How are you?

I'm behind. Traveling always throws me off my not too regular routine and messes up the schedule I don't have and couldn't keep if I had it. That's why I'm behind. I've been traveling. It's the dashing part of my adventure.

Yesterday I missed posting my photos for the week past. I hope to get that done today, so check back.

We never got that call to go to Arkansas, so Thursday we headed toward Houston (from San Antonio) to see some of our kids. Forty miles from their apartment, hubby's phone rang. It was the deployment office. WOOO HOOO! (Thank you for praying!)

We were sad that we didn't get to see the kids, but we really need the work, so at the first exit we came to, we headed toward home to get the RV. (Incidentally, the next exit just so happened to be the exit we needed to take to get us on the right road home. I am always fascinated by quirky details and how God seems to always be in the middle of them.)

We got home somewhere between 11:00 and midnight and finally crawled in bed around 1:30 a.m. The wind howling and rocking the camper kept us awake until about 3:30 a.m. and my alarm went off at 6:15. Time lost importance at that point, and we simply did what we had to do so that we could be in Mississippi by Saturday. I love it when I hear Gee P. Ess, (That's the little lady my husband carries around, stuck to his windshield, that tells him where to go) announce, "You have arrived!"

And here we are in Southaven, Mississippi.

Hubby and I took some time yesterday to go to church across the border in the Memphis, TN area before Rick had to start working. We had the privilege of visiting New Hope Christian Church where Scott Greer is the pastor. We knew Scott as our pastor from a few years ago in Amarillo, Texas. It was good to see him again and the surprised look on his face when he saw my husband and me. We exchanged greetings, and when Scott shook my hand he asked, "Well, how are ya? Are you growing?"

I was flabbergasted! I don't think he was talking about my height or pant size. (Why ask about the obvious, right?) I don't believe anyone has ever asked me that before. And I'll go on to say that I doubt any person, besides maybe my parents, has ever been very concerned about my spiritual growth. I was so caught off guard, my words stumbled and fell roughly and senselessly out of my mouth. The usual and brainless response of , I'm fine, how are you, wouldn't answer his question. Who wants to lie to a preacher, and who wants to tell their former pastor, No I'm not growing--just stagnating?

Thankfully, Scott was gracious and took my stupid reply, which didn't actually answer his question, and chose not to press me farther. Maybe he should had though, ya think? That one little question, loaded like a double barrel shotgun, made me want to throw up my spiritual hands and beg for mercy. I'm afraid I might be caught too often in the act of religious rote, I'm sorry to say, with insufficient growth for notice.

What about you?

The next time you greet someone, will you care enough, or be bold enough to ask, "How are you doing? Are you growing?" And if someone asks the question of you, what will your answer be?

I think I'm going to have to get back to you on that one.    

Tragedy or Hope?

I saw something on the news last night that stirred me. (You know when I get stirred, I have to write about it, and you get to read about it, and hopefully get a little stirred too.)

Hubby and I were sitting in our motel room watching The Weather Channel (Is there any other channel to watch when we are needing work?) and they were giving a report about the big oil mess in our beautiful Gulf. The whole thing really saddens me because I'm kind of attached to the Gulf Coast. I've got some sweet friends and family who live a short drive from the beaches. I've played in the waters, enjoyed watching the waves, and LOVE to eat those big fat shrimp fished out of it. I'm praying for God to slow the flow of oil and lessen the damage.

But the tragedy of it all was not what stirred me. What woke the little hamster and got him to running on his wheel in my head was the part of the report that told how the clean up of the spill will give hundreds of people, unemployed people, jobs.

One man they interviewed talked about how he wanted to provide for his family and how excited he was for the opportunity to go to work in order to do that. He had filled out his application, and with a big smile said, "Now all I have to do is wait for a call."

Hundreds of people now have some hope because of a tragedy.

You may think I'm a bit twisted in my thinking, (that's okay) but it gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes. I am praising God and thanking Him for what is happening in our nation's wetlands. Yes, wildlife, animals are dying, and some shrimpers and fishermen are worrying and facing some hard times, but there are some folks in Louisiana that today have hope they didn't have a few weeks ago.

It's not that I have no sympathy for the fishermen. I do. I'm just saying that when I focus on the sovereignty of God, it stirs my spirit and humbles me. Over and over God seems to be showing me that what seems good may not always be good, so I should be aware and watchful. At the same time what seems bad is not always bad, so I should be encouraged and rest in Him and remember that He is God.

I can so imagine how the disciples must have felt when Jesus told them ahead of time about his death on the cross. How many of us could play the part of Peter here?

^{Mark 8:31}He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. ³²He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

Non of this sounded good--suffering, rejection, death--so it couldn't be God's will, right?

Do we ever understand the plans of God? Can we wrap our minds around what He is doing? Should we even try to "figure Him out"?

^{Mark 8:33}But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

I don't know about you, but that humbles me.

Peter heard the first part of what Jesus said, about rejection and death, but the last part either missed his hearing or his understanding, or both. I'm talking about the rising again on the third day part. The perfect plan, GOD'S perfect plan, seemed tragic! But in and through that earthshaking tragedy, God's MOST PERFECT plan was for hope. Eternal HOPE!

Who but God can bring such wonderful hope out of so much pain and suffering? No one. No, not one!

Today hubby is taking a re-certification class and we are on "stand-by" to go to Arkansas and work.  Stand-by is no guarantee we will have work, but yes, we have a little hope produced by tragedy. If God blesses us with a deploy call, we will do what we can to be the hands of God and help someone else have hope out of their tragedy.  If you have trouble bringing yourself to pray for a storm, you don't have to today. Just pray that our company will allow us to minister where a storm has already done it's do. ;)

Now I'm off to the mall--the one on the river. (San Antonio, TX) I'm going to take my camera, my pen, and my paper. I think it is going to be a nice day.

My Week Two Projcet 365

We have a lot of noxious weeds. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT!Bindweed, thistle, and hundreds of others that I can't identify because I'm not a horticulturalist. We really should invest in Round-Up stock. It's a losing battle, but hubby continues to fight!

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Have you ever wondered what the world would look like if you were a big bug?

Okay, maybe not. But if you were a big bug, your world might look something like this.

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And have you ever asked, how blue is the sky over Texas on a cloudless day?

It is exactly this blue. Yeah I actually took a picture of the sky.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

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Wednesday I had a really hard time finding inspiration and motivation for anything, including taking pictures.

But then the sun started slipping below the horizon.

It makes you want to sigh deeply, does it not?
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Meet Miss Prickles.

And say hello to Mr. Lizard. (Some call him a horny little toad.)

They meet. Their eyes lock and they are entranced. They have so much in common. With indescribable passion and lightening speed, he flicks his tiny tong and licks her--right on the mouth! (My shutter was not fast enough.)

I think these two will be changing their Faceook status very soon.

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FOR RENT

Sturdy construction in good location

No credit check

Babies and pets welcomed

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At two weeks old, chicken are a little...ummm...unattractive?
I love visiting my roots and the brooder house.

Encouragment through song

I've been stressed lately because our current state of unemployment depletes our financial resources. No matter how hard I try not to listen to the nagging voice in the back of my mind, I can't seem to hear much except, "What are you going to do?" 


I don't have all the answers, but this song reminds me that I have at least one option. I can MOVE!

I hope you enjoy this by Mercy Me, and I hope it picks up your spirits as much as it does mine!

I'm not about to give up

Because I heard you say

There's gonna be brighter days

There's gonna be brighter days

I won’t stop, I’ll keep my head up

No, I'm not here to stay

There's gonna be brighter days

There's gonna be brighter days

I just might bend but wont break

As long as I can see your face

(Chorus)

When life won’t play along

And right keeps going wrong

And I can’t seem to find my way

I know where I am bound

So I won’t let it drag me down

Oh, I'll keep dancing anyway

I'm gonna move (move)

I'm gonna move (move)

I'm gonna move

I’ve got to hold 'er steady

Keep my head in the game

Everything is about to change

Everything is about to change

This hurt is getting heavy

But I'm not about to cave

Everything is about to change

There's gonna be brighter days

I just might bend but won’t break

As long as I can see your face

(Chorus)

No matter what may come

Gotta move to a different drum

No matter what life brings

Gotta move gotta move to a different beat (x2)

I just might bend but wont break

As long as I can see your face

(Chorus) x2

(Album available May 4th --The Generous Mr. Lovewell.)

Prayer Meeting

I have started writing this post at least a half a dozen times, and I can't seem to get past the first sentence. How do I begin? What do I say? Do I really want to open myself up for...I've done this before and... It didn't go very well.

Some months ago, I wrote about how what seems good might not be good and what seems bad might not really be bad. I also wrote about praying specifically and honestly. I wrote about how sometimes those specific and honest prayers are not socially acceptable, and some of the reactions and responses I received  served to prove my point. One comment from a person on a "Christian social site" (not here on my blog) accused me of praying for people to die so that I might have gain.

Whoa! Hang on a minute! I'd never do that.

Her remark does make me think though...If a mortician asks God to bless and profit his business, isn't he actually praying for... Ahem. Okay, let's not go there today.

Apparently I didn't do a very good job of expressing myself before. Yet here I am again, asking my readers to join me in prayer. Am I one half stupid and the other half dumb?

Before you answer that, I want you to know that I have taken to heart everything each of you said in your responses to my previous post. I've asked God to search my heart and show me if there is any wickedness or sinfulness in me and in my prayers. I'm certainly not without sin, but what He has shown me concerning my post is that I could have been a little more careful and precise in choosing my words, and also that no matter how I say something, there will be people who don't understand.

He reminded me that most people will only pray for those things they believe are good for them and their friends. That's only natural. I know it is difficult to pray specifically when you don't completely understand all the details of the situation. I now know better than to tell you I'm praying for a storm, but the best thing I know is that God hears my heart when I pray because of the work of the Holy Spirit--my interpreter. God never misunderstands! Hallelujah!!

Today I'm asking you to pray for us. Again, work (storms) has been scarce and the bank account is almost empty. Our need, as I see it, is great! Since God never misunderstands, and since I am trusting Him to answer all our prayers for His glory and our good (as only He knows good), you can pray just as specifically or generally as you like. If one of you wants to pray that money mysteriously show up in my mailbox, and another simply prays that we get work or that our needs be met, and someone else thinks we should give up and find a new career and you want to pray for God to give us guidance, that's all fine. If you feel a little bold and want to pray for a storm for us, then go for it! God can't be confused any more than He he can misunderstand.

I don't want you to think that I'm self-centered and care about only my needs. Not at all. I desire to see God move and show himself mighty in your life, just as much as in mine. I want to pray with and for all my readers. I want to have a good old fashioned prayer meeting, and here is how we can make that happen with a modern day twist.

If you don't have a blog, you can just post your prayer request as a comment here so I and all my readers can pray for you. Remember to subscribe to comments so you will know when other readers post and you can add them to your prayer list. If you do have a blog, feel free to comment, but also leave your prayer request in the linky tool below. Then, copy the code for this linky. Go to your blog and write a post about your need for prayer, and while in HTML editing mode, past the code. Be sure to put the name of your blog and your URL in the appropriate place. That way, all our blogs and prayer requests will be linked up and it will be easy for us to visit each other and pray for one another. Encourage your readers to join in and we will have a big, modern day prayer gathering! It'll be grand!

Let us encourage one another through the rough times in our lives. Let us rejoice together over what God is doing. Let us gather together and agree in asking God to meet out needs, guide us, teach us, and bless us--his children. LET US PRAY!

My Project Continued

I just now realized that I'm going to have a problem coming up with titles for all my Project 365 posts. Especial for days like these last few. Life has definitely NOT been dashing and bold. Unless, of course, I drop a piece of mail on the way back from the mail box, and with the wind blowing like it does here, then I might be seen DASHING after it. But besides that, dull and uneventful sums up the end of the week.

Here are my dull and uneventful photos. (I'm only a week into this yearlong hobby and I'm already having a hard time finding something fun and exciting to capture.)

 Hubby took this photo. Storm clouds building. We got just a quick sprinkle that barely wet the ground, but communities all around us experienced a little stormy weather complete with hail and tornadoes. Thankfully no serious damage was reported. (But if your livelihood depends on storm damage, you might be a little disappointed that more roofs weren't dinged up a little.) Yeah, we are needing work.

Can you see the windmill spinning? The last couple days the wind had been--well--down right horrible. I'm amazed sometimes that all our trees stay rooted. The wind triggers my allergies, so I cough and cough and ... I though you'd rather see a picture of the wind mill. (You're welcomed.)

We have three of these benches in our yard. Time and the elements have taken a toll. It is time for a little sprucing up. Above is the before photo and below is the after picture.

A little planing, a little slopping on of some tinted weather proofing stuff, a little wire brushing, a little spray painting...and wah-la! Good as new.

Today begins a new week, and it finds me hoping for answered prayers, encouragement, and yes, maybe even a little adventure.

I have WAY too much fun with my camera

I've never been any good at following rules. I told you about this 365 picture thing. The meming group I agreed to join posts a week's worth of pictures on Sundays. Well, today was too picture perfect to wait until Sunday. And, just one photo wouldn't cut it for today either. Since I've already posted some photos, not knowing the rule about posting on Sunday, I decided, what the heck. I'd go ahead and wreck the rest of this week and try to do it right next week. How does that sound?

The weather was beautiful this morning (before the wind gusted up this afternoon) so we spent most of the day outside.

Mr. and Mrs. Sparrow seem to work building, or at least padding, their nest all the time. I keep thinking that one of these days, she is going to have to stop with the decorating and lay some eggs. The feather that is in her little beak came from the chicken coop next door.

I'm hesitant about showing you this next picture because it will give you an idea of how strange, eccentric, weird, unique I am.

For you see, when we first moved here eleven years ago, we had a few cacti and yuccas, so very native, growing on our acreage. Longing for the ranches I grew up on, I wanted to create a cactus bed to embrace the native vegetation. Once we had added more yucca and various kinds of cacti, I decided that the only thing missing from my arid landscape was some bones. You know, like you see in the movies?  A cow, expired from hunger and thirst in the desert, and the bones picked clean by buzzards, was the scene in my mind's eye.

I've got some really fun parents. They are just as, um, unique as I, and they were happy to help me with my plan. Dad knew exactly where on the ranch they call home in Oklahoma, rested a complete cow skeleton, picked clean by buzzards. And my mom knew exactly where on a plot of land she owns, about 30 miles from my house, was a complete mule--long ago deceased and picked clean. I had hit the jackpot!

My precious parents brought all the bones from afar and helped me place them perfectly among the prickly pear and bear grass.  I wish you could have seen it. I was so proud!

Now, eleven years later, stray dogs and coyotes have swiped a good portion of my cow and mule. The bones that remain were so out of arrangement that even I couldn't recapture the original scene. Bindweed and thistle have taken over, and just in case you were wondering, it is really hard to pull weeds from a cactus bed.

Now my little spot of native ranch land is nothing but a mess.

Today was the day to clean up that mess.

All our digging and raking brought this little desert dweller out of hiding.

You can't believe how many pictures I took of this lizard. He got sick of my fascination--all he wanted to do was warm himself on a rock!

The whole time we were working to clean out the bed, we enjoyed the songs of various birds--happy happy birds. Y'all KNOW how I like birds. These beautiful cedar waxwings flitted around in our trees all day, and I was filled with joy because of it. They are so cute!

So there ya go. At this rate, my Project 365 is going to be more like my Project 999. Oh well. Like I said, I have WAY too much fun with my camera!