The Simple Things

There are a few new things in our daily lives that have been fun to discover. We would like to tell you about them.

First, food....a new snack...

Pepperidge Farm, Goldfish, Baked graham snack, made with whole grain, cinnamon flavor. There are 300 goldfish in the package and 50 is a serving. 5g of total fat, 7g of sugar. Slip them in a baggie and hit the road!!

Lipton Diet Green Tea, buy them in a 12pack, contains no juice, sugar free. We both enjoy these.

Food for the spirit -- Blessing Your Spirit by Sylvia Gunter and Arthur Burk

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Daniel and I find our spirits need to be refreshed. We are partners and it is God's will that we refresh one another. We have begun practicing what this book offers. Each day there is a blessing (actually there are several to pick from)and you choose which one you want to bless one another with. We do it usually as we go to bed. I will give you an example below. Look at the Bible and see how the "spirit of man" is described.

in anguish - Job 7:11, willing - Mark 14:38, different - Numbers 14:24, stubborn - Deuteronomy 2:30, sorrowful - I Samuel 1:15, passed to someone else - II Kings 2:9, moved - John 11:33, watched over - Job 10:12, patient - Ecclesiates 7:8....there are so many examples. Very interesting study.

We always sit close and put our hand on one another and bless one another. Wow, it is powerful to be blessed....

Day 4 God Fights for You
____________, I bless you with being led by the Spirit to respond to problems with faith, not as a slave out of a victim mindset of avoidance, blame-shifting, or rationalization. I bless you with perseverance, not a spirit of fainting and giving up. I bless you with embracing problems, viewing them as challenges, and as opportunities for faith, as new ways to see the many facets of God and how He will work in them and through them to work things out in His plan.

Day 6 God's Presence
"Ps. 16:7 says "even at night, my heart instructs me" I bless you______________, with fullness of joy in the night watches as the Spirit of God ministers to your spirit. The nighttime is the first-fruits of God's creation; therefor it is holy. I reject and break off of you every claim of the enemy to the night hours. I proclaim that it is God's holy time when He delights to visit you and to minister to you. I bless you with experiencing His presence in the night watches as your subconscious mind and your spirit are open to the Spirit of God, so He can minister to your spirit while your conscious mind is not cluttering up the works.

Blessings on you!

Ecclesiastes

Every once in a while I enjoy turning to a book in my Bible and just moving from one underlined verse to another. These would be verses God has brought me before in my study or as I have listened to some teaching. It jogs my memory and is very rich. Last night I did this with the book of Ecclesiastes. Enjoy where I have been and I'm sure many of you have been in this book about life.

"under the sun"
1:3,9
2:11

"I"
1:12,13,14,16,17

2:13 "And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness", that is an interesting contrast. truth.

2:25 "For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?

3:11 "He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart.."

4:9 One of my favorite verses -- "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up."

5:1-2 "Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few."

5:20 "For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of hi heart." This tells me to be content!!

7:13-14 "Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other so that man may not discover anything that will be after him." (his future)

10:4"If the ruler's anger rises against you, don't leave your place,
for calmness puts great offenses to rest." Man, that sounds like a great relational tip!!

11:1-2 "Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth."
11:5-6 "Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good." SERVE!!!

12:13-14 "...fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Because God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."

We Said Good-Bye

Deanna Meredith came to Hope church of Christ one Wednesday night and we met. She has a smile that is very contagious!! It's been a couple of years now and God has moved her on this morning to the next season in life. She was called by God when she was 18 to go to a foreign country to teach about God's Son, Jesus!! What an exciting purpose she feels. She has been a wonderful addition at Hope and she will now move on to the Church of Christ in Falls Church , her supporting church. She will be added to this page soon, I'm sure. Her home congregation will also be supporting her, Grace Crossing, A Community Church of Christ. I know it is a JOY for them to have one of their own to help as she follows the call on her life.

We were able to have Deanna live with us for only one month but it was fun, and comfortable. Such peace is in her young heart and such purity of desire in her walk. She will touch people as she steps into VA., Houston and then on to Chile in Jan. 2011. Begin today to pray for Deanna and her team mates.

Blinn Reunion

We left last Thursday and went on a short trip. When we pulled into our garage on Sunday night we had driven 1,000 miles. We spent one night in Bastrop with Daniel's folks and enjoyed a time of sharing pictures on the computer with them. We even Skyped with Alison and the kids for a bit. We headed to College Station and each met with a few friends for lunch and then drove on down to Houston. Friday and Saturday night we enjoyed great conversation and laughter with several friends from our Blinn College days in Brenham(1974-76). Daniel and I met there and our dating days began. Two of the groomsmen at the wedding were in attendance and you will notice the guys still look the same, hahaha. Troy Nicar and Clent Hood




On our return trip from Houston we drove through San Antonio and stopped to see Jason and Lindy's (our niece who lived with us for 3 years) new baby, Elias. Helen (Daniel's sister) and Randy were there, beaming as grandparents for a 2nd time. Shelly and Ryan were also there(Lindy's sister and brother, our niece and nephew). A special part of the trip for Daniel was driving 80mph out on I-10 between Kerrville and Junction - definitely a guy thing!

Learning to Love Well!!

Isaiah 58:5 -11 (God has brought this section to me in 3 different situations in one week, none were related -- think the Spirit is speaking!!)

Isn't the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked when you see him,
and to not ignore your own flesh [and blood]?

Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recovery will come quickly.
Your righteousness will go before you,
and the LORD's glory will be your rear guard.

At that time, when you call, the LORD will answer;
when you cry out, He will say: Here I am.
If you get rid of the yoke from those around you,
the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,

and if you offer yourself to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.

The LORD will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden
and like a spring whose waters never run dry.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11
"If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your gates in the land the LORD your God is giving you, you must not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has. Be careful that there isn't this wicked thought in your heart, The seventh year, the year of canceling debts, is near, and you are stingy toward your poor brother and give him [nothing]. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty. Give to him, and don't have a stingy heart when you give, and because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you do. For there will never cease to be poor people in the land;that is why I am commanding you,You must willingly open your hand to your afflicted and poor brother in your land."


The weekend of July 17-18 the Hope shepherds and wives had a retreat together. We all pitched in and organized to have a speaker and food and the Mills hosted our gathering in their home. Daniel put together some structure for us to benefit from prayer and discussion time. We also went through the Hope member directory and caught each other up on what is happening in their lives. We are all prayerful about each one of the sheep and it was refreshing to be able to speak of each member to each other!!

Mark Hewitt of Love and Care Ministry in Abilene spoke to us. After spending the morning with Mark, I continue to pray that I never look at a homeless or poor person the same. I really want to work on having a snack pack available in our car at all times to hand out. Just this week I was reminded by my niece that my parents' love for her is what makes her know there is a God. Our love toward the homeless and poor may have the same impact. The Lima Team has been using a phrase that keeps coming back to me - you have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you (John Bunyon). I have even thought of this as I have been reading The Hiding Place. We have so many opportunities to love others well. Daniel and I have so enjoyed the others God has put us with to shepherd our group in Abilene.

Daniel and Cathie, Mark, Laura and KB, and Mitzi and Foy.


On Friday night, July 23, we enjoyed a party celebrating our sweet friend, Kelli Bryant. She is currently studying at Oxford University. but came through Abilene with her parents. Many from Hope gathered to hug and listen to her stories, eat and laugh!!

Of Course, I Cried

Many of you have followed the Lima Team in their Frazalatera. The funds came in very fast and they were so encouraged. Thank you so much!! Daniel and I didn't even get our funds there before their goal was met. We will act faster next time!!

As I watched the video on John Mark and Tara Davidson's blog, of course, I cried. I hope you will enjoy it as well. Continue to pray for the future of this community. They will be having a medical mission week with these same families in late July. Several from the states will be helping out with this. We are so blessed to watch God's hand in so many ways.

Cathie asked me to share from some of my reading, so here it is.

your little red wagon - a conversation on approaching God
Alex Himaya - The Church at BattleCreek, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Heard Himaya refer to his book while visiting their congregation during a visit to Hannah.

Many of us have great memories of pulling our red Radio Flyer wagon around behind us as kids and all the adventures that centered around the treasures we were hauling or the adventures we were headed toward. While those memories are good one the author talks about another imaginary wagon we continue to pull around behind us. The ones with all the baggage we cant or wont let go of. More often than not this baggage is bad stuff that we allow to continue to haunt us even into our adult years. Sadly, even after we have been cleansed by the power of Jesus’ blood, we continue to pull that heavy load of forgotten (at least by God) garbage. Himaya asks a stark question of all of us wagon pullers, could it be that God is more concerned with us than what is in our wagons? Reconciliation (being made compatible with God) is the theme. The author relates this to the process of having one key open all the locks in a house. To do this they took the key to one lock that was staying in the house to a locksmith who them matched all the rest of the locks to fit with the one key. 2 Corinthians 5:18 says, “All this is from God who reconciled us to himself…

A good 100 page read.


The FEAST by Joshua Graves.
There is a question brought out by this book that is almost haunting - what if Jesus really meant the stuff he said? Sounds almost comical to ask, but based on the way we tend to practice religion (or as Foree Grove, A&M church pulpit minister, likes to call it - high church), you would think we would answer the question with our own question - Do you think he really meant all that stuff he said?

Graves leads us to think about our being a spiritual movement rather than an institutional religion. Believers are referred to as followers of the Way, but sometimes we appear to be leaders of my way (our way if we think we are part of a group who all think/act the same way). So thinking about how to be followers of Jesus is the adventure The Feast takes you on.

In the chapter entitled Wrestling with the Real Jesus, Graves uses Heb 13:11-14 to make a point. In particular, the last part of this passage, Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Quoting from Charles Campbell’s The Word on the Street: Performing the Scriptures in the Urban Context, we read, “it is not that we good Christians take God outside the camp, outside the walls of the church. We go outside because God is already there.” To often, for me at least, it seems that I wait impatiently for seekers to walk into the doors of our churches so we can lead them to the good news. It is even better if they know how to behave as Christians do because that speeds up the process of getting to believing! So much for the go into all the world admonishment in Matthew. I am in need of a daily reminder that ALL THE WORLD is ALL AROUND ME.

A great read if you really want to be challenged to consider if you are practicing a system of beliefs or living a way of life.

Letters from Dad by Greg Vaughn is my current read. A number of years ago Vaughn began meeting with a few guy friends and encouraged them to write letters to their family members. Very intriguing, convicting, and challenging so far.

MY FICTION world has included over the past couple of years books written by Clive Cussler, founder in 1979 of National Underwater and Marine Agency. Many of his books are adventure stories based on the history behind the ships and other lost artifacts that they have gone hunting for. If you watched the movie Sahara, then you have experienced one of Cussler’s books turned movie. I follow his writings from a website called Cusslermen. These are my easy reading so I have been able to get through 15 or so of his NUMA and Oregon series in 2 years. Recently, I completed Sea Hunters, which is part fiction and non-fiction. It is the historical story of a number of sunken vessels and the actual story of NUMA’s search for them.

So, there you have it.