Unusual Mail from a Wonderful Gramma!

Hey, Aaron, I borrowed your title for this post, but edited it a bit. I don't want Gramma feeling too "unusual." It is always fun to get mail, but even more fun when it is as unusual as a bottle full of goldfish. The kids are kissing the bottles, so I guess that means they like them. I included a close up of the bottle---cute label, and they stayed secure, but they did get a bit smooshed. Thanks, Gramma! We Love you and your goldfish !

Family Pictures-2007

Spin-Tacular Basketball

At our church this evening, we had Guinness World Record Holder Bruce Crevier. He is a ball handler who also shares the Gospel. He challenged the audience to not focus on getting your name in anybook here on earth but in making sure your name is written in the Lambs Book of Life. We had a good crowd and were thrilled to see many of the visitors place their faith in Jesus Christ.

Of course, all the kids, including my three, loved the show! Gary was named as a volunteer and had the challenge of throwing the basketball over his head and catching it by putting his hands between his legs. Gary got close :) Nobody actually did it in the 30 second time limit; of course, Bruce then proceeded to do it with 2 basketballs. He holds the world record for spinning 21 basketballs at the same time; he did 12 for us.

Crazy days in Southern California!

If you have been watching the news, you may have noticed that southern California is experiencing some wildfires. With the great Santa Anna winds that we get every fall, there is always the increased chances of fires starting and spreading. Yesterday, we had several uncontrolled fires burning in different cities nearby. Normally, these fires are in dry fields or the mountain areas, and rarely are homes damaged. I took a couple of pictures through the window (thus, the distorted view) into our backyard. These were taken at 1:00 in the afternoon---a rather typical sunny day turned dark with orange glow in the sky. At dusk, it looked like it was snowing, because their was so much ash falling down. Gary was quick to shut ALL windows and try to keep out the smoky air. The kids have had to stay indoors (the boys are on a 2 week fall break), so they are keeping busy playing indoors. The static has really gotten the better of Brooke :) Notice, Aunt Danielle, that Brooke got some more stickers in the mail today. She is having such fun with these; I hope Mackenzie has gotten some from Brooke's friends. Thankfully, today has cleared up quite abit!

Think and Pray about this........

This morning at 9:25 PST, I knew that a murder was being committed. I knew because I had been told hours in advance. I knew this, and yet, I did not call the police. I didn't call anyone. I just sat in my home, and I cried. I knew that at that precise moment, a life was being taken, and yet, I could do nothing about it.

Let me explain. I am teaching an internet course, with 30 different students. Since it is an online course, I only see the students 3 times during the entire semester. It has been interesting getting to "know" these students by communicating with them through e-mail, phone calls, and message boards; yet, I would not recognize them at all. One of these students, a young girl appears to be happy, yet always distracted and busy. She e-mailed me this morning. Her message reads something like the following: I will not be able to make it to campus today. I recently found out that I was pregnant. I am nearly two months pregnant, and this pregnancy must be terminated. I am going to be getting an abortion at 9:25 this morning, so I will be unable to attend the mid-term. I hope this does not offend you (oh, no.....it mortifies me), but I would like to take the test at a later date.

I have always been against abortion, but this was the first time in my life, that I actually knew it was going to happen. I sat at my desk and just stared into space. As a teacher, I knew what my policies were regarding the test, but as a Christian, and as a mother, my belief system was yelling out......What do you mean you have to terminate this pregnancy? Why did you even tell me this.....I don't really want to know......I don't want to think about the fact that every day innocent lives are being killed in my town.....involving some of my students.

All day, I was somewhat haunted by this reminder. But, it has been good for me to remember, and better yet, for me to pray. I prayed alot for this young lady today. I don't know how and if God will use this situation in her life......but, it has been good for me to really pray....earnestly.....and to just remember.

The ten commandments

Last evening, our church hosted a pre-screening for a movie that is to be released October 19th, 2007. The movie was excellent! The producers were at the pre-screening last night, and it was encouraging to see men who were dedicated to providing good, Biblical, films. This story of Moses was an animated version of his life detailing events from his birth to his death. It was somewhat humorous, when we got to the children of Israel standing at the edge of the Red Sea and the Egyptians coming from behind, Wesley said, "This part is going to be really good!" It was! It is always fascinating to be able to visualize a familiar story, and actually "see" the power of God at work. It was good, accurate, and quite entertaining. I highly recommend :) You can check it out at http://10cmovie.com.