'And God is Good!'

After a summer filled with youth work camps, weddings, 8 ER visits (2 were me and the other 6 were my 2 daughters and 1 grandson), Vacation Bible School, 2 funerals of church members, a cancer doctor visit and 3 visits to the surgeon with one of those to remove a spot from my mastectomy incision, God has blessed us with a peaceful week at a friends home outside of Lubbock Texas.


Our friends are away at camp and they have allowed us to use their 2 story cabin home located on the edge of a canyon. This wonderful place includes a hot tub, 4 wheelers, a pond, an enormous fish aquarium, a big porch, a swing, a baby grand piano and most importantly peace and quiet all around.




We have spent the week riding four wheelers, soaking in the hot tub, watching clouds waltz across the sky, feeding the pond fish, mimicking Chopin with one hand and watching the salt water aquarium life.

Here are some things I have learned this week:

4. It is important to learn how to break before riding a four wheeler.

3. Bugs can land on your eyelashes while traveling at 32 miles an hour.

2. If you don’t lean into your turns on a four wheeler you tend to lose control.

And the most important….

1. I experienced “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

We have had a good week and will return home to real life on Saturday. It continues to amaze me how ‘good God is!’

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

"Be Thankful in All Circumstances"

Wednesday evening we came in from church and noticed a fishy odor in our hallway leading to our bedroom. Different ones sniffed the air in the kitchen, hallway, dining room and utility room looking for the culprit with no success. We lit candles to battle the smell.





The next day when Daryl came in we once again began to look for the fishy odor that was becoming stronger. We searched the utility room, moved things around in the hallway, and checked the onion, cantaloupe, potatoes and trashcan in the kitchen. We sprayed Fabreeze to battle the smell.





Friday we awoke to the possibility of moving to a new home. Ok, maybe it was a bit radical, but the fishy smell was growing at an alarming rate and we were losing the battle of the odor. Daryl even went so far as to check in the attic. We lit candles, sprayed Fabreeze and Lysol.


Friday evening I began to slowly check out everything in the utility room, dining room, hall and kitchen. Once again I poked and sniffed the onions, potatoes and cantaloupe. This time the cantaloupe poked back. As I lifted the bag of cantaloupe, I saw juices covering 4 feet of kitchen tile. The odor that wafted up from the floor was both nauseating and repulsive and I said, “Thank you God!”




“Thank you God for the running water to clean this mess up with; thank you God for the towels, mop, the good smelling cleaner; and thank you God that we found the stench.”


That night as I turned off the lights, set the air conditioner, let the dog out and got ready to go to bed I took a long deep smell….God is wonderful!

I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

SURVIVED

Thanks to everyone for being so patient. The wedding was beautiful and Rachel is doing better. We spent a week in Portland Texas with a group of teens for a Teen Work Retreat. It went really well. We are also having VBS this Saturday. My hopes are to be back up to regular blogging next week. Thanks for being so patient!

Monalea

'WALKABOUT' UPDATE

I will be off a little longer. My daughter will be getting married in 2 ½ weeks; we are trying to get everything finalized. She also spent 6 hours in the E.R. with low blood sugar problems last night. After numerous tests, the doctors are leaning toward tumors on her pancreas. We are still waiting on more test results due in Friday. We have started her on some alternative medicine this morning. She is staying down, eating meals every 3 hours and eating Jell-O, hard candy and popsicles in between meals. She is feeling some better today. Prayers are solicited!

Monalea

Walkabout

'Walkabout'

1. A brief, informal leave from work, taken by an Aborigine to wander the bush, visit relatives, or return to native life.




I will be away from my blog until Tuesday the 19th. I have gone for a 'walkabout.'

Monalea

10 Things A Preacher's Wife Needs to Remember!

10. Be yourself.

9. Keep you mouth closed. You have lots of information about others. Keep quite or take it to God. Don’t share it with others.

8. Read your Bible faithfully

7. Lift your husband up daily, even when you want to pinch his head off.

6. Pray without ceasing, especially for the ones who presecute you and your family.

5. Look for the good in everyone.

4. Reach out to the ‘unlovely’ in the Church and community.

3. See yourself and others through God’s eyes.

2. Help with teaching, showers, potluck cleanup, etc.

1. Remember 'who' you work for …….. GOD! Live like it.


Ephesians 6:7 "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men."

Actually these are good for all Christian women to follow. Would you like to add a few?

The Amazing Bruce - Part II

Trey and Bruce’s friend was Shane McCloud, the preacher’s kid. The three of them got into many scrapes together, one which included a motorcycle that Shane owned. None of the three were old enough to ride the motorcycle on the streets, so they rode it in the alley.


One morning they decided to ride to Toot-n-Totem via the alley to get candy. Trey was driving, Shane was on the back and Bruce was walking. On the way home Bruce kept saying, “Hey guys, it’s my turn.” “Come on, it’s my turn.” Over and over Bruce kept repeating his plea while Trey and Shane drove up and down the alley passing by Bruce taunting him as he walked and they rode back to Shane’s house.



Finally Bruce had reached his limit. He grabbed a stick off the ground and as Trey and Shane passed by for the umpteenth time, Bruce jabbed the stick in the front spokes of the tire and sent Trey and Shane tumbling head over heels with bike and bodies everywhere. Shane jumped up off the ground screaming, Trey scanned Shane in horror looking from head to foot for any sign of blood. Finally Shane screamed with passion, “My Pushup got dirty.” Relief flooded Trey. Trey picked up the motorcycle and the three of them walked the rest of the way home.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Years later Bruce was getting ready to leave for a year stint in Portugal with the AIM program. The family gathered the last week to bid him farewell. Bruce pulled out his ten-speed and rode up and down the street, reliving his childhood. As he made one last pass down the street he decided to cut across the neighbor’s driveway and pop one last wheelie over the curb. As he ramped the curb, with the bike in midair, out popped the handlebars, leaving Bruce on an ‘out of control’ bike headed toward the sapling cypress tree at full speed. The bike lurched at record breaking speed from right to left with Bruce’s arms flaying and his feet trying to gain some sort of control. Finally Bruce’s leg wrapped around the sapling cypress tree and he and the bike came to a stop. Bruce’s eyes were as big as saucers. Bruce’s leg was scrapped from knee to shin. Bruce’s face broke out in a big grin, ‘Yep, he still had it.’



II Kings 9:20 The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi--he drives like a madman."