Humblest?

No man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle and good, without the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness.- Phillips Brooks

The word "humblest" in the above quote caused me to ponder, is there such a thing as "humblest?" It sort of sounds like an oxymoron. Are there levels to being humble? Humble, More Humble, Humbler, Humblest? Makes me chuckle thinking of it. Or would it be similar to the competitive spirit such as who's the fairest (humblest) of them all? I would tend to believe not. Regardless, humility is a character trait that is easily admired. Scripture tells us, "...a broken and contrite (humble) heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17) Being humble can promote goodness in the world but, the personal benefit of humility is knowing God will never despise you or me.

20 Years Overdue!!!

More than 20 years overdue, my husband finally remodeled his office. He is always giving to others and rarely does anything for himself. Our congregation gave him a gift certificate to Home Depot for his birthday and that was the incentive to begin. There is one thing about his office I want to share with you. From our experience, most people are afraid to talk to their pastor and there is an unfair stigma put on the pastor's office. i.e., "He got called in to the pastor's office!" The devil wants people to be fearful of seeking counsel from the pastor. Because of this, my husband has made his office "kid friendly." All the children in our church know there is candy in his office. His rules are: The child must approach him and politely ask if they may have a candy. He will in turn tell them they can. He wants them to learn his office is a friendly place and also learn how to politely ask for something. Remodeling his office was also a test run to find out if we could paint the "popcorn" ceiling. We now know it must be stripped off and re-textured. Hopefully, after the holidays, we will begin the same process in our auditorium. More work coming our way, but the rewards sure are beautiful.
P.S. I want to add thanks to Greg Galban, Ron Ferrell, and Bryce for the many hours they volunteered to get this job done.

His shofar is suspended from the ceiling. I love the shadow.
Part of the sitting area.

The candy jars are on the file cabinet in right side. Yummy!

His valet, various certificates, & the corner of his desk. I love the unique candle holder.

He downsized his desk. The previous one was a massive piece of furniture donated to him by Wells Fargo. I think it was the president's desk. It was nice but just too big and somewhat intimidating.

Prayer Request

Please say a prayer for my friend and fellow minister's wife, Rochelle Ritzi. Her home was vandalized and the family threatened by some racists. Rochelle and her husband have a gorgeous daughter, Keilani. Keilani is a brilliant little girl who loves God, sings at church, and is learning to play piano. This beautiful and precious girl, has been frightened by these hate crimes and her innocence shattered with her first experience of the "N" word and what it means to be the target of racial profiling. My heart is heavy for this wonderful family. Join me in prayer for peace that passes all understanding and for the Lord to encamp angels around them, their home, and church.
Below is the link to Rochelle's blog.
http://rochelle-blog.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving Laughs

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blake Learns About Racial Profiling

Waiting to be interviewed. (He definitely got an "A" on this project.)

One section of his project.

Adding to the list on my last post, we have also remodeled my husband's office and I hope to have pictures to post soon. :) Another big job, was helping Blake complete his GATE project. This year he titled his project, "9/11 - The Day The World Changed Forever." Part of his research incorporated a study by the ACLU about racial profiling since 9/11. When Blake realized what racial profiling was all about, he became so upset. He said, "Mom, my best friend is an Arab and he is a really nice guy! It would be terrible for people to be mean to him because of his culture!" "Yes, indeed," I replied. I'm glad Blake doesn't judge anyone according to the color of skin or culture. The world needs more people who have the sweet, compassionate, loving spirit of Blake. He is a loyal friend.

Life In Ministry Is Never Boring

Life has been busy, good, and full of variety. I thought I would share some of our "busy"ness. In a pastor's world, there are many unexpected happenings. We recently had the funeral, or as we say, "Homegoing," of an elder woman of God. Then, mixed in with hospital calls, business dealings, counseling, and so forth, we had a wedding. As we have heard before, "Variety is the spice of life."

A few of my fellow board members of the Western District Ladies Ministries. We were rewarded by our president, Laquita Mullings, with a beautiful luncheon.
Bryn was "Sarah Palin" for Halloween. LOL

Blake and Bryn posing at Starbucks after a family night out.

Bryce was exhausted from a week of finals.

At a recent prayer meeting, many adults had came forward for special prayer. These two little, Spanish speaking, girls waited patiently at the altar for the ministry to anoint them. They touched my heart and reminded me the greatest in the Kingdom will be like these little children.

Comedian Da-vee, pictured with his lovely wife, was the entertainment at the 50th Birthday Party for our friend Ray Perez. It was a 50's theme and the room was full of poodle skirts.

(Da-vee had a dentist make these goofy teeth just for his comedic performances!)

Blake "seriously" practicing his saxophone

A recent new convert gives his testimony of God's redeeming power.

Bryn as an impromtu flower girl.

This young couple were recently wed after a Sunday morning service.

They told Pastor Allard they wanted to be right and not live in sin.

Now isn't that the way to start a marriage?!

It's all good!

MoMENtum

Bryce with some of the music team
part of the morning crowd

Rev. J. H. & Mrs. Osborne

This past week-end, my husband and son, along with several men from our church, attended the California Men's Conference, MoMENtum. It is an annual conference originally started by Rev. Bill Parkey, pastor of Abundant Life Center, Tulare, California. Rev. Parkey was appointed director of men's ministry for the California district and has done a great job of organizing this superb conference. This year's speakers included J. H. Osborne, Nathan Hurst, Sam Emory, Ron Mullings, Tony Copple, Tim Spell, and more. The house was packed and all reports have been exciting.

Bryce is so impressed with the ministry of J. H. Osborne, Nathan Hurst, Sam Emory, Ron Mullings, and many more. As a mother, I am thrilled to know my son's heroes are great men of God. He wanted to get a picture with all the guest speakers but forgot to take the camera soon enough to catch them all. He did get a quick snapshot with those involved in music ministry. Tim Spell lead worship with the help of Larry Carter on guitar, Mark Yandris on keys, other musicians and several vocalists. Bryce and fellow WAY Choir member Michael Biederman enjoyed being part of the team. It made me feel good that Bryce chose to enhance his spiritual life by attending this conference. There's no greater joy than knowing that your children walk with God.

Key To Achieving

studio photo of Bryce

You can have anything you want -- if you want it badly enough.

You can be anything you want to be,

do anything you set out to accomplish,

if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.

- Abraham Lincoln

Holding to desire with purpose is the key to achieving.

A Good Man's Life Is...

Bryn & Kelly Nelon-Thompson

The best portion of a good man's life is the little, nameless,

unremembered acts of kindness and love.

- William Wordsworth

Be sure to love and show kindness to those you meet today. You are establishing your character, developing a reputation, and an example to those nearest you.

The Greatest In The Kingdom

And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3, New International Version

This scripture makes me think of the Toys R Us slogan, "I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys R Us kid." If a child will be the greatest in the Kingdom, I pray I never grow up. Keep me young and humble, Lord.

Real Heroes Are Committed

Real heroes are men who fall and fail and are flawed, but win out in the end because they've stayed true to their ideals and beliefs and commitments

- Actor Kevin Costner

Over 20 years ago, my husband preached a message titled, "Your Failures Are Not Fatal." Throughout the years, he has received requests to preach this message and numerous comments from people saying how the message helped them. Failure is not what kills but rather the refusal to try again. If you fall, get up quickly, try again, and stay committed.

Happy Birthday, Mother

80th birthday with her three oldest grandkids

Bryce, Amber, and Sara

82nd Birthday

Is that a party hat or is she a unicorn?

If she knew I had posted this, she would be mad. LOL Oops! Too late!! This has been a rough year but she is hanging in there and doing much better. Her shoulder is healing and I think she is moving it more than what was predicted. One thing about my mom, she is a character. She loves to laugh, flirt with her doctors, claims to never let anyone know how old she is, but proudly says, "Pretty good for a nearly 8???? year old woman, huh?" Well, since she says I am not suppposed to tell her age, I will let you figure it out. She is older than the last picture I posted.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Be Sincere

The first virtue of all really great men is that they are sincere.

They eradicate hypocrisy from their hearts.

- Anotole France

Can you imagine a world where hypocrisy has been eradicated?

It begins with your choice.

Choose hypocrisy, or the road of sincerity.

Perseverance

Usually when we hear the phrase, "What a difference a teacher makes," it is a compliment to the instructor's method of teaching. Yet, there are some cases where a teacher fails to recognize and reach for a student's potential. The below link shows a man who felt rejected by his instructor. He never learned to read or write, but recently made millions of dollars from his exceptional talent. A true lesson of perseverance. Please go to the below link for a very short video of this outstanding man. Incredible!

http://www.maniacworld.com/art-in-the-eye-of-a-needle.html

P.S. If you are a teacher, never give up on any student. Against all odds, everyone has an amount of potential. I am so glad God saw not what I was but what I could be.

Meet Rev. Caples

Below is a link to the video of the prayer Rev. John Caples from Waukegan, Illinois offered at the opening of congress June 11, 2008. Short, to the point, and great. This pastor has done outstanding things for his community, some of which are mentioned by the congressman from his area (after he prays).

http://www.house.gov/kirk/multi.media/Caples_Prayer.wmv

What Keeps You?

Happiness keeps you sweet,

Trials keep you strong,

Sorrows keep you human,

Failures keep you humble,

Success keeps you glowing,

But..........

Only God keeps you going.

The Real Rain Man

A few years ago, a movie starring Dustin Hoffman was released titled "Rain Man." It was based on a true story of a mega-savant. The below link shows five different YouTube clips that feature this man, Kim Peek, and his father. It is a most extraordinary story. If you have time, visit the below link. Incredible!

http://videos.komando.com/2008/11/09/the-real-rain-man/

Courage

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;

courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

- Sir Winston Churchill

Have A LOL Tuesday!

Can There Be Fairness In Criticism?

First, let me say, I am not a diehard Repulican and I don't like war. My voting decisions are usually based on moral issues regardless of party affiliation. There has been so much criticism of President George W. Bush and the Republican party which I think has been unfair. I don't think President Bush is without any fault, but criticism should be fair. Below is an example of Democrats who chose war. If you don't like war and are guilty of criticizing President Bush for the Irag war, be sure to add the below Democrats to your criticism.

There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq in January. In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq. When some claim that President Bush shouldn't have started this war, tell them the following:

F. D. Roosevelt (DEMOCRAT) led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us; Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ... an average of 112,500 per year.

Truman (DEMOCRAT) finished that war and started one in Korea. North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ... an average of 18,334 per year.

John F. Kennedy (DEMOCRAT) started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us.

Johnson (DEMOCRAT) turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost ... an average of 5,800 per year.

Clinton (DEMOCRAT) went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent. Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

In the years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and, North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. And the Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking. But wait, there's more.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno (DEMOCRAT) to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation.

We've been looking for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton (DEMOCRAT) to find the Rose law firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick.
It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida !!!

But Wait ...There's more!
JOHN GLENN (on the Senate floor - January 26, 2004) Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living.

This IS a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of the military. Senator Metzenbaum (speaking to Senator Glenn):
'How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?'
Senator Glenn (D-Ohio): 'I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank. I ask you to go with me, as I went the other day... to a veteran's hospital and look those men ... with their maimed bodies ... in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job!

You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee ... and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their DAD'S didn't hold a job. You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery , where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags. You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you have the gall to tell ME that those people didn't have a job?
What about Metzenbaum? For those who don't remember During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorney representing the Communist Party in the USA. Now he's a Senator!

Update

Some have e-mailed asking about my mom and my eyes so here's an update.

My mom has started therapy and is gaining strength in her arm. The doctor said she can now stay alone for a few hours at a time. My sister lives next door to her, so she checks in on my mom throughout the day and is still staying with her at night. Mom can now reach to the side of her chair and pull a tissue from the box and raise it to her face. Brushing her teeth and eating with her right hand is still progressing, but she can get the toothbrush or fork to her mouth. She has been to a few church services and even went with my sister on an overnight trip to a conference. The doctor still doesn't want her lifting any amount of weight with her right arm and my sister and I have to continually remind her not to pick up her purse or open the car door. Considering all things, I think she is doing great. Hopefully, her recovery will continue to progress and exceed expectations.

Concerning my vision, well, it's a challenge. This is not a sudden problem but something that has been progressing for years. My left eye is just not functioning as needed. The retina specialist sent me back to the opthamologist last week for further testing. Those test results are being sent to the retina specialist and my primary optometrist. I will return to the retina specialist in January. My hope is to get a miracle for Christmas and surprise the retina specialist when I return. :) The ladies committee I work with recently had their annual fall board meetings. It was tedious trying to focus on the small print and my eyes began to hurt and tear. The president and secretary were so kind and kept the lights dimmed to ease my discomfort. I appreciate their thoughtfulness and all of the committee members agreeing to work in softer light. The first exam with the retina specialist gave me some trauma to my optic nerve and it is slowly recovering. Sometimes bright light feels like a sharp needle in my eye and I use big dark glasses.

I'll finish this post with a funny story. My eyesight at night is really poor. The other night Blake and I were going to meet my husband, Bryce and Bryn at the church office. I drove to the back of the church where it is the closest entrance to Brian's office and Blake started to get out of the car. I saw a man coming across the parking lot and I told Blake to wait until the man passed the car. Blake said, "Mom, it is just dad!" You'd think after nearly 30 years of marriage I would at least recognize his gait, huh? LOL

Dedication to Helen

Helen and I have different political views but have become fast friends. I want to dedicate this song to her.

Christians Need to Repent

For a few weeks, I have been pondering 2 Chronicles 7:14. The scripture begins, "If MY people which are CALLED BY MY NAME....." If we are His people and called by His name then that means the "Christians," the "SAVED" people. THEN, the scripture continues and says, "...will turn from THEIR WICKED WAYS..." Tell me, what are the "wicked ways" of the people of the Name?

The church (people of the Name) has not seriously considered this scripture and diligently sought to discover and remove whatever this wickedness may be. I'm not sure what it is, but I believe it could include the pride of life and lust of flesh. Many of "the church" have become pompous, proud, and seek to fulfill their own fleshly desires above the will of God. There are too many Pharisees in the "people of the name." 2 Corinthians 13 seemingly has been forgotten. Where is charity? Until the "people of the name" realize this, join forces in sincere prayer AND REPENT, America will continue to slide into gross immorality and become further diseased. Christians, it is our obligation to remove all wicked ways from ourselves before God will send healing to our land.

Grieve Not

He is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not,

but rejoices in what he has.

- Epictetus

Interesting E-mail I Received

HOW LONG DO WE HAVE?

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."

"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."

"From that moment on, the majority always voted for the candidates who promised the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."

During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage.

Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:

Number of States won by:
Democrats: 19
Republicans: 29

Square miles of land won by:
Democrats: 580,000
Republicans: 2,427,000

Population of counties won by:
Democrats: 127 million
Republicans: 143 million

Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2 Republicans: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: 'In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare...' Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the 'complacency and apathy' phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the 'governmental dependency' phase.

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal's and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.

Christian, Vote Your Conscience

CHOOSE LIFE!

The Main Reason I Will Not Vote for Obama