DD#5 has started waking in the night again. This coincides nicely with me putting in overtime on the blogs, doesn’t it? I am once again running on caffeine and aggravation, LOL. I am hopeful that she’ll start sleeping better, and I’ll get my webwork done shortly so that I can be a little less grumpy.

Today, I need to keep the laundry up, do a bit more work on the sites, teach and drink coffee. Cleaning my bathroom would also be a good thing to do, but we’ll see.

Across the pond, they refer to audio books as “talking books“. I’ve told you before it’s not the same language, LOL! Talking Books has cashed in on that phrase and offers audio book rentals using a business model very similar to Netflix, starting at £9.95 per month. They are the first company to take that model to the UK. In addition to cd and tape rentals, they also offer downloadable talking books, some of them free. Of course, you can also buy audio books from their site.

Yes, they have a US division: Simply Audiobooks, with rental plans starting at $11.95. Guess we needed an MP3 player for mom as well as DD#1 last Christmas.

Technorati Tags: audio books, talking books

I’m doing a little re-arranging in here. Can you tell? That’s what I’ve been up to today. If you notice that some of your favorite links are missing from the sidebar (or perhaps *your own* link is missing), please know they probably aren’t lost, they are just moved. Since I’ve opened the new sites, I’m putting the links on the site they fit best. They will be going up one by one with a little write up about why I read that site. Because, yes, I do read them. Mostly.

It just seemed like a good time to do this job, since I’ve been meaning to go through the blogrolls for quite awhile anyway. Upgrading to 2.1 just spurred me into action.

Technorati Tags: favorite links, blogroll

A man once walked into the hardware store looking for a good saw. He told the clerk he needed a saw that would cut 5 cords of wood a day. The clerk sold him a top-notch chain saw, and the customer went on off to work. He came back a couple of days later asking for a refund. He said “I can only cut a cord a day with this saw, it’s just not working like you said it would.” The clerk assured him it was a top of the line saw, and encouraged the man to try again.

The customer took the saw back out to the woods, and tried to cut more wood. No matter how hard he worked, he could just not get more than a cord a day, and after a few days, the man took the saw back to the hardware store again. He told the clerk that he needed wood for building, wood for heating and wood to sell, and this saw was just not good enough.

The clerk agreed to look at the saw, reached down, and pulled the cord, and the saw roared into action. The customer sprang back, shocked! He’d never pulled the cord. He’d never turned that fantastic top of the line chainsaw on. He was trying to cut the wood in his own strength instead of using the tools he’d been supplied with. How foolish! Don’t you agree?

We do the same thing when we try to fulfill God’s designs in our own strength instead of relying on His super-natural power to get the job done!

Technorati Tags: chain saw, God

I have spoken very often of my love for coffee. One thing I haven’t mentioned much is that I also love a good cup of tea, and I keep several varieties here for us to enjoy, in addition to the iced tea we drink by the gallon. We all enjoy the “flavored teas” as we call them.

Here in my small town, we have do not have a great variety of teas like you find in some larger cities, so to find the really special stuff, you have to order it on the internet. Grand Tea Stand is one such internet shop. They ship their teas in air-tight metal containers to protect them from air and light. As you know, air and light are not friends with your tea, so this protection ensures a better tea.

Grand ships by Fed-Ex for a flat $5. The prices of even the specialty teas come in at less than fifty cents per cup (and usually much less), and that’s an excellent price when you take into account the health benefits of tea. This white blueberry tea needs to come see me, I think.

Technorati Tags: tea, Grand Tea Stand

Today’s notes are very brief, as my boys had a hard time today, and I had to jot the main points down really fast as Pastor Chris wrapped up.

Colossians 1:15-23

5 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight– 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Jesus is:

1. God
2. Creator
3. Lord of the Church
4. Reconciler

Technorati Tags: sunday sermons, Grace Point Community Church

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny…©Kingsway/Thankyou Music

Colossians 1:12-18

12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, F3 the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Why ought we to live a life that please God?

1. because of what He has done
   • qualified us
   • delivered (rescued) us
   • conveyed us

   He has changed our lives

2. because if the power of creation
3. because of His authority

Technorati Tags: sunday sermons, Grace Point Community Church

We had a business meeting at church tonight. For the first time in my churched life, I left a business meeting excited! I asked this morning to be allowed to work on the church’s website, so I was particularly interested in the technology report. I found out that our tech guy has been making CDs of the sermons, and they are available right after the service! How cool is that? He also shared that we’ll be putting out podcasts of the services on iTunes. I don’t know if they plan to use free podcast hosting for that or not.

The other exciting thing was hearing the youth pastor speak in front of a group for the first time. I’ve spoken to him individually of course, but he just blew me away tonight when he discussed what he has planned for our youth. He is a dynamic speaker (and remember this was just a business meeting), and the vision he has for our youth is one I can totally get behind as a parent. The youth are going to be incredibly blessed by him.

I just opened my notebook to pull my notes out, and my paper is gone. DD#2 told me one had blown away, and of course, it was that one. Sigh. I do remember we talked briefly about the Sedar, and OH!!!!!!!!!! They bought chairs! Wonderful padded chairs. TWO INCHES THICK! Do I need to tell you how excited my non-butt is over that? We’ve been using the folding metal ones.

Technorati Tags: business meeting, Grace Point Community Church