: the unavoidable realization of our need for God. Thus while we look forward to praying the prayer of joyous thanksgiving, it is the prayer of downcast sorrow that pushes us more strongly down the path of inner growth. Perhaps it shouldn't be true, but it is: it's when our blessings are withdrawn that the Source of those blessings means the most to us.

The groaning heart is the one that clings to its God. The same wise man who said, "[There is] a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:4) also said, "[It is] better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth" (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4). Although it seems to be written in the laws of our culture, it is nowhere written in the laws of the universe that unpleasantness is an unqualified evil. There are times when groaning deeply within ourselves is the exactly right response to what has happened.

So all things considered, which would we rather have? The "opportunity" to pray the prayer of thanksgiving or the prayer of groaning? If we live a normal life span, most of us will get a fair amount of experience with both. But while it's natural to hope that the times of gladness outnumber those of grief, let us not despise the purity that can come out of grief. And when our hearts hurt so badly that words fail us as we try to speak to God, let us not be afraid simply to shed our tears, if they will come, and to let our groanings be a sufficient prayer. The God to whom we make our plea not only hears what we say, but He feels what we feel.

"The best prayers often have more groans than words" (John Bunyan).

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Praise List: Sunday is coming.

The Battle

Here is a skit that Nikki sent to me. It is an excellent depiction of the battle for our souls between Christ and Satan.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

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I thought our prayer service last night was most uplifting. A congregation needs to hear their elders praying. I appreciate the five men who directed our minds in such a healt-felt way last night.

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This weekend will be a busy one. We are heading to Hundred (Cumberledgeville) on Saturday for the annual cousins birthday party. As curvy as the road to Hundred is, our goal is to get there without anyone in the family throwing up in the car.

This Sunday we have the elder installation service, a fellowship meal after morning service, and then the Stepping Stones Tea at our home at 4:30, and then the Birthday-Anniversary fellowship following evening service.

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Praise List: Praying together.

How Sweet It Is

What could possibly be sweeter than an Ohio State victory? A Michigan loss to Appalachian State...in the Big House! Gotta love it! That's all I need to say.

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J and I took in our first Wildthings game. Pretty good brand of baseball. The Wildthings came back from a first inning 3 run deficit to win 5-4 despite 5 errors against the Slippery Rock Sliders. And only in minor league baseball can you get two free fresh loaves of 100% whole wheat bread from the local bakery as you leave the stadium. I figured with that swap I got my 5th inning nachos and cheese for free.

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Congratulations to Pat Cronin, Jim Hyest, and Jerry Joseph for being selected to serve as shepherds for National Road family. They will be formally installed at the end of morning services this coming Sunday.

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Our new quarter in the adult Bible classes begins next Wednesday night. Tomorrow night the teens and adults will stay in the auditorium for a prayer service. The new lesson books will be available at that time. Our study this quarter will be from the Old Testament...Israel's Wanderings.

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Praise List: Men willing to serve as shepherds of the Lord's flock.

Happenings

I am still experiencing a little blogitis as you can tell.

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Our second year of homeschooling is up and running. The kids are excited that school is back in session. And we are excited that they are excited. So we still feel confident about our decision to go this route. It will be a little tougher on mom this year though because now that Shaylyn is in 1st grade, her schoolday and curriculum are quite a bit more extensive. J's is still pretty much the same with a lot of independent learning taking place.

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The Reds and Pirates are both making surges too late in the season to do anything...again. They have both won seven of their last 10 with the Pirates sweeping the Reds in the double-header opener on Tuesday. Reds took revenge last night with an 8-0 route. Tonight is the last time they will meet for the season.

The Buckeyes open up this Saturday at home against Youngstown State, Tressel's former employer.

The Bengals?...well...I hope everyone is out of jail now.

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There has been a slight change in our neighborhood dynamics this week. Our next door neighbors, the Hawkins, you know, the ones with the five boys, moved Sunday afternoon to Denver, Colorado. J is not quite sure what to do with himself. He is used to at least one of them being available anytime to do something. Moving in is Francesca! ... A spunky little 5 year old girl. Shaylyn is elated.

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This one is for Craig and Jodi to add to "the list." Tuesday at 12:30 I get a call from Sally saying that our dog, Sweet Pea, has been stung on the paw and she won't put any weight on it. I'm thinking, "Good, at least she can't runaway now." Sally calls the vet. The vet says bring her in in case she has an allergic reaction. One problem...Sally has a hair appointment for her and kids at 1:00. So I have to be the one to take Sweet Pea to the vet. Now please understand that I do not hate animals or wish any ill will on them. But...I really don't care for our dog at all. And now I have to go to the vet and act like I care. The whole time I thinking, "I know I am completely transparent. They can sense that I really don't feel anything for this mut." But there I was, acting like I did...asking questions that I knew Sally would want answers to. And by that time Sweet Pea didn't even have the slightest limp. She was just being her usual annoying self...but they all love her out there. One shot, a bottle of pills for "allergies", and $54 dollars later my fondness has diminished even more...lol.

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Beginning this Sunday, I will be giving Ron a break on Sunday mornings the next few weeks. So bring your pillow to church...lol.

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The living room is painted. The carpet has been ripped out. The hardwood floors underneath are in pretty good shape. We are in the process of pulling up staples and tackstrips and cleaning up the wood. Not fun...but it will look nice when we are finished.

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If you have Labor Day travel plans please drive safely. Several of our number at church (40 or so) will be on a camping trip so please keep them in your prayers that they will be safe and enjoy nice weather.

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It's great to have the Fishers in town permanently. I know it's a huge relief to them to finally get back to a normal family again after almost a year of being unsettled. We are looking forward to getting to know them even better in the years to come.

You made quite an impression on the Craig family last Sunday. Zach, a freshman this year at West Liberty, will be worshiping with us this year. So please welcome him and help him in whatever way you can. He is there on a basketball scholarship and Ron and I determined that when they play OVU we should root for Zach to have a 40 point game in a losing effort...lol. Also, being from "the state up north", several of us Buckeye fans were a little suspicious. But Jim Hyest has already confronted him and Zach is NOT a Wolverine fan. So we can fully accept him into our fellowship now...lol.

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Praise List: New faces in our church family.

Military Funerals

I don't think there is anything as touching as a military funeral. It doesn't matter if the deceased is a loved one or someone I don't even know. It's the aura that sends tears down my cheeks. To see those old men who have served our country sending off one of their own is bittersweet. Seeing them in formation, listening to one of them describing what the flag symbolizes, hearing the 21 gun salute, hearing the playing of Taps, witnessing the presentation of the flag to the family from the president of the United States by proxy of an aged veteran is most impressive. We owe them a lot. Don't take it for granted. Thank you, Dave Doran, for your service to our country.

Back in the Swing of Things

It's good to get away but it's always nice to be back home, too. We had a very relaxing week at Myrtle Beach. The weather was pretty good, the food was great, and the kid's had fun. Shaylyn kept saying she didn't want to leave. But like Sally and me, even J was ready to go home.

Hair Wrap for Shaylyn: $20.
Air Brushed T-shirt for J: $20.
Two outings of putt-putt golf: $42.
Being with our kids at the beach: Priceless

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Please keep the Doran family in your prayers. Dave Doran, Brenda Beckett's father, passed away late yesterday afternoon after a short battle with cancer. The calling hours are Wednesday 2-4 and 7-9 at Altmeyer's in Moundsville and the funeral service is Thursday at 11:00.

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Kudos to all you WVU fans for ranking above Ohio State in pre-season football polls. It should be an interesting year for both.

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Sally is in the middle of redecorating our living room. So I am pretty sure that two-coating a really large ceiling is in my near future. We have learned from others who have plaster walls to prime before you paint. So the kids get to do that part. The primer is a lighter shade of the paint so they really think they are painting and we don't have to worry about them messing it up...lol. Works out great!

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Homeschooling is about to get started again. Both our kids are chomping at the bit. That's always a good sign. J will be doing switched on Schoolhouse again and Shaylyn will be doing the LifePac curriculum. Both of these are produced by Alpha Omega. As far as fall activities go it looks like we are headed back to Stifel for Shaylyn's ballet instruction and J wants to try flag football at the YMCA again.

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Praise List: Resting and routine.

Blogitis and Vacation

As you can tell I have a severe case of blogitis this week. There some times when I am totally uninspired to write. I think I am ready for vacation. We will be leaving tomorrow for Myrtle Beach and be back late Saturday night the 18th. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel.

"Days of Elijah"

It was brought to my attention that there are some who believe that the song “Days of Elijah” that I frequently lead on Sunday evenings is unscriptural because of the line about “David rebuilding the temple of praise” when he didn’t actually build the temple. I could explain it in my own words, but after doing a search online, I found that the author himself, Robin Mark, has been challenged about these lyrics. The following is an article that he wrote concerning all the lyrics in this song. I thought it would be best to hear it “straight from the horse’s mouth.” I hope this is a satisfactory explanation and that you will find that this song is entirely Biblical. -- John

“I have had quite a few people ask me for an explanation of the roots and meaning of the words and themes contained in "Days of Elijah" since I wrote the song back in 1994.

The song is generally and principally a song of "hope." The themes it explores are to do with the fact that, although raised a Methodist, I attended a lot of Brethren or Gospel Hall meetings as a small boy and somehow the theology of Old Testament stories and characters being, either as themselves or by their actions, "types" or "examples" of Christ and the Church got stuck in my head. That is, even though they were historical factual people, living in the old covenant days, their actions and characters can be used to teach and represent the character of God under the new covenant, and they continually and repeatedly point to Christ. People call this "typology" or "typical" analysis of the Scriptures.

Firstly the song came from watching a television show called "Review of the Year" at the end of 1994. This was the year of the Rwandan civil war tragedy, which claimed one million peoples' lives, and also when the first ceasefires in Northern Ireland were declared. On this T.V. review were a lot of daft stories, happy stories, serious stories, and then absolutely devastating stories like the Rwandan situation. As I watched the review unfold, I found myself despairing about the state of the world and, in prayer, began asking God if He was really in control and what sort of days were we living in.

Elijah Days
I felt in my spirit that He replied to my prayer by saying that indeed He was very much in control and that the days we were living in were special times when He would require Christians to be filled with integrity and to stand up for Him just like Elijah did, particularly with the prophets of Baal. "These are ‘Elijah' days." Elijah's story is in the book of Kings and you can read how he felt isolated and alone in the culture in which he lived. But God told him to stand up and speak for Him.

We also needed to be a holy and just people, and hence the reference to the "days of your servant Moses," meaning that righteousness and right living was important in all our attitudes and works. Now we are under grace and not under law, but the righteousness that comes by faith can be no less than the moral law that Moses brought direct from God. It has not been superseded. In fact Jesus told us that our "righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees," who were the most ardent followers of God's laws as presented by Moses. Jesus was after righteous, servant hearts, of course, that desired to live holy lives for Him.

These Days
"Days of great trial, of famine, darkness and sword" is a reflection of the apparent times in which we live when still thousands of people die every day from starvation, malnutrition and war. In the midst of it all we are called to make a declaration of what and whom we believe in. The second verse refers to the restoration of unity of the body, what Jesus prayed for - "that they may be one even as I and the Father are one..." by reference to Ezekiel's prophetic vision of the valley of the dry bones becoming flesh and being knit together. There are lots of interpretations of this picture, but one of a united church rising up in unity and purpose, is a powerful call on us in these days.

The restoration of praise and worship to the Church is represented by "the days of your servant David." Some folks use the term "Restoration Theology" to describe this restoring of attributes to the Church. But in the song it's mainly a picture of worship.

Of course David didn't get to build the structural temple (that's why the word in the song line is "rebuild"), that was left to Solomon his son, but David was used by God to introduce a revised form of worship, praise and thanksgiving into, firstly, his little tent which he pitched around the Ark of the covenant (the presence of God) and then the temple that Solomon his son built.

This worship, unlike the Mosaic Tabernacle, involved many people being able to come into God's presence and worship Him openly. (In Moses' time only one man, the high priest, could enter the Holy of Holies, once a year. David's tent was a picture of how Christ would enable us to come right into God's presence, through his sacrifice, and worship openly there).

Restored Praise and Worship
If you search carefully through the Book of Amos (chapter 9) you will find reference to this "Restoration of David's Tabernacle." In Acts this prophecy was used to explain, at the council of Jerusalem, why the "gentiles" should be allowed to become Christians and worship their savior without all the legal requirements of the Jewish law. It is also accepted among restoration theologians that this refers to restored Praise and Worship. The physical temple was "Solomon's", David's "temple" was a little tent but you and I are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It sounds complex, doesn't it? But if you just understand that the line in the song refers to praise and worship before the presence of God just like David enjoyed, then that's all there needs to be to it.

Finally the "days of the Harvest" point towards what is the purpose of the Christian to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. By the way "The fields are as white in the world" is from the King James Version and means they are ripe for harvest.

These are the themes of the verses-declaration, righteousness, unity and worship. I chose to express these thoughts by reference to the characters that represented these virtues in the Old Testament. It is in essence a song of hope for the Church and the world in times of great trial.

I hope the explanation is clear. The song is, perhaps, a little complex-but I can assure you that this was not deliberate. I have written lots of simple, straightforward hymns and songs covering lots of themes. This song seems to have been used particularly by God in the ministry of praise and worship, and the themes and pictures it uses seem to have been grasped by God's people all over the world.”

Blessings, Robin

The Smormaker

Belated ANTEATER!

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A late night camp tradition is the staff chatting around the campfire. Sheila McCoy always brings the ingredients to make smores. We have smores for as long as they last...which usually isn't past Wednesday. Sheila sits in her lawn chair by the fire holding the box of graham crackers and the Hershey bars in her lap. But Jamie is the one who roasts the marshmallows. But he doesn't just roast marshmallows like a rank amateur camper. He has perfected the art of smormaking (we coined that word around the fire). Thus Jamie is "The Smormaker". (pronounced SMOR-muh-ker). First of all his stick has to be sharpened just the way he likes it. Then he takes two marshmallows and begins squeezing them ever so slighty, priming them for the roasting experience. The next step is where The Smormaker shines above rank amateurs. Amateurs poke the stick through the flat end of the marshmallow. Not Jamie...he pokes it through on the round side. Reason: when you slide them off the stick between the two graham cracker sheets, the flat side of the marshmallow lays ever so nicely against the flat graham cracker instead of rolling around. Brilliant! Now...the only thing about the Jamie McCoy Smore Experience is that you must have patience. Don't expect a smore 5 minutes after the fire is lit. Jamie waits until the coals are glowing. He insists that fire only blackens the marshmallow on the outside but does not melt the inside. By waiting for the embers, the mallows are heated through completely and are a toasty golden brown on the outside. His mallows could be in commercials! Once he retires from FedEx don't be surprised if you see him as the poster boy for Jet-Puffed.

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Praise List: Summer weather!

11 Years Ago

It's hard to believe that this two year old little boy is now eleven!! This is going way faster than I expected.

HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY, J!!!!

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Praise List: A son that makes us proud.

Camp Shenanigans

We had another great week of camp again this year. This was J's last year at beginner week. Next year he wants to go to intermediate week, but then be some kind of helper for beginner week. Before we know it he'll be a cabin counselor in high school or college. Shaylyn turned out to be quite the camper last week too. She cried when she had to go home Friday evening because she didn't want to leave the new friends she had made.

OK...follow this story. It's Friday night about 11:00. The campers have been in their cabins "asleep" for about an hour. The two directors (Jamie and Ben) and their wives (Sheila and Stephanie) and I are sitting in the pavilion with several of the cabin counselors. Since there are 2 or 3 per cabin they take turns being "on duty" each night, while the others "hang out" till their curfew. Stephanie glances up on the hillside and says, "Is that a flash light or lightning bug?" We all look and I grab Jamie's ultra-mega-super-duper spot light and shine it on the hillside. We see two campers. After a few seconds they realize they've been spotted and take off running -- one like a deer...the other lagging about 25 yards behind. Ben yells to the guy counselors, "Your boys are out!...Go get get them!" They all take off and one of them (David) trips over a grill that was left outside the pavilion in the dark....so we hear this loud bang. (More on that later.) They race up the hill and catch the two campers. All the while I am shining the spotlight on them. It resembles an episode of C.O.P.S. as they have both "perps" face down on the ground with their hands behind their back. They lift them up and bring them down to the pavilion and who is one of the two campers?...my son...lol. Ben says to me, "I'll handle this." He didn't want "dad" getting involved. Turns out they were looking for toads and their "wise counselor" told them where the best place was to find them. I could tell by the look on his face that J was scared to death...lol...which was good. After a stern reprimand from both directors and letters of apology written by the offenders the next morning, and reassurance that "dad" would stay out of it, this is now J's favorite camp memory. Oh yeah...about the loud bang when David hit the grill. J told me that as he was running he thought the loud bang was a gunshot and that the security guard was shooting at them..lol. He said, "At that point I picked up my speed about 5 m.p.h." Oh, the imagination of a ten year old under duress...lol.

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Praise List: 60 campers. 40 staff. One great week.

My Limited Blogging

You probably can tell pretty easily when my week is just a little crazier than normal. The first thing to go is my blogging time. So I will try to update today.

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Since I last had a post J played in an All-Star tournament at Dimmeydale. They went 2-2. J went 5-7 officially plus 2 walks, reached on an error, and reached on a fielders choice. So his on base percentage was .818 and his batting average was .715.

Last night they started a tournament at Warren Township. They beat Mingo Junction 7-1. J pitched the first three innings allowing one run and struck out six. They play Warren Township tonight at 8:00 "under the lights." (How cool is that?...Their first time this season.)

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Wednesday night I spoke at the Sixth & Washington congregation in Marietta for their summer series. That is where my grandmother and several great aunts attend so it was good to see all of them. We were able to take my grandmother out to eat before services. My topic was the Millennial Reign of Christ: Is It Real? Let's just say I'm glad that one is over with...lol. I think my colorful powerpoint presentation managed to keep folks awake.

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We are currently getting ready for a week of church camp. It's a family affair this year. I am teaching a Bible class. Sally is the "craft lady" and Shaylyn is her assistant. J is obviously a camper and we will probably not see him all week except in my Bible class and at craft time...lol. The weather is supposed to hot and dry all week. So pray that we don't melt. I will not have internet access so I will not be blogging next week.

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After camp we will have a week to prepare for our SuperSaturday VBS on August 4. Then the following week my family will be on vacation (Aug.11-18).

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This morning I made a visit to the hospital to see a family from Paragould, AR. Sally and I spent two years there working for Crowley's Ridge Academy and the Center Hill church of Christ. Ed Jernigan, one of the members there, called me yesterday from Wheeling Hospital. His brother-in-law, Rick Noel (pronounced Nole) is a truck driver who was coming through Wheeling. He stopped at the truck stop on Dallas Pike and was assaulted. He has severe swelling of the brain. They don't think he is going to make it. He is in a medically induced coma and paralysis from the neck down. Ed and Rick's wife, Jocelyn, are here and basically they are keeping him alive until his children can get here. Please keep this family in your prayers.

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Praise List: I am thankful for times when I am busier than usual so that I can more fully appreciate when it's time to relax.

Do I Stop to Listen to the Music?

Here's Mike Cope's post from a few days ago. Caused me to reflect.


Probably several of you have seen this video clip of Joshua Bell performing.
Earlier this year the Washington Post did an experiment. They placed one of the world’s greatest violinist in a metro station in Washington D.C. He played six classical pieces on his Stradivarius. A few days before people in Boston had paid $100 a ticket to hear him.
The question was: Would people recognize beauty when it was out of context? Would they stop to hear a world master play some of the best music ever composed on one of the greatest instruments ever crafted? Would they know the difference as they rushed to their D.C. jobs?

You can tell in the video clip that almost no one paused.

Which makes me wonder: where am I missing the beauty that surrounds me in this world? Given my convictions of God as creator and as a lover of beauty, I should expect to find grace and beauty all around me.

The question is, Do I stop to listen to the music?

One commented: Maybe the next questions are “How am I creating beauty/music in the world around me?” and “How am I destroying it?”

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Praise List: Our children are home.

Keeping It In Perspective

This was forwarded to me by Dick Thomas today.

http://www.kifaru.net/images/KEEPINGITINPERSPECTIVE%5B2%5D.pdf

Praise List: Our soldiers.

Marriage

From Gary Henry's Enthusiastic Ideas. I think we all need at least a refresher article from time to time.

Marriage

"A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance, and tenacity. The order varies for any given year" (Paul Sweeney).

It takes many kinds of character strength to make a marriage work, not the least of which is commitment. In any given marriage, the combination of character traits is blended differently; some marriages have a greater portion of love, some of partnership, and some of tenacity. But all successful marriages are built from the raw materials supplied by character. Personality may have gotten the thing started, but character is what keeps it going.

A good marriage is no accident, and when one has been built, it's a thing of admirable beauty. Love stories are always refreshing, of course, but the most refreshing are those that have stood the test of time. Think of your grandparents, for example. Without knowing them, I'd venture to guess that they were married for quite a long while, despite difficulties that had to be overcome, and that their relationship is something you find it encouraging to think about.

It's not stretching the truth to say that an effective marriage is one of the highest achievements that a human being is capable of. Those who've paid the price to be worthy marriage partners have done something that requires far more substance than it would take to win the World Series or the Nobel Prize. If you know someone who has helped to build a good marriage, let them know that they're a bigger hero in your eyes than those who usually make the evening news.

Marriage is what we might call a "dynamic" relationship: within it, things move and change and shift. You can't be in the marriage relationship without being changed -- and without changing the person you're married to. The question is not whether we'll "grow," but whether we'll make that growth positive rather than negative. So may we commit ourselves, today and every day, to two important things: growing toward greater health in our own character and growing toward a more healthful influence on the spouse to whom we promised ourselves, the one who's being affected by everything we do.

"You don't marry one person; you marry three: the person you think they are, the person they are, and the person they are going to become as the result of being married to you" (Richard Needham).

Praise List: The examples of strong marriages we have today.

Smarter Than We Think

The lone pupil in Sally's Bible class for the 4 year olds yesterday morning was Isaac. Suffice it to say that Isaac is sharp. There is not much he doesn't pick up on. Not knowing that he already knew it, Sally began to work with him on his memory verse from Genesis 9:13. She said, "Isaac, repeat after me. 'I am putting my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of the agreement between me and you.'" Isaac said in his 4 year old speech, "No...earf." Sally replied, "Earth what?" Isaac answered, "It's earf...me and the earf...not me and you. Maybe you should wepeat aftel me."...lol.

Praise List: Four year olds learning Bible verses.

Stuff (creative, huh?)

Here's a great patriotic "movie." I meant to share this on the 4th and forgot. Click here or go to http://www.interviewwithgod.com/july4/july4.htm

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Last night's experience at the Drum & Bugle Corps show was wonderful. It stormed on the way there...stormed on the way back. But for the fours hours we were there there was not one drop of rain. We had great seats...the eight kids were very well behaved...and the corps were sensational. The Blue Devils stole the show...they'll be tough to beat this year.

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J & Shaylyn stayed with Papaw & Grandmom in Pataskala and will be back on Tuesday so that J can get back in time for all-star play on Thursday. They are looking forward to going fishing with Papaw.

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Good news for the Fisher family -- Dave and Diahann bought a house in the Clinton Hills subdivision out past Oglebay. They are supposed to move around the middle of August. I know they are more than ready to get settled. It's been a long year for them. We are looking forward to getting to know them more.

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The Beckett clan is in Arkansas for a wedding so please keep them in your prayers as they fly back in a couple days.

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Have a great weekend. See you Sunday Lord willing.

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Praise List: The Fishers have a house!

Drum Corps International

Well...the victory ride was short lived...lol. After the excitement of beating East Wheeling, things came unglued the next day...twice, which eliminated Pike Gold from the tournament. It was a great season though. We finished up at 13-7...not bad for a team with only three 10-year-olds. J begins playing on the all-star team on Thursday, July 12. But now I can sit in my lawn chair and just be a dad instead of a coach. I am looking forward to it.

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Now...for the past 16 years, my wife's idea of color on the walls has been switching to a darker shade of off-white. Earth tones has been her color scheme of choice. Well...she bought Fiestaware dishes a while back...the bright ones...BIG, BOLD, PRIMARY colors. And then she decided that the dining room had to match the dishes. So now our dining room is...(are you sitting down?)...ORANGE! Ok..the actual name is Burnt Amber...but for all practical purposes it's orange. So this has been quite an adjustment for "no-bright-color-on-the-walls-Sally." When we were applying the finish coat her hands actually started shaking because it was so "not her" and she was nervous she couldn't handle it. But it's growing on her now and she likes it -- which is really good for me because for a few moments I thought I was going to have to paint it all again.

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Tonight's fireworks were much more enjoyable than last year's behind the huge tree...lol.

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Tomorrow we are heading to Columbus to see a Drum & Bugle Corps show (DCI). There will be 17 of us from my family who will be going to the Columbus Crew stadium to see this extraordinary display of musicianship and precision marching. We went last year to one in Massillon. Everyone wanted to go to another one so this may be an annual event. If you have never seen or heard one..here is a sample.

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Praise List: Freedom.

Upset

Let me walk you through it. East Wheeling scored a run in the top of the first inning. Neither team scored another run until Pike did in the bottom of the sixth. The score is 1-0. The first batter struck out. The second batter, Ryan, walked. The third batter, Brady, beat out an infield single moving Ryan to second. J hits a grounder to third and East Wheeling gets the second out on the force at third base but the throw to second gets away and Brady goes to third...J moves down to second. Dave is up next. Two outs, full-count, fast pitcher...Dave crushes one off the center field fence. Brady scores from third. J beats the throw to the plate! Game over!! Pike Gold defeats the mighty East Wheeling Pirates 2-1. But I have a feeling if we keep winning we will see them again. They will probably breeze through the losers bracket now. And they would have to beat us twice. Could be an interesting tournament. Tomorrow's game (Saturday) is at noon in McMechen.

Anne of Green Gables

The cultured literary world has never really been one to capture my attention much. Most... ok...all of my reading in high school and college literature classes was mandatory and never voluntary. I managed to avoid a Shakespeare class through my entire academic career, with the exception of one of his works that we had to read in my sophomore honors English class at OVC. And I can't even tell you which work it was. Somehow, I managed to escape having to read Anne of Green Gables (7th grade reading level) during my growing up years. In fact, Anne of Green Gables was never even on my radar as possible reading material because it sounded... well... rather "girly"...lol. In the "John Massey Card Catalog System", it got filed away with Little Women and Sarah, Plain and Tall. If it had a girl's name in the title, then it wasn't for me. (I know...don't judge a book by its cover.) Equally uninteresting to me were movies based on books that I would never read.

Sally is usually a stickler on reading the book before watching the movie, but the past few weeks she has "let it slide." On one of their trips to the library she and the kids checked out the Anne of Green Gables video. J's reaction was similar to mine. "Oh, goody." Not exactly my idea of a rivoting selection for family movie night. The first half hour or so was pretty rough for me. I really had to get used to the Canadian accent, the sophisticated language of the era, and Anne's dramatic flair. But I admit that the storyline is actually pretty good. These are loooooooong movies (of which I am not a big fan either), so the story has to be decent to keep me from falling asleep. So we watched Anne of Green Gables and we all were hooked. We had to see the rest of the series. It was even ME who went to the library to get the second part, Anne of Avonlea. We watched it last Friday evening. And last night we spent a little over three hours watching the last of the trilogy, Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. If you have seen the first two and expect the third to be similar you will be very surprised! Anyway, maybe I am getting soft...or just old...or maybe even a little "cultured" (shhhhhhh), but I admit they were enjoyable. And to see my 11 year old son watching this series reluctantly in the beginning but intently throughout most of it was way more than I ever expected. If you are looking for some family viewing material that's a little different than the norm, try this series.

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Praise List: Today marks 16 years of a wonderful journey with a beautiful woman, inside and out. Happy Anniversary, Sally. I love you.

Coaching

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time coaching at third base for J's team this year. It's my first time coaching third and was a little unnerving the first game or two. I've sent a couple runners home that I shouldn't have. I failed to send a few that I should have. Some of the guys have run through "stop signs" and some have stayed when I told them to go...lol. But for the most part I have gotten the hang of it. It's not just a matter of knowing when to send them, but knowing the speed of each runner and their usual awareness and reaction time. Some of the boys have the "green light" to steal a base when they want. There are some boys that I would never think of sending. I have to constantly be aware of how many outs there are and what to do in every game situation and how to communicate that to 9 and 10 year old boys who generally don't listen well or pay attention...lol. But it's fun. And to see their excitement after sliding in safe at home is priceless.

Here are some tips on coaching from Gary Henry's Enthusiastic Ideas.

Coaching

"[The best coaches] pay great attention to providing real-time feedback on their players' performance . . . Without immediate and precise feedback, the learning process ends and mediocrity is sure to emerge" (James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner).

If we're seriously interested in improvement, coaching is one of the most valuable things we can have. Whatever the activity may be in which we're trying to improve, none of us is objective enough to see our own doings objectively. Even if I were to watch a videotape of my own golf swing, for example, I could not see all the flaws in that swing that a skilled coach could see. I need the eyes of a coach to help me see the things I need to do differently. In a word, I need the feedback that only a coach can provide.

Feedback is uncomfortable to receive, of course, and so many of us avoid being coached. We struggle along, trying to improve without any outside help. And that's unfortunate because there are almost always people available to us whose feedback would be quite valuable.

Do you aspire to be a person who can coach others? If you do, that's a noble aspiration. But be advised that coaching is one of the hardest things in the world to do well. To start with, you'll never be a good coach if you don't have the humility to be coached yourself. But beyond that, you'll need knowledge, wisdom, good judgment, common sense, compassion, fairness, gentleness, firmness, respect, trust, and a host of other hard-to-acquire qualities. Perhaps no job in the world requires more different, and more demanding, skills than coaching.

In the end, coaching comes down to teaching, and there's far more to teaching than simply imparting information. Anyone can impart information, and anyone can tell other people what they should do. But not everyone can teach, and not everyone can coach. Both of these, by means of accurate feedback, help others to see what it's so hard to see with our own eyes: how we can perform to the best of our ability in ways that best serve the goals of the team.

"I believe effective leaders are, first and foremost, good teachers. We are in the education business. Whether in class or on the court, my job was the same: to effectively teach those under my supervision how they could perform to the best of their ability in ways that best served the goals of our team. I believe the same is true for productive leaders in any organization" (Coach John Wooden).

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Praise List: How many people can go to work and see a deer in the parking lot? Even though they eat our flowers, they are still beautiful to watch.

Movin' On

Pike Gold (12-5) is advancing to the tournament. They won their pool tonight against Pike Maroon 2-1. They beat Pike Red on Saturday 12-2 and Pike Blue last night 12-0. Tonight's was a defensive battle. J had an RBI single in the third inning. He managed to get a walk in the bottom of the 5th, then stole second, stole third, and then scored the winning run. In the top of the sixth J was on the mound and got a couple strikeouts to end the game. The tournament games will be in McMechen this year and starts on Thursday the 28th and goes through Tuesday, July 3rd. We play East Wheeling (16-1) Thursday night at 6:00.

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We had a productive VBS meeting tonight with 19 showing up to volunteer for various needs. Our theme is Soldiers of God: Fight the Good Fight. Be looking for details in future bulletins and announcements for ways you can help.

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We have become friends with yet another homeschooling family. We found out about half way through the baseball season that one of J's teammates is also homeschooled. We have gotten to know them a little at the games and J spent the day at their house today. There is almost an instant bond with homeschooling families because we are a minority and our mission is usually very similar.

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Last night after J's game we went to Cold Stone Creamery for the first time. You gotta try it if you haven't already. The sizes are "Like It" (small), "Love It" (medium), and "Gotta Have It" (large). We all went with "Love It" and it was PLENTY!! Shaylyn got "Kid's Dirt" (oreos and chocolate ice cream. J got "Oreo Overload". Sally ordered "Chocolate Devotion". And I went with "Peanut Butter Cup Perfection." Take your wallet! But it's worth every bite...and throw a tip in the jar if you want them to sing to you.

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Praise List: The turnout for the VBS meeting was impressive.

Post Season

Pike Gold begins the postseason tomorrow. We seem to be a "streaky" team. In the regular season we won the first two, lost the next five, and finished by winning the last seven. This weekend begins pool play which determines who will be in the tournament. Our pool is all the Pike Cub teams (4). We beat them all in the regular season so hopefully that trend will continue.

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This is cool. Check out this clever animation. "Animator v. Animation." Or http://www.deviantart.com:80/deviation/34244097/

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We had a good time at the church picnic despite the intermittent rains. The food and fellowship is always good and "washers" is always a hit.

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Not much happening today. Hope you all have a great weekend. See you Sunday Lord willing.

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Praise List: Again...much needed rain.

Spoiled Beauty

As I left the house this morning to walk to the church building, the first thing my senses noticed was the coolness of the air. Last evening's thunderstorm brought desperately needed rain but also left in its wake a cool morning that we haven't felt lately. The second thing I noticed on my walk was how clear and blue the sky was...a bright azure blue and not a cloud in it. Then I looked to the left and noticed the hills and how green they were -- the thick haze of the last few weeks has been lifted. Then I noticed how fresh and clean the air smelled. At this point in my walk I was feeling especially close to my Creator and impressed by how He refreshes and replenishes His earth. As I was drawing in another deep cleansing breath, the foulest odor took over. I looked down to my right and saw that I was approaching a dead squirrel -- one that had been hit by a car, smashed, its entrails everywhere, and various scavaging bugs having breakfast. I thought to myself, "Whoa, way to ruin the moment!" Then the thought crossed my mind. Was Satan a part of that? Does he actually go to those lengths to distract us when he senses we are getting too close to God? You can be sure that he does! Sometimes he diverts our attention from the beauty of holiness to something that appears even more beautiful to our fleshly nature. But sometimes when we are totally enthralled with the Lord, he has to pull out something grotesque just to try to somehow get our mind off of Him. He may succeed for a moment, but you can't let him win. I just held my breath for a few paces, and looked back to hills.

1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Psalm 121:1-2 - I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

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Praise List: The coolness after the rain.

Teen Study Bible Exposed

Here is a condensed version of an article I found online last week. If your teenager has the Teen Study Bible by Zondervan, you may want to look at it more closely.

Teen Study Bible Exposed - by Terry Watkins

While the NIV Teen Study Bible scripturally explains many subjects and provides teens with some helpful insights for their teenage world, the Teen Study Bible also contains some very disturbing information. It is especially disturbing in light of the impressionable and often confused teenage mind.

It is also alarming that a major publisher would include some of the shameful information found in the Teen Study Bible. It is even more disturbing that the staff at Zondervan actually reviewed it, edited it, approved it and published it.

The Zondervan Teen Study Bible is in the typical "in your face, extreme, radical, graphic, colorful, hip, cool" style that supposedly appeals to the average teenager. Throughout the Teen Study Bible are various notes addressing topics specifically relating to teenagers, such as dating, sex, self-image, school, drugs, et al. Most topics are explained in a fairly, conservative, evangelical, though "watered-down" manner.

Scattered throughout the Teen Study Bible are 20 full-color pages that Zondervan describes as "a Christian perspective on contemporary issues" and giving "biblical answers to the toughest questions asked by today’s teens". These pages easily stand out from all other pages. They are much thicker and much more graphic and colorful. As I first thumbed through the Teen Bible, my eyes instinctively stopped at these pages. Each page gives a stylish-colorful-wow-teen graphic presentation discussing a specific topic. The topics discussed are sex; money; death; stress; guilt; school; addiction; entertainment; prayer; witnessing; self-image; church; dating; friends; parents; and siblings.

It is some of the information on these pages that is alarming. These pages give the standard dictionary definition for the topic, and then Zondervan provides an "alternative definition" for the topic. The "alternative definition" is obviously aimed directly at the Christian teenager.

For instance, on the color presentation page for "money" the Teen Bible gives the standard dictionary meaning: "mon-ey (mun*ee) n. –the official currency, as coins and paper notes issued by a government". And the teen "alternative definition" given is a harmless "—what you never have enough of when you go to the mall". Ok. No problem. Most of the "alternative definitions" are trivial – but some of them are hard to believe. . .

Take the topic of "sex". The Teen Study Bible gives a standard dictionary definition, but the "alternative definition" is disgusting. Remember this is aimed directly at impressionable Christian teenagers. The "alternate definition" (1993 edition) for "sex" is "—another fun thing mean adults tell teenagers to keep away from." Does anyone seriously believe that such an "alternative definition" would DISCOURAGE hormone-crazy, Christian teenagers to abstain from sex? Is that not like throwing fuel on the fire? Can you imagine a parent telling their daughter, "Yes. Honey, we don’t want you to have sex because it’s so much fun".

Another troubling "alternative definition" is given for "prayer". You might want to get your pen ready – you’ll surely want to record this "nugget". Here it is: "prayer —talking to the ceiling and wondering if anybody’s listening." Now be honest – doesn’t that make you run to the prayer closet? Isn’t that pitiful? Could that possibly encourage a teenager to pray? Where is any application of "faith" and "believing" in "talking to the ceiling"?

The Teen Study Bible "alternative definition" for "church" is "what you have to get dressed up for so you can be bored for an hour at a morning service". Now, that is really helpful to get teenagers interested in church. Beware [preachers]: after that encouraging definition, teenagers everywhere will be breaking down the church doors just to get in. I can testify from first-hand experience, as the father of three teenagers, "bored" is the teenagers "worse nightmare". Defining "church" as "boring" is the same as screaming to the average teenager — "STAY AWAY!"

Perhaps the most disturbing "alternative definition" in the Teen Study Bible is given for "witnessing" –"a way to get friends to laugh at you by telling them about God." [Is there anything that a teen fears more than rejection? This doesn't exactly instill evangelistic fervor.] Yes. Some will laugh. Sure. Some will ridicule. But thank God there are some who will be saved!

The intent of the NIV Teen Study Bible is take the Word of God and make it "hip, cool, extreme, radical, etc." with the definitions, lingo and fashion of the world...But the Bible is clear. A Bible-Believing Christian will NEVER be "cool or accepted" in the eyes of the world. A Christian serving Jesus Christ, whether young or old, will always be against the world.

For the full article click here.
Or go to http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/niv_teen_study_bible_exposed.htm

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Praise List: Rain today.

Hits the Nail on the Head

(Author Unknown)

A Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because you are consuming what the biased media feeds you.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the MEDIA. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

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Praise List: From Lee Greenwood's God Bless the U.S.A., "I'm proud to be an American."

Happenings

We filed the kids' test scores and "Intent to Homeschool" form with the Board of Education this week. We are excited about our second year. You tell me if homeschool works. This time last year J was a kid who hated to read and the thought of picking up a book in the summer never crossed his mind. He is currently in the middle of two books and is already looking through lists of book titles that he wants to read next year! We are stunned.

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Shaylyn has been at Aunt Jodi's all this week. This is their VBS week, so Shaylyn spends all day in their pool with Anna Clair and Levi and then goes to VBS with them at night. We will be going to pick her up tomorrow.

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J's baseball team has turned it around. After starting out 2-0, they lost 5 straight. But now they are 6-5 going into a game Friday night against South Wheeling. This week J is taking tennis lessons at Wheeling Jesuit.

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Well, the Cavs are in the Finals, but that's about all you can say. They are there. But not for long. Down 3-0 it would be a pretty tall order to win two in Cleveland and then two back in San Antonio. But every team has to pay its dues. They'll be back.

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Just for your information, not only did the Buckeyes win the Big Ten in football and basketball this year but they won the baseball title as well. A clean sweep. But they got knocked off in the first round of the NCAA tournament. SURPRISE!...lol

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Please keep Ron in your prayers. He was diagnosed this week with Type II diabetes. So he will be monitoring that and having to modify his diet.

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Please be praying daily for the shepherd selection process we are currently going through. It is of utmost importance that we devote this to prayer.

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Tonight is our last lesson of the study in Exodus. Next Wednesday begins our Summer Series on Friendship Evangelism. Statistics show that 73% of current Christians were reached by friends and family members. This means that our fields are in our own back yards. People in today's climate will usually study only with someone they trust.

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My take on the Paris Hilton media circus: LEAVE HER ALONE!! The best thing for that girl would be for the world to entirely ignore her. Let her sit in jail for her meager 23 days and everyone else just totally forget about her and continue in their daily routines. This girl thrives on attention. It's too bad she won't be able to have a "real" jail experience. C'mon...a collect call to Barbara Walters? Her family and friends get the 15-minute express lane for visitors while the other "nobodies" have to wait four hours to see their loved ones? This is a joke.

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In case you never heard the outcome of the Mary Winkler case, it boils down to 7 days in jail and 60 days in a mental facility of her choice and the court's approval. The judge gave her a 3 year sentence, of which she only has to serve 210 days. She already served 143 days, leaving the 67 remaining days and she is on probation for 3 years. She is also in a legal battle with Dan and Diane Winkler, about the custody of her daughters, now ages 9, 7 and 2. For more details visit: http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070609/NEWS08/706090312

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Praise List: SUMMER!!!

Planting

Our house has become a horticultural hot-spot of late. Shaylyn's last homeschooling unit required much planting and we have been watching the results the last couple weeks. We have carrot-tops sitting in a bowl of water in the kitchen window and they now have green leaves growing once again. Also in the kichen window are some beans in a cup that aren't doing too well. Another bean on the counter has sprouted and is about 9 inches long. Beside it on the counter is a bowl of water with an onion in it, which has several sprouts. Shaylyn also has a potato and a sweet potato in the cool darkness of the fireplace. Outside she has planted watermelon, green and red pepper, green beans, and cucumber. It will be interesting to see her harvest this year.

Here's a piece by Gary Henry on planting.

Planting

"To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds, and watch their renewal of life -- this is the commonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing a man can do"(Charles Dudley Warner).

There is an elemental, age-old joy that comes to us in the act of planting. No matter how urbanized our culture becomes, it's not likely that we'll ever outgrow the pleasures that were a part of our ancestors' agricultural way of life. Getting our hands into the soil, planting seeds, watering them, and nurturing the greenery as it begins to grow, these are joys that have a rich heritage in our hearts. Planting is almost pure happiness, and we need to do more of it.

Planting is an act of faith and trust if ever there was one. No one would ever plant anything if he or she weren't willing to take a risk. Planting is based on the confidence that there are things we can do today that will make a difference for good tomorrow, and anytime we plant a seed, we make a statement about the future: we may not know many things about it, but we've chosen to point ourselves in that direction and we believe the future's worth making an investment in.

By far the best planting we ever do, however, is not agricultural but personal. When we make new beginnings with other people, either by entering into new relationships or doing things that reinvigorate old ones, we are "planting" in the very highest sense. And we should enjoy this to the extent that it becomes an observable part of our character and conduct. We should want to be people who're known to do a lot more planting than we do uprooting!

The exciting thing is that it's never too late to do some planting.We may have done little of it in the past. We may even have blighted things that were planted by someone else. But the more badly life has gone for us in the past, the more it's "planting time" right now.

The results that can come from planting good things in our relationships with others are truly amazing. A bountiful harvest can come from even modest plantings, if the seeds are sown in love. The soil doesn't even have to appear particularly promising. We just have to believe that the timeless laws of growth have not yet been repealed.

"Plant a word of love heart-deep in a person's life. Nurture it witha smile and a prayer, and watch what happens" (Max Lucado).

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Praise List: Those people in the church who cultivate relationships and not uproot.

Can You Relate?

This was an email forwarded to me by Brenda Beckett. Can you relate?

A.A.A.D.D.

Recently, I was diagnosed with: A.A.A.D.D. - (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder), this is how it man ifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only 1 check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Coke i s getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye - they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly s pot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:
- The car isn't washed
- The bills are n't paid
- There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
- The flowers don't have enough water,
- There is still only 1 check in my check book,
- I can't find the remote,
- I can't find my glasses,
- And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today. I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

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Praise List: Test scores are in! It's all good. Our homeschooling for this year was successful anyway, but now we can prove it to the Board of Education.

Austin's Remission

Here is the latest update from Austin's mom, Wanda.

Hello everyone! It has been crazy around here!! Austin is feeling good and is starting to grow eyebrows, eyelashes and even has "peach fuzz" on his head. He said to tell you that we just went to the grocery store and he was feeling strong enough to carry 2 bags of groceries to the car. Wow! He has come a long way! He has been busy swimming and loves going off the diving board! It has felt so good seeing him do some normal things for awhile. He thanks God every night during prayer time that he is doing so much better. He knows how fragile his life was and he thanks God for what He has done. Tyler has officially graduated high school! We can not believe it! He gave a speech during a graduation celebration and left everyone in tears. I won't repeat the whole thing but in it he thanked his little brother for teaching him how to live each day and how to be strong doing it. It is true! We have learned so much from such a little guy. He has impacted more lives in 6 years than most people who live to be 80. We are expecting him to be going into surgery this next week to have his medi-port removed. We will post when we know what day. Also, the plans for the "Remission party" will be coming hopefully in the next few days. We were waiting until we had a little time to somewhat recover and we want so badly to meet some of you so "Stay Tuned". LOL!!

Sometimes you don't understand why some things happen the way they do until you go through it and get to the other side. Months and months before Austin's diagnosis we were going through a grieving and the Lord kept giving us scriptures we did not at the time understand. But we stored them away confident that when the time came the He would make known to us what they were for. Well, when the storm hit and we proceeded through it, the Lord began to bring forth the scriptures He had us store up. We were so amazed to see how He had been preparing us before we even knew. I share this to encourage you and to tell you something very important. Please don't wait until the storm hits to try to prepare for it. When the skies are clear and the water is calm is the time to be seeking Him and storing up. Because when the storm comes, and it will, you will be so busy just trying to catch your breath between the "peltings of life" that you won't have time to seek and study His word. You are just trying to survive the thing!! You better be stored up so He can bring it to the forefront of your heart and mind. It will be your life preserver!! Don't be caught without it! Skies for us right now are calm and beautiful but we can guarantee you one thing -- we are already storing up for what ever comes our way next. Don't give up! We have come too far to give up now. When you feel like quiting remember you have fought too long to give up right before the finish line. We've come too far! (I am sorry-didn't mean to get too preachy. God is putting things in our heart to share and we just had to give you a little taste.) Blessings! Pictures coming soon!

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Praise List: Austin's remission.

LeBron

Wow!! What a performance LeBron James exhibited in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons last night. In a game that went into double-overtime, LeBron scored 29 of the last 30 Cavalier points for a total of 48 on the night. The comparisons to Michael Jordan from commentators were immediate after one of the most incredible displays of sheer determination in NBA history. LeBron refused to be defeated. Detroit had no answers. Dunks, lay-ups, fade-aways, 3-pointers...everything was falling for him. It's like there was something stronger inside of him that no one else on the court had. At 22, his will to win is unfettered.

Can you boast of that determination in living a life for the Lord? Are you aggressive in pursuing Godly traits? Do you refuse to be defeated by your sinful nature? There IS something stronger inside of you that most others don't have. You received it when you were immersed into Christ -- His Spirit. Unleashing the Spirit in your life will give you that determination, that will to live for Him.

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Please keep the Truax family in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Irene, Todd's mother, who passed away on Wednesday. She wanted nothing more than to be with her Maker and Mel. There will be a graveside service for the family on Saturday.

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Pray for RAIN!

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This Sunday is Promotion Sunday. All classes will meet in auditorium for the 9:30 Bible class so that we can recognize the accomplishments of our children in their Bible classes this past year.

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Praise List: Mike Vilano is coming home today...FOR GOOD.

In Step With the Spirit

Last night the K-5 classes watched a segment of the Visual Bible from the Gospel of John. They watched from Jesus washing the disciples feet in the upper room up until Peter's denial of Jesus. This section of John includes Jesus' discourse to his disciples concerning the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16). In this passage, Jesus is trying to explain that He is leaving to go back to heaven with God. But in His place the Holy Spirit (the Helper, the Comforter, the Counselor) will be sent.

I have read this passage many times in my life. I have always believed it and accepted it on an intellectual level, but it has only been in recent years that I have come to accept it on a personal level. While previewing this video, as I watched and listened to this passage being acted out it really underscored what I have come to understand as I have grown as a Christian. In my daily struggle to do what is right, I can't think of a better or easier way to be "good" than to have Jesus Christ right beside me...physically...in the flesh....guiding me, directing me, nudging me and occasionally saying, "Um, that wouldn't be a good idea to do that." That is what the apostles and disciples of Jesus experienced. And wouldn't it be so much easier for us if we had that same advantage? After all, who would sin with Jesus standing beside us all the time? We would think that would be the best possible way to be righteous -- God in the flesh with us.

But there is something better. In John 16:7 Jesus told his disciples, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." Jesus is telling us that He has sent us something better! And what could possibly be better than Jesus standing beside you? Try Jesus living inside of you! That is powerful! And that is what each of us have as Christians. We have the Divine Spirit guiding us, directing us, and nudging us toward righteousness.

The problem is that we don't tap into that power. He is there living inside of us, but we don't allow Him to work in us. For so long we have focused on God the Father and God the Son, but we have neglected the One who is at least equal in importance -- God the Spirit. He may even be the most important for the time being because He is the One living in us at present. He is the One who helps us understand more fully the Word God has given. The Spirit is the one who enables us to pray to our Father any time of day or night. He is the source of our comfort, our joy, and our peace. And if you are not experiencing those things in your life, then you are not in step with the Spirit. If being a person who struggles to show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in your life, then you are not in step with the Spirit.

In fact, the irony of it all, is that as we try to be good under our own strength, as we try to do right by our own power, as noble as that may seem to us, we are violating a command of God in the process. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, "Do not quench the Spirit." It's a lose/lose situation. We violate God's command and then we fail anyway because we are not strong enough, or powerful enough to succeed on our own spiritually. So why not do it the easier way -- the way God intended. Let His Spirit thrive in us!

You'll be amazed at the results!

Prayers Needed

The younger generation has been hit hard recently. Please pray for the following:

Alex and Jill (Hennen) Barnett
This is Alice Hennen's update on Jill. Jill works at Walt Disney World and was injured on a moving/stopping bus in April.

- Her injuries were worse than they first thought, not telling her and Alex that she had a basal skull fracture, a fracture at the TMJ joint, jaw fracture and also the bones in the middle ear are dislocated, leaving the left ear without much hearing at least for the time being. Headaches have been a constant companion as well as balance problems. Therapy is being required to return her walking gait to normal. Her memory is a bit like Swiss cheese. What she remembers, she remembers really well. The problem comes in with the holes in the cheese. She has to relearn numbers and how to use them. Jill’s speech is pretty good. She is only grasping for words here and there. Reading the words is a bit difficult as is retention. Math also must be relearned. Much of her personal past is currently fuzzy, including her wedding.

Currently Jill is having 9+ appointments each week for various types of therapy, in addition to a doctor’s appointment thrown in here and there. She has cognitive/ speech therapy, physical therapy (for her balance and walking) and jaw therapy (in an effort to avoid surgery on her TMJ joint or jaw).

Obviously, she is unable to work and is on worker’s compensation. Alex will soon be on Family Medical Leave in order to attend the majority of her appointments although he has had to use up vacation and also lost a lot of days of work. Alex has done a great job of standing beside her and supporting and encouraging her. I really feel we could not have asked for a better husband for her than Alex. They sure have had their share of trials in not even their first full year of marriage.

The congregation’s prayers, thoughts, and cards of encouragement would be greatly appreciated for Jill, Alex and our families.

Jill and Alex Barnett
548 Avenida Sexta
Apartment 204
Clermont, FL 34714

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Chris and Alicia (Kasper) Scott
Chris's older brother, Steve, was just here with his parents to honor Chris at his graduation from Wheeling Jesuit. Steve, 27, died suddenly in California yesterday. Chris, Alicia and Seth will be flying out of Pittsburgh this evening for CA. Prayers are greatly appreciated for their safe flight and for the upcoming days' challenges they face in their loss.

Chris and Alicia Scott
101 Euclid Ave
Wheeling, WV 26003

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Shawn and Vickie Pennybacker
These are friends of Gary and Brenda Beckett. They have been trying for a long time to have children. They have already endured a miscarriage and also the tragedy of delivering a full-term baby that died at birth. Vickie is now 5 months pregnant but the placenta is starting to detach.

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We can thank God that Matt Rodak is OK. His apartment complex in Lancaster, PA caught fire last evening but he and all the other residents were able to get out in time. The fire started in the apartment next to his so his apartment sustained a lot of smoke and water damage. Jay is there now helping him find a new place to live.

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Praise List: Thank you, Lord, for giving us Your Spirit. Help us to learn to let Him thrive in us.

We ARE Getting Older

In 1991, this cute little four year old girl by the name of Hannah Taylor was the flower girl in our wedding. Sally babysat her several times and we knew her family well. Not long after we married, Hannah's dad took a job with Freed-Hardeman University and so they moved to Tennessee and we never saw Hannah again. Since we've been married, Sally and I have pretty much thought that everyone else is getting older but us. Saturday brought us out of that fantasy world in a big way! At Erin Leddy Duran's wedding we crossed paths again with Hannah! She became good friends with Erin at Freed and was one of her bridesmaids. The thought that Hannah could be in college never crossed our minds. She was etched in our memory as this spunky little 4-year old girl that never grew up. We were also shocked to learn that Hannah Taylor became Hannah Ratliff in March! OK..we admit it now! We are getting older. Sixteen years doesn't seem like a long time to be married. But sixteen years is a HUGE difference from age 4 to age 20! This life thing is going faster and faster.

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The wedding was a big day for Shaylyn as well. They called up all the single girls to catch Erin's bouquet. Shaylyn caught it! Whoa! I am definitely not old enough for that. Just minutes earlier she lost her front tooth after biting into a strawberry. But even though she is six, I have this uneasy feeling that it's not going to seem very long that I'll be trying to figure out how to pay for a wedding. Of course, that's if I let her date before age 30.

After Erin threw her bouquet, it was time for the single guys to catch the garter. J reluctantly shuffled to the group. He didn't catch it. But on the way home, we asked if he knew what they were throwing. He didn't have a clue..lol. (good!) We told him it was the bride's garter. He said, "What's that?" Sally answered, "It what a lady holds up her panty hose with." J's reply? EEEEEWWWWWW. (once again, good!) He still thinks females are gross. I have a feeling that's not gonna last long either.

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To all you Pirate fans: Just put your brooms back in the closet!! At least the Reds took one.

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Praise List: Family gatherings on Memorial Day.

$105 Vacuum Cleaner Bags

LOL...well...I just wrote about being hindered when we try to see ahead. Seeing ahead would have been very helpful this afternoon. I went to Kroger to pick up vacuum cleaner bags for Sally. Of course, they didn't have what I needed. So on my way up to the Highlands Wal-mart...mind on ten different things...thinking 65 was the speed limit...it wasn't. Result?...$105 vacuum cleaner bags...ouch! If I just could have seen ahead....lol.

We're Hindered If We Try to See Ahead

It's interesting to me how the Holy Spirit catches my attention. He always seems to make certain wisdom available to me when I need it most, or am searching for something, or something is on my mind. He also helps me understand things that I have read before but they didn't "click" at the time. This is the third year that I have been reading through Gary Henry's Diligently Seeking God. I get each day's devotional thought in my email. So this is the third time I have read this...but today it "clicked."

We're Hindered If We Try to See Ahead

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8).

Unfortunately, our desire to know the future often turns into a demanding attitude toward God. We demand to know what is going to happen. We insist on seeing what's ahead. We put the Lord on notice that if we're going to follow Him, He had better tell us the territory the road is going to take us through.

Yet when God told Abraham to leave his home in Ur, Abraham had enough faith to obey God without being told where the journey would take him. "He went out, not knowing where he was going." We need to work on having that kind of trust in God.

More than most of us realize, we are hindered by our attitude toward the future. For one thing, worry about what's going to happen tends to paralyze us; it keeps us from taking steps in any useful direction. But also, trying to see ahead frustrates our faith and keeps it from growing. It's in the actual exercise of faith that faith grows, and the only way faith can be exercised is to take steps that are based on trust in God rather than our own wisdom and foreknowledge. If we insist on walking by sight rather than by faith, we ought not to be surprised that our faith remains small.

One thing is certain: God knows what He is doing and He can be counted on to take care of us no matter where He asks us to go. In Abraham's case, Canaan was no doubt very different than anything he could have imagined back in Ur, but the result of sojourning there was also much better than anything he could have enjoyed elsewhere. Abraham "waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10). As long as he was going toward God, it didn't matter what happened to him in the meantime. It ought not to matter much to us, either.

"Most of us go through life praying a little, planning a little, jockeying for position, hoping but never being quite certain of anything, and always secretly afraid that we will miss the way. This is a tragic waste of truth and never gives rest to the heart. There is a better way. It is to repudiate our own wisdom and take instead the infinite wisdom of God. Our insistence upon seeing ahead is a real hindrance to our spiritual progress. God has charged himself with full responsibility for our eternal happiness and stands ready to take over the management of our lives the moment we turn to him" (A. W. Tozer).

The lines that hit me:

"worry about what's going to happen tends to paralyze us; it keeps us from taking steps in any useful direction." This is true not only as individuals, but as a church as well.

"It's in the actual exercise of faith that faith grows..." We want stronger, deeper faith, but are afraid to let it happen by giving God the reins.

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Here's a nice piece for Memorial Day. http://www.interviewwithgod.com:80/memorial/.

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Praise List: The men and women who have preserved the freedom I have to write a praise list and make it public.

Snoredom

I failed to mention another highlight of the retreat last weekend. It was the "Great American Snore-Off." Friday night wasn't too bad. I was in a room with Jay Rodak and Matt Walker. Jay came prepared with his Breathe-Rite strips and Snoreeze throat spray which was very considerate. Snoring is always worse when you're tired so with it only being the first night of the retreat, the snoring was minimal...in OUR room. In the room next to us was Keith Wright, Pat Cronin, and Jamie McCoy. I shared a wall with Keith...who from this point on I'll refer to as Papa Bear. Just minutes after I'm in bed I hear this low, muffled, growling sound. I thought it was Matt at first...all zipped up in his new sleeping bag complete with a hood. But the closer I listened I realized it wasn't Matt. It was coming from another room! It was Papa Bear!! It sounded exactly like a bear, too. He growled most of the night. I tried my fingers in my ears. I tried my pillow over my head. I tried turning on the heater hoping the noise would drown him out. But then it got too hot. Long night!

Saturday night was even worse. Not only did Papa Bear start growling just seconds after his head hit the pillow, but Matt and Jay were tired now. Jay was still trying to be considerate by using his anti-snoring products again, but he started snoring about 15 minutes after he applied them. But I do have to give him points for creativity. Not only did he snore, but he made a blowing sound, then he whistled some, then he made some kind of groaning/screaming sound that's difficult to describe. What made Jay's tolerable was the fact that it was intermittent. So there were breaks from time to time. Now...about Matt. From now on I will simply refer to Matt as "the king." I give him the Lionel Richey Snore Award...'cause he went "All Night Long." After about an hour of laying awake listening to "the king", I decided I had to take action. I took one of my boots, threw it up in the air, and it landed with a loud thud. Result?..Nothing. Well..actually it woke up Jay. After a few more minutes, Jay decides to get up and shake "the king" to wake him up. That gave us about 5 minutes of peace. Then "the king" started up again. After another hour I threw one of my tennis shoes at his bed. Still snoring. My second shoe hit his bed. Still snoring. Not wanting to get out of my warm bed, I tried shining my flashlight in his face...switching it on and off. Nothing. Still snoring. And THEN...Jay started up again. But this time they were taking turns. While Jay snored...Matt exhaled. When Matt snored...Jay exhaled. All in perfect rhythm with Papa Bear contributing on the other side of the wall. I felt like I was in a Three Stooges episode. About 4:00 I finally got to sleep from sheer exhaustion. Next year?..two words. EAR PLUGS!








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Donna Metz was admitted to Wheeling Hospital yesterday. Rozella King is in ICU and not doing well. Please keep both these ladies in your prayers.

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Five straight losses for Pike Gold. We got shut-out last night on a one-hitter by Warwood South who is now 7-0. Our pitching and defense held them to only three runs but our bats were anemic.

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How's my Ohio teams doing? The Cavs are down 1-0 to the Pistons in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Indians are second in their division at 10 games over .500. And my Reds are working their magic yet again finding themselves in dead last...10 games out of first place....quite possibly their earliest slide yet in recent history.

Another Bengal bites the dust in a Hamilton County courtroom. But we're not the only team. The NFL (National Felon League) is finally stepping in and cracking down on these jerks that can't get their act together.

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Praise List: I've been freed from a "results oriented" mindset in my ministry. Since reading the second volume of Lynn Anderson's They Smell Like Sheep, I've come to realize it's not about "fixing" things and "changing" people, but about glorifying God. Wow! I wish I had learned that earlier.

Post Retreat Report

With the exception of some light rain Saturday evening, we enjoyed beautiful weather this weekend at the Elmer Parsons Youth Retreat. The numbers this year were down but hopefully we can bring those up next year. At any rate, God was glorified this weekend by those who were there. That's what's important.

The annual "marathon" softball game ended with a score of like 41 - 30. It was highlighted by my rivalry with Seth Cole. I am usually a dead pull hitter to right field (I'm a lefty). The challenge was to burn Seth as many times as I could. Here is my "Ode to Seth".

Young Seth Cole was a very young soul.
A right fielder he tried to be.
He called John old.
He called for the ball.
The rest is history.

John stepped to the plate.
Dished out Seth's fate
On a deep drive that sent Seth sprawling.
He tried to catch it with all his might
But got burned and came back bawling.

Lest you think this was a one time thing,
You must know the rest of the story.
Pitch after pitch John hit Seth's way.
Only once could Seth claim the glory.

Seth may be younger.
Seth may be stronger.
Seth may think he's the king.
But Seth learned a lesson on this retreat.
It's not about muscle...it's the swing.

LOL...couldn't resist it Seth.

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Well...Pike Gold has had some tough losses of late. We won our first two games but have lost our last four by a total of 6 runs...Three of those being 1-run losses in the last inning. Ouch! But we're having fun! We went down to division leading Bethlehem Blue 5-4 last night. J went 2 for 3 with two doubles and pitched 3 innings with 7 strikeouts.

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The elders announced Sunday that we will begin the process of installing additional shepherds. Please be praying fervently that there are some qualified men accepting of this role. Again, if you haven't read They Smell Like Sheep by Lynn Anderson, I encourage you to do so during this process. It will likely broaden your ideas of the kind of men God is looking for.

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This is the last week of school for our kids. We are looking forward to our summer break which is usually sprinkled with educational opportunities. They are just disguised as "fun"...lol.

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Praise List: I know I've said this several times this year. The chance to homeschool our kids has been such a blessing.

Called Out!

That's the theme of this weekend's youth retreat. I will be leaving Friday afternoon and will be back Sunday afternoon. My assignment is to teach the Jr. High class about Paul and Peter being "called out." We are called to be saints (Rom. 1:7); called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28); called into fellowship with His Son (1 Cor. 1:9); called by the grace of Christ (Gal. 1:6); called to be free (Gal. 5:13); called to live a holy life (1 Thess. 4:7); called out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9); called to inherit a blessing (1 Pet. 3:9).

Peter also exhorts us to make our calling sure (2 Pet. 1:10) How do we do that? By applying 1 Peter 1:5-9. "5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins." The result of applying these to our lives is in verse 11. "and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Is your calling sure?

Please pray that we will have a great weekend and safe travel to and from the retreat.

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Praise List: I am thankful that I was given an opportunity to be called by the gospel of Christ.

Monotremes

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. On the fifth day He created birds, which included ducks. On the sixth day he made mammals, which included badgers. But God wanted to prove to man that He had a sense of humor. So He said, "I wonder what would happen if I cross a duck with a badger?" Adam named it the platypus. (J is working on a report in Language Arts. He could have picked ANY topic in the universe to research. He curiously chose...the platypus.) In creating the platypus, God not only proved that He has a sense of humor, but also that He can do absolutely anything He wants. All animals fit nicely into categories that man has devised. Ducks are birds. Birds lay eggs. Badgers are mammals. Mammals don't lay eggs. WRONG! Not so with the platypus (known as a monotreme). It is a mammal with hair, but has a duck bill and webbed feet and lays eggs, but when the young are hatched, the mother nurses them. It has some reptilian features as well and is the only venomous furred animal in the world. No, it doesn't have a poisonous bite. It has poisonous spurs on its feet but they are only poisonous during mating season. This is one bizarre animal. It doesn't fit anywhere...which proves God can do anything He wants. God doesn't fit into this nice little box that we like to keep Him in. We don't always understand why God does the things He does...like creating misfit creatures. It may be for no other reason than to say to us...I am God. But still...add that to my list of questions when I get to heaven. "OK, God. What's up with the platypus?"...lol.























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Praise List: God loves "misfits."

Before I Was Mom...

Before I was a Mom...

I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom...
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom...

I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Spit on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom...

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

And before I was a Grandma...
I didn't know that all those "Mom" feelings more than doubled!

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Praise List: The mother of my children and my mom.

Another Tough One

Tonight's game was hot, dusty, and...short...lol. What can I say? The East Wheeling Pirates are a perennial power house. But our little guys hung tough with their big guys in a 5-2 loss. We only batted through our line-up twice. And if we had been playing at Dimmydale, they would have had four over-the-fence home runs. I thought our outfielders would have a rough night in their huge outfield...but it actually turned out to be in our favor. Good defense kept the game close. J went 0-1 officially with a walk, a strikeout, and a run scored.

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More about the shepherding thing I mentioned earlier. I just finished reading the book, They Smell Like Sheep, by Lynn Anderson. All I can say is that it is a "must read" for anyone with aspirations of ever being a shepherd of God's flock. It's also a great work for any Christian to read. It talks about us being shepherds, mentors, and equippers...roles for which we should all be striving. It's not just an "elder" thing...it's a Christian thing. I am now starting the sequel which just came out, They Smell Like Sheep 2: The Heart of a Shepherd.

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Congratulations to the Vilanos. They are now first-time homeowners. They bought a house on Hanover Street in Martins Ferry...just a street behind them. They are beginning the moving process again...hopefully this will be it for awhile after 20 years of military moves. If you can paint, Nikki could probably use your help.

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Thank you Lori for the chocolate Coca-Cola cake. And thank you Sally for sharing it...lol. A woman sharing her chocolate is quite a sacrificial act.

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My dad is spending two days trout fishing in the Elkins, WV area with a friend from his days at Grand Central church of Christ. Maybe he'll beat last year's catch total of....one. But as any fisherman will tell you...it's not about the catch...it's about the fishing.

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Praise List: Men of vision.

The Garage

Well...I finally did it!! I cleaned out the garage yesterday. It was in the same shape as it was the day after we moved in. Some boxes full of stuff and furniture that we haven't used in almost two years finally got on my nerves. That was compounded by the fact the last two torrential downpours filled my garage with a fine layer of silt because of a clogged drain in the driveway. So after an entire day of throwing away, "demudding", and organizing, I finally have a garage that I'm not embarrassed for the neighbors to see. What's funny is that one of the items in our garage was a huge, heavy desk. I thought we left it in the garage on moving day because it was too big to get through the basement door. Sally reminded me that we left it there because we were tired at the end of moving day and didn't want to move it...lol. For almost two years I thought that desk wouldn't fit through the door. Lo and behold...it did fit. Of course, we still don't have room for the Explorer but, hey, at least we can walk through the garage without tripping.

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Sunday was a heartbreaker on the ball diamond. J was the tying run on third in the bottom of the 6th inning with nobody out and we couldn't push him across. We loss 8-7 to West Liberty. So we are now 2-1 on the season. J went 4-4 with 4 RBI's and 2 runs scored and pitched the last 3 innings. He gave up 2 runs and struck out 5 and plunked a kid in the middle of the back...lol. (But I keep reminding him that in my pitching debut in 5th grade I hit four kids in one inning.) We play East Wheeling on Thursday at 6:00 at Tunnel Green field.

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Last week the book of Ruth was part of our reading in our "Daily Walk With God" devotionals. This was an email that Kenny Walker sent me. This is one illustration of Ruth 2:16 in today's world:

The Giving Kind

At one end of the truck terminal where H. H. Lee worked years ago was a coal company. Nearby was a railroad, and each day several freight trains passed by. Lee often noticed that the owner of the company, who was a Christian, threw chunks of coal over the fence at various places along the track. One day he asked the man why he did this.

The man replied, "An elderly woman lives across the street, and I know that her pension is inadequate to buy enough coal. After the trains go by, she walks along and picks up the pieces she thinks have fallen from the coal car behind the engine. She doesn't realize that diesels have replaced steam locomotives. I don't want to disappoint her, so I just throw some
pieces over the fence."

That's Christianity in action! The book of Ruth vividly portrays this principle of giving. When Boaz saw Ruth gathering grain behind the reapers in his field, he commanded them to leave some handfuls of grain for her. To her, this was a blessing from the Lord.

In the same way, the people whose lives we touch need to experience God's love through our compassion and generosity. That's why we should ask God to make us aware of opportunities to show kindness.

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Bless someone today.

Praise List: Shepherds. (more on that later)

20 Years Ago

Well...the big 40 looms nearer. I will be 38 on Sunday. I will be celebrating it with a concession stand hot dog and chips and coaching 3rd base for two hours. Can you think of a better way?...lol.

It's hard to believe that I have been out of high school for 20 years! I have often wondered how my classmates turned out. But I don't really have any desire to actually find out. I was one of those kids who simply "endured" high school because all of my close friends were kids at church who went to different schools. I couldn't wait to get out and never envisioned myself attending a class reunion. So far all the reunion invitations I have received still involve a keg or wet bar. So I don't think things have changed all that much. They weren't my crowd then...they definitely aren't now.

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Not only am I getting older but so are my kids. Imagine that!...lol. J is SO excited to enter the "youth group" at church next month. He and Shaylyn have always been a part of it in a limited way due to my positions as a youth minister. There have been times when we had no choice but for them to tag along. But now it's almost official. Almost gone are the days of me saying, "No...you can't go this time...you're not old enough." Some have not understood why we don't include our kids on every trip, event, activity, etc. It's because we want it to be special time in their lives when it arrives. We don't want them to get used to it early on. We didn't want them to get burnt out on it. But we also didn't want to cheat the teenagers by having to "parent" while on teen activities or have our kids "bugging" them. It's too difficult to do both. Plus it's a great time for them to spend with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

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Promotion Sunday is June 3rd and we want to make it a big deal. All classes will meet in the auditorium for the 9:30 Bible class hour. We will be recognizing those students who will be moving on to the next class as well as some special recognition to those who have completed the extra memory work. So let's all encourage our children by being a part of this morning.

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Here's an interesting tidbit that will appear in the August issue of House to House/Heart to Heart.

Is Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah of the Old Testament?
Jesus fulfilled more than three hundred Old Testament prophecies. Peter Stoner, in Science Speaks (Moody Press, 1963), calculates the odds of fulfilling only eight prophecies as 1 in 10 to
the 17th power, or 100,000,000,000,000,000. He suggested that if one covered the state of Texas with that many silver dollars, the entire state would be covered in coins two feet deep. Mark one of the coins, mix thoroughly, then blindfold a man and tell him to pick up the marked coin on the first try. That would be the same probability of just eight of the messianic prophecies coming true by coincidence.

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Praise List: Don't you just love it when scientists keep proving the Bible right in their efforts to prove it wrong?

Vigor

Feeling a little lethargic lately? Here's a post from Gary Henry's Enthusiastic Ideas that might help.

Vigor

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind" (Leonardo da Vinci).

A vigorous mind is an asset. To see why that's true, we need to understand what the word means. It comes from a Latin verb which meant "to be lively," and it conveys the idea of active strength. When we say that a person is vigorous physically, we mean that he or she is energetic and rigorous in the exercise of their strength, and similarly, when we speak of a person's mental vigor, we refer to the active use of their mind. A vigorous mind is a lively mind! It's one that is eager to work and inquisitive and courageous. A mind like that is an asset, and it needs to be nourished and kept active.

Think with vigor! We often get poor results from our thinking because we're so lazy about it. Not having been fed properly and exercised regularly, our minds have lost their childhood vigor. But that's a problem that can be corrected. We can start thinking more actively.

Speak with vigor! Whether it's written or spoken, language often has to be used vigorously in order to be effective. Yes, there is a time and place for soft words, but I would say that our communications fail more often from being too bland than from being too vigorous.

Live with vigor! I wholeheartedly agree with Justin Wilson, the Louisiana comedian and cook, who is known for saying that everybody ought to live with "great vigorosity," and also with Emeril Lagrasse, another great Louisiana cook, who's always urging us to"Kick it up!" As we pass through this world, we don't want, as somebody said, to fail to taste the fruit for lack of courage to shake the tree.

None of us has an infinite supply of vigor, however, and so we have to make some choices. We can't say a vigorous "Yes!" to some things if we haven't said a definite "No!" to other things. And maybe that's where a good part of vigor comes from anyway: the ability to focus and the willingness to make a choice. If we're going to follow Justin Wilson's advice and live with "great vigorosity," we're going to have to make up our minds who we are and what we won't do.

"Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do" (Mencius).

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Praise List: Those who live vigorously as Christians -- the kingdom depends on them.

Billi Dillon

ANTEATER!!

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Chalk up a win in the season opener for Pike Cubs Gold. We defeated Pike Red 14-6. J went 2-4 with a single and a double and pitched the final inning walking one and striking out three. Our next game is Wednesday night against Pike Maroon so he will have to leave a little early for that one. We plan on pitching him the first three innings.

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As I type this...it is 85 DEGREES! Finally!! I LOVE IT!!!

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Sally and the kids have been spending that last couple days weeding the back yard along the alley. I guess now I better mow the yard. They are making me look bad...lol. Thanks to Russ Whinnery we now have grass to mow in the back yard.

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NBA Notes: Cavs sweep Wizards! Mavs on the verge of getting upset by the Golden State Warriors...who are they?...lol.

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For those of you who may not be on the email circuit, here is a note from Kathy Parsons about her grandson, Billi Dillon, who was attacked by some kids at school.

Bill is doing quite well today, although he has to have plastic surgery.
He has another appointment with the plastic surgeon tomorrow and he is anxious to get the repair work done. He says that it needs to be done as quickly as possible because the natural healing process will begin and he will have to undo that if it isn't very soon. His nose has already started to heal. His nose is broken, his left cheek bone is shattered, the muscles hold his eye in place are damaged and his sinus cavity is damaged. We are just so fortunate that he is still with us. This was a big burly kid who obviously is filled with deep rage. He doesn't come from the best home life and neither does the other one.

I guess my description of Billi would be that he is intensely loyal to those he cares about -- whether it be his little brothers, his friends, his cousins, his grandma....anyone that he loves. He sticks up for what he believes in and at 15, thinks he's bulletproof. I so admire his
loyalty and convictions, but in this day and age it can have devastating consequences. He has stood up to these 2 "thugs" on prior incidents involving other kids and they were out to teach him a lesson.

I was so moved by the congregation singing "Amazing Grace". Billi has a beautiful voice and last year sang a solo of this song at the school concert. Heather was telling me that when she came home a couple of weeks ago, she could hear loud music coming from his bedroom. He had several friends over and she was on her way back to tell him to please turn it down. As she started down the hallway to his room, she realized the song that was playing and Billi was singing along with was "Amazing Grace". When she opened his bedroom door to ask him to be more considerate of his friends' ears (with the volume), his reply was, "It's my favorite song, Mom, and if they don't want to hear it, they can leave."

Thanks for all of your love and concern and please keep my precious Billi in your prayers.

Love you,

Kathy

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If you wish to send Billi a card his address is:

Billi Dillon
514 Harding
Medina, OH 44256

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Praise List: Donna Metz was able to go home from the hospital yesterday.

Another Week Has Passed

Well, another blogging week has somehow managed to escape my grasp. So I will try to make up for it one day. My focus this week has been the unenviable task of doing the layout for the new pictorial directory. Suffice it to say I am glad that only comes around once every five years.

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We had a good weekend at the OVU Bible Bowl. Our two teams (Caroline Stephenson, Noel Adamson, Sabrina Cole, Jennilee Walker, Ross Jackson, Joey Vilano, Tyler Adamson, and Ryan Kasper) finished about middle of the pack. But thanks to Ross' T-shirt idea, our t-shirt won third place. The t-shirt and plaque are displayed in the foyer. This year's material (1 & 2 Corinthians) was very difficult to study. Old Testament books are a little easier because there are many characters and storylines to remember. But New Testament letters are more concept oriented which is more difficult for teens to grasp. Next year's theme is Exodus 1-34. Sabrina read the first 10 chapters on the way home from the Bible Bowl. Caroline has read the first 26 chapters already. J is moving up to the youth group next year (I can't believe it) and has already read through chapter 28. So it's good to see that the enthusiasm for next year's study has already begun.

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It's been awhile since I have had a sports update.

Ohio State - So much for the Buckeyes basketball team's bid to return to the NCAA Championship game again next year. Oden and Conley are heading for the NBA after one season. So much for school loyalty. The only loyalty these days is to the almighty dollar.

Cincinnati Reds - appear to have begun their annual August slide in April. There's a shocker.

Cleveland Indians - first in their division.

New York Yankees - FOURTH in their division (where they should be). But how about A-Rod? In just 20 games he has hit 14 home runs and 34 RBI's. He is on pace to hit 113 homers and 275 RBI's this season. I'm sure he'll have a meltdown soon.

Cleveland Cavaliers - are up 2-0 in Round 1 against the Wizards in the NBA playoffs.

Penguins? -- what happened?

NFL Draft tomorrow - I wonder what drunken reprobate the Bengals will draft first.

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Please keep the Lallathin family in your prayers. Carl's brother, Ralph, was killed in an accident involving a tractor at his home in Antioch, Ohio. He was 86 years old.

Donna Metz is in Wheeling Hospital with some heart problems.

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Things are winding down on the homeschool front. J has finished all of his History and Bible for the year. He will finish up Science this week. So from here on out he only has to do Language Arts and Math and hopefully both he and Shaylyn will be done by Memorial Day. It's been a great homeschooling year for our family...one of the best decisions we have ever made. My sister and brother-in-law have also decided to get on board with it. They will have a second grader and one in Kindergarten next year. If anyone is thinking about doing it...but are hesitant...please talk to someone who does it. We were hesitant, too.

J Humor - In our homeschool, Sally is considered the teacher and I am the principal. The other day J needed some "motivation" to get his work finished up for the day. I told him that if he didn't get his act together he was going to have to go to the principal's office. He said, "Where's that?...the bathroom? ...lol. I can't hardly wait for the next eight years of adolescent humor.

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Just when I think there is no hope for Sweet Pea, our dog, I see a video like this one from Animal Planet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCBTZ6-ORFE.

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Have a great weekend! See you Sunday, Lord willing.

Praise List: Leaves coming out on the trees!!

Adolescent Boys

I was reading Mike Cope's blog the other day and found this post to be quite humorous. If you have raised an adolescent boy or work with them you will definitely appreciate this humor.

Assembling The Shed
Copyright 2007 W. Bruce Cameron

Dear Rubbershed Company:

Having run out of storage space in my garage for all the stuff we’re hanging onto so we’ll have something to throw away when we move, I recently purchased one of your high-impact plastic sheds, whose parts are intended to snap together into a piano-sized, weatherproof container in a process your advertising claims “takes no more than a fast and convenient 25 minutes!”

I decided to assign the task of assembling the thing to my 13-year-old son, under the theory that (a) he needs to learn basic carpentry skills, and (b) otherwise I would have to do it.

I thought you’d be interested to learn that the actual assembly took considerably more than a fast and convenient 25 minutes. In fact, it took my son a fast and convenient Saturday. Perhaps you should consider revising your instructions along the lines that I’ve detailed, below.

Your Step One: Open box and remove parts.

Son’s Step One: Stand empty box on end and throw rocks at it from back deck, making incoming artillery noises. Jump up and down on box until it is flattened. Attempt to use the box as a sled, trying to induce dog to pull you across the yard. Get on bike and go search for runaway dog. Put some dead wood under one end of flattened cardboard and ride bicycle over it, shouting “air time!” before colliding with tree. Put ice on cut lip.

Your Step Two: Determine that all parts are present.

Son’s Step Two: Set up roof of shed like a pup tent. Lie inside pup tent and use prop rod to shoot down the enemies. Set up walls like giant dominos and knock them down.

Your Step Three: Lay floor down and insert back piece into floorslots, secure with rubber mallet.

Son’s Step Three: Set up floor and walls like a giant drum set and bang on them with rubber mallet. Use rubber mallet to crush some aluminum cans. Throw crushed cans into the air, yelling “pull” and shooting at them with the handle end of the rubber mallet.

Your Step Four: Insert left wall and right wall into floor slot, secure with rubber mallet.

Son’s Step Four: Attempt to assemble entire shed in a single step, slapping up walls, doors, and roof. Frown when everything falls over like a stack of cards. Reassemble entire shed, frowning when it doesn’t fall over like a stack of cards. Wade in and knock everything over like Godzilla taking down Tokyo. Report to father that construction is “impossible.”

Your Step Five: Slide left and right doors into hinge slots, secure with rubber mallet.

Son’s Step Five: Respond to father’s directive to “finish shed ornever eat another meal in our house” by lethargically kicking walls. Notice that rear wall has tabs which look suspiciously like they might fit into floor slots. Halfheartedly insert tabs into slots, blinking in surprise when the wall snaps into place. Duplicate the process with left and right sides, shouting “dude!” repeatedly. Put on roller blades and skate around the block.

Your Step Six: Insert Roof into side and back slots, securing with rubber mallet.

Son’s Step Six: Search for rubber mallet, which was right here aminute ago. Find a tennis ball. Throw tennis ball at shed.

Your Step Seven: Insert prop rod into side slot. Your shed is now ready for use!

Son’s Step Seven: Find a baseball bat. Hit tennis ball over house. Trot around imaginary bases in yard, high-fiving teammates at home plate. Pound shed walls with bat, continuing assault long after they are seated into place. Use bat as a bazooka, destroying enemy tanks, airplanes, and velociraptors. Insert doors, repeating aggressive bat use. Respond to father’s inquiry about the pounding noise by explaining “stupid mallet got lost.”

Son’s Step Eight: Turn on hose and fill shed with water to see if it could be used as a swimming pool. Stand in yard for forty minutes, spraying hose at random, slack expression on face.

Son’s Step Nine: Respond to father’s demand to pick up the scattered tools, the hose, the remnants of the box, and everything else by packing it all into the shed.

(A final note: After all this, there is still no room in my garagefor my car.)

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J is just entering this stage. He will be 11 this July. Yesterday for breakfast he wanted to fix a cup of hot tea and asked me how to make it. I told him to put the tea bag in the cup with water. Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Then add sugar. About a minute and a half later Shaylyn comes running into the living room saying she smells burnt bacon. I run into the kitchen...open the microwave...only to find a METAL PAN full of hot water and a tea bag...AAAAHHHH!!!

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Praise List: The next 4 days. Sunny and 70's.

Mathematical Viewpoint

Brenda Beckett forwarded this to me today. I thought you would enjoy it.

From a strictly Mathematical Viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%.
How about achieving 101%?
What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these Questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then: H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But, A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

AND, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that: While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Coming and Going

Do you ever have one those weeks where you feel like you meet yourself coming and going? Last week was just a little more hectic than usual, so something had to give...my blog time. So one Easter, one head cold, one Pirates home opener, two flat tires, one Open House, one Ladies Day, and a baseball practice later...plus the usual stuff...I'm back. Whew!

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Please keep Caitlyn Fisher in your prayers. This is the daughter of Dave and Diahann, who will be moving here this summer from Cincinnati. Doctors discovered some sort of abnormality in one of her kidneys. She goes to see a specialist on May 29. The good news is that they got an offer on their house and should be able to move here sometime in late June or early July, Lord willing.

Also keep the Mills family in your prayers. Sue's 22 year old niece, Erin Blake, was killed in automobile accident this past weekend in Florida.

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Shaylynism: Shaylyn and I were cuddling on the couch the other night watching TV and she was playing with my moustache. She told me she liked the way it feels. Then her hands went to my sideburns. She said, "I like your 'ear bangs', too." ...lol.

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How do you wrap your mind around what happened at VA Tech yesterday? I am ashamed to say that I wasn't shocked. My reaction when I saw it on TV was, "Hmm...another shooting." I guess that's what I am struggling with the most. Have I become so desensitized by evil that I am no longer appalled when it rears its ugly head? Don't get me wrong. My heart aches for the families and all those who will be affected by this tragedy. But this was the largest massacre in U.S. history and my reaction to this evilness is what concerns me most. This should be at the top of my post today...but it isn't. Why? This form of evil has become commonplace in our country. It's as if our prayers should change from "please don't allow this to happen again" to "help us to be able to handle this better when it does happen." We expect things like this anymore. And to think that this change has taken place during my generation's watch is disturbing as well. What will be commonplace in another 30 years? Scary.

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Praise List: Open, honest, deep, reflective, spiritual dialogue among believers. Rare these days...but so refreshing when it occurs.

Opening Day

Thermal socks, long johns, long sleeve t-shirt, sweat shirt, winter coat, ear muffs, gloves. Sounds like a check list for a Steelers game right? Think again. That's what I wore for the Pirates home opener today...and was still cold. The game-time temperature was 37 degrees. The Steelers only played in one game colder than that all season last year! You know it's cold when you buy a Pepsi before the game and by the end of the game the ice hasn't melted. But nonetheless..it's still baseball. The sights, sounds, and smells are still the same...the criss-cross pattern of the freshly mowed outfield, unsmeared chalk lines, impeccably manicured infield dirt, hot dogs, peanuts, the national anthem complete with an Air Force fighter jet fly-over. Unfortunately, I am now 0-2 in my Pirate home openers though. So my invitation to next year's opener is looking bleak once again (despite the fact that I brought peanut butter fudge and 2 pounds of peanuts from Jebbia's for everyone). The Pirates' bats were as cold as the temperature. But realistically, who wants to hit a hard ball with a big piece of wood when it's 37 degrees? But hey...the Buccos are still in first place.

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OK..this one is hilarious. Sally's mom bought her an Easter dress from Sears. She goes to put it on Sunday morning only to find that the cashier forgot to take off the security device. Sally attempts to take it off herself...not knowing they are full of ink. It came apart and red ink went everywhere...on her, the carpet, AND the new dress. Of course Susan had a hard time convincing us that she had not actually stolen the dress...lol. Sally's line was, "I have a really HOT Easter outfit."

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Latest Shaylynism: After J grimmaced from putting sour candy in his mouth, Shaylyn told him to put it on the sides of his tongue because there are no taste bugs there.

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Boy...I haven't heard much from the global warming gurus the last week or so. I like Rush's take on it. When July and August come and the global warming terrorist alarms go off about the 130 degree temps in Death Valley and drought conditions in the west...he said, "When I was growing up, we used to call that summer!"

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Praise List: I'm glad we celebrate the resurrection 52 times a year. Everyone else is really missing out.

Grateful for the Work God Gives Us

Here's is an excellent post today by Gary Henry.

Grateful for the Work God Gives Us

"If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased"(1 Corinthians 12:17,18).

The kingdom of Christ is a realm where definite work is done. To be a Christian is more than an honorary status conferred upon us; it is a manner of living, a way of life. If we have the idea that "being"a Christian involves no more than the passive enjoyment of being saved, we have a thing or two to learn about the New Testament. There, Christians worked and served, actively and energetically. The body of Christ does things!

But just as the body of Christ has work to do, it's also true that the individual members of the body each have a unique part to play in that work. If we're Christians, we don't simply have a generic contribution to make; we have a particular work to engage in that is uniquely our own. Each of us is a one-of-a-kind package of strengths and abilities, and we're going to have to answer for whether those gifts were used in ways that were well suited to us.

Most of us are aware that the church is compared in the New Testament to the human body, a unified organism made up of many different parts, all of which contribute uniquely to the body's activity. Almost humorously, Paul asks, "If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?" The body simply could not function without having different parts that do different things.

We know this, and yet what do we do? We identify certain types of Christian service as more important, and we spend our lives fretting over who has which ability. In a word, this is sinful.

In the Lord, we need to take three steps: (1) We need to prayerfully discover what it is the Lord wants us personally to be doing with the abilities we have (or can acquire). (2) We need to get comfortable in our own skin and accept the role that is ours to play, regardless of where it ranks on any worldly scale of values. (3) We need to rejoice in our role and be grateful for the work God gives us. After all, God has set us in the body "just as He pleased."

"The Lord knows us as we really are. He gives each of us work to do. He understands what is most appropriate for us, what will be helpful to him, and what will be good for others" (Teresa of Avila).

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Before I read this, my view was that there were three types of Christians. 1) those who won't work, 2) those who work but gripe about it, and 3) those who work without griping. But God wants us to take it a step further. There is a 4th category -- those who work and are grateful for the opportunity. That is a counter-cultural concept. We live for the days off, the vacations, the sabbaticals. There are not too many times that we are grateful for work. To many it is a neccessary evil. But in the Kingdom, we can't let that cultural view creep in. We need to be grateful for our role in working for the Lord.

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Praise List: As few as they seem to be at times, I am grateful for those kingdom workers that can always be counted on to get the job done.

Spring Ups and Downs

OK...I'm not amused. 79 degrees one day and 39 degrees the next is NOT funny. My winter coats have already been put away. I am NOT wearing them. I refuse...lol. J's team had practice tonight with a wind chill of 23.

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With Spring comes baseball...with baseball comes injuries. In our second practice, the head coach's son didn't get out of the way in time of 10 year old's fastball. He got drilled in the mouth which required a visit to the ER and seven stitches.

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On the bright side, Mike Vilano is home. The Vilano family has been waiting for this spring day for six long months. Welcome home, Mike!!

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Another up side is that I can see again. I had been wearing my last pair of disposable contacts for about 8 months...lol. I was starting to get a glimpse of what cataracts might be like. So at 9:45 this morning I called Walmart Vision Center to schedule an eye exam as a new patient. They said they had an opening at 10:00. I took it. I walked out of Walmart with new contacts at 10:30. I LOVE efficiency!! Why can't everything be that simple?

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Praise List: Brenda Beckett's mother is doing better again. She is back in a regular room but still keep her in your prayers.

Live by the 3...Die by the 3

I knew Ohio State had to have a premier performance by Oden and hit their 3-pointers in order to beat Florida. Oden did his part for sure. The 3-point shooting was ice cold. How a team can shoot 37% from 3-point range the entire season and then shoot 17% in the championship game, I'll never know. Obviously it was Florida's time....again. What's worse than getting beaten by Florida in two national championship games in one year?....NUTHIN'!! (well...except a loss anytime to the school up north...lol).

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But the only sport that really matters anyway is in full swing. Baseball season is here!! The Reds won their opener and the Pirates got a comeback win in extra innings. J's second practice is tomorrow. Looks like he's going to be splitting time at shortstop, pitcher, and catcher this year.

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Today was our homeschool standardized testing day. Glad that's over. We celebrated with Kit-Kat Blizzards from DQ.

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Tomorrow...sunny and 78!!!

Praise List: Becky Beckett put on Christ Sunday morning.

Technological Manners

I ran across this little article in Vertical Thought magazine. It pretty much hit all of my pet peeves about technology combined with rude people.

Technological Requires Old-School Manners

With new technological products rapidly appearing, it's important to remember that polite manners are still important. Thelma Domenici, an etiquette columnist, gives some suggestions to counter possible rudeness:

- iPods are fun, but they shouldn't isolate you from other people. If someone asks you a direct question, remove the ear buds.

- Every email and text message you send also sends a message about you. Use good grammar; be kind and clear.

- If you're in a face-to-face conversation, the person present takes precedence over a cell phone call. That's what voice mail is for.

- Last, but not least, cell phone conversations in public places should never make other people uncomfortable or affect your ability to drive. If either of these applies, end the call and talk later.

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The basic requirement is to realize you are not the only one in the room. These technological toys have proven how ego-centric many people really are.

Praise List: What else?..The WEATHER!

Remember Them

SLEEP LAST NIGHT?

Bed a little lumpy?... Toss and turn any?... Wish the heat was higher?...Maybe the a/c wasn't on? Had to get up to go to the bathroom?...Needed a drink of water?...

Yes.. It is like that! Count your blessings, pray for them. And the next time when ...The other car cuts you off and you must hit the brakes, or you have to park a little further from Walmart than you want to, or you're served slightly warm food at the restaurant, or you're sitting and cursing the traffic in front of you, or the shower runs out of hot water,…think of them... protecting your freedom!

Praise List: The U.S.S. Monterey, the ship that Mike Vilano is on, is on its way home.

Can You Read This?

Can you read this?

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Pretty cool, huh?

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Praise List: Being able to celebrate the life of saints who have gone on to reap their reward.

Bittersweet

It's a bittersweet day for the Beckett family. The good news is that Brenda's mom's open heart surgery this morning went exceptionally well. She only needed double bypasses. It's been a long two weeks for them. The sad news for us is that one of heaven's angels has returned home. Vernena Beckett passed away this morning after having a major stroke yesterday. But she had been praying for this day to come for awhile now. Calling hours will be 2-4 and 7-9 on Sunday at Kepner's in Elm Grove and the funeral will be sometime Monday afternoon. Please continue to pray for the Beckett family.

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On the Buckeyes: How many times can a team be on "the ropes" and continue to advance? I don't really want to find out. Let's just win one from the tip-off for a change.

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Praise List: Just contemplate what you think it will be like when you first enter heaven.

Examination

Here is today's post from Gary Henry's "Enthusiastic Ideas." I think it is something we can all take to heart.

March 22: Examination

"Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it" (Francois de LaRochefoucauld).

Many of life's regrets come from not having looked at things carefully enough. It frequently happens that we acquire possessions or become involved in activities that end up bringing us more grief than happiness, and it would have been relatively easy to see where they would lead if we'd examined them beforehand. That boat you thought you had to have, for example. Did you even ask anyone how much time it would take to maintain it? As La Rochefoucauld points out, before letting ourselves be disturbed by desire for something, we ought to "examine how happy those are who already possess it." We ought, in other words, to look before we leap. "Fine print" is usually boring to read, but it's often helpful to read it anyway. And the more important the "contract," the more wise we are to read the fine print. But we don't often do that, do we? We assume too much. We take too many things for granted, without examining them, and then later, when we realize what we've gotten ourselves into, we wish we'd inspected the situation a bit more carefully.

As little as we examine some things, however, there are others that we examine too much. For instance, most of us spend far too much time inspecting and analyzing "business" that is not our own. A"busybody" is a person who meddles or pries into the affairs of others, and that's exactly what we catch ourselves being and doing sometimes. In fact, I have a friend who, based on his observation of human nature, has formulated the following rule: our interest in any topic is inversely proportional to that topic's bearing on our own conduct.

A far more productive use of our time would be to engage in self-examination. When Socrates said that "the unexamined life is not worth living," he wasn't talking about making someone else's life more worthy by examining it! Our progress in life depends on our being willing to scrutinize ourselves. The flaws are there waiting to be seen, and they are correctable -- but only if we submit to self-scrutiny.

"When we see men of worth, we should think of becoming like them;when we see men of contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves" (Francois de La Rochefoucauld).

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GO BUCKEYES!!

They play the Vols tonight at 10:00 on CBS.
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Praise List: Jessica Studebaker gave me a report on Teddy Callahan and he is doing remarkably well considering all that he went through. The faith of his family through this ordeal has been amazing.

Missed When Absent

Happy first day of Spring!!

Growing up, every first day of Spring I remember my mom reciting this poem. "Spring has sprung, the grass has ris, I wonder where the birdies is." So poignant...lol.

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Here is an article by Neal Pollard.

MISSED WHEN ABSENT

There is a natural crisis developing across our nation, a problem that could have enormous ecological and economical impact. The honey worker bees are disappearing, and nobody knows exactly why. They just know what implications their disappearance has on us all. The disappearance even has a technical name now: "Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD). The most disturbing aspect is there are no dead bodies anywhere and the hives look normal on the outside. Theories include pesticides, predators, and people (of course), but nothing is apparent. Entomologists and apiologists remind us that bees pollinate one-third of the world's food supply, but who besides them ever gives thought to these quiet, diligent workers?

Think about how many in the church are like the honey bee. They work almost undetectably, behind the scenes and unheralded. Without them, however, much work would go undone. Occasionally, these workers may get discouraged by opposition, unappreciation, and criticism. In some instances, they may be prone to give up and "disappear." Yet, think about what happens to the life and work of a congregation that loses or lacks these quiet workers. Bulletin boards aren't decorated. Kitchens aren't cleaned. Tract racks aren't stocked. Shut-ins and the sick aren't contacted. Cards aren't sent. People aren't encouraged and new Christians and new members aren't exhorted. Visits aren't made. Individually, these workers may not be able to do much, but collectively their impact is huge! There works may be most noticeable when we become aware they cannot or do not do them anymore. To those of you who work like these "honey bees," we give you due honor and recognition (cf. Rom. 12:15). Your work is significant and essential. We know where we would be without you, and we dread the thought. Please do not be weary in well-doing (Gal. 6:9). We notice you, and we need you!

Amen!!

Praise List: WE MADE IT!! SPRING IS HERE!!!

Ebay

Well...I have bought a handful of items on Ebay in the last couple years. But now we have joined the ranks of those making money there as well. We sold our first item last night. Sally wanted to sell her good dishes so that she could buy...well...different dishes...lol. The transaction is done. They have been shipped. Her dishes will now have a home in San Francisco. Isn't that just crazy! NO MORE YARD SALES FOR ME!!

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Shaylynism: J was teasing Shaylyn this morning about something and she turned to Sally and said, "Mom, see what he does? He says stuff like that to me and then I get on his goat!"...lol

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Well...how 'bout them Buckeyes?...or should I say "Luckeyes"? Somehow they pulled it off. I think they depend too much on Oden. They actually played better without him after he fouled out. They knew they had to step it up in order to win. That was definitely a wake up call for them. From here on out they are going to have to play entire games like they played those last 8 minutes against Xavier.

So how's your NCAA bracket look? I experienced a first. I still have one region perfect thus far...the South Region. That has never happened to me going into the Sweet 16.

Just to let everyone know...the Stephensons and I may not be speaking after Thursday night. The Buckeyes play Tennessee. If the Buckeyes lose...I have a feeling I may also be getting a few calls from Springfield, TN as well. Vols fans are truly a different breed...lol. I haven't asked Sally who she will be rooting for yet. We may not be on speaking terms either...lol.

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Nikki,...ONLY 15 MORE DAYS!!!

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Next time you are at church be sure to ask Jay Rodak about his pretzel.

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Praise List: Brenda's mother continues to improve but please keep her in your prayers. She will possibly have open heart surgery on Friday.

My Tournament Picks

Here's my picks for this year's "Bracketology."

First Round Winners: Florida, Purdue, Butler, Maryland, Winthrop, Oregon, GA Tech, Wisconsin, Kansas, Villanova, VA Tech, So. Illinois, Duke, Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, UCLA, North Carolina, Marquette, Arkansas, Texas, G. Washington, Washington St., TX Tech, Georgetown, Ohio St., Xavier, Tennessee, Virginia, Louisville, Texas A&M, Nevada, Memphis.

Sweet Sixteen: Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Wisconsin, Kansas, So. Illinois, Pittsburgh, UCLA, North Carolina, Texas, Washington St., Georgetown, Ohio St., Tennessee, Texas A&M, Memphis.

Elite Eight: Florida, Wisconsin, Kansas, UCLA, Texas, Georgetown, Ohio St., Memphis.

Final Four: Florida, Kansas, Texas, Ohio St.

Championship Game: Florida, Ohio St.

National Champs: THE BUCKEYES (surprise!)

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Here's a funny bit forwarded to me the other day.

A NEW SLANT ON CREATION

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?"

And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

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Last night with all the classes meeting in the auditorium, I decided to try "Picture This!" It is a curriculum that I found online that does an overview of each book of the Bible in pictures like the one shown below. The premise is that if learning by hearing is good, and learning by hearing AND seeing is better, then learning by hearing, seeing, AND doing is even better yet. Each person was given a "dot-to-dot" version shown above. Then I would show each section to be drawn on powerpoint and give a brief summary of the text. It took about 45 minutes to do it. It is similar to the "Chart Sermons" or "Sheet Sermons" of decades past but the audience is actually drawing it themselves as well. Our Bible Bowlers are studying 1 & 2 Corinthians so I chose that one as a good review for them.

Have a blessed day.

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Praise List: Spring rains and buds on the trees.

The Zoo

Yesterday was a homeschool field trip for my family. Shaylyn just finished learning the "short e" sound which included a study of elephants and several books about Babar. So we decided to go see the elephants at the Pittsburgh Zoo. They were quite entertaining since we saw them while the caretakers were out with them. It is amazing how a creature so strong and massive can be so docile and wanting human attention. But the most entertaining by far were the primates. There was one exhibit with a mama orangutan with her baby. The baby was hilarious as it would look at us through the glass and smile. It acted just like any toddler would act...bothering mom, climbing all over her, pulling her hair while she was trying to sleep. Even more entertaining were the gorillas. While watching them interact with each other it was very interesting to note the "pecking order." While most of the gorillas are busy playing and having a good time the tone gets really serious when the silverback dominate male decides to exert his authority.

While their "human like" characteristics cannot be denied...their advanced thought process, the dexterity of their fingers, etc....I still find the theory that we evolved from them laughable. The point I always love to make for which evolutionists don't have answer is that it is interesting that some of these apes didn't evolve. If humans decended from apes, then why are there still apes? Just a few billion of us got lucky I guess. I feel so bad for the ones who didn't make it...they are really missing out on a great life...lol.

Praise List: Seeing the variety of God's creatures and knowing we were given dominion over them.

Miscellaneous

The Ohio State men's basketball team ended their regular season with a win over Michigan. Today they play in Round 1 of the Big Ten Tournament....against whom? Michigan. It's never good to have to play them twice especially in back to back games. The rivalry is just too big and anything can happen. Could a top team in the country get knocked off early in the Conference Championship? Ask UCLA and Duke.

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Ahhh...Spring Training is in full swing and so are the Reds with a record of 6-1.

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Weather Forecast: mid to upper 50's and then 60's by Wednesday! I knew I smelled it!!

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Dr. Comerci took away some of my inheritance yesterday...3 skin tags and a mole. (The skin tags I inherited from my dad.) After the minor surgery and a couple stitches where the mole was, he asked if I needed a written excuse to get out of housework for a couple weeks...lol.

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Here is Shaylyn with her 3rd place cake...Daisy Head Mayzie.

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I am joining the coaching ranks again. One of the dad's that I got to know from J's team last year is J's coach this year and he wants me to be his assistant coach. So my idea of sitting back and enjoying the games from the stands only lasted a year. But it's fun...I'm glad to be back in it.

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Have a great weekend! See you Sunday if that's His plan.

Funny Stuff

This was forwarded to me by my dad a couple days ago. It's one of those things you see that makes your mouth drop open...lol.

Two choices.....

Life decisions that people have to make are never simple. The importance of the initial decision should always be examined over the long run. Memories made and cherished are sure to be
tempered along the way. Consider the following two choices...

Should I get a Dog…



...Or have children?





My response? You can get rid of a dog...lol.

Which would cause the biggest stroke for dad when he gets home? The paint on the hardwood floor, the leather sofa, or the LCD screen TV? Another question I raise is why would you have any three of these things with young children living in the house?...lol.

Post Publishing Thought: Now that I think about it...both of these things probably happened while the dad was on duty. It was probably the mom that came home and had a stroke.

Reinstated

After last year's opening day "fiasco" (see Banned From Baseball) I have been granted a pardon. I have been reinstated to attend opening day 2007, which is probationary I'm sure. They invited me to go back again this year on April 9th to watch the Pirates take on the Cardinals in their home opener. But this year they also invited J. Now that I think about it...they probably wanted J to go but felt they had to invite me too. Funny thing is...J is somewhat of a Cardinals fan. He has been a big fan of Albert Pujols ever since he broke into the Bigs. J's baseball team in 1st grade was the Cardinals. As his coach, we both have nice bright red Cardinal hats in our closet. Do you think we should wear them? Actually, since both teams are division foes of the Reds, I should probably root against the one most likely to be a division frontrunner. Hmmm...I wonder which team that would be. The 2006 World Champion Cardinals? or the 67-95 Pirates? Go Bucs!

Dick and Jane

This is the book that started it all. The magical moment has "finally" arrived for Shaylyn. She can read! She is SO excited. After months of she and Sally working on her letters and sounds it is starting to "click." (another reason to homeschool...we got to see it first...not someone else.) The World of Dick and Jane and Friends is opening up a whole new world before her very eyes. Now she wants to read everything. Remember Dick and Jane? I remember reading about them in my first grade reading circle with Mrs. McFadden. Stories that, to an adult, cannot get any simpler. But yet are "best sellers" in the starry eyes of a six year old.

I pray that her love for reading continues to grow into a passionate longing to read God's word. She is beginning that part of her life where she no longer relies on Bible stories being told to her, but can now read them for herself.

Do you take advantage of the fact that God has blessed you with the ability to read His word? Or are you content with just listening on Sunday mornings and never cracking open The Book for yourself?

Praise List: Those who taught me how to read.

Worth Remembering

This was the post from Mike Cope's blog yesterday. Nothing theologically deep...just a reminder of how important it is to practice simple Christianity.

Worth remembering:

1. The people working at the airport didn’t make the flights late. They didn’t create the bad weather or the mechanical problems.

2. The umpires and refs aren’t wanting the other team to win. They sometimes make bad calls, but it isn’t because they don’t like your team.

3. The person needing to merge isn’t testing your manhood (or womanhood). It’s all right to let them in.

4. Your child isn’t completely objective about his/her coaches and teachers.

5. People who disagree with you politically are probably still pretty good people, all things considered.

6. The person serving you at the restaurant is probably overworked and underpaid. What a great place to be extravagant with your expression of thanks.

7. Brothers and sisters at church who disagree with you have stories behind their feelings — some of which are hidden so deep they don’t even know them (just as you have such stories).

#6 stirred up a firestorm of comments. It seems that servers/waitresses hate working the lunch shift on Sundays because the "after church crowd" is the rudest, the worst tippers, and their kids are the worst behaved. I wonder...do restaurants in our area have the same feelings about us or do they look forward to serving us our Sunday meal? See you Sunday, Lord willing.

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Praise List: I smell Spring!

Generation to Generation

ANTEATER!!

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March...In like a lion? Sort of. Thunderstorms later today but I'll take 52 degrees on March 1st any time.

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There has been some concern at church about my Aunt Mary not passing on her cake baking/decorating legacy to the next generation here at National Rd. But I think those fears can be allayed now. Shaylyn has entered a cake decorating contest at the library on Saturday to celebrate Dr. Seuss' 100th birthday. She went over to Aunt Mary's today to bake the "practice cake" together. Then tomorrow they are going to make the real thing for the contest. Her entry?...Daisy Head Mayzie.

Paul was probably not referring to passing on cake decorating tips in Titus 2:3-5 but the principle is there. "3...the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." That is a crucial role that often gets neglected in churches today. Many times the older women are "too busy", or "too tired", or "they have already put in their time", or they retire from church when they retire from work, or they are "not connected to the younger generation", etc. When it comes to the younger women many times they are not teachable because "they know it all", or they say "times are different now", or "they can't relate to us anymore." And their whole life is wrapped up in themselves, their family, their kids' school, and community, and there is no time left for the most important thing...the work of the kingdom. The older women should willingly accept this God-given responsibility and the younger women need to be open to their teaching and wisdom. It's God's way. It's God's plan. And I have a hunch that it works.

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Praise List: The Godly women at National Rd. who cherish their role in the kingdom.

Judge Roy Moore

Harold gave me a copy of this email today.

The following is a poem written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama. Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama. The judge's poem sums it up quite well.

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

America the Beautiful, or so you used to be.

Land of the Pilgrims' pride; I'm glad they'll never see.

Babies piled in dumpsters, Abortion on demand,

Oh, sweet land of liberty, your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly poisoned by cocaine,

Choosing to indulge their lusts, when God has said abstain.

From sea to shining sea, our Nation turns away

From the teaching of God's love and a need to always pray.

So many worldly preachers tell lies about our Rock,

Saying God is going broke so they can fleece the flock.

We've kept God in our temples, how callous we have grown.

When earth is but His footstool, and Heaven is His throne.

We've voted in a government that's rotting at the core,

Appointing Godless Judges who throw reason out the door,

Too soft to place a killer in a well deserved tomb,

But brave enough to kill a baby before he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not angry, that our land's a moral slum?

How much longer will He wait before His judgment comes?

How are we to face our God, from Whom we cannot hide?

What then is left for us to do, but stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children, will humbly turn and pray;

Seek His holy face and mend our evil way:

Then God will hear from Heaven and forgive us of our sins,

He'll heal our sickly land and those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful, if you don't then you will see,

A sad but Holy God withdraw His hand from Thee.

- Judge Roy Moore -

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Praise List: Men and women in this country who know that it was built on Bible principles and are not afraid to stand up for those principles no matter the cost.

Buckeyes #1...AGAIN

Just in case it may have slipped by some of you, here's the AP Poll for the Top 25 in NCAA Men's Basketball heading into the tournament.

1. Ohio State (62) 26-3 1,786
2. UCLA (10) 25-3 1,729
3. Kansas 25-4 1,580
4. Wisconsin 26-4 1,503
5. Florida 25-4 1,488
6. Memphis 25-3 1,422
7. Texas A&M 24-4 1,408
8. North Carolina 24-5 1,381
9. Georgetown 22-5 1,225
10. Nevada 26-2 1,160
11. Southern Illinois 25-5 1,057
12. Pittsburgh 24-5 984
13. Washington State 23-5 974
14. Duke 22-7 775
15. Texas 21-7 708
16. Louisville 21-8 653
17. Oregon 22-7 466
18. Butler 26-5 457
19. Vanderbilt 19-9 317
20. Marquette 22-8 299
21. Virginia Tech 20-8 293
22. Notre Dame 22-6 279
23. USC 21-8 254
24. Maryland 22-7 247
25. Air Force 23-6 236

Kids' Humor

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"
The little girl replied, "Then you ask him ".

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A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied,"They will in a minute."

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A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her fiveand six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered,"Thou shall not kill."

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One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"
Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said,"Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

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The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.
"Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'"
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher,she's dead."

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A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face."
"Yes," the class said.
"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"
A little fellow shouted,"Cause your feet ain't empty."

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The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:"Take only ONE. God is watching." Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples.

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Praise List: Jesus was, in all points, human just like we are...except without sin. Do ever think about Jesus having a sense of humor? In your mind is He all serious and sober? Or do you think He ever "cut up" with the disciples? Told a joke? Got tickled at the untold antics of Peter? I have a hunch that He did since we are created in His image. Just a thought...

Vernena

I paid a visit to Vernena Beckett today. At 93, she is still sharp as a tack. She was a bit winded from "working out" with one of the therapists right before I got there, but that didn't stop her from carrying on a conversation. She wanted to know about Sally and the kids and how everything thing is going at church. I asked her about her family and the conversation eventually turned toward her life with Lucian. She said he was her only sweetheart and that she was 17 when she married him. After talking about Lucian, her eyes fill with tears and she said, "I just don't understand why I am still here. I am ready for the Lord to take me. That is my prayer." She said she would like to go back to her house but nobody would feel good about her being there by herself. I said, "You're probably right." She looked at me with a "grandmotherly" look and said, "Well, you're no help at all."...lol. For being 93, in a nursing facility, and ready to meet the Lord, she still has an incredible attitude! She is one in a million for sure. She has touched so many lives of people who have come through the doors at National Rd. On the topic of her being a Bible class teacher for so many years, she said, "I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I loved those children."

If you are having a bad day, or if your priorities are out of whack and you know it, or you have lost your focus on God, go visit Vernena. I guarantee you will leave more blessed than she was by your visit.

Praise List: Examples of growing old gracefully.

Diet

I have been on a weight-loss diet since January 2, which basically means I have been hungry for 49 days. But despite my hunger I have lost 13 pounds. How? I don't eat as much...go figure. The key for me is "portion control." The first three weeks were rough but once I got my stomach to shrink some it really hasn't been that bad. It also helps me by eating a little something every two hours instead of waiting till the tank is empty. Instead of eating whatever the kids were having for breakfast I would drink a can of Slim-fast. For a mid-morning snack, a banana or and handful of cashews (good fat). Lunch is what put my weight on. I would come home around noon famished...fix myself two bologna and cheese sandwiches, chips, cookies. I replaced that habit with another can of Slim-fast and if I do eat something it is usually Triscuits and cottage cheese. Another snack in the mid afternoon holds me over till supper which is now cut in half. I would normally have at least two helpings of everything. Now I fix one plate and J eats the rest. Snack after supper? Well...you know my weakness is Oreos and that's when I usually ate them. Last night at the teen devotional was the first Oreos I have had since Jan. 2. (and man were they good!) If we snack at night it is usually some whole wheat crackers or the occasional Slim-a-Bear Klondike bar. I have been watching my fat and sugar intake plus we also are eating WHOLE WHEAT EVERYTHING. Whole wheat bread, crackers, pasta, cereal, etc. It's much healthier for your heart and is actually more filling and satisfying. The blood work from my physical was all good except that my LDL (bad cholesterol) was slightly elevated. The top of the normal range is 100 and mine was 109. So Dr. Comerci suggested a diet to help get it back in the normal range.

Click here for foods that lower your cholesterol.

A daily diet of plant sterols, omega 3, and soluble fiber will lower LDL levels. So at the beginning of February I changed my diet a little to lower my LDL. Instead of Slim-fast for breakfast I eat a bowl of "Take Heart" Quaker Oatmeal (soluble fiber)with skim milk, a slice a whole wheat toast with "Smart Balance Omega" peanut butter (1000 mg of omega 3) , and a glass of "Minute Maid Heart Wise" orange juice (plant sterols). I must say this is all much tastier than a chocolate shake for breakfast and sticks to my ribs better. If I need a fast breakfast I will drink the Slim-fast and then save the oatmeal for my snack before bed. One thing that has helped my "mental discipline" is what I am calling "Splurge Sunday." With fellowship meals at church and our tradition of going out to eat after church I use that day to eat whatever I want. Now I don't go "hog wild" and just eat everything in sight all day long. I eat sensibly...I just don't worry about my diet. If we go to Cracker Barrel it's my usual Country Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Macaroni & Cheese, and Green Beans WITH the cornbread muffin and about three glasses of sweet tea...lol. But I don't gorge myself to clean my plate...when I am full, I stop. It's much easier to be good throughout the week knowing Sunday is just around the corner.

Hmmm...that last line will preach, huh? That's the way we should be living every aspect of our lives. Knowing that the Lord's Day is just around the corner, we should be preparing ourselves throughout the week for that day dedicated to worshiping Him. We can't do whatever we want during the week and honestly be sincere and genuine about our worship. If that's your game, you're not fooling the only One who counts. Develop a mind set that says, "How can I prepare for Sunday?" instead of, "Whoa, it's Sunday morning already! Hurry up! We are late for class!"

Have a great week...for the Lord!

Praise List: Today...blue skies and sunshine.

For What Will This Church Be Known?

I ran across this in my email today and thought it worth sharing.

FOR WHAT WILL THIS CHURCH BE KNOWN? -- Doug Smith

For its love of selves or its love of lost souls (1 Thess. 2:8)?
For its spreading gossip or its spreading the gospel (Mark 16:15)?
For its rudderless drifting or its strong leadership (1 Pet. 5:1-4)?
For its low ideals or its lofty goals (Col. 3:2)?
For its knowledge of the world or its knowledge of the Word (Acts 17:11)?
For its financial limitations or its generous giving (2 Cor. 8:1-6)?
For its comatose Christians or its many active members (Eph. 4:16)?
For its selfish pursuits or its selfless serving (Gal. 5:13)?
For its internal strife or its brotherly love (John 13:34-35)?
For its different positions or its defense of the truth (1 Pet. 3:15)?
For its cold shoulders or its warm fellowship (1 Pet. 1:22)?
For its living below God's expectations or its living above the world (1 John 3:3-6)?
For its helping itself or its helping the needy (2 Cor. 9:12-13)?
For its innovations in worship or its spiritual and true worship (John 4:24)?
For its accolade of men or its glorifying of God (Eph. 3:2)?
For its stagnation or its vibrancy (2 Pet. 3:18)?

For what will this church be known? Actually the question is, "For what will you be known?" Because, if you are a member of this church, then the church will be known for these things to the extent that you are!

See ya Sunday, Lord willing.

Praise List: Reminders like these to help us keep focused.

Simplicity of New Testament Worship

I knew that last night would be a small gathering due to the weather. I counted about 25 rather than our usual 100+ Wednesday night attendance. But the beauty of assembling with the saints is that "...where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) God designed it to be simple so that we could worship him in any setting, any time. No fanfare, no pomp, no musical instruments, no special attire, no candles, no incense, no sacrifices....just you, your heart, your voice, and your Bible. But even though all of our services are that simple...last night's was even more so. No planning, no powerpoint, no microphone. Just ourselves, our hearts, our voices, our Bibles. Spending time together in prayer, and singing, and reading God's word cannot get any simpler or more fulfilling.

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Latest Shaylynism: Her Nana called yesterday. Shaylyn talked to her for about 10 minutes about the things she got for Valentine's Day which included the red press on nails from Nana. Apparently Nana made a comment about her growing up too fast. Shaylyn responded with, "Yeah, pretty soon I will be getting my 'permanent.'" Nana said, "A permanent?... Why are you getting a permanent?" Shaylyn's reply, "You know...a 'permanent'...so I can drive a car." Some things are just to cute to correct right away. We'll tell her later that it's a permit.

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Killing two birds with one stone: J and his neighborhood friends were on a mission yesterday ...building an igloo. So in order to get enough snow for the task there were eight boys each with a shovel and one wheelbarrow. They were going all over the neighborhood shoveling people's sidewalks and driveways and carting the snow back to the igloo construction site. They did this for about 4 hours. It's all about motivation. Try telling eight boys they have to go shovel the entire neighborhood and see if you survive the weeping and gnashing of teeth ...lol. When it's their idea to build an igloo, all the sudden it's not a daunting task at all.

Praise List: In the history of the world, Spring has never failed to follow Winter.

Pampering

Most males understand that most females like to be pampered and/or pamper themselves. The thing is that most men don't really understand why...we've just learned to go along with it. Saturday evening I was asked to draw the bath water, put in the bubble bath, and then turn on the CD player in the bathroom with the "spa music" CD. After a long, relaxing soak in the tub, and arrayed in a pink robe she proceeded to remove her finger nail polish and apply a new coat. No it wasn't Sally. It was SHAYLYN!! Sally is just the creator of this sweet little pamper monster.

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OK...is anyone else sick and tired of static electricity? Hair going everywhere...suit pants sticking to my legs...this dry air is driving me nuts. I have actually had to resort to using lotion (not a manly thing to do...lol) because my skin itches like crazy. Hopefully the artic air is gone for good. But moisture is on the way! Latest report is 5-8 inches of frozen moisture...that ought to shut this place down for a couple days. But at least it's warmer. I stepped outside this morning and the thought actually crossed my mind that it felt mild. It was 27 degrees! I guess feeling cold is relative.

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From ESPN.com: "The aroma of freshly mowed grass, the feel of a warm, soft breeze and the distinctive sound of a baseball slamming into a glove for the first time in several months can mean only one thing: Spring Training. Say goodbye to winter and hello to the sun and fun that is Florida and Arizona in mid-February."

The first pitchers and catchers report to camp in 23 hours, 52 minutes, 43 seconds.

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Praise List: Seasons come...and seasons go. Daniel 2:21a "And He changes the times and the seasons..."

Pledge of Allegiance

In light of the recent appeals court ruling in California, with respect to the Pledge of Allegiance, the following recollection from Senator John McCain is very appropriate:

"The Pledge of Allegiance" - by Senator John McCain

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.

One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could. The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Praise List: Freedom to say the pledge and those fighting to preserve it.

Homeschooling Moments

Homeschooling does bring interesting moments into your home. How else would a quart of goat's milk end up in your fridge? Part of Shaylyn's lesson yesterday on the letter "G" was comparing goat's milk to cow's milk. Let's just say that the remaining 7/8 of a quart will be going down the drain. Sally swears it tasted like goat hair...lol. I'm just glad I wasn't home to taste it...I probably would have gagged.

What has homeschooling done to J this year? This time last year he absolutely HATED to read. He never wanted to read assignments, yet alone anything for pleasure. We have been going to the library weekly this year. I have introduced him to a few books I read or had my 5th graders read when I was teaching school. Most of them are either Newberry or Caldecott Award Winners. Last week he read My Side of the Mountain and Bridge to Terabithia. It used to take him at least two weeks to read a book. Monday, after he got home from his cousins' house, he begged me no less than five times to take him to the library to get "The Cay." (I had told him about it earlier, but it was out.) He started it Monday night in bed and finished last night and started a second one. Sally and I are utterly amazed. Getting him to read used to be like pulling teeth. Now he can't get enough books.

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Speaking of pulling teeth, Shaylyn had a dentist appointment yesterday. She has permanent teeth coming in behind baby teeth that have not fallen out yet. The doctor told us to wiggle them all the time for the next four weeks. If they don't come out by then, she will have to see an oral surgeon. Then there is the x-rays. Remember the Clint Eastwood movie "Every Which Way But Loose"? That describes Shaylyn's teeth perfectly. The dentist informed us today that we are definitely looking at braces in the future. Ye$$$$$$!!!!!!!!

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Praise List: The snow last night was beautiful...that real dry glittery snow that glistens and sparkles under the streetlights.

CYC

Wow...I didn't realize a week had gone by without me blogging...just one of those weeks I guess. We had a great weekend in Gatlinburg at the Challenge Youth Conference. The kids favorite speaker was Kyle Butt, who did the first keynote on Friday night. Kyle works for Apologetics Press and has written many children's books on Creation and Evolution. He is an EXCELLENT speaker. Many speakers feel it necessary to tell the audience about themselves as their introduction. What impressed me about Kyle was that it had nothing to do with Kyle. He never even mentioned his name. He started his lesson by quoting Isaiah 53 and then presented a masterful lesson about Mt. Calvary...our first of six "Mountain Top Experiences." He had the teens' complete, undivided attention.

Another thing that impresses me about CYC is that of a crowd of close to 5000, there are no attempts by anyone to clap during songs, or sway, or dance, or "lift holy hands" (of all which I have seen at other youth rallies.) It's not about external show of emotion...it's about the words of the songs sung and the messages delivered dwelling richly in our hearts. It's a strong statement to this young generation that we don't have to be like evangelical or charismatic groups in order to be spiritually strong...it is a sign of spiritual maturity.

I know next year's group from National Rd. will be bigger. J will be going as a "youth group member." It's hard to believe he is about to enter that phase of his life. It sort of sneaked up on us...lol. The dates for CYC next year are a little later...February 22-24. Mark them now and start saving the greenbacks if you want to go next year.

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Top Ten Things to Note from the Gatlinburg Trip.
10. Turtles can breath out of their...uh..."posteriors."
9. A pregnant goldfish is called a "twit."
8. Ducks hibernate in winter.
7. Sabrina tells random stories where...nothing happens.
6. The reason Jennilee's go-cart was slower than everyone else's is because it was out of gas.
5. Joey's inability to get past the second round in the new car game "VOCAB."
4. Joey's obsession with saving money on meals and announcing it every five minutes.
3. Jennilee quote of the weekend: "That was awkward."
2. Joey's first experience in an automatic car wash.
1. Boyd's Bears is CLOSED!

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Sally will be happy for the next year. Her man Peyton got the Super Bowl monkey off his back and won the MVP to boot. I was more impressed with Tony Dungy. It is refreshing to hear of a coach at this level whose team respects him so much that he never has to raise his voice or curse. Or is it the other way around?...That's probably the reason for the respect. When asked about the significance of being the first black coach to win a Super Bowl, he took more pride in being a Christian coach than a black one. That's class. That's character.

Praise List: Being rejuvenated, refreshed, and refocused after CYC.

101,882

That's how many miles I got out of the original factory battery in my Explorer...not bad. Last night after the elder's/preacher's meeting, it decided it was done. Thankfully Bob Cronin didn't leave before I did and he had a set of jumper cables with him so that got me home. I had a feeling it wasn't going to start this morning and that became a reality. So I walked to work and Ron came by and brought his charger and me back to the house to get it going again. I left it running until I got to Walmart and bought a new one. So...I wasn't too inconvenienced. It could have been worse.

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We are getting ready to go to the Challenge Youth Conference in Gatlinburg on Friday. It's a small group this year...just Jennilee, Sabrina, Joey, Sally and me. But it should be spiritually uplifting no matter the size of the group. We will be leaving around 7:00 Friday morning and will return in time for evening services on Sunday hopefully. (Plus we have to get Sally home in time to see Payton Manning..lol)

Homeschooling Post

I have been reading a book that I bought at Ollie's called "The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling." It is an excellent book and has reinforced even more our decision to homeschool J and Shaylyn. It is also a great resource for future years. It's kind of a "Homeschooling for Dummies" in a way. If you are thinking about homeschooling your kids, I would highly recommend this book.

A couple days ago Nikki Vilano had a post that she found online that I want to share with you. Some of you may not read her blog and some of you read mine in print form on Sundays so I thought for those of you who missed it, it may help you understand more fully what it is like to homeschool.

"What Non-Homeschoolers May Not Know" - Jan.10, 2007 posted in Musings and Miscellany

We've been educating our children at home for ten years now. In those ten years, I have observed that there are expectations that non-homeschoolers can place on homeschooling moms simply because they lack the practical knowledge of what it means to homeschool. If you are the mother, grandmother, sister, friend, father, or brother of a homeschooling mom, here are some things you should know:

1. Educating children at home is a full-time job. Don't get irritated if she consistently allows the answering machine to do its job. If she were a teacher in an institutional classroom, you probably wouldn't think of calling her during school hours, so try to realize that while still at home, she is keeping regular school hours, too.

2. Unlike homes in which the children are gone for eight straight hours, her home is in a constant state of activity. The children are not only home, they are home making messes. All day long. Their mother doesn't even have the opportunity to go into their rooms while they are at school and weed out the junk. And if she is like me, you might find odd homeschooly things lying around- like the month we had a dead turtle in the garage fridge.

3. Housekeeping and homeschooling are mutually exclusive. If she is doing her job educating her children academically, then her house is not being cleaned. If she takes the day to clean the house, then school will not be accomplished.

4. Place realistic expectations on her- she cannot simultaneously teach school, make three square meals, keep a house that looks like it has sprung out of the pages of Architectural Digest, have her nails done, drive children to extracurricular activities, and have all the clothing laundered and pressed. Something's gotta give, and in my experience, it is usually her personal care. So don't expect her to don the latest styles, have her roots meticulously dyed at just the right moment, and her aforementioned nails filed and polished to perfection. And while most of us aren't slovenly, we just tend to put some superfluous aspects of personal care at the bottom of the to-do list.

5. For many of us, homeschooling isn't an option. Many believe it is not only the best way for their family, it is the only way. Many see homeschooling as a Scriptural directive. When sharing a particular struggle unique to homeschooling, comments like, "Well, why don't you consider putting them in school? Maybe homeschooling just isn't your thing" aren't helpful. Instead, offer a listening ear and your fervent prayers on her behalf.

6. If you are truly concerned about the state of her emotions, home, children, or marriage, offer practical help to ease her burden. Personal time is at a premium for her, so consider offering to take her kids for the day so she can recuperate. If you like to do laundry, offer to come over and get the loads going, fold, and/or iron. If you like to cook, consider putting together some meals that she can store in the freezer for days when time is at a premium. If she teaches a broad spectrum of ages and grades, consider offering to come in once a week or more to teach preschool to the little ones. One grandma I know created "Nana U" for her preschool grandson (number five of seven) and not only did it ease her homeshooling daughter's burden, it created a special bond between grandma and the child. But there’s a caveat here: ASK her what would be most helpful to her. Don’t presume to know what would help her. Taking the oldest children for the day might be fun for you, but it’s quite possibly not at all helpful to her. The living room might need to be vacuumed, but it’s not helpful if she’s trying to take a nap. Someone once told me, “If it’s not wanted, it’s not helpful.”

7. Think about what a financial burden homeschooling may be placing on the family. The loss of her possible income can be a real struggle nowadays, and you might be able to buy her for another year by offering to purchase little things like simple school supplies. Gifts for the children like books on subjects of interest to the child, field trip fees, museum memberships, and the money to pay for music lessons or other extracurricular activities are the best thing you could give a homeschooling family. Not only does a homeschooling mom not need one more thing to manage or pick up, she would be thrilled to see you take an interest in the many academic items on her wish list.

8. Simple questions like, "How can I pray for you?" and "Is there any way I can help you?" are like a cool breeze in her life. Don't assume you know her needs- ask. You could just be the vessel God uses to carry her on through this very demanding and ultimately rewarding season of her life.

Praise List: Homeschooling our children has been a blessing from God. I just wish we had done it earlier.

Cocktail Playdates?

Satan is alive and well. Watch this clip from the Today Show on NBC this morning. http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=53948352-7dd8-4d7f-919c-1647f50e2e3a&f=05&fg=email Again I ask...why are some people allowed to be parents? This reminds me of the time we took Shaylyn to see the Care Bears Live in Cleveland a few years ago. The theatre was serving drinks in the foyer so that the parents could get "loosened up" after a tough day. The kids were watching the show...the parents were sitting there beside them sipping their cocktails...AT A SHOW FOR KIDS!! I was stunned to say the least. Albeit, Care Bears Live might cause one to drink...lol...but in all seriousness, what are these parents thinking?!

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Have you ever had one of those times as a family when you are out of absolutely EVERYTHING in the house? That was us yesterday. No food, no paper products, no cleaning supplies, no health & beauty products. We just ran out of everything all at once. I knew it was going to be a large bill, especially since we are trying to eat healthier which is always more expensive. So last night was family night at Walmart. I just about went into cardiac arrest though when the total came up. $346.00!!! And we went there to SAVE money!! As we were unloading the goods into the car I kept having flashbacks to when Sally and I first got married. It was 1991, and we were living in "Old Marrieds" as it was called...the married student housing complex at Harding which were some of the oldest buildings on campus. Our budget for the week for groceries, cleaning supplies, health & beauty products, etc. was $40.00 a week...lol. We had a lot of spaghetti back then...with cheap sauce and NO meat. Ahhh...those were the days. But do I really want to go back?...uh...no.

Praise List: How God provides for my family.

Teachability

The following is from the pen of Gary Henry. From a spiritual standpoint, it is the key to restoring the church and being the people that God intended for us to be. There is no room in the church for people who think they've got it all figured out or are more enlightened than others when it comes to doctrinal and spiritual matters.

"Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool" (The Book of Proverbs).

If you could choose only one character trait to acquire this year, the trait of teachability would be one of the wisest choices you could make. To be teachable is to be receptive to learning and open to instruction. Unlike the know-it-all who always ends up learning the hard way, the teachable person is willing to be warned. He or she is ready to listen and learn from someone else's experience in the school of hard knocks.

One of the distinctive attributes of our species is that we know virtually nothing without being taught. Unlike many of the lower creatures, we are born with very few instincts. In the absence of teaching, we are all but helpless. Pliny the Elder observed this when he said, "Man is the only one that knows nothing, that can learn nothing without being taught. He can neither speak nor walk nor eat, and in short he can do nothing at the prompting of nature only, but weep." It is true, of course, that we're capable of figuring out many things on our own, but still, without the willingness to learn from others, our lives would be so impoverished as to be practically useless.

Yet there is an obstacle to teachability, and it's the old demon of pride. Even so great a student as Winston Churchill could say, "I am always ready to learn, but I do not always like being taught." So we need to put our pride in its place and adopt the humility of the truly wise ones: those who're willing not only to learn but to be taught.

Normally, I suppose, we think of youth as the time when we're most headstrong and unwilling to listen to others, but unfortunately, we sometimes become less teachable the older we grow. Perhaps without realizing it, we begin to suffer from "hardening of the categories,"and we need to go back and regain some of our youthful pliability." Better a poor and wise youth / Than an old and foolish king whowill be admonished no longer" (The Book of Ecclesiastes). Maybe we'd even profit from the wisdom of nursery rhymes like this one:

"Oh, that it were my chief delight
To do the things I ought!
Then let me try with all my might
To mind what I am taught"
(Jane Taylor).

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Praise List: Shirley Joseph's hip replacement surgery went well. She will be going home on Monday. Please pray for a swift and complete rehabilitation.

Coffee Anyone?

Despite my dad's and brother-in-law's constant harassment because I don't like/drink coffee, I thought this was worth sharing anyway.

"A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.

Sometimes by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews the coffee, not the cups..........Enjoy your coffee!”

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have."

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God."

If I did drink coffee, personally I would prefer a styrofoam cup...doesn't have to be washed, dried, and put away. What does that say about me?

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Today is the day my parents have been waiting for. I have a complete physical exam scheduled with Dr. Comerci. Ye-ha. Like the angels they are, they have been "harping" about that fact that I haven't had a physical in 17 years. I wonder if I will be joining the ranks of other 30 somethings who got a dose of reality with high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels. I already know I need to drop 20 pounds and exercise more. I have enjoyed good health my entire life. The last time I was in the hospital was when I had to go to the ER to get three stitches in my chin when I was five (a story for another post).

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Praise List: Good health.

Rumor Mill

It seems that whenever there are problems in the church, the bottom line is miscommunication, misperceptions, and a lot of "he said...she said" stuff going around. I recently replaced an Acappella Vocal Union CD that I had lost. One song on there is called "Rumor Mill." Here are the lyrics.

Let me tell you a story about a local enterprise
There's one in every town, no matter what its size
It doesn't turn a profit, or bring in any revenue
It's good for one thing and that's the damage it'll do
It's called...

Chorus:
The rumor mill
Oh yeah, the rumor mill
If it can be twisted, you can be sure that it will
'Cause there ain't nothing sacred, none at all
At the rumor mill, the rumor mill

The people that work there are all volunteers
The only qualification is a mouth and two big ears
If the story's not clear enough, well that's ok
They'll just doctor it up and then send it on its way
It doesn't matter who's involved or who it is gonna hurt
As long as folks are listenin' they'll keep shovlin' dirt at

Chorus:
The rumor mill
Oh yeah, the rumor mill
If it can be twisted, you can be sure that it will
'Cause there ain't nothing sacred, none at all
At the rumor mill, the rumor mill

The rumor mill, manufacturing lies
The rumor mill, where the truth is disguised
The rumor mill, where reputations are crushed
The rumor mill, and where nothing is hushed

If it can be twisted, you can be sure that it will
'Cause there ain't nothing sacred, none at all
At the rumor mill, oh yeah, the rumor mill

Now you listen my children to this warning I make
You've got a lot to lose, there's a lot here at stake
The Bible plainly states "You're gonna reap what you sow"
And "You'll be shown mercy by the mercy you show"
So shut your mouth and ask your friends to kindly do the same
Or you'll wind up a victim with no one else to blame

Chorus:
The rumor mill
Oh yeah, the rumor mill
If it can be twisted, you can be sure that it will
'Cause there ain't nothing sacred, none at all
At the rumor mill, the rumor mill.

God has spelled out in His word exactly how we are supposed to handle church problems. And then we are surprised and disappointed when we don't practice it and get unfavorable results. Go figure!

Praise List: Thank you Lord for making it simple and for being patient with us for making it so difficult.

Winter Finally Arrives

Obviously my Aunt Mary and Nikki Vilano must be righteous. James says that "the prayer of a righteous man avails much." I'm sure both have been praying for snow and well...it looks like their prayers have been answered. But if you are a winter-hater it could be worse. If you can view powerpoint files, take a look at this. It may take a minute to load. http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/Shiver2.pps. This was forwarded to me by Brenda Beckett.

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J's wit: From midnight Thursday night till 8:00 the next morning on the half-hour, Shaylyn was "tossing her cookies" due to a virus she got in TN. We had planned to leave early Friday morning to come home. Needless to say that plan didn't work out. I told J that morning that we wouldn't be leaving until later because Shaylyn was throwing up all night. A couple seconds later it registered that he sits in the back seat with her. Being the sympathetic brother he is, he replied with, "I call shotgun."...lol.

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Shaylynism: Saturday night J and Shaylyn were watching a re-run of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" The $64,000 question was "Which Biblical character wore a coat of many colors?" The guy didn't have a clue what the answer was even though he was given the usual four choices. He decided to use his 50/50 lifeline. He still didn't know. He then used his "Ask the Audience" lifeline. After 99% of the audience gave Joseph as the answer, he still wasn't confident. Totally stunned that he didn't know the answer, Shaylyn yelled at the TV, "HELLO? IF YOU WOULD READ GENESIS YOU KNOW THE ANSWER!!"

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Sally was in rare form last night during the Colts game. Most games she falls asleep, but not when Peyton Manning is playing. She was yelling, screaming, jumping off the couch, griping about the calls, questioning the plays. J and I were stunned as we had never seen this side of her before. But I do have to say it was a remarkable comeback. And you gotta love his commercials. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0hidqy8oyY&mode=related&search.
And I'm sure we'll be seeing quite a few of them the next two weeks.

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Praise List: It's always good to be home.

Our Week in Springfield

It is Thursday afternoon and we are still in Springfield, Tennessee. My friend, John Dennison, graciously let me use his wireless laptop today so I will take advantage of the time and write about our week.

We began our trip Saturday evening and drove to Cincinnati to spend the night. Sunday morning we worshiped at the Northeast church of Christ (where Molly Cronin goes). We also saw Dave and Diahann Fisher. Many of you have met Dave on Wednesday nights. He is working in Wheeling during the week and then going back home on weekends until they get their house sold and can make the move to Wheeling. Diahann told Sally to please put them on our prayer list at church for their house to sell quickly. They have not had anyone even look at it in a couple months so they are getting a little anxious and are wanting to make the move and get settled in. Please pray for them and their children Andrew and Caitlin during this time of transition.

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We have finished up copying the next year of Bible class curriculum which includes 157 digital photos that I took of visual aids, five 4-inch notebooks full of material that Sally copied. Since there are several other churches also copying this material, one of the ladies from a church in Mississsippi has been scanning many of the visuals onto the computer. This saved us a ton of time taking pictures since all I had to do was copy them from their computer to my flashdrive. Thank you Adelia!! This gave us time to copy some additional "bonus" material that we weren't planning on. So until next January...mission accomplished.

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We have enjoyed our stay with the Dennison's. They are wonderful hosts and even better friends. They have been through a lot the last few months as a result of the split here at Main Street. But they are trying to be positive and move on. We worshiped with them Sunday night and Wednesday night at their temporary location. We were able to visit with many of our friends and are impressed by their faith and hope in this endeavor to begin a new congregation of the Lord's church. Please pray for them (Springfield church of Christ) and also for the Main Street congregation as well. Both sides have been through a lot and need healing.

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Our trips to Springfield would not be complete without stopping at our favorite restaurants. Our favorite "haunts" are Sonic (we need one in Wheeling), Torinos (Italian and Greek cuisine), The Catfish House (southern cooking at its best), Baldwin Barbeque (the REAL way to make it), El Alteno (Mexican), and Sally's favorite, Burdette's Tea Room. She went there today with Kaye, Amy, and Kathy...three good friends from our time here from 98-02. Oh yeah...I can't forget our Sunday lunch at Skyline Chili in Cincinnati, too. So staying on the diet has been a little tough this week.

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J and Shaylyn have been enjoying their time with John and Kaye's girls, Katie Jean and Lilly. J and Katie Jean have been partners in crime since they were two years old. There are many stories to tell about those two. Shaylyn and Lilly were only two when we left so they really don't remember much about each other. To them it's been a friendship started in the past couple years whenever we get together.

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We will be hitting the road early tomorrow morning so we should be home sometime Friday evening. See you Sunday, Lord willing.

Praise List: Great friends and old homes.

No Blog Next Week

This will be my last blog until we get back from Tennessee. Our trips to Springfield are usually good ones because of friends that we get to see. While we will still get to see friends, this trip will be a little sad because the church we worked with just went through a split in October. It has put us in an awkward position. There are people on both sides that we love dearly. The ladies who have developed this curriculum that we are using both stayed with the group that is still meeting at the church on Main Street. The friends that will be staying with and worshiping with are among the 125 that just recently left and began the new church in Springfield. They are currently renting the armory each week as their meeting place. So after we worship there on Sunday we will be spending the rest of the week at the other church copying curriculum. Please say a prayer for the churches there and for us as we travel. We plan to be back Friday at the latest.

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We enjoyed the Full-Court Fellowship last night despite OVU losing to Wheeling Jesuit by 18. The first 15 minutes were dismal for them. They got down early and fast. The second half they held their own and actually outscored them by a point. The best part of the night was sitting behind Richard Walton and listening to his antics as he "cheered" them on...lol. After seeing OVU's coach get a technical, Richard relayed to me a story he heard about Jimmy Valvano. Jimmy V was thoroughly disgusted with the officiating one game, and asked the referree, "Can I get a technical simply for "thinking" something about you?" The ref said, "No." Jimmy said, "Good..I THINK you stink!" He got the technical...lol.

I also got to reunite with a fellow classmate from OVC, Shane Brown. He is the new girls head basketball coach for OVU. We hadn't seen each other since about 1989 when we were "arch rivals" (he was in Theta...I was in Sigma).

Praise List: Seeing old friends after so many years.

Hall of Famers

Two more additions to Cooperstown have been selected. Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn...both first-time ballots. Of a record 545 ballots cast, 409 were needed for election. Ripken received 537 votes, the third highest vote total in history. Gwynn received 532 votes...seventh highest. Now...my question is, "Who are the 8 boneheads that didn't vote for Ripken and the 13 boneheads that didn't vote for Gwynn?" How could someone miss the two most obvious choices for first round Hall of Famers? They were probably among the 128 that voted for Mark "Andro" McGwire. I hope none of the "juicers" ever get in.

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See some of you tonight at the Full-Court Fellowship.

Praise List: Interactive Bible classes for kids. Last night the K-5 met together for a symbolic Passover meal. The kids really "ate it up."

Friendship

From the pen of Gary Henry:

Friendship

"How often we find ourselves turning our backs on our actual friends, that we may go and meet their ideal cousins" (Henry DavidThoreau).

Friendship is a thing that has to be nurtured. There are few people who wouldn't say that friendship is one of life's most valuable treasures, and yet we don't work on it and take care of it as we would if we really appreciated its value. And because we don't nurture our friendships, we lose them. We fall into the pattern of losing friends and gaining new ones, losing friends and gaining new ones, losing friends and gaining new ones. Surely, friendship was meant to be a more durable thing than our personal histories make it appear.

As Thoreau observed, we often fail to nurture the real friendships that we have because we spend so much time looking for "their ideal cousins." In the real world, friends have flaws. Our friends can not only exasperate us, sometimes they can hurt us deeply. And so we're always on the lookout for "better" friends, ones that don't have the annoying idiosyncracies of our present ones. Most of the time, however, this is a poor use of our time. We'd do better to nurture our present friendships, being grateful for the tangy individuality of each one.

Ideally, what should happen as our lives continue is that the number of our friends should grow. Old friendships shouldn't have to be replaced -- they should simply be added to. "You date the evolving of a mind, like the age of a tree, by the rings of friendship formed by the expanding of the central trunk" (Mary McCarthy).

One of the exciting aspects of friendship is that friends do not have to be clones of one another. As our minds mature and "rings of friendship" begin to multiply around the trunk of our character, there can be an intensely interesting variety in these relationships. As a favorite teacher told me many years ago, "If two people always agree, one of them is unnecessary." Indeed, our friendships are beneficial to us, not because they stroke our sense of self-satisfaction, but because they challenge us and invigorate our minds with other viewpoints. Nurturing these friendships means appreciating them, respecting them, affirming them -- and making frequent investments in them."

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart" (Elisabeth Foley).

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Michael W. Smith's song from the 80's "Friends" means a little more to me in light of this article. When listening or singing that song my focus has always been on the "friends" part. I would think about all those people in my life that I considered to be my friends. I would think about the everlasting nature of Christian friends. You know..."friends are friends forever." I would think about the one's that I haven't seen in a long time because of the geographical distance between us and the hope of spending eternity with them. But in thinking of that song today after reading this article...it struck me. The phrase following "Friends are friends forever" is the key to all of this. "...if the Lord's the lord of them." My friendships will fail when the Lord is not in control of my life. Just something for you to ponder today.

Praise List: I am thankful for the additional friends we have made in Wheeling in the last 18 months.

I Have Nothing to Say

GO BUCKS!!

GO BUCKS!!

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Last night in her bedtime prayer Shaylyn prayed for the Buckeyes to beat the Gators...lol. When she was finished she said, "How'd you like my prayer, Dad?"

Our wake up call this morning was my dad leaving us a message on the answering machine which was his keychain playing the Ohio State fight song.

This afternoon I am going to go down to Colemans and get some alligator soup for the game tonight.

You see...these are all good things.

And then there is Pat Cronin. . . who had the nerve and unmitigated gall to wear Sean's junior high FLORIDA GATORS coat to church last night!! I tell ya...that's one deacon walking on thin ice.

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Praise List: Abbo Cronin gave us a scare this morning. She had a heart attack about 5:00 and was taken to Wheeling Hospital where they were able to put in two stents to clear the blockages. She is tired but doing fine. She will be there two or three days.

Another Piece Falls

Another first has happened in American history. The Koran was used in place of the Bible in a congressional oath of office ceremony. The Washington Post article said, "When Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Democrat whose election last month will make him the first Muslim in Congress, announced he would take his oath of office on Islam's holy book, the Koran, he provoked sharp criticism from conservatives and some heated discussion on the blogosphere."

If you read the article from the link above, you'll notice that this isn't the first time the Bible hasn't been used. This is the first time the Koran has been used. Personally, I don't think swearing an oath on the Bible or anything else is Scriptural. In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus says, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." So I would rather they not use anything at all from a Biblical perspective.

What is of greater concern to me is the symbolic nature of this demonstration. It is yet another area where the religion of "the evil one", Islam, is taking a foothold in this country. It gives one the feeling that things are slipping out of our hands. Another rock has crumbled off the American mountain whose bedrock is God's Word. And in time our children and their children and their children's children may be looking back and saying, "What happened to our country? Why can we no longer freely worship the God of the Bible?"

My question is how are we preparing our children for this? In a time now where Bibles are abundant do you ever think that maybe one day that may not be the case in this country? Will your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have enough Bible knowledge to be able to do without one? Don't think for a moment that it can't happen. World history has already proven that.

That is why Sally and I are so passionate about teaching children the Bible in the most effective way we know how. It's not about being able to spit out facts from week to week. It's not about being able to go the "treasure chest" once a month to get a prize for memorizing a verse. It's not about winning a Bible Bowl competition. It's about doing our best to insure that the next generation is equipped with the Bible knowledge they need to withstand the world's attacks against them and to be able to, in turn, pass it on to the next generation.

Psalm 78:1-8
1 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
8 And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

My family will be going to Tennessee January 12-18 in order to make another "curriculum run." The children's Bible class curriculum that we have been using since June is one that we are copying from a church we worked for in Springfield, TN. It is so extensive that we don't have enough time to copy the whole four year program at one time, so we are getting it a year at a time. Yes, it's time consuming. Yes, it's inconvenient. Yes, it would be easier to call up a Christian bookstore and order the next quarter children's lesson books. But the children of this congregation are worth it. And their future depends on it.

Praise List: Thank you God for helping us, by Your Spirit, to see the big picture.

Saddam

I failed to comment earlier on one of the biggest events, not just in 2006, but in recent world history...the hanging of Saddam Hussein. It's interesting how our "sophisticated" country has adopted the lethal injection as the primary method for capital punishment. There are a few states who still use the electric chair. But I never thought that a public hanging would be something civilization would see again. Personally, I think it was too quick of a death for Saddam after years of torturing hundreds of thousands of his own people. But then again, the torture he is experiencing now is much worse than any human could ever contrive or inflict. Justice has been served. I do have one question though. If there are any legal experts out there who can shed light on the subject, I would appreciate it. Why does it take so long for our prison/court system to actually execute one who has been sentenced to death? It seems to me that not just severe, but swift and severe, would make more sense. Wouldn't swift punishment be more of a deterrant than knowing you would still live another 15 or 20 years in prison with TV, weight rooms, internet, three square meals a day, etc? It would free up some prison space, too.

I did run across this quote on the matter: "An execution is not simply death. It is just as different from the privation of life as a concentration camp is from prison. It adds to death a rule, a public premeditation known to the future victim, an organization which is itself a source of moral sufferings more terrible than death. Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated can be compared. For there to be an equivalency, the death penalty would have to punish a criminal who had warned his victim of the date at which he would inflict a horrible death on him and who, from that moment onward, had confined him at his mercy for months. Such a monster is not encountered in private life."

Albert Camus---"Reflections on the Guillotine, Resistance, Rebellion & Death" (1966).

To me, waiting for months seems reasonable. But years that turn into decades? What's the point?

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Praise List: Grace. Mercy. Christ's blood. And knowing that because of those three, justice will not be served to me.

New Years Day 2007

Happy New Year!!!!! It seems like I just started getting used to writing '06 on my checks! Now I have to write '07. I think that might be a sign of old age setting in.

I hope you and your family have a blessed 2007 that is focused on growing closer to each other and closer to God.

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I am not a huge fan of resolutions so mine are more like general goals.

1. Pray more.
2. Read more.
3. Rest more.
4. Exercise more.
5. Eat less.

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Can you remember any childhood "shiners"? You know...black eyes. Shaylyn has a doozy. Saturday night we were working at the church building. The kids were running in the downstairs hallway, Shaylyn tripped, and hit the edge of an arm of a chair...full force. It hurt just looking at it. By Sunday morning it was a beaut...black, purple, swollen shut. She didn't want to go to church. I told her that if anyone says anything about it just make a joke. Tell them you had a hockey game last night (I know...real sympathetic dad). She said, "They won't believe me."...lol. Then J woke up. I told him as subtly I as knew how not to mention the black eye. I said, "If you say anything to your sister about her eye, I will kill you." He got the message...lol. Today it has added two new colors...yellow and green. The contrast is striking to see a little girl in a ballerina outfit with a black eye. Kinda like Rocky Balboa in a tutu...lol.

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We were supposed to spend the day in Pataskala watching the bowl games and eating corned beef brisket, but the exhaustion level from the holidays hit a critical point yesterday. That's when ol' dad says..."We're done." Time for recovery. But I do miss the brisket tradition.

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How 'bout them 'eers?! Down 18 in the 3rd quarter...they just ended a 38-35 comeback win! Now I have to do the unthinkable...root for Michigan in the Rose Bowl. It's not going to be easy...it goes against every fiber of my buckeye being.

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Last night a few families stuck it out to the end of the New Year's Eve get together. One of the games we played was MadGab. It's a game where you are given a phrase written in a way that can only be figured out by listening to what you say...not what your eyes actually see. Honestly...I'm not that good at it. We ended the game with me reading "Hype ledger legions tooth affleck." I had no idea what I was saying...everyone else was rolling on the floor laughing.

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Please keep the Walker family in your prayers. We received word this afternoon that Jennifer's mother, Melba Burkhart, passed away suddenly either last night or this morning. No other information is known at this time.

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Praise List: New beginnings.

Catching You Up

Well, blogging time has been rare this week, so I am attempting to catch you up.

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We spent the day after Christmas with my parents in Pataskala. One of the highlights was me rewiring my nephew's new video game that Sweet Pea chewed through...WHILE THEY WERE PLAYING IT. "Dad, we were playing and all the sudden the screen went blue." Now where the dog chewed the wire in half was about 18 inches from the joy stick. Wouldn't YOU notice that a dog was chewing on something 18 inches away from you? Apparently kids do not.

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Wednesday I woke up without being able to swallow. It felt like something was in my throat and I couldn't get it out of the way. This happens to me about once every 3 months and I have been putting off seeing doctor for the last couple years with it. So we left early to head back to Wheeling so I could see a doctor. I waited the typical two-hour wait at Urgent Care to find out that I have "uvulitis" which is swelling of the uvula (you know, the hangy ball thingy in your throat.) So it felt like I was swallowing my uvula. It's a rare allergic reaction of some sort. So with a cortisone shot in the shoulder, a 10-day supply of Augmentin, and a referral to Dr. Tiu on Jan. 8, I guess we are going to get to the bottom of why it is recurring.

Does anyone remember the episode of Andy Griffith when they are trying to somehow get Barney not to sing in the choir?...lol. They try to convince him that the thing hanging down in the back of his throat is not normal and that he is sick. After visiting the doctor, Barney comes back to Andy's house to tell him he is really not sick after all. It's just his uvula..."I've got a uvula, you've got a uvula, all God's children got a uvula. To which Andy replies, Hallelujah!" ...lol.

Have you ever noticed that when you say a word over and over it starts to sound really dumb?
Uvula... Uvula... Uvula... Uvula... Uvula... Uvula... Uvula... Uvula... Uvula... Uvula...

OK...enough about uvulas.

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Yesterday was supposed to be our trip to Hidden Valley for snow tubing. Just one problem though...they have no snow. And thanks to the fourth warmest December since weather data has been recorded, it's not even cold enough to make snow. A ski resort with 29 slopes has three open with a 6-10 inch base. Normal is 28-36 inch base. So needless to say the trip was cancelled and we plan to reschedule if winter ever comes.

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Gerald Ford: Since I was only 5 when he took office, there is not much I remember about him. But from what I learned in history class it was during one of our toughest times as a nation. For a man who was neither elected to be President or VP, nor one who sought the office, he seemed to have done remarkably well in that two year span. President Bush commented today at his funeral, "Ford assumed the presidency in an hour of national turmoil and division. With his quiet integrity, common sense, and kind instincts, president Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the presidency. The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character, and the honorable conduct of his administration."


And then there's James Brown... well....what can you say about a man who made his millions by singing "I Feel Good" and "Sex Machine"? Not quite in the same class as Gerald Ford.




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Today we are heading to Fairmont to visit Sally's grandmother who is having knee-replacement surgery on Tuesday at age 87. I've heard those knee replacements are good for 50 years so......

Sally's mom is in Europe at the moment. She flew out the day after Christmas as a chaperone for a group of OVU students taking the trip for an art appreciation credit. She will be enjoying London and Paris until January 10th.

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Saturday will be a work day for Sally and me to get ready for Sunday. See you then Lord willing. Have a good weekend.

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Praise List: Christmas break.

Christmas Day 2006

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! Christmas #37 for me is in the books. Favorites of the day?...For J, Playstation 2 with Madden 07 and NBA 07. For Shaylyn, the Glitter City Barbie Dollhouse (yes, I actually played with Barbies today after a brief lesson from mom...never say never.) Second place would probably be the unexpected "Santa" gifts of rollershoes (J) and the telescoping Crayola crayon caddy (Shaylyn). Honorable mention would be J's Buckeyes helmet (thanks to the much appreciated efforts of B & B) and Shaylyn's first Gameboy game, "Candyland" and "Chutes & Ladders" (two agonizing games for adults so I'm glad they figured out a way to make it an electronic game for one...lol.) Sally's favorite?...the new cookware (but now she's motivated to redecorate the whole kitchen...guess I wasn't a man of vision on that one..lol.) A close second for her would definitely be the 1/2 pound Hershey bar in her stocking. My fav?...the Ohio State stained glass lamp! Oooooohh...it's going to look so nice on my office desk (when I get it cleaned off).

After Papaw, Grandmom, Grandmother, and Nana all went home this morning, it was time for a "long winter's nap." There nothing like a day when the whole family stays in their pajamas and does...well...whatever they want to do...or absolutely nothing at all.

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Last night we let the kids open one gift from us...bathrobes. They've never had any before. Of course, Shaylyn's is a pink princess one and J's is scarlet and gray plaid. After J donned his robe he said, "Hey, now I can go out and get the paper every morning!"...lol...we don't even get the paper.

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Our morning wasn't entirely uneventful. With that many people using the bathroom, I guess it's inevitable that the commode is going to get stopped up. Just as the kids were getting ready to go downstairs we heard water running all over the bathroom floor. We franticallly grabbed for any towels we could to soak it up as fast as we could so as not to delay the Christmas morning frenzy. Then as Shaylyn raced down the stairs with her blanket flapping in the air it brushed against a battery-operated candle in the window knocking it to the floor and shattering the light bulb. All of this in a matter of minutes. For a moment I thought it was Christmas at the Griswald's...lol.

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Praise List: Home & family.

Winter Rest

Today is officially the first day of winter. (Dad, only 89 days until Spring!) Here is an interesting piece about winter and rest by Gary Henry that I have never thought of before. I usually think of winter as the time to get all the "indoor" projects done. The idea of it being a season of rest never occurred to me before. And...the more I think about it...the more I like it. What do you think?

"At this time of the year, as autumn turns to winter, it is a time for the land to rest. The fields have done their work, the harvest has been gathered in, and now comes the time of rest. The days are short, and the nights are long. The weather has grown cold, and the land, perhaps, lies under a peaceful blanket of quiet snow. It is the time of rest, the "moonlight of the spirit."

Rest and winter, the season of rest, are not valued as they should be. And this is all the more sad because we tend to be a people who are more in need of rest than many. On most days, we are hurried, harried, and harassed. We are driven by the incessant drumbeat of activity. In our culture, extreme busyness is a badge of honor, worn proudly by the important people, the movers and the shakers. And so rather than look forward to the restfulness of winter, we resent being forced to change gears and slow down. We do not properly appreciate what this cycle of the seasons was meant to do for us.

The arrival of winter brings with it the opportunity for more thought and reflection. During the more active seasons, we don't have as much time to evaluate our actions. We're so busy going that we rarely consider whether our destination is any place worth going to! In the winter, however, there is more time to consider our principles and our values, and to make the much-needed adjustments. This is a valuable respite, a season to sit by the fire and...ponder.

Quietude has a special beauty about it -- and a unique strength. There are few things that epitomize strength any more than a mountain, yet a mountain is a very quiet, peaceful thing. It is majestic in its stillness. Its massive strength is quietly husbanded and not wastefully or frivolously spent. So we should not begrudge that time of the year when our own strength is to be held in reserve. The onset of winter should remind us of the need for rest and replenishment, and for quiet reflection on the meaning of our many activities. If not allowed to rest, our "fields" will fail us, perhaps when we need them most. The busier our summers are, the more we need our winters."

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop" (Ovid).

Praise List: I'm glad God showed us that even He needed to rest.

I Know....Where Have I Been?

It's CHRISTMAS....cut me some slack!...lol. And we are behind as usual. Every year I think, "This year it's going to be different. We will start shopping in November and get it finished by December and then enjoy the holiday season....NOT!!" It's a frantic pace as usual. But for those of you with all your shopping done and decorations put up and gifts wrapped and no Christmas dinners to organize and/or attend...this blog's for you. I will stay up and do a late night blog just for you.

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Two don'ts that I have recently learned in the blogosphere.
1. Don't aim a hair dryer at Craig's head.
2. Don't do anything "ignorant" in front of Clint if he has his camera phone.
You will get written up severely for both of these infractions.
(For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, you have to read Craig's and Clint's blogs.)

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O.K. I have found the first disadvantage to homeschooling.
#1 - You're kids are always around which makes Santa's job much more difficult.
#2 - You know how kids hang off the ceiling in December? And you're glad they are in school for seven hours? Well...we have discovered that the excitement has nothing to do with being at school. They are more excited this year than they have ever been. We actually thought we would do school work this week. Needless to say that plan hasn't worked out. So we are doing our best to channel their Christmas energy into worthwhile projects. But it's still worth it. Wouldn't change a thing!

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We took the kids to Pittsburgh Monday to see the "real Santa." This is a major research project for Sally. We don't go see the "loser" Santas with the fake beard and hair. Our Santa has to be authentic. The results of her search took us to Robinson Mall. All I can say is...that guy is good! He took a half-believing 10 year old and made him a believer again. He almost had me convinced, too...lol. (But do tell me why a 5x7 with him costs $12.00...what a racket!) But I am pretty sure this is the last year for J. He has grown up so much this past year. Shaylyn on the other hand...I don't think she'll last as long. She is already questioning the "flying reindeer" concept. I was her age when I figured it out...so if she is a chip off the old block it might not be too long for her either.

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How many days can you go without an oven? Well...at least 13. That's how long it's been for us. The old one here at the preacher's house quit, so we are waiting for the new one to be delivered...hopefully tomorrow. Some things just don't taste good in the microwave. Like...hot dogs -- my kids' meal of choice.

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Well...it's almost tomorrow. That's about all the "comfort and joy" I can spread in one blog.

Praise List: The innocence of youth.