Happy 70th Anniversary to my Mom and Dad!! - A Family Tree

Happy 70th Anniversary 

to my Mom and Dad

Wow, what a milestone this is!!  

My parents, married on April 26th, 1947.   

Let's put that into perspective:

A gallon of gas was just 21 cents, a stamp only 3 cents

The average salary for an individual was $3,150

the stock market was at 177

And my favorite...head of 20th Century Fox Movies and television critic was quoted saying "TV won't hold the market for even 6 months, people will get tired of staring at a plywood box every night!"

          

    After living in Florida for 60 years, my parents moved to The Woodlands this past November.  I am so blessed to have them nearby!  For Christmas, I sketched our family tree for their new apartment and surrounded it with photo's of our whole family.

This Saturday we'll celebrate with an old fashion Texas BBQ with family and friends coming in from around the country!

Cheers to Mom and Dad!!!

Habitat Gala - May 6th

Run for the Roses

HabitatMCTX Sixth Annual Gala

May 6th, 2017

For the past four years I've been asked to create a "work of art" using wheelbarrows and ice buckets to go with the theme for the Montgomery County HFH annual gala.  This year, on May 6th Habitat for Humanity will Run for the Roses.   To celebrate the occasion I painted this giant ice bucket (31" x 16" x 11" h) and titled it "Anticipation."   The crowds have gathered, the cocktails are flowing and soon the race will begin. 

At the Gala this bucket will be filled to the brim with your favorite bottles of wine and auctioned to the highest bidder.   It's not too late to get tickets... or to learn more about this great organization by visiting:  

www.habitatmctx.org

 Habitat Gala 2014 - The Wizard of Oz

 Habitat Gala 2015 - Downton Abbey

Habitat Gala 2016 - James Bond 007 (sorry, no pictures!)

Rejoice!! For HE IS RISEN!

1 John 4:9-10

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

The cross at the alter of my church has been draped in royal purple for the Lenten Season, but today, when I walk into the sanctuary it will be draped in Pure and Majestic White! 
We Rejoice!!

 HE HAS RISEN!!!

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; 
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, 
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. 
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; 
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
 I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. 
Amen.

Good Friday

Luke 23:44-46

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured: and the veil of the temple was torn in two.   And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last.

Today we pause to remember your sacrificial love

That shone light into the darkness

That bore life from such emptiness

That revealed hope out of devastation

That spoke truth through incrimination

That released freedom in spite of imprisonment

And brought us forgiveness instead of punishment.

Thank you that we can now walk in the light of your life,

Hope, truth, freedom and forgiveness, 

This day and everyday.

The crowds cheered "Hosanna in the highest!"

Matthew 21: 7-9

They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and He sat on them.  Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before Him and that followed Him were shouting

“Hosanna to the Son of David! 
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! 

Hosanna in the highest!”   

"Triumphant Entry" can't even begin to explain the energy and excitement in the crowd that day... the Savior they had waited for... for hundreds, if not thousands of years had finally come!   Just imagine how you would feel if you happened upon that scene an hour after Jesus had gone through... you just missed it.  That pit in your stomach... you'd feel like you had just missed a once in a lifetime opportunity...

But that's not the way it is.  That is why we call it "The Good News"... you haven't missed it!  

 Over two thousand years later, you can still choose to follow Jesus and experience... 

"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding." Phillipines 4:7a 

"Here I am Lord, Send me!"

Isaiah 6:8

Then I heard a voice of the Lord saying, 
"Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?"  
And I said "Here I am, send me!"

Last summer, I traveled to Guatemala on a mission trip with women from my church.  The verse above from Isaiah was our theme for the week and we designed a t-shirt with outstretched hands to "Send Me!"  With this on my mind, while on vacation a few weeks before our mission trip, I would start my day on our balcony and watch the sunrise over the Sea of Cortez.  To me, it seemed that even the palm trees in front of me were raising their hands as the SON would rise each morning.  
Send Me Lord!!

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace;  the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

TWUMC Mission Trip to Casa Aleluya in Guatemala
home to 450 children.

TWUMC

Matthew 18:20

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, 

there am I with them."

 

I've had seasons of my life when for various reasons attending church was not a priority.  For many years I was a single, working full time, mother of two and just plain exhausted.  There was a time of "dis-enchantment" with organized religion... and sometimes I'd skip church for no good reason at all.   

I don't remember exactly who or when someone told me "you don't go to church to get something out of it, you go to worship God and honor him by being present."  And everything changed.  

Today, I love my church, it's music, it's missions and it's ministry.  I'm actually there several times a week for various activities.   When I am there for the purpose of worshipping Him and as an act of obedience to His word, I always come away filled with His love and compassion, blessed and eager to be His hands and feet on this earth.    

"And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."  Hebrews 1:24-25

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