1 Acre Wood

Hail Caesar

2012-01-29T08:21:00.002-06:00

A very good friend of mine, David Lapuyade, has been a member of the Krewe of Caesar for quite some time and years ago he and his wife Yvette started inviting Tammy and I to the annual Ball. I am not much on formal dress and events so I would always tell Dave "No thank you but that the year you are King...Tammy and I will come to the ball." I must admit I always said it with a certain belief that he would never put his name in for the honor but low and behold a few months ago Tammy was informed by Yvette "You will need a dress cause you are going to a Ball!".

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Last night Tammy and I attended the Krewe of Caesar's Ball at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and watched Dave (Emperor XXXIII) and the rest of the court get presented to the Krewe.

Leaving for the ball. (1/28/2012)

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Before the ball started Tammy and I were able to go backstage and see Dave along with the Queen and her maids and dressed and wearing their headdresses.

Emperor XXXIII (aka Dave)

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The 2012 King & Queen of Caesar

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Lowell, Dave and myself.

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Tammy and I had a great time and got to see a number of friends who we don't get to see often enough. We also were able to meet Lowell's fiance' and her parents and we look forward to seeing them married later this year.

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Grace & Peace

2012 Pray for Pensacola (40 Days of Prayer and Fasting)

2012-01-07T16:54:00.003-06:00

"To be a Christian without prayers is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." - Martin Luther King Jr.

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"Pray and let God worry" - Martin Luther

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Thinking back in your life do you recall your first awareness or knowledge of the act of prayer? How about a memory of someone in your life whose words concerning prayer shaped you in a powerful way? One of my early memories concerning prayer is of my mom's mother, my Grandma Drake. When I was 10-12 years old she told me that every night when she laid down in bed she prayed and that she ended her prayer time by listing her children and grandchildren one at a time and that she asked God to look after them. This made quite a comforting impression on me knowing that my grandmother was praying for me every night.

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Winifred Drake Dec 2001

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Have you ever thought about why you pray the way you do or why you do not pray regularly? How did you learn to pray? It is an interesting exercise to contemplate how one ends up learning to do different things. Jesus's disciples asked Him "Lord, teach us to pray." (Luke 11:1) and He told them in the following verses.

"Father, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.’

Luke 11:2-4 NASB

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Sunday January 8th starts 40 days of prayer and fasting for the city of Pensacola and the surrounding area. Joe & Karina Miller started coordinating this time of prayer with several churches in the Pensacola area a few years ago and this movement became known as Pray for Pensacola. I really like the idea of group of Christians lifting up together to God issues impacting a local community.

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Shalom

End of Year Thoughts

2011-12-30T06:50:00.003-06:00

Once again I find myself wondering where the days and weeks since Thanksgiving have gone. Each year I know that the Holiday Season will pass quickly and I try to focus on each day for the blessing that it is but that can be a challenge with a busy schedule.

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Connie & Jimmy arrived in Gulf Breeze with their kids on December 1st and the next day we headed for Disney World. The next week or so our little group battle a variety of cold & flu symptoms but everyone, including the kids, handled it well and in the end I believe everyone had an enjoyable time. Oh yea, and on Saturday December 3rd the LSU Tigers defeated the University of Georgia and won the SEC Championship game!
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Port Orleans Riverside, North Bus Stop - 2 Dec 2011

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We arrived back in Gulf Breeze Thursday the 8th and the next day Tammy and I enjoyed having a sleepover with our nephew Luke.

Luke trying out the executive lifestyle.

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Saturday the 10th Tammy and I drove over to Bellingrath Gardens, just South of Mobile to meet Stan & Gayle as well as Missy and her kids. This is the third year in a row Tammy and I have gone to see the "Magic Christmas in Lights" display.

Bellingrath Gardens - 10 Dec 2011

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Sunday the 13th after worship services at First City Church Tammy and I came home and we rested. Unfortunately the cold/flu bug caught up with Tammy and she spent the next three days at home. Ashley arrived home on the 12th but she turned around and left Wednesday the 14th for Nashville via North Pensacola to pick up Andy G. and Mobile to pickup Amanda, before heading to spend a few days with the Kauholds. Adam was recently hired as the minister at the Aspen Grove Christian Church.

Gaylord Opryland Resort - 16 Dec 2011

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Kenny, Janet and company arrived Saturday the 17th and we got to visit with them during their stopover on their way to Disney World. They spent the night out at the beach and we met them at First City Church Sunday morning. Afterwards we met them at Flounders on Pensacola Beach for lunch before they continued their vacation. Sadly I have no picture of their visit. Oh yea, and the girls returned home Sunday night!

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I took off Monday the 19th to accompany Tammy to her doctors appointments. We received good news at both of them. That evening we met some friends for a Christmas dinner at Carrabba's. Wednesday after work we headed to my parents for a Christmas dinner.

21 Dec 2011

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After fifteen years of my working at Eglin AFB Tammy finally met some of the people I work with. We had an office Christmas luncheon at the Olive Garden in Ft Walton Beach. Truly a Christmas miracle. I don't know how I slipped up. I usually do a much better job about keeping my work separated from my family. ;-)

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After the office luncheon we headed home, packed and headed to New Orleans. Of course our trip was cut short by an hour and a half delay at the Florida - Alabama state line. Traffic came to a standstill and when we finally got moving again there were no signs or evidence as to what caused the delay. We stopped briefly at Amanda's apartment in Moibile and six or so hours after the trip started we made it to Stan & Gayle's in Metairie.

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Friday morning Tammy, the girls and I headed to the French Market. Missy and her kids met us there and we enjoyed cafe au lait and beignet's at Cafe Du Monde and a walk through the French Market.

Jackson Square - 23 Dec 2011

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Christmas Eve found us at the home of Tammy's aunt & uncle, Ed & Linda. We had a pretty full house and the kids enjoyed a visit from Saint Nic.

Kenner, La - 24 Dec 2011

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Christmas Day was spent at Tammy's parents house. Later in the morning we went to worship services at the 7th and Camp St Church of Christ in New Orleans and then in the late afternoon we headed back to "the Breeze"

Metairie, La - 25 Dec 2011

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Monday the 26th the girls slept in a bit and later in the day we went to see a movie, Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows, with some friends. The movie was really pretty good in my opinion.

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This week has been fairly calm and quiet. Tammy and the girls have gotten to relax and spend time together. My work has been quiet uneventful and calm. Today we head back to New Orleans. I need to get fitted for a tuxedo for the Krewe of Caesar ball in a few weeks and tomorrow Tammy's mom will be hosting her 28th or 29th New Years Eve open house. Amanda is heading to Tallahassee, Fl to attend a wedding and spend New Years Eve with some friends and that is how the Schermerhorn's finish out a year.

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Grace & Peace to You

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

2011-11-26T11:30:00.002-06:00

"Having someplace to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing." - Unknown

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My happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family. –Thomas Jefferson

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The past couple of weeks have been quite enjoyable as Tammy and I have been able to spend quite a bit of time with family and friends. Dave & Yvette drove over from Kenner, La to spend last weekend with us. Thanksgiving Day we had most of my family over and on Friday some of Tammy's family came over to watch the LSU vs. Arkansas football game.

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Clarence, Tammy, Yvette and Dave

(11/13/11 @ Hemingway's on Pensacola Beach)

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Amanda, Grandpa S, Grandma S and Ashley

11/24/11 on the deck @ 1 Acre Wood)

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Jackie, Red, Clarence and Carol

(11/24/11the grandparents table)

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Tammy, Amanda and Ashley

(11/24/11)

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The family time continues this coming weekend as Tammy and I head to Walt Disney World with Connie, Jimmy and the kids for a Christmas vacation.

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Grace & Peace

Way down upon the Suwanee River..........

2011-11-13T07:40:00.001-06:00

This past Friday was Veterans Day and Tammy and I found ourselves in Branford, Fl near the banks of the Suwanee river for the wedding of Josh McGrew & Jennifer Grubbs. Josh is the vice-principle at Oriole Beach Elementary where Tammy works. It was a beautiful fall afternoon and the couple were married outdoors at Jennifer's grandparents house on the banks of the Suwanee River.

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Tammy and I enjoyed staying nearby at the Smoakhouse Ranch, an interesting little bed & breakfast type place with a very nice couple who run the place along with several other business adventures. If we ever had a reason to go back to Branford, Fl we would stay there again.

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We stayed in Cabin #2

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Animals to feed!

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Tammy getting up close to a cows tongue!

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Grace & Peace

Fall Reflections

2011-10-30T06:45:00.005-05:00

As October draws to a close you can almost sense in many people the anticipation of the coming Holiday Season. College football is in full swing, Halloween and Fall Festivals are being enjoyed this weekend, Wal-Mart and Lowes have Christmas decorations displayed, Thanksgiving is a just a few weeks away, and Tammy is planting Pansies.

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October 2011

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I continue to be intrigued by the whole Holiday season experience. That unique sense of joy, happiness and anticipation that I and many others experience, the family traditions that are celebrated, the classic holiday movies and the focus by many on celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I am also reminded that for some the Holidays do not bring the same fond memories that I am blessed with, and that for some individuals the holidays can be quite a challenging time. Childhood experiences, relationship difficulties, loss of family members, loved ones deployed overseas, and financial difficulties can all bring a chilling effect on how one views the Holiday season.

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I first learned about the Advent Conspiracy movement while listening to a podcast by Rick McKinley a pastor at Imago Dei Community in Portland Oregon. This movement was a grassroots effort to help people refocus their thoughts and actions as they live out the Holiday Season. The birth of Jesus Christ was a world changing event and maybe how we celebrate can change someones world.

Advent Conspiracy

www.adventconspiracy.org

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Worship Fully

Spend Less

Give More

Love All

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Monarch Madness

2011-10-09T09:29:00.001-05:00

In October the Panhandle Butterfly House located in Navarre, Florida holds a weekend event called Monarch Madness in conjunction with an Art's Festival. The Panhandle Butterfly House was formed to;

"..to increase the public’s awareness of butterflies and their important role in the environment."

This year my mother partnered with the Panhandle Butterfly House to help them raise money. My mothers love of origami and nature converged and she was able to make butterfly earrings and pins which she sold at cost to the Panhandle Butterfly House who in turn sells them for quite a bit more and is able to raise money for the butterfly house. My mom has become quite an accomplished artist with her origami skills and loves teaching others especially children the art of origami.

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Entrance to the Butterfly House

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Earrings in the middle with the pins in the fishbowl.

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My nephew Luke!

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Grace & Peace

Connect the dots.

2011-10-06T21:20:00.005-05:00

Several times over the past few weeks I have started composing a blog posting but for one reason or another I have not completed them. I enjoy blogging and regardless of who may read what I post I personally find it therapuetic to put down on paper or via this blog various thoughts, comments and events that I experience. Today I will break that cycle and along with the rest of the on-line world comment on the passing of Steve Jobs.

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Today many people have posted comments concerning the death of Steven Jobs, co-founder of Apple Corporation. Steve Jobs had a most interesting life journey and if you have ever used a personal computer you have most likely been influenced by one or more of the many things he has help create over past 40 years.

If you want to know a bit more about Steve Jobs the man he gave a commencement speech in 2005 at Stanford University in which he talks through three stories from his life. I enjoyed the address and think there are several messages within it that I believe are valuable especially to the under 20 crowd.

Throughout the day I have read several articles about Steve Jobs and many people seem to be enamored with the image of Steve Jobs the designer, visionary and co-founder of Apple but what I have found most interesting about him as I have read are a few of the smaller more mundane facts concerning his life.

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He was given up for adoption at a young age.

He never graduated from college.

He was "fired" from the company that he co-founded.

He was a Buddhist.

He was a vegetarian.

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Steve Jobs

1955-2011

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Oh and as far as the title of this post is concerned you can watch the commencement address I referenced.

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Shalom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMMY!

2011-09-11T20:40:00.001-05:00

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y T A M M Y

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"Looks is a heap more important than brains because most men can see a lot better than they can think."

Tammy Tarleton in Tammy and the Millionaire (1967)

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Proud parents (1964)

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Strike the pose (1965)

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Tammy and her girls (2011)

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Happy birthday my love!

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-11T07:23:00.005-05:00

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Albert Einstein

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Ten years ago today approximately 3,000 people lost there lives in the attacks carried out in America. It was a very significant day for people individually, for our nation and for the world as a whole. I am reminded of several things as I reflect upon the events of that day and the past ten years.

The heroism of the individual. People doing what what they needed to do to survive as well as helping those around them as best as they could.

The unity of our nation. While the U.S. is a very diverse nation the unity and resolve seen in the days, months and years following the 9/11 attacks is still an amazing thing to me.

The power of leadership. Regardless of politics, in times of crisis and disaster, people want to be lead by a strong decisive leader. I am grateful for President Bush and all those in leadership on that fateful day and the years to follow.

The uncertainty of life. For the nearly 3,000 people who died on 9/11 I doubt that few if any woke up and thought "today is the last day of my life". We all must fight against complancency and ingratitude in our daily lives and constantly appreciate and give thanks for every moment we share with loved ones.

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Grace & Peace

H A P P Y - B I R T H D A Y !!!

2011-09-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Panda!

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1989

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1989

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1989

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You have been such a blessing and a joy to your mother and I.

Happy Birthday!

Love Dad

In the Local News!

2011-08-06T13:37:00.001-05:00

Summer is passing very quickly this year. Last weekend Tammy, Amanda & I went to Orlando to visit with Ashley and see the house that she and three friends are renting. Pretty crazy how nice of a place she is in.

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Oviedo, Fl

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While in Orlando we took advantage of Ashley being a Disney employee and she was able to get herself and her sister into the Magic Kingdom for free. We enjoyed a nice afternoon in the park and caught the fireworks show in front of the castle.

Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

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Stop the presses!

Oriole Beach Elementary

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Tammy has been working at Oriole Beach Elementary since 2005 as their secretary. This week she made the local news in an article titled "The face of OBE" by Scott Page published in the Gulf Breeze News.

Grace & Peace

July 4, 1776 Independence Declared

2011-07-04T08:59:00.005-05:00

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12

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Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. -Thomas Jefferson

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John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776"

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The 4th of July has arrived and Americans across our nation and around the world will celebrate, whether they realize it or not, the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on this day in 1776. This Declaration by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, PA marked quite clearly the culmination of years of debate by the colonists. This document declared the 13 British Colonies independence from Great Britain and King George III and ushered in five years of war, what Americans refer to as the the Revolutionary War, with Great Britain.

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The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness....

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If you have not read the Declaration of Independence lately I encourage you to do so. I can think of no higher honor to pay to those men and women who sacrificed their lives and fortunes over 235 years ago for the freedoms you enjoyed today.

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Lastly, I encourage you to thank God for His divine providence and blessings which so many people take for granted. As you read the Declaration note the four references to God;

-to "the laws of nature and nature's God"

-to all men being "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"

-to "the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions"

-to "the protection of Divine Providence."

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Grace & Peace

Fathers Day 2011

2011-06-18T21:02:00.002-05:00

"A Man's children and his garden both reflect the

amount of weeding done during the growing season."

~~Author Unknown.~~

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1963

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1963

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1963

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"Thanks Dad." - enough said.
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Grace & Peace

25 Years and Counting

2011-06-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

Happy 25th Anniversary!

On June the 7th, 1986 Tamara Paige McReynolds said "I do" and the rest as they say is history.

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June 7th, 1986

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Memorial Day 2011 (Not Forgotten)

2011-05-29T21:40:00.001-05:00

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Brothers you are missed and not forgotten.........

Tom D. (Feb 5, 1990, F-111, UK)

Scott D. (Nov 30, 1992, B-1, Texas)

Eric H. (Feb 3, 1991, B-52, Indian Ocean)

Jon O. (Feb 3, 1991, B-52, Indian Ocean)

Jorge A. (Feb 3, 1991, B-52, Indian Ocean)

Dixon W. (Jan 31, 1991, AC-130, Kuwait)

Nick S. (Sep 20, 1992, T-37, Mississippi)

Ken R. (Sep 20, 1992, T-37, Mississippi)

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Bivouac Of The Dead

By Theodore O'Hara (1820-1867)

The muffled drum's sad roll has beat

The soldier's last tattoo;

No more on Life's parade shall meet

That brave and fallen few.

On fame's eternal camping ground

Their silent tents to spread,

And glory guards, with solemn round

The bivouac of the dead.

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Grace & Peace

Mothers Day 2011

2011-05-08T07:12:00.000-05:00

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been.

~Robert Brault

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1963-1964

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Mom, words cannot express the gratitude and appreciation I have for the many ways you shaped my life as a child, as a young man and now as a father & husband.

Love, Clarence

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May 2011

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May 2011

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Shalom

Good Dog

2011-04-22T07:42:00.001-05:00

Beauty, our families Golden Retriever, passed away yesterday. She will be missed.

Beauty

May 8, 2001 - April 21, 2011

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Grace & Peace

56 Years and Counting

2011-04-13T23:20:00.006-05:00

On April 14th, 1955 in Gloversville, NY, my parents embarked on a very special journey together. I suspect that neither of them on their wedding day would have predicted that 56 years later their journey would find them retired and living in Pensacola, Fl with their children and grandchildren nearby. I also suspect they were not thinking about their parents moving in with them, taking their future children to the emergency room, waiting for their future grandchildren to come out major surgery, dealing with the sudden loss of a job, moving every few years, a flooded house, or a myriad of life's potential challenges. I suspect that they were just thinking about being married and starting their life together.

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Happy 56th Anniversary!

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On the subject of marriage Tammy and I were talking tonight and came to the realization that this year;

-her grandparents will celebrate 69 years of marriage

-my parents will celebrate 56 years of marriage

-her parents will celebrate 50 years of marriage

-and we will celebrate 25 years of marriage

-and that totals up to 200 years of marriage!

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Grace & Peace

2011 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival

2011-03-17T19:37:00.002-05:00

Tammy and I enjoyed walking around the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival this past weekend. We both really enjoy walking around and seeing the flowers, topiaries and landscaping that Disney puts on. I took quite a few pictures and a few came out very nice but they do not do justice to seeing EPCOT in person.

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Toy Story 3 topiaries at the entrance of EPCOT.

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Tammy & I

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Flowers along a pond in front of the Imagination Pavilion.

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Grace & Peace

H A P P Y - B I R T H D A Y - A S H L E Y !

2011-03-03T19:30:00.002-06:00

21 years ago at the LSU Medical Center in Shreveport, La. God blessed Tammy and I with our second daughter Ashley and our lives haven't been the same since.

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Welcomed home by her sister,March 1990

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Playing at Maw & Paw's, September 1990

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Chilling after lunch, March 1991

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Ashley & Scotty, July 1991

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Grace & Peace

Epiphany

2011-02-17T09:50:00.006-06:00

“Do you really believe, what you really believe is really real.” – Del Tagget

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Journey of the Magi by James Jacques Joseph Tissot

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This past January many Christian traditions celebrated the Epiphany which commemorates the manifestation of Christ to the "wise men from the East" or the magi as they are also known. In reading Matthew chapter 2 we see where these magi could discern events on earth by looking to the stars and that they were so moved by what they discerned that they embarked on a journey which brought them into both the presence of an earthly king Herod and the unearthly king the child Jesus. As I read Matthews account I am reminded that most of the people, the magi and the shepherds, that were first to become aware of Jesus' birth and were first to worship him were not from the established religious or political leadership of the time but were people pretty far removed from such circles.

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February has been a bit of a blur thus far. It has been a month of reminders for me with the main reminder being not to take anyone around me for granted. It is easy to get caught up in living out ones life and quite unintentionally start overlooking and taking for granted those people we cherish the most. A friends fathers passing, my father-in-laws knee surgery and Tammy's cardiac ablation have all served as reminders.

Never take tomorrow for granted.

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Tell and show the people you care about how you feel while they are still alive.

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Live a life of no regrets.

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Stuff does not matter. People and relationships matter.

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Shalom

January 2011

2011-01-30T08:07:00.000-06:00

Well, January 2011 has just about run its course. I must say that January has proven to be an interesting month with Tammy and I staying very busy throughout it. As I look to February and March I see more even busier months ahead.

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Pray for Pensacola is entering into its fourth week.

1/30/11 - Pray for the wives of pastors and ministers.

1/31/11 - Pray for community development agencies.

2/1/11 - Pray for the mothers in your community.

2/2/11 - Pray for the impoverished.

2/3/11 - Pray for emerging Christian leaders.

2/4/11 - Pray to end abortion in the county.

2/5/11 - Pray for personal needs.

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One of the new activities I have been engaged in this January is listening to an audio verson of the Old & New Testaments. www.biblegateway.com is a very good on-line resourse and they have recently added an audio version. I am finding that hearing the books read to me is quite a different and yet very positive experience than reading them for myself. The biggest difference I have noticed is that I read to myself a whole lot faster than the speakers read out loud. Now there is no shock in that difference but it has made me very aware that when I read to myself I am sometimes more motivated by the urge to complete a chapter or book than I am in comprehending the material.

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One other change this January was switching from MediaCom to AT&T U-Verse for my Internet access, home phone and cable television services. This change means that the @mchsi.com e-mail address that I have used for a very long time will cease to be in service sometime next week. You just do not realize how many on-line accounts you have and how many places use your e-mail address until you have to change it. I hope I didn't miss anything important.

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Grace & Peace

Pray For Pensacola (40 days of prayer and fasting)

2011-01-09T16:32:00.003-06:00

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Imagine if a group of Christians in your town from a diverse selection of traditions and denominations came together briefly for a common cause. To pray and fast specifically for your town, its leadership, its schools, its economy and other things unique and specific to your community. Not a bad thing to imagine and an even better thing to experience!

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Tonight at 9pm starts a 40 day period of prayer and fasting by a growing group of Christians in the Escambia/Santa Rosa County area. Joe Miller started the Pray For Pensacola movement a few years ago and its participants have grown steadily every year.

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To give you and example of the types of things prayed for I have listed the first weeks themes;

1/9/11 -Pray for your local church.

1/10/11 - Pray for the mayor and the city council.

1/11/11 - Pray for protection from sickness and illness.

1/12/11 - Pray for the fathers in the city to be men of integrity.

1/13/11 - Pray for the homeless and those who minister to them.

1/14/11 - Pray for the local military personnel and their families.

1/15/11 - Pray for personal needs.

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Grace & Peace to You

New Years Eve 2011

2011-01-06T20:20:00.003-06:00

May the new year bring
The warmth of home and hearth to you.
The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
The hope of a childlike heart to you.
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.

-Irish Blessing

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I broke a long standing family tradition this New Years Eve and did not go to my in-laws open house in Metairie. I think the last time I missed it was 1990 during Desert Shield/Storm. A friend of mine purchased a couple acres on Lewis Smith Lake in Northwest Alabama and he invited a group of guys to camp, RV and hangout for the weekend. All in all a very enjoyable weekend inspite of the 5 inches of rain we received New Years Eve. Of course every cloud has a silver lining and because of the heavy rain we were able to hike in the Bankhead National Forest along the Sipsey river and see some very nice waterfalls.

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Tim's RV (aka the Eagle)

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Camp site for Andy (green tent) and I (yellow tent).

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Waterfall along the Sipsey River

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Atop a waterfall. (What you don't see is the second 20' waterfall below the pool.)

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Grace & Peace

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T20:38:00.002-06:00

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Friday, Christmas Eve, the family enjoyed an early morning visit to the French Quarter. Beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde followed by a walk through the French Market and over to the Mississippi River. Lastly a stroll through Jackson Square and some shopping at the Jax Brewery. All in all an enjoyable morning spent with my girls. To view more pictures check out my web albums.

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Cafe Du Monde - French Market

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On the banks of the Mississippi River

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Jackson Square in front of St Louis Cathedral

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Christmas Eve in Metairie

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Christmas Day in Metairie

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The girls with the help of my father made a series of arrows for a sign post (some assembly required) with each arrow describing a different place we have lived or visited along with the distance in miles from our home in Gulf Breeze, Fl. It should look pretty nice in the butterfly garden in the back yard.

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Grace & Peace

Advent Season 2010 - Christmas Day

2010-12-23T22:38:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas All!

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Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2: 13-20

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Advent Season 2010 - Week 4

2010-12-19T08:06:00.002-06:00

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” - Luke 2:8-12

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It always amazes me how the Holiday Season can stir up so many strong emotions and memories. Decades of family traditions combined with centuries of Christian traditions form a powerful cultural force in our lives. As you enjoy your families Christmas traditions and as you celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ consider some of these interesting historical tidbits.

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Boston Settlement 1620, the English separatists (aka Pilgrims) that settled in America outlawed the celebration of Christmas in Boston.

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England 1645, Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces come to power. Christmas was cancelled as it was considered decadent.

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America 1789, Congress stood in session on December 25th, the first Christmas under the U.S. Constitution.

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America 1822, Clement Clarke Moore is believed by many to have written a poem "An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicolas," which became better known as "The Night before Christmas."

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New York City, 1897, Francis P. Church and editor for the New York Sun writes in response to a letter from an eight year old girl, Virgina O'Hanlon. "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"

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Whatever your families traditions may be, whatever cultural traditions you have, whatever traditions your faith practices I hope that at the core that they Glorify God and bring Christ to the foremost of your thoughts.

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“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Advent Season 2010 - Week 3

2010-12-12T16:38:00.000-06:00

“The infinite is in the finite of every instant” - unknown

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It can be very easy to live out your week and then get to the beginning of the next week and wonder where did the time go? What did I accomplish? This Holiday Season is proving to be no exception to that perception and to counter it I am focusing more on being aware of the present moment. The sights, the sounds, the smells of the environment around me. The voices, the body language, the eye contact, the emotion around the relationships being developed with every conversation I have. In addition to being more aware I am also being more deliberate in reflecting for a moment each evening on the past day, and weeks activities. It has been an enjoyable and fruitful exercise thus far.

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Grace & Peace

Advent Season 2010 - Week 2

2010-12-05T09:02:00.001-06:00

"And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years" - Genesis 1:14

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"Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”"
- Matthew 2:7-8

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As we continue to live out our lives this Holiday Season we are challenged to remember the entire story leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem almost 2,000 years ago and the lives of people challenged & changed by what was revealed to them.

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The thoughts and emotions of a young woman Mary who is visited by the angel Gabriel and told that she is favored by God and will bear His son. - Luke 1: 26-38

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The thoughts and emotions of that young woman Mary, pledged to be married to Joesph the carpenter, as she explains to her family and her future husband that she is pregnant and not by another man. - Matthew 1:18

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The thoughts of a young man being visited in a dream by an angel telling him to embrace his expectant bride and the child that she carries. - Matthew 1:20

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How are you challenged by the story of the birth of Christ?

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How are you changed by the birth of Christ?

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Grace & Peace

Advent Season 2010

2010-11-28T07:13:00.004-06:00

advent wreath

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Thanksgiving Day has come and gone and we get to enjoy the leftovers for a few more days. College footballs regular season is over with conference championships and bowl games to be played and enjoyed over the next few weeks. Black Friday sales were pursued by many helping shoppers with gifts and presents to be enjoyed over the next months and years. Yes, the Holiday Season is upon us.

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Advent Season has also come, it starts today. The word advent is based on the Latin word adventus meaning "arrival" or "approach". The Advent Season is a time, a four week window leading up to Christmas Day, when Christians focus on the arrival of Christ through His birth in Bethlehem. Christians in many traditions are also reminded of His anticipated second arrival. (aka the Second Coming of Christ) and the eternal consequences facing believers and non-believers.

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The Advent Conspiracy was an idea which has turned into a movement of sorts. It was started in 2006 by five pastors whose desire was to help people in their communities do four things;

Worship Fully

Spend Less

Give More

Love All

Not a bad thing to consider as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.

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Grace & Peace

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-23T06:51:00.001-06:00

...

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Know that the LORD Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

For the LORD is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations.

(NASB) Psalm 100

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Todays news headlines do not often inspire a person towards happiness and good spirits. Our busy lives can also add to the challenges in showing gratitude, giving thanks and to more fully appreciating that which we have. Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a great reminder to a nations citizens to pause and give thanks; a reminder we truly need each and every day we wake up.

I am reminded of the hymn "Count Your Blessings" by Johnson Oatman Jr. which contains a chorus which serves as a reminder to something we should all endeavor to perform every day.

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"Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."

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What have you been blessed with today? This week? This month? This year?

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Grace & Peace

Veterans Day 2010

2010-11-11T06:42:00.002-06:00

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"On Veterans Day, we come together to pay tribute to the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. Americans across this land commemorate the patriots who have risked their lives to preserve the liberty of our Nation, the families who support them, and the heroes no longer with us. It is not our weapons or our technology that make us the most advanced military in the world; it is the unparalleled spirit, skill, and devotion of our troops. As we honor our veterans with ceremonies on this day, let our actions strengthen the bond between a Nation and her warriors."

Presidential Proclamation Nov 2010

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Grace & Peace

Monarch Watch 2010

2010-10-03T08:23:00.000-05:00

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." - Genesis 1:31

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Along with the cool weather this weekend also brought the first Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) of the fall migration to our backyard or at least the first one that I have noticed. It continues to amaze me how these flying insects can travel up to three-thousand miles to return to their winter roosts in the Mexican state Michoacan where they wait until the spring when they start their journey back north. For me the Monarch butterfly's and their migration are an incredible reminder of the wonderfully created and complex world in which we live and yet which most of us know so very little about.

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All Things Bright and Beautiful

- Cecil Frances Alexander

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountain,

The river running by,

The sunset, and the morning,

That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,

He made them every one.

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

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Grace & Peace

Autumn 2010

2010-09-22T22:25:00.000-05:00

I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time.

Robert Browning

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Well the first day of Autumn 2010 found an afternoon high temperature in the low 90's and a backyard filled with insects and birds. Today was the first time I can recall spotting the Long Tailed Skipper so that was pretty neat. And as my friend Tim pointed out todays full moon was a rare "Super harvest Moon" which means that on the the first day of autumn the moon was full.

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Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)

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Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)

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Paper Wasp

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Large Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica)

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Baldfaced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus)

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Grace & Peace

Humming Birds

2010-09-20T17:33:00.007-05:00

God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest. ~J.G. Holland

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The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind. - Carly Simon

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A few hummingbirds arrived in our backyard a couple weeks ago and this past weekend I was able to watch 5-6 at a time fly about the backyard and feed. Their agility is impressive as is their speed and as I watch them I was once again reminded of the beauty our created world holds if we would just pause and look about us.

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Grace & Peace

Happy Birthday Tammy!

2010-09-11T22:55:00.008-05:00

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y

T A M M Y !

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"You know Tammy you're amazing...there's so much wordly wisdom in that uncluttered mind of yours."

Dr. Cheswick

(From the movie Tammy and the Doctor 1963)

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1965

...

1985

...

2005

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Happy Birthday Amanda!

2010-09-05T08:27:00.003-05:00

Amanda, pronounced ah-MAN-dah. It is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Amanda is "fit to be loved, lovable".

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22 years ago today at the LSU Medical Center in Shreveport Louisiana Amanda Gayle was introduced to the world and it has been an amazing 22 years ever since.

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Live….laugh…and Love

By John McLeod

Live well dear friends

In all you do,

Tho' paths be old

Or paths be new,

But to yourself

Be ever true,

Live well!

Laugh often friends

Tho' passing years

Bring, sometimes, smiles

And, sometimes, tears,

For mirth forever

Warms and cheers

Laugh often!

Love much dear friends

For love will bring

The healing joy

And hope of Spring,

Where pain and fear may never dwell

Nor anguish touch….

And so Live well,

Laugh often too,

And more, dear friends,

Love much!

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Grace & Peace

More Backyard Critters

2010-09-02T19:02:00.002-05:00

I really do enjoy watching and photographing the birds, bugs and plants in and about my yard. I never cease to be amazed at the beautifully created and wonderfully designed world I live in.

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Grey Heron

Sticky Frog

Dragonfly

Grace and Peace

The Original Micro Air Vehicles

2010-08-15T08:29:00.001-05:00

"It would go a great way to caution and direct people in the use of the world, that they were better studied and known in the Creation of it. For how could Man find the Confidence to abuse it, while they shoud see the Great Creator stare them in the face, in all and every part thereof?"

William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude, 1692

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I really enjoy watching insects fly around the yard. Yesterday I was able to take a picture of a couple of these original micro air vehicles. High resolution digital photography coupled with a personal computer and a image editing program really help bring the amazingly fine detail of the created world to life.

Giant Swallowtail
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Giant Swallowtail wing
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Dragonfly
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Dragonfly wing
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If you are interested the William Penn quote was from the book titled Some Fruits of Solitude in Reflections and Maxims, 1682. This book is a fairly interesting read though the language can be a bit of a barrier at times.

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Grace & Peace

Summer 2010

2010-08-13T07:50:00.002-05:00

"A man should never neglect his family for business." - Walt Disney

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"Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource - the minds of our children." - Walt Disney

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Magic Kingdom

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As the summer of 2010 draws to a close we were able to take advantage of our annual passes for Walt Disney World and spend a day and a half in the parks while we were in Orlando last weekend helping Ashley take care of some nursing school tasks.

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This weekend will see the girls heading back to school with Amanda starting the Physical Therapist program at USA and Ashley starting the nursing program at UCF. This should be an very interesting Fall for both of them.

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And...only 22 days left until the kick-off between LSU and North Carolina at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga for the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff. - Geaux Tigers!

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Grace & Peace

Paradoxical Commandments

2010-07-19T21:38:00.007-05:00

Today I was reading an e-mail from an information security group and Mr. Kent M. Keith was quoted. I liked the quote so much that I researched it a bit and discovered a listing that he called "Paradoxical Commandments". They really resonated with me and I would be interested to know what other people think about them.

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Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

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Grace & Peace

Pensacola Lighthouse

2010-06-27T08:16:00.006-05:00

Constructed in 1858, the Pensacola Lighthouse is still operational and serves as a warning and beacon for Pensacola Harbor. Guests can even climb to the top and enjoy quite a view of Pensacola Naval Air Station and the surrounding waters and beaches.

...

190' tall and flashes white every minute.

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Lighthouse and caretakers house.

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177 steps to the top.

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First order Fresnel Lens and lamp.

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Looking down.

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Grace & Peace

Tiger Swallowtail

2010-06-24T17:57:00.008-05:00

"Bugs are not going to inherit the earth. They own it now. So we might as well make peace with the landlord." -- Thomas Eisner

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This afternoon Tammy and I were treated to a new backyard visitor. A Tiger Swallowtail or Papilio glaucus Linnaeus, which was flying around between the zinnias and the echinacea.

On the subject of Monarch butterfly's Tammy has already released several this month. She has also rounded up a dozen or so Black Swallowtail caterpillars for the butterfly house.

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Tiger Swallowtail on a Zinnia

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Tiger Swallowtail on a Zinnia

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Tiger Swallowtail on an Echinacea

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Grace & Peace

FATHERS DAY 2010

2010-06-20T08:02:00.007-05:00

HAPPY FATHERS DAY

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"He did not tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it."

- Clarence Budington Kelland

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Petersburg, Va. (1963)

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Jacksonville, Fl. (~1970)

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Grace & Peace

Butterfly's 2010

2010-06-13T08:22:00.007-05:00

“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.” - Buckminster Fuller

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The past couple of weeks have been the start of the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus Linnaeus) season. The milkweeds have been blooming and producing pods which dispense seeds in a most ingenious way and their leaves have been showing the results of hungry caterpillars. We have also seen a couple Giant Swallowtails (Papilio cresphontes Cramer) flying around which have laid eggs on a citrus tree as well.

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Milkweed. (Note pod starting to split open)

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Monarch caterpillars on milkweed.

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Giant Swallowtail instar.

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Grace & Peace

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T06:31:00.003-05:00

As you go about your day today I hope you pause and reflect for a moment on those who have paid the ultimate price for our nation and the freedoms we each enjoy through their service in the armed forces. I also hope you will remember that for every man or women who died in service to our nation they left behind spouses, children, parents, and siblings who still grieve and who are still in the process of healing.

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Not all who have fallen are brought home but it is good to know that they are honored were they fell. The American Battle Monuments Commission administers, operates and maintains 24 permanent American burial grounds on foreign soil where over 124,000 U.S. war dead have been interred.

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Manila, Philippines

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North Africa, Tunisia

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Aisne-Marne, France

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Cambridge, England

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Aisne-Marne, France (2,289)

Ardennes, Belgiumn (5,329)

Brittany, France (4,410)

Brookwood, England (468)

Cambridge, England (3,812)

Corozal, Panama (5,364)

Epinal, France (5,255)

Flanders Field, Belgium (368)

Florence, Italy (4,402)

Henri-Chapelle, Belgium (7,992)

Lorraine, France (10,489)

Luxembourg, Luxembourg (5,076)

Manila, Philippines (17,202)

Meuse-Argonne, France (14,246)

Mexico City, Mexico (750)

Netherlands, Netherlands (8,301)

Normandy, France (9,387)

North Africa, Tunisia (2,841)

Oise-Aisne, France (6,012)

Rhone, France (861)

Sicily-Rome, Italy (7,861)

Somme, France (1,844)

St Mihiel, France (4,153)

Suresnes, France (1,565)

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Grace & Peace

Flower Power

2010-05-25T20:42:00.006-05:00

"Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get."

- H. Jackson Brown Jr.

...

"Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower. "

- Alan Kay

...

Flowers are pretty incredible creations and I really enjoy seeing just how wonderfully constructed they are. Not only do they serve specific purposes as host plants for insects and as nectar sources for bees and butterfly's but they quite pleasing to the eye. I also really enjoy taking close-up digital images and then zooming in to see the wonderful detail of their construction.

Lily

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Butterfly Bush

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Daisy

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Daisy

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Columbine

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Grace & Peace

Backyard Birding

2010-05-23T19:13:00.006-05:00

"I gave my life to become the person I am right now. Was it worth it?" - Richard Bach

...

"God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest." - J.G. Holland

...

I have always loved watching birds and whenever I am outside I am usually looking about for them. I also enjoy watching flying insects such as butterfly's, dragonfly's and bee's as well as bats. They are amazingly and wonderfully created and I love that the creation of birds was specifically commented on in Genesis chapter 1 versus 20-25.

"And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day."

I have been blessed to be able to spend quite a bit time outdoors this Spring and I have really enjoyed taking a few pictures of.....you guessed it.....birds.

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Blue Jay & Red-bellied woodpecker

(and a squirrel)

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Carolina Chickadee

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Eastern Bluebird

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Northern Cardinal

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Grace & Peace

Crawfish Boil 101

2010-05-16T08:56:00.008-05:00

So you may be wondering just what does it take to put on an authentic Louisiana crawfish boil so I thought I would show you.

You start with a sack or two of Louisiana's finest crawfish.

Next a take a large pot filled will water, add Zatarain's seasoning and heat it up.

After a good rinsing or two or three....add the crawfish to the basket.

Find one genuine authentic Louisiana crawfish boiler "chef?".

Combine all the ingredients, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and then let them soak, and soak, and soak.....

Sit yourself down and enjoy!

And lastly but most important, don't forget to thank the hosts!

Thanks Stan & Gayle!

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Grace & Peace

Mothers Day 2010

2010-05-09T08:35:00.006-05:00

“Only God Himself fully appreciates the influence of a Christian mother in the molding of character in her children.” - Billy Graham

...

....

...

Grace & Peace

FSU Class of 2010

2010-05-02T07:20:00.008-05:00

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

...

"You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you will be the guy who'll decide where you'll go. Oh the places you'll go."

Dr. Seuss

...

This past Friday evening Amanda graduated from Florida State University with her Bachelors of Science. It has been a joy and a blessing living out the past four years with her and I cannot wait to see the places she'll go. There are more pictures uploaded to my Picasa web albums if you are interested.

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Grace & Peace

The Girls of Spring

2010-04-28T19:54:00.003-05:00

"A catcher must want to catch. He must make up his mind that it isn't the terrible job it is painted, and that he isn't going to say every day, 'Why, oh why with so many other positions in baseball did I take up this one.'" - Bill Dickey

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Got to watch my niece play tonight down at GBSA. I really enjoy watching kids play sports.

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Grace & Peace

The Boys of Spring

2010-04-27T21:54:00.006-05:00

"Baseball is a game where a curve is an optical illusion, a screwball can be a pitch or a person, stealing is legal and you can spit anywhere you like except in the umpire's eye or on the ball. "

James Patrick Murray

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I had the pleasure of watching my nephew play baseball tonight at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze. I really do enjoy watching kids play sports and I enjoyed taking a few pictures with my new Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I also enjoyed looking at some pictures a friend of mine took with my camera. Thanks Cal!

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Grace & Peace

55 Years and Counting

2010-04-14T22:29:00.002-05:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

...

April 14, 1955

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"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD."

Pro 18:22

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Spring Thoughts

2010-04-10T17:45:00.010-05:00

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein

...

As Spring weather breaks the grip of winter and all of creation comes alive as evidenced by the warming temperatures, budding flowers, shrubs, trees and migrating birds it is quite easy to shift our focus from the birth, death and resurrection of Christ to our own pursuits.

...

I find it interesting that when you read the first few verses of the book of Acts you read where Jesus after rising from the grave returned to His disciples and began to teach them.

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."

- Acts 1:1-3

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I think that the forty days following Easter Sunday can be a very good reminder to all of Christs followers that teaching, instruction and spiritual growth are not to be overlooked or neglected. I encourage you to consider the following questions.

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Who is teaching (discipling) you today, this week, this month?

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Who are you teaching (discipling) today, this week, this month?

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If you are uncertain, unhappy or unconcerned about your answer to either of the questions above I would strongly encourage you to spend some time in prayer and meditation seeking guidance for your growth and for those you can help grow.

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Grace & Peace

He has risen!

2010-04-04T08:49:00.005-05:00

"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime." - Martin Luther

...

....

"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid."

Mark 16:1-9

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Grace & Peace

Passion Week 2010

2010-03-26T08:14:00.004-05:00

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." - C.S. Lewis

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It is hard to imagine that 2010 is almost a quarter of the way through and that Easter is just around the corner. Not to trivialize anything but thus far 2010 has been filled with quite a bit of stuff. A major earthquake in Haiti that to date has killed between 92,000 and 250,000 people. A major earthquake in Chile that has killed an estimated 350 people. The "healthcare" debate and subsequent passage by the U.S. Senate, House and President. The U.S. economy struggling to stabilize in the midst of a global recession/depression and a multitude of other "big issues". On a more personal level I have had family and friends battle illness, divorce, sin, dsyfunctional families and the loss of jobs. Whew!

...

I am however filled with hope and joy as I contemplate the meaning behind the Easter season. Starting today many Christians will begin to remember and contemplate the "Passion Week" and be reminded of the entire basis of our faith; the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Friday - Jesus arrives in Bethany

Saturday - Sabbath "day of rest"

Palm Sunday - Jesus enters Jerusalem

Monday - Jesus clears the Temple

Tuesday - Jesus talks

Wednesday - unknown

Holy Thursday - Passover "Last Supper",prayer & arrest

Good Friday - Crucifixion

Saturday - Sabbath "day of rest"

Easter Sunday - Resurrection

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I plan to read the gospel of Mark chapters 14, 15 and 16 today. I hope that you find a way today and throughout this week to remind yourself of the basis of your faith and your beliefs.

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Grace & Peace

Presidents Day 2010

2010-02-15T16:18:00.005-06:00

So if you were asked you to write down the names of the first ten Presidents of the United States of America how many would you know? This day in the United States we are to honor and remember the 44 men who have held the highest office in our nation to date. For some citizens it is just another day off from work or school and for most it is another day at work and possibly a good sale at a local retailer. Not much of a memory or honor for these men who helped lead our nation through its early years.

George Washington (1789-1797)

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

John Adams (1797-1801)

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent"

James Madison (1809-1817)

"Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government."

James Monroe (1817-1825)

"It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty."

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

"I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been bartered for promises of office."

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

"The government should not be guided by Temporary Excitement, but by Sober Second Thought."

William Henry Harrison (1841)

"There is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power."

John Tyler (1841-1845)

"Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality."

History In The Making

2010-02-07T07:55:00.008-06:00

43 Years of New Orleans Saints football and the Saints have the opportunity to play in and potentially win their first Super Bowl. It has been a long and troubled road for this team that means so much to the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. What can you say other than.....

"Who Dat !"

1967 3-11-0 (First season played in Tulane Stadium)

1968 4-9-1

1969 5-9-0

1970 2-11-1

1971 4-8-2 (Archie Manning drafted)

1972 2-11-1

1973 5-9-0

1974 5-9-0

1975 2-12-0 (The Louisiana Superdome opens.)

1976 4-10-0

1977 3-11-0

1978 7-9-0 (My family moved to River Ridge, La)

1979 8-8-0 (First non-losing season)

1980 1-15-0 (The "Aints", fans wore paperbags over their heads.)

1981 4-12-0 (I graduated from East Jefferson High School)

1982 4-5-0 (Strike canceled 7 games)

1983 8-8-0

1984 7-9-0 (Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis)

1985 5-11-0

1986 7-8-1 (I graduated from LSU & married Tammy - Geaux Tigers!)

1987 12-4-0 (First winning season)

1988 10-6-0 (I was stationed at Barksdale AFB. Amanda was born.)

1989 9-7-0

1990 8-8-0 (Ashley was born.)

1991 11-5-0 (Saints win first division title)

1992 12-4-0 (Tammy, the girls and I moved back to Metairie, La)

1993 8-8-0

1994 7-9-0

1995 7-9-0

1996 3-13-0 (Tammy, the girls and I move Florida)

1997 6-10-0

1998 6-10-0

1999 3-13-0 (Mike Ditka & Ricky Williams fiasco)

2000 10-6-0

2001 7-9-0

2002 9-7-0

2003 8-8-0

2004 8-8-0

2005 3-13-0 (Hurricane Katrina)

2006 10-6-0

2007 7-9-0

2008 8-8-0

2009 13-3-0 (The Saints are in the Super Bowl!)

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/norleans/saints.html

...

Pretty amazing to consider all the history that has unfolded these past 43 years.

Nine presidencies

Lyndon N Johnson

Richard M Nixon

Gerald R Ford

James Carter

Ronald Reagan

George H.W. Bush

William J Clinton

George W. Bush

Barack H. Obama

US Military Actions

Vietnam

Tehran hostage crisis

Grenada

Beirut

Gulf War

Somalia

Yugoslavia

Global War on Terror (GWOT)

To Do versus To Be

2010-01-14T20:03:00.006-06:00

"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them." - Benjamin Franklin

Calvin & Hobbes 2008

For some people New Years Eve is a chance to make resolutions for the year ahead. Exercising more, lossing weight, eating healthy, spend less, save more are commonly heard resolutions along with reading the bible more, praying more, or volunteering to help others. Every year many people make resolutions about things they want "to do" and by the end of January I suspect most resolutions have not been kept.

I was listening to an Andy Stanley podcast titled "A New You Resolution" and he made a comment that really struck home with me. To paraphrase him, don't make a list of things "to do" but make a list of things you want "to be". It is a challenging question to ask oneself "What would I like to be" and it is an even more challenging question to contemplate and answer.

What do you want to be this year?

Generous....Honest....Trustworthy....Caring....Patient....Compassionate

You are going to be something in 2010 so why not ask yourself what that is and then work at being that person!

Grace & Peace

Good News of Great Joy

2009-12-26T12:17:00.005-06:00

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

Luke 2:8-15

...

May you become more aware of the grace and peace you have already been blessed with as we celebrate the birth of Christ and await the start of a new year.

Christmas Vacations 2009

2009-12-23T19:04:00.004-06:00

Disney at Christmas time is quite a nice experience. The lights and decorations were incredible and the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT was very well done and quite enjoyable.

Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom.

Osborne Family Spectacle at Hollywood Studios.

Bellingrath Gardens Magic Christmas in Lights

2009-12-13T08:47:00.003-06:00

Saturday afternoon Matt, Katie, Tammy and I headed of to Bellingrath Gardens to enjoy the annual "Magic Christmas in Lights". The weather was a bit iffy but we were able to walk most of the evening without getting too wet. The rain did limit my picturing taking opportunities but I was still able to snap a couple decent images. Tammy & I definitely want to go back in the spring during daylight to walk the gardens. I added a web album with several of the other images I took during our visit.

Grace & Peace

Advent (the coming)

2009-12-08T04:11:00.004-06:00

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Matthew 2:1-2

Possible route of the Magi from the East

The details concerning the journey, route and circumstances of the magi from the East are few and some of what has become the traditional story of the "Three Wise Men" comes from sources outside the books of the New Testament. Taking just what is written in the book of Matthew 2:1-2 we get the basics of quite a story;

-a location (Bethlehem in Judea)

-a time (the time of King Herod)

-a group (Magi from the East)

-a question (where is the one born king of the Jews?)

-a reason (we saw His star in the East)

-a purpose (to worship a king)

Pretty amazing to consider that these Magi made decision to embark on a journey that could have taken months and covered a distance of hundreds of miles because of what they saw and interpreted in the sky. So as we live out the next few weeks of the Holiday Season and as we consider what the Christmas celebration means let us ask ourselves a few questions.

What is guiding me today?

What journey am I on this Christmas Season?

What king am I going to worship?

Grace & Peace

Context is King

2009-11-29T08:35:00.003-06:00

So when you look at the image below what comes to your mind? Beautiful snow capped mountains....great skiing....great view.......wish I had some cocoa?

How about the words bleak, frigid, stark, dangerous, or lonely?

It is so very easy in life to get selectively focused on portions of our existence and lose sight of the larger context in which we are living. The Holiday Season is a time when we can be particularly susceptible to being narrow, maybe even a bit selfish, in our focus.

The Holiday Season is also a great time to pause, step back and view our lives in a much larger context. As a follower of Christ the way we live out our lives over the next several weeks may be the only witness for Christ that some people see. The exhausted single mother and cashier at the grocery store, the sales clerk struggling with family problems and irate customers, the neighbor next door who I have not made acquaintances with just yet, a co-worker struggling with children making unwise choices.....the list goes on and on of the people we interact with everyday whose only experience with Christ may be a kind word and a sympathetic ear from a believer.

So if you will; please pause, step back and keep stepping back until your view of your surroundings and the people around you includes God.

And the beautiful mountains above... the view from a fire base in Afghanistan.

Forward Operating Base Airborne, Afghanistan Nov 25, 2009.

Grace & Peace

Thanksgiving Homecoming

2009-11-27T09:57:00.002-06:00

"To a father growing old nothing is dearer than a daughter." - Euripides

With both girls in college Tammy and I cherish even more every moment we get to spend with them. It was great having them both home for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2009

Grace & Peace

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T06:01:00.004-06:00

Not everyone will be having a Norman Rockwell experience today but I do believe there are a lot of thankful people around the world who will today, if only for a moment, pause and give thanks.

Lunch in Afghanistan Nov 2009

So just what are you thankful for today?

To whom are you thankful for?

Did you express your gratitude?

Shalom

2009-11-21T20:22:00.004-06:00

"The Amen of nature is always a flower." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Why not a space flower? Why do we always expect metal ships?" -

W. D. Richter

I recently purchased a new Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. Being partial to Canon products I bought a Canon EOS Rebel T1i EF-S w/ 18-55mm lens. I was also able to purchase another lens, an EF-S 55-250mm telephoto, as part of a really sweet combo deal through Amazon. I have thus far shot about 200 pictures and I am quite impressed with the camera. I am truly amazed at the detail captured and the ability to zoom in when viewing the images on my computer. I think I am going to enjoy this for quite some time.

Hibiscus flower

Digitally enlarged by Picasa

Digitally enlarged by Picasa.

"The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." - Genesis 2:12

Grace & Peace

Veterans Day 2009

2009-11-11T07:23:00.002-06:00

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." - Cynthia Ozick

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die. ~G.K. Chesterton

Camera Quest

2009-11-01T07:16:00.007-06:00

"A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed." - Ansel Adams

Well, my Kodak Z885 point-n-shoot digital camera broke last weekend. I discovered that the game of kick-ball could be hazardous for electronics or maybe it was the fact I sat on my camera. Regardless, I think I am finally going to purchase a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. I purchased a Canon EOS 650 back in the late 80's and enjoyed for many years. Most of the pictures I am in the process of scanning were taken with that camera. While it has only been a week I realized very quickly that I miss having a camera handy to snap pictures and I have realized after scanning old photos that I really enjoy the capturing snippets of life through a lens.

Halloween 1990

Fall 1990

Shalom

Backyard Nature Adventure

2009-10-22T18:09:00.004-05:00

"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books." - John Lubbock

"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver." - Martin Luther

The young Great Blue Heron stalking its prey.

Target acquired, locked on, preparing to strike.

Target neutralized. Time to snack!

(Yes that is a 10-12" snake in its bill.)

When I pulled into my driveway this evening after work I noticed a Great Blue Heron walking around. I watched it for the next 45 minutes as it stalked, caught, and ate 5 snakes from our backyard. Pretty enjoyable to watch such a large bird move so slowly and deliberately as it stalked its prey.

Who Could Have Imagined......

2009-10-15T19:09:00.005-05:00

"What the world is to-day, good and bad, it owes to Gutenberg. Everything can be traced to this source, but we are bound to bring him homage, for what he said in dreams to the angered angel has been literally fulfilled, for the bad that his colossal invention has brought about is overshadowed a thousand times by the good with which mankind has been favored. Yours very truly, Mark Twain"

Gutenberg bible page

Have you ever noticed that sometimes things happen so slowly that you don't even notice them happening. I woke up one morning and wondered where the extra 30 lbs of weight came from, why my hair was gray, and when did my daughters grow up. The worlds history has a way of unfolding this same way but on a much grander scale.

250 years ago (1759 A.D.) The United States did not exist.

500 years ago (1509 A.D.) Printed Gutenburg bibles were only about 50 years old

750 years ago (1259 A.D.).. St Thomas Acquinas had yet to start writing the "Summa Theologica" or Summary of Theology.

1,000 years ago (1009 A.D.)..Gunpowder was invented in China.

Around 1009 A.D.

-Christians were an estimated 18% of the worlds population.

-Illiteracy rates are estimated to have been in the 98-99 percentile.

-The bible as we know it was reproduced by hand.

While the Gospel of Christ has not changed over the past 2,000 years the worlds culture, technology, and geo-political balance has certainly changed.

Do you think that Gutenburg envisioned that his printing press technology would eventually allow the bible to be made so readily available?

Do you think that Thomas Aquinas thought his writings would be studied 750 years after his death?

Do you ever wonder what the local Christian church will look like after another 100, 250, or 500 years of changing technology, culture and political power?

Looking back over mans history tends to make me optimistic about our future. At least over over the long run.

Grace & Peace

Memorable Toys, Hobbies and Other Life Experiences………

2009-10-05T19:05:00.010-05:00

“Our whole life is but a greater and longer childhood” - Benjamin Franklin

A couple Sunday’s ago my interest in astronomy got rekindled when I was over at a friend’s house and he setup his two telescopes in his backyard. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at Jupiter and several of its moons along with a nebula or two. Flashback to the late 60's and 70’s….I started thinking about toys, hobbies and experiences that I had growing up and started jotting down a few of my favorites and about when I first recall experiencing them.

Library Card (1967/68) - Yes, I loved books from a very young age.

Tinkertoys (1968/69) - Fun to build with.

Lincoln Logs (1968/69) - Fun, but limited to log cabins and forts.

Lego’s (1968/69) - My all time favorite building toy.

Plastic models (1968/69) - Fun to build, fun to blow up!

Chess (1968/69) - Started a life long enjoyment of the game.

My dog “Boomerang” (1968/69) – nuf said.

Erector Set (early 70’s) - Lots, of fun, lots of sharp edges.

Bicycle (early 70’s) – Freedom or at least the illusion of freedom.

5in Newtonian Telescope (early 70’s) – Hours staring into space!

Little League Baseball (early 70’s) – Loved playing second base!

Basketball (early 70’s) – Loved playing point guard.

Balsawood models (early-mid 70’s) – Fun to build, fun to burn up!

Kennedy Space Center (early-mid 70’s) – nuf said!

Blue Angles (early-mid 70’s) – F-4 Phantoms...awesome.

Estes Model Rockets (early-mid 70’s) – Build, launch and recover.......

Radio Shack 100-1 Electronics Kit (early-mid 70’s) - Basic electronics!

Microscope (early-mid 70's) - Insects are cool up close.

Trumpet (1973/74) – First concert band experience.

Board war games/simulations (early-mid 70’s) – Thinking strategically!

Chemistry Set (1975/76) - Fun, never blew up anything. :-(

YMCA Swimming Instructor/Assistant (1975/76) - Loved swimming and helping teach!

Walt Disney World (1975/76) – E-Ticket rides!

Baritone (1975/76) – Switched because I got braces.

10-Speed Bicycle (1975/76) – More freedom!

Personal Computers (1979) – Ohio Scientific Instruments & TRS-80's.

Bass Trombone (1979/80) – My favorite musical instrument to play.

Marching Band (1979/81) – Band geek.

Jazz Band (1979/80) - Maynard Ferguson, Chuck Mangione, The Crusaders......

YMCA Swimming Instructor/Lifeguard (1978-81) – First job and first job at supervising!

Soccer (1980/81) – Slide tackles in the rain & mud.

Grace & Peace

At One with the Butterflys

2009-09-30T19:44:00.004-05:00

"Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature. " -St Augustine

"You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters." St Bernard

A Monarch on Tammy's finger.

A Swallowtail earing?

A Swallowtail hairpin?

I really enjoyed watching Tammy squirm around a bit while the Swallowtail Butterfly walked slowly up her face. It was surprised that it stayed on her for several minutes.

Grace & Peace

Scanning.....scanning....scanning....

2009-09-25T06:22:00.010-05:00

"Every man's memory is his private literature." - Aldous Huxley

"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us." ~Oscar Wilde

Well, a month or so ago I started scanning my 35mm prints as well as other formats. I am about 3/4's the way through my second of ten albums and have come up with a few thoughts on the subject of scanning old photos.

Positives

-Names, dates and locations written on the back of prints.

-Memories, each picture is like opening a present. Never knowing what to expect.

-Google's Picasa

-Chronological order (actually order in general for me personally)

-Other people who can fill in missing bits of information.

Negatives

-The quality of instamatic camera prints. (Though they jog one's memory just fine.)

-Scanners that only allow you to generate one output file per scanning.

-Pictures grouped in photo albums from different periods of time.

-Prints that get stuck in photo albums.

Mather AFB 1984 (T-37 flight)

LSU 1985

Colorado 1986 (On the way to California)

Last thoughts - getting the photo's is scanned is great and I hope I have the discipline to get them scanned in a timely manner but that is really on the completion of "phase 1". After getting the prints scanned, sorted, and organized I want to start capturing more information for some of the images. The stories behind the photos.

Grace & Peace

More Transformations

2009-09-22T17:51:00.003-05:00

"The way of the Creative works through change and transformation, so that each thing receives its true nature and destiny and comes into permanent accord with the Great Harmony: this is what furthers and what perseveres." - Alexander Pope

Well, Tammy and I continue to enjoy watching a small portion of the created world that surrounds us. Our latest treat has come from watching some Gulf Fritillary and Cloudless Sulphur butterfly's lay their eggs on their specific host plants, Passion Vine and Cassia Bush respectively, and then see the caterpillars emerge.

Gulf Fritillary (about 2 inches in length)

Gulf Fritillary's (about 0.5 inches in length)

Cloudless Suplhur

(Caterpillar and chrysalis)

It is sad in some respects that caterpillars live out their lives never knowing, realizing or considering the beautifully transformed being that they were created to be. How terribly wonderful is the gift God has given to man; to choose how he wants to live out his life in this world, to consider his life after his journey in this world ends, and the freedom to be transformed at any point in ones life by a choice.

Grace & Peace

Memories Rekindled

2009-09-17T21:20:00.012-05:00

"A pictures worth a thousand words." - Napoleon Bonaparte

"Don't be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. " - Richard Bach

Tom Dorsett, Mather AFB Feb 1987

I recently started scanning my 35mm prints so I would have digital copies of my photos. I completed one of my ten photo albums and I hope I have the persistence to finish off about an album every two weeks. The picture of Tammy in my last post was one of my favorites and I was glad to rediscover that picture. As I started album number two I came across a photo of an old friend, Tom Dorsett. He and I lived in the Pensacola area during 70's and played little league baseball together for several years. My family moved from Pensacola in 1976 and never thought our paths would cross again. At LSU in 1981 Tom and I saw each other in a snack bar in Tiger Stadium. At the time Tom was living in a dorm room within the stadium itself. We discovered we were both in the Air Force ROTC program and over the next four years rekindled a friendship and were commissioned in May 1986. Our paths crossed again at Mather AFB in November of 1986 where we were both in navigator training. Tom would often come over to the apartment Tammy and I had rented just off base. He even brought over his gifts and spent Christmas morning with us in 1986 much to the chagrin of Tammy. Tom graduated from Nav school and his career eventually took him to Upper Heyford, UK where he was a Weapon System Officer (WSO) in a F-111 Aardvark Squadron. Sadly, Tom lost his life on a training mission February 5th, 1990 in the Wainfleet Range off the coast of Lincolnshire, UK.

It is amazing all the thoughts and emotions from a single photo.

Grace & Peace

H A P P P Y B I R T H D A Y ! !

2009-09-12T06:13:00.005-05:00

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip."

~Author Unknown

Happy Birthday Tammy!

California Girl - 1987

And yes, I am ready and greatful for another trip together around the sun.

Where to begin?

2009-09-10T19:58:00.008-05:00

"As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence." - Benjamin Franklin

There are a number of complex, intriguing, controversial, and divisive issues confronting the citizenry of the United States these days. (The health & welfare of our citizens, immigration, freedom of speech to name a few.) Most of these issues are nothing new to our American journey and several of these current issues are causing a renewed interest in the founding fathers as well as the principles and documents of our nations creation which is a good thing. I have found myself asking, "What can I do?" As a citizen there are a number of actions I can take and should be taking but more importantly as a Christian there are a few things I should be doing and it begins with prayer!

Did you pray for your President today?

Will you pray for your President tomorrow?

Did you pray for the Justices of the Supreme Court today?

Did you pray for your Senators & Representatives today?

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." -

1 Timothy 2:1-2

Let God hear your praises for our blessed nation and our blessed lives.

Pray that our leaders will seek out God's wisdom and guidance.

Pray that our leaders will govern in truth and with justice.

Pray that our leaders will grow humble servant hearts.

And if you felt a strong negative emotion when you saw the image of President Obama I would hope that you would contemplate the "why" behind that emotion and find a way to turn it into a prayer.

Grace & Peace

21 and Counting!

2009-09-04T20:22:00.006-05:00

"A daughter may outgrow your lap but she never outgrows your heart." - unknown

Happy Birthday Amanda!

Sept 1988

Twenty one years ago God blessed us with a beautiful daughter and you have been blessing your mother and I ever since.

"Yipstick mommie" mugging it up a couple years later.

Black Swallowtails

2009-08-26T18:15:00.003-05:00

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." - Romans 1:20

"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into light." - Helen Keller

Tammy and I came home from work today to find that two Black Swallowtail butterflys had emerged from their chrysalis'. They really are quite beautiful. Within a few minutes of opening the door to the butterfly house both climbed to the top of the cage then flew off climbing upwards in a Westernly direction.

I am constantly impressed by the design of the created world around me. When you examine the wing of a butterfly in detail it is truly a thing of beauty. When you consider that it did not exist 10 days ago in butterfly form and that it was transformed during its pupa stage of development after begining life as a caterpillar it is a marvelous reminder of our creators world around us.

There are more pictures of the Black Swallowtails on my web album.

Comments on Health Care

2009-08-17T20:17:00.007-05:00

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." - Matthew 4:23

The Healing Window

The term "Health Care" and the subject of its reform within the United States has dominated the news outlets, the watercooler discussions, and thoughts of many these past weeks. Advocates for reform decry the neccesity of change while others question the need for any change at all. Several things have become very clear to me and I am not encouraged by most of them.

1) I am not aware of a single news outlet that provides unbiased fact based reporting on issues of national importance.

2) I am discouraged by the consistent use of labels and categories, such as liberal, conservative, democrat, republican, socialist, rich, poor,etc, when discussing issues of national importance.

3) I have yet to hear anyone offer up a clear definition or description of what the term "Health Care" means.

4) I am concerned at the gross oversimplification of complex human centered problems and the belief by some that the right process, system, or law will correct what are essentially human choice/behavior issues.

5) I am concerned about the the reduction of human suffering through illness to numerical analysis and statistics.

6) I am concerned by the number of people that do not understand economics and the way in which our government funds its efforts through taxation.

7) I am hopeful that the current "Health Care" discussion will open up all peoples minds to the subject of health, wellness, and personnel resonsibility as well soften their hearts to the subject of compassion and the example of Jesus Christ.

Grace & Peace,

CAS

Grandparents

2009-08-16T09:02:00.004-05:00

"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies." ~Rudolph Giuliani

August 2009

Swallowtails

2009-08-13T19:47:00.002-05:00

We are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever. ~Carl Sagan

If nothing ever changed there would be no butterflys. - unknown

This evening while watering the bronze fennel plants in the butterfly garden I noticed several caterpillars. Tammy moved the two potted plants into the butterfly cage and now we are hoping to release swallowtail butterfly's in the next couple of weeks.

Epiphyllum oxypetalum

2009-08-09T07:36:00.004-05:00

"God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars." - Martin Luther

"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls." - Mother Theresa

Once again I am amazed and in awe of the beauty of the created world around me. Tammy recently aquired an Epiphyluum oxypetalum or Night Blooming Cereus. This species from the cactus family is known for its flower which blooms late at night, only lasts until morning and has an intoxicating fragrance. We were treated to a bloom Friday night and took these pictures Saturday morning.

The bud a week prior to blooming.

aka Lady of the Night, Queen of the Night, and Dutchman's Pipe

A few hours after the picture above was taken.

Sunset at Ft PIckens

2009-08-08T06:54:00.006-05:00

"When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator." - Mohandas Gandhi

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

Paslm 8:3-4

Canoe Adventure 09

2009-07-25T18:38:00.005-05:00

Adventure's Unlimited is a neat place just north of Milton, Fl that has a pretty nice setup for canoeing, tubing and kayaking. Dave & Yvette are visiting for the weekend so we went off on an adventure.

Coldwater Creek