Pictures speak thousand of words!

So what's up with the massive amounts of birds this year?

And look at this cutie-patootie thinking he's a bird!
Reminds me of the movie "The Birds"! UGH!

He dug his little nose down in the snow and was adorable!

Is that not the cutest face you've ever seen! i could just eat her up!

Guess who's engaged? Britney and Kyle! July 2! Pray for me, please!

Beautiful, huh?!

The lady I care for....she just turned 98! hope I look that good if I live that long!

Leaving Monday for Lake Atitlan, Guatemala (below) for a mission trip. Will be painting murals on the walls of a new pediatric surgery center built and funded by The Shalom Foundation (www.theshalomfoundation.org). I need your prayers--I've never painted that big!!!

As Porky Pig said, "Abadee, Abadee, that's all folks!"

(not sure of the spelling there, but you get the gist!)

Review of Voices of the Faithful-Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians serving around the World

If you L.O.V.E. Beth Moore (as I do); if you enjoy having a brief, yet inspiring and powerful devotion to begin or end your day; if you are interested in reading about the sacrificial lives of missionaries the world over....then you NEED this book! There is one devotional for each day of the year, and they are incredibly inspiring.
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Have you ever thought of yourself as a missionary? Are you like some who tell the Lord, “I will do anything you want me to do, and go anywhere you want me to go! Just, please don’t make me go to Africa, Lord!” Perhaps you have determined that a missionary is a specific calling by God reserved for a select few, and that your only task is to remember them in prayer and/or perhaps support them financially. According to Scripture all Christ followers are missionaries. Look at what has been coined “The Great Commission” in Matthew 28: 16-20: “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV) This is a command straight from the lips of Jesus~ go and make disciples! Where? All nations!

Beth Moore has put together a daily devotional of stories from missionaries from around the globe: stories of lives being redeemed from abuse, martyrdom, witchcraft; stories of believers who have chosen to sacrifice their life of comfort in the known sphere of influence to life in the utmost sometimes most remote parts of the world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, so “that none should perish”. Topics included in these devotionals include: God’s character, prayer, persecution, spiritual warfare and many others.

Each daily devotional begins with a short passage of Scripture, followed by a brief synopsis of a true story that occurred on the mission field, and ends with a prayer to offer up on behalf of missionaries everywhere. These stories invoke a myriad of emotions and as many responses: tears, laughter, joy, heartache, prayer and praise! You will be richly blessed to begin or end your day with these devotional stories, and hopefully you will be moved to seek God’s will for your life regarding missions. No matter your age or your station in life, God’s voice calls us to share His love and forgiveness with a dying world. Seek His voice; find your voice, and commit to praying for the voices of those already serving on local, national and international fields!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from
Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review
bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.
The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in
accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 :
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Fresh Fallen Snow

A new day dawns…still and white the fresh fallen snow….
Only the sound of the gentle wind whispering through the chimes…
Pure the mass of flakes covering the collage of the old and dead growth…
Soaking deep the nourishment for the new to come…
Oh, the sweet breath of the Giver of Life, beckoning me come yet closer
and soak in His love….

fresh, Holy, nourishing…freely-given, unconditional, pure Redeeming love…

Covering the stains of my sin with the sacrificial gift of His life. ~Lisa Syler

“Though my sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow…”~ Is. 1:18

Woops! Forgot to take down the candy canes!

Frozen pond below the water wheel!

Zack loves to give kisses! What a tongue, huh?

His tongue seems to always be out!!!

Wait! Is that a 2-headed dog?

Football and Jesus/Intention not resolution

Ever been to a football game or watched one on TV? The fans are…passionate!...crazy!...wild!...zealous! …fanatical!...enthusiastic!...fervent!...adoring!...or all of the above?! I tell ya’, I’ve seen some fans that borderline malicious, angry, depressed, cruel, wicked, malevolent…down right hateful and ugly! Yet, ne thing is for sure~football fans LOVE the game! Quite frankly I don’t understand a thing about the game…even though I was a high school and college cheerleader…and even though my soon-to-be-son-in-law (woot! woot!) was just named “AFCA NAIA All-American” ...and even though I am a Tennessee Titans fan from the comfort of my cozy den around a roaring fire…I’m not passionate about the sport.

I read an article that talks about a couple of teams’ unruly fans. Oddly enough they said both teams were orange, and later mentioned that Tennessee is, too, and yet Tennessee fans don’t have that reputation. Well, guess what! Sometimes they do! I know! I live in Tennessee! And I’ve heard over and over again how hateful, mean, strongly passionate in a not so positive tone at times some diehard UT fans can be! Just sayin’…

What I find most interesting is that most fans do not personally know the players. They just love the sport, and the competition….perhaps the coach…maybe a player or 2. And they will sacrifice an entire Saturday or Sunday…or Monday night…to watch them duke it out on TV. Let the passion begin! Better not anybody talk during the game (unless you are hollering along with ‘em!), don’t turn the channel, heaven forbid trying to carry on a conversation about anything other than football…extreme PASSION, FERVENCY, ADORATION, ZEALOUSNESS…all for the love of the sport!

Why, then, do those same people…AND those of us who are not sports savvy…not get just as passionate, crazy, wild, zealous, fanatical, enthusiastic, fervent and adoring of Jesus, who we DO know, and who knows us? Why don’t we sacrifice as much time in praying, in studying the Word, in fellowship as we do watching one game after another? Why can’t we be cheerleaders for Team Jesus? The answer? We can….and we should…and maybe some of us, some of the time, DO! We need to rev it up, get involved at a deeper and more passionate level in the game of life, and realize what is at stake here: not a Super Bowl Ring (though there is nothing wrong with Super Bowl Rings), not a Heisman Trophy (nothing wrong with it, either), not a gazillion dollar contract (though having money is not a sin)…what is at stake are lives that need to be won for God’s Kingdom, so that none should perish!

Football—perishable!
Saved souls---imperishable!

So, it’s a new year, and time for those profound RESOLUTIONS! Yeah, you know the ones:
“I’m going to lose 50 pounds!”;
“I’m going to start exercising 4 days a week!;
“I’m going to get out of debt!”;
“I’m going to find the man/woman of my dreams and get married!”;
“I’m going to….blah! blah! Blah!”

I gave up long ago on New Year’s Resolutions! A resolution is defined as a promise, pledge or oath. I do not like breaking promises…or pledges…or oaths.

Intentions, on the other hand, are aims, intents, goals, objectives, plans…now those I think I might be able to do. If I fall or fail, I have not broken a promise or commitment to anyone else. I’ve only let myself down…but not really, because if it is an aim or goal or intention that means that, if I don’t meet it, it is A OK, right! Right!

So, here are my New Year’s Intentions for 2011:
1. Be a better Christian, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend! Simple, huh?

2. Get out of debt completely and stay out of debt, even though I am planning and paying for our daughter’s wedding! YIKES! PLEASE pray for me/us!

3. Take guitar lessons and Spanish lessons….just 'cuz they are on my “Bucket List”. Why is it called a “Bucket List” anyway?

4. Give more of my time, money, and efforts to missions at home and around the world, including perhaps 3 or 4 short-term mission trips! Yep, if God calls me to do it, He will guide me through it—not sure how, but He will….and that’s good enough for me!

5. Redesign my blog s-l-o-w-l-y (so what else is new?) and have it include interactive areas for prayers, for folks to share art of all types, including poetry, songs, recipes, etc., and to have it only and always be for HIS glory! (And, along with that, I would love to pick up some followers, so there will be more things for all of us to enjoy through the interactive portion. Can you help me out here, please? Ok, let me just put it bluntly: Would you please invite, encourage, bribe, and, if necessary, dare folks to visit my site? JK! (that’s short for “just kidding” for those of you who may not know).

6. Along with #5 I am going to see just how “un-wordy” I can make my blog posts (you should be laughing by now!)~ this coming from someone who speaks only in chapters, not sentences. This is my challenge to myself (uh-oh! This one might be a bit too lofty to attain!)

7. Continue writing for “Internetcafedevotions.com” and become a much better writer.

8. Pray much more; study God’s Word with reckless abandon…and find joy in the journey all along the way, no matter the circumstances on the periphery!

That’s all!

Now be blessed by this!