Salute to a Soldier

My “little” brother Randall just graduated from special forces school. He celebrated his 39th birthday in the midst of the training, making him nearly twice as old as some of the others. Most don’t make it through this grueling school, and we’re all very proud of Randall.

He has served our country for nearly a decade and a half, spending two years in Korea and one in Iraq. After passing a special mental test, he was accepted into the linguistics area of the special forces. He studied Greek in college and Russian and Korean on his own. He will soon receive orders to his next duty station, probably in Colorado or Germany.

Number Four

Please welcome to the world my fourth grandchild, Joshua Owen. He was born yesterday at 11:58 a.m. in Little Rock and weighed 7 lb., 11 oz. He joins older brothers Spencer (5) and Andrew (3), and will be well loved and cared for by his wonderful parents, Amy & Robb.

Amy is my husband’s oldest daughter. Her sister, Sarah, is due with her second child, another girl, in September. That will bring our grandkid total to FIVE!

Pics from the Party

The girls returned from their drive in the country. Something about viewing a haunted house, but they decided not to get out of the car.

As promised, here are some pics from the PINK party:

The PINKing of the T-shirts. Our miniature dachshund, Bullet, has been a BIG help throughout the whole party. I think she’s having as much fun as the girls!

The baby duckies have fresh litter, food & water. The goats and dogs have been fed. Now it’s time for the girls to play!

Adding a little pizazz to the PINK shirts. The graduates take a trip in time back to their kindergarten days as they “fingerpaint” the word PINK (in yellow-green paint–go figure!) onto their T-shirts.

Everyone has PINK toenails, too! Yes, even me–but this isn’t my foot!

The girls follow along as I read PINK to them. So far they’re really enjoying the story.

Chatting with Marilynn Griffith while riding to see the haunted house. (What the haunted house has to do with PINK, I have no idea!) Marilynn has done a GREAT job of personalizing this party for Elena & her friends.

All the party-goers are having a blast! (From left: Christy, Samantha, Nikki, Elena, and Melissa “Liz.”)

Thanks, Marilynn, for such a great idea and for writing such a great book!

It’s 9:43 and All’s Well

Having a PINK party has been such a fun idea. In fact, I promised to do blog updates throughout the evening and we’ve been having such a great time that I’m just now sitting down to post the first update. And that’s just because the girls left to go pick up a friend who just got off work! I was going to upload some pics we’ve taken so far, but they took the camera with them, so that will have to wait.

The evening started with decorating. Elena promises that the house was clean when they started, but by the time I got home from work, pink streamers, plates, balloons, and all manner of pink debris were scattered around the place. Oh, well. I told her she cleaned house this morning, she can clean it again tomorrow! LOL

Of course this party comes one day after I started Weight Watchers. I’ll be using all 35 of my week’s flex points for this one event! (Yesterday I did great & wound up with 2 points to spare!) I’d better not eat any more cake, ice cream or Bagel Bites, though, or I’ll need another kind of pink–Pepto Bismal!

After decorations & food, we stopped long enough to do our chores. We cleaned out the baby duck brooder & gave them fresh litter, food & water. Then we all headed to the pond to feed the creatures. After chore time, we settled in the den and I began to read to the girls.

I just read a chapter last night in a book about placing the reader in a "fictive dream" and using story questions to make the reader "worry and wonder" what would happen next. That’s just what I’ve witnessed as the girls hang on every word of PINK.

"What happened three months ago?"

"Is he going to get on the wrong train on purpose tomorrow?"

Those are "story questions"–hooks to keep the reader reading. No, they’re not asked directly in the text, but these questions were asked out loud by some of the girls as we were reading. It means they’ve already begun to worry and wonder about the characters–and we’ve only read two chapters! But the answers will have to wait *sigh*. At least until the girls get back from town!

The Graduate

My daughter, Elena, will graduate Friday, May 19. Tonight we’re having the big PINK graduation party–PINK cake, PINK decorations, PINK T-shirts, and who knows, we might even paint the cat! Mary Griffith, author of PINK will be calling the girls for a late-night author chat! Plus, I’ll have a live blog with updates throughout the party.

Here is an article that tells a little more about Elena & her future plans:

Elena Margarita Réné Lopez, who will soon graduate with highest honors from Morrilton High School, has been accepted into the pre-med program at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., where she plans to obtain an undergraduate degree in Psychology. She then plans to attend medical school and become a pediatrician.

During her time at MHS, Elena was involved in band (trombone), Beta Club, Thespians, Math Club, Science Club, and was a member of the Lady Devil Dog basketball team, which won the 2006 AAAA State Championship. She was also a Girls’ State representative and has been active in many community organizations, including the Conway County Youth Advisory Council and Conway County Vision 20/20.

Outside of school, Elena is active in the Downtown Church of Christ youth group and last year participated in their Rio Bravo, Mexico, mission trip. Elena’s hobbies include reading, hanging out with her friends, and any sort of craft, especially quilting. Elena has received numerous academic and service awards. She has also received several scholarships, including a Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes Scholarship, a Morrilton Rotary Club/Pizza Hut Scholarship, a Kayla Jo Biggers memorial scholarship, the Conway County Legal Beverage Association scholarship, and both academic and diversity scholarships from Lipscomb University.

Co-founded in 1891 as Nashville Bible College by David Lipscomb and James A. Harding, Lipscomb University is a private coeducational institution whose principal focus is undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences, combined with a number of pre-professional fields and master’s degree programs. Its primary mission is to integrate Christian faith and practice with academic excellence. The mission is carried out not only in the classroom but also by involvement in numerous services to the church and the larger community.

Elena will join the incoming freshmen for ADVANCE, a two-day orientation June 29-30. At ADVANCE, students will learn about campus life, receive academic counseling, enroll for classes and begin to develop friendships with other Lipscomb freshmen.

Elena is the daughter of Don & Linda Fulkerson of Morrilton and Valentin Jr. and Josie Lopez of Grants, N.M. She is the granddaughter of Larry and Margaret Nixon of Morrilton; Petra Lopez and the late Valentin Lopez of Donna, Texas; and Avanell Fulkerson and the late Alden Fulkerson of Morrilton.

Ministry of Reconciliation

Have you ever received a gift and wondered, "What is it?" or "What am I supposed to do with this?" God has given us countless gifts, but sometimes we may be confused about how to utilize them.

We all have ministries we work hard with, but did you know God has given each of us a ministry? In 2 Corinthians 5:18, the Apostle Paul tells us that God has given us the Ministry of Reconciliation. Wow! That means we have a responsibility to be good stewards of this gift.

So, how does one go about using this ministry of reconciliation? It’s tricky business, as many don’t wish to be reconciled. Or they don’t think they do. Due to hurts, remorse, loss of hope, isolation–there are many reasons, their hearts have become hardened to accepting the love of God and the love of their one-time friends and family.

Perhaps you are in a relationship that is in need of the Ministry of Reconciliation. It sounds complicated, but God not only gave us this ministry, He outlined a simple 3-step plan to assist us:

"Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place" (Revelation 2:5 NIV).

This message, written to the Ephesian church, was an admonishment to them to be reconciled to God. But we can use those same steps as a plan of reconciliation in our own relationships.

1. Remember. Remember what it was like at the beginning of your friendship, marriage, parenting, Christianity. The excitement. The time spent together. Think back to the good times. Make a list of "happy thoughts" from the beginning of your relationship. Remember.
2. Repent. The dissolution of a relationship is usually two-sided. Think what you might have done that hurt the other person. What have you done that might have hurt yourself? Are you still doing anything hurtful? Let go of practices that are harmful to you and others. Repent.
3. Re-do. The scripture says "do the things you did at first." What did you do during the time your relationship was at its strongest point? How did you act? Barbara Streisand sang a song titled, "You don’t bring me flowers anymore." If you used to bring flowers, bring flowers again. If you used to write love notes, write love notes again. If you used to (fill in the blank), then do it. Re-do.

I didn’t say the plan was easy. I said it was simple–three steps. Sometimes tall, hard steps, but just three.

Hopefully, all of your personal/spiritual relationships are healthy and doing well. If that is the case, praise the LORD! Then you are ready to help others who need help by sharing God’s 3-step plan of reconciliation with them.

But be careful. The Bible contains a warning for those who launch their ministry of reconciliation. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently" (Galatians 6:1a). Paul says that those of us "who are spiritual" should restore (reconcile) the fallen brother.

This means we should have our own house in order before attempting to clean that of someone else. What does "spiritual" mean, anyway? This verse is immediately preceded by the verses that list the Fruit of the Spirit. If we are spiritual, then wouldn’t we bear spiritual fruit? (Apple trees bear apples, after all!) Therefore, to be spiritual would mean to possess the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

The Ministry of Reconciliation is very powerful and rewarding. But then, it is a gift from God!

Why We Relay…

Tonight will be our county’s annual Relay for Life. I want to pause for a moment and consider why we relay.

Here are my reasons:

• Larry Nixon–my father, who is a prostate cancer survivor.
• Elwood Nixon–my uncle, who passed away after a battle with colon cancer.
• Roberta Wolfe Collins–my aunt, who survived colon cancer for several years, but died recently from complications following a stroke.
• Lettie Bennie Wolfe–my grandmother, who died from skin cancer.
• Alden “Tom” Fulkerson–my father-in-law, who died earlier this year from complications due to a brain tumor. (You can read my tribute to him by clicking HERE.)
• Avanell Fulkerson–my mother-in-law, who is doing well with her battle against chronic lymphocytic leukemeia
• Betty Newman–my friend and fellow singer, who is fighting an intensive battle against liver cancer.
• Lisa Arey–our high school drama teacher and my friend, who lives trapped in a high-level coma due to an attack on her brain by West Nile Virus, which struck her while her immune system was weakened following chemotherapy for breast cancer. She has been pronounced cancer-free and is in a rehabilitation unit at Baylor University.
• Bernice Bates–my friend who, praise the LORD, was recently pronounced in total remission after an intensive battle with Multiple Myeloma.
• Cindi Burleson, Marie Hill, Lou Ann Carter, Emily Oates, and I’m sure I’ve left many off this list of my friends who have battled breast cancer and are shining their lights by mentoring others who are fighting the disease.

Why do YOU relay?

Seeing Pink

I’m so excited! My daughter is graduating from high school soon. No, I’m NOT excited about her leaving home and moving to another state to attend college–but I’m excited about the special graduation party we’re planning with the help of Mary Griffith. We’re having a Technicolor Faith party, featuring Mary’s book PINK. We met Marilyn (Mary) at the last ACFW conference in Nashville, Tenn. She is such a fun person, and her party-planning ideas are awesome. If you know of some deserving young lady who rates a special party, visit with Mary about it!

Some of my friends have seen my blogroll and asked, "Do you REALLY read all those blogs every day?" Yes. And then some. But the ones on the roll are my dailies–others I only check periodically.

It doesn’t take as long as you might think. Some don’t post every day, so it’s just a couple of quick clicks to make sure. And most don’t babble as much as me, so they’re a fast read. I’m the first one up (well, me and the puppy–but she cheats and always goes back to bed after our "outside" time!), so I pour my coffee and sit down and take in some quiet time with my "friends." Some I’ve met, some I haven’t. Some I probably never will–but I learn so much by reading what they’ve written.

• For instance–have you heard about the Veggie Tales Scandal? Hadn’t heard that one? Then check out James Watkins’ blog today. He’s always full of humor and wisdom. I always learn something but I wasn’t prepared for what I learned today!
• Robin Lee Hatcher (isn’t she on everyone’s favorite authors list?) has a new audiobook out. Plus, if you’re an American Idol fan, you can learn all the latest AI scoop from her blog.
• Up in Camy’s Loft (I go there every day even though I’m afraid of heights!) you can read a review about Mary Griffith’s new book MADE OF HONOR. Once, twice, ten times a bridesmaid!
• Brandilyn Collins always has something interesting lurking on her blog–plus it’s a great instructional tool for those learning the craft of writing. And it helps to know that a best-selling author sometimes struggles through plots and prose, too. Kind of makes us rookie novelists feel "normal." Or as normal as any writer can feel.
• Today Gail Gaymer Martin, one of the most humble-spirited people I know–a great writer who loves to share what she’s learned with others–explains why you can’t always find the book you’re looking for on the shelves of your favorite bookstore.
• And if you’re looking for a serene setting, visit Victoria Gains’ Light for the Writer’s Soul. Today she discusses squelching the inner editor and shared a great quote from Julia Cameron that begins: "Writing is about getting something down, not about thinking something up."

So, yes, I do read all those blogs. And when I’m finished, I feel revitalized and devotionalized and ready to face the keyboard and day and hopefully ready to share a few of my own thoughts with the world. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to peck out a few words of wisdom periodically. It’s a ministry of encouragement in so many ways.

Four Things

Several of my blogroll buddies have posted "Four Things" lists, so I decided to play, too.

Here are my lists of 4 Things. How about yours?

4 Movies you could watch over and over again

• Robin Hood, Prince of Theives
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Disney’s Three Musketeers
• Shrek (please don’t throw any pitchforks at me!)

4 places you’ve lived

• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Paris Island, South Carolina (Marine Corps bootcamp–ugh!)

4 TV shows you love to watch

I rarely watch TV, but here goes:

• Medium
• Gilmore Girls (haven’t watched in a few years, but I used to every week)
• Monk
• CSI

4 places you’ve been on vacation

• Cozumel
• San Antonio, Texas
• Washington D C
• The Grand Canyon

4 web sites/blogs you visit regularly

• Camy Tang’s Loft
• Robin Lee Hatcher’s blog (even though I’m not an American Idol fan!)
• James Watkins
• Chip Scanlon’s blog
• There are a lot more–visit my blogroll to check out some of my favorites!

4 of your favorite foods

• Fajitas
• Pizza
• Biscuits & Gravy (hey, I’m from Arkansas!)
• Anything my daughter cooks–especially her quiche!

4 places you’d rather be right now or want to visit

• Tour the Castles of Europe
• My missionary friends in Madagascar & Cape Town, South Africa (*sigh*–one of these days!)
• Italy/Greece (I know, I know–that’s TWO places. But they’re close together. And I suppose Madagascar & Cape Town are two places, too!)
• I’ve been to 31 of the United States. I’d LOVE to see the other 19!

4 books you love

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (and anything written by Mark Twain)
• Anything written by Raymond Chandler
• DragonSpell by Donita K. Paul
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

4 friends you think will respond/comment to this list

Hopefully EVERYONE will respond, but…

• My daughter
• My dad
• My friend Theresa (are you reading this?)
• Who knows?!

Y’all have fun with this! I’m waiting to see your lists!

First Thursday in May

According to traditional holidays and observances of the United States, today, the first Thursday in May, is the National Day of Prayer.

I doubt that any Christian feels their prayer life is adequate. The Bible says to “pray without ceasing,” and it’s hard for me to be in prayer at a basketball game when I feel as though the referees need a seeing eye dog to guide them across the court. Or in traffic when a car cuts in front of me, nearly taking off the front two feet of my three-foot long car!

In Chapter Ten “No Longer Worthy” of my book, The Prodigal Daughter, I discuss how I revived my comatose prayer life on my homeward journey. One thing that helped me more than anything as I struggled to return was keeping a prayer journal. I sought out scriptures about prayer, wrote out my prayers, dated each entry and annoted answered prayers. As soon as I received an answer, I offered a prayer of thanksgiving. This prayer journal strengthened my faith more than any one thing I did along the path toward home.

I think I should begin a prayer journal again.