Grady and Marianne's Wedding ~ June 25, 2011

Grady, our son, and his fiancee, Marianne, were married on Saturday, June 25th, 2011 at the Garden Vineyard outside Portland, Oregon. Everything about the day was gorgeous: the bride and groom and all the family and friends, the setting, the food and wine, and especially the weather! We were so blessed with a day full of sun...as I receive more candid shots I will post them up to share with everyone.

Happy Mother's Day

                                                                  Mother's Love
                                                               ~Author Unknown


                                               There are times when only a Mother's love
                                                        Can understand our tears,
                                                        Can soothe our disappoints
                                                         And calm all of our fears.


                                               There are times when only a Mother's love
                                                         Can share the joy we feel
                                                  When something we've dreamed about
                                                            Quite suddenly is real.


                                               There are times when only a Mother's faith
                                                           Can help us on life's way
                                                     And inspire in us the confidence
                                                          We need from day to day.


                                                For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
                                                        And a Mother's steadfast love
                                                        Were fashioned by the Angels
                                                            And sent from God above.

The Meaning Of Easter, by Billy Graham

We worship a risen, living Savior who has promised to give immortality to all who believe on His Name. No longer do men and women need to stumble in the fog and darkness of hopelessness. A light shines brighter than the noonday sun, offering hope to everyone who has been born again.

Jesus promised, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in  Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (John 11:25-26).

Long ago Job asked the great question of the ages: "If a man dies, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14). Death carries with it a certain dread. It has always been the enemy, the great, mysterious monster that makes people quake with fear.

Death stalks the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated. Death is no respecter of race, color or creed. Its shadow haunts us day and night. We never know when the moment of death will come for us.

Is there any hope?

I take you to an empty tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Salome had come to anoint the body of the crucified Christ, and they had been startled to find the tomb empty. An angel sat on the stone by the door of the tomb and said, "I know that you seek Jesus...He is not here; for He is risen." (Matthew 28:5-6). 


The greatest news that mortal ear has ever heard is the news that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, as he had promised. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the chief proof of the Christian faith. It is the truth that lies at the very foundation of the Gospel. Without a belief in the resurrection there can be no personal salvation. The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9).

In the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have the answer to Job's question. The Bible teaches that because Christ lives, we also shall live. The greatest truth that you can ever hear is that Jesus Christ died but rose again, and that you, too, will die but can rise again into newness of life.

The resurrected Christ still lives today. Though Jesus is in His glorified body in heaven, through the Holy Spirit He dwells in the heart of every Christian. The Scripture speaks of "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27). Christ, in whom "dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9), lives within the hearts of people. This is a mystery that is beyond comprehension and yet is gloriously true.

The Scripture says that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead on the first Easter will raise us from the dead if the Spirit lives in us. Call upon His resources. His grace is more than sufficient; He will cause you to triumph over the world, the flesh and the devil.

From PRAYER FOCUS, by Billy Graham
Thank you to my dear sister in Christ, Carol, for sharing!

An Irish Blessing

 

                                                                 An Irish Blessing


                                                             May neighbors respect you,


                                                                 Trouble neglect you,


                                                                The angels protect you,


                                                               And heaven accept you.




Link to a beautiful Ireland video especially for St. Patrick's Day:
This Blessing Is For You

Jubilation In Egypt

The huge crowd in Tahrir Square, Cairo, reacted in jubilation today to the stunning news that the dictatorship government of President Hosni Mubarak fell. The military council will be setting up a provisional government until political parties can be formed and elections held.

Mubarak's regime ruled for over 30 years. Eighteen days ago the people of Cairo began an uprising in Tahrir Square which played out on TV screens around the world, even when Mubarak shut down all internet and cell phone usage in Egypt.

The Egyptian people have earned the right to re-write their constitution and embrace democracy so that they can be free. Besides watching history unfold in the mid-east, I have a special interest in the political outcome in Egypt as I have a dear friend, Rawia, who lives and works in Cairo. My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family and friends on this historic day.

"All About God," By Ethan

Early Friday morning Ethan, one of our fifth graders at Valley Christian Academy, came into school and walked up to me with a big smile on his face. He handed me a piece of paper with red ink words and music chords scrawled on it, and the title of the song was "All About God." He said to me, "This is for you."

This was one of those moments that you live for as a teacher. A few months ago Ethan had never touched a piano, then my co-teacher began to teach him to play chords to some of our songs that we sing every day. To our amazement Ethan was soon accompanying us daily and even when we performed!

On Thursday night he was playing his keyboard at home, (a Christmas gift from his parents), and he started to hear words in his head and a tune. He said to himself, "I'd better start writing this down!" Smart boy.

Within forty-five minutes or so he had a song, fresh from heaven. 

The first thing we did when school started on Friday was to start learning "All About God." Ethan stood by me and sang the melody as I played the chords on my guitar. The other students quickly picked up the melody and the words, and Ethan had exact instructions for us such as, "Sing it through, then repeat the song playing the chorus at the end twice." My co-teacher spent some time with him writing out the melody and chords for us. It truly sounds beautiful! What a blessing for Ethan and for our school.

New Year's Blessing

New Year’s Blessing

As we look toward a brand new year

Then gaze back to the past

We pause with mixed emotions

And memories that still last.

For these years have taught us lessons

We never thought we'd learn

To stand in the face of adversity

Seeking peace for which we yearn.

Our nation still stands together

  Since that sad September day 

    When in an instant all was changed

And so many taken away.

Each life a precious memory

Each face burned in our souls

     The heroes, the innocent, those who were lost

Were halves who made someone whole. 

So we pray for this year to be peaceful

For strength to see us through

For each one who lost someone precious

And for all that is holy and true.

As we pray God's eternal blessings

For our leaders and our land 

We walk toward the future together

Heart to heart and hand in hand.

 by Allison Chambers Coxsey