This Time of Year!

Oh, how I love the colors of the leaves this time of year. So beautiful!! RED,YELLOW,ORANGE!!! It is amazing! It reminds me of God's goodness and His promises. I look at the trees and I am filled with this emotion that I can't explain. It is like I am feeling the presence of God!

This season also brings with it a ball of emotions for me. I can remember riding through the mountians last year with mom and how she was so in AWE of the beauty. She had never seen such beauty in Lubbock (although, I find that Lubbock has some things that Tennessee doesn't). This year the leaves are more vibrant and I find myself wishing that mom could see this. Oh, how she would love it! But then I am reminded...she has the best seat in the house!

As I sort through all the emotions, I am reminded that seasons may change but our God is constant! So cling to Him!!! He is our rock and our refuge, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we do not fear..

Thank you God for being our constant rock in an ever changing world!

In the Word

I was able to spend some good time in the Word today and loving every minute of it. I wish so much that I could just spend hours just digging into God's Word. I have been doing a Kay Arthur study on my own on Ephesians. I have studied this Book in the Bible before but never have the truths come alive as they have over the course of this study. Here is a little peek at what I studied today..http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Precept/archives.asp?bcd=8/1/2008.

I love Kay Arthur! She is a woman of the Word and I love the hard truths that she sets before us. Today I was confronted with the Truth that I am to "walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind." And then to realize why the Gentiles are futile in their thinking is because their hearts have been hardened and they have become callous. (Eph. 4:17-18)

Oh, how I pray that I would not become callous but that I would be "renewed in the spirit of my mind." (Eph. 4:23).

Guard your mind!! Keep your mind under control! Think with the mind of Christ. We are to walk in Christ-likeness in every aspect of our lives.

I admit that lately I have allowed my mind to be more like the world than like Christ.

"I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word is Truth." John 17:15-17

Trick or Treat!

We had a blast last night going around our neighborhood with the kids! Tanner was Buzz Lightyear and Parker was a UT football player. We looked everywhere for a "weel helmet" for Parker to wear but to no avail. We found this one at Dicks's Sporting Goods and it has a sticker on the back that warns us not to use this as protective gear. Trying to explain this to Parker has been very hard. I am afraid he is going to really hurt himself...or his brother. That child can tackle...and so can Parker (Ha!).

Paul and I both were really into Trick or Treating as children so we kept the tradition going. We had our good friends the Utterback's over to trick or treat with us in our neighborhood then our neighbor's (3 of which go to our church) went out together in a big group. Then a few of us came over to our house to decorate cupcakes and watch The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Parker and Sam Utterback both said that it was the "best Halloween ever!" I am so glad that our kids love being with other kids and look forward to sharing fun traditions every year. I have been looking for ways of reaching out to our neighborhood and as odd as it may seem, I felt that by inviting them into my home and loving on their kids, I was sharing the Love of Christ! I look forward to sharing more of Christ's love with them.

Paul, being Crazy!!!