Sherry Jo , I did not know you were here? I am gald to catch up to you.
Greg

Sherry's blog

Some of my favorite New Years quotes

Hamilton Wright Mabie
New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear, and with a manly heart.


An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
Bill Vaughn

What it is all about ;-)

You got to love Charlie Brown.

Creativity

“To create is to potentially embarrass oneself in front of others. It is about the courage to be oneself and to be seen as oneself. Putting ink to a page, or pressing one’s fingers against clay, or typing a line of computer code, or blowing glass and realizing mistake. Or success. With everyone watching. But most importantly, you.

So it dawned upon me how important it is to be creative. Because it means you have within you infinite capacity to experiment. You are unafraid to go somewhere new because you are creating a new thought process about your own creativity. You know that if you stop and no longer challenge yourself, you cease to be creative. You become still, silent, and the bow no longer connect with the strings and music is not made. And you do not exist. You show you do not have the courage to exist.

Creativity is courage. The world needs more fearless people that can influence all disciplines to challenge their very existence. Creativity is reflection aimed not at yourself, but at the world around you.”

- John Maeda

Hear About Deb ;-)

“Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don’t hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead surround yourself with optimistic people.” Zig Ziglar

Going Price To Kill a Pastor: $250

Hindu extremist groups are offering money, food and alcohol to anyone who murders Christians and destroys their homes.

The violence is nothing new in Orissa, India, where India's Communist Party estimates that more than 500 Christians have been killed by Hindu mobs in Orissa since late August, 12 times more than official government claims of only 40 homicides.

But now the stakes are even higher - and pastors have a bounty on their heads.

Faiz Rahman, chairman of Good News India, said Hindu militants are targeting Christian leaders, the Christian Post reported.

"The going price to kill a pastor is $250," he said.

[Source: WorldNetDaily]& Don Brock

May our direction always be clear...

Rev. George M. Docherty dies

Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Pa. - The Rev. George M. Docherty, 97, whose sermon before President Dwight Eisenhower helped push Congress to insert the words under God into the Pledge of Allegiance, has died.

Mr. Docherty died on Thanksgiving at his home in central Pennsylvania after a lengthy illness, according to his wife. Sue Docherty said her husband of 36 years had been in failing health for about three years.

"George said he was going to live to be a hundred and he was determined," she said in a telephone interview yesterday. "It's amazing that he was with us this long."

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Mr. Docherty moved to the United States in 1950 to become pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington. He was unfamiliar with the pledge until he heard it recited by his 7-year-old son, Garth.

". . .he recited it, 'one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,' " Mr. Docherty recalled in an interview with the Associated Press in 2004. "I came from Scotland, where we said 'God save our gracious queen,' 'God save our gracious king.' Here was the Pledge of Allegiance, and God wasn't in it at all."

Mr. Docherty then wrote a sermon saying that the Pledge of Allegiance should acknowledge God. There was little effect after he first delivered the sermon to a group of clergy visiting Washington in 1952; a 1953 bill went nowhere. But two years later, after learning that Eisenhower would be in the congregation, Mr. Docherty decided to deliver it again, hoping it would inspire the president.

From the pulpit that morning, he said the pledge was missing "the characteristic and definitive factor in the American way of life. Indeed, apart from the mention of the phrase 'the United States of America,' it could be the pledge of any republic. In fact, I could hear little Muscovites repeat a similar pledge to their hammer-and-sickle flag in Moscow with equal solemnity."

The next day, Rep. Charles G. Oakman, (R., Mich.) introduced a bill to add the phrase under God to the pledge; a companion bill was then introduced in the Senate. Eisenhower signed the new law on Flag Day.

Please be careful out there ;-)

Holidays are never perfect

Go ahead and get that thought in your head now, holidays will be what they are, don’t try to make them more than that. Many times we have grand visions about the perfect time, everyone getting along, kids like angels and our football team always winning. Our table like set like a Hallmark commercial, the Thanksgiving prayer brings tears to everyones eyes etc…etc…ect…. Probably it is more like, loud, burnt, spilt, laughing, crying… It is whatever your particular group is. We may not always realize it, but we are all from perfectly normal families.

Do yourself a favor this season, just relax, be in the moment, look around at the wonderful, mixed up, funny, frustrating group we call family and friends and remember, perfect is what we make it. And yes, your family and friends are probably thinking the same about you ;-)

Thanksgiving Meal

We had a great time Sunday night as the English and Spanish speaking congregations joined together for fellowship. (Which is the same in any language) I enjoyed getting to meet some new friends.






Link to More Pictures

Babette

Bailey had her last preformance of Raggedy Ann and Andy Saturday. As you can tell, she was the french doll Babette. Bailey is quite the actress, I am going to miss the plays after she graduates.

Alice Update

A couple of before and after pictures of the Alice's motor. She is getting back to her old pretty self.

Russian church 'taken by thieves'

A 200-year-old church building has disappeared from a village in central Russia, officials from the Russian Orthodox Church say.

The building had stood near the village of Komarovo since 1809.

It was intact in July but some time in early October thieves made off with it brick by brick, they said.

Local prosecutors had been informed and an investigation was under way, a spokesman for the local Russian Orthodox Church said.

The disappearance of the Church of the Resurrection, some 300 km (186 miles) north-east of Moscow, was not immediately noticed.

It was in an out-of-the-way area and was not being used, although Church officials were considering resuming services there.

Now all that remained of the two-storey building - a school before it was turned over to the Church - were its foundations and some sections of wall, the Church said.

Thieves often target churches in rural Russia. Religious icons can be sold and church structures sold off for building materials.

Braveheart has got to be one of my most favorite movies, and this clip one of its finest. Faced with overwhelming odds the army would give up, but William Wallace helps them understand what is really at stake.
I wonder sometime if we really understand what is really at stake in our lives? Would we stand when it would be much easier to cave in and run?
Dear God, give us the strength to face tough days.......

Living By Faith

We sang this song today for Sister Maxine. Have you ever really read the words? I have thought about them today, they really put a lot of things in perspective dont they.

1. I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain,
The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,
And all of my worries are vain.

Refrain:
Living by faith in Jesus above,
Trusting, confiding in His great love;
From all harm safe in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.

2. Though tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise,
Obscuring the brightness of life,
I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies—
The Master looks on at the strife.

3. I know that He safely will carry me through,
No matter what evils betide;
Why should I then care though the tempest may blow,
If Jesus walks close to my side.

4. Our Lord will return for His loved ones some day,
Our troubles will then all be o’er;
The Master so gently will lead us away,
Beyond that blest heavenly shore.

Thank you Veterans!

Tuesday November 11 is Veterans Day. A day that is set aside to honor those who have or are serving in the armed forces. Thank you for the blanket of freedom that we sleep under tonight!

Billy Graham at 90

How are you doing as you approach your 90th birthday?

I don't have the energy I once had. And I do have some physical problems that the doctors have to watch. Someone said to me recently that the most exciting part of his day was waking up and discovering what was hurting today that didn't hurt yesterday! Sometimes I can relate to that. But seriously, I'm thankful for each day, and I'm thankful for the measure of health I do have. Every day is a gift from God, no matter how old we are.

And I've discovered that just because we'll inevitably grow weaker physically as we get older, it doesn't mean we must grow weaker spiritually. In fact, we ought to be growing stronger spiritually, because our eyes ought to be on eternity and Heaven—on the things that really matter.

Read the remaining article

;-)

You're born. You suffer. You die. Fortunately, there's a loophole.
Billy Graham

Meet Alice

(Thats Jim in the Picture, Alice is the car)


I am a car nut, I would have a warehouse full of them if I could. A 1970 Chevelle and a 60's Impala have always been on my wish list of cars to have. Jim is a friend of mine that I have known for years. His grandmother (Alice) bought this car new in 1967. She played the piano at church. and really did drive it mostly to get groceries and church on Sunday. It has never left the county. It has 43600 actual miles on it. When Alice passed away, Jim’s father started tinkering with it. When he discovered he had cancer this became his project car, it has a couple of dents, so he started sanding on it. He did not make it far before he passed away. The car sat in the same garage untouched for the last 8 years. Jim called one day and asked if I was still interested in the Impala, what kind of question is that. He and I struggled over the value of the car, me thinking it was worth more, and him thinking less, both trying hard to not damage a friendship. At last the price was settled and after fresh fuel, a little TLC, Alice came back to life, and I drove her home. I don’t know what it is about these old rides, nostalgia or what, but I do love them. I have a little work to get her back to show room, I will keep you posted.

A Blog

So there I was trying to find some catchy way to get back into the habit of blogging, when I came across a story about a football coach:

I heard a true story about a football player who graduated from collage. He wasn’t that great a player but he was a great strategizer with a quick mind. The head coach came to him one day and said, “Will you let me teach you to be my assistant coach?” He said, “Yes sir, what do you want me to do?” The head coach said, “I want you to be a scout for us and help me build a strong and competitive team again.”

So the new assistant coach said, “What kind of player do you want me to find?” The coach said, “There’s the kind of guy that when you knock him down he just stays down.” The assistant said, “Well we sure don’t want that kind of player!” Then the head coach said, “No way, but there’s the guy that when you knock him down twice – and he stays down.”

The assistance said, “We sure don’t want that kind of player!” The head coach said, “No way! There’s also the kind of guy that when you knock him down he gets up, and he gets knocked down and gets up and gets knocked down and he gets up again and again!” The assistant responded, “That’s the guy we need!” To that the head coach taught his new assistant a valuable lesson, he said, “No! What we need is for you to find the guy who keeps knocking everyone down!”

Yep, I like they way that coach thinks .....

I feel the same way about my Blog lately ;-)

Hurricane Gustuv

Little Rock is a part of the NDMS Nation Disaster Medical System. What this means is that whenever a city meets with a disaster such as a hurricane, and evacuation from area hospitals is needed, this program springs into action. Each participating hospital in the destination city sends in a bed count for specific types of patients they can receive the goal then becomes to match the number of patients sent to the number of patients able to be received. Little Rock has been a part of this system for many years, but I think we had all believed that it would never be tested. Tested it was for hurricane Katrina. We learned a lot of lessons that year.

Saturday we had the opportunity to test our skills and lessons once again.
We started off Saturday at 10AM at MEMS getting ready to receive patients that we were told would arrive at noon. The first plane did not come till late that evening which meant a lot of tiring waiting @ 12 hours at first. The logistical preparation for the evacuation was in credible. A total of 30 ambulances were gather at one time, not to mention support staff for treatment, carrying stretchers, food, etc…When the planes finally started coming it got busy, real busy.
The preliminary totals are.
13 aircraft were received (a mix of C-130 and C-17)
233 patients were off loaded, triaged, treated and transported to local hospitals

There at the end of the event we had three C-130 and two C-17 on the ground at the same time. One of the planes was from Canada that had been called in to serve the evacuation.

The leader for the Nation Disaster Medical System said in his report:
This was a massive operation. Probably larger than anything seen during Katrina/Rita and certainly the largest reception activity ever completed over such a short time.

There are not many times when my work at MEMS conflicts with my job as Pastor. One of the understanding Deacons said, “I see your work/ministry at MEMS as an extension of this local church” I sincerely appreciate that kind of support. Thank you to this congregation for freeing me to stay till the job was done late Sunday night.

Small People......

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great" -- Mark Twain

;-)

"If everything's under control, you're going too slow." - Mario Andretti

A Thought......

"Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." -Napoleon Hill

Gideons visit today

For more than 15 years the NLR Church has partnered with the Gideons each year to buy Bibles. Today was their visit.

Gideons bolster efforts in 3rd largest mission field—the U.S.A.

It is hard to believe, but sadly true: the United States of America has become the third largest mission field in our world today. Estimates of unsaved people in the U.S.A. range from 54% to 70%. In response to this startling revelation, Gideons plan to distribute 12 million copies of God’s Word in the U.S.A. alone during their 2008-09 fiscal year.

Perhaps the most sobering way to visualize the spiritual decline in America today is to take a walk down any U.S.A. neighborhood street. It is very likely that two out of three of the people you encounter are lost. They do not know Jesus as their Savior.

What impact can The Gideons make through the distribution of 12 million Scriptures in the U.S.A.? Perhaps there is a more appropriate question…What can God accomplish through 12 million Gideon-placed Scriptures? The Lord tells us that His Word “shall not return unto me void” (Isaiah 55:11).

According to Barna research, less than one out of ten people, who makes a decision to follow Jesus, does so in the context of a church setting. Most will enter into a relationship with Jesus by seeing His life and Kingdom lived out in the lives of others. That’s what Gideons do; they live a Christ-like life, sharing His Word and witnessing to those they meet. And God constantly multiplies these efforts as is apparent through the regular flow of testimonies received at The Gideons International headquarters. (Click on the “Changed Lives” section of this Website to see and hear recent testimonies.) Rest of story

Life Dreams?

I have been reading one Pastors life goals, the list included things such as:

Go to a Superbowl
Go to a Packers game at Lambeau Field
Ride a Mule into the Grand Canyon
Take a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon
Raft a Class V River
Go Cave Tubing in South America
Go Hang Gliding
Do a personal retreat at a monastery
Spend a night in a tree house hotel
Spend a night on a house boat
Go cliff jumping
Take a Hot Air Balloon Ride
Celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversary
Live to meet my Great Grandchildren
Celebrate an Anniversary in Italy
Celebrate an Anniversary in the Caribbean

I found his list quite challenging. What does it take to dream like that, to be willing to take the risk to dream and chase these kinds of experiences? Consider;

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” – T.S. Eliot

“If no one ever took risks, Michaelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.” – Neil Simon

“It’s nice to at least once a year have a near-death experience.” – Mark Allen

“That which does not destroy me makes me stronger.” – Neitzche

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert Kennedy

“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.” – Soren Kierkegaard

What are your life dreams and goals, what is holding you back?

"When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me." -- attributed to John Wesley

Jason

Many of you may remember Jason Whittington. He attended NLR for a while before moving to New York. A couple of weeks ago he was in town and stopped by to visit for a while. I had the opportunity to have him in our home and do some much needed catching up. He installs high-end audio video in commercial and some residential buildings by day, and is breaking into the voice over business by afternoon and night. Keep a watch out for him; we will be able to say we knew him when...

http://jasonkayne.voices.com/

Hoppers on line

Some of you may remember the Hopper family, I just got the link to their web page.



http://www.shoutlife.com/crownministry

Big Bream!

(Marks)

I think I have a new favorite kind of fishing. These fought a lot harder than the bream at the river ;-)

Just thinkin

I think I said in my e-mail to the folks at work, I am in desperate need of some downtime with a book, and thus began our trip to West Palm Beach Florida.

On the way we stopped at the family reunion in Tennessee. I always enjoy getting to spend time with that part of my family. As with any family it amazes me that we can turn out so different. I like that about us, different perspectives, views, beliefs, I find it refreshing, I believe it adds depth to the whole group.

As we left I went to say bye to Grand-pa, I was not prepared for what happened next, the conversation was so open I could not help myself from asking some questions that I wanted to hear his thoughts on, like, "How do you want to be remembered" his answer, "as an honest man" One thing he said that stuck me odd, "I now count my life in hours, days or months, I have no future..." That thought has stuck with me, No future.....
I did not know how to respond to that. Is it true that we reach a place of no future?
I think it is natural to react to those words, I began to think, what about Heaven? Seeing Grandma? But I think I understood what he was saying, he has reached the place that he can see the end of life.

As the father of this tribe he can only go so far, as a father you built and launched this ship and there comes a time when it sails without you, yet never without your influence. It is true of grandpa and it is true of us all. This family moves and lives on, our future gets brighter with each new birth. Each generation bears a responsibility to make sure that the one behind is grounded, better equipped, better prepared, and better educated with better tools.

I don’t know if grandpa can really see the impact of his life, for that matter I don’t know if any of can really see the impact of our own lives. I believe we all have a fear that somehow we missed it. That seems to be the greatest secret of life there is, we chase what we already have. We are looking for something we already possess; yet never relax enough to see it much less believe it about our life. For all the things we mess up and miss there are some things we get right.

Today I read the following;
“Most of us lead far more meaningful lives that we know. Often finding meaning is not about doing things differently; it is about seeing unfamiliar things in new ways. When we find new eyes, the unsuspected blessing in work we have done for many years may take us completely by surprise. We can see life in many ways; with the eye, with the mind, with the intuition. But perhaps it is only by those who speak the language of meaning, who have remembered how to see with the heart, that life is ever deeply known or served”

I took a cue from a recent teacher and chose to ask myself three questions at the end of the day.
What surprised me today?
What moved or touched me today?
What inspired me today?

By choosing to be fully awake may you see today what you already have.
GT

Sunday June 1 2008 The NLR Church began a partnership with the Spanish ministry of Hector Zetino and the New Hope Church. Pastor Hector is a native of Guatemala and now ministers as a missionary in Arkansas. The New Hope Church began meeting Sunday night. I will pass on more as this relationship develops. They have plans for English, Spanish and computer classes. Welcome to North Little Rock!

A smaller church?

While everyone wants a church of size, the question is what is the ideal size. I enjoyed one mans thoughts....


I've always been a big fan of small churches. That's partly because I don't fully understand how megachurches "do" real church, and partly because I prefer the rawness, freedom and community that comes from a smaller worship gathering.

Is it awkward at times? You bet. A little clumsy and unpolished? Sometimes. Yet those elements, to me, are exactly why small churches are such a treasure. I love that there doesn't have to be soft music playing behind every prayer, altar call or offering. I love that you can get to know — really know — the people sitting next to you, and that building real relationships isn't an option when it's impossible to hide among the crowds. (What crowds?!)

And maybe more than anything, I love that small churches allow everyone to be a key, active part of the body. No sideline-sitters (or at least not for long), all players. Because in small churches, everyone brings something of value.

[Marcus Yoars]

Memorial Day

(Children saluting a fallen soldier's funeral procession)



The words to "Taps" are:
Day Is Done,
Gone the Sun,
From the Earth,
From the Hill,
From the Sky,
All Is Well,
Safely Rest,
God Is Nigh

When Taps is played at dusk, it has a completely different meaning than when Taps is played during the day. No soldier really wants to hear it played during daylight. For when the bugle plays Taps in the daylight...that means a soldier has fallen...There is a belief among some that Taps is the clarion call to open the gates of heaven for the fallen warrior and letting them know to "Safely Rest"...

Memorial day is about remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Many say it is disrespectful the way we celebrate, with our grilling, boating, playing with our children… Disrespectful? I believe that we should take time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the families they left behind as we enjoy the freedom they paid so dearly for. Enjoying your freedom and understanding it's value is the best way to honor their sacrifices. I believe that's the way they'd want us to spend Memorial Day. What better assurance to them they did not die in vain?

Women Thought Dead Is Alive After All

You have got to check out this story...

Death came for Val Thomas at 1:30 a.m. in the morning Saturday, when her heart stopped at home. Paramedics managed to revive her, but she didn't look right. As paramedics rushed Val to Thomas Memorial, family members scrambled into action, beginning to pray and ask God for a miracle.

Video and rest of story

Dottie Rambo, Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 74

Dottie Rambo, a singer and prolific songwriter who was one of the most successful women to write songs in gospel music, died early Sunday when her tour bus ran off a highway near Mount Vernon, Mo. She was 74 and lived in Nashville.

More of the story

An interesting thought

This was sent to me today, I had to share it. It sure made me think....


Do you have any idea how many princesses have gone unrecognized by their prince, because of logic? Or, how many princes have gone unrecognized by their princess, because of pride?

How many dreams were dashed when the handmaiden answered the door? Or when the gatehouse was mistaken for the mansion? Or when the calm before the storm of abundance and good fortune was viewed as a sign to retreat?

It's never too late to see what one's missed, remain focused on the dream instead of the "hows," and move with unwavering faith.

Closing The Door on Negativity

Do your negatives always seem to counteract your positives? Try hooking up jumper cables to the wrong positive/negative terminals (actually, don't try it--just trust me!). The result is not good.
In order to close the door on negativity and walk through the door of positive living, we must "hook up" to the right influences, relationships, and attitudes:
· Eliminate negative influences such as your environment, what you listen to or what you watch.
· Hang out with Joshua and Caleb types: "no fear/we can do it" type of people. Eliminate relationships that drain you dry. Minimize time spent in neutral relationships. Maximize relationships that replenish, encourage, and stretch you.
· Change your attitude by hooking up to God's word and being in His presence.

Ok, Ok.....I am back again

When you take on a BLOG you take on certain responsibilities, like regular posting. But the day comes and the day goes and somewhere in the middle life happens. It seems to never be any one thing, they just add up a little at a time and “suddenly” you are dragging or lagging behind. I appreciate those who have contacted me and ask, “where you at” I am here and getting back on track. The water is coming back down, and who knows we may get to boat this year.

I haven’t written about it on the Blog, but we have been working for the past few weeks on getting a new church building. We had found a warehouse style building in a great location, but after a lot of work and going through all the city rules and regs, we discovered the cost to renovate would be too great.

At the same time this was going on, we had two new start up churches wanting to rent our present building. We are talking to one of the groups about sharing our current facilities on off days from our services.
I don’t know were we will end up, but do feel that a move must and will happen. Will keep you posted…..

Stress Awareness Month

Did you know that? Focus on the family said:

The Health Resource Network, a non-profit health education organization, has designated April as Stress Awareness Month for the 16th consecutive year. Health care professionals, health promotion experts and caregivers across the country will join forces to raise public awareness about the cause and cures for our modern stress epidemic.

For this reason Community Chaplains of America, which provides care for individuals during difficult and stressful situations, have offered 10 simple suggestions on how to provide care and essentially reduce stress, according to christianpost.com.

·Provide a listening ear. Often, those who are going through stressful times simply need someone to talk to. Make an extra phone call or meet a friend for coffee and offer the opportunity for them to talk.

·Send an encouraging note. Words are powerful. In the age of emails and text messages, handwritten notes show that you took time and effort to show you care.

·Say "thank you." Offer your gratitude for people. Thank a coworker for his or her hard work or a waiter for serving you dinner. Everyone wants to feel appreciated.

·Laugh with someone. A good hearty laugh can relax you both and mentally lighten your load. Tell a joke or rent a funny movie with a friend.

·Perform a random act of kindness. Surprise someone with the unexpected. It can be as simple as paying for a friend's coffee or offering to watch the kids so a mom or dad can have that extra time to relax.

* Help someone organize. When the places and things around us are in order, we feel a little more put together. Take time to help a friend clean out a closet or scrub the bathtub.

·Take a walk. Exercise releases endorphins and makes us feel better all around. Walk around the mall with a coworker on your lunch break or meet a friend at a park after work and enjoy the fresh air.

·Share a smile. This contagious act can easily brighten someone's day. Smile to a passing stranger; it may make a big difference in his or her day.

·Get away. Get away from the everyday circumstances that may be causing stress. Plan a weekend getaway or a day trip with a friend.

·Pray. Say a quick prayer for your friend and put his or her stress in the hands of the Ultimate Provider and Healer.

Did you think we floated off?

Nope, we made it through the flood, and it wasn't to bad this time. We believe that the annual Memorial day flotilla will probably not happen this year, just too much rain. Oh well, maybe July 4th...I do have faith ;-)


Picture of Big Dam Bridge Raft up 2007

Water coming down? Maybe...

We should be seeing the water go down over the next day or so. Parking lot flooded, but still able to drive a pick up to the ramp. You got to love it ;-)

How high is the water?

I know that this picture means nothing to you, so let me tell you what this means to me. We are in for a ride over the next few days. We expect the river to rise over the next 24-36 hours to over the point it was a few weeks ago. We moved the cars tonight from the parking lot, (just in case) and expect to be taking boats to the cars by tomorrow night. They are predicting almost 400 thousand cubic feet per second by Saturday. In comparison we would normally be around 50,000 or less for this time of year. Oh well, the adventure of river living, will keep you posted.
And the week continues ;-)

Opening day 08

Have you ever noticed, the NLR Church seems to be a baseball church (by the way a game I never played ;-) Any rate today was quite a day. Mona was honored at the opening ceremony with a plaque, season named in her honor and to top it off the Mayor proclaimed today Mona Lawson day in North Little Rock. Mona wants to know how to turn it into a national holiday, Mona I don't have a clue, but keep up the work and just maybe, just maybe... Check out web pictures, and you will find a lot more of the NLR crew.
Repaired Link

April 6 thought

You may have heard of Mark Burnett. He is the creator of the shows “Survivor” and “Apprentice.” He recently wrote a book titled “Jump In!” In this book he outlines his philosophy of business. He says: “Nothing will ever be …perfect, and nothing can be totally planned. The best you can hope for is to be about half certain of your plan and know that you and the team you’ve assembled are willing to work hard enough to overcome the inevitable problems as they arrive. And arrive they will. The only thing you can be certain of is that the problems you have not thought of will eventually crop up—and always at the worst times.”

The week that won't quit...

Monday On the way to work I responded to an unconscious child to back up an ambulance. I arrived to find my medic hooking up a monitor and saying, “Greg this kid is gone” sure enough the child was beyond resuscitation efforts. I told the mom, “I’m sorry” and held her as she cried, I took physical punches from the grandmother who thought I had not done enough.

Tuesday- No big deal, but annual renewal time on insurance for all the ambulances as well as a meeting with the fire marshal to try to persuade him to allow the church to occupy a new location.

Wednesday- Scaffolding falls from the I/430 bridge taking three workers with it. We finally devised a plan to recover the bodies of the workers and low and behold it works, however we only recover one body. I am on the barge taking it back home to the Yacht Club, when we round a corner and hit heavy flow in the river (after all we are flooding) the barge starts taking on water and sinking and we cant make any head way. We call the Club for a pump and after some work finally pump it out and make it home after about 10 hours.
Thank you to Robert our youth Pastor who handled the Wednesday night study while I finished up the recovery.



Link to story
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Thursday- Tornadoes hit our area. We coordinate search and recovery for four cities. I finally get to bed at 4AM. Hoping that Friday breaks the streak.





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Friday- All is well till the afternoon I hear that unit 422 was just hit by a city bus. Both crew members and three passengers go to the hospital. (all not critical)













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Saturday we will meet to discuss the river rescue/recovery called a “hot wash” this is a normal procedure. I am just hoping that this streaks finally ends.

What a week I thank God that they are not all like this.

A new Blogger

Lacinda is a member of NLR and now a Blogger. Welcome Lacinda!



Check her out!
http://lacindapage.blogspot.com/

I dont think you have to be a blogger to be a part of this group, but it helps:-)

Three more to the Youth Group

Sunday Taylor, Chandler and Justin all officially became a part of the Youth Group. Debbie had a special program complete with a video look back of them growing up. Guys we are proud of you!!

Youth Sunday

Sunday was youth Sunday. I think this was one of the best yet. Way to go Team 180!!

Easter 2008

Great Easter service, I always enjoy when we get together!
Link to Easter pictures

I dont know what I was thinking

Don't ask how I got there, but did you know that this kind of whirlpool in the river can spin an 18' Sea Ray in a circle with ease? I didn't, but do now ;-)

Flooding in Arkansas

Maybe you have heard that Arkansas has had a bit of a flood. Living on a boat is great the water did not get in our house, but we did float up over 6 feet. The first picture is of our "taxi" to get to work Friday AM. We woke to the parking lot in knee deep water(we had already moved the cars to a hill) the Harbor Master took us to the cars via party barge at over 300,000 cubic feet per second, a little over 6 miles per hour current.
The second picture is from our dock looking at the parking lot. We have not lost electricity or water, and have not been afraid. The water is moving so fast it sounds like rain at night if you leave the door open. It has been an experience for us all, probably one of those reasons we moved to the water in the first place:-)


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You got to be kidding!

Can you believe these actual cosmetic products recently pulled from the shelves in Singapore. Seems many are trying to use Jesus as a good luck charm. This may be absurd, but I wonder what areas we are doing the same thing in, but maybe not as obvious.