Friday, March 30, 2012

Full circle

I was a 15 year old cheerleader when Mark and I started dating.  I would drive the golf cart and keep score while Mark played golf.  Back then, they said that I was his biggest handicap because I distracted him from his game.

So, here we are almost 40 years later.  Mark bought a lot of golf clubs at our last show.  Some to use and some to sell.  So, we are back at the golf course, with me driving the cart and keeping score.  Mark is trying out his new/old clubs for an annual event coming up this spring.  I think that now, I am his biggest asset because I keep him calm.  We have mellowed out over the years but,  I am still  his #1 cheerleader.

P.S.---.He scored 80, which is not bad.  After all he was using new/old clubs, he was fighting high winds and he has only played one other time this year.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Beautiful mind

This trip, we  went spent a lot of time walking on the beach.  I love sunrise and  sunset. This is  one of my favorite places to pray and worship.  A bad thought crossed my mind,  from something I saw on T.V. last night and I immediately  thought of this verse.

Philippians 4:8,  ( Finally , whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report; if there be any virtue, any praise, think on these things).

I don't think that it is sin to have a evil thought cross your mind, but do not dwell on it or become intrigued with the idea.  Then, you are playing with fire. The book of James has a verse for this progressive act of sin.  James 1:  15   (Then when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin and when sin reaches  maturity  it  produces death).

The battle begins in the mind.  The Lord gave us a beautiful mind.  You can fill it with garbage found on T.V., the internet, movies, or  trashy novels. (or)  You can choose to fill your mind with things that elevate and edify your mind. Try  bible studies, christian literature  ,sermons , stimulating conversation and reading the Word every day.  

Supper deal

We spent some quality time in a tire shop again.  Last time it was the van, this time it is the jeep.  While we waited , Mark found us a great hotel on the beach and a great  local  place call  JoJos.  We order a roast beef sandwich,  split pea soup and a tiny slider.  It cost us $7 dollars.  When got to the hotel, I realized that he had put in an extra slider, and  some cookies. The owner  told Mark that no one could eat just one slider and he gave us the cookies just because he could. We only ate half of the sandwiches and soup and one cookie.  We have enough food left for two more meals. What a super supper deal.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Storm chasers?

Two weeks ago we were in Valdosta having a great show, selling a lot of good  stuff.  We heard the intercom come on  announcing  that every  one had  to pack up and leave....now.  Riley helped Drew pack up and Becca helped us pack. We all left  as  quickly as possible with  the tornado chasing  us out of town.   Drew  left first but,  got behind us and his windshield wipers went out.  It took us over 2 hours, Mark's computer and a lot of prayers to get us all home safe. The Red Cross called sent us back to Valdosta the next day for our first  job with them.

Last weekend we did the peanut festival in Blakely.  Coming into town, we were listening to the radio and there was  tornado warnings  in all the counties that we were passing  through.  We could see the storm clouds forming all around and saw the lightning. We pulled into  the Days Inn.  We got out and saw emergency vehicles heading toward Kolomoki .State park, 5 miles away.  That is where we  would have stayed  if we plan to  camped  this weekend.

 The next day, when we got home from the show, we had another call from the Red Cross.  When  we called back, Brother Sam said that the storm  had hit sparsely inhabited areas and they did not need us this time.  I told him that he needed to call my cell phone.  Because we were in the middle of it again.  He asked me were we were going next and I told him Miami.  He said that he would call his daughter and tell her to batten down the hatch and get ready for a storm coming.

We do not have any plans for this next weekend.  Does any city out there want us to come for a visit.

On the way to Miami airport

We had a great day of shopping in central  Florida. This morning we woke up and went to Mcdonalds  to split our 4 dollars breakfast.  We have 30 hours to go 90 miles to pick up Mark's sister from the Airport. Mark laughed when I asked if we had time for me to Blog  before we left.  We are on no schedule.

 Later, Mark stops the jeep on the way to the beach to look at dirt.  I'm not kidding black dirt that looks like compote that we use  to make flowers grow. I was sitting in the jeep when I heard him say come look at this dirt.  That is a sentence that I have never heard.  Mark could have stayed there all day and explored.  But, we are behind schedule and on someone's land so, we left.

I had no idea that there was so much agriculture in South Florida.  We have seen rice fields and sugar cane, early corn, oranges and huge potato fields.

Finally made it to the beach area, with mansions, landscaped yards and fences and hedges to keep us out. We could not even see  the ocean.  Next,  we went to a city park on the beach and paid 6 dollars to walk on the board walk and the beach.  We are over 500 hundred miles from home and did not let that stop us from enjoying our day.  But, it was time to go to work, after all , it was 10:00 a.m.  We  went  shopping   as we headed south. Found a lot of good  stuff to sell..

We are now eating lunch in a Cuban cafe in an area where there are more signs in Spanish than English. We feel like we are in another country in our open air booth.

Someone's Mother

We found a small flea market.  It did not take long to realize that  it did not have any thing that we needed. So, we headed toward our jeep.  Mark had  an encounter that effected both of us.

 I walked  up and heard a man say loudly, "if you sell that to him, you will have to pay".  I saw a senior  lady in a beat up pick up truck.  After much discussion, Mark paid her for a little grill and watched as she handed  all of the money over to the man.  Then, she  began to cry and said, " I do not have enough gas to get home".  Mark saw a small gas can in her truck and went to a gas station a few blocks away. The gas can leaked all over him, but he was able to get some in  the old truck.  Then he put his arm on her shoulder and tried to comfort her.  He said that at that moment,  all he could think of  was,  this could be my  mama.  She tried to reject the money that he was handing her until I said that he loved grills and had not paid her enough for it.  She offered us the only other thing in her  truck, A huge old chain, but we told her that we did not have room for it.  We handed her a paper towel to clean her hands after handling the gas can.  We watched as she got in the truck and we left.  A few minutes later, we ate the sandwiches that I had packed for our lunch. We both said at the same time, we should have given these to her.....I wish that we could have done more.  We think about her often and pray that some one will help her today.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

James

Our Tuesday ladies group finished  the study on the book of James.  We finished 2011 by studying the Book of James in the Bible. Then we did the Beth Moore study on James in January and February.  We all decided  that we will really  miss James.

 Did you know that he was the step brother to Jesus and rejected him during his time on earth He  was radically changed by his encounter with Jesus after the resurrection. He was the leader of the church in Jerusalem  and that he loved the  law.  His nick name was camel knees, because he knelled in prayer so much. James is just 5 short chapters and can be memorized with time and effort.  It is a great transition between the old and new testaments.........

 I don't think that I am going to leave James just yet. I am going  to read and reread  it often  and  memorize as much as possible.  This is the book that I did not want to study. After all,  it has a lot to say about the mouth and no one likes to talk more than I do.  I am going to ask God to use this book that I did not to study to help me grow closer to his Son and James's brother......Jesus.