Sunday's Sermon

Scot preached out of the book of Daniel yesterday morning. It was a very encouraging message.
In Dan. 6:10, Daniel knew the writing was signed, and that he was not suppose to pray for 30 days. Scot said that to stay out of trouble and keep from causing problems, Daniel could have just prayed in private for those 30 days. He asked what would happen if we let up for 30 days. What if we just stayed out of church, stopped praying, etc. for 30 days? It would be hard to get back in church and back in prayer; our spiritual lives would be dry, our children would even suffer from our decision. Ole Daniel just kept doing as he always had. He kept his window open and prayed! Scot pointed out several things about Daniel.

1. His character (flawless), vs. 4
2. His critics (lots of them), He was standing alone, vs. 7
3. His challenge, (don't pray for 30 days) vs. 7
4. His concern ( He prayed toward Jerusalem. This was his home. He was concerned for his family and friends) vs. 10
5. His Champion (God is Able!) Dan. 6:22
6. His choice Dan. 6:14

I desire to be a Daniel, even if it means standing alone, or worse, standing in a den of lions.
Christ is worth dying for, but most importantly, he is worth living for. That's what he wants; our lives! I will joy in the God of my salvation.

PS I love my Pastor!

Friends! Liesa & Kathy, 9-27-08

Pic's from The Tallahatchie River Fest. (Cale's time: 23:45)

Spartans at Mi Pueblo's , Sept. 25, 08

Pontotoc Meet, 9-20-08

Pontotoc Meet, Sept. 20th

Cale's time was 22:47

Pic. 1-Josh and David discussing the race

Pic. 2- Coach Heather coaching

Pic. 3- Whewww, Finally, the finish line!

Pic. 4- Run Cale Run!!!!

A Great Devotional Reading from LWF, SUCCESS

September 26 BIBLE MEDITATION: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: The one who dies with the most toys wins. Is that success? Having your dreams come true? Getting all you want? Earning enough money so that you never have to work again? May I tell you what success is? And I say this without equivocation. Success is the progressive realization of the will of God for your life. That’s what it is. It’s not how much money you have. It’s not how famous you are. It’s not how healthy you are. It’s not how many friends you have or how many toys you have acquired. Success is nothing more, nothing less, than the progressive realization of the will of God for your life.

ACTION POINT: Do you want to know God’s will? Do you want your heart’s desire to come true? Read Micah 6:8. What does God require of you? Read Psalm 37:4. What is God calling you to do?

We have a wonderful deacon at our church who is a royal nut! Sorry, but it's true. He loves to aggrivate "the preachers wife", which is me, and he calls me "Linda". It's not because he has a bad memory and can't remember Liesa; that just be's the way it is! ha. Anyway, his name is Harold Wilson, and he really is a very dear man. He and his family are so good to us. August, 2007, I had surgery. He and his daughter Claire came to visit me in the hospital, and he brings in a bag of what I thought was goodies! I was so proud of him for being so thoughtful. I should have guessed otherwise by the smurk on his face. I opened the bag and I took each item out one at a time. I had a can of beenie wienies, sardines, vienna sausage, pork and beans, etc. What a guy!!!! He said, "Linda, I heard you were hungry, so I wanted to bring you some food." Thats just one of the hard times he's given me over the past 4 years. After I got home from the hospital, a week later was Labor Day. He came over that afternoon and brought us some bbq. Now, I have to say one nice thing about Harold, the man can cook!!!! He told me to let him know how we liked the bbq sauce, he said he had made it himself. We had already eaten when he brought the food, so the next day, we indulged in Harolds BBQ. Noelle and I rubbed some of the sauce on our faces, and got Cale to take our pic. That night, I woke up and had a hard time going back to sleep (not because of his food) and my brain started turning, and this is what I wrote! (I gave Harold a copy of the pic. and the poem: I told him my down-time since surgery had not been wasted!)

HAROLD'S HOMEMADE HOG-WILD BBQ SAUCE

YOU'LL GO HOG-WILD OVER HAROLDS HOMEMADE SAUCE,

AMONG THE REST, IT'S THE BOSS!

EAR TO EAR, CHEEK TO CHEEK,

IT'S THE SAUCE WE ALWAYS SEEK.

TIME AFTER TIME, DAY AFTER DAY.

THIS HOG-WILD STUFF IS HERE TO STAY.

FOLKS, GO OUT AND BUY SOME,

LIGHT A FIRE, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO COME.

SHARE THIS TREASURE,

IT'S THE BEST YOU'LL FIND.

SLATHER ON DEER, CHICKEN, & HOGS BEHIND!

SHOOT, IT'S SO GOOD, JUST GRAB A STRAW!

YOU WON'T BE WEIRD, NO, NOT AT ALL.

WE'RE THE POSTER GIRLS FOR THIS DELICIOUS STUFF,

AND WE'RE PROUD TO ENDORSE IT, JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH.

GIVE IT FOR CHRISTMAS, BIRTHDAYS, OH MY!

JUST LOOK AT THESE FACES, NOW TELL ME, WOULD WE LIE?

SO GO HOG WILD,

TRY IT, DON'T TAKE MY WORD.

ITS' SO GOOD, IT'S PLUM ABSURB!!!

SIGN OF OLD AGE?

Ok, this is my daily morning routine: While drinking my "black" coffee, I sit at my computer and read The Belmont Times. (the website address is on this page) My longtime friend Joel Wells keeps us updated on all the happenings in my hometown of Belmont. After I scan the page, I always go to the Daily Journal Obituaries. And no, I'm not looking for my name!!! I have done this for years. I know people from Ripley, Corinth, Booneville, Belmonts surrounding area, Tupelo, Pontotoc, etc. so sometimes I wouldn't know about a death if I didn't read it in the paper.
I enjoy my morning routine very much even if it does include deaths. I thank Joel for the Belmont website. I love my hometown and the people there and love keeping up with all the news and happenings. If I had a pic. of Joel with his tongue out, I would post it on this page.
Lucky Joel! ha. (He posted one of me and my kids being silly on the Belmonttimes to introduce my blog)
So, for the record, me looking at obit's every morning is not a sign of my age since I've been doing this for years via paper or internet. It's probably just a sign of my nosiness, and of course my love for people too.


Here are a couple of things I read in "Mama, Get The Hammer!" by Barbara Johnson

A PESSIMIST IS SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES THAT WHEN HER CUP RUNNETH OVER...
SHE'LL NEED A MOP.

SOME COMPLAIN BECAUSE THE ROSE HAS THORNS; SOME GIVE THANKS BECAUSE THE THORNS HAVE ROSES.

EACH DAY COMES BEARING GIFTS. UNTIE THE RIBBONS!

FOR EVERY ONE THING THAT GOES WRONG
THERE ARE FIFTY TO ONE HUNDRED BLESSINGS.
COUNT THEM!

And this is from me:
Have a knock you socks off good day dear bloggin' friend!

MY PRAYER TODAY

Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. ~Psalm 143:10

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. ~Psalm 143:8

Teach me good judgement and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.
~ Psalm 119:66

Good morning to all.
Just a few thoughts this morning. First of all, I feel so happy inside that I can hardly contain myself. God is so good. Beautiful day-Beautiful family-Wonderful peace-Awesome God!
Secondly, I am new at this blogging business, so as you can plainly see, some of my posts have way too much space in between them, etc. and I have no clue as how to fix that, so just look at the pretty red color as you scroll, I guess! I love blogging, I'm so glad I was introduced to it.
I have always wanted to journal, and I've started gazillions of them, but never keep it up.
Don't know why this is any different, but I look forward to getting on my blog each day. As you can tell, I'm WILD about my family. I know the pictures are probably a bit much, but they make me happy when I get on here, so... that within itself is a good thing.
I also love looking at other peoples blogs. I have looked at a couple of blogs that I don't even know the ladies who are bloggin', but I have enjoyed reading their ideas, writings about their families and days, etc.
Do ya'll ever just feel like stepping out on your front porch and yelling real loud? Nothing bad or anything; just something like "I LOVE LIFE!" or "GOD IS SOOOO GOOD TO ME!"
Why don't I do that, I wonder? It's how I feel, but I will try to contain myself, and just sing and be hyper within my walls. Don't want to scare the neighbors I guess! Ok, that was silly I guess, but that was in my brain. It gets pretty exciting in there sometimes! ha.

If you read this, Have a lovely, happy day!!! Happy Bloggin' to ya.

PICTURES FROM THE PAST (BY GEORGE)

What are little boys made of, made of?

What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails, and puppy dogs' tails;

And that's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of, made of?

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice, and all that's nice;

And that's what little girls are made of.

NOELLE & CALE DAYS

Verses That Are On My Mind

Romans 12:1-2
I Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect, will of God.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord,
my strength, and my redeemer.

These words stand out to me: Present, Living Sacrifice, Holy, Acceptable unto God, Reasonable,
Transformed, Renewing, Prove, Good, Acceptable, Perfect, Will of God.

God will not force me to present myself a living sacrifice. I am to be willing to do that.
I am to be different, unlike the world. I am to be Holy; live by Gods standards, not mans.
This is a reasonable service, God doesn't ask too much of us. If I live a Holy life according to Gods Word, then, I will prove that which is good, acceptable, perfect, will of God. And I will be in the perfect will of God, which is always the best place to be.
The verse from Psalm is my daily prayer. I desire for the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart to be acceptable in Gods sight.

Oh how I mess up, but I want to strive to do the above, not FOR salvation, but BECAUSE of my salvation.

Our Sunday

We had wonderful services yesterday morning and last night at church. We had eight visitors yesterday morning which was a blessing. Scot preached a great message from Isaiah 25.
He encouraged us from verse 4 that 1. God has been a strength to the poor. 2. He's been a strength to the needy. 3. He's been a refuge from the storm. 4. He's a shadow from the heat.
He compared it to us today with our needs, storms of life, and even death. God has provided power over death and given us joy and peace. In verse 8, it says that God will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces;
I didn't know what the word "lees" was referring to, but Scot said it was preserving something.
And if we are saved, we are preserved by God, and of course His Word is preserved.

Once a month, we have singing instead of class from 5 to 6. The congregation sings quite a bit and if anyone that sings specials wants to sing, they can. Then, at 6, Scot usually brings the message. But last night, Scot got up and said that God had not given him anything, so he felt led to give us the opportunity to read a verse that was on our heart or to give a testimony about our salvation or tell what we are thankful for. Alot of people were telling how good God has been to them and some read scriptures they had on their heart. It was a very touching service. I sang my new song, "Tried and True". Noelle did a good job on her special. She sang "I'm Free".
At the closing of the service, I played and sang "He Touched Me" (by request) and the congregation stood and sang it with me. There was such a sweet spirit.
God is truly good.

Before church yesterday morning, I called my dear friend Angie Hutcheson and wished her a happy 40th birthday. I think I was more excited about her birthday than she was! ha.
She is very dear to my heart and has been such a blessing in my life. She deserved a great big happy day!

Our Homemade Vacation By George

********

Each September, Scot takes a week vacation from L & L. When I do lesson plans for school, I always schedule us a week off the same week Scot is off. This year, due to appointments and other obligations, we couldn't plan a "vacation", so we had a homemade one this year. We slept in our own beds each night, but did several things during the day. We also worked in dentist and hair appointments, Cross Country practice, etc. Wed., we got up early and went to Huntsville, Al. We enjoyed several hours at the Space and Rocket Center, Gander Mountain, Books a Million, and of course Wal Mart! We ate a late lunch at Applebees. We were all so happy to be together. Cale had Cross Country Tue. and Thur. afternoons. After XC Thur. afternoon, we to the Monks home and enjoyed a wonderful meal and fellowship. Noelle hadn't seen Natalie and Bethany since Dec., so the three girls were busy catching up and giggling! The Monks are very special and dear friends. The Spartans ran in a XC meet Sat. morning in Saltillo. Cale ran well. This was his first XC meet. He has ran in 5ks and 10ks before, but nothing like XC. We enjoyed it though. He beat his time by over a minute, so we were very proud of him. After the race, we enjoyed a time of food and fellowship at the Johnson home. There were seven youngins having a good ole time! We adults enjoyed our visit. The Minnis family was also there. God has been so good to put such special people in our path and for that we are truly grateful. We love all of our friends. Our week was full of lots of fun and laughter.