Shout to God with cries of joy

Clap your hands, all you nations;

shout to the God with cries of joy.

For the LORD Most High is awesome,

the great King of all the earth.

He subdued nations under us,

people under our feet.

Psalm 47 :1 -3

God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on his holy throne.

The nobles of the nations assemble

as the people of the God of Abraham,

for the kings of the earth belong to God;

he is greatly exalted.

Psalm 47: 8 - 9

taste, see and smell

 St. Andrew is hosting their Annual Heritage Festival this weekend. The community of St. Andrew invites guests to taste, see and smell the flavors of Middle Eastern and Slavic Countries.  As soon as you arrive on the church grounds, you hear the Middle Eastern music.  Inside the church, their choir sings hymns in Greek. 

Visitors may take a tour of the church, bid on items in the silent auction, taste food, or browse in the bookstore. There is also a full schedule of activities.  Members of  St. Andrew are from the Orthodox community which includes  countries in the Middle East, Slavic countries, and some countries in Africa. 

All around me, there  is a beehive of activity. 

Pets of the week Calvin and Buster

"Calvin and Buster are a study in contrasts.  Calvin is a pedigreed chocolate lab that has been in the family nine years.  Buster is a stray mixed breed adopted from the Humane Society and has been with us six weeks.  Calvin has a quiet personality, is a strong swimmer and never misses the pool parties at Woodland Park.  Buster, hyper around other animals, doesn’t even like a bath.  Calvin is slow and deliberate.  I call Buster a cat-dog.  Buster runs like a bullet, hops like an antelope, and climbs like a cat.  Buster is also into chewing things.  We have slowly put everything out of his reach except for his toys and bones.

They both like to take a walk every day, Buster around the block, and Calvin up and down the sidewalk.  Buster came to us house trained and crate trained, is affectionate, and loves Calvin.  He likes to sleep next to him and sometimes on him.  Calvin weighs 110 pounds and Buster weighs 9. "

Gail with Calvin and Buster.
Gail and I become acquainted at Lafayette High School.
We become friends as volunteers with Operation Read.
Special thanks to Gail for sharing the story of her pets.

Spiritual Hunger

"There is a spiritual hunger in the world today and it cannot be satisfied 

by better cars on longer credit terms. "

Adlai Stevenson

The world continues to try to fill our spiritual hunger with material possessions, food, relationships, adventures, sex, and more.

Wordless Wednesday

Always

"No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us." Brad Meltzer

This month my parents would have celebrated 64 years of marriage. 

NFL and Referees

Did you watch the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks game last night? WOW.  I just saw the highlights from last night’s games. Who actually won the game? I have to take a minute to see which team won.

OK, now I know.

That was a crazy end to that game! As I was exercising this morning, I clicked to the Today show. Matt Lauer was interviewing Peter King from Sports Illustrated. King made the comparison of  replacement  referees to substitute teachers, where the players and coaches try to get away with as much as possible.  After last night’s night game, I anticipate NFL owners will return to labor discussions.  How can they allow individuals who have less experience continue to make important decisions?

On health issues, I want an experienced surgeon or doctor to guide me in making important decisions. My former internist was one of the best doctors I have encountered. In every office visit, she took time to listen to each of my health concerns. She scheduled lab tests, prescribed RXs, conducted physical exams, and made necessary referrals. Most importantly, she listened.   I like experts. I don’t want to go around guessing on important issues.

 In the same way, I do not trust everyone that in spiritual matters, I want to be informed. “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Act 17: 11.

Do I allow the teaching of others substitute what I discover during personal Bible Study?  Do I trust the personal experiences of others rather than trusting God? I want to be informed. I may be blessed with excellent teachers; I still must search the word daily. There is no replacement or substitute for personal study.

I am amazed at the commitment of professional athletes.
In addition, I know the referees have a huge commitment to training and education as well. 

Creation

Nature declares the glory of God.
We also have the opportunity to study the scared text Genesis.
BSF classes are in the beginning of a year long study.

“Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?”

— St. Augustine (354-430

A Love That Will Grow

A Love That Will Grow

^3-6 Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

Philippians  3:6 the Message

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Pet of the week

Franklin is on the left. 

This week’s pet of the week is Franklin a rescue dog from the Nebraska Humane Society.  Jara and Kenley adopted Franklin earlier this year. Upon arrival at his new home, Franklin exhibited some behavior issues. He almost destroyed some mini blinds.   According to some online sources, destructive behavior is common among rescue dogs.  J & K have made a commitment to use various techniques to help their dog overcome his issues. Today, Franklin is making progress. 

Cooking Lessons

When you have  a cooking lesson on a Big Green Egg you have the ultimate cooking experience. When your instructor is a Bassmaster Elite Series angler, J.Todd Tucker you are in for a real clinic. In between  preparing recipes, Todd shares tips on spice selection, new egg gadgets, and fish stories. check out his  website: JToddtucker

On Friday, September 14, we attended a Green Egg Cooking experience.  I suggest you visit GREEN EGG   

Grilling lettuce... yes, it is good. It is real, real, good. 

Glad we were able to enjoy the evening with Becky and Alan. 

Book Club

This morning, three words were written on the whiteboard in the classroom.  Desire, Discovery, and Decision.  Three words that are excellent leftovers from the previous class. Discovery and decisions are the milestones in learning.  I wonder, how can I help facilitate the discovery process in the classroom.   I wonder what about a book club for students.

Wednesday Evening Book Club

"Life - transforming ideas have always come to me through books." bell hooks