Prayer Request

Long, long, long story.... I have decided to go back to the classroom and teach again! I have an interview with a school in Fayetteville on Monday morning. Please keep me in your prayers. Thank you!!

Canoe Trip

Saturday was a great day for a canoe trip! We went with several people from our Sunday School class and had a blast! We ended up floating for close to 6 hours, but it flew by! Enjoy the pics:

The Group-
Denny, Christy, Dennis, Randy, Rachel, Rusty, Amy, Zack, Zayde, Bree

The Tates (Rusty and Rachel)

Randy

The Hickmans (Zayde, Amy, Zack, Bree)

The Deans (Dennis, Christy, Denny)

Zayde had an absolute blast!!

Bree made friends at every stop...

The Girls- Christy, Amy, Rachel

Relaxing in his chair...

Some of the guys taking a dip- Zack, Rusty, Randy

Zack and Bree swimming

My wonderful family!

Me and my honey!

Denny and Christy

Zayde never got fussy the entire 6 hour float! We had everyone on the river complimenting about how good he was!! We are so blessed with a fun, adventurous boy!

Beautiful scenery...

Do you see the waterfall?

Zack and Denny climbing the bluffs.

Daddy and Zayde playing in the water.

Zayde fell asleep in the canoe and took a 2 hour nap towards the end of the float!

We took Zayde to see the movie, Up, on Sunday afternoon. He loved it!

The Word on Wednesday...

1 Timothy 4:4-5- "Everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer."

In her book Creating a SenseSational Home, Terry Willits says, "In His goodness and creativity, God has given us eyes to see, ears to hear, noses to smell, mouths to taste and talk, and bodies to feel. Each sense is a rich blessing that enhances our life in a unique way and can bring immense pleasure or pain. Though every sense is wonderful, we seldom encounter only one at a time. Instead, God has intricately wired them together to allow us to experience all dimensions of life as we take in the world around us."

Have you ever thought of our senses that way? As a blessing from God? Sometimes it is so refreshing to sit outside- look at the rainbow of colors from the green grass to the red, lilac, and yellow flowers, smell the aromas in the air from the fresh-cut grass to the next door neighbor's bar-b-q dinner, feel the breeze of the wind, and listen to the sounds of children playing, lawn mowers growling and birds singing. Just by sitting outside for 5 minutes, I have used almost all of my senses. God is awesome!

Sight-
Deuteronomy 11:7- "It was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done."
Did you know that certain colors trigger an emotional response? Pink will pacify children. Red excites. Green is calming and restful. Blue can encourage intellectual activity. God is awesome!

Taste-
Psalm 107:9- "He... fills the hungry with good things."
God has blessed us with the enjoyment of the wide variety of flavors- sweet, sour, bitter, bland, salty... We have about ten thousand taste buds with which to taste all of the flavors created by Him. God is awesome!

Smell-
Proverbs 27:9- "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart."
Humans have seven primary oders that help them determine objects- Camphoric (mothballs), Musky (Perfume/Aftershave), Floral (flowers), Pepperminty (mint gum), Etheral (dry cleaning fluid), Pungent (vinegar), Putrid (rotten eggs). If your nose is at its best, you can tell the difference between 4,000-10,000 smells! God is awesome!

The Word has a lot to say about our "Spiritual" scent as well:
Ephesians 5:1-2- "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

2 Corinthians 2:14-15- "But thanks be to God, who in Christ... through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing."

What does your Spiritual aroma smell like? Is it refreshing and pleasant such as the Fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Or, do you put off the opposite- the poison of hatefulness, negativity, chaos, impatience, unfriendliness, mercilessness, untrustworthiness, crudeness, hastiness... I, personally, want to have the sweet, loving scent of my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Hearing-
Matthew 11:15- "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Sound waves cause the tympanic membrane (eardrum) to vibrate. Humans can hear sounds waves with frequencies between 20 and 20,000 Hz. The three bones in the ear (malleus, incus, stapes) pass these vibrations on to the cochlea. The cochlea is a snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear. Inside the cochlea is another structure called the organ of Corti. Hair cells are located on the basilar membrane of the cochlea. The cilia (the hair) of the hair cells make contact with another membrane called the tectorial membrane. When the hair cells are excited by vibration, a nerve impulse is generated in the auditory nerve. These impulses are then sent to the brain. Tell me the way our bodies work is not amazing- God is awesome!

Touch-
Matthew 9:20-22- "Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak. She said to herself, 'If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.' Jesus turned and saw her. 'Take heart, daughter,' He said, 'your faith has healed you.' And the woman was healed from that moment."
We cannot physically touch the Lord, but He has us wrapped up in His arms none the less. Take a minute to feel the love, acceptance and warmth of your Savior!
There are about 100 touch receptors in each of your fingertips. God is awesome!

Lord, thank You for blessing me with the ability to see, taste, smell, hear and feel the beautiful world You created. Help me to never take those abilities for granted, and to use them for Your glory. Help me to "see" the blessings of life, to "taste" the goodness of Your love, to put off a pleasant "smell" as I am the "aroma of Christ", to "hear" Your Holy Spirit guiding me and speaking to me, and to "feel" Your arms around me. I love you, Lord! Amen.