The Best CD EVER!

If you love female led praise and worship music then you will want to be sure to pick this treasure up! She's gifted! Kari Jobe sings Revelation Song like nobody else! She will help make your worship experience just a little bit sweeter. Enjoy!

My Kids Have the Greatest Dad!

Tonight was the Daddy Daughter Dance at the school in our area. Savannah went last year with Bruce and she wouldn't have missed it for the world this year either! Times like tonight make me incredibly thankful that Bruce is such a devoted father.
Tucker lucked out and got a movie night at home with me!

What I've Learned from My Uncle

The Special Olympics begins this weekend. After hearing about it on Good Morning America it really prompted me to take a glance back to my childhood. I had the privilege to be raised in a home where there was someone who had Down Syndrome- my uncle. Yes, my heroic mother, was the primary care-taker of my uncle during my childhood and even now, my aunt takes care of Steve.

Steve's nickname was PAL. One great thing about him was that he was a loyal pal. He loved things deeply...Coca-cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, bowling and Batman. He loved people deeply too. I remember the way he hugged and gave slobery kisses. He loved to joke...I remember him calling my boyfriend at the time by the previous boyfriend's name...Hilarious now...not so much then! He shuffled his feet down the hallway and left toothpaste in the bathroom sink. He watered down the 2 liter coke bottle so that no one would know how much coke he drank!

But the greatest lesson I learned from growing up with someone special like Steve, was that every person is valuable. No matter what their physical, mental, economic make-up, they have something to offer thier world and their God. Steve was like a child, he got excited about Christmas and Jesus and the Easter Bunny. His child-like faith was just what he needed to accept Jesus as his Savior.

As I listened to the bit on TV this morning about the Special Olympics I was reminded how uniquly wonderful and rich my childhood was because of Steve. His unconditional love, his humor, his shuffle and even the water in the coke...make me smile as I realize really how special he is.

American Idol

Ok...I admit it...I am addicted to American Idol. I think I have watched every episode of every season except season one. Savannah was born right before season 2 started and we were home bound until she was about 9 months. My TV habits were strange and varied and none have stuck through the years with the exception of Idol. If you are tuning in to this season then you are highly aware of "bikini girl". Warning....I need to vent....

Bikini girl has gotten excessive attention..not because of her talent, but because of her body. Simon and Randy have to wipe the drool from their mouths as she trots along the stage. It's nearly nauseating. While my frustration is partly due to the lusty element it adds to the show, I am also very dismayed that so little attention has been paid to the blind man who is HIGHLY talented. Last night's show spent minutes covering bikini girls bad attitude, language, high drama and lack of team work...but they didn't even show the guy who is beating the odds by just showing up to audition...not to mention that fact that he has an awesome voice. FRUSTRATING!

It shows me that we as a society have placed our values so low that we would rather watch a scantily clad young women, with obvious Paris Hilton type issues, walk across a stage than to watch a man, who needs assistance getting to the stage, because he is blind, but can actually sing and inspire people. Are we that shallow? Yes, we are.

Check out the audition here: http://tvblips.dailyradar.com/video/blind_man_auditioning_for_american_idol_new_season/

Schedule

I need to get quite a bot done in the next two days to be able to enjoy my weekend. I've gotten into the habit of doing laundry only once a week and tomorrow's the day. I also need to do a big run to the grocery store. I am wondering where the $105.00 worth of food I bought on Saturday has gone?!? Here's my list of to do's. I'd love to know your secrets for getting things done. Do you get up early, stay up late, have a housekeeper (I do), make your kids do chores (I do), make meals ahead of time? Give me your tips (comment below). I'd love to hear you tips, short cuts and easy recipes! I don't need to be super-woman but I'd like to be a better home-manager! Looking forward to hearing from you!

1. School with Savannah
2. Work KCWC
3. Make lunch
4. Make forms for tutoring program
5. Make dinner
6. Praise Team Practice
7. Savannah ready for TeamKID
8. Laundry
9. Groceries
10. Get Savannah's dress for Daddy-Daughter dance
11. Weed flower beds and prep for spring planting
12...I'm stopping now...I am breaking out in a sweat just typing this....gotta go get started!

A Good Name

I've been thinking a lot about the word "reputation" lately. It means:

1. The general estimation in which a person is held by the public.
2. The state or situation of being held in high esteem.
3. A specific characteristic or trait ascribed to a person or thing: a reputation for courtesy.

Being in the ministry, I become more and more aware of how important it is to guard my family's reputation. Sure there have been plenty of times where Bruce or I have failed in doing or saying the right thing. Those have been heartbreaking times for us. For the most part, your name is all you have. I've heard it said hundreds of times, "I don't really care what people think about me", yet, sometimes we NEED to care. When your reputation is in question and you are a Christian, it places a hazy image of what Christ looks like to the world. Sometimes our reputations are damaged by malicious lies and anger by others and sometimes by our own actions.

Bruce being a pastor has been a good and challenging lifestyle for me. I have had to learn (not mastered yet) to hold my tongue, to keep a smile when I'd rather throw a punch, to embrace instead of push away, to lovingly correct instead of proudly walk away, to wait to react instead of reacting off the cuff, to wait until the truth comes out instead of defending myself at every inaccurate assumption that is made. It's a learning process...and it goes against almost every thing in our humanness.

Someone recently shared this verse with me: The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. Psalm 28:7. Encouragement comes from knowing you are living a life that God is defending.

Don't get me wrong. There are times when we need to defend ourselves...there are plenty of scriptures that speak in regards to fighting too! But instead of jumping the gun and always SPEAKING up and defending ourselves...maybe we should watch the GREAT DEFENDER do His Work first!

Game of Hope

Check out this Game of Hope: http://www.nbcdfw.com/sports/football/A_Game_of_Hope_Dallas-Fort_Worth.html