A CHALLENGE

Our book table at the Women's Conference - it was fun to set it up and to sell the books, but it was not fun taking it down! 

Our Women's Conference took place at Cornerstone on Friday night and Saturday of this past weekend. Janet Pope was our speaker. I really enjoyed her - she was challenging to me. She has memorized fourteen BOOKS of the Bible in the past sixteen years along with many other chapters in between. She recommended that we read, meditate, and memorize God's Word. She also recommended that we memorize whole passages so that we don't take verses out of the context and so that we get the whole picture of what God is saying. What I thought was so good was when she said that it doesn't really do any good to just memorize the scripture unless in doing it we are seeking to know the HEART of God. She mentioned that many Christians feel a "disconnect" with the Lord because they don't really know his heart. She gave the example of our relationships with friends. Some people are our friends but we don't "connect" with some the way we do others. It usually takes knowing something of the person's heart for us to connect with them. She also said that just KNOWING God's heart is not enough. We have to HAVE God's heart and then DO the things that God has planned for us to do in the world.

The speaker recommended that we start with Psalm 1 to memorize and ask God to show us what he wants us to learn from it as we learn a verse a day and then take about a week to review it every day. Here it is:  

"Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his DELIGHT is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."

This was challenging to me - when Janet recited scripture, she just made it so alive - she knew it well, and it was obvious that she knew the Lord well, too! 

A TIME TO RELAX AND HAVE FUN!

Saturday night was a much needed relaxing night after a week of crazy busyness! It was a week filled with obligations as well as a lot of other things that made my week very stressful. After our Women's Conference on Saturday (very good!), Terry and I had the pleasure of taking Shelley, Matthew, and Bob out for Shelley's birthday. (which was Friday) We went to a new place for us - Cheeseburger in Paradise. It was a good place to get a burger and lots of other things as well. It is decorated in tropical decor and was a fun place. Matthew is usually very congenial about getting his picture taken and pleasantly says, "Cheese!"

Somehow my pictures got out of order, so after eating we all went back to Shelley and Bob's and just relaxed and played outside for a while with Matthew. I love this picture of Matthew lying in the grass!

It was a beautiful week - couldn't help but enjoy the green grass, the trees, tulips, and this nice evening. We are very blessed!  "He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them." Daniel 2.21

Terry decided Shelley and Bob's door could use a little fixing, so he got right to it and was pretty successful in making it close better. What would we do without Terry?

And here Terry is with our sweetie! They are great buddies! Terry loves being with Matthew! I suspect it is the same for Matthew.

Here we are back at the restaurant with Shelley opening her present from us and Matthew helping!

We played with Matthew for about an hour outside back at their house. He showed me how he makes a basket. I was trying to teach him to dribble first, but I think he is too little yet.

One thing that we did that was fun this past week was take Matthew to Toys 'R Us to buy a tricycle. He got to pick out the one he wanted (within reason!) and this is the one he chose. He really can't ride it very far yet. He can make the pedals go around, but it is still hard for him to do it by himself.

Here is our slugger - or slugger to be. He's very protective of that ball! We all played a little baseball and Matthew pretended to be running the bases. We kidded him that he hits the baseball just like he plays hockey and golf! (with the bat on the ground!)

I love this picture of Matthew and his daddy! They make a great pair. Matthew likes to copy everything his dad does! Two sports fans!  :)

By the way, check out my March 28 post! That was only four weeks ago. We had about six inches of snow the night before! Only four weeks later - what a change! That is why I love Michigan and the change of seasons.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A WONDERFUL DAUGHTER!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHELLEY!

You are the age that your dad and I FEEL like we are! The thirties are a wonderful time and I don't know what happened to the years in between!

You are a very nice daughter to have. I love it when you just call in the morning or whenever to talk or tell me something funny or SMART that Matthew has said or done. I know that I can call you anytime and you will put up with me and love me. Thank you for that! You are truly a friend besides being my daughter.

I also think that you are a wonderful mom. You and Bob have given us a very sweet grandson. He means the world to us. I can't remember not having him here. He is so loving and such a nice boy and I know that he gets it from being with you and Bob. You are so kind to him - who wouldn't respond to that?

I respect the kind of person you are and all the things that you are good at and all the things that you accomplish! You are a wonderful artist. I love your books. You are also a good businesswoman. It takes drive and determination to accomplish all that you do with your work and still have time to play with Matthew! We love you so much and we couldn't begin to tell you how much! Hope your birthday is the best ever!

A FUN DAY WITH OUR GRANDSON!

I did a terrible job with my camera today! I kept forgetting to use it or just not having time. The pictures that I did take are terrible. Matthew always seems to be moving too fast and I miss getting his face. Terry was working at home today and I took Matthew for the day at our house. We always have a great time with him - he is just so sweet and easy to entertain. We played with our treehouse and plastic Australian animals and we played with our small plastic train and I read Matthew quite a few books. He listens and responds so intently to books!

He ran around Grandpa who was doing our income tax at our round table in the family room. Grandpa also let him use his big exercise ball and he loved that. He and Terry have so much fun together. Then Matthew and I went for a walk down to the school playground. We swung on the swings, went down the slide, and Matthew climbed on the bridge between slides. He got to see the school buses, touch one, and talk to some people going in to the school. We had a fun walk and I only carried him a little of the way! He loves to walk by himself now. No stroller! When we got home, he watched a little of Dora, the Explorer and sipped juice from my big Weight Watcher cup. (We couldn't find his in his bag) But he loved my cup and it worked just fine. After we watched Dora, we went upstairs to lie on Grandma's BIG bed. We laid there for awhile and Matthew ALMOST fell asleep and so did I, but then he just sat right up and was raring to go! So we went outside and blew some bubbles on the front porch. At dinner time we took Matthew with us to go get Great-grandpa from the nursing home to take him to dinner. Shelley and Bob met us at guess where? - LOGANS! Surprised?

CELEBRATING TERRY'S BIRTHDAY!

Friday was Terry's birthday. Even though we had already celebrated last week on his sister Barb's birthday, we celebrated again on Friday night with Shelley, Bob, and Matthew. Shelley and Matthew were in Arizona all last week and we were in NC the week before that, so we haven't seen them much lately. It was great to get together with them again. We went to Brann's Steakhouse and had a long, leisurely dinner together. Matthew had fun playing with his grandpa's pens, ipod, and helping open his presents. He got an exercise ball, a golf shirt, and some good golf balls. Matthew especially enjoyed it when the waitresses and waiters came to the table to clap and sing to Terry. It was a fun night spent with people we love. Interesting pictures will follow later!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TERRY!

I just want to say "Happy Birthday!" to my wonderful husband. I hope this birthday is the best one ever - you deserve it. You are always doing things for other people and you love doing that. You love people more than anyone else I know - you put me to shame that way. I love living with you and doing things with you. You are my best friend ever!! You always love me unconditionally and that has been very freeing for me over the years - almost 37 now. You are the BEST!