God, Could You Sell A Cow?

Let me preface this post by saying that my Uncle, Aunt, and my cousin and his family have a 1,200 acre cattle and sheep ranch. My cousin recently took some of their shorthorn cattle to a special sale in Illinois. One of their heifers brought $6,000! I didn't even ask how much they got for the prized bull they sold.

The next day, I got this dreaded bill in my mailbox:

Yes, a bill from Mercy Medical Center. Made me wish I had a cow to sale.;0) Almost instantly, the words to this little chorus (written by John W. Peterson) that we used to sing at North Valley Baptist Church came to mind:

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,
The wealth in every mine;
He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,
The sun and stars that shine.
Wonderful riches, more than tongue can tell -
He is my Father so they're mine as well;
He owns the cattle on a thousand hills -
I know that He will care for me.

And, this verse (which I assume the chorus is based on) came to my mind next:

"For every beast of the forest is mine,
and the cattle upon a thousand hills."
Psalm 50:10

God, could you please sell one of your cows and give the money to me?

Gene's Drive-In

Growing up in Redding, I have many fond memories of eating at Gene's Drive-In and Pac Out from the time I was very little. I'm talking about the days before we had McDonalds, Burger King, and other "fast food" restaurants.

Gene's Drive-In has been in Redding for more than 50 years. They have 20 (yes that's right) flavors of milkshakes, and they are soooo thick it makes your cheeks hurt to suck them through the straw. :0) Every Thursday night, is 50's night at Gene's.

Lyle has been wanting to go there for a long time; so, awhile back we went on a mother/son date to Gene's. The hamburgers and fries were great, but this was the BEST:

While there, we checked out the picture of "Auntie" Mary Ann and "Uncle" Jack's car that was picked (quite an honor from what I understand) to be painted on one side of the building:

If you've never eaten at Gene's, you should try it out!!

Redding Christian School Musical

Practices, practices, and some more practices are underway for Redding Christian's All-School Musical (They practice four days a week after school). They will be performing Oliver at the Cascade Theater on October 22nd and 23rd. If you have never been to one of their musicals, you should plan to come. They do a fantastic job!!

Auditions were held the first part of August, and practices started that week. The auditions included preparing and singing a solo, learning a dance at auditions and performing it, and then singing a song that Mrs. Orr picked from the musical.

If you come to the musical, be sure and watch for this guy:

Yes, Lyle got the part of Artful Dodger. He even has two solos!! Way to go, Lyle!!!

Worry Wart

I’ve spent an awful lot of time in my life worrying. I’ve worried about grades in school, getting hurt or injured, jobs or the lack of jobs, deadlines, shrinking budgets, offending people, diseases and illnesses, bills and expenses, rising gas prices, terrorism, whether I would get pregnant, getting in a car accident, the future, first impressions, my husband’s health, and on and on. I’ve even worried about having my house in “perfect condition” for company, and within seconds of their arrival, the house is turned upside down and no one even notices.

AND THEN I HAD CHILDREN! So, added to the list above I had to worry about their health and safety, peer pressure, their education, what the world will be like when they are older, my parenting skills (or lack of them), where they are (when it’s one minute past midnight), their friends, and on and on.

And sometimes, on rare occasions, I even worry because I have nothing to worry about! :0)

Then I came across this (unfortunately, it didn’t have the author’s name to give credit where credit it due)…

“Think about it this way: Christians who worry believe God can redeem them, break the shackles of Satan, take them from hell to heaven, put them into His kingdom, and give them eternal life, but just don’t think He can get them through the next couple of days. That is pretty ridiculous, isn’t it? That we can believe God for the greater gift and then stumble and not believe Him for the lesser one reveals an embarrassing lack of faith.”

Boy, do I have an “embarrassing lack of faith!” Over the span of my lifetime, worrying accounts for hours and hours of invaluable time that I'll never get back. So, I am going to try to use my time more wisely.

“Give all your worries and cares to God,
for He cares about you.”

I Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Blog Readers

"Blog readers are like cockroaches.

For every one commenter,

there are a dozen that you don't see."

(Note: I hope someone besides Kim reads my blog!

Thanks for being a faithful commenter, Kim!)

A Breath of Fresh Air -- Blog Post #2

After posting about my needing a “breath of fresh air” (see post below), I ran across an article by Debbie Porter about that very subject.

She says, “The ultimate breath of fresh air was, is and always will be, Jesus Christ. When our Lord and Savior arrived on the scene 2,000 years ago, He was most definitely a breeze straight from heaven. Blowing away the cobwebs of dead religion and turning the world upside down, He brought life and hope where previously there was only death and hopelessness. He brought grace and freedom to replace legalism and bondage. Most importantly, He showed us the Father and His unconditional love.

Each one of us is called to pick up Christ's banner and be a breath of fresh air to the world around us - to breathe God's love, life and grace into everyone we meet. When there's a need for encouragement, we must encourage. When there's a need for refreshment, we must refresh. When there's a need to be strengthened, then we must provide strength. When there's a need for correction, we must be willing to go against the flow and correct. But everything we do must begin and end with love, grace and compassion.”

Lord, please help me to be a “breath of fresh air” to those I come in contact with today! Thank you, Michael Black, for being a "breath of fresh air" to me today!

"Catching Up"

I have been soooo busy with my Mom, and I've neglected to post about some things, but here goes with "catching up":

First of all, we helped our friend, Colleen, celebrate her 50th birthday this summer. Why, you ask, would I make my friend wear a funky hat with "Golden Oldie" on it? Maybe because that friend bought me the hat and made me wear it at my 50th birthday party. :0)

The week before school started, Bob's cousin, Natalie, and her family "kidnapped" Lyle as they passed through Redding and took him camping at Gold Bluffs Beach Campground over on the coast. Bob's aunt, Natalie and her husband Ted, and their four kids go camping every year with several families. Can you imagine tent camping with a total of 17 kids? I can't!! :0)

Lyle had such a great time. Some of the highlights were seeing the Roosevelt Elk, hiking Fern Canyon, and Auntie Yvonne (who is from Hong Kong) making Chinese dinner for them all.

By the way, if you have never been to Fern Canyon, you should go!! It's not too far from Trinidad. This is how one website describes it: "Imagine walking through a narrow canyon where the walls are completely covered by luxuriant ferns and mosses and are dripping with moisture. That describes Fern Canyon, an unforgettable natural wonder that Steven Spielberg chose as a location for Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World. This level trail of about one mile follows Home Creek as it courses through the forest. The vertical walls sprout an amazing variety of ferns (five different kinds) and other moisture-loving plants and mosses. Depending on the time of year, there is a constant drip-drip of water trickling down the canyon walls. During summer months, foot bridges are installed over the creek to make this trail easier (and dryer). One can hike into the canyon and back, or continue on to a trail/stairway that climbs out of the canyon. At the top, turn left to return along the canyon rim, with fine views into the canyon and out to Gold Bluffs Beach."

Lastly, I wanted to post pictures from the first day of school. Hilary started school on August 16th and Lyle on the 19th. Hilary is attending Shasta College for another year, and Lyle is a Junior at Redding Christian High School. One of my kids' favorite things is having their picture taken on the first day of school -- NOT!!! Next year when Hilary goes away to school, I know that is one tradition she will NOT miss!

A Breath of Fresh Air

There has been SO MUCH going on in my life these last few months. In addition to my mom and Hilary’s physical problems, there have been other issues I have been dealing with. This is a season in my life in which God is trying to teach me, stretch me, and mold and shape me to prepare me for the next season of my life. In all honestly, I find myself crying out to God sometimes, “There has got to be more to life than this.”

My prayer lately has been for a breath of fresh air. It seems like everything is stacked against us sometimes, and I just want to breathe! I am ready for life to get great again! I’m so ready for a new start!!!