entertaining angels

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

let me introduce you to our angel. her name is cheri and she is our social worker. yes, i am fully aware of the stigma of having a social worker involved with your family, but rest assured it's not because we're "troubled."
cheri is our liason to our adoption agency. she keeps us on task with our to-do list for finalization and keeps us accountable in the care and upbringing of Israel. sure, to her it is a job, but you can tell she loves what she does. and, based on our many conversations with her, we know she is uniquely gifted, passioned and trained for the work that she loves so much.
we met with her today (she's required to do monthly check-up visits). as always she was bright and cheery, but more importantly, she is a great encourager. the visit went smoothly (she just checks-in; she doesn't grill us), but as she was leaving, i had a deep realization of how blessed we are to be working with her, to have her on our side. she is one of those people who care deeply for those around them. i absolutely cannot picture going through this process without her help.
so, even though we tell her everytime, let me publish to the world: cheri, we are deeply and humbly grateful for all that you do. may God bless your work.

Holy Spirit, to You i pray today. fill our angel, cheri, with your presence today and everyday. grant her the desires of her heart and show her tangible results of her labor. help her maintain her integrity in everything. to every person she works with, whether birth-families, adoptive-families, co-workers or other business acquaintances, we ask that You bless them as well. bless her family and the congregation with whom she worships. send Your angels of protection through her work-related traveling and remove all logistical and technical distractions from her work. thank You for sending her to us.

for those considering adoption, check-out the website of our agency. we cannot praise them high enough for their diligence and integrity in their work. http://www.graceworks.org/adoptions/

9-11 remembered & honored

this was the video i wanted to post on 9-11-07, but it didn't want to cooperate. i posted pix instead. please read my conclusion at the bottom of that day's posting.

i am blessed

it's one of those days when every thing you do or encounter seems to remind you of a single truth. today was my day to be reminded that i am blessed.
email me about your blessings.
Father, You have blessed me. thank you.

chocolate zucchini bread pix

after much confusion about how long it actually takes to make her favorite: chocolate zucchini bread, kara worked hard to follow the recipe and make a batch to enter into the dessert baking contest at our church picnic this past sunday. sadly, she didn't win the prize (neither did i--even though my gateaux aux pommes d'amore was pretty much amazing. i'm not bitter), she is a winner in our book. she's learning to follow directions and make decisions on her own. it's challenging and frustrating to raise a teenager, but she is a blessing beyond any i can imagine.

God, you did it again! you blessed us with kara and her with us. where do you come up with these unexpected ways to bless Your people?

red's game pix

this past saturday marked our annual trek to LCC day at the red's game. it was muggy and humid; the food is overpriced; the hometeam lost--and we had a great time. here are some of my favorite pix from the evening.
as is also typical of the day, my parents came up from lexington-area to join us for the game. this is our clan (sans ke-ke and fam) at our usual meeting place between the stadium and coliseum.

since, it's a couple-hour trip to see grammy & the preacher papaw, izzy doesn't get to see them as often as we'd like. however, he was all smiles while spending time with them at the game. he is so incredibly blessed to have both sets of grandparents to be devoted Christ-followers. he may be grafted into our family tree, but he has a rich Christian heritage.
you can't really tell in this picture that kara was also glad to see them as well. in a moment that a picture couldn't capture, she told us what she thought of the game (her first ever!). she told us she really enjoyed it--the game and the ambiance of the stadium. but, she was a little embarrassed because she knew zero about the game. so, she kept asking my dad lots and lots of questions. she felt a little bit bad about distracting him from the game. but, we assured her that she made his evening. it's another disappointment that kara hasn't yet been able to know seth & betty deeply. but, they had their time for him to share some knowledge and for her to learn (through baseball talk) how much he loves her.
















i was so glad that our friend janet came to the game with her family. we took these pictures because izzy and her grandson, ethan (just a few weeks apart) had matching hats on. we had no idea that we would be dressing them the same and they sat right behind us, so we had to celebrate the fellowship and friendship-to-be of these two young boys.



izzy did so well at the game. of course, he is very inquisitive and interested in everything around him. so, you can imagine in such an environment, how overwhelming that might be. but, he took it all in and even enjoyed being passed around to friends and family. in the end, he did poop out, but after staying for a full 9 innings, we were all ready to drop into a deep sleep.


precious Lord, what a blessed day to be in fellowship with family and church family. though our prayers for the hometeam to win were not answered the way we hoped, we know our prayers for Your church and it's continued growth and health are being answered in ways we cannot even imagine. "thank You" does not seem adequate enough to express to You how reliant and grateful we are on and for Your blessings to us.

new songs of worship

this past sunday brought a couple of new songs to our worship services. overwhelmingly surprised by the positive responses to them, i print the lyrics for you. because of the text-y format of the writing, it may take time to fully digest all of the simplistically profound and profoundly simplistic lyrics of these modern hymns. i had the priviledge to meet mr. getty and his lovely and talented wife this past year at ncmc (national church music conference www.n-c-m-c.org). they are a set of amazingly talented people with a heart to restore the forgotten art of truth-proclaimation through the use of hymns.

in christ alone - by keith getty & stuart townend

Verse 1

In Christ alone my hope is foundHe is my light my strength my song. This Cornerstone this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love what depths of peaceWhen fears are stilled when strivings cease. My Comforter my all in all. Here in the love of Christ I stand

Verse 2

In Christ alone who took on flesh Fullness of God in helpless Babe This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones He came to save'Til on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied For ev'ry sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live

Verse 3

There in the ground His body lay Light of the world by darkness slain Then bursting forth in glorious dayUp from the grave He rose again And as He stands in victory Sin's curse has lost its grip on me For I am His and He is mine Bought with the precious blood of Christ

Verse 4

No guilt in life no fear in death This is the pow'r of Christ in me From life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny No pow'r of hell no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand 'Til He returns or calls me home Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand

speak, o lord - by keith getty & stuart townend

Verse 1

Speak O Lord as we come to You To receive the food of Your holy word Take Your truth plant it deep in us Shape and fashion us in Your likeness That the light of Christ might be seen today In our acts of love and our deeds of faith Speak O Lord and fulfill in us All Your purposes for Your glory

Verse 2

Teach us Lord full obedience, Holy reverence, true humility Test our thoughts and our attitudes In the radiance of Your purity Cause our faith to rise Cause our eyes to see Your majestic love and authority Words of power that can never fail Let their truth prevail over unbelief

Verse 3

Speak O Lord and renew our minds Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us Truths unchanged from the dawn of time That will echo down through eternity And by grace we'll stand on Your promises And by faith we'll walk as You walk with us Speak O Lord till Your church is built And the earth is filled with Your glory

9-11 remembered & honored

i hope you find it a fitting memorial, a disturbing memory of the events of that day, and a firm reminder of why my nephews are so far from home in their respective military posts.

9-11 video

this video contains disturbing photographic images of the events of 9-11-01 and the subsequent aftermath.

i apologize for the quality of this video. it was necessary to reduce the quality in order to allow such a lengthy file to post. i hope you find it a fitting tribute, a disturbing memory of the truth of the events and a reminder of the reason my nephews are so many miles from home in their respective military assignments.

d@n b@con

did i disguise your name enough to post about our mond@y coffee meetings?