If You Say So....Luke 5:4-7 (NASB)

Hallelujah: -interjection:    1. Praise ye the Lord! -noun:    2. an exclamation of "hallelujah!"    3. a shout of joy, praise, or gratitude      So, you might be wondering where I'm going with this. Indulge me for 3 minutes and 38 + seconds, will you? Click on the link and then come back, okay? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nMvvoXa9Yk&feature=related      Are you back with me again? Cool. Thanks. That was one of Amy Grant's newest songs. I've heard it on K-FISH a couple of times and it has a great melody. Amy Grant's voice and singing style has always held a lot of appeal for me. She's soulful, sincere, and passionate. However, as I was listening to this song and pondering the lyrics, I felt my theological hackles being raised.      To start with, I love that the song is bringing emotional and often painful moments that people experience into view and encouraging honesty befo...

     The first week of school for all my girls just commenced yesterday. Whew! Here's the rundown of who is where: Elena (10th grade) and Camille (8th grade) are being home schooled, Leanne (4th grade) and Chloe (2nd grade) are at Sierra Madre Elementary, and Daisy (4 years old, pre-K) and Julia (2 years old) are at home with Mom. This is a sampling of  the activities that promise to keep me hopping throughout the year: Elena volunteers at a nearby hospital, Camille volunteers at a nearby library, I volunteer in Leanne and Chloe's classrooms 1 hour per week per child, MOPS twice a month with Julia and Daisy, art, piano, singing and cooking lessons for various children, and a  running program for another child. Then there's Friday co-op classes for my older girls. Thankfully, I have almost no involvement in those - yet.      Quite honestly, the structure is beneficial. Summer had been very unstructured, unfocused and rather uneventful. I...

  The Westin Desert Willow      Well, to be accurate, Palm Springs isn't exactly  Hell, but when it's 121 degrees in the early afternoon on Highway 111 near downtown Palm Springs, it's mighty close to that undesirable location. Or when it's 100 degrees at 10:00 at night and my cheerful, heat-tolerant husband says, "Hey, wanna' go for a walk? It's a beautiful evening!" I feel guilty and wimpy for saying, "No way, Jose! (or, Tim, in this case and in every case. I actually have never taken a walk, or will, with any man named Jose. Not that that's not a nice name for a man, just no man I will ever stroll around with at 10:00 at night. Boy do I digress!) Please remind me NEVER to vacation there in the late summer. My Dad and Step-mom were kind to give us some of their time share days in the brand new and lovely Westin Desert Willows, but this vacation princess can't handle the heat.      The desert landscape, especially in winte...

     Oddly enough, I won't be seeing Tim till tomorrow. He has the girls till tomorrow in Palm Springs all by himself, plus one of the girls' friends. I've been home for the weekend soooooo enjoying myself! When I've called to see how everyone is, I hear urgent pleas, "Please come soon! It's crazy here!" I hear the screaming in the background and I don't doubt it. I'll be leaving tomorrow with my sister, Sarah, to join them. I think it's beneficial that they all really miss me. What a sweet reunion it will be!      18 years of marriage....what have I learned? A couple of thoughts come to mind: 1) God loves me and my husband more than I could possibly understand. 2 )God is more committed to my marriage than I am. 3) God will do anything and everything to help me honor my commitment to Him and my husband. Usually the "anything" is protracted, painful, disorienting trials that force me to depend on God. 4) I experience severe...

     Julia's 2nd birthday was July 13th. Here are some highlights:      Next was Camille's 13th birthday on July 26th. We had a small family dinner because I had taken her to Magic Mountain a month prior. I bought her a small cake and some cupcakes for my other girls. Happy Bumpa - we're happy he's alive!      Elena's birthday was August 8th and she turned 15. She had a slumber party with her friends.  Elena was hiding in this picture - but not Camille!      Whew! I'm done with my girls' birthdays for the year. It was a nice birthday season. Happy birthday girls!

     Umm, I don't consider myself a "princess," but I never grew up camping on family vacations. My family lived in Mammoth Lakes from about mid-June to early September every summer from 1971 to 1982. We hiked, fished, canoed, water-skied ( a total blast! although a little algae-ish at times ), went inner tubing ( so much fun! ) down the Owens River, and did all sorts of really fun outdoorsy things in the High Sierras.      And then we went to our large, spacious condo and showered, ate hot pizza and ice cream sandwiches, and sat in the jacuzzi down at the Rec Room after playing endless games of Pac Man, ping pong, and Pool. We had lots of friends and loud music (Reo Speedwagon, Journey, Billy Joel, Van Halen, U2 - this was the music of my childhood and early 'tweenhood - so awesome!). We'd walk up the road from the Rec Room gazing at the marvelously God-glorifying bright twinkling stars against the black night sky and breeze in the front door o...

     So, it's taken me awhile to get back to my little blog. This post is a tad humbling, but here I go: Along with a $5 Starbucks gift card (this is where Starbucks comes in), here's a sample of the note I enclosed in a small envelope for each recipient:            Dear Vacuum Cleaner Saleswoman  and Manager at Sears(I used their real names, actually):                      Please forgive me for my rude and demanding behavior the other day.  I allowed my frustration to turn in to pride and selfishness on my part. I am sorry. Here is a $5 Starbucks gift card to help you recover from having to deal with me the other day. Thank you for understanding. Sincerely, Laura Thomas      This note, and the event that preceded it,  came the same week I was reading The Kalahari Typing School for Men ...