Joseph lost his head

One of our ornaments had an accident while the tree was being decorated. It found itself in the hands of Callie and her way of testing a tree branch is to hang the ornament and if it crashes to the ground then she looks for another branch (if the ornament survives). This one survived with a minor scratch, but the boys took care of it.

My 15 year old is with child!

I could not let the Spears clan one up me, so I am announcing with great pride that my almost 16 year old has a child. Her name is Laura. She is five years old and lives in Guatemala. Corinn found her at Mitch McVicker's concert a couple of weeks ago. Since Rinn has a good paying job teaching kids to flip and flop (and I don't mean like a politician) she decided to start sponsoring a child through Compassion International.

Phil and I sponsor Jason from the Dominican Republic. He writes the sweetest letters. In his last letter he said he was learning about God everyday and asked us to pray for his mother and sisters. His village is in the mountains and was not damaged by the hurricane. Someday I hope to meet him and his family.

There are thousands of children around the world that need sponsors. Pick yours out today. It will do you both a lot of good.

Ruby Tuesday

My youngest son has discovered The Beatles. He and his dad are watching everything available on the web.

Monday's Callieisms

Callie: Dad, I need go school 7:30 Wednesday for party.
Phil: I know, your mother is going with you to the party.
Callie: No, I need be at school 7:30 Wednesday for party.
Phil: We know, your mom is going with you to the party.
Callie: What party?

Me: Callie, you drew Amiee's name for Christmas.
Callie: When do I have to start drawing?

Mark of a Christian

More from Brennan Manning's The Importance of Being Foolish - How To Think Like Jesus

"Many who had already come close on the way to believing are frightened away by the bad lives of evil and false Christians. How many, my brothers, do you think there are who want to become Christians but are put off by the evil ways of Christians?"
Saint Augustine

To me a Christian is either a man who lives in Christ or a phony. You Christians do not appreciate that it is on this - the almost external testimony that you give of God - that we judge you. You ought to radiate Christ. Your faith ought to flow out to us like a river of life. You ought to infect us with a love for him. It is then that God who was impossible becomes possible for the atheist and for those of us whose faith is wavering. We cannot help being struck, upset, and confused by a Christian who is truly Christlike. And we do not forgive him when he fails to be.
Graduate student at the University of Paris

"The great mark of a Christian is what no other characteristic can replace, namely the example of a life which can only be explained in terms of God."
Cardinal Emmanuel Suhard

And now from me:
Some people believe being born in America makes one a Christian. Some people believe that if one is not a Muslim then one is a Christian. In some countries parents have to choose to put either Muslim or Christian on their baby's birth certificate, as if that decides it. Some people believe that going to church makes one a Christian. I have a friend that is a practicing pagan and she knows better than that. She knows that it is an acceptance, a commitment, a giving over oneself to Christ that makes you a Christian. And yet there are so many "Christians" doing nothing Christ-like, doing no following except being what they consider "good and moral". There is so much more to it than that! There is so much more joy, so much more peace, so much more...

Jesus Junk

http://www.familychristian.com/images/shop/detail/23582_detail.jpg

Heaven...It's Easy Button

Designed for those times when life becomes frustrating and confusing. Push this button and remember that "Heaven...it's easy"

Oh, the lack of creative, the waste of materials, the stupidity...

Electric Eel Christmas

Money is very tight and almost nonexistent for us until we sell our rent house, but I might have found the answer to the electric bill. Apparently I need to hit the Chinese Grocery Store and buy some eels. Somehow I think it might be a little more complicated than that.

Questions

"Why don't our contagious joy, enthusiasm, and gratitude infect others with a love for Christ Jesus? Why doesn't the radiant loveliness of the Lord stream from our personalities? Why aren't we windows to God at work? Why aren't we transparent?"

Brennan Manning, The Importance of Being Foolish - How to Think Like Jesus

Wild Night

I've blogged about the dynamo some people know as Susie Jennings. November 3rd found her walking the streets of Dallas with her homeless friends. Read about her eye opening adventure in her own words.

Zoo Doo

I didn't take this shot of Patrick. You can find the photographer's blog and pictures at aeolian dissonance.

Actually, the photograph is not posted on my blog, as the link to the larger version indicates, it is from my photostream on Flickr. After reading your "About Me" blurb, I'm sure you will want to do the right thing here and credit my fully copyrighted photograph with my name. Of course, the right thing to do with an image that is © all rights reserved, is to ask permission of the artist before using it, as is stipulated not only by copyright law, but is also part of the Flickr TOS. If I had chosen to make the image a Creative Commons License image, then it would have been appropriate for you to use it without my permission, but it is still polite to acknowledge and request usage.

Thanks,

Barry

My in-laws met us at the zoo today. They only had an hour to visit so I took them through the Children's Zoo first and we checked in on Clay at his "end of the session" party. The keepers kept offering us ice cream and cookies. We passed and I'm glad we did. I took them down to see Patrick. Betty had heard me telling stories about him at Thanksgiving and I figured if he was out he would put on a good show. We found him sprawled on a huge log soaking up a sunbeam. I waved for him to come over and he casually ambled our way stopping to strip some bark off a felled tree. Right before reaching us he threw the bark at the window and did his charging up and down ritual a few times. Then he pulled something that I had never seen him do and never want to see him do again. Scooting backwards to the very edge of the ravine, he reached behind his back and pooped in his hand. That was enough to make me ill seeing he was inches from us. My first thought was that he would smear it on the window. That would have been horrible. But no, he went more base. He began to pick through it and eat. I'm afraid that if I had eaten the ice cream and cookies it would have all come up. I was a tad bit queasy for the rest of the day.

Later in the afternoon I had a great talk with the Gorilla docent. One of my favorite things to do is to sit in the research center, watch Jenny and Timbo, and read. Jenny is the oldest gorilla in North America. She has been at the zoo almost all of her 54 years. It is so weird to realize that she was there when I was a little girl visiting. I wonder what went through her head as she was introduced to her new habitat. No concrete, no bars...only open sky, green grass, trees. Charles said it took her a few days to adjust. I can imagine. There is an old chimp, that after being offered for many years now a huge lush habitat, still chooses to sit on the concrete at the edge of her room. She will only make a quick dash onto the grass for a treat that lands close by.

We aren't much different. As humans we get so comfortable in our surroundings and circumstances(even if they are bad) that sometimes we struggle to adjust to something good, better, healthier. We would rather hang onto what we've got (and I don't mean the song) than step into the beautiful. The unknown, the different, is too scary.