A Time For Every Season....

I wrote this piece for the Interactive Bible Reading; I love what John said so I thought I'd post for those who aren't participating in Northwood's walk through the Old Testament . 2 Samuel 9, Psalms 63 I had only seen this boy less than a dozen times my entire 4 years of High School. I remember our first encounter vividly because he had a bright smile on his face, which detracted from his awkward walking tempo. He would drag his crooked right foot behind his body and both knees never fully locked into place. I learned later that this boy was a Christian, which explained his bright smile and cheerful demeanor. This boy, who I came to know three months before graduation as John, had endured six surgeries since birth to help minimize the effects of his muscular disease - Cerebral Palsy . John's most invasive, yet beneficial surgery, included the removal of three vertebrates from his lower spine. Tonight I asked my husband to share openly about how people with disabilitie...

(Here is a piece I wrote for the Interactive Bible Reading.... thought you might enjoy!) Deuteronomy 5, Psalms 95 Since we have already studied the giving of the Ten Commandments, I wanted to focus today on the 2nd commandment, verse 7, which states, “You shall have no other gods before me.” This commandment addresses the jealousy of God, spoken of in Deut 4:24 “For the Lord Your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” I would say that this commandment is the hardest for me to follow. Daily I find my loyalty to God being challenged by the idols of self, consumerism, and instant gratification. What comes to your mind when you read that our Lord is jealous, or a consuming fire? Recently I watched a video clip where Oprah discussed why she created her own persona of god. In her mid-twenties, while attending her Baptist Church, Oprah heard preached, that God was love and merciful and jealous. She didn’t understand how our God could be jealous, so she went on a quest to “open her mind … to...

Do you have a Bible reading plan for 2008? If not click on the link to the right titled "Interactive Bible Reading," My church, in 2007, finished diving into the New Testament. For 2008 we are reading most of the Old Testament - I will be contributing one week a month - providing insightful questions about the text as well as a short summary of the chapter. It should be a great 2008 - glued to God's Word!

Tonight was just like most nights, we had our bath, read books, and then I left Drew to look at books for about 30 minutes. Only, tonight when I went to kiss him goodnight and say his prayers he was fast asleep. The funny part is that he logically decided to go to sleep because he neatly stacked all his reading books back in his nightstand where they go. He is definitely a type A - he also insists on hanging up all our keys on the hooks, he always turns out the lights, and hates having doors open. Just look at the two pictures - one was taken at nap time a few days ago and the other was from tonight! Too funny! Drew has been chatting a ton this week. He has also been engrossed in reading books. At night he would listen to us read for hours. He is doing great in his big boy bed - he won't get out without one of us coming in and telling him he can. This week we played at the park, went on some walks around the neighborhood, kept to our cooking schedule, gardened, and cleaned up the...

I just finished the best books! They were written by Kim Meeder and were short stories involving her ranch - Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch. The organization is located in Bend Oregon; rescuing abused horses and hurting children are their specialty. Both hurting children and horses are united and healed. The book will make you cry and smile! Woven throughout the books is the undying love that Jesus has for his creation - children and horses. Many shining and defining moments take place on this ranch; Meeder has a dynamic and humble way of drawing the reader into ranch life and her day to day blessing of being used by God to heal the hurting. Amazon's Book Description is below: Hope is like the stars—always there, yet shining brightest in the blackest of nights. It is like the dawn, always rising anew. Hope is for everyone, and that includes you. This collection of more than twenty true stories from a ranch of rescued dreams unveils the heart of true strength and the character of gen...

We have been so busy this week! John was invited to a Teachers job fair on Wednesday and has been fervently filling out applications. Earlier in the week he was checking and proofing his resume, making it just perfect.He has also been helping me clean the house! Oh, and I can't forget that he added a sprinkler system to my new flower beds in the back yard and completed the doors on his garage shelves. What a busy man! Drew has been following Daddy everywhere! He is enjoying his summer of fun, going swimming, taking Kitty to the pond, playing with Nana in the afternoons and visiting his Friend Riley. Drew's vocabulary has really increased, we are working on the pronunciations of his words - Drew loves to leave off the ending of words which makes is very hard to understand. We have also been working on manners - please, thank you, waiting until dinner is over to be excused, not whining, sharing with friends, etc. It is rather tiring, but John is home to back me up! Drew has been ...

Thought you'd be interested in this article by Ron Kenner in the May 2007 issue of Church Executive Magazine .

March 10, 2007 Where has the time gone? It is Spring so soon! My bulbs are rising above the cold soil and the Jasmine is in full bloom. John has been busy working on my flower beds in the back yard in anticipation of more planting space. Our rental car/suv has come in so handy, hauling dirt and timbers from the store to our back yard. Today, I planted tomatoes, zinnias, carrots, and green beans. I also planted another dwarf holly bush in the side yard. Home Depot had Magnolia trees on sale so we will have one planted in the backyard soon. Drew has been sick most of the week; it finally peaked on Thursday when the fever jumped up to 103 degrees. Last night (Friday) was quite fun, Drew was up until 12:00 am , then up again at 4:00 am , and 7:30 am . All three times the Motrin had worn off and his fever and chills had come back in full force. Poor little guy! Drew was so excited to be able to sleep in mommy and daddy's bed; he cuddled with John and the two of them slept until 11:30 a...

It has been a while since I have updated. We have had so many fun things going on, it has been hard to find time to updated. Drew finally grew his last set of teeth for a while. His mouth is full of teeth and don't have any gaps! That being stated he has finally started talking! Drew loves to repeat words and enjoys singing the song Twinkle Twinkle, only it comes out "Tinkle Tinkle." Drew did loose 2 pounds during his last bout with teething, but hopes to be back to the 23 pound mark soon. Drew is going to school on Monday's and loves it! He no longer cries when I take him to the door and he leaves with a huge smile on his face, happy to show mommy his latest art project. Last week he made a scarecrow puppet and the week before he made a tree with his hand print as the leaves. Drew loves napping at school and proudly carries his nap mat to and from school. Monday's are his favorite day! Drew's wardrobe has finally been moved into Autumn! I gladly boxed up his ...