‘Tis the Season

When your nightstand looks like this you know it’s gonna be another long night.

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Thankful

It’s true.  We have so much to thank Him for.  God is good.  He is faithful.  He is true.

It’s funny how you can hear a song so many times … then suddenly it becomes so full of meaning to you.  This song has become a favorite over the past several weeks.  It is such a great reminder.

“My Redeemer is faithful and true.
Everything He has said He will do,
And every morning His mercies are new.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.
And in every situation He has proved His love to me;
When I lack the understanding, He gives more grace to me.
My Redeemer is faithful and true.”

Thankful that I serve a faithful, loving God!

 

His Strength is Perfect

Resting in this truth today:

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me
No great success to show, No glory of my own
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on
Raised in His power the weak becomes strong
His strength is perfect

We can only know the power that He holds
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes
His strength in us begins
When ours comes to an end
He hears our humble cry and proves again

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone
He’ll carry us when we can’t carry on
Raised in His power the weak becomes strong
His strength is perfect

My Poster Boy

Sorry.  I just can’t help it.  I’m laughing and I can’t get up.

General Studies Alumni Spotlight: Nathan Smith

by GBSC General Studies Division on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 2:37pm

Nathan Smith is a General Studies alumni hailing from Shelbyville, IN. He is an active layperson within his church and also runs a property management business.  Not only does he assist with the children and youth program at Shelbyville Bible Holiness Church, but is in charge of the church building program and is known to trim the lawn, occasionally.  While at GBSC, Nathan crammed the four-year Church and Family Ministries Degree (with a focus on business and counseling) into four years and is satisfied in announcing that he has officially paid off his school bill.  Some of his favorite memories include seven o’clock classes with Mr. Aaron Profitt and the infamous three question quizzes (where missing even one question caused an immediate slump in your academic confidence).  Nathan’s wife, Laura, is employed by GBSC and designs courses for our distance education program (ADEP).

Christmas in August

I feel like a giddy eight year old girl on Christmas Eve. The time has finally come. All I have to do is sleep, THEN… our new kitchen cabinets arrive!!!
We worked until nearly 2AM preparing the kitchen for their arrival. My body is telling me to sleep while my brain is trying to figure out which cabinet will hold the spices and which drawer will hold the aluminum foil.

Oh dear me. I’ve officially lost it.

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do not try this at home

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note to self

Always check oven contents before turning on the preheat.

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It’s Suppertime!

Summer grilling at its best.

I must go eat now.

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uninvited guests

Let me preface this post by stating that if you are an advocate of the animal rights movement or if you have been known to feel compassion for the feline species, this blog post may contain content that is not suitable for you.  If you find yourself in either of those two categories please do not continue reading, instead, click here.

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Ok, now that it’s just us…

We do not have a cat.  We do not like cats.  So, you can image our dismay when we walked into our home late Saturday evening and could not ignore the overwhelming scent of cat.  It was a mystery, yet, we had noticed some cats hanging around the alley …. and due to the late hour, we opened a few windows and sprayed some Lysol, then headed to bed.

Sunday was a beautiful day.  We left the windows open and went about the normal routine.  Being gone most of Monday and Tuesday, we didn’t investigate the lingering scent of cat.

I had some video clips to insert here, but for some reason WordPress is giving the “due to security reasons, your video could not be uploaded” message. Sad! Perhaps WordPress headquarters found the content to be offensive?  Hmm…

Anyways, in short:

Video #1 was of Laura FINDING A CAT IN THE HOUSE.  Never fear, animal control to the rescue! The intruder was arrested, locked up, and a trap was set to catch any felines who may attempt the same crime.

Video #2 was a humorous clip of an occupied trap…our prisoner  Yes, another cat – this one didn’t make into the house, though!

Video #3 was almost sweet.  A friend of the prisoner came to visit.  He sat beside the trap, seeming to console his friend.  I just wish animal control would have left two traps so we could have caught him too!

By Friday another cat fell victim to the trap.

May this be a lesson to all of you felines out there.  You are not welcome here!

a day at the park

I have contemplated which approach to take.  Should I post about our trip in a sequential or topical fashion?

Decision: topical

Topic: the park

Location: Jalapa, Guatemala

Date: Saturday, March 5, 2011

After a hearty breakfast (thank you, Maria!) we loaded into a van and journeyed up the mountain. The drive was intriguing as we were able to get a glimpse of life in the mountains  … small children playing along the roadside, boys carrying loads of wood on their back, women balancing goods on their head as they walk up and down the mountainside, groups of people waiting for transportation…

About 45 minutes later we arrived at the park and it was beautiful!

The gang.

The view.

There was a trampoline!  Limit two people at a time due to the very large (slightly repaired) rip down the center.

For obvious reasons, we didn't do much jumping.

And then there were the cables.  Oh what fun it is to ride …

What was I thinking?!

Apparently high altitudes cause me to lose all sense of reason. And yes, that tree is very close. Very.

And to think that the whole thing was Maria's idea! She is a very bad influence on me!

And as his wife, siblings, and friends gear up for the ride, Nathan captures the evidence that this contraption is most definitely NOT up to code.

Holding my breath here. There was a decent size gap right in the middle of the bridge. Seriously!

I know he looks innocent. But really, TORTURE is his middle name.

In the end we forgave him for rocking the bridge and making it feel like our lives were hanging in the balance.

No caption needed.

Kudos to our photographer, Douglas Smith, for capturing this moment. A personal favorite.

Summary: It was a great day.  Next time you’re driving through Jalapa be sure to stop by Pino Dulce.  And if you brave the cables, watch out for that tree…!