Hey All!

Alison and I preformed this just last Sunday. The title is, "Be Thou My Vision". The video is of when we were practicing before hand. Thank you Alison for doing such a great job! Also, Mrs. Hawkins, Thank you so much for mentoring us through this process! I appreciate your help and know that our performance would not have turned out so well without your help! Thank you!

I just started on a new arrangement for "Seek Ye First". It is what I plan to play at the end of the year program in June. We'll see if I end up doing that or not!

God bless!

Unmarked Graves?

"The sun is up, my coffee's cold, The kids and dog are fed. I've done a full day's work by nine, I'm going back to bed!"

I found this very funny quote in an equivalently funny book called, A Mother's Manual for Schoolday Survival. I find these kind of books a VERY good insight! :)

This morning I was reading in Luke 11 and in this chapter Jesus starts with an instruction on prayer and then flies full strength into a mini sermon on the rejection that he was facing by the country on whole and the different groups as well. When Verse 44 rolls around Jesus has been talking for a while about the Pharisees and how they were hypocrites because they washed the outside but yet, the inside was filthy! Verse 40 is very strong, " Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?" God sees and made the "inside" just as he sees and made the outside! Verse 44 though is where the "lightning" strikes so to speak. Listen to this verse, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisee, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them." Wow! If you know about Jewish culture, to touch or even walk over something dead, even a grave makes you "unclean"! So for the Pharisees this was a hard pill to swallow yet what does this mean to me today? Are we walking as "graves unmarked"? Is what I am doing on a day to day basis defiling those around me by interfering with their relationship with God? Verse 45 really sums up what I am thinking right now, " Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying Thou reproachest us also!" My only hope is that I, because this really strikes home to me, and those of you reading, while not be as graves unmarked. Notice the way that the Pharisees react and let's pray we don't react this way, " And as He said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge Him vehemently, and to provoke Him to speak many things, (v. 54) Laying wait for Him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, THAT THEY MIGHT ACCUSE HIM! I sure hope that I won't try and accuse my very loving Savior, or parents, or teachers just because I don't like being reproved.

More Snow!

Hey All!!!!

WOW is all I can say!!!!! We just got another 20 inches or so of snow!!! Here are some pictures of our recent snow adventure!

The first is of MJ ( a.k.a. Shylock ) Digging out the fort. :)

The second is how bad visibility was. It has cleared up now though. Whew.... talk about a lot of snow!!!!

The third picture is of LJ in one of our snow forts. We have three. Fort Wilmington, Fort Washington, and Fort McDouglas! When I said that I wanted to name one in honor of Britain my all-American brothers were shocked and almost went on strike! We compromised however and I said they could name one of the Forts whatever they wanted, so they named one, "Fort General George Washington". To prove that I am no less American I named the other Fort McDouglas! They have one more to name but that is all up to them. Fort Washington and Wilmington are side-by-side... it's kinda funny. :) Tomorrow I will try and get some photos of them!!!

God bless!

Good morning!

Good morning! 

Last night I was reading a commentary and something really stuck out. 

3. He provides. 

Psalm 104:27-30 "These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give [them] their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth."

We are studying Theology Proper ( the study of God ) and last night I was reading on the Nature of God. Sometimes I really forget JUST HOW MUCH we rely upon God for our life, in fact, we wouldn't have life without Him! The verse says that if God hides his face we are troubled. That is so true. God never abandons us but sometimes it seems like I can't see him through the trouble and you know what, that BOTHERS me! Thankfully though the verse doesn't end there. "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth." What comfort for me to know that the God of the universe is in control and that He will send His Spirit to renew us! No matter how big my problems may seem and even though I might not be able to see Him, He still provides, has given His Spirit to comfort and renew us, and we can trust in Him! 

God bless!

Snow!

Yesterday I woke up to see a beautiful bucketful of snow laying on the ground! We all made predictions but I think that LJ came the closest. He said that we'd get 40"! :) In reality we got around 20 but that's still a large chunk of snow! 

I just love the landscape pictures you can get with snow though..... Here is one of a barn. I am hoping to get out and shoot some panoramic ones but I might not have time today. I am going to help shovel my grandmother out later which may be a LONG process! :)

God bless!

Happenings of Life. A Must Read!

Hey All. 

Well, a very humorous thing happened to me today. Of which I will re-tell the tale so, pull up a chair, sit down, get comfortable and listen tight as I spin a tale for you.

It all started at around noon today. The Family and I piled into the Subaru and hit the road. There was nothing unusual about this trip as we were headed to friends house that we had been to multiple times and we, frankly, knew the way so we were joyous in our ride. We arrived and spent a wonderful time talking and even having a very immature, though very fun, snowball fight. :) Now with this snowball fight I discovered some interesting things. 1st. Coats do impede your throwing ability and 2. Beanie hats do the same. After a ferocious snowball battle we tromped in doors and relaxed a little before heading back home. Now.... You may be thinking, "there is absolutely nothing exciting in that!" Well, give a writer the chance to give some background! 

We were tuckered out as we piled into the car for the ride home. You get 6 boys with snow and that will most likely equal exhaustion. :) Looking at the beautiful scenery some thoughts crossed my mind of which one involved a Beanie Hat. Then it hit. YIKES! I LEFT MY HAT ON TOP OF THE CAR! Remember my second point that I said hindered snowball throwing? Well one boy came charging up and somehow my Beanie hat got in the way so I quickly removed it and sat it on top of our car, mentally telling myself to remember, " your hat is on the car" So I explained this to my mom who was driving and we spun around and started backtracking! We were going along those backroads, looking everywhere when we hit the road our friends live on. Now they live on a slightly major road so I was shocked to hear my mom say, " Is that your hat, blowing across the road"?!? Sure enough, blowing in the wind was a grey, slightly dirty, and carefree beanie hat! We pulled over and rescued it from " any more injuries". :) There my friends, is what life can be like in my household! ;)

Now if you know me well you'll find this hilarious. It ranks up there with the lost book, the jeans left in the church parking lot, ( of which were still there a day later! If you want to know more about this story just comment. I might consider it for a future post!  :) and the missing hat. :) 

Well there is what I have been up too! :) 

God bless All! 

~J