Fried Friday!!

I have always loved the fact that my husband enjoys the spur-of-the-moment adventure!! Today we decided that we would drive down to Clear Lake and do a little exploring. With very little information to go on, we decided that we could find a friend's home that was being built on Taylor Lake, check on "Ike" recovery, and have a little seafood lunch at the same time.

Let's just say that we are pretty sure we found the home, people are still recovering from Ike, and I'm hoping fried Friday doesn't turn into sick Saturday. I realized after I ordered my blue plate lunch special that everything on it was fried - catfish, okra and hush puppies. (No Josh, I knowingly did not get oysters this time!)

Joe Lee's is a long standing tradition for the Tony and Judy Hamblen family! Loooong before Tilman Fertitta masterplanned the Keemah boardwalk, there was just a couple of restaurants there where you could eat and one of them was Joe Lee's. It was located right next door to the historic Jimmie Walkers Restaurant at the end of Kipp street where the Chart House Restaurant is located today on the Kemah Boardwalk. If you would like a little of their history the family tells it best: http://joelees.com/history.php

Joe Lee's was family owned, casual, right on the water and the food was excellant! Today, it is up the street from the water, casual, family owned and the food is excellant!

For the Bobo side of the family I find it interesting that the channel which has become such a tourist destination was one in which I traveled with my family when Dad owned his cabin cruiser the "Lady B". It was how we went from the boat dock at Nassau Bay to the intercoastal waterway. (Sorry, haven't found a picture of the Lady B yet! Probably because it spent so much time in dry dock!) Little did I know that years later 4 million people a year would visit this little town named Kemah. An Indian name meaning "wind in the face".

Kemah, home to the world's third largest fleet of recreational boats in the United States, was also home to the pirate Jean Lafitte in the early 1800's. Local lore has it that a portion of his buried treasure was seed money for Kemah's notorious past - the illegal and wide open gambling days and nights of the late '40's and early '50's. Originally, it was the Edgewater Casino and then Jimmie Walker's Edgewater Restaurant and Supper Club which was closed in 1954 due to gambling. In 1989 it was reestablished as Jimmie Walker's restaurant and soon caught the eye of Tilman Fertitta.

And that as they say is "the rest of the story!"

He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever.

Psalm 111:5

Congratulations!

Congratulations Josh on your promotion at Campbell's Soup. As Senior Category Manager, we know that the people working for you will find you to be a man of integrity and great business acumen. Of course, we pray that they will grow to appreciate your sense of humor and the University of Texas!

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:17

An Announcement!

A Grandmother's Prayer

Author: Barbara Burrows

Oh Lord, I do not ask for much,

Eternal beauty, or youth, or such.

Just give me a little hand to hold,

And I'll forget that I'm growing old.

I do not ask for cloudless skies,

A life that's free from tears and sighs.

Just give me a little face to kiss,

And anxious moments will turn to bliss.

For what is there, really, that means so much

As little hands that reach and touch,

As little eyes that search and see

Only the best in fragile me…

Thank you Lord for answered prayer!

Meagan and Jeremy are expecting their first child on April 3, 2010!

Tony and I are thrilled at the prospect of being grandparents!

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

What Women Want!

How many times have we heard this question asked and are often surprised at the answer?

Today I ran across a pastor’s wife's answer to this question and for the first time someone has gotten it right. It is not about brain vs. beauty, sex, education or monetary advantage. It is much deeper and it is a heart issue - which makes perfect sense when you think about it because women are the heart of any home. O.K., let me stop rambling and I’ll let her tell you what women want?

As I travel down the journey of life God has ordained for me, I am often reminded of a Bible verse I memorized years ago. The verse has become my life verse, for I have come to quote it daily, and in days past it has even been my midnight anchor when days and nights have run together:

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Jeremiah was many times distraught by the intensity and harshness of his life's calling, yet he found that all he really wanted in life was to rejoice in his heart. And so I find myself drawn to his message of hope.

In reviewing the seasons of my life, I have wanted many things and received most of them. I am blessed to have been raised in a Christian home where a mother and father loved each other. I have a sister who lives and loves her family as we were taught.

I married a man who loves me without reservation and with whom I am blessed to share one of the highest callings in the world, that of being a pastor. I have three wonderful children who love me and each other. I have two "daughters-in-love" who bring happiness and fulfillment to my sons. I have a "perfect" grandson who lights up my life with his every word and smile.

I have friends who share this journey of life with me. I have the job I always wanted and to top it off, I have everything I need materially!

Yet, with all the blessings and privileges I have, I must confess they are but things. If living on this earth for over 50 years has taught me anything, it's that things don't last forever. There is only one thing that lasts, and that is what I believe women want whether they realize it or not.

To answer the question, "What do I want as a woman?" is simple. I want the joy and rejoicing in my heart that only God can give. When Jeremiah says he found God's words and he ate them, he literally means he internalized the love of God in his life. He realized that all the things of his life, even good things like family and friends, were nothing in comparison to the love he found in God.


Perhaps today, you are searching for, working for, and living for things. The secret to finding what you need, want, and desire is to do as Jeremiah of long ago did and eat the words of God. What follows is the most fulfilling thing possible in this life - the joy and rejoicing of your heart. And that can never be taken away by anything in this world! (Wife of Jack Graham)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Philippians 4:4

Let Me Be The First...

To say, "Happy Birthday, Pat!" On August 23, my sister turns...

O.K., her secret is safe with me but I will not deny her birthright - she is my older sister. LOL

Seriously, though, having a sister is a very special relationship. She shares the very foundation that made us who we are and in many respects can make time stand still through the years of shared memories. She knows my secrets and loves me still. I found the words below and felt they said it best!

My Sister's Hands

My sister's hands are fair and white;
my sister's hands are dark
My sister's hands are touched with age,
or by the years unmarked
And often when I pray for strength to live as He commands
The Father sends me sustenance in my sister's hands.

My sister's hands are lined and worn with burdens of their own
And yet I know that should I mourn, I need not weep alone
For often as I seek His grace to lighten life's demands
The Father sends me solace borne in my sister's hands.

My sister's hands: compassion's tools that teach my own their art
Witnesses of charity within the human heart
Bearers of the Savior's love and mercy unto man
I have felt the Master's touch in my sister's hands.

lyrics from the song "My Sister's Hands"
by Sally DeFord

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Beautiful Reminder

Recently, my prayer list has grown at an alarming rate. Today, I ran across a beautiful reminder from Kay Arthur. She referenced the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth in Luke. God had not given Zacharias what he had wanted, what he had prayed for throughout a good portion of his life, yet he remained faithful - totally faithful.



If this were your circumstance, if you didn't receive from God what you had asked for, what you had longed for, or, let's say, what was your "human right"-a legitimate need-would the same thing be true of you?


Have you understood, my friend, that . . .


God sees what you need-what you want. He is not blind.
God hears what you pray. He is not deaf.

But you say . . .


God could have moved sooner! Yet God is never late
But God did not do what He is perfectly capable of doing if He's God! Right!

Yet, it's not because God didn't know - because God is omniscient-all-knowing.
And it's not because God couldn't do it - because God is omnipotent-all-powerful.
And it's not because God was occupied somewhere else - because God is omnipresent-everywhere.


Although it wasn't done your way, the way you dreamed it would be, the way you longed for it to be, never forget - God is sovereign.


So does this mean He loves you any less because you suffered greatly in the process? No, God is love.


It simply means that God is God. We are man, and as man we are to walk blamelessly before Him. And if God chooses then to utterly surprise us in this life we will have our answer, our proof of just what God had in mind all the time. However, even if God does not choose to surprise us, we will have shown our Father that we love and trust Him for who He is-God.


In the very process of it all the world will see and know the reality of our faith, the sufficiency of His lavish, extravagant grace, and the destiny of our soul-for we are His people.


And someday, as His people, we will have exceeding abundantly beyond what eye can see, ear can hear, and mind can comprehend-for we will have it all as heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.


Do you have something to give thanks for? Thank Him daily and trust Him. ~ Kay Arthur

"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" Ephesians 3:20

First Priority

What would you say the most important Bible verse is in the Bible?

Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'

Jesus said our first priority in life should be to love God. Our responsibility is to respond to God's love, which is reaching out to us on every side -- reaching out in nature, reaching out in the supply of all that is being given to us day by day. We are never to forget that the things we enjoy -- the food, the air, the sunshine, the shelter -- all these material things of life that we need -- come from the hand of God. It is God who gives them. It is God's goodness protecting us, sheltering us, and watching over us that keeps us from being ravished and destroyed by the forces that are at work for evil in our lives. God's sheltering hand is protecting us. So when you think about the love of God, and especially the love that redeems us, the proper and only response of the heart is to love God back with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Mark 12:28-31

Learning to love other people is a lifelong goal. The very nature of love means that it must be ongoing. For this reason, the power of God must be present to enable us to love others. Our love for others flows from our love for God. There is no one that God cannot love through us!



Love God first and then love other people – our 5yr. old preschool lesson for Sunday! It spoke to me!

"We love, because he first loved us." 1John 4:19

A Rose By Any Other Name.. Part 2

Yesterday, as I reflected on my name and the pressures parents face of finding the best name for a child I was reminded of the most important thing about any name. And that is having the assurance that your name will be found in the Lamb’s book of life.

http://www.billygraham.org/SH_StepsToPeace.asp

“And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15

"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

A Rose By Any Other Name...

On Monday, my great niece may find out whether she will be a big sister to a boy or girl! She is a little young to appreciate the excitement that surrounds this but for her parents it narrows down one of the biggest decisions a new parent makes - the name.

I don't believe a child truly appreciates what a parent goes through in making such an important decision. In fact, no one can until they are in the position themselves. I know I didn't! And sadly, I, too, grew up not appreciating the name given to me - Judith.

My story starts with a traumatic kindergarten experience. My mother had prepared me for my first day of school. I knew my personal information and how to write my name. But on that very first day I brought home a note from Mrs. Fink (a bit of foreshadowing) that stated I did not know how to write my name. I knew how to write Judy but not Judith and Judith was how I was legally registered for class! I have never forgotten how humiliated I felt that first day and how I cried. Obviously, that experience colored my view of my own name.

It wasn't until many years later that I had the opportunity to ask my mother why I was named Judith. She said that my sister named me after her Sunday school teacher. Now, my sister was a mere three years old at the time so whether it was that she loved that teacher or that my mother loved and trusted that teacher, I am not sure. It does not matter because for someone that today is finishing another year of teaching after 27 years it immediately changed the way I saw my name!

Today, I carry the name proudly knowing that another servant for Christ, who had a love for some of the youngest in God's kingdom, carried it before me and made such an impression that her name was found worthy to be handed down to me. For it has been one of my greatest joys and privileges in life to share the story of Christ's love to His children!

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty." Jeremiah 15:16

Thunderstorms

The last couple of days we have had some evening thunderstorms that have been quite severe. Wednesday night we were without power for two hours and we're reminded how quickly a home without air moving can become warm when the temperature outside has been 100. Then last night after some pretty amazing lightning we discovered we had lost our phone line. It really isn't worth mentioning except for the reply to an email I received after notifying my family that they would need to use my cell phone to reach me. It is as follows:

"What kind of hospitality are you trying to show us? I hope that everything is up and running when we come visit in 3 weeks. Who is going to keep me company on my drives to and from work? Did you not think about how this would impact me? I hope this makes the blog. Good thing your iPhone doesn't go thru dial up!"

I love my kids!!! And it does remind me that I have so much to be thankful for - company coming over labor day, the beginning of college football, and untold blessings!!

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you"

Philippians 4:1

Lockhart - Barbeque Capitol of Texas

My husband and I made a day trip to Austin today and we were lucky to have the time to swing through Lockhart and have lunch. Though Lockhart is the barbeque capitol of Texas, it is also the town where my grandmother (on my mother's side) called home.

Now you can Google search the story of Black's, Kreuz's and Smitty's Market barbeque but the Strawn family story would only be known to my sister, Pat, and myself. To give you an analogy the watermelon is to Luling (http://www.watermelonthump.com/) what barbeque is to Lockhart, therefore, when in town a trip to Kreuz' or Black's to eat was a highlight. (You'll have to Google search Kreuz's to see why I didn't include Smitty's Market.) http://www.texasmonthly.com/magazine/bbq

The problem arose when my Uncle Olsie was in town because his favorite was Kreuz's. Grandmother's and mother's favorite was Black's. Honestly the quality of food was pretty equal. And if you think that we could decide based on the atmosphere or the furnishings or perhaps the place settings - you can see from the picture that even today not much has changed. The decision about where to eat is personal and there is really just one thing to remember...

It's about the barbeque not the ambience! (And the memories!)

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

Matthew 5:6

Our Mission

Exhibit the Miracle...
You are a new creation!

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
2 Corinthians 5:17

Extend the Ministry...
You are reconciled to reconcile!

"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself..."
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Express the Message...
You can become the righteousness of God!

"...and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
2 Corinthians 5:19-21

Dr. David Fleming

What are you giving your life to?

Happy Birthday!

Born on Monday,Fair in face;

Born on Tuesday,Full of God's grace;

Born on Wednesday,Sour and sad;

Born on Thursday,Merry and glad

Born on Friday,Worthily given;

Born on Saturday,Work hard for your living;

Born on Sunday,You will never know want. – Anonymous

Happy Birthday Jeremy! Twenty-nine years ago today you were “worthily given”. I’m not sure what that means but you were happily, joyfully, and blissfully received by your family. We arrived at the hospital in the middle of the night and after a long labor you were born the next morning.

We were thrilled to have another boy!! And, as you can see by your picture, from the very beginning Josh took his job as “Big Brother” quite seriously.

You were a happy baby that has grown to be a young man that your parents are extremely proud of!! It has been a privilege to be your parents and we thank God for you every day!

“… That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

Eph. 1:17-19

The Wonders of God

Every Sunday in our five year old preschool class we have a time, just after the Bible story is given, when each child is called upon to come up and pull a Bible verse. After the verse has been whispered in their ear they say it out loud to the rest of the class. One of their favorites is “I am wonderfully made”. Wonderfully is a mouthful for them to pronounce correctly and there is such pride when they have successfully shared it with the rest of the class. They can also tell you in short order who it is that made them. Wonderfully, wonder…

“Listen to this, O Job, Stand and consider the wonders of God.” Job 37:14

“I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all YOUR wonders.” Psalm 9:1

“They have seen the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep.” Psalm 107:24

“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth…” Joel 2:30

When we see the butterfly emerge from the cocoon or the flickering heartbeat of a fetus on an ultrasound it is evident that our God is the Creator of wonders!

LORD, you alone create miracles. You alone do wonders that can never be explained. That is the hope we have! You alone can change our tomorrows in the blink of an eye. So we wait on you......patiently, warmly, joyfully, and in total reverence because we belong to the Creator of wonders!

"He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted".
Job 5:9

Grandma's Hands

Today as I was preparing for Sunday's preschool lesson of the good Samaritan, I ran across the following and it was too precious not to share.

GRANDMA'S HANDS

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a clear voice strong.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I explained to her.

"Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story: "Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

"They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

"They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special . They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

"They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

"They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

"These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

When you receive this, say a prayer for the person who sent it to you and watch God's answer to prayer work in your life. Let's continue praying for one another.

Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both. Passing this on to one not yet considered a friend is something Christ would do.

-- Author Unknown