GLOOM, DOOM AND SWINE FLU

Can you believe all of this craziness? Yesterday. Denton ISD called all of the parents of Seniors to notify them that PROM was canceled. It has been rescheduled for May 28th. This doesn't affect Charlie in the least because he wasn't planning on going anyway but still....

Last night, the Fort Worth ISD closed all of its schools until May 11th. Denton has 1 probable case of Swine Flu and so we may follow Fort Worth's lead.

This leads me to wonder:
If Denton schools close down. what happens to Charlie's scheduled High School graduation on June 5th? Do I keep the announcements and with a black magic marker scribble in another date?



I realize that the school districts are just covering their hineys. I mean, if there's an epidemic and the kids are still in school, they'll suffer MAJOR criticism. If it turns out to be a "Chicken Little" incident they'll be criticized for OVER reacting. Truly, it's a no win situation!

My son's Senior year will be remembered as the year of the Swine Flu Epidemic!!
Good Grief!

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
Jesus (John 16:33)

OBSESSION

I have a new obsession in my life...

Over the weekend I began a new blog. I have shared before that one of my (many) passions is Genealogy. I have done massive amounts of research and poured my heart and soul into this project. I have traced our family back to the 9th century and I have been writing our family's History Book. I don't want it to read like the lineage recorded in Matthew's Gospel where so and so begat so and so and so on...

To avoid that, I have added historical background, pictures and drawings I have been able to find on the internet and all of that takes time. Lots and lots of time. In the meantime, the more recent family stories are waiting to be written. I figured that by recording them on my blog, I have a great opportunity to "tweak" them until they read the way I want them to. Also, when it's time to add them to the book I can do that marvelous miracle that is called "copy & paste".

Oh yeah, I don't have NEAR enough going on in my life these days!

HAVE I SAID LATELY...

Have I said lately how much I LOVE our church? Uh probably! I have shared how God has challenged our Pastor (Toby) as he's preached this latest message series and so on. If you recall, one Sunday money was handed out to folks who have lost their jobs. Another Sunday, people who were struggling had their utility bills paid. On Easter, we were encouraged to bring people to church whom we knew were struggling. The church gave away the entire Easter offering to help these folks as well as support several mission areas, locally as well as India and Africa. Yup, I love a church that actually ACTS like the church has been called upon to act!

We are currently in our new series titled "Yes God". Toby encouraged us as a Body that it was time to take some ownership and to live out the true message of Christ. At the conclusion of the service every family was assigned $50. Yes, you heard that correctly, $50!!! Remember, our church has over 5,000 in attendance across 3 campuses in North Texas so you can do the math! We were told to invest that $50 where the Lord leads us. The stipulation is not to give it to an organization or try to use it as a tax write off but do something personally with it. The idea is to reach out and meet practical needs of those around us. When the church is being the church, reaching out to the lost, the poor and those that are hurting, we are living out Kingdom principles here and now! We are all pretty pumped about the stories of how lives are going to be changed by this simple outreach! Will some people fail to live out this mission and pocket the money? Almost certainly! That could happen but that is between them and God. We are called to serve as the Lord leads us and we are required to be obedient. We can not refuse just because there might be some people who are not obedient.

Dave and I have decided to match the $50 amount and are currently seeking God as to what He wants us to do with it. Charlie, because he is still living at home and a part of the family has input as well. Dave and I each have had an idea and as I research it, we pray about it, we know that God will use our service to His glory! I am excited to see what God has in store!! How about you?

I can't wait to report back!

MIA IN BLOGGERLAND

Yes, I have been Missing In Action. Lots of actions but none related to blogging! I should be back on track next week hopefully. I have been busy with preparations for a certain youngest child's graduation. I just finished scanning over 300 photos from 19 years worth of photo albums, then adjusting them all so they could be burned to a CD. I have a very basic set up so it took me a lot longer to do this project than someone who has some newer, higher tech equipment. Last night I handed the CD as well as the list of songs to our friend Craig, a VERY talented and gifted guy who specialize in video production. He did a CD for us when Laura graduated from High School 3 years ago and also one for Dave when he turned 50. In exchange. Dave did their daughter's Senior Pictures last year and will do their other daughter's 16th birthday as well as Senior pictures for her.

A couple of the hundreds of pictures I scanned !

TWO IMPORTANT MEN IN MY LIFE!



NEW COWBOY BOOTS, ALL TUCKERED OUT! (note "Mr. Mouse" next to Bub)


BRYCE CANYON,NP 1992


YELLOWSTONE NP 2004


SIOUX NARROWS, CANADA 2009

HISTORY NERD ALERT

Everyone probably knows that I am a lover of History and ancient History has always fascinated me. I have long desired to see for myself the pyramids and the Parthenon in Greece, etc. On Saturday, I got to go to the Dallas Museum of Art and see the King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs exhibit. It arrived this past October and will be leaving Dallas May 17th. We arrived for our 9AM tour and was surprised to see that there were already many people in line as well. By the time we left later in the day the place was packed!

When the tomb was discovered there were many artifacts inside, well preserved for over 3,000 years! There were onions, bread, perfumes as well as chariots, model boats, jewelry, statuettes and so on. We were not allowed to photograph inside the museum so I found these pictures on the internet and will post them to give an idea of some of the treasures we saw first hand. I don't have pictures of this one exhibit that I thought was fascinating. When Tut's tomb was emptied, they found 2 small coffins that held the mummified remains of 2 stillborn girls, believed to be Tut's daughters. The remains were wrapped and then placed within 3 coffins much like King Tut's remains were inside several Carsophagus. I would love to view this exhibit again if given the opportunity. Afterwards, we watched a movie in the Auditorium on Mummies which was also very good!

The Crook and Flail impacted me because there was just thin glass separating me from what was once held in the hand of the Pahroah!


Dave was impressed with this golden daggar that was on the Pharoah's mummy.


Beautiful jewelry!


Unguent container that held resins and balsalm for preserving.


King Tut's childhood chair.


This collar was placed on the wrapped mummified remains.


Likewise, this diadem was placed on his head, underneath the famous death mask.


Harpooner statue of King Tut, depicts his ruling over the Northern or Southern Nile Kingdom.


They believe this would have been similar to a dressmaker's form, holding clothing or jewelry of the King.


4 beautiful Canopic Jars that held the organs of the Pharoah after they had been removed from his body.


This coffinette held the liver and then was placed within one of the Canopic Jars.


An Alabaster Chalice.


Statue of Anubis.

RITE OF PASSAGE

Our grand-daughter "Jelly Bean" finally had her first wiggly tooth. She is the only child in 1st grade to have NOT lost a tooth yet! The pressure was mounting! It's been getting more & more loose every day until...


I LOVE this one! The look on her face as Daddy offers his assistance!


Success at last! I hope that the Tooth Fairy has allowed for inflation during these difficult economic times!

Thanks Steven for letting me swipe your pictures!

EASTER SUNDAY UPDATE

A couple of weeks ago I shared that our Pastor Toby, was doing a series titled "NORMAL". In this series he challenged us as Believers in Christ to turn our thinking around. The conduct of the early church and those first Believers was normal behavior. To be silent, not bold, not reaching out to those in need, that was ABNORMAL! I shared how as God was preparing his heart for this message he felt God challenging him. That first Sunday anyone who had lost their job were asked to come forward and to let our CARE Teams pray for them. They were also handed a gift card to help them out. Two weeks later, the church paid utility bills for all the people who were struggling. As Easter approached Toby encourage us to invite people to the Easter Service and if any of them had financial needs to let the church know ahead of time. At the end of the service, those guests were handed an envelope with a check inside to help meet their needs from the Member who had invited them.

This is the Denton Campus for Cross Timbers Community Church. We have 2 other campuses and our Pastor preaches live via sattelite across all of them! I have been a Believer for nearly 27 years and in all of that time, I have never been a part of a church body like this one! I am so incredibly blessed!


I copied this from our Pastor Toby's blog.



Easter at Cross Timbers this year was incredible. Here’s some of the totals from the day:

9000 in attendance

100 decisions for Christ

We announced our plans to give away our Easter offering. I’m not sure of what was given yet, but I do know that we gave $361,00 to the poor and hurting

Beyond the numbers of it all, I was overwhelemed with the hearts of our incredible volunteers, the tears on the faces of those who received financial help, the dedication of our staff team, the willingness of so many to come on Saturday night or Sunday early to give room for our visitors…..the list goes on and on.

OUR EASTER

Easter weekend was wonderful! We went to church Saturday evening in order to free up seats for the 9 and 11 services on Sunday. There was also a 1PM service that Members were encouraged to go to as well. The service was standing room only! The initial count for just OUR Campus was 1600, for 4 services!! I will post the final numbers from all 3 campuses as soon as they are up! At just our campus, 15 people gave their life to Christ! God is moving over North Texas in a mighty way! We've seen it in the 8+ years we've been at Cross Timbers Community Church.

Jesus is ALIVE!

Here are some pictures form our Sunday afternoon together. Initially, Jennifer, Corey, Kit-Kat and sweet Tart were going to be here. Jennifer is in her 3rd trimester and the long drive would've been very difficult for her. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving when they will be down along with baby JOEL. Jenn, there was definitely something missing yesterday-YOU! I love you Sweet Pea!

Laura's Easter Bunny cake!


Our Jelly Bean enjoys her basket of goodies and having an egg hunt at our house.


Steven wrestles with "The Bean".


Sitting down to dinner.


The Newlyweds, Laura and Les.


The Olderweds, Jessica and Steven!


Can we say, "TOO MUCH SUGAR!"


The sugar has worn off and now it's time to crash BIG TIME!

WHAT DO YOU...?

What kind of Easter traditions do you have? Do you have specific dishes that are traditional to serve on Easter? Tomorrow's menu:

Pork Tenderloin
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Corn
Green Beans with Hot Bacon Dressing
Ambrosia Salad
Deviled Eggs
Crescent Rolls (with real butter)
Strawberry Pie

We are serving at church tonight for the 5PM service. All the members were asked if it is at all possible, to come on Sat evening or the 1PM Sunday service to free up seats for guests. Many times, people will only go to church on Christmas or Easter at a time when their hearts might be more open to the Message of Salvation. At our church the philosophy has always been that Sundays SHOULD be a work day for members, reaching out to the lost, the unchurched, the lonely and so on... One of the saddest indictments against Christians is that they aren't "grabbing an oar and helping to row the boat". Too many people go to church so they can punch their ticket or with a "what's in it for me" mentality. Is it any wonder that non-Christians look at Church and those who proclaim to be Christ followers and want no part of it?

Lord help us to be genuine and to love like You do!

WILDFIRES DEVASTATE PART OF NORTH TEXAS

Yesterday Charlie called me to the computer and showed me something I had never seen before. There had been a Civil Defense message released over the concern of wildfires burning out of control here in North Texas. It was in Montague County, 2 counties over from Denton County where we live. For non-Texans it's pronounced Mahn-tegg and not Mon-ti-gyou. (We hear that a lot on the Weather Channel!) I left at 5:45 to go to my Bible Study and the skies were incredibly hazy as well as the heavy smell of smoke hung in the air! The winds were really strong and blew it in from the west. Pretty crazy! Unfortunately 2 people were killed and an entire small town has been wiped out!

Click here to get the video from the local news.

BUSY BEE

On Saturday and Sunday, the weather was wonderful so we worked out in the yard. Charlie finished painting the trim on the shed and cut the grass. I weed whacked and pulled up weeds. I thought I'd share a couple of pictures. I need to photograph my lillies that are up as well as the back canoe planter. I don't have a house to clean today so I will plants some of my herbs that I picked up. More rosemary and some mint!

Remember my Bluebonnets a couple of weeks ago? They are full and beautiful!


The bees really enjoy them!


The front canoe planter, cleaned up and more flowers planted. Next up, grass seed to fill in the bare spots! On the lower left, you can see all of my daisies coming up as well as the new white rose bush Dave planted for me. On the far right I have a yellow rose bush filled with buds!


The rose bush bed! This one is my favorite!


So beautiful you can almost smell it!

MARRIAGE MONDAY

On the first Monday of the month, I enjoy participating in Marriage Monday.

Want this button?

It's a great source of encouragement as we share with one another the adventure of Christian Marriage from our unique, womanly perspectives. With summer quickly approaching there will be a hiatus until September. This month's topic:
Tell us what you two do together that fosters good feelings between you? How do you and your husband celebrate your friendship?

Dave and I were friends long before we were lovers. We met in our church's Single's Sunday School Class; I was raw and wounded from a recent divorce and he was the class's teacher. We got to know one another through group settings of various activities. I had vowed to God that never again would I pick out a man on my own, if I ever married again, God would literally have to dump him in my lap. I have shared my testimony of dysfunction, bad decisions and how this marked the 2nd time I was a single Mom and I was only 24 years old! Dave was 29 when we met, never married, content with where he was in his life with many friendships. Slowly, the attraction between us grew and we began to spend one on one time with each other that included my daughters. I didn't realize that part of that (on his part) was "evaluating" my parental habits to see if we had similar philosophies. I'm glad I didn't know that at the time although, it wouldn't have affected the way I was raising my girls. We fell in love and the rest is history. Well, sort of...

One week after we got married, Dave started his newest job with the railroad. He had been promoted from Patrolman to Special Agent and we moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. During our 4 year tenure there we had Laura and Charlie. When Charlie was 2 weeks old, Dave received another promotion, this one to "On Line Special Agent" and we moved to Trinidad, Colorado. After 3 years, he was promoted to a Manager's Position in the Load and Ride Solutions Department and we moved here to the Ft Worth area. That was nearly 16 years ago! I say all of that because our entire marriage we have NEVER lived near family! We have never had the option of calling up "Grandma" and saying we need a weekend off so that we can reconnect. Going out on a date was more difficult without a good networking system of reliable, responsible baby sitters. We ended up bartering services with another couple from our church. They'd bring their 3 to our house so they could go out on a date and vice-versa. Dave and I have had to rely on our sense of humor, determination and commitment to get us through many things in our marriage.

There were many times we struggled with intimacy in our marriage, that feeling of being connected, more than just room mates under the same roof. I think that's when a lot of marriages go belly up. I think if I had to pinpoint when things improved in that area, I would have to say it was when God healed the wounds from my childhood and transformed my heart. I was no longer the wounded, insecure, fragile woman with low self-esteem. Once I established my true identity of who I am (in Christ) I no longer held Dave responsible to make me feel better about myself. I had no idea how dealing with those issues from the past would liberate my future!

Dave and I are Best Friends. We enjoy and prefer one another's company over anyone elses. One of the things we enjoy is hiking. We're a little mismatched when it comes to the leg department. My 6'2" husband is usually out ahead of my 5'2" self but it works out. He loves photography and when he stops to photograph something, I catch up as well as catch my breath and then we move on to the next "delight" (as Beth Moore would say). We have seen and shared some amazing experiences.

My very own "Yosemite Sam"!


We've hiked through morning fog up a mountain and heard wolves howling back and forth to one another in Yellowstone.



We've hiked along a trail in Sequoia / King's Canyon NP and had a black bear cub run right in front of us.



We've watched the sun set from on top of a mountain near Delicate Arch in Arches, NP.
Dave photographing on the Park Avenue Trail in Arches, NP.


Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton NP.



We've frolicked in a surprise Spring Snowstorm in Yosemite, NP.



Beautiful Moraine Lake in Banff NP in Alberta.


We've witnessed the top of the world from high atop a glacier in Glacier NP.
Dave photographing a mountain goat at the Sperry Chalet in Glacier NP.



Our most recent adventure, an all day dog sled ride in Montana this past January!


Dave and I in front of the Old Faithful Webcam (January 2009)

I remember once in Yosemite, waiting over an hour for the sun to be in the "perfect" spot for one of Dave's photographs. I sat next to the Merced River bank, reading my book, looking up from time to time to absorb my surroundings while he scouted out the best vantage point for his tripod. There are just too many other memories to even mention here!

We are both in awe of God's Glorious Creation. He proclaims Himself and His majesty in every sunrise and sunset, the panoramic mountain vistas, the bugling of an elk, the brush of an eagle's wing. He is all around us if we just open our eyes to see Him there!

ESTHER

I began a new Bible Study a few weeks ago with my friend Kim. We decided to do Beth Moore's "ESTHER". Now y'all know I love me some Beth Moore Bible Studying! She opens the Word in such a way that gives me new, fresh and exciting insight.


I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the story of Esther.

King Xerxes of Persia throws a festival filled with drunkenness and debauchery and when the Queen refuses to appear before him and all of his drunken guests, she is no longer Queen. 3-4 years later a process is put into place to find him a new Queen. All of the virgins are rounded up, the ones with the most potential are sent through (Welcome to Hollywood!) and given beauty treatments for a year. Then their magical night comes where King Xerxes (I call him the Pig King) goes and has sex with them. If he likes them, they have a chance to be Queen, otherwise, these girls are basically "ruined"!

Esther who is a Jew as well as an orphan, has been raised by her uncle Mordecai, (of the tribe of Benjamin, a descendant of King Saul), she is one of the virgins in this debacle. God bestows favor upon her and she is selected Queen. I am beginning to wonder if the Pig King starts to turn around and actually becomes a decent human being? I'll let you know as the study unfolds. Her Uncle Mordecai uncovers a plot by 2 of the King's Guards to assassinate him and he tells Esther. The plot is thwarted, the guilty hung, the event is recorded in the King's Annals but Mordecai is not compensated for his loyalty! Tsk, Tsk, the Pig King is still a disappointment to me!

Now we get into the really interesting part of the book of Esther, at least for a History fanatic like myself!

Haman is exalted by the Pig King (an honor that Mordecai was deserving of) and he hates Mordecai, any Jew for that matter! He will even campaign to annihilate them as a race. Esther had been told by her Uncle Mordecai to not reveal that she is a Jew.

A little backgorund: The Jews had been carried off into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar and at this time, Xerxes was actually allowing whatever exiles wanted to, to go back and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Haman is an Agagite, a descended of King Agag who was King of the Amalekites.

The Amalekites were a cruel people. During the exodus out of Egypt, the Amalekites killed off the stragglers (the weak, children, elderly) the most vulnerable of the nation of Israel.

God tells Israel in Deut. 25:17-19,
"Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalekite from under heaven. Do not forget!"

In Exodus 17:16, the Lord declares He "will be at war with the Amalekites from generation to generation."

Fast forward to King Saul, Israel's first King. Not the King that God had chosen for His people but the one they clamored for! Saul had no heart for God and was disobedient to God's instructions as relayed through the prophet Samuel. When King Saul waged war against the Amalekites he didn't blot them out as God had declared back in Deut. (1 Samuel 15:1-35)

It just goes to show that you being disobedient can come back to bite you on the rear doesn't it? Not just us either, the consequence for Saul's disobedience was visited down upon future generations!

A DIFFERENT MOUSE TALE

Okay, after reading Diane's comment that she left, I'd say that she has a much worse mouse encounter than others I've heard of! Can you imagine playing the piano during an Altar Call and being bitten on the foot by a mouse? Beats mine that's for sure! Today's mouse offering is of another type. It has to do with the computer.

My husband Dave is a type A personality. You know the type, organized, perfectionist, downright anal at times. He is also a Hopkins which means he has some weak links in his armor when it comes to patience and temper. One of the things that I love and admire about my Hub is that he's a Godly man, always working to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. As a result, that part of his personality, while the potential is there, is usually kept under submission.

Having said that, there is nothing that rattles his chain more than the computer mouse. Actually, it's the computer acting up but it's the poor little mouse who bears the brunt of his banging, clicking furiously and his audio reverberations of,
"Gosh dang it" or "Come On"!

My usually self-controlled Hubby has even thrown said mouse in pure disgust. It's actually become a joke between the kids and I. If he's at the computer and we start hearing repeated clickings, we look at each other with that knowing look and giggle quietly. I'm sure we need an upgrade or even a newer computer but if we drive our vehicles into the ground you can imagine how long we'll have THIS computer!


(Forerunner of today's modern mouse. This is "The Bug" circa 1964.)

As a result of this prolonged abuse our poor mouse is very confused. I do the whole right click thing but because it's been pounded repeatedly and sometimes violently, it will jump backwards 2-3 pages prior than just the previous page. I'll select an e-mail to delete and it will wipe out the 3 or 4 underneath it! I like to play solitaire (usually waiting for our slow computer to load something) and instead of dealing out one set of cards it will automatically do 2 rounds of cards! How am I ever suppose to win at that game?

Does anyone know if they make an indestructable mouse? Maybe bullet-proof or kevlar coated? Father's day is coming up and the kids are always needing ideas!