Doggin’ Sin
The Boys treed a squirrel the other day. When I got home from work they were barking and 
dancing around the large cottonwood tree just off the patio. Two of the smaller limbs hung against the trunk, the obvious result of the bigger boy trying to get to the furry rodent.
By the way, “The Boys” is our collective name for Boone and Remi. Boone is Wayne’s 80 pound yellow lab and Remi is Mark’s 11 pound shelter dog. They are great friends.
I have no idea how long the squirrel had been in the tree but while I stood there trying to decide what to do, it leaped to the ground and took off across the back yard with Boy #1 in hot pursuit. With Boone just inches away the squirrel jumped into the globe willow near the back fence and hustled to the upper branches.
When Boy #1 reared up on the small tree he reached halfway to where the squirrel sat. The squirrel barked; Boy #1 barked and howled; Boy #2 yipped and circled; and several neighborhood dogs even joined the chorus. (You can see a short video clip of the scene here.) Read More
Blast from the Past
Me and Mark
Our family is a legacy at Louisiana Tech University. Wayne’s mom graduated in the early 1950’s, Wayne’s brother in the late 70’s, Wayne in 1981, and then I graduated in 1983.
My son Mark will graduate from high school this year and he wants to attend La Tech next fall. They have a great degree program in Civil Engineering Technology he wants to pursue. So last week Wayne, Mark, and I made the ten hour trip to Ruston to visit the campus. We got the official tour and talked to admissions and the engineering department. Mark loved everything!
The whole day was quite nostalgic for Wayne and me. We walked the campus remembering people and events from our time at Tech. I even got to go inside the dorm I lived in way back then. Graham Dormitory is now the men’s engineering dorm. How hilarious is that? Mark may end up living in the same building I lived in. And I think this is the only spot on campus that hasn’t changed or had a face lift in the last twenty-seven years. Read More
87 and Hungry – Moldova Part 3
One ministry we engaged in during our recent mission trip to Moldova was home visitation and food distribution. We visited low-income, elderly people living in apartment buildings near Kishinev Bible Church.
One visit was especially memorable. That particular morning I was the only American visiting with two of my new Moldovan friends, Sveta and Liuda. It was our last visit of the day, in fact, our last visit of the trip.
Liuda knocked on her door and explained why we were there. “Americans have come to visit and to bring you food.” The woman invited us into her apartment and led us into her small kitchen. She pointed to a bowl of hot cereal on the table and spoke to Sveta in Russian. Sveta translated, “This is all I have to eat. I have five children, but they can’t help me because they don’t have jobs.” Read More
Diggin’ my Scripture Dig girls
I just returned from the “She Speaks” conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. This 
conference, held by Proverbs 31 Ministries, trains women’s ministry leaders, writers, and speakers. I spent the weekend in the company of 600 women who long to share Christ’s message with the world. Pretty awesome!
However, the best thing about the weekend was the time I spent with just five specific women. In case you haven’t heard, I am part of a brand-new and exciting online discipleship ministry called Scripture Dig. (You can check it out here.) I had only met the other team members via Facebook, Twitter, and email. But all of us attended “She Speaks” and I got to meet every one of them face to face.
I’ve been amazed at what God has been doing during the short two months that the Scripture Dig ministry has been active. This weekend was no exception. After personally meeting the team members, spending time with them, and doing some planning together, it’s very clear God put this group together.
I’m very grateful God would allow me to be included in this godly – and fun – group. I came home with five new friends and great anticipation about what God is doing with Scripture Dig. Would love to have you join us over at The Dig!
Moldova Moments – Part Two
During our recent mission trip to Moldova our ministry included visiting and taking food 
to elderly people in the area surrounding Kishinev Bible Church. Before we began our first morning of visiting we bagged the food we had purchased. Flour, sugar, oil, coffee, corn meal, canned goods, and more filled the sacks and spilled out the tops.
We went out in teams of three or four – two Americans and one or two Moldovan translators. When we rang a bell, the translators would explain that we came from America to bring them food. For some reason the fact that we were Americans opened doors that would not normally be opened. Yet even then many remained closed from fear or skepticism. When doors did open, we explained through the translator why we had come. Our goal was to share not just physical food with them, but spiritual, life-giving food as well.
Since many of the people we visited are lifelong members of the influential Eastern Orthodox Church they are religious. But religion does not equal a relationship with Jesus Christ. When we shared the Gospel message of Christ with them they often told us about how often they pray or go to church. Sadly, Moldova is not the only place in the world where religion hinders someone finding Jesus. Read More
Moldova Moments, Part One
Something about a mission trip always seems to change my perspective on life, God’s 
activity in the world, and my relationship with Him. I just returned from ten days in Kishinev, Moldova with a group of twenty from my church. Over the next few posts, I’d like to share some “God moments” from this trip with you.
You may be wondering “where in the world is Moldova?” Moldova, a former Soviet block country, is squeezed in between Romania and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. Most Moldovans in the rural areas speak Romanian and most in the urban areas speak Russian. Of course, I don’t speak either one. Read More
Dependence Day
Yesterday we celebrated Independence Day for the United States of America. July 4th 
commemorates that day in 1776 when, as a people, we declared our independence from Great Britain. Our forefathers declared the right to “dissolve the political bands which have connected them” to Britain and claimed the right “to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station” to which they were entitled.
Independence from Britain was a great and good thing for the people that became the United States of America. But independence is not a good thing for the people of God. In fact, as God’s people we should make a formal “Declaration of Dependence” on our Creator. Read More
Where’s the meat?
Yesterday I had lunch with a friend at a local hot spot. The place was packed and ladies 
were waiting for tables. This trendy café boasts acid-washed concrete floors and industrial lighting. The menu offers soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and hunks of desserts that are as big as hubcaps.
I ordered a “Turkey-Avocado wrap with spinach, tomatoes, and light ranch dressing” for $7.95. When I asked the waiter if fruit or chips came with the wrap he had to check. The answer? Two pieces of pineapple. Hmm? That should have sent up red flag warnings. Read More
I certainly don’t deserve it
Daniel is one of the most godly and upright men we read about in the Bible. He never 
wavered, even through the most difficult of circumstances. When Israel, his homeland, was invaded by Babylon, a teenage Daniel was enslaved and taken far away from his home to do the bidding of King Nebuchadnezzar. Yet Daniel remained committed to obedience, even when faced with the lion’s den.
I’ve been reading through the book of Daniel in my quiet time. In chapter nine, Daniel is now an old man. He survived the takeover of the Babylonian kingdom by the Medes and the Persians. His people have endured exile now for seventy years – the amount of time Daniel understood from Scripture to be the length of their discipline from God.
Daniel began to mourn and pray and petition God to intervene on behalf of His people. Now here’s the part that really struck me.
“We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” Daniel 9:18-19
From a human perspective, if anyone “deserved” for God to hear and answer his prayer it would be someone like Daniel. But because he had an inkling of the awesome greatness of God, Daniel was humble. He recognized his sinfulness – especially in comparison to the holiness of God. Read More
Ready to start digging?
Recently, God invited me to be a part of something new and exciting! This endeavor revolves completely around the Word of God. Ah, nothing could be more fulfilling or worthwhile!
Scripture Dig is an online resource, a tool for Christian women who want to really dig into God’s Word and allow it to transform their lives. Scripture Dig combines Bible study, information, resources, and community. Women will be taught, encouraged, and challenged.
This first week of June each of the five members of the Scripture Dig team will introduce themselves. Yesterday was my turn! You can check out the whole team here. Scripture Dig will not be a one-sided conversation. Readers will get to have their turn too. You will be invited into the community and asked to participate.
Starting Monday, June 7th, we will begin our first topic – the Bible itself. We will cover Bible Basics like “What is the Bible?” and “How did we get it?” We will talk about different translations and how to choose one for yourself. Then beginning June 21, we will shift the conversation to reading the Bible and having a quiet time.
Why so much emphasis on getting into God’s Word? The Bible reveals God and His ways to us. It guides us into relationship with the Creator of the universe and shapes our lives to please Him. Check out Scripture Dig today and sign up to be part of the ongoing community. See you there! Kathy
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 Read More
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Interview with Jennifer Kennedy Dean
