Circle of Grace

Happy Birthday!

2009-10-22T17:45:00.000-06:00

Stunning!

2009-09-22T07:12:00.000-06:00

I looked out my back door between rains last evening and spotted this beauty.

Collage Time for Sarah

2009-09-19T21:13:00.001-06:00

One inside, and one outside. Hope you like them. Not too many mosquitos inside....

She's BACK!

2009-09-05T09:03:00.001-06:00

Here I am, folks. You can quit holding your collective breaths!

Almost 5 weeks later. We are moved in, and we are LOVING our bonny Bonnie house! Beautiful hardwood floors, a BIG SEPARATE DINING ROOM, big wooden blinds in all the windows, and a BLACK kitchen and bathroom. Perfect for me. AND the back yard is wonderful--as soon as the mosquitoes die, I will go live back there. Very private and woodsy.

And we live next door to DQ. Not that that means anything to us....

And we're "around the corner" from church and my mom at the nursing home. THE BEST PART! We've been having prayer meeting here, which I love.

Greg and I just celebrated our 34th anniversary! More than a third of a century together! We are so crazy happy and blessed. Greg's working part time, driving for the nursing home.

Yesterday, Greg took me to Abilene for our anniversary. We went to the zoo @ 9am. COOL breezes! I think I got some good pics, but my computer is acting up and won't upload. Sigh. We ate at Golden Corral, and I had some sweet potato casserole, with the marshmallows on top. I took one bite, and it was Thanksgiving! It was so weird! I could TASTE Thanksgiving! Wow.

I thought about starting a series of posts on loving your husband and your children, as in Titus. May I please ask your opinion on this idea? If I get a few thumbs up, I'll get started soon.

I'm currently reading The Mortification of Sin by John Owen. Reading him is like eating steak--small bites, chew thoroughly. He is SO worth it. I took apart the book (sorry, Chad!) and put it in a notebook with blank pages between sections, so I'm commenting and writing down the good quotes--making it my own. I'm thoroughly enjoying this.

And I can't get out of Luke 1. Mary's song of praise to God has captured me. What a woman! And how God used her.

Fellowship Sunday tomorrow over here. Come see us! Mexican food!

For what it's worth, I'm back in the bloggity world again. Come back often and visit!

This Morning's Walk

2009-07-26T06:51:00.000-06:00

Isn't this beautiful? No photoshop--that's the true color! I was quite fascinated. It's a mushroom!

I marvel at God's handiwork, both in creation and in people. He is so good!

After and Before, Technically

2009-07-17T07:43:00.002-06:00

This is one of my favorite things to do: rescue potential treasures! What do you think? Yes, the cover looks amazingly like the curtain in the background for some strange reason.... Oh, yes, and the chair cost me $9.99 at Goodwill.

Update

2009-07-11T06:03:00.000-06:00

Wow, a whole month without posting. Shame on me!

Surprisingly enough, the Risses are moving. Come visit us next door to Dairy Queen. How easy it that to find! It's one of Bonnie's houses, and, if you know anything about her, it's beautiful! Hardwood floors. A REFUGE of a back yard. This is the first back yard we've had that I will actually inhabit. It's so lush back there! AND a storage room, AND a covered carport. AND a BLACK kitchen. I'm excited about that, believe it or not! My kitchen here is pink and black, with beige walls. See you on the 1st to help unload the truck!

Winters has (bad English already) been very good to us. I will miss the folks here, and we had a lovely duplex in which to live. It was a good year.

I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in Coleman. We've come full-circle. We started out there in 1992, and we're back! (Minus 6 children.) To go to church 1 minute away! To have Mom in the same town. To have the brethren right there. To be able to invite people to church. To be closer to Sarah. I am stoked.

God is good, and He is faithful!

Can You Believe It?

2009-06-11T22:16:00.002-06:00

I found what appears to be a great website. http://puritanpicks.com is what you would love *net*fl*x to be. Check it out and tell me what you think. Reasonable price, and interesting conferences available, too! No long-term commitment, either.

A Nice Dog!

2009-06-08T10:58:00.002-06:00

Anyone need a great pit bull? Her name is Downy, and she is so sweet. I might even consider her if we had a place where she could run freely. She has stolen my heart. But WOW, you can tell she is powerful! She could rip me in half easily. (Yes, that's a dinosaur bone next to her!)

Aren't they dear?

2009-06-06T10:20:00.002-06:00

There's that sly old Gregory, telling his usual story. His dear mom looks a little wary, doesn't she?

We're having a great time out here; freeze warning this morning! You KNOW how much I'm loving that! We took a three-mile walk this morning already. I love it here (but not enough to stay!).

While enjoying the folks, I'm looking forward to getting back home. I miss my place and my people.

Love to all! Thanks for your prayers.

Stranger?

2009-06-01T10:54:00.002-06:00

Greg asked little Sarah at school, "Who is stranger, grandpa, or PEEWEE?"

"No."

"What do you mean, No? Do you know what "stranger" means?"

"Yes; someone you don't know."

Love these baby grands!

In the 60's

2009-05-31T04:51:00.002-06:00

Minnesota--here we come! Greg will no longer be teaching and coaching junior high; he will be teaching GED classes some evenings. The starting date got moved to the 15th, with a workshop for him on the 12th, so we can't go as scheduled. We leave for the Land of 60-degree Highs on Tuesday. I'll be basking in that weather.

Happy Lord's Day! I am so looking forward to the preaching this morning, and tonight's the Lord's Supper. My favorite kind of day. How I missed my dear church family when I was in South Dakota!

"Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." (Psalm 40:5)

Beautiful verse! I am in awe thinking of what God is doing behind the scenes, when things look their bleakest. Thank God for God! I love holy surprises.

I really have been known to post on here....

2009-05-25T12:52:00.002-06:00

I hope to have a new post in a few days. It's so good to be home! In the meantime, please head to http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard and listen to our pastor's fine message on God Remembered Noah. What an encouragement! I needed it. Love to all my 3 readers!

Last pics of SD

2009-05-18T05:11:00.001-06:00

These are a few of my favorites, especially of Luke just waking up. I miss my babies! Thank you, Risses, for a wonderful time in your beautiful home. I love you!

The Risses

2009-05-12T08:43:00.002-06:00

This is not the best family pic, as my good camera won't transfer to this computer. But aren't they precious? A shoutout to Sarah: I NEEDED you for this photo shoot!

Much love to all! Going home tomorrow! Yahooey!

Hint, Hint for Sarah

2009-05-10T17:32:00.000-06:00

Happy Mother's Day! Sarah, your gift is NOT the frap. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Please Note the Pony Tree

2009-05-08T20:37:00.000-06:00

This was Anna's invention, with a little help from her sidekick. I thought
it was a great idea!

Meeting Bethany Hope

2009-05-08T20:18:00.000-06:00

Everyone got gifts! I got a new granddaughter, the children got sweet treats from their parents, Bethany got a sweet pillow from Tabitha, that thoughtful friend, and a pretty dress from Aunt Sarah in Texas, and Luke fell in love. It was a precious time. The bottom right is our first view of our girls.

God is good!

A Day without the Parents

2009-05-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome, Bethany Hope! God is good!

2009-05-06T17:31:00.003-06:00

Hello, Fans! A shoutout to Sarah for the family pic; the one on my good camera is excellent, but Misty laptop won't take my card. Hang on!

And Tabitha, don't the kids look great in their shirts?

Luke is in love! He didn't want to let her go. Precious. And she looks like my mom! Dark hair! Cutie! Luke looks gigantic next to her.

Thank you, Lord, for a safe labor and delivery! And thank you for your prayers.

The very grateful Emmie

PS See Misty's blog, http://family-risse.blogspot.com for better pics of Beth.

Spurgeon is Right On

2009-05-04T06:57:00.001-06:00

PS Please note there is another new post below my Hamburger Helpers.

Those who can look with delight or any degree of pleasure upon the sins of others are not holy. We know of some, who will not themselves perpetrate an unseemly jest, yet, if another does so, and there is a laugh excited upon some not over-decent remark, they laugh, and thus give sanction to the impropriety. If there is a low song sung in their hearing, which others applaud, though they cannot quite go the length of joining in the plaudits, still they secretly enjoy it; they betray a sort of gratification that they cannot disguise; they confess to a gusto that admires the wit while it cannot endorse the sentiment.

They are glad the minister was not there; they are glad to think the deacon did not happen to see them just at that moment; yet still, if there could be a law established to make the thing pretty respectable, they would not mind.

Some of you know people who fall into this snare. There are professing Christians who go where you at one time could not go; but, seeing that they do it, you go too, and there you see others engaged in sin, and it becomes respectable because you give it countenance. There are many things, in this world, that would be execrated if it were not that Christian men go to them, and the ungodly men say, "Well, if it is not righteous, there is not much harm in it, after all; it is innocent enough if we keep within bounds."Mind! mind! mind, professor, if thine heart begins to suck in the sweets of another man's sin, it is unsound in the sight of God; if thou canst even wink at another man's lust, depend upon it that thou wilt soon shut thine eye on thine own, for we are always more severe with other men than we are' with ourselves.

There must be an absence of the vital principle of godliness when we can become partakers of other men's sins by applauding or joining with them in the approval of them.Let us examine ourselves scrupulously, then, whether we be among those who have no evidences of that holiness without which no man can see God. But, beloved, we hope better things of you, and things which accompany salvation. If you and I, as in the sight of God, feel that we would be holy if we could, that there is not a sin we wish to spare, that we would be like Jesus,—O that we could!—that we would sooner suffer affliction than ever run into sin, and displease our God; if our heart be really right in God's statutes, then, despite all the imperfections we bemoan, we have holiness, wherein we may rejoice.

Not Hamburger Helpers--Chocolate Cake Helpers!

2009-05-02T18:50:00.002-06:00

Here's a shout-out to Mimi, who I'm sure misses her babies right about now! They are precious, and such good helpers! The recipe is chocolate cake from the back of the Hershey's baking cocoa can. Highly recommended.

Misty's looking beautiful and she's full of energy! I would be so wiped out! She is a hard worker.

Missing the family, the church, and the ladies.

Have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow, 4 faithful readers!

The Lord's Name in Vain

2009-05-01T22:01:00.003-06:00

http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/epl-09/wat10-10.txt This is the beginning of an excellent article by Thomas Watson on taking the Lord's name in vain.

This is something I've been thinking about lately. More on this later. I encourage you to read the article. Pretty convicting!

An Excellent Sermon

2009-05-01T21:46:00.002-06:00

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=417081452501 Who wouldn't be interested in a sermon entitled, "The Worst Sin I Have Ever Committed"? It's a LONG one, but totally worth your time. May I encourage you to listen? It might answer some questions you have about the Christian life. It blessed me! Find a quiet time, sit and listen. And let me know what you think.

Love to my 4 readers! No baby yet, but we're waiting....

Listening to the base playing Taps at 10 PM. Love it!

Revival

2009-04-29T21:33:00.002-06:00

I come all the way to Rapid City, I go to a tiny church that our son and his family attend, listen to their older, very soft-spoken pastor teach on Malachi 3, and the subject ends up being Revival! What an incredible God. Tears came to my eyes. It has also been this dear man's burden for many years. Sweet prayer meeting.

God is good!

Pray!

Tomorrow I make Rocky Road for Mike's troops. And I get to go watch a practice! Maybe I can take pics; we'll see.

Love to all!

Awaiting our little Beth,
Emmie
PS Misty and Mike went walking. I suggested jumping jacks.

Royalty on the Loose

2009-04-28T11:56:00.002-06:00

I thought Luke's hairdo was especially

handsome! Aren't they precious? Hi, Tabitha!

WELCOME to South Dakota!

2009-04-26T08:24:00.003-06:00

Surprise! Isn't the Lord wonderful? This is who greeted me last night, and this is what greeted me this morning!

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2009-04-24T19:09:00.002-06:00

...for 18 days to South Dakota to meet my soon-to-be-birthed 14th baby grand, Bethany Hope! Misty's hanging on until I get there (I hope!). I am so excited to see our dear son and his precious family.

The good news is, I found my Dramamine. I love that stuff. You don't want to be on the same planet with me without it when I need it. I had brought out so much stuff to pack, and pared it down to a small rolling suitcase with a tote. I wanted to bring so much more!

Off to see if we leave tonight or tomorrow for McKinney. Decision: We're leaving NOW.

Love to all my 4 readers. Pray for me and for them and for us!

If I don't make it back, remember I love you all and can't wait to see you in the presence of the One whom, having not seen, I love. Be ready!

Shower at the Library

2009-04-17T19:41:00.000-06:00

So what do I do in my spare time? What do you think?

Suzy Homemaker, aka Abby

2009-04-11T19:21:00.002-06:00

Isn't she precious? We had a good time together in McK. She and Aunt D were making no-bake cookies, which was poor timing. Fortunately, only Aunt D and I know what that means!

It's good to be home, but I will be headed to South Dakota the 25th to watch my other baby grands while Misty brings little Bethany into the world. Can't wait to meet that little princess! AND Sarah is pregnant, so I have another coming in December. That will make 15 baby grands. Can't get enough!

It will be great to see the Risses, but I HATE missing church! Not to mention my dear, dear husband. Six weeks of school left!

Off to read. Have a blessed Lord's Day!

They're BACK!

2009-04-04T07:34:00.000-06:00

All's well, and I'm headed HOME. Bliss.

Days 5 and 6

2009-04-03T13:32:00.004-06:00

Dash spent the morning outside, which decreased my stress level considerably. I got a lot done here.

Enjoyed a nice, uneventful day with Abby, who had a major accomplishment, of which I will spare you the details, for the sake of TMI, but we are HAPPY! I think we did a Happy Dance to celebrate. The subject is potty training, and that's all I'll say. Progress is so nice.

I wish you could hear the kids read, especially Ian. I am crazily impressed, and he's just in 1st grade. He is so sharp. I enjoy doing homework with the kids, but the reading can get kinda tedious, especially the same book, same pages, round 3.

Dean and Grace are coming home tonight! Whee! And my dear husband, for whom I have such a hankerin'. I miss that guy. Even willing to be entertained by the "symphony of the nose" from now on. I like that guy. A third of a century together--unreal. Getting better every day.

The kids will be home in a half hour, and the games begin. Let's hear it for FRIDAY! Yay!

Love you much, my 3 faithful readers. One can't have too many bloggity friends.

Thanks to the "prayers" for the prayers. They availed much! I needed them.

Day 4

2009-04-02T04:11:00.002-06:00

Wonderfully undramatic. Abby and I went to Ross to check out the deals. I'm hunting for a white shirt that is not see-through. Tough assignment.

We had R and D over for supper last night. I made jambalaya. It was a hit. Good stuff. They are so dear. Good friends of Dean and Grace. Beautiful children, too!

And I awoke to the sound of rain! Bliss...and to Abby saying, at 5 AM, Emmie, I woke up. No. I sent her back to bed.

It was a very enjoyable day. Oh, yes, we went to the park, where Ian promptly kicked a soccer ball into a big kid's face. Hard. (If you know Ian, it was hard.) And the kid walked away and sat under one of the bridges in the playground. I was impressed. You know it HAD to hurt--badly.

It's Thursday morning, and the kids will be back tomorrow night, and so will Gregory to pick me up! I'm so looking forward to their return, but I'm having a great time with my baby grands.

And I'm sleeping like 10 rocks, as a little friend of mine used to say. No "symphony of the nose" all night. And I'm loving that, though I do miss my husband and our nocturnal talks. The best!

Off to read. Have a blessed day, all!

Day 3

2009-03-31T16:13:00.002-06:00

"Don't think I don't have an eye out for bacon!" Thus Ian has perfected the double negative. What a wonderful young man! And don't I sound like a proud grandmother. You should hear him read. In first grade, he reads better than some adults I've heard, inflection and all. I'm impressed.

Abby has had dry pants for 3 days running, even during naps. Are we happy about that! That may be TMI for pastors and such, but it's a celebration here.

And little Sarah has been such a joy. I am crazy about these kids.

It's been a great day. Breakfast for supper, bacon and pancakes. I managed to please all three of them. Wahooey!

Off to clean up. Have a blessed evening, and keep praying for us!

PS Dean and Grace are happy, happy, happy! And so am I!

Oops! And Day 2

2009-03-31T13:42:00.002-06:00

First Baptist of Parker, TX. I drove through Allen, but the church is in Parker.

Day 2, I am happy to say, was not so dramatic. Sarah stayed home, and I made her rest and sleep, not play. She slept a lot, which is great. And she started feeling better, for which I was very thankful. She is at school today, and I didn't get a call in the middle of Ikea to pick her up. Yay!

So we had a mellow day. Then Ian got home. And that's all there is to say about that. God is good!

Day 1: The Drama

2009-03-30T06:47:00.002-06:00

The first day of Keeping the Grands is over. And what a day it was!

Goodbye, Dean and Grace! They were GIDDY going out the door. Can I blame them? I'M gonna be giddy going out the door Saturday, I foresee!

Church. Went to First Baptist of Allen, where Hal Brunson is pastor. Ten miles takes a half hour to travel here. Now I know. THE HOUSES! Wow. Got there late, as the turnoff was WAY up, and I thought I'd missed it and turned around. Abby decided to show her Abbiness, and I pulled her out from under the pew, etc. pretty much the whole time. Ian and Sarah were great! I felt sorry for the brother in front of me. The preaching was excellent. He's a little quieter than Brother Audey. :) Preached from Leviticus 16:20-22, The Hand of a Fit Man, on the high priest and the scapegoat. I learned a lot, and grew in thankfulness for such a Sacrifice as we have in our Lord. The singing was beautiful; kinda subdued, which was interesting. They have lunch afterwards, then another meeting at 1:30. Love that schedule, and would've stayed, except for Miss Abs.

The evening. Abby and Dash, the dog (a beautiful HYPER miniature Italian greyhound) decided to exercise their bowels in incorrect places. I'll spare you the details, but it will go down in history as the Poo-Fest. At one point we [Deana, Dean's sister] just laughed.

The fire truck. I looked outside, and there it is in all its splendor! Looked around, no smoke. There was a grass fire down the road, so they needed to fill up the truck at the fire hydrant in front of the house. The kids were overjoyed, and I would've been, too, but we went upstairs to see if we could see the fire from the balcony, and bumped into Dash's "deposit" at the door. (Have you ever heard me growl?)

The TV. It croaked. Dean has the LATEST everything--beautiful big flatscreen on the wall. It got stuck on one station, couldn't change the volume or the channel. At least that channel was HGTV. Fun. Deana and I messed with it, reset it from the closet (so THAT'S where the wires are!), etc. Nothing. We eventually got the gray screen. BUT, after I messed with it some more, I called Deana in to see my achievement--a black screen with a big red X on it! She laughed until she cried. I like that girl.

The MORNING. I mean early morning. 4:30: Emmie, I [got sick in my bed]. Here comes little Sarah. No school today for her. After Abs comes in 10 minutes later and I send her back off to bed, I say, Well, time to get myself up to read. But Dash wants to sit on my bible and make himself comfortable (he is such a snuggly dog--gag). Then I suffer guilt, knowing that I'll probably have to take him to the vet for medication because he's suffering from separation anxiety (Mike actually knew of a dog like this!), so I pat him on the head. That'll have to do, Dog. And I growled again, and Dash went and got his toy that he thrashes around like a MAD DOG (as in rabid), and wants me to play fetch. Don't tell anyone I'm not a big dog fan, especially of little hyper ones. BUT I did manage to do my reading. Thus begins Day 2. Pray for me.

Update

2009-03-25T10:32:00.002-06:00

Hello, bloggity friends! All's well here--awaiting a thunderstorm, which would be fabulous.

I've been so busy lately. Just got back from traveling for Spring Break--OK and McK. Lovely time. Came home to the stomach bug. Both of us. Yuck. And I'm continuing proofreading a book for our friend--what an adventure that's turned out to be. I'm loving it.

And then I'm headed north to spend a week with the baby grands while the parents go on vacation. I'm glad for them to get away--he works so hard, and so does she! Break time!

And next month (probably) I'm headed to SD, to help out my precious daughter-in-love as she brings our little Bethany into the world, while enjoying the other three (not to mention Mike!). I may even learn to play chess while I'm up there. We'll sure have time enough.

Mom's doing well; hanging in there. I love the nursing home. I'd move in there if I could (almost). Precious, precious folk. And to think I used to HATE that place--Greg would go and take the kids and I'd stay home. I used to feel so helpless and useless there. Amazing the changes God can make.

Off to proofread before prayer meeting tonight. Greg is teaching tonight, so I'm looking forward to that.

I hope to be posting more faithfully. And I might even post some pics sometime.

Love to all. Wasn't this exciting?

Three Wonders, and More

2009-03-13T20:26:00.002-06:00

Ever hear what seems to be the most horrible news about a dear friend, grieve, cry, pray--and see God do a miracle? How about three? I have, and I want to give all the glory to God. Incredible, unless you consider that we're talking about my God, with whom NOTHING is impossible.

One of my dearest friends in the world is an RN (not you, Hassan). She is the type that can get the both of you almost kicked out of the plastic surgeon's office for uncontrollable laughter, followed by the receptionist coming over and saying, Aren't WE having a great time!? [First of all, before our dear brother Audey, I HATED it when people would say WE--as in: Waitress: Are WE enjoying our meal? WELL, sweetie, come take a bite of my burger and we'll put our opinions together and come up with an answer (and don't I look like the sweetest Christian sister sitting there while I'm thinking this?!)]!

(Anyway, how did I get off into that?) She's the kind that you could play Taboo with and CONQUER, because you just understood each other so well it was uncanny. She's also the kind you can confide in, and she has such love and wisdom that she helps you. And cries with you, and prays for you. The kind you work together with in the jail ministry, striving to reach those dear lady prisoners (while trying not to laugh out loud when one yells, Shut up, already (to another prisoner)--can't you see we're having CHURCH!? Whoo hoo! Fun times!). Your charter member of the Sisters of Compassion (ha!), of which you are the Founding Mother. And, years later, you can call after way too long and pick up right where you left off, knowing the love is there and you have prayed for each other all that time. And the kind you miss so much it hurts. How I love her! She has an excellent testimony, has boldness and compassion with/for her patients, and HELPS them as they die. And she loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all she is, and her favorite hymn is Be Still, My Soul. As well it should be, as you will see shortly.

My dear friend used to be very overweight, otherwise known as morbidly obese. She had surgery to help, and had an INCREDIBLE amount of complications and surgeries afterwards to repair so many things that went wrong. She almost died because she wasn't absorbing her nutrients, and had to have a feeding tube inserted, all the while working, sick nigh-unto-death, because she HAD to have the insurance.

Lots of tests! And the devastating verdict(s): The cause of the problem is: you have scleraderma (a HORRIBLE painful, fatal disease--look it up), lupus (ask anyone who has it), and hepatitis C! That would explain her horrible health! She accepted this diagnosis with amazing grace and a soul stilled by the Lover of her soul. And she continued ministering and working and blessing the Lord. And being a testimony to her dear lost surgeon, who has the opposite of her attitude. (Pray for him!)

And then, a call from the rheumatologist. And she calls me and tells me all that's going on, and I have to ASK her how she's doing with it all, and THEN, almost at the end of the conversation, she tells me the rheumatologist told her (AMAZING GRACE!) that she had THREE false-positives, because of the state of her nutrition (I don't know the right term for it)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How wonderful would it be to know you didn't have hepatitis C, OR lupus, OR scleraderma! How about all THREE!? Astounding! I about fell to my knees crying--I couldn't stop. How I love that girl! Great God of Wonders! Who is a pardoning God like Thee, or who has grace so rich and free? Bless the LORD, O my soul!

I love you, Pat.

How to Treat Your Pastor

2009-02-16T07:19:00.002-06:00

These are fine words from MCheyne, written for an ordination service:

(1) Love your pastor. So far as I know him, he is worthy of your love. I believe he is one to whom the Lord has been very merciful, that God has already owned his labours, and I trust will a thousand times more. Esteem him very highly in love for his work's sake. You little know the anxieties, temptations, pains, and wrestlings, he will be called to bear for you. Few people know the deep wells of anxiety in the bosom of a faithful pastor. Love and reverence him much. Do not make an idol of him; that will destroy his usefulness. It is said of the Erskines, that men could not see Christ over their heads. Remember, look beyond him and above him. Those that would have worshipped Paul were the people who stoned him. Do not stumble at his infirmities. There are spots upon the sun, and infirmities in the best of men. Cover them--do not stumble at them. Would you refuse gold because it was brought you in a ragged purse? Would you refuse pure water because it came in a chipped bowl? The treasure is in an earthen vessel.

(2) Make use of your pastor.--He has come with good news from a far country. Come and hear.
First, wait patiently on his ministry. --He does not come in his own name. The Lord is with him. If you refuse him, you will refuse Christ; for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts.
Second, Welcome him into your houses.--He is coming, like his Master, to seek that which was lost, and to bind up that which is broken; to strengthen that which was sick, and to bring again that which was driven away. You have all need of him, whether converted or not. Remember there is an awful curse against those who receive not gospel messages. He will shake the dust off his feet against you, and that dust will rise against you in judgment.
Third, Do not trouble him about worldly matters. --His grand concern is to get your soul saved. He is not a man of business, but a man of prayer. He has given himself to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Fourth, Go freely to him about your souls.--...I would like to see the taverns emptied, and the minister's house thronged. Do not hesitate to go to him. It is your duty and privilege. It is your duty. It will encourage him, and show him how to preach to your souls. It is your privilege. I have known many get more light from a short conversation than from many sermons.
Fifth, Be brief.--Tell your case. Hear his word and be gone. Remember his body is weak, and his time precious. You are stealing his time from others or from God. I cannot tell you what a blessing it will be if you will be very short in your calls. The talk of the lips tendeth to penury (poverty--vr).
(3) God's children, pray for him.--Pray for his body, that he may be kept strong, and spared for many years. Pray for his soul, that he may be kept humble and holy,--a burning and a shining light,--that he may grow. Pray for his ministry, that it may be abundantly blessed,--that he may be anointed to preach good tidings. Let there be not secret prayer without naming him before your God, no family prayer without carrying your pastor in your hearts to God. Hold up his hands, so Israel will prevail again Amalek.
(4) Unconverted souls, prize this opportunity.--...Some, I fear, will be the worse of this ministry, and not the better. The election will be saved, and the rest will be blinded. Some will yet wish they had died before this church ws opened. Be sure, dear souls, that you will either be saved, or more lost, by this ministry. Your pastor comes with the silver trumpet of mercy. Why will ye turn it into the trumpet of judgment? He comes with glad tidings of great joy. Why should you turn them into sad tidings of endless woe? He comes to preach the acceptable day of the Lord. Will will ye turn it into the day of vengeance of our God?

Angry at God?

2009-02-12T09:10:00.002-06:00

A question I have asked myself for some time is: Is it okay to be angry at God? I've read various answers, but I finally found one that satisfies me that it conforms to scripture. Here it is, from Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges:

"I have encountered a number of Christians who are angry at God for some reason. Some of them think that God has let them down in some way; others feel that God is actually against them. I sit here now looking at a letter in which the writer says, 'I have felt so many times that He has slapped me in the face when I was really depending on Him.' This person freely admitted to being angry at God, because she had concluded that God was actually against her.

What are we to say to people who are desperately hurting and feel that God has let them down or is even against them? Is it okay to be angry toward God? Most pop psychology would answer yes. 'Just vent your feelings toward God.' I've even read the statement, 'It's okay to be angry at God. He's a big boy. He can handle it.' In my judgment, that is sheer blasphemy.

Let me make a statement loud and clear. It is never okay to be angry at God. Anger is a moral judgment, and in the case of God, it accuses Him of wrongdoing. It accuses God of sinning against us by neglecting us or in some way treating us unfairly. It also is often a response to our thinking that God owes us a better deal in life than we are getting. As a result, we put God in the dock of our own courtroom. I think of a man who, as his mother was dying of cancer, said, 'After all she's done for God, this is the thanks she gets.' Never mind that Jesus suffered untold agony to pay for her sins so she would not spend eternity in hell, this man thought that God also owed her a better life on this earth.

I acknowledge that believers can and do have momentary flashes of anger at God. I have experienced this myself. But we should quickly recognize those occurrences as the sins that they are and repent of them.

How, then, can we deal with our temptation to be angry at God? Must we just 'stuff' our feelings and live in some degree of alienation from God? No, that is not the biblical solution. The answer lies...in a well-grounded trust in the sovereignty, wisdom, and love of God. Second, we should bring our confusion and perplexity to God in a humble, trusting way."

I remember, as a 3 year-old Christian, being VERY angry with God for sending Greg to Korea for a year. I had Paul, and was 3 months pregnant with Dan. How I railed on God! I ended up asking His forgiveness and making my peace with it, and God gave me one of the best, albeit most painful, years of my Christian life. I learned lessons that year that I couldn't have learned with Greg around. He changed me that year. And I needed it desperately. And He protected me and provided for me in wondrous ways. And He kept Greg safe and pure in Korea, which, in man's eyes, is a HUGE accomplishment! I never would have chosen it for myself, but God, who knows the end from the beginning, and loves me with an incomprehensible and undeserved love, knew what I needed, and sent me this trial. "I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."--Psalm 119:74

Highly Recommended

2009-02-11T10:29:00.002-06:00

Rebekah sent me a most wonderful link, and here it is. Professor Horner (no relation) has a bible-reading system that Sarah and I have started, and we're loving it. Check it out and tell me what you think. You can start it any time. I'm on Day 11.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46416541831

Don't Tell the Others

2009-02-10T19:36:00.002-06:00

That's what I said to the Lord on the way home. Don't tell them what? That He has a favorite!

Here's what happened.... Stopped to visit Mom and the others at the nursing home on my way home. Who even knew it was supposed to storm? I told Mom I wanted to take off before it was completely dark. The local news said there was hail in Coleman, and the nurses and aides were trying to get their cars under the canopy in the front. It had stopped raining when I took off. A little ways down the road I hit STRONG winds (those I had all the way home) and HARD rain! It's feast or famine around these parts! It wasn't quite hard to see yet, but getting there. Then came the HAIL! Whee! God was so kind in that I was right near the Hord's Creek Store, which has gas pumps and a canopy over them. So I headed there, praying I wasn't driving into a ditch, as the rain was so bad it was hard to tell where the pavement was. So I pulled in, and a truck pulled in next to me. If you had heard Tina's stories today, you would have been creeped out! So I locked my doors (like someone's gonna attack me in a hail storm!) and waited a bit. Some of the hail was rock hard, and some was like mini-snowballs, which was kinda neat! I at first thought that there was only one person in the truck (A BIG MAN! of course), but after the rain let up a bit I saw frail and white hair combined. I rolled the window down, the sweet lady rolled hers down and yelled, Isn't this awful? and that was the end of the conversation, as the hail started up again with a vengeance. I was soaking it up, as I ADORE storms, while trying to remember if we still had full coverage on the car! (We do. Yay.)

So, the rain and hail let up and the truck took off. I said to meself, Wouldn't it be a good idea to follow them, in case the hail gets REAL bad--at least someone will know where I am. So I did, and they turned off in Talpa. Thank you for the truck, Lord! (BTW, the ride home from Coleman is 35 miles of 2-lane road, with no stores [Hord's Creek is closed] or anything commercial the whole way, and Talpa is the halfway point.)

So the rain had quit, and now it was VERY WINDY! Still is. I said, Lord, thank you for easing up on the rain; that was very kind. If You send more rain, that's fine; I know you'll help me, but a dry ride would be nice. Then I looked up and saw a STAR! Precious. And I concluded that, if you can see a star, there are no clouds (so no rain or hail!) between me and the star!

I hope y'all aren't jealous. My Father loves me, and He delights in showing me special tokens of His love. And I am blessed.

PS The pic is from the flight home from Orlando.

Depression

2009-02-05T06:37:00.002-06:00

What a subject! Why write on that? I found a quote in my journal that I thought I'd share. Dare I say that depression is not something I struggle with? Believe it or not, I've had ONE DAY of depression since God saved me in 1974. I've been pretty sad and desperately grieved since then, but not depressed. To skip the details and get to the point, on this ONE DAY I could NOT stop crying, and it scared me, because I like to be in control of myself and my emotions at all times!
And, how weird is this--in the midst of that uncontrollable crying, I thought to myself, I HAVE to remember how this feels, so I can help others who tell me they feel this way ALL the time. And God sent me help, and I did stop crying. But it was SCARY.

Here is Lloyd-Jones' quote from "Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cures":

"The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself.... You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: "Hope thou in God"--instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way, and then you must go on to remind yourself of God, who God is, and what God has done, and what God has pledged to Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: "I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God."

Good advice. He tells you your responsibility in the matter, and God's help that you need.

More Good Quotes from TBOTB

2009-02-03T09:07:00.002-06:00

Ill that He blesses is our good,
And unblest good is ill;
And all is right that seems most wrong
If it be His sweet will.
--Gadsby's Hymns

"There is enough in our holy faith to create and justify the utmost degree of rapturous delight."
--Spurgeon

Concerning a lost man: "Let him seek his happiness in God, and he will carry about a paradise in his own bosom."
--Henry Martyn

"...that having risen from the dead, He is enthroned in heaven; and uniting in His wonderful Person the tenderest sympathies with Divine perfections, His is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Saviour."
--Baptist Articles of Faith

"Can Christ be in thy heart, and thou not know it? Can one king be dethroned and another crowned in thy soul, and thou hear no scuffle?"
"What God takes from me is less than I owe Him, but what He leaves me is more than He owes me."
--William Gurnall

"Times are bad, God is good."
--Richard Sibbes

"Death is never sudden to a saint; no guest comes unawares to him who keeps a constant table."
--George Swinnock

"Mary Magdalen sees angels in the sepulchre, but that will not do unless she see Jesus."
--Matthew Henry

Samuel Rutherford was "impatient of earth, intolerant of sin, rapt into the continual contemplation of one unseen Face, finding his...happiness in its returning smile."

"We are never nearer Christ than when we find ourselves lost in a holy amazement at His unspeakable love."
--John Owen

"A real Christian...feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge."
--A W Tozer

"But never read God's Word excepting with great reverence, for in it the Highest Majesty speaketh to thee, a poor sinner."
--Christopher Dock

"It is the look that saves, it is the gaze that sanctifies."
--Robert M'Cheyne

"All is well if God be mine."
--Matthew Henry

My Scariest Quote

2009-02-03T08:58:00.002-06:00

I collect good quotes in the back of my Bible, as the best quotes are IN my Bible. Here is one that quickly sobers me up. This is from "The Christian in Complete Armour," given to me by a former pastor who, tragically, did not heed its advice. He is now dead. And he did not have a good exit.

"Possibly God hath given thee much of His mind; thou art skilful in the Word of life, and therefore thou darest venture to breathe in corrupt air, as if only the weak spirits of less-knowing Christians exposed them to be infected with the contagion of error and heresy. Thou hast a large portion of grace, or at least thou thinkest so, and venturest to go where an humble-minded Christian would fear his heels should slip under him. Truly, now thou temptest God to suffer thy lock to be cut, when thou art so bold to lay thy head in the lap of temptation." --William Gurnall

May we fear God, and love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds!

So Much to Discuss

2009-01-25T23:38:00.005-06:00

First of all, howdy to faithful readers! I need to post more consistently!

The Gregory and I have completed 33.3 years of wedded bliss--ONE-THIRD OF A CENTURY! If you know us, you'd know what a wonder the grace of God is. We could not be more opposite (besides being male and female). To think, I was the tender age of 19 when we married, and now I'm 53! Boy howdy. I'm crazy about my lover!

Our Jason called the other night. It was so good to talk to him and to know that he still loves us. What a dear man. God was good when He gave him to us! Love you, Jay!

The preaching today was OUTSTANDING--dare I say the best I've ever heard--this morning. Have a listen to "The Brightness of His Glory" from Hebrews 1:3 on http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard. You will be ready to go to heaven and be with the Lord when you finish listening. At least I was.... We are blessed! Plus, we had 11 visitors this morning. Plus we had the Lord's Supper tonight. What a glorious day. Plus we spent the afternoon enjoying some Shepard hospitality. Thank you, dear ones! (Nothing like a well-structured paragraph!)

Mom seems to be adjusting well to the new nursing home (I transferred her to one only a half hour away from us, in the town where our church is located). I sure get to see her more often, and for this I am grateful. She is 80 now, and such a love. One of the men at the High-Rise told me that she's prettier than I am. I must agree! And she gets to come to church with us--a HUGE plus.

I actually walked/ran two miles the other morning! (The running was minimal, believe me.) Then I tried to go EARLY Friday morning, but how creepy is this?!: It was dark, and I went to the track, which is lit, not with football lights, but with the next dimmer ones. Four lights, two on each long side of the track. And there's a white car parked by the bus barn next to the track. Don't know if those two are related, but, at the end of the first lap, TWO lights went out on one side! As I'm about in the middle of the second lap, ONE more light went out! I'm outta there! Creeped me out. I thought--next day's headlines: Dummy! She should have gone home! And the ultimate creepiness was, when I got in the car to drive home, the lights were on again. (Sound effects: door creaking slowly open!) GAK! I betcha Eric Liddel didn't have these problems.... Plus, he had nice music when he ran. I guess I'll go in the daytime from now on.

Helped out with the resident's January birthday party at the nursing home. Whee! You would be proud of me--I skipped entertaining the troops with the Macarena, though one unnamed visitor to our church WAS spotted doing The Twist. And I have a picture! And that's all I'm saying. Those folks are precious! Had a good time snapping pics, too. The pics were shot, as another unnamed one said once....

And I can't sleep! It's a minute until midnight. That's what all that good preaching does to me. Sarah and I are memorizing (along with many others at http://challies.com/; come join us!) Romans 12 currently. And it is a good one! I hate to share my memorizing strategies, in fear of getting criticized, but I will anyway, because it just might make good reading, but certainly not emulation. For example: "...whether Prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or Ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that Teacheth, on teaching; or he that Exhorteth, on exhortation; he that Giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that Ruleth, with diligence; he that Showeth mercy, with cheerfulness." Now, note the bold letters: PM TE G RS. "In the PM, I drink TEa, then Go to Rising Star." Seems rather barbaric, eh, but it works for me. Sarah just shakes her head. And I might just mention THe Justice of the Peace's LeG: That's for "...whatsoever things are True, ...Honest, ...Just, ...Pure, ...Lovely, and of Good report." (Are you bored to tears yet?)

Subject change! Because I can. More cold weather--Yay! Had the AC on in the car today. Sigh. Maybe Gregorio will get a "snow" day in the next couple of days. We're supposed to get freezing rain. I am so happy.

What's your favorite day of the week, and why? Let me know. What faithful readers you are. "Sorry" to those who kept reading, thinking the good part was coming at the end!

My favorite day is:
Sunday: Because we meet to worship, and I get to hear great preaching and I get to record it and upload it to Sermon Audio and write the synopsis.
Monday: Because I'm home and get to do my cleaning and scrubbing and straightening up and laundry and think about the messages.
Tuesday: Because sometimes I'm home and get to do more of the same. And it's almost Wednesday.
Wednesdsay: Prayer meeting! That says it all.
Thursday: Because sometimes I get to be home, and I love it!
Friday: Because I usually see Sarah and company, and my mom.
Saturday: Because Greg can sleep in (I can't do that), and I sometimes have him all day, and it's almost Sunday.

A good writer knows when to quit. (Think of it: I could have been a good writer about 10 paragraphs ago!) Good morning, at 12:17. I love you beautiful people out there!

My brother, JC Ryle

2009-01-13T22:54:00.002-06:00

"They love me best who love me in their prayers." Well said. And to those who pray for me: I cannot thank you enough. When I first came to know the Lord, I would hear missionaries ask for money, and they would invariably say, But most of all, we want your prayers. And I used to laugh inwardly, thinking: Yeah, that's what I'd say, too, if I wanted more money. (Cynicism was one of my strong points.) Here's more good quoting from my brother:

"Brethren who pray, if I know anything of a Christian's heart, you are often sick of your own prayers. You never enter into the apostle's words, "When I would do good, evil is present with me." so thoroughly as you sometimes do upon your knees. You can understand David's words, "I hate vain thoughts." You can sympathize with that poor converted Hottentot who was overheard praying, "Lord, deliver me from all my enemies, and above all, from that bad man-myself." There are few children of God who do not often find the season of prayer a season of conflict. The devil has special wrath against us when he sees us on our knees. Yet, I believe that prayers which cost us no trouble, should be regarded with great suspicion. I believe we are very poor judges of the goodness of our prayers, and that the prayer which pleases us least, often pleases God most."

(I'm getting a theme to my posts lately. Hmmm.) What's God been teaching you about prayer? How I long for a comment or two....

From Alexander Cumming

2009-01-06T11:26:00.002-06:00

Some thoughts on prayer, well worth the read:

"...and yet so prone is he to lose sight of his Creator, and to transfer to the creature or to secondary causes the honour to which his holy name should be invested, that unless prayer had been instituted, the crown would have been snatched from the head of God."

"When we persist in the exercise of prayer, notwithstanding all discouragement, we do honour to that loving kindness which will not frustrate the anticipations that are formed upon the basis of his written declarations; and the longer the perseverance is maintained, and the more unpromising the symptoms against which it is upheld, the greater is the lustre reflected upon his character."

"When the two disciples were traveling to Emmaus, our Saviour met them, and unfolded to them the full lustre of the Scripture promises that related to his sufferings, till an expansive glory of heavenly emotion was diffused over their souls; but he did not discover himself as their risen Redeemer till their ardor for communion with him was severely tasked. He made as though he would have gone farther; and when they urged him to take shelter during the night, in their abode, he seemed to repel their kindness, till it is said they constrained him to turn aside with them; then he made himself know in the breaking of bread; and this in exact harmony with the way in which the Saviour acts in every age; he heaps many blessings even on his feeblest saints, who soar not to the sublime height of holy confidence which prompts the Jacob-like wrestlings of others; he makes their hearts burn within them by gilding some cheering promises with a ray of celestial brightness; but it is to those who by their unconquerable ardor and inflexible perseverance, compel him to turn aside, that he gives the sweetest glimpses of his reconciled countenance.... If benefits of vast magnitude are to be bestowed, they must therefore be preceded by prayers of fervid pathos; and God often delays an answer to supplication, not that he despises the anxious voice of our humble entreaty, but because he waits till our desires gain an accession of strength, and are somewhat commensurate to the vastness of the mercy that is stored up for us; and for this purpose he sometimes encircles us with an array of troubles, that they may enhance the frequency and earnestness of our addresses to the throne of grace."

Pray for me as I strive to learn to pray like this!

Ladies' Retreat

2009-01-06T10:38:00.002-06:00

Hello, dear ones! Holy New Year!

Our church, Grace Baptist of Coleman, TX, is planning a ladies' retreat April 17th-18th. If you'd like more information on it, email me or leave a comment, and I'll send you a copy of the invite. Please pray for the speaker (yours truly)!

M'Cheyne on the New Year

2008-12-27T17:27:00.002-06:00

It's a great day at home, enjoying the baby grands and giving the much-deserving Gracie a break from the action. It's wonderful having them here, I must say.

Our dear pastor (who can be heard on http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard) always has outstanding books for me to read, and here are a few quotes from my current reading in Memoir and Remains of M'Cheyne. (I find that the word "remains" in that context makes me smile.) The section from which I quote is from a time of revival in Scotland.

"On the Sabbath he preached to his flock in the afternoon. He chose 2 Chronicles v. 13,14, as his subject; and in the close, his hearers remember well how affectionately and solemnly he said, 'Dearly beloved and longed for, I now begin another year of my ministry among you; and I am resolved, if God give me health and strength, that I will not let a man, woman, or child among you alone, until you have at least heard the testimony of God concerning His Son, either to your condemnation or salvation. And I will pray, as I have done before, that if the Lord will indeed give us a great outpouring of His Spirit, He will do it in such a way that it will be evident to the weakest child among you that it is the Lord's work, and not man's. I think I may say to you, as Rutherford said to his people, 'Your heaven would be two heavens to me.' And if the Lord be pleased to give me a crown from among you, I do here promise in His sight that I will cast it at His feet, saying, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain! Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever.' "

And some days later, he adds in his journal, "Evening.--Mr. Miller preached delightfully on 'The love of Christ constraineth us.' His account of the Protestants of France was very interesting: the work of God at Nismes, where it is said that they are no more fishing with line, but dragging with the nets."

I am praying for such times to come to us, and speedily; there are not enough places in the earth where the people confess: O LORD, our LORD, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Austin and the Cafe

2008-12-25T16:44:00.005-06:00

Welcome home, Pee Wee! Greg and I had a great time in Austin. We got to eat at the Daily Juice Cafe, newly opened there, where Paul and Dan work. Scrump-dilly-umptious! Wow. At our table we had bbq sandwich (the "meat" was coconut, and was it flavorful!) (and the "bread" was nut loaf, which was excellent), mole enchiladas (superb!), and tacos, which, you get the idea, were outstanding! And, to top it off, we had some of Paul's raw chocolate. He does it right. (Did I mention we saw the boys and went to Whole Foods, my favorite grocery store in the world?)

Got me in the mood to bust out the dehydrator. I made some raw jalapeno corn chips, and the smell in here is "like Abuelo's," according to Gregorio. Puts a grin on one's face. So what does Greg want for supper? Eggs and french fries. Bummer. Here's what I'm having right now, before my supper of a big salad. I'm inspired.

Happy New Year, gang! What are you doing for New Year's? Leave a comment and let me know. Love to all!

Closing Out the Year

2008-12-22T09:30:00.002-06:00

Here is what has been filling my life as of late:

UIL Academic Meet for junior high. I LOVE UIL! I was able to be a judge for Prose and Impromptu Speaking. Prose is my favorite. These junior high kids were amazing! I did hear two readings from A Child C*lled It, a VERY sad book. The best read was from a wonderful 7th grader who did an excerpt from Eleven, which must be quite a book! The rest of the 7th graders were in there for the finals, and a HUSH came over the room as she read, and we knew we were listening to the first-place winner. Wow. One of the judges said the junior high was as good as, if not better, than many high-schoolers she had heard. That was good, but my favorite was 2 readings, one by a boy in the prelims, and another by a girl in the finals, from Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch, which I have to find and purchase! Cute, cute! I just laughed out loud. And the kids did a great job with the voices. They are all so impressive. I would love to have known what I know now and have competed when I was that age. AND, wonder of wonders, for the first time EVER, I got PAID to help with UIL! They had to pick up my jaw from the floor. Whoo hoo! I offered to help judge and grade high school, even before I knew I'd get paid. (Did I mention I love UIL?)

Moved my mom from Brownwood's nursing home to Coleman's, where our pastor preaches on Wednesday mornings, and where some of my friends live (I AM getting old when I say THAT!). Our former pastor's wife is there, and I have so THOROUGHLY enjoyed spending time with her (Hi, Patty!). They are a joy. I've been trying to spend a lot of time with Mom, to ease the transition, and I'm asking the Lord to give me patience and compassion. I need it. Especially the compassion. Trust me.

The kids' former principal died yesterday. He was Greg's age; complication from surgery. What a dear man. We loved him, and he was so good to our family.

We're off to Austin tomorrow; hope to eat at Paul and Dan's new raw food restaurant. We may spend the night with friends. Really, though, I just love being home.

I'm going to enjoy having my dear husband home for 2 weeks, if he doesn't drive me crazy first. He needs the rest, and I do love ministering to him. Plus, we have the best talks, and we don't have to quit talking because he has to go to sleep for work the next day. The other night we had about a 2-hour discussion on p*lygamy in Bible times and for today (or, should I say, against today!). You would've loved that one!

Head over to http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard to hear my dear hubby's Sunday School lesson, and our pastor's Sunday message. Truly we are blessed. I love to hear my husband teach, too--he's bordering on preaching, not teaching, and that makes it even better. King David had an incredible life. So many lessons there for us!

Off to get ready for the day. For a great blessing, head to http://challies.com and find the post on Memorizing Scripture that has 2 videos and watch them! A young man named Ryan Ferguson does a dramatic recitation of Psalm 22 and Hebrews 9 and 10, from memory, and it is outstanding! I weep every time I watch it, and I've watched it more than once. Sarah and I are currently working on Psalm 103. What a blessing--forgiveness and so much more! Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Good day to all! Leave a comment and make me smile....

Adios, Brethren

2008-12-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

The family on the left is leaving us! We are heartbroken, but we know God is going to use them mightily elsewhere. How we love you!

The Photos Got Shot

2008-12-06T20:56:00.003-06:00

Beautiful family. I wish the pics would do them justice. Thanks for a fun shoot! (I know, I know--they haven't been cropped yet!)

Minus Jason

2008-12-02T12:10:00.001-06:00

My wonderful family! It was a fabulous Thanksgiving--thanks, Grace and Dean, for opening your beautiful home. Didn't feel like 23, did it? God is good.

I Love the God Who Answers Prayer!

2008-12-02T10:18:00.002-06:00

Look at this! I had me a cry this morning: God is SO good! This young man had a severe injury more than a year ago, and his fiancee has faithfully stayed by his side all this time. And he has FINALLY spoken! Precious blog about a young man named Ian. Since our first grandson is named Ian (the end of VivIAN, you may note!), when I first read about him I started to pray for him. And look what God is doing! Glory to God! Looking forward to more. I recommend his family's blog: http://prayforian.com. Thank you, great God of wonders!

Spurgeon II--Because I Can

2008-11-30T21:14:00.000-06:00

CH Spurgeon:

“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that. The saving of souls, if a man has once gained love to perishing sinners and his blessed Master, will be an all-absorbing passion to him. It will so carry him away, that he will almost forget himself in the saving of others. He will be like the brave fireman, who cares not for the scorch or the heat, so that he may rescue the poor creature on whom true humanity has set its heart. If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

Good Spurgeon Quote

2008-11-29T08:58:00.000-06:00

Never think of the Church of God as if she were in danger. If you do, you will be like Uzza; you will put forth your hand to steady the ark, and provoke the Lord to anger against you. If it were in danger, I tell you, you could not deliver it. If Christ cannot take care of his Church without you, you cannot do it. Be still, and know that he is God… When you begin to say, “The Church is in danger! The Church is in danger!” what is that to thee? It stood before thou wert born; it will stand when thou hast become worm’s meat. Do thou thy duty. Keep in the path of obedience, and fear not. He who made the Church knew through what trials she would have to pass, and he made her so that she can endure the trials and become the richer for it. The enemy is but grass, the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

My Dreams Come True!

2008-11-28T17:11:00.000-06:00

Aren't they BEAUTIFUL? (Not HAPPY, I said; BEAUTIFUL!) This is the pic of my dreams! Thank you, thank you, Sarah! What a blessed Thanksgiving we had, and, to top it off, a pic of me that I actually like. A first! God is good!

Gotta Love It!

2008-11-24T10:18:00.001-06:00

This is what the clips look like, Sarah! What do you think?

blockposters.com!

2008-11-22T18:30:00.001-06:00

Isn't this an awesome site?! And the price is right! I couldn't find the cardstock, so I did it on typing paper. Don't you love the subject matter, too? Precious!

Rotate Clockwise!

2008-11-22T17:31:00.000-06:00

That's what Picasa said when I uploaded my pic! I had a quiet laugh (weird, I know...). What do you think of my "new" clock? I found a site called **ikea hack** (my favoritest store in the world!) and liked this idea. As you may know, my kitchen, tiny as it is, is pink and black. Strange, but fun (like moi). The pic is from **real simple** magazine. I like their divider pages, and this was my favorite. (Hint: Take off the front first, and CAREFULLY take off the hands. I did this last and messed up the second hand (which is conspicuously absent, you may have noted!).

New Centerpiece

2008-11-21T12:04:00.000-06:00

The verdict on the new centerpiece? The good news is: half price!

Beautiful Family

2008-11-21T10:29:00.000-06:00

And baby boy Caleb makes 5! Aren't they a beautiful family? AND children who behaved SO well during the whole shoot! It was a pleasure to take their pics.

Happy Post-Birthday to Me!

2008-11-18T18:40:00.002-06:00

Thanks for all the sweet birthday wishes. It was a great day!

Sarah treated me like a queen, and even made me RAW apple crisp. And it was delicioso! Miggy sang to me, and Brother smiled. How wonderful is that! I even got a hug from Jody.

And then I had the blessing of taking the pics of one of the dearest families ever, on such a beautiful property to boot. And, to boot, I had Sarah as my assistant. Life is good! AND I got some good pics in there! How FUN!

Stopped by to see the sweet ladies at the nursing home on the way home. They have stolen my heart away. Precious sisters!

So this is what FIFTY-THREE is like. I'm loving it! And, now that football is over, I get to see my husband in the daytime! That might be the best part....

Best wishes to all. Why don't you leave a quick comment and tell me who you are, dear readers? Illinois? I'm intrigued....

Jeremiah Burroughs, and Happy (Almost) Birthday to Me!

2008-11-15T16:42:00.004-06:00

...was the author of that quote below. What a great brother!

A Happy Almost Birthday to me! Greg took me to Abuelo's for lunch, as there are junior high basketball games Monday night. "A good time was had by all." I had a salad with chicken ("chicken little," come to think of it!), spinach, and tortilla soup. They no longer had steak and shrimp (which is exquisite), so I went with the simpler. We sure like Abuelo's. They haven't done us wrong yet!

Fifty three. Wow. The Lord has brought me a long way since eighteen! And I am so thankful for the grace that keeps me.

As I think of Misty and Sarah, I remember a poem I learned when our children were small.

The Teacher

Leslie Pinckney Hill

LORD, who am I to teach the way

To little children day by day,

So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them KNOWLEDGE, but I know

How faint they flicker and how low

The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them POWER to will and do,

But only now to learn anew

My own great weakness through and through.

I teach them LOVE for all mankind

And all God’s creatures, but I find

My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord, if their guide I still must be,

Oh let the little children see

The teacher leaning hard on Thee.

That sums up how I want to be seen (and remembered) as a mother, grandmother, mother-in-love, daughter, aunt, and sister. I want people to see a woman who desperately needs her Savior and Lord, and who wants to love Him with all she has and is. And, as people get to know me, they WILL see how desperately need Him, because I will "blow it" soon enough. Amazing grace!

So, Lord willing, I want to live long enough to see my babies and baby grands come to embrace my Savior, and my sons and sons-in-love preach. All of them. That's what I asked the Lord for many years ago. Can't wait! THEN I will die of happiness, as they feared for Jonathan Edwards' wife during the revivial! Even so, COME, Lord Jesus!

Trembling at the Word of God, Part 1

2008-11-07T11:20:00.003-06:00

(PS Written after re-reading the post below. This is very strong, but very necessary, and sent with so much love and concern.)

Time for some quotes from a most wonderful book (thank you, Brother!) called Gospel Fear--Developing a Tender Heart that Trembles at the Word of God. First of all, I love the title! The title is from Isaiah 66:1,2, which says, "Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."

So much can be said on this. God chooses to dwell in the highest place, heaven, and in the lowliest heart. (I got that from the book.) The requirements for the dwelling of God are very rare in this day of pride, self-esteem, and our "rights."

(Excuse me while I chase a rabbit.) Not to mention that today there are no "sins," just "issues." Sins today are called "diseases," as if people accidentally, not wilfully, "catch" them! Would God send someone to hell for having brain cancer? No. But, what today is called the disease of "alcoholism" is called *drunkenness* in the Bible, and there it tells us in I Corinthians 6:9, 10: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." Christ didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. I'm SO thankful I qualify! Then I can receive MERCY, GRACE, FORGIVENESS, CLEANSING. Totally undeserved.

Here's a long, but very necessary, quote:

"Holy men tremble when they hear the Word, as we read in Jeremiah 23:9: 'My heart within me is broken because of the prophets, all my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome because of the Lord and because of the words of His holiness.' The saints tremble, as did Habakkuk 3:16: 'When I heard my belly trembled, and my lips quivered at the voice.' Yea, the very angels in heaven attend with reverence to the Word of the Lord. Psalm 103:20: 'They do God's commandments, hearkening to the voice of His Word,' that is, with reverence and respect to God's Word; and as soon as they hear God's Word, they immediately obey it. What are you doing all this while? When God speaks, the pillars of the earth and of heaven tremble. The saints of God tremble, the holy prophets tremble. The very angels hear God's Word with reverence, and you? All this while you stand before God's Word without a trembling heart? Then let me speak but these two or three things to you."

"First, know that the Lord cannot but with judgment look upon such an object as this. The Lord looks from heaven upon him who trembles at His Word with acceptance, but it is impossible that the Lord should look upon such a hard heart as yours is without destestation. 'What a poor, vile wretch! The least word of My mouth would have sent him down to the bottomless pit, and yet, when I speak, he regards it not.'"

"Oh, it is impossible that the Lord should look upon you without destruction, and especially if you are full of base fears. If your master speaks, or a man in a high place or office speaks, you are ready to fear them; but when the infinite, eternal, dreadful God speaks, you do not fear. Know that the Word that you do not fear is working your destruction, and know that God will work fear out of your heart and you shall tremble one day. Isaiah 51:17: 'Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His fury; thou hast drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.' There is a time that God has for sinners who will not tremble at His Word, to cause them to drink the dregs of the cup of trembling. Oh, the dregs of it may be your portion."

"And, further, when God shall force trembling, it may be that God will as little regard you in your fears as you regard Him in His Word. Proverbs 1:26 is most dreadful: 'I will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh.'"

"...Surely it must be to the honor of the great God that, when He speaks, all the people should tremble. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty; the voice of the Lord is gracious; and, therefore, it becomes us all to tremble before Him. Let us lay upon our heart the meditation of how much there is in the Word, and consider the majesty of God that is there."

I realize that this is EXTREMELY strong language, but there are many whom I love that continue on with their lives of sin, living as if there is no God. And God has been VERY good to them: He has let their hearts continue to beat regularly, given them loved ones, excellent health, food, and shelter, and even given them those who pray and weep for their souls. And yet they have no regard for God.

Who is the greatest sinner? The one who commits the greatest sin! And what is the greatest commandment? To love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And those who live as beasts, who eat the food that God provides for them without acknowledgement and thanks, as dogs eat, will one day face that God that they refuse to have in their thoughts. And I am very burdened and concerned and grieved for them! Hence this post.

If you, my reader, know this great God and belong to Him and honor Him with our life, glory to God! Seek to cultivate a heart that trembles at His Word, that is tender towards the Spirit of God convicting you of sin. Repent quickly. Keep short accounts. Love the Lord with all you are and have. God is debtor to no man. He alone is worthy of our allegiance!

If you, my reader, don't know God, and in the quote above it is you of which he is speaking, (and this includes the majority of my children), please, please repent. Come to the Saviour while He is gracious, because there will come a time when it will be TOO LATE.

I love you, my readers. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Precious Encouragement

2008-11-02T07:42:00.002-06:00

When Jonathan Edwards died, his wife wrote this to their daughter:

"What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has myheart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be."

I have often thought of my precious husband's death, and what my reaction to it would be, especially when he was so sick with sleep apnea. I hope to have a testimony to the sustaining grace of God, as Sarah Edwards had. Dear sister!

The Newest Ledbetter

2008-11-01T13:02:00.000-06:00

Introducing "Dash" Ledbetter, named by yours truly. Isn't he neat? He's an Italian greyhound, and he's beautiful. Great dog, as dogs go. The kids went crazy! He's 6 months old here, and won't get too much bigger. And Grace is feeling somewhat better, which is a blessing. My poor baby had a kidney stone, and she was one miserable girl. We think she had a touch of the flu, also. Thanks to the Ledbetters for their fine hospitality, and for time to further bond with my great son-in-love. He's one of the two best!

PS You should see Dash's parka, complete with hood and fur. One styling pup.

In His favor is life.

2008-10-25T17:13:00.003-06:00

That's from our weekly memory verses--isn't that a wonderful statement?!

"Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment, in his favor is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." --Psalm 30:4, 5.

We have some dear friends, a 94 year-old widow and her daughter, who still memorize scripture, and practice something like 45 verses before they go to bed each night! She is sharp! And they love the Lord--they are such a joy! And they're hospitable. Precious.

We memorize phone numbers, account numbers, words to popular songs--so we CAN memorize if we want to (with very few exceptions). May I encourage you to memorize scripture? And meditate on it and apply it. How we all need this!

Tomorrow is the Lord's Supper. How much I am learning about this special blessed time! I'm finishing up an excellent biography on Jonathan Edwards, and his church just kicked him out over this very issue. Amazing! It is SO important!

I'm off to play with my printer, to see if I can figure out why it's eating my paper. I hope to get the bulletin done for tomorrow--there wasn't one last week, which made me sad.

THIRTEEN more days of football. 'Nuf said.

I'm trying to perfect Risses cashew butter cups. They need some work. I need them to solidify more. But hey, they're tasty. Cashew butter is delicioso!

What's new with you?

Love to all!

Great Resource!

2008-10-13T17:27:00.002-06:00

Like the new look? Go to the box at the top left and find a new background for your blog for free. And there's not a bunch of raunchy ads on it. Enjoy!

Happy Monday!

2008-10-13T07:44:00.002-06:00

And how was YOUR Lord's Day? Mine was superb. To hear Sunday's sermons, especially Sunday night's on the woman who was forgiven much, click here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/aashepard. Get ready for a blessing!

A few little snips of news:

I paid $2.89 for gas in Brownwood on Friday! How sweet was that! Gas went down FORTY CENTS in one day in Winters. Amazing!

My living room is currently decorated with an extra sofa standing on its arm right when you open the front door. Thankfully it's getting a new home SOON, I hope! It's a real conversation starter.

I made homemade egg rolls for the coaches (6) and their families on Thursday, all by myself. Almost 50 of them. And on time. That was fun, and they got rave reviews. The guys are great, and they're good to Greg, for which I am thankful.

Listening to "Beulah Land" by Squire Parson. Been a long time. Memories! O Patrick, where art thou?

My sweet neighbor wants me to share scripture with her, so I'm going over this morning. I want to tell her about Brother Audey's sermon last night, but I might have to bring tissues. Forgiven. What a CLEAN word. I so want to show my love to my Savior by my works and my life. He is SO worthy!

Guess what, brethren? It's Columbus Day (sorry, Prediger)! An interesting question to ask is: Where would we live today if Columbus hadn't discovered America? That cracks me up!

AB's coming by on Thursday, headed to Abilene. And I might just tag along. She's a dear, fun sister!

And I tried on her pointy, pointy shoes yesterday, and they fit, and she gave them to me because they don't fit her right. I don't see myself as a pointy-shoed type of girl (raise your hand and shout Amen, someone!). We'll see. I've surprised myself a lot lately. If you would've told me even 6 months ago that I'd be a vegetarian, I would've laughed you to scorn. Here I am, 6 months later, a raw foodie. I skipped a whole phase. (But I'm NOT a vegetarian, sorry. Meat is just so tasty. I have it on occasion at others' homes.) (Obviously not 100% raw. Raw chicken is disgusting.)

The preaching has been outstanding. I am so thankful for such a pastor as God has sent us. (Maybe this'll get a comment out of him. "Blood out of a turnip" comes to mind.) I've just resigned myself to the fact that my life will be meddled into (in the bestest , most profitable kind of way) as long as we're there. SOMEBODY's not going to let me stay in my comfortable little spot, content where I am spiritually. He's so good for me, and for our church. I thank God for our prediger.

And his wife is such a joy! You know what they did, much to my embarrassment? They brought me a FRAPPUCCINO to church, and gave it to me right before the evening service. So I brought it in, which got me quite the wide-mouthed stare from JB (who was wondering where HIS was). I tried not to schluck it loudly during the preaching, but my pastor told me I could bring it inside and drink it during the meeting. And I am submissive, if anything. Awkward, but delicious. Thanks, CS!

And cool weather is coming! I LOVE FALL AND WINTER! I would say "I live for it," but that's not quite accurate. But I do love fall and winter. I even moved to a town called "Winters." Greg told me the band's theme is "Winter Wonderland," and they play it before each game. (Shows how many games I go to! Shameful for a coach's wife, eh.)

Notice how smoothly I segue from one subject to another? Like occasional boulders on the highway of life.

Good day, all! Off to wash my hair, check the mail, and see my neighbor. Love y'all!

Leave a comment and spread the love around.

PS Those Cozarts are awesome photographers. I am so proud of them. A Blanket girl, you know....

National Punctuation Day

2008-10-07T08:59:00.002-06:00

Last month sometime was National Punctuation Day. I loved this! And here's my favorite quote from the web site, written about commas and periods being outside quotation marks (because there are geeks like me out in this world):

"Commas and periods are too little to go outside."

Sweet.

Wrapping It Up

2008-10-07T08:37:00.002-06:00

Greetings! If you need a good convicting read, head to http://www.bought-with-a-price.blogspot.com. Sarah's got a great post there.

So, "Goodbye"?

I'm steeling my heart, purposing to be tough and not cry in front of him. After more hemming-and-hawing, he says, I think I love you. Wow. That was the LAST thing I expected to hear. I was floored. My mouth must've hung open. All I said was, Oh? Now, remember what I wrote about the next man who told me he loved me? I just closed my mouth and looked at him. Then he said, You WILL marry me, won't you? (I get tears in my eyes still as I type this!) That was all I needed to hear! And wow, did we cry! We just talked and talked, and knelt down and dedicated our lives to God together, and then I HAD to leave! I was amazed, dumbfounded, thrilled, honored, blessed. I did not deserve such a man. And God heard my requests, and heeded my tuggings on his robe!

The next day we went to our pastor and told him we wanted to get married. Now. He said, First you need counseling. He said, One month. We said, Two weeks. So it was about two weeks later that we got married.

And there was a battle within me, believe it or not. One the one hand, I loved this man. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, have his babies, serve him all my days. On the other hand, it had been me and the Lord for a year and a half; I was SO happy in my God--HE led me, HE taught me, I submitted wholly to HIM! And now I was going to marry a SINNER (like me!), and have HIM lead me (and what a lead THAT has been!) and teach me and I had to submit to HIM?

I KNEW that my relationship to God would change (it HAD to!), but I wasn't sure I wanted to lose what I had with my Lord. Plus I'd never seen it done right. I would rather be single my whole life than go through a divorce. Greg and I decided right away we would never use that "d" word! (And he did, once. A very sad time, but God got us through it.) So strong was this conflict that on the way up the aisle, I told the Lord, If I'm making a mistake (and believe me, I had fervently prayed about it!), I will turn around and walk out right now. I was terrified, yet so in love with this wonderful man. Plus I hadn't learned about the sovereignty of God at this time, so the whole submission thing was REALLY scary to me! Remember The Boss marries The Baby? Whee.

It was a wonderful wedding, my friends threw together so much out of their own homes and pockets to make it possible, and I was so thankful for everything.

I LOVE being married, I love being married to GREGORY, my best, truest friend in this world. I have been sad, mad, mostly glad, but NEVER bored! Marriage has taught me so much about Greg, God, and myself. Especially myself. Scary. But "God leads His dear children along," and so he did the Risses. He saves, keeps, defends, provides. And I thank Him for providing me such a blessing in my husband. I truly don't deserve him. But that's what GRACE is about, isn't it?

How weird!

2008-10-03T21:50:00.001-06:00

PS The colors of my blog are almost the colors of Grace's bedroom! Fascinating....

Some More "Continued"

2008-10-03T20:57:00.002-06:00

Hi there! Let's carry on, shall we? To catch up: Went to McKinney with Sarah and the children, saw Grace's new home--wowie! Five bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 story, 3000 square feet, right across the street from the school, on the corner. Sweet. AND it's brand spanking new. We stayed up from 9 PM to 3:45 AM painting Grace's bedroom. It looks SO nice--dark plum on one wall, and dark gray for the rest of the room. Who knew that was a beautiful combination?! AND I got to go to my favorite store in the world, *KEA. Got a dining room table that is the coolest, lamps, end tables, a kitchen cart, and some kitchen utensils. (You KNEW I'd get my apartment in here somehow, didn't you? You know who you are. And you are right.)

Back to Gregorio y Viviana.

[And I just noticed: Not only is IAN in VivIAN, but so is ANA (Anna)! How fun is that!]

(Am I easily distracted!)

So, it's almost time to go back to "bible" college. I'm getting sad, but making my peace with it. Greg and I were spending all our waking moments together, and loving every moment. But Greg never said anything, and certainly not the "L" word. So I'm sure not going to. On one of our outings, just the two of us, he decided to just pick a street and pass out tracts and witness to the folks. There was one house where the man was outside watering his lawn alone. Greg starts talking to him, and he tells us that he is married and committing adultery, and he does care what God thinks about it. I'm listening to Greg PLEAD with this man to trust Christ, and I'm thinking, God, I LOVE this man! I love his heart, his care for people, his zeal for God.

Since I had started spending time with Greg, I had a great tug-of-war going with God. One moment it would be like I was tugging on God's robe, saying, But, Father, LOOK at him! He would be PERFECT for me!, and the next moment saying, Just you and me, Lord. I don't need anyone but you, and I want to do your will and go where you want me to go. It was a fun time!

So, at this point, I knew I loved this man, but didn't know what God was going to do. So I kept praying and trusting (and playing tug-of-war).

[An "aside:" I don't believe people "fall in love." I don't believe in "I couldn't help it." Loving someone is a choice, and it is totally under your control who you choose to set your affections upon. And who you choose NOT to set your affections upon. You CAN help it, and, furthermore, God expects you to help it. The idea that the world has that you fell in love with someone whom it was sinful for you to "fall in love" with, and you couldn't help it, and here you are, and what could you do, after all? is a bunch of romantic, worldly, ungodly nonsense which removes all responsibility for your affections. "SET your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." The end.]

(So how do I REALLY feel about that?)

Greg asks me to pick him up after work (he had loaned me his truck, dear man), and we go take a ride to Nautilus Gym on the other side of town. This confuses me, as Greg is getting out of the Air Force on August 29th and going to school with me. (Does that date look familiar? hehe.) When I ask him what's going on, he says he feels he would be going to college with me BECAUSE of me, so he decided not to go. (What does THAT mean?) WELL. That leaves him staying here, and me going to Florida shortly. I experienced at that moment what our pastor at that time called "death of a vision." So much for me and Greg. So, while Greg's at the gym applying, I'm making my peace with God about it all, toughening up to say goodbye and it's been real and all that. Because it looks like it's not going to happen, and that's fine, because I have a God who will "never leave me nor forsake me," and HE loves me!

Ok. We continue to spend time together, though I'm backing off emotionally, as I don't want to get hurt. Plus there are LOTS of single godly girls at church, so forget it.

Now it's almost time for me to go back to Florida, and I start making plans to work with my junior high bible study, get a ride back, etc. And Greg starts acting weird, aloof. I figure it's getting time to say goodbye, so I prepare my heart. I keep asking him what's wrong, and the answer remains the same: nothing. Yeah, right.

After a few days of this, I'm ready to get this over with and move on, so I tell him we need to talk, and I invite myself to his apartment (which I had never done before, because I don't do alone with someone of the opposite s*x, and I figure nothing dramatically dangerous is going to happen). So I persist: what's wrong? I'm steeling myself for "Goodbye; it's been real."

Continued, hopefully soon.

[A funny story in here. This is the kind of man Greg was: We had dinner together with another physical training instructor (co-worker) and his wife. Greg wanted to cook. Now THIS is worth observing, wouldn't you be thinking? I sure was! We're having baked chicken, so Greg gets two whole chickens and slaps them on a cookie sheet. Neat! I know NOTHING about cooking (trust me!), but I DO think that maybe you should put something on the chickens before you slam them into the oven? I suggest butter. So he gets a stick of butter and SHOVES it INTO the chicken! If it would've still had its head on, it would've turned cross-eyed! I was hysterical! I very kindly said, while wiping the tears from my eyes, I think the butter goes on the OUTSIDE of the bird. So he took the stick of butter in his palm, squeezed, and out squoze the butter from between his fingers. And that's what he put on the chickens, and they were delicious. Go figure. I thought to myself, I think I would never be BORED with this man. And was THAT an understatement!]

You would think...

2008-09-27T14:28:00.002-06:00

...that all I write about is my apartment! Not so fast, buddy.

"...beloved of God, called to be saints." That's from the first chapter of Romans, and it stopped me in my tracks. How amazing are those two phrases! The first one: We could park it there for eternity and never exhaust it! That God would even think on me, yet alone call ME beloved! I will never get over it! HERE is security; here is safety; here is better-than-self-esteem! I am SAFE. I belong to GOD. And all glory goes to Him, where it belongs. And is God content to "just" save me, or does He have more in mind for me? Oh, yes, there is MUCH more! Saints! He gives me a new heart, new desires, and a longing to know more about, and be more like, His precious Son, the Lord Jesus. "...to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever" is the chief end of Man. What a wondrous salvation! Thank you, my Lord and my God!

Help!

2008-09-26T08:41:00.000-06:00

I needed a place to put the water cooler, amongst other things. Martha to the rescue, for less than half price! God is so kind that way....

Continued

2008-09-24T22:51:00.002-06:00

(One day when Greg was teaching in Blanket, a foster kid was following him walking to the football field. Near the Ag building was a tire jack. The kid asked what it was, and Greg told him. And his reply was, "You know EVERYTHING about mechanics!" We have adopted that phrase, with variations, which is why, when I tell people Greg was installing an air conditioner when I met him, I tell them, "Yep, he knows EVERYTHING about electricity!")

So there was this handsome GI, knowing everything about electricity! Blissful sigh. Being the quiet, reticent, sweet Christian girl that I was, I waited for someone to introduce us. NOT. (I used to be [believe it or not!] VERY loud (surely there have been SOME changes in 34.5 years of sanctification!). So I went up and introduced myself and asked him about himself. 23. (I was 19.)Married? Nope. Ever been married? Nope. Kids? Nope. Debt? (Just kidding! That was for LATER.) I even asked him what was wrong with him that he wasn't married yet! He said, I think, that he had a close call. Air Force. Staff Sergeant. Physical training instructor. (At that point, I should've fallen over in hysterics, because this sweet Christian girl {that would be me} almost flunked PE because she wouldn't dress out for softball in the heat of San Antonio!) So here is Mr. All-Tri-State in football, lettered in every sport except hockey (sorry, CH), captain of many. We had SO much in common....

Our pastor, ever the joker (remember he was a youth minister once), saw us talking and said, "Hey, Greg--this is Vivian. She's been DYING to meet you!" (This is knowing I'd never seen him before.) Haha. Good old Lee.

In spite of that intro, we hit it off. Time to backtrack to "bible college." The center of life there was *soulwi**ing" (NOT the Lord Jesus Christ, sadly), and, in the semester I was there, I only witnessed to my junior high bible study kids. The surrounding adults intimidated the fool out of me--most (outside the school) were Je^^ish, as in the people whose condos I got paid to clean. So I was, by our church's standards, sadly lacking when I came home, and feeling pretty guilty about it. And here was GREG! Talk about ON FIRE! He was crazy! He would take a load of kids from church to witness to the GIs on base, and managed to never get kicked off it for doing it. He would take kids to Hemisfair downtown, which is where the poor bald, "rich" GIs went when they had liberty. I was so amazed at this--such boldness! Our pastor had taught him well in a semester, eh.

And here is the providence of God--backtracking to "eternity past." I used to go roller skating at Lackland every free moment--it was my passion. And hey--eat your heart out!--I can skate backwards! And sideways! (I KNEW you'd be impressed, but what does that have to do with "eternity past"?) One of the men who worked at the skating rink, Ray, was like a dad to me (remember my dad had left with his girlfriend when I was 16), and we used to have lots of good talks. He was a professing Christian, though he never told me. (So what constitutes "a good talk"?) I just loved the guy for listening to me. It was a good friendship--he was married and had kids my age, I believe, and he adjusted my skates well. Anyway, unbeknownst to me, Ray was also a physical training instructor, and it was HE who invited Greg to church while I was gone to "bible college." (Isn't that AWESOME?!) Thanks, Ray, wherever you are. (And he never even went to church there!) (And I should know--I was a "charter member": "It won't get you into heaven, but it will get you a front seat when you get there!"). God is fascinating!

Now fast forward from eternity past to soulwi**ing. Shy girl that I was (enough!), I asked him if I could go with him sometime (with others). So he would take a group of us, pick a street, and go door-to-door (I long for such boldness now!).

Is it needless to say that I was impressed with this young man? And he wasn't even in debt; in fact, he paid off my school bill before anything developed between us ($450, and you can believe I was thankful!). And he would let me use his truck (a shortbed Chevy with a longbed camper--go, Greg!) and walk to work. I was broker than beans--I had only my clothes and my bible. Seriously. And a job as church secretary that paid almost nothing.

So what are this man's plans? He wants to go to the same school I went to! I received this with the biggest inward groan and sigh--wait till he hits those halls full of squeaky-voiced girls quoting scriptures--there goes our friendship.... So, I helped him fill out his college application (this was "foreshadowing"; I would do almost all paperwork involved in our lives from here on out!). He got accepted (surprise). So he was going to give me a ride to college (which I needed), and oh, well....

We continued our friendship, heavily into the scriptures. I wouldn't go to his apartment (he had a roommate) alone with him, so we would ride around (before gas was $4 a gallon!) and talk about the Lord and the scriptures. Lots of questions, lots of challenges, lots of fascinating talks. We stayed up crazy late, and sometimes he would reluctantly leave, park in front of my friends' house, and pray that God would wake him up in time to go home and shower and change and go to work. (Ah, youth!) And we talked on the phone until our ears were soggy when we weren't together (blessedly, not long-distance!). It was a sweet, rich time in our lives.

12:28 AM. "Uncle" for now. Mas tomorrow, perhaps. Keep those comments rolling in (even if I have to make them!). Hugs to all!

PS "TMI" yet?

See It Before Greg Does!

2008-09-24T11:13:00.000-06:00

New furniture! How fun is that! AND, cheapie that I am, I got FREE DELIVERY to Winters from Bwd! God is kind that way.... I wanted to surprise Greg, so he hasn't even seen it yet. He will in 20 minutes, though....

Time to get out of the country look for me, and I can finally get some furniture. Headed to IKEA (and Grace, but not in that order!) next week. I'm looking for something to put the water dispenser on, so ignore it. Revised pics will be posted next week.

How fun! Continued post coming up shortly! Love to all.

Part Negative 1--Gregorio y Viviana

2008-09-21T20:48:00.003-06:00

Well, folks, here it is by popular request. So, to my four faithful readers, here goes....

"Part Negative 1" because I have to give you some background.

The Lord saved me at age 18. I was brought up in a home that did NOT put the "fun" in "dysfunctional." I never saw anything done right, as I've said before, let alone marriage. All I had for my teachers was what I found to read (being a voracious reader--still am), which pretty much consisted of "True Story" and "True Romance," and other such junk. If you don't know what those are, I'm so happy for you! Pure trash. So much so, that when my dad got together with his girlfriend when I was 16, he asked me what he should do, and I, FOOL that I was, said, "If you love her, go with her." How sorry is that! Forget about 19 years of marriage and 3 children and the vows you made before God. Sigh.

I was the only daughter, with two younger brothers. I was The Boss. Now put that together (getting ahead of myself here) with The Baby, with two older sisters who spoiled him and got him everything he needed, and the fireworks start. Imagine. But I digress....

After starting my "romantic life" at age 12 (which I DO NOT recommend!), I had lots of boyfriends, with relationships I started and finished. Got a lot of those in by age 18 when God saved me, and He saved me out of my worst relationship, which "was the best of times, and it was the worst of times." God was so merciful to me to release me from my bondage of sin!

So, now that I was a Christian and single, I was ready for God to send me single to Africa as a missionary for the rest of my life. I knew I was forgiven, but felt I was not worthy of a Christian husband, with my past. So it was just me and the Lord Jesus for a year and a half.

The Lord was SO good and kind and tender to me during this time (as He always is, but especially so then). I was basking in knowing God, being forgiven (bliss! a clean slate), and having a new heart that loved God and wanted to serve Him with everything I had. It was such a precious time. I would have been perfectly content to live like that the rest of my life, even go to Africa, if He would go with me. GOD taught ME, GOD led ME, GOD loved ME! I couldn't get enough of Him.

The Lord sent me a necessary friend in the form of a male, and we had a great time challenging each other from the scriptures. I learned a lot from him, and I thank God for him. God used this friend to protect me and encourage me and ease my loneliness after leaving such an intense ungodly relationship. I had a crush on him for a while, but that passed. (There's a hilarious story in there, too!) He told me that one day God would send me a husband, and that he would pale in comparison. I had great difficulty believing this, as he was a pretty wonderful man.

Our pastor was a former youth minister, and we had a VERY young church, with maybe 2 married couples, and those were older. LOTS of teens! It was quite a neat time in my life, and I decided to go to *bible college* (called *"bridal college"* by some), as our pastor had. At this time I was still very rebellious towards rules and regulations. Then I read, "rebellion is as the sin of *witchcraft," and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry." Many sighs....

A moment for Part Negative 2. There were some Christians in my high school, but I hate to say that they were extremely unpopular. They were what we would today call "the nerds." (What DO they call them today?) Remember this is in the days of MINI skirts and bell-bottom, hip-hugger pants. And the Christian girls dressed VERY modestly, in long dresses and skirts (just like I wear today!), and the guys wore high-water pants, which were SO uncool! And they passed out *Chick* tracts in the lunchroom, which I thought were hilarious. My friends and I, I'm ashamed to say, were their persecution. Double sigh.

Back to Part Negative 1. So I go to this "bible college" in Florida in January. Talk about not fitting in! I was like the "bull in the china shop." Many of the girls had high-pitched voices and talked so "plastic-ly," quoting verses in a way that, to me, was so fake. (An aside: Grace, I so sound like you there, don't I?) And here comes Miss-Bass-Voice-Viv. And a few of the Christians from my school were there, and, the first time they saw me, they looked as shocked as I imagine the Christians did when they saw Saul in the Christians' meetings! (Anyway, someday I'll blog about THAT adventure. I was a disgrace to the place, I think.) I tried a relationship there, but it didn't work out, thankfully. That's another funny (as in "ha-ha") story....

I had a great time in this "bible college," which I put in quotes because it was hyper-Arminian, with such a false gospel it was horrendous! I stayed out until 1 AM, when curfew was at 9:30 or so, "fellowshipping at IHOP," which was NOT an acceptable excuse! I snuck out all the time to the married couples' dorms to watch "Creature Feature,"the monster movie, on Friday nights. What a dodo.

So, there I was, involved in a junior-high bible study with two guys and having a ball. (Did I mention our "bible college" was the old *Hollywood "Beach" *Hotel in Florida? Between the bay and the ocean--what an incredible place! LUXURY!) I was SO not-dependent on anyone but God! I didn't need anyone. I had my summer set up. I was going to stay in Florida, work with the bible study kids, and have a blast serving the Lord.

Now here comes May, end of semester. My former roommate (another pitiful story) tells me they've got a carful headed back to San Antonio, with room for ONE MORE. Do I want to go home? NO. She asked me so many times, and my answer was always the same.

Until the day before they left. I got so incredibly homesick I felt I was going to DIE (not an exaggeration!) if I didn't go "home." (WHAT home?) I confirmed my spot in the car, called my married friend and asked if I could spend the summer with her and her husband and two little children, and I was set.

Back to Part Negative 2. Heard lots of sermons on dating and marriage (none on courtship), so I had my "list" ready! "Saved, *soulwinner,* no previous marriage or children, no debt, taller than me (let's be reasonable, eh), and HANDSOME, so our kids would have a fighting chance, and blue eyes (ok, so Greg's eyes are technically green, but they do look blue when he wears certain colors...)." I had gone steady with an Italian, a Mexican, a Puerto Rican, and a black guy, amongst many others, so I was pretty open that way, as long as he was saved. I had also purposed not to start any relationship again (let him start it), and not to be the first to say "I love you." Also, I purposed that the next man who told me "I love you" would have to have the next words be, "Will you marry me?" or I was going to walk away. (Wasn't I sensible? Pretty pitiful, eh.)

Back to Part Negative 1.Went back to church as soon as I got there; I was going to be our pastor's secretary for the summer. And the first meeting I attend back home, there is this amazingly handsome man, a GI from Lackland named Greg, putting in an air conditioner.

Coming up--Part 1. Continued....

PS If this is TMI, please let me know, and I'll abbreviate it. For those who think it is: We got together, we got married, and here we are, 33 years, 7 children, 13 grandchildren later. That's the short story.

PPS Love to my four faithful readers! You're the BEST!

The Papa

2008-09-10T13:10:00.000-06:00

Here we are in all our glory! Orlando was short and sweet. It was good to see my papa, and good to be home! Thanks, Paul, for joining me in that adventure!

One-Third of a Century Together!

2008-09-02T12:17:00.002-06:00

Wowzers! Thirty-three years of marriage! I'm loving him more than ever. Can't imagine it better!

I never saw it done right. I barely knew one married couple at church. They were dear, but I don't remember ever going to their home. That's as close as I had come to seeing a Christian marriage. My folks were divorced when I was 16, and we did NOT put the FUN in dysFUNctional!

Anybody want to hear the story of our meeting and courtship? (Hey, maybe THAT will get a comment or two!) Let me know. Love to my 4 fans!

"Settled"?

2008-08-18T11:50:00.002-06:00

Finally! A day at home. Bliss! Rain. God's provision. Sermons to muse and meditation upon. God is so good!

Yesterday was an outstanding Lord's Day. Super Sunday School by dear Jason, and I got to hear him say "Keilah" again. Isn't that a great name for a girl? I love it! (Key-eye-lah.) Then there's another in the series on the Excellency of Christ, on Lazarus dying. Please go listen to it at http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard. Entitled: Faith's Romance: Jesus Wept. I highly recommend it. And the evening message was on training your children. I am blessed. AND we got to spend the afternoon with dear brethren. Greg even cooked for everyone.

ALMOST completely unpacked. I brought the remnants from the other apartment, so those still have to be put away.

Our Dan is back in Texas for a while! I MISS my red-headed snippet! It will be good to see him and Paul (who I also miss!). Wish Miss Kalee could come along for the ride....

Yesterday was Little Sarah's birthday (Happy 5th Birthday, Princess!) and tomorrow is her mommy's TWENTY-SIXTH! birthday! Wowzers! (That's our BABY!) We are the parents of OLD PEOPLE! (So what does that make US? GAK!)

I'll give you a moment to catch your breath from the excitement this post has caused you.

Off to make some curtains for the living room. I am on a sewing kick. Go figure....

Love to all. Leave a comment and spread the love. Thank you, Faithful Four!

Praying for a safe trip for the Michael Risses! They're leaving tonight. Love you!

What's happening in YOUR neck of the woods?

How do you spell PAMPER?

2008-08-09T19:44:00.000-06:00

THIS is a foot massage, followed by a back massage! I asked them if they wanted to be adopted by me. I have to talk to their parents about this!

Ian wants me to quote him: I love you, Emmie!

Sarah wants me to quote her: I love Emmie!

What a great life.

PS Sarah added: I love Pee Wee!

Al Fin

2008-08-07T19:30:00.002-06:00

(aka: FINALLY!)

Almost finished unpacking! Yahooey! More later, but I am loving this place. I just miss my ceiling fans....

Love to all who helped us so much with this move, and you know who you are! Pics soon. Sarah's moving next week (copycat!), and I'm headed over there to help. Tomorrow I finish up the Bwd. apartment and turn in keys, then get tires and see Grannybear with Sarah and the kiddlings. Then I'm spending the night and meeting Grace and Dean in Strawn to pick up our 3 baby grands! Got them until Tuesday--let the games begin! (Speaking of the Olympics....)

More later! My back HURTS! And I love the NEW Hamiltons! God is good.

How do you spell LOVE?

2008-07-28T16:53:00.002-06:00

BOXES! People from all OVER are bringing me BOXES! I love these people! I need boxes!

You know who you are: THANK YOU!

Neighbors are coming out of the woodwork to bring me boxes. I feel so loved....

LOVE is spelled HELP. Sarah, Jewel of Early, whose price is FAR above rubies, came over today and helped me pack. You would think that with 2 babies under 3, she wouldn't be much help, but you don't know my Mimi if you think that! Whatadoll! I actually have HOPE that this apartment can be packed in three days!

LOVE is spelled RESTING. That's what Deborah let me and Greg do yesterday at her lovely home, between church meetings. It doesn't get any better than that. Thank you, loved one!

LOVE is also spelled HEMMING! Mary, I pledge my undying love to you (she is hemming two of the five dresses!). God is so good to me, sending me such friends and family.

LOVE is also spelled TAKING DOWN THE WALLPAPER BORDER I STAPLED UP THERE. Joseph, you already knew I have undying love for you; now I have MORE than ever! Thank you, blessed son-in-love! He pledged to take care of me in my old age, and he's getting an EARLY start (I sure can be punny!). How thankful I am for you! AND with a great attitude, AND after working 9 hours in 100+ heat at 3*M!

See how God has provided for me? !

LOVE is also spelled PREACHING THAT FEEDS THE SOUL. And I got that yesterday! Thank you, dear pastor (you'd think he'd comment at least once a year on here; sigh)! My cup runneth over. We had 13 visitors, not counting the spouse of one of our members. Can't wait to see what God's going to do! AND, if you want to hear the awesome message from Sunday morning, click here: http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard and look for "The Excellency of Christ." And check out anything else there--it's all GREAT! That's our pastor for you. God is good. Speaking thereof, there's a great pattern developing here, I was telling him: first, he preaches on my favorite story in the scriptures, the Canaanite woman, "Crumbs Undeserved" is the name of that one, and the two following on "Intercessory Prayer for the Lost," then he preaches on my favorite verse and the context thereof, Philippians 3:7-14! I am SO basking in the goodness of God to me!

Enough for now. My back is hurting, the packing calls me, and I have to figure out something to eat for tonight.

THANKS for your prayers, those who pray for me. I CANNOT thank you enough. Truly.

Yours and His,
Vivi (which no one but Ali calls me)
PS The "Watermelon Man" on the way to church was named Pee Wee Hamilton. How fun! (I'm sure he is cuter than I am. Greg met him.)

Blizzard's Coming!

2008-07-18T03:31:00.002-06:00

Say hello to the wife of the new Winters, TX Special Ed teacher and coach! Nice to meet you!

We will be moving to Winters by mid-August, probably earlier. Yes, I said that dreaded four-letter word: move. Sigh. I will be leaving proximity to our two fabulous daughters, and for that I am sad. Except for that, I am so so happy for my husband! (I see Mom once a week now, so that won't change anything.)

And we already got an apartment! It's a 2/2, slightly smaller than we have now. And laugh--the privacy fence houses a yard about 18" by 36". Tres cute. (I think I could have a decent garden in that plot.) That fence is major overkill! There is a little "patio" (I think it'll hold one chair) within this fence. The outer yard is nice and well-kept. It's a duplex--did I mention that? And there's a 2-car driveway. A half-mile away from school. (I may get a bike, but first I have to get into shape to ride one! The last time I tried, I got almost half a block away before I almost died. Time to work on that!)

So that's the latest here. Working on the "wedding dresses" for the little people. I cannot start packing until I finish them--too much chaos! All prayers would be greatly appreciated. If this apartment can get filled for 1 August, we won't lose a month's rent, which would be a blessing!

Signing off for now. Love to all.

PS Winters' mascot is a blizzard. Not Dairy Queen's.

What a Blessing!

2008-07-11T10:15:00.002-06:00

Mike's coming! I am so glad; I miss my baby boy (now the father of three!). He's doing the raw experiment for 30 days, and so far, so good. I'm gonna make him some fun, yummy food while he's here. And I've lost 11 lbs. in 25 days--not too shabby! I'm pleased, and I'm enjoying myself.

Baby Grace and her family were here last weekend for Christy's shower, which was a lot of fun (both their visit and the shower). (And THAT was a poorly-constructed sentence!) Little Luke has lost more teeth than Ian, who's a year older. Interesting. I love the toothless look (just on kids and hockey players) (are you out there, CC, almost CH?).

Gotta get to sewing! I have five dresses to make for the wedding, scheduled for August 2nd. Greg's gonna marry them (doesn't THAT sound weird!), and he's getting things ready for that. She'll get married where Sarah did, which is fun. And yours truly is the photographer. Yikes!

Hopefully we will see Paul again this weekend. And Leilani (correct spelling) was a joy. Beautiful girl. We made some fun food together.

And our pastor is blessing me like crazy preaching on my favorite account in the Bible--the Canaanite woman with the possessed daughter (Matthew 15:21-28). This week will be Message #3. You can hear these on http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard and they will be under "Crumbs Undeserved" and "Intercessory Prayer for the Lost." I am a learning woman. And I continue to pray for my babies, and my baby grands, and all those related thereto. God is good!

Well, now that I've left you with the most interesting post ever, I'll sign off. My Faithful Four (and you know who you are)--please leave the required comment. Love to all!

The Thoughtfulness of God

2008-07-08T07:25:00.002-06:00

How thoughtful is He? Well, I just started doing the bulletin for church, and I'm printing them at home. A trip to the thrift store yesterday yielded a great sale, with BOTH my printer inks there (and no others--do you KNOW how many kinds of ink there are?!), and they were $.99 each!!!!!! The regular price for both is at least $60 at Wal**Mart. I almost started crying right there. Wonderful! And books were 12/$1, and I found a bible, in great shape, for $.08, non-taxable! "More to be desired are they than gold," speaking of God's words. It was a great day. And I thank the Lord for His thoughtfulness.

Groceries!

2008-07-05T15:03:00.002-06:00

Today I'm getting groceries! Paul's bringing me some good stuff from Austin. Looking forward to a little variety in my eating. Almost 3 weeks, and I've lost 9 lbs. and gained stronger fingernails! Mine are usually the strength of wet egg noodles, but, hey, they've gotten stronger!!! Who'd a thunk it? Next thing you know, I'll have a fat french braid going down my back. Look for it next week--the week my 12 hairs will multiply into thousands! I believe I'm staying on this way of eating from now on. And that is with the smell of brisket in the air--it's for tomorrow's meal after church. Talk about my used-to-be favorite food. No pain, no loss....

And looking forward to having Paul, the firstborn, here for the evening. He's bringing his friend, Lelani (sp?), and we're looking forward to meeting her. AND she's bringing her blender, so I get to meet that, too. We're planning on "not cooking" up some good food tonight! Stop by for a bite.

Yesterday's Fourth of July bash at Sarah's went so well! There were 34 folks there last night, and we had SUCH a good time! I took lots of fun photos, and everyone was happy. I think that not one child cried (Ian hurt his finger, and I think that was it)! And that's with 17 children there! We even had 2 Ians. And if you know Ian, you know the only thing better than 1 Ian is two of them. I love that boy.

Tomorrow's church, fellowship dinner, and then Christy's shower. I am busy, busy, and loving it!

Good evening for now. Tomorrow the church gets its first bulletin put together by yours truly. I'm striving to learn more on the creative side of it. But it's pretty vanilla for tomorrow.

You're invited to show some love in the form of a comment. Help yourself!

Finally! No news.

2008-06-24T18:44:00.003-06:00

Psych! Actually, I thought it might actually happen, but it didn't. And it wasn't my decision. (Phew!)

We considered, and looked at, and drove, an RV which we were considering to LIVE IN! A 27-footer, even! (DO YOU KNOW HOW LITTLE THAT IS?) Shock #1--No bedroom, just a bed above the driver and passenger. Shock #2--NO CLOSET! Just for the record, I WAS WILLING! to give up everything, as Greg has always said that's his dream when it's just him, as he feels he needs hardly anything to exist, and the less the better. I would hate to have to die for him to have his dream fulfilled (sad, eh), so I consented to getting rid of EVERYTHING for him. And he decided no. (Pardon my relief!)

One reason I married this man is because I could tell I'd never be bored: sad, mad--yes, but never bored. He hasn't disappointed me yet. The only time I fell asleep on him I was on medication.

Greg and our pastor are heading home tomorrow from OK. They went to the bible conference there. I MISS MY HUSBAND! Enough! And all I'm saying is this: Prediger didn't need the earplugs.

I was all ready to sew, and then my sewing machine quit on me. Sigh.

The raw food thingie is going pretty well so far. Avocados! I know God was thinking of me when He created those. Delicioso!

Off to read some, and listen to more of the conference. Live WebCam is so awesome!

Thanks for the comments. Two people sure know how to make me feel loved, and you know who you are.

The Experiment

2008-06-20T07:32:00.002-06:00

Howdy, loved ones! God has been doing some wonderful things around here lately, and I hope to have great news (fabulous news!) for you soon. (No, I'm not pregnant! ; ) ) And the other news is that I'm trying a raw diet for three weeks. (I'll give you a moment to pick yourself off the floor before I continue.) If you know me, you know I'm Mrs. Skeptic--yeah, right! But the eating is, believe it or not, DELICIOUS! (I didn't believe it, either.) And just about anything you crave that cooked has a raw version that is, I'm discovering, scrumptious, and even more satisfying. Interesting, eh. And I can make raw chocolate, and if you're nice to me, you can have a taste of it. And you won't be disappointed! Ingredients: love, cacao powder, agave nectar (some yummo stuff!), sea salt, coconut oil, AVOCADO (GAK! who knew?), cayenne pepper (double GAK!), and maybe jalapeno! All I'm saying is: You will be surprised.

Is this a spiritual "journey"? NO. Just trying something that may be able to help me with some problems. Mainly, I want to get off blood pressure medicine and horomones in pill form. And guess what? I feel great. Go figure. I'll keep you "posted." (I do love a good pun!) I may even start including recipes, for a not-cook book (I do exceed in cleverness, do I not?). And don't tell anyone (yes, I know it sounds ridiculous!), but I'm massaging greens now. Shhhh. And they like it. They just close their eyes and sigh contentedly. (I will spare you the explanation of breaking down cell walls, leading to ease of digestion....)

And, the funny part is, you haven't heard the most surprising part of all this yet! But I save that for the next post....

I remain, suspensefully yours,
Yours and His,
Vivian, Vivi (why won't people call me Vivi? I like it.) aka Emmie, aka Pee Wee Risse

Rant! and other musings....

2008-06-14T19:40:00.003-06:00

Why does the world have to ruin the good words? For example: lover. "Jesus, Lover of my Soul." What's wrong with that?

The world has taken that word to mean the person with whom you are committing adultery. And that makes me angry. It's a beautiful word: the one who loves you. GRRRR!!

OK, I feel better now.

My precious husband has been gone for almost 2 weeks, and will be back on Monday! Yippee! I'm crazy about that guy, and I'm missing him mucho. We do love those happy reunions. I thank the Lord for the time alone with Him--blessed I am. And got plenty of time with others around here, got a few invites, my cousin and her LOVER visited for 4 days, got to play with the baby grands, and managed a few trips to WallaWallaWorld, which is a 7-minute walk, door-to-door. Of course, this 7-minute walk can only occur between the hours of 6 and 7 AM! It was 101 today! And, believe it or not, I was out in it. "Military Appreciation Day" at Camp Bowie. It's a tie whether the highlight thereof was the female warrior joust (please ask!) or the pavillion's shade I borrowed from the National Guard, who so kindly loaned Brother and me their camping chair. (They asked, Wilt thou? And I wilted.)

Brother is really finding his voice nowadays. I LOVE to listen to him! He is the cutest guy. And his BIG SISTER is having dry pants nowadays (go, Kayba!), just like her Emmie. (Aren't you proud of us?)

"Like" is in the air, and that's all I'm saying on that!

Our prediger is preaching a series on discouragement. I'm sure it'll be in my future, but right now I'm not discouraged. It's been a great two weeks, albeit a lonely two weeks without my LOVER, and I am very encouraged.

Our prediger is on Sermon Audio (http://sermonaudio.com/aashepard. What a fantastic website--more than 185,000 sermons on there! And monthly we receive a report of how many "listens" we have had. April: 970! May: 1710!! And this from a church of 22 members and a pastor we truly don't deserve. All glory to God. How could I NOT be encouraged about it? And more than 500 of those "listens" were in China! Isn't that awesome? I'm praying for our dear listeners all over the world. God is so good! Our pastor, I have decided after reading a few books about them, is a modern-day Puritan. I'm loving it, though he HAS gotten quite adept at quitting preaching and going to meddling. And I welcome the "meddling." I need it. Saw a website that said, One sign that you're a Calvinist is reading a book's preface, introduction, dedication, foreword, and table of contents so you can be convicted. I LOVE that! And if you've read those kinds of books, you know what I'm talking about.

So that's my rant, and those are my musings. I miss fellowship dinners every Sunday. I love our little church, though I'm looking forward to God growing us. I love the ministries we have, and the sweet ladies from the nursing home who visit every week. They are precious.

So, a blessed Sunday to all tomorrow. I love you, and remember, nothing says "I love you" like a comment, for, "to comment is to love." Selah.

My Precious Cousin and Her Lover

2008-06-07T12:27:00.000-06:00

Aren't they beautiful? Almost 39 years! I love 'em!

Love the Family!

2008-05-27T07:43:00.000-06:00

Here are these beautiful folks. The occasion is Johnny's baptism at Memory Lake in Coleman. What a blessing to have them with us! Love those babies!

Grace's LAME move...

2008-05-06T20:37:00.002-06:00

See what I mean? An obvious camera trick. I LOVE YOU, GRACIE!

But Can You Do THIS After Eating Chicken, Sausage, Hamburgers, Salad, Mac and Cheese, Beans, and Drinking Tea?????

2008-05-06T20:24:00.000-06:00

Here they are! Eat your heart out, Gracie! Top THAT!

Take THIS, little Gracie!

2008-05-06T20:22:00.001-06:00

Little Laughing Boy

2008-04-16T00:09:00.000-06:00

Is he not the cutest? I could make this boy smile all day long. I'm in love!