Sister, Sister

Pat and Larry came down to visit on Thursday, the 15th. TDH's Birthday! Also, happy birthday to Jan L, Ken L, Paul R, and Andrew R! I had talked with Pat about "Menopause the Musical" which I had seen twice and she wanted to see it. It never toured Salt Lake City (imagine!), so when I saw that it would be at the Lyceum Theatre in San Diego at Horton Plaza, I emailed her and invited her to come. So...like I said, they came. Friday, the 16th, Pat, Sally and I departed for San Diego. We had dinner at Anthony's.....yum! what a great dinner! Then drove over to the Lyceum. We had front row seats....it was just as funny as ever, and the woman who did the "Tina Turner" was fabulous! Diane....you would have loved the woman who did "My Thighs". MTM will be in San Diego through August so if you haven't seen it and you are pre, mid, or even post season in life...GO. On Saturday, Paul, Larry, Ron, and Chris played golf. My siblings and spouses all came over for dinner. We were all irish! Corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes, carrots, salad, irish soda bread and guiness for dinner. My niece Becky and her son Will joined us for the day as well. The kids had a great time in the pool and the adults enjoyed the hot tub later. We took a few pics to mark the occasion. Mom & her Kids..... The ladies.....The Guys.....The life of the party! Monday, Pat, Larry, Paul and I golfed at Menifee Lakes...a fun casual day with lunch as well! It is always a joy to spend time with family and when Pat and Larry come down, there is always a lot of fun going on!

Prayer of Power

When Jesus is the focal point of our lives and the One in whom we place our trust, we can also approach the Father with assurance (Heb. 4:16). Jesus himself is the only mediator or go-between that we need. His death and resurrection have bridged the gap between God and ourselves ( 1 Tim. 2:5-6).

Prayer is more than a simple (or one-sided) conversation; it has the power to transform our lives as we are drawn near to our loving Lord. Its benefits are almost incomprehensible, and certainly innumerable. Paul's prayers as mentioned in Ephesians 3:14-21 are themselves moving examples of boldly approaching God's throne with requests that the Spirit's limitless power might be unleashed on behalf of people.

Paul prayed that we might be strengthened "with power through [God's] Spirit in [our] inner being, so that Christ may dwell in [our] hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:16-17). Now there's something to think about and to give thanks for! We do not need to plod through this life alone, too depleted to fight the spiritual battles that rage all around us. Worldly philosophers urge us to "self-actualize" the inner core of our being, but there is no power source within the self. The world believes that it is only by taking control of our own lives that we can find fulfillment, but the Bible teaches precisely the opposite. It is only by renouncing control, turning over the reins to God in prayer and being filled with His Holy Spirit that we can become power-full Christians. We are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us," no matter what life may hold for us (Rom. 8:37).

Paul also prayed that believers might be "rooted and established in love" and that we might, through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, be able "to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that [we] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:17-19.

Paul closed this moving passage with a thrilling tribute: "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen" (verses 20-21)

All Dogs Go To Heaven

Today we said goodbye to our canine companion of the last 10 years. Roxy was an excellent dog! She entered our lives in April of 1997 at the tender age of 5 weeks old. She cried all night that first night away from her mother, but soon made the switch and attached to our family. When Katie was little she couldn't say "Roxy" so she called her "Rosskey". A couple of young pups! English Springer Spaniels are water dogs and Roxy lived up to her calling. She loved to swim! When people were in the pool, Roxy was right there with them. We always took her to the river with us. She rode well in the car and boat but her favorite place was marching up and down the shore of the river. Such a curious girl! Lauren went to college the fall after we got Roxy and used to email us with messages to hug everyone but NOT Roxy because Roxy got to sleep with us and she was jealous! Roxy always accompanied us to Lake Powell. She loved the houseboat and would always run to greet Paul when he came back from early morning fishing. The floor in the galley was usually wet because Roxy ran back and forth, in and out of the water. She learned to navigate the ladder at the back of the houseboat and would climb up out of the water on her own. Enjoying a nap on the houseboat sofa with Melanie Leaving the dock up on Lake Powell with Lauren in the bow of our boat She was an excellent dog paddler and sounded like a little steam engine moving through the water Spaniels are retrievers and Roxy would take a flying leap into the pool to retrieve a tennis ball or jump off the boat after the ducks, but her favorite retrieval objects were the fish caught from shore. She would swim out and gently take the fish in her mouth and bring it to the shore. When she was 5 years old, she was diagnosed with Addison's Disease which required her to take medication daily. The vet was pleased that she lasted as long as she did. We think it was because she had such a happy life and was loved by her family. We are going to miss her greatly especially when we go out to the river. Good bye Roxy, you'll live in our memories as our "ruppy puppy"