Another APFP Video

This is my son, Aaron, playing for A Plea for Purging last Saturday night.

Video from my Vacation

This was at A Plea for Purging's show last Saturday night. It's mostly showing the audience having a good time.

Back from Vacation

I have been on vacation for a few days and just got back. And I finally got to meet one of my blogger friends in person! Here's how it happened......My husband wanted to go to Kentucky to hear our son's band play this past weekend since it would be their last show on the road with their guitar player, Lyle. When I realized that my blogger friend Liz of Kentucky Bound lives near where the band was playing, I emailed her and we decided to meet. Liz and her husband drove into town after we arrived and we had a nice visit before the band arrived. I want to thank you Liz for taking time out of your day to spend with us -- we really enjoyed getting to meet you guys!! After that, Eddie and I went out to eat with the band and then we went to their show.

Next stop on our trip was the Smoky Mountains at Gatlinburg. We took the tent and camping stuff and stayed at a good campground right next to a little mountain river. Okay, maybe I'm not so fond of sleeping in a tent on an air mattress, but it really wasn't that bad especially being able to hear the water from the river just behind our tent. The first day there we went horseback riding. The second day we hiked a 2.7 mile trail up a mountain to see Rainbow Falls. We were pretty much wiped out after that! It was worth the hike because the waterfalls were beautiful, but my muscles are paying for it today! I'm sure glad I've already been walking a 2.3 mile walk most every day in my neighborhood, however, it is not the same as walking uphill the whole way. And today before we left, I walked around and shopped in Gatlinburg for a couple of hours. The rest of the day was spent driving home -- about a 7 hour drive. It was a nice trip and I thank God for safe travel! I will try to post some pictures soon.

Desires of the Heart

Have you ever wanted something so bad you could almost taste it? Well, I've never considered myself a "material girl" and have for the most part been content with what I have. But not too long ago I found something that I want so badly that I cannot stop thinking about it. It's almost like, "I have to have this!" I sit and think about what it would take to able to possess this desire of my heart and what the cost would be. It is exactly what I've wanted and always dreamed of having, yet when I think about the cost, I realize that it would cost much more than I want to pay. But at times I am almost willing to pay the high price plus all the extra expense that would come along with satisfying my desires. My dream house on six secluded, peaceful acres, with 3500 square feet, four bedrooms/three bathrooms, a pool and a hot tub, and covered porch all the way around the house is so very enticing! But what I have to remember is that I have a daughter in college and we're trying to keep from borrowing money for that, and my husband is not yet tenured at his teaching position because he changed counties two years ago. Also, this house is farther away from my job so I would have to pay a lot more in gas expenses to drive to work and to my church job. Plus, the house is almost twice the size of my current house which means heating and cooling costs would be much higher. So, what can I do? Pay the high price to have my dream come true, or wait and see what God has in store for me? I know what the right answer is. But why is it so hard to wait?

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Praise

Don't you just love getting compliments from other people? Of course you do! It makes me feel so good when someone tells me that I look good in a certain color, or they like my piano music, or when someone says that I have a sweet spirit. When someone praises us or gives us a compliment it builds us up and encourages us to try to continue doing whatever it was that initiated their uplifting comment. Because I know how good it makes me feel to get a compliment, I like to try and compliment other people so they can be encouraged.

The Bible teaches us to praise God and to give Him compliments. Years ago I was a part of Bible Study Fellowship and they taught us a form of praying that always starts with praise to God. Every day we need to tell God how wonderful He is, just because He is God and because he deserves our praise. God is awesome, powerful, almighty, loving and merciful. I could go on and on. Reading the book of Psalms is a good way to learn how to praise God. And then after we give Him the praise he desires and deserves, you will automatically start thanking Him for so many things. Not only will God be honored and glorified by our praise, but you will start feeling so much better and it will give you a much more positive outlook toward everything in your life!

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

One More Dog Comment

Okay, so maybe I'm not crazy about pit bulls living next door to me. But I really felt sorry for one of those dogs this weekend. We had some powerful thunderstorms with bunches of lightning that brought us some great rain that we needed. But one of those dogs is kept tied up under a tree at the back of that yard all the time. It had nowhere to go during those storms except under that tree. At one point it was trying so hard to get loose from that chain during the storm. It was barking and begging to be free. During another storm it was just huddled down under the tree getting soaked. I really felt sorry for that dog and I can't believe that anyone would treat their animal that way.

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10

This is Cool!

In my last post I told about Rush of Fools trailer and gear being stolen. Our local news channel carried the story last night and it is on their website. I thought this was so cool that the website story has Bible verses in it. Read it here. A friend just now told me that she watched the news this morning and that the trailer had been found. I'm not sure about all the equipment, but hopefully I will hear more soon.

Rush of Fools

A couple of days ago, Rush of Fools trailer was stolen. It had all their gear in it, so they've lost everything they need for playing music. Please pray for this band as they have to go back on the road next week -- they will need new equipment. Read their blog about to learn more about this. Wes Willis of Rush of Fools got married yesterday. It was a lovely wedding yet very simple with a relaxed atmosphere. I'm not sure how long they will leave it there, but at the moment there is a picture of Wes and Michelle on Rush of Fools my space page.

A Plea for Purging

There is a music festival called Cornerstone going on in Bushnell, Illinois. That's where A Plea for Purging is this week. I suppose you could compare Cornerstone to Woodstock, except that it's for Christian rock bands. My son and the guys in A Plea for Purging love going to this festival and look forward to it all year long. They will get to play several times this week and hopefully pick up some new fans, sell some merchandise, and tell some people about Jesus. Here is a list of the bands that will be playing there. I looked through the list and saw a couple of pretty famous names on there like David Crowder Band, Hawk Nelson, and Skillet, plus some others I have heard of. My nephew's band, Fall Empire Fall from Tampa, is also playing. Some other bands playing there have stayed at my house at different times and I would like to mention them -- Burden of a Day, Gwen Stacy, Once Nothing, With Blood Comes Cleansing, and there may be some others but I can't remember them all. But it is always an honor to wake up, leave my house for work and have to step over all the band guys sleeping on my den floor.

A Plea for Purging is on the Facedown Records label. I wish the guys a great week and some good times with all their friends!