Cute Cat Update

I know I've mentioned our cats before: Vito and Gerry
Here are a few new pictures of them.


Here is Vito. He and Gerry love to cram themselves up in little boxes and baskets. I just love his paw hanging out there. :o)


Poor Gerry after getting "fixed". She was so bad about leaving the stitches alone we had to have a cone put on her. We also kept a little shirt on her to keep her from scratching it. Poor Baby Girl.

The picture below isn't one of our cats. This is our (though she just recently moved) neighbor's cat named India ("Indie" for short). We put this pillow out on our porch to air dry because it had somehow gotten wet. One day we noticed Indie fast asleep out there. We felt sort of bad since he spent most of his day on our porch and not on his owners... but it was just too funny. I had to take a picture.

a MUST read!

A few days ago I finished The Shack by William P. Young. It was absolutely sensational. You should read it. Everyone should read it. www.theshackbook.com

The trees of the field will clap their hands...

At Passport, where I work, we have weekly devotions at the beginning of our staff meetings (after all, we are a Christian non-profit organization). This week was my turn to give devotion. I always stress out about what to do, say, read. However, I found a passage in the Bible that really resonated with me. I've written it below. There is also a prayer that I've added below that (I didn't write it but I tweaked it to flow well for my office listeners).

ISAIAH 55
Invitation to the Thirsty
¹ "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

² Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

³ Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.

⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.

⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor."

⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

⁹ "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

¹² You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed."

Prayer:
God, you are in every place, and every place where you are is holy ground. We ask you to fill our hearts with wonder and joy as we journey along the ordinary paths of daily life: so that in them we can catch sight of you, and by seeing you, we may adore your presence and serve your purpose. We hand these spoken prayer requests to you now as well as those still on our minds and in our hearts. We pray this in your Son's Holy name. Amen.

by C. Micklem & R. Tomes
(prayer request section and some wordings changed by me)

I'm totally hooked on this website. At home I can just sit forever playing these fun games! They even have online versions of Mario Bros. Games! So great! Check 'em out! ninjakiwi.com

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!

It's out!
Oooooh, I can't wait to see it!!!!!!!
- Abigail

Please Pray for First Baptist Shreveport & Cathedral of Saint John in Louisiana

Today is such a sad day. Last night I heard that the youth group from First Baptist Shreveport in Louisiana, on their way to our Passport Mercer camp, got a flat tire and flipped three times. One person died, several others in critical condition... everyone else was hurt in some way or another. I'm still learning all the details here at work but am asking everyone to lift this church up in your thoughts and prayers. Also, please lift up the Cathedral of Saint John in Shreveport as well. Apparently the youth that died on the scene was a member there but had been visiting FBC with a friend and was going to Passport for the first time. It is all very sad. People are grieving and all we can do is pray for them and let them know we are here.

Here is a link that we have put up on our website if you want to read an in depth article online:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-07-12-church-bus_N.htm
Much love,
Abigail

What's up.

So, my last blog (and another before it) was all about "crossing my fingers!" I guess I should explain a bit on why I was doing that. Keith and I found an adorable little fixer-upper in Edgewood right behind Edgewood Elementary where I went as a kid. We contacted our amazing realtor (Jimbo K.) and went through all the paperwork to set up a contingency contract based on the selling of our condo... Days went by and we found out more about the place. Apparently a bank owned it because it was in the middle of a forclosure. The bank didn't think to tell us until after we did all that paperwork that they don't accept contingency contracts. Big blow on our side. So, long story short... Jimbo asked for a hypothetical counter-offer (based on our low bid). The bank refused it and said someone else was in negotiations with them on the house. I still feel like they dragged their feet (the bank) since we wanted a contingency contract.

It hit me kind of hard. Like a ton of bricks to be exact. I was already envisioning our holidays there... where to set up an outdoor cookout... baking cookies with our kids in the kitchen. Silly of me. I do this a lot. Get ahead of myself. But that's all I want. I want a house, not a big one, just a good size to raise a family, in Homewood. I love the community there. It was where I was raised. The schools are great and we love going to Canterbury Methodist (even though it's technically in Mtn Brook). Our condo is in Homewood (perfect location) but it's small. Right size for us now but I want a baby soon. All I need to do is trust that God is looking out for us. I am already so blessed. I shouldn't be sad about anything really. My family is healthy and happy. I just want to expand a little. That's all.

On a next note... After we found out that the little house we hoped for was basically taken I jumped back on RealtySouth.com and saw another little house also in Edgewood! We haven't seen the inside of it but it looks very charming! Needs a good paint job on the outside and a good face lift but I love doing that!!! We could make it ours! It's also really close to Edgewood Elementary and close to my friend Maya's house!

Ok, that's all I'm going to right about it. I may jinx the whole thing. We haven't even learned much about it. It could be a horrible sell and just awful inside. But, again, I'm crossing my fingers...

Abigail