My Day and Deeper Still!

Today was really busy in a I didn't do that much kind of way. I got up early did the second to last day of my bible study (it was so good and I am soooo sad that it is almost over), and then I went walking with a couple of great girls. They are such sweet friends to me! Especially since after I left to come back home, I realized that I chattered the whole time we walked and they were content to just listen. =)
Then I did have just a bit of down time when I really should have been cleaning house.....but I didn't -- I caught up on my blog reading a little bit and looked at some super cute idea's for the birthday's we've got coming up in our house. Then I took a bath.
By then, it was time for an early lunch. After our early lunch, I got everyone ready to go to the city pool, drove over and picked up a friend and then drove back to the pool, and it was closed. And just in case anyone who runs our towns rec. dept. is reading this, I will now lodge my complaint...
Dear Rec. Dept,
Sprinkling is not raining! Nor is it a reason to close the pool!!!! I bought a season pass to your establishment and since you were closed today, I had to drive my gaggle of children over to the next town and pay$12.50 for us to go swimming there, only to stay for 1.5 hours before my baby needed to come home to have a bottle.....I mean really! Next time, just admit that you simply choose to stay closed today.....sprinkling? What in the world?!!?
Sincerely,
Mindy

Ahem....thanks for the aside there.
So, after the pool debacle, I came home and finished making supper. Chicken taco's -- YUM!!
And now, I am sitting here making my list of things I have to accomplish before heading out of town tomorrow.
What?

Where am I going?

Well, I am just tickled pink to tell you that I am heading out tomorrow to go to The Deeper Still Conference. I'm squealing in my head even as I write this! I am driving there tomorrow alone (which doesn't make me squeal b/c I don't like driving in cities that I don't know well)-- and then I will check myself into my hotel room where I will have a big KING size bed all to myself tomorrow night! I mean -- not only do I get to see Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer and Kay Arther, (that alone is awesome), I also get to meet up with some of my favorite girlfriends when I get there and we get to have an evening and a whole day of worship and fellowship together, AND I get to sleep for a whole night without anyone waking me up.....
I am beyond excited - if you can't tell!!!

BUT - I have a huge list of things to accomplish before I head out tomorrow (I really want to leave earlier than necessary so I can go shopping and look for a new pair of shoes -- mine are falling apart). The list is:

*Go to the grocery store for my family.
*Make a list of things I need from the grocery store so I won't forget anything as my family won't have a car large enough to go anywhere.
* Laundry
* Finish my last day of bible study....so sad!!!
*Email my bible study girls
*Get packed **Don't forget the ticket!!!**
*Put new batteries in the camera --- I mean - I will definitely be taking pictures this weekend.
* Figure out directions to the hotel and then to the Coliseum.....since I don't have a GPS system.
*Clean house some (remember how I caught up on my blogs instead of doing that earlier)
*Finish filling out and mail M's birthday invites (a princess party- AGAIN!)
* Love on my family some....this is the first time I've left B.....I fear he isn't going to like it much!


Needless to say, I won't be posting anything tomorrow -- but hey! I just thought of something -- I have a laptop now and I can take it with me.....Hmmmm - I'm wondering if the hotel has free Wifi?!!? That is a thought!

Well - if they do and if I'm not too busy visiting with my friends, then maybe I will drop in and let you know what we are all up to.....And I know you will all be holding your breath waiting to hear from me......just humor me and pretend you will be, ok. =)

Ya'll have a great weekend!

A Fabulous Weekend

Last Thursday evening, we loaded everyone in the car and started toward Greensboro, NC to visit Granddaddy and Nana. We stopped here on the way and ate supper -- well *I* had supper....everyone else had breakfast. We arrived very late and transferred everyone to bed....except for B who decided to play for a while. But we finally all went to bed....late, but we finally made it.

On Friday morning, we decided to go to a city park in Burlington, NC. It was great fun and they had rides for the kids, a playground and even a train to ride on...

We played for a while and then went to eat lunch and they we went shopping!!! Which I loved (of course). We didn't stay long but I managed to get a few things while I was there and was even treated by Nana L. (THANK YOU!!!!) I can't wait to wear my new wares =). After a few shops, the men and Mama Bea (hubs grandmother who will be 93 this coming Friday) had had enough of the shopping so we headed home.
It was a great evening at Granddaddy and Nana's house. Here are a few shots of how we spent our evening....

We rode around on the Gator....

We played on the swingset....

We helped water the plants....and Granddaddy and Daddy, too.

Which turned into very watered little girls!

B and I watched from the sidelines. After the watering - was baths, pizza and fireworks before we all fell into bed for the night.

On Saturday we went to the Zoo.

We saw lots and lots of animals, of course. And took tons of pictures, too (I'll spare you all of them)....but we also had to get a picture of this animal.

The inch worm we found on a bench.

We walked and walked til we couldn't walk anymore and saw everything there was to see at the zoo. Then we got souvenirs (THANKS NANA L!!)

B got the cutest hat and a cute little lion cub stuffed animal.

The girls left with their own baby animals.....

A got a baby Polar Bear which she named Penelope.

M got an Elephant whose name changes from Elafini to Elizabeth to Ella.

L got a Giraffe, she named Ginger after her aunt.

It was a wonderful and tiring day. We ate a wonderful supper and then went to bed to get ready for Sunday.

Hubs got to preach at his home churches Homecoming. It was very neat being in the church where he grew up...well - we weren't really in the church. Homecoming was held in the Arbor.

Check out how long they've been celebrating homecoming this way.

The view from the back...

And the church itself...

It was a great day. After the service, I got to meet a lot of people who knew my husband growing up which was really cool. There was a covered dish after the service and let's just be honest.....Covered dishes have the B.E.S.T. food!!!! SO many casseroles made from homegrown veggies! YUM!!!

And did I mention the best part of all? I got to have a Caramel Macchiato from here twice!!!!
It was a near perfect weekend.
Ya'll have a great day!!!
In HIM,

For My Bible Study Girls....

but a great reminder for us all......

What if His People Prayed? - Casting Crowns- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Prayers for Stellan

Stellan and His family are in great need of prayer this day!!! Bring a Miracle, Lord!!!!

Help this Tech Dummy

Please, please help me out.....

What is BlogFrog and should I do it?

Somebody help this techie novice......

Show Me Your Ways!

What I'm longing for today.....




Have a great weekend. We are out of town visiting with family and then hubs preaches his home churches Homecoming on Sunday.
It will be neat to meet people who knew him when he was a child. Can't wait to hear the stories! =)

Blue Like Play Dough

When this book came in the mail, I look at the cover and thought "Blue Like Play Dough, What is this?" And I admit, I was even somewhat skeptical that I was going to like this book. But then I started reading.

Tricia Goyer invites moms like me to have a front row seat in the story of her life. The story of how God has grown her throughout her years of motherhood. And, girls -- I'm here to tell you that it is a great story! I found myself nodding at things and thinking, "I've been there!" and I found myself crying and thinking, "I've been there."

In sharing her life and struggles in this book, Tricia has helped me see areas in my life where God is probably squeezing me. Being a Mom is an area where I am squeezed so much that quite frankly, I feel bruised and battered at times. But, through reading this book, I see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And not only is God growing my kids, He is growing me, too.

I recommend that every Mom out there go and get themselves a copy of this book. It is so encouraging-- you just have to read it!

And check this out!!! You can read an excerpt by clicking here:http://triciagoyer.com/cmsdocuments/Blue_Like_Play_Dough_Prologue_CH_1.pdf

Here's a bit more about the author:

Using her own experiences as a teen mother, and leader of today’s generation, Tricia’s vision is to be a voice of hope and possibility for teenage girls, pregnant teen girls, mothers and wives through her educational and inspirational speaking, workshops and books. Her intention is to serve ordinary women by encouraging extraordinary things with God’s help. Tricia expresses real life, real hope, for real women. Tricia is the author of 20+ books and has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Guideposts for Kids, Focus on the Family, Christian Parenting Today, Today’s Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from American Christian Fiction Writers, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award in 2005.

In her fiction novels, Tricia writes contemporary and historical stories that feature strong women overcoming great challenges. She recreates historic wartime eras with precise detail through perseverant and comprehensive research.

Each of her World War II and Spanish Civil War novels tell the inspiring stories of engaging characters—and a God whose hand is evident in the landscape of history and the obstacles of ordinary lives.

Tricia speaks to groups interested in these eras, with the intention of preserving and honoring the memory of the men and women who served. She also speaks and conducts workshops for teens around the nation, and offers programs to assist teens and teen moms through Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, which she founded. Tricia is a frequent workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Convention.

Author website: http://www.triciagoyer.com

Click on this link to see what other's are saying about this great book!
http://www.litfusegroup.com/latest/what-is-new/87-blue-like-play-dough-blog-tour

And last, but definitely NOT least, A note from Tricia: Are you a mommy who feels squeezed by Motherhood? Could God be shaping something beautiful in you?
In my new spiritual memoir, Blue Like Play Dough I invite women to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary! To learn to see God's hand lovingly at work in every aspect of your life---from laundry-folding to the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon.
And now I’m inviting YOU to come bring your stretched self and attend a fun Facebook Launch Party for Blue Like Play Dough! I know you’re busy (and tired) so I’m bringing the festivities to you! So grab your comfiest chair and slip away from that long To-Do list and join me for a two hour Play Dough Party. I’ll be sharing some of my mothering experiences (the good and the bad), hosting a fun trivia contest, giving away Mommy Play Dough Packs, answering questions, and getting to know YOU!
I’d be honored to have you as my guest – and to prove it I’ll be giving away 2 ginormous Mommy Play Dough Packs to two party attendees at random! The winners will be announced at the end of the party. Grab your friends and let’s party! oh, and don't forget your camera! Snap pictures during the party and upload them during the festivities. I'll be giving a prize away for the best photo! So come join me on July 27th from 5-7 pm (PST)! Friend me on facebook and join the fun!

With the release of this book Tricia is also launching the Get One, Give One Campaign!
For every copy of Blue Like Play Dough purchased, she’ll donate a copy of My Life Unscripted or Generation NeXt Parenting to a pregnancy, teen or family support ministry (while supplies last). All you have to do is buy a copy of Blue Like Play Dough on Christianbook, on Amazon, or at your local bookstore, and then go to Tricia's Go-Go page and fill out the form. EASY!

Isn't that the coolest. Be sure you go buy your copy so that Tricia can give away lots of books! =)

A Little Linky Love

I thought I would share with you all some things that I am longing for right now.....Some of these things are things that "Dave won't let me have".....Dave means -- Dave Ramsey. YOU know who he is right? Well - there are many things that Dave won't let me do or have....you know because of all that budgeting and saving money business......stupid Dave.

Anyway - a girl can dream and here are some of my dreams!

1. I love Potato Saks clothing. I was so excited the other day to find that they've finally put their Fall '09 Line on their website.(I've been checking for weeks now). I love just about all of these outfits and would be glad to have any of them for my girls or B. BUT I am IN LOVE with the adorable Christmas Girl outfit and the Holiday Truck Longall which comes with a Christmas Tree and a pumpkin to carry your little boy through all holidays from October to December. Plus -- after that he can wear it with just the truck. There was one advantage to my OCD need to check the website everyday for the Fall line....it was a sale!!!! I did get the cutest longall for B with a helicopter on it. I was going to link to it for you but it is sold out and I couldn't find the picture anymore. I can't wait for him to wear it. It is even cuter in person!!! And I figure he can wear it while it is still warm out without a shirt under it or with short sleeves and then with a turtleneck until he outgrows it! YEAY!!!! And if Dave would let me, I'd get these adorable swimtrunks and this preppy polka dotted whale dress and many, many others, too!

2. I also *heart* smocked things for the kids to wear to church. Have you seen the new Fall line for Castle's and Crowns? There are so many super cute things in the fall catalogue!!! I would love to have these matching outfits for the girls and for B for winter. And L turns 5 this year so it is her turn to have the "big" birthday party, and (much to my chagrin) she says she wants a "pink pirate party", but how cute would it be for her to have this outfit on page 17 to wear that day? But what I am really longing for are the owl outfits for the girls (I mean - look -- they have 3 different ones, a different one for each girl) and the lion longall for B on pages 4/5 of the catalogue.... LOVE THEM!!!

3. I also have a great idea (again read dream) for our Christmas photo where my girls would be wearing these great skirts!


4. I want to get my kiddo's these shirts-- they are super cute and they have colors for boys and girls. I can tell you that Lauren, who owns this store, is great! I bought these precious shoes for B's baptism. I love them and she worked hard to get them out to me since I waited til the last minute to buy them. I know that if I lived anywhere near her store, I'd be in there all the time dreaming of things I want to have.


5. And one more thing I'm longing for right now that will be a reality is this. I am a little OCD when it comes to my schedule and it's about this time of the summer when I start longing for our schedules again and start looking for my new planner. This one is the best one I have found for Moms.....and trust me I've used all kinds. I just found this one last year and I will be getting another one this year. I really like the cherry blossom one and the green flowers one! There are no bookstores in my little town. I will be stopping at bookstores as I travel around in the next month to get my new one.

Have a fabulous Wednesday girls! I am hoping to have lunch with some girls from church! I can't wait.

Discussion Anyone?

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (MSG)

I know what I am doing- I have it all planned out- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When yo ucall on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me, "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure your not disappointed."


Being serious about finding God. Being serious about being authentic in who I am and who he is creating me to be. These are the things I long for.....

What about you?

Forgiven

This morning I was having my quiet time with God and today's lesson was on Psalm 130.

Psalm 130 (HCSB)
Awaiting Redemption
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I call to You, LORD!
2 Lord, listen to my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my cry for help.
3 LORD, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered.
5 I wait for the LORD; I wait, and put my hope in His word.
6 I [wait] for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning—
more than watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD.
For there is faithful love with the LORD,
and with Him is redemption in abundance.
8 And He will redeem Israel from all its sins.


What a wonderful Psalm!
Did you catch verse 3? LORD, if you considered sins, Lord, who could stand?
WOW! I am so grateful this morning to know that God doesn't consider my sin. Because if God remembered my sin, I'd be in a world of trouble.
I need to be reminded that I sin, yes I do. Lest I start thinking I'm better than someone else and start acting all high and mighty.But oh, girls! Even more than I that I need to be reminded that Jesus saved me and that my sins are forgotten! In 1 John 1:9 we learn "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I hope that this reminder is a blessing to you today, too! And just to drive the point home a little more, check out this video. Listen to the words and be blessed, today.




Psalm 103:12 (New Living Translation)
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

From one scarred hand to the other.....
What joy and happiness should fill out hearts this day. We are forgiven!
Have a wonderful Monday, girls!

Religion Saves

I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to do a book review on Mark Driscoll's Religion Saves. I feel like this book is very well written and very well researched. AND it has given me a ton of things to think about and pray about and research for myself in the months to come. My preacher hubby saw this book and he plans on reading it next. I'd say it is a must read for anyone who has questions about their faith they want answered. I can't say that I agree with everything he says, but I am definitely better informed and now have even more to think about. I really did enjoy reading it-- go get yours now!





About the book:
Religion Saves:
And Nine Other Misconceptions

After 343,203 online votes on the Mars Hill Church website, nine questions for Pastor Mark Driscoll emerged as the ones most urgently calling for answers.

Inspired by 1 Corinthians, in which Paul answers a series of questions posed by the people in the Corinthian church, Pastor Mark Driscoll set out to determine the most controversial questions among visitors to the Mars Hill Church website. In the end, 893 questions were asked and 343,203 votes were cast. The top nine questions are now each answered in a chapter of Religion Saves.

After an introductory chapter devoted to the misconception that religion is what saves us, Driscoll tackles nine issues: birth control, humor, predestination, grace, sexual sin, faith and works, dating, the emerging church, and the regulative principle. Because the purpose of this book is to address commonly asked questions, all readers will find relevant, engaging material, written in Driscoll's distinctively edgy, yet theologically sound style.

In his distinctively edgy, yet theologically sound style, Pastor Mark Driscoll addresses the nine most controversial questions posed by visitors to the Mars Hill Church website. This book is part of the Re:Lit series.

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Religion-Saves-Nine-Other-Misconceptions/dp/1433506165/ref=sprightly-20

About the author:
Meet Pastor Mark!
Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, one of the fastest-growing churches in America. He is president of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network and is the author of several books, including Vintage Jesus.

Pastor Mark preaches on Sunday, trains pastors, and writes curriculum. Mark is married to his high school sweetheart, Grace, and they enjoy raising their three sons and two daughters. More about Mark here!

Link to read and/or listen to an excerpt:
http://relit.org/religionsaves

Go check out what everyone else is saying about this book!
http://www.litfusegroup.com/latest/current-blog-tours/86-blog-tour-for-religion-saves-by-mark-driscoll

Blessing at Martha's Park

On Monday, I woke up early to do my bible study and have some quiet time with God. It was great and I wanted to share with ya'll the view I saw that morning. That is what the picture above is. Isn't it beautiful?

After breakfast, I loaded the kids into the car and drove the two hours back to the little town we used to live in. We were blessed so much to see our friends and play at the park. Martha's Park is one of the best parks I've ever seen. It has lots of swings, and climbing things to play on. It has grassy areas to run in and sheltered picnic tables. And bathrooms.....and while they weren't the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen, bathrooms are important for little girls. But the BEST part of Martha's Park is that they have a splash pad! We met our friends there and had a picnic lunch and played for a few hours. Here are some pictures from our day.

Playing in the water with our friends....

Little Miss L. was loving the watermelon...

Mr. C was eating a cupcake and this was what his cute face looked like....


And since we were laughing at him, he hammed it up and added some more chocolate to his face.

Little Miss S.....she is getting SO big!!!

Ms. G came to visit with us on her lunch break. SO sweet!

Mrs. L and my B.

Miss L and B. She was so sweet to him!

These two cracked me up. Bending over to try and see each other....

And this one is, "No, you cannot have my fruit roll up!"

Miss L. tries out the sprinklers

Silly Girls!

The ones who were still around at the end of the day
M. took a picture of the adults. She did a great job!
And the one we took of ourselves....

It was a great day! Can't wait til you all come visit us in the mountains!!!!

Girls Night Out and the Goldwing

I had such a fabulous weekend ya'll or y'all or however you spell it.....I've been debating....anyone know for sure?

ANYWAY -- last Thursday I got a call from a friend who asked if I wanted to go on a Girl's Night Out on Friday evening.....ummmm YES!!!!

I had such a fun time with these girls! We ate a yummy supper at a restaurant downtown called Guadalupe's. It was my first time there and my food was great! They serve goat there. I was not up to trying it myself. But one of the girls had a goat burger....she said it was good. I took her word for it.

Look at these beautiful girls!

I'm including this one with me in it against my better judgement....I look like a painted ghost! But these other two girls are beauties!

We then went to a movie. We saw "Public Enemy".....At least I think that was then name of it. It was the new Johnny Depp movie...I really did like it even if I don't have the name of the movie right. And in this little town, movies are still only $5 -- that was awesome!

I was so proud of my friend, K. She has a 2 month old and left her with a sitter. She only checked her phone twice to check the time during the movie. It's hard to be a new Mom and leave your baby for the first time.....good for you, K!!! Thanks girls, for such a wonderful Girl's Night Out! And I think we should definitely get together more than annually!!!

We had a lazy morning Saturday. Really! We ended up eating brunch because I didn't get around to making breakfast until 10:30 ish.....It was a fabulous to have a low key day because that happens so rarely for us. My Mom called us and said that they'd rode their motorcycle over and if it was ok, they wanted to stop by and say hi. My step - dad bought a Goldwing a few weeks ago. Here are a few pictures of their visit.

A and B sitting on the cycle.

Grammy introduced B. to M&M's....

I think he likes them!

Granddaddy and Grammy and their new way to travel.

That is what we did this weekend. Hope yours was great, too!

Bearing Fruit

I think I've mentioned a time or ten that I am doing Beth Moore's "Stepping Up" bible study at church. This morning in my study, I worked on Psalm 128. In studying this psalm, Beth led us to John 15: 1 -8......You know what it says, right? It says that Jesus is the vine and that you and I are the branches and that we are to bear fruit for Him.

Bearing fruit.....that is really what it's all about isn't it? If we are following Jesus as we should be our lives - our every day lives - will bear fruit for him. What bears fruit for the Lord?

One of the things that Beth Moore spoke of is that God has appointed us to go bear fruit. He has given each of us spiritual gifts to use for HIS glory and she said that He intends us to turn our life experiences into testimonies and minister to others through those them.

Jesus gave the great commission and said "Go and make disciples of all nations."

One of the ways that we do that is by living an authentic life.....walking in His ways.

We won't be making disciples for the Lord if we go to church and put on our "Christian clothes" then leave the building and forget about God and HIS ways until next Sunday morning when we walk in sporting our best pious expression again.

No, abiding in the vine means that we are staying in His word, walking with him on a daily basis. Trying to be more like Him. As Mrs. Moore said in my lesson today, we stop to ask ourselves, "What respects God most and reflects His ways?"

Wow! What a thought. How often do we do that? How often do *I* do that? That person -- the one who takes the time to stop and think about God's ways -- that is a person who will bear fruit.

* When this person is faced with a confrontational, angry person that is accusing them of things will stop and think about how God is.....Psalm 103: 8 says "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love..."

* When this person is in a group of people who start talking bad about someone else, they will instead choose not to participate in the gossip.....and maybe even speak up and not allow slander to happen. Proverbs 10:18 says ....."slandering others makes you a fool." One of the 10 commandments is "Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (exodus 20:16).

* When at a party and alcohol is flowing freely, this person chooses to stop and think about what God says about the situation and decides to follow what HE says instead of jumping on the bandwagon of things that are permissible (and even promoted) in our culture. Galatians 5: 19 - 21 says " When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God".

* When this person is tired and in a long line at the grocery store and someone cuts in front of them in line, they stop and think about how God would have them respond instead of being rude and angry. 1 Corinthians 13: 4 says " Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged."

* When this person is going to the movies and the movie is full of s*x, bad language and violence....this person remembers that God says we should dwell on good things and chooses to do the hard thing and not go to that movie. Philippians 4: 8-9 reminds us "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. "

The list could go on and on couldn't it? Just a little aside here, in order to be like GOD,we have to KNOW what HIS ways are and how He would handle things.....in order to know that we have to read our bibles.

Am I this person? Do I do these things all the time? Unfortunately, no. BUT -- I long to be! Authenticity is a theme God has in my life right now. I want to be this person.....the person who stops before reacting to a situation and instead responds in God way. I want to bear fruit for HIM!

And by his grace, I can do that.

John 15: 1-8

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

I want to be a fruit bearer, a true disciple......do you?

Happy 60th, Dad!

A couple of weeks ago now, we drove to GA to give my dad a surprise 60th Birthday Party.

He was shocked. He honestly had no idea and that is awesome because he is hard to trick.



Here are some pictures of the fun.

Waiting on the birthday boy!

The reaction....

The cake: It had my Dad's favorite car on it.

We had a theme of "Through the Years" and had pictures of dad throughout his life all around.

Pa Pa and the Grands.

Pa Pa showing one grandson to dip his finger in the icing on the cake.

More pretty decorations

Pa Pa and his girlfriend. We like to call her Na Na.

It was a great evening and we were so happy he was surprised. We had a band and they played great music all night. The food was delicious and the company wonderful.

Ya'll have a great Monday. We are headed out to visit some friends.