Calvin's Mom

Please pray for Calvin.

Bally's For The Mind

"We lose control in order to be controlled by God.
We lose our self in order to find our self in God."
-Richard Vincent

Bally's For The Mind

Glorious Dregs

Resplendent riff-raff
On our last legs
Fuel for the fire
Dust for the graves
Earth and sky
You an I
The glorious dregs

Aluminum foil
A crown for our heads
Faithless and loyal
To love we allege
Diamonds and leaves
You and me
The glorious dregs

Worthless and worthy
Like profane prophets we speak
Of vengeance and mercy
Of an eye for and eye
And turning the other cheek

Selfless and selfish
A life in debt
Brothers and bigots
Blessings and plagues
Forgiven and cursed
The last, the first
The glorious dregs

Earth and sky
You and I
The glorious dregs

Earth and sky
You and I
The glorious dregs

from the album "The Berry Vest of the Swirling Eddies"

©1995 Words and Music by Terry Taylor

Vacation 2007!

Hi everyone. I think that Leah and I decided to stay in the country for our Awsome Family Vacation 2007 (money, passports, money). It seems that everyone is really open to anything so I hope everyone is ok with me just steering everyone in a different direction. I know we had considered the Carolina’s a while back, or maybe that was just me. Who knows. I’d like to find out your opinion on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Nurse Jackie has just gotten back from theIsle of Palms after staying in a house on the beach which is 20 min. outside of Charleston and brought back lots of brochures and good information.

Here’s the recap:

- August is “Sport Season” so the prices are slightly lower than “Summer” but not as inexpensive as “Fall”, but maybe we should consider going in August b/c of school (and I have a wedding but not sure what weekend in Sept. and have to make that work)

- Charleston is a very historical town with tours of Civil War Forts, plantation tours, ghost tours (it’s the 3rd “most haunted city” in the country), the only tea plantation in the nation (I know. It’s exciting.) and great restaurants and shopping – and Mom I’m sure there are movie theatres if that’s still on your list of things to do while laying on the beach.

- Jackie’s friends brought a boat, but I’m sure we can rent one for the week or a few days, and there’s lots of cool stuff to do with all the islands that surround Charleston. There's an entire island that is a nature preserve and Jackie saw a shark, dolpins, jelly fish, and i can't remember everything else.

A few reasons why I like the location:

- Everything above.

- We could visit Grandma Hopper and Sarah & Brian.

- We can drive – its only 12-14 hours from Chicago so that’s lots of money saved in airfare and we would have freedom while there if we had a few cars.

Jackie recommended these websites to check out homes:

islandrealty.com

visitcharleston.org

How does everyone feel about this? If anyone talks to Jason find out if he and Steph would like this. If we’re all ok with Isle of Palms can start looking for a house and get our down payment taken care of by Christmas. I think it sounds amazing and there’s something for everyone. A true beach vacation with tons of tourist activities.

Something to Pray For

Chinese Missionaries to Islam

[Recently there has been a] stirring of interest among many in the Chinese house church movement to break through one of the last remaining missions frontiers: Islam. A burning desire from the Spirit of God appears to have granted to the Chinese Church to complete the Great Commission. A call from God to preach the Gospel and establish fellowships of believers in all the countries, cities, towns, and ethnic groups all over central Asia and beyond. This is not some future dream but is something that is already happening! Right now there are already hundreds of Chinese missionaries working outside China in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. Thousands more are in training, learning languages such as Arabic and English that will be put to use on the mission field. Please keep them in your prayers.
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For the full report go here.

Best Picture Ever

Thanks Sally!

Bally's For The Mind

Be faithful in the little things for God measures things different than we do.

Sarah's Gettin' Married Today!!!!!!

Congratulations you two. Whoo-hoo! We had fun at the rehearsal and we just know today will be a blast!

Familia!

My Lord of the Land told me about a website for home owners of vacation rentals - so you don't go through a company, you speak to the actual owner. Its Vacation Rentals By Owner. Check it out. I assume this topic will be discussed at our extra-large and extra-special family table on Friday at The Whittington's wedding.

Can't wait to see everyone!

Bally's For The Mind

The postmodern reaction against Enlightenment dogma will not be met successfully simply by Christian proclamation. Of that we can be sure. That proclamation must arise within a context of authenticity. It is only as the evangelical Church begins to put its own house in order, its members begin to disentangle themselves from all of those cultural habits which militate against a belief in truth, and begin to embody that truth in the way that the Church actually lives, that postmodern skepticism might begin to be overcome. Postmoderns want to see as well as hear, to find authenticity in relationship as the precursor to hearing what is said. This is a valid and biblical demand. Faith, after all, is dead without works, and few sins are dealt with as harshly by Jesus as hypocrisy. What postmoderns want to see, and are entitled to see, is believing and being, talking and doing, all joined together in a seamless whole. This is the great challenge of the moment for the evangelical Church. Can it rise to this occasion?

-David Wells, Above All Earthly Pow’rs (2005), p. 315.

Found at T4G