Halloween and then some......

Here are some pics from a few weeks ago, during Halloween. We started things off by going to Wild Adventures a week or so prior to Halloween. We enjoyed their decorations and festivies for the occasion........then Sutherlyn's class had a party at school. After that, on Halloween night we made our rounds to the church for "Trunk or Treat" and then to Grandma and Grandpa's for pics....hope you enjoy our little "witch". We had fun.....

Til next time.......

What kind of an example will I be?

I have been "blog-surfing" over the last two weeks....reading lots of comments regarding our new Commander ......I have to say that most of my friends feel the same way I do. At first I couldn't even bring myself to say his name out loud much less think of him as my Pres-elect. I am very sad and discouraged that our nation has elected Barack Obama as our next President. He certainly was not my choice nor was he the choice of so many of my friends and other people I know....but, and here is that proverbial "but" , I am commanded as a Christian to pray for him as a leader. I do not agree with his policies and I am quite certain that I will never be happy about one single thing he does as President, (he hasn't actually done anything so far except give a lot of very nice, eloquent speeches, so we will see if that changes as he is now the pres-elect) but I am a Christian and I have to be an example to those around me, especially lost people, so I have decided that the election is over, we lost the battle but we have not lost the war. You may think that we have if you do not know who is really in control....God is control and no matter who is President of the United States of America or anywhere else in the free world, God's control will never change.

I am often reminded in these uncertain days of a song that I loved as a baby Christian...."King of the Jungle" by Stephen Curtis Chapman. The words spoke to me as I was struggling with being a new Christian and wondering what was happening in my life . My life was so out of control just before I was saved that I wondered if anyone was truly in control of me or anything else....when I did ask Jesus to come into my life and save me, things changed. There was a sense of order and peace...the jungle around me was calm and I wasn't worried about anything anymore because I was fully aware who had taken control of my life and who was ultimately in control of everything. I heard that song a few months afterward...the words are profound and they spoke loudly to me then as they speak to me now. God is still on the throne, HE is still in control, Barack Obama may be our new President but he isn't really in control of anything that truly matters for eternity. His presidency can only scare us if we let him. If we allow the fear and uncertainty of what he is going to accomplish as President overcome us then he is in control and we have allowed satan to win the battle. We know as Christians that fear and anger are the devil's work and I refuse to allow those things to take over my life. I know who holds the key, I know who is the Great I Am....and it is not Barack Obama (eventhough some think is the messiah, HE IS NOT!). There is only one who holds that title and He is sitting on His throne in Heaven!

So I will close with this....I am going to try very hard (and believe me i will have to pray about this a lot!!) to be an example over the next four years, this example I hope to be will only come from the grace of an Almighty God because my flesh is very unhappy and completely unwilling to do what I should. But, I never liked it (and still don't) when people said mean, ugly, untruthful things about my President, President Bush (whom I supported, even knocked on a few doors for him and stood at the corner of 100 & 21 holding signs of him) because he is/was President and that office demands a certain level of respect, at least it should. I do not have to like Barack Obama or agree with anything he will say or do, but I do have to pray for him, respect the office he holds and be an example for Christ......and that is what I am going to do.

And remember, "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger"....put on your seatbelt, batten down the hatches and get ready to hold on for the ride.......it is going to be an interesting one!

Til next time.....

Tis the Season......

We are still here....


And I figure I will go along with the rest of the country and skip Thanksgiving.....moving right on to Christmas. As you can see I have and my background is indicative of that.

I will be posting soon.....I have Halloween pics to post on my Christmas background.

Til next time.....

Some of the time there are no words......and that is OK.

I haven't blogged in a while....we have been busy around here with life in general and then overwhelming joy and then overwhelming heartache.

Some of you already know and some of you don't but....

About a month ago Mal and I found out that we were going to have another baby. Boy, were we in SHOCK! But after a few days of wandering around aimlessly, we pulled it together and began to feel great joy (after the shock wore off) in the fact that the house would be filled once again with the sounds of crying, cooing and "baby" giggles. All was well and we were looking forward to the future.....

Then, last week I began to have trouble and went to the doctor on Tuesday. The ultrasound didn't look good, but there was nothing to do but wait, so I have another appointment this Friday. I am quite confident that things have gone badly and that we are not going to have another baby.....but we will know for sure on Friday.

I can now say that out loud, at first it was very difficult, and I find myself crying, laughing and feeling as though I am going to die if I don't think of something else.

Friends and family who now know have all been very sweet with kind, comforting words. Expressions of prayers and love. We do really appreciate all of that more than words can say . Those thoughts and prayers have been wonderful over the last couple of days.

But I have learned something through this so far......as Christians we want to say something profound in the face of tragedy and unspeakable pain, we want to be able to say something to the person/persons who are hurting to make them feel better. The truth of the matter is that we cannot. There are no words to erase the heartache when a loved one is lost, a devastating diagnosis has been made, or a child is lost. There is nothing here on this earth that can make that feel any better ....Only GOD can do that. Only He can take the painful burden and wipe away our tears. Only He can give us a peace that truly does pass all understanding. I have learned that first hand this past week. I knew it to be true already but it has been revealed to me again and again over the past few days. There is nothing to say when a tragedy strikes.....we can only love each other. Pass the love of Christ on to those who are hurting and sometimes, most of the time through that pain, words are not necessary.

Thank you to all of the people who have expressed their concern for us, for all of the prayers for us, God knows we do need them. But I am reminded......God is the ultimate answer to all of this life's pain. The only thing that I can really do is love on the people around me who are hurting. Show Christ to them through that love and understand that words don't always have to be spoken. I have come to understand that this week. And God knows, that is hard for me cause I am a talker.

Thank you to our church family, our family and thank you to the Lord who is ALWAYS there and who does ALWAYS love us, no matter what. Praise Him for that. I am His through grace paid for on the cross, and no matter what that will never change.

Til next time.....