Here Comes The Sun!

Last week we were blessed with such a gorgeous afternoon that we just had to get outside and enjoy it.  After all the cold, wet {strange for Texas} weather we have had for the last few weeks {I believe our friends to the North call this phenomenon “Winter”} it was nice to feel the warmth of the sun again. Here are a few pictures of the girls enjoying their scooters.  They have been riding them around the house since Christmas…this was their maiden voyage into the outdoors.

  

 

Daddy came home from work right as the girls were taking a well deserved break from their scooter races.  He and Gracie got some softball practice in while Gwynie and I picked some flowers.  It was so nice to be able to hangout outside again!

…Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright…

Our Life Group

If you go to church with me the post below may sound familiar, almost as if you have read it somewhere before {you may have}.  But, I wanted to make sure that I entered it into my blog too so that I can share it with my family and friends that may have not had a chance to hear about our family’s Life Group.

 Photo of our Abundant Life Small Group – Taken 3-12-2010

About 3 years ago Lance and I were asked by a friend at church to visit their small group and were invited to come to one of their meetings.  I had been very uncommitted about our intentions to attend. At the time Lance and I were both working fulltime outside of the home and truth be told, I was not jumping for joy at the thought of spending my Friday night with a bunch of people that I really didn’t know all that well.
   We did decide to go and as we drove to church that night I remember feeling very nervous.  My nervousness didn’t come from who I may not know at the meeting, but WHAT I might not know.  Of course I just assumed that all of the people at the meeting were farther along in their walk than me.  What if they asked me a question and I didn’t know the answer? What if my answer was stupid? What would they think if they realized I wasn’t very familiar with the Bible? What if they found out I still had some pretty huge unanswered questions about my faith? These were not just a few thoughts that I had, these were real concerns for me.
   At the meeting I didn’t find a group of “Perfect Christians” talking about how much they knew.  I found a welcoming group of families making a conscious effort to strengthen their relationship with Christ and working to keep Him in the center of their daily lives.
   Our small group has been such a blessing to not only Lance and I, but to our daughters too. I don’t know what my family life might look like today if we hadn’t given up that Friday night 3 years ago.  What I do know is that I am so grateful to have been asked to be a part of a small group and am thankful that we said yes.

The picture at the beginning of this post is a beautiful shot that David {bless his patient heart} was able to get of our large group, but the one below gives you a little bit better look into what our Friday night Life Group meetings feel like:

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” –Acts 2:42, KJV

‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’ Monday

In the last couple of weeks “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself” has taken us to our neighbors in need in Belize and then right back here in the State of Texas. Today we are headed back to the Caribbean, specifically the earthquake ravaged country of Haiti. Our neighbors in Haiti are in need of so much right now that it is hard to begin to list all the areas in which we can serve them in love.  I have recently found out about one specific way the congregation at our church is going to serve our neighbors in Haiti and thought that it would be a great one to share today. This week’s installment of ‘Love Your Neighbor as Yourself Monday’ is dedicated to:

The Barefoot 4 Haiti Program

Barefoot 4 Haiti is a program of the larger Soles 4 Souls charity whose call to action is “Changing the Word – One Pair at a Time”. I encourage you to go to their website and read about Soles 4 Souls and the history of the charity. Here is the US, most of our residents are blessed to have more shoes than we need or in some case we have more shoes than we even want. This exert from the Barefoot 4 Haiti website helps us to really understand the need of our Haitian neighbors: “For countless Haitians, the shoes they put on their feet on the day of the earthquake are the only pair of shoes they have. Imagine the dangers of navigating broken glass, mangled metal and raw sewage in tattered shoes, sandals, or worse – barefoot.”

How we can serve our Haitian neighbors:

*Keep The People Of Haiti In Your Prayers

*Keep Soles 4 Souls And The Barefoot 4 Haiti Program In Your Prayers

*Clean Out Your Closets Send Souls 4 Soles your shoes! They want the leftovers in your closet. People across North America are cleaning out their closets and shipping their new or gently worn shoes to one of their warehouse facilities or drop them off at one of the participation locations. It’s a great way to recycle the shoes you are not using!

*Sponsor Shoes For Those In Need

*Donate Funds

*Host A Shoe Drive

*Create Your Own Fundraiser

*Go On A Mission Trip With Soles 4 Souls

*Host a Barefoot Event Challenge your congregation to leave their shoes at the door as an act of worship and selflessness.

*Follow Soles 4 Souls on Facebook

Image Courtesy of Soles 4 Souls Copyright © Soles 4 Souls, Inc.

If you have any questions about Soles 4 Souls or ways we can serve our Haitian neighbors in love, please leave a comment to this post and I will do my best to answer your questions and get your the information/resources you may need. God’s Peace.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.”  ~Galatians 5:13-14 NIV

“Creed: What do you believe?” Sermon Series

Sermon #1 - Creed: What do you believe? Believing Means Living It

Rev. Clay Lein

Study Guide, Sermon Audio and Sermon Video

Sermon #2 - Creed: What do you believe? Where Does It Come From?

Rev. Clay Lein

Study Guide, Sermon Audio and Sermon Video

Sermon #3 - Creed: What do you believe? God the Father

Rev. Joel Prather

Study Guide, Sermon Audio and Sermon Video

Sermon #4 - Creed: What do you believe? Jesus – Savior

Mr. Jerry Holder

Study Guide, Sermon Audio and Sermon Video

Sermon #5 - Creed: What do you believe? Jesus – Ascended into Heaven and Will Return

Rev. Clay Lein

Study Guide, Sermon Audio and Sermon Video

Sermon #6 - Creed: What do you believe? I Believe in The Holy Spirit

Rev. Joel Prather

Study Guide, Sermon Audio and Sermon Video

Sermon #7 - Creed: What do you believe? What I Believe About Us

Rev. Clay Lein

Study Guide, Sermon Audio and Sermon Video

‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’ Monday

Last week we learned about the needs of a school on the islands of Belize and how we can help them so that they can thrive and continue to bring glory to God.  This week we are returning to the states….right in my own “backyard” to be exact.  This is an amazing program that some {even your own doctors} might not even know exists.  This week’s installment of ‘Love Your Neighbor as Yourself Monday’ is dedicated to:

Frisco Cares Children's Clinic

Image Courtesy of Frisco Cares Copyright © Frisco Cares

You can get a lot of information about Frisco Cares on their website.  They are a non-profit agency and their mission is to “Provide quality acute healthcare to uninsured children and adults residing in or attending school in Frisco, Celina, Prosper, and Little Elm”. They currently serve the noninsured {not underinsured}. The started off as a children’s clinic {18 years and younger} but they have recently added a clinic day for adults.  The clinic is open Wednesday evenings for children and Thursday evenings for adults. The fee is $5 per patients and ALL prescriptions are free to the patient.

How we can serve our neighbors at Frisco Cares:

*Keep Frisco Cares, Patients, Staff & Volunteers In Your Prayers

*Volunteer At The Clinic

*Donate Funds

*Serve on the Frisco Cares Board

*Donate Medical Supplies

*Donate Medical Equipment 

*Donate Office Supplies

*Hold A Supply Drive Through Your Work, Church Or Neighborhood

*Donate Prizes For The Children Stickers, lollipops, etc., all the same things that most pediatricians offices offer their young patients

*Hold A Flu Vaccination Drive raise funds to assist the clinic in purchasing flu vaccines & supplies needed to administer the shots

*Support The Patients That Wait In Line The amount of “waiting room” space is extremely limited which causes the majority of patients to line up outside the clinic for most of their wait.  The clinic has the same rush during the peak times of illness {flu, RSV, etc} just as any other doctor’s office . This means that there are children and adults who are standing outside in the rain, the snow, the chilling winter evenings and out in the scorching summer sun.

*Follow Frisco Cares On Facebook

Image Courtesy of Frisco Cares Copyright © Frisco Cares

If you have any questions about Frisco Cares or ways we can serve them in love, please leave a comment to this post and I will do my best to answer your questions and get your the information/resources you may need. God’s Peace.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.”  ~Galatians 5:13-14 NIV

Tracy’s Having A Baby?!?!?

On Saturday I went to my cousin’s {one of my “baby” cousins} baby shower in Weatherford.  It was a beautiful shower and she got all the great gifts that a first time Mommy needs. Speaking of beautiful, just look at her:

Gorgeous!

Seriously, she is glowing AND that’s not even a maternity dress she is wearing {what?!?}!

My mom & I drove up together and I had the responsibility of making sure that we got the cake my Mom made there safely {NO PRESSURE}. I got it there safe and sound which is great, I didn’t want to be added to the list of those that weren’t so lucky {Sorry, Aunt Sue…you’re still the one solo member of the “Aunt Di’s Cake Smashers”}.

Great Job Mama!

Thought I would throw in a picture of the official shower “picture taker”…just proof that Christie was there since she won’t be in any of the pictures. ;)

 Michelle made her the cutest beaded cross for the baby’s nursery.  I thought the picture I got of Tracy’s reaction pretty much summed up how awesome it was! Speaking of awesome things that Michelle has made…

Here’s precious little Hudson at the shower.  I can’t believe he is already 4 months old! Time flies!

Above I mentioned that Tracy is one of my “baby” cousins.  I have a few younger cousins that I was old enough when they were born to actually remember their arrival.  I was around 7 or 8 when Tracy was born and I have very vivid memories of waiting for Tracy to get here.  I remember going shopping with Aunt Patty for baby stuff. I remember helping her decorate the circus themed nursery.  I also remember my Mom planning a surprise baby shower for Patty and people joking that the surprise might make Aunt Patty have the baby right there at the shower {not so funny to a eight year old}. I remember spending the night with Aunt Patty and Uncle Charles one night and Uncle Charles saying that Patty could have the baby any minute and just remember thinking how cool it would have been if they had to leave for the hospital while I was there. Tracy finally arrived just two days before Halloween {I remember being relieved when I learned that her arrival wasn’t going to effect my trick-or-treating…I was just 8 years old after all}.

So my baby cousin is having a baby, crazy!  Kind of makes me feel a tad bit…I’ll just say “more mature”. At least my cousin’s baby’s aren’t having baby’s yet.  I have a while before I have to face that wake up call. ;)

Congratulations Tracy!

I am so excited for you and can’t wait to meet little Ella Grace.

Pump It Up…Can’t Get Enough!

The girls have been fortunate enough to have been invited to quite a few Pump It Up parties the last few weeks.  This is great news because they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pump It Up!!!  I mean what’s not to love…it’s two rooms full of giant bounce houses.

This past Friday the whole family got to go to Pump It Up to celebrate Conner’s 6th Birthday.  They girls had a blast and much to my surprise they played together the entire party.  They play pretty well together {most of the time} at home, but I had prepared myself to hang out with Gwynie while Gracie played with all the other big kids.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were going everywhere and doing everything together.  I know this won’t always be the case, so I REALLY enjoyed watching them playing and spending time together. And of course, I got a few pictures.  I don’t have any picture of Garrett though, poor little guy had to stay home with his Grandpa because he was sick.  Missed you, Garrett!

The Birthday Boy!!

 

 

  

 

Time for Pizza and Cake!

Thanks so much for inviting us Conner we had a blast!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the Taylors!

La la lala…la la lala…Elmo’s World!

A couple of weeks ago Gracie & Lance had a great time at the Daddy Daughter Dance, but Gwynie was still too young to go this year. Lance wanted to find something that we could do that would be special for Gwynie and something she would enjoy.  He did a little research and found out Sesame Street Live was coming to town and so we bought tickets. The other night we headed to Grand Prairie and we kept our destination under wraps and let the girls guess where we were going. Gracie knew it was something special for Gwynie but we had told her that we thought it was something she would enjoy too.  Their guesses were pretty entertaining which made the drive down there fly by.

We made it to the Nokia theater and all the way inside before Gracie figured it out.  Gwynie was excited to see the Sesame Street stuff for sale but didn’t know what to think about it all. Here is Gwynie’s reaction when all of the Sesame Street characters starting singing and filling the stage:

By far, my favorite picture of the night!

The show was really cute!  Plus, they let you take pictures the whole time.  I took WAY more than I needed to, but I kept thinking that I might get a better shot if I kept trying {a better shot for what, I have no idea}. Here are a few:

 

  

 

 

 

   

We all enjoyed it and I think it was a a fun way to make Gwynie’s day special!

‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’ Monday

The first installment of “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself Monday” is dedicated to a school in Belize that both Lance and I hold near and dear to our hearts. You can read a brief history of the school and about the time I was blessed to spend at Holy Cross here and here.  In the future I will also be posting all sorts of local and national opportunities to help others.

Holy Cross Anglican School

How we can serve our neighbors at Holy Cross:

Keep Holy Cross In Your Prayers

Pray With Holy Cross Every Thursday Morning

Form/Join a Mission Team to Holy Cross

Ways to Donate

Holy Cross Wish List**

Follow Holy Cross on Facebook

Follow the Holy Cross Blog

**If you feel called to send items from the school’s wish list, I will tell you that it is not cheap to get packages to Belize.  It expensive from our end and on the end of those that are receiving them {duties, etc.}. However, God has a solution to that problem too.  His answer is a ministry called The Word at Work {TWAW} and it located in Amarillo, Texas.  You can read more about their mission on their website, but they ship freight size containers to Belize about once a month. There are several different schools and ministries that they support and Holy Cross is one of them!  There is NO COST to those in Belize receiving the donations.  All fees, duties, etc., are paid for through TWAW contributors.  The only cost to Holy Cross is the fuel & time is takes for Vernon & Frances {School founders & managers} to take the boat they have to Belize City once a month to pick up the supplies {about 1.5+/- hours each way}.  I know that Vernon & Frances are grateful for TWAW and look forward to this journey to Belize City each month. If you ship your items to the TWAW ministry office with your intended destination written clearly on the outside of the box and with a inventory of what’s inside included with the packing slip…they take care of the rest!  Thanks be to God for The Word at Work ministry!!!

If you have any questions about Holy Cross or ways we can serve them in love, please leave a comment to this post and I will do my best to answer your questions and get your the information/resources you may need. God’s Peace.

‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’ Monday

Caution: This is a long post, but I didn’t think it could be shortened. :)

For a while now I have been trying to come up with something that I could post on my blog on the same day every week.  I have several blogging buddies that have all sorts of fun versions that I really enjoy reading and look forward to each weekly {sometimes daily} installment.  I figured that it should be something for which I have a passion and that brings me joy.  My greatest passion is for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The greatest joy that He gives me is allowing me to serve Him, by serving others in His name and for His glory.  I remember a time, just a few years back, that I was really feeling called to serve others, but didn’t know how to go about it.  So I am thinking that there are people out there {just like me} that want to help others and the only thing keeping them from it is just simply knowing when, where and how. So, out of this process I have decided to start “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself Monday”.

Why “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself Monday”? Well, I found my inspiration in the following two passages:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." ~Mark 12:28-31 NIV

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.” ~Galatians 5:13-14 NIV

As I read the Scriptures above I can see that God calls us all to “love our neighbors as ourselves”.  If you are not familiar with the Scripture passages you may familiar with a phrase from your childhood that states the same call…The Golden Rule: Treat Others The Way You Would Want To Be Treated.

I hope to use “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself Monday” to share ways {both big & small} that we can serve our fellow Man.  Ways to serve our local, national and global neighbors. Ways to help improve their daily lives. Ways to show them kindness and compassion. Ways that we can serve them in love and help to let them know that they are not alone and that God loves each of them. Service in love to our fellow man {our neighbors} may require us to give of things that we consider precious…Time, Treasure and Talent.  You may be thinking, how can helping people I don’t even know and may never meet be serving the Lord, I have found the answer to that question for myself in the following passage from Matthew:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ~Matthew 25:35-40 NIV

The first installment of “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself Monday” is dedicated to a school in Belize that both Lance and I hold near and dear to our hearts. You can read a brief history of the school and about the time I was blessed to spend at Holy Cross here and here.  In the future I will also be posting all sorts of local and national opportunities to help others.

Holy Cross Anglican School

How we can serve our neighbors at Holy Cross:

Keep Holy Cross In Your Prayers

Pray With Holy Cross Every Thursday Morning

Form/Join a Mission Team to Holy Cross

Ways to Donate

Holy Cross Wish List**

Follow Holy Cross on Facebook

Follow the Holy Cross Blog

**If you feel called to send items from the school’s wish list, I will tell you that it is not cheap to get packages to Belize.  It expensive from our end and on the end of those that are receiving them {duties, etc.}. However, God has a solution to that problem too.  His answer is a ministry called The Word at Work {TWAW} and it located in Amarillo, Texas.  You can read more about their mission on their website, but they ship freight size containers to Belize about once a month. There are several different schools and ministries that they support and Holy Cross is one of them!  There is NO COST to those in Belize receiving the donations.  All fees, duties, etc., are paid for through TWAW contributors.  The only cost to Holy Cross is the fuel & time is takes for Vernon & Frances {School founders & managers} to take the boat they have to Belize City once a month to pick up the supplies {about 1.5+/- hours each way}.  I know that Vernon & Frances are grateful for TWAW and look forward to this journey to Belize City each month. If you ship your items to the TWAW ministry office with your intended destination written clearly on the outside of the box and with a inventory of what’s inside included with the packing slip…they take care of the rest!  Thanks be to God for The Word at Work ministry!!!

If you have any questions about Holy Cross or ways we can serve them in love, please leave a comment to this post and I will do my best to answer your questions and get your the information/resources you may need. God’s Peace.

Thanks for reading!