Did you realize that we have a Go-Kart track here in town?

I had no idea. It's right off 220 South near Jerry's Pizza. Robert spotted the sign for it the last time we were on that side of town, and he's been talking about it ever since. Well he hit pay dirt this past Sunday. Turk and Christine were in from Virginia Beach, so after church we all headed over to the track. I don't think we'll be racing at Martinsville any time soon, but we had fun! Read More...

It's been nice to quietly enjoy several cups of coffee this morning while I catch up on some of my favorite blogs and news sites. Monday's are my family day and I usually use the down time to relax and recharge.

But a lot of us have the day off today because it is Memorial Day. We're able to relax and enjoy the day with our families because of tremendous sacrifices that have been made on our behalf by those who have served in our military and defended our great country.

We're especially grateful to those gave the ultimate gift – their life – to protect our freedom. So to all the members of our Armed Forces - THANK YOU for your noble service!

I've begun to do my daily Bible reading out of the English Standard Version. I really like it's clarity. If you're interested in a brief explanation of some of the differences between our English translations of the Bible, check out this recent post from J.D. Greear.

I use an RSS feed for my daily readings. This morning I noticed a link that enables you to listen as the passage is read. Here's a link to today's reading from I John 5. Notice the link just to the right of the reference to I John 5. Click on the word Listen and you'll be good to go! If you're an auditory learner - enjoy!

What a great reminder and way to begin the day:

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:3-4

While we were attending Sarah's graduation at Taylor University, I made an interesting discovery. The Odle Arena has a special section filled with plaques honoring students who had excelled athletically while they were attending Taylor. It's a kind of Taylor Athletic Hall of Fame type thing - very impressive. Upon closer examination, I noticed one our church members on the wall! How cool is that! Guess who it was? Check the Read More to found out. Read More...

This time of the year was always an interesting time at our house while my daughters were growing up – especially during their teen years. With summer right around the corner, it was time to go bathing suit shopping. The objective: to find a suitable bathing suit. The challenge: the definition of the word "suitable."

To the girls, "suitable" was synonymous with words like - attractive, fashionable, in style, etc. For me, the word "suitable" had the connotations of covering enough skin so that you would be prepared for an unexpected blizzard or ice age in July – I mean, you never know, right? Read More...

We said good-bye to Sarah and got on the road at 8:15 this morning. . . and 543 miles (and several Starbucks stops) later, we pulled into our driveway at around 7:30 pm tonight. I've definitely decided that I haven't been called to be an OTR driver! It normally doesn't take quite that long, but we took a detour through Salem to drop my Dad off at his house. It was great that he could go with us. It definitely meant a lot to Sarah to have her Grandpa at her graduation.

Our van doubled as a moving truck as you can see from the picture! Sarah and one of her friends sent some "stuff" back to Virginia with us. We had taken the back seat out of the van before we left, and it was a good thing we did, because we were packed to the gills on the ride home. It was literally stuffed from side-to-side and the floor to the ceiling!

I grabbed my camera and snapped this shot somewhere in West Virginia while we were motoring down I-77 this afternoon. Check out the name of the place! Very interesting in light of Peter's description of our adversary, don't you think!

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (I Peter 5:8)

It's been a really good day! Sarah graduated with honors (magna cum laude) from Taylor University, earning a Bachelor of Music degree. Needless to say, her Mom and Dad are mega proud!

The Commencement ceremony was LONG, but good. The primary speaker was Israel Gaither, national commander of the Salvation Army. I can sum it up in three simple words: he brought it! Wow, it was the best commencement message I have ever heard. I hope the university eventually makes it available online.

One other meaningful tradition at Taylor. . . as each of the graduates walked across the stage to receive their diploma, they were also given a towel as a special reminder that, just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, we too have been called to a life of service to others. Very cool!

Following the ceremony we all went back to the house that has been home this year for Sarah and five of her friends. The girls had planned a graduation get together for all their families. Everybody had a terrific time. Here are some pictures and a short video of some of the highlights.

Sarah, congratulations on your accomplishments! You were absolutely stunning today! Your Mom and I are very proud of you and love you very much!

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs and doctors have no medical explanation for this birth "defect." But Nick gives God the glory for how He has used his testimony to touch thousands of hearts around the world. Click the Read More link to watch a video of Nick sharing his amazing testimony. I pray it encourages you as much as it did me! Read More...

While reading through Hebrews 13 earlier this morning, I was reminded that Jesus is the Senior Pastor of the sheep.

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)

The adjective translated "great" is the word "megas" which has the same connotations in Greek as the word mega does in English - "great, much, superlatively large, extraordinary, magnificent" – the point being, that Jesus is not to be ranked with other shepherds. He stands out. He's the Chief Shepherd.

This morning I watched an excellent clip by Josh Harris that caused me to immediately think about our Christ's Church family. And I've got to be honest, my initial reaction was one of humble awe and gratitude over the goodness of God with regard to the precious unity that permeates our fellowship! Because when it comes to the choice between private, public and homeschooling options, we have all three generously represented at Christ's Church – in terms of both students and teachers! Read More...

I received the following email and pictures from Jerry and Pam Headen this morning:

Dear Friends and Supporters of Philokalia Ministries:

We are pleased to report that work began on the first part of the site preparation on Philokalia's land in Thailand on April 21; attached are three pictures showing the laying of a culvert in the irrigation ditch at the front of the property in preparation for building the road in, a view of the road from inside the property looking back toward the entrance, and a view of the pond as it is taking shape. Read More...