Sunny Saturday with Stephanie

It has turned out to be an incredible day -- Stephanie got her hair cut, a waxing, picked up an application for Office Depot, found two protective cases for her ipod, a purple yoga mat, LOVE artwork (1 Corinthians 13) for her bedroom, one-day passes for the bus and birthday dinner at Logan's.
Stephanie's bday dinner was a grilled lobster tail with a half rack of ribs. Everything was fine until she got to the ribs and they were dried out and burnt. When we told the waitress this was part of her bday dinner -- she took them back and came back with a full rack which was tender and meaty.
The waitress wanted to know what birthday it was and when Steph said 31 she didn't believe her -- said she would have thought 21! Then she asked how old I was and when I said 60 she asked to see my ID! Which I produced and let her see after telling her my bday -- 10/15/52. She said we had some great genes...

Logan's Crew giving a birthday Yee-Haw and Steph's new hairdo.

Sunny Saturday

Day 4
Missed posting Friday -- day full of frustrations but probably the reason I should have posted.
Found out today that Tyndale has invited me to read and review an ebook for them -- whoohoo we're on the way! It will be delivered Feb 4th so until then I can read the one from Multanomah and post that review.
Vince went out to pick up Stef's birthday cake -- will take a pix and upload it later today. Also record her birthday dinner at Logan's.

Thoroughly thrilling Thursday

Day 2 of this new journey.
Psalm 68:19&20 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
    who daily bears our burdens.
²⁰ Our God is a God who saves;
    from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

Thankful that God goes before me in my travels each day... Yesterday I could have been toast -- twice within a one-mile stretch, (Dodge Rams--didn't get to ram me) trucks accelerating onto the roadway and not seeing the Perry Prius already occupying the lane they were trying to enter -- guardian angels were working overtime!

The weather forecasters are saying tonite will be a mixed bag... I just want to see the sun! Living in a climate that's drizzly and overcast dampens my day. Although to snuggle up at home and enjoy a snow day would be quite a change of pace... A four day weekend instead of a long weekend to celebrate Stephanie's birthday. Ordered her birthday cake from Naa's Bakery (devil's food with chocolate filling and buttercream frosting) for Saturday, we'll spend time getting haircuts and waxing before her celebration birthday dinner at Logan's (she loves their ribs!).

Found out trying to become a reviewer for publishers is not as easy as you think. Need to write consistently and have a following to apply for Tyndale.

Do have the opportunity to read a new book by Mark Batterson on my Kindle -- I've read two of his books, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase both of which made an impact on my walk with the Lord. His new book is, Soul Print and I'm looking forward to reading it.

New Year, New Focus, New Goal

Welcome to 2013! Practice makes permanent...

Beginning a daily blog today, Wednesday, January 16th. Want to record what I'm reading, memorizing, and reacting to each day.
The following thought from Sunday's devotional has been drawing me back...
"Our Father-King sees and knows before we become aware, and he is already in the process of healing: 'I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!(Isaiah 65:24)'" [from January 13,  Praying the Promises of God by Fuller and Dean] My friend, Jeanann, and her family are dynamic witnesses to this truth. Her life radiates joy regardless of the circumstances.

Discovered that publishers will send you books to read and review on your blog. My second goal is to broaden the genre of what I read, and respond to it. One book that is still in my read/reread pile is, Not a Fan, Becoming A Completely Committed Follower of Jesus, by Kyle Idleman.
From the Zondervan site is this synopsis:
Are you a follower of Jesus?
Don’t answer too quickly.
In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a “Define the Relationship” conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn’t ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you’re not into Jesus, period.
In any case, don’t take the question---Are you a follower of Jesus?---lightly.
Some people don’t know what they’ve said yes to and other people don’t realize what they’ve said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers.
Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humor, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you.

I don't want to be a "fan" of Jesus. I want to be his sold-out follower but that means He will invade my life with his words, his actions, his desire for others. How about you?