Memories

This Sunday is "Round-Up Sunday". This is an annual event at our church. (www.2ndbaptistchurch.com) We combine rounding up everyone we know and an "Old-Fashioned" theme with a fall festival for the children. It is a big day. In preparing for this day, I have been looking for old songs since I have to sing Sunday night. We have several old hymnals. While perusing an old "Favorite Songs and Hymns", copyrighted 1939, I came across a song that brought a flood of good memories. The name of it is "The Great Redeemer". I can still hear the choir at Castleberry Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas singing this song. Oh how I loved to hear that choir sing. I loved the looks on the faces of several people who looked like they completely enjoyed singing every word. I loved the deep bass voices as they sang this great old Stamps-Baxter favorite. I loved to hear "Little David" sing solos while that great choir backed him up.

Music has been such a great part of my life, having grown up in a family that liked to sing together. When my brother and I were very young, we started singing duets in church. We used to prop a songbook in the kitchen window and sing while we were doing dishes. Of course, that wasn't all we did at dishwashing time. There were the starch slingings and dishtowel poppings and just fun times. You must understand that these times were when Mom and Dad were gone.

And then there were the times when I tried to sing with my little sister, Sus! I tried one evening while giving her a bath, to get her to sing a song that started like this..."You can have a melody down in your heart, When it's aching, almost breaking, Even though the teardrops make the sorrows start, You can have a melody down in your heart!" I would start to sing the song and my hope was that she would continue the soprano line so that I could harmonize with her BUT immediately when I dropped down to alto she would follow me. She was only about 3-4 years old so I guess I was pushing it.

I remember practicing, which is a word with a negative feeling. When Bob and I would practice with Mom on the piano, we nearly always ended up crying. I don't know why but it was just hard to get things right.

I remember returning to Springfield, Missouri and High Street Baptist Church when I went to college and getting to be a part of that great choir. I was a part of an acapella trio that sang occasionally and we so enjoyed practicing as we walked down the street or at the end of our bed in our dorm room or just anywhere we were together.

When I married, music was on my mind and I married a very good piano player. He swept me off my feet with his chord progressions and ability to play in any key. I can truly say that it is a blessing to have such a talented partner. We have made beautiful music together for 39 years.

During these last few years I have been able to get together with my brothers and sisters who all sing, with the exception of the one that used to sing with me in the kitchen!!!! We have so much fun when we are together, just singing. We had our first reunion this summer and for two days basically just sang and ate. It was such a blessing. I love where God put me!!!!

Music has been a wonderful gift of God and I thank Him for creating it and making it a part of my life.

Psalm 95:1
"O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation."

Simplicity

I think I commented on another day about the feelings I had after reading several random blogs. Maybe I didn't, so in case of that I will add that I was struck by the simplicity of my life. What I saw in the other blogs was complication, complexity, chaos and crudity. Now, of course, I didn't read too many and I am not trying to make a blanket statement. I thought that maybe I was just "simple"! But after much meditation on the situation, I came up with this.

My life IS simple; because I have a foundation to rest on. My life IS simple; because I am not tossed to and fro with trying to please everyone else in my dress, political views, religious views, and manner of living.

When I read those other blogs, I see people who have nothing to hold on to but pleasing their own sensual desires, or getting even with someone, or getting ahead of another. There is war in hearts everywhere and these people do not realize that it is satanic in influence. Man's ways will never be peaceful. There are too many areas of life in which our human nature wants to be #1 in.

Pr 16:7 (KJV) When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Our Family at Maleah and Casey's Wedding

July 10, 2004

Wish I had any scanned pictures of Shawn and Shannon's wedding but I don't. Maybe Shawn will scan some soon.

My Family

This is my immediate family. Everyone was there with the exception of my brother from Houston. Hopefully next year he, too, will be able to come.

Fun Times This Summer/Bowden Reunion 2005

This is Ethan and I! He is a new found cousin. We spent two days of just singing and singing, my sisters and cousins and brother. Ethan was mesmerized by music. He would watch our mouths and try to form the words with us. It was so cute. You know, I think I will enjoy being a grandma! (No hints over here now!! Just a thought!)

Treasured Poem

I found this poem in an old bible of mine, copied in May of 1980 just months before Maleah was born and 18 months after Shawn was born. Ryan was a complete surprise for the future!

I wash the dirt from little feet,
And as I wash I pray,
"Lord, keep them ever pure and true,
To walk the narrow way."

I wash the dirt from little hands,
And earnestly I ask,
"Lord, may they ever yielded be,
To do the humblest task."

I wash the dirt from little knees,
And pray, "Lord,may they be
The place where victories are won,
And orders sought from Thee."

I scrub the clothes that soil so soon,
And pray, "Lord, may their dress
Throughout eternal ages be
Thy robes of righteousness."

E'er many hours shall pass, I know,
I'll wash these hands again,
And there'll be dirt upon their clothes,
Before the day shall end.

But as they journey on through life,
And learn of want and pain,
"Lord, keep their precious little hearts
Cleansed from all sin and stain.

For soap and water cannot reach
Where Thou alone canst see,
Their hands and feet, these I can wash,
I trust their hearts to Thee."

Author: Barbara C. Byberg

Nature-God's Handiwork

Isn't the handiwork of God intricate and amazing!

One of Mike's customers gave us some seeds from a vine she had around her front porch. It is called a Purple Hyacinth Bean Vine. We usually plant Morning Glories around our mailbox and have had some really unique looking mailbox decorations every summer but this year we planted the new seeds. They are so unique. They have covered the whole box and even around the front now. They have purple flowers that hang in clusters and resemble Snapdragons in a way. Actually, the bloom is not the most unique part of the vine. The dark purple seed pods, varying in size from 3 inches long to a 1/2 inch long. I love "harvesting" them and getting the seeds out. We have enough seeds to plant a forest of this vine next year.

I went out to mail something awhile ago and saw something Mike had pointed out to me. As he backed out of the driveway, he noticed that the Morning Glories have now revived and, of all the colors we have planted, guess which one came out? The purple with the reddish tint inside has come out in a fury. It is so beautiful!!! It is such a unique blend of all the different shades of purple. Only God could blend them so well!

As I opened the mailbox, a big fat bumble bee came out of one of those flowers, just loaded with pollen. As I searched for more dry pods, I saw a praying mantis.

I just couldn't help but stop and praise the Lord for His creatures and His creation. If that is any indication of the intricate designs of heaven, I can't wait to see it!!

Romans 1:18-20
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness:
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse;"

A Discussion of Vanity

I am overweight! I could stand to lose quite a bit of weight and the worst part of it is that I carry the most of it in my abdominal area. I know why I gained the weight. I have overeaten for years and that combined with the slowing down of my metabolism has given me an "eternally pregnant" look. I hate it!!! I don't want to look this way.

Since my mother-in-law has moved in, she never misses a chance to bring attention to the fact of how ashamed she is of me. She was so proud of how I looked as a young woman....with my 103 pound, 5'2" frame. That was 39 years ago!

I have always been a busy person. I am not athletic but constantly on the move. I can not imagine how I would look if I had a very calm, and inactive personality.

I have been accused of not caring what I look like! So, this is going to be a discussion of my innermost feelings.

I would love to be thin again. I think that it is a good testimony first of all. I think the fat makes me look as if I am sloppy and don't care and I believe that some people automatically form an opinion of a overweight person as being lazy. I hate the word lazy and have all my life fought to keep anyone from thinking that.

Let me discuss a bit of who I think I am. I really believe that I would be classified as a Sanguine. That is the spontaneous, fun-loving, people-pleaser. Whatever I do, I must do it whole-heartedly or it is uninteresting to me. If I make a commitment, I will stay with it or else I have an extreme sense of failure.

Through the years, I have put my all into many things, marriage, music, church work, motherhood and now bus ministry. I have done these things to the exclusion of personal care. Don't get me wrong, I have always tried to look my best but, extra time spent on primping was vanity to me. I have always gone for the more natural look. I have never considered myself a make-up person or fancy lady. I would, many times, like to be more lady-like, but it just didn't come naturally and I always felt a little twinge of guilt if I spent excessive time in personal care.

All of that is well and good as long as you are young and vibrant and your natural look is acceptable. Now we come to the time when the body is deteriorating and many areas could use extra attention. I have more time to devote to myself now that the children are out of the house but I can not justify the time.

So, now we come to the area of dieting. I went on a thirteen week diet plan with some of the ladies at church and did very well, losing 24 pounds. I felt good about it but it was so much work. As soon as I quit planning myself separate meals and exercising, I gained those 24 pounds plus quite a few more back.

If I were to go on a diet again, it would greatly hamper my life now. The eight glasses of water are easy enough to do but keep you in the bathroom a lot of the time. The days that I get to ride with my husband, which he likes for me to do, are unbearable if I am drinking all that water. Also, Saturday bus visitation and Sundays are impossible.

I don't like to do anything unless I can see that it is truly something that will be eternally important. So my question is: Why lose weight when I will soon have a brand new body? Now I know that we will give an account for the things God has given us but I believe that the account we will give will be here on earth. My sins have been paid for. God sees me perfect through His Son! I believe that the account I will give for my body shape will be in the form of illness or consequences of obesity. When I stand before God, I will be rewarded for the deeds of the flesh. In light of that, do I really want to put a lot of effort into dieting and use that for an excuse to let down on witnessing and working for the salvation of souls. I just don't think it is that important.

I worry that it is all vanity. I don't want my husband to be ashamed of me. I suppose if he would ever word out a sentence to tell me positively that he is ashamed of me and that I embarrass him, I would feel then that I needed to make some drastic changes. But I would feel hopeless. I don't think I can. I have started leaving off a lot of sweets including most soft drinks and have gone to light margarine for my one breakfast bisquit. But I can't totally rearrange my life to accomodate my own needs. To me that would be selfish. I could never ask Mike to let me go to a weight loss program that would be expensive. I think that a structured atmosphere would help but what if it didn't and I wasted the money that we don't really have on just trying to look pleasing to people???

Do you understand my plight? I would love some input on this subject.

Lord, You know my heart better than I do! Please lead me in this area.

25 Years Ago

I remember this day twenty five years ago!! In the first place, I had gone to the hospital the night before and spent a pretty restless night. The maternity ward is no place to get rest! The next morning I was called upon to submit to all kinds of treatment undeserving of a modest woman. I remember that Mike had spent the night at home and took time to get "prettied-up" before he and his dad came to the hospital. I was getting worried because I REALLY wanted him there for support and it seemed like it was FOREVER before he came. BUT he surely did and I relaxed when I saw his face. At 9:15 AM, Maleah Shay made her first appearance in this world. She weighed 7 pounds 14 1/2 ounces, quite a little bit less than her brother who weighed 9 pounds 3 1/2 ounces just 22 months before. Of course that is not really THAT much less until you are trying to carry it on your personage!

Maleah had her dad's crooked little fingers and I was so glad that she favored him. Thank goodness my one girl had her dad's long legs and long waist.

She was a sweet kid with a bit of a stubborn streak. She loved me to read books to her. When she was about two we used to lay in the living room floor and read her little books. I can still see her now as she plopped herself down on her tummy right beside me.

Her favorite thing was something we dubbed "bumping"! She used to love to sit in my yellow living room chair and "bump" to "Man Mukik". That was her name for gospel quartet singing. From the time she was 6 months old and able to sit she loved rocking back and forth, bumping the back of her head in that old chair to the beat of the "mukik". Sometimes she "bumped" to the beat of her own drummer. Many times we would be on our way to church and her dad would say "Shhhhh, everybody be quiet!" He would cock his head to the side and listen to see if something was going wrong on the car, only to find out that Maleah was "bumping" in the back seat. Papa used to think she was going to get brain damage as a result but, to our knowledge, she turned out ok.

It was fun going through kindergarten, her sisterly love of her brothers, the MANY friends, several boyfriends, 4-Him recordings and concerts, getting her drivers license, high school and the many piano recitals, volleyball, cheerleading and other activities including being crowned "Miss TCCA" on homecoming night 1999. Then there was her first car and job and moving to St. Louis, letting her go little by little and praying, praying, praying. Then watching her walk down the aisle and get married was a great excitement.

I am very proud of her and she is one of the only people in this world that can truly bring me down from one of my many "rushes". I don't do many things slowly so consequently, I am usually a little high strung. But, if Maleah comes in, I feed on her peaceful personality and give myself a break.

I guess what I am trying to say is, "MAL, I love you more than you will ever know and I am proud of you!!"

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

Bus 5 Is #1!!!

Today was a dreary, rainy day but I'll tell you what, the bus was like a sauna. I hope what they say about losing weight in a sauna is true!!

We had 37 on the bus today with 7 first time riders!

I guess the most exciting part about the day was that Kyle, who has been riding the bus since he was in the 3rd grade, and is now soon to be 16, was able to lead me to a family of his friends and they rode today and promised that they were going to start regularly.

I have been worrying about Kyle for a while. He started coming all those years ago with his cousin. As the kids have gotten older, most of the ones that rode when he was little have quit coming but he has continued. He expressed to me that he hated coming anymore if his cousin wasn't coming. He didn't think he knew any of the kids at church. I am surprised when kids say that.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that the "church family" kids and the "bus" kids do not seem to blend together. In many ways I see why that is. On the other hand it upsets me because I feel that these "bus" kids are just as much a part of this church as the "church family" kids are. I don't want to see them treated differently although, if you would ask me if I was interested in going out and bringing them in on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights, I would not be quick to respond. So, am I hypocritical.

Anyway, back to the point. I explained to Kyle that he did not need to be getting out of church after having been so faithful all these years. If he didn't have friends at church then maybe he should get out and bring his friends to church with him. To make a long story short, he told me of a family to visit Saturday. As a result, two girls and a boy got on the bus this morning. They were excited about the church services and expect to keep coming.

One thing that came out was how surprised they were that Kyle was a regular church goer. I used that to show him how he needed to make some choices and put God first. He knows it. He wants to live for the Lord but just doesn't know how. Perhaps, this will be the thing that helps him to take his testimony seriously. I hope to get more kids from that area as a result.

The church services were wonderful today. Bro. Himes preached a message about what it meant to be regenerated. Isn't that wonderful how God leads the pastor to answer daily questions. He made it very plain that if you have been regenerated or "saved" you are not the same but are new. He pointed out that if nothing is new, you were NOT regenerated.

Bro. David Chamberlain was in the services today. He had a seminar for the accompanist of our church. Mike went and thoroughly enjoyed it. He is playing in all services today and singing. His music ministered to my heart today.

We had two little girls saved, one of the veterans got baptized and a young man and his wife joined. Praise the Lord again! I don't know what I would do if I was in a dead church!

Rita Refugees in Rosalie

FINALLY, the whole traveling family made it to Granny's house. I called at 3:30 this afternoon and they were just unloading all the animals! Praise the Lord they made it. Hopefully, they will be able to return to their home quickly. We greatfully acknowledge the care of our Heavenly Father that the Houston area was saved from the devastation that could have so easily happened.

Can't Wait For Tomorrow

Well, I am very excited about tomorrow. I don't have any idea how many we will have on the bus BUT I got 10 cards filled out of people that will be first time visitors and want to come. We will see how that works.

Also, the kids that were first time visitors last week, were visited by the youth director and he was able to give a clear presentation of the gospel to them and at least one girl accepted Jesus and is coming tomorrow to be baptized.

I need much prayer for this time. Once before the bus grew very rapidly and I was overun with very young children that were hard to get to sit in their seats. This time it seems that I am getting teens and that presents different problems.

It is exciting to know that there is not a child, young or old, that gets on this bus that God does not know EVERYTHING about. I must focus on the fact that He is in charge and He will lead us.

The family that is traveling from Houston are by now probably back on the road to my parents. The gasoline trucks made it to their shelter and were giving 10 gallons per vehicle. This has been quite an experience.

Can't wait to post our bus results tomorrow. Thank you, Lord for letting me be a part of this ministry.

Rita Update #3

Spoke to Bobby around 3:30. The shelter that was designed to hold 900 people now has approximately 2000 in it. They have run out of food and were told if anyone had food they needed to eat it tonight. There is little that can be done at this point but wait and see what happens. Bob said he heard on the radio that there was a chance that this storm could come inland, gather steam and then go back out and hit the coast again.....I haven't heard that. Surely it isn't true. God knows what He is doing.

Rita Update #2

Got a message from my mom. They had spoken to Bob at 1:20. There was no gasoline to be had in Livingston. They are in a shelter that is housing 700-1000 people and they have no choice but to stay there. At least they are farther away from Galveston than the 56 miles that separates their house from there. Livingston is expecting hurricane force winds also so time will tell what will be the outcome. Praise the Lord they have a place to sleep and food to eat.(And their whole family and two cats, and all their irreplacable pictures and papers) Knowing my brother, he will meet a lot of people and will be helping others there.

Jeremiah 14:22

"Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things."

Rita Update

Talked with mom and found out that they heard from Bob this morning. They WERE able to get in the shelter. The whole group was able to get a night's sleep and the Red Cross shelter is feeding them. There is a gas station in town with a line about three blocks long getting gas. If they can get the gas, they are going to continue the trek to my parents. If not, I assume they will have to weather the storm in the shelter there in Livingston. God knows what is best.

Rita Response

Got a call from my sister, Susan, who lives with my parents. Our brother, Bobby, who lives on the outskirts of Houston is on his way to Mom and Dad's house. They left yesterday morning at 2:30 AM. They are in a caravan of three cars. My sister-in-law is driving one car with her invalid mother. My brother has his two male grandchildren with him and my niece has her daughter with her. They only got as far as Livingston, Texas before nearly running out of gas. They were unable to find gas for sale anywhere. They had several cellphones among them and were finally able to get through on one to let my parents know what was happening and to ask if they knew of any churches there that they could get some assistance from. Mom and Dad knew of noone. I got on the internet and found the phone number and called First Baptist of Livingston. At 8:30 in the evening(I forgot to add that it took them 16 hours to get that far-100.97 miles)a gentleman named Brian answered. He was very nice and allowed me to tell him of the situation. He explained that they had a shelter that was full and he thought that there were two other shelters in the town. He said they were trying to keep them open for their own local residents but under the circumstances with the invalid mother-in-law, they might make an exception. So, I prayed and tried to call Bob's cellphone, expecting to hear the same recording "Due to the Hurricane, your call can not be completed at this time..." BUT it rang and Bob answered. I was able to give him the phone number to get in touch with Brian at the church.

Meanwhile, I saw my brother in Anchorage come online and asked him if he knew what was going on. He did not. His mother and father-in-law live 88 miles from Livingston. He called them and gave them Bob's cellphone number. Since they are closer than the 213 miles to our parents, it may be that the caravan can stop there. The Phillips were very gracious to offer to try to help in anyway they could and to open their home to the group.

As of this moment, I have heard nothing. I felt a bit guilty crawling into my nice bed last night and closing my eyes, knowing that my brother and his family may be trying to sleep in a sweltering car on the highway. It made my back hurt to think about it.

I am glad that my family knows Where to go to get help! And I am also glad that no matter what happens we know that God is in control and that ALL things are working out for good!

Nosetradamus

No, I didn't misspell that word! I actually got it off this website: http://www.senseofsmell.org/

There are some mighty informative things on this website. Just check out all those fun facts. Makes you want to thank your Creator for the sense of smell.

BUT, I think I have found the reason for all the bad things in my life.....a loss of the sense of smell due to aging. My food doesn't taste as good anymore, hence I want more to try to satisfy that desire for a good taste. YEP...right there it is---the reason I am fat!!!!

Sometimes I will smell something that is offensive and I can not get that smell out of my mind for hours....does anyone else do that? I have asked others if they smelled the smell only to be met with quizzical looks. So what is it?? Am I smelling my own insides??? WHO KNOWS!!!

Proverbs 20:24 "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?"

Writers Block

What a joke!! Whoever thought that I would ever come to a place of no words!!!!

I tried to think of some profound subject to discuss but it all escapes me. It escaped me when I was awake quite a bit of the night with the dog that was crying because of the thunder and lightning. Mike had the blinds open so he could see the lightning but reported that he got a little tired of it before it was over.

In my bible reading this morning I was reading Jeremiah 8 & 9. The one verse that stood out to me was verse 12 of chapter 8. "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush..." I couldn't help but think about how unusual it is to see anyone blush. We are so hardened to sin.

I want the Lord to work in my life to make me more aware of what is an abomination to Him. Ephesians 5:12 makes it clear that it is a shame to even speak of the unfruitful works of darkness. Wow......If we stick by that, would there even be a newscast!!!

I am wrestling again with whether some of the people I have witnessed to and led to the Lord are truly saved. After hearing a message by John McArthur this morning he makes it plain that salvation WILL produce a change. I agree with that but he makes it sound as if a person will never be guilty of deep sin if they are saved. I disagree. I think the Bible disagrees with that. Look at David! Of course, I am confused. Was David "saved"? I know that we believe that the Old Testament saints were saved in the same way but yet I know of no scripture in the Old Testament that speaks of a time of salvation for an individual.

I wonder about this. Do we think Satan would have us worry so much about this? After all, if we worry that we might say the wrong thing and lead someone into a false assurance, won't we then eventually give up?

I believe I will just hold on to my original belief that God said "Go" and I have the choice to obey or disobey. He will bless me for obeying. It is not MY job to make sure that the person I lead to Him was sincere. Who knows what God will do with that life down the road. Maybe we just get to wrapped up in our own importance!!! Do you think?

We had one pastor who said: "A step towards God is always a step in the right direction!" He also said: "It takes time to be holy!" And he also sang in a deep baritone voice that could shake the walls: "Got any rivers, you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains, you can't tunnel through? God specializes in things thought impossible! He does the things OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHERSSSSSSSSSSSSS can not do!" I'm sure my kids are tempted to sing this song right now!!!! Thanks Bro. Foster for your influence in our lives.

What A Day!

Yesterday was fantastic! Bus 5 was the #1 bus and we had a very good time. We had a total of 42 riders with 5 of those being first time riders. But the best news was that Garrett and Cody E. got saved!!

Garrett is a little blondie. He is 8 years old and in the third grade. Cody is a little black boy with the cutest curly eyelashes! He is in the 4th grade. These two boys have been coming for almost a year now. They both went to camp this summer and I am sure that they have heard enough gospel to have understood this decision.

The highlight of my day was an incident that will take some explaining. First of all, we are in a BIG contest on the busses. For four weeks we are pushing for a winner of a $100 gift certificate to Toys-R-Us. That is a very big gift!! The children get points for attendance, bringing their bibles, memorizing the assigned memory verse that they get on Saturday when I bring their flyer by, and bringing visitors. Also they will get extra points for being there all four Sundays. If they bring a parent they get twice as many points as they do for just regular visitors. The kids are very excited about it.

The next detail I need to explain is that Caleb, the boy I have talked about so much, has two sisters and a brother. His little brother is 5 years old and has a slight problem with motor skills due to problems at birth. This also affected his ability to speak. He is such a happy little boy. Though he never speaks, his eyes speak volumes. He is always excited when I come on Saturdays with the bubble gum. Early this summer I asked if he could start riding the bus. His mom and I discussed it and I told her that we could try it and see how he did. I understood that we would have to help him up into the bus and off it. She also wrote a note to the teachers to explain his lack of speech.

He was a little fearful at first but with a little special attention and the careful watch of his sister, Destiny, who is 8, he has learned to love the bus. The louder we get the better he likes it. I never know if he understands or not.

Ok with those details I can then explain that only James and Destiny came yesterday but as he was coming up the steps to the bus, he had the biggest smile I have ever seen and he was holding a bible real high so I could see it. I thought at first he was excited about bringing his bible so he could get points for the contest but then I realized that he wouldn't understand that. I suppose it was just that we make a big deal of bringing your bible on the bus and maybe he likes to sing the B-I-B-L-E!
Whatever it was, those eyes were dancing with delight!

Sunday evening in choir practice, we began to sing a song that has these words for the chorus: "The old book and the old faith is the rock on which I stand.." I just couldn't help smiling when the picture of that sweet face with those black eyes dancing, holding up that grand old book, came back to my memory. Little does that child realize that the book he was so proudly holding, has the answer to his life's problems. There is so much hope in such desperate situations.

Sometimes I wish that God moved as fast as I wanted. Perhaps I wish I could make the bible be a magic wand that instantly changed the situations of all it came in contact with. But, you know, that just doesn't work. God isn't in a hurry like I am and He knows exactly what He is doing. Satan brings discouragement and defeat but all I have to do is look back and see what God is doing, little by little and I know Who is in control.

The new children that rode last week did, indeed have cousins on the other side of town and that counts for the 5 first time riders. They were some sweet children ranging in ages from 5 to 12. A couple of girls told me they wanted to get baptized soon. I asked them what they thought baptism was for and they told me quickly it was for a blessing. I was able to explain that baptism was simply an act of obedience and a witness that a person has accepted that Jesus died, was buried and rose again to provide salvation. They did not understand so I told them that I hoped they would come regularly and listen carefully to all that was said. They promised they would.

Samantha and Melissa helped me again yesterday. It was a surprise because I found out from Samantha's mom that she really didn't care for it. Saturday night the mom called me and told me that Samantha had decided to do the bus ride for the next three weeks to help me with the contest. Praise the Lord. God is working in that life.

I am praying that I will fall so deeply in love with Jesus that it can't help but rub off on these children.

Our memory verse yesterday was John 4:24 "God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." I have a computer program called "Sword Searcher". It is so helpful. This is a comment on this particular verse: "A pure, a holy, a spiritual
worship, therefore, is such as he seeks--the offering of the soul rather than the formal offering of the
body--the homage of the heart rather than that of the lips."
That is very convicting. I never have a shortage of words but I spend so much time telling things that I limit my worship time, the times when I just get away and put my mind to meditating on God's word and praying. I need to make some changes.

Lord, You know my heart and my soul. I hide nothing from you. Cleanse me from pride and arrogance. Help me see that You must increase and I must decrease.

"God's Plan For Prosperity"

READING THE PREVIOUS POST WILL EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!Thank you Dr. Rogers for this teaching. You can listen to the progam on the link provided. www.lwf.org

Psalm 1:1-3 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful,
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night,
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Proverbs 28:13 "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."

There you have the introduction. First of all we see what it takes to prosper. Prosperity is not necessarily riches. It is living a life of general welfare and enjoying the blessings of God.

In the second verse we see what keeps us from prosperity--unconfessed sin!

Dr. Rogers then took us to Psalm 51, the great chapter written by David after his sin with Bathsheba. In this chapter we see the following outline:

I. The Cost of Covered Sin vs. 1-2
A. A dirty feeling-"Wash me throughly..."
"A sinner leaps into sin and loves it. A saint lapses into sin and loathes it."
B. Dominates the Mind vs. 3 "...my sin is ever before me."
A christian can not sin and forget!
C. Depresses the Heart vs 8 & 12 "Make me to hear joy and gladness...";"Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation..."
Happiness depends on happenings, joy comes from clean heart.
D. Diseases the Body vs. 8 "...that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice."
Unconfessed sins cause psycho-somatic illnesses.
E. Defiles the Spirit vs. 10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Covered sin brings a critical spirit.

At this point, Dr. Rogers brought out the story of Nathan's confrontation with David concerning his sin. He gave him the parable of the man that had a beloved pet lamb that was stolen by his neighbor and cooked to feed unexpected company.David quickly jumped to condemn the man and insist that he repay four times.

God was using the parable to point out to David the seriousness of his sin. He condemned, but soon saw that though it was bad to steal an animal, it was worse to steal a woman;and though it was bad to kill an animal, it was worse to kill a man!

His critical spirit made him quick to condemn another man's sin.
F. Destroys the Testimony vs.12-15 "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
O Lord, open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise."
Covered sin will keep a christian from winning souls!
G. Dishonors our Lord vs. 4 "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned..."
"A slave fears his master's whip but a son his father's displeasure."

II The Confession of Committed Sin Proverbs 28:13
A. Sin Must Be Exposed! A wicked heart will never condemn a wicked heart, therefore, introspection and meditation will never expose sin. Sin must be exposed by the Holy Spirit. "Search me, O God, and know my thoughts..."

The Holy Spirit exposes sin, the devil exploits sin!

The Holy Spirit exposes COVERED sin. If you cover sin He will expose it. If you uncover sin He will cover it.

When He covers it, it is covered forever!

Satan brings guilt about covered sins.

The Holy Spirit convicts; Satan accuses.

The Holy Spirit exposes SPECIFIC sins. Satanic oppression brings a general feeling of guilt and unworthiness. That is condemnation. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1
B. Sin Must Be Expressed Prov. 28:13 "...but whoso confesseth..."
Confession of SPECIFIC sins! Don't sin retail and confess wholesale!
C. Sin Must Be Expelled Prov. 28:13 "...and forsaketh them..."

In Exodus 9:27 we have a record of a confession by Pharoah. In verse 34 & 35 we see that this was not a righteous confession. Sin that is confessed but not forsaken will harden your heart.

There is a wealth of information in this outline. Hopefully it will mean something to anyone else reading it.

Thank you Lord for your Word and the Holy Spirit that convicts and teaches us!

A Stepping Stone

I want more than anything to mature into the person God wants of me. This morning, as I was getting breakfast I turned on the radio. (I acknowledge that the Holy Spirit draws when He wants to teach me something.) I rarely turn the radio on in the morning because, as I have aged, I can not concentrate on more than one thing at a time. If what is on the radio is good, I get anxious because I can not comprehend it all without stopping and soaking it up.

This morning, I turned on the radio because I was already filled with anxiety! We went to bed later than we should last night but knowing that Mike didn't have an 8:00 appointment gave us an extra hour to two hours we could sleep. So, I relaxed and thought that I would be getting some much needed rest. At 6:30, the bed shook. I opened my eyes to see the form of, what looked like Rin-Tin-Tin on the edge of the bed. Remember the old TV show where the German Shepherd dog was standing on the rock? Millie was positioned just like that, front paws on the bed, back paws on the chair beside the bed. I knew right away that there was trouble brewing.

I bounded from the bed and grabbed housecoat and thundered down the stairs with Millie in tow! As we were coming down the stairs, I heard the choking start and knew that we were about to regurgitate on the carpet if something was not done quickly. I was too late but managed to get her out the front door. Once her business was accomplished she headed up the street, which she knows is not allowed. All I could do was wait for ten minutes until she decided to return.

By then, I was totally frustrated and awake. I started to stay up but my body said "Please! I need some more rest and you won't be able to get it during the day!" So, I went back upstairs and went back to bed.

Ten minutes later Millie hit the bed again. I was so mad!!!!!!! This time I took my time but made her go all the way down to the basement and out the back door into the fenced yard. Would you believe that she walked out the door and then turned around and came back in. I have no idea what was wrong with the dog except that it was stuffy in our house last night.

When I went to the kitchen to start breakfast, I was so uptight that I needed something to settle my mind so I turned on the radio. I have my radio set to KSIV in St. Louis, the christian radio station.

Dr. Adrian Rogers was almost through with his program so I only caught a short part of his lesson. The one thing that stood out to me was that the Holy Spirit convicts of specific sins, but Satan gives a general feeling of unworthiness.

That was profound to me. Am I not always tripped up by a general feeling that I MUST have done something wrong. This is not conducive to a healthy christian life.

I was curious about what was specifically said so I went to the internet and www.lwf.org and listened to Dr. Rogers 9/16/05 broadcast. When I saw the title I was completely baffled. I thought perhaps they had not updated or something. It was called "God's Plan For Prosperity".

It was so good that I am going to put the outline down on another post. There was much to be learned that will help me step just a little closer to the One that died for me!! I love that!


Thank you Lord for a dog that woke me early enough to hear that teaching!

Rain

Don't you love a good rainstorm? Well, I suppose that would not be a good question if you were from New Orleans or North Carolina or even Florida or Washington. For the Mid-West, it is a welcome relief to several 90 degree days. Everything was getting dry and dusty again. So a good thunderstorm and a nice gentle rain has been a great thing to hear for the last two nights.

Of course, this morning there are wrecks all over the St. Louis area roads. And then, my husband worries and frets that Maleah and Ryan won't make it to work. And then, just as I comfort him to make him understand that the reason I don't call Maleah or Ryan at a time like this is because IF they are late, I do not want to make them later by taking their time on the phone; and if they are on the road, the cell phone is a distraction and I do not want to complicate an already dangerous situation. Whew......ok....I am not a good mother! Then, I go upstairs only to hear from Grandma, who does little but watch the TV and report every BAD thing she hears!(Hello!!!! Has anyone seen much GOOD news reported?) She said, "Have you talked to the kids? There is a big tractor trailer over-turned on the way to Cuba, right where Casey has to travel!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACalgon, take me away!! Does anyone ever just pray about these things and trust the Lord that He is in control.

Have you ever thought about prayer deeply? I wonder some times just what I am saying to God(forget that He knows my deepest thoughts anyway)when I am constantly reminding Him of things He already knows about. And, who am I to try to tell HIM what to do about any given situation. Don't you think it is better to just thank Him that He is in control of the situation and to ask Him to give me peace and joy no matter what the situation is.

I am drowning over here in a sea of despair and depression!!! All around me people are saying there is no hope....."YOU just don't think" they say.......

This drives me to deeper thinking. Am I just able to keep thinking about the good things and cover what the truth is???? I DON"T THINK SO!!!!!! I think that thinking about the good is a command of God!

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

I Peter 5:7-11 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you,
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. AMEN!"

And, Paul says to the Romans in chapter 16 and the latter part of verse 19: "...I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil."

My third phone call from Mike, who has not gotten to his 8:00 appointment yet and it is 8:32...Lord, please give him the peace he needs to deal with this day. Quieten his spirit and help him cope with the burden he puts on himself. Thank You that he continues to do his job even when his spirit is down!

I do love that man! The same personality that causes him to be a worry-wart, also gives him the ability to paint a very beautiful landscape and to see many things in this world that I would have never seen if he had not pointed them out! So, thank you, Lord! You brought me out of a horrible pit once more!!

Blessed

I heard a radio program yesterday. It was on Christian radio. The gentleman's name was R. C. Sproul. I have heard him before and enjoyed it very much. Yesterday he made mention of how much he detested hearing someone explain the definition to "blessed", as in "Blessed are the peace makers.", as happy. He explained that it meant so much more than that. I'm sure I didn't get every thing that he was trying to get across but this one thing stuck out to me. In my own words, I think his definition was, "an assurance of the presence and favor of God."

It still didn't soak in to me until he mentioned that even the worst sinner on this earth is not completely without God's presence. This is something to trigger deep thinking. Can you imagine what hell will be like if there is absolutely no presence of God whatsoever? Do you really want your worst enemy to go there, much less your friends and family!!!

Moods

I never thought of myself as moody, but blogging has brought that out! This morning I awoke feeling good and happy, quite the opposite of the irritable feeling from a few days back. I'm thankful. A good frame of mind helps me focus on the things that are really important.

Yesterday, Bus 5 had 31 with 3 first time visitors. It was an exciting day. We tied with Bus 3. They had 31 with 4 first time visitors. Praise the Lord. Altogether the buses brought in 155 people to church yesterday.

The couple that got saved and baptized last week came and their two girls both got baptized. They were there again for Sunday night. That is a real good sign. Oh, how I hope that they can weather the attacks of Satan and see fruits in their life.

Samantha and Melissa rode with me yesterday. Samantha is our neighbor. I met her when she was 6 years old and her brother was 4. I got acquainted with her mother, who was very fearful and looking for something to stabilize her life. It was very easy to lead her to a place where she knew she needed the Lord. I watched as she knelt in my living room and accepted Jesus as her Savior. It wasn't long until her two children did the same. She and Sam and her mother-in-law were baptized. Her son accepted Jesus also but did not want to be baptized at the time. It was a number of years before the dad also accepted Jesus and he and the boy were baptized together.

Through the years, after the first few months of excitement, where the mom went to every service, the family has been at church when everything was convenient. They have never gone to Sunday School, with the exception of the mother's attendance for a few weeks at the first. Consequently, the children don't really know the teens in their own church. Samantha has been going with Melissa to her church, Faith Baptist, on Wednesday nights. All her friends go there. So, I talked Samantha into riding with me on the bus and going to Sunday School so she could meet the kids in her church. She brought Melissa with her. They were a big help to me on the bus and seemed to enjoy it.

Caleb was there again and sure enough, before Sunday School ever got started, Mr. B., his teacher, came dragging him to me. He was very upset with Caleb for not respecting other people's property. Caleb had been getting into the desk. Caleb told me that he had dropped his quarter down the crack and was just trying to get it back. I told him that he should not be upset with Mr. B. It was his own fault if Mr. B. did not trust him because of his actions in the past. He was just fine about that and knew I was telling him the truth. I moved him into Mr. O's class. Mr. O is much more patient and also one that is for the underdog. But I was disappointed with Caleb's reaction. He said it was boring.

We had two new children that I met on visitation. I had watched this mobile home from where one of our faithful families had moved. As soon as I saw any signs of a new resident, I promised myself I would check on them. Sure enough, Saturday was the day. Kamryn and Dillon were very sweet children. As I went to the door to get them, the mother asked if we went to another area of the town. I replied in the affirmative. She informed me that her sister lived there and had three children she would like to put on the bus. Praise the Lord again.

Well, this looks to be a busy week. I have a couple of cheesecakes to make for Casey, a haircut, supper for Casey and Maleah on Tuesday, take Grandma's car to get an oil change, and Grandma needs glasses this week.

THE DIET------I don't have time!!! Speaking of moods, I'm now in a bad one!

God is good!

This year it has been hard to keep my husband scheduled on his piano tunings. Usually that is to be expected during the summer as people are doing outdoor activities.

Last month, after much prayer, we had a very good month. I had to remember that the God who gave us this business in the first place can sustain us through the hard times.

This morning, I had an early appointment set up but the next appointment was not in sight. Yesterday, I had called everyone I could think of and finally(notice that I should have said FIRST)I prayed and left it with the Lord. Would you believe that this morning, after I got my call from Mike that he was through with the first one and waiting on me to tell him where to go next, I was able to make one call and schedule that time. Do you realize how unlikely that is? God is so good to continue to be faithful even when I am not!

I Hate Arrogance

This morning I awoke with a sense of irritation. I struggle on days like this to keep my mind in the proper place.

Most of the time it ends up that I have a pity party and I hate those things. It is just sheer spiritual warfare to come out of them.

It is at these times that I notice arrogance. I hate it when people have an air about them that says, "I am so important that you MUST observe my likes and dislikes!" I'm sorry but isn't that a bit self centered! WHO CARES WHAT YOU LIKE!!! There are people dying all over this world of malnutrition and ignorance. Why should we care whether you like the way a dish is cooked!!! Why should we care if you "prefer" anything one way or the other. What difference does it make if you didn't like the way someone else does their job or another company handles their customers. Perhaps, I am too little of mind to understand how a person comes to a point of so much importance!

Honestly, nothing happened that caught my attention and made me start thinking about a specific situation. It was just this irritable feeling that came over me and all of the sudden I "notice" everything!

I try to think what caused this. Maybe it was the fact that one of my children is depressed and discouraged and I want to "fix" it but I can't. I have to stand by, with hands off while God does a work.(as if I think that I could do better than He can---if that isn't arrogance, I don't know what is)

Dear Lord,
Please help me through this day to keep my eyes fixed on You and understand that your love is deeper than my love could ever be. Help me remember that those who are arrogant are Your children too and it is not my business to correct or even judge. Help me keep my life pure before You! Amen

Gasoline Prices Update #2

And another email from my brother in the oil industry:

Now, here is a logical interim step that has good potential for success.



Austin on the plug-in hybrid scene

Could city governments become a new force to steer the development of car technology? The city of Austin wants to form a bond of 50 large US cities to plug the plug-in hybrid car.

BY DANIEL MOTTOLA

Think of the city of Austin as the Green Godfather. In the coming months, Austin hopes to call together a mafia of 50 like-minded, large U.S. cities that are fed up with pollution and high fuel costs. They will then go to automakers and make them an offer they can't refuse: a call for the mass production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles capable of triple-digit fuel economy and up to 35 miles of all-electric driving. Armed with commitments for fleet orders by government and business, plenty of cash (like Austin's $1 million in incentives) to buy the first round of vehicles, and tens of thousands of petitions from the public expressing demand for the vehicles, this mafia will tell automakers that the time for change is now.

Among a who's who of elected officials, business leaders, and environmental advocates in attendance Monday, the city officially kicked off its Plug-In Austin Campaign, which it hopes to expand coast to coast to become the Plug-in America Campaign. Based on today's hybrids, the plug-ins use larger batteries plus special hardware and systems that allow them to take on extra electric charge by plugging into a conventional wall outlet. This allows the vehicle to provide an average day of petroleum-free driving, doubling the fuel economy of a conventional hybrid and more than tripling that of a nonhybrid vehicle. (The vehicle functions as a conventional hybrid when the extra charge runs out.) The city will begin testing the only prototype currently available, the DaimlerChrysler Sprinter van, in early 2006.

Plug-In Austin advocates uniting the transportation and utility sectors by electrifying the transportation grid. In Austin's case, that translates into using the abundant West Texas wind power available through Austin Energy's GreenChoice program to charge the plug-in hybrids at night when the wind blows hardest. At prevailing energy rates, an electric gallon of gas would cost about 70 to 80 cents.

The plug-in campaign has been on the drawing board at City Hall for almost a year. Last September, the City Council passed a resolution in support of plug-in hybrid development, in December council members approved a lease for the Sprinter prototype, and the council approved a financial incentive program for personal plug-in hybrid purchases in March. In June, Mayor Will Wynn and Austin Energy's Roger Duncan detailed the plug-in hybrid campaign at the Conference of Mayors in Chicago, where Wynn signed the Kyoto Protocol-modeled U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement on global warming. Since then, Duncan has been traveling the country to events like the Sundance Summit on Climate Change, where he addressed 45 mayors, building support for the plug-in campaign. "Everywhere I go around the country, people are very enthusiastic about the concept," he said.

Addressing the crowd Monday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett called the act of sating the U.S.'s insatiable desire for fossil fuels a national security issue, directly related to the "tragic and unfortunate foreign entanglements in which we find our young people around the world." According to city data, plug-in hybrids would cut annual gasoline consumption for many Americans by 70%, and could reduce the 50% of Texas' pollution that comes from refineries and vehicle emissions. Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce President (and former Austin Mayor) Kirk Watson said, by plugging cars into Austin Energy's grid, we "keep transportation dollars in our communities rather than sending them to foreign countries." He also noted that the battery technology needed for plug-ins is being produced here in Austin by Valence Technology.

As one of two producers of the lightweight, large-format lithium ion batteries the plug-ins need, Valence is positioned for the hybrid market to come, and has partnered with EDrive Systems of California to retrofit existing Toyota Prius hybrids as plug-ins. The prototype they brought to Austin in June averaged more than 125 miles per gallon. In the next few years, says Valence's Marc Kohler, the partners will sell aftermarket upgrade kits for all hybrid models on the market. Auto manufacturers will inevitably take over, he said, and spurring that process is what Plug-In Austin is all about. For more info or to sign the petition, visit www.pluginaustin.org.

Gasoline Prices Update

Another email from my brother in the oil industry:

Like I said before, the LONG-TERM answer is to find alternate sources of energy. Here is an article from the Financial Times, Sept 2 which you may also find interesting.

By the way, there were a significant number of rigs in the Gulf that cannot be restarted because they are too severely damaged. Some will have to be towed back to where they were before the storm and repaired first or are totally missing (as in sunk). One of those multimillion dollar rigs is so damaged that it is probably going to be sold for scrap (~$1M). (all of this is very conducive to lowering gasoline prices.............riiiiight!)

Just so there is no confusion on this, I'm not defending high gasoline prices, hey I'm paying through the nose too. I'm just saying that the problem is MUCH bigger and a lot more complex than any one person or group of people....including president Bush....even if he is responsible for all past, present and future hurricanes, as the Dems would have us believe.



US pays the price of years of living dangerously

With gasoline prices in the US at nose-bleed levels, the time has come to blame someone. The government, of course, and the NIMBY attitude that has brought about the BANANA principle (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody). And even refiners are to blame, ''reaping wild benefits'' during shortages.

By Sheila McNulty in Houston

For years, industry observers have warned that the US oil refining system has been forced to run ever closer to full capacity to meet rising demand. Yet there has been not a single new refinery built for more than a quarter of a century.

Until now, says John Thieroff of Standard & Poor's rating agency, the US has had the luxury of not having to address the problem. "They could have it both ways: don't build any new refineries because no one wants to live next to them, while also having enough spare capacity - and unfettered access to ample imports - to maintain the status quo,'' he said.

Hurricane Katrina ended that, sweeping through America's energy heartland this week, shutting down nine refineries and leaving another three unable to run at full capacity.

Overnight, 12 per cent of US refining capacity disappeared. And, because of ever tighter environmental regulations, not all of that lost capacity can simply be replaced indefinitely with imports.

"The refining market is at its limit, and the storm kicked it over the limit,'' says Robin West, chairman at PFC Energy, the industry consultancy.

Several oil companies have begun rationing petrol, prompting consumers to hoard and sending prices rising at the pump. Valero, a top US refiner, was forced yesterday to join the list of companies asking the US government to tap its emergency oil supplies to help.

"The market is responding to the overnight loss of almost 2m barrels per day of domestic production,'' said Mary Rose Brown, Valero spokeswoman. "Since the US is already dependent upon 1m barrels a day of imports to meet demand, there is a real fear of shortages in the near-term.''

Why did the US leave itself open to such an energy crisis?

Refiners blame environmental regulations, most recently the low sulphur standards, for costing them up to $20bn over about four years - money that otherwise could have gone toward building new capacity. Mr Thieroff says there was very little capacity added between 2002 and 2004, about 1.5 per cent a year.

In addition, analysts say, the US government has discouraged new refineries with a permission process that is time-consuming, expensive and risky, with local people able to object to new facilities in their neighbourhood. "It's local opposition to a national need,'' Mr West says. "Americans have taken cheap energy for granted for years: I don't care if it is resistance to building new refining capacity or driving SUVs. Now it's coming home to roost.''

Standard & Poor's expects oil prices to remain at or near historical highs, in nominal terms, for the foreseeable future. And David Wyss, chief economist at S&P, warns that "a jump above $100 could well trigger a recession''.

The US government, industry analysts say, is at fault for not being more proactive in preventing such energy crises.

"On energy policy, we've got to get serious,'' Mr West says. He believes demand must be addressed, either by ensuring enough refiners, liquefied natural gas terminals, and so on, to supply it or by forcing Americans to cut back on consumption.

He notes that the same issues being raised today about the refining sector were raised several years ago by declining domestic natural gas supplies.

Why, it was asked then, had the US not prepared by encouraging import terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG)?

Nobody wanted the terminals in their backyard - indeed they are still objecting - and companies were left fighting local opposition. The result has been difficulties importing LNG and record natural gas prices, just as, following Hurricane Katrina, prices are rocketing for all classes of fuel.

Mr Thieroff questions whether, in this case, it is all the government's fault.

"You have to wonder if refiners have incentive to build new refineries or add big chunks of capacity when they benefit so greatly under such tightly balanced supply and demand,'' Mr Thieroff says. "Look what happens every time there is an outage: everyone else in the region reaps wild benefits. If the refiner suffering the outage has other plants in the region, they often earn more money due to the outage (and the ensuing spike in profit margins) than if it had never happened.''

But getting refiners to add substantial capacity is not the only issue the US government must address. Part of the reason for supply shortages - and subsequent price spikes - after the hurricane is that power outages are rendering useless the pipelines that normally would carry products from those Gulf Coast area refineries still functioning.

Labor Day

We spent yesterday afternoon with Maleah and Casey and Casey's parents. Ryan joined us after work. We ate the most delicious steaks, complemented by baked beans, baked potatoes, potato salad, salad, watermelon, corn and rolls. Casey had also cooked some hamburgers for those that didn't want steak.

Grandma was able to go with us and I think she enjoyed it. She rarely gets out anymore because of lack of mobility.

After supper, we played games. My family has always loved games. Before we had children, Mike and I used to have other couples over to play games after church on Sunday nights and many Friday nights. Every year for christmas, I got a new game for the family.

I was very proud of my college aged children when they were having groups of their friends over on weekends just to play games. They played many board games and even enjoyed a few nights at one house where they all dressed in black and played "Capture the Flag". I think that is healthy.

The only down side to yesterday's activities was that Shawn and Shannon were not a part. We can hardly wait for Christmas. There is already a big meal planned for Christmas Eve at Maleah and Casey's house.

Families!! Isn't God good!

Bus 5 is the BEST bus!!!

Yesterday, we had 31 on the bus with 2 first time visitors. I had not expected a big number due to the Labor Day holidays, but, praise the Lord, I was wrong.

There were several blessings. Timothy finally rode. He is in the eighth grade and has never been to church but once in his life. It was exciting to speak with him after church and get his impression of the service.

There were five adults baptized. Three gentlemen from the Veteran's Ministry were won to the Lord this past week and baptized, and a young couple that I started visiting after their little girl rode my bus with a friend. A while back, my bus route was split and one town given to another bus that had a lot less area to cover. Bus 1 took over visiting in that home. The bus captain of that bus is a very godly man with a real burden for souls. He has continued to work diligently with this family. This past week our pastor was able to visit in the home for his fifth time and there see this couple take that important step. I can't wait to see what happens in their family.

When I asked Tim about the baptism, he said that he was thinking about asking his mom to come to church next week and watch him get baptized. Of course, the door was open for me to explain the plan of salvation to him. I didn't feel led to try to press for a commitment at this time. I thought it would be better to let him think about it. He promised he would be back next Sunday.

Caleb was back! He was very upset when he got on the bus and his sister was taunting him because he had gotten in trouble for some reason. After so long, he ran out of his seat and dove over another seat, grabbing his sister by the hair of the head and pulling her over the back of the seat in front of her. I had to break the fight up and use my harshest voice with them both. They were quiet for the rest of the way to church. Actually, for a short time, the whole bus was quiet.

Sunday school went by quickly and I went to choir practice. As I was leaving the choir room to go to church, I saw one of the bus workers in the hall with Caleb. He informed me that Caleb was causing trouble in junior church already. I took him away from the crowd and tried to talk to him. He begged me to please let him go to "big church"! I explained that I couldn't do that because I had to be in the choir and could not let him sit alone until I could come down. "Oh please, Mrs. C-----! I promise I will be good!" I knew better but I just couldn't help giving an underdog another chance!

As I was entering the auditorium to take him to my seat and give him some last minute instructions, I remembered my friend "J". He rode the bus today also. He is a black man in his late 30's that I met years ago because he was working with my children at Wendy's. Maleah had told me how "J" had defended her against some of the boys that wanted to be a little forward with her and I loved him immediately. When I started in the bus ministry, I ran into him again on visitation and for a time he and his family rode the bus. He was such a help because not only is he a Christian man with a love for children, he also ripples with muscles and has a formidable booming voice(if needed). To put it mildly, he was a blessing to have on the bus.

Maleah visited with me Saturday, since she was over for a visit so I stopped by "J's" house because she had not seen him for quite a while. He informed me that the church they had been going to was such a long way away that he was concerned about the gasoline prices these days. I told him that he was ALWAYS welcome on Bus 5. Sure enough he rode yesterday.

So, back to the story! As I entered the auditorium with Caleb, I remembered "J"! I asked Caleb if he minded sitting with him to which he excitedly replied, "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!"

"J" did exactly what I expected. He put a big massive arm around that little boy and hugged him up real tight. Caleb immediately responded to the affection. I relaxed and went to the choir. During the song service I could hardly hold back the tears as I watched the Holy Spirit work through a human vessel. "J" has a beautiful, deep voice. During congregational singing he participates heartily. He didn't force Caleb to stand or try to "make" him do anything, but I watched as Caleb sat while the congregation stood and then as he watched "J" participate, he stood up beside him, then got a book. "J" showed him the page and then patiently pointed out the words to a little black(no pun intended) sheep! It was beautiful!

The thought came to me that perhaps this was the first time that Caleb had observed a godly black man. In his world there are not many godly black men. Perhaps that is overstepping a boundary but I fear that it is true. After I proofed my post, I realized that I need not put the "black" in that statement....perhaps, to our shame, this may be the first time Caleb saw ANY godly man that was willing to attend to his needs and share that faith in a practical way with him.

I forgot to add that Cheyenne was back this Sunday again, with her new bible and a friend!!!

God is working in Caleb's life! God is working on Bus 5! God is working at Second Baptist Church! God is working in my life!!Thank you, Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!

George W. Bush, OUR president!

I am so proud to be a citizen of this great country. Mr. Bush is doing a superb job in a bad time. Through criticism on every hand, he continues to do the right thing. I am impressed with his strength of character in a world of little people.

The latest act of heroism in my book is the appointing of his father and Mr. Clinton to head up some of the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. What a wonderful example of strength of character! Some men would feel that they were in competition with the father that had preceded them in the same job. Others would feel threatened by a previous president from an opposing party.

To my way of thinking, Mr. Bush has put qualified leaders into positions of real need. These men can add their expertise and abilities to a truly horiffic situation.

I hope I don't hear any reporters talking about partisan politics for a while.

The way I see this situation is that a godly president has honored his father and given him another opportunity to use his leadership skills in a meaningful endeavor. He has also given an ex-president, who left office with a shameful record,(Oh yes, I know, there are those who hold him up at near god-like status--but I mean that he was a disgrace to moral people with high spiritual standards)to have another opportunity to repair some of his bad image and add to his much-spoken-of "legacy".
That takes character and godly wisdom.

I am about tired of hearing people condemning and causing dissension in our country. Whatever happened to the line of reasoning that it is better to be a part of the answer than to be a part of the problem. We all know that our country is not perfect, but what does it help to sit around and talk about all that is wrong. What difference does it make to KNOW who or what is to blame. There is a difference in bringing a problem to the forefront in order to remedy the situation and just causing dissension.

Enough of my venting today!!!! Happy Labor Day!(whatever that means)

I Am Honored

Tonight I spent about twenty minutes on the phone with Kyle. I am honored that he would be attentive to my words. I have been his bus captain for almost 4 years. He will be 15 in October.

He called to let me know that he would be out of town this week and next week and would be unable to ride the bus. I am honored that his Mom pushes him to do what is right. (He lives in an out-of-the-way place and it takes time and extra gasoline to pick him up.)

He is special and I can't wait to see what God does with him. These young teens that are trying to do what is right with little encouragement are so exciting to me.

He has been unable to come now for several weeks as he has had many activities that took him from home. I expressed to him that I would be praying for him and that I would be glad when he could be faithful again. He was quite perturbed that I would think he was not faithful. Of course, I was referring to riding the bus faithfully. He explained that he was being faithful. He said that there was a girl that he liked a lot and she liked him but he refused to go with her because she doesn't believe in God. I think that is a BIG step for a 14 year old!!

Dear Lord, I pray for Kyle that you will make his salvation something real and vibrant in his life. Help him never be able to get away from all the things he has heard while riding the bus. Make him a witness for Your own glory! In Jesus name I pray!

Dissenters

I don't know if I should be writing anything about this right now because I will definitely be showing my emotions. I am so disturbed when I read things like the letter from Michael Moore to the president and when I hear the reporters on TV making such a big deal about all that our president has NOT done for New Orleans.

Our country is in the middle of a crisis right now. If you are not doing anything to alleviate the situation, why not just pray for those who are trying.

What do these people want? It is as if they think the president has a magic wand that he could, if he wanted to, wave over the whole situation and make it all disappear.

This was a dissaster of profound proportions. There should have been a plan by the city of New Orleans, ready to be implemented in case of such a situation. I don't think anyone ever thought it would come to this.

When a mayor of a major city publicly makes statements using God's name in vain, I am offended!!! There was a time when men had more character than to speak in that way in front of a lady. Maybe those times are gone but if you will notice, most politicians do NOT speak like that in public. I think the mayor of New Orleans needs to issue a public apology for his strong language.

The sight of all those people starving, thirsty, tired and dirty on the streets of a city in the United States is something that none of us thought we would see. We ALL wish we had that magic wand.

Since we can't change what has happened why can't we just pray and encourage those that are in the position of helping. The criticism and negative talk is of no value but to cause more discension in this country.

Gas Prices

This is an email sent to me by my brother who works for Shell Global Solutions in Houston.
First of all, the "Stick it to them" proposal has not and simply will not work, for a lot of reasons....by the way, who is "them"? Is it ME??
Secondly, there is NOT just ONE party (political or otherwise) to blame for the price of gasoline. It's just not that simple. I wish it was.
(FYI...they have been paying over ~$5.00/L for fuel in most of Europe for a long time.)

Here is a website that will give you a little better idea about where the money goes that you pay for a gallon of gasoline.

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp

Consider these points...
People in the US want (demand) higher wages, because we WANT more "stuff".
Business has been regulated and taxed to the point that the margin is almost gone, (Fed., State, Local Taxes, EPA, OSHA, etc...)
They have had to reduce operating costs in order to stay in business.
We have this "global" mentality going now ....we are ALL living on the same planet so we need to get along (this one point could be debated for hours)
US business can get things made globally (in China) so cheaply that we are exporting our businesses,
China's economy (and others) is now growing by leaps and bounds
China's growing economy is raising the standard of living for the average Chinese tremendously,
That rise has increased income --- demand for goods --- demand for cars --- demand for gasoline --- asphalt demand for roads --- thus, crude oil demand
This crude oil demand has created competition in the market place so they raise the price
The Chinese have money and want to promote their economy growth so they pay.............and so do we.
Then throw in a war or two and a hurricane or two or three or four.....which shuts down or destroys several rigs in the Gulf...(have heard this was all "Bushes fault")
Then throw in a few refinery explosions and fires which has several gasoline producing units shutdown or destroyed....(why did it happen..."Bushes fault I'm sure)
As the old saying goes, if you look in the mirror, you will see the source of the problem.

If you really want answers, go to the website below and select "videos" from the column on the left, you will then find an option to see a video called "Our Energy Challenge". It is a presentation given at Columbia University, by Dr. Smalley, who is a professor at Rice (here in Houston). It is an outstanding (in my view), approx. 1hr. presentation that I think clears up many of the questions surrounding this subject and puts things in perspective. There is simply more demand than there is supply, and that is increasing daily. A capitalistic society (which I very much support), operates on the "supply and demand" principal. That is what this is.....a supply and demand issue.

Bottom-line: We simply need to SERIOUSLY look at alternatives to fossil fuel. Can you think of a better driver than increasing the price of gasoline?

For those who will actually watch it, I hope you enjoy Dr. Smalley's presentation as much as I did.
http://smalley.rice.edu/smalley.cfm?doc_id=4862