Pirate & Princesses...

Friday the kids wore costumes to school and loved it...

We have a 'door' dedicated to their art. When it fills up, I usually take a picture of it, save a few items and then clean it off to begin anew. Lots of colors and creativity....

Hope you have a safe and happy Reformation weekend!

Sola Gratia! Sola Fide! Sola Christos!

Fighting Germs, Enjoying Ice Cream & Friends...

(Emmaus Road Christmas Party at our house in 2007)

Tuesday evening we were blessed to have spontaneous company... reunion with friends, Kim & Andrew Arthur, who are currently studying and serving in the city of New Orleans. We were blessed by hosting them as house guests for about 8 months while we were full time faculty atNOBTS and lived on campus. It was so great to catch up, as well as knock the dust off of one of our favorite board games, "Ticket to Ride". They are dynamic couple with a passion for the Glorious Renown of our Sovereign Lord. Looking forward to seeing what God does in and through their lives...

(Titus still thinks he is the king of the house...)

Wednesday after school I took the kids to get ice cream at Marble Slab (having been blessed by a generous gift card that has been sitting in my wallet). Fulfilling the role of "sermonator" has fatigued my poor hubby. Despite the joy, the weight and honor of preaching it takes a physical toil. So, in the words of friend, Judi, I "made a sacrifice" by making a trip for the good stuff in order to provide a quiet house... ha ha ha...

At least the flavor pickings were a little more appetizing than times before. Let's see... James enjoyed chocolate with Kit-Kat, Angela had chocolate with white chocolate chips, Jana had chocolate with marshmallows and Victoria devoured strawberry with gummy bears... oh, and I indulged in white chocolate with Nestle Crunch... yum.

Silly Hats and Shades Day...

For "Red Ribbon Week" in the Public Schools, (which is an emphasis on 'saying no to drugs' here), there are different, fun-filled activities planned for each day. The 'activity' for the primary school was "silly hat and shades" day. My older two had different activities but I let them all conform since, honestly speaking, it is too complicated to keep up with three different schools at times, especially when they do different things - ha ha... So, our four had much laughter this morning picking out silly hats with complimenting shades.... :)

Sometimes, I confess, mom and dad have just as much fun or perhaps more by participating in these sorts of things... :)

Fusion in Boston...

Fusion: "the process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity"...

This weekend we had the blessing of joining together with students and young adults from New England to worship and study the Word... the theme: the Sufficiency of the Word...

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tony shared three messages from the following texts: John 15, James 1 and 2 Timothy 2. Some highlights from my notes...

* The "Big Picture" of the Christian life is to ABIDE (to dwell, to remain, to live, to continue, to be satisfied in the TRUE VINE... union and communion with Christ)

* Tim Keller shares in his new book, Counterfeit Gods, "that which you love, trust and obey are idols" or in our context, "false vines"... Some Examples? Bank accounts, education, sexual relationships which lead to codependency, popularity... The Result? Emptiness...

* How do we abide? Abide in HIS Word and in HIS Love...

* We must VALUE the Word... because of its truth, of its converting power and its sufficiency in life and ministry

* We must RECEIVE the Word... put away sin and be teachable

* We must DO the Word... by taming the tongue, a consecrated life and showing compassion for people

* We are not called to "win" but to "finish"... "Be Faithful"

I finally had the honor of meeting Janet Pope (beloved by many back in Hattiesburg) after hearing much of her passion for God's Word and discipline of Scripture memorization. It was moving to hear her quote the entire book of 2 Timothy prior to the message. I'm looking forward to reading her book, His Word in My Heart, in the next couple days.... practical disciplines... "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11

There were schools represented from all over the northeast (including Canada) like M.I.T., UMass Lowell, JWU, etc... just to name a few.... I snapped a few pictures with my camera phone (hence the poor quality)...

To help inspire more creativity for Operation Christmas Child this year (ha ha), the guys sneaked in the Temple OCC rap from 2008 at the end of the third session... we all had a few good laughs....

Below is a view from the beach of our hotel... beautiful... oh the smell of the ocean and therapeutical sound of the waves! :)

Ever-grateful for the honor to serve our Great and Glorious God... so thankful for Tony's parents who drove down from Kentucky to keep our kids (whom I can't wait to kiss hello when we get home even if it's midnight!)... praying God would continue to use Matt, Janet, Chris and all the leaders at the conference this weekend to make His Name Great in and through the lives of adults in the Northeast... God is good... God is faithful... God is able.

"Hanging Out" at John Adams' House...

As I sit by the fireplace in our hotel room trying to post a few pictures from the day's activities, I confess soul thirst for the Word. The Northeastern Collegiate Conference called "Fusion" begins tonight at 8:30 PM EDT. Tony is preaching on John 15. All that to say, I'm looking forward to musical worship and sitting under the Word this eve....

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing... This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for this friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you..." (vv. 5, 12, 13)

It was another blessed day of sightseeing and fellowship... We went to Quincy to walk where John Adams was born and lived throughout his life... what a legacy...

Birthplace of John Adams...

Birthplace of John Quincy Adams...

By the way, the this 2 hour tour costs $5 and is well worth it...

The John Adams' mansion purchased upon their return from European life as ambassadors and passed through the family until eventually being given to the Historical Society and state parks...

Behind the house stood the first presidential library (if you will)... Tony was covetous :)....

What a beautiful day and historical experience... if you have not already, I would recommend reading David McCullough's book "John Adams" and/or view the HBO miniseries... both are excellent!

Later this afternoon... I was deeply blessed to reconnect with my friend from years past, Octavia. She and her husband live in the Boston area. She made the trip down to Hull (where we are staying) to visit for a couple hours. I got to hold her precious 3 1/2 month old, beautiful son Cameron! We were roommates in Wake Forest, NC years ago. We laughed at some memories and awed in reflection of where God has brought us these past 6-7 years! I cherish her friendship, and pray that our Gracious God would bless her family, make His face shine upon them and guide them in His truth for His glory.

Please pray for the conference being held here this weekend. May our Gracious God enable His servants to effectively communicate His truth for His glory in all that is said and done here. May He fill each of us to the measure of all the fullness of Christ Jesus and enlighten our hearts and minds to the knowledge of Him...

Some Sights from our Day in Boston...

What a treat to have a mini-vacation to New England with my husband and best friend. He is speaking at a collegiate conference here friday and saturday, so we decided to come in a little early to enjoy a little retreat. Tony's parents made this possible for me by driving down from Kentucky to watch our children for us. What a blessing! God is so gracious to us...

Here are a few sights from our thursday...

Below was our view this morning from our hotel room (The Clarion Nantasket Beach Resort)....

We drove downtown (with our wonderful tour guide, host & friend Chris James), parked at the Boston Commons, and grabbed a bagel with coffee before really hitting the pavement... Park Street Church...

Some heroes of our country...

We returned for dinner on the water at Joe's... I devoured Lobster Ravioli with Shrimp... Yum....

Paul Revere's house...

The Old North Church...

Gorgeous array of colors...

After eating lunch in Cambridge at "Fire & Ice" we walked around the campus of Harvard University...

You cannot go to Boston and not visit Fenway Park! Go Sox! Next time we'll actually have to go to a game...

One of my favorite sights is the city lights at night...