Max and Ruby…

For those of you have children, you may let them watch a certain precious little show called “Max and Ruby”. I would absolutely let my children watch this (if I had kids), and most of the children I babysit and stay with get to watch this show, so, of course, I know the words and songs and episodes, etc. I found myself walking around one such house where we had just finished one of these episodes and found myself singing (come on, sing with me here- you know you want to!) “Max and Ruby… Ruby and Max!” and I had to stop myself from singing the rest of it. I started again in front of the precious children I was with- “Max and Ruby…”- and then I heard the tiniest voice say “…Ruby and Max!” She looked up at me, like “Is that what you wanted? Did I do it right?”

So the other day, I walked in the door at home and sang “JACKS AND CHEWIE….CHEWIE AND JACKS!” Just a funny- I know, I’m a nerd. Whatever. I laughed.

GREAT is Thy faithfulness

Just before I started school, I went to see my daddy about nailing down some specifics. He gave me a couple of CDs (which, if you don’t know my father, is very typical), one of which was Chris Rice’s Living Room Sessions. I LOVE Chris Rice and have heard all of these songs before, but have never put them in my collection. I popped that CD in and was expecting typical Chris Rice stuff- and I could hear it, but it was only him. It was Chris and a piano and a mike- no words. That’s it. BUT… I KNEW THE WORDS. I knew the hymns and the words to the songs like I was reading a hymnal because I had been taught that growing up! Because I had sung those hymns (from a hymnal) in church with my parents each and every Sunday, and they are ENGRAVED in my SOUL. (I’m thinking Proverbs 22:6- Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he gets old, he will not depart from it.) Within seconds was transported back to sitting in church with my mama and daddy, singing hymns…LIKE, REAL HYMNS. Hymns from a HYMNAL (that’s that book that used to sit in the backs of the PEWS next to the BIBLE…). OK, I’m off my tangent. It just seems, these days, that there are so many churches filled with songs that cast Jesus, my Lord and Savior, the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, in a light that likens him unto a buddy, a pal, an acquaintance. I NEED hymns. I NEED music that is awe-inspiring, soul-stirring, MEANINGFUL. Hymns like Battle Hymn of the Republic, Be Still My Soul, Low in the Grave He Lay, My Hope is Built and Take My Life. Don’t get me wrong- I’m all for making worship a part of our lives, making it not so “boring”, as some would say. I think there’s a place for contemporary worship in our services these days- I regularly listen to them in the car on burned CDs and our Christian station here- but I’m afraid your children will not grow up knowing what hymns are. I don’t remember who said it, maybe a friend of mine, but our children growing up without knowing what a hymn book is?! Really? And the words…! They’re so poignant, so telling, so deep, SO TRUE…they ring true every time, and they seem to hit a deeper…(what’s the word? Chord? Meaning? Nerve?) than some of the songs I hear today, even in church services.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee! Thou changeth not, Thy compassions they fail not. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning, new mercies I see! ALL I HAVE NEEDED THY HAND HATH PROVIDED. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

I love this song, and even today, it has SO much meaning, so much relevance to my (OUR) every day life (LIVES). On another note, my newest favorite song is by Selah- Before the Throne. I LOVE it. LOVE it, LOVE IT!  

Before the throne of God above, I have a strong, a perfect plea…
A great high Priest whose Name is Love, Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands, my name is written on His heart!
I know that while in Heaven He stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there…Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free!
For God the just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me…to look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb, my perfect, spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I AM, The KING of glory and of grace!
One with Himself I cannot die, my soul is purchased by His blood!
My life is hid with Christ on high, With Christ my Savior and my God, With Christ my Savior and my God!

I got shot today.

Well, shot with a needle full of tetanus protection…! My mama, of all people, was the one responsible for giving me the aching in my right deltoid right now. But, as I knew she would, she did a BEAUTIFUL job. Had I not known it was coming and known what to feel for, I wouldn’t have even felt the stick OR the medicine. She’s amazing. I love her. Thanks, mama!

BTW, I had to have the shot to be up to date when I go back to school which starts on Monday night. Just in case I run into a rusty nail on my way to Spanish and Sociology on campus…

I have two good friends that need our prayers. I don’t want to be specific or mention their names, but I’ll call them…well, let’s keep it easy- friends 1 and 2. Each have very different situations, but both are needing a dose of faith and contentment in Jesus…which, as we all know, is so hard as human beings. We want things now, we want to do it on our own and we want to do it all.

On another note, if anyone REALLY loves their church and/or can give me some good advice on where to try to find my church home, please let me know! Leave a comment, call, email, text, etc. THANKS!

I leave you with three cheers-   GO USA! (the Olympics are still on)  WAR EAGLE!!!     (Auburn football starts 8 days from now)   and Brooks Glycerins RULE!                                                    

random pictures

sunset in the fall at Oak Mountain- we LOVE it here!

 

I know what I like, I just don;t know the name of this flower! Anybody? Name?

 

flower at my mama’s house. thanks for the free art, mama!

 

my sweet ranger- playing at the feet of Jesus since 25 January 2008- I love you, sweet boy.

 

 

This was at Watercolor in spring 2005.

 

at none other than Pawley's Island. What a great place.

 

I retouched this in Picasa- thank God for technology...

I love this picture of my boy.

 

 

Hey, y'all! I'm Chew-bear. WANNA PLAY??!

 

I know...I was COMPLETELY adorable!

Beijing and brown dogs and blackberrys…OH MY!

Is anyone else really confused about the scoring situation in China? I know there’s nothing I can do about it- I can’t put in a call, I can’t change the numbers myself, I can’t even write the IOC. But it seems SOOO inconsistent! (Me, of course, with all my knowledge of gymnastics scoring…) Come on- it’s so off. What I’m really upset about is the fact that I can’t do anything about the 10 year old little Chinese girls who are competing for their freakin’ communist country. THEY ARE NOT 16 BY A LONG SHOT. Please. But what are we going to do about it? Nothing. What can we do about it? Nothing, apparently. What, we’re just going to march right over to their communist country that’s hosting the games and ask them for “proof” (and I use that term lightly) that their gymnasts are of age? Of course they’ve already thought ahead and made all the paperwork look good. DUH. Wouldn’t you if you were trying to get away with something totally immorral and illegal? OK, enough.

My puppies- I love them. They are the best. You who don’t know them need to meet them. They’ll melt your heart. I just adore them, and anyone who knows me knows that fact all too well.

I love these boys!

I was told the story of Chewie and how he got to Kate’s, my dear friend who held him and took care of him and loved him for almost 4 years. This puppy (again, term used very lightly) showed up at their house with his mama when he was close to 8 months old and they kept him. How could someone give up (or let out and not look for?) a face like this????

Seriously? This sweet face????

 OK, I could stay on that subject all day. On to the Blackberry…

How many wonderful things can I say about my Blackberry? It’s freakin’ AWESOME! It’s seriously, by far, the coolest thing I’ve ever owned, and if saying that makes me a nerd, then so be it. I LOVE IT! I’ve had it since a few weeks after I started my job, and it has made SUCH a big difference. I LOVE that I can get emails on it, get text AND call someone AND send an email at the same time. Man, technology…how awesome. I had a colleague call me today and ask if I could look up an email for him b/c he was out. I told him I was out, too, and he said, “yeah, but you’ve got that new-fangled phone, right? Can’t you just look it up there?” and I thought well, duh. Of course I can. (said with the shaking of a head, raised eyebrow, ducked chin, sporting the “aren’t-I-cool” look)- “hold on, let me put you on speakerphone, get the home screen, get to my email and find it for you…AMAZING. I love it. It even has it’s own little sling to sit in while we sleep at night. So cool. One of the greatest inventions on the face of the earth.

say hello to my little friend!

Trip to Pawley’s Island

the low countrylow country- as seen from the place where we ate lunch! How did I get to Pawley's Island, you ask? Good question. Here's the story. (Be prepared, the lead-in is a bit long, but you have to know the whole story.)I went to Piedras Negras, Mexico about 2 years ago with the awesome people I worked with at Fitness Together. We had a client who worked out with us who owns a company based here in B'ham. They are called Constructores Para Cristo (CPC for short) and they go down to the same area every summer to build houses in the community. The people who receive these houses have certain criteria they must meet, including being a part of local church down there (I believe they're a Presbyterian community) and they have to own their own lot of land. The company, then, recruits volunteers who come down and help build the house in a week- well, more like 5 days. Now, when I say house, I don't mean a house like we know in the States. I mean a 3 room, cinder-block-and-SBC-secured structure with a corrugated metal roof, sans electricity and plumbing. However, to the family who receives this house, it's a place that they know they'll be safe and secure, without leaks and sun exposure, and they can raise their children in a HOUSE. These volunteers give of themselves and their own budgets, as they pay for the trip themselves and many of the materials themselves...but the payoff. Unbelievable. We met and fell in love with the family, and we learned SO much about ourselves and the community. I, of course, fell in love with more than the people and the community...I saw the animals- the dogs, the cats, the horses, the cows that families can obviously not take care of. They can barely take care of themselves, much less animals who depend on them for everything. It was extremely frustrating for me not to be able to do anything about it, i.e. say something to them, give them money for food (for the dogs) and shots and baths and medications...and I couldn't take them all home and take care of them, either. However, there was one dog there who just wormed his little Mexican way into my heart- you all know him as Ranger, and I brought him home from Mexico. He died in January of this year due to distemper when he was a baby...it broke my heart and I miss him terribly. Now...Dianne, who owns the company, lives here in Birmingham- I went and saw her and the dogs she brought back from her recent trip. She brought back 2 puppies, one of which went almost immediately to his new home. The other, Sammy, was to go to Greensboro, NC with his new family, but they were going to the beach for a week or two and wouldn't be able to get him for another few weeks with school starting and vacationing and such. SO...I volunteered to take him to Pawley's! And it was such a great trip! It was a quick trip- we left Wednesday evening about 7:00 and got back home about 2a.m. Friday morning- but it was a fantastic trip. The sights we saw (and by we, I mean me and Sammy!), the weather we went through, the people we met and the food we ate....AMAZING. beautiful, BEAUTIFUL- I loved being here. We ate at the Crazy Sister Marina and had the BEST crab cakes EVER- the crab meat was fresh and had been caught THAT MORNING. So great. We ate and drank and got to know each other. I ended up spending about 4 hours together...which was about 3 hours longer than I was supposed to!...but it was TOTALLY worth it. I made a GREAT new friend- God blessed me on that trip, giving me safe travels, a new friend and a chance to see His wondrous, majestic glory!

 

 

 

sweet sammy- sleeping on the way to Pawley

SWEET puppy dog- we took him to the beach for awhile...he didn

incredible...these houses...can I PLEASE just live here? On the beach?

holy crap....this house! I want it! I want to live HERE!

I really, REALLY just wanted to stay there and look at the water ALL...DAY...LONG.