Party Popper

Enjoy, dog lovers.

The Party Popper @ Yahoo! Video

Tebow Ad Controversy

Have you heard about this? I just found out about this controversy this morning. Some of you who are not sports fans may not know who Tim Tebow is, but he's a talented and well known young college football player who has tried to be a testimony for the Lord. Apparently he and his mother are to appear in a Focus on the Family ad which is to be aired during the Super Bowl. The controversy is that this ad will tell how Tebow's mother was advised to have an abortion while she was pregnant with him and she chose not to. Sooo, women's groups are coming out full force against this ad. That fact doesn't surprise me, but I was looking up information about it on a search, and sure enough, ran into some ugly stuff against Tebow from the ever vigilant left. Do you notice how anyone who makes a stand for biblical principles, especially if they are against abortion and gay marriage, that there are many in this country who want their head? Years ago, when I was a young woman, I never thought I would see such a day as this.




"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! "Isaiah 5:20

Bringing Them In

Thank you, Jesus. God bless them.



For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in ... Matthew 25:35

The Lighter Side

Every year, Neesie gives me one of those daily calendars--the kind where you tear off each day. I've had them with a Bible verse each day, a puzzle a day, and other themes. This year it's a joke a day. The calendar is put out by a Christian publisher, so all the jokes are clean. If you're like me, having a little something to make me smile is helpful, so I thought now and then, I'd post one of these little goodies (sometimes with some adjustments) to hopefully lighten up your day a bit and make you smile. I may even find other goodies from other sources. No need to comment, just enjoy and go on with your day! In honor of my dog Frodo who begs all the time, I'll start with this one:

Tina: I trained my dog not to beg at the table.

Gina: How did you do that?

Tina: I let him taste my cooking.

Remember Samuel

Some weeks ago while cleaning out some older files, I ran across a ten year old Focus on the Family newsletter that I had purposed never to throw out. It had this photo on the front and when I first saw it, I could not for the life of me figure out what was going on. I didn't read the article first so I stared and stared at the photo and when I saw the hand, my mind was ready to explode! You probably know the story of this photo. Obviously, it was a photo you wouldn't see much in the MSM, but its story has been told by faithful folks who knew its importance. You may recall that the little fist you see in the middle belongs to Samuel Alexander Armas, who at the time the picture was taken was a 21-week old preborn baby. Sometimes a child at this stage of life is called a "fetus," but as far as I'm concerned, he is a baby. It would have been quite difficult for him to survive outside the womb at this stage, but he is still a baby. If you have never heard or read the story about this particular photo (called the "Fetal Hand Grasp" Photograph), I encourage you to read it here. Also, You might like to read Samuel's story which is written here.

I just want to say this: Snopes, in its usual fashion, has discounted some of the circumstances surrounding this photo. I don't have the time to go into all the controversy as to whether the baby reached out his hand on his own accord or what the reaction of the surgeon was. One thing to me is sure and vital. There is a hand there and that hand has fingers which are curled around or resting on that of the surgeon. He or others may not think of that in the way that some of us do, but to me it is a verification (not that I needed it) of God's work in the womb as written in Psalm 139:13-16. Snopes' assessment of the situation does nothing to move me from exclaiming "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!"

We are approaching yet another Sanctity of Human Life Sunday in what has been a long fought and continuing battle since Roe vs. Wade. I just thought it would be a good time for all of us to remember Samuel.

A Note

Making some changes to this blog in the hopes I can still take legitimate comments under the "Anonymous" category. I have a few friends who do not have blogs who I know like to occasionally leave a comment. Unfortunately, I have been picking up some spam here, even with the comment moderation, so I wanted to let you know I've added the word verification to see if that will help. If it is human beings (sometimes I wonder about this classification lately) who are doing this, then it won't work and I'll have to remove anonymous. I'll try this and see. So, I hope you don't mind the extra step to leave a comment.

We have evidence every day, don't we, that we live in a fallen world. Come, Lord Jesus.

Someone Else is Sneaky

Look what I found at BJ's. This book contains "101 all-new recipes and 'sneaky' tricks for creating healthy meals kids will love." For those of you who have been friends of this blog for a while, you know all about my "sneaky nutrition" posts. Now I've found someone who is just as sneaky as I am! This lady even has a web site to help moms learn some more tricks of the trade. Just what we need. If you haven't been coming here long, check out the posts of underhanded, tricky, deceitful, recipes containing of all things---NUTRIENTS. You can find them in the food and Nutrition category of this blog. Just scroll down to the ones that are entitled "Sneaky Nutrition" with the little boy rubbing his stomach. Wow. I just realized that I haven't made a SN post since last March. So we're way overdue!

Here is another quote from the book: "You can't be Sneaky without having something to hide." Now is that ever a good philosophy or what? Now I have all kinds of ammunition with this new book.

If you want to join me in fooling your family into eating dishes that have nourishing stuff slipped in behind their backs, you might want to get the book too. As I said, I got it at BJ's, but you can purchase it at Amazon.

Haiti Quake

All we can do is pray. . . and give. It's hard to find words for these things, but I had a little to say at Scraps of Glory today. This dear woman, a pediatrician who has apparently been doing service work there, died in the quake. So very sad that so many people entered into eternity this way. But the Lord always knows what He's doing.

A Decade

I have a quick question. As you know, a decade is ten years. I was reading a debate going on in the comments on a news article. Some were saying that January 1, 2010 is the beginning of a new decade. Others were saying no, that December 31, 2010, is the END of the decade. What do you say? (Hint: I think if you think about your age it will help.)

Another Year is Dawning

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee.

~Francis R. Havergal (1836-1879)

This is my prayer for you, my dear friends, and for me for 2010. I wish when saying "another year" that it meant that in 2009 I did praise Him and lean upon His breast as I should have. I wish it meant that during the year just past, I did have gladness in the shining of His face, or that it was a year of trusting, of quiet and happy rest in Him. Unfortunately, I fear that just wasn't always the case. You probably have the same sense of having fallen short. But that doesn't mean that we all can't strive for these things in this new year. Let's strive together, shall we? Let's remember a precious promise from His Word this year:

". . . and as thy days, so shall thy strength be." Deut. 33:25

So, I'm praying for more strength to live for Christ as I know He wants me to. Hope you'll join me in praying the same prayer. It's what we all need. It's what our children need and our grandchildren. And it's also what our country needs. Maybe the Lord will be merciful and do a work in us all. God bless each of you and may your new year indeed be blessed in Him.

Come Let Us Adore Him

"Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas, adoring the One who came as a babe those many years ago!

O Come Let us adore Him; O Come let us adore Him; O Come let us adore Him.......Christ the Lord! "

A White Wedding

One Sunday a couple of months ago, we had a couple of visitors to our church. One was a very friendly young woman, full of vitality and joy in the Lord, the other a quiet and reserved young man with a warm smile and and sweet spirit. Our congregation is somewhat small, so visitors seldom go unnoticed. I went over to meet these two young folks (age about thirty), and was cheerfully greeted by Noelle expressing how thankful she was to be there. Then she proceeded to tell me that she and the young man were probably going to be coming to our church and that they hoped to be married there. I thought they had probably called our pastor that week prior, but he later informed me that he had never talked to them before. The following week he told us that these two folks wanted to be married and wanted to be baptized. They have been saved not too very long, had met each other after a fairly long search for a mate on both their parts, and God had used E-Harmony to bring them together. They wanted to do things in a godly way, not worldly, and wanted to be married quietly, simply, and quickly.

Well after some counseling sessions, it was decided that they would be married by our pastor and hopefully, he would soon baptize them. He talked them into having a wedding with just a few trimmings and a small reception. The bride decided to get a vintage dress from the fifties and the groom decided to have his dad as the best man. We ladies will serve the thirty or so folks who will be attending. We've been excited, especially those who have been helping them put this ceremony and reception together.

And today is the day. But there is a hitch: I am about to go to bed now (it's a little after midnight) and when dawn comes, our first major snowstorm should be just starting. The forecast calls for snow all day and at about the time of the wedding (3:00), it's supposed to be coming down heavily. I hope and pray that this little Christmas wedding can go forth as planned. I pray the best for this couple and covet your prayers as well. Since they have been among us, their commitment to Christ and His ways have been quite a blessing to behold. I hope they are okay with their white Christmas wedding! Seems rather appropriate for a bride named Noelle.

UPDATE: It is now evening and it has turned out to be one of the biggest snowstorms in this area in recent years. Who would have thought that our family would have ventured out on such a day? But we did, and the wedding was WONDERFUL! I wish I had had the presence of mind to ask them if I could post a picture on this blog, but I forgot and I don't like to do that without permission. It was the sweetest and most precious wedding ever. As I said, it was small and intimate and particularly Christ focused. As we sat watching the ceremony, with the church decorated for Christmas, it was so beautiful to look out the window at the snow falling behind the wreaths. Just lovely. The bride was beautiful, the grooms eyes sparkled with that look of the husband taking his long awaited wife, and the words of their vows which they had written were absolutely God glorifying. It was so refreshing to be there. Then, at the end of the reception, the groom's thank you speech was more than anything a presentation of the gospel to his family. Wow. Thank you, Lord, that we went; it was worth the aggravation.

And it's still snowing!

Room for Jesus

I am so glad that there is room for Jesus in the White House this year. The nativity scene creche pictured above is being displayed in the East Room, as it has been every year since 1967, by every administration. Apparently, there was a consideration that it wouldn't be this year and I don't know all the details on that, except it has something to do with the President's family planning a "non-religious Christmas." From what I read, "tradition" won out after all, and that certainly is a good thing from my vantage point. A Christmas without Christ would be like Valentine's Day without love if that makes any sense. That would have been sad indeed.

Now that that has been apparently settled, what about us as individuals? Is there room for Jesus in your home and mine this year? Or will we be too busy with decorating, cookie baking, and running to stores? Not that these things are wrong, of course, but they are if they crowd out Jesus. Let's make sure we give the Christ child His rightful place in our lives and remember the reason we celebrate this holiday in the first place. And most importantly, I hope we remember why His first coming was so important and what He accomplished when He came. Is there room in your heart for Jesus?

Thou dost reign on high with a kingly crown,
Yet thou camest to earth for me,
And in Bethlehem's home was there found no room
For thy holy nativity:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for thee.

Cookies and Things

My two little sweeties and their mommy came over on Saturday and this is what we all did. Now that was fun! Aren't grandchildren the best? One of these days we may pass on the recipe; they were yummy. I am not a great fan of gingerbread cookies, but we adjusted a recipe from Allrecipes. com and they came out delicious. Or maybe we should keep it in our secret family recipes, so that Selena and Shana can it put away in their hope chests.

And Selena even helped us trim the tree for the first time! (Sorry I don't have a photo.) And what was Shana doing then? She was dancing around the room with ornaments! Well, it was one of those days we nannas love best. And this particular nanna needed that day. Lots of less fun things going on around here these days which I'll share at another time. All is well, though, and as you know, God is good...all the time.

Proving Myself

I've recently made a rather strange discovery: I like geometry. In fact, I really like it--a lot. When my older daughter Bev was going through this unpleasant experience (for her), we had folks in our life who were available and willing to help her get through it, but Neesie's situation is different and there is really no one convenient to help, other than the teachers at ABeka.There are times when that may be useful, but you can just imagine how needful it is to have someone right on the spot to work with any student. Unfortunately, her dad and I never had the subject when we were in school. Well, at this late stage in my life, I am trying to learn it as best I can so that I can better talk to her about why the answers are what they are in my teacher key. And I am learning! And wow, is it ever fascinating! (I think my daughters view me as a bit odd that I enjoy it so much, but they shouldn't be surprised considering their mom is one of those weird people who likes to do logic puzzles while sitting in waiting rooms and riding in the car.)

Neesie says it has helped that I can talk to her about things and make some sort of sense when I couldn't before. I'm still behind where they are in class, but pray I can keep up enough to help her with the many ins and outs of angles, quads, triangles, and the rest. At least now I know what S.A.S. means and what a transversal is ! (Okay, I'm showing off.) Now if I learn to do a proof all by myself without looking in the teacher's book, I will really have proved myself! I'm getting a lot of help from Geometry for Dummies (appropriate for me), so by and by, maybe I'll get there.

Anyway, I can't spend my days doing geometry. I have to cook, clean, drive the mom taxi, grocery shop, and all that boring stuff. So. . . . blogging is being pushed aside again. But I'll be back! And I'll sneak in to see you my dear friends every little chance I get. That is, when I'm not doing geometry!