Persian Gulf Sunrise...

Here is the sunrise my brother saw the other morning on the other side of the world...







...be safe, Dan. I love you.

Cold Weather Behavior...

60 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
Minnesotans plant gardens.

50 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People are sunbathing in Duluth.

40 above zero:
Import cars won't start.
Minnesotans drive with the sunroof open.

32 above zero:
Distilled water freezes.
The water in Bemidji gets thicker.

20 above zero:
New Mexicans don long johns, parkas, wool hats, and mittens.
Minnesotans throw on a flannel shirt.

15 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn on the heat.
People in Minnesota have one last cookout before it gets cold.

Zero:
People in Miami all die.
Minnesotans close the windows.

10 below zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico
Minnesotans dig their winter coats out of storage.

25 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
Girl Scouts in Minnesota still selling cookies door to door.

40 below zero:
Washington, D.C. finally runs out of hot air.
People in Minnesota let their dogs sleep indoors.

100 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Minnesotans get upset because the Mini-Van won't start.

460 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale).
People in Minnesota can be heard to say, "Cold 'nuff fer ya?"

500 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Minnesota public schools open 2 hours late.

**A shout out to my friend, Jolene, (who currently lives in South Florida) for sending this to me.** Thanks Jo! I can't wait for you to move back here!!

Crayons, Cookies, and the Pinewood Derby

My sister-in-law is a very creative person. On Saturday I discovered that her children have never taken store bought Valentines to school. And Jill decided that, this year, Lucas would take heart shaped crayons to give his friends. And she would make them. That's right...move over Martha Stewart!! We spent part of the afternoon unwrapping crayons, cutting/breaking them up into small pieces, and filling heart-shaped tins with the pieces.



Then she baked them and Voila...



...cheap, easy, and very cool!! The even cooler thing was that after we made the crayons I used the rest of the dark chocolate and pecans from Christmas and made heart-shaped chocolates! Yes...me. The next project was making heart-shaped cutout cookies. I even got to put sprinkles on two cookies!!



Sunday was Tyler's Pinewood Derby. His grandpa Craig helped him make his car since Dan is in the Middle East...and they ended up with a pretty good looking car. Tyler didn't place but he got a ribbon and some stuff for participating and he got interviewed by the newspaper. He was pretty excited about that.



As always here are more pics and even a video of one of the heats where Tyler placed 2nd...

Bowling...

Last night my small group chose to forego our "normal" agenda and go bowling. And what fun it was! There were 13 high school girls along with myself and Lisa Behrends. We had reserved 3 lanes and after they decided who was bowling where we got down to business! I don't bowl a lot anymore but did growing up...and I must say I really enjoy it. My dad was a very good bowler and he didn't fall short in teaching his kids how to release a ball properly! Every Sunday night when I was a kid my parents would jet off to their bowling league with our neighbors. Leaving my brother, Dan, and I to spend the evening with the neighbors son, Brad. The only thing I ever remember doing on those nights was watching "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on public television. It was awesome!

Growing up we would bowl as a family and we would always receive instruction from dad. "You're swinging your arm across your body", or "Look at the position of your wrist when you release the ball", or "It's not how fast you throw the ball it's where you're aiming", or (my personal favorite) "You need to aim for the 3rd arrow from the left". Does anyone really do that? I'm too busy looking down the alley at the pins to worry about the arrows way up by the foul line...it isn't any wonder why I didn't make the WPBA. But my did knew what he was talking about. And when he bowled...wow! He would glide up to the foul line and just before his foot was going to cross he would release the ball with the proper flick of his wrist. The ball would go spinning wildly, yet within my dad's control, and it would come mere centimeters from going in the gutter before curving out to strike just to the left of the head pin and S-T-R-I-K-E!! Just as he had planned...and all probably because he aimed for the 3rd arrow from the left!

My dad's instruction still rings true today when I bowl. And I tried to put it to use again last night. We weren't really competing against each, although a couple friendly battles did arise...I lost by about 5 pins to Lisa B. It was close!! I know you're anxious to see the pictures and videos from our bowling adventure last night. So, here you go!!

Update from yesterday's blog...

Apparently I'm not as "up" on my nephew's life as I led you to believe. Go figure...

He informed me that he now goes to IUPUI and is majoring in Social Work. Oh well, I'm not the perfect aunt...

My nephew...

This is a blog about my nephew, Drew. He is the youngest of three and the only boy in his family. How did I choose to blog about him instead of the 15 other nieces and nephews I have? Good question...the only reason is I caught him with my video camera singing at the piano over New Years and I want to show the world!! He's good!! He plays the piano and the guitar by ear, has been in a couple bands over the years, and currently is in school at Indiana University majoring in Secondary Education (at least right now). He's just an all-around great guy!! I love you, Drew!!

Quote...

I ran across this quote today and I thought it was good.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle

Your thoughts?

Snow Day

Yesterday was a snow day for me. Jill and the boys were out of town so I had dog duty. I went to the Norwalk girls basketball game Saturday night and by the time the game was over the snow was already falling pretty heavily. I had pretty much made up my mind to stay home Sunday morning instead of driving 20 minutes to church and 20 minutes back to take care of the dog. But my mind was 100% made up when I looked out the window Sunday morning and saw the driveway covered with about 5 inches of snow...and me not knowing how to run the snowblower. I let the dog out and fed him and then we proceeded to the couch. I knew I had to get out by 3:30 for youth group so I would have to figure out the snowblower eventually but I didn't think it would be that difficult...so I waited. I decided to watch TV and putter around until 1:00pm. Then I would go clean off the driveway. I watched an hour of "While You Were Out" and then got sucked into a movie on the Lifetime channel. As the movie was finishing up I heard a noise outside. I looked at the clock (12:55pm) and got up to look out the window. What a sight! There was a mystery man and his son snowblowing the driveway and clearing off the porch! I couldn't believe it! Their timing couldn't have been better!! I silently thanked God for the people who are watching out for my brother's family while he's in the Persian Gulf. Then I got some pretzels and a Mt. Dew and settled back on the couch to watch "Law and Order" until time for a shower.

Youth group was good. Pastor Geoff has been teaching about prayer using Jesus' prayer in John 17. He has stressed that prayer is the centerpiece of worship and Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of prayer. And he has been challenging us to cultivate lives of prayer. Not to simply make prayer part of our day but to center our lives around Jesus Christ so that prayer becomes our lifestyle. I'm reminded of a time in my life when prayer was my lifestyle. It was the summer of 1994 and I was on my first tour with The Continental Singers. Whenever someone came to me with a problem or concern my first reaction was to pray with them. From a situation at home, to a problem with a fellow tour member, to a lost pencil or Bible. The first thing I would say is, "Did you pray about it?" And then we would pray about it. One of my friends on that tour, Christa, dubbed me her Prayer Warrior. That was just who I was. Sometimes I wonder where that person has gone. And how do I get that lifestyle back?

Pastor Geoff gave us a statistic that says (if I remember correctly) 95% of American's say they pray but only 80% say they believe in God. So who, or what, are those 15% praying to? I love the verse in Deuteronomy 4:7 that says, "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him?"

So, what about you? Is prayer something you do? Or does it saturate your life?

65 Years of Bliss!

Never having been married it's hard for me to imagine sharing my life with someone for a short time let alone 65 years! But I want to honor Al and Arline Jensen for doing just that. The Jensen's are the parents of my friend, Tom, and this week they celebrated 65 years of marriage. I've gotten to know them over the years, enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner with their family, and sat in their basement eating popcorn while watching home movies of Tom when he was a kid!! Too funny!

Whenever I'm around Al and Arline it's been very evident that they don't just love each other...they genuinely like each other. I've never seem either of them without a smile on their face or a kind word on their lips. 65 years of wedded bliss. I looked up the word "bliss"…this is how dictionary.com defined it…

Bliss - noun
1. A state of supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss
2. Theology. The joy of heaven
3. Heaven: paradise: the road to eternal bliss
4. Archaic. A cause of great joy or happiness

They could be the poster couple for bliss! I know that I'm probably always seeing them on their best behavior and that they probably have been through their share of heartache in their lives but I can honestly say that they are "glass half-full" kind of people. It got me thinking...just what have they experienced in those 65 years? I chose just one year from every decade of their marriage to give you an idea…

1942 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt is president of the US; The Battle of the Midway begins, marketing the first major defeat for the Japanese; Fire at the Coconut Grove nightclub in Boston kills 491; Forced detention of 110,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast begins; German General Rommel is defeated at the Battle of El Alamein; Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to have a flight go around the world; Muhammad Ali was born; St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series; Washington Redskins win the NFL championships; Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup; Casablanca premieres at the Hollywood Theater in New York City

1952 - Harry Truman is president of the US; Elizabeth II becomes Queen of England after the death of her father, George VI; First explosion of a hydrogen device takes place at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific; Christine Jorgensen becomes the first medically and legally certified transsexual; US troops complete their pull-out from Japan; Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President of the US; Sister Theresa becomes Mother Theresa and begins her charity work in Calcutta; New York Yankees win the World Series; Detroit Lions win the NFL championship; Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup; Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is published

1962 - John F. Kennedy is president of the US; John Glenn becomes the first American in orbit when he circles the earth three times in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7; Cuban Missile Crisis occurs when Soviet offensive missile build-up is discovered; Cuban Missile Crisis is averted when President Kennedy and Soviet premiere Krushchev agree to remove missiles; Maryiln Monroe is found dead in her Los Angeles home; The drug thalidomide is recalled when it becomes linked with severe birth defects in thousands of children worldwide; Pantyhose becomes available for sale in U.S. department stores; New York Yankees win the World Series; Green Bay Packers win the NFL championship; Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley cup; Lawrence of Arabia wins the Oscar for best picture; The Beatles release their first recording: the single "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You"; Johnny Carson debuts as host of The Tonight Show.

1972 - Richard Nixon is president of the US; President Nixon approves NASA's space shuttle, a reusable spacecraft, at a cost of $5.5 billion;
Nixon arrives in China for an 8 day visit, which he calls a "journey for peace"; While campaigning for the presidency Alabama Governor George C. Wallace is shot and seriously wounded; Five men are arrested in the Watergate office complex in DC for breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee; Hurricane Agnes strikes the East Coast causing 117 deaths; First scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) os introduced for $395; Oakland Athletics win the World Series; Dallas Cowboys win Superbowl VI; Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup; The Godfather is the top grossing film; Pink Floyd debuts "The Dark Side of the Moon" during a performance at London's Rainbow Theater; "You've Got a Friend" by Carole King wins a Grammy for song of the year; The Price is Right premieres on CBS

1982 - Ronald Reagan is president of the US; The space shuttle Columbia completes its first operational flight; Actor John Belushi is found dead of a drug overdose in a West Hollywood hotel; Automobile manufacturer John Delorean is arrested and charged with possession of 59 pounds of cocaine; The first artificial heart is implanted in American Barney Clark; The Cable News Network, or CNN, is launched; 750,000 people rally against nuclear weapons in New York City's Central Park; Time Magazine's Man of the Year was for the first time given to a non-human, a computer; The first computer virus, written by Rich Skrenta, escapes into the wild;
St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series; San Francisco 49ers win Superbowl XVI; New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup; E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the top grossing film; Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off of a live bat thrown at him during a performance, later hospitalized with rabies; "I Love Rock 'N Roll" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts spends the most time at the top of the US charts; Cheers, Family Ties, Silver Spoons, and Fame premiere

1992 - George H.W. Bush is president of the US; Hurricane "Andrew" becomes the most costly in US history with $20 billion worth of damage; Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton is elected President of the United States; Riots break out in Los Angeles after police are acquitted in the Rodney King case; An "Earth Summit" is held in Brazil to address global environmental problems; Jay Leno replaces Johnny Carson as host of the Tonight Show on NBC; George H. W. Bush becomes ill on a visit in Japan and vomits on the Japanese Prime Minister; Mike Tyson goes on trial charged with raping a 1991 Miss Black America Contest contestant; Amy Fisher, the "Long Island Lolita," is arrested for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco on the front porch of her home; Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series; Washington Redskins win Superbowl XXVI; Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup; Aladdin is the top grossing film; "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men spends the most time at the top of the US charts; Mad About You and The Real World premiere

And that’s just 6 out of the 65 years…all before the turn of the millennium!! When they were asked to rate their marriage Al gave it a 9 1/2 and Arline gave it a 9 1/2 to 9 3/4...wow!

God’s blessings to you, Al and Arline. In a day and age where Satan is attacking marriages with a vengeance yours is a beacon of hope in this world!

Front Row Seat

I got this from a friend in Florida today and thought I'd share it with you. What do you think about it?

"Life is a theater - invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is holy enough and healthy enough to have a front row seat in your life.

There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships, friendships, or fellowships!

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?

When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand? Which ones know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

The more you seek God and the things of God - the more you seek quality, the more you seek not just the hand of God but the face of God - the more you seek things honorable - the more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.

You cannot change the people around you......but you can change the people you are around! Ask God for wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life!"

My Wipeout from "A Day of Sledding"...

Playing hooky...

I played hooky from work today. Actually Jill needed to take the dog to the vet and Tyler to the orthadontist and the roads were bad so I called in to work so she didn't have to have both boys out so early. It didn't take much to convince me and, after all, I did move in here to help her with the boys. But the added bonus today was that we went sledding!!



It was so much fun! We all took turns trying to stand on our feet going down and I think everyone made it...except me. But a fun day was had by all! You can view all my pics and videos of the day here. Look for the album titled "A Day of Sledding".

Sufficient Grace

Sometimes it's a little threatening to have a blog like this. I love having it and I love doing it but I think I always have to have something "profound" to post...which is why I haven't posted anything since last Friday. If you know me at all you know that I am not a very profound person...I'm just trying, like we all are, to live in a manner worthy of my calling (Phil 1:27). And often times I fail on this journey. I have been reading through Romans accompanied by Max Lucado's book "In the Grip of Grace". And you can't talk about the grace of God without coming face-to-face with the sin in your own life. Paul understood this as he wrote the following in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9:

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was giving me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

I, like Paul, have spent the last week pleading with God to remove something from my life. And I have been met with the same response from God..."my grace is sufficient."

There are times when the one thing you want is the one thing you never get. That may sound a little demanding but the Bible does say to “ask God for everything you need” (Phil 4:16).

And so you pray and wait.
No answer.
You pray and wait.
No answer.
You pray and wait.
Let me ask you the same question that Max Lucado (through his book) asked me…What if God says no? What is the request if delayed or even denied? When God says no to you, how will you respond? If God says, “I’ve given you my grace, and this is enough,” will you be content?

Content. That’s the word. A state of heart in which you would be at peace if God gave you nothing more than he already has. There are those times when God, having given us his grace, hears our appeals and says, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Is he being unfair? Is God still a good God when he says no?

You wonder why God doesn’t remove temptation from your life? If he did, you might lean on your own strength instead of his grace. A few stumbles might be what you need to convince you: His grace is sufficient for your sin.

You wonder why God doesn’t remove the enemies in your life? Perhaps because he wants you to love like he loves. Anyone can love a friend, but only a few can love an enemy. So what if you aren’t everyone’s hero? His grace is sufficient for your self-image.

You wonder why God doesn’t alter your personality? Are you a bit rough around the edges? Say things you later regret or do things you later question? Why doesn’t God make you more like him? He is. He’s just not finished with you yet. Until he is, his grace is sufficient to overcome your flaws.

For all we don’t know about thorns, we can be sure of this. God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut. And if it takes a thorn for him to make his point, he loves us enough not to pluck it out.

God has every right to say no to us. We have every reason to say thanks to him. I don’t think I’ll even sing “Your Grace Is Enough” the same again…

Beautiful God...

There's a song I've been listening to over and over the last 2 days...I really love the words. It's interesting because my devotions yesterday and today have kind of followed what the song is all about. Yesterday's was "Suffient Grace" from 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 and today was "The Civil War of the Soul" from Romans 7:7-26. I just wanted to share the words with you. Maybe in the next couple days I'll expound more on these two devotions but right now I'm just basking in His grace...it really is enough...

"Beautiful God"
by Lindsay Mcaul

Closer to your throne
I'm crawling
I blew it on my own
But you're calling
Welcoming me home and I wonder
What could you be thinking...

Beautiful God,
Did not I surprise you or catch you off guard
When I disobeyed you
I know I deserve
A life without you
But there you are with open arms
Beautiful God

Deep inside my heart
You see
Each deceptive part
But you love me
I cannot believe
Your mercy
How do you do that?

Beautiful God,
Did not I surprise you or catch you off guard
When I disobeyed you
I know I deserve
A life without you
But there you are with open arms
Beautiful God

Your grace overwhelms me
Like a river floods the plains
Your mercy washes over me
And I sing holy is your name...

Beautiful God,
Did not I surprise you or catch you off guard
When I disobeyed you
I know I deserve
A life without you
But there you are with open arms beautiful God,
There you are with open arms beautiful God,
There you are with open arms...Beautiful God

A New Year...

I celebrated the turning of the New Year with my sister’s family in Indianapolis. We got together with some friends of theirs at a hotel and ate junk food and played games until the time came to watch the ball drop and ring in the New Year. And it got me thinking. Although it’s New Years Eve it really is just another day. How come it takes the start of a new year for us (me) to determine to make changes? It’s almost like we think changes can’t be made at any time…that there has to be some kind of “special moment”. But every time we make changes, or resolutions, it is a special moment…a moment of surrender. People just seem to make more of them at the start of a new year.

I haven’t made any grand resolutions to lose weight or be better at keeping in touch with friends who are far away but I did spend some time thinking about my life and about the things that I wish were different. I do hope I am in a better place in my relationship with God than I was a year ago…that I have lived “in a manner worthy of my calling” so that whether people see me or just hear about my life they will know that I stand firm in my faith. (Phil 1:27) And I do hope that I have been faithful to God’s voice in my life. It was difficult to realize that He was telling me to wait on going to Brasil fulltime…that He wanted me to stay with SoulFire for right now. It was also difficult watching Mark battle cancer last year. But he did so without ever losing his testimony of worship…a legacy that SoulFire continues today…and it has forever changed how I look at life.

I spent some time yesterday reading through Psalm 1 and I determined that I want to be like this person in the New Year:

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

Wow…did you catch that? “Whatever he does prospers.” That is my desire. That I walk so closely with God that my every delight is found in Him. That I am planted so closely to Him that the only water I drink is from the Word of God. That I would bear fruit and be in such a right relationship with Him that whatever I do would prosper and bring Him honor, glory, and fame. That is my prayer for this year and I had one of those moments of surrender on my knees before I went to sleep last night asking God to do this in my life.

What “resolutions” do you need to make this year? “Now” is always a good time to surrender…