HOMEWORK , MEALS, AND GOING TO BED:  The boys just started school and have homework every night.  I sure am glad that they are staying with us now and not later.  Jordan is in 3rd grade and Sam is in first.  Never watched Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader (http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/) but am happy that I don’t have to be concerned with that.  Really good that we don’t have to deal with heavy duty math or science.  We’d just be in deep trouble with Algebra or Calculus.  I already graduated from High School 4 times.  Really.  I graduated in 1969 (Wow that’s a long time ago) from Martin Van Buren HS in Queens, NY.  Then when Linda was going to HS (I met her when she had just turned 17) I graduated from Lakenheath HS in England. Then I graduated twice from Minot HS in North Dakota with Michael and Leah.  I have paid my school dues.  Even got a BA from Southeastern University (http://www.seuniversity.edu/) in Lakeland FL.

Okay meals.  Talk about finicky eaters.  Jordan will anything as long as its pizza.  I guess he can choke down a few other things too on occasion.  Ice cream is always in order as well as chicken patties on hamburger buns and hot dogs.  But he puts ketchup on the hot dogs.  Its downright uncivilized to put anything but mustard on a hotdog.  Glad we have a freezer.  Sam is a little easier.  He does eat spaghetti which is his favorite all time meal, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets.  Ben who is 17 months has his own preferences which is anything that is messy.  Of course Sasha loves Ben and follows him around constantly in the hopes of getting “the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.”

At bedtime we go through the take a bed, get in your PJs and say your prayers.  It just seems like kids forever to do what you want them to do.  The try to stretch out the bedtime thing for as long as they can.

RECORD ATTENDANCE:  We had a total of 425 in church today which is awesome when you consider that it is still summer and none of our “snowbirds” are back yet.  Our children’s church for ages 3 to 12 (in 2 locations) was packed and the 2 nurseries for infants through two years old were overflowing.  We are blessed to have so many young families in the church. We’ve had 2 babies this year and have 3 more coming.  But attendance and numbers aside, I am more blessed by what the Holy Spirit is doing in the people.  People are coming into real relationship with the Lord.  We are aware of a presence and power of the Spirit that is affecting worship, prayer, the message from the Word, and altar time.  The response to the ministry of the Word has been great.  I started a series today on the attributes of God.  We started with the omniscience of God.  That is that He is all-knowing.

Gotta run….

Blessings,