Egg Bowl 2005

I wasn't able to get there, but I really wish I had been !!!!!! Go Dawgs !!!!!

Stewardship....

"We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give."

-Winston Churchill

Trail of the cross...

"If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all the time."

I got this quote from a link on my friend Leigh Anne's blog. I once heard it said that when you pick up your cross daily and follow Jesus, you don't leave your footprints behind, but you leave the trail of the cross.

To read this full devotion click here:

Photos from CA...

My brother and I recently went to Santa Barbara, CA to visit my grandmother (Dad's mom), Aunt Janet, and Cousin Willis. (Lizzie couldn't join us 'cause she was studying for some big tests.) It was BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!

Here is (l to r) my brother, Aunt Janet, Poke (aka grandmother), and Willis. This was taken at the Mission in Santa Barbara. It was built sometime in the 1700s. It's really beautiful and full of history.








I took this picture at a Danish village up the coast from Santa Barbara. There was a huge windmill and all sorts of pastry shoppes. (Ah yes, the olde worlde spellingse.)









Here we are on the coast! We ate at this great little seafood place on the pier. We were sitting there, eating our lobster bisque, and these HUGE crabs were attempting an escape from the tank. The smaller ones would stand on top of each other, and the larger ones would take a running start like gymnasts jumping over the pummel horse. Too bad...they didn't make it.


How cool is this hydrangea??!!?? They had a bunch of them at this old hotel where we had Sunday brunch before having to say goodbye. The hotel was on the side of a mountain with this AWESOME view of the coast through the trees. It just blows my mind!!!







At the same hotel, they had this huge garden, complete with fountain and little pool with fish. I can't imagine living someplace where spring/summer is how you spend your entire year. No overcoats. No scarves. I'd love it, but I'd miss my scarves.

Be prepared...this one is long...

"Early Morning at the Manse: How a Father Fights for His Faith and His Family"
-John Piper

"Click. KSJN plays softly. Click. I turn it off in three seconds. It is 6:00 a.m. I want Noel to sleep till 6:30. I slip out from under the sheet and quilt and tuck them in around her again. 'God, I'm tired. Help me.' I can hardly move. My eyelids are paralyzed. I can lift them with my fingers. Not necessary. My blue energy boot slippers and terry cloth robe are in their usual spot on the floor by the bed. I could find them in my sleep.
"I'm sitting on the edge of the bed. 'Maybe I should sleep in this morning. Noel can get the boys off to school. I might get sick if I don't get more rest. I'll be more efficient. I spent half of my 'day off' at the hospital....Get off of me, Satan! In the name of Jesus Christ, the Almighty, get off my back! God, I'm tired. Help me....Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary.' (Isaiah 40:31)
"The slippers and robe are on now. The night-light in the bathroom spills out into the hall. I creep by the open door of the boys' bedroom on the way to the basement. 'God, thank you for my sons. Oh, how I love my boys! Wake them up in righteousness, Jesus.'
"The basement has no heat, but one room is finished and has a carpet and a sofa and a desk. Click. I turn the three-way lamp on low. It is 6:05. The Bible is open on the couch from the day before. There is an orange pillow for my elbows. I throw the brown sweater Noel made over my head like a monk's habit (to keep off the draft from the window) and begin.
"'God, I'm tired. Help me. Please, open my eyes so I can see wonders in your Word. Oh, God. Mighty God! Maker of heaven and earth and all the galaxies of the universe. That you should lend an ear to me in this little room half awake. That you should occupy yourself with me while millions of your people pray, and all the while you hold New York and Tokyo and Paris in the palm of your hand. That you should call this tempted flesh the temple of the Holy Spirit. That you speak to me from this page as personally and powerfully as though you sat here on the couch and talked. Oh, God, what condescension. What unutterable mercy to attend to a little ant like me. Help me believe, O God, and feel this truth: that all my hairs are numbered. 'Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God' (Psalm 42:5-6, RSV).
"And now for my wife, Lord. Thank you for her. Protect her from harm and from the evil one. Give her joy in the ministry with me. Waken her this morning with a song of praise in her heart and on her lips. Give her vision for service in this neighborhood. Incline her heart to the Word and not to getting gain. Fill her with your Spirit--of wisdom and joy and righteousness. Make her a wise and happy mother. Oh, bind our hearts together as you bind our hearts to yours.
"And finally, my sons. Even in their sleep, Lord, turn their hearts to you. And when I wake them with your Word, sow that seed in humble, open soil. And send its roots down to the inner heart and make an oak of faith. Oh, Christ, take my sons for your servants. Obliterate rebellion from their hearts. And may they grow to godly manhood, full of love to you and love to men. Let them not love the world, nor give a hoot for things or praise. But may your glory be their passion day and night until the Kingdom comes.
"I meditate on Mark today and try to see the inner meaning on the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. I think it means that Jesus is the all-sufficient One. Little is much when he is in it. You can never give so much that you have nothing left over.
"The grandfather clock sounds half the Westminster chime. It is 6:30. My heart is full. My eyes are open. My faith is alive. My joy is warm. My conscience is still. My hope is strong. I will awaken them all with love!"

The above was from Taste and See by John Piper. I highly recommend it. Oh, Lord...for a husband who prays like that...

10 Reasons to Listen to Questions Before You Answer

Fresh Words from John Piper.

God has been showing me how lately I really have a bad habit of doing this. Click the link to read.

Day 26

What Makes God's Work Shine

Brother Masseo asked Saint Francis of Assisi why all the world should go running after him, who was neither handsome nor learned nor even of noble birth. At this, Francis was overjoyed, and after kneeling to thank God, said, "Why me? Why me? The all-seeing God, looking down and finding nothing viler on Earth, quite naturally fixed His gaze on me. For to make His work shine forth in men's eyes, the Lord takes what is learned, strong, and noble, so that the glory may go to the sole Author of all good."

We are only pots--common ones of clay--so that the splendid power may belong to God and not to us (see 2 Cor 4:7).

{From Elisabeth Elliot's A Lamp Unto My Feet}

So...Do you trust me?

This past Wednesday night was Family Night Supper, and I made my apple crisp for the first time this season. How much do I love apple crisp? Very much. Anyway...on FNS nights, we break from the usual lesson with the kids and either sing the whole time or go to small groups or play or whatever. This past Wed., we sang some Christmas carols in preparation for our Christmas program. We only had 5 kids, so it was kinda relaxed. Well...after about 20 minutes, the kids were tired of singing, and so we did a short lesson. It was something I had done with the 4-6 year olds, but since it might be new to them, I decided to share.
I'm sure everyone has participated at some point in time in a "trust fall." You know..."close your eyes, hold out your arms, and just fall back, trusting that someone will catch you." Well...I asked for a volunteer. (About 10 hands went up. Remember, there's only 5 kids.) I asked my volunteer if he trusted me. "Yes." So I tried to get him to fall back. Um...no. About 15 degrees into the fall, he started stepping back and just leaning. So...We discussed that we can SAY that we trust someone, and we can THINK that we trust someone, but our ACTIONs will tell the truth.
What does God say about trust?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not

lean on your own understanding. In all your ways

acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Prov 3:5-6

Then we discussed the fact that it's scary to trust. And sometimes it surprises us to discover that we don't trust as much as we think we do. Nonetheless...God, who is SO worthy of our complete and utter trust, demands it of us.
And what surprised me, I think, most of all during this lesson, is that as I'm teaching, I'm hearing God say, "this lesson is for you." I even told the kids, toward the end of the lesson, that I struggle somewhere between the THINK and the ACTION of trust. It's scary for me, too. I don't stand before them as someone who has learned the lesson and perfected it in practice. I'm still learning and forcing myself to ACT like I trust God. The next morning, I had such hope, as I recited that verse over and over on the way to work. When I am puzzled by things, and confused as to whether I've got it figured out or not, "do not lean on (my) own understanding."
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart."
Right now, that is a truth and command that I must cling to tightly. Actually, it's a common thread throughout my short life. Trusting has always been hard for me. For someone who's had as many sudden, out-of-my-control events in my life, you'd think that trusting was something that would come easily to me. I mean, who better to be accustomed to not being in control? Not so much the case. But God is teaching, and I'm learning.