Abba's Girl

A symbol of what we look like before we confess our sins to the Lord. A symbol of what we look like after we confess our sins to the Lord.

Please pray for the situation in Israel. The Palestians had a large protest on Sunday near the Galleria. (I am not sure why they did not protest near the Israeli Consulate.) I think we will see violent protests spring up in numerous countries. Karen's friend Diana is in Israel through January 6, please pray for Diana's safety as well as the safety of her group. We know how the story ends, we know through the prophet Ezekiel what happens to those who align themselves with countries against Israel. Time to pray for those against Israel to get delivered from their false religion and take all that devotion and use it in the Kingdom.

Sunday I attended church with my mother at my former church. It is so nice to see friends and worship with them. During Communion, we sang Jesus Loves Me, Father Frankie had mentioned it to the children during the children's sermon. My eyes welled up with tears as we sang it. God reconciled us to Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ - Emmanuel - God With Us. Men have given religion a bad name, just like the Saducees and Pharisees in the New Testament. The only people who did not like Jesus were religious, they knew the laws inside and out but did not have God in their hearts. Believers in Christ should follow him, but not be legalistic and hard hearted religious (dare I say) idiots like the Pharisees. My prayer is Lord Jesus stun the Pharisee right out of me. Believers must take the love of Jesus where ever they go. It's not our job to preach at people and beat them over the head with the Bible; it's our job to love and pray. Jesus saves thr...

Christmas Day was quite warm and humid, though we had a little freezing rain and sleet December 23. (Sometimes you can experience 3 to 4 seasons in 1 day in southeast Texas.) So to add to the ambiance of Christmas we set the A/C down to 66 and built a fire in the fireplace. My husband thought my parents would enjoy it. (Mind you my parents have a fireplace, they don't need firewood and can use a remote to light it, we need firewood and matches to start a fire at our house and there is certainly no remote.) So the point of this is: my husband wanted to build a fire in the fireplace. After all the company left and the last of the dishes were in the dishwasher, my husband and I sat outside talking. We could hear the children across the street playing football until it became too dark to play. They were so happy because their oldest brother had leave and was home for a visit before he ships out to Guam, he is proudly serving in the USMC. Semper Fi ! I mentioned 2008 had been a long ye...

The day people celebrate Christmas has come and gone but it's still Christmas until January 6 th . Today a few women are coming over for lunch, we met in school between 5 th & 8 th grade and graduated from St. Thomas' Episcopal Church & School together. We have threatened one of our male classmates who moved just down the road from me with wrapping his house. We have to get a little exercise in after lunch and his neighborhood is so new, I think we can manage to throw rolls of toilet paper over his 6 foot tall oak trees. (Don't worry Doug, we haven't wrapped your house in 4 or 5 years and probably won't do it today....) This meal with dear friends extends Christmas for me if you will. There is joy and love around the dining room table and it's great , but nothing compared to the pure love God has for us. Just imagine what it will be like when we are dining together in heaven! I try to find God's love in every day situations and events. I really fin...

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas! 2008 has been a long year for my family due to my father's 8 months in the hospital plus the normal ups and downs of life. Many of you have experienced hard times this year. Keeping our eyes on the Lord is the only way to move forward. He understands our pain, our disappointments and the reasons we cry out why Lord, why? Each day is a new day with Him, His mercy and grace are poured out on us daily, they never run low or run out, He is ever faithful even when we are not. Over 2000 years ago on a starry night, whatever time of year the shepherds were in the field with their flocks, in the City of David, Jesus our Emmanuel, the long awaited Messiah was born. Our heavenly Father trusted Joseph and Mary to raise this little baby Who would bring Salvation to all people. The Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings was born in very humble circumstances to a humble couple who loved Yaweh . As we celebrate Christmas with our family and ...

Pictures from my annual coffee, Ann & Karen on the love seat, they were talking to Annette of Annie's Eyes Blog, Penny (1 of my dogs) recovering from being shut out of all the excitement...Joann is sitting on the couch, she is my neighbor...then sadly I started drinking coffee and eating red velvet cake and quit taking pictures...Oh well, there is always next year. Since it's only 38 degrees this afternoon which is cold for people in southeast Texas, I am going to make a cup of tea and warm up. Have a good afternoon. Spend some time with our Heavenly Father: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Today is the 4 th Sunday of Advent, the last candle in the wreath is lit until we light the white candle in the center on Christmas Day. Hard to believe how fast the season of preparation flew by this year. Yesterday I had several friends over, we drank coffee, ate sweets, and laughed. Annette of Annie's Eyes blog made the trip from the northwest side of Houston to my house southwest of Houston. It was a joy to see her in person. (She brought the most wonderful gift, I need to find out if she made it and I need to thank her for it.) My husband made his escape, he decided to spread joy and pink eye to his plumbing shop. (I don't think his employees were there.) I hope y'all are prepared for Christmas spiritually and in the natural realm. I have 1 gift to buy, a trip to the grocery store later this week, and a little baking to do. I hope we have prepared Him room in our hearts and let the things of this world that don't matter in the next world fade away. I pray we sprea...

When I was in school I had to be in the annual Christmas Choir Concert. I loved some of the songs we sang and really didn’t care for others. I remember in 5th grade when I was 10; we sang Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming, I hated it. As I got older I liked the words and still hated the music. I have not heard it in so many years; I no longer have an opinion. We also sang a song called Fum Fum Fum (rhymes with zoom, not gum), the opening line is: On December five and twenty fum fum fum, I think we all loved it and I think we even sang it at a Christmas party a 2 or 3 years ago after a couple of glasses of champagne. Another song we liked to sing was: While Shepherds watched their flocks by night, Glad tidings brought an angel bright: How great their joy, great their joy, Joy, joy joy! Joy, joy joy! Glory to God in heav'n on high. Glory to God in heav'n on high. We would belt out the echo of the JOY JOY JOY chorus to annoy the organist Mr. Moseley, but he could never prove it. I hear...

As many of you know from a previous post I wanted a truffle last weekend but did not want to go to the Galleria. My husband not knowing about the desire for a truffle; stopped at Buc - cees on the way home from the deer lease and bought fudge for me. What a guy, stopping to buy fudge at the service station. Buc - ees have not been around all that long, but has a loyal following. One of my friends has been known to drive to Buc - ees to buy jerky, it's 1/2 way to San Antonio. Thankfully they have opened a few locations around the greater Houston area and one will open soon in Richmond. You can pull in pump gas, go in grab a Coke, buy freshly baked cookies, have some jerky and get back on the highway. Buc - ees is basically a massive convenience store. I love them. It can be very easy to treat God like a convenience store. We just utter a prayer which is like a fast food order and go on down the highway of life. I am not talking about when a crisis pops up or we need a quick refr...

Does anyone relish a trip to the post office this time of year? I knew there would be a bit of a wait as parking places were scarce. I had 2 choices: stand in line and think nasty thoughts or stand in line and pray for friends and family who need prayer. Part of me wanted to do the nasty thought thing so I could contemplate the woman who told the postal worker to wait as she talked on her cell phone. He called the next customer, she hung up the telephone quickly and glared at him while he waited on her. Remember, these are people - God's children, not idiots, I am reminding myself of this point as well as telling myself I am Kingdom minded. The Holy Spirit can change our mood in a heartbeat if we ask Him to do so. Ephesians tells us: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of th...

My father ate seafood gumbo for lunch Friday which contained an ingredient he was allergic to, as a result we did not go to the Galleria today. He feels fine now. I took my parents to dinner to the Italian Maid here in Richmond, we had a great dinner and then drove around looking at Christmas lights with Christmas Carols playing on the radio. KSBJ played beautiful music tonight; KSBJ is a wonderful station, you can listen online. My husband called from the deer lease, he has pink eye and the wind was blowing 40 mph. I don't think his evening was as nice as ours was. I gave dad some great news today about one of his best friends, dad has been in prayer for 6 to 7 months over a situation and the prayer was answered yesterday afternoon. The Lord's timing is always perfect, He's never late. We may think He is, but He's not. I join my parents and friends rejoicing over the answered prayer. I will attend church with my parents tomorrow, it will be nice to worship with them ...

Lord help me, my father wants to go to the Galleria tomorrow. His watch is losing time again; so Tourneau here we come with 10,000 other shoppers. (My figure is not scientific and may be inflated for entertainment purposes.) My first thoughts were: All the idiots - oh wait - Lord, I repent they aren't idiots - I mean all the people All the traffic All the people All the chaos All the people I thought well, maybe I'll stop by Godiva while we're there, it's less expensive than Gucci. They sell a truffle I love. The Christmas decorations are beautiful and will be fun to see. I may take dad to Starbucks across Post Oak from the Galleria to kill a little time then take him to Goode Company Seafood so he can eat an oyster po -boy. Dad has never been to Starbucks. I think it's time he experienced it. I intend to stay patient and Kingdom minded which will require spending quality time with our Heavenly Father tonight and tomorrow morning. I will never look back and say I...

I wonder how many people across south and southeast Texas went a little berserk over the snow fall yesterday? I know I did. Everyone was outside laughing and smiling. Joy was all around. It really takes so little to bring joy and warmth to those around us, as we are living in hard times for many people, try to think of ways to bring kindness, peace, joy, faith, hope, and love wherever you go. As we near the day we celebrate the birth of our King, let's be Kingdom minded. We can renew our hearts and mind in the Word, we can be filled with His love for even the people we consider unlovable - we just pray to be filled with His love, ask the Holy Spirit to guard your lips against unkind words as well as gossip. It can be easy to fall into gossip while visiting without ever meaning to do so. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyo...

It doesn't happen often, so excuse me for being over the top...it's SNOWING...78 yesterday, 34 for a high today. Most people in Southeast Texas love snow. What a great gift after a hurricane.

What makes you nostalgic during the Christmas season? I think of merry times with my family laughing and singing. I have so few relatives left on my father's side of the family and many of them are serving the Lord in Europe and South Korea. I remember being 9 or 10 and we had so much fun visiting, sharing our Christmas meal and playing Christmas music we opened gifts at 8pm as we were about to leave my aunt's house. I wanted gifts when I was a child, but that was not the biggest part of Christmas. I look back at the doll buggy, the Chrissy Doll, the various Barbies and their accessories (anyone else remember when Barbie's dorm room, kitchen, and house were made of cardboard?) clothes, games, Creepy Crawlers and books, it was all fun, but I remember running into the arms of family members who were in town for Christmas. I remember my Uncle Bob sitting on the couch in his mod clothes smoking a cigarette looking at the children as if we were Martians. He was not into kids, h...

Apparently asking a man if age spots look lighter is right up there with the following questions: Do you like these shoes? Do I look fat in this outfit? Does my derriere look big in these jeans? After getting over the shock of being questioned about age spots at 6:43am central time, he answered yes they look lighter. I was handing him a cup of hot coffee at the time, but I am sure that had no bearing on the answer. ha ha ha So as I think Palmer's Age Spot serum is working, I know and believe with every fiber of my being the following words are true: Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, ...

If I attended an Episcopal Church today, I would hear the following passage of the Gospel read: The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." W...

When I was a young girl, either 3 or 4 years old I received the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I loved it and had my parents and Sandy read it to me frequently. At the end of the book there is picture of the Who's and the Grinch holding hands as they sing. For some reason, I decided they were singing Joy to the World. A year or 2 later in 1966 the Grinch cartoon debuted with Boris Karloff ( sp ). The Who's and the Grinch were not singing Joy to the World, I could not believe it. I watched the Grinch cartoon the other night which caused me to remember the Joy to the World notion I held over 40 years ago. My dad told me my uncle read the book to me the 1st time I heard it because he and his wife gave it to me for Christmas. Uncle Howdy read it, some of the adults listened because they had never heard the story, as he finished he said this book makes no sense. (I think the rhymes got to him as he read.) I piped up and said you can't steal Christmas it comes every year wh...

Hope this brings smiles to your faces.

Monday was a long day due to taking my dad to the ER, though the others trips have been 9 to 13 hours before he was seen, our total time from my house to the ER and back was 5 hours, which includes picking up sandwiches and salads to go at Sandy McGee’s in Richmond. I was so tired physically; I was relieved no one was able to attend Bible Study Monday night, though mentally I was sad. I decided I wanted to eat chocolate; I didn’t have anything chocolate in the house. I could not ask my husband to stop on the way home from work and buy a candy bar because he was at the deer lease. Far be it from me to get off the couch and go to the convenience store and buy a Snickers Bar. I looked in the pantry; I had everything I needed to make brownies. I don’t even care for brownies that much. I baked them; I cut them in 2 x 2 pieces and proceeded to eat 4 of them – FOUR, I can’t believe it – FOUR of them. That is called self-indulgence. Hopefully my husband will eat the rest this week. I looked at...

I took my father to the ER at St. Luke's Sugar Land today. It was our 1st time at this location. (And hopefully the last!) We are so thankful to the Lord we did not have to go to the medical center in Houston. We are so thankful the ER doctor was concerned and listened to my father. This trip was all because of a torn ligament in his shoulder and a torn rotator cuff. He is so much better now. He had not slept since Thursday, as a result mom had not slept, they are both exhausted. All the way home they were thanking the Lord for everything that worked out today, as in someone saw us getting dad out of my car as they were coming in to work, she ran into the hospital and came out with a wheelchair. The doctor began treating my dad immediately and we were only gone a total of 5 hours. The Lord's timing was everywhere through out the day. My friend Sandy (who led me to love Red Velvet Cake, OJ's Beauty Lotion, and Pepperoni Pizza in the mid 1960's as well as Go-Go boots and ...

Not quite the greeting you thought you would see 11/30/2008. Today is the 1st Sunday of Advent which is the beginning of the year, liturgically speaking. I am no longer Episcopalian, but I do still love the liturgical calendar. This is the time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Jesus as well as the 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Growing up in the Episcopal Church, Advent was purple and at some point Advent became blue. I did hear a priest say it’s because we are less penitential than we used to be, I was never sure if Father Steve was joking or that is why the switch from purple to blue was made. The Advent Wreath is a symbol which reminds us we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God's grace to others (Isa 42:6). Advent is a season of preparation, hope, and anticipation. These words from Isaiah sum it up: A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for...

My husband and I had a great time with our family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. We served the worst crescent rolls known to man. We commented early in the week we had not had them since last Thanksgiving and decided that was the bread we would serve with lunch. My husband banged the cans on the counter, rolled the dough out flat, and said I don't know what to do now. I looked at him - waiting for the punchline. I decided not to say anything because it may sound sarcastic. I separated the dough and rolled them up and placed them on the cookie sheet. He said oh. 11 minutes later, they were not done. 13 minutes later they were not done. 20 minutes later we flipped them. I can honestly say they are the 1st Pillsbury frozen crescent rolls I have ever flipped with a spatula. 25 minutes later they were ready to serve. Maybe something happened to them as I waited in line at Wal Mart to check out...just kidding... It's been a long college football season for me. The Aggies lost to ...

Let us praise Him this Thanksgiving!

Today I went to Kroger very early to purchase produce for the giant, garden salad I am serving tomorrow. (I began adding salads to our Thanksgiving meal a couple of years ago.) I bought Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and carrots. Shopping in Kroger is a very different thing than shopping in Wal Mart. It was calm and quite and my grocery cart rolled through the store without squeaking at 100 decibels. As the manager checked me out, he could not find prices for the radishes. He said Happy Thanksgiving and gave them to me. I thanked him and told him to have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. I think the free radishes were a little gift from God because I have been shopping with a better attitude. I am trying to live out Scripture and not let my thoughts become so negative and sinful while shopping at Wal Mart. Now if I can only remain gentle, patient, and kind while I cook, I am not sure if I have ever mentioned how I hate to cook in previous posts. Just kidding, I...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. I knew Wal Mart was going to be a real test yesterday, I said goodbye to my husband, I put the car in reverse, headed down the driveway and low and behold, my husband's truck was over about 5 inches from where it should be parked and I could not get by. I came back inside and he was in the shower and told me to wait a minute. I waited 8 and was either about to do my Mt Vesuvius impression or join the astronauts in orbit, I am not sure which. I fold my side view mirrors in, took down a bird feeder and made it out the drive way without hitting the house, his truck or anyone. (Though I will say it's hard to back up w/o side view mirrors.) I arrived at Wal Mart, the greeter said hello, I said hello, he pushed a grocery cart my way and said I hope it works - that was my 1st clue - it was going to be a long shopping trip. On...

OK...in a few moments I will be shopping at Wal Mart. I have a love-hate affair with the store. I dislike how large it is, I dislike the mostly rude staff who will barely clear the aisle while they converse so you can push the grocery basket down the aisle, and I dislike the 49 check out stands which are always closed. The self service check outs are open, I refuse to use them, maybe I should pray about that. If I am going to spend money at Wal Mart, they should give me a little service by ringing up my purchases, right? (is that pride?) They will have 2 or 3 cashiers and 1 or 2 will be at the express lanes. I love one thing about Wal Mart, the prices are lower than Kroger and HEB. When I am buying a Butterball turkey and staples I will save money. I will buy all the produce at HEB or Kroger tomorrow morning. I end up repenting a lot at Wal Mart and on the way home. In some ways Wal Mart is an indicator of where I am on my Christian walk. I mean why be so upset by the size and lac...

Let us worship the One Who is the fount of every blessing, and give thanks that we can worship freely in America.

I have a dear sister in Christ, Ann who I met at church when she and her husband moved to Richmond a few years ago. They live 1/2 way between my house and my parents' house. Ann is 84, her husband is 86, they will celebrate their 65 th wedding anniversary in 2009. I invite Ann to every holiday party I throw, she was in the Bible study classes I led at church, and she is the home group which meets at my house on Monday nights. Quite frankly, I can't imagine life without her. 3 weeks ago she was excited because her son Kip (a college professor) wrote a paper on sin which was published. He was invited to a forum in HA to present the paper and his university was going to give him a little money toward expenses and a friend called and said he would like to pay for the airline ticket and hotel. Kip lost his eye sight years ago due to complications from diabetes. Ann was also excited because all of her children, her adopted Viet Namese children and all the grandchildren, nieces, ne...

It's time to prepare for Thanksgiving in America. I have decided what I will serve. My cousin Wayne assured me I can get away with boxed mash potatoes if I use creme instead of milk and chicken broth instead of water. As some of you know, I hate to cook. The turkey is no problem, throw it in a bag with vegetables and leave in baking for hours. Not hard to throw cranberries in boiling water or open a can of green beans . I will bake some type of bread, I will also make a great garden salad. My husband is in charge of gravy. I may ask him to grill some squash as well. Mom is in charge of pies. I am looking for my aunt's oyster dressing (yuck) recipe, my mom and dad love it. My aunt's granddaughter does not have it. I am waiting to hear from my cousin to see if she has it. Aunt Rosemary might not have had a recipe. It's so easy to get caught up in the whirl of cooking, place settings, tablecloths and center pieces, we may forget that Thanksgiving is about thanks, not food...

I read an article in Good Housekeeping about skin care and products which really work. One in particular caught my eye because it was inexpensive and passed their test. Palmer's Age Spot Serum. Drugstore.com carries it for 9.89. I ordered it because I didn't see it at Walgreens. I am putting it on 2 spots on my face and a spot on my hand. In a month I should see fading, if it does not work in 3 months I should discontinue use according to the instructions. Aren't you glad we don't have to make ourselves spotless and blemish free to approach the Lord! He makes us spotless and blemish free through His shed blood. Colossians 1 tells us: 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in t...

So far have had a great weekend with all the family. A couple of people considered the Galleria yesterday and then changed their mind. Thank You Lord! Paul and Jan brought pictures they found when Paul's father (my dad's brother) passed away. We had a ball looking at pictures of my dad and his siblings as well as pictures of my grandparents when they were very young. I also found out my uncle Walter and aunt Maxine secretly married when they were 16. Because aunt Maxine's family thought Walter was beneath their station in society; they lived separately at their parents' homes until the day they graduated from high school. That must have been 1 heck of a graduation. Somehow they managed to keep it a secret for 2 years and prevent conception of children. My aunt had their 1st child just after he was deployed to the Phillipines during WWII. My aunt and uncle were so straight and narrow the story shocked me. (Now I know why they were such strict parents!) They were married ...

Two cousins from dad's side of the family arrive from Wisconsin for a visit today. They were supposed to visit the weekend after Ike. We said no as did the other people they were visiting. Their friends live in League City and were hard hit by Ike. A couple of cousins from San Antonio will be visiting as well, they haven't seen the WI cousins in years. From what I can tell my parents have planned all meals at restaurants. Bar b que , steaks, and Mexican food are all a part of the plans. Maybe between meals I can take them to the Museum of History and Natural Science and or the Butterfly Center. (I hope no one wants to shop at the Galleria, 2 Saturdays in a row might make me buy a Gucci purse, ha ha ha.) I hope ya'll have a great weekend with family, friends, and the Lord. Be blessed with these words from Ephesians 1: 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us...

I felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to share this story about listening. The other day I had an upset stomach, I didn't feel well enough to go anywhere, but I was not so ill I could not function. My husband always had various over the counter medicine he takes to the hunting lease. I dug around looking for something to take, could not find anything. I went into our bathroom and noticed he had pulled a basket of my stuff out from under the vanity and left it on the floor and put one of his shaving kits on top of it. I was annoyed. I heard the quiet voice say move the bag. I thought I'll pick it up later, after all I was looking for something to calm my stomach, it took 1st priority. 10 minutes later I was back in our bathroom to paw through drawers on his side of the vanity. I heard it again, move the bag. Let's just say I didn't move the bag. I decided to sip on water and contemplate a nap because it was lunch and I was not going to eat. Maybe I could be pathetic and s...

Several months ago I posted something regarding a former partner who had owed me quite a bit of money for a couple of years. He was dodging my calls, not answering e-mails, etc. I finally said enough is enough. I wrote a letter telling him I was sorry but I would have to take him to small claims court. My friend Lyn who is an attorney re-wrote the letter (at no charge) and I printed it. As I was preparing to print the address on the envelope, I heard the still quiet voice of God say, Not today." I sat there a minute and said OK. I prayed about it. (I had been in prayer because as a Christian going to court was the last resort.) The next morning I checked my business e-mail, he had written late the night before and said he was mailing a check for 700.00 to be deposited upon receipt and another check for more money to be deposited November 5. I was soooo happy I had listened to the Lord. I think getting over the fear of doing something about the money set into action the Lord worki...

I took my father to Tourneau in the Galleria today to pick up his watch. I dropped it off in August for repairs. May I just say among friends, I would rather watch a Steven Seagal ( sp ?) film festival than go to the Galleria on a Saturday. Traffic was awful, but it was nice spending extra time with dad. After the Galleria, we went to Goode Company Seafood and he ate his favorite Oyter PoBoy . We then swung by the medical center to check the road construction his doctor warned him about via a recorded telephone message. I am taking him Tues. to see a surgeon regarding a torn rotater cuff. He is getting annoyed by the constant paid and I don't blame him. I told him he could be angry but sin not. He laughed. Tomorrow I hope to play in the yard. I bought: spinach, lettuce, cauliflower (yuck), and broccoli to plant as well as a few pansies, alyssum , and snapdragons. I am planting the veggies in HUGE pots so I can protect them if we have a cold winter. After a hurricane, why not ...

I am sharing a few random thoughts which are floating through my head: 1. No more political ads! I watched an hour of TV last night, no one promised me anything other than to transform my skin, hair, weight or sinus condition. 2. God is not shocked by the election results. I personally believe as a nation, we reaped what we sowed. It's time to pray for the president elect & George Bush w/ the intensity we had 09/12/2001. 3. God is on His throne, He did not fall off or move to another address. 4. I wonder if I can make a quick trip to the nursery at lunch. 5. I have to clean, I think unvited guests (cousins) expect to stay with me next week. 6. I need to find a new home church. 7. Another item to add to the How Not to Break a Fast List: Buttermilk Pie Lunch with Annette of Annie's Eyes Blog was great. We had a ball meeting face to face. I can't wait to meet all of you in face to face, it will most likely be in heaven...imagine the meal we will all share together! Guard y...

The election is over, many of us are disappointed. We must keep the president elect in our prayers. And to remind us of what is really important, I chose this song. I'll be back to regular posts Friday.

There is no God like Jehovah! Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, Who was, Who is, and Who is to come!

It's very strange, I posted a video from YouTube, when posted it says the video is no longer available. Try this link: Walls of Jericho , let us go out and praise the Lord before the walls come down.

This weekend I will meet Annette of Annie’s Eyes Blog in person. We are having lunch at Ciro’s. I am very much looking forward to our meeting. Sunday I am taking my father to lunch at Goode Company Seafood at his request. He wants to eat an oyster poboy. I don’t care for seafood. I see a beautiful, green salad for lunch. This post is bittersweet because I am thrilled about meeting Annette in person and sad because my father has been told he probably has congestive heart failure. I am so thankful we serve a Big BIG God. I not only believe in Him, I believe Him. To believe Him, I must know His word. Here are but a few verses on which I stand: who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will c...

A funny thing happened in San Antonio on Saturday. As Norma Dearing was preparing to speak, she was having difficulty with the microphone. I asked her if she was discombobulated. She said yes. Father Jack Sheffield walked up to see if she needed assistance and heard what I said to her. His eyes grew large and he practically shouted Annette, what did you say to her? I repeated the question, he looked skeptical, I asked what he thought I said, he said never mind. I tried running words through my head which might rhyme with discombobulated: biscombobulated , fiscombobulated ...I determined in short time there are no words which rhyme with discombobulated. Later that night as we walked into dinner, I asked him what DID you think I said? He thought I asked Norma if she was ovulating. Norma and I laughed all night. Aren't you thankful the Lord never misunderstands us! We may try sugar talk with Him and pretend we are not mad and it's all sweetness and light, but He knows. It's fo...

We all (Well those of us well into our 40's and beyond) remember the song Turn Turn Turn made famous by The Byrds: To everything (turn, turn, turn)There is a season (turn, turn, turn)And a time for every purpose, under heaven A time to be born, a time to die A time to plant, a time to reap A time to kill, a time to heal A time to laugh, a time to weep To everything (turn, turn, turn)There is a season (turn, turn, turn)And a time for every purpose, under heaven A time to build up,a time to break down A time to dance, a time to mourn A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together To everything (turn, turn, turn)There is a season (turn, turn, turn)And a time for every purpose, under heaven A time of love, a time of hate A time of war, a time of peace A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing To everything (turn, turn, turn)There is a season (turn, turn, turn)And a time for every purpose, under heaven A time to gain, a time to lose A time to rend, a time to...

I am off to San Antonio for a healing conference this weekend. I am posting Billy Graham's prayer for our nation. Have a good weekend and blessed Sabbath. I'll post something on Monday. xxoo Annette 'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ri...

Today is the 1st day it was cool enough to wear fall clothes. I think we may be able to use a winter blanket tonight. I am trying to decide if it would be a stretch to build a fire tonight, though the wood may be too wet from the soaking it took last night. I am having dreams of pansies and alyssum in my flower beds along with lettuce, broccoli , and spinach. I may even plant potatoes this fall. I plant the vegetables in big pots with a few flowers tucked around them. I am looking forward to buying lobelia , snapdragons, petunias, violas, and delphinium too. Time to scatter larkspur seeds. Too bad I am not always as excited about planting God's Word in my heart as I am about planting in my flower beds. I love how fresh His Word is each time we read it. But I have lazy periods in which I do not spend time in the Word and with Him. Lazy periods always coincide with fatigue. I am worn out for no reason. I think I will blame it on hormone depletion. So I think tonight, I will wrap up ...

I thought we might like a commercial which is not political.

I am sure many of you are like me, you do not want to see another ad in print, a commercial on TV, or hear another endorsement for years to come. In 2 weeks we vote...and it should all be over. I ask you to join me in praying for: Voter's Registration Fraud to Be Exposed Now Only Citizens of the USA Vote Traditional Marriage Preservation of Life from Beginning to Natural End We Continue to Be an Ally of Israel I am conservative, God issues matter to me more than financial issues. I don't really care about the US on the global stage...we all know what the Bible says about the coming one world govt and religion. We know what happened when people in the Old Testament tried to build the Tower of Babel. A few years ago, I would have been very concerned about global issues. Please do not misunderstand me, I help in charity endeavors in Africa and across the world as well as the USA. I just don't look to the US govt to save the world. The Bible tells us Jesus is the way, the truth...

I thought I would share something that may aid you in your Christian walk...how not to break a fast. A few years ago I broke a fast with Mexican food. Not a good idea. I almost passed out from the carb rush. I thought I had balanced the carbs in the chips with the queso I put on them. Friday night I broke a fast around 9pm at the church in La Porte . They had a little buffet for us. I thought 4 bite size quiches will be OK, followed by 3 miniature cheese cubes - you know - the more protein thing that failed a few years ago. And after the protein , I am sure eating 2 bite size cheesecake cubes is fine...surely we can put the cheesecake into the protein column. I then drink a Diet Coke for the 1st time in a week, you know - need caffeine for my 50 plus mile drive home. (Can I justify or what!) On the way home, I thought wow, I think I should have broken the fast with a piece of toast and maybe chicken broth. I know many people are fasting in various degrees the next 2 weeks. Take my...

Last night the meeting was short, most people attending are back at work, but still repairing their homes. Jack preached on God being with us in the storm. Jack then had people pray for one another. (1 couple left, I think it scared them.) Today Jack and Anna Marie both taught about healing. They were so anointed. God really poured out His message through them. We broke up into prayer teams at the end of the day and prayed with people. So many were in their late 60's up into their 80's. They had been carrying around deep hurts since they were young. The storm brought emotions up to the surface that needed healing. You can only squash it down so long. Backs were healed. One lady received emotional healing from a trauma she endured as a young lady, she then realized she didn't need her cane or her walker. She let out a shout and ran up and down the center aisle to double check what she felt. No pain. Her legs and back were strong. We asked her if she was going dancing tonigh...

I will be in La Porte this weekend as a prayer minister. Jack and Anna Marie Sheffield, Deep River Ministries are preaching and teaching on healing this weekend. Everyone attending was impacted by Hurricane Ike. At the very least their homes had 5 feet of water inside, at the worst their homes were ripped apart. I pray Jack and Anna Marie are anointed and gifted as they minister. I pray all the prayer ministers are gifted by the Holy Spirit as we pray for people. I know the Lord will rock the house. I'll be back Monday with a recap of the weekend. Ya'll have a great weekend and a blessed Sabbath.

Maybe I have missed it, but life and family don't seem to be mentioned much during the campaign speeches. Last night during the debate pro-life and pro-choice issues were discussed. It was the first time I heard the issues mentioned. The last debate touched on each candidates views pertaining to Israel. I personally believe the Lord cannot bless us as a nation if we put the economy ahead of life, family, and Israel. (That's my opinion.) I received this video via e-mail, I tried to post it from YouTube, but it would not post if I added a comment. At some time in the future I will probably sign in to post something and all the attempts will be displayed as posts. I found this video to be profound in it's message. Please watch the pro-family, pro-life video. Be warned you made need a Kleenex, it brought tears to my eyes. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law...