Texas Birthday with my sister

I decided after not spending a birthday with my twin since I was 22, it was time to make it happen. We had a great Birthday weekend with each other. Man, we had so much fun! We laughed a lot and just loved being together! On Saturday, we ventured out to do some last minute shopping before the baby arrives. People thought it was so funny that there was one of us pregnant. We made friends with our sister- Veronica at Motherhood Maternity. We even danced with her in the store! She was funny! She decided that since my sister had a baby in her tummy, I needed a tummy too. She strapped this fake tummy on me- that is what you will see in the pictures. Maybe you have a visual, or maybe you just had to be there. We laughed a lot together. Eli is making the baby's crib and surprised Mandy by making a matching dresser/changing table, which you will see in the above picture. We got to talk, laugh, swim, cook and have great fellowship with one another. It was really fun. Mandy dropped me off for my flight 20 minutes before I departed.... we really stretched our minutes.

Summer Update

Here are a few pictures of when I was in Cali last month.


Thought I would post a few pictues of the past month. Lots of pictures, I will post more later. Last June I was in California for my sisters baby shower, it was great to see family and friends. Carol and I headed down to Durango late May and this past weekend my friends Carol and Ann took me to Steamboat Springs for a early Birthday! We had lots of fun and went on a all day hike saturday and then had a picnic dinner by the river Saturday night.

Here are a few pics of this past weekend.

Francis Schaeffer

Here is a little background on a writter that has been touching my thoughts and stirring up things in my heart.

Francis Schaeffer was a Presbyterian minister with an ability to see how the questions of meaning, morals, and value being dealt with by philosophy, were the same questions that the Bible dealt with, only in different language. Once an agnostic, Schaeffer came to the conclusion that Biblical Christianity not only gave sufficient answers to the big questions, but that they were the only answers that were both self-consistent and livable. With this conviction he became a man of conversation.

Schaeffer taught that God is really there and He is not silent. He had spoken to man in the Bible as and a result we could have "true truth" about God and man. Knowing the dignity of man created in God's image, he placed a high value on creativity as an expression of that image. He opened his Swiss home to travelers to discuss these things. Later he began lecturing in universities and writing a number of books. Perhaps no other Christian thinker of the twentieth century, besides C.S. Lewis, has had more influence on thinking people.

Just to Say Hi

I was just thinking, this blog is getting old and I need to post! I have some good thoughts brewing..... I will post more tomorrow. I am pretty tired right now. I was out late at a Girls Night Out with some girls from church of all ages. It was a fun night talking to people and getting to know more about them. The weather has been amazing here and thanking Jesus for this beautiful summer. I was able to mountain bike fri, sat and sun! Went a little hard on Sunday and came home after a long steep ride with lactic acid burn up! I threw up and was fine... kinda weird.

So I had a sweet weekend reading and thinking. I am reading True Spirituality By Francis Shaffer. I will post more tomorrow about it. I love getting good nuggets to chew on and think about. So just wanted to say Hi and let you know that I am doing well! Off to bed.....It will be early, I have these raging birds that wake me up at 5:45 a.m. every morning. I am about to invest in a sling shot. Miss you all! Love ya' all.

BANGS

So, You when you have a house full of single girls things can get a little out of hand. I decided to take it upon myself and create bangs for everyone tonight after dinner. I hope you enjoy these pictures. Let me know your thoughts- Should I cut bangs? There may be some of you that remember me showing up to a leadership event at church with bangs like this, I almost got my self kicked out. Except I showed up with bangs like this and a spandex one piece ski suit- it was a piece of work. What gets into me????

Stirred

I had a great day of hiking in the beautiful Colorado Mountains. Some of my roomates, friends and I went hiking west of where we live in Glenwood Springs. The hike was called Hanging Lake. It was a beautiful day of being outside with people.

More that the hike, right now my heart is stirred up. We had a guest speaker at church tonight. Pastor Al Pittman from Calvary Colorado Springs shared on Galatians 15. It gets me every time.

Galatians 5:16-26


So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Why is it so easy to serve two masters? To say yes to the flesh- We need the Spirit of God to lead, guide and be the center of our lives. Why do we give over so easily? or why do I. I need the Holy Spirit to guide my life. I just want to trust and love... The righteous shall live by faith........

I am reminded again that I can do no good thing apart from Jesus.I want Jesus to be the standard and center of my life. I want him to be my motivation, my love, my standard, my instructor, my corrector, my councilor, my shepard, my husband, my best friend, the absolute passion and love of my life.

Jesus use me as your instrument, your fragrance to this broken world. Give me a greater compassion for the people and needs around me. Apart from you I can bear no good thing.

Back Home

I am back home! I was pretty tired when I rolled in early friday morning. Had a great trip with friends and was so encouraged seeing all that God is doing in the church and through the missionaries in Chernigiv. Chris and Reenie were great having us in their home for a few weeks- Thanks Girls! We were so blessed by their love and hospitality to us. Greatful for the trip and to the Lord for our time there. Thank you to all of you who gave us such a great glimpse into the lives in the Ukraine. Enjoy the pics, there are so many, here are just a few.