like Miss Congeniality, I'm for "World Peace"....seriously

Pray for peace among nations. Pray for President Bush, Secretary of State Rice and members of their teams as they continue to instigate the peace process between all the key parties. Pray for wisdom and strength at every turn as they influence these leaders toward peace. Presidential Prayerteam Notes Almighty God our heavenly Father, guide the nations of the world into the way of justice and truth, and establish among them that peace which is the fruit of righteousness, that they may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. BCP

Today marks the beginning of the Advent fasting in the Coptic Church. BLESSED IS EGYPT MY PEOPLE (Isaiah 19:25) The Coptic Church is the Egyptian Church, Copt and aygipt are the same word. The Coptic Church began its history as established by St. Mark the Evangelist in the first century of Christianity. It is now more than nineteen centuries old. We notice that In the Old Testament we have a prophesy concerning the Coptic Church. As it is written in the Book of Isaiah the prophet, Chapter 19, "there will be an altar in the midst of Egypt." Why did our Lord chose Egypt for His altar? That is something special. Egypt was a land of civilization and great history. Its civilization began more than 3,000 years before Christ. The Bible references key people that visited Egypt enriching its civilization. Some of these key figures are: 1) Moses, the prophet, who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. 2) Abraham, the father of fathers; 3) Jacob; 4) Joseph, Jacob’s son; 5) the twelve tribes of Israel; 6) Jeremiah, and others. The crowning point of the sojourns was the visit of the 7) Holy Family at the beginning of Christianity during the childhood of our Lord. Egypt was blessed by the visit of our Lord, and it was the only country in the world, except for His birthland, that our Lord visited. Many miracles took place there during the visit of the Holy Family and many places were blessed. Many churches have been built in the places where the Holy Family lived. These churches are holy places visited by people from all over the world. We implore our Lord, Who completed our salvation by coming down to redeem us from the bondage of sin, to help us to do what is pleasing in His sight during this holy fast and through all the days of our lives.

Thanksgiving .... at the Glovers'

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing.....

A day in the life of a military chaplain....

Here's a very moving letter from Dolly's mom with an account of a day in the life of a military chaplain. Don't forget to pray for our military men, women and their families.

Bury St Edmunds

When Rosemary and her papa visited England a number of years ago, they went with Noel Leithart and the children to visit the quaint town of Bury St. Edmunds and see the museums and abbey there. While there they saw a small crowd of people gathered near the abbey. Gilbert happened to strike up a conversation with a nearby Constable who told him that Prince Charles was in the abbey....and if they stood nearby he would be exiting at a particular point. They stood around and as Prince Charles came out he stopped right where their group was standing and shook hands and welcomed them....what a nice chap he was! One of the prince's interests is restoration of ancient abbeys and cathedrals in England, so that was his mission of the day there at Bury St. Edmunds.... and it made for a memorable day for Rosemary and Giii! Here is a little background about how Bury St. Edmunds got its name......it's literal! Edmund of East Anglia, 20 November 870 When the heathen Anglo-Saxons invaded Christian Britain in the 400's, they eventually established seven kingdoms: Essex, Wessex, Sussex (East Saxons, West Saxons, and South Saxons), Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia (three kingdoms of the Angles), and the Jute kingdom of Kent. (The borders between these ancient kingdoms are still borders between regions speaking English with different accents today.) Under the influence of missionaries from the Celts and from continental Europe, these peoples bcame Christian, only to be faced themselves by a wave of heathen invaders. Edmund was born about 840, became King of East Anglia in about 855, and in 870 faced a horde of marauding Danes, who moved through the countryside, burning churches and slaughtering villages wholesale. On reaching East Anglia, their leaders confronted Edmund and offered him peace on condition that he would rule as their vassal and forbid the practice of the Christian faith. Edmund refused this last condition, fought, and was captured. He was ill-treated and killed. His burial place is the town of Bury St. Edmunds. written by James Kiefer Prayer O God of ineffable mercy, who gave grace and fortitude to blessed Edmund the king to triumph over the enemy of his poeple by nobly dying for your Name: Bestow on us your servants the shield of faith, with which we can withstand the assaults of our ancient enemy; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer.....notes from Luke 18:9-14

I just read the notes on prayer in the St. James Daily Devotional Guide, by Patrick Henry Reardon....He points out three characteristics of pure Christian prayer from the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector......the theological structure of prayer. In this parable, prayer is not purely private devotion, but is set in the context of "organized religion." 1. The two men "went to the temple to pray." They could have prayerd anywhere....in the woods, at the beach, etc, but they chose to make a special trip to the temple, a special house set apart for the purpose of worship. .....It was corporate prayer in this parable ....but one prayer was justified, the other was not....why? 2. The publican's prayer was persistent. He was not afraid to repeat himself in prayer. The publican prayer "Lord, have mercy" was repeated many times........ Maybe he was singing the Kyrie eleison....The pharisee seemed to be giving extemporaneous oratories to God of all his own good deeds to justify why God should listen to him. 3. The publican's petition was for divine mercy. It was a "pure" prayer of humility and repentance. It was not self-righteous, puffed up, or seeking its own fulfillment or seeking to "justify" himself. He goes on to say that a man who prays with spiritual purity stands in stark contrast to those who pray in order to find some sort of personal spiritual uplift or devotional high. He says that these qualities are not essential to pure prayer and that they may serve as distractions...and what is important is the faithfulness, purity and unselfishness of prayer. "The Publican's prayer represented the gift of himself to God. True, it was a poor gift, because he was a sinner, and he knew it. Yet, according to Jesus, 'this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.' Such is the prayer of the man who is justified by faith, not by his own merits. His prayer is pure because it is based soley in the mercy of God. This is the prayer that Jesus teaches in the parable of the Publican."

Rikard's Mill

Tonight's front page of the Birmingham News has an article about Heritage Days and the sugar cane syrup making at Rikard's Mill in Beatrice, AL. The mill was built and owned originally by my grandmother's first cousin, Jacob Rikard. (That would make him my first cousin twice removed :-)). Now it is a state historic site.... a living history museum. My mother said that the equipment presently being used at the mill was donated by a man from Pine Hill, Alabama who made the cane syrup we grew up eating! Yummmm it was good! Wish I had some now!

Thompson Delegates...State-At-Large

Well, Gilbert and I decided to run as State-at-Large delegates pledged to support Fred Thompson for President. He has a fairly consistent conservative voting record. It was a hard choice, but we believe he is the best suited to serve as the next US President. We signed up tonight at the Alabama Republican Party HQ and we will be on the ballot for place 15 and 16 out of 24 state-at-large delegates pledged to him. If Thompson wins 50% plus 1 of the popular vote ALL delegates pledged to him will go to the national convention. Any candidate who wins 20% of the popular vote will take a proportionate number of delegates to RNC. I expect the vote in Alabama to be split between Giuliani, Romney, McCain, Paul and Thompson, but I think Thompson will win our state. We would like to go to Minneapolis /St.Paul to national convention next September and will get to go if he wins by big enough margin to take at least 16 delegates :-).....so VOTE FOR FRED, and for Gilbert and ME in our Republican primary on Feb 5th!
Thanks.

It's Rosemary's birthday....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Rosemary!
I found a poem just for you!

A daughter is a wonderful blessing,

A treasure from above.

She's laughter, warmth and special charm,

She's thoughtfulness and love.
A daughter brings a special joy,

That comes from deep inside.

And as she grows to adulthood,

She fills your heart with pride.
With every year that passes,

She's more special than before.

Through every stage, through every age,

You love her even more.
No words can describe the warm memories,

The pride and gratitude, too.

That comes from having a daughter,

To love and cherish... just like you!

Toxic Stress

"Stress is such a common term that we might tend to trivialize it, assuming it's a convenient fiction for the weak who do not wish to do their best. Such an attitude would be a mistake. Stress is real, it is increasing and it can be highly pathogenic. While a life of no-stress is fatal and a life of low-stress is boring, a life of hyperstress is toxic to health, relationships and faith. God has created us enormously adaptable. Once we exceed our limits, however, the adaptability mechanism breaks down. Dysfunction results. The modern stress epidemic is not a single-point source problem, meaning we need to be vigilant in many directions." (Source: Richard Swenson, quoted in News & Views, The Christian Medical & Dental Associations, November 1, 2007; Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:7-11

Rebuilding Iraq...

I just read about the Classical School of the Medes located in Northern Iraq. This looks like a work of the Lord that will really make a difference. I like their motto: "Rebuilding Iraq one Child at a Time." http://csmedes.org/

Weighing in.....

Did you know that at least 25% of adults in 20 states are obese as defined by having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. ALABAMA is 3rd in the list of top heavyweights! It is thought that the main reason is that so many of us are "couch potatoes." Here are some new exercise rules recommended by American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine for us fabulous fifties age-bracket folk: Moderate cardio 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week OR Vigorous cardio 20 minutes/day, 3 days/week AND 8-10 stregth training exercises (8-12 reps of each), 2 times/week If you want to check your BMI, you can use this free online calculator at www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi .

Weddings

Go eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry heart;

For God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white,

And let your head lack no oil.

Live joyfully with your wife whom you love

all the days of your vain life which he has given you under the sun, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:7-9

Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,

Who walks in His ways.

When you eat the labor of your hands,

You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

In the very heart of your house,

Your children like olive plants

All around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

Who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you out of Zion,

And may you see the good of Jerusalem

All the days of your life

YES, may you see your children's children.

Peace be upon Israel!

Psalm 128