Tornados and Earthquakes



Yesterday afternoon tornados ripped through the countryside of our small town of Tipton, Oklahoma.  Tornados are common in southwest Oklahoma, but not in November!  Of course, we've also had earthquakes in the past few days, too.  They weren't centered here, but most people felt them. 

Storm sires blared yesterday afternoon.  The school quickly alerted parents that shelters were being opened, and that the students were being kept safe in those shelters.  Safety drills are practiced every year, but rarely do they ever get put into action in real emergency situations.  Monday they did.  Monday those drills were put into effect and utilized in the best way possible with positive results.  I am GRATEFUL that my children were safe and taken care of during the storm!

My husband watched the tornados from the back porch of his work. (Crazy, yes!  But, I have to admit I would have been watching it, too!) These pictures were taken at the school by some of the teachers.  I was out of town buying supplies for our school carnival, stuck there longer than expected to make sure I didn't drive into the path of the tornado.  I am GRATEFUL for the safety of others in the path of the tornado.

At one point the larger tornado was a mile wide.  Our town doesn't even have a thousand people.  If the tornado had been that wide and gone through the middle of town, our entire town could have been wiped out!.  I am GRATEFUL that the tornado was mostly in the country, not destroying too much!

This couple lives 3-4 miles southeast of us.  They were trapped in their cellar by a fallen tree, but thankfully safe from the tornado that damaged their home and property.  You may have seen their interview on the news.  I am GRATEFUL that the Potts' lives were spared and very thankful that their loss, though significant, isn't total loss of their home!

Here are some links on the Tipton, OK tornado:
http://www.kswo.com/story/15982379/tipton-couple-locked-in-cellar-during-tornado
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St2GRfl3E2Y&feature=share
http://www.kswo.com/story/15981044/agriculture-building-destroyed-in-okla-tornado
http://www.koco.com/video/29707363/detail.html

I can't believe that with the tornados and earthquakes, I've been out of town during both!

On this GRATITUESDAY, it's easy to say what I'm grateful for:  For God's protection of my family, my community, and my home from the tornados......and earthquakes.  And, very grateful for the much-needed several inches of rain we received last night!

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

When the earth and all its people quake,

it is I who hold its pillars firm.

Psalm 75:3

Canton Trade Days Ladies Weekend

For a long, long time, one of my sister-in-law's has been planning a family road trip for all of the ladies on my husband's side of the family.  Out of thirteen grown ladies, we had six that attended, with two others joining us during other parts of the weekend.  It was a great time of family togetherness (and shopping, of course!).

Here we are posing with our purchases at the end of the day.  That's me on the right.

The weekend began at one of my brother and sister-in-law's homes in Frisco, TX.  They are gracious hosts and lovingly made their home our Bed and Breakfast for the weekend.  Thanks, J & D!!

My sister-in-law even had personalized cups waiting for us with a sweet scripture.  She had Andes mints for us to put on our pillows, had evening snacks read when we arrived, and had prepared food for the whole weekend.

Yummy breakfast for the mornings!  Perfect for the morning of our big Saturday trip to Canton Trade Days as well as for Sunday morning before worship.

This was hilarious!  After a while during our shopping, some of us waiting in line for the restroom.  Funny thing was that there was a whole other side of toilets not being used!!  So......the line shouldn't have ever been that long!

Towards the end of Saturday, we made several purchases, loading up our little carts quite well!

This is my "big" purchase, (the rest of my purchases can be seen at our family recipe blog HERE.) although it was only $35.  (Some I saw were $85 and $100!!)  I want it for decoration in the yard.  Cute carrying baskets on the back - perfect for flowers! 

The joke was that I had the big Expedition, so I needed to bring a trailer.  The problem was that, according to my husband, I can't even drive sometimes without a trailer....how was I going to drive with one??? :)  Well, I'm thrilled to say that I did great and I never got into a situation where I had to back up - so that was even better!!  (Yay me!)

I had to drive around for quite a while trying to find some of my family to pick up a piece of furniture one of them had bought.  This is ONE of the interesting things I saw while driving!!

A beautiful site at the end of the day.  This is one of the gate entries for the Trade Days.

On Sunday, those who stayed Saturday night went to worship where my brother-in-law preaches, at McDermott Road. After lunch, another sister-in-law and I went to The Container Store. What a neat place!!!

Before I left Frisco for Oklahoma, I stopped for a sweet treat.  This is from Paciugo, a gelato cafe.  It's turtle gelato - yum!!

On my way home last night.....a beautiful sunset!

Of course the shopping was fun.  Of course the food was all yummy.  But the best part of the whole thing was being together with family.  I'm looking forward to the next excursion!

Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me……Not Texting LOL

Note from Lori: I read this article last night in an online magazine called "Victory Herald".  Immediately I read it to my husband and oldest two children who were still awake, then wrote the author, Ann, and asked for permission to post it on my blog.  She said yes, so I'm sharing it with you!  Thank you, Ann!  I love your thoughts about sharing God's Word with your grandchildren in a way that relates to them!!  (Wonder what new-fangled thing I'll be using some day to communicate with mine??? :)

Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me……Not Texting LOL

If you had told me last month that I would be texting, I would have said, “No way, Jos’e.”

You see, I had been trying to convince my grandchildren what a waste of time it was and how they are missing out on life. Their phones were always tucked somewhere on their bodies, as if they were part of their anatomy, and they would constantly be pulling them out and looking at them. What a mystery this was to me, their grandmother.

Their father, my son, would say, “Mom it’s no use, that’s the way the world is now days, and we can’t change it.”

So when my son offered to put me on his phone plan and supply me with my own phone with a neat keyboard, I was reluctant. When he told me that I had unlimited texting, I was not the least bit impressed. Why in the world would I ever need that. But I was happy to have a reliable way to get in touch with family when I was out of town and in emergencies. Then my ten-year-old granddaughter Karson introduced me to the world of texting and sending and how to keyboard. “WOW!” what an interesting piece of 2x4 plastic.

The next morning, I sent my first text to all six of my grandchildren, just to encourage them and wish them a great day before school. I reminded them that there were thousands of young people in the world who did not have a school to attend, nor a breakfast to eat, and that I wanted them to be thankful for what God had given them. I knew this would be something new for them, since I had spelled out every word and used proper punctuation. I signed off (G-mama(:~)SMILE).

My granddaughter Courtney texted me back and said, “Grandma, you don’t have to sign your name; we know who it’s from.”

After several days of texting, and my being late one day, another granddaughter, Brittany, called and said “Grandma, you forgot our text today.”

I knew then that God had given me a new way to get His word and thoughts into my grandchildren. They weren’t coming to me as often as before, so I had found a way to go to them. My heart and mind went into overdrive with all the things I could share with them over the next 20 years or however long I may live. How excited I was! I didn’t have to bother them with a call, they could read my text at their convenience or delete me if they chose.

Each morning as I have my time with God, I can share with them some wonderful things God shows me from His Word or something interesting I hear. As a retired nurse, I love to tell them how beautifully and wonderfully they are made.

I shared on the second day, “If you took all 300,000,000 sacs called alveoli in our lungs, and laid them out, they would cover the surface area forty times larger than the skin’s, an area large enough to carpet a….Wait, Wait—Don’t tell me…a small classroom. What a great Creator we have!”

So I have gone from a texting hater to a texting lover. With all the crazy things going on in the world of technology, it can be used for so many good things. When my text is going to the cell tower miles away and back down to my grandchildren’s hands, I am filling the earth with the Glory of God.

One of my favorite scripture passages, Psalm 71:17,18, says: “ Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, til I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”
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First appeared in Mature Living, October 2011
Ann Knight

Elizabethtown, Kentucky

Molded Creations

Yesterday I had the opportunity to travel close to my hometown to speak at a ladies' night event (I forgot my camera :( so didn't post pictures.).  In fact, I drove right by where I spent lots and lots and LOTS of hours "working" with my dad and grandpa in the cotton field.  (Remember my ladybug post?  This is the same field!).  It was fun driving that highway and remembering things from my childhood!

I distinctly remember this particular field for several reasons:  the ladybugs, my little bitty shovel that I tried and tried (finally succeeded - yay!) to use to jump the irrigation ditch like my dad and grandpa did, and making this little thing out of mud from the ditch.  I don't even know what to call it, but it sits on my kitchen window sill above the sink.  I made it when I was about 10 years old.  After it was totally dried, I painted it.  It's been with me ever since.....32 years.  That's amazing to me!

This summer, while washing dishes, I happened to look at my little dried mud art piece and noticed that some of the paint was flaking off.  I quickly took it and repainted the small part and sealed it with glue.  Now it's as good as new again and it's back in its designated spot on the window sill.

Just as this small piece of dried, molded mud is sentimental and special to me, we are molded and made by God and we are special to him.  My piece of art isn't much.  It doesn't do much and can't do much.  God's handiwork....His creation....is wonderful and amazing.  WE are wonderful and amazing!!  We can think!  We can do!  In fact, we were created to do good things for Him!

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. 

Isaiah 64:8

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

During this 30 Day Giving Challenge, think about what you were created to do.  Think about your purpose.  Think about ways to do good works for God by giving to those in need.  Think of ways to serve Him by encouraging others.  By doing so, you will be finding your purpose and glorifying Him.

You are His handiwork....molded and made by the loving Creator.  You are special and your purpose is special!

Thirty Days of Giving - Be Challenged!

My cousin-in-law Alyssa, at Keeping the Kingdom First, is hosting The 30-Day Giving Challenge again this year.  I have accepted the challenge and encourage you to do the same.

With November here, we automatically begin thinking about Thanksgiving.  Why not make the whole month of November a month of thanks and giving?  While going through this 30-day challenge of giving something each day, you will be blessed in return.  With each gift or act of kindness, you will feel good to have helped someone else.  You will also begin to think more about the needs of others around you.

There are all sorts of way to give during this challenge.  You can give money, of course, but you can also give supplies, food, and clothing.  Those are things we naturally think about as ways to help others.  But I want to suggest another way that you can give of yourself during this challenge:  Give of your time.

Time is a precious thing to all of us, but sometimes we become stingy and selfish with our time.  Think about the hours you spend watching TV or hours on the computer or maybe enjoying a hobby.  Could you give up some of that time to help someone else - to give of yourself to help others?

It's great to give money, food, supplies, and clothes - and in fact, it's needed.  But, we must also make sure we are giving of ourselves from the heart and not just giving to fulfill and obligation - as a sense of duty.

Because I live in a very, very small town (less than 900 people) my ways to volunteer will be different than yours, but here are some ways to give in the next 30 days:

  1.  Volunteer to read a book at school.
  2.  Volunteer to take an elderly person shopping or to the grocery store.
  3.  Volunteer to babysit (free of charge) for a family with young children.
  4.  Take a meal to a neighbor.
  5.  Take a care package to a hospital waiting room.
  6.  Go visit patients in the hospital.
  7.  Take a group of adults, teens, or children to the nursing home to visit and sing.
  8.  Send someone a card. (homemade or purchased)
  9.  Bake cookies or muffins and take them to work to share with your co-workers.
10.  Volunteer to rake leaves in an elderly person's yard (or other yard work).
11.  Volunteer to take elderly people to their doctor's appointment.
12.  In line at a fast food drive-thru, pay for the person's meal/order behind you.
13.  Take flowers to an office (ex. your bank, doctor's office, post office, etc.)
14.  Send a hand-written note to a teenager (they'll be shocked that it's not a text message)
15.  If your child is in school, volunteer to help with school events, parties and carnivals.  Even if you work, those in charge can use your help in some way.
16.  Make fall door decorations and take them to nursing home residents.
17.  Take a meal to a family with a newborn baby.
18.  Help organize food boxes to give away to families in need.
19.  Send a note of encouragement to men and women in the military.
20.  Volunteer your time at a women's shelter, a soup kitchen, or other service provider.
21.  Take the time to call or go visit widows and widowers.  This time of year can be especially lonely for those who have lost their spouses and whose children may not live close by.
22.  Invite someone to your home.  This could be for a meal, for coffee/tea, desserts, or maybe a game.
23.  Host a neighborhood ladies' brunch.  Hand-deliver invitations.  Play ice-breaker-type games that allow each person time to talk.
24.  Host a ladies salad supper with friends or Christian sisters from your congregation.  Have them bring an item from their past to tell about, as well as their favorite salad.
25.  Most people do not like to ask for help, even if they need it.  Offer to help others in a specific way, such as, "I have Monday morning free.  Why don't I come help you with whatever you need done?" 

I look forward to this challenge and know that it really will be a challenge.  It is something I will need to plan for daily.  It won't just happen.  I have to "plan" for it to happen.  On the other hand, I can expect to be blessed by God because of this challenge.

Look what Jesus told the disciples: 

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38

So, are you up for the challenge?  What other ways can you think of that you can give during this month?