Gabriel is welding tonight

I cannot remember the last time a thunderstorm had so much flashing and drama!
We watched it from a distance when there was no sound or rain...then suddenly it was over and all around us. The pattering of rain now falling, and increasing, and sudden clashes of cymbals, such magnificence! It seemed as though the angel Gabriel himself was welding and sparks were all around. I wonder what incredible sculpture Gabriel could make. I am so grateful of this glimpse of God's power and majesty. This was our ringside seat from our back patio, enjoy!

A busy weekend

Saturday was spent getting canvases ready for Sunday. There is more detail about that painting event on my art blog. What you won't see there though, was the yellow paint disaster in my trunk! Yep, a gallon of yellow paint spilled in the trunk of the car as I was on my way home. The smell was horrible! I got home while Phil was fixing dinner (Steak, okra and potatoes-Yummy) so he said "Boys, go help your mom". Fortunately both Shane and Daniel cheerfully helped get all of the other cans out and managed to get the carpet thrown away. Thanks guys. The best part of the day was sitting down and having dinner with our handsome young men.

Sunday morning was spent at church, painting in all three services. Jenn, Donald and Shelby joined us for lunch and they brought a guest, their new puppy Rosie. What a cutie-pie. Jenn baked cookies for me while I rested a bit and played with Shelby. After lunch Jenn begged, yes indeed begged to have her hair cut. She wanted it much shorter. Phil was trying to take a nap but Shelby was sprawled in his lap and she was snorting while Donald and Rosie were crashed and Donald was snoring. All in all it was quite loud as I cut about a 1 1/2 feet of hair off of Jenn. Later after she woke up I gave Shelby her first trim. We did just the bangs. Both girls are a bit lighter.

Later Phil and I went to Tammy's house to join others from our Vocal Arts Ministry for a time of food and fellowship. The kids went swimming (I am counting Jim, Ted and Larry in that category) while the rest of us talked. Tammy fixed turkey which she bravely asked David to cut.

We had a great time, thanks Tammy. I was exausted so we went home and watched a little of the closing ceremony for the Olympics, then finally some shut eye.

A Weekend alone

Daniel went to Florida to spend the weekend with a friend. We had the house to ourselves!
Saturday we made waffles together and Phil had a surprise set up for us in the afternoon - massages! What a nice treat!

On Sunday morning we decided we would go to church later in the afternoon and Phil suggested that we go to an early movie. We saw The Mummy, which was fun, but not quite the same without Rachel Weiz as Evie.

Phil did his usual workout while I finally started my painting of Matthew Fleming. I had no idea how hard it would be to work on a portrait of someone who is no longer with us. Prayers were lifted and memories flood every stroke. If you want to see the progress of the painting it will be on my art blog.

While I was praying for Michelle and Mark and their family for their loss, otheres were brought to mind as well to lift up to our great and Awesome God. Al-Health, Barb-Health, Tanya-Job, Gerry-Health, Lena-Loss of her brother, Maryann-Health, Amy-Finances, Cheryl-Home, Nancy-Family, Eric-Recovery, Greg-Health, Phil-Work, Janice-Work. As the great hymn of old says, "What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer".

A Full Moon

A Visit to Jenn's House

Friday was my normal "Day with Shelby" but Jenn had the day off and invited me to their house. The drive wasn't that bad and we had a good time cleaning and organizing a few things in their new home. Lists were started, Shelby napped and Jenn and I had a good Mother-Daughter time together. Later when Shelby woke up we went to lunch at Chile's. Jenn enjoyed dessert and Shelby enjoyed having a, kick back with her feet up meal, while lounging on Nana.

Later we went to Target to get a few items; table cloth, decorative center, candles.

My dear friend Sharon Stoops and our "Class Distraction" Bill Turner. I have about a dozen photo's with different people on Bill's lap, but I will save that for the class website. Sharon's family and my other dear friend Karla and her mom "shared" me after my parents moved to Phoenix in the middle of my Senior year. That was the only way for me to graduate with friends.

Mrs "Williams" (at the time) was my music teacher and a great inspiration to me. She had a bit of a soft spot for our class since her daughter Staci Johnson was in it. We had fun swapping stories during the evening. She was thrilled that I taught children's choir for so many years.

Dave Packbush and his lovely wife Shirley. We were buddies along with a group of guys I hung out with my Junior year. .

Peri Miller and I became friends when we both discovered it was our first day at a new school-in the first class. She looks the same as she did back then.

Greg Hughes and his wife Barbara. Greg was my High School Sweetheart. He's a grandparent to two little girls too. What fun it was to see him after all these years.

Re-union the big 3-0

Hard for me to believe but it has been 30 years since I graduated from Flagstaff High School (Go Eagles!). Phil and I have attended each reunion, the 10, 20 and now the 30. During both the Friday and Saturday event I was struck by not only our physical changes, but our changes in how we interact with each other. Hugs were given and received for no other reason than to say how glad we were together; it didn't even matter that 30 years ago we didn't have a class or spent time together.

Comparing the reunions was fun. At the 10 year reunion most of us had married, found a career path and had young children. Stories at that reunion still had some of the social standings interlaced, and there was still competitiveness somewhat in where you lived or what you were doing.

As the 20 rolled around, perspective in the stories seemed to change; they were less edgy and less judgemental focusing more on the goofy things that we did. By this time we had lost some class members to death, incarceration or just didn't know where they went. This was our class reminder that our journey is indeed finite.

30 years and it went by so quickly. We don't look the same as we were young, our experience shows through the lines on our faces, the extra pounds that we carry and a few carry the same vices they had in High School. There were some people that you could tell by just looking at them that life for them had grown in a good way, they were content, they were happy. Others showed that perhaps they wished they had taken a different turn at some point and held on to some regrets. Photos were shared by passing around camera phones and consisted of grown children and in some cases grandchildren.

Since my family moved so often and I was able to spend two full years with them, I look upon them as the family of my childhood, my last connecting thread to that time in my life. The memories are fond and I am so grateful I was embraced by this small community. Memories shared this time were more of a salute to the past as a way of saying thanks for being a part of the fabric of who we have become. There were more losses, and more vows to "keep in touch" and a commitment to get together in 5, not 10 more years, as well as making every effort to find those that didn't join us.

I enjoyed this reunion as a reminder of my past but also to see how far I have come. I am now a grateful child of God, wife, mother and grandmother, sister, daughter and friend. I look forward to the day when another reunion will come; when I see my Savior face to face, when I see loved ones and more friend from my past. That will be the greatest reunion ever. In the meantime, I will cherish old friends and will work harder at keeping in touch.

A great loss

My brother Mark and his wife Michelle are grieving the loss of her brother Matthew. Please pray for them and all of Michelle's family during this difficult time. Thank you.

Matthew Wayne Fleming, 34, of Mesa, passed away unexpectedly on July 18, 2008. He was the most beloved son, brother, uncle and friend and will be profoundly missed. He is survived by his mother, Cyndi (Roy) Smith, father Kenneth (Martha) Fleming, sisters Michelle (Mark) MacFarlane, Laurie (Tyrone) Allen, brothers Michael (Sherry) Fleming, Max (Amanda) Fleming, Kevin (Charitie) Hartsig, Michael Smith, Grant Smith, nephews Tyler, Davis and Karsten, and nieces Avery, Peri, Jayne, Paige, Charlotte and Ella, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. Services will be held on July 29, at 4 pm, at East Valley Bible Church, 1820 W Elliott Rd, in Gilbert AZ. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Salvation Army or Teen Challenge are appreciated.

Shelby at 9 months

What great fun we are having on our "Fridays with Nana". Shelby is also turning into quite the ham. Every time I took out my camera she came crawling up as fast as she could to get up close to the camera. Goofy kid!

Shelby is now eating rice cereal, love peas and blueberries and pears, not a fan of bananas though in any combination. The challenge to feeding her though is that she wants to play with the spoon. After getting some of the food into her, I "let" her win.

Experiential Home Fellowship

Home Fellowship was at our house tonight. I baked some cookies to share not just because we usually share a dessert at Home Fellowship but there was a tie into tonights lesson.

We are in the process of deciding on a new study to work through as a group so we were all supposed to bring some recommendations.

We did the first chapter in Bob Roglein's book Experiential Worshipper. I brought this book back from the Saddleback worship conference. Bob did such a great job of setting up a word picture of a great banquet at his mother's house for Thanksgiving. We could almost picture the bounty of food on the table and imagine the smells of the great feast. I thought the smell of fresh baked cookies would help in that part of the lesson :)
Bob goes on to say that there is an even greater feast in Heaven.

The journey of his book is to recognize that all of our senses should be used in worship. Isn't that what God gave them to us for anyway? When was the last time you worshiped God through not just sight but hearing, touching, tasting and even smelling. We decided tonight that we will go ahead an continue with this book and start looking for another study to begin in January.

I will be sure to share the journey as we go through it.

Dragonfly

With my new camera in hand, I set out to explore our garden once more. It is amazing to me what comes to you in the stillness. If only we pause and be still for a few moments, life comes to us. I was standing next to the tomato cages just looking around when a dragonfly flew by. I watched for a few minutes as it came close, then away, all on its own journey. Finally, it came back and stopped on the tomato cage I was standing next to. Almost as if a pose, it lingered while I took a couple of pictures.

Excited I couldn't wait to download the pictures. Isn't it beautiful? God's creativity available for all of us to see if we are just still for a moment to notice it. I love the colors and the intricacy of the wings.

There were a few other encounters this morning; a hummingbird, a wasp, some beetle bugs, ants and a woodpecker. I wonder how many of these encounters have I missed because I didn't stop and be still to notice them. But more important still, how many encounters with God have I missed because I didn't take the time to be still and hear His voice.

May you find the time to hear God's voice today.

Shane's Birthday Too

We love July because it is full of celebrations. Our Independence Day as a nation and Birthdays for two of our kids.

Shane turned 28! He doesn't like the number but I am grateful for each and every year of those 28. He has grown to be such a fine young man and we are so incredibly proud of him.

His dinner of choice was steak with a baked potato and corn on the cob (actually two).

After dinner the boys looked at a "red-neck" email sent by Jim Taggart. Laughter was all around.

Happy Birthday Jenn

It is so hard to believe that our little girl is 24! And to think there were times we weren't sure she would make it to 20 (just kidding sweetie).

We had a nice lunch together with Jenn and Shelby since Donald was helping out a friend who crashed on his quad. (Way to go Brandon-be sure to stop by so I can give you my canned lecture about wearing a helmet and being safe). Jenn requested homemade lasagne and garlic bread.

Shelby is officially crawling! Not at breakneck speeds mind you but enough that I will have to keep a close eye on her next Friday.

It is so fun watching Jennifer bloom as a mother while watching Shelby grow too. Blessings from Heaven.

Art has moved

I didn't want to take up any more of the family blog with my art so I started a blog just for that. If you are interested you can find it at the link to the right or at creative4him.blogspot.com

Just a few Questions...

When I was with my Dad last week, I gave him some questions that I hope I can get the rest of the family to answer. Why? I want to create a book for the grandkids that answers the age old question of "Who am I?". A part of that answer is the family we are a part of, for better or worse. The most important answer will be a "Child of God" and my daily prayer is that they will know that.

If any family memebers would like to send me their answers, here are the questions:

1. Just the Basics

• Name
• Birthdate
• Born Where
• Parents Full Names
• Grandparents Full Names
• Family Name Origin
• Siblings
• Other relatives you can remember

2. Childhood Stuff

• Where did you grow up-home locations
• Pets?
• Names of Schools attended
• Best Friend
• Favorite childhood memory
• What did you want to be when you grow up
• Favorite food
• Parents occupations
• Summer vacations you remember
• Goofiest thing you believed as a child

3. Adult Stuff

• Married-when, who
• How did you meet
• Childrens names
• Career(s)
• What was your favorite job and why
• What was your least favorite job and why
• Talents & Gifts-what are they and how do you use them
• Greatest Joy in life
• Greatest Fear in Life
• Most embarrasing moment
• When did you accept Christ into your life
• Biggest regret
• Proudest accomplishment

4. Favorite Things

• Color
• Bible Verse
• Song to sing
• Song to listen to
• Restaurant, and what you like there
• Movie
• Car
• Vacation Spot
• Food
• TV Show
• Book
• Subject in School

5. And Finally...

• What words of wisdom would you like to leave future generations of your family
• Something you want your kids to know about you.

***Makes you think, doesnt it?***

Happy Fourth of July

With the storms brewing here, I am sure these are the only fireworks I will get a picture of, so enjoy. We are so grateful to live in a Country where we have freedom. We are also grateful to those that are fighting for the freedom even now. God Bless America.

The Calling

"The Calling" was a musical presention by Saddleback that highlighted the needs in Africa. I was inspired when I returned home to paint these two watercolors. I plan on doing some more Africa paintings from some pictures that Kim Shott is going to share with me from her past visits to Tanzania. Please pray for Kim, she will be going back on a Medical Mission Trip this September. It has been pure joy watching how Tanzania has touched her life as she has shared her compassion and medical training to help the people in Kondoa and Mairowa.

Saddleback Final thoughts

There were two words that kept popping out at me by either the main speakers or in the workshops; Intentional and Relational.

Intentional-As part of our Spiritual Growth, we grow through commitment and use tools towards Christian maturity. It will not happen automatically but we have to intentionally build our relationship with Christ. This takes a daily choice of getting to know God.

Relational- In these times of technology you would think people are not alone, but we are. We need to get back to the basics of building relationships, being there for people, talking (not just texting), showing love and compassion. We were designed for community to share each others lives- not easy to do in the me-myself-and-I philosophy of the world. Reach out.

One thing that Rick Warren said in his session had to do with Seasons. We all experience seasons in our life but that there are seasons in spiritual growth as well. Spring/Summer when all is growing and moving fast-the growth is very evident in our lives. Fall/Winter is a time for consolidation, time to put down roots-it may not seem that there is outward growth but the growth is from deep inside. We need to be intentional in whatever season we are in. God will bless us for it.

The last evening was spent at the beach. While it was not what we were expecting (no music?!), we did get to see a beautiful sunset over the ocean, what better way to end the week than to see God's glory through His creation, with friends.

Saddleback Part 2

Here is the schedule. Don't let the simplicity of it fool you. During each workshop time, there are 10 different tracks that offer at least 2 choices. And lunch time there were multiple concerts going on all over the campus, sometime it was hard to choose.

My Favorite? The worship times. It didnt matter if they were a recognized artist or someone from Saddleback; what mattered was their heart. The nice thing about being in a room with other Worship Leaders is they know immediately that it is not about the songs, how loud the music is or what to wear on stage-it's about communicating with God. "Let the Glory of the Lord, Rise among you!" We all just sang along, full voice, full heart, full soul. There is great joy in being a part of that.

Other favorites?

• Rooming with Tammy and Niki. What a privilege to be in a room with two Godly women who also have a passion for worship, family and friends. Yes, we lost some sleep but it was well worth it, and fortunately none of us snored!


• Building relationships with other members of the AM group. It was fun having such a wide age group from the high school students to the older ones (like me).


• I had great fun running into the PM group at San Juan Capistrano (and sharing a taco lunch together), driving them to the beach Thursday night and the wonderful brunch at Laguna beach Friday morning. Thanks for letting me tag along.


• The concerts. They provide new songs that make you turn to the next person and say "We should try that one", but also the worship just filled my cup to overflowing.


• The sparking of more new ideas. Blessing upon blessing.

Saddleback

I couldn't wait to get back to Saddleback this year since the amazing impact it had on my life last year. God used last years conference to re-ignite a passion for the arts and I still shake my head in wonder about all the things He allowed me to do in one years time.

Since last year;

• Painted live in Church - These Hands
• Painted Christmas backdrop of the Bethlehem country side and painted live, the Nativity during each Musical performance
• Drew the words to a song, while it was being performed on paper with chalk to highlight what was being sung - with Tammy
• Painted 8 Easter paintings used during the service that was highlighted with a dramatic reading.
• Started a Bible Study using "The Creative Call" for SBC artist, meeting once a month. Developed some wonderful relationships with fellow artists
• Discovered I like to use watercolors
• Most importantly, I have deepened my relationship with the Lord through the use of these gifts. I am so humbled and grateful for what He has allowed me to do this year, and my greatest desire is to please Him. I have found that art can open a dialogue with non-Christians in a way I have not experienced before. My prayer is that I will have more opportunities to use the art as a way of communicating about my relationship with the Lord.

Needless to say my expectation was fairly high before I got there. Was it as exciting this year? It was different. More of that in the next post.