Life with Dexter

So many of you know that we adopted a little rescue named Dexter. Here are just a few pictures that will explain why we kept him.  WARNING: Cute overload is entirely possible. Please observe only at your own discretion.

peace, love and dexter.

Supporting Nepal

Many of you already know that my daughter, Andrea, and her husband, Bijay, are in Nepal visiting the Lama family. It's the first trip to Nepal for Andrea and the first trip home for Bijay in many years.

They are staying with Bijay's parents whose home is an orphanage. They have taken in 28 children from 5 to 17 and in addition to being pastors, they are caretakers of these children.

Needless to say they are busy folks!

So to do my little part, I'm selling some jewelry from Nepal and all the money goes back to them. Here are some example pieces, I have more.  I'm asking $5 per piece, but like I said it all goes to them, so give whatever you feel compelled to give.

Just leave a comment and we'll figure out payment and delivery.

Thank you for your support of New Creation Children's Home 

peace.

Mama Mia!

I took my sister to see the cheesiest, ABBA filled, musical in spandex last night. We had a great time, mostly because we're sisters and we love each other.

The sets were great, the costuming amusing and colorful, the supporting cast-Terrific!!! Loved the actresses who played Tanya & Rosie. 

MAMMA MIA! North American Tour 2010 (photo by Joan Marcus)

But here's where it went wrong in my humble opinion. The leads, Donna & Sam, were weak and pitchy. He was sharp, she was flat. It was not good. Some long held notes, painful.

Now I understand that some ABBA music isn't very forgiving. It's has broad ranges and high extremes. But isn't that why they audition and get paid? I've seen many shows by many companies in OKC and this was my least favorite.

Maybe they were just having an off night. It happens. I heard on the radio this morning from the leads that last night was their 450th show. I'm hoping they have not all sounded like last night sounded. 

If you love ABBA, spandex, and platform shoes...get your tickets and go check it out. The encore was fabulous!

peace.

Whitney Houston

There are times when the death of someone you've never known still causes reflection. When Michael Jackson died, I reflected on how his music was the soundtrack to much of my youth.

When I heard about Whitney Houston, I stopped and sighed. She was barely older than I am. Her voice has inspired me over the years. I loved her spark, her joy. Her talent is such a great loss. But when I got to really thinking, her talent has been greatly unused for a time. In recent years, she has seemed so sad, so bereft of all the effervescence she had been known for. Addiction and abuse had definitely taken it's toll.

One of my favorite Whitney moments

How sad is it that this beautiful, talented, gifted woman succumbed to a life of abuse, addiction and neglect?

But for the grace of God, there go I. What talents have I hidden under a bushel? Not a bushel of addiction but hidden none-the-less.

I want to be a faithful servant, investing my talents as God leads.

peace.

Sick

So this week I've been sick. 7 days worth. Off work, feeling gross and a little sorry for myself. I'm not a good sick person, I don't like it, I quit.

But God is always so faithful to keep things in perspective for me.

This week a dear friend's 17 year old daughter was having trouble sleeping and breathing. They took her in for a chest X-ray and found a large lymphatic mass. After tests and surgery, there is a good chance she has Hodgkins lymphoma. The whole family has been a testimony to the faithfulness of God. Join me in praying for Lorelei.

I'll feel better soon and I've stopped whining about being sick. Thank you, God.

Peace.

Pay It Forward

So if for some reason you haven't seen me talking about this EVERYWHERE (a little excited) I'm putting it here as well.

I got to be part of a blessing. So amazing that God would use me, choose me, let me get to have all the fun! Hope you enjoy.


 

They should have included a blooper reel...it would have shown us chasing the money through a parking lot on a windy day because yours truly dropped it. Grace I tell you, grace.

If you'd like to help Joe's Addiction, I'd be glad to take cash, clothes, coats, blankets from you to them. They also have a Free Store where people in need can come get what they need. LOVE this place and the people. Go get a great cup of joe and find out why.

1806b Southeast 59th Street  Oklahoma City, OK 73129
(405) 601-2962


(east of I-35 on SE 59th)


peace.

Christmas Challenge

My name is Glynis and I often go by just "g". So I'm challenging myself this Christmas to think of words that start with g and work on making them part of me.

I want to be more:

gracious

generous

gentle

gregarious

giving

good

Make your own list this year, my gift to you.

peace.

Another Year

It amazes me how quickly time passes these days. I watched the children sing at church yesterday and remember vividly when my angels were up there, too. Seems like yesterday, not yesteryear. 

I'm getting better about treasuring the moments, noting in my heart and mind what is really important. I'm looking forward to being with my children this weekend. Does my heart good. 


I hope for you and yours a very, Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Treasure the moments, they're the only treasures that count.

peace.

Manage Me

“Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.”
― John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God

Manage me, God.

peace.

At your age...

I think I may hate this phrase, At your age....

Oh well, moving on. At any age, skin can be dry when the weather starts turning cold. I have the solution.

I know I've talked about this lotion before, but the good people at Carmex sent me another goodie box so I'm going to talk about it again. (They aren't paying me, they just sent me the goodies. Keep reading, good news.)

I LOVE these products! The Healing Lotion and Healing Cream. Non-greasy, not too Carmexy smelling, they ROCK!!

If you'd like some, leave a comment. They told me I could give a goodie box to you, too. But just one of you, so randomizer it is. One comment per person please, winner announced November 15th, 2011.

Lotion up folks, the cold weather is a-comin!

peace.

The call of the ocean

Ok, that may be a wee bit dramatic, but I do love the ocean. I can literally sit for hours listening to the surf and the birds. It is the most relaxing thing I can think of. Lakes come close, but there is nothing like the ocean.

We spent last weekend in Monterey Bay, CA. Beachside condo, it was wonderful! We got to see whales, sea lions, porpoise, otters, pelicans, and gulls.

Some day, I will live near the ocean. I hope. :-)

peace.

He is or He isn't

I had a long conversation with a dear friend this week and I challenged her to decide whether God is who he says he is or he isn't. That nothing else could really be dealt with until that was settled.

Is God who he says he is?

My answer, a resounding yes. Of course he is! And yet, do I live my every day life like I believe this?

For the most part, this truth is buried deep in my heart. I do believe God is exactly who he says he is. He has proven it to me over and over. But in those moments of pain, anger, reaction, etc. I don't always behave like I believe it. I want to...

I want to live my life in the shadow of Psalm 139.


O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
(Psalm 139 ESV)

peace.

Pat Robertson is Wrong.

I've been hearing about this story and all I have to say is Pat Robertson is wrong.

This is not Biblical. No debate.

I also pray he never has to deal with a loved one with Alzheimer's.

I was given the gift of 5 years with my dad during his journey with Alzheimer's. It was not always easy, happy, and joyful. It was hard to watch him disappear a little at a time. It was hard to make decisions for him that he couldn't make for himself. It was hard to watch him struggle and eventually succumb to this horrible disease.

But I would not trade that time for anything.

It was a gift from God at the end of a rocky road. There were moments of laughter, moments of tears, moments of unfiltered love and I'm the better for having walked that road.

Dad is in heaven, enjoying his rewards. And I'm here, enjoying my memories of him.

This blog just spurred me on today.

peace.

My New Tattoo

I don't have it yet and don't know when I will, but I know what it will be.

This last year has been difficult in many ways. Lots of waiting (my favorite!) and lots of blessing. Looking back, I see God's hand in everything and I know He was watching me the whole time. I was never alone.

His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me. So that's what my next tattoo will be. A sparrow.

Inspired by this.

But more like this.

peace.

Oktoberfest in Choctaw

This about sums it up.

The best

The worst

peace.

Decisions of a Lifetime

Decisions, decisions.

Cut my hair off or let it grow? Concrete counters or granite? Comfortable shoes or cute ones?

I've discovered that most of the decisions I make in my life are so temporary. In the light of eternity, who really cares? Who will it really impact?

But there is one decision I made when I was 7 I will always remember, has shaped the person I am, and has forever changed me. I decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.

And I'm forever glad I did.

Have you?

peace.

Let's Play Catch Up

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Between interviews, unexpected offers, car issues, family events, etc. I'm finally catching my breath.

MOM: Is doing great! She is recovering very well, at a nice, steady pace. For those of you who may not know what happened, it's all here.

 

FAMILY: My nephew graduated from High School, enrolled in college and has enlisted in the Air Force Reserves. He is following in a long line of kinfolk who have served. In just 3 generations of our immediate family, there have been 15 men serve in the Armed Services. He is joining a proud tradition and I'm so grateful for his bravery, sacrifice and commitment. As I am for all US Military. Thank You!

JOB: I have a new job! I'm still with Reaching Souls International but now I am the US Director of Children in Need. It is the orphan ministry for RSI and where my heart beats.

Orphans are identified, matched with families, and supported through givers. Not in orphanages or centers, but in a home with a family. $25 a month provides food for the family and school fees for the orphan. They are an asset to the family, they are monitored through the local church and it's a win-win for all involved.

I could not be more blessed, excited, overwhelmed, grateful, humbled, excited...oh, I said that already. !!!  :-)

Just $25 a month changes a life. If you want to support and orphan(s), let me know!

CARS: Here's the challenge of the last 4 weeks. We've had car ISSUES! Jim's car is currently having it's engine replaced. Now, I can't complain too much about that because it did have over 180,000 miles on it and it's been a great car. And I would complain about the $4000 car bill to do so, but God is so gracious! Someone, we don't know who, dropped $2500 by the mechanic and told them to apply it to our bill. Thank you, God!! In our effort to be debt free, this was such an amazing blessing. My car has had several headaches, of course not all at the same time, which ended in one day all three of our cars being in the shop. Oh boy!

BOTTOM LINE: I am so blessed. His eye in on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

peace.

Congratulations!

Using random.org, my #2 commenter is the winner! So Sherrie, be looking for an email and looking forward to some Carmex goodies!

peace.

Only Until Friday

Carmex has once again sent me some sneak peek items. One I love, one I'm kind of meh about.

So here they are. The Carmex Vanilla Stick and the Carmex Lime Twist Stick. I've been trying them out for a couple of weeks and I must say the Vanilla is ok, more carmexy than vanillay. But the LIME, oh honey, it is really fresh and I love it!! 

Both are still great lip goodies, after all, it is Carmex. But the lime is my winner for this race.

Speaking of winners, I didn't forget you. :-)

Carmex will send one of my readers a cute little picnic blanket (See it here) and some lip goodies, too! All you have to do is leave a comment here by Friday, August 26th. I'll use a random picker method and announce the winner on Monday, August 29th.

In your comment, please leave your email address so I can get in touch. No email, no win. 

Bonus entries? Why, yes! If you want to Twitter about it or Facebook about it, just leave me an additional comment saying you did.  Share this link with your friends and thank you! That makes 3 entries per person possible. 

peace.

Legal Stuff: Other than the free goodies I was sent, I have not been compensated by Carmex.  

This could be yours...

Cutest picnic blanket and some lip goodies...stay tuned.

peace