We all know that I have about a billion cats hanging out back here so they need names to be registered spayed and all of that stuff. So I'm annoucing a game/contest/whatever to come up with interesting cat names. Here are the exciting divisions...

Biblical Names
For example...
Silas and Paw

Siamese Names

Female Names

Male Names

Remember funny is good, very good.

(Warning: Sis. Kelly inspired this post and as a result is probably already ahead in the crazy Biblical Names)

Why I Love Country MusicBy Jeff Foxworthy 2007 CMT Awards

I like country music because it’s about the things in life that really matter. It ain’t about braggin about how your gonna mess somebody up or about how somebody ain’t respectin ya. It’s about love, family, friends, with a few beers…. With a cheap woman and two timin’ man thrown in for spice.

It doesn’t take political sides even on things as ugly as war. Instead it celebrates the men and women who go to fight em, the price they pay to do it, and the longing we have for them to return home to the ones that they love.

It’s about kids and how there ain’t nothing like em. I get tired of hearin about how bad kids are today because there are a lot of great kids out there that just need somebody to love em and believe in em. Country folks love their kids and they will jack you up if you try to mess with em.

People in country music don’t forget the people that allowed them to do what they do for a living. They sign autographs and they take pictures with the fans because they know without em, most of us entertainers would be getting a lot dirtier in the course of our workday. We are thankful that people want to hear the songs and the jokes that we write.

Country music doesn’t have to be politically correct. We sing about God because we believe in Him. We’re not trying to offend anybody, but the evidence that we have seen of him in our small little lives trumps your opinion about whether or not He exists.

We love country music because it touches us where we live. It’s about mammas. and when they were hot, and when they are unappreciated and when they were dying.

It’s about daddies and the difficulties they have telling the people they work so hard to protect and provide for how they feel about them.

Country music is about new love and it’s about old love. It’s about getting drunk and it’s about getting sober. It’s about leavin’ and it’s about comin’ home. It’s real music, sung by real people FOR real people. The people that make up the back bone of this country.

You can call us rednecks if you want, we’re not offended, ‘cause we know what we are all about. We get up and go to work, we get up and go to church and we get up and go to war when necessary.

All we ask for is a few songs to carry us along the way and that’s why I love this show (the CMT music awards.) Because it ain’t some self-important Hollywood hype where the winners are determined by somebody else. On this show, YOU decide who goes home with the trophy and YOU get to dance and sing along with the people that bring you the songs of your life.

So I didn't intend to type out the whole weekends worth of sermons (see last post), though I feel like I easily could. It will suffice to say we had a marvelously blessed time. Saturday morning we heard another pretty awesome sermon on John 6 and what it means in verse 53 to eat and drink of the flesh of Jesus. To try to be very short he explained that this doesn't refer to literally or to communion, but that we are like a baby in the mother's womb. That child is passive in that it can't care for itself, but that it draws nurishment from it's mother, it is eatting and drinking from it's mother. Likewise we are to be in Christ and he in us. He is the Bread of Life and for us to continue daily, and get our daily grace we need to make it. It was one good sermon.

Then all Saturday afternoon after lunch, me and Gary, Sara and Rachel, and Justin all hung out at Jim and Kelly's house. We sung songs, we talked and generally had a great time. Saturday night we ate at church again, then we had communion. It was very special. I got to wash Mom's feet for the first time (Gary's mother). Everyone was expressing the encouragement and help they get from one another. It was especially touching to watch Abby (who is seven) going around to wash everyone's feet she could. She asked her mother if it was ok to wash more than one person's feet because there were lots of people she wanted to serve, and Sis. Kerry told her that she didn't think that we ever got too clean to not need our feet washing so that would be ok. I counted five different people who's feet she went around washing.

Then Sunday morning Bro. J.C. stayed and preached another sermon about what it meant to become the Sons of God. Several years ago, Bro. Randy preached on that topic for two months straight. But as always, I heard somethings in a new way that make things even more clear to me.

Then after lunch on Sunday something very special happened. Alot of Sunday afternoons, some of us older kids (mostly the teenagers plus me and Gary) go back into the Church and sing songs, or work on hymns and stuff. Well, as I was carrying my lunch out to the car, what did I see but the little ones mimiacing us. There were seven of them in there together, taking turns leading. Katie Sue (4) started singing "All hail the power of Jesus name" where she didn't know the lyrics she sung la la la to the tune. Then Abbey picked out a song, and she and a couple of the older ones who can actually read, would sing the verses and they would all sing the chorus together. We were all shocked and kept watching them from the lobby, because we didn't want them to stop. We didn't realize that anyone had even noticed us let alone wanted to copy us. Before long, Katie Sue walked to the back, and opened the door, and said you can come in and listen. So we did. Then they took turns calling us up to the front to sing with them, then we all sung together a couple of songs. I wish I had gotten a picture, though Bro. Jim I believe got a few. Maybe Sis. Kelly will post some (hint, hint).

It was truely a blessed weekend.

We had a really good church meeting this weekend at Little Union. Elder J. C. Stanland from the Church in Panama City was with us. On Friday, we had a fish fry (like usual) to start things off. Then we began Church about 7:00. Brother J.C. had a great sermon on our "Just and Righteous Souls." We all know that Christ is our righteousness and it is by him that we are made just and acceptible before God the Father; however, Bro. J.C. explained it in a way that I had never heard preached.

He started with a text from the New Testament, II Peter 2:7-8 which says how just Lot's righteous soul was vexed by the sin going on in Sodom and Gomorrha. He told us that we knew that Lot had no righteousness of his own, and proved it by going through the beginning of Genesis 13 and the entire chapter of Genesis 19. He showed some of Lot's many mistakes: 1) great wealthy created strife between Abraham and Lot, 2) Lot looked about with a carnal mind and regarding not his uncle took the best land, 3) Lot knowing the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah pitched his tent facing Sodom, 4) and when we see Lot again in ch. 19 things have only gotten worse he is now living in Sodom. However, we know that he is a child of God (not only because Peter tells us he has a righteous soul), but because when he sees the angels come in there is something in him that draws him toward them, just like those with the Spirit have something about them that draws them together. He insists that these men stay the night with him, but leave early, because he knows of the sin and evil in the city and is trying to spare them the worst of it. However, the men of the city, intending evil come for the two men. Lot offers his daughters to them, but instead the angels smite the men with blindness. In the morning, the angels tell him to get his stuff together and get out of Dodge, because they are going to destroy the city. From this point forward Lot's actions are astonishing. After seeing the mircle the night before and being told God is going to destroy this place, he lingers to the point that the angels have to take them by the hand and lead them out. Then they tell him to flee to the mountains and he then argues basically saying, "I just can't do that God, I might die in the mountains." So then he pleads to get to go to a "little" city nearby, he emphasises twice that it's just a little city, and by extention, that it must only have little sins. God says he will spare the city, but not because of the argument but for Lot's sake. Turns out not much time passes before he flees from the city to the mountains. There his two daughters say there are no more men left on the earth, they knew better, they knew Abraham and they had just come from a town that had to have men. So the last we hear of Lot he is drunk and commiting insest, not a good record for his own righteousness.

The next example he used was Solomon. This was the wisest man to ever walk the earth (aside from Jesus) and at the end of his life we don't see much wisdom or righteousness in I Kings 11. We are told that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and that they were all strange. Bro. J.C. stopped to say that they didn't look fun, but that they had strange religions, and that Solomon built alters and temples and gave sacrifices to them all for his wives. This happened to the point that we are told that "Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord." So at the end of Solomon's life he is doing evil and worshipping every god except the one true and living God.

Finally he showed, how Isreal had no righteousness by going to Hosea 11. God is telling Hosea that he loved Isreal when they were a little child and took care of them, but as time passed they turned away, and that all this evil they are bringing on themselves, but he still loves them.

After that he wrapped up by showing how not a one of us is any good, and that Jesus is our righteousness and that he makes us just. It was an especially good reminder of our shortcomings and the goodness of Christ as we prepared to go into communion Saturday night.

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. - II Timothy 3:13

At the Emmy awards, Kathy Griffin's acceptance speech said, "A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus." She went on to say, "Suck it, Jesus. This is my God now!" referring to the Emmy.

I read this and thought what is the world coming to these days. Then I remembered about the last 15 sermons that Brother Buddy has preached. The last two Wednesday nights he talked about our speach, and how we should honor the Lord in it and not be like the unreginerate (James 3:1-12, Romans 3:14). About a month ago or so, he preached about the Last Days. He has talked about how we, of all people, ought not be surprised by these people because we understand that humans are total depraved. Still I couldn't hardly believe it when Grandmother emailed me.

When we caught Momma Kitty, I was intending to catch Brodie. She was obviously pregnant and we obviously had a problem. Over the last several months, feeling sorry for a number of stray and feral cats behind our apartment, I occasionally leave them food. A lady several doors down has been doing the same for the last five years. Interested in trying to help these cats, I started doing some reading.

Earlier this week reading over at the Beehive has left me inspired to make a New Year's Resolution or two, after some thought here they are...

1) I am going to get some form of regular exercise at least 3 days a week. I was going to say every day, but who am I kidding here. I use to run cross country, that was pre-Asthma. The doctor has worked on my asthma medicine some, and I am actually good to start excerising and stuff tomorrow (had to let meds kick in and get over bronchitis first). My goal is to get out and do some serious walking (and work back up to running) at least on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Hopefully Tuesday and Thursday too.

2) Blog at least twice a week. I know very few read this, and even fewer are actually interested, but it's good to talk to someone other than the cat during the day. It also keeps my brain cells active, and if you haven't notice, my grammer and spelling could use the extra work out.

3) Secretly wean Gary off of sugar. I'm not sure how doable this is, but at the way the boy is eating (and drinking sweet tea) he'll be dead of a heart attack or some such by 50. I want to make him miserable for a whole lifetime, haha. :)

Today, Gary and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary. To celebrate, this was the gift he got me. I think it was just an excuse to get himself a wii game. What do you think?

I am terrible upset. Brodie has been lost for more than 24 hours now.

New Year's Eve and Day were alot of fun this year despite being sick. My favorite red-headed sibling flew down on Sunday and stayed until yesterday. He took that picture of us right before we left to go back to the airport yesterday.

I have asthma. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before. It kinda sprang up out of nowhere a few years ago. It was February-ish 2006. I was sick, and wasn't willing to skip class to go to the infermery. Yes, yes, I know I'm a nerd. Then in a week I was so sick I couldn't go to class. After a few days of that, a friend or two literally carried me to the car (complaining the whole way that I would be fine in another day or two) and down to the infermery. To make a long story short (I know, too late) I had acute bronchitis. In another week, I had asthmatic bronchitis. Ever since then I have had asthma.

Asthma is not fun. Before asthma I did all sorts of things. I played softball and I ran Cross Country. I wasn't ever great or anything, but it was fun and it was exercise. Since the asthma, I can't run a quarter of a mile without seriously dragging on my emergency inhaler. I have had several major attacks that mean I get to go and visit the hospital (which I might also note is absolutely no fun). Anyway, my doctor in Alabama had decided it was time to see a specialist back in March, since we couldn't get it under control, and all we knew is that I am allergic to cigerette smoke. However, since I was getting married and moving to Florida I saw no point in starting with someone up there and then moving. So I figured a few more months wouldn't hurt.

I finaly got in to see Dr. Price last Friday. Come to find out (170 needles later) that I am not allergic to a single thing... well, except maybe a little to ragweed. Instead I have asthma and non-allergenic rhinitis. Basically it means something to the effect that my bronchial tubes are particually sensitive to things in 7 areas: smoke, gasoline, arosal sprays, perfume, cold weather, sudden changes in temperture and humidity, and something else I can't really remember. So he changed all my medicine around and I reckon we'll see if that helps any.

One the other hand, since I had to go off my meds for a week before he could test me, I have gotten bronchitis. Never fun, it has been particually annoying since the one cold day of the Florida year was yesterday. Laugh if you like, it was actually below freezing here. Also since I was involved in a massive water gun fight (I'll get to this in the next blog perhaps) I have the beginnings of ear infections. Joy. I feel like a little kid again. haha.

Anyway, several have been asking about me, and that's the update.