Raising Oaks of Righteousness

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

They had names on the boots and they were grouped by state.

All of these shoes are supposed to represent the Iraqi civilians that have died.

A beautiful day and shot of the Lincoln Memorial!

President Bush's helicopter flying overhead!

I wonder if they had those disgusted looks on their faces because the sun was in their eyes or because I keep taking their picture... Hmmm....

A mama and her boys..don't they look fascinated by all the history they are getting to see?!

Another great MacArthur quote

Doesn't Caleb look so big here?

I had to get a picture of the greatest state in the union!

I had to memorize this in grade school, but couldn't remember anything past "Four score and seven years ago..."

The ceiling inside the Lincoln Memorial

Abe - up close and personal

Here we are hanigin' out with Abe!

Friday, May 12, 2006

Fruit of the Spirit

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary I am free to choose. And so I choose.
I choose love
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstances.
I choose peace
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose patience
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so.
I choose kindness
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I choose goodness
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.
I choose faithfulness
Today I will keep my promises.
I choose gentleness
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
I choose self-control
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I will be drunk only by joy.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.
(The Devotional Bible - Max Lucado)

I read this during my quiet time and loved it. I need this to be my anthem daily.

Monday, May 08, 2006

We went to Dover this weekend to hear Mike preach at his church on Sunday morning. It was so amazing to see a glimpse of their future. He is getting out of the AF this summer to go to the Seminary. He did an amazing job. His sermon was full of grace & truth and was quite insightful and thought provoking. Amy did the Children’s Sermon and she did a great job too. They are an amazing family and we are blessed to call them friends. It has been fun to live so close to them and with us all moving this summer we are trying to see them as much as we can. After church we went to the beach for a picnic and some fellowship together.