Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

My dear childhood friend's husband Dwight

explains it very well....

take a listen.

 

 

To read learn more
check out his blog at
www.sonofaparson.com



GUESS WHAT??!

Austin, Travis, Melanie, Pete, Audrey

taken Father's Day Sunday

June 17, 2012

Have I got news for you!

Our daughter is getting ready for a

6 month missions trip to Cameroon, Africa!

She is excited and we are excited (and yes, nervous)

for her!! I will keep you updated as she

gets ready for this amazing adventure!

She has started a blog to journal her

preparation & adventures!

Check it out!!

182 Days in Cameroon

Happy Sunday!

As you listen to the

David Crowder Band...

remember how much God loves you!

He loves us, oh how He loves us!

A Childhood Friend

May sound silly, but the "Old Man" was a

friend of a lot of us as kids... 

As we drove through The Notch yesterday to visit

some dear friends, it was rather sad to see the

"Old Man of the Mountain". The face fell

down 9 years ago in May,  never to over look NH again.

He wasn't an 'idol' or an 'ego of NH'

He was just a beloved old friend who was

always there and ALWAYS awaiting company!

Old Man or no, the majestic mountains

are well worth the trip. I'm just glad I know who

the TRUE ROCK is. He is the one I put

my trust and security in, and HE too is

always awaiting our company!

He is the Rock, his works are perfect,

and all his ways are just.

A faithful God who does no wrong,

upright and just is he.

Deuteronomy 32:3-5

For who is God besides the LORD?

And who is the Rock except our God?

Psalm 18:30-32

Hands

Hands...  they are so everyday,

so simple and used.

And yet, they are really complex,

 important and incredible!

Did you know that there are 27 bones in your hand?

We have 8 carpals, 5 metacarpals, and 14 phalanges

  (each of your fingers has 3 phalanges in them -

proximal, middle, and distal.

However,

there are only two phalanges in your thumb,

proximal and distal.) 

(Thank you Answers.com)

When you stop to think about it....

our hands do some incredible things!

The next time you have a baby around,

stop and look at their hands & fingers!

They are sooo small and yet intricate at the same time!

They flex and grab.

They wrap around objects and those

little fingers pick up the smallest things!

By the time we grow into adults most of our hands have

wiped away tears, written letters, washed dishes,

prepared meals, played a piano or guitar, buttoned shirts,

shoveled something (snow, dirt, rocks).

We've created, broken and fixed something.

We've been cut or broken and healed up again.

We've learned a skill ... whether it is typing, teaching,

baking, sewing, building, driving, doctoring,

pastoring or whatever...

your hands are pretty amazing!

From newborn to elderly,

our hands are a big part of what we do each day!

And to think... since we are made in the image of God,

His hands must be even more amazing!!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

Psalms 139:14

You Are My Portion

"You are my portion, O Lord."

 Psalm 119:57

"The Measure"

Let the grace of the Lord be the measure of your sufficiency;

Let the peace of the Lord be the measure of your quietness;

Let the power of the Lord be the measure of your strength;

Let the goodness of the Lord be the measure of your contentment;

Let the love of the Lord be the measure of your service;

Let the faithfulness of the Lord be the measure of your trust;

Let the beauty of the Lord be the measure of your worship;

Let the fullness of the Lord be the measure of your joy;

 Let the sovereignty of the Lord be the measure of your confidence;

Let the promises of the Lord be the measure of your expectations;

Let the coming of the Lord be the measure of hope!

(I do not know where I read this. I do not know the name of the author.

It touched me when I read it, I wanted to share it with you too.

If you know... please let me know so I can give proper credit!)

Hello to 2012 With Purpose....

I've heard it before.
I've said it myself.

2011 was....

Hmm, how does one

describe this year?

Delightful

for some...

(Weddings, new babies

new apartments!)

Challenging

for others...

(Loss of jobs, loved ones,

too much on the plate,

loss of self worth)

Isn't this how every year stacks up?

Some people just have better years than others.

Maybe that's how it is suppose to be.

Ponder this... 

I think we are suppose to be

so intertwined with each

other that when one of us has a

bad day, week, month or year,

others of us are there

to offer the open arms for a hug,

a listening ear, that proverbial glass

of cool water....

As a society, we've become quite

self focused. We've forgotten what it

is to be so much a part of another

person's life that we feel their pains & joys!

All of this to say, as this new year 2012

rolls in, my personal goal is to be

more PURPOSEFUL.

Purposeful in my use of time,

purposeful in my eating & activities
more purposeful in growing in my
faith walk with God,
and more 

purposeful in making and taking

time to 'smell the roses' along the way!

And, I'd like to say that I've seen the ocean,

at least once in this new year.... 

Geesh, it's only a couple of hours from here!

"For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the LORD,
  "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
  plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Merry Christmas

Can you even imagine the thoughts

of Mary during her pregnancy or

the years of raising 'the Son of God'?

"The angel replied, ".......For nothing is impossible

with God."  Mary responded, "I am the Lord's

servant. May everything you said about me

come true." And the angel left her.

Portions of Luke 1:35-38

"Mary gave birth to her first child, a son.

She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid

him in a manger, because there was no

lodging available for them."

Luke 2:7

I pray that this during Holy-Day weekend

you will ponder the Truth about Christmas.

Remember that the same baby whose

birth we celebrate at Christmas, was born

for you and each of your loved ones!

He came that you and I would have LIFE...

not as we know it here on earth, but

LIFE with the Father in Heaven.

"For God loved the world so much
that He gave His one and only Son,
so that everyone who believes in
Him will not perish but have
eternal life. God sent His Son into
the world not to judge the world,
but to save the world through Him."

John 3:16-17

You are greatly loved!

Merry Christmas!

A Quiet Sunday

"The grass withers and the flowers fade,

but the word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah 40:8

Preparing for Irene

Listening to the news & weather over the past few days will do one of three things to a person. It will either make you totally freak out and plan as if we are facing an apocalyptic style catastrophe, be totally lethargic remembering how many previous storms we've prepared for only to wake up to nothing or next to nothing happening outside, or to simply keep putting one foot in front of the other!

I tend to take the last option, I'll keep one eye on the weatherman and the other on my 'to do' list! I went to the grocery store this morning. I bought cat food & dog food because the current bags are almost gone, oatmeal & coconut so I can try a new granola recipe, cereal for the hubz, lunch meat because we are out, sandwich bags, apples & bananas and a gallon of milk! OH YA... and my two purchases for the hurricane: M & M's and Chocolate Kisses!

Now honestly, I'm NOT taking this storm all that lightly. We will have water in 5 gallon pails in the tub for flushing & we already fill jugs at the spring for drinking, so we are set there. There are candles in the cupboard from years of waiting for the nor'easters to hit, and the pantry is stocked because the garden is in full season of producing veggies!

We still need to put the lawn chairs in the shed & batten down the rabbit hutch, maybe I'll get a batch of cookies made and perhaps start a pot of soup... JUST IN CASE! Here's to preparing for the worst and praying for the best!! PLEASE IRENE, take a sharp right as you leave the Carolinas! Praying that you are all safely tucked in as Irene makes her presence known!

Ana Sapphira at Soulfest...

 Travis & Austin

playing together in their band

Ana Sapphira

at Soulfest in

Gilford, NH

Travis, John, Doug, Austin
(Jordan is to the right of Austin)

on stage... playing for a large

crowd of over 500 people!

Austin & Jordan

It was so much fun to watch them play.

They have matured in their music and

have gotten really tight as a band!

The end of this week they go on

tour... NH, VT, NY,

with another local band.

PLEASE keep them in prayer ....

as a mom, of course I think of all the

'obvious' things like
SAFETY, TRAVEL, SLEEP, FOOD...

but the unseen and less obvious things
could be even 'more important'.

Please pray for the dynamics of the band

members while traveling together.
For their witness as Christian young men.

For their dealings with the other musicians.

For WISDOM in the decisions that
need to be made, etc.

It is awesome to see how God is using these guys!

Yes, I'm a proud mom. It is fun to see

them grow and mature!

Curious as to their style?

Go to youtube! 

Today, Friday, June 24th

Outside my window... stands an empty clothesline. Thankfully
the clothes made it inside before the rain started.

I am thinking... about my summer to do list.

I am hearing... the rain gently falling, the birds chirping outside and the hum of the refrigerator.

I am wearing... wool socks, jeans & a warm shirt... it's a chilly morning here in New England. 

I am remembering... how easy life seemed to be when the kids were all little and safely tucked in at an early hour.

I am hoping... and praying for each of the kids (young adults) knowing that they have a Heavenly Father who is watching out for them.

From the garden this week... the veggies and seeds are all planted. Now we need to wait patiently, but we did pick a little rhubarb!

I am pondering... over the verse, "Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better then silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1

Around the house... the house stands quiet today. I wonder what tales would be told if these walls could talk?

One of my favorite things... baby feet. These little feet are only

one day old!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

3 Men, 3 Crosses, 1 Hill...

‎3 men,
3 crosses,
1 hill.

One man cursed,
one man prayed,
one man promised.

One died condemned,
one died forgiven,
one died innocent.

One died in sin,
one died to sin,
one died for sin.

One was held by death,
one was released by death,
one conquered death.

One lost life,
one gained life.
One was life.


What a way to look at the cross!
Praise God for the ONE who conquered death!!

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter Everyone.....

             (Photo credit  EPA/NASA)

Twenty-five years ago today, January 28th. I remember where I was. I was working at the Pemi bank in downtown Plymouth as a teller. We had the radio on and we were all listening to the excitement as the Challenger was readying take off! This time, the shuttle was carrying one of New Hampshire's very own...  Christa McAuliffe, a school teacher!

Then, not very long after take off the unthinkable happened....  it exploded. It just exploded in front of family and friends and spectators all around the United States. The bank became silent as we stayed focused on helping our customers. I remember being very relieved that I had to work that weekend, as that day I only had to stay till noon! I spent the day at a friends' house cuddling with her son Bradley and watching the news casters replay and try to figure out what went wrong.

The day is one of those that we remember forever. I may not remember the exact date or time, but I will always remember the emotion of the day and the name of a beloved school teacher from NH.

Dream big, Love bigger and Live each day as if you'll meet God face to face at anytime!

Commander Dick Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith,  Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist Judy Resnik, Mission Specialist Ron McNair, Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis, and Payload Specialist and Teacher Christa McAuliffe.

"Yes, the Lord has done amazing

things for us! What Joy!"

Psalm 126:3

I've never chosen a word to focus my new year on before... 

and I can't say that I went out of my way to look

 for one this year. It's more like...

the word chose me!

 I was talking to a friend and during

the conversation I was sharing how

in this new year, I need to get my joy back,

my inner peace, my deep happiness with life etc.

It was then that the word "JOY" chose me...

Merriam Webster Dictionary definition:

1 a : delight,  gaiety

2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss

3: a source or cause of delight

Synonyms:

beatitude, blessedness, bliss, blissfulness,

felicity, gladness, happiness, warm fuzzies

 

2011 is a year that I plan to be

purposeful in discovering joy!

 

Not the 'warm fuzzies' happiness,

but the joy that is deep in the heart...

the kind that comes from knowing the

Lord and being content and satisfied in life.

 The reason for living kind of joy!


Do you have a word focus this year?
Care to share?

 

Psam 92: 1-4

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praises to your name,

O Most High.

It is good to proclaim your unfailing love

in the morning,

your faithfulness in the evening,

accompanied by the ten-stringed harp

and the melody of the lyre.

You thrill me, Lord,

with all you have done for me!

I sing for joy

because of what you have done.

Psalm 92:1-4

Happy Easter

Discover the Meaning of Easter

May the Lord truly touch your heart and remind you of the
incredible sacrifice He made on your behalf.

Happy Easter!
With love from our family to yours....

PS. Be sure that your speakers are on.

Home From Honduras .... PART 1

Austin, Audrey & Pete had a wonderful trip to Honduras!
They arrived home about 3AM on Tuesday, February 2nd!

A common sight... can you imagine seeing this coming down the road?!

Pete and Audrey are washing the hair of a few young girls.

Austin helped with the pharmacies again during the clinics!

TWINS!  Aren't they adorable!

Audrey took over 600 pictures this year and I will get more of them to

share with you! They had a wonderful trip. This year it 

was a bit different because they spent three nights camping

out in a church in the moutains with no water or electricity.

Honduras Departure Date Coming Right Up...

It's that special time of year again when Pete, Audrey & Austin all dream of warmer weather and not because they can't wait till spring (although that is certainly true!)

It is time for their mission's trip to Honduras!! This is their third trip to this Central American country and they can't wait! Last night Audrey went to the packing meeting...  they bring pot luck dinner and pack up bag after bag of medicines, vitamins, clothes & supplies to take with them to give to the people who come to the clinics! She said so far they have thirteen 50 pound bags!

This is one of the clinics from a previous trip.... as you can see, this church had no walls or partial walls made from tarps! The people are geniunely thankful and for most of them, this is the only time in the year where they will see a doctor or dentist. I know that wouldn't break some of our hearts, but if it wasn't by choice it would be different I'm sure!

 They leave on the 21st of January for Boston and fly out around 5PM to Houston, TX. They will have fun sleeping at the airport (NOT) and leave there in morning for

San Pedro Sula, Honduras and then have about a 2 hour ride by vehicle into the village that they use as 'home base'. Needless to say, they'll be excited and exhausted when they arrive!

PLEASE keep them all in prayer.... they have a team of eight people going this year!

(Pete, Audrey, Austin, Roger, Sue, John, Debbie & Ron)