91st Annual Tipton Children's Home Homecoming

What a FUN day it was celebrating TCH's 91st anniversary and homecoming for all of the alumni of TCH, as well as for our high school!

 Over a year ago, a former TCH resident told of her biscuit-making days. She's either the middle girl or the 4th girl in the picture above.  She told about making biscuits for about 225 people every morning!

 The alumni director began getting out all of the "baking" pictures she could find and I, plus a few others, began helping come up with decorations to go with this year's planned "Biscuit" theme.

 It turned out so cute!!  Everyone loved the baking and biscuit theme, with lots of special things added to make the celebration a success.

 Our resident carpenter made recipe card holder centerpieces to be given away.  We placed the Biscuit recipe into the slit and tied each rolling pin with a biscuit cutter.  There were 50 given away!

 It's fun finding pictures from the past that go along with each year's theme.

 And it was easy to use real kitchen items to go along with the look!

 We chose a red, turquoise/aqua and white theme for the colors.

 Just for fun, we decoupaged some biscuits and put in them little baskets (Hobby Lobby).  The biscuits were air dried for many days, then decoupaged with Modge Podge.

 The chefs hats were a fun addition. These were "disposable" and a kind of fabric.  They were a little strange on top with four holes!  I guess it was for ventilation!  But, I got used to it and used them on the tables, anyway.

 The local antique store let us borrow several things, like this cute table!

 These old scales and mixing bowls were in the cafeteria basement.  And then more borrowed items.

 The scales were originally used in the cafeteria and light up.  Very neat!

 This old stove was a WONDERFUL addition to our decorations, and came about by accident! We just happened to mention getting one from a town nearby and one of the secretary's sisters-in-law had one in town.  And the colors on it were perfect!  See the iron skillet with biscuits on the stove?

 Not the best picture, but I've just decided not to care and be glad I have a memory of times like this.  I used to never be in pictures, but figured that some day - when I'm no longer here - my family will be glad I'm in a few!

 Here's Joe and the "biscuit" maker and the reason we began this theme.  She was telling some funny story about how her husband teased her about her biscuit making when they first were married.  She's got some great stories of the past, for sure!

The celebration ended with biscuits, of course.  Lunch was wonderful! Fried chicken strips, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, gravy and biscuits.....oh, and cobbler!  Then it was off for exploring the campus.

(Sojourners posing in front of my old pickup. That was where they wanted their annual group picture!  Good! That justifies me having it even more.  Oh, and I had someone want to buy it yesterday. It's not for sale unless you ask our oldest son! Ha ha!)

Thank you to all at TCH who worked to make this year's celebration a huge success. We owe a BIG thanks to the Sojourners who helped us get ready for the day.  And to the alumni, you are why we have this special day.  YOU are always, always welcome.  We want you to come Home any time.

State Football Championship Ring Ceremony

When our football team won the Class C Championship in December, a fundraiser began immediately to raise money for the team, coaches, and assistants to get rings to commemorate this special occasion.  On Sunday afternoon, the rings were officially given out.

Our 16-year-old was really excited to be a part of this State Championship team.  He was on last year's team that lost in the State Championship, so experiencing this big win was quite special.  

And although our oldest son, who is a Senior this year, doesn't play football, he is the sports commentator and is known as the "Voice of the Tigers" on our school's broadcasting network through his FFA Ag Communications class.  He's been doing the live broadcasts for events the past two years, so when the administration wanted to recognize him in this way, he was very, very appreciative!  So were we, as his parents!  Pretty neat to be honored like this.  

A special part of the team this year was that our nephew is now the head football coach.  He had been an assistant for three years prior to this.  Also, our brother-in-law is one of the assistants.  How fun to have an uncle and cousin being coaches for your team!  And fine Christian men they are, which is even better.

The boys are showing off their rings here.  They are BIG rings, too!!  They won't be wearing them every day, but have them to wear on occasions.  The cheerleaders, cheer sponsors, and video technician also got awarded, but instead of rings, the females got pendants to wear on chains.

Here's our youngest with his teammates that are also Sophomores.  They'll be Seniors in no time!

What a special memory this ceremony will be for our boys!  A great season of DOMINANCE on the field!  Way to go, Tigers!

Train Up A Child

Yesterday was a wonderful day!  Yes, it was the day the saints come together to worship the Lord, but yesterday was even a little more special for us because our morning worship was led by the young men of our congregation.  We're thankful that the elders and our preacher worked this out so that the young men could have this time to led and train to become the future leaders of the church.

Our oldest son preached. He has given several devotional talks and mini sermons for quite a few years - the first when he was 10 or so - but nothing ever this big or this long!  We kept asking him how long it would be and he would say, "I hope at least 15 minutes!"  You just never know exactly how long you're going to speak when you get to going! I know that from experience in ladies' day events. :)  (Oops! Had to work on that!)  But Z did a wonderful job delivering a message from God's Word, encouraging us to not have "Blurred Vision".  At moments like these, I realize he's grown. He doesn't even seem like an 18 year old, but more like a 20-something year old! It's awkward at times, being a parent to someone so mature, because he seems more mature than I am in some things.  (true confession)  He's a good example for all of us.

Our middle boys gave the devotional thoughts before the Lord's Supper.  He hadn't ever done anything like this before, so it was good for him. He came up with the analysis all on his own, using a real-life example of how we can get into the routine of partaking of the Lord's Supper without giving it the thought we should - about Jesus dying on the cross.  I loved how he gave it in all seriousness, but how I could still see his personality within his little talk.  It was a great learning opportunity for him. I'm glad he saw that he could do it - that he was capable of doing it.  I knew he could.  He knows it now, too!

And our youngest led the opening prayer and helped serve the Lord's Supper.  He told me before we left for Bible Class that his prayer might be too long because he had really thought about what he was going to say.  It wasn't too long and it was great to know and realize that he had thought about what he was going to say in advance.  I'm surprised this one hasn't offered to do a devotional, yet. When he was young he would preach whole sermons at home! :)

The boys who helped with the service did a great job, as well.  Our nephew led the singing.  Others helped serve the Lord's Supper.  Others prayed.  It's surely a blessing to have young men who are willing and able to serve. Others are in the process of learning.  It's a wonderful to give them opportunities to learn to lead.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 

Proverbs 22:6

Fellowship With God

Do you ever think about what it would have been like to be Eve before the first sin?  Walking around in the garden of Eden, not a care in the world, just enjoying the beautiful creation and enjoying talks with God and spending so much time with Adam.  Doesn't it sound wonderful - before the fall? It sure does to me! I can't even imagine how it must have been.

As Christians, we have a fellowship with God, as well. It's different than Eve's was, of course, but it's still a closeness, an intimacy, that is there for us if we take advantage of it. 

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

 1 John 1:5-9

But just like sin got in the way of Eve's fellowship with God, it gets in the way of our fellowship with God, as well.  However, the blood of Jesus was shed for our sins, and though we will still mess up from time to time, we can continue in that fellowship with God by following out His commands:  Walk in the light and by confessing our sins.

God WANTS us to walk in the light! He longs for us to have fellowship with Him!  Isn't that wonderful news?!  He's not putting guards at the entrance with flaming swords denying us further access from Him.  Jesus did away with all barriers between us and God. He was and is our bridge to Our Heavenly Father!

Below is a breakdown of the words above from the original Greek meaning (www.blueletterbible.com) and from the Vine's dictionary on that site.  It's great seeing the original meaning to gain further understanding into the scriptures.

Fellowship: fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation

Walk: To make one's way, progress; to make due use of opportunities

Darkness: of ignorance respecting divine things and human duties, and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality

The light: God is light because light has the extremely delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant quality of truth and its knowledge...together with the spiritual purity associated with it....that which is exposed to the view of ....all, openly, publicly reason, mind....the power of understanding esp. moral and spiritual truth

We have: To have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have (hold) possession of the mind (refers to alarm, agitating emotions, etc.), to hold fast keep, to have or comprise or involve, to regard or consider or hold as

One with another: with, after, behind

Cleanses: In a moral sense: a) to free from defilement of sin and from faults, b) to purify from wickedness, c) to free from guilt of sin, to purify, d) to consecrate by cleansing or purifying, e) to consecrate, dedicate

Sin: that which is done wrong, sin, an offense, a violation of the divine law in thought or in act

Deceive: to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way, b) to go astray, wander, roam about...to lead away from the truth, to lead into error, to deceive...to be led into error...to be led aside from the path of virtue, to go astray, sin...to sever or fall away from the truth of heretics...to be led away into error and sin

Truth: what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth...the truth as taught in the Christian religion, respecting God and the execution of his purposes through Christ, and respecting the duties of man, opposing alike to the superstitions of the Gentiles and the inventions of the Jews, and the corrupt opinions and precepts of false teachers even among Christians

Confess: to confess, i.e. to admit or declare one's self guilty of what one is accused of...to profess...
to declare openly, speak out freely

Faithful: of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties...one who kept his plighted faith, worthy of trust...that can be relied on

Just: righteous, observing divine laws...innocent, faultless, guiltless

Unrighteousness: unrighteousness of heart and life...a deed violating law and justice, act of unrighteousness

"Why Me?" "Why Not Me?"

Do you every go through something and think, "Why me?"?  Or do you ever see someone else going through something and think, "Why them?"?

I once heard or read something that simply asked this question, "Why not me?"  Ouch!  Makes me think, how about you?  It's true, though, why not me? Why shouldn't I go through something? Why shouldn't you?  We're all alike.  We're not too high and mighty to have calamity.  I'm not too special to have some major catastrophe in my life.  None of us are.  We're all the same.

Dear friends, don’t be surprised by the fiery troubles that are coming in order to test you. Don’t feel as though something strange is happening to you, but be happy as you share Christ’s sufferings. Then you will also be full of joy when he appears again in his glory. 1 Peter 4:12-13

Most likely nothing we will go through will even compare to what Christ went through, yet when we are hurting and suffering, we can reflect back to what he went through.  The verse above says we can "share" in His sufferings.  Perhaps as we "share" them, we will appreciate them even more.

It's really hard to see people suffer.  It's hard to suffer, ourselves.  But oftentimes, the suffering brings us closer to the Savior, and that's right where we need to be.  

 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed because the Spirit of glory—the Spirit of God—is resting on you.

If you suffer, you shouldn’t suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker.  If you suffer for being a Christian, don’t feel ashamed, but praise God for being called that name.  1 Peter 4:14-16