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As I prepare for the holiest of celebrations...I am touched by the words of Maya Angelou....who as she turned 70 was quoted as saying that Life is still "exciting"

May the joy of Christmas and the hope of the coming new year give you pause enough to appreciate these words, also from Maya Angelou, and may your lives be just as exciting!!!

Maya  Angelou said  this:

'I've  learned that no matter what happens, or how bad  it seems today, life does go on, and it will be  better  tomorrow.'

'I've  learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a  rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas  tree lights.'

'I've  learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your  life.'

'I've  learned that  making ‘living’ is not the same thing as 'making a  life.'

'I've  learned that life sometimes gives you a second  chance.'

'I've  learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be  able to throw some things  back.....'

'I've  learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right  decision.'

'I've  learned that even when I have pains, I don't  have to be one.'

'I've  learned that every day you should reach out and  touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a  friendly pat on the  back.'

'I've  learned that I still have a lot to  learn..'

'I've  learned that people will forget what you said,  people will forget what you did, but people will  never forget how you made them  feel.'

What does freedom mean to you?
What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen for his own.

Psalm 33:12 NLT

"I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws."

Genesis 26:4-5 NLT

The source of liberty

Victor Frankl

For Americans, July 4 has special meaning as we celebrate Independence Day. There are parades and picnics and fireworks. It is a day to celebrate freedom—and to recognize God as the true source of freedom and blessing for any nation.

So much of our freedom today seems bound up in a world driven by material possessions, yet those who died for the liberty we enjoy often did so to obtain or preserve freedoms of conscience—speech, religion, assembly, among others. And much of the blessing we enjoy today began with the promise God made to Abraham

This 4th of July we were fortunate enough to be part of the Henry Family Reunion (Kurt's mom is a Henry) the ages ranged from 2 to 92 and it was a pure and simple example of what the freedom we have in this great country is all about.  God loving, family first people from all parts of the country...together in a free country that many have died to protect.  We join with each of you our friends, family and fellow bloggers in rejoicing and praying that our countries motto "In God We Trust" remains a true statement of who we are...

Happy Independence Day! Happy Summer!!

He's alive!

Up from the Grave He Arose!
God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip.  Acts 2:24 NLT

Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior! Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Death cannot keep his prey, Jesus my Savior! He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior! Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o're His foes; He arose a Victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign, He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

I love hymns, especially the old ones...that tell about us about the faithful times of our ancestors...and exalt the Glory of God!  I hope you enjoy these as much as I and that you have a blessed Easter!

I think that as we begin the new year...it is fitting that we consider the possibilities.
Recently I ran across this article by Rick Reilly, he is a sports writer, often funny, often to the point, almost always worth the read.

I give him the credit for this post...but I give Grapevine Faith the credit for the hope I feel as we begin 2009!

Life of Reilly
There are some games in which cheering for the other side feels better than winning.
by Rick Reilly

They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.

It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down. For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.

Did you hear that? The other team's fans?

They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end. It said, "Go Tornadoes!" Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.

It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs. More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on—by name.

"I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah. "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids. But they wanted us to!"

And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.

But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four. They lined the players up in groups of five—handcuffs ready in their back pockets—and marched them to the team bus. That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.

This all started when Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team. Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score. After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year. Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery—many of whose families had disowned them—wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.

So Hogan had this idea. What if half of our fans—for one night only—cheered for the other team? He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that. "Here's the message I want you to send:" Hogan wrote. "You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."

Some people were naturally confused. One Faith player walked into Hogan's office and asked, "Coach, why are we doing this?"

And Hogan said, "Imagine if you didn't have a home life. Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you. Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."

Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before. Hundreds of fans. And actual cheerleaders!

"I thought maybe they were confused," said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison). "They started yelling 'DEE-fense!' when their team had the ball. I said, 'What? Why they cheerin' for us?'"

It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid. "We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games," says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years. "You can see it in their eyes. They're lookin' at us like we're criminals. But these people, they were yellin' for us! By our names!"

Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game's last two touchdowns. Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string cornerback at defensive end. Still.

After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that's when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. "We had no idea what the kid was going to say," remembers Coach Hogan. But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us."

And it was a good thing everybody's heads were bowed because they might've seen Hogan wiping away tears.

As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home—a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player.

The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, "You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You'll never, ever know."

And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they'd never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.

Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it's nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.

Hope.

Happy New Year! to everyone.
and may it truly be one where we give more than we receive...
where we consider others ahead of ourselves...
and where we offer hope.

Today I was out for a little while -- it is raining in Eugene, Oregon today, which is a HUGE improvement over the past week of snow and ice -- much like me, many many people wanted to get 'out and about' on this 'Super Saturday!'  (I cannot help but call it that since my life is always connected to the retail world...the Saturday before Christmas = Super Saturday!)  A lot of traffic...a lot of lines...even Starbucks was more packed, both inside and in the drive-thru, than I have ever seen it...

I was listening to Christmas carols in my car and I have to give Amy Grant the credit for this post...her new song, brought me peace in the midst of all this chaos.  In fact that is what her song was about...the rushing around of the season, the lines, children crying, mom's scurrying to finish all the "to do's" of the season...and in the middle of it all...I actually sensed the peace of God.  It brought a huge smile to my face...

"...I need a Silent Night, a Holy Night...to hear the angel's voice through the chaos and the noise, I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here, to end this crazy day with a Silent Night..."

The angel's voice that Amy's song refers to sounds like this...

"...And there were in the great country shepherds, keeping watch over their sheep, and lo' an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. But the angel said unto them 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great Joy which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord... and His name shall be Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace' "  (you can find this in the book of Luke, Chapter 2)

So as you complete your "Super Saturday" and move into the most awesome week of celebration on this earth...remember find His perfect peace...make sure you have at least one Silent Night, a Holy Night...to hear the angel's voice.  For it is the good news and great Joy that is for you!!!

May God Bless you and yours throughout this wonderful celebratory week!

give thanks with a grateful heart,

give thanks to the Holy One,

give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son.

and now let the weak say "I am strong!"

let the poor say "I am rich!"

because of what the Lord has done!

give thanks!

we give thanks!

to each of you...those we know well and those who enjoy our blog...

we are grateful to have you in this life and pray that we will know you in His kingdom!

Have a blessed thanksgiving!

"For God so loved the world, that He sent His only Son that whosoever believes will not perish, but will have everlasting life!"  John 3:16

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary on August 30, 2006:
 
Here at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits. I still don’t know. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores who they are. They don’t know who Nick and Jessica are either.
 
Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so darn important?
 
I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I don’t care at all about Tom Cruise's baby.
 
Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.
 
If this is what it means to be no longer young. Umm, not so bad.
 
Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautifully lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don' t feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
 
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me one bit there’s a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, fine. The Menorah a few hundred yards away is fine too.
 
I do not like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
 
Or, maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?
 
I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.
 
But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we used to know went to.

Our mission, “Serve With Love” is about choosing to be the difference with each other and our guests. When you visit us, we commit to serving you from our mission with our actions. You can count on us to be the difference and:

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