Let it Snow! 2015

So it's almost March, but I'm excited about this snow coming in this morning, February 27!  The first two snows of this winter we missed because we were out of town, so this is a welcomed event for me!

It's not much, though we're expected to get between one and three inches.  I'm posting these two pictures early (about 8:15 CST) and then will post more below closer to 9:00, which is when the post next to be ready to go out via email today.

There are 24 scriptures with the word snow in it in the Bible.  I don't know about you, but I don't think about there being snow during the days and the locations of the Bible, but there really was!  That seems so neat to me....and cold!  They didn't have any of our modern conveniences.  No North Face jackets. No central heat.  No warm, comfy clothes, blankets, gloves.  Brrrr!!!!  I like the snow.  But, I like being warm in the snow, too!

Praise the Lord from the earth,

    you great sea creatures and all deeps,

 fire and hail, snow and mist,

    stormy wind fulfilling his word!

Mountains and all hills,

    fruit trees and all cedars!

Beasts and all livestock,

    creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,

    princes and all rulers of the earth!

Young men and maidens together,

    old men and children!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

    for his name alone is exalted;

    his majesty is above earth and heaven.

Psalm 148:7-13

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

    and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

    it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:9-11

It's still coming down!  YAY!! Thank you, God, for the snow.  We need the moisture and it is sure pretty coming down and covering everything in a white blanket.

What Do You Love? Who Do You Love?

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39
I saw this quote this morning: What you love says who you are.  It says a lot, doesn't it?  What we love does say a whole lot about who we are. 

As a Christian, we ARE a child of God.  Do we love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, and all of our mind?  That's what is most important to Him, so we had better, hadn't we?  Anything we love first is before God. He won't be pleased by being anything less than the top priority in our lives.  And secondly, we must love our neighbor as ourselves.

Do you love yourself?  I pray you do! Do you love your neighbor as yourself, wanting the best for them, no harm to come to them, watch out for them?  

What do you love?  Who do you love? Are your priorities in life directed in the way they should be? 


What you love says who you are.  GOD wants to be #1.  Focus on that as you go through this Wednesday.  Have a great day!

Teen Valentine Banquet 2015

Last night was our annual teen Valentine Banquet and Scavenger Hunt. It was a much smaller group than we've had in past years, but still...a great group who attended.

We served the same thing as every year: beef and chicken lasagna, green beans, and garlic bread sticks.

Instead of 200 bread sticks, I only made 72! They were all gone, of course! (Have bread? They will come!)

For dessert we served the Layered Pudding Delight and Homemade Strawberry Shortcake, along with a few varieties of cookies.

The scavenger hunt consisted of two teams instead of the usual four or five teams.

And Joe had asked me to scale down the list quite a bit this year.  Probably a good thing, too! One group spent 30 minutes looking for a pink balloon!! Ha ha!!  Here's the list:
A number candle.
A pink balloon.
A signature of a deacon. (on back of this)
Sing a song preschool song to the worker at Hop ’n Sack.
Do a good deed for a high school teacher.
Get the signature of someone born in the 1940’s.
Sing a devo song for a retired teacher.
Do a good deed for an elementary teacher.
A piece of Valentine candy. Must be wrapped in Valentine paper.
A ticket from last night’s basketball game
Sing a songbook song to an elder and his wife.
Bring back 2 people who weren’t already here.

When the groups got back with the new guests, we had a devotional and sang some songs.

My husband gave the groups a hard time about their items - getting specific about some of the items!

There's something special about being around a group of teens and preteens!

They have an excitement that we adults tend to let go of as we grow up.

That's why Jesus told us to be as little children, isn't it?

The older we get, the more and more we lose that child-like quality...or the qualities....that He believes we should have.  He knows we should have.

We ended the evening with a prayer, thanking God for the day and for His guidance in keeping the eyes and minds and thoughts of the teens pure.

Here's a video of one of the teams singing to the convenience store clerk!

God Is Love

This morning as I was reading this passage, I realized that there is nothing else that could be added to it by my words.  It's simple. It's plain.  I can't add any thoughts.  I can just ask one question.  Do I love like God wants me to love?  Do you?  Read this passage....examine your heart.....and answer that question.  I made the parts that stuck out to me, especially, in bold.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. 1 John 4:7-21

What I Learned From Staying Home Alone

I can only think of one other time I was alone for more than a day and it was only 2 - 3 days, so this was very different for me.  I gained some insight during these 4 2/3 days.  Here's what I learned:

1. I can get a lot done being the only one in the house.
2. Even if I'm here alone, dishes and laundry still have to be done.
3. I'm the messiest person in this family.
4. I'm a hoarder.
5. I should be banned from buying any more craft supplies.....mesh.....ribbon....stuff.....anything, basically.
6. I'm highly distracted when sorting through "stuff" and "junk".
7. I love looking at old pictures, the kid's old papers from elementary school, baby clothes....
8. If I were to write a book called, "The 7 Habits of Highly Distracted People", my picture could be on the cover.
9. It's okay to get Valentine's Day decorations up on Feb. 13 and leave them for a few weeks (we'll see how long).
10. It's possible to not leave the house for almost 4 2/3 days, only leaving to feed the goats and see three basketball games and Sunday worship/class and evening worship. I made a pact with myself to not go anywhere those first two days at all until that night for one basketball game! I even turned down two lunch invitations in Altus - one on each of those days with family members.
12. I'm thankful that goat feeding isn't my usual job, though I love seeing the babies. Trash duty in 32 degrees isn't my cup of tea, either!
13. When Joe is gone, it's just not the same around here. I miss him and am thankful to have him for a husband - not just for what he does around here, but because he's my best friend on earth.
14. Life isn't as fun without children around. It may be noisier and more food needed, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
15. When you get a call from your husband and he doesn't say anything, you know something is wrong. It makes your heart seem to skip a beat waiting for the news. So thankful that Camry is going to be okay. A young woman skiing with her fiancée the next day wasn't as fortunate. Makes you think about this swift earthly life, your eternal life, and relationships with those you love. Puts things in perspective.