Yeah God!

Well, my test at the gastroentologist went well and the Lord gave me peace throughout the ordeal! I am relieved. Today the kids and I went to see the free movie at Providence. It was really cute. (Thanks Katrina for calling to remind us!!) We are also in the last days of buying the house and need to think about packing!! I really dislike packing, but I am excited about setting up housekeeping at the other home. Pray for us!!

Oh, What Fun!

Today was a colon cleansing day. You read that write. I am having a colonoscopy tomorrow morning AM. Doesn't that sound like loads of fun? It reminds me that I am not getting any younger. I have had some issues and I do have family history, so let's just get it over with. Pray for my test...that all will be well.

To Be Organized!!

Well.....today was a good day to get organized. We spent most of yesterday cleaning this messy house, after spending most of last week at the realtors office and the bank. We are in the process of buying a house. We have had a piece of land and had intended to build for the last three years. Last week we looked at a house that would fit our needs and it is in a great location for Clyde's business and for the Journey locations. It is zoned for West and Rutland elementaries...why both I don't know but that is what the information said. The Journey is currently meeting at West and the new church plant will be at Rutland.....so it is a great location for either one. The house is pictured above. Let me know your thoughts on it!!!

Jesus and Wine

OK.....I will admit it right here, I drink wine. Yep, the real thing, not grape juice. Over the years of living in different cultures, Northern California, London, England, Texas, and Missouri, I grew to appreciate various wineries across the country. The Napa Valley has a myriad of wineries that are world renowned. While living in London and traveling in Europe, I tasted Italian wines for the first time and love the taste of Lambrusco (a cheap table wine actually!). In my two visits to Paris, I sampled wines from Frances' many wine regions. Did you know that Champagne, Bordeaux and Burgundy, are names of three of Frances wine regions?? Obviously, that's were the names are derived. Texas has wineries; as well as Eastern Missouri where I grew up. If you want to visit an area steeped in tradition, visit St. Genevieve, Missouri. This area was settled by the French and still contains the largest group of French Colonial homes in the country. In fact, my Dad's friend was from here, Pierre Charbonnay.....a French descendant and storyteller to the tourist in the area. He gave me a gold ring when I was born. I still have it. Also, my grandmother's people were French from this same region. St. Gene (as it's called) has a host of wineries in its historical region. Many are made from fruit, as the weather is harsher here than in France to make the standard French wines. Apple, Pears, Blueberries and Blackberries are not only made into wines, but are quite good. Quite frankly, I had not had wine in some time, but while we were home visiting my Dad over Memorial Day, I sampled some of the local wines. My Dad had very low platelets, and was drinking a glass of elderberry wine once a day for his blood. After a few months of Elderberry wine, his platelets went from 62 to 109!! Yeah!! No wonder Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy to take a little wine for his "stomachs sake." (It is not clear what was ailing Timothy). When we got home from our trip, I had an apt. with my doctor. You see, my iron has been very low for some time. I had had my blood taken before our trip and went to find out the results. My iron was even lower. If I can't get them to come up in a few months, I am having an iron transfusion. Yikes!! So, I figured, if the wine helped Dad with the platelets, maybe it could help me!! I recently found an article about this, it says: "Red wine in particular is often directly prescribed for patients suffering with anemia. The beneficial vitamins and nutrients in red wine, empowered by that small serving of alcohol, can help reduce the incidence of anemic blood cells and make your blood richer and more able to do it’s job in your body." Well, that was enough for me. So, coupled with vitamins, spinach, greens and nuts, I am having a glass "for my blood." It reminds me of a funny story: my great-great aunt who lived in MO was also anemic. This was back in the day, mind you....she wore a long black dress down to her feet and black work boots. Her long hair was pulled back in a bun and she smoked a pipe. Yep. Well, when the doctor told her to drink a glass of wine once a day, she had to go in her house, close up the door and turn out the lights so no one would see her. Then she would go back out on the porch and smoke her pipe. She was a God-fearing Missionary Baptist after all!

***(By the way, some may find it interesting that I speak of wine after yesterdays post......in my opinion, wine consumption and alcoholism is to each other as food and gluttony are. Both are an abuse and both as wrong as the other. In no way am I condoning abuse or alcoholism.)

Sin and Sorrow

I know I am in no position to judge....and please believe this is not directed at one church or group of people, and I am just as much a sinner as the next guy, but yesterday as I was vacuuming, a thought occurred to me. "What do we do with those in the church who have a lifestyle of sin?" (Why that came about as I vacuumed I don't know.) I am not talking about non-Christians who are visiting the church and who don't know better. They don't know the Lord or his life of abundance he offers. We should feel for them and pray for them. But, what do we do with those leading and teaching who claim Christ, yet their lives are far from His ways? What about those new to the faith, who honor Christ with their lips and sing praises to his name, but yet have yet to change their life? Do we speak up? Do we ignore it and turn our head? My kids have asked me several times about things they have seen in churches, wondering why so many people live their lives so similar to those in the world. There doesn't to be any sorrow for sin. Just acceptance for the sinner. Shouldn't Christians be sorrowed by their sinful state?? My answer to my kids is always, "Well, they are young in the faith." Or, "They will change has they grow in the Lord." But, they have been around enough to see these same people not only not change, in fact, some have gone on to divorce, or drop out of church, or get involved in with pre-marital relationships, or start abusing drug and alcohol. I think I have counted 11 couples that Clyde and I have known as friends or who we've ministered to since coming to TN that have since divorced. What is up?? In some cases, their were troubles brewing below the surface that someone in the church should have caught. And, sometimes they were not obvious to anyone except the couple. Hmm....when is it our responsibility to speak up?? Or, is it? Sometimes, people are really good at hiding their failings to the church for fear of being "exposed." I know of several men who were closet smokers. They didn't want anyone to know they smoked!! Why not come out and say, "Hey, I am addicted to cigarettes (or pornography....men, or food.....women, or ?) and it drives my wife crazy. Pray for us!!" I think we are all too concerned with apprearances. Appearances are just a facade.......who cares?!! A failed marriage, poor financial decisions, addiction of any kind and loose sexuality, coupled with pregnancy or disease, those things are REAL!! Why not pray when it is just a temptation. Who hasn't sinned anyway? We all know what it's like to fail. Let's be honest with each other. Let's pray for each other. On Sundays were are looking at the spiritual warfare that we are in. Satan wants to ruin our life! Only by the power of the Lord will we succeed. Let's not walk around with our eyes closed, and our mouth and ears covered. Step up and step out. Pray for your church family. Intervene when it is needed. Make a difference.

Oh, The Hats I Wear!!

Today is Tuesday. Clyde and Slater left for Cub Scout Camp yesterday. Within hours of arriving they were rained on. Sort of a "baptismal" to camp life! They are spending their nights in tents that look very much like "army guy camp" as Grant Justice put it. The rest of us are humming along. As I look at my to do list, I am overwhelmed as usual with all there is to do. I have a few hours of cleaning to do, several loads of laundry, 4 hours of schoolwork and three tests to get in the mail to send to Calvert. I have to work on my Orphans and Widows table and get it ready for this next months emphasis and then spend about an hour contacting my hostesses for July that are having jewelry shows. Sometime in there we must eat, exercise and get baths. Aagh! I need a clone of me....or two or three. Fortunately, I have my two helpers: Hannah and Weston. They are "licensed To kill" in the way of house cleaning!!(Dirt and Germs that is!!) Weston's wife will be very grateful!! They are well trained, BUT I will say, they sometimes struggle with motivation.......I have to remember they are only 12 and 13, and would much rather sleep OR sing in front of the mirror to a Jonas Brothers song (Hannah that is....). Hee...hee! Speaking of the kids, I am very proud of them. On the 4th, we spent the evening helping at our churches booth at a local 4th of July festival. All of my kids were in the booth making snowcones. They had a blast!! John Griffin (our churches administrator), gave them a glowing acknowledgement during the church services Sunday. That was very sweet. All in all, the church sold 350 snowcones. Not bad. By the way, continue to keep my Dad in prayer. He is doing some better. The major problem right now is getting him to eat. Four or five bites fills him up, and the medicine he is on has really messed up his taste buds. Everything tastes bad to him. Please lift him up as you feel led.

Trust or Worry?

Many of you know that my Dad is been in and out of the hospital for the last month. He was in for heart surgery and has developed many other issues and infections since. Please pray for him as you feel led. His name is Tim Eye. It is hard for me to just "let go and let God", as they say. I think I trust the Lord, but when the going gets a little tougher, it is easy to panic!! It reminds me of when we were kids and we played a game that required us to close our eyes and wait to be tagged, led around by a friend, or just to wait for the inevitable...whatever that was to be!! It was so hard to not peek. After all, what might become of us if we put all of our trust in this person, or in this game?? We might get hurt or be made a fool of!! With God, there is no "peeking." God very rarely gives us a glimpse of what is ahead. He literally reveals Himself in his time and in his time only. If we can't trust Him, who can we trust? God is our ONLY hope.