Did you know?

DID YOU KNOW?
As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view ... it is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!

DID YOU KNOW?

As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door.

DID YOU KNOW?

As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall,
right above where the Supreme Court judges sit,
a display of the Ten Commandments!

DID YOU KNOW?

There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.

DID YOU KNOW?

James Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father of Our Constitution" made the following statement:

"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

DID YOU KNOW?

Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our country said:

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ".

DID YOU KNOW?

Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fifty-two of the 55 founders of the Constitution were members of the established orthodox churches in the colonies.

DID YOU KNOW?

Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would overstep their authority and instead of interpreting the law would begin making law . an oligarchy

the rule of few over many.

DID YOU KNOW?

The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said:

"Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers."

How, then, have we gotten to the point that everything we have done for 220 years in this country is now suddenly wrong and unconstitutional?

Lets put it around the world and let the world see and remember what this great country was built on.

Chamber, US House of Representatives

It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore, it is very hard to understand why there is such a mess about having the Ten Commandments on display or "In God We Trust" on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Big Picture

Have you ever heard something and you know that God has a great plan. Why things happen and we don't understand. Sometimes things happen and a few minutes later you realize oh, yeah... That is why I... Or sometimes it takes a long time to see Gods plan then other times we just will never understand why God does things and we need to trust Him, and know that He is right and good in all that He does.

Phil received a phone call last night. Just around 7:00 a phone call that you don't want to ever get. His cousin's husband was on his way home from work and was hit head on by the car coming his way. His father was going the other direction and saw the accident just after it happened. Not knowing it was his son he went to help and see what was needed for help. His dad was able to ride in the ambulance with him and they had Chris' precious last minutes on earth together. His father was able to hand him off to his Father.

I can't even begin to imagine what they all must be going through. Chris had been married to Phil's cousin Allison for 4 yrs. They have a 5 month old beautiful baby boy! He looks just like his dad. We will all enjoy watching him grow up and see what Gods plans are for this family.

We were able to see them a few weeks ago. We all headed up to Maine for a couple of days and we were able to make some great memories with him and the rest of the family.

I am writing all of this trying to think these things through... Asking you to pray for the family to guide them through this, God has a great plan and I can't wait to see what He has in store for all of them and us.

After you read this go and give your kids an extra hug, thank God for them. Give your wife/husband an extra kiss. Let them know how precious they are to you, spend an extra moment with them. Life is too short and we need to be prepared.

Are you ready?



The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.
Psalm 18:2

Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you: He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Psalm 55:22

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

The Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under GOD indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

I find it quiet ironic that I am pushing for a fund raiser at school that is a car magnet that states One Nation Under God!
The paper that I received with the package of material was great these are direct quotes from the paper and I hope that I don't go on too much, but I fear for what this country is turning into and I am saddened to see how quickly people forget the true roots of our country!

We live in a time when even the name of God is being erased from our heritage. God has been asked to leave our schools, out government and even some churches. It is time that we Christians unite to redeem the past, hold firm to our Christian virtues and the foundation on which our nation was established. We are STILL One Nation Under God. We must stand for this truth and not let it slip away or be stolen by those who claim "political correctness"

Mercy Ships

So have you ever heard of Mercy Ships? here is the site if you are interested. I have heard a little about them, some from a friend who would love to teach on one and some from a friend whose church supports their ministry. It was the friend who supports the ministry that I heard this story from and thought it quite interesting!
The Mercy Ship was docked in the Gulf, they don't usually have one docked there, I am not sure why it was there. Well, the ship was in the direct line of the hurricane last week. When the workers went to check on the boat and saw that everything around the ship was destroyed they were assuming that their ship would have sustained significant damage. As they approached it they were amazed little damage to the boat! They were able to get the boat ready for patients and refugees quickly and they were helping those in need that very day! Was it chance that they had the boat docked in the Gulf? I think not! Hind site is always 20/20! Take a look at their article!


Mercy Ships is working to bring practical assistance to alleviate some of the suffering caused by catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. Our response will be twofold; to help in the actual hurricane disaster area along the Gulf Coast and to assist hurricane survivors who are pouring in to East Texas with little more than the clothes on their back.

This coming week we are dispatching teams to Chickasaw, Alabama to begin relief efforts in damaged areas. Chickasaw Mayor Jim Trout has formerly invited Mercy Ships to work in his community and has a task list waiting for us. Jobs include debris removal, clearing community roads, and to assist where needed covering damaged homes with tarps so they are not exposed to elements.

We have a great asset in the Caribbean Mercy that appears to have safely survived the hurricane at a berth in Chickasaw. The ship did not sustain significant damage according to initial reports from city officials. We intend to use the vessel as a platform to launch relief teams into the surrounding communities. We can house relief team members and provide them with safe lodging, potable water, hot meals, and ample power – all without drawing on scarce local resources. Crewmembers are anxious to “get boots on the ground” in support of communities like Gulfport, Mobile and Chickasaw that have been so generous to Mercy Ships over the years.

On the hometown front, Mercy Ships is working alongside the local ministerial association, government agencies and community groups, to help meet needs of evacuees who arrived in East Texas. Neighboring Tyler has received several thousand evacuees. Some of these displaced families may be forced to remain in East Texas for months.

So, should I be done?

I am starting to feel weird about this blog thing... I write I put pictures up and I can see that people come to the site but no one leaves a comment. hmm... I know that you are all visiting my site as well you have all posted on Eric's blog! How did you get there? Through me? Or do you all have it on your favorites list now! Am I wasting my time posting for all to read when no one really cares? So the question still remains... Should I be done?

A New Realm of Parenthood!

We have officially started with braces, this has been a long time coming. And if you knew me or Phil in our teen years you knew that our kids would not be able to go without these wonders! 16 years between the two of us. I may add that our orthodontist was not the most highly motivated among the ortho world! (8 years for each of us!) a bit much if you ask me!!

Well, Abby had hers put on Tuesday morning, pain yeah I would say that she was in pain! But she was a trooper and went to school so that she could go to soccer practice. Now that is devotion! What a girl! Well, she is doing great and has spent may hours in the mirror practicing her smile! (or making sure there is nothing in her teeth)! So, I dropped her off at 9 o'clock and picked her up at 10:15 and they changed my little girl into a teen, Yeah... She looks so different with them!

Betsy will go in a few months for her next appt. They think that she will be in them by spring. $$$$$$$ yeah! So, What do we get out of the deal? (other than nice teeth that bite where they are supposed to!) A mug, yeah a little travel mug! hmm, I wonder if I will get one for each of the kids? I will say that they are nice mugs, will I end up with 6 of them? A nice set!

So, here is a picture of the sweet smile just a few minutes after she had them put on! What do you think?

So, if I do my math right 2X6=12 right? I think that if all the kids have braces for 2 years Phil and I will still have them beat with 16 years between us! hmmm... Ok lets try it this way 3X6=18 OK I would feel better with that one unfortunately I don't think the kids will be in for more than 2 years! I could be wrong!!!