GOOD NEWS

I don't know about you but all I seem to hear on the news lately is gloom and doom. I know that there are bad things happening in the world, but it is a constant bombardment on my mind, spirit and heart. It is so discouraging!!! My son-in-law Derrick and I were talking about how nice it would be to have a radio station that all they reported on was the good happening around us. We would name it "Good News Network".



After giving this a lot of thought, it occurred to me that that is exactly what God wants us to do. Declare the "Good News". Jesus is the One that makes the bad news bearable. We realize that without Him there is nothing good.



What about you? Do you get disheartened by all the bad news? Why don't you make a difference? Try talking about all the good things that are happening around you. I received an email today from a lady in my Bible Study Class. She wrote that a dear friend who had only been given a very short amount of time to live because of cancer had been healed. The doctor couldn't believe that the scan showed nothing, so he ran another series of tests. Again, everything came back clean. This is a modern day miracle!!! And yet, few people will talk about this and see it for what it is - that God is still working miracles today!!! I think that is some really good news!



Oh please be one of the positive people in the world today. See the good around you and report it. See the blessings in your life and thank God for them. See the miracles that the Lord is performing, not just physically - but spiritually - and declare the Good News!!!!

SIMPLE LIFE

I don't get a chance to read very much, except on vacation. This year I got a book from my sister entitled "Amish Country Crossroads". It is a 3 book series in one volume and I have read about half of it already. It is a fascinating book about the Amish people and how they live. What has struck me most is how simple their lives seem to be. They don't rush here and there and try to cram more than is possible into a day. Since they don't have televisions their time is not wasted just sitting and doing nothing. They seem to love the Lord and try to serve Him by serving their families and others.

Isn't that what God has called all of us to do? Satan is sly and wants to distract us from the things that are the most important by placing in our lives "activities". We are so busy doing good things that we don't have time for the best things.

Today I hope I slow down enough to see the people that God puts in my path and enjoy the simple things in life. You know, the things we are too busy to see. Hope you get a chance to do the same...

VACATION

Just the word "vacation" conjures up all kinds of emotions - excitement, anticipation, enthusiasm...There is just something wonderful about getting away. As a family we have had some great times, probably like you have, connecting some time either before or after the Southern Baptist Convention. We would take our girls with us to the Pastor's Conference and the Convention and they loved it. Actually, their favorite times were the Pastor's Conference with the preaching and singing... go figure!!! Anyway, now that they are grown and are on their own they don't get to go with us anymore to the SBC.

So this year we decided to take the 4th of July week for our time together. There were so many possibilities that we could have done. We could have gone to the beach or maybe to Disney World or maybe to New England... we chose Arkansas though. Why Arkansas of all places? Well, my sister who is married to my husband's brother and is also a pastor lives there. They have a beautiful home and great pool and they are our dearest friends. Our oldest daughter came in the weekend before with her husband. He stayed until Sunday and then had to go back to NC where he is in Seminary at Southeastern. He was having to work and couldn't take time off. So on Monday, Wendy and Randy and I drove to Murfreesboro to pick up our youngest daughter Beth, her husband Derrick and our one-year old granddaughter Maddie and headed to Arkansas. All of us were piled into the van and had a great time. It was so nice just being together with all of them.

When we got to Arkansas some of our other family members had arrived from South Alabama and we had a blast together. We had talked about some of the things we would like to do, but in the end we didn't do much of anything. We floated in the pool, grilled hamburgers, had a fireworks display, played cards and visited. What a vacation!!!

I am sure that the reason Jesus mentioned rest so often in His Word is because He knew that we would need times of refreshing. What an awesome God He is!!! Time away is time well spent - hope you can get away soon!!!

A Few Good Books

Our week with Ashleigh, Ella (2) and Jackson (almost 1) is over. The car had been loaded, hugs and kisses given, reminders to call when they reached her in-law's, and then the tears fell!! I cried as I picked up, put away, and put the house back to order.....then my husband and I fell into bed and took a nap!!

As I finish this week of "resources", I would like to mention just a couple of books. There are so many great ones out there it is hard to just mention a few.....

• When Life and Beliefs Collide, by Carolyn Custis James. This great expository account of Mary and Martha taught me much about theology.....theology was always a word I stayed away from....it was way too intimidating! BUT Carolyn helped me to understand how important it was that we know theology....because in its simplest form, theology is what you believe about God! Her book focuses on how knowing God does make a difference! Carolyn is married to Frank James who lived across the street from me growing up in Dallas....he was instrumental in me becoming a Christ follower.


• Hinds' Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard. This allegory seems to be my story!! I am "much afraid" way too many times and God used this book to teach me many things about fear and the enemy and the love of my Father.


• Don't Waste Your Life, by John Piper. The title caught my eye because I do desire to make my life count. I do not want to waste one second of it....to allow God to use me to make a lasting difference in the world.


• The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, both by Khaled Hosseini. I rarely read non-Christian fiction because the books are not "rated" and I am not sure what I am getting. If I am going to read fiction, I will usually read Christian fiction and there are a lot of great authors to choose from BUT my mom asked me to read The Kite Runner....and then listened to A Thousand Splendid Suns when it came out. (I really have little time to read, and so will use my travel time to listed to books on CD, check out your library.) Both of these books opened my eyes to the plight of the people in present day Afghanistan. Oh, ladies, how it reminded me to pray for those people....and how grateful I am for our country!!

It is the 4th of July today.....pray for our country, its leaders and our future. For God to rain down His power and presence and mercy!! We are indeed blessed!!

Blessings!!

More Resources

I teach college-level computer courses and my computer has given me FITS this week and I cannot get it to work!!! It is as if "someone" did not want me posting!! In fact, today it won't even turn on!! Do ever want to scream at your computer??? So, I asked my husband to bring his home....and sure enough, it has a "be safe" blocker on it and would NOT let me log on to the blog!!

BUT....Praise God.....I am on!!! So, here are some more "random" suggestions.....

I was asked about a book on catechism and Ashleigh suggested Teaching Truths, Training Hearts: The Study of Catechism, by J. Nettles.

If you want to disciple one person or a small group I would HIGHLY recommend One on One With God, by Jerry and Marilyn Fine. I was first introduced to this while working with the college students at Union University and appreciate its strategy for making disciples. I believe that the materials can only be purchased at http://www.oneononewithgod.com/ Go and take a look at the materials and get additional information. I have used this several times and it is designed for the chain of discipleship to continue....so those I have taken through it have taken others through it.

I recently discovered the magazine Real Simple and LOVE the practical, helpful ideas for the home and self.....and the paper the pages are made of even feel good!!

For financial helps and how to get out of debt....go to http://www.daveramsey.com/. Please, please do all you can to be debt free!! It is so freeing and you will be able to give more to the kingdom's work.

For cooking....try Simply in Season, by Mary Hockman-wert which has "recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of more-with-less".

Carolyn Maheney wrote a book called Feminine Appeal that discusses seven virtues of a Godly wife and mother. Oh, how we need God to raise up a generation of married women who understand their Biblical role!

More tomorrow (IF I can get a computer to work!!). Ashleigh and the kids will leave in the morning....what a blessing it has been for them to be here. Those of you with young children....YOU are blessed!! Enjoy each day...."do not loose heart..." and KNOW your toil is not in vain!!

Blessings!!

Resources for Parents/Children

As parents raising children in the late 70's and 80's my husband and I depended on the teachings from James Dobson's books and tapes. Decades later, Focus on the Family's resources are still relevant and practical. Some of our favorites:

• Preparing for Adolescence. A series of CD's are also available for you to listen to with your pre-teen. When Ashleigh was about 12 or 13 I took her off for the weekend and we did "girl" things. During the time we spent together we listened to these tapes and discussed the issues raised. I believe it laid a very important foundation for her as she entered her teenage years. Ernie (my husband) did the same for our son Brandon when he was around that same age.


• Dare to Discipline. Taught us to be consistent and never discipline in anger or in public.
• The Strong Willed Child. This is also good for those of you who teach school.

Check out their web site for other great resources. (http://www.focusonthefamily.com/)

Some recommendations from Ashleigh, a mom of young children...

• When Ashleigh was pregnant, she and Josh told Ernie and I that we had "required reading" before we could be grandparents!! They wanted us to read Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp and we highly recommend it.
• Don't Make Me Count to Three, by Ginger Plowman
• The Heart of Anger, by Lou Priolo
• The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones. God's great story of salvation....Every story throughout the entire Bible whispers His name. Our granddaughter LOVES to read this every night before she goes to bed.

For Girls:

Traveling last month I talked to a lady sitting next to me on the airplane who worked for the company who distributes the Life of Faith books and dolls. Take a look at their web site http://www.missioncitypress.com/ and see the amazing products they have for girls. The books consist of "fictional characters from the past whose captivating life stories can help you live a life of faith."

For Boys:

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden. Winner of the Best Books of 2007: Editors' and Customers' Top 100 Pick. There are some things that every boy should know how to do...like making paper hats and airplanes.

Please feel free to share any great resources you have for parents or children. There are a lot of great ones out there....but we must also be wise....because there are also a lot of worldly, unbiblical information. We need each other to hlep find the ones that are trustworthy!!

I'd also be interested in any wonderful grandparent resources!!

Let's Get Practical!! Breakfast

Our daughter, Ashleigh, and grandchildren are here for the week (which is one reason it is Tuesday and I am just now posting!) and what fun we are having!! It is awesome watching her teach and discipline her children and seeing them being raised in the Truth of who God is.

I thought it would be fun this week to give some practical resources....some will come from Ashleigh, a young minister's wife, and some will come from me, a more "seasoned" wife!!

If you are having lots of people for breakfast....you know, like when you get to "house" tons of teenagers who are traveling and doing concerts and make a stop over at your church...or family is all home or you just want to have a fun, easy breakfast!! We did it Christmas and was a blast and really works!!

Egg Omelets in a Bag!!

This works great! Good for when you want to make more than one omelet so that no one has to wait for their special omelet and you can all sit down and eat together!!

Have guests write their names on a quart size freezer bag with permanent marker. (Be sure it is permanent!! The first time I did this I thought I was using a Sharpe.....turns out it was not and every one's name was GONE!!)

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra large) into the bag. (No more than 2). Shake to combine them.

Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, mushrooms, salsa, jalapeno, sausage, salt and pepper, etc.

Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Place all the bags into rolling, boiling water for 10 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water. (The timer should start after water returns to boil after putting bags in)

Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed!! Everyone is involved in the process and is such fun!!

So, let me know how you like it. Maybe even invite some ladies over for brunch (or even lunch or supper!!) and share the Gospel with them if they do not know our Jesus....or perhaps have believers over for accountability!!