Yesterday's Pranks

Did anyone pull a prank on you yesterday in the name of April Fool's Day? Tyler called wanting to know if freeWAY's large shipment of CD's had arrived. He is worried about having them in time for the To The Chief Musician Music Conference where freeWAY will sing next week. I couldn't resist! I told him Rick had called to inform us the CD's were shipped but the UPS truck that carried them had crashed and burned. I added Daywind's insurance would replace the burned CD's but it would take two weeks to get them. The silence on the other end of the phone was huge! I stifled my giggles when he said, "Serious?" I replied, "I am as serious as April Fool's Day." Then, a fit of giggles erupted to the dismay of Tyler who was silently seething. Gotcha, Tyler! LOL

My favorite April Fool's story was from my Aunt Veneta. She was a fabulous baker and would take a home-baked good to work everyday. One April Fool's Day, she took a platter of chocolate covered Styrofoam peanuts. I can only imagine the expressions when teeth sunk into Styrofoam. Gotta love it!

I Hope You Dance

My post about dancing seemed to be enjoyed by many so I thought I would share the lyrics to the song, "I Hope You Dance," and I have also included a link that tells the story about how the song was written.

http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/sillers.htm

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,

May you never take one single breath for granted,

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,

Never settle for the path of least resistance,

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,

When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder,

Where those years have gone.
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance..
Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone,

I hope you dance...

Get Your Dancin' Shoes On

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…
It’s about learning to dance in the rain! - Anonymous

If you have the choice to sit it out or dance,

I

hope

you

dance.

PK Questions & Answers Part I

A couple months ago, I asked for questions concerning PK's (preacher's kids) and stated I would try to answer them. Here is the first attempt. I am by no means an authority and your comments, suggestions, or further questions are welcome.

QUESTION: How can a PK "toe the line" in what the church teaches and keep friendship with the other youth that may not "toe the line"? Then, the obvious next question would be, how can the PK go a little further and positively influence the ones that don't "toe the line"?

ANSWER: First, let's clarify "toe the line." I think I can safely assume the phrase means, "following the teachings of the church, adhering to church standards, etc." The first thing to consider is the attitude and spirituality of the PK. If the PK is sincere in worship, "toes the line," and is friendly, these are key components to influencing the other youth. Sincere worship cannot be faked and other youth know if the PK's dedication to God is real or not. The PK must be careful to never condemn any other youth that do not "toe the line," and resist the urge to treat those youth differently. It is important the PK keeps a friendly attitude towards all youth in the congregation. Most PK's struggle with resentment towards the youth that do not "toe the line," because the PK feels those youth should know better and find them to be disrespectful to the PK's dad/mom. When the PK shows sincere kindness and devotion, they will be well liked among the youth and have influence. Even doing all this, the PK must be willing to accept rejection from the youth who are determined to be rebellious to the teachings of the church. For these instances, I remind my son that not even Jesus could persuade everyone. The youth that reject the PK and the pastor's instruction, still need to be loved. That can be hard for a young PK, but hang in there. Time will prove all things and the rebellious will either leave (get outta yo way) or they will finally come to repentance.

MYOB

After visiting Carissa's blog, www.carissalopez.blogspot.com, my mind started spinning with thoughts about her "Gossip" post. Gossip is a wicked vice that controls many people. Often, the gossip that is spoken, repeated, or heard, is stemmed from conniving, jealous people who spin lies to hopefully further their social status. One thing I learned a long time ago is this - people who sling mud lose ground. A scripture came to my mind that I want to share.

II Thessalonians 2:11 - "...they should believe a lie:" Verse 12, "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

I know most people interpret this verse as a person who believes false doctrine, or a lie, will be damned to hell instead of receiving salvation. Let me ask this - if a person believes a vicious lie spread from malicious gossip and took pleasure in hearing or repeating it, will that person be damned? The Bible strongly speaks against all gossip (true or false) and tells us all liars will have their part in hell. The old children's rhyme, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me," is not true, for surely God will not deal kindly with a gossipper.

The last scripture in II Thessalonians chapter two, lets us know we are established by every good word and work. A person will never be established without learning to speak good words.

I Thessalonians 4:11 - "And that ye study to be quiet and to do your own business..." In redneck words, MYOB, mind your own business.

freeWAY Debut CD Released

The debut CD of freeWAY was released this past Tuesday. We are all quite pleased with the final results. The quartet has seven events/services booked for next month. Unfortunately, their website is not ready. The domain has been secured, but the design is not complete. Hopefully, they will have the site up and running soon where you will be able to hear clips and place orders. Most of the CD is original material and features blues, jazz, big ballads, and traditional quartet music. The following link, Singsation Sunday, is to the website of Apostolic Tabernacle in Merced, California, archived media. This was a concert in September 2007. Once the video begins, you can forward about 35 minutes to see and hear freeWAY sing three songs. After this video was made, Ken Fitzpatrick started vocal coaching the boys and they are actually better than what you see and hear on this video. In one song on their CD, they span four octaves! I am so proud of these boys not only for their vocal abilities, but also for their strong love of God and their desire to minister.

Celebrate Jesus!

Happy Easter!

Youth Convention 2008

What a week!!! The Western District Youth Convention was fabulous! My husband and I were kept busy working the freeWAY booth and spent two full days judging potential candidates as they auditioned for the 2008 WAY Choir season. We had so many auditions we barely had time to grab lunch and get ready for the evening services. There is some amazing talent in our district! Bryce had a full schedule singing with the praise team every night, two performances with freeWAY, and a solo for the mass choir. freeWAY's debut CD was released Tuesday and sales were great. The baritone for freeWAY, Lawrence, was unable to attend and D'Andre Franklin of San Diego, California, did a fabulous job as substitute baritone. The above picture is Tyler, D'Andre, and Bryce by the banner for their booth. On the last night, many from the crowd swarmed the stage and surrounded the praise team. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see Bryce in a white jacket just left of the podium in front of the drums. Praise erupted and for over an hour, the youth sang, danced, and worshipped elbow-to-elbow in the crowd of approximately 4,000.

You all know I am a huge fan of Bryce and freeWAY, but the highlight of the conference was the main speaker, Rev. Sam Emory, of Merced, California. You can visit his church website here: www.upcmerced.com Bro. Emory was over-the-top, off-the-hook, sic, tight, awesome, and the 100 other phrases kids use to say "really good." He addressed pertinent issues of morality, racism, and the importance of living a godly life. His straight forward manner of speaking is exactly what this generation needs. More later - my bones are begging to sink into my bed.

Hello!

Sorry for the delay in posting. I am at the Western District Youth Convention is Bakersfield, California at the Bakersfield Convention Center. Bryce's group, freeWAY, will be singing tomorrow night. Also, Bryce is singing with the evening praise team each night. freeWAY CD's were released today and I will post more info concerning that later. If I can, I will post sooner, byt if not I will chat with you Friday. Have a great week!

Prayer By Arizona Teenager

Now I sit me down in school,
Where praying is against the rule,
For this great nation under God,
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow,
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall,
Might offend one with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book now makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such "judgments" don't belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It's scary here, I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen
written by an unknown Arizona teen

Open Response to Jen

Since so many people who visit my blog are involved in music, I thought I would post this question I received from Jen and my response. Feel free to leave your opinions, thoughts and suggestions for Jen, too.

Question from Jen: I know you have a CD, and I'm wondering if you write songs? I'm starting to and I just went to a music conference last week that gave me some really good ideas. I wrote about it on my blog. Let me know if you have any ideas of your own to add in. Hearing different opinions helps, and I'm trying to get better.

My open response: Hi, Jen - I’m glad you enjoyed the music conference.
To answer your question left on my blog, I have written songs but I have not recorded any of them. I know that seems strange, but the songs I have written are better suited for another voice. Several years ago, I wrote a song for the Western District Youth Conference theme and the choir sang it. For my recent CD, I wanted to sing songs that ministered to me in a personal way and that I enjoyed vocally. Maybe my next album will take a different path.

From what I have learned in the many song-writing classes I have taken, I would disagree with the opinion of “don’t write just to write.” People who have written Christian songs that won Dove or Grammy Awards, are songwriters who try to write a song everyday. They write everyday to gain experience and out of the hundreds of songs they write, they pick the very best to record. Unless you get busy writing, you will always be a beginner.

Pentecostals sing an unbelievable number of Andre Crouch songs. Many of these were written in the 70’s, but today I hear his songs used many times over in numerous churches. Andre Crouch has won seven grammy awards and sold millions of albums. He says, “I try to duplicate what I feel in my heart.” Even after 40 years of songwriting, he started using a digital program, Logic, and asked Swiss singer/songwriter Saschka Wittau to help him. During a month and a half of working with her, he had written at least 80 songs. Although his songs have earned him millions of dollars, he continues to follow his passion and write.

I believe we need Pentecostal songwriters to get their songs into the mainstream and win awards. Now don’t misunderstand me - we write, sing, perform, as praise to God, and every song is a short sermon. If Pentecostal songwriters got their songs recorded by top Christian artists, then the Pentecostal message would spread even further. We cannot compromise our convctions in doing so. I really believe we need more Pentecostal artists albums on the Christian bookstore shelves.

I have noticed beginner songwriters not only tend to keep songs in the same vein musically, but also lyrically. Recently, a beginner songwriter asked my opinion of a newly released CD. My response was, “You are doing good but…….think about every song on your project." Each of them were the same story. In a nutshell, they were, “everything was terrible and bad then Jesus helped me.” It is wonderful when things go wrong that Jesus helps us, but don’t you have some good days just being friends with Jesus? Is everyday bad? This got the young songwriter thinking. I expect to soon hear some other songs from this writer that will tell me how beautiful the world is with Jesus and how much fun it is to worship Him. Find something new each day and write about it.

A benefit to writing good songs and getting them published, is the potential to be recorded by an established artist who would pay good royalties to use the songs. When a song is written, it needs accompaniement that compliments the lyrics. I think picking on the song “Blessed” was a little unfair. Have you heard Rachel Lampa sing “Blessed?” It is a fabulous song and it became a number one hit. I think the lyrics and music gel quite well and Rachel sings it with conviction. The problem is not with the song but rather with the performance of other singers. If the clinician heard the song and it depressed him, then it was a vocalist/musician error and not the song as it was written.

Two more points before I stop this long response. :~)
1. Make sure the song is grammatically correct. Write the lyrics and read them out loud. Do they make sense? Do they jump from first person to third person? Make sure the song is consistent. Sort of like how some preachers talk - “I was studying the Bible and we felt the Spirt…” Is it me or we?
2. Have a message in your song. Keep it spiritual and Godly. I don’t like shallow songs. A good song will touch your heart, give you chill bumps, make you want to cry or dance, and cause you to feel something deep within your spirit. Several years ago an alternative Christian group sang a song, “Rubber canoe, rubber canoe, Jesus, I’m giving my love to you…” Sorry, but it never touched my heart.

Good luck, Jen, in your songwriting.

Easter 2008 Is Almost Here

Tyler Sullivan, the lead vocalist of freeWAY, reconstructed my poster for our upcoming Easter services. Thought I would share it with you. Our guest speaker, John Arcovio, is a world-renowned inspirational speaker, writer, and founder of Spirit Led Ministries, who is committed to providing encouraging and helpful ministry materials to the body of Christ. He has prophesied over Bryce several times and we are looking forward to having him speak to our congregation. What are your Easter plans?

Antics of Blake

Here is a good laugh for you this weekend. My darling Blake had to write a five paragraph paper stating why he should be student of the month. I thought it was too cute. He claims he faces discrimination because of his red hair. I asked why. His response, "People see my red hair and they automatically assume I am mean and I am not mean." Now you understand why I said God gave me Blake to keep me on my knees. LOL Gotta love this kid! He is somethin' else!

P.S. The car is one he saw in a parking lot and wanted a picture of himself with the car. I'm sure if I let him take snapshots to school, he would try and convince kids it was his car. LOL

Blake Allard
Why I Should Be Student of the Month
Final Draft

Today I am going to tell you why I should be student of the month. No, wait, student of the year! To select a student, you should consider many things. Is the chosen student smart, have good attendance, and unique?

Because I am a GATE student, my abilities are many and my grades are good. I have excelled academically. I am also a member of the Chess Club and have won three medals. My wins have given me the opportunity to go to the championship tournament.

It is important to attend school. I have a good attendance record and I don't come late. Keeping my hands clean and taking my vitamins, keeps me healthy so I don't miss school.

Unique is a great word for me. Forget the minority stuff! There is no one like me! My flaming red hair and pale skin makes me stick out like a sore thumb. There isn't anyone that faces more discrimination than me. For this reason alone, I deserve student of the year.

In conclusion, let me add I have many great qualities. Handsome, charming, loyal, faithful, funny, sensitive, extreme, are a few words to describe me. I don't like to lose and I live to win. When I grow up, remember to vote for me for president of the United States of America. At 11 years of age, I could do better than McCain, Obama, or Hillary.

BLAKE ALLARD FOR STUDENT OF THE YEAR!

A Mouse!!!

Our kindergarten Sunday School teacher, Jane Johnson, (the one who was Teacher of the Year) not only teaches the children about Jesus, but she also teaches them manners and loves to introduce them to things of nature. Last week, one of the students brought a small snake to class. Jane let's the children know about God's creations and their purpose. Her assistant, Alice Grateroles, decided to bring her own creation. I wanted to share this with you because it is so cute. From an Oreo cookie, a sliced almond, a Hershey's chocolate kiss, and a stemmed, chocolate-dipped cherry, we have the only mouse I will allow in my house. (Sorry, but I can't remember what she used for the eyes.)

Oops!

Computers can be a blessing or a source of frustration. My blog is set up for comments to come to my e-mail before they are posted. My posts dated February 17 and 21 seemed forsaken. Then, today, I get a message stating how many comments are waiting moderation. Lo and behold, here are all the comments for these posts that never came to my e-mail. If you left a comment to my Senior Lunch post or the FYI, I want you to know I did not deliberately ignore you. Your comments and my replies are now posted. Please accept my apologies. I do enjoy your comments.

Sovereign Power

Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control. These three alone lead to sovereign power.- Lord Alfred Tennyson

The above quote could be a sequel to my post on Friday about composure. Some aspects of this quote could be debatable, but I like it. Several years ago, my obstetric doctor told me I was "very in tune with my body." I have tried to be aware of happenings in my body to better my health. To possess sovereign power, or have authority and excellence of character, one should be "in tune," have reverence, and control of self. If you can respect yourself, you can revere others. If you can know yourself, you can understand others. If you can control yourself, you can lead others. This combination would be indicative of belonging to or characteristic of a sovereignty which I would like to believe is God.

I Am Republican But...

The Republican party did not have their act together when it came time to vote so I decided to vote for Hillary. (And she did win in California) Since only one person can be the chosen delegate for a party, I'd rather the Democrats have Hillary on their ticket. I seriously doubt the Republicans stand a chance, but their chances are greater against Hillary than Obama. There have been many inconsistencies with Obama and I do not have good feelings about him. The tears shed by the Clintons when they attended one of our churches does prove a tenderness of heart. Hillary can't be all bad - she likes American Idol and chocolate! LOL

For those who think I have been turned to a reprobate mind, let me remind you God has it all in control. Biblical prophecies are being fulfilled. Whether I vote or not, God will have His way. Furthermore, since I am a woman, I have the right to change my mind in November. :~)

Help for Carissa!

For the benefit of Carissa and young girls who do not know the legend of Leap Year, I am putting these links. LOL Enjoy!

http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/february29.asp

http://www.brownielocks.com/leapyear.html

http://living.oneindia.in/expressions/factual-expressions/2008/leap-year-traditions-facts.html

Leap Year

Leap Day/Year passed and will not return for four years. I wonder if any girls got enough courage to ask a guy to marry them. Do you know any? Well, girls, if you missed it, you will have to wait four years until your next chance. Guess you are stuck with kissing alot of toads before your Prince Charming comes along. LOL

Composure - Does It Matter?

The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.- Aristotle

Composure - does it matter? Maybe this (her incredible composure) is what attracted Aristotle Onassis to Jacqueline Kennedy, a woman faced with much grief and remained a tower of strength to the public eye. Throughout the infamous trial of O.J. Simpson, my husband and I were mesmerized with Johnny Cochran's impeccable composure. Other attorneys would get mad, lose their cool, and then make mistakes, but not Johnny. He was always composed. In fact, when we (my husband and I) are faced with difficult people, we will look at each other and say, "Johnny Cochran" to remind ourselves to stay cool. Throughout my life I have witnessed hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who lost their composure. Some were in fits of rage, others were at funerals where they fell to the floor kicking and screaming, and even some were full of laughter at inappropriate moments. I always found these situations to be embarrassing. Remaining composed does not erase hurt or anger, but rather speaks of great fortitude. I like Aristotle's assessment - "high and heroic temper."

Are You Happy?

Parenting is a huge job that is often filled with stress from schedules, school, work, and more, but the rewards are so sweet. Of course I love to hear my children tell me they love me, receive an unexpected hug or kiss, read their notes to me, but I think my favorite times are when I see or hear them happy. Sometimes when we are driving, Bryn will be chattering to her brothers and they will get the giggles. I love to hear her cute little voice bossing her brothers and their silly responses. When I hear them laugh and see their smiles, it is a contagious happiness. The pictures above were taken while we were waiting to be seated in a restaurant. Bryn and Blake found happiness playing a hand game. Do you find it strange that so many adults are pursuing happiness and never finding it? I wonder why? Here's my thoughts - the reason children respond happily to hand games, blowing bubbles, and other small, seemingly insignificant things is because of their quickness to forgive and their innocence. Children can play, get mad at each other, and five minutes later are playing together again. If you want real happiness, you must let go of anger, bitterness, and forgive all offenses. Next, smile. A smile is the first step towards happiness. Give your spouse, child, friend or loved one a smile. Maybe even tickle their ribs or dance them around the kitchen. Happiness won't be found in expensive toys, jewels, homes, cars, but it will peek at you through innocent, seemingly insignificant moments.

Western District Ladies Conference

The 25th Annual Western District Ladies Conference has come and now gone with only great memories to hold. The Visalia Convention Center was accommodating and the recently renovated Marriott Hotel was beautiful. Visalia is a lovely, clean city with a quaint downtown area. There were many restaurants, shops, and even a trolley car that picked up ladies at the convention center and took them downtown and back. Trying not to set our expectations too high, we only had the convention center set up 1200 seats. We quickly realized Thursday night we must increase the seats to 1400. Praise and worship was under the direction of Karen Harding. She compiled a praise team of ladies from Southern California and Northern California which did an outstanding job. The band even had a woman drummer! Karen also conducted a ministers wives choir featuring a song written by Karen titled "Legacy of Love." Speakers included the UPCI national ladies president Gwyn Oakes, recording artist Kathy Hernandez, California ladies president Nita Hodges, and former California ladies president (and fellow blogger) Shirley Buxton. Some highlights were Nita Hodges message about "Leaving A Legacy" where grandmothers/mothers passed Bibles to their granddaughters/daughters, Shirley Buxtons message "The Audacity to Believe" where she spoke of believing in the younger generations, and Kathy Hernandez incredible skill on the saxophone. Kathy also taught a sober lesson on forgiveness. There was a "Celebration of Praise" Friday evening that featured several soloists and an awesome performance was given by Hands of Praise, a dramatic sign team from Merced, California. This year, I stepped out on a limb and sang a sassy song instead of the traditional big ballads. The conference was concluded with a brunch on Saturday morning. We laughed, cried, shopped the vendors, stayed up late, wore our feet out, ate too much, then laughed and cried some more. It was a great conference. Because of my duties, I didn't get any pictures. :~( Sorry. You can, however, visit Shirley's blog for more convention news and some photos at http://www.writenow.wordpress.com/.

FYI

Sorry for the delay in posting, but I am currently in Visalia, California preparing for the 25th Annual Western District Ladies Conference being held at the Visalia Convention Center. It all begins tonight at 7 PM. Ladies are flying in from all across the nation and I believe we will have a record attendance. Sessions will also be held Friday morning at 9:30 and Friday evening beginning at 6 with a singspiration. I will be singing Friday evening and there will also be a ministers wives choir under the direction of Karen Harding featuring many vocalists singing an original song written by Karen. Saturday is a brunch and is limited to 1,140. The banquet sells out every year and many women wait too late to get a ticket. Maybe someday we will have a facility large enough to accommodate the entire crowd for the banquet. I should be home late Saturday and I will try to update my blog. If you are in the Visalia area, drop by and visit. Have a blessed day!

Senior Weekend

Hope you all had a wonderful week-end. It was a busy one for me. We had our annual senior citizen lunch on Saturday and this was the first year I hosted it at my house. I set up three tables to accommodate 24 people and each table had a different theme. Brian and I created a salad of mixed greens, grapes, fresh strawberries, dried cranberries, fresh blueberries, walnuts and topped it with an Asian dressing served with hot sourdough rolls. It was a huge hit. Then, Brian made his famous casserole filled with rice, chicken, brocoli, bread crumbs, cheese, and more. I cooked some green beans mixed with bacon bits, onion, garlic and seasoning and carrots drenched in butter and sugar. For dessert there was a choice of apple pie, chocolate fudge cake, or my sister's renowned strawberry cake. Iced tea, hot tea, and coffee washed it all down. Bryce, Sara, my sister Paula and my assistant Karry helped serve. Everyone seemed to enjoy the afternoon and left full. We had a few seniors that were unable to attend so Bryce and Sara made deliveries to them. Our next senior event will be an evening of dessert and coffee served to them by our youth. The weekend was topped by the ministry of Sam and Lil White. During the Sunday AM service, he preached about "Keep On Keepin' On." It was full of energy and a great sermon. During the evening service, he played two songs on his harmonica then gave a message about the benefits of living an overcoming life. With all the air it takes to play the harmonica, you would never guess he is 85. Guess you could say we had a wonderful senior weekend.

Thanks to God and Hugs to You

Today I am thankful for my loving husband, beautiful kids (pictured above) and the protection of God Almighty. You probably think we live from drama-to-drama. LOL Last night, my husband and I taught a marriage seminar at The Pentecostals of Orange County. We were driving back home late last night because Brian was supposed to substitute teach today. Traveling at 75 miles an hour on I-5, our little, tin can, rental car came face to face with a huge truck tire that was nearly as tall as the car. There was nothing we could do but hit it. Somehow, the airbags did not deploy and the car did not flip. It was amazing. Immediately we heard a strange noise and pulled over as quickly as possible. The car had front end damage and the radiator was busted, the transmission cooler and air conditioner condenser were pushed into the fan. We sat on the side of the road nearly four hours waiting on a tow truck. Shortly after five this morning, we arrived home. My nerves were frazzled, my body exhausted, but I was grateful to be home safe. Things must get better. Tonight Brian and I will go out with a few other couples from our church and, knock-on-wood, relax, unwind, and enjoy being in love. Our kids and their cousin Sara will enjoy the fun antics of the Harlem Globetrotters. I pray all of you have a wonderful, love filled day. Hugs!

One Day At a Time

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Unknown

This quote struck me funny. Guess my imagination kind of ran away. I visualized a frantic lady stressing over the events of the following day and then I saw the following day - another day-as-usual. The lady proceeds through the day acting normal until she realizes tomorrow is........and the vicious cycle begins again. Worrying about the next day. Have you ever taken time to recall a day you thought would be so bad and realized it wasn't nearly as bad as your worried mind had perceived? Life is full of curves, twists, and unexpected happiness and tragedy. Beautiful days can suddenly become gloomy and dark days can suddenly receive a burst of sunshine. It is the cycle of life. So tell me, why pray when you can worry? Wait. Correction. Why worry when you can pray? Just take it one day at a time.

I Believe In Miracles

First, I apologize for the delay in posting. My postassium level "bottomed" out again and I had a few rough days with my heart. I was privileged to attend a service where Lee Stoneking was speaking. He has a miraculous testimony of being raised from the dead and believes his ministry is to build faith among the people. I believe God healed me this weekend. If you have a chance, visit Stoneking's website at http://www.leestoneking.com/. There are wonderful testimonies of mulitple miracles. I don't know about you, but I believe in miracles.

Sequel to Character Counts

Lead your life so you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.- Will Rogers

Count this as a sequel to my "Character Counts" post. My parents brought an African Grey parrot, named Dak, from Senegal, West Africa. He was such a smart bird and could imitate everyone in the family. When I read the above quote, I got to thinking about Dak and how we all miss him. He died a few years ago and we gave him a proper burial on the church property. Just like Dak would imitate everyone, so do children. Be mindful of your character in front of your children. Like the parrot sold to the town gossip, your children will reflect your character. Character counts.

Character Counts

Some day, in years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long continued process.- Phillips Brooks

The primary school my two youngest children attend, has six pillars of building good character. They are:
1. trustworthiness
2. respect
3. responsibility
4. caring
5. fairness
6. citizenship
Students are frequently reminded to be aware of their character with the phrase, "Character Counts." As my children grow and learn, their character is being established. The character we build does count. I pray my children establish a character that gloriously conquers.

From My Heart...

Disillusioned. Disenchanted. Disappointed. Recently, my mind has been restless and fraught with concern in regards to developing young adults. Most young people put confidence in older adults they respect. If one of these older adults commit any action that the young person would deem unethical, deceitful, or immoral, there is a sudden loss of respect and a door of disillusion can open. This has caused me to have some serious discussions with my 21 year old son. He has lived a relatively sheltered life, has never been in any trouble (not even a speeding violation), and, as most would say, a "good kid." He is very grounded in his beliefs but I want to reinforce his foundation. Now, as he seeks to follow the path God is carving for him, I want him to realize humans fail. The majority of people are good, but when one of those "good" people cause disappointment, don't become disillusioned. Know without a doubt what you believe and live your convictions. Walking through the door of disillusion will fog focus and direction. I don't want my son to be sheltered from hypocrites, but rather understand the world has many hypocritical people and how to respond. A cynical view does not help, but learn forgiveness, good ethics, honesty, strength and endurance.
Hopefully I have not been misinterpreted in a negative light but, sheltering our children too much prevents them from learning how to deal with life. Life can be tough, but I, or my children, can be tougher. Pain is inevitable. It happens. When it happens, remember this -
If you have the ability to hurt, you also have the ability to heal.