Photos From the Trip

Here are a few of the many photos I took on our coast trip.

This is BK's first look at the beach.

This silly girl likes to have fun wherever she is!

BK dressed up like a train engineer at Lynn Meadows Discovery Center (LMDC). This is an absolutely awesome place for creative play.

Dressing up for a tea party at LMDC.

BK was amazed that the ball was suspended by the air coming from this machine at LMDC.

BK on a ride at Chuck E. Cheese.

There was an indoor pool at the hotel where we stayed, so BK and her Daddy got to swim every day. That might have been the highlight of the whole trip.

Extended Vacation

We have been planning and canceling vacations for four years now. Something always comes up that gobbles up whatever little money we managed to put back for fun. This summer, we finally decided to go down to the coast for a few days, just to get away before Mike has to go back to work.

About an hour before we got there, it started to rain and storm on us. Finally it was raining so hard that I had to pull over in the middle of nowhere, at a dump of a convenience store, to try and wait for it to pass because I couldn't see. While we were sitting there, my windshield wipers broke. I mean really broke...stuck together in the middle...bent...then finally would not move at all.

I called AAA and told them where we were and they said they could send a truck to tow us, but only two of us could ride in the truck with them. So I waited until the rain wasn't so hard and got back on the road...without wipers...in the rain. It was only about 4 miles to a Goodyear, but it felt like 100 miles, going 35 miles an hour with my flashers on.

The Goodyear folks said that the whole wiper assemblies were stripped and of course NO ONE had them in stock. They called two salvage yards, but they didn't have them either. We were planning to come back Sunday, but they said that if they order them they next day (Friday), they won't be there until Monday.

Not wanting to drive home and chance getting into rain, we had to extend our trip by a day. Who would have thought after a month of drought, it would be rain that messed us up. We tried to not not worry too much about it, and stopped by K-Mart to buy some Rain-X, so that if it rained on us over the weekend it wouldn't be so bad.

All of that aside, we have really had a great time. Friday we went to Lynn Meadows Discovery Center. That was the first time I have ever been there and I was SO impressed! BK had a great time and cried when we had to leave. It was full of fun things to see and do. Of course we went to the beach and took some pics. But probably the most fun thing has been that there is an indoor pool here at the hotel, so they have been swimming every evening.

I have been snapping photos all weekend and I will try to get some posted when we get home tomorrow.

Swap-bot Swapping Fun

I learned about something new yesterday. Swap-bot is an online community of folks who love to swap. Here is how it works: A member decides to coordinate a swap, so they create a post describing the details, such as what will be swapped, when the items must be mailed, if it is USA only or international and how many swap partners you will have. Then you can search the list of swaps and find the ones that might interest you.

I just opened my account, so I have not had a chance to look at all the swaps yet, but here are just a few that I have seen:

Postcards

Handmade Cards

Bookmarks

Stickers

Socks

Recipes

Poetry

Magnets

Stationery

There are many, many more than I can list here. If you would like to check out Swap-bot, the website is: http://www.swap-bot.com/

My New Addiction - Farm Town

When I opened a Facebook account a few months ago, I had no idea that I would find a new "hobby" that would take up so much of my time. Farm Town is a game that is so much fun.

I started out with a small parcel of land (12X12) and eight plowed fields. I planted and harvested until I saved enough coins to upgrade several times. Now my farm is 20X20 and full of all kinds of growing plants, trees, flowers and animals. It's really cool!

Living a Simple Life?

Unless you live in a cave somewhere, you have probably heard about the trend toward living a simple life. I don't know if it took the economy taking a nose-dive, or what, but it seems like everywhere I look there is something about living a simple life. One of our Associate Pastors even preached on it at my church last week.

My introduction to the simple living concept came from Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution, Living as an Ordinary Radical. If you haven't had the chance to read this book, you should consider doing so, but be ready to have your nice comfortable Christian world rocked.

My struggle is trying to figure out what a simple life would look like for me. I don't consider my life to be extravagant by any means. That is when I compare myself to the American standard. However, if I compare my life to the lives of the millions of people worldwide who live in utter poverty, then it seems that I probably do live in excess. Having too much "stuff and things" is not living simply.

But it isn't only possessions that complicate life. It is activities as well. So many things to do, so many places to go. Even good things like church can become a burden when there are services three times a week and meetings in between.

I think about how I've heard that life used to be. Neighbors knew each other. Families and friends stopped by to sit on the porch and visit for a while. When there was a need, folks pitched in to help each other. People worked hard, but I'm sure that they slept well at night (without the aid of sleeping pills).

It's very hard not to get caught up in the American way of life: A full Day-Timer + lots of stuff, stuff and more stuff = Happiness

Maybe it is time to reevaluate our priorities and make some changes. Putting first things first...sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?

Learned Something New Today

My family loves baby carrots. We eat them raw...plain or with ranch dressing used as dip...and we eat them cooked...steamed, then topped with a little butter and brown sugar or honey. There is usually a bag or two of baby carrots in my refrigerator veggie bin.

But I did not know until today that not all baby carrots are baby carrots.

HUH?

Yeah, that was kind of my reaction too. It seems that some (probably most) baby carrots that we buy are actually baby-cut carrots, which are cut down from larger carrots. Supposedly, if they are not true baby carrots (those who are harvested while still young) it states "baby-cut carrots" on the bag.

Apparently there was an email going around telling people that baby carrots were not safe to eat, but Snopes debunked that. If you are interested in reading about the process that is used to make baby-cut carrots, click here.

Now you learned something new today too.

This public service announcement was brought to you free of charge. : )

Bread Store Savings

I stopped by the bread store today while I was out and boy did I stock up! Here is what I got:

2 big loaves Bunny bread

1 loaf Bunny Texas Toast

1 loaf Nature's Own Cinnamon Raisin

3 loaves Cobblestone Sourdough

1 pack dinner rolls (24)

Grand total?

$10.59!

That's what I'm talkin' about. : )

We are eating more sandwiches these days, mainly because it is so hot and cooking just makes the house hotter, but also we are trying to cut down on our fast-food drive-thru consumption to save money. It seems like I am always buying bread, so this should hold us for a while. I will freeze most of it and pull it out when we need it.

As you can see in the pic, I'm not the only one that is happy.

Free eBook!

You can't get much better than free, right?

The publisher of Tom Davis' new book, Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World, has decided to offer (for a limited time) a free download of the book. My friend Elysa has read the book, which is set in Swaziland, Africa, and she LOVES it. You can download your copy here, or click on the photo of the book. Please let me know how you like it.

By the way, some of you might remember me telling you about Elysa's mission trip to Swaziland with her two daughters last year. Well, her 14 year-old daughter just left with a team going back there for several weeks. Please join me in praying for the team as they minister there...and for their families that they left behind.

You Know it's Really Hot When....

I went to Sam's today and when I started to leave the man at the door who checked my receipt said "Have a cool day!"

Ha!

Yeah...I guess if I can manage to have a cool day in this heat, then it goes without saying that it will be a nice day.

Agents of Change

If you have read this blog for very long, you know that I am pro-life. I have volunteered at the Center for Pregnancy Choices (CPC), but I have not stood on a sidewalk outside an abortion clinic. Not that I'm saying that there is anything wrong with those who do...in fact, lives have been saved thanks to those people.

However, I realized a long time ago that just talking someone out of an abortion cannot be the end of it. Christians must be willing to do more than that to truly make a difference. Many times the decision is made to end the life of a child because of financial hardship. This has to be especially true in these economic times.

I received an email today from Bryan Logan, a Board member of ProLife Mississippi. I called to make sure that the email was legit and it is. Here is what he said:

"I talked a young lady out of an abortion on June 3rd and took her to the CPC. She already has a 1 year old, 3 year old, 6 year old, and 13 year old. She does not have a car large enough to transport her children and lives in an apartment that has a washer and dryer hook up, but is in great need of a washer and dryer. These two factors (car and no washer and dryer) were the deciding factors that sent her to seek an abortion. I have told her that I'm sure there are many Christian people that will help her. I told her let's first deal with the washer and dryer problem, and then the car. We have to trust in God and take baby steps. Does anyone know somebody that would donate a new or used washer and/or dryer to this family. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated."

How about we put our money where our mouths (and convictions) are and be agents of change? I am posting a link to my PayPal account to make giving easier. On June 30 I will be sending all donations received to ProLife MS to help this woman on her journey. I will update to let you know how much we gave.

As the Nike commercial says...Just Do It!

Babies and Memories

My new little great-great nephew was born today (boy...that makes me feel OLD). I just saw some photos of him and he is a precious little doll.

Whenever I see pics of little ones, it always makes me think about Bonnie Kate and remember what she was like as a baby. I went in search of her early photos and found a few of my favorites.

Bonnie Kate came here wanting to talk. In this photo she was about two months old and already carrying on a conversation...in her own language, of course.

Check out the curl on the top of her head! I'm sure that I will have to answer for that one day...lol.

A friend brought the bib to Bonnie Kate from New Orleans. It said "I can't talk yet, but I have an attitude." Boy, was that the truth...and still is!

Here is out little ballerina in training...searching for just the right toy.

Ahh...success!

You have no idea how many photos I had to take to get this one. She was eleven months old her first Christmas and fascinated by all the gifts and decorations on the tree. Our sweet Bonnie Kate was our best gift ever!

First Day of Summer and It's HOT!

I have lived in Mississippi all of my life, so you would think that I would be used to the weather here. But y'all, it is hot...and it's been hot for a while now, even though summer officially started today. The high today was close to 100, which even by our standards is hot.

Compound that with the fact that the air conditioners in both my van and house are not working great and it's looking like a long, hot, miserable summer.

Waaaaaa!

These are the times when I dream of moving somewhere cool...somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon line. I'm sure that I would want to high-tail it back this way with the threat of snow storms in the winters, but OH would I enjoy the summers!

Swimming Fun

BK and her Daddy got a chance to swim while visiting my sister Diane this week. She had such a good time and felt very brave with her floaties...and Daddy at her side. : )

VBS 2009

I took BK and my grandsons to Vacation Bible School last week and it was such an awesome experience for them. We went to a different church because BK isn't old enough yet for the VBS at our home church. From beginning to end, I was so impressed. Things were well organized and everyone seemed to have had a great time. Here are some highlights.

First of all, the kids were not separated into age groups, but rather into small groups called Families, with older kids mixed with the younger ones. I like this because the big kids are able to help with the little ones.

They had their gym set up with tents that made it look like a marketplace. The kids got three coins each day to spend in the marketplace, where they could chose from several really cool crafts.

The theme was Rome: Paul and the Underground Church. BK came home the first day bubbling over about everything that happened. She told me that there was a man in chains and a very grumpy man. I found out later that it was Paul in chains and his guard Brutus. Everyday the kids would visit Paul, who told them about Jesus and the underground church. By the end of the week, Brutus wasn't grumpy anymore because Paul talked to him and he decided to follow Jesus. We had to get a pic with Paul and Brutus.

One day they brought animals in for the kids to pet and play with.

Another thing that impressed me was the number of adults volunteering to help. This is a relatively small church and normally has about 60-70 kids attending VBS. This year they topped 100. I heard that they had about 50 adults helping. Some of these folks use vacation time to take off work to participate.

But probably the most important thing that I noticed was how they loved the kids.

During their song time one day, BK had a meltdown. They made two long lines facing each other and at several times during the song they walked forward to clap with anther person. BK didn't have a clapping buddy and she just lost it. The Children's Director happened to be walking by and jumped in to be her clapping buddy.

My youngest grandson is three and not quite old enough for VBS. I brought him with me every day so he wouldn't feel left out and had planned for us to hang out together and find something to do. One of the VBS teachers noticed him and asked if he could be in her group. So every morning, she came looked for him and took him to her group. He was super excited to be a part of it all.

The other grandsons and BK's group leaders were a sweet couple who had so much patience with them and really seemed to enjoy their time with them.

Friday night during the closing celebration, they all sang their songs that they learned during the week. They also made decorated "chariots" from large wagons and they had a parade across the gym. Thanks to the sweet group leader, my three-year-old grandson got to sing and be in the parade with the other kids too. He was so happy to be a part of the festivities.

There is no way to measure the impact that those five days will have on all of the children's lives. VBS is more than just a place for frazzled parents to drop off their kids to have a break for a few days. It is a great place to teach about Jesus. But more importantly, it is a wonderful way for adults to show Jesus' love to the least of these. Thank you all for a week that none of us will ever foget!

And they'll know we are Christians by our love...by our love

Yes, they'll know we are Chrisitans by our love.

Why is it Important?

I've been having an interesting dialog/debate recently about how we as Christians are to react to people (especially other Christians), who are living in sin. Actually, the discussion began earlier than that...and we could not reach common ground to agree on whether certain "lifestyle choices" are sin or not.

He brought up some good points about there being so many rules and laws in the Old Testament that we do not practice today, and how over the years the Christians seem to have picked out the ones that they want to continue to observe, but disregarded others as archaic. This made me think...and that is always a good thing.

So moving past that issue, what are we to do about sin in the lives of believers?

Do we welcome all people into our church family, regardless of past and present behaviors?

Do we not only preach God's love and grace, but be Jesus with flesh on and show them love and grace?

Do we love them so much that we tell them the truth about what they are doing...how it is damaging them and hurting God's heart?

Are we all accountable not only to God, but to each other as well?

Is that judging? Maybe it is. But we have a whole book of God's standards to follow. Why would they have been given if not for us to learn, live, teach and obey?

Do we have a sin problem in the church? You betcha. God calls us to be a sanctified people...most of us have a long way to go. But I believe that one of the duties of the church (and I'm speaking of the church body...not the church organization) is to encourage each other in holiness.

The dialog/discussion left me feeling a little frustrated and I'm afraid it left the other person feeling a little sad and disheartened. It's easy to want to say let's just forget about the whole subject and talk about something else. But it is too important to do that.

I think that we are in the last days and as time goes by it will get easier and easier for folks to be deceived. We have to know what we believe and why we believe it...and have the courage to speak up...even to other believers.

Lives are at stake. Souls are at stake. Eternity is at stake.

I would love to know your thoughts. Please leave a comment.