The newest member of our family

Meet *Emmie* our 5 month old little (or not so little), English Bulldog. Isn't she cute? She is the sweetest little girl. She has a great personality and it is a lot of fun. The girls plan to show her in AKC dog shows starting next month.

I'm going to be a G*R*A*N*D*M*A!!!

The happy Daddy & Mommy to be!

Last Sunday evening we met our dear daughter, Kelli & her husband, Chet for dinner. Kelli handed me a gift bag from Anthropologie. She said she got me something for my kitchen. As I looked through the bag, I found a newborn *onesie* in it! I was moved to tears and just so happy. They told us they were EXPECTING!!! We are thrilled beyond words. Our new little grandbaby will make his/her appearance the end of June. Praise the LORD for this precious gift!!!

Driving Miss Kaitlyn

Today we took Kaitlyn to Willmar to take her permit test and she *PASSED*!!!!!!!! Needless to say, she is beyond excited to start this new phase of her life. We let her drive the 30+ miles home and she did a very good job!

Undeserved Grace

This past week Michael and the girls were asked to sing at our local Museum. We were so suprised to see the newspaper people there taking pictures and asking questions. It was a perfect opportunity to share the love of Christ with our community and the media. Michael made sure to let them know that God gets all the glory for the beautiful gifts of music He has blessed Michael and the girls with.

Special Family Times

Back when our children were little, we thought we had to spend lots of money and do really *BIG* things to have fun. We realized that is the worlds way of thinking. We can have fun doing little things, without even spending any money at all. This past weekend, proved that once again.

Kelli and her husband, Chet came to spend the night with us. We talked, laughed, played volleyball, football, and lawn jarts. We did some target shooting, watched their new puppy play in the swimming pool, had a BBQ, played cards, went for a drive down to a nearby park where we enjoyed looking at the beautiful water falls. The best part of all, it was all FREE!!!!

We did splurge and go get ice cream cones at Mc Donalds for under $7.00 :o) When was the last time you took the time to really enjoy your family? You don't have to go into debt to have fun. You can make beautiful memories right at home........for free!

Table for Two

Our family loves to thrift shop and find special little treasures. Once a month a fun shop about two hours from us called Gypsy Lea's, opens her doors for all of us. Her store slogan is; Antique, Unique, Vintage, and Shabby Chic...Recycled Repurposed, Repainted, Revamped...Something For Every Room, Mood, And Decor!! A couple of months ago, I found this little table. It was tucked away in the back room with things piled high upon it. My eye spotted it, and I knew it had to come home with me! Then last week, we went back again, and there, in that same back room, were the perfect chairs to go with my little table. They came home with me as well :o) Anyway, as much as I love this store, the owner, (Jamie), and my new little table & chairs, I am reminded of a story I read awhile back that is also titled *Table for Two* It speaks of our relationship with Jesus. Are you meeting with Him on a daily basis, or are you always putting Him off? I have to admit, I am not always as faithful at spending time with Him like I should. Maybe now that I have this little table & chairs in my kitchen, I will meet with Him more often and have a cup of tea and a nice chat with my dearest friend. I hope you will do the same! Here is the story. I pray it speaks to your heart.

Table for Two

by Kirsten Burgess

 He sits by himself at a table for two. The uniformed waiter returns to his side and asks, "Would you like to go ahead and order, sir?" The man has, after all, been waiting since seven o'clock--almost half an hour.



"No, thank you," the man smiles. "I'll wait for her a while longer.


How about some more coffee?"


"Certainly, sir."



The man sits, his clear blue eyes gazing straight through the flowered centerpiece. He fingers his napkin, allowing the sounds of light chatter, tinkling silverware, and mellow music to fill his mind. He is dressed in a sport coat and tie. His dark brown hair is neatly combed, but one stray lock insists on dropping to his forehead. The scent of his cologne adds to his clean cut image. He is dressed up enough to make a companion feel important, respected, loved. Yet he is not so formal as to make one uncomfortable. It seems that he has taken every precaution to make others feel at ease with him. Still, he sits alone.


The waiter returns to fill the man's coffee cup. "Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?"



"No, thank you."



The waiter remains standing at the table. Something tugs at his curiosity. "I don't mean to pry, but..." His voice trails off. This line of conversation could jeopardize his tip.


"Go ahead," the man encourages. His is strong, yet sensitive, inviting conversation.


"Why do you bother waiting for her?" the waiter finally blurts out. This man has been at the restaurant other evenings, always patiently alone.

 Says the man quietly, "Because she needs me."


"Are you sure?"


"Yes."

 "Well, sir, no offense, but assuming that she needs you, she sure isn't acting much like it. She's stood you up three times just this week."


The man winces, and looks down at the table. "Yes, I know."


"Then why do you still come here and wait?"

 "Cassie said that she would be here."


"She's said that before," the waiter protests. "I wouldn't put up with it. Why do you?"


Now the man looks up, smiles at the waiter, and says simply, "Because I love her."


The waiter walks away, wondering how one could love a girl who stands him up three times a week. The man must be crazy, he decides. Across the room, he turns to look at the man again. The man slowly pours cream into his coffee. He twirls his spoon between his fingers a few times before stirring sweetener into his cup. After staring for a moment into the liquid, the man brings the cup to his mouth and sips, silently watching those around him.


He doesn't look crazy, the waiter admits. Maybe the girl has qualities that I don't know about. Or maybe the man's love is stronger than most. The waiter shakes himself out of his musings to take an order from a party of five.


The man watches the waiter, wonders if he's ever been stood up. The man has, many times. But he still can't get used to it. Each time, it hurts. He's looked forward to this evening all day. He has many things, exciting things, to tell Cassie. But, more importantly, he wants to hear Cassie's voice. He wants her to tell him all about her day, her triumphs, her defeats....anything, really. He has tried so many times to show Cassie how much he loves her. He'd just like to know that she cares for him, too. He sips sporadically at the coffee, and loses himself in thought, knowing that Cassie is late, but still hoping that she will arrive.


The clock says nine-thirty when the waiter returns to the man's table. "Is there anything I can get for you?"


The still empty chair stabs at the man. "No, I think that will be all for tonight. May I have the check please?"


"Yes, sir."


When the waiter leaves, the man picks up the check. He pulls out his wallet and signs. He has enough money to have given Cassie a feast. But he takes out only enough to pay for his five cups of coffee and the tip. Why do you do this, Cassie, his mind cries as he gets up from the table.


"Good-bye," the waiter says, as the man walks towards the door.


"Good night. Thank you for your service."


"You're welcome, sir," says the waiter softly, for he sees the hurt in the man's eyes that his smile doesn't hide. The man passes a laughing young couple on his way out, and his eyes glisten as he thinks of the good time he and Cassie could have had. He stops at the front and makes reservations for tomorrow. Maybe Cassie will be able to make it, he thinks.

 "Seven o'clock tomorrow for party of two?" the hostess confirms.


"That"s right," the man replies.


"Do you think she'll come"" asks the hostess. She doesn't mean to be rude, but she has watched the man many times alone at his table for two.


"Someday, yes. And I will be waiting for her." The man buttons his overcoat and walks out of the restaurant, alone. His shoulders are hunched, but through the windows the hostess can only guess whether they are hunched against the wind or against the man's hurt.


As the man turns toward home, Cassie turns into bed. She is tired after an evening out with friends. As she reaches toward her night stand to set the alarm, she sees the note that she scribbled to herself last night. "7:00," it says. "Spend some time in prayer." Darn, she thinks. She forgot again. She feels a twinge of guilt, but quickly pushes it aside. She needed that time with her friends. And now she needs her sleep. She can pray tomorrow night. Jesus will forgive her. And she's sure he doesn't mind.

Class of 2011

Yesterday, our sweet Kaitlyn entered a new phase of her life. She is now a high school graduate! She will soon become a college student. She has prayerfully decided to take online classes to become a Certified Family Herbalist. She loves researching, learning, and nutrition, so this is a perfect choice for her. Not only will she be helping herself, but she will be helping her future family to eat healthy and also rely on natural remedies rather than going to the Dr. for everything. We are so proud of her. We're looking forward to what the Lord has in store for her and her future. CONGRATULATIONS Kaitlyn, WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

Graduation Invitation

 

*Pretty as a picture!*

*Say, CHEESE*!

*Great Accomplishments*

Musical Blessings

Today, Michael and the girls had the privilege of singing and playing music for the nursing home where Michael works. It was Volunteer Appreciation Day. The residents there were so blessed. I loved watching the joy the music brought to their faces. I thank the Lord many times for the musical gifts He has placed in my husband and children. I joke and tell the residents that the only thing I play is the radio! That always gives them a good chuckle.

A Christian Response to Earth Day

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20)

A Christian Response to Earth Day

(By Doug Phillips)

All men are religious because all men have an object of worship. All men have faith in something. In the end, men will either worship and serve the creature, or they will worship and serve the Creator. But they will worship something.

In the 18th century, many began to worship the mind. The religion of that day was rationalism. In the 19th century, this god morphed into scientism. But science failed to provide the answers to ultimate questions. The men of the 20th century looked for a more immediate solution to the problems of humanity — they chose to worship the State. This failed. Statism proved to be a harsh taskmaster. In the absence of any real solutions from rationalism, scientism, and statism, men fixed their attention on a new god — or rather, an ancient God that just needed a new facelift. That god is the earth.

21st-century men are earth worshippers. They are sanitized pantheists. Of course, they don't call themselves pantheists or earth worshippers, but religious devotion to the material world is the essence of this modern faith.

This religious devotion to the material world as god comes in many shapes and sizes, but it has become ubiquitous in our culture. The new pantheism is at the heart of the green movement. It is reflected in the priorities of Hollywood, in the agenda of politicians, and in the curriculums of the government schools. It is found in the marketing campaign of Madison Avenue, in the reality TV shows of cable television, and sadly, even in pulpits across the nation. The worship of the creation has become a defining undercurrent in our culture, even as it is reshaping many of the cultures of the modern world.

And this is one reason why this Friday, April 22, millions of people (perhaps billions) representing the countries of the United Nations will stop to celebrate the high holy day of this religion as they pay homage to the earth God. Of Earth Day, evolutionary anthropologist Margaret Meade once explained that:

EARTH DAY is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space. EARTH DAY draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way — which is also the most ancient way — by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all parts of the earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another.

Should Christians care about the earth? Not only must we care about it, we have a holy duty to engage the earth. The difference between the objectives of biblical Christianity and radical environmentalism can be found in the religious assumptions of both groups.

Four Lies of the Radical Environmentalist Movement

With Earth Day comes billions of dollars worth of environmentalist propaganda driven by their religious worldview. Some of the themes you can expect to hear repeated this year include the following:

The Earth Is Our Mother: The very expression “Mother Earth” is popular parlance in our culture and reflects the old pagan longing to worship the physical world. Modern environmentalists, with their devotion to the idea that man is just another life-form to spring from the womb of the earth on the evolutionary journey of life, speak openly about earth being the mother of man.

Human Life Has No Greater Intrinsic Value Than Animal Life: The notion that man is an insignificant blip in the universe and that our planet is almost as insignificant as man is an oft-repeated concept of the modern environmentalist movement. Radical environmentalists complain about the carbon footprints of humans, and the sin of “Speciesism” — man discriminating against lower life-forms.

The Greatest Crisis Facing Humans is the Despoiling of the Earth: From the media campaigns of former Vice President Al Gore, to the film agenda of Avatar, radical environmentalists want you to believe that the single greatest problem facing humanity is the environmental destruction of earth.

Absent a Radical Shift in Private Practice and Public Policy, the Environmental Crisis Will Lead to the End of Life on Earth: Modern pantheists care deeply about the future. One thing is clear: Radical envioronmentalists have their own eschatology. They see the end of the world coming because of nuclear waste, global warming, the loss of rainforest in the Amazon, or any of a host of perceived environmental hazards.

Four Christian Assumptions About the Earth

The Earth is Witness to the Power and Authority of God the Creator Who Alone

May Be Worshipped: The Bible teaches that the very existence of the earth is a reminder to all men of the eternal power and Godhood of Christ, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20). It reminds us that as long as the earth continues, the promises of God will remain faithful (Genesis 8:22; Deuteronomy 7:9). Significantly, the Bible warns us that the consequence for man rejecting the witness of creation is that he worships creation itself (Romans 1:22-25).

The Earth Was Made for the Glory of God and the Benefit of Man Who Was Made the Pinnacle of Creation and of Infinitely Greater Value than Animals or the Earth Itself: Man is the pinnacle of creation and has more eternal value than the earth or any of the creatures who live on it (Psalm 8:5). Man is not a carbon footprint; he is the image-bearer of God. This means that the most "insignificant" human life (insignificant only in the eyes of man) is of inestimably greater value than that of a blue whale, a snail darter, a spotted owl, a mountain, or a tree.

The Earth Has Been Placed under Man who Has a Moral Obligation to Subdue it and to Exercise Wise Stewardship over the Earth: Man is God’s appointed steward on earth, and his core mission is to be His agent of dominion over it. Toward this end, God has placed all things under man to be used for his benefit and to be carefully stewarded and cultivated for God’s glory. “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:6).

The Earth is Not the Problem: The reason why the earth suffers is because of man’s sin that has plunged the earth into judgment. Man brought death and judgment to earth. In fact, the whole creation is groaning and waiting redemption (Romans 8:22-23). Despite the righteous judgment of God on earth, He is merciful and promises the continuation of the seasons and the fundamental stability of the planet until the end of time (Genesis 8:22), at which there will be a new heaven and new earth (2 Peter 3:13).

Conclusion

All men are religious because all men have an object of worship. In the end, they will worship and serve the creature, or they will worship and serve the Creator. But they will worship something.

Earth Day, and the radical environmental movement that spawned this high holy day of pantheism, are at war with the Gospel because they perpetuate false worship. The Christian response to the idolatry of Earth Day might be reduced to this simple thought: Jesus Christ is the Creator, and He alone is to be worshipped. He created man as the pinnacle of creation and determined that humans would be the only part of creation to be made in the very image of God, and that man as the image-bearer of God would rule over the earth.

On a practical level, this means that Christians need to stop allowing the radical environmentalist movement to define the issue. We must cease from being the tail and become the head on the question of our duties, privileges, and responsibilities vis-a-vis creation. The Bible has a great deal to say about our use of the resources of the world and our relationship to the earth. Of all people, Christians who honor the Creator should have a passion for creation. We are losing the debate through subversion, silence, lack of vision, and because of the Christian community’s fear of the God-ordained, perpetually valid, creation precept called “The Dominion Mandate.” This mandate directs man is to rule over the earth, subduing it and taking dominion over it for his benefit and for God’s glory. Implicit to the Dominion Mandate is the duty of man to cultivate, wisely manage, and carefully steward the planet.

Finally, man’s problems will never be solved through the elevation of human reason, the power of science, or the interventions of the state. Nor will rescuing the biosphere of planet earth save man or ensure him a future on this planet. You cannot save the earth. But human beings can be saved. And the only hope of salvation is found in Jesus Christ — the Creator! It is this Creator through whom we live and breathe and who by the very power of His word holds the worlds together. He will someday establish a new heaven and a new earth and will bring all of His people into Glory.

Twenty Years!

Yesterday, Michael and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. That in itself is a miracle! Marriages today, even between Christians, don't last. We are so grateful to the Lord for keeping our marriage strong. I am very thankful for the loving, faithful, godly husband the Lord has blessed me with. I love you Michael!

Guess who was born *48* years ago????

............ME!

I can't not believe I am the age that I am, but it's true, SIGH! I still feel like I'm 18. Thankfully, I am much wiser than I was at 18. (At least I hope I am). I've received lots of phone calls, emails, and cards today wishing me Happy Birthday. How sweet for so many people to remember me. I feel loved! The best gift I ever received was when I was 33. God, chose to open my spiritual eyes and ears to His truths and called me to be His child. I have been following Him for the last 15 years and it just keeps getting better all the time. Thank You, Lord, for loving me and giving me life!

It's been a long time

It has been over two months since I've posted. I really wish I would have journaled all that has gone on over the last four months so I could always remember it. However, I didn't, so now I will have to just go from memory. I will try and be more diligent in my writing.

It was the beginning of October and once again North Carolina was the main topic of our conversations. We have been talking about NC for the last three years. We had been out there a few times and loved the area. We really felt drawn there. We wish now, we would have listened to our hearts and moved there before we bought this house. Moving here, was a mistake. God is in the business of taking our messes and changing them into something good, so we know it's only a matter of time.

Our nightly devotions usually ended in prayer for wisdom and discernment about moving to NC. One of our daughters was totally on board, the other, not at all! We just prayed for God to soften her heart and be open to change. He did, and she is :o)

We decided to step out in faith and make plans toward the goal of relocating to NC. We had a couple of garage sales in October and sold everything we wanted to sell and then some! The girls decided to sell their horses and they sold in one day for double the price they bought them for. We sold our van, and 4 of our dogs. We were trying to downsize to prepare for our move. We even had a woman from our garage sale ask us if we were selling our home. We told her we were. She is very interested, but not ready to buy at this point.

After we came back from our visit to North Carolina in December, we decided it was time to put our house on the market. We did in mid January. We are waiting for the Lod to send the right buyer at the right time.

In the mean time, while we wait, we have been going through things. Downsizing as much as we can. Selling furniture, giving things away, getting the house in order. The wait is hard, but we know in the end, it will all be worth it.