Children's Hope

Our Sunday School class is raising money to help Children's Hope here in Levelland. We are raising money for a foundation on which already donated playground equipment will be installed. Our goal is to raise $2500.00 by the end of May. We are going to have a large silent auction item and a hotdog supper sometime in May. If you are able to help with donations, hotdog supper, or anything else please let me know. Children's Hope can always use help with toiletries, clothing and food. They could also use help painting their building. Send me an email or leave a comment and I'll get whatever information you need.

Children's Hope
1313 West Washington
Levelland, Texas 79336

Poll

Check out my poll to the bottom right. I need your vote!

Pictures of nieces and nephews...

Emmaly...my sister and her family are OU fans. We try to put our UT things on them, but I think Emma got us this time...
Somebody must have been playing with my camera. Aidan practicing Wii boxing moves....
Logan and Samantha enjoying some ice cream and taking time to pose for the camera....
Sportin' their shades. The oldest grandchild and youngest grandchild on the Rodriguez side. April will be 16 in June.

Bible Study

Just wanted to let you all know that the girls in our Sunday School class are starting a summer Bible Study. We decided to focus in on marriage and chose Love and Respect for the reading we are doing at home. During the class we will be listening to Marriage on the Rock by Jimmy Evans. We had 13 girls sign-up!!! Our meeting dates will be on Mondays at 9:00 p.m. Please be in prayer for all of us. Please pray that God will teach us how to "understand" our husbands! he he. I am so excited and can't wait. Thank you Dawn for getting this started!

Birth verse

I thought this was pretty cool and thought I would share with you. Check out your birthverse at www.birthverse.com/mybirthverse.

Logan
Galatians 3:27 NIV for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Ariel
James 1:25 NIV But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
Alexia
John 11:27 NIV “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Shannon
Ephesians 2:6 NIV And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
Jose
Romans 8:24 NIVFor in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?

You are a child of God, His treasured possession. He created you in His own image. He chose the day for you to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for your life.

Where will you spend eternity?

I had a dear friend ask me how I have become much bolder in my outreach and speech, and more vocal as a Christian. She asked ME how she could be bolder. I couldn’t help but think how undeserving that comment is. I'm not anywhere close to where I should be in my walk with Christ. I know I am a perfectionist and very hard on myself. I have a hard time believing my efforts are enough. I always feel that I could try just a little harder, that I haven’t put in 110%. I often have to remind myself that I am saved by the grace of God. John 3:16 brings comfort and reminds me that I will spend eternity in heaven. I recently read in a daily devotion about a woman also struggling with her inadequacies as a Christian. She was struggling with all the “should ofs” in her life? She said she went on for years struggling with the feeling that she wasn’t good enough until one day she knelt down to pray and asked God what was wrong with her. She says that God gently told her “You believed the world’s view of adequacy over My Word, which says that as long as you love me, you are more than adequate!" Doesn’t that just give you chills and excite you all at the same time? The devotion continues to say that she was shown through His Word that we are all more than adequate, not by our own strength, but only through a heart surrendered to Him. Only then can our hearts be set right to understand and to realize He loves us just as we are. Don’t use this as an excuse for not being the Word daily. His will is for a close and intimate relationship with each of us. It is His desire, just as it is our desire for each of our children, to bless us infinitely. He only wants the best for us. I am reassured by His love that I will walk on streets of gold and all of my favorite things will be in eternity. Will I see you there?

McCain for President

The girls got out early from school yesterday. So we decided to run to Lubbock to support McCain for President. He touched on four points that I actually heard and remembered in between corraling and hushing Logan.

1. He is not going to pull the troops out without first accomplishing the goals that were set for Iraq.

2. He will follow Bin Laden to the "Gates of Hell" until he is caught. He got a big "whoop" for this comment!

3. America has a spending problem and he will make every effort to get it under control.
4. America should be using Nuclear power to help conserve energy. (sounds scary to me! I'll have to research this to find out how I feel about this).

I took the kids because I thought it would be a good experience for them. Ariel wanted to know when he was going to start singing. I think she was a little confused! Alexia said it was awesome!! Maybe we will have a future politician in the house!

I hope you all are making an effort to get to know the people who will be our future President of the United States!

The Last Lecture

If you haven't heard of Randy Pausch and his Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University you really should check this guy out. He has an amazing story about overcoming obstacles. He is a 47 year old father of three battling pancreatic cancer. His story is very inspirational and I am a sucker for inspiration!! I need all the help I can get! He will be on ABC Wednesday night at 9pm CST with Diane Sawyer. I am going to try and attach a video of his lecture, but if I can't figure it out you can watch it at www.thelastlecture.com or www.abcnews.go.com. He also has a blog that you can check out at www.thelastlecture.com. Let me know what you thought of his lecture after you watch it.

Logan Jose

Logan had a wonderful 1st birthday party. We celebrated with food (a must!) at the park. The kids enjoyed playing and we were blessed with family and friends. Here are a few of Logan's Favorites:

1. Maccaroni and Cheese

2. His binky...yes still has it and uses it faithfully!

3. His sisters! He shews Jose and me away so he can stay with them.

4. His kitty. He rubs its tail on his palm when falling asleep.

5. Balls of any type...basketballs, footballs, golf balls, baseballs...

6. His hand puppet, Matilda the Monkey!

7. Being tickled. He loves to laugh!

8. Bike rides. He's lovin' his buggy!

9. Baths. Hopefully he will love swimming just as much this summer.

10. Last but not least...His Momma...most favorite of all (we'll see what Dad has to say about that, he he)!