Fun at the Park

I don't think an explanation is necessary. They had fun!

For the Love of Golf!

My fabulous husband invited me to go with him to his company golf tournament where they put everyone on teams and play "best ball." The reason this is noteworthy is I have never been golfing before in my life. I have never even been to a driving range. (This is why my husband is fabuous for taking me!) But let me just say, I had a wonderful time!! It was a so much fun, I cannot wait to go agian!! I wasn't a great golfer, but despite my performance I still thought it was probably one of the most enjoyable sports I have ever tried! I'm completely hooked! In fact, our anniversary is Wednesday, and guess what were going to do? You guessed it...We're golfing!

My Niece turns two!

Here she is looking at her cupcake. Hummm...will she eat it?
Yes....she will eat it!! Yummy.
Sisters...too cute!

Playing with the bells their mom gave them!

I think their house will be MUCH louder!

So Sweet!

Won't he make a great big brother?

Testimony vs. The Gospel

I listened to a fabulous discussion over at the Whitehorse Inn. The topic for discussion was which is the makes for the best evangelism tool; our personal testimony or the gospel. Here are a few quotes from the forum:

“What happened to us is the result of the gospel. It isn’t the gospel. The gospel is what happened to Jesus Christ. Its His story, not ours, and it is precisely because of that fact we can be grafted onto His story.”

“Instead of making Him (Jesus) a supporting actor in my life movie, I need to realize that I am a supporting actor in His story.”

“It’s the best news for you and your neighbors that you are not the gospel. What has happened to you is not the gospel, what has happened in you is not the gospel. The gospel is that Jesus was crucified for our sins, was raised for our justification, and because that is the gospel you can have experiences of His peace that do not depend on your experience of His peace. You can have the Fathers love in His Son even when you feel his displeasure. You can know that you are a child of God even when you are a prodigal squandering your inheritance in the pig pen. And you can always come back because you know objectively He has always left the door opened for you. In fact, you are coming because He has always called you and He has already prepared the celebration for your return. It’s all about God. It’s all about what God has done for you, not about you and what has happened inside of you. Because of that, things do happen inside of you." -Dr. Michael Horton

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The Gospel is the power of God. The Gospel is good news because it enables sinners to have peace with the Almighty God who is angry with their sins and will hold them accountable for those sins. The Gospel will change us, but that change is a by-product of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. We must never forget, that the Gospel itself is the power of God, not our story.

PS: I love comments, but get very few! Feel free to leave a note, opinion, or thought!

Snake Bite!

Thursday evening our church held its Vacation Bible School program & cookout. At the event, there was a "reptile man" which delighted the boys, but made me recoil! YUK!

Here is my cute Jack holding a lizard! I love this photo! Here is Drew, with a snake wrapped around his neck. Notice the boy in the yellow t-shirt looking at him like he's crazy!!! (He is!!!)
Here was the main attraction; the seven foot "pet" python! ...and yes people were picking it up and petting it! AGAHH!!! Jack "pet" it too.

...and here is the result of that "pet!" He bit Jacker right on the finger!!!!! Jack was compeletly traumatized, but when the tears cleared, he was fine and now has a great story! How many 8 year olds can say they've been bit by a seven foot long python!!! (He really is fine. The doctor said just wash it and keep a band-aid on it. All is well!)

In the end, I was right. Snakes and other reptiles are dangerous and gross...especially big ones!

Jack told me to tell you that "It didn't hurt!" So there you have it!

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Here is a beautiful rendition of my favorite hymn.

The 3rd verse is my favorite.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;

here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

Written by: Robert Robinson, 1735-1790

What I'm Reading

I’m currently reading the book entitled What He Must Be…if he wants to marry my daughter by Voddie Baucham Jr. In this book, Voddie explains the Biblical roles of a husband and wife using various passages from scripture to undergird his points. This book is an excellent read for anyone, male or female, seeking to be married, or who is already married. It is also perfect for parents as they teach, guide, and prepare their children for Godly marriages.

Consider the following excerpts:

"God commands men to leave and cleave. Of course this does not mean that a married man or woman is no longer required to honor his or her parents. However, it does mean that a married couple is no longer under the direct authority of their respective parents. Thus when and if we do disagree with parents concerning the direction of our household, we must do so in a respectful manner.” (p.118)

"Our children must not come first. Not only is important for us to prioritize our marriage over the home from which we come, it is also crucial that we prioritize our marriage relationship over our relationship with our children. I know this sounds odd, but allow me to explain. I believe that this prioritization is important for at least two reasons; 1) our marriage is our children’s ultimate source of security. 2) our children are going to leave and cleave someday.” (p. 119)

I urge you to check it out. It is provocative and interesting. You’ll be left rethinking what you know about dating, relationships and marriage ...but in a good way.

My New Theme Song

I found my new theme song thanks to my "bloggy" friend Candice. Its a perfect reflection of where I am right now. Click here to listen.

Swimming with my Nieces

She's thinking about how much she loves the water!

She is thinking about ways to stay dry!

I took my two nieces swimming today. They are both around two years old. The dark-haired one wanted nothing to do with the water, and the blonde was in it up to her neck. They were SO cute! We had a great time!

A Critique of Joel Olsteen

Joel Olsteen is one of the most popular preachers in America today. His church is one of the largest in the country and his ministry reaches over 100 nations around the world. The problem is his message is not consistent with Biblical truth. Pastor Mark Driscoll compares Olsteen’s “God-wants-you-to-be-happy” message with the truth from God’s word in this video clip.

Rhetorical Recklessness?

I read an editorial written by Tim Rutten of the Los Angeles Times entitled “The choice on abortion: rhetorical recklessness or civil expression.” In it, Mr. Rutten tries to convince his readers that proclaiming abortion to be murder is “verbal extremism” and “has consequences.” In the article, he attempts to place the blame for Dr. Tiller’s murder on the influence of “inflammatory rhetoric.” He claims this may have encouraged America’s “socially marginal and unstable,” who were attracted to the movements “verbal absolutism,” to commit murder.

I am alarmed that the truth about abortion is now viewed by some as “verbal extremism.” While I do not condone the murder of Dr. Tiller, the constitution still protects the right to say that abortion is murder and that Tiller's practice was morally wrong. Every cause has extremists who do not represent the ideology of the majority, but Mr. Rutten has used this glaring generality to insinuate that the rhetoric of the pro-life movement has caused the death of Tiller simply because they revealed the truth of what he did behind closed doors. The truth is upsetting and is not always welcomed, but it cannot be blamed for the murder of Dr. Tiller. The responsibility for the murder of Dr. Tiller falls upon the shoulders of the midguided individual who committed this crime, not the entire pro-life movement.

Click here to read his editorial.

Why Southern Baptists Don't Drink Tea

I ran across a satirical essay that is probably the most hilarious article I’ve ever read! Anyone who has been raised in a conservative church will appreciate the humor...I think.

(Just for the record, I am a Southern Baptist, I’m not picking on them…I’m laughing at us!)

Click here to read the article.

Say it isn't so!

I received the monthly update from our adoption agency this morning, and the news was not what I had hoped to see. The wait for families requesting a healthy baby girl has increased…again…it is now approximately 14 months total. (from homestudy approval to referral.) Our homestudy was approved July 28, 2008. At that time we expected a 10-11 month wait. The timeframe lengthened to 12 months around Christmas, and last month it lengthened again to 13 months. Now we are looking at 14 months. That means we might get our referral in September.

This isn’t the fault of the agency. There just haven’t been many baby girls available for adoption and there was a sudden influx of people requesting baby girls last spring and summer. Clearly they can’t control either factor; this is just part of adoption. We will be matched with a baby at some point, and clearly God alone knows when that is. One thing I do know; the baby who is matched with our family will be perfect and I can’t wait to see her.

Dear God, help me wait patiently!

Where are You Headed?

I want to URGE and BEG everyone who reads this post to actually click on this link and listen to the following sermons; “Are You Saved” Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3 by Dr. James MacDonald. These sermons will address the most important issue in life; where you will spend eternity. Even if you think this is settled, please listen.

The Conlcusion of a Feminist

A pioneer in the feminist movement has come to a startling conclusion: women should stay home with their children while men go to work! It sounds ludicrous, but I’m not making this up. Erin Pizzy, one of feminism’s founders and the founder a refuge for victims of domestic violence in the UK has declared that the idea that women can have it all is a nothing more than a myth. Consider the following quotes which were published in the article entitled, “Feminist pioneer’s rethink: a woman’s place is in the home.”

Pizzy says, “I don't think anybody foresaw what that freedom of choice would do. It's imprisoned many women. They don't have a choice - they have to work hard and I just see an exhausted generation of women trying to do it all."

She also makes the following shocking statement, "I think the traditional way the family was run has been going for thousands of years and it works. What I see now is men disenfranchised from their roles. Women are lost because they now have to work full-time. They don't have a choice. There is no proper child care, there's nobody home when the children come home."

I would encourage you to read this compelling article. It won’t be a waste of your time.

Click here to here to read the entire article.