On The Run

We ran the Heroes for Children 5K last Saturday. The weather was terrif, and the course was nice and flat ... smooth sailing. Clocked 26:49 (approx. 8:30 pace).

The overall winner of the race was a girl!! Woohoo! =)

Treasures

"I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you — the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19

Project Read

Just finished reading The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins. Gosh, this book was so good; I'm now a huge fan of Collins.

My favorite character in this book was Marian Halcombe; she was a very strong-minded, intelligent woman ... so much so that at a few points during the story, her mind was considered 'manly'. I found that intriguing, but I suppose during that day, very little was expected of a woman. Quite the opposite is true of our culture today. Also, Count Fosco was such a fascinating character and served very well as the villian of the story.

Also, I recently completed Night by Elie Wiesel. I've read this one so many years ago and wanted to read it again. It is such a heart-wrenching story of his days in the concentration camps during WWII.

Cool Ride

Another seriously cool car ... Lotus

Treasures

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6

"Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!

"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." Proverbs 30:4-6

An Artist's Thoughts

"Art is never finished, only abandoned."

~ Leonardo da Vinci

Treasures

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16

Cool Rides

I've got a new favorite car: the 2006 Ford Mustang. Of course, it's still not as cool as the '65 model.

On the Run

Ran the Turkey Trot this morning. The weather was perfect, so there was record turnout for the event ... I'm guessing the final count was close to 35,000. Because of the massive number of people participating in the run, I wasn't expecting any record times ... clocked 39:25 (a 13 minute pace?)

T-shirt was pretty nifty - and super neon!!

Project Read, The Sound of Us

Tonight I finished reading The Sound of Us, by Sarah Willis. The storyline was fascinating, about a woman who goes through the process to take in a foster child. She first encountered this child one night when the girl wakes her up by misdialing her Auntie's phone number after her mother doesn't come home for a couple of days. I enjoyed Willis' writing style, especially the character development. And granted, it does make one stop to think more of all that's involved when a family takes in foster children, working to meet their needs and helping them to cope with their situation.

On the Run

State Fair 5k

Ran our first 5K in over a year (gosh! has it been that long?) But we're determined to get back in shape for a couple of longer races later this year. The State Fair course changed ever so slightly this year and it started a bit later than it should have, but we did get to see some historic houses in Deep Ellum that I never knew existed before. (I'll have to go back). The weather was terrif! Time was 28:24, a 9 minute pace. (a small improvement from last year, but plenty of room for more progress to be made).

T-shirt ... I'll have to say I preferred last year's.

Project Read 2005 List

I made a list on Amazon.com to help track what I've read and intend to read this year. Check it out: The '05 List

Project Read, The Testament

My friend Lisa loaned me her copy of John Grisham's The Testament over a year ago, and finally I read it. My favorite part of the book was the lawyer's adventure in the jungles of Brazil/Bolivia in his quest to track down Rachel and Rachel's and his talks on the subject of God. How cool that Grisham used the character Rachel to share the Gospel!

Project Read, Jane Eyre

Received a copy of Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) from my dear friend, Mel, who highly recommended it after reading it late last year. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it very good, a bit dark and not at all what I expected. On the matter of the story being a dark one, I appreciate what Mel had to say about it: "It enhanced the beauty of the good things that happened."

Famous Words

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

An Artist's Thoughts

"My instinct about painting says, 'if you don't think about it, it's right.' As soon as you have to decide and choose, it's wrong. And the more you decide about, the more wrong it gets." ~ Andy Warhol

An Artist's Thoughts

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso

A Current Favorite

One of the songs on the Barlow Girl CD is Never Alone, probably one of their best, I think. A reminder that even when I feel completely alone; and I wonder if even God is there still, I know that He is there just as He has promised ... He will never leave me, nor forsake me. He is unchanging. He is omnipresent. He is the great I Am!

Even though I can't see Him, I still know He loves me and is right there with me.

"So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone."

Barlow Girl

Project Read, The Spy Wore Red

Interesting account of a spy during World War II ... and of course, I'm a big spy fan. Maybe I should go work for the CIA.

Treasures

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God." 1 John 4:1-3