40 Years Old

I can hardly believe that I celebrated my 40th birthday yesterday! It is weird to think that I am now 40. I do not feel any different. I do not feel as devistated as I did when I turned 30. Turning 40 has not been so bad. Now I just have the next milestone to look forward to-- turning half a century old! :)

Remembering...

I am remembering that three months ago today, my father went home to heaven. I have been thinking about him alot lately. I miss him. I cannot imagine what it must even be like where he is. I know that he is not worrying about anything from his former life here on earth. I know that keeping my eyes on Jesus will get me to where he is.

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face- the One who saved me by His grace;
When he takes me by the hand, and leads me to the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day, that will be.

Looking forward to that day,
Lisa

Goodbye 2007

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stomes together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Another December has come and gone. What a year 2007 has been. The years just keep on flying by and there is nothing I can do to stop them. It is all part of God's plan. His "time to every purpose under the heaven."

We all have resolutions as we start each new year. We all start out with good intentions, don't we? We resolve to lose weight, not work so much and spend more time with our families. The list goes on and on. Do we leave any room in there for our relationship with God? Do we vow to spend more time doing for God instead of dwelling on ourselves? Will we witness to those around us that have no place for God in their lives? Will something they see in us make them wonder why we do what we do?

Lord, help me in my walk with you. Make these words be not just words but the prayer of my heart. Help me be hungry for more of you. Help others see Jesus in me. Help me not to be satisfied with just filling a pew at church. Help me be burdened for the lost and not worry what others will think of me. Help me not be afraid to "get my hands dirty" for you when it comes to reaching a lost and dying world. Amen.

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Merry Christmas!!!!

My, how the months have flown by and it is time for Christmas already. I can hardly believe how fast this year has come and gone.



As we celebrate this Christmas, I am reminded so much of what Christmas is really all about. JESUS! The name above all names. There is a different spirit in our house this year. We have a tree and I put out a few decorations, but I have not really gotten into what others might call "the Christmas mood". With my dad passing away this year and the circumstances that lead to my daughter now living in Ohio, I have been quite depressed instead of in a celebratory mood. But then I have to think about the real reason for the season and my mood changes. Yes, I am still saddened and even depressed about many things that are going on in my life, but I am over-joyed by the reality that Jesus came to be born and die for my sins! There might not be presents under our tree this year, but Jesus is ever-present in our lives and that makes all the difference in the world.



I hope that all of you, my family, my friends, have a very blessed Christmas. I hope that you will take the time to ponder what this season is really all about. If you do not know God, my prayer is that you will find Him this Christmas.



Merry Christmas to all!

Lisa and Don

This is the day...

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!

Today is Sunday, November 11th. Veterans Day and The National Day of Prayer.

Thank you to all the Veteran's that have served and are serving our country. War is not a pleasant thing and whether you agree with it or not, we have to support our troops. Thank you for the freedoms we enjoy because of the sacrifice of the men and women in our armed forces. God Bless All Of You!

Today is also The National Day Of Prayer. Have you taken time to pray today? There is so much to pray for. We can never run out of things to pray for. I am hoping that those of you that read this realize the importance of daily prayer. It is good to celebrate a day of prayer but I think the fact that we still have to freedom to pray and worship the Lord without fear is reason enough to celebrate.

This past week we also celebrated the birthday of my dear husband, Don. He turned 37 on Nov. 9th. Yes, I know, he is younger than I am! He reminds me of that once in a while. I have to let him know that with age, comes knowledge! :)

My daughter, Krystle, also celebrated a birthday recently. We were in Florida on her birthday, October 25th. She turned 19. It also happened to be on the day we had the memorial service for my father. It was an emotional day for us but I went to get her a cake and wanted to show her that I still remembered her on her special day. I love you, my sweet daughter!

Today we went to church for the second week in a row at the Wesleyan church in Catskill, NY. It was a real good service. There was a pitch-in dinner after the service. All the food was yummy!

Well, that is all for now. Thanks for reading!

Fort DeSoto

We took a day trip to Ft. DeSota yesterday. The kids did a little fishing off the pier. Mom caught a fish. We used a net to catch our own bait. Then we went to the beach for lunch and the kids spent some time in the water. The weather was beautiful! This picture is of my nephew, Alex. He is 3 years old and is my sister Bev's youngest child.

My Dear Father

Saturday, October 6, 2007, was the day that God chose to call my father home to heaven. He is resting now on the shores of heaven. No more sickness. No more pain. Forever healed from the cancer that plagued his last days here on earth. Dad breathed his last, opened his eyes and smiled the most peaceful smile. It was amazing to see his eyes open after being closed and so blank looking. He clearly "saw" something. It was something I had never experienced before.

I am still here in Florida. I will be staying here until the end of the month. The memorial service for dad is scheduled for October 25, 2007 at 10:00 am at the church my parents attended. The burial is at Bay Pines in St. Pete on the 26th.

Please continue to remember our family in your prayers. We are grieving. It seems so strange for dad not to be here. We know that he is in heaven and we do not wish him back to suffer in this world.

I love you Dad. You are greatly missed.