“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Dad? Can I borrow those keys? :)

Momma tells me that you are the Fire Chief in Big Sandy. And….well….you seeeeeeee, my Papa was a fireman and I wanna be one too.

So, here’s my question: Am I big enough yet to join the Big Sandy Volunteer Fire Department? I have the hat already!!! So, whadya think??

Love, Your Nephew,

Israel Jude Mandreger

But this particular post is about a different kind of bow and arrow :) My dear Husby thought I should post this. :) Still learning, yes I am – but I am loving learning with my husband as the teacher!!

Greg is such an awesome teacher! So patient and detailed!

For years I’ve been interested in archery – just for recreation! And I am finally getting to give it a go! Greg and I love going out in the evening and shooting from our deck at a target in our yard :) – of course – Greg is REALLY looking forward to the opening of bow season so he can shoot at LIVE targets and fill our freezer! Happy Fall!! :)

Yay for Momma and Papa coming to to the rescue!!! :)  Little boys invite BIG smiles :)

I love auntie-hood :)

Just me saying Hi :)

Nothing really to post ABOUT…just posting! Life is good. God is GREAT.

Of course, there are trials and real struggles and cloudy days…but Father is STILL THE SAME.

His promises are TRUE.

I have SUCH hope for tomorrow.

Love y’all :)

Fall was gorgeous. The leaves turned to brilliant colors of orange and yellow and lime, and then they covered the ground. It truly was lovely. I remember going for a walk one day – it was just like walking through a painting.

Winter, though cold, was nice as well. The bare trees . . . frost in the morning . . . hot drinks in the office . . . AND this year we were blessed with good dousing of snow . . . Winter was nice . . .

But there is just  s o m e t h i n g  about SPRING.

I love the grass that grows so fresh along the roadsides and in the field – Grass that hasn’t yet been burned by the heat of the sun and grows in that brilliant shade of green that seems almost illuminated from the inside.

The trees are the same way. What in winter were skeletons of branches overhanging the rolling backroads here are quickly becoming canopies of sparkling, lime-tinted new leaves.

Other trees are getting “a word in edgewise” by bursting out in flower first. I love it. BTW . . . I think if I could be a tree, I’d be a cherry tree – Gotta adore those blossoms!! :)

And the air is cool – not too hot, not too cold. And maybe it will rain. I love a good rain shower . . .

And don’t EVEN get me started on Garden Centers (like at Lowes or Home Depot or Walmart or ANYWHERE) – talk about temptation!!?? Somebody was pretty smart to put all those blooming flowers in one place, all bunched together, and for SALE too! Wowsers . . .

Yep . . . There is just s o m e t h i n g about SPRING.

A brand new start . . . In brilliant colors . . . It’s a song for your eyes to see . . .

Thank You, Father!

I love my picture, Neal! It looks SO GREAT hanging on the wall over my desk. You are an excellent artist!!! Thank you very, very, very much! I miss you!! :)

Things that do this for me: children’s books, Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, quotations…

Children’s books can be so simply profound. Among my favorites is Guess How Much I Love You. That one is just an amazing portrayal of our Heavenly Father’s love…

As for Calvin and Hobbes, its pretty sad how much I like them. I can read the same one over and over and laugh all over again. And sometimes, I see a bit of me there. Makes me smile… :)

As for quotations, I so enjoy them. Discovering them, collecting them, passing them on…At times, a good quote is like a sermon in a nutshell. I love them.

The other day, I came across this lovely one:

“The pages are still blank,

but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there,

written in invisible ink

and clamoring to become visible.”

~Vladimir Nabakov

I have often found myself writing. Whether that be for my blog, or for the Children’s Institute, or in my work at ALERT.

Have you ever sat there ready to write, or needing to write something, and the screen before you insisted on staying blank? Or have you ever had something on your heart that was so a part of who you were that when it came time to express it with words, there were none adequate? Words…

This quote also gripped me on a completely different plain – that of faith and hope and trust.

Here I am in life, not knowing what tomorrow holds. I look towards the days to come and, in a sense, they are blank pages. I could get frustrated, discouraged, impatient…

BUT…

When I stop…

There is this MIRACULOUS FEELING that the Father is writing a lovely story. That what I may not be able to see now, is already reality – written in invisible ink clamoring to become visible. Visible in HIS PERFECT TIME.

This is Faith: The substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.

This is Hope: Not some vague “maybe-thinking”, but a KNOWING that God IS working. That He has only great things in store for His children. That, in following Him, my future is secure and miraculous.

This is Trust: The resolve to REST in what I KNOW to be Truth.

You know what? . . . When I stop and turn my eyes to Heaven. When I cease from leaning on my own understanding. When I acknowledge the reality of God’s presence and sovereignty. . . I get that miraculous feeling .

He is Author and Finisher. God is GOOD.

Thanks to dear Mr. and Mrs. Bogner, I had THE CUTEST feets on the campus of the International ALERT Academy today. :)

They said “Irish for the day” :)