Closing Out the Year

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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!

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

blockposters.com!

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!

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

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

Beautiful Family

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!

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!

...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

(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

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

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.

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!

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