Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Four Friends International: Doing what it takes to bring the sick to Jesus.

Mark 2: 3-4
And they brought to Jesus a paralytic, carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him. When they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralyzed man lay.

I am writing this blog to make you all aware of a mission opportunity.  My dad has started a mission team entitled Four Friends International, with the mission statement: "Doing what it takes to bring the sick to Jesus."  They will attempt to fulfill this mission by establishing ongoing medical clinics in poverty-stricken regions, bringing the healing power of Christ to them.  By partnering with local churches in this endeavor, people can receive spiritual healing as well.


Four Friends International is just getting started and is making plans to build the first clinic.  The location is a poor village near Jalapa, Guatemala.  Land will be purchased this year, and the construction phase will begin soon.  They are looking for people who feel the call of God to help them in this ministry.  Please take the time to explore the website (listed below) and learn more about this mission.  I promise, you will be glad you did.  At least read the first post:  "pick up your corner of the cot."  Perhaps God will lay on your heart what role you can play in their mission efforts.    


www.fourfriendsinternational.blogspot.com or click HERE.


Over the past several years, Dad has written a series of 6 books.  I have posted pictures of the books below, along with a description of the content within each.  These books are available for purchase - $10 per book.  You can purchase individual books or purchase the whole set for $60.  Half of the proceeds are going to help fund the mission in Jalapa, Guatemala and the other half are going to purchase more books.  My Dad would tell you - These books are meant to serve as a ministry.  Please only purchase if you or someone you know will read, enjoy, and be ministered to.  Purchase by contacting me through facebook or emailing me at: marycatherine.laney@gmail.com



Have you ever wondered if the atheist could be right? If so, you are not alone. Standing behind you at the supermarket, teeing off ahead of you in your weekly foursome, and (as stange as it seems) singing along with you at your local church are people just like you. Too embarrassed to ask questions, they do not know where to turn for answers. Randy Stewart, with refreshing candor, reveals in these pages his personal history of doubt; then he traces his steps back to faith. Along the way he uses his medical and religious background to present some old concepts in fresh and understandable light. Written with the non-theologian in mind, this book should be helpful to anyone asking questions or anyone needing to give answers. 


September 11 - the Indonesian tsunami - Hurricane Katrina: what kind of God would allow these things to happen? In these pages, Randy Stewart tackles this age-old question and other troubling issues about the nature of God. He asked in his first book if God is real. Now he seeks to give a glimpse of who He really is. Much about God will remain a mystery at book's end, but the light shed along the way should help you embrace that Mystery as never before. 


This is the third book in Randy Stewart's "Religious Journey" series. In the first, he asked whether or not God exists and concluded that He does. In the second, he explored God's nature and found Him greater than ever imagined. Now he challenges you to examine yourself in the spotlight of God's existence and nature. In other words, he wants you to see yourself as God sees you. What better time than now to seek His opinion? What better time than now to rediscover who you were created to be? 



Amy and David Owen were not expecting the gift that came to them in December of 2001. Corey Reynolds was not expecting the invitation he received in August of 2026. The cities of Guntersville and Arab in North Alabama were not expecting the publicity they received in the summer of 2027. When God decided it was time for Jesus to return to earth, everyone was caught off-guard. Who would have imagined the second coming to be like this?


The Bible is worth knowing but is not well known. This book is the author's attempt to acknowledge the former and remedy the latter. Studying this overview of the Bible and answering the questions should help reverse the unfortunate trend today toward Biblical illiteracy. Those already familiar with God's Word may also benefit from this well-organized, balanced, and creative review. The author, Dr. Randall Stewart, acknowledges the areas of debate in present-day scholarship but does not attempt to take sides, urging his readers to do further study and form their own opinions. With no conservative or liberal agenda, this introduction to the Bible should be useful to a wide spectrum of people - young and old, believer and non-believer, novice and teacher, laity and clergy.


Randall Stewart shares five original Christmas stories, all based on drama scripts he has written for his church. Four are in narrative form;one is in verse. His target audience is anyone with the heart of a child. These imaginative tales should awaken within the reader the supernatural wonder of Jesus' birth.





Monday, July 29, 2013

Toddler Talk


My little toddler sure is talking up a storm.  She is such a little smartie pants.  :)  I want to share some of the things she has said lately so that those of you who enjoy reading can have a good laugh and most of all, so that I can remember all of these sweet moments (and share them with her) one day.  Enjoy...

First things first, Anna Scott knows the many stories in the bible (the ones that kids learn at a young age) already.  She loves reading about creation, Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, Moses, Abraham, Daniel and the Lions, Joseph and his coat, David and Goliath, and Jonah and the whale.  We were driving to Arab a few weekends ago and it was raining (imagine that).  Had been raining a lot that week.  Without being prompted, she said, "It's gonna rain forty days and forty nights."  :)  Made me so happy that she does listen to her bedtime stories!

She sings so many songs - the whole way through.  Sometimes, it is like she is a record singing song after song after song.  We never know when she is finally going to stop.  :)  But that's not all.  She uses phrases to songs in conversation.  Let me explain.  We woke up one Saturday morning and the first thing she said to Scott was, "Do you know the Muffin Man daddy?"  She also says, "Have you ever seen a Lassie Mommy?"  She loves watching and listening to her Praise Baby dvds.  There is a song called, "Born to Worship" on one of them.  Every once in awhile, she will say, "I was born to worship, Mommy."  I just say, "Yes you were Anna Scott.  Yes you were."  :)


Thanks to her Daddy, she knows 6 positions (player names and what positions they play) on Alabama's football team.  Ask her sometime.  She will tell you without missing a beat.  She may know the whole first string by the time the season starts.  I am so thankful Scott is teaching her these things.  Will make such a difference in her life!  :)

She knows the Alabama fight song.  Well, 80% of it.  She does miss a few words or mispronounce a few words here and there, but she does get through the whole thing and you can tell what she is trying to say.  Practice makes perfect.  Hopefully, I can share this on video sometime soon.  It is amazing to hear her sing through the whole thing.  

She sings "Take me out to the Ball Game" and says "..... for it's root, root, root for the Red Sox, if they don't win it's a shame!"  Her Daddy has taught her well.  


At church one morning, as I was getting her out of the car, I said, "Anna Scott, you need to be very nice in church and when you see people, smile and wave."  She looked up at me without missing a beat and said, "Oh!  It's a parade!"  Oh me...

Anna Scott loves to listen to Rick and Bubba on her way to school in the morning.  She really does.  Listens to them without making a peep and asks each morning for Scott to turn the radio to Rick and Bubba.  She also sings the Rick and Bubba song.  Now, THAT is funny.  This child cracks me up.  The best part is "It's all up in da house!"


At school one day, Anna Scott's teacher was helping her make a mobile to hang in her classroom.  She asked Anna Scott who she wanted to pray for so that they could list the people on the mobile.  She said "Mommy, Daddy, and Jesus."  Precious.

She loves to tell me that she is being patient, especially when I am taking a little longer to do something than she would like.  "I'm being patient Mommy."

Instead of singing her to sleep, I talk her to sleep.  She wants me to talk about all of the fun things we have done lately (dating all the way back to her birthday party).  She loves hearing all of it over and over again.  She says, "Talk."  I say, "What do you want to talk about?"  She says, "Talk a Molly's party" or "talk a Eason's party" or "talk a the park" or "talk a school today" or "talk a the beach."  Talk a - whatever she wants to hear about that night.  If I stop talking and she isn't asleep yet, she says, "Talk it again."  :)  I just talk and talk until she is fast asleep.  Do I get tired of talking?  Yes.  Do I know I will wish I could talk again when she doesn't want to hear me talk anymore?  You bet. 



Anna Scott loves people and thinks everyone is her friend.  Wherever we go, if other kids are there, she says, "All of my friends came!"  or  "Let me play with all of my friends!"  When someone leaves and she notices they aren't there anymore, she says, "Where'd my friend go?"  She loves nothing more than to be surrounded by all of her friends.

  
I love how she says certain things:  "Over dere" (there), "captain lunch" (crunch), "big gore" (girl) - I love how she uses the "ore" sound for "er" - it may be the sweetest thing I have ever heard, "Wiggally Piggally" (for Piggly Wiggly) - she passes the Piggly Wiggly on the way to school every morning, "berry berry" (very very) - she doesn't say it just once - always twice, "monkey jars" (monkey bars).  There are so many more but these are some of my favorites.

She says, "That's my jam,"  when a song comes on the radio that she likes.  It was just, "That's my song."  Now, "song" has been changed to "jam."   We can thank her daddy for this one too.  





We were sitting in a restaurant and had waited on our food for too long one evening.  I think she could tell that Scott and I were aggravated by how we were acting and talking with each other.   We said a few things like, "I can't believe it is taking this long."  But, we never said exactly what she said (which is why it was so funny.)  She must have been hungry too because all of a sudden she said, "We've had enough!"  ha!

She is fascinated with fire trucks (and a little scared of them).  She was eating lunch at a restaurant one day and saw a fire truck speed by (sirens, lights, and all).  She talked about it but didn't say anything out of the ordinary.  Just a few minutes later, another fire truck drove by with it's sirens screaming and lights flashing.  She said (at the top of her lungs) "Another fire truck!?!?  I can't believe it!!!"  Everyone in the restaurant stopped and smiled.  

Anna Scott loves to say that things are too loud.  Even if they aren't.  It has actually been embarrassing when she has told people who I am talking to that they are too loud (while simultaneously plugging her ears).  If she ever tells you that you are too loud, just know it is one of the things she loves to say.  Most of the time it is in context, but she will take it a little too far at times.  



Love when she says, "How bout that?!" or "Oh my goodness!"  or "That's amazing!"  or "I had a great day at the ...."  or "I had a great time at the ..."  or "It's a little bit too hot (or too cold)" or "Let me have just a little bit" or "Where we goin, Mommy?" - says this all of the time, or "Thank you for (whatever I did)"  Just all of the sweet toddler phrases!

The child loves banana popsicles.  I will often tell her not to ask for more (after she has had two already).  So, she likes to tell me while I am eating (anything), "Don't ask for more." Maybe I should listen to her more often.  :)

Her teachers at school tell her that she "made a bad choice" when she does something wrong at school.  They are just trying to teach her about choices.  You know how that goes.  Well, she has started telling me that I have made a bad choice.  As much as I shouldn't, I just have to laugh.  She always says it in context.  It is so funny.  She says it with her face scrunched and eyebrows lowered - "That's a bad choice Mommy.  A really bad choice."  Oh my!

She will often end sentences with "I sink" (instead of think).  For example, "That is milk in my cup, I sink."  That is one of my very favorite things she says.  What is so funny is that she says it after statements that she knows are true.  She just likes to put "I sink" at the end.



She gets "hold you" and "hold me" mixed up.  She is always uncertain of who is holding who.  At church this weekend, during baby dedication, she said, "Look, that little baby is holding the preacher."  Of course, it was the other way around.  

About a week ago, we had some free time together at home.  I said, "Anna Scott, let's work on your shapes."  She said, "Ok!"  She got her shapes puzzle out, reached straight for the octagon, picked it up and said, "This is an octagon, Mommy."  I just smiled and said, "Ok, maybe you can teach me instead."  :)  

When I peal a banana, she says, "Leave the paper on it."  She means peeling.  She wants to hold the "paper" on the bottom half while she eats the top half.  I would teach her that it is peeling, not paper... but that wouldn't be near as fun.

Before she does or says something, lots of time she'll preface it by saying, "I gone say..."  and telling you what she's going to say or do before she actually says or does it.  You kind of have to be there for this one to understand, but it is something I will always remember.



She doesn't like doing two things at once, especially if she is really enjoying something.  For instance, if she is eating a banana popsicle and I tell her to give me kiss, she will tell me "I am still eating my nana popsicle right now."  Ok then.  :)  By the way, her favorite ice cream flavor is "Nilla."  :)

She will tell me she wants something, then out of habit (or normalcy) I will just repeat and say, "Oh okay, you want to play outside?"  If I do repeat her like this, she answers, "Uh Huh, Yes I do!"  Like, I meant it the first time... why are you asking me again?!

She is funny about her boo boos.  She wants them covered!  Has a come apart if they aren't.

She loves to tell me to do things faster/slower.  She is into that right now.  She also loves to tell me when traffic lights are red and that I can "GO" when they turn green.  



She knows that Saturday and Sunday are different than other days of the week.  She will often talk about doing something fun or going to see Allison or the grandparents and say, "We'll do that Saturday or Sunday."


I am so in love with this little girl.  Life gets just a little more precious every day.  I am thankful to have been blessed with such a wonderful gift.  Motherhood is more amazing and fulfilling than I ever thought possible.  Someone once told me, "Raising a child is like having your own heart walking around outside of your body."  I could not agree more.  She is my heart, my everything.  Don't you know that God feels the same way about His children times one million!  He is jealous for us and loves us so much.  I can't help but think of how He loves us when I think about my love for Anna Scott.  

My Dad says there are two prayers you should pray, above all, for your life.  One:  "God, I am Your child and Your possession."  Two:  "God, I am Your servant.  Use me for Your glory."  Therefore, I have started to pray these two prayers for Anna Scott's life.  As much as I love her, I have to remember that she is God's child.  He loves her so much more than even I can imagine.  I hope and pray that He will use her in a mighty way, all the while, preparing my heart for whatever and wherever that may be.  















Tuesday, July 23, 2013

More Summertime Fun

Here are lots and lots of pictures of more summertime fun!  This is the definition of picture overload, but I have to document all of the fun we are having.  I won't say much because the pictures say it all, but I will keep you updated on where we are/what we are doing so that you don't get lost in all of the photos.   I will be posting soon about all of the new things Anna Scott is doing and saying.  Such a fun age!  If only I could freeze time.  But then I know that the best days are yet to come!  Enjoy...

We will start with Anna Scott's favorite summertime activity: the splash pad.



















Bentley Bowling came down for a day of fun in Birmingham.  We went to lunch, the zoo, the slash pad, rode the merry-go-round, took a nap, went to dinner, got ice cream and bounced in the bounce house to end the day.  Here are some pics of the two of them together...



















This is Anna Scott at our church picnic a couple of weeks ago.  In her squeaky shoes.  


Church picnic fun and games...






We had breakfast with Aunt Allison last Sunday morning before she went back to Madison.  We took a few cute pics before saying goodbye. 




Anna Scott has been to lots of birthday parties this summer.  She thinks there is a party every weekend! Eason's 2nd birthday party was so much fun....








Eason gave all of his friends a beach ball to thank them for coming.  We have played and played with our beach ball.


These are some randoms I have taken with my iphone.  Not of good quality of course, but too cute not to share...















I have to explain the next one.  I walked in the house from running yesterday afternoon to hear music playing.  I followed the music into the living room and saw these two dancing (hence the extra blurry iphone picture).  I watched for the longest time without them even knowing I was there.  It was too precious for words! 



Another birthday party!  This one for Molly!  Anna Scott was not a fan of that fire truck, but she has talked about it nonstop since that day.

Fun play date with McNeill

We threw America a birthday party on the Fourth of July.  Here are some pictures of our celebration...
















It would have been my Papa's 77th birthday!  We miss him so much.


Happy Birthday America!


Here, we are making American flags using graham crackers, cool whip, strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows.




We have eaten lots of ice cream...




On Sunday, I got to spend the day at home just playing with my sweet girl.  It was a fun mother/daughter day.  I took a few pics of Anna Scott rocking (and stealing milk) from her baby doll - as well as preparing us a picnic on the playroom floor.  :)




Believe it or not, Mommy and Daddy have had a few date nights and dinner out with friends.  
It has been such a wonderful summer and there is much more fun to be had!  

That is all for now, but before I go... Y'all ready for this?!?!?



There are only 36 days until kick-off.  Yes, 5 weeks and 1 day.  Alabama Football is just around the corner, and we are ready for another winning season.  Roll Tide.