1. My husband and I pray together every single night. I can’t remember the last time we let a day go by in which we didn’t pray together. I actually knew that I would marry Kevin the first time he asked to pray with me.

2. I found a lot of my identity in teaching 5th grade, specifically in a Title I school. However, being a stay-at-home mom is an unbelivable blessing, and I praise God for this opportunity.

3. Living in Kingwood is a dream! I often feel spoiled, though completely blessed.

4. I can make a “chicken” out of a bath towel. My husband can too! He’s the only one that I’ve ever met who too has this talent.

5. I once weighed almost 270 lbs. The pictures of my “fluffy” days are quite shocking.

6. I have a passion for girls’ ministry. I believe that God has called me to work closely with these teen girls and share with them my life experiences as well as guide them to a closer relationship with God their Father.

7. I desire to have a physically fit body like that of Mariah Carey. Shameless, I know.

8. My abdomen looks like a road map! In the last 5 years, I have had five abdominal surgeries. Despite the many scars, my husband says that I am still beautiful.

9. When people walk past me, I subconsciously hold my breath. Strange, I know. I do it without even thinking. I don’t wish to smell “their” air.

10. I want to be able to run a mile with out stopping.

11. Lord willing, I will homeschool our children one day. In doing so, I hope to change any negative connotations that some have about homeschooled children. My children will not be socially awkward or intellectually inferior.

12. I desperately want my Masters and to be considered an expert in a particular field, though “that field” has yet to be determined.

13. I mocked my husband for joining Facebook for quite some time. I am now completely addicted to it!

14. I am not pleasant to fly with. The flight itself is fine, but waiting in the airport or delayed flights make me ill and, I often express my dissatification with whomever I’m with.

15. I would really like to own a summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, but never would even if I were financially able to. I believe that owning more than one home is a bit much. There are so many people in this world without even one home; I would choose to use my financial blessing to bless someone else.

16. I am a procrastinator …in all things. ( As I write this, I should be reading the lesson for tonight’s small group discussion. Yet again, I have waited until the last minute.)

17. My husband says that I am prematurely 80. I enjoy game shows such as Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right and old television shows such as I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show.

18. I really like food! I prefer “real food.” I’m not stuck on sweets though ocassionally I get the craving for a good doughnut.

19. I secretly wish that I could play the violin (really, the fiddle) and speak a second language. I also wish that I could use a handgun proficiently. Not that I ever REALLY want to use it; It would just be nice to know that I could if I needed to defend my family. (I can hear my husbands thoughts now, “You’ve watched too many episodes of Oxygen’s Snapped!)

20. I sweep and/ or vacuum every single day.

21. 2008 was the most challenging year of my life, and I am still dealing with the effects of all that transpired: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

22. If the house is tidy and smells great, I feel like it’s clean, even if there are cobwebs in the corners and dust on the picture frames. (I really appreciate pleasant smells; they can set my entire mood. My favorite are candles that smell like coffee.)

23. My mood completely changes (for the better) when the time changes. Something about “springing forward” puts a spring in my step. I really like that the sun is still shining at 7pm.

24. I would like to change this generations’ mindset on “Thank You” notes. Why do we give gifts and then expect to receive a card in the mail? I give gifts because I want to bless someone. Perhaps, we could begin giving gifts and not put who they are from. Then the person receiving the gift would not be able to send a note thanking that person. And if we ALL did that, then we, as a community, would have mastered the concept of “Pay It Forward.” Yes…yes…I think this is what we should do.

25. My favorite poem is “The Dash” by Linda Ellis. I think of that poem often and hope that when I am no longer on this Earth, people will remember me positively. I want to know that I’m not just taking up space and wasting oxygen, but that I am truly making a difference.

<>< LinZ

Books I Read
The Holy Spirit: A Layman’s Perspective (Don and Jackie Ragland)
It’s Not About Me (Max Lucado)
The Shack (William P. Young)
The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights) (Philip Pullman)
Simple Church (Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger)
Skin (Ted Dekker)
The Magician (Michael Scott)
The Adventurer’s Handbook (Mick Conefrey)
Brisingr (Chris Paolini)
Sahara (Clive Cussler)
Tales of Beadle the Bard (JK Rowling)
The Coffee Trader (David Liss)
Living God’s Love: An Invitation to Christian Sprituality (Earl Lavender & Gary Holloway)

Movies I Viewed (I put a “*” by the Ones I liked)
Ironman*
The Hulk*
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Chrystal Skull*
Wall E*
The Dark Knight*
Failure to Launch*

Plays/Concerts I Attended
Third Day, Switch Foot, Jars of Clay
Casting Crowns, Pure NRG, Natalie Grant, Michael English, Avalon
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra
Toby Mac, Reliant K
Handel’s Messiah

TV Shows I Watched Regularly
Lost
House
The Unit
Fringe
Eureka

Favorite Dishes I Cooked
Smoked Crab and Cream Cheese stuffed Croissants
The Thanksgiving Turkey
Scallops in white wine butter saffron sauce

Random Things I Observed About 2008
Favorite Term: HD (high definition, No kidding, I saw an analog wall clock with a fuzzy background image labeled: High Definition Wall Clock. It’s time for a new favorite term.)
Most Popular Question: Have you read The Shack?
Biggest Online Trend: Facebook (It’s everywhere, teens and grandmas are using this thing and superpoking an unholy number of people a day!)
Most Rampant Abuse of Technology: Text Messaging (SMS) (People to texting while driving!…and praying, eating, in mid-conversation with you.)
The Movie: Dark Knight (Even more people have seen this movie than have read The Shack.)
Most Parodied Commercial: PC vs Mac (Even I’m considering going mac now…maybe.)
Most…Whatever…Video Game: Guitar Hero (Even a middle aged Worship minister I know is playing it. I admit, I don’t get the appeal.)
2008 Made Up Word Of The Year: Nontree. (It’s a term for people who eat out on a budget and only order an appetizer. )
Biggest Inconvenience: Prepaying for Gas (I know, I know, “Whaaah! Still, I never fill up since I don’t want to have to make a second trip in for change. )

10 Greatest Blessings (In no particular order)
Birth of My Son
My Wife
My Wife in good health
Holding my Daughter
The Kingwood Church of Christ
Coffee with Don, Travis, Ron, and Jeremy (when he made it)
God’s Peace, Grace and Comfort
Good Interns
Our New Home
Our Life Group (RLG and KW)

There you go, for what it’s worth. May you have a truly blessed new year, grow like you’ve never grown before and love God more every day.
K><>

“Yes…just as soon as I give Victoria a bath, dress her for bed, feed Thomas, change Thomas, put away the laundry, unload the dishwasher, check my email, look at the budget, vacuum the den…” And the list goes on and on. Well, those things are always going to demand my attention so I decided just to sit down and write. This particular entry will have no real direction, but I know that I have a lot to say.

The year 2008 has been the most challenging year of my life, and I hope that in fifty years, I will still look back on 2008 as the most difficult. I have learned that the simple things in life really aren’t to be taken for granted. For instance, the ability to eat solid foods and walk without assistance, to leave the house without concern if you’re going to need to take your IV antibiotics with you, going a week or even a day without being stuck by a really bad lab technician, or the simpleness of being alone in your own home without someone waiting on you hand and foot. (Some consider that a blessing; I consider it troublesome.)

Someone told me soon after I returned to normal health, “Well, it can’t get any worse than this.” But you know what? It could. When I hear of the trials and tribulations that others are going through, my year seems like child’s play. Yes, this year for me has seen its struggles, but it has also presented its amazing blessings! I ended my 5th grade teaching career at Cedar Grove Elementary with a superb group of students and an amazing team, my husband and I moved to a beautiful community filled with so many great opportunities, my family is part of an awesome and Godly church family, we have two precious and loving children…and the blessings go on and on. I see God daily and am constantly awed by His love!

In just a few days, we will gorge on turkey and homemade sides. Remember that each day is a beautiful gift from God not to be taken for granted, not even for a second. Find the blessings in your year no matter how small.

I Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever.”

<><LinZ

I went down with almost 40 volunteers from our congregation (several teens and members of all ages) and got to do clean up at one location. The local congregation, along with a disaster relief group, fed over 500 people (as they do every day) at their location. Just to give you an idea, I have tacked on some pics of the clean-up work. These really don’t even give a good scope of the damage. Picture this but for miles and miles. Keep praying for the folks there.
k><>

I have talked to quite a few people from back home and I am generally being asked similar questions by those I speak with. I thought it might be helpful if I just wrote out my most common answers that you might be enlightened and have your Texas questions answered.
1.) Yes, it is hot. Very, very hot.
2.) No, I haven’t killed an armadillo with my car yet.
3.) Yes, I have seen an armadillo.
4.) Yes, everything really is bigger in Texas, including me (I got to work out more)
5.) Yes, it really is THAT hot.
6.) No, I haven’t cooked a brisket yet but I do intend to when we move into a house.
7.) No, we don’t have tumbleweed where I live.
8.) No, I haven’t met George or Laura or been to their ranch.
and, finally….
9.) Yes, it is really, really hot.

Now, I’ve enjoyed playing around a bit in this blog but, in all seriousness, Lindsay and I believe we are very blessed to be here and with this Christian family. I appreciate all the prayers that have been lifted up for my wife while she has been recovering and pregnant. We are grateful for our new Texas friends and miss all you in Tennessee dearly. God bless!

K><>

Books I Read (13 )
The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel)
Next (Michael Crichton)
Wild at Heart (John Elderedge) (again)
Inside Delta Force (Eric L. Haney)
The Irresistible Revolution (Shane Claiborne)
Hound of the Baskervilles (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
The Dangerous Book for Boys (Conn & Hal Iggulden)
Rediscovering the Kingdom
Astronomy for Dummies (Stephen P. Maran)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky (as it is a reference book, I didn’t read it cover to cover)
The Five Love Languages (Gary Chapman)
The Alchemyst (Michael Scott)
**I also read a plethora of religious, astronomy, coffee, and current events periodicals and articles.

Movies I Saw (13, I put a “*” by the ones I liked.)
Spider-Man 3*
I Am Legend*
Borne Ultimatum*
Eragon
Transformers*
Shrek the Third
The Illusionist*
The Astronaut Farmer
The Last Mimzy
Wild Hogs
Ghost Rider*
Fantastic 4 2
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*

Plays I Saw (1)
Macbeth

TV Shows I Watched Regularly (4)
24
Lost
The Unit
House

Favorite Dishes I Cooked (8)
Prime Rib on “The Egg” (grill)
Amber Jack with a White Wine Butter Saffron Sauce
Swordfish with Mango Salsa
Rustic Potato Chowder and Butternut Squash Soup
Butterscotch on Apple Blossoms
Chili
Warm Chocolate Melting Cake
Cornish Hen and Chestnut Stew

10 Greatest Blessings of 2007 (in no particular order)
Staying Home With My Daughter
Working at Starbucks
Our Sunday Night Life Group (and each person in it)
Coffee with Don (and other friends)
My Wonderful Wife - who I am grateful for daily
Worshiping at Woodmont Hills
The Constant Providence of God
Good Health
Vacationing With My Wife
Finding out I am going to be a dad again

K><>

As a teacher, I often talk with my students about the brave men and women who protect us everyday, and I listen to the students talk about these soldiers. Children are not concerned with the politics going on behind the war. What they do know is that these people are their heroes. Forget Batman or Superman or Spiderman. Place a soldier in their presence and for a few short seconds, they are speechless. Give them time to make a card to send to a soldier and they will not tell them their opinion on whether or not they support the cause. But what they will do is write very largely in their CRAYOLA marker, “Thank You!”

Many times I have heard, and even said myself, “You can learn a lot from children.” That statement could not be more true. Currently, their is a video circulating through email courtesy of “The Gratitude Campaign.”

Please visit

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

and see what a simple sign can do for the random soldier you pass on the street.

My cousin returned, physically unharmed in September. I will have the pleasure and joy to see him at Christmas, and I will be telling him, “Thank you!”

<><LinZ

Being the Christmas season, the drivethru has remained quite busy. Even on a weeknight, vacancy at the drive up window is rare. Last Monday night there was a line of cars ordering tasty hot beverages. After taking one man’s payment and delivering the change he asked, “What is the total of the order of the person behind me?” We told him the total and he paid for her order as well. We asked if he knew her but he said he didn’t, he just felt like being anonymously generous. When the lady got to the window we told her about the beneficent stranger and she was taken aback. After considering this surprise gift, she asked, “How much does the guy behind me owe?” After finding out, she immediately paid for the next patron’s order. This pattern continued for no less that the next fifteen minutes and included over a dozen orders without any prompting from us, the SB staff. Some people paid more than would have had to and some paid less but, no one paid for their own. In fact, no one broke the chain of paying for the next person’s order until the last car came through and had no one behind him to pay for.

And think, this wonderful experience is all because of the initial gift of that first patron. It’s amazing just how contagious positive behavior really can be. Perhaps today, you can be that spark that sets off a chain of generosity and compassion at a restaurant, store or even your own home.
k><>