A belated Merry Christmas to everyone! A Happy New Year, as well. It has been a very busy month, but filled with many fun and lovely events. I was happy to be able to attend the annual Kansas City Brass Concert which is held each year at the Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, MO. In 2003, my family and I attended this, and it has become a tradition. They are all members of the Symphony, and so funny!!! The Christmas party at the assisted living where I work, was a neat event! Our director, Phyllis and her husband Frank, were Mr. and Mrs. Claus. The residents loved it! A very nice gift is given to all of the residents, and they sang Christmas songs and carols together as well as enjoyed sweets. Our annual Wright family Christmas gathering is always so nice. My Uncle Nathan and his wife, Renee, always organize this, and it's a great way for us all to take time to be together. This year, instead of going to a restaurant, we met at the Gregory Hills Church Family Life Center, and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast buffet cooked by my brother Jonathan, cousin Darric and others. It was the best buffet in town!!!! There's still more Christmas to come, as my immediate family will not have our celebration until January 2! So, I have a few more things to purchase, and hope to get some after Christmas bargains!!!!
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways
Do you believe in God's providence? I do, and after you read this, I hope you will! I have been using a SunCloud infrared, electrical heater for several years in the basement apartment that I rent from my Grandmother. The house is more than 50 years old, and was not wired for our modern appliances. I have been using a converter to plug the three-pronged heater into a two-pronged wall outlet. For several days prior to Saturday, December 5, I had been smelling a "hot" smell when the electrical heater would run. Then, it was Saturday. My mom and dad were coming over to help me do some things, and while they were there, I asked my dad about the heater and the hot smell. He took the filter off of the back of it to check and see if it was dirty. It was okay. Around this time, the heater cycled on and the hot smell started. At first, it wasn't so strong and he didn't smell it too much if any. Then, it got stronger. A short time later, fire began coming out of the area where it was plugged into the wall! You talk about action! I, stupidly, ran into the kitchen and started getting water to put on it and was hollering around about it being on fire. My dad, thankfully, went to the outlet where the fire and smoke were coming out of, and began hitting at it with his hand. He managed to yank the cords that were plugged into the wall out and the fire stopped! Thank God! The smoke alarm did not go off. We were left with a melted and burned converter and a cloud of soot and smoke. It was a miracle. Had this happened when I was sleeping, or my Grandma and I were gone, we would not have a house standing today. My Christmas tree was very close to the outlet and it would've probably caught on fire very soon, or at least some of the ornaments. The wooden window seal just about the outlet had a black area on it, and it would've most likely caught on fire eventually. I'm grateful that it happened just at the time my parents were there. Had it happened while I was home alone, I would've possibly thrown that water on it, and might have electrocuted myself! So, God worked it all out to happen just at the "right" time! It's as if He thought, "Okay, this fire is going to happen, the laws of nature tell that. If this happens at the time when she is asleep, or gone, it will be tragic. I will arrange for her parents to come by at just the right time. I'll keep it from catching on fire until that moment. Her dad will know what to do." He was looking out for me. When I doubt His loving care, I should recall this near tragedy and remember His faithfulness to me! When I feel alone and discouraged, I should remember that all my days are numbered by Him and they aren't up yet! He still has work for me to do. He is so good. There is a lovely chorus which goes along with this very well.
"He is good, He is good, His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. He is good, He is good, His love endures forever. Give thanks, for He is good..."
Yes, God was very good to me that day and I give Him glory and honor!
Psalms 103:1 "Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits."
It is that time of year again...the time to reflect on God's great blessings. I am very grateful for many things, but I wanted to especially reflect on an area that I can't always say I appreciated as much as I do now. When I was a child, growing up here in Kansas City, my life revolved, primarily around three things: my father's family, the Overland Park Church, and Kansas City College and Bible School. On Sundays, we would awaken and get ready for church, accompanied by such music as Rex Bullock, Rudy Atwood, Richard Beckham and others. We loved music! We would eat lunch at home ourselves, or with Kenny and Darlene, my dad's brother or some other family. Then, back to church in the evening. Monday morning would start another week of walking or riding up to "the school." There, we would be privileged to receive an education in a Christian environment. We not only learned the three R's, but we also attended chapel and studied the Bible. I still remember learning I Corinthians 13 in Third grade when my teacher was Arlene McGehee! On Friday evenings and Saturday evenings, there was sometimes an activity at "the school," such as a 16 millimeter film, a ball game, a concert, or a revival service at the church which adjoined the school campus. We often spent time on the weekends with my dad's family and at other times throughout the week! It wasn't just limited to the weekends. Five of my dad's siblings lived within walking distance of our house for a number of years while I was growing up. We enjoyed many, many hours together at one of our homes and many times in my family's back yard! There are many photos in many photo albums chronicling our wonderful family times! The church had two revivals each year, and these were times of God's presence drawing near. My family was extremely faithful to these meetings and all other services. We rarely missed a service! And, I can't forget the friendships I enjoyed as a part of this trio of areas which my life revolved around! These relationships involved not only other students at school, but some of my own cousins! My cousin Kendra and I shared many laughs and secrets through the years! There were so many other things I could share...the various music groups I was a part of at "the school,"...the field trips...the choir services...the fun times we had in class...on and on I could go...I am so blessed to have such a lovely childhood and growing up years...I am a very blessed woman. Thank you, Jesus, for parents who desired to bring me up in Your admonition...thank you for those who sacrificed so that I could attend a Christian school from Kindergarten through twelfth grade...thank you for a loving extended family with which I have so many wonderful memories...I am very blessed...thank you for the friendships...thank you for all the great spiritual influences that I was privileged to be immersed in...thank you that I never had to go to public school all those years! I am very blessed...Thank You, Jesus!
Ladies' Retreat was October 17, 2009! We had such a lovely day! The Lord's presence was real, and many hearts were touched. Mrs. Sheila Wolf from Cincinnati, OH was our featured speaker. Mrs. Marsha Potteiger from Marion, OH was our featured soloist and also spoke in one of the afternoon sessions. Mrs. Wolf spoke very practically about our relationship with God, bringing our "to do list" to the Lord each day and about how we could reach out to touch others with the love of God. Marsha, who was also my best friend from college days, sang beautifully. I was privileged to accompany her again as I had done many years ago! She gave her personal testimony of how God has done marvelous things for her, her husband and their marriage. She spoke openly of her husbands' struggle with Pornography and best of all, his complete deliverance from this sin by the power of God! It was very moving. We enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by Gloria Meyers, and desserts made by various ladies. There was a great craft time where we could make a notebook which could be used for many different things including a sermon notebook, recipe book, etc. There were 8 tables set up by various ones for shopping and browsing. All in all, it was a very worthwhile day! All the glory goes to Jesus who died that we might have fullness of joy in Him!
I've been thinking about a subject that is probably somewhat controversial, but most people are not really talking about it. The subject I propose to discuss in this blog post is this; should churches and Christian organizations charge for events such as conferences, Ladies' Retreats, Vacation Bible Schools, youth camps, etc.? The next question would be; what does the Bible say about it? How does the Bible teach us to fund God's work?
In Matthew 14:14-21 we read
14And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
16But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
18He said, “Bring them here to Me.”19Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
What was Jesus' solution to the problem of food? Did He ask them to pay money to be fed? Did He ask them to pay money for hearing Him preach and for healing them? The answers to all of these questions is a clear "no." An interesting note in this passage is that when the disciples suggested that the people go into a neighboring village and buy food, Jesus, instead, instructed them to feed the people! Surely, Jesus was hoping against hope that the disciples would have faith in Him! After all, He was God! He must've been thinking, "C'mon, guys! Can't you see that I'm God! I can supply any need!"
How many times do we begin a new ministry, only to expect people to pay to partake of the gospel! How can we do this? The gospel was given to us freely. Can't we trust God to supply the funds for ministry? Of course, that is assuming that He is behind the ministry in the first place. I believe that God will supply the need for any ministry if it is His will for that ministry to exist. If the funds are not available after praying and trusting the Lord to provide, we need to ask ourselves if that particular ministry is His will.
But, back to our passage in Matthew. The disciples had a desire to do something good. They saw that the hour was late, and the people were certainly tired and hungry. Why not dismiss them and have them go and buy some refreshment. Sounds reasonable, right? William Burkitt addressed this quite well. "The motion which the disciples make on behalf of the multitude, Send them away that they may buy victuals. Here was a strong charity, but a weak faith. A strong charity in that they desire the people's relief: but a weak faith, in that they suppose that they could not be otherwise relieved, but by sending them away to buy victuals; forgetting that Christ, who had healed the multitude miraculously, could as easily feed them miraculously, if he pleased: all things being equally easy to omnipotency."
The disciples would've missed this wonderful opportunity for a miracle except that the Lord stepped in and saved the day! How many times have we been of such little faith that we didn't trust God to provide in a wonderful and miraculous way? We just assume that this is a day of small things and so, in order to fund God's work, we must rely on admission charges, courting secular corporations, bake sales and garage sales. This is a sad commentary on our faith! We serve the Creator of the universe, people! He can provide any need we have!
Malachi 3:10-12 "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house..." If we would give as God has asked us to, there will be plenty to fund His work!
I Timothy 6:17-10 "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." We should trust in the living God to supply all funds to cause His work to go forward. We should be willing to share as we are able so those who cannot give or share will still be able to participate in various events and endeavors.
I am so grateful to be an American! I am sorry that our nation has been slipping down on a path away from God, but I don't believe we should despair! God is still running this world, and He will decide what ultimately happens. I have been reading a book, The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer, and came across this in my reading; "The possibilities and necessity of prayer, its power and results are manifested in arresting and changing the purposes of God and in relieving the stroke of his power..." Some examples from the Word of God about how prayer "changed" God's purposes would include Jonah who cast himself into the sea and God prepared the great fish to swallow him up. "Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly...and the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." When Jonah called upon the Lord in his time of disobedience, God heard his prayer and delivered him from the fish. Even, wicked King Pharaoh believed in God! He implored Moses four times to call upon God and ask for God's mercy when the plagues were happening to the Egyptians. Each time Moses would pray to God and the answer would come and the plague was lifted. Or, how about good King Hezekiah who was told that his time was fast over on this earth and he prayed to God and was given fifteen years more! When you stop and think about this, do any possibilities come to your mind about what God might want to do in America? Is it possible that He might yet want to "Revive us again, that we may rejoice?" Yes, we have certainly turned away from Him as a nation, but yet, is He willing that we should perish? Is He waiting for one of His own to "stand in the gap" and plead with Him for mercy and revival as Moses did for the children of Israel? I believe that one of the reasons why we have not been judged more harshly in America is because of the Christians who are still seeking after God and crying over the sins of this nation. While wicked men see the Christians as the problem, they are actually, most likely, the reason America is still the land that it is! Without the Christians, it is possible God would give us even more over to judgment. With that thought in mind, do you think it is possible that God is going over the earth, searching for someone to rise up and be that individual who will first of all, fast and pray for revival, and then to speak with boldness of the truth of God?
Saturday, September 05, I attended a bit of "United We Stand" in Kansas City, MO. There were many people there! Probably a few thousand. There were many like minded people who are also worried about the state of our country. There was even a 16 year old girl who sang beautifully, "God Bless the USA." She, too, is concerned, even at her age, about the direction our country is heading if present leaders have their way. I am grateful to see that many other people are true patriots and desire to see our nation remain free. God help America!
Hi! I just came home from a trip to Pennsylvania to visit my cousin Darrin and his wife Jan, and their daughter Kerri. We had such a nice time. I laughed so much as Darrin is so crazy, and I got lots of sleep. On Saturday, we went to Hershey, PA to visit the Hershey visitor's center. While there, we had the best milkshakes! Wow! Mine was Chocolate/Peanut Butter!!! It doesn't get any better than that. I'm grateful for a safe trip and a restful time.
Yesterday, I and some of my family "stood for freedom" in Overland Park, KS at the Tea Party. We protested with about 350 others outside of our democratic congressman's office. I am hoping we can send him home, and out to pasture next year! We don't want Obamacare! We want freedom to choose our own doctors and not have a death panel telling my grandma it's time to die! That is UnAmerican and just down right "not nice!"
Here are my three little piano students! Kristel, John David and Alexis. This picture was taken at our family reunion on July 11, 2009. They are three of my little cousins, and all played piano solos for the family. Each of them received an award for their outstanding work! I am proud of their progress, and hope they will continue pursuing the piano as they grow up.
I was very privileged to visit the headquarters of Operation Rescue on Saturday, August 1, 2009 in Wichita, KS. If you are not aware of this organization, please check out their very excellent website at www.operationrescue.org. My parents and I were given a tour by a volunteer, Tara, and her husband was also in the building. Operation Rescue is located in a former abortion clinic in a not so nice area of town. As you can see from the photos, they left the original sign from the abortion clinic, and placed the word "closed" over top of it. They bought this roach infested building three years ago, when the abortion facility was forced to shut down. What an opportunity! It was filthy, dirty and horrible inside. Such a parallel to the evil that was present when 50,000 babies were murdered! Since OR claimed it, they have literally transformed it into a beautiful, clean, peaceful place. What a change comes from being inhabited by evil, to being filled with the presence of God. Notice the memorial wall remembering each of these precious lives lost. Lives lost, who will never get to grow up and pursue all of life's dreams. Never being able to go to college, get married, have children, perhaps discover the cure to cancer...
OR works to educate and end abortion through peaceful means. They were close to having George Tiller removed as an abortionist, when he was gunned down. One of their next projects is to try to prevent LeRoy Carhart from Nebraska from taking Tiller's place as a major late term abortionist.
I was able to get a copy of Troy Newman's book, Their Blood Cries Out. Excellent so far. Troy is the head of OR, and I would highly recommend this book. It shows clearly from the Bible why abortion must be ended.
Please also see the picture of former abortionist, George Tiller's now empty abortion clinic! (bottom) Praise the Lord, babies are no longer dying in this building. The sign has been removed, but this is the place where thousands of babies died. May our hearts be changed and may we fight for the end of this genocide.
From Psalm 139...(my paraphrase) You made me, and all my intricate parts while I was in my mother's womb...You knew me even when I was in a secret place...Your thoughts to me are precious, I cannot count them...Your works are marvelous! I praise You, Jesus, for You made me amazingly!
Hello, everyone, what are your values? Have you thought about how your values affect every aspect of your life? If you believe the Bible, cover to cover, it will either become the basis of all of your life, or it won't, simple as that. Let me explain...The Bible is very clear about certain issues. God is holy, just, and desires honesty in all things. God has made it clear in His Word, that killing is sinful and wrong. He has made it clear that marriage is between one man and one woman for life. God has made it clear that sexual expression is for that union alone. God has made it clear that children are a blessing, not a burden. He has made it clear that those who do not work, should not eat. I could go on and on. If all of this sounds negative, it really isn't. Since God created the world and set its laws in motion, He ought to know how it should be run, right? Oh, and that brings me to another truth in God's Word that is foundational, that being of literal creation of the world by Him in 7 days. So, what does this all mean in our every day lives? Let's just look at it from the political spectrum. I've been interested in politics on some scale for a long time. But, never, has it been such an interest as it became starting around a year ago. This past election of Obama(BO) as president, the most radical and liberal president ever in our history, and the most liberal and radical congress ever in our history, has made a huge change in the direction of our country. The dire nature of all of this began to be impressed upon me last year as elections were shaping up. How did values play out in the campaign? As our country has turned away from God, the values of the American people have become more anti-God and humanistic over the last 60 years or so. The values of the American people used to be more along the lines of the Bible. Now, our values are pretty much whatever feels good. Everyone does what is right in their own eyes, with no foundation of the Bible which our laws and country were originally built on. That is how so many otherwise good people, got caught up in the "cult of Obama." Their values were not clearly defined. They either didn't have a firm foundation of the Bible or they didn't know what he really was since our main stream media refused, for the most part, to actually report what he was really all about. So, lost in a drift away from God, many did not know or care or both that he believes there should be no restrictions on the killing of unborn babies, for instance. They didn't know or care or both, that he was really a socialist/marxist. He does not like freedom and the free enterprise system that we have traditionally had in this country, and which has made this country the envy of the world. The did not know or care that he would love to expand our welfare system, so that more people won't have to work for what they eat or have. There is much more to be said here. A Christian should have the value system that includes a strong belief in God, the belief in life for all, including the unborn. As Christian's we should believe and hold dear a system of truth and justice for all. In the past election, the choice was clear. While McCain was not the perfect candidate, nor my first choice, when you held him up next to BO, there was no choice to be made, it was so obvious. McCain has been very consistently pro-life in his political career. He is a true American patriot and layed down his life for us as a soldier in the military. His running mate clearly had a very Christian worldview and proved her pro-life beliefs in her own personal life, knowingly giving birth to a Down's Syndrome child. For a Christian to vote for the BO, one has to question their value system. Did they not know or understand what BO was? Was their value system not clearly defined? Have they drifted from a clear understanding of what the Bible says? Did they vote as some knee jerk reaction, caught up in a cult-like mentality without clearly thinking about what the consequences were? I would like to hear your thoughts...
Hello, everyone! I am nearing the end of a wonderful weekend with the Wright family. I feel so blessed to be part of such a wonderful extended family. Friday evening, we had about 40 people at Celebration Park at Gardner, KS. We had several who grilled hamburgers, hotdogs and my veggie kabobs. We had plenty of wonderful food and many laughs. On Saturday, we went to the Wright-Kimbler reunion held in Fort Scott, KS. Some of us visited the cemetery prior to the reunion to see some graves, including my father's parents, Noble and Maye Wright. At the reunion, we had so much food!!!! We were privileged to hear my three little piano students as well as some others play musical instruments. Then, awards were given out. Last evening, some of us went out to eat. Today, I have been talking with my aunt and uncle here all the way from Pennsylvania. After church tonight, will be the final event. We will be gathering for one last shebang to fellowship. Tomorrow, the remaining ones will take off for home. Please enjoy the pic's!
Hello, everyone...I continue to study in the Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament. Such interesting accounts of God's dealings with His chosen people are contained in these books. There are so many spiritual applications which we can find for our lives today. One of these applications is found in 2 Chronicles 25:5-16. Here, we have King Amaziah of Judah reigning. He decided to gather the men together and form his army for battle. He thought he would be really smart and also hired men from the neighboring kingdom of Israel. However, God had other ideas about who should be in the army of Judah. The prophet at that time, who is only identified as "a man of God," came to the king and said, "O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel-not with any of the children of Ephraim...Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy..." Whoa! Any time God shows us something like that so clearly, we should pay attention!!! King Amaziah was concerned with the fact that he had already paid 100 talents to the men of Israel. He, naturally, didn't want to lose the money he had already paid to these men. What if that happened to me? What if I invested my money or time or resources into something, only to find out that God had other plans for me? What would I do? What would you do? Would I be willing to let it all go? Would you? The "man of God," had some very wise words for the king. "The Lord is able to give you much more than this." Let me repeat-"The Lord is able to give you MUCH MORE than this!!! Wow, let that sink in for a minute. If we remember that God owns everything, and is in charge of everything, we can rest assured that He will take care of us and is able to give us much more than we have lost! With that thought in mind, we can step out in faith, with an obedient heart and trust God for His provision. King Amaziah DID listen to God in this matter, but not in others. Instead of obeying God here and in the remainder of this account, he obeyed partially. He discharged the soldiers whom he had hired unadvisedly, went to battle and was successful. Then, he seemed to forget God's promises and sinned by bringing back a foreign idol! Anyway, I wonder what God would've done in fulfillment of His promise to give much more than he had lost?
Psalms 37:25-26 says it well-"I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor His descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; and His descendants are blessed." God is able to give us MUCH MORE than we can ask or imagine.
Hello, everyone! I want to report a very successful Vacation Bible School at the South Park Church on June 1-5! We had 39 different children, including babies, and a number of adults who came from time to time. We heard about some of the heroes and characters from the Old Testament such as Jacob and Esau and Gideon with his ragtag army of 300. Through stories, songs, crafts, etc., the good news of Jesus Christ was presented. As an outgrowth of the VBS, in part, we will be starting a Ladies' Bible Study in the very near future. One of the ladies who we are hoping to reach, had two children who came to VBS. They are an unchurched family, so this is an exciting new outreach. We plan to begin our Bible Study learning all about Jesus Christ. If you think of us, please pray for the Lord's help and blessing.
Hello, everyone...hope that my title caught your attention...let me tell you a story based on real facts and events, as well as real people! In a real town, not more than a million miles away, was a little group of Christians having Sunday School. The Pastor was teaching the class for adults when the door opened and little "Preston" came in. Preston and his mommy came and sat down on one of the pews toward the back. Little Preston could be heard making a noise as of chewing, and soon Pastor said, "Preston, did you bring me a donut?" Preston was so happy to say, "Yes, we brought lots of donuts for everyone!! They are out here in the lobby and everyone can have some!" He was so excited to share this special treat. You see, Preston and Mommy had started coming to church only several months before. Instantly, Mommy liked this little church and so did he! The people made her feel welcome, and while some of them looked a little different than she did, they never made her feel out of place. They even let her help with children's church and greeted her with smiles each week. They all thought Preston was really cute even though he was kindav noisy some times. Now, she just wanted to do something to let these special people know how much she loved them all... So, after Sunday School, the church people all headed out to the lobby. Some began eating donuts, others wrapped one up to take and eat later. Preston kept telling everyone, "Look at all the donuts! Come and get one!" After church, several of the church people came around to Mommy and expressed appreciation for the unexpected donut treat. No one said unkind things or told her that "we don't eat in church!" She left feeling a part of this little diverse group, determined to keep coming back to a place where she was welcomed to hear God's Word and her little Preston was loved in spite of his rambunctious ways. So, my question to you is this...would Jesus have eaten a donut? I believe that He would've. There doesn't seem to be any Biblical reason not to. What do you think?
On this past Friday, we went to eat breakfast in Cincinnati with my Aunt and Uncle, David and Dorothy (Puzy) Reynolds. Afterwords, we proceded down to Petersburg, KY to visit the Creation Museum. Wow! Everyone should go there! A sinner could go through the museum and get saved, there is so much scripture and the plan of salvation is clearly presented! Among the exhibits is the Garden of Eden. Beautiful, almost life like figures are throughout the garden, protraying Adam and Eve, etc. Outside, we walked on the nature trail and visited the petting zoo. It was a beautiful, Spring day to visit.
From the top...my long time friend, Becky Newport and myself...Melanie and Cindy Kearny and myself...some of the crowd at the convention...at Steak 'n Shake (it was a late night!)
Hello, everyone. I wanted to share some pictures from my recent trip to Dayton, OH to the convention. It was a time of a lot of fun, adventure and lack of sleep! I got to see a number of people that I rarely see! The convention started Tuesday afternoon and concluded on Thursday evening. There was lots of preaching, music and fellowship with others. I ate too much and slept too little!!
My parents, grandma, Orville and friends, Steve and Cindy Kearney, met today in Alexandria, IN on our way to Ohio at the Bill and Gloria Gaither book store and cafe. It was a very nice place! We shopped, and then ate a really good meal. The service was great, and the food tasted very well. They had a deal where you bought a DVD and received a free CD. I chose a Gaither homecoming video, Live From Toronto and a CD from Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. Then, after eating and shopping, I took over driving Grandma and Orville's car into Dayton. Orville doesn't feel comfortable driving after dark on unfamiliar roads. We arrived here around 10pm and are settled in our rooms. Several of us are all hanging out in my parents room, and were going to view a Gaither DVD, but can't figure out how to hook up Cindy's DVD player to the TV...have a great evening!
Hello, Happy Easter! I am grateful for the truth found in I Corinthians 15:20, "Now is Christ risen from the dead..." What a reality! We may know the risen Savior in a personal way. While true Christianity is not a "religion," having a relationship with Jesus does set Christians apart from all other religious groups. While they point to a tomb with their long passed away leader, or an idol of wood or stone, we can point to an empty tomb! Jesus is, even now, setting at the right hand of God, the Father, interceding for us! Amazing, but true. Here is a video from our most recent Wright Family gathering, which took place on Palm Sunday. We had 51 people total, including a few who were not actually Wrights. There were 3 tables of food, and plenty of candy for the kids in our Easter Egg hunt. A great time was had by all and it was a great success! Thanks to my cousin Kristina for helping to plan this!
Media Malpractice...what comes to your mind? Let me tell you about a documentary that I recently purchased. It is titled "Media Malpractice..How Obama got elected and Palin was targeted." I would highly recommend that you visit John Zeigler's website www.howobamagotelected.com and see what he has to say. Mr. Zeigler is a former talk show host and quite a talker! Quite a talker in a good way. The man can hardly be "out talked!" Mr. Zeigler made this documentary in the recent wake of Media bias towards Obama and against Sarah Palin...for those of you who enjoy a steady diet of the "drive by media", maybe this wouldn't interest you...however, it should! The mainstream media made a definate choice that they were going to support Obama and target Sarah Palin. It was very apparent if you knew anything about pre election coverage. Whatever was thought then, will be VERY clear if you watch this documentary! Mr. Zeigler has laid it all out, very clearly...I DARE YOU TO WATCH IT!
Hello, everyone, I hope you can read my yellow type! I am ready for yellow flowers and lots of yellow sunlight! I am ready for Spring! It seems to be coming, slow but sure, here in the midwest. I am grateful. I wanted to write to you about a little book I am reading. The Dangerous Duty of Delight by John Piper. An amazing little book, it is actually part of a larger book by Mr. Piper titled, Desiring God. In this little book, Mr. Piper tells us about a Biblical command that is usually neglected. This is stated very clearly in Deuteronomy 28:47-48, "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart.,..therefore you shall serve your enemies." This is known as Christian Hedonism. Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure. Christian Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure that is God ward. Very interesting. The passage previously quoted tells us what God thinks about this pursuit...He expects it and commands it. Because the children of Israel did not serve the Lord with gladness, they would be punished by serving their enemies. I think we can perhaps also apply this in regards to temptation. If we are truly seeking after God in a joyful manner, we will be much less likely to fall into temptation. I believe one of the biggest reasons we fall into temptation and snares, is when we have no joy in Christ. This is too bad, for the Psalmist gives us the place where we can find real pleasure..."In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11) C. S. Lewis wrote that we are satisfied far too easily with the things of this earth. I believe that is true. If we are satisfied with Christ and are finding joy in Him, why would we be tempted with the sinful things of this earth? I have not completed the book, yet. I would love to hear some comments on the subject of Christian Hedonism. What do you think? Is it possible to serve Christ with gladness? Or are we relegated to serving Him only out of duty, hoping for joy as a byproduct?
Hello, my friends! Last week, I was blessed to attend the annual Kansans for Life Valentine Banquet! Wow, what an evening! Nearly 1,000 people came to hear about what is happening in the pro life movement. My parents and I organized a table with 9 people and my brother Michael, his wife Shawna, and oldest niece, Luanna were also at the event along with my nephew, Karson. Part of the evening, included a preview of a new movie which will be coming out soon "Thine Eyes." This movie will document the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. which was held this January. Most of the main stream media will not report accurately how many people attend these events. A local writer here, Jack Cashill (www.cashill.com) wanted to do this movie to show how many people really came. Would you believe 300,000!!!! This further proves that many Americans are pro life! We also were blessed to hear Pedro and Michelle Armesto speak regarding Michelle's abortion which she was forced by her parents to have here in the state of Kansas. What a sad story. After she expelled the dead baby, she saw it lying on the floor of the abortion clinic. She was horrified. She cried as she spoke of this happening. She is now very pro life and has testified here in the Kansas Legislature. I would encourage you to find out about your local and state pro life organizations. Get involved. Give. Pray. Lastly, enjoy the four beautiful choices for life pictures here! My three nieces and my nephew!!! They are precious and I'm so glad their parents chose life!
