The rest of the Houston story

When I first found out about the Siesta Scripture Memory Celebration in Houston, I immediately thought of Barb, my friend who lives there.  Her parents are in College Station and adopted my brother while he was at A&M, so we adopted Barb.  It was a very good deal!  Unfortunately, I told her about the SMT a little late in the game for her to participate with us, but we could not have enjoyed the weekend without her!

Friday started with SweetHeart coming home early to take care of the little one so I could leave.  Thanks, Honey!  Speaking of SweetTate...I mentioned that I needed to get my umbrella because there was a chance of rain.  Then next thing I knew he had put his spiderman umbrella that he got for Christmas in my purse.  He is so sweet!  (It dawned on me later that he probably thought he was going with me and wanted it for him to use.  Oh well.  I'm going to think he meant it for me!) 

Then it was a praise-filled trip to the airport thanks to Travis Cottrell on his Jesus Saves CD.  Love it!  My heart started out full!  Barb picked us up at the airport, and thankfully, was our driver and tour guide around Houston.  That night's session was great.  We ended the evening with some of Beth's Texas Sheet Cake that was a lot like Mom's.  YUM!  We even got to meet Amanda and Travis.

Saturday the conference was wonderful again.  Beth taught on Psalm 119 and gave us this long sentence for notes with talking points on each phrase.

I’m a resident alien seeking direction, in deep want of wonder, in peril and need, troubled by humanity—especially my own—knowing that, to follow, is the only free road for a straying sheep longing to be found.

My favorite part happened when all 507 of us paired up to say our verses. Before we knew it, the conference was all over and it was time to go.  (In the previous post I wrote more about it.  And you can read more Siesta wrap ups here.  This was one of my favorites, and this one, and this one about the stories we all had.  And I love the pictures of the time we recited our verses on this one.  If you know where to look, you can see Mom and I.)  One thing about Siestas is they are at least bloggy scrapbookers!  There were so many cameras! 

Then the rest of the fun began!  First stop IKEA.  I can officially say I've been there now!

Next stop, Freebirds!  It is an Aggie favorite and we had to rub it in a little to Justin that we got some.

Then we went to the Houston Space Center.  The weather was perfect and the crowd was just right. I just expected the touristy part.   

Because the crowds were small, we walked right up to the tour that took us to the actual mission control!  That was cool!  We had a tour guide in the mission control room, Terry Hartman, who had trained with the pilots and worked on the mission control floor for a few years. He was a great speaker and very passionate about the space program.

The whole time we kept saying, "Daddy would love this!  I want the kids to see this."  (But without them this time, we got to enjoy it!)  It was really neat to see the lifesize mock-ups of the shuttle and space station.  I teased that I finally found somewhere smaller than my tiny town!  (Hanging on the wall here is a model of the space station.  On the floor are the mock-ups.)

Then in Rocket Park we saw the Mercury rocket that was used for the Apollo missions.  Wow it was big!  And the rocket engines were huge--the power they must create!  The rusty part on the left of this picture is the capsule that the astronauts return in.  The rest of it is rocket!

Here is my favorite quote they had displayed:

"We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth."

--William A. Anders

Isn't that just like God to let us think we are doing great things only to reveal how small we are and our need for Him!

After that adventure, we enjoyed Gringos Mexican food.  Tex-Mex is all about the same to me, but this was a cut above.  Very delicious!  Ya'll, from the Sheet Cake to the fajitas, I gained weight this weekend and enjoyed every bite!  On the to do list tomorrow--exercise!

Although I have tried here, words just can't say what a sweet, fantastic, memorable, time of fellowship we had at the Siesta event and hanging out with Barb.  Very satisfying and fulfilling.

Siesta Scripture Memory Team Celebration!

At the beginning of 2009, Beth Moore gave her blog community, aka Siestas, a challenge of memorizing 24 verses for the year. Several months into it, she offered an incentive of a celebration conference! Our memory verse spiral was our ticket; we just had to get there! By that time I was already hooked. God had used His Word powerfully in my life in this challenge and I was committed to the end, but this would be the cherry on top!

Just a little testimony of my experience with God through this... February 2009 was kind of a climax of a rough time for SweetHeart at work and consequently our family. That led to beginning to look for a job in March. I don’t do well with change and the last move was not pretty. (There were some other issues going on as well, but a lot of it was the move.) So I was not looking forward to the change, not looking forward to repeating being in that pit, just not looking forward to any of it. There were times that I felt like I was standing on the edge of the pit and contemplating, Do I just jump in? I really don’t want to but I don’t want to be happy about this either, maybe I’ll just not do anything and I’ll slide in? I would work on my verses and God would guide me around that pit. Anytime I had insecurities or doubt or fear, God would reassure me and love on me with His Word that was taking up residence in me. In the waiting and the uncertainty of applying, interviewing, waiting for a decision, wondering if this would be our new home, God reminded me of His unfailing character that I could trust Him and trust His ways and His love. And that He would be everything I needed no matter where I was. I’ve been a Christian almost all my life, been in Bible study and had a deeper relationship the last 15 years, but I needed this at this time to survive.

Then I had a friend who emailed me one day, “Pray for me—my marriage.” I had no idea what was going on and no clue of what to say or do. As I worked on my verses, usually while I was vacuuming :), I would pray those Scriptures for her and her family. God taught me a lot about prayer in this too because I had such a burden to pray for her. I had heard people say that before, but never really understood it. Now I do. Since I didn’t know what to say, I shared my verses with her. She said those were very encouraging to her. My God is so good! I would not have been equipped to lift up my friend if I had not been memorizing these Scriptures.

It turns out that we did move in August, and I’m doing good! All through the year I worked on my verses. It came to celebration time with Beth and, oh my, it was way more than just the cherry on top! Mom got to go with me and that was great!

Travis Cottrell was the worship leader and he sings my heart songs that make it easy to be in the presence of God and worship. The first night we were there, as we were singing, I just felt God’s Spirit say to my soul, “I’m proud of you.” For this girl who strives to please and struggles with insecurity, that was HUGE! (Needless to say I’m hooked and convinced. This is not a one year, just because Beth Moore challenged me thing. I’m already started on 2010 verses! It is God’s will to know Him and His Word, and it pleases Him when I do!) Then Beth taught on Psalm 119, and as usual she taught the Word that obviously overflowed from her relationship with the Lord, and her love and enthusiasm for Him bubbled over. One of the highlights of the weekend was when we paired off to say our memory verses to each other. Mom and I, along with a lot of other Siestas, went out to the courtyard. All over there were women saying their Scriptures that had become so dear to them. And then you would see high fives and hugs as they finished. What a celebration of all the hard work God was, is, and will be doing in our lives! My heart is so full and I am so blessed! This girl from a Tiny Town in Texas needed the sweet fellowship of this group of ladies!

Beth, Amanda, and Melissa thank you so much for all that you do here.  To the LPM staff, we know that it wouldn't happen without you too.  Thanks for all your hard work and service.  You all are a blessing!  I thank my God when I remember you!

(The rest of my Houston story is here.)

Stock show

Back in October, I told you that SweetBoy got a lamb to show at the stock show.  It was a wonderful experience!  I must admit that I had visions of chasing the lamb down the street because she jumped the fense, but we had none of that.  And SweetBoy did an excellent job taking on the responsibility of feeding, watering (even breaking the ice when it was frozen), and exercizing her.  He would walk her to the post office, make jumps for her, or just run around the yard with her.

After months of preparation, it is time for the stock show!

First, they had to shear her and wash her on Thursday.  I felt so sorry for her!  It has been cold!  SweetHeart assures me that she will be fine.

Then it is time for weigh in on Friday.  SweetDoll has been SweetBoy's righthand helper all the way.  No big surprise there!

I completely forgot the fashion for these things.  SweetBoy did have his Wranglers on, but we didn't have the boots and button down shirt to complete the outfit.  Next time we will know!  SweetDoll had the boots and jeans and a horse shirt.  On Friday night our ag teacher's wife said, "Oh, I have a hat my daughter outgrew that will just match those boots!"  Saturday is the show and we are all ready!

This is our county show, so it is a smaller group of exhibitors.  Many of these kids will go on with their animals to bigger shows in the next few months.  The judge we had was fantastic because he explained exactly what he was looking for.  It was great for this newbie to understand what was going on!  And the other kids were great to help the younger ones.  They are definetly a group of kids I don't mind mine being around.

Meme and Granddad were able to come up, and Granny and Papa came over, so we had our fans in the stands!

There were three classes of lambs (distinguished by weight of the lamb).  SweetBoy won first in his class!  Then he was in the drive for grand champion.  Don't you love how I have the lingo down!  His lamb won reserve grand champion, which means that his was the second best lamb at the show!  It was partly DNA--that is just the way she is made.  But part of it was the muscle that she built because he worked with her.  Way to go!

After the lamb and goat part of the show, they had a pee-wee showmanship competition where the little ones can show an animal.  It is great for the little siblings who have been out there working along side big brother to have a chance to get their feet wet in the show ring.  Of course, SweetDoll signed up for that!  And the ladies from school were telling her, "Now you always look at the judge and give him a great big smile."  Oh. my. word.  The girl poured on the cute and poured it on thick!  And the hat just made it! 

That picture made the front page of our local paper (a better version of it).  The poor boy that was up against her just didn't stand a chance--and he had a big kid helping him. SweetDoll walked off with the prize!

At first I thought oh no, she got a trophy and SweetBoy only got ribbons.  But there was no need to fear, he got a belt buckle!  A huge, beautiful belt buckle!

Then it was time for the auction.  We preped the little ones that when the auctioneer started, he would talk really fast, and they were not to be raising their hands!  We didn't need to bid on an animal tonight!  He started and SweetDoll's eyes got big as sausers!  It was funny!  Then, I should have known better than to tell SweetTate not to raise his hand!  Of course that is all he wanted to do, and we were close to the front!  The guys catching bids did see him, but thankfully understood that it was not a serious bid.  At one point the auctioneer teased, "That boy just wants to help, let him!"

Some very generous people "bought" Snowflake at the sale.  It was a fun, successful day at the stock show!  Now it is time to say good-bye to our award-winning lamb!  It will be a little wierd without her in the backyard, but they already have plans for the next one.  In fact, SweetBoy has a whole 5 year plan and is scoping out land for his sheep farm.  Gotta love that boy!  God has some kind of stratagizing, managing career ahead of him!  And I'm thankful for positive experiences like this that prepare him for it.

Scripture Memory Team

OK it is the second one and already I'm behind!  Oh well, here we go!  (To my defense, I've been working on my 24 from 2009 so I'll be ready to say them all next week at the SSMT celebration!)

I didn't explain how I was doing this very well for anyone who wants to jump in.  I have a set of index cards on a spiral that I keep my verses in.  In Beth's original challenge, she said to pick a verse that you really need.  And I have found that to be true--it helps me memorize it because I'm saying it often because I need it in that situation.  So you are welcome to choose the same verse I'm working on, but please don't feel like you have to.  Beth had some other good tips on this post with little videos.

This is a verse that I've worked on some before, but not seriously memorized.  I don't know about you, but I can get really bogged down in the mundane house work of my job and really down on myself and my position.  So I really need to work on my attitude about it.  Thus, this verse...

Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (NIV)

Thanks for being my accountablity on this.  I promise if you jump in, you will not be disappointed!

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe it is 2010!  Where has the last decade gone!  Oh yea!  I had kids!  It is said that these are the longest days and the shortest years.  Amen to that! 

Well, looking back over 2009, I just have to tell you the most revolutionary thing that happened.  I memorized Scripture for the first time in a long time and it was for more than just a gold star in my Sunday School class at church.  And for longer than just the ride from the house to the church Sunday morning.  Beth Moore challenged her blog buddies (aka Siestas) to memorize 24 Scriptures in 2009.  I wish I had invited you to come along with me on the journey, but I was afraid that I would not have what it takes to get to the end.  Now, I have past that mile marker and am pushing on this year for more.  I can not tell you what a profound impact it has been to impliment that simple discipline of the faith that I had neglected for years.  I knew that God's Word was alive and active in me, and powerful.  But I lived it this year.  With all the challenges and change of this year, I would not have made it without His Word constantly before me and working on my attitude and my heart.  Everytime I would start to fall for the enemies lies, the truth in the verses I was working on would fight the lies away.  He chipped away at them with the Bible studies I was currently in too.  Then a dear friend asked me to pray for her without any details.  I didn't have a clue what she was going through, but I prayed my verses for her and shared them with her.  It was just what she needed.  Isn't God big! 

I'm telling you this not to get a gold star, but to encourage you to do it with me.  This year my big kids are doing it with me (thanks for the nudge, Granny), and just to be consistent with them will be challenging.  We'll be picking a new verse the 1st and 15th of each month if you would like to join us.  It is amazing what a little accountability will do.

Here is my verse to start off this year:

Isaiah 43:10
"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and My servant whome I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.  Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me.

I have not studied this verse, but I know that it is true in other places.  The phrase "understand that I am He," that he is probably there for english grammar.  It is probably "understand that I AM!"  I love that!

Father, thank You for Your powerful Word.  Thank You that it is alive and active in us because Jesus came and then gave us the Holy Spirit.  Thank You for Beth and her challenge to get started.  Give me the desire to keep going!  Lord, give us a hunger for Your Word then we will taste and see that You are good!  In Jesus' Name...Amen.