Old Man Winter Is Still Around!

The nice weather of the past few weeks just about had me convinced that winter had moved on for this year. Now it appears that the midsection of the nation is going to get blasted again. The last report I saw is predicting 4-8" of freezing rain, sleet and snow for northwest Arkansas starting Thursday afternoon and into Friday morning. Then the temperature is supposed to bottom out in the mid single digits! Brrrrr! This is my weekend to go home,too. With the unpredictable nature of winter precipitation, I am giving strong consideration to leaving after Bible study tonight and driving home rather than waiting for tomorrow. If I can get away around 8 p.m., I can be home by 2 a.m. and I think I would prefer to do that instead of getting caught in icy conditions through the hills of I-540 between Alma and Springdale on Thursday. The Dallas area is going to get a blast of cold this weekend as well, although not as frigid as northwest Arkansas. They are even calling for the possibility of snow or ice on Friday morning. The nice thing for both areas is that the bad cold is not going to last very long. A warm-up is supposed to begin on Saturday.
College basketball is getting more interesting. Two #1 teams in the nation have been beaten in the past two weeks: Texas last week and then Kentucky last night. I had not heard about the player named Downey on South Carolina's team which beat Kentucky last night. That youngster is amazing! He is 5'9" but he was dominating the court with his ball handling skills, point production and even rebounding. If you get a chance to watch a South Carolina game, watch him. It's good entertainment.
Everybody try to stay warm and have a good weekend! God bless!

Trip to Aggieland

Someday I am going to figure out how to load the pictures in the order I want them. They are exactly backward to what I wanted, but it'll do. The top picture is the George H.W. Bush presidential library which is on the Texas A & M campus.It is worth going to see if you are ever in the area. Next is the main entry to campus and the old admin building. Third is Kyle Field where the Aggies play football. Adam got me in to do my 4 mile run/jog/walk around the football field on Friday. The fourth picture is Adam beside a huge bronze sculpture of the Aggie ring. The Ags have only one ring style for their graduates. Below that is a picture of the rear of the building where Adam works. It houses the Association of Former Students. The front of the building is at the bottom of the list of pictures. Don't worry, you are not seeing double. The next picture is one I downloaded by mistake. By the way, you can click on any picture to get a larger version that is easier to view. The seventh picture is of Kyle Field from the rear of the Association building. Adam goes with a co-worker 5 days a week to work out over there at the same facility that the football players use. The next picture is a fountain just outside the front of the Association building. The last picture is of the front of the Association of Former Students building where Adam works. We enjoyed an excellent visit together. On Saturday we got to attend the Texas A & M vs. Colorado basketball game in Reed Arena. It was a tough battle but the Aggies were finally victorious. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Ennis to College Station but I really enjoy going down through the Texas country side and especially having another chance to visit with Adam. Your relationship with God is the most important aspect of your life, but right up there close has to be your relationship with your family. Make the most of the times you have together. Every once in a while (or more if you want!), tell the people who matter most to you the three words that everyone wants to hear..."I love you." Have a great day today!

Remarkable events of recent days

The news out of Haiti is just mind-boggling. The latest estimate I've heard is around 200,000 people dead and 250,000 seriously injured. The way they are having to dispose of many of the dead reminds me of what I've read about "death wagons" during the years of the bubonic plague in Europe where they would go through the streets and stack bodies on the wagons to take them out for mass burial. I've seen pictures of dump trucks doing the same thing in Haiti. So sad. There are lots of good relief agencies trying to help. If you would like to know of relief agencies who are affiliated with the church, go to www.christianchronicle.org and you can find some there.

The election of a new senator in Massachusetts is creating a lot of excitement--and consternation--among various groups in America right now. I'm not sure of all of the messages being sent with this election of a Republican in a historically Democratic stronghold, but there are certainly some strong sentiments being expressed. I hope those in the seats of authority are listening to the people.

On a lighter note, it was good to see the Arkansas Razorbacks get a win on the basketball floor against Alabama last Saturday. Also, the Texas A & M Aggies beat the Oklahoma Sooners last night. This made my son, Adam, happy. He was also glad to see the Kansas State team knock off the Texas Longhorns Monday night, especially since the Aggies just barely got beat by the Longhorns in overtime last Saturday. In the football realm, the Cowboy nation has been embarrassed by the smackdown in Minnesota on Sunday; but, there's always next year, right? The games to come should be good ones: NY Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings. I predict New Orleans vs. Indianapolis in the Super Bowl on February 7 with New Orleans coming away with the win.

I hope everyone has an excellent day today. Be grateful for your blessings. Pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for our nation and our elected officials. God is still in control and He will bless His people!

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way." (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

I enjoyed another good trip back to northwest Arkansas over the weekend. Merilyn and Sarah are feeling better, but still recovering from their sinus infection and bronchitis. I didn't get to see Blake but Sarah tells me he is doing well. Adam is doing OK, too, enjoying the warmth that has returned to the College Station area in southeast Texas. Boy, the Oklahoma state troopers were out in force over the weekend! I did not keep an accurate count but I guess I saw 10-12 doing radar patrols. In one place around Sallisaw there were 5 within one mile. It was not a big concern to me. As I always told our kids while they were growing up, the police are our friends...if you don't do anything wrong, then you have no reason to be afraid of them. It does get your attention, though, when you see that many.
Merilyn was feeling well enough to come to the Thursday evening Bible study group. We enjoyed being with our Christian friends and opening the Scriptures together. A few of our regular folks were not able to come but we had one newcomer so that was nice. We just finished a study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and now we are going through the Gospel of Luke which will lead us into the book of Acts. It is always a great blessing to get together every two weeks.
We had good attendance in our morning worship yesterday with several new visitors again. Several of the members were absent because a nasty intestinal virus is starting to go through the population. Merilyn tells me it is getting around in northwest Arkansas, too. Be sure to use the hand sanitizer!
It is just incredible to see the devastation that has occurred from the earthquake in Haiti this past week. Evidently so much of their infrastructure was damaged that the groups who want to help are having great difficulty getting relief supplies to the ones who need it. It is hard to imagine the huge loss of life and the destruction they have experienced. Be sure to remember them in prayer.
I hope your Monday morning is getting your work week off to a good start. Enjoy the blessings God gives you. Walk in the light and stay cleansed!

This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7)

Picture Potpourri

You know what a potpourri is? If I understand right, it is just a mixture of stuff and that is what you are seeing with these pictures. As I was going to my apartment from work Monday evening, I noticed the gorgeous sunset across the water at a park along the way so I went back last night to get some pictures. Notice the big blue heron at the end of the jetty in the top picture. I spooked him, he growled at me with a noise I've never heard out of a bird before and took off. There were herons all over the place around the lake.
Adam came up to see me last weekend and brought his newly framed diploma from Texas A & M. This picture does not do it justice but I knew some family and friends would want to see it.
A friend told me not long ago that I needed to put some pictures of the dogs on the blog. That is nosy Mollie, Merilyn's puppy, trying to get into someone's stocking. Then that is Mollie in Merilyn's arms and Chloe in Sarah's arms at our Christmas dinner table...no, the dogs did not get to eat at the table with us.
Everything is going well here in Texas. The weather is warming up nicely. When I went out to exercise on Monday, it was around 58 degrees and it is supposed to be even a bit warmer today. This is my weekend to go to Arkansas to see Merilyn and to be with my Bible study group on Thursday evening so this will be my last entry until Monday. By the way, if any Springdale area folks want to join us, you would be welcome. Call my cell phone at 479-466-1263 and I'll give you the info.
Be sure to root for the Dallas Cowboys this weekend! Enjoy the blessings God gives you and remember to be grateful!

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)

It's past cold...it's frigid!

This past week has been crazy cold! Record breaking cold temperatures have been set all over the country. The coldest I've heard in the Dallas area was 12-13 degrees on Friday and Saturday mornings. Merilyn told me that it was 1-2 degrees in Springdale with breezes that took it down to a wind chill of well below zero. That makes me shiver just thinking about it! Don't you just love global warming? Maybe that will be our big cold blast for this winter season and it will be better from now on.
It's been a busy, busy week this past week. That's my excuse for having so few posts lately, but it's really true. After being away for the excellent holiday season, I had some catching up to do. There have been some outstanding football games this past week. I kind of hated it about Colt McCoy getting knocked out of the Alabama-Texas championship game, but that's football. Just in case you didn't see it, the Cowboys won their first playoff game in 13 years! The sports writers in the Dallas Morning News are sure eating a good helping of crow after bad-mouthing the team during the past several weeks. Adam came up from College Station on Saturday for a visit so we got to watch the game together. He spent the night and went to church with me yesterday morning. It was great to have him here.
We had an exceptional day at church yesterday. Attendance was much higher than normal both for Bible class and worship. We had several families who used to be members here who came back for a visit. After worship we had a fellowship meal with the main course being BBQ smoked brisket done by one of our members who has a trailer mounted smoker/cooker. We probably had 125 or more who stayed for the meal.
My sermon yesterday morning was called "Stay In The Safe Zone" with the main theme of following God's way for life and using David as a prime example along with his words from Psalm 25:1-7, Psalm 37:1-11 and Psalm 56:1-4. The evening sermon was called "God Will Take Care Of You" with the teaching of Jesus from Matthew 6:25-34. The primary point of both messages is that we can put our trust in God and then be at peace knowing that He is in control. May that be true for each of us as we continue to move into 2010 and throughout our lives. I will leave you with one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Have a great day and a great week!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8)

Welcome to 2010!

Is it really 2010 already? Where did the first decade of the 2000's go? Time surely seems to be flying faster and faster these days. But there is a good way to see the passage of time: We are that much closer to being in Heaven!
I am back in Ennis after an excellent holiday time in Arkansas with the family. I am so grateful to my elders in Ennis for allowing me to have about 10 days off during the holidays so I could spend additional time with Merilyn. There were so many events over the time that I can't begin to relate them all, but here are the highlights: a white Christmas with 2-3" of snow (1st time in over 25 years for northwest Arkansas) and the kids--Adam, Sarah and Blake--at home; our heat/air conditioning heat pump system went out and had to be replaced; I got our Wagon Wheel Road property lane cleared from ice storm debris to be able to drive up it and got it relisted with another realtor to sell; we got to visit in Russellville with my Mom and Merilyn's Dad along with several other relatives; Adam got to come home for a week; we got to visit and enjoy meals with a number of our church friends from Robinson Avenue; I got to meet twice with my Bible study group and enjoy the spiritual nourishment together. It was a wonderful time.
God is always so good to us. There are always going to be difficult and negative things in our lives, but we do not have to let those things dominate our thoughts and bring us down. As we enter a new year, let's strive to have a new approach to life. Focus on all the good and positive blessings that we have from God. Let those thoughts dominate our lives. No matter what else may happen, when we are in the right relationship with God then the most important part of our lives are taken care of and we have ample reason to rejoice and be glad. Be grateful. Be faithful. Have a fantastic year in 2010!

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)