That's what I love about Sunday's by Craig Morgan

Raymond's in his Sunday best, He's usually up to his chest in oil an' grease. There's the Martin's walkin' in, With that mean little freckle-faced kid, Who broke a window last week. Sweet Miss Betty likes to sing off key in the pew behind me. That's what I love about Sunday: Sing along as the choir sways; Every verse of Amazin' Grace, An' then we shake the Preacher's hand. Go home, into your blue jeans; Have some chicken an' some baked beans. Pick a back yard football team, Not do much of anything: That's what I love about Sunday. I stroll to the end of the drive, Pick up the Sunday Times, grab my coffee cup. It looks like Sally an' Ron, finally tied the knot, Well, it's about time. It's 35 cents off a ground round, Baby. cut that coupon out! That's what I love about Sunday: Cat-napping on the porch swing; You curled up next to me, The smell of jasmine wakes us up. Take a walk down a back road, Tackle box and a cane pole; Carve our names in that white oak, An' steal a kiss as the sun fades, That's what I love about Sunday, Oh, yeah. Ooh, new believers gettin' baptized, Momma's hands raised up high, Havin' a Hallelujah good time A smile on everybody's face. That's what I love about Sunday, Oh, yeah. That's what I love about Sunday,

FAITH

This is my favorite word in the English language. I love grace, mercy, and hope. But faith is the very core of my being. I have been obsessed with faith since I was 16 and my Sunday School teacher explained it as an absolute trust in something that you cannot see, smell, touch or hear. Faith is something that just IS. He explained it to us like this. When we walk in to Sunday School class and choose a seat, we just sit down. We don't question anything. We don't ask if the chair will hold us. We don't look underneath to see what makes it work and determine its strength. We don't ask others their opinion or thoughts on what we should do. We simply sit down because we know that a chair is designed for sitting so we have faith that it will hold us up. The same is true of telephones, radios, tv's, lights, etc. We just reach over and answer the phone or click the remote without even thinking about it. We have faith that it will work and do what it is designed to do. Our faith in God should be that unquestionable. We should hand him our problems and have faith that He will help us in His way. We are bad about asking him to help us then trying to tell him how to do it, what results we want and the timeline to get the job done. We continue to obsess over the results and try to think of ways to make it work out the way we want. With faith, we should just say "Here Lord, please take care of this for me." Then walk away from it with a deep abiding trust that knows He will. I'm teaching children's church tomorrow and our lesson is about Doubting Thomas. Our lesson goal is to teach that faith is believing, even when you cannot see. I was explaining it to Caleb and asked him to stiffen his knees and fall back in my arms without bending them. I explained that faith is knowing I would never drop him or let him get hurt. It took a few tries, but he finally followed through and realized that I would take care of him. I showed it to Shebly and she just started immediately falling backwards into my arms without even thinking twice as to if I would catch her. This shows us that the older we get, the less trusting we are. Some of us are like Caleb, we want to test our faith a time or two before we fully let go and let God. Some of us are like Shelby, we just fall back into God's arms and let him catch us. Ask yourself... What type of faith do I have? May you have a strong childlike faith and place your cares at the Saviours feet, knowing that He will keep you in His care.

Joshua 1:9

Joshua 1:9 (New King James Version) says:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Good question. So why do we worry? Why do we let fear into our lives. The bible is full of passages such as this. God has instructed us time and time again "Do not be afraid." "Put your trust in the Lord." "Fear not."

One of my favorite quotes that I heard many years ago and it stuck with me is "Worry is like a rocking chair...it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere."

So the next time you worry, quote one of your favorite bible verses and hand your problems to God to handle. He's on duty 24/7.

Country Roads

(I took this before crossing the bridge at the dam on Douglas Dam Road)

Country roads. They are the lifeline of America. For all the interstates, highways and byways, it is still the country road that leads us where we want to go.

You wonder how many horses and wagons have graced our country roads before paving and automobiles came into existence. How many young barefoot boys walked across her dusty path to reach the riverbank for an afternoon of fishing with hand made poles and worms dug from their yard.

How many little girls skipped along beside their Mommy as chicken soup was delivered to some elderly neighbor that was feeling poorly.

How many families donned their Sunday best and walked a mile on Sunday to hear the traveling preacher on his one stop a month in their town.

How many picnics were held in the shade of the oak tree as two young lovers sat quietly, holding hands, and just enjoying being together.

It was a slower pace. Times were tough, but people got by. They didn't need the glitz and glitter that we all seem to have today. They didn't have any place to rush off to or anything that had to be done right that minute. There was no satellite TV, no cell phones, no computers. It was simpler times. It was the smell of fried chicken for Sunday dinner and the Grand Ole Opry on the radio on Saturday nights.

The next time life gets to you and you get tired of the hectic pace we live, gas up the car and drive out into the country. Pick a road and see where it leads you. I'm sure you will enjoy the drive.

Have you ever noticed how styles change over the years, but some things reappear with new names. I remember in my younger days laughing at some of the clothing worn by my mother's generation. I remember my children doing the same to me. And I'm sure their children will do the same. No matter how much humor we find in fashion changes, some things keep cropping back up with new names. The very things we laughed at are created with new names and become all the rage. Here are some examples: Farmers would stick them in their back overalls pocket and call them handkerchiefs. Women would tie them around their hair to clean house and call then kerchiefs. They even showed up around necks as bandannas. Now cyclists tie them in a new fashion and call them doo rags. In the 50's they were known as floppies. They were cheap and made of rubber. You'd run and play or wear them around the house. If they tore up, they were easily replaced. In the late 60's and early 70's they were more stylish and had adornments and were called thongs. In the 80's and 90's they became flip flops (some still call them that today). Now they come in all colors and styles. Some have added small heels to give them a dressier look. Some have added doodads and beads and call them sandals. Flip flops that were once used for play are now considered acceptable for work, church, school or just everyday comfort.

Back in my day, we called them coulottes. They had big, comfortable legs. They were more comfortable than a skirt. You could wear them for play or for dress, depending on how they looked. Some were shorter, some were longer. Now they call them gauchos. I really can't see any difference other than the name.

The one that cracks me up is pedal pushers. We wore them growing up and we loved them. They were all the rage. But let your kids see a picture of you in pedal pushers and here you say that name and they die laughing. But in the late 70's to mid 80's, they reappeared as crop pants. EVERYBODY had to have a pair. They were THE thing to dress up in. I remember my daughter and I having crop pants and you just HAD to wear them with jelly shoes (remember those). That fad faded and was buried away. Crop pants were no longer "the thing." Now, here we are in the 21st century with Capri pants. Is it just me or are we right back to pedal pushers again? I can't see a big difference.

I didn't even cover mini-skirts, the midi, hot pants vs. daisy dukes. But you get my drift. The very things we saw our mothers wearing in public are the very things we rush out and buy off the rack. I even saw some flip flops this year that are made out of the jelly shoe material.

Do designers really think they have come up with a new fad or do they just sit around looking at old photos until somebody says, "Check this out. Pedal pushers. Hey, let's reinvent those and call them capri pants."

I've often heard the saying "The more things change, the more they remain the same." If you don't believe that, look at fashions.

Why grandchildren are so cute

Have you ever looked at your grandchildren and thought, "Oh, I just have the cutest grandbabies in the world." I think that every time I look at mine. You can see their Daddy's eyes, their Mommy's smiles. Certain ways they look at you, you will even see distinct features of your own grandparents. I was contemplating the fact that my children gave me some pretty cute grandkids to love. Then it dawned on me, what did I expect. I had adorable children. As our kids grow up they become beautiful women or handsome men. So when we look at their adult faces, we tend to forget that they, too, were once beautiful little babies and toddlers who made our days shine. I want to share some pictures of my twins when they were little. Looking at these pictures makes it easy to see why I think my grandbabies are so cute.

You CAN go home

Whoever said "You can't go home." was so wrong. Home is not a place. It's your family. It's the love you share. It's the place where you are accepted for what you are and how you look. It's no make-up and comfy clothes. It's flip flops and pony tails. It's pizza night and shopping sprees. It's the pride of driving down those old winding roads and through the small town and seeing that there has been progress, but that some things are still the same. It's seeing people taking walks and riding their bikes around the same streets you traveled as a kid. It's taking a walk again and seeing your Aunt Dee Dee and Aunt Frances in the yard. It's showing off your grandchildren to people you grew up with.

It's swinging on Mamaw's porch swing. It's little boys playing games and little girls going to the little girls room in groups. It's a toddlers first taste of Gino's Pizza.

It's the love and compassion of being within the family fold. It's the reliving of memories of all the times before. It's seeing your nieces and nephews and watching how their kids are growing. It's the laughter of spending three hours trying to find a ring tone only to have your nephew-in-law come by and do it in 5 minutes. It's missing your turn on a road you've driven for years simply because you were too busy laughing and talking. It's watching the great nieces and nephews playing with your grandkids the same way that your kids played with their cousins. It's a peace and contentment that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It's putting your worries aside for a few days and simply enjoying life. So can you go home again? Yes, you can as long as the people you love are there with you.

I had the best trip and got to see the entire family except my brother and one of his daughters who are both at the beach and one of my nieces who lives in another town and couldn't come in.

I've laughed until my sides hurt. I've eaten until I was about to pop. I've gotten up early and stayed up late. I am past exhausted, but I am so extremely blessed that we had a wonderful time.