I've Been Tagged (Don't Panic-It Was Painless!)

Hey Friends,

My girlfriend Jana Dingmore tagged me with a "meme" (rhymes with dream). I must confess I didn't know what a "meme" was so I did an MSN search. You can go to thedailymeme.com for the definition. Jana and her husband Jerry knew me back in my "B.C." days. Jerry was our pastor when we came to know Christ (2000). Jana was very patient with me while I struggled with coming to Christ. Along the way, we cried and laughed at my craziness. We've kept in touch since we left Texas and saw them recently at their home in Macon. I will post pics from our visit later.

This is how Jana defined meme: "When you tag someone with a set of questions or a list or a game, they respond in their blog, etc."

Here are the rules for this one:
Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more (no cheating!)
Find page 123
Find the first five sentences
Post the next three sentences
Tag five people

I'll probably send this note by email to friends and see if they want to post it on their blogs and to other friends who don't blog.

Here goes: The book nearest me when I read this email is "15 Minute Devotions for Couples" by Bob & Emilie Barnes.

From page 123, "They all went the extra mile to really care. At sometime in each of our lives we have been challenged to do something great-maybe at a retreat, by a powerful sermon by your pastor, by a television program, by a Sunday school teacher, by a teacher in school, or by a coach. This impact has made a real difference in your life, but maybe you've never gone beyond the commitment or thought stage. Now is the time to act it out." Sorry, I had to add that fourth sentence!

This excerpt was taken from a devotional titled "Love is Caring" and told the story of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller. It speaks of the love exhibited by Anne and how Helen (and all of us) were blessed by Anne's challenge in teaching Helen and her perseverance in following through.

Has God challenged you lately through His Word? Has one of your brothers and sisters in Christ shared something that inspired or convicted you? Now that you have the information/inspiration, what will you do with it?

I've been challenged with Ephesians 3:20, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..." Sometimes when I pray I ask God for such little things that limit Him to this tiny box. Instead of praying, "God help us to get along today." I should pray, "God supernatually bless our marriage and by Your power use it to bless someone else." "God, help my child to get a good report card." or instead, "Father, I pray Colossians 3:23-24 for my child. Give them success that will glorify You and have eternal reward." Ask Him. If it's in His will, He can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think!

By the way, I'm really glad the book nearest me wasn't a cheesy romance novel!

Hope you're all blessed!

Cindy

"Puppy" Pictures

Lucky, our Weimaraner and Maggie, our German Short-Haired Pointer.
Maggie is 8 years old and we think Lucky's about 9. The cutie in the photos is
Nehemiah Barnett, Pastor Rick's son from our church family in Okinawa.

A Reunion 18 years in the making!

Meet my friend, Shirley "R2" Artunduaga. We served in the Marine Corps together in Okinawa way back in the day! The last time we saw each other was February 1990. There were many tears at Naha Airport that day. We have kept in touch over the years but this was my first trip to California. We were blessed to have a short visit with her and her family. This is Shirley's first baby~his name is Maximus and he is a cutie! Thanks Marcel for taking the photos!

Okinawa Reunion

Remember Serengeti Eddie? Yep, it's Mario
and Michael! The kids were so bummed they
missed him! It was so nice to also catch up with
sisters Vanessa and Gen.

Pastor Tom, Joanna, and their beautiful daughter Hannah!

Cindy's Pics from the Missions Conference

Hey Friends,

These are some of my pictures from the conference. Please excuse the date stamp; I had
to adjust my camera today. The conference was held from January 7-10. My favorite
was the Japanese girl of course! The conference key verse was Isaiah 58:12.

My Sweet Kids

Here are some random pics of Ty and Maddie. Jessica Lynn, we miss you!!!!

Our First Snows In Virginia

Hey Friends,

It's Cindy; this is my first attempt at blogging so here goes......

The top two photos are from our first snow which was a dusting that didn't last long.

The video was taken this morning. It has been snowing for about an hour. Just waiting to hear from the kids' schools on early release. Hope the weather's just as pleasant where you are!

God Bless,
CindyLu