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Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Our Ladies and their pets(2) Jean Gross
This is adorable Sam Gross.
Jean says......
"I want to be the person my dog thinks I am!"
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Don't be a Hermit
Once upon a time, in a land far away, in an age of castles, kings, and popes, there was a group of people known as hermits. These Christian hermits, also known as eremites, would go far from homes, towns, and civilization to live alone or in small enclaves of other hermits. They thought that they could become more holy by withdrawing from society and other people.
The heyday of the Christian hermits is supposedly long gone. Unfortunately, there are still many Christians who practice a functional eremitic lifestyle. I call it Hermit Crab Christianity.
Do You Recognize Hermit Crab Christianity?
Christians should spend time with other Christians. In fact, Christians are commanded to love one another, care for one another, give to one another, and fellowship with one another. Yet the Christian community serves a purpose bigger than self-sustaining, self-caring, inward-focused activity.
I see Hermit Crab Christianity in the way we choose to invite people for play dates, golf partners, dinner guests, pool parties, exercise partners, vacation groups, carpool riders, moving help, and so on. It’s not that Christians are withdrawing into solitary confinement. Rather, it is that Christians are spending all their time with other Christians, neglecting the mandate to share their faith with nonbelievers (Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 10:7-14; Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:14).
Our daily lives provide ample opportunity to befriend and love those who have not yet come to faith in Jesus. Our role is to look actively for these opportunities and eagerly seize them.
How to Come Out of Your Shell
Hermit Crab Christianity has become such an ingrained part of our Christian culture, making it hard to come out of our little Christian huddles. Either we stay in our homes and our churches, or we journey forth in a Christian cluster. Of course, you should not neglect your interaction, discipleship, and fellowship with other Christians. Instead, devote some of your time to cultivating relationships with others—with nonbelievers. Here are a few suggestions.
•Join a community sports league.
•Participate in your homeowners association (HOA) meetings.
•Volunteer to feed the homeless and hungry in your area.
•Train to help at a local crisis pregnancy center.
•Attend special events at local parks, libraries, and cultural centers.
•Invite neighbors over for a meal.
•Offer to carpool with coworkers who may live nearby.
•Find a good match for your skills and schedule by volunteering for a local cause (www.volunteermatch.org).
•Host a (free) backyard barbecue for neighbors on your street or block.
•Offer to babysit the children of neighbors (for free).
•Offer to help neighbors with gardening, moving, repairs, or other two-person tasks.
•Take a class at your local community college.
•Offer your home for a foreign exchange student.
•Train to become a foster parent.
•Join a health club or YMCA.
•Help build homes for Habitat for Humanity.
•Introduce yourself to the barista, cashier, or gas station attendant whom you keep meeting.
There is nothing complicated or difficult about interacting with other people. It is a step out of your comfort zone, but it is a good step. The entire purpose of destroying Hermit Crab Christianity is to carry out the spread of God’s Kingdom right where we are—in our towns and communities. It is our responsibility and privilege as Christians to spread the good news to those around us. This week, find someone who needs the good news, and begin to build a relationship.
Article Taken from Sharefaith Blog by Daniel...
Friday, August 12, 2011
My Photography Adventure Yesterday
I'm not much for shooting nature but yesterday I took my camera out and decided to trek from one side of my property to the other all the while becoming inspired by COLOR. One thing I've learned while shooting nature is that you have to get really close to see the details. Here is just a little of what I came up with. Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Stock Market and a Roman Sword
Oh, how I love stuff like this. Enjoy the article I received by e-mail below.
With the markets in turmoil, as we grieve the loss of 38 U.S. troops shot down in Afghanistan on Saturday, I found solace this morning in a drainage ditch. But not just any ditch—the 2,000-year-old drainage system in the Holy City which ran between the City of David and the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden.
Yesterday, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced that a Roman sword in its scabbard had been discovered there, as well as an engraving of a Menorah on a piece of stone. Both date from A.D. 66, the year of the Jewish Revolt which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
The etching was probably made by a person who had just come from the temple and saw the Menorah standing there. The sword undoubtedly belonged to a Roman infantryman serving in Jerusalem during the revolt. It is around two feet in length and was discovered in its leather scabbard (a very rare find) with some of the decoration on the sword still preserved.
We are left to wonder about the circumstances of both. Why would a person take time to etch a drawing of the Menorah into stone with a nail? Perhaps the revolt against Rome had already begun and this person somehow knew that the temple would soon be demolished, its Menorah stolen or destroyed. Why would a Roman soldier abandon his sword in its scabbard? Perhaps he was killed by a Jewish insurgent during the revolt before he could unsheathe it, so that it fell into the drainage ditch and was buried in its water and mud.
We'll probably never know the stories behind these significant finds, but they teach us two lessons this morning. First, our trust is not in nations or buildings created by human hands. No one could imagine the magnificent temple of Herod destroyed, but it was. No one in Rome could imagine that their mighty Empire would fall, but it did. David noted, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7).
Second, the King is still on his throne. Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem and her temple (Matthew 24:1-25); nothing in this morning's news surprises him. God is "our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). If we worry about nothing but pray about everything, he gives us his peace and meets our needs (Philippians 4:6-7, 19). If we follow him, he will lead us into his "good, pleasing, and perfect will" (Romans 12:2).
Nearly 20 centuries ago, the Holy City and her magnificent temple fell, but the Jewish people survived. Two millennia later, their nation was reborn and is today a place of economic, military, and political power and purpose. No matter how badly the markets did yesterday, the King of the Kingdom is still your Father. Are you his obedient child?
Taken for Denison Forum on Truth and Culture
Monday, August 8, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Kylee's Adventures...
The Life of Kylee... on Vacation.
"I posed for the paparazzi."
"I had 5 star meals."
"I learned to hula."
"I went boating."
"I met a tall Pirate."
"I made a sweet music video."
" I got a great tattoo."
"I rode in fabulous cars."
"I left my footprints by the ocean."
"I hung out at the farm."
"I had some artistic me time as well."
"Oh, and mom and dad were there as well."
Thursday, August 4, 2011
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