Boo!

Given the lack of comments to my recently posted questions, I'm not sure if anyone else celebrates Halloween - so I hope I don't offend anyone with my pics of our celebration! (Just kidding, of course, no pressure ever to feel like you have to comment)

We had a great evening. Due to the anticipated 25 degree lows for the night, we decided to trick or treat first, then have dinner. It worked wonderful, I'm surprised it's taken us this long to figure it out. I had about a half hour of high stress time, a few early guests, kids not in costume, and high expectations of Mikayla's hair that didn't have the time to turn out like I'd hoped.... (not to mention last minute meal prep, cleaning up, and high blood pressure from the kids' messes). Fortunately, all got done, and seeing the effect of the dry ice in the waterfall snapped my attitude back to where it should have been from the start. Hope you all had a fun Halloween yourselves... (if you chose to celebrate =) !!!!)
Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth - in the "fog" created by the dry ice in the waterfall
846/1450/1600/groupphoto.0.jpg">Here's the group of kids that ransacked the neighborhood
The effect of the dry ice on the waterfall.....eerie!
Here's the pumpkins I hastily worked on with the kids this afternoon - does good "Mommy-kids bonding time" count when the kids are threatened to not trick or treat if they don't clean up the mess?
Another shot of the pirates.....
Mikayla looking spooky.... (it was fun applying all of the make-up - but the grown-up look freaked me out every time I looked at her.....)

A Couple of Questions XXXXI

Amazing the changes in October - it's one roller coaster ride from summer to winter - outdoor activities to the cozies of fireplaces and snuggly blankets. The week in Disneyland has put me behind in my holiday perspective - I'll need to do some serious catching up this week..... but, first things first - Halloween.

1. What are your Halloween plans this year?

2. Are you planning on dressing up - and/or - what are your kids dressing up for this Halloween?

We're currently watching "Incredibles" again as a family - enjoying the extra hour this morning before church. Yippee! Love this movie.....hope you're having an enjoyable weekend as well.

This Week's Devotional

I thought this was a good one....

You Are God's Pumpkin
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you boast, boast only about the Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

For most of the country, the crisp cool air of autumn is upon us. A sure sign of autumn is that Christmas decorations are popping up everywhere in retail stores. Halloween costumes and disguises are sold out from shops as trick-or-treaters are ready to take over the streets. A popular symbol of both harvest time and Halloween is the pumpkin. I was thinking recently that being a Christian is a lot like being a pumpkin. Perhaps you are visualizing this orange, round vegetable and wondering how you could ever be compared to one of these squashes! Simply put, like a child chooses a pumpkin to carve and mold an image upon, so God carves and molds His own unique design in you.
The Scriptures tell us that the Lord chooses us. He lifts us up and washes the dirt from our skin. Then he opens us, connecting deep inside to scoop out all the slimy, yucky stuff, including seeds of doubt, spite, lies, fear, etc. Then He carves a new creation, and makes our faces shine by putting His light inside for all to see.
Sometimes I feel like I don’t want my light to shine because I am ashamed of a thought or action or pattern in my life. I try to hide the light Christ has put in me, and blend in with the crowd. What I forget is that when God carved me, created me, and gave me His Son, I no longer had to count on my own strength. I can count on the Lord’s. It is He who washes me clean; it is He who gives me a spirit of strength and perseverance; it is He who makes me pure; it is He who frees me from sin; and it is He who gives me hope. When I realize that my part of the equation is to rely on His strength and power, then I can do as Scriptures say, and shine His light through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What starts as an everyday squash turns into a lantern of light. What starts as an everyday person turns into a beacon of hope for all to see. At times, it is hard to imagine that we can be cleansed through Jesus. As the Scripture says, Christ has made us right with God. He has purified us and freed us from sin. Through our union with Christ, we are given the light and wisdom of the Holy Spirit who enters and dwells in our lives. It is He who picked you out and carved you just the way He wants you. So make sure you keep your lantern lit for all to see.

GOING DEEPER:
1. What sins are in your life that you need to release and allow the Lord to scoop out for you?
2. Each time you see a pumpkin this autumn, think through why it is so important for you to be a vessel of light representing our Lord.

A Couple of Questions XXXX

I feel like we have thoroughly hit nearly every nook and crannie of Disneyland and California Adventure - including shows. The funniest moment of the day was Brayden, who was among the chosen to learn how to be a Jedi Knight in the Jedi Training Academy, did not pay attention to the sequence of moves that he was supposed to do against Darth Vader - and instead just tried to take him out. We have the whole thing on video, but I was hysterically laughing at the commentary by the "Master Jedi" in assessment of Brayden's performance. - Too stinkin' funny.

Due to the bad cold/cough - I no longer have the ability to scream in excitement - I'm a week behind Michele in this little virus, so she can't scream either - it's this nasty little croak... oh well. I'll be walking to Target in the morning for some serious cough drops to help with our final day.

As you might expect, we're on a theme this week, so the questions aren't any different - when answering, feel free to answer for what you think right now, or what you liked a long time ago - or simply a generic answer to rides in general.

1. What amusement park ride (Disneyland or otherwise) could you repeat endlessly?

2. What park ride would you absolutely never do - or, perhaps, never do again after having suffered through it the first time?

Legoland - Day 2

Day two brought us to Carlsbad where we adventured in Legoland. I would definitely say it is an ideal location for 3-9 year olds - lots of places to play and yes, bring your swimsuits - huge water area to get soaked. It was a nice change of pace to have the temperatures drop with the marine breeze and the crowds be significantly less intimidating.
This is not a good pic - best that it's a distance shot - but it shows how formidable our group of 16 looks
Isn't this adorable - Ellie was growling at Grandpa, and giggling so much- I can't even begin to describe how great it was to have Mom and Dad there with us these two days-
Miniland at Legoland - the boys were so enthralled, Grandpa and Mark included
What happens when Amy gets tired - Brayden was a little peeved
Isn't this too cute? Petting the Lego dog
Invading the San Diego In and Out Burger restaurant - by far our cheapest meal of the trip
This is the view of the house my dad is working on in Coronado - it is taken from the dock of the ocean bay..... pretty cool to come view his craftsmanship

Day One of Disneyland

I think it's best to let the pictures do the talking. We arrived in our hotel Friday night at about 8 and planned to spend 16 hours in Disneyland (8 am to midnight) on Saturday - what a day-----
This many kids scared many adults in the waiting area prior to the plane arriving
Our family - excited to get through the Disneyland gates
They've really done a lot this year to celebrate Halloween/Harvest - very festive
Oh, what a joy---Grandpa and Grandma greeting all their grandkids in Disneyland!
Goofy child meets the original Goofy
Michele said that after taking this picture, she could leave Disneyland happy....
The kids are puzzled why Pluto walks on 2 legs - they think they need to talk to him about this
John asleep in Paradise Pier - while the kids and other adults were on the over the top Ferrris Wheel. Shortly after, he needed to go back to the hotel as he was so exhausted and nauseous, poor guy.
Why the 16 hour day only last for about 12 hours.....and some wondered if that double stroller would be worth bringing.......

Random Thoughts

We're leaving for a week in Disneyland on Friday with Michele's family and The Meyers again. This time, my parents get to join us for the first weekend - one day in Disneyland and the other day in Legoland. I think we'll be actually at the park on Saturday (Disneyland and California Adventure) from 8am until midnight.....we're hoping for the best!

So, today, is the designated packing morning while Mikayla is at pre-school and Brayden at school. I've been accumulating things for weeks now (I am a much better packer if I do it over a long stretch of time than all at once - I literally have stress dreams over having to pack in a hurry). So, today has essentially been simply picking what piece of luggage to put stuff in and using lots of gallon ziplocs to keep things together and keep stuff from leaking. I've discovered today that 11am is a very bad hour of tv. I rarely am around to watch morning tv, so it's been a new experience for me. I eventually settled in on an episode of 24, which is intriguing, but a little unsatisfying to watch randomly.

I'm including a couple of pics. Jodi snapped a shot of her cat lounging, I thought I'd do the same with Sydney.....we'll miss her next week, but we know she'll be happy with her lab-buddy, Koda. Thanks Mike and Janet!

The other picture is the "grocery list" Mikayla decided to do on her own. What a little "Mommy to be". She pulled some treats out of the "snack bin" and started trying to list the names on the notepad. Don't hurry it, honey, that grocery list responsibility will be on you way too soon!

I'll bring my laptop to California, but am not guaranteeing consistent posts. I'm still hoping for more responses to the questions of the week - I think it's neat to see how we are all wired differently.

That's Our Boy-

Yesterday, I asked Brayden what he did during recess. This is a common question for us as Brayden will often not hang with the kids we would think he would, but rather play alone. Kind of odd for a social kid. So, I was pleased when he responded that he had been asked to play soccer by a buddy and had a lot of fun with him. (This is Tanner, a kid I just love, but one who lost points at church on Sunday, by boldly coming up to me and asking, “WHY did you dye your hair?”…..)

I called Tanner’s mom to see if she set Tanner up to asking Brayden and was impressed when she said she had nothing to do with it – good for Tanner. However, after hanging up with Nancy (Tanner’s mom), Brayden informed me that he would NOT be playing soccer the next day (today). Here’s that conversation:

ME: OH, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO INSTEAD?
BRAYDEN: WELL, THERE’S THIS GIRL NAMED TRISTYN IN OUR CLASS, DO YOU KNOW HER?
ME: (UH-OH) NO-
BRAYDEN: WELL, ANYWAY, SHE’S GOING TO CHASE ME AROUND AT RECESS AND I NEED TO BRING A COAT TOMORROW, BECAUSE IF SHE CATCHES ME, SHE’S GOING TO TIE ME WITH THE COAT TO THE POLE…..(BIG GRIN.....I DO BELIEVE HE INTENDS TO BE CAUGHT.....)

I quickly called Nancy back to inform her that Tanner should not be expecting company tomorrow on the soccer field….. Brayden has other plans……

He just cracks me up-

A Couple of Questions XXXIX

Alright, I confess, I had to Google Roman Numerals to make sure I got this one right. I was right, but I would have needed help from here on out anyway as I forgot what 50 was represented by. Oh, the things the Internet helps us navigate through.

We got a phone call from Mikayla's pre-school that the water main had burst - no school for her today. Alright, not too many plans to change which is good. However, I was up until midnight, and then she had me up since 4:30 - so I think I'm going to have her snuggle with me for a nap as soon as I finish this.

Don't worry, I will get to all of JustMe's (Heather's) wonderful question contributions - but these have been discussed much by John and I this week as it has to do with the Bible Study he's involved with. Wanted to see what your responses would be-

Regarding the 5 Love Languages - as outlined by Gary Smalley, (ACTS OF SERVICE, WORDS OF AFFIRMATION, PHYSICAL TOUCH, QUALITY TIME TOGETHER, GIFTS):

1. What is your top love language?

2. Assuming your love language is what is easiest for you also to give to others, what is your LEAST easiest Love Language to extend to others (or your spouse)?

Contagious Joy

Bottom Row, Left to Right- Amy, Lisa (not mrsquigs), Michele, Me, Christy, Kristine Top- Kris, Nancy, Shannon - (BTW - I was the one setting up the timer on the camera which is why I got to be "front and center" - next time I'll have to work on establishing a back row location to run to once I hit the button!)
Our Group in the concourse at the conference
Here's a picture of Christy and I not missing a minute of the Duck game in the MAX on the way back to the hotel....

I just returned from 36 hours spent in Portland attending the WOMEN OF FAITH conference with 8 very good friends. The theme was CONTAGIOUS JOY - and it truly was a joy being with these gals, staying at the Embassy Suites (ooh, la, la - fancy.....), and riding the Max for the first time. The decision to attend the conference was relatively last minute, and clearly God blessed the details - even arranging for excellent seats in the Rose Garden.

The highlight of the experience for me was listening to Robin McGraw (Dr. Phil's wife). She did a great 4 point presentation of 4 choices women really need to make - my abbreviated version:

1. Make the choice to accept Christ as your personal savior and live to follow and glorify Him
2. Make the choice to be positive in your view of yourself and your life
3. Make the choice to take care of yourself - in all aspects - your husband and kids need a healthy you, not a martyr or a person who sacrifices herself constantly
4. Make the choice to accept your husband for who he is....

Item # 3 was a big focal point that I think many women feel like they are allowed to ignore - that somehow it is acceptable and honorable to wear yourself thin to the point of being emotionally and physically ill - However, Robin told the very sad story of how abruptly her mother's life came to an end - and it occurred as she was literally pulling a pumpkin pie out of the oven that Robin had requested her mom make for her..... always doing for everyone else, never taking care of herself. Sometimes, I think women think it is selfish to take a bath, escape reality, hire a babysitter for you to have a "nothing" day - but, in the big picture, if it keeps us healthy and balanced - your kids will love you for keeping yourself alive to be there even longer in life for them.

At the end of Robin's talk we all applauded- and then to the entire Rose Garden attendance's surprise - Dr. Phil himself walked down the aisle to join his wife on stage. He congratulated and praised his wife, made comments about their dedication to promote Jesus Christ as Savior in the best way they could with the platforms they'd been bestowed - then ended it by saying that in the filming of 800+ shows, Robin has walked Dr. Phil off stage every single time. He said it was the least he could do to escort her off stage..... It's been a while since I've routinely tuned into Dr. Phil, but the level of respect I have for both of him has just skyrocketed ten-fold. Very cool.

One of the speakers read a wonderful comparison piece that has apparently been cruising the internet popping into forwarded emails. I thought it was very convicting and worthy of sharing-


I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones.

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it
What if we flipped through it several times a day
What if we used it to receive messages from the text
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it
What if we gave it to kids as gifts
What if we used it as we traveled
What if we used it in case of an emergency
What if we upgraded it to get the latest version

Yup, that hits home......

Finally, I left my camera at home, but Christy (who deserves much praise for taking care of much of the details of this adventure), took hers and when I get access to them - I'll try to add them to this post.

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend and are able to experience contagious joy......

History in a Box

Two days ago, while on date night with John at Ross (yes, we do love to shop together.....), I had the opportunity to meet "Trish" - a friend from John's past. I gave her a "once-over", blonde hair, classic beauty, named "Trish"- and knew immediately I was meeting the first woman that John asked to marry him. She was friendly, and bless John's heart, he quickly affirmed to me that I was prettier (whatever, honey, perhaps younger.....but really, it's okay). She was with a man that John also knew, I believe from high school. He said they were a perfect match for each other - I'd go into details why, but that would be negative talk...... so, hope the relationship lasts!

I don't think I'll ever be running into the two men that I discussed marriage with in a Ross store. Last I heard, ex-fiance, Lance, was living in Seattle with his wife. Brinton, serious relationship prior to Lance, was born and raised in Texas, doubt that he'll ever live in Oregon, much less visit. The only thing that remains of their existence in my life is, 1.) memories and 2.) two shoeboxes sitting on a shelf in a bedroom in my parent's house. Within those shoeboxes are letters, notes, pictures, momentos on why that relationship existed in the first place. Some may have a problem that I even keep these shoeboxes. Rest assured, I don't ever look in them, but they are part of my history, and if my daughter ever wants to know what helped shape me into the person I am, or perhaps, because I still hold these men in a relatively high respect - what she needs to "hold out for" in terms of a man that would be worth it for her. Of course, I absolutely saved the best for last and she needs only to look to her Daddy to discover what is best for a husband, so I guess that is a moot point. (On a sidenote: If you get the chance to listen to Mark Schultz's new album BROKEN AND BEAUTIFUL, don't miss "She Was Watching" about this very subject - it will make you cry....).

I was thinking about this "box of history" in bed last night and wondering what sort of shoebox my impact on different people's lives would make. I'm thinking of all sorts of relationships here - not just boyfriend/girlfriend. Would there be notes of encouragement to put in those boxes? Or, if, somehow, emails where printed out, or conversations transcribed, would they fill a box up worth opening and reading through frequently? Would someone ever want to use this box as an example of what a good friendship/relationship ought to be?

I think I'm going to close off and head to the Hallmark store. I've got some work to do......

A Couple of Questions XXXVIII

Courtesy of Heather (JustMe)....... and in a "Mother" theme-

1. In what area do you feel you really excell as a mother?

2. What is a favorite activity that you do with your mom or something you wish you did together?

Thanks again, Heather!

We Made It Through!

So, we made it! In a little less than an hour, we navigated the great "Corn Maize". Actually, I should say, Travis and John navigated it - in a style that made me think that we were part of "The Amazing Race". In fact, on a couple of occassions I had to remind them that we had a four year old walking with us.... losing the kids would have been a very bad thing! We only repeated landmarks a couple of times - good job guys!!!!

A couple things we learned:
- If you are taking kids, a baby jogger would make it through, might be a good idea-
- Take the map (I took a picture at the front entrance) - as well as a pen and mark down where the numbers are on the map. At those spots, there are clue cards you can take with you (with the answers on the bottom), that will insure, from at least those points, you are going in the right direction. We had the map and the clues, but no idea where the numbers were on the map. That would have been very helpful.
- I just can't imagine the horror of navigating this thing during the "Haunted Nights" that they do at night time. - We snapped a couple of pics of some of the scenes within the maze. There are several tunnels, an old school bus which I think you have to go trhough, plenty of places for people to jump out. It would have to be absolutely terrifying......

The cow train was a hoot, they do these roller coaster thing over the hills, the draft horse wagon train for the pumpkins - the caramel kettle corn..... It was an all around awesome day at Lone Pine Farms, another tradition we'll have to repeat in years to come.

A Couple of Questions XXXVII

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSAN! I hope it is turning out to be a wonderful day for you. You are a joy to all that know you!

Alright, folks, I'm really struggling with inspiration for questions - so, here's the deal - today's "Couple of Questions" is simply a request for you to provide a couple of questions so that I can use them in the coming weeks. Any questions you consider especially thought-provoking or fun? Or, any good resources for good questions? Bring it on!

Hope you all have a splendid weekend. We're headed to our first experience in a giant corn maze on Sunday with the kids and our buddies, Travis and Steph. If we manage to get out, I should have some fun pictures to post Sunday night or Monday.....

The Price of Children

I just sat down at the computer thinking I needed to put some post out and not having anything to write about. I was about ready to chronicle the mysteries I'm experiencing in trying to ascertain what is causing my digestive system to stage revolt, but you know, I just don't think that makes good blogging material...... Thank God for Mary Beth, my sister in law, to send me an email with this, at just the right moment. It looked so good, I didn't even finish reading it before I began the cut and paste process (and removal of all those >>, that indicate an email has been forwarded!

The Price of Children

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely positive
for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising
a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this
way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if
you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get
to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs,
* and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
* You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all
the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch
a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them
without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the
cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren !!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll make!

The Coat of Shame

It's no secret that I dream - a lot.... Of course, there's no way of knowing how much I remember of my dreams, but each morning I could go on for at least five minutes in description of something - and, at least once a month, I really wonder if I couldn't write a pretty decent action/adventure or science fiction bestseller off of the creativity that comes from these dreams. Pretty wild.

It's not these creative dreams, however, that have inspired this post. It's the recurring dreams of shame. Most often it has something to do with not graduating from high school, not attending classes, not being prepared for a final (because I haven't attended the class all year), or more recently, not being able to pack up my belongings and make it to the ticket gate at some airport - much less have the ticket to go anywhere. Sometimes, the shame runs deeper - I discover I've left to go to work (subbing) and did nothing to take care of my children in my absence, sometimes it's the lie that I went "all the way" with my first fiance - and having to deal with the ramifications, or that I became pregnant before getting married, or, on rare occassion that I had to own up to my smoking habit. Now, please let me re-iterate, I'm not offering this as a list of condemnation, it is simply a list of the realities that I feel like I am actually living during my nighttime hours. In this "alternate reality" I have to accept the fact that I have indeed let myself down - and those that believed in me, and have to deal with the consequences and ramifications of this. The feelings I have in these latter part of these dreams are full of sadness, guilt, despair, and regret - and sometimes, hopelessness........

Then, I get to wake up. Sometimes, because I've had the dreams so often, I have to consciously work through the fact that I am indeed a high school graduate.... yes, really! That, no, I don't smoke (perhaps I'll have to devote an entire post as to why I can almost guarantee that will NEVER be a habit of mine) and all of the above other fears have not come true. It is the greatest relief - the burden of shame has been lifted.

Now, here's my point. A couple of years ago we were part of a Beth Moore Bible Study that had women from the audience volunteer to come forward to adorn themselves with certain "jackets" that had letters on the back of them. Each letter stood for some common shame that women of our day feel. I tried to find the exact study just now, but it's currently lost...., I'll list from memory - DIVORCE, ADDICTIONS, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES (DEPRESSION, ETC.), PAST ABUSE, PHYSICAL IMAGE ISSUES, and the list goes on.... It was the most profound visual image - I wish I had it personally on DVD to share its imapct with others. Anyway, the discussion went on about how hurtful and damaging these "coats of shame" were - and what a burden they were to wear - everyone seeing, knowing, judging. But, then, Beth Moore described how Jesus wants to take on these coats of shame, and as part of her demonstration - she asked each woman to remove the coat/shame to symbollicly be free of it - handing the burden to Jesus. It was beautiful. It reminds me of the beauty of waking up from a bad dream, yes, the consequences remain, but if the burden is given to Jesus, freedom truly is ours to take.

Isn't that easier said than done, though? And, I can just hear the thoughts coming from those random readers out there - "Little does she know..." "Has she gone through this?" "What's her basis of experience that she can even address such an issue?". Well, you're right. I haven't gone through an awful lot - but, there are a few things that only a handful of people know about, and there are a whole lot of things that may not earn a "letter on a jacket" but God knows about and it is NOT pretty. Beth described what she called the "cylce of defeat" repeatedly found in His people of the Old Testament - Slavery, Deliverance, Testing (including successes and failures) and then Prevailing Unbelief - which led right back to slavery.......and so the cylce repeats until at some point that Prevailing Unbelief turns to Prevailing Belief - that God is there, the God of Second Chances, the God that wants His people to finally reach their Promised Land.

She had this 5 Statement Pledge of Faith that we were all required to recite each week.

GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
I CAN DO ALL THINGS IN CHRIST
GOD'S WORD IS ACTIVE AND ALIVE IN ME

It's that statement I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM that I think is hard for a lot of us to accept. If we have asked Jesus into our lives, we are indeed perfect to Him - we wear those coats no longer. I pray that no matter what shame you have felt in your life, that you are able to release it to Jesus - and to live, free.

Camp Putt with Jordan and Rory

Way back in May, a bunch of us attended an auction for Young Life. We all bid on things here and there, but my friend Christy asked if a group of 10-12 of us would be willing to pitch in together to bid on a Camp Putt experience for our kids with one of the stars of the UO Ducks. We agreed - and got the bid - and to be honest, I kind of forgot all about it.

But, thankfully, Christy didn't. She called relentlessly to settle on a date and Jordan Kent agreed upon yesterday (the day after flying to play in 100 degree weather - go figure....). So, Brayden and a bunch of his buddies showed up at Camp Putt yesterday to meet and play with Jodan Kent and his friend, also a Duck football player, Rory Cavaille. I chose to sit this one out -kind of regret that now, but the idea of an afternoon of relaxing appealed stronger. I'm thankful our friend, Tania, was there with a camcorder.

Jordan Kent, just to give a frame of reference, is a star receiver for the Ducks. He is also a basketball player for the Ducks - and a track athlete for the Ducks. This would make his the first 3 sport athlete at the UO in 50 years. Pretty impressive. He caught one of the touchdowns on Saturday, so he's not just a name on the roster either. (He also narrowly missed another one, which apparently he lamented to with the adults on Sunday...) Oh, and if the name sounds familiar, yes, that's his dad - Ernie Kent - coach of the Duck basketball team. He's also an all-around great guy - at least as far as his behavior yesterday testified. What a cool thing to do, to volunteer on your only day off to hang with a bunch of wild boys in order to make money for kids to attend a Christian camp -not to mention totally make the day (scratch that, week) of a slew of kids and their parents. I'll add a few captions as to what happened during the afternoon.

Here's the group of happy Camp Putters....
Here's Brayden, ready for a hole in one...
After golfing, the group moved next door to the pizza parlor and played an imprompto game of touch football. Brayden was on Rory's team and had the opportunity to run the ball down for a touchdown - he was very proud.
Brayden ready to take down Jordan Kent - I bet Jordan felt very threatened by his approaching tackle.....
A final pic of Brayden and his new buddies.....