A Shiny Red Bicycle

Isn’t that just what every kid dreams about?  Well, Wally, the big kid in my life, has been doing some dreaming about a new red bike.  He’s also been doing some surfing..of the web kind…and found his shiny red bike.  In Florida of course.  He arranged to have it shipped by truck and it finally arrived a little over a week ago.  It’s a Honda ST1300.

I looked out the window early one morning, and saw this huge semi truck.  I thought it was a moving truck for one of the residents.  Then I saw the bike being lowered to the street.  That truck was hauling nothing but motorcycles and a couple of pianos! 

Yep, just like a big kid, all he could do was grin!

Do you notice all the snow and icicles?  It’s really not motorcycle weather yet!

Well, if he can’t ride it yet, he can wash it!  He’s still grinning!

Thankful Thursday

Do you ever tell someone that you will pray for them, with all the best intentions and desires to do it more than once, but simply forget to do so?  I do that a lot and I hate it. My heart is to want to pray, knowing that only God is able to help.  Well this past weekend at the BSF retreat I learned something new to help me pray better.  For the first time, the retreat included break out sessions on Saturday afternoon.  We could choose two to attend.  One of my choices was the workshop entitled Urgent Prayer Care.  It was excellent and I am so thankful for this simple little idea that has stuck in my brain and I am actually using it.

The idea was to encourage us to be like “first responders” in an emergency situation.   When a person is brought into the ER the first responders have a quick A-B-C checklist they use to evaluate their condition.  A= Check the airway, B= Breathing, and C= Circulation.  When someone comes to us in a crisis situation, the same evaluation can be done spiritually. We can be first responders in prayer. A= Address the Situation, B=Bring God In, and C=Communicate Hope.

This takes just minutes to do because you are praying with someone in an emergency. Quickly, you simply state the situation (addressing the situation), pray one of God’s attributes or His character (bringing God in), then pray one of His promises in scripture (communicating the hope).  I have  been using the idea to pray for a person as they cross my mind throughout the day or when one of my kids has asked for prayer about something.  Just last night I awoke with thoughts flooding my mind about a situation and it was so helpful to switch those thoughts into the A, B, C prayer.  Give it a try. You might just find you are “praying without ceasing” as we are commanded to do!

BSF Leader’s Retreat

This past weekend I attended a retreat in downtown Denver for all the leaders of the Bible Study Fellowship classes in our area.  (I think it is a five State region).  At our retreat just over 2,000 leaders gathered.  It included leaders from Women’s Day classes, and Evening classes, Men’s Evening classes, and two Young Adult classes. 

The retreat was held at the Denver Convention Center.  I stayed at the Embassy Suites which had just opened in December…very nice. There was a Starbucks just outside their door.  Also very nice!  And my room mate, April was, that’s right…very, very nice!

We did stay awake until 1:00 am on Friday night talking.  Not so nice!  I told April on Saturday night we could not stay up that late again.  So our mouths stopped moving at midnight!

Here are the leaders of the Denver Evening Women’s Class. There are 31 of us and we were missing two leaders at the retreat.

The theme this year was Eradicating Biblical Poverty. We went through the book of II Timothy in our joined sessions.  I very much enjoyed this personal look at the heart of the Apostle Paul in the last days of his life.

One thing about going to the area retreat is that you get a glimpse outside your own class into the bigger impact BSF has on the world.  Here are some interesting numbers:  There are more than 244,000 adults enrolled in a class, and more than 52,000 children, from infants through grade 12.  There are 1,059 classes in 38 countries.  There are six classes in China and four pilot classes.  Most of these classes in China are in English, but there is a men’s class that is in Chinese.  BSF is printing their materials in Chinese!  That is amazing!  The founder of BSF was A. Wetherall Johnson.  She was a missionary to China with the China Inland Mission.  When the communist took over the country, Miss Johnson was imprisoned in China.  Today in the place where she was imprisoned stands a hotel.  And inside that hotel is a BSF class.  Only an amazing God can put together a story like that! 

It was a great weekend!

Valentines

Before Valentine’s Day rolls into Wednesday, here’s a peek at some cards and treat holders I made for my kids and grand kids.  I love these gift card holders.  I saw the idea here from Chic n Scratch’s blog.  She has lots of gift card holder ideas.  I sent these two to my married kids.

I saw the idea for these treat holders from another of my favorite blogs, CardzTV.  It’s so super simple!  Elaine and Nolan received one, and my baby Wesley.

The pink treat holder is kind of lopsided…too much candy for Elaine!

Here are a few Valentine cards I sent…

Happy Valentine’s Day

I Corinthians 13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Thankful Thursday

This past Sunday during our Sunday School opening  we had a farewell for our pianist, Selena.  She's not really leaving.  She just wants to attend her class in the youth group since she is a senior this year.  It’s kind of funny because she did not want to attend her class back in fourth or fifth grade.  So Margie, my friend and the first grade teacher, took Selena under her wing and Selena became her helper in the first grade class.

Now Selena comes from a musical family and she could play the piano.  But she was kind of shy and…she never would.  We had a couple of other pianists come through and play for us.  If they were absent one week, we would try to get Selena to fill in and…she never would.  But then the day came when that pianist left and finally, though reluctant, Selena…took her place at the piano. 

I lead the singing for our opening and I know a lot of songs.  The problem is that sometimes the way I think I know them and the way they really sound are often not the same. Having a pianist to correct that flaw is very helpful!  I also do not do soprano very well.  It is amazing how many songs are written for the “high” voices.  I cannot tell you how many times I have looked at Selena and said, “that’s too high”  and she takes it right down to the nice alto range!  

Selena has also been faithful.  She is there on time when we begin and she has not missed very many Sundays.  That is something you do not find too often, especially from our youth.

So thank you Selena for sharing your abilities with our children’s department for the past four or more years.  Thank you for your willingness to serve and for being so faithful!  You have been a blessing!

 

“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful”
I Corinthians 4:2

Sympathy Cards

Denver got a bunch of snow overnight and all day long.  We were up to sixteen inches at noon, and its still coming down.  Wally had to plow and organize a shoveling crew. But there was a Memorial Service to attend.  Regardless of the weather, I have not heard of anyone postponing a wedding or a funeral. Today’s service was for our friend Joann.  She overcame her battle with cancer when she stepped into the presence of her Lord and Savior on Tuesday morning.  Joann has two married step children and one daughter who is in her senior year of college.  I wanted to give a card to each of the kids as well as John.  So here is what I did….

I actually made this card at Stamp Camp back in November. I just added a scripture verse to the inside.  I tried to duplicate it but I do not have many flower stamps and what I had did not look too good.

This was another Stamp Camp idea…it was yellow and a Thinking of You card.  I was glad I remembered how to do it and just changed it into a sympathy card. 

I did this card all on my own.  I like how it came out and I actually enjoyed making it!

And here is the last one. 

Sympathy cards are meant to let someone you care about know that you thinking of them and praying for them.  I think the time spent making them was ministry to my own heart also.  We have another funeral on Monday and I do not believe this lady knew the Lord as her Savior.  It will have a different focus and I hope our card…yet to be made…will serve as a witness to her family.

Thankful Thursday

Here’s a hodge podge of some grateful thoughts I have had this week…

• Biblical thinking…I am so thankful for this as we are daily inundated with so much coming at us on the political landscape, the tough economy and unrest in the world resulting in so much loss of life!  I am constantly taking refuge in God’s perspective!
• The surety of God’s Word…thinking of a friend who has many difficulties in her life and another friend who finished her race and battle with cancer this week.  How thankful I am for God’s  faithful promises!
• My Dad came by yesterday to pick something up---and Mom came along too!  She has not been out since her doctor appointment in early January.  She can now put weight on her leg, but it has been a slow and painful process.  She thinks she moves too slow, but I thought she was doing great!
• Family updates…we exchange these by email and we revived it this week.  I love hearing from my kids in their own words!
• Skype moments with the grandkids and with Wesley a time or two!
• Getting organized…I had computer help this week for some things in the Polo Club office.  And I am making some progress on some of my own personal piles!  I’m kind of excited about getting some projects underway.
• A special Starbucks mug…given to me by a friend and everyday in January I was able to get a free cup of coffee in it.  (Wally wants to know if there is a February mug?)  Thanks, Debbie!
• Time and energy came together and I got to do some stuff in my scrappin’ room!

Have a Blessed Thankful Thursday!!

Hebrew 10:23…let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…