Great Weekend

Please excuse me if this post seems scattered.  I have lots of things on my mind.  Friday I seemed to experience a variety of emotion.  I found myself thinking of all the veterans who have selflessly served our country and defended our freedoms - friends and family in their twenties and thirties, as well as the ninety-three year old deacon in our church who can remember vivid details of his World War II service in the Pacific.  I am so thankful for each and every one of them.  Happy Veterans Day.

Bro. Charles G. Kitchens and me

I also found myself overwhelmed by the Total Depravity of man.  Friends and I at work discussed the scandal at Penn State, and it is utterly despicable and disheartening.  We should all be in prayer for the victims and their families during this tough time.  I can only look to the Righteous God we serve during times as these.

Then, Friday night, my mom and I went to see October Baby at the movie theater.  I highly recommend this movie to everyone.  It is an amazing story of the gift of life and the power of forgiveness.  At 18, the protagonist, Hannah, discovers that she was adopted as a baby after a failed abortion attempt.  You will be moved as she makes her journey.  The showing in Birmingham was a limited release.  Hopefully, it will hit theaters everywhere in the spring.  Pray that funds are raised to distribute this film throughout the USA.  Many of the scenes were filmed in Birmingham and other locations in Alabama.  In fact, several friends are sitting in the scene at the theater.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful fall day in Alabama.  I assisted my mother and brother-in-law to rid our yard of leaves.  The end result was a Great Wall of Leaves that resembled a fortress for the outer boundaries.  Where is a Four-Year Old to jump in the pile when you need him/her?

And today, I heard the beginning to an amazing series of sermons by my pastor.  It is titled "The Importance of Godly Parenting".  I was convicted, encouraged, and inspired.  I can't wait for the rest.  Check them out at www.zionrestpbc.org.  

Yes, it has been a wonderful weekend.

Food Court Surprise!

How fun would that be? A LOT! Merry Christmas!

"For unto us a Saviour is born."

Gift Exchange

I have a Christmas party to attend tomorrow night where we are having a gift exchange. There will be males and females there from ages 22 to 50+. So, what do I get? Oddly enough, I found it hard to find a good list of " great gifts for both genders under $15-$20". I wandered around the mall tonight for a while, and came up with a list of my own. Hope it helps anyone else out there struggling for an idea!

1. Blanket/throw (I gave this last year and it went over well.)
2. Ornament
3. Flash drive
4. Hand sanitizer, lotion. (my gift this year - perhaps slightly on the girlie side, but who can't use hand sanitizer, especially during the flu season?)
5. Serving pieces (nice platters, cake knives, salad tossers, etc.)
6. Movie package (vouchers or DVD rentals)
7. Cocoa and mugs
8. Homemade gift, for the artsy types! Someone did a painting last year that was a big hit.
9. Magic 8 ball? Magnetic poetry? Rubix cube? These just came to me spontaneously. You probably wouldn't buy it for yourself, but you know you can't refuse to pick one up if someone else has it and just play with it.
10. And of course, if nothing else, gift cards are always wildly popular. Chic-fil-a was a popular one last year for grabs. Any restaurants or coffee places are great.

What ideas do you have? Comments? Thoughts?

Thanksgiving

I would say that I am late, but it is never to late to give thanks.  I have so many things to be thankful for.  If I tried to list them all, I don't think I could.  But, it is so important to make every effort as often as possible to give thanks and see what the Lord has done in our lives.  If we fail to remember, it will be easy to forget.  So, without further delay, a wee glimpse of my thanks:

• Family - immediate, extended, church...I love them all.
• Friends whose love is unconditional
• Living in the United States of America - still the greatest country in the world to live, though I pray for it daily.
• My Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and his gift of hope to each and every one of his children.  Without this solid hope, I would be lost many days.
• Chic-Fil-A - My food pyramid some weeks really does consist of 1) Chic-Fil-A, and 2) everything else.
• Sweet Tea
• Music
• The Written Word and the Preached Word
• Blankets and Gas Heaters
• Health
• Grace

So many more...The Lord has been so good to me, I want to sing his praise, I want to glorify his name, all my remaining days.

Halloween Pics!

Yes, I'm a little late - such is my life these days.  But, I wanted to share these pics.  I haven't carved a pumpkin in about 4 years, but I was invited to a carving party this year and had a ton of fun.  I love being creative when I have the time.  I decided to go with a spider, and was quite happy at the spooky effect it had in the dark.

With a Grateful Heart

Thanks to all my Heroes. Thanks to those who have given me my freedom and who keep me free. Thanks for your service and selfless devotion. Thanks for all the many things words can't express.

You are not forgotten.

Tacky Christmas Party!

I love these kids! Last night we had our first (but should be annual) tacky Christmas party! Everyone dressed in the ugliest Christmas sweater they could find and we all got together to eat good food, fellowship, and play games. It was lots of fun. We hope you have tons of fun and eat lots of good food this holiday also. Merry Christmas!

Happy Veteran's Day

Out of all the holidays we celebrate as a nation, I find Veteran's Day to be up at the top of my list. Memorial Day would probably have to be tied with it. These are two days out of the year that we truly honor and remember our heroes of wars present and past. It was announced on the news today that there are still a few (it may actually be only one or two) surviving veterans of World War I. Can you imagine the things they have seen? They witnessed the first world war when everyone thought the world would end, only to witness a second world war, when again, everyone thought the world would end. (Matthew 24:6) Since then, numerous other wars have been fought. I have had the great privilege of knowing several World War II veterans. Each has a different story to tell. And slowly, members of this generation are "fading." My dad preached the funeral of two gentlemen this past week, both of whom we discovered later were serving in the India/China/Pacific region of World War II at the same time. He quoted General Douglas McArthur in his farewell address to Congress after returning from the war:

"Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

We owe a tremendous amount to our soldiers, past and present. Our nation would not be what it is without their faithful, selfless service. We owe the very protection of our freedoms to each and every one.

I was touched today by the post on msnbc.com's Field Notes:

4 Hour Shoeshine Honors Nation's Military

You can find stories here that won't make the headline news, but are most certainly worthy of reading. This post highlights the sentinels that guard the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetary. If you have ever been and watched the changing of the guard, it is an experience you will never forget. But, reading this article I learned some new things about the guard. For example, everything is done by 21 (21 steps, 21 second pause, etc.), because 21 is a perfect number in the military. Each sentinel also spends an additional 4-6 hours simply shining his shoes for the next day's 2 hour shift. They stand by perfection. And they honor those who lost their lives in the call of duty, and were simply labeled "MIA", because their remains were never found.

So, although late in the day, remember the veterans you know, and those you don't. Say a prayer of thanksgiving for their service. And honor them not only today, but every day.

I Beat Them to the Punch

Yesterday, my dad installed his speakers for our computer. It's basically surround sound for our computer. We've had them for a couple of years now, but they haven't worked properly until now. To celebrate, he brought me downstairs to listen to "Christmas with the Rat Pack".

Dean Martin's silky smooth voice echoed throughout our basement singing, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." Then, "Baby, It's Cold Outside", followed by my request, "White Christmas". Dean Martin had a voice unlike any other, and dad and I talked about how Frank Sinatra was great, but his voice couldn't compare with Dean's. Dad said when Dean performed, it was just "effortless". It didn't look like he was even trying. "Frank was more popular and sold more records, but Dean...Dean was the singer."

So, this morning, November 2nd, I woke up and started singing in the shower. Not completely unusual so far. But this is how I beat "the man" to the punch...I was singing Christmas songs. On November 2nd. Barely into the month of November, and I'm singing "White Christmas" and "Joy to the World" in my shower. Before all the stores, before all the radio stations. At least as far as I know. I win this year. I'm in the Christmas spirit before everyone tells me I'm supposed to be in the Christmas spirit.