July 29, 2006

A Time to Think...

"I don't doubt God because I don't have all the answers about Him, rather I would have reason to doubt God if I did have all the answers about Him."



During one of our discussions after Sunday service, Phil Seymour expressed this thought, and I organized it into a quote. Think about it for a while. Comments?


-Max

July 27, 2006

Telian Time!



These past few weeks many hours of fellowship have been shared with the Telian family! The pictures above and below were taken at the Telian home over the 4th of July. Since then, we've had the privilage of witnessing Jesse take the step of baptism, as well as enjoying a few days camping together. This family of ten has blessed our family in so many ways, and we've enjoyed every time we've been able to spend with them it's fullest. God bless you Telians, as you are blessing us.

Cooking and visiting just seem to go together!

The Telian's pool was great! We played some excellent, and energetic games of keep-away, with Fathers against Daughters. Great fun!

Peter, we found out, is an accomplished chef. Here's Simon holding the olive oil for him as he prepares his masterpiece! Yum, yum~



Miss Julia as she is . . . one of the cutest little girls around! :-)

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More recently, they joined us for a few nights up in the mountains. It was a bit rainy when we got there, but cleared up beautifully the next day. The nights around the campfire, singing, reading God's word, visiting, and enjoying each-other made great memories. Some of us hiked to a little mountain lake while others enjoyed Hume lake with kayaks and the sailboat. All around, the beauty and refreshment of God's creation provided the perfect enviroment for fellowship! Thanks for making the effort to come Telians!



Go Moms go! Which do think went faster, the paddles, or the visit? :-)
Mr. and Mrs. Telian enjoying the lake!


The guys "out for a paddle"


Carving . . .
Cooking . . .


And of course, dishwashing! The guys very kindly lent us their skills in that department.

This game of hearts continued late into the night, when it was replaced by an exciting (when is it not?) game of Dutch Blitz.

In conclusion, Praise the Lord!

July 19, 2006


Whenever July rolls around, there are always two very special dates that we look forward to. July 2, and July 14. They are extremely important dates for a variety of reasons. One being that none of we children would be here if two very special people hadn't been born. Another, is that the world would've been deprived of two of it's brightest stars! (If I do say so myself!)


Praise God who in his providence, brought these two into the world and later, knit their souls together in a marriage that has blossomed for 22 years. Together, they have gone through heart-shattering experiences, romance, eye-popping revelations from the Lord, boundless joy, knee-slapping moments of laughter, and periods of tears, trials and tests. Their love for each other and for the Lord has bound them together closely, Praise God!


Praise God for a marriage that has endured. For parents whose love for their children has never exceeded their love for each other and for the Lord. For two lives that have changed the world, and touched the hearts of many.


Happy Birthday's Mom and Dad!

Quotes of the Day!

"If you cannot realize your ideal, you can at least idealize your real."



"Blessed be drudgery, the secret of all culture. Latin and Greek, music, art and travel are the decorations of life, but industry and perserverance, courage in difficulties, cheer under straining burdens, self control, and self denial are the indispensables. It is our daily tasks that mainly educate us, and the humblest woman may live splendidly."

~ From 'A Princess in Calico'

July 02, 2006

Lively Livin'

These past few weeks here in Orange Cove has kept us on our toes! We've traveled apart and reunited, made a lot of memories, spent precious time with friends, enjoyed loads of fun, and endured moments of nervousness (called piano recitals!) All in all, these have been wonderful days. Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercies that are new every morning.

Two weekends ago, I was given the opportunity to participate as an extra in a film that is currently being produced by some families of the church in Bakersfield. For more info on the film, the website is . . .
The adventure of producing a film was a whole new experience for me, and one that I enjoyed wholeheartedly! Especially watching the great way everyone involved worked together. Prayer and trust in the Lord was evident in the cast and crew, which made a wonderful atmosphere. Saturday we all drove to Frazier Park to film for the whole day. I was a Russian girl, "Natasha" who was a friend to the main characters. The colorful costume, great conversations, and a new adventure for me in the world of film made the day a blast! Below are a few photos.

Joshua Moore; Director, Producer, Camera Man, etc, etc, etc. ;-)

Deciding where we're all supposed to go and do for the scene.

The much anticipated and looked forward to event "The smashing of the violin".

Miss Joselyn Rowland and the beautiful bouquet of mountain lupine that she gathered!

The Gals- Joselyn Rowland, Me, Kristen and Ashley Haymond- We got to be Russian for a day!


Monday, Mom, Simon, and Jeremy all drove to pick me up in Bakersfield and continue on for a short but sweet overnighter to Daniel and Kendra's! It was wonderful to see them all again!

( Little Jaelynn couldn't stop giggling at Uncle Jeremy!)


Thursday, June 29 was Jeremy's birthday! He invited a buddy over for Wednsday night and had a full day the next day! Fishing, cleaning, (Mom taught them how!) and eating the fish, swimming for hours, and playing all sorts of things. You are a very special part of our family Jeremy! Your cheerfulness, sense of play and diligence add so much to the atmoshere of our home. May you grow to be a man after God's own heart. Happy Birthday!


( Jeremy was given a guitar for his birthday and has worked very hard to learn his chords and strumming technique. He learned "Amazing Grace" and plays and sings to his heart's content. :-)

Friday was cooking and baking day for me, shopping day for Mom, and a day filled with anticipation for all of us! Max was scheduled to fly back in to Fresno after an RZIM conference in Chicago and I couldn't wait to catch up with him after his week. (post soon to come)


Saturday we all enjoyed a family day of rest and relaxation up at Hume Lake. Simon has spent long hours fixing up our small little sailboat in order to sail with the wind on the lake. Many fun filled hours were spent zipping back and forth across the lake with only the wind to propel us!



Real Life Application of Science

This from an Australian by the name of Ross Gasking:

"Scientists tell us that for every 10 years , after the age of 40 or 50, we shrink 1.5 cm . Which is just over half an inch per 10 years.So in 100 years we shrink 15 cm (6 inches).


"So in 900 years Methuselah would have shrunk 54 inches. I suggest he might have started off at 50 yrs old at about 5 ft, going by existing knowledge of the Ice Man etc. So that leaves him as 6 inches high at age 960. He died at 969 years old. Except that science also tells us that ones ears grow at a rate of 0.025 mm per year. Also our nose grows. And our hair disappears.


"So to answer your question,. ..according to science, Methuselah could have been 6 inches high with big ears and nose like a , well, a squashed elephant. This is not so silly, because it allows an explanation of how Noah, who built the ark when 500 years old and only 2 ft high, would have fitted in all those bigger animals to the ark. By selecting dinosaurs which were from antiquity and therefore fitted in a proverbial matchbox,if he had one. He was able to save heaps of space and also save on food allowances.


"This is the explanation science would give us . Rivetting, yes?


"And you heard it first here...Allow me more, Enoch was a fast developer, he at 600 years was measuring about zero, and escaped burial altogether. This is why it says he was translated. Science would tell us that translated means slipped out sideways...yeeha ! way to go!"

July 01, 2006

The Great Left Brain / Right Brain Dichotomy

Max brought home a wonderful scientific thought, establishing a solid foundation for that great assertion of truth - Left Brain / Right Brain Determinism.


It goes like this: It is very true that there are two sides to your brain, a left side and a right side - the left side has nothing right in it, and the right side has nothing left in it....


Hahahaha.


I love that.


Scott